Newsletter

Welcome to April and the mixture of winter and spring!

We are beginning a very busy stretch of time in our school as our students continue to work diligently in their studies, preparing to take Provincial Achievement Tests and Diploma exams at the end of the June, alongside of many activities, athletic days, and field trips. As we get closer to the end of the school year, we encourage parents to ensure that your children continue to attend school regularly, as we often see an increase in absence rates over the next two months. We understand that students have many activities outside of school, but we ask that students attend as regularly as possible. Students who miss time will be asked to catch up when they return, including possibly being asked to attend the "Homework Help Club" at noon hour.

Our next School Council meeting will be on May 27th at 7pm. We hope to have information about staffing and class composition for the 2026-2027 school year at this meeting. We invite all parents to attend.

Have a fantastic spring everyone!

Mr. Lloyd MacKenzie - Principal

After six wonderful years at Hay Lakes School, we are preparing to say a bittersweet farewell to our Assistant Principal, Karla Koleba, as she will be retiring at the end of this year. Ms. Koleba has been a steady leader and a dedicated advocate for our students since she arrived, leaving a lasting mark on our school community. During her career, she spent time as an administrator and teacher at multiple schools within Battle River School Division, and her positive impact on her current and former students and colleagues will continue to be felt for many years to come.

We invite everyone to join us in thanking her for her service and wishing her a retirement filled with joy and relaxation!

We are thrilled to announce that Denise Read will be joining the Hay Lakes School team as our new Assistant Principal this fall! Ms. Read brings a wealth of experience, including teaching English Language Arts for many years at New Norway School, and as an Assistant Principal role at Sparling School, and a passion for student success that makes her a perfect fit for our community.

We are excited for the leadership and experience she will bring to the upcoming school year—please join us in giving her a warm TIGER welcome!

This Stakeholder Survey link allows BRSD students (Grades 4–12), families, and staff to share thoughts and feedback—anonymously and confidentially. Students will have the opportunity to complete the survey at school.

Completion time: 5–7 minutes
Open: April 10
Closing: 4:30 p.m., May 1
BRSD Parent/Guardian Survey Monkey

Questions? Need help with survey access? contact: inquiries@brsd.ab.ca

We value your time and feedback!

Sincerely,

Natasha Wilm,

Superintendent of Schools

The winner of the 2026 Book Battle was Mortimer by Robert Munsch! To wrap up the event, we had Mrs. Kimberlee Hunter from the Hay Lakes Municipal Library as our guest reader.

Thank you for your support!

Our Spring Book Fair was a great success once again, thanks to the support of parents, teachers, and students! We sold nearly $3600 in merchandise which translates to about $1300 in new books for our school. Thank you everyone!

Grade 5/6 Book Club

Our next Book Club book is Ferris by Kate DiCamillo. We have 5 copies in the library and we will draw names for who can sign them out. If your child would like to participate, the book can also be purchased on Amazon. The Hay Lakes Municipal Library and The Camrose Public Library may also be able to get copies in to borrow. For more information, email Mrs. Irvine.

Our Grade 8 scientists stepped into the role of geneticists last week during an exciting STEM Lab! By using a simple chemical process to break down cell walls, students successfully extracted real DNA strands from fresh strawberries. It was a thrilling, hands-on experience that brought the "blueprints of life" out of the textbook and into their hands. Seeing those white, cloudy strands appear was a true "aha!" moment for our budding biologists!

The Grade 7's had a blast making bridges for their Structures and Forces unit. We had some amazing attempts! One bridge held up 9kg, which was all the weight Ms. Mahon had.

The Grade 8's had their chance to create a solubility rainbow. This activity becomes harder to complete when there are more colours. Each colour had a different concentration (amount) of sugar dissolved. One wrong move and all the sugar water will mix.

The Grade 7 class visited Telegraph Park last week to test their fire making skills. Most students were successful, as the wind was a challenge, but all were able to enjoy some roasted marshmallows!

The date for our next school council meeting is May 27th at 7pm. All parents are welcome to attend - you do not have to have attended a meeting prior to this.

What is School Council? The School Council is an advisory group for the school. Come to find out more about school activities, academic programming, and find out how parents can be involved in our school. No extra commitment is required beyond, so why not come to a meeting to find out more about our school!

The minutes from the last School Council meeting can be found on our website here.

April 12-14 - High School Ski Trip

April 13-17 - Camrose & District Music Festival

May 1 - PD Day - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

A huge thank you to all parents and students who have supported our Healthy Hunger hot lunch program! So far we have raised just under $1200 for the Youth Development Society.

Upcoming hot lunches:

April 17 - Hot dogs

April 24 - Hot dogs

April is a busy month for the band program. Junior band travelled to New Norway on April 8th for the BRSD Celebration of Bands, and senior band will take part in the Camrose and District Music Festival in Camrose on April 15th.

Parents are asked to check out the online payment site to see if their are any new fees for options courses that have been updated, and any outstanding fees from the beginning of the year.

The fees for our basketball seasons were also added, so we would ask parents to ensure that those are paid as soon as possible. As well, there are still some unpaid fees from our volleyball season.

A reminder to parents that all school fees are paid through the online payment site. As a school, we attempt to keep our fees for students as manageable as possible for families. If you would like more information about these fees, you can either contact Mr. MacKenzie or look at the School Fee Schedule on our website for more information.

Badminton season is in full swing as the students have been practicing their skills for the past few weeks.

Upcoming Events:

April 14 - SR Areas

April 16 - JR Regionals in Camrose

April 17 - SR Zones in Red Deer

SR GIRLS

The Hay Lakes Sr Girls had a year full of adversity and learning moments that ultimately brought them closer together. Improving on last year's season with a better record and tournament final appearances, they demonstrated growth throughout the season. The Tigers finished as silver medalists in the 1A Central Zone tournament, and were ranked #4 in the province going into Provincials. They lost a competitive game to the #5 seed while short-handed, and then rebounded to win the consolation side to finish in 5th in the province.

SR BOYS

Our Senior Boys had a successful season, finishing with a 23-9 record. The team was in something of a transitional season, with several Grade 12's as leaders, but with a very young supporting cast. Highlights of the season include tournament wins in Daysland and Bashaw. The Tigers competed in an incredibly tough league, with several other provincially ranked teams. The team finished second in league play, and advanced to provincials by winning bronze at a difficult zone tournament. The boys faced injury and illness at Provincials, but battled to finish 10th in the province.

To see the latest Career Counselling newsletter, click here.

The QR code below connects students directly with a MAPS Post-Secondary Advisor who can provide one-on-one support with navigating post-secondary planning and funding. Advisors are available to assist Métis students with applications, understanding available financial supports, exploring career and education pathways, and preparing for a successful transition to college, university, or trades programs.