Round Hill School News

It's -24 with a -35 windchill as I write this. Inside recesses ALL DAY! Thankfully things will warm a bit for the concert next week. Winter weather has definitely arrived. I need to remind parents that ALL students, not just those in elementary, need to be dressed for the cold. This means a winter coat (not just a hoodie), mitts and tuque at the very least. If students ride a bus and the engine quits, that bus becomes a cold tin can in a hurry.

The Round Hill School Annual Results Report is complete and is posted to our website. As you look through this report you will see that it is in two parts: a review of last year and a plan for this year. There are many different measures used to review the year including attendance and financial data, provincial exam results, results from government literacy and numeracy assessments, and Alberta Education Assurance Measures from the surveys sent out every year. Our plan for this year is built around three goals: Numeracy and Literacy achievement, the quality of our learning environment and third, well-being of students and staff.

Lastly, I would like to talk about picking up your kids after school. With three buses loading and approximately 20 cars in the parking lot at 3:30, we ask you to be patient. Please park on the west side of the school. Do not go around back in the hopes of picking up your child early. Please wait for the teachers to allow the children to walk across the parking lot to their vehicle. Finally, please wait for all the buses to leave and all the students to get to the vehicles. At this point, the teachers will direct you out of the parking lot. If you are in a rush and you need to leave, simply call the office and let Mrs. McManus know you are coming 20 minutes early to pick your child up.

If you have any questions or concerns about the above information, please call me at the school.

Merry Christmas!

Brian Horbay

Principal

Round Hill School's Annual Christmas Concert is this Wednesday, December 17th at 7:00 pm. Doors will not open until 6:30 pm, so do not come too early!

Once doors open, please have your child go directly to their classroom to get organized for the concert. Kindergarten students will meet in the grade 1/2 classroom. Jr. High Students will meet in the music room.

• January 5th - Monday
  - First Day back after Winter Break.
• January 6th - Tuesday
  - Hot Dog Day. Grade 1 and 2 will supply snack.
• January 7th - Wednesday
  - Picture retakes in the Afternoon.
  
• January 8th - Thursday
  - Basketball - Killam @ Round Hill (Home).
• January 12th - Monday
  - Basketball - Sedgewick @ Round Hill (Home).
• January 19th - Monday
  - Basketball - Round Hill @ Daysland
• January 20th - Tuesday
  - Hall Meal - Themed food from France.
• January 26th - Monday
  - Basketball - Tofield @ Round Hill (Home).
• January 28th - Wednesday
  - REAL Awards Assembly. Grades 5 + 6 will have a presentation.
• January 30th - Friday
  - No School

We would like to ask all parents, guardians, and any other visitors that if they come into the school during school hours, to please check in at the office first and do not interrupt the classrooms. If you need to drop something off for a student, be it a lunch, a text book, or a message, or even just picking someone up, please head to the office and let Pat or Ryan know and they will get the message to the student or teacher for you. Unless of course it's for one of the reason's below... 😁

Come join us in the gym at 2:50 pm on Wednesday January 28th. Grades 5+6 will have a special presentation and the REAL Awards will be handed out for December/January.

CONGRATS TO ALL THE WINNERS FROM NOVEMBER

We understand the need for some kids to stay "cool" all year round, but we still ask that the kids dress appropriate for the weather. The bus drivers will not allow shorts to be worn during the winter months on the bus. If a break down were to happen, those shorts will not keep them warm enough in the event that happens. Kids can change into shorts while in the school, but outside the school and on the bus, you must wear weather appropriate clothes (i.e. pants not shorts, toques, gloves/mittens).

Make sure everyone has a Winter Jacket, Gloves, Toque and Winter Boots before they even get on the bus.

If the weather is below -20°C (with wind chill/"feels like") during an outside recess, either in the morning, at lunch, or in the afternoon, students will stay inside.

A form was sent out home for parents to fill out that will give permission for their child to go outside in the colder temperatures though. This is the Polar Bear Club. If your child needs another one, have them ask their teacher.
The Polar Bear Club is voluntary.

Students in the Polar Bear Club can choose to play outdoors or stay indoors on designated "indoor recesses" when temperatures drop below -20°C (including wind chill). Outdoor time will not exceed 20 minutes. The club will not operate if temperatures reach -25°C or colder.

Proper winter clothing must be worn.

• Bus Routes will be cancelled when the air temperature reaches -40 degrees Celsius.
• Bus Routes will be cancelled when the air temperature combined with wind chill reaches -40 degrees Celsius. So if it says Feels Like -40°C or colder, buses will not run.
  
  

Air temperature and wind chill will be determined by accessing www.theweathernetwork.com and viewing the information for Round Hill.
The information acquired above shall be obtained just prior to the bus route, not the night before.

Bus Status can be checked by clicking here

Due to high cost of food, the Breakfast Program moving forward will now only carry boiled eggs, yogurt, seasonal fruit, and muffins.

We would like to personally thank all the wonderful volunteers that help prepare and provide the food for the students. Without you it would only be a fraction of what it is now.

Families are more than welcome to pack more in their child's lunch for snack and even breakfast if they don't have enough time to grab something.

Here is a link to the Breakfast Club of Canada's VitaminC - December 2025 Newsletter.

Check out KidSport Canada Camrose website by clicking here for information on how to obtain up to $350 per kid/year for sports participation. Check the poster further down below from KidSports Canada.

Mini-Dunkers is basketball for grades 5-6. It is mixed, so both boys and girls play together. They have practice at Lunch on Mondays.

Mini-Dunkers for Grade 4 will practice on Thursdays at Lunch.

The Boys Basketball team will have practice on Tuesdays at Lunch and one day after school during the week. Brian Horbay is coaching the boys, but we are still seeking an assistant coach to help out. If you are interested call or text Brian at 780-678-6588.

The Girls Basketball team will have practice on Fridays at Lunch and one day after school during the week. Josh Burnstad and Karmen Bowal are the coaches and will provide you with more info.

The schedule for both teams is below, with season games starting in January.

Kid didn't smile in their school picture? Had a black eye from a fight with a sibling, or maybe burnt their forehead with a curling iron? Worry no more! Picture Retakes will be on Wednesday, January 7th in the afternoon.

Weather permitting, we will have Skating at the Elk's Building (behind the Round Hill Hall) once again this year.

Please ensure your child has proper clothing and snow pants, as well as a proper fitting helmet and skates. Helmets must be CSA approved and must be hockey or skiing helmets, not bike or skateboarding helmets. If your child doesn't have skates, please let their teachers know. No hockey sticks will be permitted during these skates.

Dates and times will be announced once we get closer to them.

Led by Ms. DeRudder and Ms. Biggs' Grade 3s and 4s, students have decorated paper light bulbs to “Light Up the World with Kindness” in a way to spread kindness this Christmas season.

Students wrote specific, realistic acts of kindness on their light bulb—something they can genuinely do and we displayed them around the school.

The next Parent Council Meeting will be Thursday January 29th @ 6:30 p.m. at the school.

The Junior High students will be helping create a delicious meal.

Please come join us as all our welcome.

Donations are not required, but would be greatly appreciated.

The Kindergarten class will be in session some Fridays for the rest of the school year. As a reminder, January 9th and 23rd will be the days that they come to school this month. They will still be here every Monday and Wednesday unless otherwise noted. If you need a new schedule you can pick one up at the office or check it out on the Round Hill School Website here.

Marj Nahirniak has an amazing article on the history of The Round Hill Renaissance Agriculture Foundation which you should check out. The Foundation is located across from the school and is a foodscape, a community garden and food forest. Currently there is a tipi and Education Pavilion among other structures, trees, and gardens. Check out their website and give Marj's article below a read for more info!

Viking Cup hockey is returning to Camrose! The tournament, running from December 28 to January 3, 2026, is making its way back to our Camrose community after 20 years.

Viking Cup is not only a cornerstone of Camrose sporting history, but a celebration of international friendship and competition of elite hockey talent—University, College and Junior levels—from across Europe and North America.

Historically, this event also provided professional scouting opportunities with over 400 tournament alumni selected for NHL draft classes. Hockey stars, such as Dominik Hašek, Henrik Lundqvist, Joe Pavelski, and Patrik Eliáš are among the tournament alumni.

This year, Augustana Vikings Hockey Alumni Association has revived and reimagined the Viking Cup as an international collegiate hockey tournament. Five Czechia, Nebraska and Alberta teams and a team of Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League all-stars, will compete for the Viking Cup, providing international hockey entertainment during the holiday season in Camrose.

Click here for more information about the tournament, volunteer opportunities, and purchasing tickets.

Augustana is hosting an amazing learning opportunity this summer. The following is from the University of Alberta:

The Experiential Learning in Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (ELITE) Program for Black Youth and the Fred Otto DiscoverE Program are pleased to issue a call for Black elementary school and junior high school students (Grades 1 to 9) to participate in free immersive hands-on summer camps in STEM at the University of Alberta. New this year!: We are offering summer camps at Augustana Campus in regional/rural Camrose, Alberta, as part of our effort to engage with the Black community more broadly. Special thanks to Professor James Kariuki and Dean John Parkins for their support and engagement.

To learn more, please visit the following link. Please watch the attached VIDEO for more information.

Attached are resources that students and families might find helpful.

Check out the Camrose Family Resource Center website and the Programs listed for activities and programs hosted in and around the Camrose area.

Got older kids entering Grade 10 or even Graduating? Check out the Career Counselling Newsletter for December 2025.

Check out this letter from BRSD Mental Health Capacity Building Team

Check out KidSport Canada Camrose website by clicking here.

Download the Recovery Alberta Document on Helping Kids Handle Stress below