Hello Jennie Elliott families, 

In recognition of Indigenous Veterans’ Day (Nov 8) and Remembrance Day (Nov 11) we had our Remembrance Service on Thursday morning. It was a moving tribute and opportunity for reflection to recognize those who have sacrificed through service to protect our Canadian freedom. Our students provided their thoughts about what peace means to them and how they can contribute as peacemakers, and our choir debuted with a beautiful song for the service. Thank you to the organizing team of Ms. Ling, Ms. Danchuk and Ms. Nelson, to the visitors who joined us for the service, and to all those who filled the boxes for the Veterans’ Food Drive this week as well! 

Maatoomsii'Pookaiks

Today was our CBE Indigenous Education Professional Learning Day. This day of professional learning began in October 2021 and is designed for all staff  to develop and apply foundational knowledge of Indigenous Education in the CBE, regardless of role. On Sept. 1, 2022, Piikani Elder Leonard Bastien gifted our day of learning with the Blackfoot name Maatoomsii'Pookaiks (MAAH-DOOM-SEE-BOO-GAAKS), which translates to putting children first.

Amongst the teachings today, we learned from Elder Casey Eagle Speaker who explained, “The buffalo is one of only two animals that will walk into a storm.” From a two-eyed seeing perspective – learning to see out of one eye with the strength of Indigenous knowledges, and out of the other eye with the strengths of Western knowledges - this understanding about the buffalo recognizes the need for determination, diligence, perseverance, and above all, patience. We also engaged in curricular planning in grade teams that focused on ensuring diverse voices are respected and valued in ethical spaces. Dr. Willie Ermine explains that, “Creating ethical spaces means acknowledging the differences in our cultural values, while simultaneously creating a shared space where mutual respect and understanding can flourish.” 

Lacrosse Residency 

We are excited to have our first whole school physical literacy residency this year with ELEV8 CLASSROOM Lacrosse. Our Phys. Ed. And Wellness Planning Committee has arranged this amazing program to come to our school to introduce the sport of lacrosse and educate our Kindergarten to Grade 6 students on the origin and indigenous roots of the sport in Canada and North America. Students will acquire lacrosse skills through a variety of developmentally appropriate movement activities while experiencing the health benefits that result from physical activity. ELEV8 CLASSROOM Lacrosse encourages students to interact positively with others while demonstrating etiquette and fair play. Beyond lacrosse, the physical components also focus on skills such as running, jumping, throwing and catching, which are fundamental to any sport. This program has professional Lacrosse instructors, who have expertise in coaching children and youths. 

The dates for this program will be November 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27 and each class will have 3 learning sessions. We want to thank the generous fundraising efforts of the Jennie Elliott Parent Society (JEPSA) that have made this residency possible. We are super excited about this new opportunity for students! 

Repeat | Parent Engagement Form 

As our students’ first teachers, parents are an integral partner in their learning journey. We recognize the importance of parent engagement in understanding current global trends, government requirements and System processes that impact a child’s day-to-day school experience. We would like to offer families an opportunity to engage with us on topics that are of interest and ask the questions that help bring parents alongside educators in your child’s learning journey.  

To help us understand how to best organize these engagement opportunities, we would like your input. Thank you for completing this Parent Engagement Form at your earliest convenience. You can choose to reply without your contact information if you wish, to keep your response anonymous. 

News from School Council 

School Council Meeting 

We had another great school council meeting this past Tuesday with a presentation from our Grade 1 teachers, the principal report and discussions for our school. Thank you Grade 1 teachers for taking extra time out of your day to present to us, we love learning about what happens in each grade and getting a sneak peek into what a day in the life looks like. This is always a highlight of every meeting! To learn what was discussed this past meeting, visit http://www.jennieelliott.ca/meetings.html  

• Next council meeting - Tuesday December 3 at 7 pm - presentation by the grade 4 team. 

Holiday Cookie Decorating!!

With two council meetings down for the year, planning is in full swing! See below for the full schedule of events for the year but our first event for families is happening on Thursday. December 12, 2024. Get ready for a spin on a classic, this year we will be doing a holiday cookie decorating night in our school gym. Tickets are on sale starting today Friday November 8, flyers coming home in your children’s backpacks, information on our school council Facebook group and also on our school council website.

Click here to purchase tickets

Year-Round Fundraiser - At Home Bottle Collection

We have one new fundraising effort this year, a year-round opportunity to donate your bottles and cans to Jennie Elliott School Council. We have partnered with Trail Bottle Depot to have an easy pickup at your home of your bottles and cans. Just text Trail Bottle Depot, label your bags with Jennie Elliott School Council and they will come to your home, pick up the bottles and send the money to the school, super easy! Please see the infographic below for details, what we love is 100% of the proceeds from the returns goes back to the school.  

All funds collected will go to directly benefit causes for the school including the grade 6 year end experience for our graduates, play day, the new outdoor learning space, and much much more. These initiatives aren't possible without participation from you, our school community. Feel free to share this with your friends and family as well!  

Fun Lunches  

Fun lunches occur on the last Monday of every month. Click here to see more information about placing your order. 

Volunteering at Jennie Elliott

There are many ways for families to get involved at Jennie Elliott. We have an active and connected school community that our School and School Council are always looking to engage in ways that benefit our students. No amount of volunteering or support is too small!  A list of options for volunteering are offered in a Parent Volunteer Form with some of the ongoing needs that we have for parent participation. If any of these areas are of interest to you, or if you would like more information about what the volunteering entails, check them off on the form and our School Council Volunteer Coordinator or a school representative will be in touch. Thank you for letting us know how you would like to offer your volunteerism at JES! 

Other Upcoming School Council Events

• Book Fair - March 17 - 20, 2025 
• Jennies Night Out (hosted by JEPSA) - April 11, 2025 
• Spring Dance - Spring 2025 

Upcoming Dates  

Nov 11 Remembrance Day (no school) 

Nov 12 Fall Break (no school) 

Nov 13 Fall Break (no school) 

Nov 13 World Kindness Day 

Nov 14 Classes Resume 

Nov 18-22 National Bullying Awareness Week 

Nov 18-27 Lacrosse residency 

Nov 25 Fun Lunch 

Nov 25-29 School Conferences 

Nov 28 Kindergarten only non-instructional day (no Kindergarten students) 

Nov 29 Non-instructional Day (no students) 

Dec 16 Fun Lunch 

Dec 20 Last day of classes before Winter Break 

Enjoy the Fall Break everyone! We'll see you back at school on Thursday.