Chester Ronning School

Hello CRS School Community!

We have had a terrific start to the school year and, somehow, we already have close to a month and a half in our rear-view! In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I am feeling particularly grateful for the relatively smooth start we have enjoyed. There were many questions about how the changes to transportation and our earlier school day were going to impact things this year but, fortunately, it seems like things are working out quite well overall! I also think that an intentional focus on further building a sense of school community at Chester Ronning School has contributed to our successful start. CRS has already hosted a number of events such as monthly school-wide Circle-of-Courage assemblies, our Welcome Back BBQ and early Parent-Teacher-Interviews. (Thank you for the strong turnout, BTW!)

We are arriving at a point in the school year that is always an important time for learning since students are settled into new class routines, diagnostic and baseline assessments are mostly completed and staff has gotten to know more about their students as learners. Now is the time when we really start to dive into new and more challenging content and students may begin to recognize the challenges of their new grade compared to last year. Families can support their young learners as the pace of the year increases by reviewing concepts from the previous year, helping with any homework that is sent home, engaging in regular home-reading and by communicating with their child's teacher(s).

As I mentioned in my newsletter message, we’re continuing to emphasize literacy, wellness and engagement this year at CRS. When it comes to engagement, that also includes you and the rest of our larger school community. We are looking forward to getting to know you and to work with you to ensure your child’s success! Please don’t ever hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher or to Mr. Pederson and myself in the office if you have questions or something to share about your child.

Yours in Education,

Reid Lansing

Mrs. Beck is joining our CRS office! Mrs. MacKay and Mrs. Beck will both be sharing the admin assistant job and each working part-time. Mrs. MacKay will be working on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and Mrs. Beck will be working Thursday and Friday each week.

CRS Office hours are: 8am - 12pm and 12:30pm - 3:30pm.

If you are calling and don't reach anyone, please leave a message or try back again. We do our best to answer every phone call, but taking care of a student always comes first and we occasionally may miss a call, so leave us a message or try again. We have a couple of parents say that the voicemail doesn't pick up for them to leave a message, if you are also finding this is still happening, please let us know so we can get it fixed.

As Mrs. MacKay won't be in the office each day, if you are emailing her about daily attendance absences, please use this email instead of Mrs. MacKay's direct email to allow for both admin assistants to see the message: chesterronning-aa@brsd.ab.ca

We have a number of new faces on the CRS team since the start of the year!

Welcome to Educational Assistants, Giselle Mcdonough and Angela Corbett. Ms. Mcdonough is working in the mornings to support a number of our classes in Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2. Ms. Corbett is also working part-time, primarily assisting our Kindergarten on Tuesdays and Thursdays but she is also at CRS on Monday afternoons to support Grade 1 and Grade 2.

Welcome to our new Administrative Assistant, Jane Beck! Mrs. Beck will be working on Thursdays and Fridays, doing all of the various-but-essential work that Admin Assistants do keep a school operating smoothly.

Welcome to Saraphina Salois, who is completing her advanced placement practicum through the University of Alberta. Ms. Salois is honing her teaching skills alongside Ms. Bratrud in 1B during the first university semester!

Welcome to Katelynn Baska and Johnathan Mueller, two students from U of A Augustana Campus. As prospective pre-service student teachers, Ms. Baska and Mr. Mueller will be visiting CRS weekly to observe classes and learn about school cultures and contexts.

And last but not least, welcome to Hailey Rees, a Work Experience student from ÉCCHS. Hailey will be working in the Learning Commons with Mrs. Green or in the office on most mornings during the first high school semester.

BRSD calendar

October 23 - 27 - Scholastic Book Fair

October 25 - Volleyball Game - 3:30pm AT Jack Stuart School (walking)

October 26 - Hockey Hooky

October 30 - tentative date - Emergency Response practice - Lockdown

October 31 - Halloween; information below.

November 1 - Staff Professional Learning - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

November 2 - Early Dismissal at 12:00 pm. Theme Day - Pajama Day

November 3 - School Council meeting - 8:45 am.

November 10 - Remembrance Day Service - 10:15 am. Parents are welcome to attend.

November 13 - 17 - Fall Break - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

December 7 - Early Dismissal at 12:00 pm. Theme Day - TBD

December 11 - Staff Collaboration Day - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

December 19 - CRS Family Christmas Activity night

December 21 - Christmas Break

January 4 - School resumes

January 11 - Early Dismissal at 12:00 pm. Theme Day - TBD

January 31 - Staff Collaboration Day - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

CRS School Pictures took place this week. Please see below for information about new ways to access you child's pictures.

Lifetouch Customer Care Contact:

Questions about your child's fall photos status, errors on their orders or how to place orders, call our Lifetouch Customer Care line at 1.866.457.8212 or go to our ordering website, www.mylifetouch.ca

EASY Way of accessing your child’s images online:
Lifetouch Photography is excited to announce the launch of a new way to access photos online.
After much safety and security testing, Lifetouch developed a way for families to access their child’s photo using their student ID number.
Go to our website at www.mylifetouch.ca, click on Student ID and follow the detailed instructions to view and order photos.

If you have any questions on this ordering process, please call the Lifetouch Customer Care Line at 1.866.457.8212 or access the live chat on our website, www.mylifetouch.ca
Parents can still access their photos online by using their child’s portrait ID and access code. By enabling the option of using your child’s student ID number, gives people another way to access photos if they lose their proof sheet.
Lifetouch Rewards for families!
Discounts and information directly to parents about photo days at your school when parents sign up for Lifetouch Rewards at my.lifetouch.ca

The next meeting is School Council - Next Meeting is Friday, November 3 at 8:45 a.m. We invite all families to join us.

Please call the school at 780-672-5588 and leave a message if your child will be away. You can call at any time of the day or night and leave a message.

We endeavor to have all students' attendance entered before 8:45 am. After 8:45 am, our Messenger system will start calling and emailing any student that has been marked absent, with no parent call. This helps to ensure our students are safe.

Our phone lines can be very busy, so please leave a message or try again if you don't reach anyone.

Students who arrive late, can come in through the front door and we will sign them in and send them off to their class.

Parent Portal - this portal is where you will have access to real-time assessments regarding your child's learning. This is also where you will find the link to SchoolEngage to complete the "Student Re-Enrolment and Verification Forms"

CRS is part of a real-time reporting project again this year. This means that, rather than producing traditional report cards, our teachers will be working to provide regular and consistent updates in their markbooks, which will include comments about student achievement attached directly to the assessment items in the markbook. We have seen the potential of this change to help create an ongoing dialogue about student achievement with families and to partner more effectively with you in your child’s learning.

PowerSchool app on Google Play: https://bit.ly/GoogPS

PowerSchool app on Apple App Store: https://apple.co/3ram1iH

District code for the app is NTPH

Each year we are required to provide Alberta Education with a signed and dated "Student Verification Form" for each of our students. The electronic Re-enrolment and verification form includes our BRSD FOIP and Technology Use form and needs to be completed as soon as possible. If you are a new to Chester Ronning family the form may not yet have been assigned to you. Watch your email for a notification. If you have reached out to the office to let us know you weren't able to login or having account problems, Mrs. MacKay will be in touch with you soon.

To access and complete this form, you will need to:

1. Log into the parent portal via your web browser (Google Chrome for example).

2. Click on the SchoolEngage icon. You will be redirected to the SchoolEngage site where you can select your child's name.

3. Click on the 2023-2024 Student Re-Enrollment and Verification Form and then on the blue icon in the first column to review the information.

4. Once you have completed your verification, click on the green submit button.

This is incredibly important and we really appreciate your help in getting this completed quickly.

A trick to stay calm when your child acts out. https://cronning.brsd.ab.ca/download/428781

Breakfast club is back! We are currently offering a quick grab and go breakfast snack in the front foyer at 8:05am - 8:15am. They will continue to the playground or boot room until the call in bell rings. There will be no early entry to the school.

"Bus Safety Week occurs this year from October 15 to 21, and BRSD would like to acknowledge bus safety as a critical piece of daily responsibility throughout the division. BRSD safely transports over 3,600 students each school day. This is a collective endeavor involving mechanics, drivers, supervisors, and our dedicated transportation department.

“As we navigate the daily responsibilities of our roles within the division,” says Rhae-Ann Holoien, superintendent of schools, “I want to take a moment to acknowledge and express our collective commitment to the safety of our students during their bus journeys.”

Bus safety is a paramount concern for everyone, and dedication to ensuring student safety does not go unnoticed. The role each person plays in supervising and monitoring bus safety measures is instrumental in safeguarding the well-being of all students. With 117 buses transporting students across the division, it is important that everyone is aware of bus safety measures."

To read the whole article, click here.

Recently, BRSD Board of Trustees held attendance boundary review meetings with school parents and families in Camrose, New Norway, Ryley and Daysland.

Thank you to everyone who attended and provided feedback during these meetings held by the Board from Oct. 12 to 18. If you were unable to attend and would like to provide your opinion, the survey is open from Oct. 19 to 28.

Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2TFTVJJ

Please read BRSD's media release and FAQ for further information about the Board’s attendance boundary review project.

Book Fair - Family Night:

Join us in the Learning Commons - Monday, Oct 23, 2023 from 3pm - 5pm for Family Night shopping.

Book Fair - Regular Classes

Classes will be scheduled to come to the Learning Commons to look through the Book Fair once during Monday, October 23 - Wednesday October 25.

Thursday, October 26 from 8:30am to 10:30am is last minute shoppers only. Please watch for a Scholastic flyer coming home soon with your child’s class time.

If you are able to volunteer with the Book Fair please contact Mrs. Green at the school - 780-672-5588

October is Canadian Library Month and this year we're pairing it with our annual Library Card Sign-up Month. Every October, libraries and library partners across Canada raise awareness of the valuable role libraries play in Canadians' lives, and we are celebrating with:

• Free library cards for all, regardless of where you live!
• Golden Ticket Contest from Parkland Regional Library System for your chance to win 4 World Waterpark tickets, $100 in gas, $150 in dining gift cards, and $200 in Edmonton accommodations!
• Chances to win more fabulous prizes from CPL!

https://cpl.prl.ab.ca/services/get-a-library-card

- October 31 will be our Halloween celebration.

- The morning portion of the day will be classes as usual. Please come dressed in your typical school clothes.

After lunch recess, students will be able to put their costumes on. Please consider having your child practice putting on their costume on their own to support their independence.

- The school will participate in a costume parade through the classrooms and gym starting at 1:00 pm.

- Families are welcome to join in the gym to watch the costume parade.

- Students are welcome to pack an extra snack in their lunch for the afternoon classroom festivities. Sending class wide snacks/treats is not necessary.

- Costumes are expected to leave out any gory/bloody elements or toy weapons.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Battle River School Division emphasizes the importance of safe and caring schools. Part of providing a safe learning environment is helping students and staff to be prepared for potential emergencies. For this reason, our school holds six fire drills and two lockdown drills

each year. Our first lockdown drill will be held on Monday, October 30.

A lockdown drill practices an emergency procedure designed to keep all students, staff and

guests safe in the event of an intruder in the school, by keeping them confined in lockable

areas. This is not a common situation in schools and not one that we expect our students to

encounter but, just like a fire drill, regular practice will help us to be properly prepared in

the case of such an emergency, however unlikely.

Prior to our lockdown drill, teachers will hold age-appropriate discussions with students.

There is no intention to generate fear or anxiety for students and all conversations will focus

on the procedural aspects of these drills more so than the possible scenarios that could

initiate an actual lockdown. We welcome your support if you feel comfortable speaking with

your child ahead of time to provide additional reassurance of their safety at school.

During a lockdown drill, it is possible that emergency services personnel and representatives

from the school division may be present. Their role is to help us evaluate our preparedness

and to provide feedback that will help us improve our procedures.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. If you have any questions or concerns,

please do not hesitate to contact the school.

Sincerely,

Reid Lansing

Wouldn’t it be great if kids treated each other kindly all of the time? Unfortunately, we know that this is not the case. Chester Ronning School, like other schools, deals with a variety of rude, mean and bullying behaviours from time to time. In Canada, bullying is defined as "wilful, repeated aggressive behaviour with negative intent used to maintain power over another person."

Understanding that victims of bullying are often deeply wounded by their experience, we emphasize helping students learn how to build positive relationships with others. At CRS, students are taught that acts of bullying involve the following characteristics:

• An imbalance of power - One child has more power than another child (For example: physical size, age, a group versus a single student, perceived social clout, etc.)

• Intentional hurtful actions - Directly or indirectly abusive behaviours that are purposely physically or psychologically harmful (such as name-calling, insults, threats, kicking, hitting, punching, etc)

• Repetitive behaviour - The hurtful actions keep happening

Whenever possible, we prefer to intervene while negative interactions are still in the stages of rudeness/meanness, especially before the behaviours become repetitive. It is always helpful when concerning behaviours are brought to our attention early and before they become more serious issues of bullying.

Fast Fact

When other children intervene in bullying, more than half of the time it stops within 10 seconds.

With content from https://www.canada.ca

Mr. Lansing, Principal - rlansing@brsd.ab.ca

Mr. Pederson, Assistant Principal - npederson@brsd.ab.ca

Chester Ronning School website - cronning.brsd.ab.ca

General Admin Assistant email: chesterronning-aa@brsd.ab.ca

Battle River School Division website - brsd.ab.ca