ÉRE Connection

April 2022

1. Hello ERE Families!

It is great to be into spring with all the renewal and hope it brings.

On the side of hope:

We are pleased to be hosting our first school assembly since Feb 2020 on FRIDAY, Apr 29, 1:45 pm. We would be delighted if you are able to join us in the school gym.
We will be celebrating 100 Years of Learning on Friday, May 20, 2022. This might be the largest event ever hosted at ÉRE as we welcome back past and current staff and students. More info below about this event that is a century in the making.

On the side of renewal:

I was very lucky to attend an incredibly thought-provoking conference recently called uLead a few weeks ago. Held in Banff, uLead hosted 1200 system leaders from around the world. The entire conference focused on what we have learned about our communities through a pandemic and how we go forward with healing and building a stronger education system.
Mrs. Simo and I were also fortunate to receive Brene Brown's "Dare to Lead" training with the other Wild Rose Public School Administrators last week. Wow. . . I have placed some of our takeaways below because I know many have likely dealt with self-doubt and fear at times and this training gets to the heart of that and how to push forward despite it.
I have had a few parents come to me recently to say they are interested in having relationships with their kids that involves less yelling and arguments. To that end, I was recently introduced to a TikTok/Facebook personality called MrChazz who I think does a beautiful job of exploring the idea of what adults might do to feel less exhausted and more successful in their parenting. He may not be for everybody, but he does give me some things to think about while also giving me a laugh.

As always, there is plenty going on at the school, from raising Rainbow Trout, to preparing the School Garden, to planning Field Trips for the first time in two years! Most importantly, I hope you are well, and that you are seeing great progress with your child. As always, if you have any questions, thoughts, concerns, ideas, or just want to chat, please reach out. We are your team!

With appreciation,

- Tim

Tim Bowman

Principal

tim.bowman@wrsd.ca

(403) 845-3541

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2. School Field Trips!

School Field Trips are back on the menu!

Grade 1 - Attended the Plant Ranch on Apr 20

Grade 2 - Rocky Mountain House Historic Site on May 25

Grade 3 - Fish Release at Twins Lake on June 10

Grade 4 - Agricultural Tour on May 11

Grade 5 - Trip to Calgary Telus Spark Centre, Wave Pool, and Heritage Park on May 25/26

We are so glad to have these learning opportunities available to us once again. Field trip fees can be paid online via your School Cash account at: https://wildrose.schoolcashonline.com/

Please reach out to school admin if field trip costs are a burden for your family at this time. We can find a solution!

Thank you to everyone that has signed up as a parent volunteer. A friendly reminder that all of our volunteers require a Criminal Record Check and Vulnerability Sector Check less than 3 years old on file at the school.

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3. Celebrating 100 Years of Learning, May 20, 2022

The roots of École Rocky Elementary run deep back to the birthplace of schools in Rocky Mountain House starting with Confluence School which was built on site in 1921.

A really special milestone like this deserves a really BIG EVENT! As such, we are planning perhaps the biggest event ever at Rocky Elementary. We hope you will join us.

11:00 am - Ceremony

Welcome/Blessing
Greetings (Board of Trustees, Mayor, Reeve, MLA, Minister of Education)
Video History
Special Guests Alan Marshall (principal 1968-1994) & Sr. Margie (teacher & volunteer 1985-present)
Opening the 1989 Time Capsule
Choir Performance
Closing

12:00 - 3:00 pm Open House

Refreshments - Hot Dogs, Cupcakes from Copper Creek, coffee/tea
Entertainment - Jazz Explosion Big Band - playing music of the last 100 years
Outdoor Activities - Traditional Picnic Games, Indigenous Games & Face Painting
Displays and Visiting Rooms - We have collected a lot of great artifacts

Parents may sign their child out of class for the afternoon if you wish to enjoy the event with your child.

Parking will be available on the school field.

Given the large numbers possible, we will live-stream the ceremony throughout the school.

For students of 1989, the contents of the Time Capsule will be on display at the event and shared in the weeks after.

Please share this invite to former staff and students of Confluence School, Rocky Mountain House School, Rocky Elementary, and Ecole Rocky Elementary.

Follow our Facebook event page for the latest information.

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4. School Council

Our next school council meeting will be in person at the school on Tuesday, May 10, 12:00 noon. You are invited to attend!

There is also the option to observe the meeting via the School Council Virtual Meeting Link: https://tinyurl.com/ERESchoolCouncil password ERE

2021 - 2022 School Council & Society Executive:

Chairperson - Vanessa Lobley
Vice Chair - Shea-Lynn Wright
Treasurer - Jeanette Plante
Secretary - Heather Halladay
Hot Lunch Coordinator - Amanda Leavitt

The School Council executive can be reached via email: ereparentcouncil@gmail.com

5. School Health

School Health has remained very good over the last 3 months. The week of April 11-15 was our healthiest week of the school year with only 1% reporting ill.

We do have Covid Rapid Tests in stock and available for free to ÉRE families. Please request at the school office if you would like some Rapid Tests directed your way.

There are still isolation requirements for those that are ill. Please refer to the Daily Screening Form that was updated February 2022. If you are unsure if your child is required to isolate, please connect with the school - we are glad to guide you through the document.

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6. Hot Lunch

Hot Lunch for June can be ordered May 1-20.

to order, create an account at https://ere.hotlunches.net/
Use the access code REHL
Hot Lunches are available on Mondays and Thursdays

7. This & That

Check out the backwards edition of March ERE TV.
PreK and Kindergarten Registration for 2022/2023 is now open. Online Registration can be found on our school website: https://ecolerocky.wrsd.ca/home/news/post/new-registrations
Our Rainbow Trout are growing well! We currently have 35 trout in our library aquarium that the grade 3s will release into Twins Lake on June 10.
If your child will be absent from school, please connect with our Student Attendance Line by phone 1-855-756-2797
Please use your child's agenda for writing notes to the teacher and communicating the after school plan.

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8. Dare to Lead

Mrs. Simo and Mr. Bowman were fortunate to take "Dare to Lead" training based on the work of Brene Brown recently. This training was offered to all of the WRSD Administrators and speaks to how we can work towards healthier interactions.

Our big takeaways were:

Our brain is hardwired to identify threats to keep us safe. If these threats are not readily available, we will make up 'bad guys' (we tell ourselves a story about what others are thinking about us.)
Everything in our life is either Courage or Comfort (if you stay too much in comfort, you will be living too small)
You can't have Courage without Vulnerability
In the past, jobs were about muscle, then jobs became about brains. In the future they will be about heart - recognizing and knowing our emotions.
Fear is not the biggest issue. . . Armoring Up to the perceived idea that we will become irrelevant or not enough is the #1 issue
Armoring Up looks like putting up shields that have us Move Away (withdraw, hide, keep secrets), Move Towards (seek to appease and please), or Move Against (power moves, being aggressive, using shame)
A dysfunctional organization will have a lot of armoring up behaviour (back-channeling, blaming, bullying, comparison, cover-ups, discrimination, favoritism, gossiping, harassment, the royal 'we' invisible army, nostalgia, passive-aggressive behavior, perfectionism, power-over, sarcasm, self-worth tied to perfectionism, teasing)
Generosity defeats shame/guilt. Shame & guilt disappear if we give ourselves and others generosity (ie. . that we are all doing the best we can in the moment.)
Our goal is to replace armoring up with grounded confidence which is gained through vulnerable conversation, curiosity, and practice
If we can become more self-aware and limit how often we Armor Up in a day. . we will live a happier and bigger life that leans into our values, is grounded in confidence, and leads with courage

If you get a chance to take the training (or any of Brene Brown's work), Mr. Bowman and Mrs. Simo highly recommend it.