🌟 Over the past few weeks, we’ve started our ‘Spot It, Jot It’ jar inspired by Deanne Smigelski from OPS! A big thank you to Ms. Lauren for her creativity in crafting the jar to hold our notes. Each week, our K-6 students focus on character education, and we wanted to shift our attention to the kindness and positive actions happening around our school. We’ve been discussing why we perform kind gestures-not for recognition, but to fill our emotional bank accounts because doing good feels good! Every Friday, we read the notes from the jar, and we’ve noticed an increase in kindness and good deeds since starting this initiative. Let’s keep spreading positivity! 💖 #kindlehearts #myprps #kindness Prairie Rose Public Schools

🌟 This week is Substitute Appreciation Week, and we at NBS want to spotlight our amazing substitutes: Gayle Vass, Tami Cox, and Sharon Berg! Thank you for all that you do for us. Your dedication and expertise ensure that our students are in great hands when we’re away. We are incredibly lucky to have such wonderful teachers stepping in to fill our shoes, and your contributions make a significant difference in our school community. Thank you for being a vital part of NBS! 🙌💖 #kindlehearts #substituteappreciationweek #myprps Prairie Rose Public Schools

<p>Connie Volk and her husband chose to retire to Medicine Hat because their daughter and son-in-law live here along with two grandchildren. Volk enjoys being actively involved in the lives of her grandchildren and participating in school activities. “I get to do these things now that I’m here and I love it. It’s fun to go on field trips when you aren’t in charge,” she said.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>In 2017, Volk retired from 30 years of teaching and has subbed since then. She enjoys being in different classrooms and meeting kids of all ages. Having taught primarily in rural schools, Volk is used to multi-grade classrooms and says it’s a treat to be with a single grade. Eagle Butte holds a particular fondness for Volk as it is the first school she subbed at in the Medicine Hat region. “I enjoy all the schools and all the kids, it’s what I like most about subbing. I love being around kids,” stated Volk. “When you are around kids, your whole focus is on them. They don’t give you time to drift off and think of anything else. They are all so unique.”&nbsp;</p><p>Even when not with the same students each day, Volk still gets to experience those moments when one understands a concept they’ve been struggling with. “It’s hard for teachers when they have lots of students in their class, they can’t get around to help everyone,” said Volk. “I love being at Margaret Wooding, because sometimes they have me go to different classrooms and I get to experience the entire school.”&nbsp;</p><p>Daniel Tieman received his education degree later in life. His first love is music and upon graduating from high school he attended post-secondary to pursue a music degree. Several years later, he returned to post-secondary to become a teacher. After working in schools around Alberta and spending a year in Prince Edward Island, Tieman chose to become a full-time substitute teacher in the Medicine Hat region. He has subbed in many Prairie Rose Public Schools over the years and now has the luxury of choosing when to sub.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“At this point in my career and life, I do some consulting, some writing, along with music, working with bands, choirs and orchestras. I’m still composing, although haven’t published anything. I also do some instrument repair,” stated Tieman. “I’m not called for many music classes, which is unfortunate because I love that. One day I can get called for ECS and the next I can get called for Grade 12 physics, which is crazy because I was not a math guy going through school but once I got out and into the classroom, it suddenly clicked.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Tieman appreciates the different strategies available for approaching different learning concepts. Additionally, there are many online resources to support a teacher in the classroom. “As an educator myself, I don’t worry so much about the answer at the end. What I want to look at is how they got there, their thought process. Once we look at the thought process, this is how they are thinking, let's work through that and find the answer.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>He's learnt through his career as a musician that making mistakes sometimes brings the brightest learning opportunities. From his own experiences as a student, he excelled under those teachers, instructors and coaches who were willing to experiment, to take his mistakes and work with them.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“It’s absolutely freeing. I’m not so tense or frozen. Many times, I wanted to quit because of being too anxious or afraid to go to the lessons. I’d rather be excited to show my instructor what I’ve worked on this week. This is what I’m doing, this is where I’m going. It allows for more expressive creativity and enjoyment of learning. Learning more from having the freedom to make an error and to be able to show it then go back and look at different outputs and avenues.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer&nbsp;</p>

<p>The next Prairie Rose Public Schools board meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 11, 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/1tYdJuH1Zu24vxKhE9EBLW6bBdsNHLEkF/view?usp=drive_link">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tYdJuH1Zu24vxKhE9EBLW6bBdsNHLEkF/view?usp=drive_link</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p>

🌈 Last week, our Grade 1-2 classes had a blast in science class with Ms. Vass, exploring the wonders of light! They learned about refraction and how light bends, and were amazed when they got to hold the rainbow they created! It was a hands-on experience that sparked curiosity and excitement among our little scientists! #igniteminds #forgefutures #myprps Prairie Rose Public Schools

🎉 Better late than never! We recently celebrated our February birthdays with delicious ice cream treats! 🍦Happy belated Facebook birthday wishes to our four NBS students: • Jaxson Blair, who turned 10 on Feb. 17th 🎂 •Danny Fehr, who also turned 10 on Feb. 18th 🎈 •Halen Blair, who celebrated turning 12 on Feb. 20th 🎊 •Emily Fehr, who turned 12 on Feb. 27th 🎁 We hope you all had amazing birthdays filled with joy and laughter! 📣📣 Shout out to Nelson Tye for always doing our running to Sedalia for our birthday treats, and many other errands. We appreciate you! 📣📣 #kindlehearts #myprps Prairie Rose Public Schools

📚🤠 We were very fortunate to have local author and cowboy poet, Del Pratt, and his wife, Sheila, join us at NBS yesterday! Del shared his journey of getting his books published, including insights on cover designs and illustration edits. He recited many of his poems, captivating us with his storytelling ability that brought his words to life! Sheila kept the presentation engaging with great ideas, and together, they inspired our young writers. As we prepare for our Exhibition of Learning at the end of May, our students are excited to compile their own poems from through out the year. We look forward to inviting Del and Sheila back to see the talents of our young poets on display! Thank you so much for your time with us, and for the donation of your books to our library. Greatly appreciated! 📚 #igniteminds #forgefutures #kindlehearts #localwriter #cowboypoetry #myprps Prairie Rose Public Schools

🏀🏀 Last week, our Grade 4-6 students traveled to Oyen for their first mini basketball tournament of the year at Assumption School! In our first game, we faced one of the Assumption teams, and for our second game, we played against Youngstown. A huge thank you to Ms. Lauren for her dedication in teaching the fundamental skills of the game. Anyone who coaches, knows that coaching the beginner skills and rules of the game is not easy. Her patience truly deserves applause! 👏 🎉 We also want to express gratitude to Mrs. Tye for coordinating our parent drivers, as well as to all the drivers and fans who came out to support our young athletes. It was fantastic to hear the students showcased great teamwork on the court, and I look forward to coming to cheer you all on next week! Mark your calendars 🗓️ for our next mini tournament on Wednesday, March 12th! We look forward to more friendly competition! #kindlehearts #myprps Prairie Rose Public Schools

🍪 Thursday was National Oreo Cookie Day. We want to extend a huge thank you to our wonderful Mrs. Tye and her special little helper, Cabrie, for taking the extra time in their evening to make us delicious, homemade Oreos! Why can’t it be National Oreo Cookie day each week? Haha! Your generosity brought smiles to everyone’s faces. #kindlehearts #myprps Prairie Rose Public Schools

A big thank you to Mr. Ray and his wife, Wendy, for their generous donation of a case of delicious oranges for our healthy snack program! Your kindness helps us promote healthy eating among our students, and these sweet treats are much appreciated! #kindlehearts #myprps Prairie Rose Public Schools

<p>Last week, eligible PRPS families received an email along with a unique code through School Messenger with information on how to complete the annual Alberta Education Assurance Survey. The survey is designed to gather feedback from parents to assess the quality of education in their school and will take less than 5 mins to complete. Please check your email if you have not yet completed the form. All submissions must be completed by March 21, 2025.</p>

<p>Home education and online learning offer unique challenges and Corey Steeves, Principal of the Home Plus Learning Network, part of Prairie Rose Public Schools (PRPS), is always looking for ways to enhance the learning experience of students. Starting this term, Steeves has introduced a new virtual program called <i>Passions to Pathways</i> where individuals in the community are invited to speak for 30 minutes about their career and the path that led them there.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“Regular schools have lots of really cool programs and theme days and we are trying to figure out how can we make these experiences for students who are engaged in home ed learning or online schooling,” stated Steeves. “I was reading about a school in New Hampshire that is an online school who are doing something similar. We are trying to expose students to different career paths. That’s why I came up with the name Passions to Pathways, which links into what PRPS is doing division wide with Forging Futures.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Steeves has a list of every possible job he could think of and is attempting to find interested parties from each to give a presentation. So far, MP Glen Motz, psychologist Vanessa Steeves and Sgt. Adam Gregory of the Medicine Hat Police Service have given talks about their careers.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>All speakers have been virtual, but there are plans to have hybrid-sessions, where the speaker comes into the South Alberta Collegiate building and students have the option of watching the presentation virtually or coming to the building for an in-person experience. Additionally, there are also plans to record the presentations for those unable to watch it live. As the Home Plus Learning Network ranges from Oyen right down to Foremost, it’s essential to provide multiple options for all students so that no one misses out on available learning opportunities.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Another idea Steeves has is to reach out to principals within PRPS to let them know of upcoming speakers, so the option is available for classrooms to login during the presentation. This is a project Steeves is passionate about, and his plan is to continue growing the audience numbers.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“At the end of the day we want students to get exposure to different careers,” said Steeves. “We want to highlight the path itself. We want to show students that when you look at the job or career a person has, what is unknown is the work and all the trial and error it took to get there. I know before I got into teaching, I worked at a bank for two years and then I realized I didn’t want to do that.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer&nbsp;</p>

❄️ Despite the frigid cold snap before the break, we finally got to enjoy some sunshine and fresh air during our Family Winter Walk yesterday afternoon! 🌞 A huge thank you to all the parents and grandparents who were able to join us. It’s always wonderful to see our community come together! We hope to participate in more winter festivities outdoors before the season ends, soaking up that much needed vitamin-D! #kindlehearts #forgefutures #winterwalk #myprps Prairie Rose Public Schools

💻 On Thursday, NBS students had the pleasure of welcoming Mrs. Kannekens, who shared her time and expertise with us! She kicked things off with the Grade 4-6 group, introducing them to CS First, a safe Scratch block-coding environment, where they created their own Google logos. The fun continued with our Grade 1-3 students, who enjoyed coding with the VEX123 robots! Our students are always excited when Mrs. Kannekens visits, and her wealth of knowledge makes learning so much fun! 🌟 Engaging with coding enhances our students’ problem-solving skills and creativity. #igniteminds #forgefutures #coding #myprps Prairie Rose Public Schools

<p>The payroll department within Prairie Rose Public Schools (PRPS) has seen some changes this year, with two new employees taking over this important department. In September, Carla McNally and Amber Kitching both joined division office to fill vacant positions and are responsible for paying all staff.&nbsp;</p><p>Having worked under various government contracts and trained to be a paramedic, Carla McNally was looking for a job with regular hours after the birth of her first child. When she was ready to return to work, she used an employment service, who placed her in an accounting department. “Payroll chose me, but I found I really enjoyed it because I like making numbers work,” explained McNally.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>McNally took over Marlene Joyal’s position and started work at the end of September last year. “It was gracious Marlene stayed on until November 1 because it is a big learning curve.” McNally moved from her previous job because she was looking for more of a challenge and a place that would support her educational goals, such as achieving her Payroll Compliance Professional (PCP) designation along with taking other courses related to payroll.&nbsp;</p><p>The transition into PRPS has been smooth for McNally. “Everyone is so helpful. I feel like I’m on a team and we work well together. Everyone is encouraging and I love working here.” Responsible for ensuring all teachers and substitute teachers get paid, McNally says her goal is to make the job look easy and to remember it’s important to celebrate small wins.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Originally, Amber Kitching thought she’d have a career as a chef, but after a life-changing gap year, where she travelled the world as part of the international performing group <i>Up with People</i>, she completed a degree in human resources. She learned bookkeeping while she was General Manager of the Garage Pub and was able to take on bookkeeping contracts so she could work from home after having children. Early last year, after she and her husband bought a chartered bus company, now called Coulee Coachlines, Kitching decided it was time to find a fulltime job that expanded her skillset.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Kitching also started with PRPS in September, taking over Sheri Smith’s previous position, and says the transition has been better than expected. “I was anxious about returning to a Monday to Friday fulltime job because I had so much freedom with the bookkeeping contracts. However, I love this. It has been an amazing transition for me. The daily routine is just what I needed.”&nbsp;</p><p>Her job feels like an extension of bookkeeping. “Everyone here is so chill and nobody micromanages me. If I have questions, they are available.” In many respects, her role feels much like when she was self-employed, but now she has her own office along with other staff to interact with. Kitching is responsible for ensuring all support staff are paid, educational assistants, administrative assistants, custodians, librarians, bus drivers and all employees who work out of division office.&nbsp;</p><p>“The job is very detail oriented. Everything is fixable, but I don’t want to get to the point where I have to fix it. I want to ensure it is right the first time,” explained Kitching. One aspect that isn’t widely understood is the multiple steps involved before she can pay someone. “If something wasn’t approved by the right person, I can’t pay them, nor can I fix it. I often get calls, but because I’m the end of the line, I don’t always know how to correct the problem before I receive the necessary paperwork.”&nbsp;</p><p>By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer&nbsp;</p>

💖 Today was Pink Shirt Day at NBS, where we united to stand against bullying and promote kindness, acceptance, and inclusion! By wearing pink, we demonstrated our commitment to fostering a safe and supportive environment for everyone. We kicked off the day by watching videos about kindness and bullying, and completed a collaborative art project with our buddies. Once it is all assembled, we look forward to showcasing the finished product. 🎨✨ A special thanks to Andrea Thornton, Mental Health Coordinator from AHS, for helping our students create a collaborative kindness poster yesterday that reflects our shared commitment to compassion and support. Check out their pictures below where they showcase that they each are the ‘I’ in Kind! #kindlehearts @prairierosesd8 #pinkshirtday

<p>For Family Literacy Day on January 27, Michelle Willms, librarian at Burdett School, organized a book tasting for Grade 8 and 9 students. This is Willms second year as librarian and she got the idea from a Facebook group.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“I’ve never worked in a school or classroom and needed some help. There are lots of great librarian groups and they had so many good ideas,” explained Willms. “I also use Teachers Pay Teachers and they have lots of great ideas of what to do in classrooms and libraries and so I went on there and found some fun decorations and ideas.”&nbsp;</p><p>This year the library was outfitted with a couch and several beanbag chairs, making the space comfortable so students can read there. Principal Scott Raible likes the excitement created around reading at the school.&nbsp;</p><p>“Students try different novels they might not normally read from various genres and Michelle puts the jazz music on. Even the students who might not normally pay attention fall under the spell of the atmosphere,” stated Raible. “It’s great to see that and have students access hard copies again because unfortunately that medium is being replaced with screentime and digital content. It’s nice, as a book lover myself, to see students in the books.”&nbsp;</p><p>Grade 9 student Trudy Neufeld likes, “to experience new books and genres because I normally only like mystery books. This time, I got to read comedy, heartbreak and fantasy.” Neufeld enjoys mysteries because she likes to guess what is going to happen at the end. A diligent student, she spends most of her spare moments while at school getting her work done and is often given extra work, which she prefers to complete before engaging in more leisurely activities.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Poancho Friesen, also in Grade 9, said, “the thing I like most about the book tasting is reading different books. I normally read sports and survival story books because I never know what will happen next.” He also plays sports and is on the Burdett School basketball teams, saying he’s scored enough baskets to get by this year. Friesen has discovered books about other people are interesting because he gets to see how their lives are different than his.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Willms held book tastings last year for most of the grades in the school and this session was her second one with the Grade 8/9 students. “Last year I ran book tastings separately for Grade 8 and 9, so it was a smaller group. This year, I have them both at the same time for library and they knew what was going to happen. Lots of them really like to read, which is amazing for that age group.”&nbsp;</p><p>Adding to the fun and relaxed atmosphere, the students were treated to a cup of hot chocolate and a few cookies once the book tasting was done. Afterward, many students followed Willms back to the library so they could check out books they had tasted and wanted to continue reading.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Something new Willms started this year is a monthly book challenge where she selects three books for each division, Grades 1-3, 4-6 and 7-9, and those participating read one of them to be entered into a prize draw. About 30 students participate in the challenge and Willms expects about 20 or more of them will receive a gift card from Principal Raible for taking part every month this school year.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“I have a slip, like a tiny report, they fill out when the book is returned,’ explained Willms. “I keep a record on my computer and at the end of each month, I do a draw for each division for a prize, which is usually a book. It’s lots to keep track of, but they know the drill now and we are in the rhythm so it’s going well.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Each grade has a library class each week where Willms will read a book or two for classes with younger students and a couple chapters, currently from Wild Robot, for the older ones. Afterward, the students have a chance to browse the library, check out books or have some quiet reading time. Occasionally, Willms will organize an activity, such as a book scavenger hunt or book bingo.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“Scott (Raible) is enthusiastic about the library and I appreciate that because sometimes librarians get a bit overlooked,” concluded Willms. “The kids in this school love to read and coming to library.”&nbsp;</p><p>By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer&nbsp;</p>

✍️✏️ Our Grade 1-6 students are off to a great start with their poetry for our upcoming Exhibition of Learning Showcase at the end of May! They’re showcasing their creativity and communication skills, and we can’t wait to see their hard work pay off. 🌟 #kindlehearts #forgefutures #igniteminds #myprps #exhibitionoflearning Prairie Rose Public Schools

💖 We had a fabulous Valentine party on Friday afternoon with our K-6 classes at New Brigden. 🎉 We started with a delightful viewing of Franklin’s Valentine, followed by delicious Valentine snacks and ‘love potion’ punch. The fun continued with Valentine Bingo led by Ms. Lauren, and we wrapped up with our Valentine exchange! We sure missed Eddie as he was home sick. Hopefully he felt the love when the kids brought home all his valentines. We were thrilled to have little Fenton join us, who’ll be starting Kindergarten with us in the fall. The kids left for winter break feeling extra loved, especially after that love potion. ✨💖✨ #KindleHearts #myprps @prairierosesd8

💖 A huge thank you to Mrs. Tye for helping Jaron and Cabrie prepare delicious jello snacks, and for guiding our Gr. 4-6 students in making chocolate-dipped strawberries for our Valentine party! Your efforts made this a memorable experience for our students, and we appreciate all you do! 🍓✨ #KindleHearts #myprps @prairierosesd8