Mustang Memo - May 9, 2025
Our Mustangs never stop impressing us! We are so proud of the Running Club who competed in the EIPS relays this week! Our team took home the big trophy with many of our teams winning first or second place in all events.
Congrats to all of our incredible athletes for all of the hard work they did in their daily practices and for their team spirit! We are so proud of each and every one of you!
We'd like to give a shout out to Mr. Robertson who is the organizer of this incredible event for all of the schools in our district! It's nice to have that kind of talent on our staff!
Enjoy that sunshine this weekend!
Helene Hewitt & Jay Robertson
Principal & Assistant Principal
You belong here!
Table of Contents
Week At a Glance
Action
- Class Placements
Opportunity
- Family Literacy Night
- Counsellor's Corner
- Write On Supplies Fundraiser
Information
- EIPS Annual Education Results Report
- 2024-25 EIPS Annual Feedback Survey: For Parents and Caregivers – Results now available
- Parents Make the Difference
WEEK AT A GLANCE
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| Tuesday |
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ACTION
Class Placements
Our teachers have begun the daunting task of creating balanced class lists for the upcoming school year. We want to share information about the involved process we follow to establish classes.
Teachers develop draft lists as a grade level team. They look at all of the students in that grade level and consider the following factors:
- balancing medical/safety needs or students who have more complex programming needs
- balancing academic needs
- balancing behavioural needs
- managing student dynamics - which students are best together or apart (help each other vs. distract each other)
- connecting students with certain staff members for specific reasons (ex. staff have specialized training, etc.)
- supporting friendship dynamics (helping kids to start the year off with a friend connection where possible)
As you can imagine this is not an easy task! The process does not end there! After the initial draft lists are established the next steps are:
- All staff review the lists and provide feedback
- Administration, counselling team, and music team review lists and make suggestions
- Teachers rebalance lists according to the feedback
- Final revisions are made based on whole staff feedback
It is our goal to create balanced classes that provide an excellent educational experience for each child. We appreciate your trust in our professionalism and our desire to do right by all students while balancing the various needs of each family.
As you can see, the process for creating class lists is complex and is for that reason that we do not entertain requests for classroom placements. With over 600 students, it would be impossible to accommodate each person's request while ensuring that classrooms are functional for excellent learning.
If there is an extenuating circumstance that will have a significant impact on your child or family that you feel we need to consider, you can share that information in writing via email to the principal, Helene Hewitt, by June 2, 2025.
OPPORTUNITY
Family Literacy Night is Coming
This upcoming Thursday is our long awaited Family Literacy Night! The evening will be an hour of great fun celebrating reading, writing and storytelling!
The night will consist of two rounds of free sessions that you and your family can drop into. We are pleased to share that we will be joined by our incredible Métis storyteller, Kohkum Linda, again this year. We will also have repeating sessions on how to best support students with reading and writing, including some home practice ideas for all grade levels.
Finally, we will have a used book sale in the foyer where all students are welcome to take one free book and then pay a dollar a book for any other books that catch your eye! Proceeds from the sale will go to the school council to support students at our school.
If you have gently used books you would like to donate, please send to the school with your child and we'll add them to our sale!
School Council and DCFS AGMs
We are holding our School Council and Davidson Creek Fundraising Society Annual General Meetings this Tuesday, May 13, 2025 where we review our draft operating procedures and fill any open positions.
We invite you to come out to get involved in our upcoming planning for the Summer Sizzler as well as to provide your input into our School Education Plan goals for the 2025-26 school year.
Please consider joining our great parent crew! We have a ton of fun and there are snacks! Tasty snacks! We hope to see you there!
Meeting agendas:
Draft meeting minutes for approval:
Counsellor's Corner
We understand that many families in our community are facing financial challenges. Whether it's due to unexpected expenses, job transitions, or other circumstances, it's important to know that support is available.
Below, you'll find links to programs that can offer assistance. Please remember, seeking help is a sign of strength, and our community stands together in support.
Strathcona County Family and Community Services 780-464-4044
Providing a variety of services for individuals and families, including counselling, subsidized transit and recreation, support, programs and more.
WECAN Food Basket Society 780) 413-4525
Offers fresh and safe food at an affordable price. You must register with the service and pay an annual membership of $5. Each food basket is $35. Email FamilyResourceNetwork@strathcona.ca to discuss pickup and payment options. (
Strathcona Food Bank 780-449-6413
Individuals and families can access emergency food or food hampers once every 30 days.
- Mon - Fri 9:00am to 12:00pm
- Thurs Evenings 4:30pm to 7:00pm
- Sat 10:30am to 1:00pm
- Closed Sundays, Stat Holidays & Long Weekends
Free Tax Preparation 780-464-4242
Volunteer Strathcona provides free tax preparation for low-income County residents. Clients work with Volunteer Strathcona volunteers to complete their simple tax returns during a walk-in, in-person appointment.
Income Support Contact Centre 1-866-644-5135
Emergency financial help for people who don’t have resources to meet their basic needs like food, clothing, transportation, and shelter. 24 Hours/ Interpretation available
Alberta Supports 1-877-644-9992
Alberta Supports can help you access more than 30 programs and 120 services for seniors, people with disabilities, job seekers, parents and families, homelessness, financial assistance, abuse, and family violence prevention.
The Everybody Rides Program lowers the cost of bus passes for residents with limited incomes.
The Recreation Access Program (Everybody gets to play) provides a free Active Pass and reduced-fee programs for residents with limited incomes.
Write On Stationary Fundraiser
Do you need to purchase school supplies for your child for next year? Do you want to skip the lines and fuss of shopping at a store and not worry about dragging the supplies to the school? Do you want to support the school with a fundraiser?
We have a deal for you!
You can order your child's school supplies from Write On Stationary and they will deliver the order right to the school and a portion of the proceeds will go to our school! No muss, no fuss!
Here's how to order:
• Go to www.write-on.ca
• Click on “PARENTS – Order Here”
• School Name: Davidson Creek Elementary School – SHERWOOD PARK
• Choose your grade and place your order.
• Complete your order by clicking ‘PLACE ORDER’
• You will receive an automatic email confirmation to confirm your order has been received
• They accept VISA, MC, AMEX, Visa Debit and Interac On-line.
INFORMATION
Educational Assistant Appreciation Day is May 14!
On May 14, we recognize the dedication, hard work and compassion of educational assistants in our school community and across Elk Island Public Schools. Educational assistants play an integral role in education, from one-on-one student support to larger classroom dynamics. Thank you to all our educational assistants—you make a difference in the lives of students every day, and we are so grateful to have each one of you in our school.
This Educational Assistant Appreciation Day and beyond, we encourage students, families and staff to take a moment to tell an educational assistant how they’ve impacted you and to share your appreciation with them.
EIPS Annual Education Results Report
Every year, Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) publishes an Annual Education Results Report, which outlines the Division’s Four-Year Education Plan, growth opportunities and how it supports students in achieving the best possible outcomes. Read through this year’s EIPS Annual Education Results Report 2023-24 and discover how EIPS fosters learning environments for all students to learn, grow and thrive—and why it matters.
May Spotlight: Enhancing public education through effective engagement
- Rules of engagement: Using a collaborative approach to improve student achievement and success
- Driving change: Strengthening public education through Board advocacy
RELATED INFORMATION
Annual Education Results Report 2023-24: Overview
EIPS Four-Year Education Plan: 2022-26
EIPS Three-Year Capital Plan: 2026-29
2024-25 EIPS Annual Feedback Survey: For Parents and Caregivers – Results now available
The results of the 2024-25 EIPS Annual Feedback Survey: For Parents and Caregivers are now available. In March, the Division conducted the annual survey, which helps EIPS gauge its progress toward meeting the goals and priorities outlined in its Four-Year Education Plan. Families were 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.
Thank you to all families who took the time to share their feedback with the Division. Overall, the survey received close to 2,400 responses from parents and caregivers across EIPS. The Division, and schools, will now review the feedback in detail and use it to develop new strategies to serve students and the wider community better.
The full results are available online:
2024-25 Parent and Caregiver Survey results: EIPS
2024-25 Parent and Caregiver Survey results: Davidson Creek Elementary
Parents make the difference
Here is this week's article with helpful tips for families:
Regular school attendance is essential throughout the year!
As the weather warms up and summer approaches, students often become less focused on schoolwork and more eager for the break. Unfortunately, this can lead to increased absences.
The end of the school year is still a crucial time for learning and growth. Here are four reasons to make sure your child attends school every day:
- Learning hasn’t stopped. Teachers are still teaching new content. Attending every school day (except in cases of illness) helps ensure that students meet learning goals. Studies show that students who miss just 10% of the school year in the early grades are still behind their peers when they reach high school.
- End-of-year lessons often lay the groundwork for future learning. Missing these lessons can create significant gaps in understanding and leave your child less prepared.
- Teachers often plan group projects for the end of the year. These projects help students learn collaboration, problem solving and responsibility. These are skills children will need throughout their school careers and in the workplace.
- Regular attendance teaches kids to be accountable—an important quality for adulthood.
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. Source: E. García and E. Weiss, “Student absenteeism: Who misses school and how missing school matters for performance,” Economic Policy Institute.