Colchester Elementary

At Colchester Elementary School we cherish and challenge every child every day. We have a very strong focus on academics, the arts, physical fitness and most importantly on character education. Welcome to our website - a celebration of what it means to be a 'Colchester Kid'.

We would be very happy to meet you in person, to show you our school and to answer your questions; please call ahead to arrange a school tour.

After 20 years as custodian of Colchester school, Mrs. Thordarson will be retiring effective October 31, 2011. Mrs. Thordarson will certainly be missed; she has provided a clean and healthy learning environment for two generations of Colchester students.
Mrs. Bryks, who has been working with Mrs. Thordarson for the past five years, will also be retiring.
We wish Mrs. Thordarson and Mrs. Bryks long and happy retirements.

Student/Parent/Teacher Interviews will take place on October 25 _ 26, from 4-7 pm.

The Scholastic Book Fair will be held in the library at noon hour and in the evenings from 4-7 pm of our Student/Parent/Teacher Interviews on October 25th and 26th.

Our annual Halloween Carnival and Parade will be held on Monday, October 31st.  The carnival will take place during the morning with each class visiting the gym and taking part in all the 'spooktacular' games created by our grade 6 students.  After lunch recess, students will change into their costumes and will join in the parade scheduled to start at 1 pm.  A big thank you goes out to the Parents' Association for supplying our students with a treat bag! 

 If any parents would like to help pack the treat bags, please come to the school on Thursday, October 27th at 9 am.

Education is expensive and usually returning to school is even more expensive. If you are considering going back to school, more than likely you are going to need continuing education loans in order to finish your degree. The amount of each loan and whether or not you will qualify for one depends a lot on your credit score and if you have any outstanding debt. Below is a breakdown of some of the best loans you can use to cover the cost of your school expenses.

Pell Grant
A Pell Grant is a government grant distributed through the Department of Education that awards usually up to $5,000 and never needs to be repaid. Only low-income individuals qualify. The grant covers everything you need for school such as: books, course fees, school materials, lab fees and anything else you may need help with like gas to commute to campus. How much you are awarded depends on whether or not you are planning on attending school part-time or full-time and of course how many classes you require to finish your degree.

Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant
Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants or (FSEOG) are issued through the school you are applying to and you will not ever have to pay back, just like the Pell Grant, however the amount awarded varies. It is distributed first-come, first-serve so be sure to apply for it as soon as you can if you want one. The grant amount ranges between $100 - $4000. Students who are eligible to receive the Pell Grant will be chosen to receive the FSEOG loan first.

Unsubsidized Loans
If you can prove that you have financial need, you will qualify for an unsubsidized loan. The school you are applying to will determine how much you will receive but it will never be more than the amount of your total financial need. For this type of loan, the US Department of Financial Education pays the interest on your loan as long as you are enrolled in school at least part-time. They will also continue to pay the interest on your loan up to six months after graduate and if you should need it, deferred payments are available and they will pay your loan interest while it's under deferment as well.

Subsidized Loans
Subsidized loans are loans that do not require you to prove financial need in order to qualify for one. The school you are applying to will determine the amount you will receive based on whether or not you receive other forms of financial aid. It will also be based off of the total cost of attendance. Unlike the government unsubsidized loan, the government will not pay for the interest on the loan. You will be responsible for paying the interest while you are attending school.

Government subsidized loans offer an option for you to not repay interest on your loan while you are in school or during grace periods, that interest will be added to the principal amount of your loan but you will end up repaying much more than if you simply paid the interest in the first place.

How to Apply
If you truly want to return to school and you are interested in continuing education loans, the first step to receiving free federal grant money or other student loans is to fill out the FAFSA online. From there you will be contacted by mail through your school's student aid office if you qualify, however it should be noted that any outstanding federal student loan debt from previous grants or loans will disqualify you from receiving any new federal loans until the debt is repaid in full.

Click to discover what is new in Elk Island Public Schools.

*EIPS recently made changes to the Boundary Exemption Process for the 2011/2012 school year.

Colchester School is a proud member of R.E.T.A.  Additional information can also be found on the R.E.T.A. website.