Just a couple of reminders: Thursday, September 30th - there is no school as we recognize truth and reconciliation day Friday, October 1st - McDonalds order forms and money due back. Wear Orange for orange shirt day Remember to book your appointment for Goal setting conferences as booking closes on Monday at 2:00 p.m.

Please find below our October Newsletter. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LNJVxnaoLTUQD5DORxmNPCZ3jpuPF_OfhQmLygTKk80/edit?usp=sharing

<p>As a reminder, September 30th has been changed to a non-operational day for all students and staff in Prairie Rose to recognize the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. We encourage everyone to take the time to listen and learn from residential school survivors about the importance and significance of understanding this dark part of our Canadian history. In Prairie Rose, flags will be lowered to half mast from the evening of Wednesday, September 29th until the morning on October 1st. As mentors and educators, we have a role to play in supporting the education and calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Prairie Rose will continue to seek advice and listen to the guidance of our indigenous leaders in supporting this work.</p>

Just a reminder our Parent Council Meeting is next Tuesday, 5th October at 2.40pm. Below is the link for the Parent Council Meeting. meet.google.com/bwz-weoj-mjb

All parents will have been sent an email in regards to updated Prairie Rose Public School guidelines for close contacts which has been changed. Please read the following document. https://drive.google.com/file/d/12oedZgsqwxJlmL6yMMLlR86E4PeuvGMG/view

Just a reminder the Goal Setting Conferences for October 6th & 7th have now opened for parents to book. Below is the link to help you with the process. After selecting the teacher that you wish to see, directly below is a drop down window where you can choose one of the following options, in person or virtual, phone call. Parents are allowed to come into the school for these meetings, we ask that you wear a mask and also fill in the Covid Screening questionnaire. Any questions please let us know by calling the school on 403 544 3535 press 0 for the office. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fssMzq2Ttt_6cx9p4pc77eNhGDElrND3AX-ntSnTtic/edit?usp=sharing

Well done to everyone who participated in the Terry Fox Run 🏃🏃‍♀️ we had a great day for it ! #prairierosepublicschools #ralstonschool #TryLikeTerry #TerryFoxRun #terryfoxfoundation #CFBsuffield #BATUS #PSP

Next week at Ralston School; Monday, September 27th - McDonald's order forms coming home today. Forms and money are due back on Friday, October 1st. McDonald's lunch is on Friday, October 8th. Thursday, September 30th - No School in recognition of Truth and Reconciliation Day. Friday, October 1st - Orange Shirt Day - We ask all students to wear something orange. Have a good weekend!

This week's House Team winners were the White Wolves well done to them. 🥇🏆 #ralstonschool #prairierosepublicschools #houseteams

<p>Over the past week there have been a number of changes related to the guidelines for schools for COVID-19. We wanted to take this opportunity to highlight some of these changes and clarify information related to parent notification when a confirmed case of COVID-19 is shared with our schools by parents. We have also been made aware of social media posts that are circulating that make claims regarding mandatory student vaccinations which are based on misinformation that we would like to address and clarify with our families.</p><p><strong>Recent Changes to the Re-Entry Plan and Health Screening Guides</strong><br>On September 22, 2021, the government updated the guidance document for schools following the declaration of a public health emergency in Alberta. We have made changes to our Prairie Rose Re-Entry Plan to reflect the new guidance document. You can find it, along with government guidance and the CMOH order that supports the changes on our website under the tab <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/12HIeN3oaL24UpdR87fT-NGeKXoTXONIU/view?usp=sharing">COVID-19 Resources</a>. Of particular note, the new health screening guide added a new section related to household close contacts. Until now there was no isolation recommendation for members of a family when someone tests positive for COVID-19. The Chief Medical Officer of Health has added a new section that changes this position. It is now <strong>strongly recommended</strong> that anyone who is a household close contact of someone who tests positive for COVID-19 to stay home for 14 days if they are not fully vaccinated. We recognize that this change will have a significant impact on many families and we encourage you to discuss any questions about this update with your school principal. You can find the changes reflected in updates to our <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/12oedZgsqwxJlmL6yMMLlR86E4PeuvGMG/view?usp=sharing">Student Illness Guide</a> and our <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IJ8D-GrZniZOevr6tKsVJ0NGb-SRMChH/view?usp=sharing">Adult Illness Guide</a>.</p><p><strong>Reporting COVID-19 Cases in Schools</strong><br>As we committed to in our re-entry plan, we have been notifying school communities when parents and staff have self-identified cases of COVID-19 in schools. To date, 10 of Prairie Rose’s 18 public schools have received notifications. When a case is self-reported to a school, the following information is collected to determine if the positive individual was in contact with others:</p><ol><li>What was the first date of symptoms?</li><li>Did the individual attend school when symptomatic?</li><li>If they did attend school, what classes would they have been in contact with?</li></ol><p>When determining whether the individual attended school when contagious, we take the first day of symptoms and go back two days. For example, if we are notified that a student first had symptoms on a Friday and was in school each day that week, we would consider them a close contact of others in the school. However, if we are informed that the first day of symptoms was on a Monday morning and that student had not been in school since the Friday prior, we would not include them on the close contact list. This process of going back two days is the same we used last year when working with Alberta Health Services to identify close contacts. While we understand that families want to know as much information as possible, we also need to balance that desire with an individual’s right to privacy and whether the positive case has an impact on others. This is why we only add positive cases to our reporting when they are deemed to be a close contact with others in the school community. When positive cases are confirmed to have been in class, parents receive a notification via School Messenger informing them of the first positive case along with instructions for accessing daily COVID updates. All the cases are also listed on the Prairie Rose website which can be found here: <a href="https://www.myprps.com/covid-19-reporting">https://www.myprps.com/covid-19-reporting</a></p><p><strong>Social Media Misinformation</strong><br>This past week it was brought to our attention that a post was circulating on social media claiming that school divisions were being deceptive in terms of mandatory vaccines, suggesting changes would be coming after the enrollment count on September 29th. We would like to make it very clear that this is inaccurate and fear mongering information and there have been zero conversations or engagement with school boards about this direction. School boards do not have the authority to mandate vaccinations. Our role is to ensure every student in Alberta has access to a quality education in an inclusive learning environment, which we will continue to support while prioritizing the safety of our students and staff.&nbsp;</p><p>We would like to thank all of our school community for their understanding and support as we navigate another school year of uncertainty. Together we will continue to move forward with providing quality learning opportunities for students, despite the challenges that exist. If you have any questions about the information in this latest update, we encourage you to bring them forward to your school principal.</p><p>Sincerely,<br>Roger Clarke<br>Superintendent of Schools</p>

Reminder today is our Terry Fox Run, please dress appropriately for the event. Thank you to CFB Suffield, PSP & BATUS for inviting us to this event. Please let Teachers/staff know if you are taking your child to run with you. The school will be donating $150 to the Terry Fox Foundation. If you would like to donate please look out for the Padre who will be taking donations. #TerryFoxRun #terryfoxfoundation #trylikeTerry #prairierosepublicschools #ralstonschool https://youtu.be/nQlIKZGpnBQ

Videos of all children that submitted a video for the Student Council Representative 😃 well done to everyone who made a video we are proud of you all 👏👏 #ralstonschool #prairierosepublicschools #studentcouncil

Thank you to everybody who submitted a video application for the Student Council. The children all voted on Monday and the school council representatives are: JK - Leo & Aaliyah K - Esme & Ted Grade 1 - Evan & Freddie Grade 2/3 - Daisy & Kwaku 4 - Oliver & Amber 5 - Monti & Nana 6/7 - Marlie & Yasmine 8/9 - Poppy & Kofi Well done to you all! The first meeting will be on 29th September. The Junior High consented to participate in the application process for Student Council based on the agreement that their videos would be kept confidential therefore, in order to respect their privacy, we have not included their videos here. If you would like to see your child's video, please reach out to their homeroom teachers. #prairierosepublicschools #ralstonschool #studentcouncil

Dear Parents of Ralston School, We are in desperate need of a few more parent volunteers for our Casino fundraiser on September 30th and October 1st evenings. We only have 4 parent volunteers at this time. This fundraiser helps our school in a major way. You will receive a free meal and a huge thank-you from our school. Please contact us ASAP if you are able to. Thank-you for your consideration! Ms. Nunweiler

Dear Ralston School Parents, Ralston School will be participating in the Terry Fox Run along with CFB Suffield & BATUS. This will take place on Friday, September 24th, 2021. This event will be held at the Ralston Community Gym in Ralston Village beginning at 0950am. The run lengths will be 2.5km, 5km, 10km. A BBQ lunch will be supplied following the run which will be either a hamburger or hotdog. We are excited to participate in this event and thanks CFB Suffield and BATUS for inviting us. Due to Covid19 restrictions and Prairie Rose Guidelines, we will be keeping our students in classroom cohorts to do the run. All students will be participating in the run. Please remember to have your children wear proper footwear and active wear for the event. If parents wish to run with their children they will need to collect them at the beginning of the run from their teacher and keep them until they have completed their lunch. Parents will then need to bring the children back to the school at 12.25pm for afternoon classes. Students are unable to run with friends in other cohorts or family friends due to restrictions. Once classes are finished the run they will collect their food at the gym and stay in class cohorts with their teachers. Thank-you for your help with these guidelines. If you have any questions please contact the office. Thank you! Ralston School Staff

Our students in Grades 4 to 9 got the opportunity to participate in the student vote today. They enjoyed learning about the different parties and their platforms. Our student vote lead to a Green Party victory!

We have our Ralston Scholastic Society Casino booked on September 30th & October 1st. Mrs McHugh sent home forms for the volunteers that said they would help with this event. We need the forms back by Thursday 23rd September so she can make up the schedule. We are also looking for 2 more volunteers, if you are able to help please contact [email protected] or call the office on 403 544 3535 press 0 for the office. This is a huge fundraiser for the school and we appreciate everyone who is able to help us out.

Dear Ralston School Families, As you know, On September 15, 2021, the Alberta government declared a state of public health emergency. This means that new guidelines and restrictions have been put in place for all Albertans. Some of these changes were directed at schools and have meant that we have had to implement additional guidelines for our students. Many of these changes are similar to the guidelines that were in place last year. Please find the guidelines that will directly affect Ralston School below: Masking All students from grade 4-12 will be required to wear a mask while in school: o When travelling through hallways and common areas o When working together with other students during instructional time o When standing and moving about in the classroom All staff will be required to wear masks while in hallways, common areas, while circulating through the classroom and when a physical distance of 2 metres cannot be maintained. All visitors to the school must also be masked for the duration of their visit. Students will continue to wear masks while on the bus as directed by the Chief Medical Officer at the beginning of the school year. Student Cohorts Class cohorts will be assigned to a rotation of playground zones while on recess. Students will rotate daily through different areas of the school grounds. All other measures (sanitization, cleaning, physical distancing, etc.) have been in place since the beginning of the year and will continue. We thank you very much for your understanding and support as we do our best to support the health and well being of our students and our staff. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school office or myself at any time. Sincerely, Ms. Nunweiler Principal Ralston School

<p><strong>Communications Report</strong></p><p>Director of Communications Angela Baron presented an overview of the main communication work that was completed across Prairie Rose during the 2020-2021 year and what was planned for 2021-2022. Some of the highlights of the report include managing COVID-19 communications (notifications, re-entry plans and inquiries), a rebranding of Prairie Rose School Division to Prairie Rose Public Schools, the launch of the new myPRPS (myprps.com) websites for all schools and the division, research and design of the new Home Plus Learning Network, an upcoming internal communications audit, a review of the cold weather section of the current inclement weather policy, and work as part of the design and implementation of the new assurance model that focuses on stakeholder feedback. The full report can be found here: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tobjYVLxGbCRdpxAA5oDp7bcOntOnzKY/view">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tobjYVLxGbCRdpxAA5oDp7bcOntOnzKY/view</a></p><p><strong>New Brigden School Future Maintenance and Space Utilization</strong></p><p>The board discussed the next steps for maintenance and space utilization at New Brigden School following the board decision on September 2, 2021, to end the school review process and keep the school open beyond the current school year. Trustees discussed and approved on a number of items they would like followed up on including removal or redeployment of portables, continued funding/in-kind support from the community, the addition of a financial update (based on the new funding formula) of New Brigden and all small Prairie Rose schools to the annual board monitoring schedule, and consideration of required maintenance projects at New Brigden School to be added to the Capital Plan.</p><p><strong>Truth and Reconciliation Day – Sept 30, 2021</strong></p><p>The board discussed what was happening across the country and at other school divisions in Alberta in regards to the announcement that September 30, 2021, would be declared a national holiday to commemorate Truth and Reconciliation. As the 30th was not given consent as a provincial holiday, there are varying ways each school organization is handling the day. While some have made it an operational day for all staff and students, other school divisions have decided to make it a non-instruction day or a holiday day. There was some discussion about the difference and impact to the division under each scenario. It was also noted that due to the short timeline, there is some concern that teachers and staff would not be adequately prepared to provide the best possible educational opportunity for students around truth and reconciliation. The board voted 5-1 in favour of making September 30th, for the 2021-2022 school year only, a non-operational day with pay for all staff, to recognize the day for Truth and Reconciliation.</p><p><strong>Advanced Vote</strong></p><p>The board passed a motion authorizing Returning Officer Ryan Boser to hold and advanced vote for the upcoming October 18th trustee election, should there be a slate of candidates in any of the six Prairie Rose wards.</p><p><strong>Welcome of the New Deputy Superintendent</strong></p><p>The board and upcoming Superintendent Reagan Weeks welcomed Mark Heinricks to the meeting and congratulated him on being selected as the new role as Deputy Superintendent. See the announcement here: <a href="https://www.myprps.com/news/chief-deputy-superintendent-announcement-1630611979151">https://www.myprps.com/news/chief-deputy-superintendent-announcement-1630611979151</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p>