Ermineskin Community League

Welcome to our community!

We are passionate about our simple mandate: Enriching life in our community. Come share the passion, and join the Ermineskin Community League today!

Please note that due to weather and ice situations there has been an extra skating class added on Feb 28 --
Preschool ( 4-6 yrs) - 9:30-10:15
Children ( 7 - 12 yrs) 10:15 - 11:00
Family ( all ages) 11:00 -12:30
Participants can stall for the full time for their age group or drop in for a short while!
* This program will cancel at -20 degrees Celsius with the wind-chill.

PreSchool Registration

Just a reminder that Preschool Open House and 2015-16 Registration Night is Thursday, February 19
6-7 p.m. in the preschool classroom.

Early registration for Ermineskin Community League Members and Preschool Alumni Starts February 9!
More info under Preschool.

Steinhauer School Accepting Kindergarten Registrations

Across the District, we have begun accepting new registrations for Kindergarten for 2015-2016. To be eligible to attend Kindergarten in September, a child must turn 5 on or before March 1, 2016. If you have a child who is ready to start Kindergarten, please complete the registration form as soon as possible. Forms are available on the District website, www.epsb.ca or in the school office. Please contact the Steinhauer School office (780-437-1080) if you have questions.

Do you have skate tags?

Many years ago, the Edmonton Federation of Community leagues introduced skate tags, which were to be provided to people purchasing a community membership. The idea behind skate tags was that it showed the user supported the community by purchasing a membership, which, in turn, helped pay for the making and maintenance of the ice. It also meant the person could skate at any community rink in the city of Edmonton by simply displaying the tag. Each year the tag color is changed; this year tags are green.

It was a noble idea, but it is not working. A small percentage of families in communities are purchasing memberships, which means fewer people are supporting the provision of ice. Many skaters have no skate tags, some don’t even know what skate tags are and many are using social media to plan shinny hockey events on the rinks making it too dangerous for the community members with tags to be on the ice.

While other community leagues are considering using security spot checks we hope that the honour system will work in our community. If you are using the rink and have no tags, you may be asked to leave the ice.

While ice is rather iffy right now, we are hoping that it will be back up and running with some good cold weather. If you are planning on skating this year, please, purchase your membership, it’s only 35.00 for the year, and support your community league!

Movie Night Update!!

The time for the next movie Night ( March 7) is incorrect in the February Enlightener. The correct start time is 7 P.M.

Soccer Registration Dates!

Registration payments for the communities of Yellowbird – Bearspaw – Keheewin – Ermineskin are held at the Yellowbird East Community Hall 10710 – 19 Ave on:

Wednesday, February 18, 2015 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Saturday, February 21, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm

See programs for more information

Would you be interested in a cross country ski loop set up in our area?
Cross country ski lessons?
Let us know if this is of interest to you.

There are a couple of areas that are possibilities so if this is something you would like to see please contact us so that we can explore this possibility.

Improving Cross Country Skiing in EdmontonThe City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Nordic Ski Club are dedicated to improving cross country skiing within the city. Throughout 2014, operational, programming and public information and education approaches have been examined to ensure they are meeting the needs of residents.

For the 2014/15 ski season, we’ve made positive changes:

more efficient operations practices
refined grooming schedules based on weather, terrain, use patterns and operational needs
additional ski grooming and track-setting equipment
enhanced on-site signage

Connecting with you is an important part of this process. We need to know how you feel about these changes, and what you’d like to see. We invite you to be part of an online survey in February 2015.

Online SurveyYou're invited to be part of an online survey about cross country skiing opportunities within the City of Edmonton. Your responses will help the City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Nordic Ski Club improve cross country skiing experiences in Edmonton. This survey will be available from January 30 through February 27, 2015. We appreciate and value everyone's feedback. Please see the link to access the online survey.
Survey Link:https://survey.vovici.com/se.ashx?s=78AA005C603180B7
For more information: http://www.edmonton.ca/activities_parks_recreation/cross-country-connection.aspx

Chelsea has a big smile as she was the winner of
the beautiful quilt that was kindly donated by the Sew & Sews for the Ermineskin Craft Fair!

Thanks so much for for the wonderful work on the quilt and we know that Chelsea is happy she bought the winning ticket!!

Here are a few more pictures from the craft fair!
What a fabulous event!!

Snow Angels

It's that time of year when sometimes your neighbors need help shoveling snow.
Will you be a snow angel to someone?
To be a Snow Angel, all you need to do is shovel snow for a person in need in your neighbourhood. Your efforts will help create a safer community for everyone and will help people meet their responsibility to remove ice and snow from their sidewalks within 48 hours of snowfall.

And, if you have had someone help you, say thanks to your volunteer by nominating them as
snow angels.

Winter is on its way, and The City of Edmonton is planning for an exciting season of our new program, Front Yards in Bloom: Winterscapes! Let's celebrate winter in our city by creating and nominating winterscapes in our neighbourhoods!

About Winterscapes
Winterscapes is family-friendly program in which all Edmonton residents, including community leagues, businesses and schools, can participate. You can also nominate your or someone else's winterscape for an award by taking a photo and submitting it online this January. Submitted nominations will be entered into a Weekly Prize Draw for some cool prizes.

This winter, why not include winterscaping as a fun activity during your league's winter festival, or advertise the program as a fun way for families to get outside and create a beautiful winter yard in your neighbourhood? All you need is your imagination and:
- some cold weather
- a bit of snow/ice for building and shaping
- you can also add plant materials, colour, tree ornaments, even a bird feeder, or winter lights.
Please visit our website for more program details: www.edmonton.ca/winterscapes

Century Park Development Update from Michael Walters

Click here for more information.

Interested in Free Drop-In programs for children ages 0-6
Click here for more info on the South West Family Resource Center, now offering new programs for parents and children.

Member Special

Community Swim, 2014-2015
September 6 - June 30

Current ECL members in good standing can enjoy free community swim as follows:

January - June 2015
Millwoods Recreation Center
7207-28 Avenue
3rd and 4th Sundays of each month
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM

Remember to bring your current Ermineskin membership card for admission.

For assistance with snowshovelling, contact the organization in your area. Workers are interested in helping seniors, pre-screened and provide reasonable rates.

City-wideSeniors Association of Greater Edmonton (SAGE)
Phone: 780-423-5510

SouthsideSociety of Seniors Caring about Seniors
Phone: 780-465-0311

SouthwestLifestyle Helping Hands Seniors' Association
Phone: 780-450-2113

The City of Edmonton’s Housing Opportunities Program for Edmonton (HOPE) offers a grant of up to $20,000 to help low-income Edmontonians make repairs to their homes. HOPE will help qualifying homeowners bring their homes to a minimum standard of health and safety relating to plumbing, heating, electrical, structural, fire safety, disability modifications and energy efficiency. Applicants must own and occupy their homes. Seniors and persons with disabilities are given priority. Review the HOPE website for more information on eligibility requirements.