Mustang Memo - March 8, 2024
What a great week to celebrate! Our Mustang Running Club sent six teams to compete in the Running Room Games. We cheered them on with a pep rally as they ran down the halls in their bright orange team jerseys. We are so proud of them for how hard they worked to prepare for the competition by coming to practices regularly each week! With hard work comes reward and 3 out of our 6 teams qualified for the next round and will be competing again tomorrow! Go, Mustangs, go!
We hope you enjoy a great weekend!
Helene Hewitt & Jay Robertson
Principal & Assistant Principal
You belong here!
Table of Contents
Week At a Glance
Action
- Report Cards are Coming
- Daylight Savings is Back!
- Hot Lunch Ordering is Open
- EIPS' 2024 Annual Feedback Survey is Open
Opportunity
- Upcoming School Council & DCFS Meetings
Information
- Week of Inspirational Math
- Watch for Thin Ice
- Parents Make the Difference
WEEK AT A GLANCE
Sunday, March 12 - Set your clock ahead one hour!
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ACTION
Report cards are coming - Next Friday!
Term 2 report cards are almost here! Parents and guardians will continue to access report cards through PowerSchool—simply log in to your account and click on the “Report Card” button in the left-hand sidebar.
We invite you to check it out when report cards go live on Friday, March 15!
Time to Spring Forward!
It's that time of year when we set our clocks ahead an hour! Don't forget to spring forward this Sunday, March 10!
EIPS’ 2024 Annual Feedback Survey is Open!
It's not too late to take the survey!
Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) wants to hear from you. Make sure to complete the 2023-24 EIPS Annual Feedback Survey: For parents and caregivers—open from March 1-21.
Every year, EIPS conducts the feedback 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 specific school their child attends;
- the quality of education being provided to students;
- areas for improvement; and
- new this year, the survey includes an additional series of questions—focused on stakeholder confidence in EIPS’ priorities and strategic direction as a whole.
Collectively, the Division uses the survey feedback to help guide future planning, decision-making and strategies—all aimed at enhancing student learning and better serving the wider community.
TAKE THE SURVEY NOW!
open March 1-21
To preview the questions before completing the survey, see Question Preview - 2023-24 EIPS Annual Feedback Survey: For parents and caregivers.
NOTE: To share the experiences of more than one child, or if you have a child who attends classes at more than one EIPS school—such as Next Step and an EIPS senior high school—simply complete the survey again.
The survey is anonymous and only takes roughly 10-15 minutes to complete. EIPS will share the survey results in next year’s Annual Education Results Report 2023-24
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
EIPS Annual Education Results Report 2022-23
EIPS Annual Education Results Report 2022-23: Overview
EIPS Four Year Education Plan: 2022-26
The background links are also provided throughout the survey, which you can use to help inform your survey answers.
OPPORTUNITY
Upcoming School Council Meeting
Hey parents and guardians! We hope you can join us this Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. for our school council meeting.
Parents are a huge part of making our school such an incredible place! We'd LOVE to see even more parents at our meeting!
Here is the agenda for the upcoming meeting:
Here are the minutes for from the last meeting:
INFORMATION
Week of Inspirational Math
March 11-15 is the Week of Inspirational Math! Students will have the opportunity to see that math is all around us through a variety of fun math activities taking place in classrooms all week! These kinds of questions are open-ended without necessarily having a correct answer.
There is also daily virtual guest reader who will share their passion for math along with a great math inspired story book. Make sure to ask your child about how they were inspired by math in the upcoming week!
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.
Parents make the difference
Here is this week's article with helpful tips for families:
Help your child learn how to recognize and manage feelings
All kids feel worried or upset sometimes. Being aware of these feelings and thoughts is the first step toward managing them in healthy ways. Here’s how:
- Talk about thoughts. When your child seems sad or anxious, ask, “What are you thinking about right now?” Your child might say, for example, “I’m worried no one will sit with me in the cafeteria at lunch tomorrow.”
- Show understanding. Put your child’s feelings into words. “I know you’re worried about finding someone to eat with at lunch tomorrow.”
- “Flip” thinking. Tell your child to make negative thoughts do a “flip” so they’re more positive or helpful. Your child might think, “I can ask my reading buddy to have lunch with me” or “I can tell my teacher I’m worried about sitting alone.”
If your child often seems worried or upset, talk to your child’s teacher, school counselor or pediatrician.
Reprinted with permission from the March 2024 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2024 The Parent Institute®, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc. Source: “Catch, Check, and Change Your Thoughts,” National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.