ÉRE Connection

Principals' Message

Hello ÉRE Families!

We hope your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend filled with rest and reflection. October is now in full swing, and our classrooms are buzzing with focused learning, foundational skill-building, and strong daily routines.

This week, we look forward to connecting during our Parent-Teacher Interviews. These conversations are vital for reviewing your child’s early work habits and provincial screener results. You can book your appointment online at:https://schoolinterviews.ca/code/9txfw.

A note about Work Habits: Several work habits will be reported on at interviews on a scale of Not Yet, Approaching, Meeting, or Excelling. Please take particular note if your child has an indicator of Not Yet or Approaching. Solid work habits are the foundation for academic success. Please reinforce the importance of excellent work habits with your child.

A few items to highlight:

Knowledge Keeper Visit: We were honored to welcome Darcy Goodrunning, who shared Indigenous teachings on the cultural significance of the Braid with our K–4 classes.
Full-Year Crosswalk Funding: Thanks to generous contributions from both the École Rocky Elementary Society and the Rocky Christian School Society, our 4-way stop crossing guard is fully funded for the entire school year!
Mid-Way Crosswalk Volunteer: A warm thank-you to community volunteer Shannon Fontaine for keeping our students safe at the lights crosswalk.
October Assembly & Costume Parade (Oct 30, 2:00 PM): Families are invited to join us for Student of the Month awards, musical performances by 1B & 2/3K, and our annual costume parade.
Remembrance Day Assembly (Nov 10, 9:30 AM): We will join Rocky Christian School in the gymnasium for a joint service of reflection and honor.
Book Fair (Oct 20–22): Students will visit during the school day, and evening hours will run alongside Parent-Teacher Interviews.
Christmas Concert Save-the-Date (Dec 9): Shows run at 11:00 AM and 1:30 PM for all PreK–5 students. Free ticket booking opens after Nov 15.

As always, a big part of our success comes 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.

Tim Bowman‎‎‎‎‎‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Kim Simo

Principal ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Vice Principal

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

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

Poll Question

At ERE, we want every student to have strong emotional regulation and conflict management skills. Every student, Grade 1-6 is part of Peace Education classes with Mr. Bowman & Mrs. Simo to work on these skills. You may have heard your child mention some of these phrases which come directly from our Peace Education:

• Hands are for Helping • Be a Feelings Detective • We Listen to Each Other • We attack problems, not people • When you have big feelings, walk away to figure them out • Tell instead of Tattle • All feelings are okay, but not all actions • If you don't get enough help, keep telling adults • We are responsible for what we say and do •

Have you heard your child say any of the above statements?

Voting ended on October 1st, 2026

Votes are anonymous and results are private

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Poll Results

Results from our previous poll question: What are your thoughts on staggered start?

40% - It helped my child have a better start to school.
30% - I prefer everyone starts school at the same time
30% - I'm neutral.

Thank you for the input. Our current thinking is to continue scheduling a staggered start. For the PreK/Kindergarten students, we are thinking it will be a 1 day staggered start, instead of 2 days.

Parent/Teacher Interviews & Book Fair Oct 21-22

Term 1 Report Cards will come home in February, but we believe it is really important to connect with parents at this time to set up further school year success.
Parent / Teacher interviews Oct 21 & 22 will be offered in person, by phone, or by video conference 4:30 - 7:30 pm.

PreK & English Kindergarten interviews with Ms. Murphy will be held Oct 20.

Scheduling interviews is super easy! Click the link, choose the teacher, and choose the time that works for you: Click Here
During the interview, teachers will be updating on work habits, citizenship, early assessments, and next steps. Again, these are important conversations to ensure maximum student growth this school year.
The Book Fair will be at ÉRE during Oct 20-22. There will be a wide selection of new books to peruse and purchase. Every class will have some time scheduled into the fair. The Fair will also have extended hours during Parent/Teacher Interviews.

We have the best parents (and retired staff)!

💕Just a few reasons why our parents are the best:

A Grade 5 student and his dad repaired our mini stick rink!
A parent delivered delicious cinnamon rolls for the staff to enjoy!
A few ÉRE Parents have added themselves to the EA Casual list.
School Council has made the decision to fund the crosswalks for the rest of the year! Thank you!
Mrs. Stewart has been back volunteering already in her first October of retirement!
A former teacher at the school, who retired in 1991, stopped by to share her Foundation will be making a generous donation to the school for years and years to come. The teacher wanted the school to know how much she appreciates the work of ÉRE. WOW! 💕

School photo proofs were sent home last week, orders can be placed online

Please write after school plans in the student agenda.

Playground, Parking & Crosswalks

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 this year. Please give Shannon a warm thank you when you see her!

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

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.

Skating - Reminder that all students need a CSA approved helmet for skating.

School Council

We are so lucky to have an active and energetic School Council. We encourage all parents to find a way to participate in school council, either by regularly attending meetings, or offering to help with school council initiatives.

Our new 2026-2027 School Council/Society Executive was elected October 5:

Chair - Vanessa Watt
Vice Chair - To be elected Nov 5
Secretary - Katie Entz
Treasurer - Lori Kennedy
Hot Lunch Coordinators - Elaine Crebas & Noelle BigChild
Social Media - Elaine Crebas

Many thanks to outgoing Council Secretary Tiffany Hudey who has served faithfully the last few years!
Hot Lunch and Milk Orders are now running. Order by the 20th of the previous month.
A Hot Dog lunch is available Friday, Oct 30. Preorder $3 hot dogs by Oct 22. (students can pay at the office.)
Growing Smiles Poisettia Orders are running until Nov 16 with deliver Dec 9. Online Order Form
Our next meeting will be Thursday November 5, 2026 at 6pm. Please consider joining us!
The School Council & Society can be reached directly at: ereparentcouncil@gmail.com
Sept 10, 2026 Meeting Minutes

Hot Lunch & Milk Program

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

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.
November orders due October 20.

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)

This & That

Halloween Dressup Guidelines: For the Oct 30 costume day/parade, please no replica weapons, scary or gory themes to keep the environment safe and non-frightening for Pre-K and Kindergarten students.
Growing Smiles Letter Poinsettia Fundraiser
Book Fair Newsletter - Book Fair Runs Oct 20-22
Thank you RCS for the generous donation to our Breakfast Program and our Crosswalks!
Inclement Weather & Dress Expectations: Late October in Central Alberta brings sudden snow and freezing temperatures. "Dress for the Weather" (boots, mitts, snow pants for outdoor recess) and follow the WRSD Bus Status App on our school website for winter delay tracking.
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.

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 ÉRE Team

2026/2027 staffing

ERE is fully staffed! (And what a powerful team of educators it is!)

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

WRSD is hiring!

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 - Caroline
Teacher - Caroline
Caretaker - Casual
Division Office - Junior Accountant, People Services Coordinator

Attendance Matters!

Consistent attendance in elementary school builds the foundation for long-term success!

Literacy Readiness: Regular attendance in early grades directly correlates with reading on grade level by Grade 3.
Stronger Connections: Daily interaction helps students build peer relationships and social-emotional confidence.
Routine & Responsibility: Punctuality fosters lifetime study habits and reduces academic stress.

If your child is absent, please log it via the Student Attendance Line (1-855-756-2797) or the SchoolMessenger App.

RCS @ ÉRE

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 beyond 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.