March Newsletter
Ecole James S. McCormick School
In like a lion...
School Council Update
April & May Hot Lunch Items
Hot Lunch Helpers
School Council is looking for more some more helpers on our hot lunch days. With approximately 200 meals being served, it takes a few hands to help! If you are able to sign up for some hot lunch volunteering - please click the link below. We ask for helpers to arrive at 11:00am on hot lunch days; the meals are typically sorted & delivered to classrooms by 11:30am. Thank you for signing up!
Cookie Crumbles Fundraiser
- visit www.cookiecumbles.ca
- use order #F2000
- use passcode: McCormick
Thank you for supporting our fundraising initiatives!
School Council Contacts:
Hour Zero Safety Drills
Throughout the year, schools conduct training and drills to help better prepare students and staff for possible emergency situations. When a school is confronted with an emergency, staff will assess the situation and then decide on a course of action.
Schools conduct drills throughout the year to rehearse emergency procedures. These exercises prepare students and staff to act quickly and help to minimize a student’s fear during a real emergency.
In addition to the procedures described below, schools also practice protocols such as “Drop-Cover-Hold,” a method of protecting vital body parts during some natural disasters and conduct fire drills. All staff and students are required to participate in these drills.
Lock-Down
Lock-Downs are usually used in response to acts or threats of violence to students and/or staff directly impacting the school. During a Lock-Down all doors to and within the school are locked. No one is permitted in or out of any area once it has been locked. Students and staff must respond very quickly to a Lock-Down command to get to a safe location before doors are locked. No one, other than law enforcement, is permitted access to the building until the Lock-Down is over.
Hold and Secure
Hold and Secure is used in response to security threats or criminal activity outside the school. During a Hold and Secure, all entrance doors to the school are locked, with no one permitted in or out of the building. No one, other than law enforcement, is permitted access to the building until the Hold and Secure has been cleared.
Shelter-in-Place
Generally, Shelter-in-Place is used during an environmental emergency, such as severe storms or chemical spills. During a Shelter-in-Place, students and staff retreat to safe zones to seek shelter. This includes having students or staff who are outdoors come back into the school. Each school’s emergency response plan identifies the safest location for its occupants and how to seal a room from hazardous conditions. Students will not be released or dismissed until the situation has been resolved.
Evacuation
An Evacuation requires all students and staff to leave the school and go to an alternate location. This may mean only going outside and away from the building until it is safe to re-enter the school. In other cases, students and staff may need to go to an evacuation centre. Parents will be informed of the alternate location through the school’s Crisis Notification Network.
Dismissal
Under some circumstances it may be determined that it is best to dismiss students to their homes and families as expeditiously as possible. Should this be the case, every attempt will be made to alert the emergency contact for each student of the situation and to ensure young students are not left unsupervised.
Ask The Principal
What is the role of the Student Resource Officer (SRO)?
Wolf Creek Public Schools teams up with the Lacombe Police Service to ensure each of the Lacombe schools has a police officer to work with. The SRO changes every few years, but right now it is Cst. Michelle Wilzer.
Cst. Wilzer’s role is to support the Lacombe schools in many ways, such as dealing with vaping on Wolf Creek property, unsafe drivers, and verbal/digital safety. Of course, there is not a lot of demand for these concerns at JSM, but we still have to call on her for help on occasion.
More importantly, it is also part of the SRO role to build connections between the school community and the police. At JSM, she does this by visiting on occasion and handing out copcards to the students, which they get very excited about. As well, you’ve probably heard about her visits to the classrooms with Sonic the ‘blue’ hedgehog!
Cst. Wilzer also has a role of teaching the students about important health and safety issues, such as bicycle safety. If you attend the JSM Bike Night in the spring, you will see her in action when she demonstrates the importance of wearing a helmet.
If you have a specific question about EJSMS policies, procedures or plans that you'd like
to learn more about - please let us know!
Contact us at:
Transportation: 23-24 School Year
Around the School
No Secrets Program
As a follow-up to the letter sent home regarding the No Secrets presentation, please see below.
The No Secrets presentation is a personal safety presentation. It is similar to the Kids in the Know program that has been delivered at JS previously. The No Secrets presentation will focus on personal safety as a supportive skill and tool to be proactive in potential unsafe circumstances.
As stated in the letter this presentation does not refer to child sexual abuse or sexual violence and is NOT sexual health education.
If parents would like to OPT OUT of this program, please send back your opt-out form or contact your child's teacher.
Extra Clothing
Also - please dress your child weather appropriately each day; snow pants & gloves are very much a winter necessity on an elementary school playground! Thank you!
Trading Card Club
For many many years, kids have been trading cards to add to and improve their collections. At École J.S. McCormick School we have banned the trading of items such as hockey cards, Pokeman cards and cop cards at recesses. Instead, we have decided to offer a Trading Club at school every Thursday during the lunch hour recess. Children with parental permission will be allowed to come and join us to trade cards with other students in our school.
Please take some time to talk to your children before permitting them to join our club. It is important that they have a clear understanding of “trading for keeps.” Classroom teachers will not spend valuable teaching time to deal with anyone who has had “a change of heart.” If you feel that this is a concept that may not be successful for your child, you may want to consider waiting until he/she is able to accept the finality of it. There will be a supervising teacher attending the club each week to help keep things as fair as possible.
Please ask your child's classroom teacher for a TRADING CARD CLUB PERMISSION FORM if you would like your child to participate in Trading Card Club.
2022-2023 School Yearbooks
Community Events & Information
Lacombe Soccer Club Registration
Outdoor Soccer Registration Has Begun!
We will be closing registration on April 1st, 2023. Once we have the final numbers we will make teams and the season begins mid April (weather dependent) for Juniors, and the first week of May for Minis!
2023 Outdoor Soccer Schedule and Fees
U3 - Tuesday nights from 5:30-6pm - $50
U5 - Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:30-6:15pm - $75
U7&U9 - Tuesdays and Thursdays 6:30-7:30pm -$100
The age groupings for the 2023 outdoor season are as follows:
U3 2020
U5 2018/2019
U7 2016/2017
U9 2014/2015
Please use the following link to register:
Tickets are on sale for the 2023 Inclusion Alberta Family Conference, happening April 14-15th at the Fantasyland Hotel in Edmonton, AB, featuring Karyn Harvey and Vicki Knight. We are excited to be able to meet in person once again!
The Conference features two full-day workshops on Friday: Karyn Harvey‘s “Trauma Informed Support and the Path to Healing” and Vicki Knight’s “Including Students with Developmental Disabilities and ASD in STEM Using a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Framework”. There is also a variety of morning and afternoon sessions to choose from on Saturday on topics such as:
- facilitating relationships
- First Nations disability-related issues
- inclusive education (both K-12 and post-secondary)
- what will happen when I'm gone? (for parents)
- the provincial election and disability-related issues
- Youth for Inclusion (a forum for youth aged 16-22)
Inclusion Alberta Website - click here for more information!
Susan Aglukark
Monday, March 27 @ 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Lacombe Memorial Center
Tickets available on eventbrite.ca; click HERE!
Ecole James S McCormick School
Email: jsm@wolfcreek.ab.ca
Website: ejsm.wolfcreek.ab.ca
Location: 5424 50 Street, Lacombe, AB, Canada
Phone: 403.782.3096
Facebook: facebook.com/EJSMParents
Twitter: @EJSMSchool