WHAT'S NEW
Drama Club - Urgent Announcement
Due to illness, the Drama Club performances for the evenings of Thursday, February 2nd and Friday, February 3rd have been cancelled.
Sherwood Heights School Council
Please mark on your calendars the February 15th Sherwood Heights School Council meeting, and plan to be there. We will be discussing "Re-Imagining our Sherwood Park Schools", and you will have an opportunity to provide input on new boundaries for Sherwood Park schools. Our School Council by-laws have also been updated, and will be presented for approval.
On a different note, Grade 7 parents should have received a survey from the Government of Alberta. Please fill out the survey and mail it back in the self-addressed envelope before February 24th. It is your opportunity to have a voice in the future of education in your school and throughout Alberta.
See you on February 15th at 7:00 PM.
Sally Navis
Chair, Sherwood Heights Parent Council
Accountability Pillar Surveys
Information for parents:
As an annual check-up on the education system, the Accountability Pillar provides an opportunity for Alberta Education and school authorities to ensure that we're equipping students for success.
The Accountability Pillar uses a set of 16 indicators consisting of surveys of students, parents and teachers on various aspects of quality; student outcomes such as dropout and high school completion rates; and provincial assessments of student learning.
From January to the end of February, Alberta Education will be conducting the annual Accountability Pillar Survey. In January, parents of students in grades 4, 7 and 10 will receive a survey from Alberta Education. In February, students in grades 4, 7 and 10 and all teachers will be completing their surveys online at school.
All surveys are anonymous and ask questions about experiences with the school. In addition to English and French, the parent survey is available in Chinese, Punjabi, Arabic, Blackfoot, Cree, Korean, Spanish and Tagalog.
Your participation in the survey helps provide important information on the quality of education your child is receiving, so we encourage you to return your survey promptly. The deadline for completing the parent survey is February 24th.
Survey results will be available to school authorities in May 2012, and will be reported publicly as part of their 3-Year Education Plans and Annual Education Results Reports.
EIPS' Boundary Exemption Request Process
Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) is now accepting boundary exemption requests for the 2012/2013 school year. If you would like to submit a request for your child to attend a school other than your designated school, please refer to the process, timelines, and form available at www.eips.ca/boundaries. If you are interested in a school of choice, you must submit the Boundary Exemption Request Form by February 15, 2012.
If you have questions regarding the boundary exemption process, please contact Principal Bill Schlacht at 780-467-5930 or Bev Fleming, Associate Superintendent at 780-417-8227.
Please watch in early spring for information regarding registration for the 2012-2013 school year.
Bullying Awareness
The Government of Alberta's antibullying website has tons of free resources for parents. Check it out at: www.bullyfreealberta.ca
School Fees
School Fee sheets went home on Thursday, September 22 and payment is now past due. Fees can be paid with cash, cheque or visa/mastercard. If you should require some other form of payment schedule, please feel free to contact Mrs. Dundas at the school to make arrangements.
Fundraising
School Fundraising
This year we are excited to use Regal Gifts for our school Fundraising Campaign. We are hoping to raise money for our new fitness room and lap top cart.
The campaign runs all year long and is done completely on the website!!
This is a green campaign therefore all catalogues can be seen online!!
More than 1000 products with hundreds being priced under $20.
Please click on the following for full information regarding the campaign: Regal Fundraising Letter
SUTP Coupon Books
These coupon books are also part of our fundraising efforts. The books are $20 and available at the office.
Power School Parent Portal
Elk Island Public Schools will be migrating to the new version of PowerSchool during the Teacher's Convention weekend, February 9 to 12, 2012.
Starting Wednesday, February 8 at 6:00 p.m. and continuing until Monday, February 13, 6:00 a.m. PowerSchool will be unavailable to all users during this time period, this includes Parent Portal access.
To log into the Parent Portal go to https://powerschool.eips.ca/public. If you have not received your username and password, please call the school during the hours of 8:15 - 3:30. Contact Sherwood Heights directly if you have questions or comments about logon issues, progress reports, or other issues specific to your Power School Parent Portal account. To assist you in logging into the Parent Portal you may visit http://www.eips.ca/content.php?page=309 for an instructional video.
EIPS News
EIPS' 2012/2013 Division Calendar Now Available
Elk Island Public Schools' (EIPS) Board of Trustees has approved the division calendar for the 2012/2013 school year. The approved calendar incorporates the input we received from parents, staff, and students through our consultation process this fall.
Please refer to this approved calendar when planning for next school year. Highlights of the calendar include:
- September 4 First day for students
- November 12-16 Fall break
- December 24-January 6 Winter break
- February 1 First day Semester Two
- March 25-April 1 Spring break
- June 27 Last day for students
- June 28 Last day for school staff
This calendar is available electronically at www.eips.ca under the Parents & Students quick links near the top, right corner of the home page.
Community Consultation
Please click on the Community Consultation link to find out more information about a new project called Re-Imagining Our Sherwood Park Schools: Student, Program, and Boundary Planning, beginning in February.
Excellence in Teaching Awards - Call for Nominations
Nominations are now open for the 2012 Excellence in Teaching Awards. Sponsored by Alberta Education, the Excellence in Teaching Awards recognize the innovative and outstanding teaching taking place in classrooms across Alberta every day.
Each year, the program honours approximately 20 teachers with Provincial Excellence in Teaching Awards and three teachers with SMART Technologies Innovative Use of Technology Awards. Since 1989, the program has recognized nearly 500 deserving teachers and principals from over 9,000 eligible nominees.
Do you know a teacher who exemplifies innovative and outstanding teaching practices? Have you witnessed the creativity and commitment of your child's teacher in inspiring and engaging classroom activities? This is your opportunity to recognize the contributions of teachers in your school.
The complete nomination package and additional information about the 2012 Excellence in Teaching Awards are available at http://education.alberta.ca/teachers/excellence.aspx. The nomination deadline is February 3, 2012.
Inclement Weather and Thin Ice Warning
EIPS would like to remind parents about the Inclement Weather Policy. Also, Strathcona County Parks and Culture is promoting public safety by sending out a Thin Ice Warning.
Student Transportation
Student transportation is provided at no cost to all students living 2.4 km or greater from Sherwood Heights. Find out if you qualify using the Versatrans e-Link tool available on the division website. Families accessing Payride or school-of-choice busing pay a fee for transportation services. General information, applicable fees, and FAQs about busing are available on the Student Transportation page of the EIPS' division website.
We encourage parents to take advantage of the EIPS' secure online payment option to pay transportation fees. If you have any questions about Student Transportation, contact them at 780-417-8151 or st@ei.educ.ab.ca.
School Motto
School Motto
At Sherwood Heights we encourage our students to "Reach for the Heights" and to cheer on their athletes, musicians, and fellow classmates by showing their "Cougar Pride"!
School Vision
The vision of Sherwood Heights Junior High School is to have all students, families and staff be of good character, focus on academics, be respectful of each other and engage in all aspects of school life.
Reach for the Heights:
At Sherwood Heights, we C. A. R. E.
Character
Academics
Respect
Engagement
