The staff at Hay Lakes wants to welcome all new and returning students to the 2022-2023 school year. We are very excited for the new year to begin.

Parents, teachers, and the school all play a major role in the development of a child and each shares the responsibility for the education of children. The Hay Lakes staff is committed to providing high-quality educational opportunities and we are committed to supporting our students.

One of the things that we are looking forward to this year is welcoming our community back to visiting Hay Lakes in person. We are hoping to have activities throughout the year where parents and guardians will be able to join us, so please stay tuned for more information to come!

Another change that is taking place to begin the year is that the exterior doors closest to the office will be open throughout the day. We ask that all visitors stop at the office to check in. If you are picking up a student or dropping something off, the office will be happy to help you. We ask that parents be respectful of the learning environment and not go directly to classrooms without stopping at the office.

We are very happy to welcome three new members to our staff this year.

Mr. Lloyd MacKenzie - Principal

Mr. MacKenzie has been with BRSD for the past 8 years, 7 of which have been in administration. He has spent the last 3 years at Ecole Charlie Killam School in Camrose. Mr. MacKenzie is excited to be teaching Math to our Gr. 7 and 8 students and he is looking forward to getting to know and supporting all of the Hay Lakes Students.

Mrs. Kim Thompson - Administrative Assistant

Mrs. Thompson is joining our office staff this year, replacing Mrs. Calvin. Mrs. Thompson will be supporting families and students in the office and is available to answer any questions about school fees and student registration.

Mrs. Kristy Schafer - Educational Assistant

Mrs. Schafer will be supporting our elementary students in her role as an Educational Assistant. Mrs. Schafer has a background in Early Childhood Education and is looking forward to getting to know our students!

We are also very happy to welcome back Mr. Scott Peterson, who is teaching Phys. Ed, Math, and Social Studies, and Mrs. Sandi Paukstat, who teaches Secondary English Arts, to start the school year!

We are also very happy to have our other members of the staff back for another year:

Ms. Karla Koleba - Assistant Principal

Mrs. Jaimie Zietarsky - Grade 1

Mrs. Melanie Erickson - Grade 2

Mrs. Kerrie Willis - Grade 3

Mr. Mike Pollok - Grade 4, Grade 7 and 8 Science

Mrs. Trish Helgeland - Grade 5

Mr. Landon Lewsaw - Grade 6, Junior and Senior Band

Mr. Brian Hoglund - Secondary Social Studies

Mrs. Melissa Zuk - Secondary Science, Secondary Art

Mrs. Roxane Horlacher - Senior Math

Mme. Lori Lunity - Elementary Music, French as a Second Language

Mrs. Gina Young - Administrative Assistant

Mrs. Patsy Yurkoski - Learning Commons Facilitator

Mrs. Lynette Fitzgerald - Educational Assistant

Mrs. Angie Howell - Educational Assistant

Mrs. Mellisa Nordin - Educational Assistant

Mrs. Rachelle Posein - Educational Assistant

Mrs. Theia Hackenschmidt - Family School Liaison Worker

We will be continuing to work on how students will show their PAW print this year. We encourage students to be POSITIVE, ACCOUNTABLE and WISE. In our school's behavior matrix, a Hay Lakes TIGER is seen as someone who is Trustworthy, Inclusive, Generous, Empathetic, and Respectful. These core values guide the learning taking place and the decisions made at Hay Lakes School, and we encourage parents to ask their children about these values and what they are doing each day to embody these characteristics.

The first meeting of the Hay Lakes School Council will take place on Monday, September 19th, at 7pm in the Library. For any parents who aren't able to attend in person, we will also be providing a Google Meet Link on the day of the meeting. Please email Mr. MacKenzie for the Google Meet Link.

All parents are welcome. This will be a chance for parents to meet Mr. MacKenzie. At the meeting we will be discussing volunteer opportunities, both big and small. We will be exploring board opportunities and goals for the year.

This is a fantastic way to be a part of your child's school community. We are looking forward to seeing you.

If you are interested in joining the email list for the Hay Lakes School Council, please send an email to feedbackHLSC@gmail.com.

On September 19th, at 6:30pm, the Hay Lakes Society for Youth Development will be meeting in the Staff Board Room.

The society is designed to fundraise to support the school needs. Any parents who are interested in joining the society are encouraged to attend.

Mme. Lunty will be meeting with students interested in participating in Cross Country Running this season. The Hay Lakes team will be participating in the Viking Race Series this season. Below are the times for team practices:

Elementary Grade 4-6:

• Practices will be after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays until 4 pm beginning Thursday, September 8th, 2022

• You need proper runners, clothes and a water bottle.

• You must hand in a permission form before participating in practices. Practices will generally be on the school field but we may occasionally run around the town with teacher supervision.

• Students need to be picked up promptly by 4 pm as Mme Lunty will be continuing to coach the Jr./Sr High.

Junior High / Senior High:

• Practices will be Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 4 pm- 5 pm beginning Thursday, September 8th, 2021. You are welcome to come out earlier to work with the elementary students after school before practice if you wish. Otherwise, be warmed up and ready to go at 4 pm.

• You need proper runners, clothes and a water bottle.

• You must hand in a permission form before participating in practices.

• We will be practicing on the school field, around town, and at times, we may be practicing in or just out of town, i.e. Telegraph Park or possibly out to some other trails.

Students will have the chance to participate in three races:

Hardisty- September 15

New Norway - September 29

Camrose- October 6

For any High School students who receive enough qualifying points, the following dates may also apply:

Zones (High School) Red Deer- October 5

Provincials (High School) October 15

If there are any community members who are interested in coaching any of our Junior High or Senior High teams this year, please contact Mr. Peterson by email. We are especially in need of coaches for our volleyball season.

This school year, Battle River School Division will implement a new literacy program in one-third of our schools for students grade 1-8 and Hay Lakes School is one of them. The program is based on over 30 years of research and is considered one of the best for assessment and intervention for early literacy that helps every child learn to read confidently. BRSD’s assessment plan targets phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Parents and guardians will receive reports regarding their child’s literacy ability in clear, easy-to-understand language as well as tips and resources to support their child’s reading at home.

We embarked on this literacy journey based partially on the results of our April 2022 Literacy survey where BRSD parents and guardians shared feedback regarding the state of literacy in BRSD classrooms:

Three themes emerged from the survey that indicated what parents wanted:

• Intervention time

• Small group instruction

• Focus on literacy

Our new literacy program will address all three areas, as well, the survey showed us what you think is important both at home and in-class:

• Home reading programs

• Less technology

• Writing at upper grades
  
  

Our literacy program targets writing as well as reading, relies on the teacher as the assessor one-on-one with the student, and has a technology component only for the initial assessment - thereafter it will be teacher/student interaction and collaboration to impact reading. Literacy levels will be addressed in small intervention groups through intensive 10 day “bursts” of group instruction for struggling readers. There will also be time for enrichment for students who are at or above grade level in their reading. Resources will be shared with you to support your child’s learning at home.

In 2023-24 we will bring on six more schools and then six more the year after that. Teachers will teach and support other teachers in this process as well as complete one full day of training to administer the new literacy program. All BRSD grade 1 teachers have also completed a three-day training course for Reading Simplified, which will also be implemented in those classrooms. We know we have amazing teachers in BRSD and we want them to share their best practice with their colleagues. The year ahead will be very exciting - if you have any questions please reach out to your child’s teacher or principal.