ÉRE Connection

We are thrilled to welcome new and returning families to the 2026–2027 school year! This newsletter is published mid-month to celebrate student achievements and keep you informed.

A warm welcome to our 10 new students in Grades 1–5 who have joined us from Red Deer, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Saudi Arabia, and surrounding local communities! We are so glad you are here.

A few items to highlight:

• Our first School Council Meeting was Sept 10 with an excellent showing. We encourage you to attend our next meeting October 6, 6:00 pm. A healthy school needs an active school council. New parents are always welcome.
• The Parent Handbook is full of useful information about the school.
• Our school Terry Fox Run is coming up September 25. If you wish to donate to the Terry Fox Foundation to support cancer research, the school's link is: École Rocky Elementary School - Rocky Mountain House, AB | Terry Fox School Run or cash can be dropped off at the office.
• Many thanks to Rocky Mountain Deliveries for their very generous donation of two backpacks of school supplies.
• We were thrilled to welcome Morgan Toney for a special school presentation on Sept 14. Morgan is an East Coast Musician who combined Celtic fiddling with Mi'kmaq teachings. He has represented Canada at several international events, and recently won the 2026 Juno for most outstanding Traditional Roots Album. Morgan had the whole crowd clapping, singing, dancing, and learning.
• Student Attendance in 2025-2026 was amazing! We had 25 students who missed only one or two days of school, and 1 student who didn't miss a single day of school last year. We would love to beat those numbers in the 2026-2027 school year.

We look forward to an outstanding school year. A big part of our success this year will come from working as a team to support the growth of your child. Please reach out early and often if you have any questions, ideas, or accolades to share.

Welcome back everyone. We're glad you're here.

Tim Bowman‎‎‎‎‎‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Kim Simo

Principal ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Vice Principal

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

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

Since 1921, a school on this site has welcomed students.

First, as Confluence School. . . the first multi-room school in the area, built in 1921. First with 4 classrooms, then 6, then 8.

Then came the addition of Rocky Mountain House High School in 1949, first built to serve the high school students. And then that too, was expanded to serve the education needs of the growing community.

In 1956, another building was added, Rocky Elementary School, to make way for even more elementary aged classrooms.

As other schools were added in town, the various additions on this site continued to evolve and were modernized. Buildings were connected and the entire site came to be known under one banner - Rocky Elementary School. With the addition of a French Immersion track (now 40 years strong!) we became known by our current name in 2000: École Rocky Elementary (ÉRE).

From Confluence School to École Rocky Elementary, we are a vibrant connection to Rocky Mountain House's rich history. This school site grew with the town, becoming deeply woven into every generation. Through it all, however, our goal is the same. . . prepare this town for the future, educating the next generation of leaders, thinkers, stewards, and creative minds.

Just a few reasons why our parents are the best:

• We had 13 parents for our first School Council meeting. That's a great start!
• The Canadian Parents for French (CPF) chapter has an enthusiastic new board that took our French Immersion teachers out for lunch before school started. It was a great way for CPF to share their wish to further enhance the French Immersion program. Merci!
• An ÉRE parent has led the charge on vitalizing our Peace Garden. On Sept 17, the parent led the 2S class in the planting of saskatoon, raspberry, and rose bushes. The parent also arranged the donation of a Voyageur Canoe to be displayed in the garden!

LifeTouch Photography will be taking school photos September 22 & 23. Class photos and individual photos will be taken. Families will have the opportunity to purchase photo packages in about three weeks. If retakes are required, they occur on Nov 5.

Sept 22

Block 1/2/3 - 1B, 1K, 2S

Block 4/5/6 - 2/3K, 3K, 3/4M

Block 7/8/9 - 4W, 5/6O

Sept 23

8:15 am - Staff Photo

Block 1/2/3 - 5C, Fr K, PreK/Eng K

* times are approximate

Parking, Drop-Off & Traffic Safety

With Rocky Christian School temporarily sharing our facility, parking around ÉRE is busier than usual.

• Temporary Parking: The Town of Rocky Mountain House has granted temporary parking on the SE side of our school field. Please utilize this space as a safe drop-off and pick-up zone.

• Crosswalks & School Zones: Always use marked crosswalks. The speed limit in school zones is 30 km/h.

• Crossing Guard Update: Thanks to our School Society, Mrs. Maxwell (4-way stop) and Shannon, a wonderful community volunteer (Lights Crosswalk), are providing guard services for September and October. Please give Shannon a warm thank you when you see her!

  • After the first two months, we will determine if we have funds to continue staffing the service or if it needs to transition to volunteer or no service.

• Please allow yourself a few extra minutes for parking during high peak times directly before and after school.

• Playground supervision and free breakfast starts at 8:20 am each morning. Our school day runs 8:40 am - 3:19 pm.

Volunteers at ÉRE help our school really hum!

Last year, ÉRE volunteers logged over 2,000 hours supporting everything from hot lunch to skating! If you would like to volunteer this year, please note the requirements:

• No Clearance Required: Single-event volunteers working directly alongside staff (e.g., tying skates, classroom prep, hot lunch prep).

• Criminal Record Check (CRC) Required: Volunteers participating in recurring events (e.g., weekly breakfast program, regular reading assistance).

• CRC + Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC) Required: Volunteers supervising students independently or on overnight field trips.

Note: Pick up a letter from the front office prior to visiting the RCMP detachment to waive processing fees.

• Our first School Council Meeting was September 10. We had a fabulous group show up and several initiatives are under way.
• A strong school council is important for a healthy school. It ensures good communication between the school and our parent community, in addition to coordinating our parent volunteers, running our hot lunch program, and supporting school initiatives,
• Our next meeting will be Tuesday, October 6, 6:00 pm. We will be electing a new Council at this meeting - Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Hot Lunch Coordinator, Fundraising Coordinator. Don't let this damper your enthusiasm about attending. It is okay to attend the meeting without taking on a position.
• Sept 10, 2026 Council Agenda Society Agenda
• May 5, 2026 Minutes

Our Hot Lunch and the Milk Program is ready to start in October. Deadline to order is Sept 20.

• School Council organizes our hot lunch and milk program
• School Council reinvests any profits from hot lunch back into the school to support field trips, school presentations, and other school enhancements.
• Hot Lunch will be offered on Monday & Thursday, hot dogs on some Fridays, and milk delivery every day for ordering.

To order Hot Lunch:

• 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)

• Personal Mobile Devices: In accordance with Alberta Education policy, personal mobile devices (cellphones, personal gaming devices, smartwatches configured for communication) are not permitted for use during the school day. Devices must remain turned off and stored in backpacks or designated classroom storage. Exceptions are made solely for documented medical monitoring or specified instructional use authorized by the Principal. If you need to contact your child during the day, please call the main office at (403) 845-3541.

• Fire Drill: We are required to hold six fire drills each school year. Our first two drills were held Sept 10 and 16. Students were able to exit the school safely and very quickly.

• 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. This service is completely supported via generous donations to the school.
• 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.
• There are no microwaves at the school for student use. Please use thermoses to send hot food instead.

• There are before and after school care providers who dropoff and pick up at the school. Contact information for child care can be found here.

• 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

The Wild Rose School Division provides automatic blanket student accident coverage for all students registered with our school division.

Parents can also purchase additional student accident insurance to increase coverage @ insuremykids

• Self Identified Indigenous Students:

  • Voluntary self-identification directly secures the funding used for Indigenous education, Elder involvement, land-based learning, student mentorship, targeted graduation supports, professional development, and more.

  • It is completely confidential: The process is entirely voluntary and protected under Alberta privacy legislation. It does not change classroom placement or how a child is treated; it simply ensures resources are available.

  • No proof required: Families do not need to provide any documentation or proof of ancestry. Identity is determined solely by the student and family.

  • Easy to update: Families can update their self-identification status at the school office at any time during the year—they do not need to wait for a new school year.

  • More information

2026/2027 staffing

• We are thrilled to welcome new teaching staff:
• Helena Murphy (PreK / Eng K) - Mrs. Murphy previously taught at Rocky Christian School (and still teaches part time with Rocky Christian.)
• Kim Rose (Fr K) - Mme Rose taught at Lochearn last year, and with ERE the year before. Welcome back!
• Emily Korolew (French Immersion 2/3) - Mme Korolew is a former student of the ERE Immersion program
• Kim Wedman (Grade 4) - Mrs. Wedman is returning to the classroom after many years at Division Office supporting teachers with curriculum.
• Crystal Appleyard (Music) - Mrs. Appleyard returns to ERE after several years at Lochearn School.
• Joel Entz (PE) - Mr. Entz has been a regular casual teacher at ERE in recent years, and now joins us every Monday and Wednesday to teach PE.

• New EAs to ERE: Eleanor Brookes, Tracy Thorkman, Denise Russell, George Mcgregor, Ana Oghma
• We are pleased to welcome Samassi 'Sam' Cheick as our second French Language Assistant. M Sam has relocated to Rocky Mountain House for the year. He lived the past year in Calgary, and previously lived in Cote d'Ivorie. M. Sam will work with Mme Clemence to assist French Immersion students with learning a second language.
• Our new Connection Coach is Jodi Bouwman. Jodi works part-time at ERE and part-time at Lochearn School.
• We also have a great team of support therapists available at ÉRE, including Acacia DeSantis & Nancy Kindherski (Speech & Language Pathologist), Erin Haney (Speech & Language Assistant), Jan Gervais (Occupational Therapy), & Janelle Van Heeren (Physical Therapy).
  
• Our RCMP School Resource Office is Cst. Matt Anderson. Cst. Anderson is very familiar with ÉRE with his own children going through the school.
• 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

Our friends at other local schools may have a position you are interested in:

• EA - Lochearn
• Caretaker - Casual
• Charlotte Small School - Principal, Grade 6 Teacher, Family Wellness Worker, Caretaker
• Division Office - Junior Accountant, Speech Language Assistant

1. Reading at Grade Level

2. Joining Classmates on Exciting Field Trips

3. Forming Lasting Friendships

4. Developing Effective Study Habits Early

5. Demonstrating Responsibility and Commitment

6. Maximizing Instructional Time with Teachers

7. Greater Self-Esteem and Confidence

8. Higher Test Scores and Year End Averages

9. More Scholarship and College Opportunities

10. Increased Lifetime Earnings and Success💰Excellent attendance correlates to higher career achievement and earnings potential. And not just that! It correlates to better physical and mental health, healthier relationships, and a happier quality of life. Something we want for every child!

Start a Healthy Attendance Habit

Rocky Christian School (RCS) has returned to the ÉRE building after a construction setback this past summer. The length of stay is undetermined, but we are expecting at least until Christmas.

In just about every way, the two schools are operating independently under one roof:

• Each school has its own staff, classrooms, and timetable
• Each school is taking recess at different times
• Each school is running many of their own events

There are a few times a day the students of each school see each other:

• Before school, all the students gather on the playground awaiting the 8:40 am bell
• ÉRE and RCS plan to participate in the Terry Fox Run and Remembrance Assembly together
• Fire drills involve everyone in the building

ÉRE students have been wonderful hosts and have demonstrated a lot of care in using their hands and words for helping.

• Sept 18 - No School for Students
• Sept 22 & 23 - School Photos
• Sept 24 - Indigenous Family Gathering, 5-7 pm, @ West Central School
• Sept 25 - Terry Fox Run, Curtis Field, 2:00 pm
• Sept 29 - Orange Shirt Day recognized
• Sept 29 - September Assembly, 2:00 pm
• Sept 30 - No School for National Truth and Reconciliation Day
• Oct 2 - 1B & 2/3K Skating starts
• Oct 6 - 5/6O Swimming starts
• Oct 6 - School Council Meeting, 6:00 pm
• Oct 7 - Bus Evacuations Drills, AM
• Oct 8 - 3K Skating starts
• Oct 9 - 3/4M Swimming starts

• Oct 12 - No School for Thanksgiving
• Oct 16 - 5C & 5/6O Field Trip to Kraay Family Farm
• Oct 21 & 22 - Parent/Teacher Interviews

• Oct 13 - 1K & 2S Skating starts

• Oct 23 - No School for Students

• 2026/2027 Gr 1-5 Calendar
• 2026/2027 PreK Calendar
• 2026/2027 Eng & French Kindergarten

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

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/