The grade three class started an oral storytelling unit by sharing three wonderful traditions from three student cultures. The first student described some wonderful Christmas traditions. The next student talked about an uncle who served as a plane mechanic during World War Two. We also devoured his cinnamon scuffles. Finally, our last student shared gnocchi with butter and sage from his family’s Italian background. We were full and learned so much about our classmates. #igniteminds #kindlehearts

<p>Tanya Johnson has been teaching for 25 years, working in specialized education and substitute teaching for much of her career before moving to teach at a Prairie Rose Hutterite colony school eight years ago. After taking the position, Johnson achieved a master’s degree in ESL and Bilingual Education, for teaching students who are learning more than one language.&nbsp;</p><p>All students at the colony school have German as a first language and the class sizes on this colony are about 20 students each year with grades ranging from kindergarten to Grade 8. “I love spending time with the kids and watching the ‘lightbulb’ moments, when they first understand the concept, I have been trying to teach,” stated Johnson, who added another highlight of teaching is to watch the students grow and develop into becoming good citizens.&nbsp;</p><p>“Every colony is unique and different. My colony is a Lehrerieut Colony and we do not use technology with our learning. My kids start school when they are six and graduate when they are 15 years old. One student graduated a few days ago whom I’ve taught since the day she started school. It was bittersweet, I was sad to see her go because I have worked with her for so many years, but also happy that she is starting the next phase in her life. Teaching the same students every year, you can develop a close relationship and have a huge impact on their lives.”&nbsp;</p><p>Johnson lives in Medicine Hat with an hour commute to get to work each day. “I love my job and where I work. I have an amazing community with a wonderful group of people. On a colony, it is very important for the school and community to work cohesively. We are actively involved doing activities with the people in the community. It’s a unique experience,” explained Johnson. “They value their children and education, and the educators that come to the community to work with them.”&nbsp;</p><p>The closeness Johnson develops leads to willing and enthusiastic students in the classroom and she is able to get to a deeper level of teaching from knowing the children so well and teaching them throughout their schooling. Teaching so many grades requires a teacher who is highly organized and knows all the curriculum throughout the grades she teaches.&nbsp;</p><p>“I need to adapt and be flexible to fit all the student needs in with each of the grades,” stated Johnson. “It’s important that each student is at their level, so I utilize effective curriculum series to address each level. My students don’t get free time, it doesn’t exist in my classroom. Idle hands lead to mischief, so my kids have a challenging curriculum which meets provincial standards. My students are all second language learners and their ability to memorize is extraordinary. They attend German school before and after English school where they memorize bible verses as well as other cultural teachings. Hard work, education, community, and family are some of the core values on a colony. These are wonderful traits to create a warm learning environment. I would never teach anywhere else.”&nbsp;</p><p>By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer&nbsp;</p>

<p>Each afternoon, from Monday to Thursday at Athletic Park, students from Prairie Rose Public Schools (PRPS) are honing their baseball skills. Students from Seven Persons, Irvine, Schuler and Senator Gershaw are all taking part in the Mavericks School of Baseball this year and learning skills that can be carried over into other sports.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Greg Morrison, Owner/General Manager of the Medicine Hat Mavericks who runs the school said, “our academy program is for Grades 4 to 9, and most are in the Grade 5 to 8 range. It works well with the Mavericks baseball team because the fall is a great time for school kids to be working on baseball and it's our downtime for the summer college team. It’s been a great compliment to the overall program with the Mavericks.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>About 55 students are taking part in the program this year with some who will move into the South Alberta Hockey Academy (SAHA) for the winter and then return to the Mavericks School of Baseball in early spring. The school will be outdoors until about mid-October before moving indoors to South Alberta Collegiate for the winter.&nbsp;</p><p>“We have a baseball off-season and that’s when we work on multi-sports. We dial down the baseball skills and ramp up other stuff because they are younger kids, it’s a lot of ball to be doing 10 months a year,” explained Morrison. “Everyone needs an off-season; I played pro-baseball and even we had off-seasons. I got my kinesiology degree as I was wrapping up my 12-year baseball career, so that’s where it helps with the programming side for growth and development along with motor learning. It’s one thing to just show up and do baseball and another to undulate the program over the ten months and keep it a good variety.”&nbsp;</p><p>Educational Assistant Candice Ristau accompanies Irvine School students to take part in the program twice a week. She taught softball for a couple of years and expressed an interest in helping with the baseball program. “I play catch with the kids and run the pitching machine to help them develop a better throwing technique. Sometimes things fall into your lap, and you are blessed to be a part of it.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Irvine School students Casey and Liam both wanted to join the Mavericks School of Baseball because they enjoy playing the game. Casey also plays softball on the U11 Thunder black team and says pitching is her favourite position. Liam feels his game has improved in all areas since he started with the program and second base is his favourite position because he likes picking up ground balls.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Ristau said the most valuable part of the program is helping students build confidence, learning to play as a team and communicating with each other. “If you aren’t confident, I feel like you don’t try hard and keep going in something. Casey’s throwing technique was a little off and now she’s getting better, and we are only three weeks in. Just having a knowledgeable coach who can pick out those areas and fine tune everything will help them from getting shoulder injuries in the future or just make them stronger,” stated Ristau.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p><p>The Mavericks baseball team, who are 18- to 24-year-old college baseball players, get back on the field in May and this past spring worked with the students from PRPS. “It was pretty awesome in the spring,” explained Morrison, “we had probably 10 sessions with our Mavericks coaches and players working with the students as part of their school programming. We brought in our catching coach and did a clinic with the players along with mentoring the students. It’s a unique thing, a Canadian liking baseball and there are way more opportunities for Canadian players. To learn the skills, they need to start at about Grade 4, between the ages of 8 to 10. This is my passion, to show these kids early and then their interest grows because they are having success, they know how to throw a baseball hard by Grade 5 or 6. It’s like anything, good teaching and coaching make a difference.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer&nbsp;</p>

On September 30th teaching staff of BIE and SGS welcomed Jesse Plain Eagle to our school. Jesse built FNMI knowledge within our staff in putting up our tipi and sharing many traditions of Blackfoot people. Students had the opportunity yesterday to explore the tipi! #igniteminds #kindlehearts

<p>This past Friday, September 27, to honour <i>The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation</i>, a group of students from Seven Persons School, accompanied by teacher Tanner Pruden, made the journey to Irvine School to participate in a traditional lacrosse game. Dave and Elizabeth Welton of Nation Lacrosse visited both schools last week to hold workshops on lacrosse skill development and understanding.&nbsp;</p><p>During the week, all students at Irvine painted rocks and prior to the game sat in an orderly row along the sidelines with their rock in front of them. “As part of our rock ceremony, we have done some learning that rocks have a special history for Indigenous culture. We understand that they have been here forever, tell a story and have special meaning for Indigenous people,” explained Vice Principal Heather Gust.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Following the rock ceremony, a group of Grade 6 students read out their individually created land acknowledgements. Dave Welton then spoke briefly before the game began. “We don’t play the game; we make a game. It’s part of the Indigenous history passed onto us from the first people of Turtle Island and then that game moved west in various forms of stick ball.” There are four reasons to play lacrosse, continued Welton, because it is a gift from the creator, to celebrate, to resolve disputes as well as being a part of healing.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Despite the blustery day, players from both schools enthusiastically ran onto the field with Welton acting as referee. At times the game was organized chaos with about 40 players on the field, but everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves and engaged fully in the experience.&nbsp;</p><p>At the close of the game, Welton congratulated both teams for playing a fantastic game and telling the students he thinks good medicine was made on the field. The winner of the inaugural Truth and Reconciliation lacrosse game was Irvine and Welton expressed the hope that a tradition has begun. Welton’s parting gesture was to gift a lacrosse stick that is over 60 years old to Irvine School.&nbsp;</p><p>As Seven Persons was about reboard the bus after the game, Tanner Pruden explained, “they had the option to come out today and about 36 students wanted to join. There was a focus on tribe against tribe and to spread awareness of lacrosse in general.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer&nbsp;</p>

This week's parent update, have a great rest of the weekend!

BIE and SGS joined up for National Terry Fox run today! Great day for a walk - thank you to everyone who donated and joined us on our walk! #kindlehearts

Orange shirt day in recognition of truth and reconciliation! We were fortunate to have Jessica Goodrider join us at BIE to share the Seven Grandfather Teachings! #igniteminds #kindlehearts

We will be doing our Terry Fox Walk with SGS tomorrow morning at 11:00. Any family members are welcome to join us! Although JK and K will not be at school tomorrow, if you would like to bring your child and accompany them for our walk, please do! Students, bring a Toonie for Terry!

Quick reminder today is orange shirt day!

Echo Dale Cross Country Race for all ages takes place this weekend! If you would like to register your child to participate, please see the information attached.

<p>Students of all ages are invited to participate in the annual Echo Dale Cross Country Meet on Saturday, September 28th. Starting times vary by age and skill level. The event is a great opportunity to students to try cross country and have fun amongst friends and fellow classmates. The cost to participate is $10.</p><p>Scheduled run times by category: <a href="https://files.trackie.com/uploads/event/2024-09-23-14-37-52-682567395-523336.pdf?rand=476345011">https://files.trackie.com/uploads/event/2024-09-23-14-37-52-682567395-523336.pdf?rand=476345011</a></p><p>Echo Dale race routes: <a href="https://files.trackie.com/uploads/event/2024-09-23-20-19-46-1256640894-523336.pdf?rand=313599997">https://files.trackie.com/uploads/event/2024-09-23-20-19-46-1256640894-523336.pdf?rand=313599997</a></p><p>Register NOW to reserve your spot: <a href="https://www.trackie.com/event/2024-echo-dale-cross-country-running-high-school-junior-high-and-elementary-meet/1016642/">https://www.trackie.com/event/2024-echo-dale-cross-country-running-high-school-junior-high-and-elementary-meet/1016642/</a></p><p>Note: Teachers and classes who register as a group are asked to contact <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a> for instructions.</p>

Grade 2 visited van der Haar farms and learned all about the crops grown in our area. We were able to see and touch: Durham, wheat, peas, beans, lentils, canola, potatoes and beets. Each student chose a pumpkin for a later art activity. We saw donkeys, sheep, rabbits and Guinea pigs. The students also completed a Fall craft and played a Fall ring toss. We saw beautiful flowers with pollinating bees and impressive tall sunflowers. Thank you to all our parent volunteers (6/13 parents/grandparents joined us), Sonja our bus driver, and to Mrs, van der Haar and Mrs. Huizing for hosting us.

Parent update this week! Slightly different format - audio is on the bottom right - just push play! We have Terry Fox Run on Friday and if students can bring a "Toonie for Terry" we will make a contribution to the Terry Fox organization. Have a great Sunday!

In the hallways at BIE! Math, Social, Science, Art, and character education all on display as you walk through the halls! #kindlehearts #igniteminds

<p>The Parkside Jr High School modernization project which includes a complete school remodel and gymnasium addition is about to go from conception to reality.</p><p>During the province-wide address to Albertans, Premier Danielle Smith announced new funding to advance new school capital projects through a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=91006381D7AE8-B05F-6310-465F3FE7EA529356#jumplinks-0">school construction accelerator program</a>. One of the announced projects was the Parkside Jr High School modernization &amp; addition project which is currently in the final stages of the design phase.&nbsp;</p><p>“This is exciting news for our Redcliff families and the community of Parkside,” says Redcliff trustee Pam Cursons. “The newly modernized facility will be an engaging space for students to learn and a state of the art recreational space for all of Redcliff to enjoy.”</p><p>The project was first advanced in March of 2023 as part of the provincial Capital Plan announcement, but that only included funding to conduct a review of the proposed project and to get the design phase completed. Without construction funding, the project was not able to move forward.</p><p>“Unlike how school projects used to be announced, there are no guarantees that a project that received planning or design funding will be next in-line for full construction funding,” says PRPS Chief Financial Office Ryan Boser. “Our goal was to keep moving the project design forward to the point we were ready to go. We were about to reach that point at the end of October, so the timing of the announcement is perfect.”</p><p>In addition to an upgraded exterior and interior, the school will see many additional improvements including the conversion of the former gymnasium into three new learning spaces which will include a learning commons, science room and CTS lab. The office will be moved from where it is currently located to the front entrance and a new food/concession room that can accommodate hosting school events and tournaments will be added. The biggest change will be the addition of a new larger gymnasium which has been a biggest request from students and community. The school is currently seeking&nbsp;<a href="https://www.myprps.com/news/parkside-seeking-donations-for-gym-expansion-as-part-of-modernization-project-1708028841497">community donations</a> to help fund the increased gymnasium size.</p><p>“Our students, staff and parents have been really excited about this project, however until now it was just something we hoped for and didn’t know when it would happen,” says Parkside principal Jonn Baird. “With this funding announcement we can all start to get really excited about these changes becoming a reality. We can’t wait to host other schools and invite the community into our new space. It is a building all of Redcliff will be proud to use and call its own.”</p><p>More information about the Parkside Jr High School modernization project can be found on the Prairie Rose Public School website including the most recent rendering for the project.</p><p>Read more about the Parkside Jr High School Modernization project online:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.myprps.com/parkside-jr-high-school-modernization-project">https://www.myprps.com/parkside-jr-high-school-modernization-project</a></p>

<p>This coming Thursday, September 19, the Agricultural Discovery Centre (ADC) at Irvine School is hosting a Fall Festival and Welcome Back BBQ. “It’s a great chance for us to welcome our families back and to showcase all the things we do at the ADC,” said ADC Coordinator Nichole Neubauer.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The BBQ portion of the evening will also act as a meet the teacher event and is only for students of Irvine School along with their families. However, the activities, farmers market and auction is open to everyone, explained Shawn Yeast, who teaches Grade 4 along with the AgPro CTF course. Due to the abundance of rain this growing season, the garden has been amazing and there is an abundance of produce to sell.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>This semester, students in the AgPro CTF course have been learning about event planning and have been creating posters and advertising for the upcoming Fall Festival. They’ve been planning activities for those attending to participate in.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Grade 8 student Hayes, who is helping to organize the festival, explained, “We’ll be selling two hogs, two lambs and 13 chickens. There will be pumpkin bowling, arts and crafts, and an egg and spoon race. We are selling farmer’s market stuff also as we had a good harvest. We are selling potatoes, onions, bags of carrots, beets, pumpkins and squash along with eggs from the laying hens. The Foods Class in the school made some muffins and other items that will also be for sale.”&nbsp;</p><p>Yeast added there will also be a photo booth along with a selfie contest during the evening. “We are trying to get some of the family pictures included and have a contest with three categories: most unique, most authentic and funniest picture. The CTF students will vote on the photos to choose the winners.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The activities will run from 5 to just before 7 p.m., which is when the auction will begin. There will be a garden tractor train on hand to transport people between the school and the ADC. David Lutz is once again volunteering his time to be the auctioneer for the evening with all money raised used for programming and operation costs for the ADC.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>This year, the two steers, which were once again donated to the ADC by Short Grass Ranches, will be sold by live auction at the Medicine Hat Feeding Company the day prior to the Fall Festival, on Wednesday, September 18 at 9 a.m. Two students from Irvine School, Senya, who is Vice President of the ADC Board, and Lexi, Secretary of the board, will act as ambassadors of the ADC at the auction.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“They speak before the auction to talk about the program and the importance of agriculture education and enhancing ag-literacy and agri-food literacy for students and the work the ADC is putting towards that. The current price of cattle is very high, and we want to ensure the steers sell for market value and this will guarantee that,” stated Neubauer.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Lexi and Senya feel honoured to be chosen to represent the ADC at the auction. “It felt good that we were highly spoken of,” said Lexi.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“We are going to thank everyone and explain where our steers came from and talk about how they were raised. I don’t know how much they weigh, but my bet is on about 1,300 lbs I’m guessing,” added Senya.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer&nbsp;</p>

Apple pick-up today! Should be here by 3pm - please make the effort to pick-up if you ordered apples! Thank you for your support!

This week’s parent update. Have a great week!

School Council/Parent Advisory Council meeting today! All parents of BIE are welcome and encouraged to attend. BIE Art Room @ 3:30pm. Babysitting provided!