Lakeland Ridge Weekly Update!
Friday, May 14, 2021
Hello Lakeland Ridge Families,
Thank you to all the parents who attended our final School Council meeting of the year on Tuesday. If you were unable to attend the meeting, you can click here for the meeting minutes.
Congratulations to our elementary students who have completed their first week of online learning and of course to our junior high students who have been learning online for some time now. All students will continue to learn online until May 20. Students are expected to return to in-school class on Tuesday, May 25. Please click here for a copy of the Elementary Schedule. Junior high students are to follow their regular in-school learning bell schedule.
We understand that these changes create a number of challenges for our students and families. Please know that our first priority is the safety and well-being of our Lakeland Ridge families. If you require a Chromebook, or need assistance please contact the office.
Classroom Configuration & School Staff for 2021-22
We are currently in the process of staffing and organizing classes for next year. Teacher assignments and class configurations will be announced at a later date. In the past few years, we have taken teacher requests however, last year we received over 200 requests. This year we are only considering requests if there are “extenuating circumstances” or “educational reasons”. We will not be accepting friend requests. Administration, our counsellor & teachers work extremely hard preparing and organizing classes for next year to ensure your student’s success. Grade group teachers will be meeting as a team with teachers of the following grade to plan class lists based on their collective knowledge of the student’s needs. Prior to the start of the school year, teachers will be contacting parents to let them know which class their child will be in. We are currently working on the junior high timetable and hope to have it ready near the end of June. Students will receive their timetables on or before the first day of school.
Junior High Final Exams
Lakeland Ridge will be moving forward with a final exam week for junior high students. Exam week will be from June 22-25. Students in grades 7 and 8 will be writing common exams developed by EIPS and students in grade 9 will write common exams developed by their teachers. Keep in mind that teachers have been teaching your kids all year and have numerous assessments that provide a comprehensive body of evidence of your child’s understanding of the curricular outcomes. Teachers, as always, will use their professional judgment when determining final grades. Final exams provide students with an opportunity to shine and demonstrate their understanding in their respective subjects. We want students to do their very best. Students who do not write final exams or score lower than their class, mark will not have their marks lowered. Specific information about Final Exam Week will be sent out later.
Exam Dates
· Thursday, June 3 – Language Arts Part A in AM
· Tuesday, June 22 – Language Arts AM
· Wednesday, June 23 – Social AM
· Thursday, June 24 – Science AM
· Friday, June 25 – Math AM
Junior High Awards
Awards will be held on Monday, June 21 (time TBD). The awards ceremony will be done virtually where all junior high students will attend in their homerooms. Students will receive certificates for Merit, Honours, and Honours with Distinction. Certificates will be presented to students in each of the 5 core subjects who received the highest overall academic achievement as well as those students who excelled in their complementary courses.
Year-End Celebrations
ECS – Mrs. Biermann will be sending out information to families within the next couple of weeks about the end of the year.
Grade 6 – We don’t hold a formal event for our grade 6s, but in non-COVID years, students would usually have a party, picnic, or play games. Due to the pandemic, we are unable to gather and mix cohorts, but staff are working on a plan to celebrate the hard work of our grade 6 students.
Grade 9 – Our Grade 9 Farewell is scheduled for Friday, June 18. We are planning to hold 3 small ceremonies, one for each of our grade 9 classes. Students will receive their certificates, take pictures, and watch a short video/slideshow specific to their class. Unfortunately, parents/guardians will not be able to attend. However, the ceremonies will be recorded, and a link will be shared with parents to watch with their families. We encourage the kids to dress up, but please nothing too extravagant. More information will be sent at a later date.
Digital Device
If you require a Chromebook, please contact our front office. We have some student Chromebooks available for pickup.
Brightspace platform
All staff and students will be using the Brightspace online platform. Students will require a digital device with a camera and should have received instructions from teachers on how to log on and navigate the learning platform. Please see the links below for both student and parent guides.
Student Brightspace page:
Username: Use the EIPS student email address
Password: Use the EIPS student password
If a student needs help with a password reset, contact the school for assistance.
Watch this video to learn how to navigate the Brightspace environment
Parent/Guardian Brightspace page: This is GREAT information to help your children.
https://eips.brightspace.com/d2l/local
Brightspace Parent/Guardian guide Click here
Expectations
We expect our students to be fully engaged in their learning just like in the physical classroom. All cameras will be on, so the teacher can see and interact with their students during the lesson. All assignments are to be completed and submitted through the Brightspace classroom.
Etiquette and expectations for online meets are as follows:
Leave your camera on, mute your microphone when not answering a question, use the Raise your hand feature.
Do not share the meeting code with any other students.
Inappropriate side conversations /comments will result in omission from the meet and possible further disciplinary action.
Attendance will be taken for each block.
Be safe. Be respectful. Be your best.
Be aware of your environment while on camera.
Upcoming Dates and Events
May 21 - No Classes - School Closure Day
May 24 - No Classes - Victoria Day
May 25 - ECS Virtual Information Night @ 6:30pm
May 26 - Junior High Virtual Information Night @6:30pm
June 2 - Early Dismissal (Silly Hats & Sunglasses Day)
June 3 - Junior High Language Arts Exam - Part A in AM
June 18 - Grade 9 Farewell
June 21 - Junior High Awards (Virtually time TBD)
- National Indigenous Peoples Day - No Exams
June 22- 25 - Exam Week
- Tuesday, June 22 – Language Arts AM / Social Prep in PM
- Wednesday, June 23 – Social AM / Science Prep in PM
- Thursday, June 24 – Science AM / Math Prep in PM
- Friday, June 25 – Math AM
June 25 - Last Instructional Day
- Report cards available online
Virtual Information Nights
Kindergarten - May 25 at 6:30 p.m.
Junior High - May 26 at 6:30 p.m.
More information will be shared, including links to the event, as we near the events.
Hats on for Mental Health Day
Visitors in School
Parents are reminded that they need to make an appointment to enter the school, as non-essential visitors and contractors are not permitted in the school or workplace without an appointment. Please call or email the school ahead of time to book an appointment. Individuals should not enter an EIPS building if feeling unwell or have COVID-19 symptoms—fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose, loss of smell or taste, nausea, pink-eye. Visitors must sign in at the office (after having made an appointment), practice physical distancing while here, and wear masks properly.
Attendance
K-9
If you know your child will be absent, late, or leaving early from school, please send a note in their agenda, email or phone the school explaining the reason for that day.
Write-On Stationary
The 2021-2022 School Supply sheets were sent home with your child. If you choose to participate and order your child’s school supplies through Write On Stationery, 10% of your total order will be returned to Lakeland Ridge School as a fundraiser.
EIPS Summer School: Registrations
Family Resources- Mental Health for Youth
Alberta COVID_19 Youth Mental Health Resource Hub. Alberta’s government partnered with the Kids Help Phone and Jack.org to create this hub where youth, educators and parents can find easy-to-access tools and supports.
Additionally, the youth-focused resources on this hub include:
· Jack Chapters – Youth-led, community-driven mental health advocacy clubs at schools or in the community.
· Jack Talks – Mental health presentations delivered to young people by young people.
· Jack Summits – Mental health conferences developed by youth, where young people within a region connect, strategize and learn from one another.
· Do Something – Tools to take small, simple steps that make a big difference to youth mental health and the mental health of others.
· Be There – Tools to support someone who may be struggling with their mental health.
Additional mental health resources available to support students, families and school staff: