Admin Message
As we step into the new year, I am filled with gratitude and optimism for the incredible journey ahead of us. The month of January brings not only a fresh start but also an opportunity for reflection and growth.
Firstly, I want to express my appreciation to our dedicated students, parents, and staff. Your hard work and commitment to excellence continue to make New Sarepta Elementary a thriving and dynamic environment. The Christmas concert was a shining example of this. A huge thank you to Mrs. Kruk and Crystal Murch for all their hard work to make this such a memorable event. Mrs. Kruk was undoubtedly our leader in making this happen, but the outcome is a result of our dedicated students, staff and parent volunteers. Thank you to everyone who contributed. We also raised $689.40 through silver donation which will be used to support our music program and PIIE raised $586.20 through the best seats in the house draw.
Throughout December it seemed like we may have dodged winter, but inevitably winter is coming. We will continue with outdoor recess and activities unless the temperature drops below -20 degrees Celcius.
A reminder, when the temperatures dip lower than -40C (with or without windchill) our priority is student safety and busses may be cancelled. The concern is that a bus may break down with students on board, and there may still be students waiting outside for a bus.
If buses are cancelled or running late, bus status notifications will be updated before 6:30 a.m. or as soon as possible. The bus status notifications will also be posted on our website at www.blackgold.ca as well as the individual school websites – please click on the Bus Status App icon.
Thank you for your ongoing support, and here’s to a fantastic year filled with learning, growth, and success!
Warm regards,
Rob Froland
January 9, 2024
Dear parents/guardians and caregivers,
At NSES, we love what we do … but it doesn’t end there! We know we can always learn and improve.
Join us for a “check-up” and “check-in” on the state of our school. Starting January 15, 2024, we are inviting our parents/guardians, students, and community members to take a 5-minute survey to tell us how they feel about the quality of education at NSES.
The Black Gold School Division has retained the services of Dialogue Partners – an internationally recognized firm specializing in community engagement – to administer an independent survey and focus group discussions with our rural school communities to get a better understanding of your children’s educational experiences at our school.
This survey will help us understand what is working well, where improvement is required, and how we can improve. The survey questions were developed specifically for our context and we hope that we can have as many people as possible complete this survey. As well, you will be entered into a random draw for cool, high-quality Black Gold swag!
We value your insights, and your opinion matters in shaping your child’s education. We will be using your feedback to help us plan for the future.
Please keep an eye out for the survey link in an upcoming SchoolMessenger email.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rob Froland
New Sarepta Elementary School
Alberta Education’s Annual Assurance Plan Survey for parents/guardians of students in Grade 4 is coming soon. Click here to read the letter from Superintendent Bill Romanchuk.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
Black Gold families in Calmar, New Sarepta, Thorsby and Warburg – It’s time for a check-up and check-in! Click here for the full poster!
January – Important Dates
January 1-5 – Christmas Break – No School
January 8 – Back to School / Kindergarten Registration Opens!!!
January 12 – Hot Lunch – Chicken Nuggets & Fries
January 15 – PIIE/School Council Meeting – 7:15pm
January 16-17 – Kinder-Grade 2 Dental Fluoride Treatments
January 17 – Home Game – Gr 5/6 Girls & Div 2 Boys Basketball – Hosting Willow Park
January 19 – Both ECS Classes – Swim/Bowl Field Trip
January 19 – Hot Lunch – Hot Dogs
January 19-20 – Div 2 Boys Basketball Tournament (Dansereau/Champs Vallee)
January 26 – Hot Lunch – Burgers
January 26-27 – Grade 5/6 Girls Basketball Tournament (Corinthia Park/Riverview)
January 30 – Report Cards Online at 4:00pm today
January 31 – PD Day – No School for Students
Speech Competition Registration
Registration for the Speech Competition of the Leduc Music Festival will take place this month. Mrs. Bensler will be calling a meeting during the first week of January for students in grades 2-6 who are interested in presenting a poem at the festival. Registration deadline is January 26th.
NSES Lost & Found
Lost & found items are located in the office. Please remind your children to check it regularly and if you are in the school, remember to have a look. We will endeavor to send emails with the items to have you check them. Periodically, items not claimed will be donated.
Kindergarten
***Our double day has been changed from January 26 to January 19.
Field Trip – Leduc Recreation Center and Leduc Lanes for Bowling. On January 19, we will leave the school at 8:45 am (sharp) to be ready to swim at 9:30 am. Swim until 11:30 pm, eat lunch in the table area at the LRC. Then to the Leduc Lanes bowling alley for 1:00 pm-bowl for one hour and leave around 2:00 pm to be back at the school for 2:45.
- dressed in their swimsuit under their street clothes and send a towel;
- ONLY a bagged lunch and water bottle in their backpack.
Pajama Party – January 25 & 26. Child should wear their warmest PJ’s to school. Child’s PJ’s MUST be appropriate school wear such as house coats, slippers, full length nightgowns or two-piece long jammies, etc.
Li’l Buckaroo Design – Spirit Wear
We are very fortunate to have an amazing local business to provide NSES Sabre Spirit Wear to our school community. If you missed out on the earlier order or just want to add to your collection, check out the website and see all the awesome designs.
Hour Zero Program
Black Gold School Division uses the Hour Zero School Emergency Program to prepare for and respond to emergencies. A detailed summary of the program can be located in the BGDS Emergency Program Brochure.
It is important that staff and students keep our training up-to-date in order for our emergency response to be effective. As such, we will be conducting a number of drills throughout the year. This month, staff and students will engage in a Lock Down drill. Students will be notified on the morning announcements of the drill and staff will work with their classes in advance to ensure they are aware of the procedure and also to reduce stress around the event. Please contact the office if you have any questions about our emergency response drills.
NSES Milk Program
Milk cards are available for purchase on your child’s PowerSchool account. You are also welcome to send cash or cheques to the school office. Milk costs $1 per milk. Milk cards are available in $10 and $20.
LRC Free Family Passes
NSES has two Family Passes to the Leduc Recreation Centre (LRC) for our families to borrow. These passes can be reserved by emailing the office at [email protected] and MUST be reserved by a parent or guardian. Passes can be sent home with your child. Passes can be borrowed for 1-week and will be loaned from Friday to Thursday. Pickup/sending home the passes on Friday and need to be returned by Thursday. A lost/late pass may result in up to a $20 charge for replacement.
Volunteer Forms
Anyone wishing to volunteer at NSES must complete a Volunteer form. The form can be accessed in PowerSchool under Student Forms/Fees. Should you require a paper copy, speak to your child’s teacher or the office.
Attendance Notifications
For all attendance related messages, please email [email protected], or call the office at 780-941-3927. Please relay specific details as to why the student is absent, for example, weather, no bus, symptoms of sickness, etc.
PowerSchool
Black Gold PowerSchool functions best using a browser to access.
For any PowerSchool issues, please contact the school office for assistance. The RESET PASSWORD function will NOT work from the program but the secretaries would be happy to help you out. Call 780-941-3927 or email [email protected].