Students are loving the warmer spring weather. With the nicer temperature and no more snow, out come the wheels! Scooters, bikes, skateboards, Heelys… It is wonderful to see the students coming to school this way and filling up the bike racks! A couple of reminders, though:
Please review bike/scooter safety with your child.
Students are asked to walk their bikes when on sidewalks around the school building to avoid collisions with others using the sidewalks.
Helmets are required for all students riding a bike. Helmets should be brought inside the school during the day.
We encourage students to use a bike lock to secure bikes and scooters.
Heelys are not permitted inside the school.
The spring clean-up of the gravel that was used to combat ice during the winter will not happen for a while. Please use caution on all paved surfaces around the school.
Thinking of spring activities, I am sharing a sports related quote this week. Many students ask me about my favourite hockey team but actually, my favourite sport is basketball. We just came through basketball’s March madness, so here’s a basketball quote from one of my favourite players – “It hasn't always been easy. There's a lot of hard moments. Sometimes you learn from the end of the bench. Sometimes you learn from injuries. Sometimes you learn the most through the hard things. If you can keep a good attitude and keep on working, eventually situations change, and you can put those things to use” (Kyle Korver). Learning comes in so many ways and in a variety of situations – both the highs and the lows. Keep learning, every day!
Upcoming Dates (Please see the calendar on the website for more information)
April 14 – Read-a-Thon starts
April 17 – Dress like your favourite book character
April 18 – 27 – Spring Break – NO SCHOOL
April 30 – Helping Hands clean-up of school yard (parents invited)
May 7 – Hats on for Mental Health (staff and students may wear a hat at school)
Federal Election – RMS is a polling station
For the upcoming federal election, our school is a polling station. This means there will be impact on April 28. School will be open and will operate as normal. However, the main entry area will have reduced access to the school. We have been assured by the Returning Officer for the election that they will have people in place to ensure the voters are directed into the gym to vote and will not have access to hallways and classrooms that day. If you are coming to the school, the front door will be unlocked all day and the main office door will be closed. You may also notice increased volume of traffic around the school on April 28.
Parent and Student Volunteers Needed! AMA Patroller Program
To date we have one parent volunteer and seventeen student volunteers. This is close to the requirement to run the program. We need about 20 – 24 Grade 4 students who can commit to morning and/or afternoon patrolling and a few parents who are willing to commit to supervising the patrollers. We will make a decision by April 17 whether we are able to bring back the AMA patroller program for both morning and afternoon, just one or the other, or not at this time.
Crosswalk safety was discussed at the April parent council meeting. If you are also concerned about safety at the crosswalks near the school, you are encouraged to attend parent council and work with them to address the issue. The next council meeting is the AGM on May 13 at 6:00 pm.
Helping Hands clean-up
Each year, RVS invites schools to participate in cleaning up around the school yard close to Earth Day. Last year Ralph McCall had excellent involvement, and we are going to participate again this year. Weather permitting, we will have an assembly at 1:00 pm followed by a school yard clean-up. The division will provide some gloves (though we will need more if you have some to donate) and garbage bags. Staff and students will go out to tidy our environment. RVS is offering small food prizes to the classes who find: the most valuable item, the weirdest item, the largest item, and shows the best school spirit through photos. If you notice a lot of garbage around our school yard now that the snow is melted, we see it too and look forward to cleaning our environment after spring break. Please talk to your child’s teacher if you would like to join the class in cleaning up their assigned part of the school yard. We are also looking for someone who loves taking photos to document our efforts in cleaning up our environment. Please contact the school office if you want to volunteer to take pictures of the event.
Want to check out Genesis Place with your family?
As of March 31st, Genesis Place passes are available for a two-week loan through the Airdrie Public Library (APL). Library patrons can check out passes for access to amenities such as public swimming, fitness classes, drop-in sports, and family play programs. Pass categories include child, youth, adult, family, and senior.
Passes are available at the APL customer desk or online. Each pass comes with a scannable key tag for use at Genesis Place, which must be returned to the library when the loan expires. More information on the Genesis Place lending passes can be found at https://www.yourapl.ca/Library-Services/Using-the-Library/Library-of-Things
The Genesis Place pass lending library is supported by Healthier Together Airdrie, a partnership between Alberta Health Services, the City of Airdrie, and the community. Healthier Together Airdrie aims to increase access to opportunities for social connection and active living to support community health and well-being.
PBIS
The PBIS committee is currently planning for our new “Respect Campaign”. This will be our final focus area this school year and will begin after spring break. During this campaign we will support teachers and staff with lessons and activities that explicitly teach the concepts of Respect. Keep an eye out for more information in future parent newsletters.
Our work with the PBIS framework guides us as staff in our commitment to respond to student behaviour responsively, through prevention, teaching and responding to student need. Updates will be shared with you as we work together to strengthen our school community with our shared understandings of expectations at Ralph McCall!
School Emergency Response Program
Last week we planned for an evacuation and ended up with two; the first one was a planned fire drill and the second one a couple of days later was an authentic need to evacuate as some workers in the building accidently set off the fire alarm. Initially, we did not know why the alarm was going off, but we evacuated as required; in a timely and orderly way. Good job everyone!
For those students that ride the bus, we will be holding a bus evacuation drill on the morning of April 16th, upon arrival to school.
It is also the time of year that we need to hold a second lock-down drill. We will walk the staff and students through this drill in a calm and matter of fact way, ensuring that students understand that this is a practice that we need to carry out and not something to be worried about.
Each year, schools are required to complete fire drills, emergency evacuation drills, and lock down drills. These are important drills to help us prepare for any type of emergency that may come our way. Rocky View has provided families with some information about the different types of drills that are covered in our preparedness plans. You can find more information about them here; "Rocky View Schools Emergency Program: A Guide for Parents and Guardians" https://www.rockyview.ab.ca/about-rvs/emergency-response
Read-a-Thon
We appreciate books in classrooms and in the library, PE equipment for students, technology for learning, enrichment experiences, science supplies, art projects, and so much more. What do they have in common? All are things that may have been funded or subsidized through donations from the Friends of Ralph McCall! Each year they hold a couple of fundraisers. Their biggest one is typically the Read-a-Thon. 100% of the money raised goes back into classrooms to support the students of Ralph McCall.
This year’s Read-a-Thon is kicking off on Monday, April 14 and runs through Spring Break. We ask that you consider donating to the Read-a-Thon! Encourage your child to read every day (always a good thing anyway). Be sure to fill in the form that will be sent home with your child or print the one attached to the email sent on Friday, April 11 with the parent newsletter link. Thank you for supporting the students of Ralph McCall!
From Parent Council and Friends of Ralph McCall
Well, another year is nearly in the books! For those of us on the Parent Council and members of Friends, we've come to the end of our terms. Our Annual General Meeting will be held on May 13th. See below for details, we hope you can attend. With a little less than three months left in the school year, and nice weather finally showing it's face, there's lots of activity happening in our community.
Healthy Hunger: There's still time to sign up for the last few Fun Lunch Fridays for the year! If you have suggestions of restaurants you'd like to see us add for next year, please contact Friends.
Healthy Hunger Volunteers: We're always looking for volunteers to hand out fun lunches on Friday as well. All you need is a completed criminal record check, and a free hour! Simply show up on Fridays at 10:15, food is delivered at 10:30, we confirm the list matches what is delivered and then get to pop by the classrooms to drop it off. The kids get a kick out of seeing the parents, especially on school spirit days where we get to participate!
Read-a-Thon: The read-a-thon starts on Monday, so make sure to read the attached flyer, and check your child's backpack and agenda for the minutes log and sponsor form. This is a wonderful way to see how far your child's literacy has come this year! It is also our biggest non-casino fundraiser and is what allows Friends to support as many extra programs at the school as we can. MacBooks, Chromebooks, field trips, gym equipment, and art supplies have all gotten their funding from this fundraiser and with so many new students joining the school next year, and the Grade 5s sticking around, they're going to need all the help they can get! There are exciting prizes including reading lights, gift cards, and class parties to be won!
Apple Creek Arcade: We will be partnering with Apple Creek Arcade in the next few weeks for our first big playground fundraiser! Purchase a $30.00 - All You Can Play for 2 Hours pass, and the playground will receive 75% of the funds. It also allows us to support a popular local business. They have food and drinks on site including a bar for the grown-ups. It's a great way to spend a rainy afternoon, or even a sunny one!
Playground: This is still a major topic for us at Friends and on the Council. Thank you to all those who signed-up for more information at Student-Led conferences, more info should be following soon.
Casino 2025: We've recently been informed by AGLC that our casino which was originally designated for Q2 of 2026, has been moved up to Q4 of 2025. This means that we'll be looking for a group of volunteers sometime between October and December of this year to help us run the cash cage at ACE Casino on Blackfoot Trail. The draw for Casino dates is generally held in May so stay tuned for details!
Annual General Meeting: Our AGM is held in May of each year. This year is no exception and with most of the current council and Friends committees only allowed to remain for one more year, we need your help! The meeting is at 6:00pm on Tuesday, May 13th in the Learning Commons of the School, or if you'd prefer, you're welcome to join us on Zoom instead (link in next week's newsletter).
As you know, there are two main advocacy groups at the school. The first is Parent Council. As parents, each household is automatically a member of Council should you wish to attend meetings. This gives you the ability to heard directly from school administration as well as our designated Rockyview Trustee on what's happening in our community. It is also one of the best ways to bring forward concerns in a way that gets heard. As an example: several changes were made to the "Balancing Spaces" initiative taking effect in September as a result of consultation with parent councils around the city, even before the survey went out to parents. Please take a look at the positions below and consider if you would be a good fit, and are interested in donating your time and expertise.
Chair
As the titular head of Council, you are responsible for drafting the agendas and running the monthly meetings. You are the voice of our school council in public, and the first line of advocacy at the Joint Board meetings and the Annual Alberta School Councils Association AGM in April each year. A good head for organization and an ability to multi-task are an asset, but don't be afraid to rely on the other members of council! This position is one of the three positions required filled to meet the quorum and council requirements set our by ASCA and the Education Act.
Vice-Chair
Stepping in when the Chair is unavailable, you get the "easiest" job. Working collaboratively with the Chair, you step in to run meetings in their absence and help divide and conquer when our school community needs assistance. This position is the second of the three positions required filled to meet the quorum and council requirements set our by ASCA and the Education Act.
Secretary
Documenting the minutes of meetings each month are the primary function of this role, so a strong talent for short-hand is sometimes a must combined with the ability to flesh out those notes into something coherent for others later on. At Ralph McCall, this is also the role who sends the minutes, agendas and any other documents required out to the members of Council each month in preparation for the meetings. This position is the third of the three positions required filled to meet the quorum and council requirements set our by ASCA and the Education Act.
Community Liason/Social Media Coordinator: This is the person responsible for communicating with our wider community via social media, as well as organizing the tables Council hosts at various school events. A friendly outgoing attitude is a great asset.
Member at Large: If you have a student at Ralph McCall, you already fit into this category! You just have to show up to have your voice heard. This role is open to one member of each household and can even be swapped back and forth depending on who comes to the meetings.
The second advocacy group is Friends of Ralph McCall Society. This is the fundraising group and by law must operate separately from the Parent Council and is governed by the Society's Act and overseen by the AGLC in order to participate in Casinos, Raffles or Bingos. As with Council, the only rule for admission is a clean criminal record check, a student attending Ralph McCall School, and attendance at our meetings! Like Parent Council, most of the current members only have one-year left where we are allowed to participate, and with the ever increasing need for funds surrounding our schools, the work we do is critical for student and staff success. If you have the time and inclination, please take a look at the available roles below.
President
Head of the group, you are responsible for drafting agendas, running the monthly meetings, signing for payments, organizing the annual insurance, and financial reports along with the Treasurer. This position is the final signing authority on all transactions. It is one of the three positions that must be filled for the Society to be active. Additionally, it is one of the four positions, three of which must be present at any meeting to provide quorum and the ability to vote on any decision.
Vice-President
Stepping in when the President is unavailable, this is a great role for someone wanting to learn the ropes! Many of the duties are the same, including being a signing authority. This position is not required for the Society to be considered active, however, as one of the four positions, of which three are required to be present for quorum, not filling this role can make voting a real challenge, especially given the many commitments we all have.
Treasurer
Responsible for preparing the monthly financial reports as well as the annual society's report and AGLC reports, a good head for numbers is handy! It's not a given though, all the reports are fill in the blank, and can be submitted via email to the various supervising bodies. Organization is a must as AGLC does require copies of all receipts for use of Casino funds. The third signing authority, this is a position of great trust. It is one of the three positions that must be filled for the Society to be active. Additionally, it is one of the four positions, three of which must be present at any meeting to provide quorum and the ability to vote on any decision.
Casino Chair
This position is the person responsible for managing the casino fundraiser every two to three years. It does not need to be held individually from other roles, but cannot be held by the Treasurer as all casino documentation must be co-signed by the Treasurer. It is often held by the President or Vice-President in non-casino years. If it sounds intimidating, don't worry. You will have a paid Casino Advisor who holds your hand through each step of the process and help to make the event a success!
Fundraising Coordinators - 2
Organizing a Fundraiser can be a lot of work. All members of Friends help to pitch in and make each one a success, but being able to divide the work is essential to make sure no one person ends up burnt out an overwhelmed. With that in mind, the goal of this role is to designate a different coordinator for each of our main fundraisers each year; the Fall Fundraiser, and the annual Spring Read-a-Thon. This doesn't mean you're limited to two fundraisers, you can hold as many as you choose, but with the increasing cost of day-to-day life for many families, as well as the substantial need for funds to replace the playground, we try to be mindful of how much money families are asked to contribute on an annual basis.
Playground Committee Chair
Playground fundraising is hard, the cost is significant, and the information provided can be slim at times. With that in mind, we created this role to provide a focus and direction. While still answerable to and a member of Friends, the intent is that they only have one thing on their plate.
Fun Lunch Coordinator
Just like it sounds! With six years of Healthy Hunger in the books, we've got it down to a science. But there are always new restaurants being added to the platform, schedules to create, volunteers to organize, and hiccups along the way. The person filling this role will be responsible for working with the chosen vendors to provide fun lunches on Fridays for the school year. The annual setup at the beginning of the school year is a little intense, just trying to coordinate the different restaurants (it really depends on how many different ones you want; right now we have seven) and get the teacher list built on the website. But once that's ready, it's usually smooth sailing! Our existing vendors rarely make a mistake and their communication is stellar! Plus, watching the students get excited for fun lunches is a real joy!
Director
This role is similar to the Member-at-Large role of Council, with one major difference. You must attend the meetings and parents are not automatically members by having a child at the school. This is due to the financial and insurance requirements dictated by AGLC and the Societies Act. It's a great role if you want to be involved and help out, but are new or not able to provide the time commitment required by some of the other roles.
Land Acknowledgment
Rocky View Schools would like to acknowledge the land and recognize all the Indigenous Peoples whose footprints have marked these lands from time immemorial. Together, we can learn and honour the Ways of Knowing of Indigenous Peoples for all future generations.
