Hello Jennie Elliott families,
I couldn’t think of a better way to send us into our final week of the 2023-24 school year. Our school came together in a beautiful and meaningful way on Indigenous People’s Day. We participated in tipi teachings from Elder First Rider, engaged in a powerful circle assembly on our field where all our students sang a Cree song they have been learning, and Elder First Rider sang a song to our students that he was gifted as a young boy. All our classes engaged in a collection of traditional Indigenous games and activities that taught us new ways to think about trust in each other while also developing agility, strength and coordination. You can also see our new medicine wheel from our front foyer that represents our holistic actions to be (our spirit), to belong (our heart), to do (our body) and to know (our mind). Students have been adding ways that they feel they belong at Jennie Elliott, and how they can support others in feeling welcome and safe at school. It was a full day with many important lessons and memory-making!
We are looking forward to deepening our understanding and continuing to walk the path of reconciliation with our students, staff and families.
Year-End Assembly
On June 27, the last day of school, we will be coming together to reminisce about our year together at our year-end assembly. We will begin in our classes with an online Google Meet at 9:20am and a movie montage of the year’s memories. Parents are welcome to join their child's class to watch the movie and then we will all head outside to carry on our assembly together.
PlayDay June 26 Reminder
Thank you to those who have already signed up to volunteer for our PlayDay. Whether you can spare a few hours in the morning, the afternoon, or the entire day, we welcome and appreciate your help to provide this fun day for our students. Please use the following link to sign up for a volunteer slot: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0F4CACAB2DA1F85-2023#/ , and that your police clearance is up to date. Many thanks in advance for your time and support.
A fun lunch will be provided through Healthy Hunger if you register at HealthyHunger.ca. We look forward to celebrating a fun-filled ColourOlympics Playday with you and the students!
Report Cards
In consideration of providing further clarity, conciseness and consistency for families, CBE has been moving towards a common format for K-9 report card comments. As a school, we have worked to align our comments with this system structure in keeping with our Assessment and Reporting guiding documents and wanted to share the basic elements that you will notice in the comments to provide some context when you read your child's report card this term.
Comments will include:
- A proficiency descriptor that corresponds to the 4, 3, 2 or 1 achievement indicator your child received
- A description of the curricular learning outcome that is being commented on.
- An example of evidence that demonstrates your child’s success with that outcome.
Report cards will be available to view by June 26. Please see further information on our website’s News Center about how to access the report card online through the MyCBE portal. Teachers will be available outside of instructional time on June 27 and until noon on June 28 if you have questions about the report card.
Staffing Updates
As part of our staffing processes for next year, we had the opportunity to explore options for our one specialist teacher we can afford to staff at Jennie Elliott to provide complimentary programming beyond the core subject areas. In response to both parent and staff feedback over the past couple of years, next year we will be welcoming a Music teacher to our staff. We are still working through scheduling that will include opportunities for all classes to have Music education regularly, shared between the new Music teacher and other staff members who also have experience teaching Music. As a result, our teachers will be teaching the Physical Education part of the curriculum to their own classes.
Part of this decision is in response to the new Physical Education and Wellness Curriculum that is more intentional about embedding both physical education and wellness outcomes into a combined curriculum that teachers have found often crosses over into the everyday classroom work they naturally engage in with their students. There are also advantages that musical literacy provides in developing students' social skills, active engagement and their range of creative expression, particularly in older grades where a high level of musical expertise is required to teach music curricular outcomes. We are excited for the opportunities a school-wide music program can provide for building community and school culture through shared experiences such as assemblies, learning celebrations and extra-curricular activities. We look forward to this opportunity for Jennie Elliott students and will share more information in the fall as our new Music program begins to take shape!
In closing, we’d like to extend our congratulations to two staff members who will have new positions in the fall. Ms. Corinne Ashbaugh has accepted a Learning Leader and grade 1 teaching position at Roland Michener to further her leadership experiences. We extend our appreciation for Ms. Corinne’s support and commitment at Jennie Elliott throughout her roles here as Resource teacher, Learning Leader and grade 2 teacher. In addition, Ms. Jessica Kelly, our Education Assistant and Lunchroom Supervisor, has decided she liked being in schools so much, she will be pursuing her teaching degree at the University of Lethbridge in the fall. Best of luck to them both!
We have also had staff join us on short-term contracts until the end of this year. We are grateful to have had Ms. Rachel Clark, Mr. Matthew Spencer, Ms. Stephanie Chatt, Ms. Rachel Lavoie, Ms. Traci Ness, Ms. Lauren Linder and Ms. Hannah Basaraba as a part of our Jennie Elliott staff this year. They became a valuable part of our staff in their short time with us, stepping into their roles with students and the greater school community with commitment and dedication. We will miss them at JES and wish them all the best in their future pursuits.
Our continuous staffing positions were completed last week, and our temporary position for our teacher on leave will be filled by August. We will introduce our Jennie Elliott 2024-25 teaching and support staff to families prior to students returning in the new school year.
Lost and Found
Many families will be at the school this week for our various year-end events. A friendly reminder to please take a look through the lost items that would like to make their way back to your homes 😊.
Upcoming Dates
June 25 – Grade 6 Farewell
June 26 – Playday & Fun Lunch
June 26 – Report Cards viewed online by parents (until July 26th)
June 27 – Year-End Assembly (9:20)
June 27 - Last Day of School (early dismissal hours)
With much gratitude,
Lucene Tahmazian
Principal (Acting), Jennie Elliott School