Cougar Tracks
Friday, November 5, 2021
Principal's Message
We made it to Fall Break!
We hope you all find some time to rest and relax.
Before you head off for break, we do have a little homework for you. Below, please find a link to a brief parent survey that we hope you can complete for us:
Thank you for taking the time to support our school!
Junior Girls Volleyball Take Home the GOLD!
A huge thank you to the Jr Girls volleyball team members and their parents and supporters!
What an amazing season and I am so grateful for the opportunity to have coached this talented group of girls! Our team not only worked hard but we were dedicated and committed to achieving our goals, which really paid off. We ended the season with an exciting gold medal match AND took home the championship title!
To my girls: keep up the amazing work, continue practicing and improving your skills, and most importantly, have fun!
- Ms. Davies
Senior Girls Volleyball Earn SILVER!
After a slow start to the regular season (losses to Ardrossan and Haythorne) the girls finished the year with 6 consecutive wins to finish at 6-2 ; good enough for 3rd place. They managed to squeak by Lakeland Ridge in quarter-finals with a very hard fought 3-2 win (15-13 in the 5th set).
Off to semi-finals, where the girls came up with their strongest performance of the year defeating Ardrossan in 3 straight sets. In the finals, against Haythorne, the girls battled hard but lost in 4 sets. Great job this season girls – you should all be VERY proud of how far you’ve come in a short season together.
- Mr. Olsen
Junior Boys Volleyball Capture BRONZE!
The Junior Boys finished their season on Tuesday, November 2nd with a Bronze medal win at SCA. The boys won in a third set 15-10. The season was a great learning experience and had several successful moments along the way. The boys finished with a 4-2 record, three-way tie for 4th place. In the Quarter finals the boys won in a third set over Cloverbar. Narrowly lost to FRH in the semi finals.
- Mr. Gieringer
LOGO's Rizn Chapel
All Logos classes (grade 7, 8, and 9) met on Thursday, November 4th for a chapel. Celebration church led the students in worship, singing, and GAMES. Thank you to the Celebration Church for giving the Logos class a fun afternoon!
November Break Student Travel Information
As we head into November break, we have received a number of inquiries asking when students are able to return to school after travelling outside of Canada.
Unvaccinated students under 12 years of age travelling with fully vaccinated parents or guardians cannot return to school or daycare for 14 days following their return to Canada, and must follow the mandatory requirements under the Minimizing the Risk of Exposure to COVID-19 in Canada Order.
Fully vaccinated students 12 years and older who travelled out of the country can return to school without delay so long as they are asymptomatic. If unvaccinated, these students are subject to the Government of Canada’s required 14-day quarantine, whether or not they are accompanied by a parents or guardian who qualifies as a fully vaccinated traveller.
Additional information on travel restrictions and public health requirements can be found at the Government of Canada’s website.
Lost and Found
Is your child missing their Invisalign? There are 2 currently in the Office looking for their owners! If you think one of them may be your child's, please have them come to the front office and talk to Mrs. Ryan.
The Importance of Language
One of our focuses during Bully Awareness and Prevention week will be to discuss the importance of language in creating safer, more inclusive communities. We have invited Christina Quintero to work with all of our students. Each grade will be working to understand the difference between hate speech vs swear words and how the words we use impact others.
The schedule for these discussions will be as follows:
Wednesday, November 17 - Grade 9
Thursday, November 18 - Grade 8
Friday, November 19 - Grade 7
Cougar Wear Store Closing on November 8!
We are happy to announce that our first Cougar Wear store is now open! Check it out here: Sport Factor SWH Cougar Wear
The store will only be open until November 8, so get your orders in soon!
Paws-ative Referrals Corner
We would like to give a BIG thank you to Vertex for the fantastic Oil Kings tickets at the Loge table for 3 draws and to Christina Henriques at Henriques Law for a very generous cash donation to be used for 2 large grand prizes of $250.00 gift cards.
These prizes inspire the kiddos to make great choices and they are very excited about the entire program.
Keep up that Paws-ativity everybody!!
PowerSchool Student Portal Login Credential Update
After early dismissal on the afternoon of November 3, Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) is updating the student log in process for the PowerSchool Student Portal. Once updates are complete, students will use their EIPS credentials to login to the PowerSchool Student Portal or the PowerSchool mobile app. Student access to the portal and app may be intermittently unavailable while updates are taking place. Effective November 4, students will use the new EIPS login credentials to access the portal or app. Students who use the mobile app will be required to log out and back in after the updates are complete.
If students are having trouble logging in to PowerSchool after the change, they can contact their teacher or a school office staff member for assistance. This update does not affect the log in process for parents or guardians for the PowerSchool Parent Portal.
D.A.R.E Grade 7
Starting in December the D.A.R.E program will begin in our Grade 7 Health classes. This is a ten-week program which helps to teach our grade 7 students to resist pressures which may influence them to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. They will also be introduced to the D.A.R.E. Decision Making Model that will assist them in problem solving, being a good citizen and help them make wise decisions.
Barbara Hoffman has been running this program in SWH for the past five years and we are welcoming her back to continue her good work!
School Council Corner
Thank you to the many parents, teachers, admin and our FSLW who attended our school council meeting on Tuesday, October 26th. We had many rich discussions.
The biggest discussion was about student mental health where school admin and our FSLW shared the many things they are doing to support students with their mental health. We are very excited about the Saffron presentation on November 4th and especially that it will be opened up to parents from across EIPS! There are several more presentations planned too. Student Mental Health will be a standing item on our agenda as it is both timely and relevant, but also, a large concern of both staff and parents.
Our staff recognition program is off to an amazing start. We’ve received 14 submissions and sent them onto the appropriate staff member along with a thank you from School Council. There is a standing button (with a link) in the Cougar Tracks, but it’s also really easy to remember: www.RecognizeSWH.ca We have received really positive feedback about the program!
Do you shop at the Wye Road Save On Foods? If so, save your receipts and send them to the office. School Council will collect them and submit them to Save On who will give us a cheque for 5% of the total (excluding prescriptions, tobacco and lottery). School Council is working with school administration to compile a wish list of items for the school. Ideas brainstormed included: picnic benches, basketball hoops, Phys. Ed. equipment, display cases and books for the library. We will compile a list and determine costs and then work our way down the list!
Do you own a small business (or know someone who does)? Would you be willing to donate small prizes for the “Paws”itive referral program. Students have been loving picking their prizes, but we are running low. If so, please reach out to Mr. Mali!
Lastly, we talked about a High School Transition Idea. The Sal Comp School Council discussed an idea where admin and parents would visit the various feeder schools to hold town hall style meetings with parents and students and answer their questions about high school in a very informal setting. Sherwood Heights School Council also liked the idea, so we will work with Sal to facilitate this session sometime in the New Year. It would be a great opportunity to ask questions and would be open to all SWH students and families, not just those in grade nine.
Mask Reminders
EIPS requires that all individuals in all schools wear a mask, unless medically exempt. Students are required to bring their own masks every single day. The school has a small number of disposable masks available for emergency purposes only.
Students that are relying on the school for their mask supply will be considered unprepared for school and will be given a consequence. Make sure your child has spare masks, reusable or disposable, with them at school every day.
Updated COVID Health Checklist
The government has updated the daily health checklist. Please review the new checklist and print a copy for yourself to keep at home.
The main change relates to household contacts of COVID-19 cases.
If you are not fully immunized and are a household contact of a COVID-19 case, you should stay home for 14 days from the last day of exposure and monitor for symptoms.
A household contact is a person who lives in the same residence as the case OR who has been in frequent, long-duration, close-range interaction with a case of COVID-19. For example, someone who is a caregiver or an intimate or sexual partner of a COVID-19 case. For children, it also includes siblings, someone who slept over, or someone who provided direct physical care to the child.
If you have fever, cough, shortness of breath, runny nose, sore throat or loss of sense of taste or smell you are required to isolate for 10 days as per the current CMOH Order OR receive a negative COVID-19 test and feel better before returning to work or activities.
Proof of Vaccinations and Negative Tests for Volunteers
Please be advised the requirements for proof of vaccination and testing in the EIPS Operations Guidelines have been changed, effective today:
Pg. 6 - Proof of Vaccination:
Unvaccinated staff may be required, under occupational health and safety requirements, to take additional precautions. Additionally, all EIPS schools require proof of vaccination, or a negative COVID-19 test result, from volunteers. The negative COVID-19 test must be a privately paid COVID-19 PCR or rapid test and completed within 72 hours. No school will accept a test result from Alberta Health Services or Alberta Precision Laboratories.
Pg. 19 - Visitors, Volunteers and Service Providers Entering EIPS:
Visitors, volunteers and contractors are permitted in the school or workplace as long as they have a specific reason for being there and follow the site-visitor protocol—appointments are recommended. As well, anyone entering an EIPS school or building must complete the COVID-19 Alberta Health Daily Checklist, sign the visitor log and sanitize hands. Masks are mandatory in all schools, buses and EIPS-operated buildings. For deliveries, offload at the designated location.
All EIPS schools require proof of vaccination, or a negative COVID-19 test result, from volunteers. The negative COVID-19 test must be a privately paid COVID-19 PCR or rapid test and completed within 72 hours. No school will accept a test result from Alberta Health Services or Alberta Precision Laboratories.
Visitors in Schools
All visitors, couriers, and contractors must sign in at the front main doors and check-in at the office, complete the COVID-19 Alberta Health Daily Checklist, and be wearing a mask properly.
If any of the answers to the questions are “YES,” DO NOT enter the school or workplace.
Similarly, if feeling unwell or have COVID-19 symptoms—fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, shortness of breath, loss of smell and taste, aches, pink-eye, nausea —DO NOT enter an EIPS-operated school or workplace.
Inclement Weather
With the winter season almost here, we want to remind families to dress children appropriately for the weather when getting ready for school or the bus. The weather often changes unexpectedly throughout the day, so please select suitable outerwear and ensure your child is prepared for changing conditions.
If inclement weather conditions occur, Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) advises families of any bus cancellations using various communications tools—automated-telephone messages, alerts posted on www.eips.ca and school websites, Twitter, Facebook, local radio stations, and notification through both the Bus Status and the Ride 360 apps. Morning bus cancellations are posted on www.eips.ca by 6:30 a.m.
Decisions regarding bus cancellations are guided by EIPS administrative procedures that state, “school bus service may be suspended…when there is a forecast or current temperature of -40 C, including wind chill factor, in one or more regions.” Other reasons for suspending or delaying school bus services include adverse weather and poor road conditions. When school bus services are suspended, schools remain open to students. EIPS believes families have the right and responsibility to make choices for their children based on their beliefs and perceptions of safety during times of inclement weather.
For more information, contact EIPS Student Transportation at 780-417-8151.
No Child Without: Free MedicAlert for students
In our ongoing effort to provide safe and caring schools for students, Sherwood Heights Junior High is registered in the Canadian MedicAlert Foundation’s No Child Without program. The program is a national initiative that provides no-cost MedicAlert services to children—between the ages of four and 14 years—who have chronic health conditions. The goal is twofold: to help children with severe allergies, medical conditions or special needs and to assist schools with medical-emergency plans for students.
Once a child is registered, the school is provided with advice on a medical-emergency plan for that student and given a list of medications, allergies and medical conditions the student has. If your child has a serious medical condition or allergy and could benefit from MedicAlert services, contact the school office at 780-467-5930. To learn more about the No Child Without program, visit www.nochildwithout.ca.
Your Future: Post-Secondary and Career Fair
Thinking about attending post-secondary school after graduation? Exploring career options? Not sure on the career or sector? Plan to attend this year’s hybrid Your Future: Post-Secondary and Career Fair on Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) is excited to once again be partnering with the Educational Liaison Association of Alberta for the event.
The in-person portion of the event brings together a wide variety of colleges, universities, polytechnic and private schools, and sector experts in one place. The event is free and open to all students in grades 9 through 12. The event will follow the provincial Restrictions Exemption Program, as well as adhere to Alberta Health Services and local guidelines.
The virtual component will include additional opportunities to attend sessions from numerous colleges, universities and sector experts. Participation is free and open to all grades 9 through 12 students.
Participating students and family members in either the in-person or virtual sessions will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from each attending post-secondary institutions, ask questions, talk to experts about various career sectors, learn about future career trends and much more.
Event Details
Date: November 23, 2021 In-person: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Location: Strathcona County Agora 401 Festival Lane, Sherwood Park
Virtual: Times and schedule to be confirmed
Visit www.eips.ca/students/your-future for a detailed list of vendors once finalized.
Parent to Parent – Finding Digital Balance, Cyberworld: What Happens when youth press send? – For Parents and caregivers for youth grades 6 and up.
When: Saturday, November 27, 2021 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
For more info, please click here.
Upcoming Dates and Events
November 5 to 11 - Veterans' Week
November 6 to 14 - November Break - No School
November 7 - Daylight Savings Time (Clocks go back 1 hour)
November 8 - Cougar Wear Orders Due
November 11 - Remembrance Day
November 15 - Classes Resume
November 15 to 19 - Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week
November 20 - National Child Day
November 23 - Your Future: Post-secondary and Career Fair