Regular communication with new school families is an ongoing focus area for the Division. The Play and Learn at School (PALS) program is a good example. The program relies on family collaboration and working jointly to benefit children. In 2023-24, more than 30 PALS engagement sessions were hosted by speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists and early learning consultants. The sessions focused on 11 topic areas, all aimed at supporting young learners. PALS occupational therapists also facilitated individual family consultations and an early learning team that provided multiple virtual sessions to support families in learning new strategies to enhance toileting, feeding, fine-motor development and self-regulation.

Additionally, schools held orientation sessions for PALS and kindergarten families. For PALS, individual orientation sessions were offered, which included discussions about the child’s interests and strengths, specific needs, parental hopes and goals, communication protocols, transportation arrangements and the first day of school. PALS families also had the opportunity to share information about their child through a survey sent out before school startup.

At the kindergarten level, every EIPS elementary school hosted a Kindergarten Information Night. Families had the opportunity to meet staff, tour the school, explore a typical kindergarten day and learn about play-based learning. To complement these, EIPS Early Learning distributed a kindergarten questionnaire to incoming families to build the school-and-home relationship—integral to each child’s success. The questionnaire was also used to develop Getting Ready for Kindergarten, a series of divisionwide kindergarten orientation sessions hosted annually in June. The Getting Ready for Kindergarten sessions focused on fun ways to work on four key development areas—building independence, speech development, fine-motor skills and literacy.

Other engagement efforts included the Circle of Security Parenting program, Individualized Program Plan consultations, Kindergarten Information Nights and a series of early learning emails for families to share information and collect feedback. Collectively, these enabled EIPS to gain a deeper understanding of the needs of early learners and how to support them best.

In terms of mental health, EIPS produced two information videos for families—as part of its Mental Health Strategic Plan. Video 1 focused on school attendance. Video 2 delved into the importance of mental health. Supports for Students also hosted three education sessions on brain development and brain architecture—two in Sherwood Park and one in Fort Saskatchewan. Post-session, the feedback from attendees was all positive, and all reported feeling more informed about how the central nervous system controls thought, movement and emotion.

To complement the information session, the Division worked hard promoting the Caregiver Education Series, hosted by Recovery Alberta. Sessions were all free and focused on student mental health—geared toward parents, caregivers, teachers and community members. Session topics included anxiety, ADHD, depression, self-harm, technology, teens and teaching leadership skills, communication, resiliency, and more.

EIPS also continued to offer the Circle of Security Parenting, an attachment-based parenting education program to help families better understand and build on their relationships with their children. Through an eight-part learning series, caregivers explored the different ways children express attachment and how life experiences can impact how others respond to children—in positive and negative ways. Early Learning also partnered with Strathcona County’s Mental Health Capacity Building department to offer a caregivers learning series called, Preparing for Kindergarten. Through the learning series, caregivers learned new tools to help children navigate emotions and feelings common when starting school.

Other initiatives included teaming up with Strathcona County’s Family and Community Support Services to deliver a 90-minute workshop on the risks of school avoidance—exploring the cycle of anxiety, school attendance data, and how-to tips to deal with feelings of worry and fear. EIPS plans to repeat the workshop in fall 2024.

The EIPS First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education team continued offering its Indigenous family gatherings—three in-person gatherings were offered in 2023-24. Each was facilitated by the EIPS First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education team. The gatherings provided space, supper and cultural activities for participants, such as beading and art. It also gave attendees a chance to connect with other families, build community, share hopes and discuss truth-telling and reconciliation within EIPS. The topics discussions also helped inform next steps for the First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education team.

Other initiatives included a Round Dance at F.R. Haythorne Junior High, a 13-week Michif language class and a Métis kitchen party—boasting more than 140 attendees who enjoyed dinner, fiddle music and dance—sash dancing and the Red River jig. The EIPS First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education team also facilitated ribbon-skirt and ribbon-shirt workshops—open to grades 9 to 12 students. Each participant brought a support person to help make the ribbon skirt or shirt. A special thanks to Knowledge Keeper Natalie Pepin, Lloyd Cardinal, Taryn Donald and Danielle Booker for leading the workshops.

In terms of communication, the team published newsletters and online blogs to share relevant news and initiatives with families. For events, the team co-ordinated an Indigenous Cultural Seasonal Camp for lead teachers, in partnership with Strathcona Wilderness Centre and community-based Elders and Knowledge Holders. It also hosted a divisionwide round dance to help elicit a sense of community, cultural pride and belonging. There was also substantial work put into fostering meaningful relationships with local Indigenous community members and a relationship with the land, or “being in relation.”

Once again, in 2023-24, EIPS hosted its ever-popular Your Future: Post-secondary and Career Fair—an annual event open to students in grades 9 through 12. Held in the fall, the fair invited universities, colleges, polytechnics and industry experts together, all in one room. There, students and their families had the opportunity to engage with some of Alberta’s leading post-secondary institutions and employers, pose questions, consult with experts and gain insights into future career trends. In total, the event attracted more than 500 attendees.

To complement Your Future, EIPS’ Career Pathways department also arranged post-secondary fairs at the senior high schools and supported three senior high in hosting career fairs on a smaller scale—held at the school during the school day. Both events were well-attended, the feedback was positive, and helped engage students in preparing for life beyond senior high.

Along with the fairs, EIPS hosted a series of Off- Campus Information Evenings for families and the local community to learn more about the Division’s Registered Apprenticeship Program, the green certificate programming and work experience courses. The sessions, held both in-person and virtually, provided comprehensive insights into career pathways programming and featured a well-received question-and-answer segment with EIPS program specialists.

In winter 2024, all EIPS schools consulted families about school fees for the upcoming year. Principals outlined the current school fees—used for courses, noon supervision, educational activities and extracurricular initiatives. Families were then asked to provide input about the fees and expectations for the following year. Using that feedback, and EIPS’ Board-approved fee parameters, principals developed their school fee schedules for the 2024-25 school year. Once finalized, each school followed up with families to review and go over the upcoming fee schedule.

Roughly, around the same time as the fee consultations, the Division conducted its annual EIPS Budget Survey to gather information from stakeholders on what priorities the EIPS Board should consider when planning for the upcoming year. In total, 1,491 respondents provided input, which the Board used to develop the 2024-25 EIPS budget. Then, in March, the Division consulted staff, students and families again through its EIPS Annual Feedback Survey—an online stakeholder survey distributed to school families, staff and students in grades 9 and 12. In total, 4,874 respondents completed the survey.

Annually, the Division uses the feedback from the survey to gauge its progress toward meeting the goals and priorities outlined in its Four-Year Education Plan. Parents and caregivers are asked a series of questions about their experiences with EIPS and the school their child attends, the quality of education provided, improvement areas and their confidence in EIPS’ strategic direction. 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.

Other engagement efforts included public consultations to build support for a new collegiate-style junior-senior high replacement school in Fort Saskatchewan. After an exhaustive engagement process, the Division finalized its Three-Year Engagement Plan, deciding to relocate its senior high French Immersion program to Salisbury Composite High, and adjust Strathcona County’s senior high attendance boundaries for Lakeland Ridge to Bev Facey Community High—both effective in 2026-27. It also adjusted the French Immersion junior high attendance boundaries for Cambrian Crossing. All decisions aligned with feedback heard and was sustainable into the future.

As well, the Division sent regular school communication and monthly newsletters—used to inform students and families about what’s taking place within the school and Division. News releases (58) further enhanced communication by informing families about recent successes, decisions and challenges within the Division. Plus, EIPS schools used social media platforms as another way to connect with families.

Lastly, each EIPS school council was supported through the Division’s Committee of School Councils. School council representatives met regularly with the Board of Trustees and EIPS senior administration. In the 2023-24 school year, the group met seven times to discuss topics impacting the Division and the province’s education system. EIPS was pleased to once again host these meetings in person and virtually—allowing for more robust dialogue.

Some of the agenda topics included the Annual Education Results Report 2022-23, the Division’s Assurance Cycle, the Mental Health Strategic Plan, the EIPS Four- Year Education Plan: 2022-26, the role of school councils, annual reports, new provincial legislation on sexual orientation and gender identity, Administrative Procedure 538, Alberta School Council Engagement Grant, the upcoming budget and how-to tips on reading the Alberta Education Assurance results. Following each meeting, school council representatives shared the discussion topics with their own school council members. In 2023-24, the number of schools represented at each meeting ranged between 15 and 26, totalling a median representation of 18 schools—up by three from the previous year.