ÉRE Connection

This time of year is full of celebration. At the school, we are celebrating the academic progress of students, the gift of a Christmas Concert, the beautiful weather of fall, and the kindness of our community. There is plenty to be joyous about.

Some highlights from the past month:

• The Christmas Concert was weeks and weeks of preparation to create a community memory. We enjoyed performing for two ethusiastic audiences on Dec 10, and you guessed it, the students saved Christmas once again. A video of the Christmas Show is available below.
• The Book Fair was once again very well supported with over $7200 of sales. All profit from the fair will be used to purchase additional books to our school library.
• Farm Safety presentations. Every student received some important reminders about safety on the farm.
• The Bake Sale during our Christmas Concert was once again a huge success. Thank you School Council for coordinating, and the community for participating.
• Parent/Teacher Interviews were well attended. Thank you for making the time.
• Thanks to some generous donations, we played Santa's Elves to ensure every family has something to celebrate this Christmas. It is really special to be a part of a community that looks out for its neighbours.

A few items coming up to note:

• Christmas Holidays run Dec 20-Jan 4. School resumes January 5.
• Rainbow Trout fish eggs arrive Mid-January. The fish eggs will be placed in the library aquarium and within days, will hatch. We will care for the fish until they are big enough to release into Twin Lakes in June.
• School Council, January 8. This group of caring parents is always open to new attendees.

We also want to celebrate you! We are glad you are part of the ERE community. From the entire ERE team, we would like to wish your family all the best for the holidays. Sending many blessings your way.

Merry Christmas!

With gratitude,

Tim Bowman‎‎‎‎‎‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Kim Simo

Principal ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Vice Principal

(403) 845-3541 ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ (403) 845-3541

tim.bowman@wrsd.ca ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎kim.simo@wrsd.ca

Previous Question: When did you first meet your favourite teacher?

• Grade 1-3 (26%)
• Grade 4-6 (15%)
• Grade 7-9 (15%)
• Grade 10-12 (41%)
• Other (4%)

Santa found himself in a predicament when the Head Elf shared that $1 million dollars was needed to finish the Christmas Toy Run. Luckily, Santa was awarded the top prize on Survivor and Christmas was saved again!

• 1:09 - "Trotte Trotte Renne Rose" - French Kindergarten & 1/2B
• 9:38 - "Fill My Stocking" - English Kindergarten & 1K
• 14:10 - "I am a Candy Cane Kid" - 3/4S
• 18:15 - "Santa Claus is Cool" - 2S
• 21:09 - "Au royaume du bonhomme d'hiver" - 4/5O
• 24:35 - "Snowy Day" - 4/5K
• 29:26 - "Reindeer Love to Boogie" - PreK
• 31:27 - "Le Rock du Père Nöel" - 2/3F
• 35:29 - "Snowboarding Santa" - 5C
• 40:59 - "We're All in this Together - Everyone

Many thanks to all the work that went into the show. Special thank you our music teacher Mrs. McLaughlin.

Just a few reasons why our parents are the best:

• ÉRE Parent Council set up a Bake Sale during the Christmas Concert. We had a ton of delicous baked goods donated!

• Both Christmas Concerts were filled with appreciaitive crowds. It was great to see so many people set time aside to take in the show live.
• We had a Grade 1 parent who graciously volunteered at the school when we were down a few EA's!
• School Council even made made yummy treats for our gluten free staff!

• Term 1 Report Cards will be issued February 13
• Parent/Teacher Interveiws will stay with the original dates of March 25 & 26, 4:30 - 7:30 pm
• Please reach out if you have any questions about your child's academics

• Crosswalk lights?: School Council is prepared to lobby the Town for Pedestrian Crossing Lights at 47st. although the Town may have jumped to action already. It looks like crossing lights were marked out for installation. We wait for more information, but fingers crossed.
• Thanks to funding from School Council, we are currently offering Crossing Guard Service through to January.
• After January, we will determine if we have the funds to continue staffing the service or if it needs to transition to volunteer or no service.

Will volunteering be a part of your 2026?

Volunteers are an essential part of our school community. You might consider reading with students, recess supervision, assisting in the library, assisting with hot lunch, making breakfast muffins, field trip supervisors, breakfast volunteers, tying skates, sharing special talents, organizing resources, or crosswalk crossing guard.

Depending on the volunteer service, a Criminal Record Check and a Vulnerable Records Check from the RCMP detachment may be required. Please pick up a letter from the school to assist in receiving these documents.

A Criminal Record Check and Vulnerable Records Check are valid for 3 years at the school. Check with the school office if you are unsure about the expiry of your documents.

Chairperson: Vanessa Watt

Vice Chair: Briana Leal Nadin

Secretary: Tiffany Hudey

Treasurer: Lori Kennedy

Hot Lunch Coordinator: Elaine Crebas

Social Media: Elaine Crebas

• The next School Council Meeting will be Thursday, January 8, 6:00 pm at the school
• Nov 4 Minutes
• The School Council & Society can be reached directly at: ereparentcouncil@gmail.com

Our Hot Lunch and the Milk Program is ready for ordering!

• The School Society organizes our hot lunch and milk program and has now opened December ordering.
• January orders are due December 20.
• School Council reinvests any profits from hot lunch back into the school to support field trips, school presentations, and other school enhancements.
• Hot Lunch is offered twice a week (Monday & Thursday). Milk delivery is available every day.
• Hot lunch and Milk is ordered through an online platform.
• For more information, see the School Society Hot Lunch Letter.

To get started:

• Go to ere.hotlunches.net
• Click on "Click Here to Register"
• Enter Access Code REHL
• Complete the rest of the registration form. (Please be sure to include your e-mail address as this is where you will receive reminders about hot lunch deadlines as well as your child's order for the upcoming week.)
• Click "Register Now"
• Follow the instructions to add each child in your family who attends Ecole Rocky Elementary
• Once your child(ren) are registered, click on "Orders"
• Proceed to order hot lunch for your child(ren)

• If you have a child turning 4 or 5 in 2026, they are eligible to start school September 2026
• There will be an open house date advertised in the new year for prospective families
• Registration can be made online at: https://www.wrsd.ca/parents/school-registration

2026/2027 Pre-K Program

For students who turn 4 in 2026.

The Pre-K program runs full day Tuesday/Thursday/. The program is staffed with a certificated teacher. Program cost is $110 a month. Program subsidies are available for qualifying students. The program is capped at 18 students.

2026/2027 English & French Immersion Kindergarten

For students who turn 5 in 2026.

Our English Kindergarten program runs full day Monday/Wednesday and scheduled Fridays.

Our French Immersion Kindergarten program runs full day Monday/Wednesday and scheduled Fridays.

• Dec 19 - Our last Assembly of 2025, 2-3pm. It is also the coziest day of the year - Pajama Day!

• The 2026/2027 Draft School Calendar is now available for feedback until Jan 19.
• 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, 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/
• The school updates our Facebook account with good news stories and upcoming events. Please consider giving us a follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ecolerockyelementary

• Please reach out to staff anytime you have questions. Staff e-mails are firstname.lastname@wrsd.ca

• The ÉRE Team is currently seeking more casual EAs and Teachers.
• If you are interested in applying to be a Casual Educational Assistant in WRSD send your resume and cover letter to ApplytobeaCasualEA@wrsd.ca
• If you are interested in applying to be a Substitute Teacher in WRSD send your resume and cover letter to ApplytobeaSubTeacher@wrsd.ca

• EA - Lochearn, Pioneer
• Family Wellness Worker - Lochearn
• Caretaker - Casual
  
• Teacher - Visions West, Part-Time West Central, Full-Time West Central
• Division Office - Plumber / Gasfitter
• Division Office - Administrative Specialist
• Division Office - Indigenous Education Lead
• Division Office - Indigenous Education & Cultural Support Facilitators
• Division Office - Psychologist

PreK - Keegan Van Waas, Ezra Rocuant

Kindergarten - Jase Shardlow, Lucy Shenfield, Nathan Verreault, Gwen Magnus

Grade 1 - Ava Sterling, Braxtyn Vanderaa, Annabelle Gilbert, Whitney Bohnet

Grade 2 - Sierra Cuthill, Naomi Cuevas, Natalia Shortneck, Sofie Verrault, Connor Ludewig, Oliver Toews

Grade 3 - Ace Morrish, Jack Pavcek, Scarlett Scott, Henry Robinson

Grade 4 - Quinn Visotto, Tristyn Johnson, Hobbes Worth, Clark Murray

Grade 5 - Roque Fillinger, Dedan Bakker, Kyra Tessmer, Mya Adams, Dainen Rowan, Serena Gower

Music - Ainsley Judd, Anna Ceelen

The temporary relocation of Rocky Christian School (RCS) at ÉRE continues with no end date known. The discovery of asbestos at the RCS construction site has changed all timelines. That said, we are prepared to offer space at ÉRE for as long as it is needed, even if it becomes the entire school year. We are glad to be in a position to assist.

Overall, the operation of two schools under one roof has gone exceptionally smooth with both schools functioning largely independently. We have found value in combining for a few events like our Remembrance Assembly, and Metis Fiddler Presentation.

ÉRE students continue to be wonderful hosts and have demonstrated a lot of care in using their hands and words for helping. We are also appreciating the leadership of older RCS students and learning from additional colleagues in the building.

• Dec 19 - Pajama Day

• Dec 19 - December Assembly, 2:00 pm

• Dec 20 - Due: January Hot Lunch Orders

• Dec 20 - Jan 4 - Christmas Break

• Jan 6 - Pizza with the Principal

• Jan 7 - 1K Skating 1:15-2:00

• Jan 14 - 1K Skating 1:15-2:00

• 2025/2026 Gr 1-5 Calendar
• 2025/2026 PreK Calendar
• 2025/2026 Eng & French Kindergarten

• DRAFT 2026/2027 Calendar

• ÉRE Parent Handbook - many of the most commonly asked questions
• ÉRE School Website - ecolerocky.wrsd.ca
• ÉRE Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ecolerockyelementary

• Thank you Taqa North for a donation to our breakfast program
• Thank you VRO Trucking for a donation to our breakfast program
• Thank you Metis Heritage Society for a donation to our breakfast program
• Thank you to a communtiy member who wishes to remain anonymous for a donation to our breakfast program
• Thank you to another anonymous communtiy member for a donation for student support
• In the memory of Roxane Bourdeau, we are thankful for donations to the breakfast program

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/