First home game in Bow Island of the season and the boys get their first win of the season vs. Medicine Hat High School (11-9). Congratulations boys and thank you to Town of Bow Island Public Works for getting the field in game shape for tonight. Great to have high school baseball back in Bow Island! #kindlehearts

Tomorrow, April 15 is the last day to shop our Book Fair. All proceeds stay in our school library. Open until 330 today and tomorrow after school.

We are hiring! To apply or for more information please contact Scott Angle, Principal, using the email: [email protected].

Parent/guardian update for April 14-18. Have a great weekend!

Gator of the Week - Celebrating student character and leadership. Gator of the week for last week was Mila! Mila is an excellent teammate in PE class and on all extra-curricular teams. She competes hard while bringing leadership to all sports. Mila is always willing to help out wherever she can including our mini-basketball program! Great job Mila! #kindlehearts

<p>Additional information can be found in the April 8, 2025, Board Meeting Agenda package: <a href="https://www.myprps.com/news/april-8-2025-public-board-meeting-20250407174859">https://www.myprps.com/news/april-8-2025-public-board-meeting-20250407174859</a></p><p>------</p><p><strong>Ralston School Presentation</strong></p><p>Serving 60 students from JK–Grade 9, Ralston School continues to thrive through strong community ties with BATUS, Canadian Armed Forces Suffield and local families. With support from a financial BATUS contribution, the school offers diverse programming grounded in the six core PRPS educational core principles of Connect, Care, Create, Communicate, Contribute, and Challenge.</p><p>Highlights from the presentation included a celebration of school-wide events such as the Christmas Banquet, Remembrance Day Service, and the BFBS Big Salute where students collectively ran 282 miles. Creative engagement was evident through initiatives like the “Take One Picture” art project, BFBS student radio broadcasts, and a Remembrance Day shadow play. Academic enrichment is supported by targeted programs such as UFLI, Morpheme Magic, and the Peterson Handwriting method, along with math-focused collaboration with PRPS Learning Coach Cathy Hynes. These efforts have led to noticeable growth in early learning and math achievement. Additionally, students benefit from hands-on learning experiences through 3D boat races, gardening projects, and drone exploration.</p><p>Looking ahead, Ralston School aims to expand its early childhood program, launch VEX robotics, and explore a no-cost sports academy, while continuing to celebrate its strong military and local partnerships.</p><p><strong>Financial Accountability Report</strong></p><p>Prairie Rose Public Schools' financial position shows a positive adjustment midway through the fiscal year. Revenues are forecasted to come in $1.95 million higher than budgeted, largely due to increased Alberta Education funding, enrollment growth, and various grants including Dual Credit, Mental Health, and Digital Assessment. Additional revenue was also seen from increased academy participation and one-time donations. Investment income rose due to higher interest rates, while rental and service income remained steady.</p><p>On the expense side, total costs are forecasted to exceed budgeted projections by approximately $1.69 million. This is primarily due to increased staffing costs, both certificated and non-certified, as well as additional expenses linked to additional classroom support and transportation infrastructure. However, these increases are partially offset by savings in international programming and internal transportation efficiencies.</p><p>The overall projected deficit has significantly improved, decreasing from ($281,086) to ($25,785). School Generated Funds show a surplus of $177,851, contributing to a total available SGF balance of $1.49 million. Operating reserves are projected to remain stable at $2.46 million, below the maximum allowable threshold of $3.6 million.</p><p><strong>Executive Report</strong></p><ul><li>PRPS 2025 school exhibitions of learning are underway</li><li>Kaleidoscope of the Arts for 2025 is scheduled for May 28</li><li>The kickoff meeting for the new Parkside Jr High School has taken place. The planning stage is underway and the hope is to move to the design stage quickly due to the previous work that had been done around the modernization project.</li><li>Funding has been received for PRPS to have a value scoping assessment done at the two schools in Oyen to determine if modernizations or a single K-12 school would be the best option moving forward in the Town of Oyen.</li></ul><p><strong>Irvine School Field Trip to Quebec</strong></p><p>The board approved the May 2026 field trip request for Irvine School grade 8 and 9 students to tour the historical cities of Montreal, Quebec and Ottawa. During the seven day visit, students will be exposed to Canadian culture by touring the Battle of Plains of Abraham and the Parliament buildings.</p><p><strong>Locally Developed Courses</strong></p><p>The board approved the following locally developed courses for use by PRPS schools:</p><ul><li>Yoga 15</li><li>Yoga 25</li><li>Yoga 35</li><li>Fire Rescue Services 15</li></ul><p><strong>2024-2025 Communications Report</strong></p><p>Director of Communications Angela Baron delivered the 2024–2025 PRPS Communications Report, outlining key strategies for connecting with staff, students, families, and the broader community. Highlights included significant growth in school-based social media engagement—reaching nearly 3 million Facebook views since September—and the expanded use of digital tools like Canva for Education, now supporting more than 3,200 users across the division.</p><p>The addition of a dedicated Content Writer over the 2024-2025 year led to award-winning work and expanded duties such as grant writing and local media contributions. Prior to the start of the 2025-2026 school year, the division will transition online registration to PowerSchool Enrollment for improved parent accessibility and functionality, with new features like Safe Arrival absence reporting, all in one access to forms and grades, and in-portal classroom messaging.</p><p>Other communication-driven projects during the 2024-2025 year included the South Alberta Baseball Academy launch, billboard trailer promotions, new field trip and transportation request forms, and community promotional efforts such as the Redcliff and Oyen area booklets/videos.</p><p>An update was also provided on Alberta’s transition from the FOIP Act to the new Protection of Privacy Act (PPA) and Access to Information Act (AIA). These changes will require increased privacy planning, breach notifications, and extended response timelines. Consideration was given to the continued need for staffing and funding to meet communication and compliance demands.</p>

Our Youth in Philanthropy Club is running a fundraiser. Purchase service hours now until April 30 to be used before December 31, 2025. Whatever you need (within reason), hire our students for $20/hr, with all proceeds going to HALO and Inside Education. Contact Mrs Vos for more information.

Little Caesar's pizza - ready for pickup. Thanks everyone for your purchases. Funds raised will go towards a new playground equipment piece!

🌟 Senator Gershaw Exhibition of Learning 🌟 What an amazing night at Senator Gershaw as students proudly shared their learning and creativity at our Exhibition of Learning! From STEM innovations to art displays, Spelling Bee challenges to Science demonstrations, students showcased their passions and talents. Projects included: 🖼️ Art 🔬 Science & STEM 🔠 Spelling Bee 🎬 Videos & Music 🪚 Woodworking 🧵 Sewing 🍳 Foods 🌱 Greenhouse 🖨️ 3D Printing 💡 Leadership The night ended with an incredible mock disaster simulation led by South Alberta Fire & Rescue. A huge thank you to @Bow Island Emergency Services and @HALO Air Ambulance for joining us and helping students see real-world emergency response in action. 👏 We are so proud of our students and staff for all their hard work and grateful to the parents and community members who came out to support learning in all its forms. #igniteminds #kindlehearts #myprps

SGS Exhibition of Learning - SAFR Mock Disaster in front of Senator Gershaw School. HALO will be joining and landing in our soccer field. Please be advised this is a simulated car collision. Please stay clear of the soccer field/running track during this time and there will be emergency vehicles in front of Senator Gershaw from 6:00-7:00pm. Town of Bow Island

First High School ball game for Senator Gershaw School in a long while. Beautiful Spring night for ball and a really close game against Oyen! #kindlehearts

Senator Gershaw Exhibition of Learning this Wednesday. All community welcome to take part in the learning at Senator Gershaw. See the schedule of events below!

<p><br>The next Prairie Rose Public Schools board meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at the PRPS Division Office in Dunmore starting at 12:45 p.m.&nbsp;</p><p>Board Meeting Agenda Package: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WeAj5ROSch6LAu-JF74NpLz0zD7mRRTi/view?usp=drive_link">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WeAj5ROSch6LAu-JF74NpLz0zD7mRRTi/view?usp=drive_link</a></p>

Green shirt day today!

This week's parent/guardian update. Have a great week!

<p>Pam Cursons is in her second term as Trustee of Ward 3 for Prairie Rose Public Schools (PRPS). She is one of two representatives for the three schools in Redcliff, Prairie Mennonite Alternative School and Eagle Butte High School.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Having grown up in a small, rural community with a graduating class of 13, school was limited primarily to core subjects. Children of other family members who attended schools in larger centres were able to take options it was impossible to offer at Cursons’s small school. This formed the basis of wanting to become a trustee, to advocate for rural communities and students to have equal opportunity and access to some of the better options and newer programming.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>She currently intends to run for a third term so that she can see the new Parkside School built. From advocating to get Parkside School to the top of the PRPS Capital Plan, to the creation of the Redcliff Solution and then the modernization, which quickly changed to a new build, Cursons feels one of the benefits of the new school is that students get to remain in the original Parkside while construction is happening.&nbsp;</p><p>“It has been a goal for many years now and I really want to see that through for Redcliff,” stated Cursons. “I think it will be a fantastic opportunity for community members as well as the students because we hope to have the community use the facilities. It will give Redcliff another gymnasium, and this one will be full-sized.”&nbsp;</p><p>There have been many changes this past term and she feels her eyes are much wider open to how global situations, such as the pandemic, can alter life so drastically. “It was a huge learning curve and altered my perspective on what can be done. I could not grasp how moving all students to online learning was going to be managed. The executive team took that and did an amazing job with it.”&nbsp;</p><p>Going into different schools and seeing the various courses offered and how excited the students are is one of the highlights of being a trustee. There are many more options available to students at all schools since Cursons first joined the board, such as Try New Things (TNT) at I.F. Cox, that both students and parents are excited about. “Parkside has an unbelievable number of options available that weren’t there when I first became a trustee. The whole turnaround of providing kids with experiences and options so they can see what is out there and watching new program development is probably the most exciting part,” said Cursons.&nbsp;</p><p>Cursons has worked at the SPCA in Medicine Hat for the past 11 years, starting off working the front desk and moving through various positions. Currently, her primary role involves gathering statistics, scheduling and fundraising/receipting. The SPCA recently received a grant for education and has developed a course, which has been piloted in a few schools.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“Animals excite kids,” explained Cursons, “and we are basing the program on the book <i>May I Pet Your Dog?</i> We talk to kids about how to approach unknown animals and when not to approach. We are currently focusing on students in K-3 around education and public safety. We usually bring in some kittens as they are the biggest hit with the kids.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Throughout her career, Cursons has always worked with seniors, children and animals. As a huge animal lover, she feels it’s important to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves along with educating the public about animal care, particularly regarding getting pets spayed and neutered.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“When my son was in school, I was always a parent volunteer in the classroom and was on parent council. I also drove a school bus for many years. After he graduated, I felt I had experience I could bring in as a trustee that would be helpful and relatable. I think we make a difference, working on a provincial level and advocating government to promote rural education and protect public education” concluded Cursons.</p><p>By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer</p>

<p>Working at Oyen Public School (OPS) is a dream come true for Kayl Davies, this year’s Edwin Parr nominee for Prairie Rose Public Schools. Davies currently lives on an acreage near Cereal with her fiancé and credits her future mother-in-law as the one to inspire her to pursue teaching as a career.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“I knew I wanted to go back to school. My mother-in-law is a retired teacher of 30 years and she always speaks so highly of education.  My fiancé was born and raised in Cereal and attended OPS. His mom also taught there, so it is full circle for her to be the inspiration and for me to now teach at the school she taught at.”&nbsp;</p><p>Davies trained as a speech language pathologist assistant and communicative disorder assistant and then worked for several years with AHS. Having always dreamed of becoming a teacher, she chose to return to post-secondary and obtained her degree in education.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Both her practicums were with Grade 5 students and, even though she was hesitant about teaching Grade 6, when the job opened, she knew it was too good an opportunity to pass on. There are 16 students in her Grade 6 class and Davies also teaches both Grades 5 and 6 social studies and phys-ed. Additionally, she teaches Grades 3 and 4 PE twice per week and also coaches mini basketball and mini volleyball.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“Everyone laughs that I am coaching sports because I’ve never made a team in my life. I am the least athletic person, so coaching and teaching PE is comical. I’m a part of student council, I have helped with bonspiels, led a few assemblies and run multiple field trips. I feel like there is always something to be doing.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Davies describes herself as a passionate person and someone who pours everything she has into whatever she does. She is grateful for her students, who tell her she is their favourite teacher. It is the highest honour that students find her classroom safe and feel they are able to make mistakes on their learning journey.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Four of her students – Kieran, Scarlett, Dior and Hadley – all talked about how kind Davies is and the time and attention she gives to each of her students. Kieren particularly likes the style of teaching Davies uses and the fun activities she plans to make the lessons more interesting.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“She has a really good personality and knows how to teach a great lesson. If you are confused, she has a really awesome way of helping you understand the lesson,” stated Scarlett, who added Davies is quirky and often uses dance moves in class to make them all laugh and lighten the mood.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Dior said Davies was kind, funny, smart and makes the lessons engaging. “She always listens and offers extra help. She'll even stay after school if you need help. She does classroom economy and spends her own money on prizes for our class, which I think is pretty awesome.”&nbsp;</p><p>“Miss. Davies includes everyone and finds different ways to make us have fun while we are learning,” added Hadley. “You feel like you can talk to her about anything. Nothing we have learned is boring. She is such an amazing teacher who knows how to do her job well. She is funny and makes you laugh whenever you are down and aren't having a good day.” &nbsp;</p><p>As a Christmas enthusiast, Davies and her fiancé are planning their wedding for December 13 this year. It’s been a busy year for her, but also a fulfilling and exciting one and she’s glad she took a risk on herself and pursued her dream of becoming a teacher.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Using cardboard, the students in the STEM option at Burdett School are building games to create a one-day nickel arcade for the entire school.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“The students like the design and building aspects of this project,” said teacher Angie Angle. “We did a project similar to this with a student teacher several years ago and the students requested to do something like it again.”&nbsp;</p><p>Students must also create a promotional poster to market their game with the goal of having the highest number of students play their game. Along with considering the safety aspects of the game they are creating; students need to build a game that will work and be played numerous times. Before the bell rang to single the beginning of class, all students were already gathered in their groups and had retrieved the game they were making to continue working on their project. While the class progressed, all were engaged in their project, approaching Angle when they had questions or needed some guidance.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Angle will be presenting at the upcoming <i>Forge Futures</i> conference at Senator Gershaw School on the topic of STEM in Space. She wants to promote the mindset that a teacher can do many things with few supplies, such as cardboard. Hanging in Angle’s classroom are two student-made models of the International Space Station (ISS) from previous projects about space.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“Space exploration is part of the Grade 9 curriculum. At the end, the class does a project about current space exploration, such as the ISS.” Other projects include researching new types of space suits for sustained location on the moon, moon dust (because there is no moisture, it shreds the astronaut’s suits and tires), the Artemis program, Starlink, and eclipses, to name a few.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“The topics are endless because space is changing so dramatically,” stated Angle. “The reason I chose space for the conference is because it is a new concept that shows up in Grade 4 while Earth is a focus in lower grades. My goal was to make it more accessible. Not STEM as a separate entity, but STEM within the daily curriculum at an elementary level and as an option in junior high. STEM can be taught by everyone, not just science teachers.”&nbsp;</p>

<p>Math teacher at Eagle Butte High School Tanelle Brost saw a lack of understanding of financial management among the student population and she, along with another teacher, wanted to create a course around that topic.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“There wasn’t anything about responsibility for money management or learning about credit cards and loans. Students needed to learn about saving, investing, borrowing money, compound interest, along with tax free savings accounts and RRSPs and the difference between the two,” explained Brost. “The driving force for creating this course was saving and investing. We had students in math who realized the content wasn’t applicable to their future and requested this type of information. Every student will need financial management understanding throughout their life.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Reaching out to experts in the field, Brost brought in a wealth advisor on savings and investing for four sessions. Other topics covered during the semester were how to borrow money responsibly, interest rates on credit cards compared to other types of loans and credit scores. The first six weeks were dedicated to personal finance before the class moved onto learning about starting up a business, including an overview of balance sheets, income statements, and statements of owner’s equity.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>From student feedback, they appreciated the personal finance side of the course the most, although many expressed gratitude for learning how to set up a spreadsheet and learning how to use formulas. Brost hopes that those attending her session at the conference will be able to take her slides as a starting point and then make them their own.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Heather Laturnas is a counsellor at Eagle Butte who also teaches a computer class each year. Her session at the conference is about connecting students with authentic audiences.&nbsp;</p><p>“I believe making real life experiences for students who create something where they know there will be a real audience reviewing their work. It ups the engagement and encourages students to create a better finished product,” said Laturnas.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Audiences can be classmates, parents, community members or other schools. “There are lots of ways teachers can connect students with an authentic audience, it’s about finding one that will help increase engagement,” continued Laturnas. Completed projects include working with seniors in a care home to publish a book with them that included a story from each student/senior pairing. In other classes, they have connected with an elementary school class and written letters to them, such as during the recent postal strike where the high school students were answering letters to the North Pole.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Laturnas hopes to encourage those who attend her session to think about how teachers can create an authentic audience for their students, taking projects they are already working on to the next level. “Rather than it only being the teacher seeing the finished product with the students doing the work to get a grade, check off a box or get a credit, how do we make the learning bigger so students can see how their work brings value to others?”&nbsp;</p><p>By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer&nbsp;</p>