March 28 Newsletter

I recently saw a quote that resonated with me: “One flower blooming alone does not make spring, a hundred flowers blooming together fill the garden with spring.” This is an old Chinese proverb that is typically used to emphasize diversity and inclusiveness. The thing about proverbs is that they are thought-provoking; interpretation and connection to personal circumstance give meaning. As I read the quote, I think it resonated for a couple reasons. At the school, we strive to celebrate uniqueness and be welcoming (our PBIS matrix). That isn’t to say that we have arrived at the goal, and this happens all the time at the school. Rather, it is a what we work towards. Do we have times where we need to talk to students about how they demonstrate valuing of others by the way they talk to or treat them? Absolutely! And sometimes it’s an ongoing conversation because change can take time and repetition. Still, each individual student is like a single flower, wonderful in their own way. When we have a school of individuals, 578 wonderfully unique and special students, it is a remarkable thing! We are glad for our diversity in ethnicity, culture, faith, neurodiversity, family backgrounds, talents and interests, and so on.  

The second reason the quote resonates is because this week we had our student-led conferences. Students shared their learning with their families. Assessment and student progress is on our minds. Through a learning lens, the proverb could take a different meaning. A single assessment does not represent all of the learning. A single mistake does not erase all the progress that has been made. A single day or a single test do not represent a year full of learning. It is important to assess what students know in many different ways, over time. When students are able to consistently demonstrate their knowledge and understanding in a variety of ways, then we know mastery of a concept or skill has truly happened. We hope that you were able to celebrate your child’s effort and achievement during the student-led conferences, while at the same time identify meaningful next steps in learning for your child. 

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

• March 31 – Professional Learning Day – NO SCHOOL 

• April 2 – World Autism Awareness Day – wear blue 

• April 4 – Lost and Found items will be donated 

• April 18 – 27 – Spring Break – NO SCHOOL 

 Lost and Found 

Items were set out during the conferences this week, but much is still unclaimed. All remaining items will be donated at the end of the day on Friday, April 4.  

Parent and Student Volunteers Needed! AMA Patroller Program 

We have only one parent volunteer to assist with the AMA Patroller Program. To bring back patrollers at the 1st Ave crosswalk, we need additional help from parents and our Grade 4 students. We are looking for about 20 – 24 students who are able to commit to morning and/or afternoon patrolling and a few parents who are willing to commit to supervising the patrollers. The morning patrollers would need to be at the school at 7:45. They will patrol the crosswalk from 7:50 – 8:00. The afternoon patrollers would slip out of school 5 minutes early at 2:40 (M-Th) and 12:55 (F) to be at the cross walk from 2:45 – 2:55 (M-Th) and 1:00 – 1:10 (F). Training and supplies are provided by AMA. Parent volunteers would be supervising to ensure the safety of the patrollers. Parents, if you have younger, school-aged children you may have them stay at the front office under the supervision of school office staff while you assist our Grade 4 patrollers at the crosswalk. Each year the Grade 4’s will be trained in the spring. If you are interested in supporting with AMA patrollers, please contact Elisa Korver at ekorver@rockyview.ab.ca . 

2025-26 Enrollment 

Though it is only the end of March, we are deep into planning for next school year. This is the time of year when we begin to determine how many sections of each grade there will be, how many staff we’ll need, complete inventory of student furniture, and so on. Over the next few months, please call the school office to let us know if your child will not be returning to Ralph McCall next year because you are moving or have other education plans. 

Free Little Library Donations 

Our Free Little Library is empty! Did you know that we have a free library inside the school for students? Sometimes students forget to bring their books on library day. They can still bring home a book to read by getting one from the free library. If you are purging your children’s books and are planning to give them away, please keep us in mind! Any book donations that are relatively current and in good condition can be catalogued and used for our main library. Donated books that are older, perhaps a bit worn, or ones we already have many copies of will be placed in the free little library for students to access. 

School Fees for 2025-26 

Each year we review the maximum amount that teachers may charge for in-school activities and off-site trips during the school year. In consultation with staff and Parent Council, the maximum amount for K-4 students will remain at 2024-25 levels (K = $94, 1-4 = $110). With Grade 5 starting at Ralph McCall next year, we needed to set a fee maximum for them as well. We reviewed the fees currently listed for Grade 5 students at other schools, and we considered some of the activities that teachers would like to do with the Grade 5 students next year. The hope is to provide some of the same curricular, physical education, and leadership/team building opportunities that Grade 5 students who moved to middle school had in the past. Therefore, we have set the maximum amount which may be charged for the 2025-2026 school year at $350 for Grade 5 students. With all the fees, Kindergarten through Grade 5, the amounts are the maximum amount. The actual fees charged to families are based on cost recovery, meaning that the school charges only what each trip or experience costs. 

At RVS schools, school supplies are provided for students in kindergarten through Grade 4 at no cost to parents. Parents supply the indoor running shoes, backpack, lunch kit, and a water bottle. Supplies are not provided for students in Grade 5 and up. A supplies list will be provided toward the end of the school year so that parents can purchase the necessary supplies over the summer. 

PBIS 

The PBIS committee came together last week to plan 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   

Schoolwide evacuation drills (fire drill) are important to give an opportunity for all staff and students to practice evacuating their classrooms and school in a calm, orderly manner! We will be having another one soon as we are to hold 6 drills in a calendar year. For those students that ride the bus, we will also be holding a bus evacuation drill mid-April, in the morning, upon arrival to school.  It is also the time of year 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 

From Parent Council and Friends of Ralph McCall 

Healthy Hunger: Healthy Hunger is available to order for each Friday school is in session. If you're interested in ordering, go to www.healthyhunger.ca and follow the prompts.  Orders must be placed by the Sunday prior to be included. 

April Meeting: Our March Meeting is on April 8 at 6:30 in the Learning Commons, or on Zoom (https://rockyview.zoom.us/j/92121220040 Passcode: Ralph). All are welcome to attend.  As usual, we have one of our trustees joining us and it's an excellent way to learn about what's going on in our division.  

Read-A-Thon: Our annual Read-a-thon Fundraiser is coming up from April 14th - 28th.  Help your child get excited about reading!  More details to come as we get closer to the date. 

Playground:  Planning continues for acquiring funds for the new playground.  If you or anyone you know is interested in helping out, please reach out to Friends... You can find our email address on the school website.