Lakeland Ridge Weekly Update!
Friday, February 25, 2022
Dear LLR families,
We hope everyone enjoyed their Family Day Weekend. This week, classes celebrated 100 days of school on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the whole school was invited to wear Pink Shirts as a symbol to stop bullying.
Next week, we have Wacky Tacky Day to look forward to on Wednesday, March 2, as it is Early Dismissal. Students will also get to enjoy a long weekend as there is a Professional Learning Day for staff on March 4. Lakeland Ridge School employees are looking forward to learning together to support students.
Mrs. Carla Kokotailo, grade 6 teacher, was one of the successful teachers chosen to assist with the rollout of the new elementary curriculum. She will be working at Central Office until next school year. We are excited to welcome Mrs. Kass Roberts to the LLR Teaching team who will take over Mrs. Kokotailo's grade 6 class.
Upcoming Dates and Events
Feb. 1-28: Student Registration for 2022-23:
- Returning Student Registration
Kindergarten and Grades 1-12 - New Student Registration
Feb. 27: Hot Lunch Order Deadline
Feb. 28: Hot Lunch: Popeye's - Volunteers assisting with our hot lunch program, please arrive half an hour early to complete the onsite rapid test kit as per our new volunteer protocol.
Feb. 28: Returning student registration closes today
Mar. 1: Grade 9 Immunizations
Mar. 2: Early Dismissal - 1:55 pm (Wacky Tacky Day)
Mar. 4: Professional Learning Day: No School
Mar. 8: PAS Meeting/School Council 6:30 pm & International Women’s Day
Mar. 14: Hot Lunch - Press'd & Pi Day
Mar. 14- 18: Week of Inspirational Math
Mar. 18: Term 2 Report Cards Online
Mar. 21: World Poetry Day
Mar. 25: Day-in-Lieu: No School
Mar. 28-Apr. 1: Spring Break
April 4: Classes Resume
Have your say! The 2022 EIPS Parent Survey Opens March 14-27
Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) wants to hear from you. Make sure to complete the 2022 EIPS Parent Survey—open from March 14-27.
Annually, EIPS conducts a parent survey to gauge its progress toward meeting the goals and priorities outlined in its Four-Year Education Plan. Families are asked a series of questions about their experiences with EIPS and the school their child attends, the overall performance of the Division, the quality of education being provided to students and areas for improvement. The survey feedback helps the Division develop new strategies to better serve students and the wider community.
VISIT EIPS.CA TO TAKE THE SURVEY: March 14-27
NOTE: The survey is anonymous and only takes a few minutes to complete. If you want to share the experience of more than one child attending an EIPS school, simply complete the survey again.
Measuring Success: Complete this year’s Alberta Education Assurance Survey
Once again, Alberta Education is surveying teachers, students and families through its annual Alberta Education Assurance (AEA) Survey. The survey acts as an annual check-up on the province’s education system. Every year, Alberta Education conducts the survey to gather information about the quality of education provided by Alberta schools and school authorities. The survey looks at various measures such as education quality, citizenship, family involvement, engagement levels, school climate and student wellness.
Throughout March, Grade K to 9 students and teachers at Lakeland Ridge School are completing the survey online at the school. Student participation is voluntary and completely anonymous. Students are assigned a random username and password to ensure survey responses aren’t linked to any individual student. The survey doesn’t take long to complete and is done within the school day during regular class time.
Additionally, parents and guardians of students in grades 4, 7 and 10 are also asked to take a survey, either online or by mail. Alberta Education will send families information about the survey directly. As with the student and teacher survey, it’s anonymous and asks questions about your school experiences. If you have a child in grades 4, 7 or 10, we encourage you to participate. The survey deadline is March 25, 2022.
Results from the AEA Survey are provided to Elk Island Public Schools each spring. The Division then uses the data to inform its four-year education plan, school education plans and strategies for continuous improvement. Each fall, the results are also shared with EIPS families and school communities in the Division’s Annual Education Results Report.
RELATED INFORMATION
AEA Survey: Parent letter
AEA Survey: Methodology for rate calculation
Assurance and Accountability: Alberta’s K-12 education system
Semester 2 Student Fees
Due to second semester timetable changes for our junior high students it is possible there have been adjustments to your child’s school fees. Typically, fees are due within 30 days of being added to the student's account. You can pay school fees by coming into the school directly or conveniently by logging in to your PowerSchool Parent Portal account. Fee payments can be made online via the PowerSchool Parent Portal using Visa, MasterCard and Debit. If you require assistance accessing your Parent Portal account, contact our office at 780-416-9018. We recommend logging into your account regularly as changes may occur throughout the year.
Spectators Update
The following changes regarding spectators at school events are currently in effect.
- Spectators are permitted at indoor practices, games and performance events.
- All spectators, except EIPS students and children 12 and younger, must wear a mask and physically distance, whenever possible.
- EIPS recommends spectators are limited to family only, at this time.
- EIPS reviews its protocols for spectators on an ongoing basis throughout the year.
Please visit the EIPS Operations Guidelines 2021-22 for a more detailed look at the most recent changes.
School Volunteer Requirements including Hot Lunch Helpers
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. EIPS schools no longer require proof of vaccination. However, given the continued presence and high transmissibility of the Omicron variant, onsite rapid testing is mandatory for all volunteers when entering an EIPS building—kits are available at the school.
Volunteers assisting with our hot lunch program, please arrive half an hour early to complete the onsite rapid test kit as required by our new volunteer protocol.
As well, anyone entering an EIPS school or building must complete the COVID-19 Alberta Health Daily Checklist, sign the visitor log, sanitize hands, physically distance and wear a medical-grade mask.
Parent Action Society (PAS) Fundraising
The Parent Action Society (PAS) has been working diligently to raise funds to benefit our students and school community. Our PAS has organized a number of fundraisers including our Hot Lunch program, Casino events, Loyalty Cards and Little Caesars.
Recently, our PAS graciously allotted the funds to support Lakeland Ridge in the following ways:
- purchasing books for our school library and the Jr. High Book Club,
- supporting the Fun Run Club,
- to buy additional Chromebooks and charging carts,
- for Staff Appreciation initiatives,
- providing a teacher allowance to purchase supplies for classroom use, and
- supporting the Grade 6 and Grade 9 Farewells.
For more information about PAS, please go to https://www.lakelandridge.ca/parents/parent-action-society
Provincially Provided Masks Available
Families who would like their child’s provincially provided masks can email Mrs. Desaulniers at amy.desaulniers@eips.ca. Please indicate how many students you have attending Lakeland Ridge School and if you prefer the adult or child size masks. The office will then prepare your request and send the masks home with your child. Information about changes to mask requirements in schools is available online at https://www.alberta.ca/k-12-learning-during-covid-19.aspx.
Hot Lunch - Order Deadline: February 27, 2022
The hot lunch program continues to be something that our Wolfpack looks forward to and we are happy to announce that round 3 ordering for March and April opened on Friday, February 4.
We would like to remind you that, should your child(ren) be absent on hot lunch day, we are NOT able to refund the cost of pre-paid lunches or to reassign them to another student.
While the administration staff are always willing to take your calls and emails, the program is run by volunteers and not the school. We ask that should your child(ren) be absent on hot lunch day, please email lakelandridgehotlunch@gmail.com no later than 10:30AM that day to arrange to pick up your child's lunch that day or you may choose to donate it. Please include the full name of your child and the class that they are in so we can locate their lunch on the day and handle it appropriately. After 10:30 on the day of hot hunch, you can contact the school and they will let us know as we will be busy getting the lunches ready and not checking our e-mail.
Without our volunteers this program would not exist. A VERY heartfelt thank you to all who have volunteered so far. If you would like to volunteer, we require about an hour of your time on the day of hot lunch to help sort and distribute the lunches to our students. You can sign up when placing your child's order or after ordering closes by contacting Kathi Engel at lakelandridgehotlunch@gmail.com.
Thank you!
Lakeland Ridge Hot Lunch Program
Kindergarten Registration Now Open!
Is your child turning five on or before Dec. 31, 2022? If so, it’s now time to register for kindergarten. To register, simply complete the online registration form at eips.ca/kindergarten.
To help families prepare, Elk Island Public Schools has put together an online EIPS Kindergarten Tool kit to make the transition as smooth as possible. The kit includes information on registration, important dates, programming options, what to expect, eligibility, how to find your designated school, transportation, and more.
Additional information regarding Lakeland Ridge’s kindergarten program is available at Lakelandridge.ca
Complete the Returning Student Registration: Feb. 1-28
Elk Island Public Schools’ (EIPS) returning student registration process is now open. All returning students must complete the online Returning Student Registration Form to confirm their child’s enrolment in a school for the upcoming 2022-23 school year. Additionally, students who want to attend a non-designated school need to make that request through the returning student registration process—acceptance is based on available space. All returning EIPS students are required to complete the form by Feb. 28, 2022.
To access the Returning Student Registration Form, simply log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal.
If you don’t have a PowerSchool Parent Portal account, you do need to set one up. For help see: Create a PowerSchool Parent Portal account
For more information contact the school directly.
RELATED INFORMATION:
Returning Student Registration Process
Frequently Asked Questions
EIPS School Boundary Maps
Closed boundaries 2022-23
Find my designated school
Applying to a non-designated school
Your Future: Post-Secondary and Career Fair – Spring Session
Thinking about attending post-secondary school after graduation? Exploring career options? Not sure on the career or sector? Plan to attend the hybrid spring session of Your Future: Post-Secondary and Career Fair—taking place on March 10, 2022.
The in-person portion of the event brings together a variety of colleges, universities, polytechnic, private schools and sector experts in one place. Meanwhile, the virtual component includes additional opportunities to attend sessions from several colleges, universities and sector experts. Both events are free and open to all students in grades 9 through 12.
Participating students and family members—attending both the in-person and virtual sessions—will have the chance to meet with representatives from each attending post-secondary institutions, ask questions, talk to experts about various career sectors, learn about future career trends, plus much more.
Event Details:
Date: March 10, 2022
In-person: 6 p.m. to 8 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 the list of vendors.
EIPS 2022-23 Division Calendar: Now available!
The official 2022-23 EIPS calendar is now available. The calendar includes important dates during the 2022-23 school year, such as school-closure days, breaks, the first and last day of classes, professional learning days, early dismissal days, plus more.
Highlights from the 2022-23 EIPS calendar include:
First day of school – Aug. 30, 2022
November break – November 7-11
Christmas break – December 21 to January 3
Second semester starts – January 31
Teachers’ Convention – February 9-10
Spring break – March 24-31
Last day of classes – June 27, 2023
To view the 2022-23 calendar, visit eips.ca. You can sync the Division calendar to your personal calendar by visiting www.eips.ca/calendar and clicking on “subscribe to calendar.”
Students Returning to School After Illness
As per the updated COVID-19 Alberta Health Daily Checklist, children who are fully immunized are required to isolate for 5 days from the onset of symptoms or until symptoms resolve, whichever is longer. If a child is not fully immunized, the child must isolate for 10 days from the onset of symptoms or until they resolve, whichever is longer.
"Fully vaccinated" individuals that return after 5 days after being ill must continue to wear a mask for up to 5 days after their isolation period in the following situations:
- when outside of the home in a public place
- when participating in physical activities (i.e. Phys. Ed or outside at recess)
- when in the company of others not within their household.
Therefore, students returning to school from a 5 day isolation period have two options for eating at morning break and at lunch.
Morning Break - During the morning break, elementary students will eat their snacks in the breakout rooms within their classroom or outside the class. Junior high students can eat in the Kona gym where they will be supervised and socially distanced from one another. After eating, students can wear their masks and return to their regular school routine.
Lunch - Students will have two options at lunch.
- Students can eat in the Kona gym where they will be supervised and socially distanced from one another. After eating, students can wear their masks and return to their regular school routine.
- Students can eat lunch at home for the 5-day period.
Families may also choose to keep their child home from school for the additional 5 days and access schoolwork using the Brightspace platform. It is the responsibility of the parent/student to inform the school if an alternate eating arrangement is required. Please email Amy.Desaulniers@eips.ca or call 780-416-9018.
Matilda Tickets are now on sale on Powerschool Parent Portal, through Optional Fees
- Maximum of 4 tickets per show per student
- $8 per ticket
- limited seating is available.
March 16 5:30 pm
March 16 8:00 pm
March 17 5:30 pm
March 17 8:00 pm
March 18 5:30 pm
March 18 8:00 pm
Watch for Thin Ice
Remember, be aware of thin ice this time of year. Depending on changing temperatures, ice can form and melt to varying degrees on outdoor bodies of water. Try to remind your child about the dangers of thin ice, obey all posted signs, take proper care and remain a safe distance from the ice.
For more information about ice safety, visit the Canadian Red Cross.
Did you know?
The colour of ice may be an indication of its strength. Clear blue ice is the strongest. White opaque is half as strong as blue ice. And, grey ice is unsafe—greyness indicates the presence of water.
Literacy at Home
In honour of Black History Month, here are some junior high book recommendations that speak to past, present and future of powerful, young black lives. All of these books have been written in the last three years and some have Canadian content.
1. Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi - This inspiring memoir, chronicles Top Chef star Kwame Onwuachi's incredible and odds-defying fame in the food world after a tough childhood in the Bronx and Nigeria.
2. Punching the Air by Ibi Aanu Zoboi - Written in poetry, Zoboi and Salaam hold no punches when detailing the dehumanizing experience of an unfair trial and prison sentence for wrongly convicted 16 year old Amal.
3. The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed - Affluent Ashley Bennett struggles with her identity, her family, and figuring out where she belongs in this compelling novel set in 1992 during the immediate aftermath of the Rodney King trial.
4. Charming as a Verb by Ben Phillipe - To fulfill his dream of attending Columbia University, Henri creates a dog-walking business for the New York City elite in this clever fiction that explores moral ambiguity alongside racial and class struggles.
5. A Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Phillipe - A fish-out-of-water story about Norris Kaplan, a Black French Canadian teen suddenly navigating high school in the suburbs of Austin, Texas – a story that’s intelligent, hilarious, and surprising.
Also, here are some recent articles about the history of Black people in and around Alberta.
Black Albertans You Should Know
Alberta’s Black Pioneer Heritage
Tips for Reading Narrative Text
The reading tips below are helpful for students who are reading narrative texts. These skills are useful to practice at home when students are completing activities.
First Nations, Métis and Inuit Update
EIPS First Nations, Métis, and Inuit team invite you to join their upcoming virtual gatherings. It is a grea tway to make connections, create a supportive environment for dialogue, share hopes and ideas, and learn what’s happening around the Division. We’re grateful to Elder Wilson Bearhead for attending the virtual gatherings last school year and agreeing to open each gathering again this year.
Gathering 3:
March 15, 2022; 7–8 p.m.
· words from Elder Wilson
· topics to be determined based on wishes, hopes and interests expressed in previous gatherings
Sessions will take place online using Microsoft Teams Meetings. For more information visit our Division website or reach out to the school at 780-416-9018.