<p>A year ago, students at Senator Gershaw School in Bow Island began publishing the <a href="https://bowislandioc.ca/"><i>In Our Community</i> publication</a>. A mainstay in Bow Island, Foremost, Burdett and area for many years, the school bought the business when the former owner retired.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“It’s a service our community wants and we had the infrastructure here (at the school) so we bought it,” said Principal Scott Angle. The publication is still run as a business with students applying for positions and getting paid through a profit-sharing system. Three students - editor, finance and publisher/editor - are employed and the more advertising they bring in, the more they earn.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Advertising is beginning to branch out of Bow Island, with some coming in from Seven Persons and Medicine Hat recently. A website is being added soon and there is currently both a paper and online version available.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“It’s almost all student run and we’ve added a hometown hero to recognize people in our community that do great things,” stated Angle. “We’ve been doing it for about a year now and it’s been fairly successful.”&nbsp;</p><p>It’s not only about advertising, in addition to the Hometown Hero feature, <i>In Our Community</i> also lets those reading know about upcoming events.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Grade 9 student Alayna Martens was hired as the editor this year and appreciates she can do the job during school hours once her other schoolwork is complete. She is gaining valuable work experience and learning new skills – software programs, communication skills, editing and how to formally reply to an email – along with engaging as a team member.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“My job is to reply to emails and ensure everyone knows what we are doing. I tell the boys if there are ads we need to do. It’s fun and a great experience,” said Martens.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p><i>In Our Community</i> comes out once a month and is delivered through the post office to each mailbox free of charge. Student employees will also deliver copies where needed. Martens puts in about 12 to 13 hours each month and works each day to keep up with incoming emails.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“I think community feedback has been quite positive, the Hometown Heroes has really brought some light to different people and made people realize there are lots of organizations out there. I look through old newspapers or online, then call people to ask them if I can do a write up on them,” concluded Martens.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer&nbsp;</p>

Back to school ...

<p><strong>Corey Steeves - School Administration Leadership</strong></p><p>Corey Steeves, principal at Foremost School, gave a presentation on strategies to elevate and flourish as a school leader. “I’ve been doing some research the last couple of years on strategies as a school leader to support well-being and I’ve always had a passion for speaking.” Steeves put together a presentation based on his research to share strategies with other school leaders.&nbsp;</p><p>“Being school leader is a complex job with lots of moving parts and sometimes they feel like they are on their own. I’m going to talk about the power of social capital, or who is in your support network. Education is a learning ecosystem where you have all these other parties that help each other out, leadership is the same,” stated Steeves.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>He feels fortunate to be part of the School Leader Wellbeing Generative Listening group started last year in partnership with Horizon School Division. Principals and division office staff from PRPS and Horizon meet once a month to discuss school leader wellbeing. “That’s a part of social capital,” explained Steeves, “we leave that meeting feeling as good or better than when we walked in.” He also talked about contextual literacy, which is knowing context and understanding communities.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Kelli-Ann Nixdorf - Canva in the Classroom</strong></p><p>Kelli-Ann Nixdorf was a teacher at Eagle Butte High School before becoming an Instructional Coach and finds the best part of this new role is being in every school across all grade levels within the division. Both presentations by Nixdorf were on Canva, the first on the Education Library and the second on Magic Studio.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“Canva has a massive library with thousands of templates and resources for K-12, including activities, worksheets, full lesson plans and presentations.” said Nixdorf. Her first presentation's aim was to give participants a clear understanding of how to access and filter the library to access material or information required.&nbsp;</p><p>Last year the Canva education library was limited, but now it is fully loaded explained Nixdorf, although it can be overwhelming if one doesn’t know where to look or if they haven’t used the program before. After a quick demonstration on how to access the education library and how to filter, Nixdorf turned the session over to the audience to make it interactive and help those in attendance find resources on topics they were interested in.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Nixdorf’s second session on the Canva Magic Studio was content driven. The magic studio contains AI tools that have ChatGPT in the background with Canva-added filters to make the AI more user-friendly. The design feature of the studio can, for example, create a six-slide presentation on the water cycle and will provide five different versions for the user to choose from. Depending on the reliability of the WiFi at MHC, Nixdorf was planning to demonstrate how to use Magic Convert, which will take a presentation and convert it into a digital or printed handout.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Cammie Kannekens - The AI Frontier in the Classroom</strong></p><p>Instructional Coach Cammie Kannekens, who was an English and Social Studies Teacher at Eagle Butte before moving into her current role in 2017, gave two presentations on AI, the first more general knowledge and the second on the generative AI frontier in the classroom.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Using an alphabet wheel, Kannekens discussed a topic related to AI with the letter the wheel landed on. “It’s a fun one to do with random, internet things people haven’t seen before. This will be the first time I’ve done it with AI because it is fairly new,” said Kannekens about her first session.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Regarding her second session, Kannekens added, “in the last year, we’ve been able to say this is a great tool for teachers, here’s lots of ways AI can save time and make you more productive and maybe help to have a higher quality output in a shorter period of time, that part is fairly straightforward. Right now, we are on that precipice with some teachers using AI and tools that are more for students, but there is a lot of ethical, moral, safety, and privacy issues once you start looking at using AI with students.” The goal of this presentation was how to teach students about AI, both the benefits and shortcomings, along with giving teachers ideas of on how to shift their teaching so it is more appropriate in an AI world.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Nichole Neubauer - Agro Food Kits</strong></p><p>Nichole Neubauer is Coordinator of the Agricultural Discovery Centre (ADC) at Irvine School. “This year’s Teachers’ Convention will mark the official launch of the EQUS Agro-Food toolkits. These resources were created thanks to a generous donation by EQUS and will be housed at the Irvine School ADC. They are designed to be an outreach tool for teachers who might not be able to get their students to a farm, so instead we’ve found a really fun way to bring the farm to them.”&nbsp;</p><p>Neubauer had a table in Centennial Hall with examples of several toolkits available and during her presentation on Friday afternoon, she will go into detail about one of the kits. They are available to teachers at no charge thanks to the EQUS grant with each one on loan for about one month. All teachers throughout each of the three school divisions in the Medicine Hat area can request a kit, along with those from other communities EQUS serves, which are Claresholm, Onoway and Innisfail.&nbsp;</p><p>Chicken hatching cycle, growing crops, hydroponics and aquaponics (growing plants in a soilless environment), honeybees and vermicomposting are all available. Links are provided so educators can create activities connected to the curriculum using supplies within the toolkits. For example, the vermicomposting kit will have a vermicomposter, worms, activity suggestions for students K-6, microscopes, spray bottles, petri dishes, and suggestions for experiments to make the learning fun and hands-on for each student.&nbsp;</p><p>By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer</p>

<p>There was a good turnout at the South Alberta School of Trades Open House at Medicine Hat College on February 13 with about 100 people coming out for the two in- person sessions held in the evening along with an online one during the day for the Foremost and Oyen areas. Interest is high and enrollment for the program is already near capacity.&nbsp;</p><p>Sherry Craven, Student Experience Designer, explained the structure of the program will be cohorts of 12 with up to 48 students accepted each year. “If anyone wants to get their first-year apprenticeship by the time they graduate (from high school), this program is going to help them realize their interests and put the resources behind helping them find the path that is best for them. My goal would be that by graduation, they have their first year (post-secondary) under their belt, but at the very least they are coming in and learning all kinds of life and job skills, getting themselves to be more employable,” stated Craven.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>In the first year, Grade 10 students experience two weeks in each of the seven trades – plumbing, welding, electrical, automotive, carpentry, heavy duty mechanics, and pipefitting – giving them the opportunity to experience a variety of trades to find those that most interest them.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>In the second year, students will choose from one of four clusters, each containing two trades. “The clusters are already decided, they will pick one cluster. They will get experience in two trades of whatever is in the cluster they are most interested in,” explained Craven.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>At the end of Grade 11, students will have both high school and post-secondary credits along with, hopefully, gaining work experience. “In addition to all the stuff being done in school, the students need to be getting out and getting jobs and experience in the field,” stated Craven. “They are starting work experience in the summer by Grade 11. In addition to taking this dual credit class, they will hopefully be registering in RAP (Registered Apprenticeship Program) by Grade 11.”&nbsp;</p><p>Declan Grant and his friend Cooper Melvin, both Grade 9 students at Parkside School in Redcliff, attended the open house and are excited about the School of Trades. They have experience in the plumbing lab and electrical lab at Medicine Hat College as part of a program through Parkside. Declan’s mom Amy said, “when I heard they came out with this I was pretty excited because Declan has been interested in mechanics for quite some time, heavy duty specifically because he is a fairly big guy.”&nbsp;</p><p>Cooper is interested in carpentry and thinks it would be cool to build a house one day. Cooper’s mom Joni said, “this is a fantastic opportunity and just to have a leg up going in and being hooked up with pre-employment and the connections they can get through this program. To be able to know this is what they are really interested in before investing in college, it’s just fantastic on so many levels.”&nbsp;</p><p>Trustee Shauna VanderSpruit attended the open house and was thrilled about the great turnout at the event. “When these opportunities are presented to the Prairie Rose school community, it gives kids an opportunity in a school setting to step out of their comfort zone and try something new. They can experience college life while still in high school. Lots of kids who know they want to be in trades are interested early, but there are still those students who don’t realize that trades is a great career and this will give them the opportunity to see that sooner.”&nbsp;</p><p>For Eagle Butte students, the commute to Medicine Hat College will not be overly taxing, but for those coming in from Oyen, Bow Island and Foremost, more planning will be required by the schools.&nbsp;</p><p>“The advantage we have there,” stated VanderSpruit, “is we have an executive team and administrators at the schools who are so willing to think outside the box and to make it happen for these kids, going that extra mile across the school division.”&nbsp;</p><p>Principal of Foremost School Corey Steeves said mechanics is once again available as an option at the school and many students, along with their parents, are interested in trades education. Steeves understands the need for people trained in the trades and is aware of the future benefits of the new program, thus he is willing to do whatever it takes to make it work for Foremost students.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“The way it’s laid out is awesome, where in Grade 10 you don’t know what you don’t know,” added Steeves. “They might think they are interested in the trades and only be thinking about heavy duty mechanics, but what’s awesome about that first year is they will be exposed to all those other trades and they might realize they like another one of them more. We’ve seen the power of the Flight Academy and Fire Academy and our Rodeo Academy, things like that, where students are experiencing as they are learning are super valuable.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The School of Trades will offer students hands-on, experiential learning while providing them a jump start to their post-secondary education. “It’s a good opportunity to have strong supports behind you as a student to find their path,” concluded Craven. “When I talk to adults, they wish there was something like this when they were younger. I have a 26-year-old going into his carpentry apprenticeship and I never had an inkling he would want to do that. Getting that early start and finding out if you are interested, what your passions are, is highly valuable.”&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer</p>

<p><i>Photo: New logo for the AgPro program at Irvine School</i></p><p>Principal of Irvine School Trent Rayner, along with three students and teacher Logyn Jacksteit, gave a presentation to the Board of Trustees at the regularly scheduled meeting on February 13.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“I think the ultimate success of a program is when you are able to have it branch out to other students,” said Rayner. “That happened with the Ag-Pro Western Tractor course when Corey Steeves reached out last year.”&nbsp;</p><p>Steeves is Principal of Foremost School and thought the Ag-Pro course would be a perfect fit for the community. “School-wise we really try to have a lot of hands-on, very place-based learning. There is lots of research behind the power of place and the power of students where they live,” stated Steeves.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>People learn best in the environments they love, and the school has numerous students who live on farms or around farms with around 20 kids from Grades 7, 8 and 9 taking the course. “What was cool about the Western Tractor course is it takes in different avenues, they aren’t just working on the mechanics part, which is very important, but they are also getting into sales and marketing and all those other neat areas,” said Steeves. “Kids are excited about it and parents have commented on how happy they are with the course.”&nbsp;</p><p>Foremost students have just started the Western Tractor Ag-Pro course, they are working through WHMIS and other class-based learning and will have their first on location visit on February 27. It was a simple process to transfer the course from Irvine to Foremost School as creators of the course Logyn Jacksteit and Nichole Neubauer put together a complete program plan that is easy to use.&nbsp;</p><p>Grade 8 student Senya Hietamaa talked to the board about the certification courses she’s taken at Irvine School, which are another new CTF-option addition for junior high students at the school. The first course she took part in was emergency first-aid, which was combined with a babysitter’s course. In the second course, each student tailored what they took to suit their interests, selecting from, among others, sports anatomy, computers, nutrition, driver’s education, second languages, resume building, boat license, animal care, stocks, bonds and taxes, mechanics, and Alberta Health food safety.&nbsp;</p><p>“I did the animal care. I have many pigs at home and we just got them and we don’t know a whole lot about them and how to take care of them. I took the course and I learnt so much and I got so much information from it that I got to do a presentation for 4-H,” explained Hietamaa. “I also looked at the stocks, bonds and taxes course and it was very confusing at first, but I did learn a lot because I don’t know anything about taxes, I’m in Grade 8.”&nbsp;</p><p>Additionally, Hietamaa also took part in resume building and the food safety courses. She concluded by saying she enjoyed all the courses, which were incredibly valuable, providing each student with skills they can put on their resume.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Logyn Jacksteit is currently teaching Grade 6 and 7 language arts and some of the CTF options and presented to the board the two new courses added to the Ag-Pro lineup this year. “Western Tractor CTF was a success and Nichole Neubauer and myself put our heads together this year to plan two additional courses that started just a couple weeks ago,” said Jacksteit.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The two new courses are Ag-Pro Beef and Ag-Pro Crops with both courses having more students interested than they had spaces available. The beef course is well under way, acquainting the students with the cattle industry by bringing in guest speakers and taking the students on multiple field trips.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“Students have a large project at the end to create a scale-model of a cattle handling system in class and it will be judged by professionals,” explained Jacksteit. “They will have to consider animal stress and welfare along with efficiency of the cattle handle system.”&nbsp;</p><p>Ag-Pro Crops will follow a similar format with field trips to the Rattlesnake Reservoir, Nutrien, and Big Marble Farms, to name a few. The students will be studying crops that can be grown in the classroom as well as aquatic systems that can be built in a home to grow plants without soil. At the end of the year, all Ag-Pro students from the three courses will be taken on an overnight field trip to Olds College to get further information on post-secondary options after they complete high school.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;Jacksteit also mentioned new merchandise has been ordered that will reflect the programs. If you would like a hoodie, email him as he promises they will be good conversation starters.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Grade 9 student Odin Jordet gave his perspective on Ag-Pro and how the knowledge gained and people met along the way are why students gravitate to these courses. The courses provide opportunities for students with a background in agriculture and those who don’t.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“The Ag-Pro program is very inclusive for kids who are shy or who don’t know how to get started in agriculture,” stated Jordet. “This program has made myself and many of my friends consider jobs in agriculture for when we get out of school. When I did the Western Tractor program it made me more confident around large machinery.”&nbsp;</p><p>The courses have shown Jordet that learning inside and outside the classroom can be fun while staying on task. Agriculture is the backbone of our society and Ag-Pro provides a new perspective on the amount of work it takes to get the food we eat daily to the table.&nbsp;</p><p>Katelyn Sheppard was involved with the Western Tractor program at the end of her Grade 8 year and most enjoyed learning about the sales department where they learned how to connect with customers and build confidence. Sheppard has also enrolled in both the beef and crop courses and is learning lots and hopes more schools start educating their students on agriculture.&nbsp;</p><p>By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer&nbsp;</p>

Great day at Temple Fitness with the SASS girls. We worked on strengthening our muscles and core to get ready for ball season. #forgingfutures #kindlinghearts

Jr. High Culinary Arts option took a trip to America today with cheese burger sliders on homemade buns, oven fries, and milkshakes! Stay tuned for our trip to Italy next 😁#forgefutures #igniteminds

Raquet sports option would like to thank parent council for the new pickleball nets, paddles and pickleball balls!! It is greatly appreciated and the PE classes look forward to playing as well! Special shout out to Karen Murray for coming out to our class today to coach us on this amazing sport!!

<p>The February 13, 2024, Board Meeting Agenda Package can be found here: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mEKoxSYAFibSXZFwclmZusTVqRzMG0y6/view">February 13, 2024, Board Meeting Agenda</a></p><p><strong>Irvine School Presentation</strong><br>Irvine School Principal Trent Rayner was joined by teacher Logyn Jacksteit and students Senya Hietamaa, Katelyn Sheppard and Odin Jordet to share information about two new programs being offered at the school aimed to provide junior high students with job-ready skills.&nbsp;</p><ul><li><strong>Skills Certification Courses:</strong> Grade 8 student Senya gave a short presentation to the board about the new Skills Certification Courses each junior high student would participate in this spring. Students can choose from various certification options, including Red Cross, first aid, babysitting, nutrition, resume building, animal care, mechanics, referee courses, driver's education, computer programming, boating license and more. Principal Rayner explained that this is something the school has wanted to offer for some time now and was able to get organized this spring under the direction of teacher Linda Kraft. The goal is to ensure each student can get certified in something they can add to their resume as they start building a job application.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;</li><li><strong>AgPro Western Tractor:</strong> Grade 9 students Katelyn and Odin and teacher Logyn Jacksteit talked about the AgPro program, which has three different course options for students to learn about. Last fall, students participated in the Western Tractor option, which included learning about farm equipment operations and sales. This spring, the program has added AgPro Crops and AgPro Beef courses. Students are currently taking the AgPro Beef course, where they are learning about the cattle business, feedlot operations, cattle auctioning, butchering, land management, and animal stress and welfare. In AgPro Crops, Jacksteit says they will shift to learning about food growing with several field trips planned, including Nutrien Ag Solutions and Big Marble, to name a few. The students will also learn about aquatic systems, fish fertilization and plants. Both Odin and Katelyn shared what they have learned so far from the AgPro program and why they think all students should know about where their food comes from in school.</li></ul><blockquote><p>A full length story of the Irvine presentation can be found here: <a href="https://www.myprps.com/news/irvine-jr-high-students-learn-about-agriculture-and-gain-advanced-skills-1708104559850">https://www.myprps.com/news/irvine-jr-high-students-learn-about-agriculture-and-gain-advanced-skills-1708104559850</a></p></blockquote><p><strong>Executive Report</strong><br>Superintendent Reagan Weeks shared that the announcement of the new Mavericks School of Baseball and the South Alberta School of Softball had been very well received by students and families. Currently, 89 students are registered across the division in both programs. It was also shared that PRPS successfully launched the new online registration program on February 1, Eagle Butte was set to host a SEAVC volleyball camp on March 15, and new STEM and Vex Robotics options were being added at Eagle Butte and Ralston schools.</p><p><strong>Quarterly Financial Report</strong><br>Finance Controller Candice Hintz shared the quarterly financial update as of November 30, 2023. Overall, PRPS expects a $571,000 funding increase for the year due to increased enrollment over initial projections. It was also noted that increased revenues are expected due to the launch of new academy programs and BATUS funding. Revenues are forecasted to come in $813,750 higher than budgeted. On the expense side, certificated salaries and benefits have been adjusted to reflect an increase in teacher time (due to increased enrollment and increased staffing purchased by schools). Additional costs will also be incurred due to other expenses related to academy programs (including additional transportation costs), modular demolition costs (New Brigden), and additional grants. The school division is now expecting a decrease in the projected deficit for the year of $2,987, with a new expected overall deficit of $1,365,445.</p><p><strong>Transportation Accountability Report</strong><br>Director of Transportation Derek Beck presented the Transportation Accountability Report for information.&nbsp;</p><p>Highlights of the report include:</p><ul><li>An increase in total bus routes from 83 to 87</li><li>Route contractors include Southland (68), First Student (8), Old West Transportation (5), Independent (6)</li><li>An increase in the number of student bus riders from 1,884 to 2,025</li><li>An increase in kilometres travelled each day by school buses from 17,274 to 17,644</li><li>Continued cooperative bussing agreements with Chinook and Sun West school divisions in Saskatchewan, Cherry Coulee and Holy Spirit school divisions in Bow Island, Christ the Redeemer in Oyen and Grasslands School Division to Duchess.</li><li>The longest bus ride in the school division is 115 minutes per day.</li><li>The overall average cost of a bus route in 2022-2023 was $63,863</li></ul><p>It was noted that all PRPS bus routes were coming up for tender this spring. An RFP package will be posted online, in community papers and emailed to current and former bus contractors. The full presentation can be found in the February 13, 2024, Board Meeting Agenda package.</p><p><strong>Communications Accountability Report</strong><br>Director of Communications Angela Baron presented the Communications Accountability Report for information.&nbsp;</p><p>Highlights of the report included:</p><ul><li>An overview of communication channels and tools for parents and staff.</li><li>A summary of social media and website account activity.</li><li>A summary of communications initiatives completed during the 2022-2023 year and upcoming planned projects.</li></ul><p>It was shared that two of the larger projects this past fall included implementing the new online school registration software, School Engage, managed through Communications, and completing/launching the new PRPS brand. The full presentation can be found in the February 13, 2024, Board Meeting Agenda package.</p><p><strong>Other Items:</strong></p><ol><li>Trustees approved the following policy changes as presented:<ul><li>Ends #1 Guiding Principles (combined numerous policies into one)</li><li>GP#15 Trustee Development</li></ul></li><li>The board approved the extension of MNP for auditing services for two years.</li><li>The board approved the spending of $250,000 from Capital Reserves towards purchasing a new teacherage in Oyen to accommodate new staff moving to the area.</li><li>ASBA Report - No report. The next meeting is on February 14, 2024.</li><li>PSBA Report - No report.</li><li>Rural Caucus - The next meeting is on March 3, 2024, before the Rural Education Symposium.</li></ol>

As a school, we raised $1970 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation through Jump Rope for Heart. The students who collected the largest donations received their prizes today, which will keep them active and heart-healthy!

Egg drop …. Take 4

Egg drop … take 3

Egg drop …. Take 2

The grade 4D class created some crazy egg contraptions to test during their unit on gravity. There were some thrills…and some spills… but having fun while learning is always the goal! More videos to follow.

4D egg drop

<p>The February 13, 2024, PRPS Public Board Meeting will take place at the Prairie Rose Public Schools Division Office starting at 12:45 p.m. The meeting is only available in-person.</p><p>The complete agenda package can be found here: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mEKoxSYAFibSXZFwclmZusTVqRzMG0y6/view?usp=drive_link">February 13, 2024 Board Meeting Agenda</a></p>

Girls Basketball Team is selling baking and Gatorade/drinks in the concession tomorrow at lunch. #wolfpack

The week ahead ... AND a reminder that the forms and payment for the grade 1-5 basketball camp is due on Thursday, February 15th!

The Seven Persons School #wolfpack is having a great weekend of basketball. Our girls are hosting a tournament and the A Boys are St. Mary's School Medicine Hat.

Thank you everyone for supporting the Grade 3 Bake Sale for their Pen Pals in Tanzania. They raised just over $600 to buy some much needed supplies for their friends. #kindlehearts #forgefutures