SWH Cougar Tracks 2022-2023
Thursday, April 6, 2023
Cougar Corner
To help parents and students stay in the loop as far as all things Sherwood Heights, our Cougar Tracks newsletter will be our weekly communication tool. Be sure to watch for email notifications at the end of each week and you can also find each of the latest and greatest Cougar Tracks newsletters posted on our website!
Apr 7: Good Friday - No school
Apr 10: Easter Monday - No school
Apr 12: RAP Information Session
Apr 13: French Immersion Public Engagement - 5:30 at Davidson Creek Elementary gymnasium
Apr 15: Young Authors Conference
Apr 17: Student Voice meeting in the library at lunch
Apr 17: Outdoor Ed 9s Student meeting at lunch
Apr 18: SWH Information Night (formerly called "Open House")
Apr 19: SAL Gr.9 Info Night 3:30-7 p.m.
Apr 19: David Irvine Virtual Presentation at 7:00 p.m.
Apr 20: Gathering of First Nations, Métis and Inuit families
Apr 21: Earth Day with Kalyn Kodiak
Apr 25: School Council Meeting
Apr 27: SAL Gr. 9 registration at SWH
- Thursdays are $3.00 Pizza slice day at lunch!!
Information Nights for Grade 9 students entering into Grade 10
Information Nights will be offered for parents of students entering into Grade 10 at SAL and Bev Facey to answer any questions related to their child's grade 10 course selections.
Bev Facey - April 5th at 6:00 p.m.
SAL - April 19th - 3:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Outdoor Ed 9 Camping Trip Dates
On Monday April 17th at lunch (12:22) all Outdoor Ed 9 students will be signing up for their camping trip date. If you are in Grade 9 and you took Outdoor Ed in semesters 1 or 2 please come to the gym at lunch on Monday April 17th and pick your camping date. There will be 3 dates to choose from:
- May 8 and 9
- May 11 and 12
- May 29 and 30
We will be camping at the Strathcona Wilderness Center for 2 days and one night. Bus will take students to our location at 9am the first day and return students back at Sherwood Heights for a 3:02pm pick up the following day. More information to follow once students have signed up.
Students can sign up with anyone (as long as they took Outdoor Ed 9) and are encouraged to make small groups to make planning and prepping for cooking meals easier. If students would prefer to do all the meal planning for themselves that is fine too. Check your calendars and pick your date. See all our Outdoor 9’s on Monday April 7th!!!
RAP Information Session Gr. 9-12
Dear Elk Island Public Schools families:
The Career Pathways team at Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) is hosting a Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) information session on Wednesday, April 12. All students in grades 9 to 12 and their families are invited to attend to learn more about the program.
Participants will learn about RAP and how it works, gain insight about new opportunities in the trades—particularly for women—and hear real-life stories from current and past RAP students. Representatives from Women Building Futures, DOW Chemical, Career Pathways and Careers: the Next Generation will present and be on hand to answer questions.
Event Details:
Date: April 12, 2023
Time: 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Location: Ardrossan Junior Senior High
Sincerely,
Elk Island Public Schools
Athletics Corner
Have a wonderful Easter weekend, everyone!
Stay tuned for more SWH Athletics updates next week! :)
Be sure to double check the SWH Athletics Calendar as it is another great source for the most updated information. (link in blue button below)
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Any parents or guardians interested in coaching or assistant coaching any sports in the 2022-2023 year please contact Kristin Alexander (Davies) at kristin.alexander@eips.ca.
School Council
Working Together to Raise Good Citizens
April 19, 2023 at 7:00 p.m.
Cultivating Compassion in Our School Community - Working Together to Raise Good Citizens
SWH School Council in partnership with 11 other school councils have pooled their Alberta Education School Council Engagement Grand funds for a David Irvine presentation!
David Irvine is a world-renowned speaker, author, and trusted leadership advisor. With more than forty years of experience as a family therapist, workshop facilitator, lecturer, and adviser to executives, David has dedicated his life to helping leaders – at all levels of organizations and in all walks of life – bring their whole self to whatever they do. With advanced degrees in human development, science, and social work, David takes a unique approach to leadership development that helps leaders amplify their impact by discovering and deepening their authentic presence.
Based on David’s best-selling book, Caring Is Everything: Getting to the Heart of Humanity, Leadership and Life, this session will kick off the day and set the tone for working together. David offers an inspiring, reflective, and practical perspective on the importance of caring in your school community.
- Build confidence in your contribution to your school community: shift from a chore to a contribution.
- Be reminded of the importance of compassion and grace with ourselves and with those around us.
- Build a stronger community of support for each other so we can best support our children.
- Learn how to build bridges of trust to ensure a stronger school community amid diversity.
- Leave with practical strategies for putting compassion to work: promote meaningful connections, facilitate problem-solving, foster reciprocal responsibility, and improve overall wellbeing.
Thousands of people attend David’s leadership development programs every year. His
clients are from public, private, educational, not-for-profit, family business, and
entrepreneurial sectors.
The presentation will be virtual and takes place on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at 7:00 p.m.
Click the blue link button below or scan the QR code to pre-register your attendance through Zoom.
More information about David Irvine can be found here. (www.davidirvine.com)
Thank you to all the families who supplied our amazing staff with treats for the March staff meeting. They really appreciated it and there were so many yummy goodies, that they still feasted the next day! Cougar families rock!
School Council decided to continue providing treats for staff meetings in April, May and June. The April sign up is open now (and April staff meeting happens really fast after spring break!)
Thanks for helping to show appreciation for all the staff do for our kids.
https://www.perfectpotluck.com/EOJJ5313
Jacquie
P.S. – If there is someone who wants to organize this for May and June, please reach out to Jacquie at SherwoodHeightsSchoolCouncil@gmail.com
Our next School Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at 6:30 p.m.
EIPS Public Engagement: French Immersion Programming
Join us on April 13 at 5:30 p.m. Davidson Creek Elementary in Gym
Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) is exploring ways to enhance its French Immersion program, increase secondary-level retention and address anticipated enrolment pressures in Ardrossan. Before any decisions are made, EIPS is consulting school families, students and community stakeholders. Already, it’s conducted the first two phases of engagement efforts. Each phase included a public meeting and an online survey.
Phase 1 explored ideas and the values of EIPS French Immersion families—which took place in fall 2022. Phase 2 involved sharing EIPS’ concerns and collecting feedback to develop a possible solution—that took place in winter 2023. Thank you to everyone who participated and shared their thoughts. The Division used the input to create a vision for the EIPS French Immersion program and a potential draft solution.
Now, EIPS wants to hear from you again. Join us on April 13 to hear more about the French Immersion Vision and discuss the potential draft solution—its strengths, challenges and ways to make it better. Childcare will be available.
All EIPS French Immersion families, students and community members are invited to attend. Attendees will also review what was heard during previous engagement sessions and have a chance to ask questions and offer additional feedback.
Closer to the meeting, EIPS will send all families background information and a Frequently Asked Questions document, to help prepare for the session. And, if you can’t make the meeting, that’s OK. You can still provide input by completing an online survey—open from April 14-24. EIPS will send the survey link to the school community, post it online and share it through social media on April 14.
EIPS encourages everyone to attend the upcoming public engagement session and share their thoughts. The Division will use the feedback to inform next steps and fine-tune the community-derived solution.
Parent/Guardian Information Verification Forms
While you’re logged in to your PowerSchool Parent Portal, please also take a minute to complete your Parent/Guardian Information Verification Form—available through the left-hand menu. The form only takes a few short minutes to complete and helps ensure Sherwood Heights Junior High School and Elk Island Public Schools have complete and accurate data for all parents and guardians in the Division. Parent/Guardian Information Verification Forms are due April 30.
EIPS Summer School Registration
Registration for EIPS Summer School opens March 15, 2023. The Summer School program offers a number of senior high courses that allow students to earn credits, upgrade marks, lighten workloads for the year ahead or finish pre-requisite courses.
Registration is open to:
- current EIPS students (grades 9-12)
- students who will enter an EIPS high school for the 2023-2024 school year, as of Sept. 1, 2023.
Pre-requisite course requirement: In consultation with Alberta Education and senior administration at EIPS, if there is a pre-requisite course needed for the student’s summer class (for example, Social 20-1 to prepare for Social 30-1), that pre-requisite must have been successfully completed by June 25, 2023.
NOTE: Students are only able to register in one course for summer school as all classes run at the same time. The only exception is a student taking self-paced CALM 20, students could then register in one other course, or the classes are taught in different sessions. For example, taking CALM 20 in session 1 and Phys. Ed 10 in session 2.
Canteen Volunteers and Menu
Volunteering for shifts in our SWH Canteen with Mrs. Braun is an excellent way to help prepare our students for the world of work. These opportunities help students build confidence, increase skill range, and feel successful as they work towards entering post-secondary or the workforce.
Also being served on Thursdays is $3 pizza slices! Pick from pepperoni, cheese and ham & pineapple.