Dear EIPS families:

As you’re likely aware, on Tuesday, February 9, Premier Jason Kenney announced several pandemic-related public-health measures would change in the days ahead, including some that directly impact schools. Although we’re still awaiting detailed guidance from Alberta Education and Alberta Health, we have the following information to share:

• Effective Monday, February 14, students will not be required to wear masks in school or on school buses.
  
• The exception: Students who test positive for COVID-19, and who must isolate for five days if fully vaccinated or symptoms resolve, whichever is longer. They still need to wear a mask at all times until 10 days pass from the onset of symptoms.
  
• Masking is still required for adults, including teachers, administrators, school staff and bus operators.
  
• Volunteers, contractors and visitors more than 12 years of age must also wear masks when entering EIPS schools and buildings. Vaccination requirements for staff, volunteers and contractors will remain in place for now.
  
• Students who choose to continue wearing masks will be supported in that decision.
  
• School divisions no longer have the authority to implement division-specific or school-specific student mask mandates.
  
• Public health measures, such as cohorting, and enhanced cleaning and sanitization, remain in schools for the time being.
  
• Students must still stay home when sick and adhere to legal isolation requirements based on their vaccination status.

We understand you likely have many other questions. Once we receive additional information from the Government of Alberta, we will revise the EIPS Operations Guidelines 2021-22 and advise you of the specifics.

EIPS thanks all school families for their continued patience and understanding as we adapt to the evolving situation.

Sincerely,

Elk Island Public Schools

Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) is once again conducting an online returning student registration process to confirm student registrations for the 2022-23 school year. Families of all current students—with the exception of graduating Grade 12 students—must complete the process to confirm the school their child plans to attend in the 2022-23 school year or advise the Division of their plans not to return to EIPS. 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. The 2022-23 returning student registration takes place February 1-28, 2022.

Access to the Returning Student Registration Form is provided through 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 office at 780-467-5930.

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

For the 2022-23 school year, the Junior High Honours program will be offered in grades 8 and 9 at Sherwood Heights Junior High and F.R. Haythorne Junior High, with one class in each grade at each school.

The Junior High Honours program is designed for students in grades 8 and 9 with high achievement in their core courses and who enjoy a challenging academic environment. Students in the program follow the Alberta Education Programs of Study.

Students must have a minimum 80 per cent average in each of the four core subjects to be eligible to apply to the Junior High Honours program. Conditional acceptance will be confirmed in early-March based on a student’s marks in the four core subjects, as of February 28. Students must maintain their honours standing on the year-end report card in June to receive final acceptance in the Honours program for the upcoming year.

Learn more about the Junior High Honours program

If you’re interested in registering your child in the Junior High Honours program, you must:

1. Indicate this interest by emailing juniorhighhonours@eips.ca by noon on Friday, February 25. Be sure to include the following information in your email:

• Student name; first and last
• Current grade of student
• Current school of student
• Parent/guardian email address

1. Complete the returning student registration form for your child by February 28. The responses collected on the form provide the Division with the information required should your child not be accepted in the Junior High Honours program.

Each EIPS senior high school is hosting an open house in February. The open houses provide opportunities for Grade 9 students and families to meet staff, tour the school, learn about the curriculum, gain insight about specific programming available and so much more. Decisions about whether each event will take place virtually or in-person will be made closer to each date. Refer to the event calendar on each school website for details in the coming weeks.

• Ardrossan Junior Senior High – February 15 at 6:00 p.m.
• Bev Facey Community High – February 9 at 6:00 p.m.
• Fort Saskatchewan High – February 17 at 6:00 p.m.
• Lamont High – February 15 at 6:00 p.m.
• Salisbury Composite High – February 8 at 6:00 p.m.
• Strathcona Christian Academy Secondary – February 15 at 7:00 p.m.
• Vegreville Composite High – February 15 at 5:00 p.m.
• Next Step Senior High – contact the school for details

Additional information about planning for senior high is available at eips.ca/registration/senior-high.

Enjoy browsing a wide selection of products from a variety of brands that you can then customize with the approved logos and graphics found on the site. Display your pride in fantastic apparel customized entirely by you. Our site lets students, parents, fans, & staff choose from approved merchandise to fit their needs 24/7 with no minimum order quantities. All orders are shipped directly to your own home!

2021-2022 Online Cougar Wear Store

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.

1. Black Albertans You Should Know
2. Alberta’s Black Pioneer Heritage
3. Black on the Prairies

Tips for Reading Informational Text

With forests covering over half of Alberta, sustainable management of this valuable resource is vital to the future of our province making the forest industry an essential part of the workforce of today and tomorrow. Do you love spending time outdoors? Intrigued by the idea of researching and developing new forest management practices to help ensure the security of future forests? Thrilled by the exciting opportunity to protect this valuable resource by helping to prevent, detect and extinguish forest fires? Or perhaps your interests lean more toward technology?

Wednesday, February 16
6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Register

Join the upcoming virtual mentorship session to learn more about careers in information and communication technology (ICT)—including social media and communications, IT maintenance, junior programming, quality control testing, hardware engineering and software developer—and forestry.

Thursday, February 24
5:00 to 6:30 p.m.
Cost: Free

Learn more | Register

Young Women in Trades and Technologies (YWITT) is a program designed to break barriers and give young women the opportunity and confidence to explore different career options in non-traditional skilled trades and technologies. Registration is open to female-identifying students currently in grades 9 to 12.

Being part of the Next Gen Leadership Team is a unique opportunity to play a key role in developing a sense of community and belonging among Next Gen in Strathcona County. As part of the Next Gen Leadership Team, you’ll help plan events and initiatives, lead and have a voice, take action and mobilize change.

Join by visiting the Next Gen website, texting LEADERSHIP to 780-239-4366 or emailing nextgen@strathcona.ca.