June 13 Newsletter

This will be the last regular parent newsletter for the 2024-25 school year. In two weeks, students will be on vacation! It’s incredible how quickly another school year has gone! On behalf of the staff of Ralph McCall, we thank you for entrusting us with your child for many hours over the course of this school year. We have come to know each littler person quite well. We see their personalities. We celebrate birthdays, life events, learning successes, and out-of-school achievements. We hurt with them when they are struggling with things, whether those struggles are school related or not. We want to see them succeed, learn from their mistakes, and discover who they are and what they love to do. In short, we care about our students – your child - so much! But in the end, they are only ours to teach for a short time in their lives. We hope that we have been able to make a positive impact. And though children rarely remember specifics about their elementary years, hopefully they remember that we believe in them and care for them! Most of the students are returning next year thanks to the fact that we are becoming a K-5 school. There are not a lot of goodbyes to say this year, but if you are leaving, we wish you well in whatever lies ahead for your family. If you are returning, we look forward to seeing you at the Welcome Back Breakfast and Open House at 8:30 AM on August 29. 

Upcoming Dates (Please see the calendar on the website for more information) 

• June 20 – Kindergarten - Last day of school 

• June 23 – 25 – NO KINDERGARTEN 

• June 23 – Activity Day with a Stampede Theme 

• June 25 – Grade 1-4 – Last day of school 

• June 26 – Lost and Found will be donated at noon. 

• June 26 – September 1 – Summer Break 

• August 29 – Welcome Back Breakfast and Open House from 8:30 – 10:00 am 

• September 2/3 - Staggered Entry 

• Sept. 2 – First day for last names starting with A – K 

• Sept. 3 – First day for last names starting with L-Z 

• Sept. 4 – Everyone attends school 

Stampede Day – June 23 

This event will involve games and activities. There are even plans to have some snacks available for purchase. Please check communication from your child’s teacher next week for details. This event is open to parents. Please note that since all parents are invited, there is a possibility that they may take photos. If this is a concern, please let your child’s teacher know. You may opt to keep your child home, or we can provide a quiet space with indoor activities to do instead. 

Indigenous Peoples Day events 

June 17 for Grades 1 and 2 -  

Henri Giroux, a Cree educator, author, and storyteller from Driftpile First Nation, will be speaking to our Grade 1 and 2 students in celebration of Indigenous Peoples History Month. Henri has worked extensively with the Calgary Public Library and across Alberta, sharing her knowledge and building bridges through story. 

Henri is the author of Sharing the Land We Call Home, a thoughtful and engaging picture book for children ages 5–9. Henri will read her book and facilitate an interactive author session with students, helping them explore Treaty 7 and land acknowledgments through the eyes of a visitor. The story follows Haley, a young girl who moves from her northern reserve to a city in the south. As she adjusts to a new school and forms a friendship, readers are invited to reflect on feelings of belonging, cultural differences between Cree and Blackfoot Peoples, and key aspects of Indigenous culture. 

June 20 for all students; Families are invited to attend 

We are honoured to welcome Chantal Chagnon and Dorienne Proulx for a special performance in celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 20. Weather permitting, this even will take place outside at 10:00 am. 

Chantal Chagnon is a Cree-Métis singer, drummer, storyteller, and educator whose powerful voice and teachings bring Indigenous culture to life. Through song and story, Chantal shares traditional teachings that foster understanding, respect, and reconciliation. 

Dorienne Proulx is an Anishinaabe-Cree Métis woman and powwow dancer. Her dancing embodies cultural pride and connection to community, history, and spirit. Dorienne’s presence and performance offer a vibrant expression of identity and Indigenous brilliance. 

Together, Chantal and Dorienne will share music, movement, and teachings that honour the strength and beauty of First Nations and Métis cultures. Their visit is an opportunity for students and staff to reflect on respect, resilience, and the ongoing contributions of Indigenous Peoples. 

We look forward to learning from and celebrating with them. We will also be presenting two of our students with Honouring Spirit awards during this assembly. 

Lost and Found 

Items will be laid out in the Student Gathering Area by the main entrance from June 17 - 25 for students to claim their missing things. All unclaimed items will be donated at noon on June 26. 

PBIS – RMS Respect Campaign  

We have wrapped up our “Respect Campaign” for this year and wanted to thank you all for supporting your children as we learned more about the meaning of “respect” and what it looks like in our school. Our wrap-up assembly went great, a big thank you to our grade 4 MCs who did an exemplary job!   

Our PBIS committee met one more time for the year and we already have some engaging new ideas that we plan to bring to our students and staff next year! Let’s continue to make RMS a Safe, Kind, and Respectful place to learn! 

Student Transitions 

Are you moving over the summer? Have you made other education arrangements for your child for next year? Please let the office know. We need to be aware so that we can plan and staff accurately. Thank you! 

Report Cards 

Report cards can be accessed through the parent portal of PowerSchool. No paper copies of report cards will be sent home. Please ensure that you are able to log into your parent portal account using the web version on a computer. The mobile app does not work for accessing the final report card. If you have trouble logging into your account, please contact the school office before 2:30 on June 25. Note that the school will be closed starting June 26 and will not reopen with regular hours until August 26. 

2025-26 Placement Requests 

Requests relating to class placements for 2025-26 must be made by emailing school administration (ekorver@rockyview.ab.ca and lguy@rockyview.ab.ca ) by June 15. Requests from previous years do not transfer to the current year. Only requests accompanied by an educational reason for the request will be considered. Please note that it may not be possible to accommodate all requests. Teachers of each grade team work together, with support from School Administrators, Learning Support, and the CDA. The teams take great effort and care when creating classes to support the learning and progress of all the students.  

Your child’s class placement will be emailed to you during the last week of August. Requests for last moment changes to class placement in August/September are unlikely to be approved. 

Staffing updates for 2025-26 

We have had some movement. Here’s the most current information regarding classes and teachers for next year: 

Kindergarten - (please note that all AM classes are full. All new registrations will be placed in a PM class. There is a waitlist for an AM placement) 

• T. Nelson (AM/PM) 

• C. Pawlak (AM/PM) 

• S. Simmonds (AM) 

Grade 1 - 

• S. Baldasso 

• T. Johnstone 

• S. Mahan 

• P. Mahey 

• K. New 

Grade 2 - 

• S. Baird 

• T. Harris 

• N. Jerome Smith 

• E. Schulz 

Grade 3 - 

• M. Clark 

• C. Peterson 

• N. Storrier/J. Smith 

• B. Waidson 

• 2 more classes, teacher hiring in process 

Grade 4 - 

• S. Enes 

• J. Mackenzie 

• B. Madden 

• A. Sutton 

• V. Zannis 

Grade 5 - 

• K. Christal 

• C. Hembroff 

• M. Lowther 

• B. Schmaltz 

Learning support teacher 

• K. Partlow 

English as Additional Language support teacher 

• T. Schlegel-Acker 

Literacy 

• N. Storrier 

Numeracy 

• To be determined 

Music 

• K. Anderson 

PE 

• J. Smith 

Administrators 

• E. Korver 

• L. Guy 

2025-26 School Supplies 

School supplies for K-4 are provided by the school. You only need to provide a backpack, a lunch kit, a water bottle (one that seals well, please!), and indoor running shoes. Shoes must be suitable for PE class and have non-marking soles. Teachers may also request that you send some communal class use items such as tissues or baby wipes. 

Grade 5 students are to provide their own school supplies. The supply list will be emailed by the school. It can be found on the website or by following this link: Supply List Grade 5 2025-26   

Early summer departures 

If your child will be leaving before the last day of school, please let their teacher know so that they can ensure all belongings and work is sent home before the break. Anything left behind will be discarded over the summer. 

Summer office hours 

The school office will be closed from June 26 to August 19. The office will open with reduced hours from August 19 – 22 and will return to regular school hours beginning on August 25. All calls and emails will be responded to when the office reopens. It may take a few days after we return to respond to all the messages. Thank you for your patience. 

From Rocky View Schools: 

Register now for 2025/26 Bus Transportation 

The deadline for early transportation registration is approaching. Families who register for transportation for the 2025/26 school year before June 30 will receive a discount. Fees for transportation have increased for the 2025/26 school year and this discount can offset some of the cost for your family. 

Please visit the Registration and Fee Payment webpage for step-by-step registration instructions. Registration completed before June 30 will receive a discount of $40 for each of the first two students in your family and $20 off for each additional student. A minimum payment of 50 per cent is due at registration. Fee and waiver information is available on the RVS website. 

Register as soon as possible to ensure your child is assigned to a bus route for the start of school in September. To guarantee service for the first day of school, your application must be received before Aug. 1. Students registered after this deadline will experience delays of two to three weeks before they can ride the bus. 

From Parent Council and Friends of Ralph McCall 

Hello Families! We’ve had an exciting last month at Ralph McCall! We hope everyone has a fun and safe Summer and we look forward to seeing you in the Fall! 

2025 – 26 Meetings: We are moving to daytime meetings in hopes that more parents are able to be represented. The first meeting will be at the school on September 11 at 9:00am. 

Healthy Hunger: Council is happy to announce that we will be continuing with the hot lunch program provided by Healthy Hunger for the 25/26 school year! Our first hot lunch is scheduled to start Friday, October 3, 2025, All monies raised from hot lunches stay in Ralph McCall! Watch for more information on how to sign up your student in September. 

Fundraising 

• Read-a-Thon: In April, we raised almost $6,000 with the annual Spring read-a-thon and gave away over $500 worth of prizes!  

• Coupon Books: Come September, council will once again be offering the coupon book exclusive to the Airdrie community with tons of local savings! 

• Spirit Wear: Ralph McCall Spirit-wear will be back & available or purchase for the 25/26 school year! 

• Family Photos: Limited sessions will be available during the second evening of the October Parent conferences. 100% of the sitting fee goes directly to Friends of Ralph McCall. 

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:  Our 2025 Casino date has been set for October 20th and 21st, 2025.  This is a huge influx of funds that we desperately need.  Sign-up sheets will go out at the beginning of the new school year.  We have 34 shifts that will need to be filled in the cash cage and count room.  Stay tuned for details of the roles and requirements for the volunteers.