January 31, 2014

Dear Parents,

 

2013-14 has brought a number of challenges to the school. One of them is the number of staff changes this year.

On Monday, February 3, 2014, two new teachers will begin work at Elboya School.  Mme. S. Bohemier will be replacing Mr. Genge.  Paul has been a teacher at Elboya School for 18 years. He has been appointed as a Specialist in Assessment for the Calgary Board of Education.  We wish him every success. Mme. Bohemier has three years of teaching experience and is from Winnipeg. Her family has recently moved to Calgary and we are very pleased to have her working at Elboya. I know students will enjoy her energy and enthusiasm.  Mme. Camille Haggar will be off as of Monday. Mme. Leila Hamtaee will be replacing her. She too has a number of years of teaching experience.  We have one more teacher who will be leaving us mid year, Mme. Matheusik.  Her replacement, Ms. M. Simpson, has worked with Mr. James previously and they are looking forward to working together again.  It is challenging for students to adjust to new teachers. I appreciate everyone’s patience and sincerely hope there will be no further staff changes. If parents have any concerns, I invite you to email me. Thank you. Linda Davis, Principal

 

Attendance

 

Please call the attendance line (403 777 7760 ext.1) if  your child will be late or absent from school.

 

If your child will be away for an extended period of time of more than 3 days please have an Extended Absence Form filled out and returned to office. A reminder that homework is not provided in advance of absences. Especially in cases of vacations, children do not want to do schoolwork because very naturally they are having fun or visiting with family and friends. When the student returns it is his or her responsibility to speak with teachers and make up whatever they have missed within a reasonable timeframe.

 

Being Bianca" and Talent Show- Mrs. Nelner

 

Auditions for the Spring production have been completed and the show has been cast. Seventy talented young people tried out for the thirty parts and it was extremely difficult to make the final choices. Rehearsals are going on daily for our performances on March 10 and 11th.

 

This week  Grade 6 to 9 students are encouraged to see Mrs. Nelner to set up a time to audition for the Talent Portion of the Spring production. If your student can sing, dance, play an instrument, juggle, do magic or play bagpipes (love 'em)encourage them to see Mrs. Nelner. She would love to have them audition in hopes of including them in the Spring production! 

 

 

Hip Hop Artist-in-Residence Program—Mrs. Rutland

 

January 28th saw the conclusion of our Artist-in-Residence Program.  The evening showcase for students in Kindergarten to Grade 5 was well-attended and everyone appreciated seeing Ben demonstrate what the students are capable of if they work hard and follow their passions!  This program was provided by SoundKreations Inc; and their website can provide you with more details about their school-based programs (www.soundkreations.com).  And if any student (or parent!) would like to be part of Ben's ultra-secret "Proposal Flash Mob" you can find him on twitter at @calgaryproposal.

 

 

System-wide technology outage scheduled for Feb. 15-17

 

The Calgary Board of Education will have a system-wide technology outage over the Family Day long weekend (Feb. 15-17) while our Information Technology (IT) Services works with internet and telecommunication service providers on enhancements.

 

During this time there will be no access to any CBE computer system or application, including: internal and external websites, network drives/folders, CBE email, student Gmail, and CBE applications such as SIRS and D2L.

 

Staff, students and parents are encouraged to make alternative arrangements to complete work or activities that would require CBE computer systems.

 

Upcoming dates

 

February 03        Junior Girls basketball @ Vincent Massey

February 04        Junior Boys basketball @ Vincent Massey

February 05        Senior Girls basketball @ AE Cross

February 06        Senior Boys basketball @ Bishop Pinkham

 

February 06        Grade 9 EOE snow shoe field trip Kananaskis

 

February 11        Carnaval: Les Bucherons P.M.

February 11        K-5 Family Dance

 

February 12        Elementary Pizza Lunch (Grades 1-6)

 

February 13        No school for students-Teachers Convention

February 14        No school for students- Teachers Convention

 

February 17        No school for students-Family Day

 

Have a wonderful weekend.

January 24, 2014

Dear Parents,

 

Please note that Thursday, January 30^th is an early dismissal day with students out at 1:30 P.M..

 

Also, Friday, January 31^st is a Professional Development with no school for students.

 

Child Care

 

Over the past year, many parents have expressed the need for additional before and after school care. A new program, Klub Care is opening. They have rented space at Living Spirit Church, adjacent to the school. This offers parents options. Klub Care will accept children for full-time, part-time and drop-in. Please find attached child care providers for 2014/2015 which has details of names and contact information of all providers. The school has no responsibility for child care but does recognize the necessity for many children and parents.

 

Open House

 

Elboya’s Annual Open House was last evening. Many students and parents attended to see the school and learn about Grade 7 Late Immersion, Grade 5 Continuing French, Grade 5 Intensive French, Kindergarten and other classes. Grade 5 Intensive French and Grade 7 Late Immersion classes are open to Elboya students in Grades 4 and 6. We want to accommodate our students before looking at students from other schools. If interested, applications need to be returned by the deadlines indicated below.

 

Grade 5 Intensive French

 

Students in Grade 4 are bringing home a survey today to ascertain family plans for 2014-15. We would appreciate the return of the survey by February 3, 2014. We are just finishing our first trial of Intensive French now and it has been very successful. 25 students participated and have learned to speak French in a fluent and authentic manner. Students study French for most of the day and have Mathematics in English as well as Physical Education from September through January. The class then finishes the Grade 5 curriculum in English with one class in Post Intensive French. This is a great learning opportunity for students and we hope this year’s grade 4 students and parents will talk to their friends who have been in Grade 5 Intensive French this year to learn more about the experience. Parents may also wish to consult their child’s teacher or Mme. G. Auclair who is teaching the Intensive French class. Some information is also found on the Elboya School website athttp://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b627/default.htm

Intensive French offers families an excellent opportunity to see if the student might enjoy Grade 7 Late Immersion. We look forward to a very successful class in 2014-15.

 

Grade 7 Late Immersion

 

Late Immersion is a long established class at Elboya. Applications for Grade 7 Late Immersion are available from the Main Office at Elboya School or on our website.http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b627/default.htm . Parents wishing further information about the program are invited to talk to Mr. DeNault. The deadline is February 3, 2014.

 

Community Engagement with regard to Grade 4 William Reid

As has been previously announced, the possible move of Grade 4 students for continuing immersion from William Reid to Elboya is still being studied. Until this decision has been made, Elboya School will only be accepting students within our boundaries.

 

Artist in Residence Hip Hop dance

 

There will be an evening showcase for the Kindergarten-Grade 5 classes on Tuesday, January 28th. The Kindergarten-Grade 3 students will perform from 6:30-7:00 and the Grade 4's and all Grade 5 students will perform from 7:15-7:45.  We look forward to showing off what we've learned!

 

Attendance

 

Please call the attendance line (403 777 7760 ext.1) if  your child will be late or absent from school. If your child will be away for an extended period of time please have an Extended Absence Form filled out and return to office. A reminder that homework is not provided in advance of vacations. It is our experience that student do not do homework on vacations. When the student returns it is his or her responsibility to speak with teachers and make up whatever they have missed within a reasonable timeframe.

 

Lunchroom

 

I am very pleased to announce that we are finally fully staffed with lunchroom supervisors as of Monday, January the 20^th. Due to the very large number of elementary students eating at the same time, we are unable to accommodate heating lunches in the microwave or providing hot water. Elementary students in Grades 1 to 5 must order food from the cafeteria in the morning before 8:50 A.M. in the main office. Then, Lunchroom Supervisors have their food ready for them when they come to eat. Only students in Grades 6 to 9 may line up and purchase their own food.

 

Allergies

 

We have several students in our school who have potentially life-threatening allergies. Please do not send nuts or peanut butter with student lunches. A gentle reminder that Elboya School is a “nut-free” zone.

 

 

System-wide technology outage scheduled for Feb. 15-17

 

The Calgary Board of Education will have a system-wide technology outage over the Family Day long weekend (Feb. 15-17) while our Information Technology (IT) Services works with internet and telecommunication service providers on enhancements.

 

During this time there will be no access to any CBE computer system or application, including: internal and external websites, network drives/folders, CBE email, student Gmail, and CBE applications such as SIRS and D2L.

 

Staff, students and parents are encouraged to make alternative arrangements to complete work or activities that would require CBE computer systems.

 

Lost and Found

 

Found items are regularly delivered to the office. These more valuable items such as jewellery and electronic devices are kept in the office for safekeeping. If your child has lost an item like this, please visit the office to identify. There seem to be a lot of lost and found right now. Please check the Lost and Found.

 

 

inform | trips within walking distance

 

The CBE values the educational benefit of off-site activities and we want to ensure students have opportunities to go out into the community around their school with their teachers to complement their classroom learning.  To allow this to happen more easily, we have simplified our process for trips that are within walking distance of the school.  This change does not include restricted activities such as swimming.

 

As parents, you will no longer need to fill out a consent form for your child to go on a class trip that is walking distance from the school, e.g. to a local park. Instead, your school will send a letter outlining local sites and what potential risks may be at the start of each school year. 

 

Teachers will be expected to let you know when they plan to include a trip to a local site.  We believe that this change will allow teachers to more easily take advantage of places close to the school such as parks or libraries.

 

If you have any concerns please speak with your principal.

 

Upcoming dates:

 

January 24           Junior boys and girls basketball tournament at David Thompson School

January 25           Junior boy and girls basketball tournament at David Thompson School

 

January 27           Junior girls basketball @ Bishop Pinkham

 

January 28           Artist in Residency Hip Hop evening showcase:

6:30-7:00 Kindergarten to Grade 3

 7:15-7:45  Grade 4 and Grade 5

 

January 28           Junior boys basketball @ Bishop Pinkham

January 29           Senior girls basketball @ Bishop Pinkham

 

January 30           Senor boys basketball-no game Bye-week

 

January 30           Early Dismissal 1:30 p.m.

 

January 31           Professional Development Day- No school for students

 

January 17, 2014

Dear Parents,

Happy New Year! We look forward to an interesting and exciting 2014.

Currently students are working with our Artist in Residence which is Hip Hop Dancing. Grades 7, 8 and 9 have enjoyed the moves this week and elementary students will be dancing over the next two weeks. There will be short evening presentations of elementary students’ dances on January 28^th. Further information is found below.

January 23, 2013 from 7 to 8 p.m. is Elboya School’s Annual Open House. We are inviting new or prospective students and their parents for all grades who live in the area to attend. Four meetings will be held from 7:00 to 7:30 p.m.

Kindergarten (Library)—Parents and children are invited to meet the teacher, Ms. Rutland, and the Learning Leader, Ms. McBean, learn about the program.

Grade 7 Late Immersion (Drama room)—Parents and students are invited to meet with M. DeNault and Mme. Facchina as well as some Late French Immersion students and will share information about the Late French Immersion Program. Interested Grade 6 students and their parents from Elboya School are invited to attend. We have already invited students from our feeder schools.

The two meetings for Grade 4 students are:

1. Grade 4 students and parents from William Reid School who will attend Elboya beginning in September 2014 for Grade 5Continuing Immersion have been invited. Mme. Haggar, Mme. Plesu and Mme. Boutcheva will be the presenters. (Main Gym)
2. Current Grade 4 Elboya students and parents are invited to hear about Grade 5 Intensive French from Mme. Auclair some current Grade 5 Intensive French students. Intensive French is offered from September 2014 through January 30, 2015 with the rest of the year in English. (Small Gym)

The Community Engagement with William Reid and Elboya Schools is ongoing. A decision is expected before Spring Break. If parents have not reviewed the information, you are invited to do so through the link on our website athttp://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b627/default.htm

Safety of Children in the Traffic remains a serious problem with too much dangerous and illegal behaviours. Since school started, at least every week a parent either calls or comes to the school expressing concern. This is usually because the parent has come close to hitting a child. I share this information because of our concern for the children who attend Elboya School.

EVERY PERSON--children, parents, caregivers, staff and community members--NEED TO EXERCISE EXTRA CARE AND CAUTION on the way too, from or at the school.

The following four actions would solve the problem:

-Dropping students off on a sidewalk

-Crossing the street at the corners

Driving and riding carefully and according to traffic regulations

-Parking legally

Sincerely,

L. Davis, Principal

Further updates:

Pizza Lunch

Pizza lunch forms will be going home next week and will also online on our website on Monday January 23rd.

Elboya Open House

A Reminder that Elboya School will be hosting our annual Open House on Thursday January 23^rd from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. This Open House is geared towards students and parents who are interested in learning more about one of our following programs:

• Kindergarten (Students and parents interested in the Kindergarten program at Elboya)
• Grade Five Continuing French Immersion (Grade 4 students and parents from William Reid)
• Grade Five Intensive French (Grade 4 students and parents from Elboya School)
• Grade Seven Late Immersion (Grade 6 students and parents from Elboya and Feeder Schools)

Artist-in-Residence

Our school gymnasium has been filled with the sounds and moves of hip hop dance as the dynamic instructors from SoundKreations Inc. take our students on an exploratory adventure of movement, health, and self-confidence. From January 13-18 students in Grade 6-9 received daily dance instruction during their PE or option classes.  From January 20-28 students in Kindergarten-Grade 5 will receive daily dance instruction.  This amazing experience for our students is made possible through a grant from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and our Elboya School Parent Council.

There will be an evening showcase for the Kindergarten-Grade 5 classes on Tuesday, January 28th. The Kindergarten-Grade 3 students will perform from 6:30-7:00 and the Grade 4's and all Grade 5 students will perform from 7:15-7:45.  We look forward to showing off what we've learned!

Upcoming dates:

January 20           Junior Girls Basketball @ AE Cross

January 21           Junior Boys Basketball @ AE Cross

January 22           Senior Girls Basketball no game (bye-week)

January 23           Senior Boys Basketball @ Vincent Massey

January 23           Open House @ 7 p.m. for 2014/2015 new students and the following programs:  Grade 7 Late Immersion, Grade 5 Intensive French, Grade 5 Continuing French and Kindergarten

January 24           Junior boys and girls basketball tournament at David Thompson School

January 25           Junior boy and girls basketball tournament at David Thompson School

January 30           Early Dismissal 1:30 p.m.

January 31           Professional Development Day- No school for students