Bruderheim School Parent Newsletter
March 21, 2024
From the Principal
And just like that Spring Break is here and we say goodbye to March and hello to April! A special thank you to Mrs. Bettac for the excellent job she did with our Scholastic Book Fair, it was a roaring success! Thanks as well to her team of volunteers! Thanks to all of our parents that attended Parent/Teacher Interviews this week and for being intentional to partner with us in the education of your children. Thanks as well to our School Council for providing childcare on both evenings. We hope you all have a wonderful Spring Break, and Happy Easter!
Dave Armbruster
Principal
Upcoming Key Dates
March 2024
March 22
School Closure (No School for Staff or Students)
March 25-28
Spring Break
March 29
Good Friday (No School for Staff or Students)
April 2024
April 1
Easter Monday (No School for Staff and Students)
April 3
Early Out (School Ends at 2:00 pm)
May 2024
May 1
Early Out (School Ends at 2:00 pm)
May 1
Laugh Again with Phil Callaway
Bruderheim School from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
To register for the meal and for more information, please visit the Bruderheim School Website at:
May 3
Professional Learning Day (School Closed for Students)
Book Fair Comes to a Close
On behalf of our entire school, thank you for supporting our 2024 Scholastic Book Fair! We have earned Scholastic Dollars to enhance our school, and we could not have done this without your support. We look forward to our next time and congratulations to our Get Caught Reading contest winner, Chloe, our Guess the Jellybeans Contest winner, Mason, and our Family Event winner, Dom! Way to go!
Kindergarten Registration Now OPEN!
Is your child turning five on or before Dec. 31, 2024? If so, it’s now time to register for kindergarten. To register, simply complete the online registration form at eips.ca/kindergarten. To help families prepare, Elk Island Public Schools has put together an online EIPS Kindergarten Tool kit to make the transition as smooth as possible. The kit includes information on registration, important dates, programming options, what to expect, eligibility, how to find your designated school, transportation and more.
Additional information regarding Bruderheim School’s kindergarten program is available at
Annual Feedback Survey
Have your say! EIPS’ 2023-24 Annual Feedback Survey Opens March 1-21
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
Phil Callaway Night
Join us on May 1st at Bruderheim School for an unforgettable event featuring the internationally acclaimed humorist, speaker, and author Phil Callaway. Known for his wit and wisdom, Callaway will bring his unique blend of humour and heartwarming insights to our school, promising an evening that will leave you both laughing and pondering the important things in life.
To register for the meal and for more information, please visit the Bruderheim School Website at: https://www.bruderheimschool.ca/home/news/post/an-evening-of-laughter-and-learning-phil-callaway-at-bruderheim-school
Bruderheim Preschool Association Registration
Josephburg Ag Society Activities
Josephburg Agricultural Society - Tee-Ball 4 FUN (ages 3 to 5) and Softball 4 FUN (ages 6 to 16)
This low-cost Parent RUN program gives parents the chance to have FUN with their kids, on the Ball Diamond, as Volunteer Coaches and Assistant Coaches.
Games are played at the Josephburg Ball Diamonds (14 minutes South West of Bruderheim) on Monday and Wednesday evenings between 6 & 7 PM for Tee-Ball 4 FUN and 6 & 7:30 PM for Softball 4 FUN starting May 1, until June 26, 2024. The Strathcona County Bookmobile Bus arrives every Wednesday after the game and is available to families, who can borrow books and videos.
Registration fees are unchanged at $45 per player plus a $10 Ag Society Family Membership fee.
Registration is online at https://josephburg-ag.ca/ball-programs-2/ball-registration-form/ between March 1 and April 1, 2024.
Registered Players and Volunteer Parent Coaches, BOTH receive a FREE Ball Cap and T-shirt to keep.
2024 Registration includes FREE Community Barbeque on May 1, 2024, FREE Dairy Queen Dilly Bar Party at the end of June, & FREE Professionally taken Large Group and Team Photos emailed to families.
Pre-Kindergarten Programming at EIPS
Is there a preschooler in your life experiencing developmental delays or challenges with speech-language or motor-skill development—big or small? If so, Elk Island Public School’s Play And Learn at School (PALS) program could help.
Early learning lays the foundation for success in primary grades and beyond. As such, EIPS offers the pre-kindergarten PALS program in five of its elementary school locations. Applications are now open for free speech-language assessments for those interested in registering in the PALS program this fall. The assessment helps determine if PALS is appropriate for your child.
If you know a preschooler, born in 2020 or 2021, who could benefit from pre-kindergarten programming or want to book an assessment, fill out the PALS Program Request Form or call 780-417-8219. For more information, visit eips.ca.
School Fees
Pay School Fees Online!
School fee information for the 2023-24 school year is now posted on the PowerSchool Parent Portal. All fees are due within 30 days of being posted. To access your fee information, simply log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal and go to “Student Fees.” There you can view your fees and pay them online.
Don’t forget to also log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal regularly throughout the year. Fees are often added to your child’s account to cover the cost of various school activities such as field trips, class projects, extracurricular activities fees and more.
For more information about school fees visit eips.ca. Alternatively, contact Ms. Carlson at Bruderheim School at 780-796-3936.
Has your contact information recently changed?
Have you recently moved or has your contact information changed? Bruderheim School encourages families to review the information the Division has on file to ensure it’s up to date. Using the Student Information Update available through the PowerSchool Parent Portal, families can review the current information on file for each student—including addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, parent and guardian information, emergency contacts, medical details and other related information—and submit any updates needed.
Reviewing and updating the form ensures the school and Division have the most up-to-date information regarding your child. Your review is especially important as the Division prepares for 2024-25 registration processes beginning in the new year.
NOTE: Only submit updates for the changes that have already taken place. If you’re moving later this school year, you’ll submit the necessary updates to your information through the Student Information Update after you’ve moved.
If you have questions about the form or any trouble with your Parent Portal account, contact the school office at 780-796-3936.
School Messenger App
Download the SchoolMessenger App
Bruderheim School and the Division use the SchoolMessenger platform for communicating with families—through both phone and email. Be sure to add communications@eips.ca and general.bru@eips.ca to your safe sender list to avoid having important messages funneled into your junk mail folder.
You can directly manage your phone and email subscription preferences through SchoolMessenger. Simply log in to your account—or create one if you don’t already have one—and select the message types you’d like to receive to each phone number and email address on file.
The easiest way to stay connected is to download the SchoolMessenger app. Get the latest updates direct to your mobile device and enable push notifications to never miss a message. Families can also check back on past messages—for up to 30 days—directly in the app rather than searching to find an old message buried in your inbox. Download the SchoolMessenger app from the App Store or Google Play today.
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, opportunities for growth and how it’s supporting students to achieve the best possible outcomes. Read through this year’s EIPS Annual Education Results Report 2022-23 and discover how EIPS fosters learning environments for all students to learn, grow and thrive—and why it matters.
March Spotlight: cultivating high-quality learning environments and experiences ·
Power of Kindness: Creates welcoming, inclusive, respectful, and safe learning environments in schools
Building Blocks: How effective planning, management and infrastructure is supporting learning · Raising the bar: Evidence-based practices that are enhancing teaching and learning in EIPS
RELATED INFORMATION
Respiratory Illness Guidance
The health and safety of staff, students and visitors is a top priority. Continue to reinforce the following hygiene habits to protect staff and students from spreading respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19.
· Stay home if you’re feeling sick.
· Wash or sanitize your hands often.
· Cover your coughs and sneezes.
· Avoid touching your face.
· Clean and disinfect high touch surfaces regularly.
· Wear a mask if you get sick or develop symptoms while at school or work.
As per Alberta Health guidelines, staff, students, contractors and visitors who have symptoms of respiratory Illness or test positive for COVID, should stay home until:
· symptoms have improved,
· they feel well enough to resume normal activities, and
· they have been fever-free for 24 hours without using fever-reducing medications.
For anyone who has a respiratory illness or has tested positive for COVID, it is recommended that they wear a mask for a total of 10 days from the onset of symptoms—even if the symptoms have resolved or improved—when in indoor settings with other individuals.
Did you know?
Alberta Education provides funding to EIPS. The provincial government’s funding framework allocates funding directly to the Division, who then allocates funding to individual schools. Every year, EIPS prepares a budget in the spring based on projected enrolment, funding and student-focused initiatives directed by the Board of Trustees. Learn more about K-12 Education Funding in Alberta and the EIPS Budget.
Caregiver Education Sessions
Alberta Health Services hosts a variety of virtual caregiver information sessions throughout the year focused on ways to support students’ mental health. The sessions are free and geared toward parents, caregivers, teachers and community members who want to learn more about challenges impacting children and adolescents. Session topics include anxiety, ADHD, depression, self-harm, technology, teens and teaching leadership skills, communication, resiliency and more. Visit Caregiver Education to see the monthly caregiver sessions.
To access the AHS Virtual Caregiver Series click here.
Dragonfly Support Group
A monthly group for parents whose children face mental health challenges. This groups is a safe and supportive place for parents and caregivers to:
- share challenges and concerns
- learn and grow as a caregiver, and
- access supports from those who are facing similar struggles.
To register, please call 780-992-6267.