Mustang Memo - May 16, 2025
What a great week!
We had a visit from a special addition to our school: Marty the Mustang!
The other day we saw a flash of grey racing across the field. We were shocked when this grey mustang walked up to the school and asked to be our mascot. He told us that he heard that we love mustangs and that we have the fastest track team in Elk Island Public Schools so he wanted to volunteer to help us out!
Marty visited classrooms and brought presents for our educational assistants for EA Appreciation Day. Marty also made an appearance at last night's Literacy Night.
Thank you to all of the families who joined us for storytelling, the book sale and wonderful literacy sessions in classrooms last night. Thank you to our parents for donating books as well as our wellness committee chair, Candice, for running the used book sale. We are grateful to the Strathcona County library who came out to talk about the amazing services available to students.
Thank you to Kohkum Linda for sharing her gift of storytelling with our community. I really enjoyed the story about why dogs sniff bottoms! Finally, thank you to our incredible staff for coming out and sharing their love of reading and writing with the community. We are so lucky to work with such an incredible connected community at DCE!
We hope that you are able to enjoy a some time as a family over this nice long weekend!
Helene Hewitt & Jay Robertson
Principal & Assistant Principal
You belong here!
Table of Contents
Week At a Glance
Action
- Seeking Your Input
Opportunity
- Counselor's Corner
Information
- Big Box Card Pick Up
- Parents Make the Difference
WEEK AT A GLANCE
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| Tuesday |
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ACTION
Seeking Your Input
Last week we had a great conversation with parents in our school council meeting. We are looking ahead to what areas we want to focus on as a school to continue to improve student success both academically and emotionally.
Click here to view the slideshow we shared at the meeting.
We would like to know more about how parents can be involved in supporting our goals. We asked our school council the following questions:
- What do you want your child to learn at DCE?
- How do you want to be involved at DCE to support your child's learning?
If you'd like to answer these questions, we'd love to hear your thoughts. You can fill out this survey:
DCE School Education Plan Survey for Parents
Your feedback will help us to develop our School Education Plan for the 2025-26 school year. Thank you for being our partners in making our school the best school possible!
OPPORTUNITY
Counselor's Corner
The Family Resource Network Summer Program Guide is now available and there are a ton of amazing offerings for children and families. These programs are FREE and fill up quickly, so make sure to look at the full program guide and register as soon as possible if you are interested. The full program guide can be found here https://storagecdn.strathcona.ca/files/files/cfw544_frn_program_guide-summer25-web.pdf.
Below are some highlights to give you an idea of what is available
Challenge and Chill - A Special Opportunity Attention Parents and Caregivers: Are you looking to support your children with engaging activities that boost their problem-solving skills and confidence through fun games and activities? Don't wait until it's too late! We're offering a free, experiential program designed to address the topics on your children's minds, such as:
- Enhancing problem-solving skills
- Building confidence through fun games
- Developing social connections
- Enjoying snacks and challenges
Book your session today by completing the booking form. Limited spaces are available!
Challenge and Chill - For Youth in Grades 5 and 6 Date: Friday, July 4, 2025 Time: 1:30 – 3:30 PM
Everyday Heroes - Social Superstars- Explore the importance of being connected to others, decipher social cues, and learn problem-solving skills! Through activities and exciting challenges, kids learn how to build empathy and navigate feelings and tricky situations. For children entering Grades 1 and 2 on Wednesday Jul. 2 from 1 to 4 p.m & For children entering Grades 3 and 4 on Thursday Jul. 3 from 1 to 4 p.m.
Art to Heart - Unleash Creativity Attention Parents and Caregivers: Help your children dive into a world of art, meet new friends, and enjoy exploring different experiences. No artistic skills needed – just bring a friend and your imagination! This program provides essential tools for creative expression and building social connections. For Youth in Grades 5 and 6 Date: Thursday, August 14, 2025 Time: 1:30 – 3:30 PM
Sparkle and Glow - Youth Skincare Session Attention Parents and Caregivers: In this hands-on session, youth will discover how skincare, including cleansing, moisturizing, and using face masks, helps build confidence, creativity, and self-care skills. This program is designed to help youth develop essential self-care routines and boost their self-esteem.For Youth in Grades 7 and older Date: Thursday, July 17 or August 7, 2025 Time: 1:30 – 3:00 PM
Glow Up - Embark on an incredible journey of self-discovery and growth. Participate in fun activities that help you understand who you are and learn that it’s okay to make mistakes. Build your confidence, explore your strengths and make new friends. Celebrate being your amazing, unique and powerful self with us! For individuals entering Grade 6 in Fall 2025 who identify as female. Aug. 11 – 14 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Move Your Mood -Learn fun ways to move and fuel your body, expand your mind, practice mindfulness and build positive coping strategies. This is a research-based program that promotes physical activity and healthy lifestyle practices to improve the mental and physical well-being of youth. For children entering Grades 4 and 5 in Fall 2025. Jul. 28 – 31 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
For more information about these programs or other Family Resource Network offerings, please visit our website or contact us directly at 780-416-6730.
Madison Bashaw & Kelley Mitchell
~ DCE school counselors
INFORMATION
Big Box Card Pick Up
The Big Box Cards are in! Pick up will be on Tuesday from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm or Wednesday from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm. If this does not work for you and you need to arrange alternate pick-up please contact Robyn at fpresidentdce@gmail.com.
Thank you,
DCFS
Parents make the difference
Here is this week's article with helpful tips for families:
Are you making family time a priority?
To reach their full potential in school and in life, children need frequent, meaningful, undivided attention from the adults they live with. But finding that time can often be difficult.
Are you finding ways to spend quality family time together? Answer yes or no to each of the questions below to find out:
- Do you strive to eat dinner as a family regularly?
- Do you balance your child’s structured activities with plenty of time for reading, relaxing and talking with family?
- Do you have a bedtime routine that includes spending at least five minutes talking with your child?
- Do you schedule one-on-one time with each of your kids each week?
- Have you designated screen-free times? Digital devices can cause separation even when family members are together.
How well are you doing?
More yes answers mean you’re finding ways to make family time a priority. For no answers, try those ideas.
Reprinted with permission from the May 2025 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2025 The Parent Institute®, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc.