ÉRE Connection
Mid-March 2024 School Newsletter
In the Mid-March Newsletter!
- Term 2 Report Cards March 15
- Parent/Teacher Interviews March 18-21, 4:30 - 7:30 pm
- The Nurture Tree Day Care & Before/After School Care
- April Hot Lunch Orders Due March 20
- Book Fair, Mar 19-21
- School Spring Photos & Kindergrad Photos, March 20 & 21
- School Talent Show on March 22. Entries due March 16.
- Beach Day & Assembly March 22
- Changes to In Town Transportation, register by March 29
- No School March 23 - April 1 for Spring Break
- PreK & Kindergarten Registration is now open!
- French Tutoring through Canadian Parents for French (CPF)
- WRSD is hiring!
- Principals' Message
1. Term 2 Report Cards / Parent Teacher Interviews
- Term 2 Report Cards were sent home March 15
- Parent / Teacher Interviews will be held the week of March 18-21
- Interviews are scheduled and can be held in person, by phone, or video conference
- Schedule your interview using our online scheduler: https://schoolinterviews.ca/code/77hc7
- Ms. Jarvie and Mme Melanchuk will offer interviews on March 18 & 19, 4:30 - 7:30 pm
- Mrs. McLaughlin will offer interviews March 18, 4:30 - 7:30 pm
- All other teaching staff will offer interviews March 20 & 21, 4:30 - 7:30 pm
- We encourage all parents to connect with teachers during interviews. If you need availability outside of our interview dates, please connect with the teacher to arrange an alternate date.
- There will be junior high students offering child supervision at the school during interviews. The junior high students are raising money for their Quebec Field Trip.
- Mrs. Carter will be available during interviews to collect school fees by cash or cheque.
2. Hot Lunch & Milk Program
- April orders are due March 20.
- May orders are due April 20.
- Hot Lunch is offered on Mondays and Thursdays. Hot dogs are on some Fridays.
- The Milk Program offers white or chocolate milk available to order every day. Our milk provider has been inconsistent in supply as of late. The School Council will provide shelf stable Milk2Go product when milk is unavailable.
- School Council organizes our hot lunch and milk program. All funds raised go back into supporting the school.
- Parents of Grade 4/5 students run the hot dog program. All funds raised go towards the Grade 4/5 Field Trip to Calgary in May 2024.
To Order Hot Lunch or Milk:
- Go to ere.hotlunches.net
- Click "Click Here to Register" (A new registration is required each year.)
- Enter Access Code REHL
- Complete the rest of the registration form.
- Click "Register Now" button at the bottom
- Follow the instructions to add each child at ÉRE
- Once your child(ren) are registered, click on "Orders"
3. Student Talent Show, March 22
We will host our Student Talent Show on March 22, 2:00 pm in the school gym
- Students from all grades are encouraged to enter
- In the past, we have had talents of all sorts: musical, dramatic, horse riding, trampoline, bike riding, martial arts, gymnastic and more.
- Talents can be submitted by video through our Talent Show Entry Link
- Talent submission deadline is March 18. (We will fit in late entries if we can.)
- On March 22, talents can be performed live, or shared by video
- Any questions, connect with Mr. Bowman
4. School Council
Our next School Council Meeting is Thursday, April 18, 2024, 6:00 pm in the school library. New families are always welcome.
Chairperson: Darlene Nordstrom
Vice Chair: Vanessa Lobley
Secretary: Tiffany Hudey
Treasurer: Mark Ceelan
Hot Lunch Coordinators: Terri Hemphill, Elaine Crebas, Vanessa Watt
- The School Council & Society can be reached directly at: ereparentcouncil@gmail.com
If after school plans are different than usual, please write them into the student agenda.
5. Expanding Access to Sports for Alberta's Youth
From the Government of Alberta
Expanding Access to Sports for Alberta's Youth
- Budget 2024 will allocate $8 million to the Every Kid Can Play Program, aiming to eliminate financial hurdles and make sports accessible to all children in Alberta.
- Recognizing the vital role of sports in developing healthy habits and essential life skills like teamwork and leadership, this initiative seeks to ensure every child in the province has the opportunity to engage in sports and recreational activities.
- The program will offer financial assistance to families and grants to non-profits, building on last year's success in aiding over 8,500 children and enhancing numerous youth-centric community programs.
6. PreK & Kindergarten Registration is now OPEN
We are now accepting registration for 2024/2025 PreK and Kindergarten. Online Registration can be found on our school website: https://ecolerocky.wrsd.ca/home/news/post/new-registrations
Our preregistration numbers are progressing well. We are over over 60% enrolled in all classes. We are down to our last few spots available in PreK before starting a waiting list.
2024/2025 Pre-K Program
For students who turn 4 in 2024.
The Pre-K program this year runs full day Tuesday/Thursday/alt Friday. The program is staffed with a certificated teacher. Program cost is $100 a month. Program subsidies are available for qualifying students. The program is capped at 18 students.
2024/2025 English & French Immersion Kindergarten
For students who turn 5 in 2024.
Our English Kindergarten program runs full day Monday/Wednesday and alternating Fridays.
Our French Immersion Kindergarten program runs full day Tuesday/Thursday and alternating Fridays.
We enjoyed meeting many new families at our Open House on January 30. If you missed it, we would gladly schedule your family a school tour. Please contact the school office by phone (403) 845-3541 or email: rockyelem@wrsd.ca
7. Book Fair, March 19-21
- The Book Fair returns March 19-21
- Every class will have a viewing time during the fair where they may purchase books
- The Book Fair will also be open during Parent Teacher Interviews on March 20 & 21, 4:30 - 7:30 pm
8. Changes for In Town Transportation next year
- Good news! Busing eligibility rules are changing in Alberta. Currently, students must live 2.4km from the school to qualify for busing. Starting in the 2024/2025 school year, K-6 riders who live 1.0 km or more from the school are eligible for busing. Students Grade 7-12 who live 2.0 km or more from the school will also be eligible for busing.
- To assist WRSD Transportation with setting up busing for qualifying IN-TOWN students, they require ALL IN-TOWN students requiring transportation to re-register using the following form. This is a one-time setup this year for planning purposes. This IN-TOWN registration process does not apply to rural students who have stops in the County.
Urban Busing Registration - Town of Rocky Mountain House
Deadline March 29.
9. The Nurture Tree Daycare comes to ÉRE
- On March 1, The Nurture Tree Daycare flooded and will require significant repairs. This displaced the childcare for 63 families.
- ÉRE offered temporary space for the Daycare in our basement classrooms.
- Licensing has been approved and The Nurture Tree Daycare will start service on March 18 in their temporary home in the ÉRE basement. Welcome to ÉRE!
- In addition, The Nurture Tree is working to bring Before & After School Care to ÉRE. A start date is not yet set, but we are expecting service to be available before the end of the school year. This will offer care starting at 7 am until the beginning of school and after school until 6 pm.
10. Spring Photos, March 20 & 21
- Individual photos and Kindergrad photos will be taken by Lifetouch in the Music Room
- Wednesday, March 20: KK, 1J, 1B, 2S, 2/3F, 3H, 5C
- Thursday, March 21: KM, PreK, 3/4S, 4/5K, 4/5O
11. The ÉRE Team
- Mme. Bolton has some exciting news to share - she is expecting a baby in April! This will be her first and the whole school is delighted!
- Mme Bolton plans to be in the classroom until spring break. Her last planned teaching day is March 22.
- Filling the leave will have two of our part-time teachers move to full time. Mme Melanchuk will move from French Kindergarten to Grade 1. Our music teacher, Mrs. McLaughlin, will add French Kindergarten to her teaching assignment. We are thrilled to have both teachers in the school full time (starting April 2) to finish out the school year and glad there will be a lot of familiarity with these teachers stepping into expanded roles.
- Please reach out to staff anytime you have questions. Staff e-mails are firstname.lastname@wrsd.ca
12. Ready Readers Program @ The RMH Public Library
Ready Readers Program
Rocky Mountain House Public Library
We are pleased to re-launch Ready Readers!
- “Ready Readers” is a volunteer program pairing reluctant readers in grades 1-4 (Little Buddy) with high school volunteers in grades 9-12 (Teen Mentors). The interaction will provide a positive experience with reading, literacy and mentorship for the Little Reader; and a valuable leadership, learning, and volunteer opportunity for the Teen Mentors.
- The success of Ready Readers will be determined by our ability to reach the students who could most benefit from this program. We hope that you will be able to help us reach the students who could most benefit from this type of mentorship opportunity. Enclosed is an information sheet to send to the caregivers of students selected as potential participants.
- Pre-registration is required for this program, as we are currently limiting our program to 15 ‘Little Buddies’.
- Each of our teen volunteers will have completed a mandatory ½ hour training session, giving them tools to work in a one-on-one situation, helping to enhance reading skills and (hopefully) foster a love of reading.
- All participants will be supported throughout the program by Mikayla Ahlstrom and Valerie Kendall, Programmers at the Rocky Mountain House Public Library.
Program Location, Contact Information, Times, and Dates:
- The first session takes place on Thursday, May 2, 2024 @ 4:00 PM. The last session is on Thursday, June 6, 2024.
- The program will run for 6 sessions, for 45 minutes each Thursday. The first 15 minutes will be a literacy themed group activity, followed by 30 minutes of one-on-one reading time.
- Dates: May 2, May 9, May 16, May 23, May 30, and June 6. All sessions are at 4:00 PM
- The program will take place at Rocky Mountain House Public Library, located on 4922-52nd Street.
Questions? Please reach out to Valerie:
Phone Number: 403-845-2042
Email: valerie.armh@prl.ab.ca
13. French Tutoring Online through Canadian Parents for French (CPF)
March 20| Tutoring Registration opens
- Spring 2024 French Tutoring Program will be returning. The start date for this program will be Tuesday April 2nd, 2024! This program will run for a total of 6 weeks until Monday May 13th, 2023. Children between the ages of 5-14 can participate in this program. Here is all the information that you will need in order to register:
- Registration will open at 12pm Eastern Time on Wednesday March 20th, 2024 and will remain open until 12pm Eastern Time on Thursday March 21st, 2024 or until full.
- Please note that when you purchase a ticket for the program, you are selecting a ONE timeslot that your child will have their tutoring session at each week, therefore, please ensure you select a timeslot that works for you as they cannot be changed.
- Only ONE time slot is permitted per registered child. Please ensure that you are following EASTERN TIME. If you are not in an Eastern Time Zone, you will need to do the time conversions. Once timeslots are finalized, we will be unable to change them.
- The cost of the tutoring program is 30 dollars. You will need to your membership number in order to register for this program. If you do not know your membership number, please contact our programs assistant, Nathan for further details. He can be reached at virtualprogramassistant@cpf.ca.
- Please note that registration for the tutoring program is on a first come first serve basis. We cannot guarantee a spot into the program as we have a limited number of spots this term.
- Those who are not able to register this term can join our interest list for the next Spring/Summer 2024 program which will be made available very soon.
- For additional information and FAQ, please refer to this document. https://cpf.ca/wp-content/uploads/FAQ-French-Tutoring-Program.pdf
Handmade Jewelry created by a Grade 5 Parent. All proceeds to Gr 4/5 Field Trip
14. This & That
- We will be recognizing the International Week of the Francophone March 18-22 at ÉRE. French is the second most taught foreign language in the world after English, and French is spoken on every continent. There will be a French Trivia Kahoot for parents to participate in at our March Assembly!
- ÉRE Families are invited to the Quest Theatre Performance of "The Antyssey" on April 10, 9:30 am in our school gym.
- Free breakfast is served every morning in our front foyer 8:20 - 8:40 am. All students are welcome to grab a bite to eat.
- If your child will be absent from school, please connect with our Student Attendance Line by phone 1-855-756-2797 or use the School Messenger App
- Please use your child's agenda for writing notes to the teacher and communicating the after school plan.
- If your child's after school plan is different than usual, please write this in the student agenda. It helps a lot when students are unsure after school.
- If at all possible, when paying for items like agendas, PreK fees, field trips or swimming, please pay through School Cash Online located at: https://wildrose.schoolcashonline.com/ This greatly reduces the chances of lost money or discrepancies in payments made.
- Our school website is regularly updated with important dates, school newsletters, and useful links along with information about the school. https://ecolerocky.wrsd.ca/
- Social Media - The school regularly updates our Facebook account with good news stories and upcoming events. Please consider giving us a follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ecolerockyelementary
15. WRSD is hiring!
The ERE Team is currently filled, but our friends at other area schools have some open positions. Please pass along to anyone looking for full time, part time, or casual work.
- EA - Rocky Mountain House RISE program, Pioneer, West Central, Caroline, Casual
- Caretaker - Charlotte Small School, Casual
- Teacher - Casual
- Division Office - Accountant
February Student of the Month
- PreK - Theo D, Gavin C, Willem E
- Kindergarten - Sierra C, Locklyn D, Nolan S, Oliver T
- Grade 1 - Nash V, Scarlett S, Keziah L, Daniel R
- Grade 2 - Cosner B, Phoebe P, Avery L, Claire B
- Grade 3 - Blair L, Joleen P, Kenzie S, Kayleigh H
- Grade 4 - Serenity C, Harlow A, Jax D
- Grade 5 - Cassey B, Kalli D, Jonas A, Soph W
CONGRATULATIONS AWARD WINNERS!
Upcoming Dates
- Mar 23 - Apr 1 - Spring Break - No School
- Apr 2 - School Resumes
- Apr 3 - Pizza with the Principals for March Award Winners
- Apr 6 - Gr 4/5 Bottle Drive
- Apr 10 - Quest Theatre presents the "Antyssey", 9:30 am
- Apr 18 - School Council, 6:00 pm
- Apr 20 - Due: May Hot Lunch Orders
- Apr 26 - No School, Non-Instructional Day
- Apr 30 - April Assembly, 2:00 pm
- May 7 - Pizza with the Principals for April Award Winners
- May 9 - Grade 4 Farm Tours
- May 16 - Jump Rope for Heart, 10:00 am
- May 17 - No School, Non-Instructional Day
- May 20 - Due: June Hot Lunch Orders
- May 29 - May Assembly
- May 30 & 31 - Grade 4 & 5 Field Trip to Calgary
- May 31 - 3H & 3S Field Trip to the Children's Festival in Red Deer
Principals' Message
Hello ÉRE Families!
With Term 2 Report Cards now sent home, we are excited to connect with Parents during Interviews March 18-21. This is a really important opportunity to connect about progress made, to celebrate milestones, and to make plans on next steps. We hope you will be able to join us during the week.
Earlier this week, a student in grade 3 (above) decided to wear Mr. Bowman's business card as his nametag for the day. It was quite endearing as the student was giving notice he plans to be principal of the school one day, which had us thinking about things you may hear us say as principals:
- "Everyone is working on something." - It's true! Some find math incredibly easy, while others have to work really hard at it. Still others find making friends difficult, and others struggle to regulate their emotions. Even the adults at the school are all working on something! No matter what we are working at, there is a space to do it at ÉRE.
- "Go to the source." - We have learned that we can save a lot of time when we go to the source for information. Earlier this week we had a situation where emotions were escalated because someone heard from someone else that others might have been saying mean things about them. Going to the source saved a lot of drama and hurt feelings when they found out none of it was true!
- "If you are good at learning, you will be good at life." - Learning is our job, and when we are good at it, our opportunities become infinite. At the same time, sometimes we hit rough patches where we need some help to get motivated for learning. That's where teachers are amazing.
- "The ÉRE Team is exceptional." - The team assembled at ÉRE is the most experienced and caring team we have had the opportunity to work with. With this team in your corner, we are certain we can solve any issue and help learning be fun. With over over 250 years of teaching experience and the willingness to go above and beyond, this team has proved to us that they really care about the community.
If we haven't met you in person, please do stop in and chat with Mrs. Simo and Mr. Bowman during interviews. As always, if you have questions, ideas, or accolades to share, please reach out to the school by phone or email.
With gratitude!
Tim Bowman Kim Simo
Principal Vice Principal
(403) 845-3541 (403) 845-3541
tim.bowman@wrsd.ca kim.simo@wrsd.ca
2023-2024 School Calendars
For those looking ahead, the WRSD 2024/2025 calendar is now available.
Handy Links
- ÉRE Parent Handbook - many of the most commonly asked questions
- ÉRE School Website - ecolerocky.wrsd.ca
- ÉRE Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ecolerockyelementary
Roots of Love Always Blossom
In the Community - Family Resource Network March Calendar
In the Community
In the Community - Home Alone Course
In the Community - Science/Technology/Engineering/Arts/Mathematics
In the Community - Crafts
In the Community - Alberta Health
In the Community - Rocky Rebels Football
In the Community - Kayak Camp
Our Roots Run Deep • Nos racines sont profondes
Email: rockyelem@wrsd.ca
Website: https://ecolerocky.wrsd.ca/
Location: 4703 50th Avenue, Rocky Mountain House, AB, Canada
Phone: 403-845-3541
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ecolerockyelementary/
Twitter: @EREPeace