Tiger News

Welcome to October!

As we continue to move through our school year, it has been wonderful to see all of the great academic and social progress our students have been making this year so far! We had a busy month for our students as everyone got back into our school routine, along with the several opportunities we've had to gather as larger groups this year.

As we move into colder temperatures that come with fall and winter, a reminder to students and parents that it's important to come to school dressed for the weather! Hopefully we still have some time before the snow flies and temperatures plummet, so we will continue to go outside for recess and Phys Ed whenever possible!

Thank you to the parents who attended our School Council meeting on Sept. 29th, and thank you to our new executive for this year, Chair Jody Melin, Vice Chair Carley Warner, and Secretary Chaz Wiebe for putting your names forward. A great big thank you as well to outgoing Secretary Meghan Soehn and Chair Pam Ritchie for their support of our council the past four years.

I would encourage all parents to take some time and read through our newsletter this month. There is lots of information for upcoming events, and updates about what's been happening so far this year. Also, make sure to sign up for interviews which will be taking place on Oct. 22nd!

Have a great long weekend, everyone.

Lloyd MacKenzie - Principal

October 12 - Thanksgiving Day - SCHOOLS CLOSED

October 19 - 22 - Scholastic Book Fair

October 22 - Parent-Teacher Interviews

October 23 - Staff Meeting/Collaboration Day - SCHOOLS CLOSED

October 26 - National Popcorn Day

October 30 - Halloween Activities

Our school newsletters can be translated into many languages by clicking the translation button at the top!

Our school event calendar can be found on our website here. This calendar can be added to your own Google Calendar or iCalendar. It's a great way to make sure you are aware of upcoming events at the school!

Our school and school division uses a program called School Messenger to communicate with parents about different things, including upcoming events, transportation information, and important information - like this newsletter!

Many parents receive this information via email, but we also sometimes send out messages through text for parents as it is more immediate. If you do not currently receive these texts (including one with a link to this newsletter), you can find information below on how to sign up for texts. Alternatively, you can also download the School Messenger app. Information on how to do both of these things can be found on the division website here.

Our first set of parent-teacher interviews will be on October 22nd, from 3:30 until 8:30. Parents are encouraged to come in and meet with teachers to discuss their child's progress. Please sign up for your interviews here.

Please note that you will have to create a new profile to book your interviews.

🌟Yearbooks from the 2025-2026 school year will be available for purchase at the office during interviews.

🌟As well, a representative from Lil Buckaroo Design, our school clothing provider, will be at the school with samples for parents to check out.

Every morning students are given the opportunity to grab a healthy snack on their way into the school. A few times a week, we also make cereal available for students who may want something more to eat before they start their day. This program is intended to be accessed by all students, and we encourage all students to grab something to make sure they are ready to start their day.

Each year, we receive a small amount of funding for this program from the provincial government. Our school also benefits from a grant which we receive from the Breakfast Club of Canada. We also receive support from the Lutheran Church in Hay Lakes, and private donations from other community members.

We have had several requests from parents to make it easier to donate to this program. With that, we have set up a "Breakfast Program Donation" on our school payment site for any parents who may want to donate. We appreciate all continued support of this program!

A huge thank you to our incredible school community! Our Indigo Adopt a School Fundraiser wrapped up on October 4th, and thanks to your amazing support and generosity, over $12,000 was raised for Hay Lakes School! These funds will go directly toward purchasing new books and learning materials for our students.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Indigo, all the dedicated volunteers, students, parents, staff, and community members who donated, shared, and supported this initiative. Your commitment to enriching our school’s library and supporting our students' love of reading makes a lasting impact!

Our Fall Book Fair is coming soon! It will be open to students and parents October 19th - 22nd. Parents and guardians are welcome to attend the Fair during your student's scheduled time or at any time during our scheduled hours. Flyers will be sent home the week of October 13th - watch for them in your child's backpack! For updates on the Book Fair and for previews of what's available, click here.

This year we will run two book clubs - one for grade 5 & 6 students, as well as one for grade 7 students! Each month we will highlight a different book and host a meeting at lunch for participants which will include activities, discussions of the book, and the distribution of brag tags. Six copies of each book will be available to sign out and names will be drawn to determine who can sign them out. If your child would like to participate, the books can also be borrowed at public libraries or purchased on Amazon. For more information, email Mrs. Irvine.

Grade 7 October pick: A First Time for Everything (graphic novel) by Dan Santat

We are looking for some help from a community member to help till our garden in our back field. We attempted to turn the ground with a smaller rototiller, but weren't able to work it up deep enough! We are hoping that someone with a larger, tractor-powered tiller may be able to come to the school to turn the soil for us before the ground freezes!

If you are able to help, please contact the school to speak with Mr. MacKenzie.

Upcoming Games:

Sr. High

October 13 - CCA @ HLS

October 15 - Forestburg @ HLS

October 16 - 17 - HLS @ Stettler (Girls only)

Jr. High

October 14 - OLMP @ HLS

October 17 - HLS @ ECCHS

Upcoming Races:

October 8th - Viking Run in Camrose

We couldn't have asked for more gorgeous weather as students took to the field to honor Terry’s legacy, earning a punch on their cards with every lap completed. It was wonderful to see several parents out enjoying the beautiful afternoon and cheering on our runners. All participants received freezies as a treat to cool down!

Thanks to the incredible dedication of our students, families, and organizers Mrs. Zietarsky and Mrs. Morter-Erickson, our school raised over $1,900 for cancer research! Thank you to everyone who participated, volunteered, and donated to make this year’s run such a memorable success.

Last weekend, some of our Hay Lakes Grade 6 students hit all the right notes at the Jump Start Beginner Band Clinic! Working side-by-side with expert musicians, our young instrumentalists spent Saturday fine-tuning their technique, boosting their confidence, and taking their music skills to the next level.

Mrs. Zietarsky’s Grade 1/2 class recently rolled up their sleeves for a hands-on tree planting field trip to Kin Park in Camrose! The young gardeners worked together to help plant an impressive 12-foot Japanese White Birch. After getting their hands dirty and giving the tree a warm welcome to its new home, the students officially named their leafy new friend Skeleton (Skelly for short).

Thank you to our School Council and the Hay Lakes Society for Youth Development for our new Gaga Ball pits, which have been a huge hit for our students!

Get ready! School pictures are happening next week on Friday, October 16th!

Throughout the year, there may be opportunities for parents to volunteer during activities and extra-curriculars. For a parent to be able to do this, they must be an "Agent of the Board", which is a process to ensure that parents understand expectations for supervision, the school code of conduct, and other important responsibilities.

As part of this process, parents are required to meet with the Principal, and to provide a criminal record check from the RCMP or Police Service. This is all in following BRSD Administrative Procedure 270.

If you are interested in becoming a school volunteer, please email Mr. MacKenzie to set a time to meet with him to discuss the process.

Our next hot lunch is coming up on October 16th from Papa John's! The order cut-off date is October 11th, so please make sure to place your order before then.

Yearbooks have arrived! Students can purchase one for $30 at the office, and parents can purchase them online.

Get one before they are all gone!

If you are interested in purchasing school clothing, please check out the link below - they make great gifts! Show your TIGER pride!

Lil Buckaroo Design

The latest newsletter from our career counsellor, Erin Sharp, can be found here

The Family Resource Centre in partnership with Healthy Families is now offering Shared Stories; a support group for parents of children and youth with disabilities. This group is participant driven and aims to allow parents to connect & share their experiences as parents of children with disabilities. Here they can share their successes, struggles, and resources in order to help themselves and other parents receive the support they need.

We've created an Instagram account to help keep us connected through multiple resources. Please follow us at @haylakestigers.