Gators of the week - celebrating student character and leadership. Our last gators of the week for this calendar year are Ally and Summer! Ally is our Student Council president and Summer is very active in Student Council. Both of these students made Christmas shine brighter here at Senator Gershaw doing the majority of school decorating, helping with the Christmas lunch, and providing Christmas spirit throughout the last couple weeks! Great job Ally and Summer! #Kindlehearts

<p>On Wednesday, December 11, Irvine School held their third annual Miracle Market. The goal this year was to have 4,000 donated items for students to choose from when selecting gifts for others.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“On the Miracle Market Day, every student comes in and they are able to purchase items for their parents or siblings or their grandparents,” explained Principal Trent Rayner. “We have over 25 parents who act as elves and they wrap the gifts. The students are so excited when they get these presents for others, they learn the sense of giving as they aren’t buying for themselves.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Feedback from parent council regarding the Miracle Market was positive, with stories about how grandparents had tears of joy upon receiving the gifts and how enthused children were to be giving a gift they selected and paid for to their family members.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Despite how much work it is to run and organize the Miracle Market, Rayner said, “it is totally worth doing. For the most part, people donate anything they think people could use or would like.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>A large range of items are donated to the school in the week prior to the Miracle Market. Drop off times were during parent-teacher interviews in early December, but gifts were already being donated ahead of that date.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The market was open for the whole school day on December 11 with the younger grades going in first. “The Grade 9s take the Grade 1 students around the market first and help them select gifts. They will ask them what their parents do and other questions to help them select the best gifts to give,” stated Rayner.&nbsp;</p><p>Any gifts that don’t get used are donated to Seven Persons School, who will hold their own Miracle Market. This year, for the first time, anything left over from Seven Persons is being transported to Schuler School so they can also have a market this year. “It is now being shared between schools within Prairie Rose,” explained Rayner.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Money raised from the Miracle Market is being used to put together Christmas hampers for families who need some extra support over the holiday season. Last year, five hampers were delivered to families in the community. The hampers contained a turkey, fruit and vegetable trays along with a selection of other holiday food. Additionally, there were Christmas napkins, plates and other items, such as tea towels.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>During the last week of school, on Wednesday December 18, before the winter break, the school had their second annual Christmas dinner with all the fixings for the entire school. Irvine School has just over 400 students and, along with feeding staff and volunteers, it is a massive undertaking.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“We did it last year and it was really good,” stated Rayner. “I brought it to parent council and heard stories about multiple students saying they were so excited because they’d never had a turkey dinner before. It takes between 25 and 30 volunteers with some precooking turkeys and hams and bringing them into the school. We have huge community support to get the dinner organized, cooked and served.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Again, the youngest students were served first with each subsequent grade following. The students took the meal back to their classroom and ate together with their friends and teacher.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer&nbsp;</p>

🎄✨ A Magical Night of Music: Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6 Christmas Concert ✨🎄 Last night, the students of Bow Island Elementary and Senator Gershaw School came together to spread holiday joy at our Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6 Christmas Concert! 🎶🌟 The evening was filled with festive cheer as students performed a wonderful lineup of songs, skits, and heartfelt presentations that truly embodied the holiday spirit. From the youngest voices in Junior Kindergarten to the confident performances of our Grade 6 students, the talent and enthusiasm on stage warmed the hearts of everyone in attendance. ❤️ A huge thank you to the teachers, staff, and families who supported our students and helped make this event so special. Your dedication to kindling hearts and igniting minds was evident in every moment of the evening. #kindlehearts #igniteminds #myprps

💚✨ Building Connections & Wellness: School-Wide Wellness Time ✨💚 Wednesday, our entire school came together for a special Wellness Time, organized by our incredible Wellness Committee! Students participated in cross-graded groups, enjoying a variety of activities designed to promote connection, creativity, and fun. 🎉 The activities included: 🎨 Art Projects to spark creativity 🍳 Cooking/Foods Activities for hands-on learning ✈️ Paper Airplanes for scientific fun 🎲 Social Board Games for teamwork 🤝 Cooperative Games to build collaboration This time was all about creating a sense of belonging, encouraging critical thinking and collaboration, and helping everyone recharge in a positive way. A huge thank you to the Wellness Committee for organizing this meaningful block of time for our students and staff!

🏒🎉 Parent Power on the Ice: SGS SAHA Athlete/Parent Game! 🎉🏒 Yesterday the rink was alive with excitement as the SGS South Alberta Hockey Academy hosted their first annual Parent Game! It was an action-packed match with plenty of laughs, teamwork, and friendly competition. In the end, the parents took the win—but the real victory was the fun and memories shared by everyone on and off the ice. 🥅✨ Events like this highlight the power of collaboration and community, bringing together students, families, and staff to celebrate the love of the game and the connections it builds. Thank you to all the players, parents, and spectators for making this such a fantastic afternoon!

🎄🍴 A Festive Feast: Christmas Lunch for All! 🍴🎄 Yesterday, our school community came together to celebrate the holiday season with a Christmas lunch hosted by our amazing Parent Advisory Council and Student Council. ❤️✨ Students and staff enjoyed a delicious meal of ham, potatoes, corn, and dessert, all served with smiles and holiday cheer. This event was a beautiful example of collaboration and citizenship, as everyone gathered to share in the spirit of the season. A huge thank you to our Parent Advisory Council and Student Council for their hard work and generosity in making this event so special. Also thank you to @LambWeston for sponsoring all the potatoes for everyone! You’ve truly helped us kindle hearts and create lasting memories. This is one of SGS’s favourite holiday traditions! What’s your favorite holiday tradition? Let us know in the comments! 👇

<p>The Young at Heart Reading Program at Seven Persons School started up in early October of this year. Every other Tuesday afternoon, volunteers, primarily grandparents within the community, come to the school for about an hour and read with or to students from kindergarten through to Grade 3.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Debbie Penner, who at one time was the librarian at Seven Persons School, was part of the early discussions to begin the group. “The idea was for grandparents to come and read with young children to help with literacy and to encourage reading, which is always a fundamental good thing, but also to work at the community aspect of things. In a small town, it’s really good for young kids to have that connection with older people within the community,” explained Penner. “It builds relationships, but also accountability for young kids. It’s a good idea for small communities to do this kind of thing. We have lots of activities at the hall and churches, so these kids will run into members of the community.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Those who are interested can sign up for the days they are available. When they arrive at the school, volunteer's check-in with reception to find out what classroom and grade they’ve been assigned to. Some come each time and go to the same classroom, building stronger relationships with those students. Generally, about six volunteers show up, allowing there to be at least one or two readers in each of the grades.&nbsp;</p><p>“We do whatever the teacher wants, which we love. We will read with the kids or read to the kids, it can be one on one, small groups or the whole class. We don’t have to plan anything, we are just there to facilitate and help the teacher,” said Penner. “I think it is going very well. It’s for grandparents to get involved in the school, many of us have grandkids here. It’s been very successful, and I think the teachers find it a good thing too.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Margaret Cook is another volunteer who arrives regularly for the Young at Heart Reading program. Originally from England – although she left 28 years ago, she still has a marked accent – students get to hear slightly different stories from her. “We talked about wartime last time I was here and that was good. My mum was 11 years old when war broke out so I can tell them about rationing with no candy, sugar, bananas or pineapple,” said Cook. “My grandchildren are more grown up now, the youngest is 13, and I love reading to kids and I love little kids. I’ve been with the Grade 2 class, and they are so much fun. They are very attentive, have lots to say, are well behaved and polite. It’s been a pleasure.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Experienced US Baseball Coach and Mentor to Spearhead New Academy at Eagle Butte High School</strong></p><p>Having experienced great success with the current Badlands Badgers Baseball Academy in Oyen, Prairie Rose Public Schools will be adding another competitive baseball program to the roster. Starting in the fall of 2025, Eagle Butte High School will launch the South Alberta Baseball Academy.</p><p>“The Badgers program was the first academy program offered by Prairie Rose,” says Director of Enhanced Programming for PRPS Darren MacMillan. “Over the years the Badgers have had great success in developing players who have gone on to play collegiate ball in the US. Having a program out of Eagle Butte would have benefits for both teams.”</p><p>Unlike other high school academy sports programs such as hockey, no academy league with official standings exists for baseball. Teams often have to travel long distances just to compete with other schools who offer competitive baseball options. MacMillan hopes that adding another competitive team to the region will support the growth of baseball in the area and possibly result in establishing an academy league in the future.</p><p>“It is a challenge to offer baseball year-round in a country where the weather impacts access to facilities,” adds MacMillan. “In Oyen we are incredibly lucky to have “The Barn” which is a massive 13,000 square foot indoor training facility, and now with the addition of the South Alberta Collegiate building by the airport we have removed one of the bigger obstacles around offering a competitive baseball program.”</p><p>Spearheading the new program will be Marc MacMillan who has an extensive baseball resume in the southern US market. His experience includes Head Coach at Charleston Southern University, Assistant Coach and Director of Operations at the University of Mississippi, and Associate Head Coach at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Additionally, Marc operates Marc MacMillan Baseball, which provides training camps for children to learn and grow their baseball skills.</p><p>“I am looking forward to being part of this new opportunity to grow baseball at the high school level in southern Alberta,” says Marc MacMillan. “Even though I have lived in the southern US most of my life, I have family in the Medicine Hat and Milk River regions. When I was asked to coach and develop this new program for the South Alberta Baseball Academy, it was my chance to reconnect with my Canadian roots and bring home what I have learned from my time building competitive baseball players in the US market.”</p><p>Earlier this year Prairie Rose Public Schools announced the partnership with the Mavericks baseball organization (WCBL) to develop baseball fundamentals in students from grades 4 - 9. Led by head coach and program director Greg Morrison, the Mavericks School of Baseball now operates at four PRPS schools with 52 students enrolled.</p><p>------</p><p><strong>Other Links and Information</strong></p><p>Badlands Baseball Academy: <a href="https://baseballacademy.myprps.com/">https://baseballacademy.myprps.com/</a></p><p>Marc MacMillan: <a href="https://www.csusports.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/marc-macmillan/215">https://www.csusports.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/marc-macmillan/215</a><br><a href="http://www.cmac23camps.com/Staff">http://www.cmac23camps.com/Staff</a></p><p>Mavericks School of Baseball: <a href="https://www.myprps.com/news/the-mavericks-and-prairie-rose-partner-to-launch-new-school-of-baseball-this-spring-1704825660121">https://www.myprps.com/news/the-mavericks-and-prairie-rose-partner-to-launch-new-school-of-baseball-this-spring-1704825660121</a><br><a href="https://www.myprps.com/news/mavericks-school-of-baseball-is-back-on-the-field-20241003214848">https://www.myprps.com/news/mavericks-school-of-baseball-is-back-on-the-field-20241003214848</a></p>

This week's parent update - last one of this calendar year! Also a reminder that ski forms are due back by Wednesday this week!

Congratulations Sr. Girls and Boys basketball teams Consolation champions. Girls were in Bashaw and beat Alix in the finals, boys were in Nobleford. Congratulations teams! #kindlehearts

🐊Gator of the week - celebrating student character and leadership. 🐊 Gator of the week for last week was Kaiden! Kaiden’s has been a great addition to Senator Gershaw this year. He is playing basketball and is a great teammate always the first one ready to go at practice! Kaiden was a big help at the BIE Christmas Market volunteering to help set up tables the day prior and then was a personal shopper helping numerous JK-3 students purchase items throughout the morning. Great job Kaiden! #kindlehearts

<p>Parkside Junior High School in Redcliff has a multitude of electives for students to choose from. Throughout the year, all students at the school can select six different electives from over 30 options in a variety of categories, which include fine arts, forging futures, sports, and technology. Under forging futures, one of the options is work experience, which is only open to Grade 9 students.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Vice-Principal Janet Kraft explained, “the students have lots of different opportunities, but one of them is going over to I.F. Cox School to support kids from kindergarten through to Grade 3, maybe working with students, reading to them, or helping them with projects. They might also be helping the teacher in the classroom with marking assignments or creating bulletin boards. There are lots of different ways they are involved at I.F. Cox, and we are thankful to have them so close to us so we can make this program successful.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>A new term of electives began in late November with seven students enrolled in work experience. Jake Druar is assigned to the Grade 1 class at I.F. Cox with teacher Leslie Beaudoin, who taught Druar when he was in Grade 1. Druar signed up for this elective because he enjoys meeting new people and finds younger kids fun to be around. As a goalie on the U15AAA hockey, he already has experience mentoring young players.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“I really like working with kids and wanted to get some experience in the workforce,” stated Druar. “I have a couple of younger siblings, and I do some on-ice work with younger goalies.”&nbsp;</p><p>Beaudoin enjoys having previous students back in her classroom. “It’s very exciting and I love Jake. He knew all the cool music from hockey so I used to always giggle when Jake would sing. He would sing the coolest songs, ones I knew. He would be writing and singing ACDC, it was so funny.”&nbsp;</p><p>Adrianna Eremenko felt the work experience elective was a good opportunity and she enjoys interacting with kids. “I babysit and have younger cousins that I see all the time. They are fun to be around, and I like hanging out with them,” said Eremenko. “I wanted to make an impression and be able to meet new people and spend time with younger kids, colouring with them, doing something fun, helping them read, or other activities.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Teacher Candace Robbins at I.F. Cox School, who has had several work experience students in her classroom throughout the years the elective has been running, said, “I love it. It’s a great way for the schools to connect and for those older students to come and interact with the younger ones at I.F. Cox. They love coming back to the school they attended for their early grades and engaging with their previous teachers, seeing the spaces again and remembering those good feelings of being here. They are like mentors, I find my students love seeing the Parkside students come over, some are brothers and sisters or cousins or they see them on their hockey team, so they already have that connection, and that mentorship really helps them learn and grow. They support us in an academic way, or a social emotional way. It's more like a peer group than an adult, so they feel a closer bond.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer</p>

🏀🧸 Teddy Bear Toss Night: Basketball & Giving Back! 🧸🏀 Tuesday night’s Senior Girls Basketball game was more than just an exciting match up—it was a night of community and compassion! During our annual Teddy Bear Toss Night, spectators filled the court with toques, mitts, and teddy bears, all generously donated to support those in need in our area. ❤️✨ In addition to the toss, attendees brought non-perishable food items for our local food bank, helping ensure that no one goes without this season. This event was a perfect example of how our community comes together to kindle hearts and support one another. A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for an evening of great basketball and giving back—you’ve made a real difference!

<p>This year, Margaret Wooding School started a program of complementary courses divided into three themes: fine arts, lifestyle and leisure, along with tech/STEM. There are three terms every year and students participate in one complementary course each term from a different category.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“After our school review last year, we looked at how we wanted to offer our complementary course program based on feedback from parents,” explained Principal Craig Corsie. “We used that information to design courses that we provide at each grade level. It’s been successful and a bit of a change from how we did it before, but the students have really gotten into the courses we’ve been offering. Each week presents a new challenge and opportunity for students and it's great seeing the kids engaged, smiling and working together on their different tasks.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The first term of complementary courses finished recently, with Grade 4 students taking Life Skills, which was designed to help foster independence, leadership, cooperation and organization through a variety of different activities and challenges. Guest speakers come in and help introduce students to broader concepts and connect the learning to real life.&nbsp;</p><p>Olivia talked about how they played board games, such as Monopoly and that she is good with money. “Speaking about money,” she said, “we had a class on how to handle money. A banker came in, she talked to us about bank accounts and stuff like that.”&nbsp;</p><p>Her friend Jordan added, “we did a home alone course, virtual reality all around the world, learning about the Great Wall of China and other places. In home alone, we learnt about fires, if somebody broke in, if you choke, if you start bleeding and who you should contact.”&nbsp;</p><p>Grade 5 students had VEX Robotics to learn about engineering, design, robotics and coding to construct and program their own robot. Students work through a construction phase and then learn how to create commands to have the robot carry out a variety of functions.&nbsp;</p><p>Both Tommy and Jagger said their favourite part of the course was making an extended grabber. We built it out of pieces supplied by Mr. Buckle and followed instructions,” said Tommy, who added most of the content in the course was new to him. Jagger’s dad is a mechanic and often works in the garage with him. “I know how to build lots of stuff, mostly with wood and metal.”&nbsp;</p><p>In the Grade 6 class, students worked together in groups to tackle cooperative engineering challenges in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) course. The course is designed to teach teamwork, leadership, design thinking and creativity as students analyze challenges and determine the most effective ways to complete the task. There is a competitive nature to each task, which students found made the tasks more enjoyable.&nbsp;</p><p>Deegan and Maddie explained how one of the tasks was to build a table out of newspapers and tape. The students had to be able to put their hand under the table when it was completed and the competition was to see which one lasted the longest when books were placed on top, with Deegan’s group winning the competition.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“That’s what’s we normally do in STEM, is have a competition,” stated Deegan. “It was fun, especially hanging out with the people in the group. We rolled the newspapers, crossed them over each other and kept going. I learned you have to use teamwork and that you can’t be getting down on your team and you have to be positive.”&nbsp;</p><p>Maddie added, “everyone builds their thing, and we’ll have a test and whoever gets the longest or survives the longest wins. My favourite part was when we worked in groups together on challenges, such as the paper chains. Everybody got in groups of three or four and had a big sheet of paper and they had to figure out how to make the longest chain with it. Some did tiny hoops and others did big hoops. You had to have a strategy to figure out how to make yours the longest and beat the other groups.”</p><p>By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer</p>

🪶✨ A Special Learning Experience: Piikani Students Share Their Culture ✨🪶 Today, Senator Gershaw School had the honor of welcoming Piikani students for a powerful and inspiring presentation on the rich traditions of First Nations people in our area. 🌟 Students provided education on: 🎵 Traditional Dancing and its cultural significance 🌫️ Smudging as a sacred tradition 🎨 FNMI Fine Arts and storytelling 🪶 Cultural Traditions and their deep roots in community and respect This presentation was a meaningful opportunity to ignite minds and kindle hearts as we learned more about the heritage and practices of our First Nations neighbors. Thank you to the Piikani students for sharing your knowledge and helping us grow in understanding, respect, and unity. ❤️ #igniteminds #kindlehearts #myprps

Gator of the week - celebrating student character and leadership. Gator of the week for last week was Abigail! Abi was helpful with a student in need of compassion providing a calming presence. Great job Abigail! #kindlehearts

Congratulations Sr. Boys coming home with second place in the Coalhurst tournament this weekend! Great start to the season.

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

🏆👏 Celebrating Excellence in Athletics: Congratulations, Mr. Smith! 👏🏆 Last night at the ASAA Awards Ceremony, our very own Mr. Smith was honored with the Marg Derbeshyre, South Zone ASAA Outstanding Service to High School Athletics Award of Merit! 🎉🌟 This prestigious award recognizes his incredible dedication, leadership, and impact on high school athletics at Senator Gershaw School and beyond. Mr. Smith has been a cornerstone of our athletics program, inspiring students through sports, teamwork, and character-building both on and off the field. His passion for fostering growth and excellence in youth athletics is unmatched, and we’re so proud to see his hard work celebrated! Thank you, Mr. Smith, for helping us ignite minds, kindle hearts, and forge futures through sport. 🏀🏐⚽ #kindlehearts #igniteminds #forgefutures #myprps