<p>Ryker Hollingsworth knew the race for valedictorian of Foremost School was close. He and another classmate, who Hollingsworth is good friends with, were unsure which of them would receive the top honour. “We’ve always been neck and neck. I think we were both trying pretty hard because we were competing with each other,” said Hollingsworth, who added his friend might be the lucky one because he doesn’t have to give a speech at graduation.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>When asked what motivates him to get high grades, Hollingsworth said, “I push myself because I feel like I owe it to all the people around me who have helped me so much to do my best. I feel like if I didn’t try my best that it would be a waste of a good opportunity.”&nbsp;</p><p>Raised on the family farm near Etzikom, Hollingsworth is cognizant the transition to post-secondary education will be a significant one. He’s already been accepted into the engineering program at Lethbridge University.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“I think one year closer to home will be better for the transition. It will be a big difference between here and the big city of Edmonton.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Having always been interested in mechanics, Hollingsworth is leaning toward mechanical engineering but knows this might change during his first year of studies and wants to keep his options open before making a final decision prior to his second year. He chose engineering because he would prefer to build new things rather than fixing what already exists.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>While he enjoys playing many sports, including volleyball and baseball, hockey is his first love and he’s been playing the game for as long as he can remember. “It’s the fast pace, in other sports you don’t really get that. The best memories you can make are in the dressing room and at away tournaments. It’s just so fun to be part of a team. I’ll miss it a lot,” concluded Hollingsworth.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer&nbsp;</p>

📢 Exciting news, Parkside families! Our Year-End Activity Day is set for Wednesday, June 25th at the town fields, courts, and ball diamonds. Students should arrive at Parkside School at the regular starting bell time of 8:15am, with activities starting at 9:30am! They’ll enjoy a variety of outdoor activities and our brand-new Cornhole Tournament — plus pizza lunch from Papa John's! 🍕 In the event of unfavourable weather, alternate indoor activities will be planned to ensure students still enjoy a safe and engaging day 😊

<p>Prairie Rose School Division (PRSD) was fortunate to receive a Community Initiatives Program Project-Based Grant just prior to Christmas. The grant was used to purchase an LED media wall that was installed in the gymnasium at Eagle Butte High School (EBHS) during the Easter break in April. During May, staff were trained on how to use the media wall and by the time a division-wide professional development (PD) day was held on June 6, it was fully operational.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“We’ve had the opportunity to have a district-wide PD-day so far and utilized the new screen to present all the information, particularly about our three-year strategic plan that is coming into effect next year,” said Vice-Principal and Athletic Director at EBHS Lyall Foran. “What I’ve noticed is that it is so much more engaging and easier to see. When we are trying to do any kind of visual presentation at the gym, it’s definitely better for us as it’s easily visible and catches everybody’s attention. One’s eyes are drawn to it as soon as they enter the gym and it’s a great feature to have.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>While all sports played in the gym are done for this academic year, Foran says there will be a series of spring and summer basketball camps along with open sessions for volleyball where the media wall will be utilized. “I am looking forward to seeing its potential put to use once we get into our volleyball season come fall,” stated Foran.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Dr. Reagan Weeks, Superintendent of PRPS, presented the three-year strategic plan at the division-wide PD-Day on June 6.&nbsp;</p><p>“One of the most exciting things about the screen, aside from the visual impact, is it can be seen clearly from every angle,” explained Weeks. “When there is a very large audience, one of the things that can always be challenging is the visuals are unable to be seen by everyone.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The media wall was used during the first session of the PD-day to present the process used by the executive team to create the new strategic plan. Following that, the strategic plan was unveiled, and those present were walked through all the next steps, goals, and dreams that are in place for the PRPS vision going forward.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“It’s also something that is going to be used daily for students, everything from sports to showing highlight reels of students excelling. Additionally, the screen will be used during academic awards ceremonies and student assemblies. It offers the chance to celebrate in a visual, high impact way, and we feel very fortunate to have been a successful recipient of the Community Initiatives Program Project-Based Grant. It’s exciting for students to have the kind of facility that makes them feel like they are important and where they are able to showcase what they are doing,” concluded Weeks.</p><p>By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer&nbsp;</p>

After an amazing Redcliff Days, another exciting event is fast approaching!

Our Parkside School staff got a wonderful surprise from Mrs. Deis' PSC students! They created magnets filled with thoughtful quotes and meaningful messages. It's heartwarming to see our students spreading kindness and appreciation throughout the school. #Gratitude #studentkindness #ParksideCommunity

🌟A busy few weeks for our SAHA High Performance boys!💪From intense workouts at Foundations Training Centre to perfecting their swings at Desert Blume and Riverview Golf Courses, they've been putting in the work! And let's not forget the adrenaline rush of kickboxing at SACA Kickboxing! Keep pushing, boys - the hard work is paying off!. #sahahighperformance #sacakickboxing #riverviewgolf #desertblumegolf #foundationstrainingcentre

Our lost and found is decreasing slightly but we still have a lot of items that need to find their way home.

🌊🏊‍♀️Better late than never! Our Grade 7's and 8B had a fantastic swimming day last Monday, enjoying beautiful weather that the Grade 9's sadly missed out on. #SwimmingFun #schoolspirit

Happy Sunday Parkside Families, here is at look at the week ahead.#ParksideFamily #schoollife

Congratulations to Grace on her strong performance at the Kiwanis Run Jump Throw Track & Field Meet. She placed in all three of her events, earning: 🥈 2nd place in the 800m Dash 🥈 2nd place in the 1600m Dash 🥉 3rd place in the Softball Throw Excellent work, Grace! Your achievements are something to be proud of. 💚🐍 #ParksideProud #TrackAndField

<p>Prairie Rose Public Schools is expanding into honey production and education this year. Eleven bee hives are being established at Neubauer Farms with plans to establish hives at several schools next year. Ten bee packages recently arrived from New Zealand and were loaded into brood boxes on Saturday night, May 10th. The last hive was established using a swarm of bees master beekeeper Sheldon Hill rescued a week ago and donated to Prairie Rose Honey.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>It took four days for the bee packages to reach Neubauer Farms, first on a plane from New Zealand to Vancouver and then driven into Alberta by Scandia Honey. As May 10 was an exceptionally hot day for early May, the bees could not be loaded into the brood boxes until the sun was setting, and the temperature was starting to cool.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“The bees needed to come from New Zealand due to the heavy colony collapse sustained throughout Canada and the United States over the past winter, with some beekeeper losing up to 90% of their bee colonies. &nbsp;The reason for the collapse is not yet fully understood,” stated Nichole Neubauer. “For that reason, there is high interest in importing bees from other countries as North American beekeepers will not have any extra bees to sell.”&nbsp;</p><p>This is a critical time for establishing the hives for Prairie Rose Honey, the bees need to be situated in the deep brood box and settle before the queen is released into the hive, which occurred three days after the bees were loaded. Hill and Neubauer will pull frames next week to determine if the queen is laying eggs.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“This is pivotal as the entire future of the bee colony revolves around the queen’s ability to lay lots of eggs, thousands and thousands of them,” explained Neubauer. “Once the hive is established, the queen starts filling frames with brood and capped brood.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Capped brood are those eggs that have hatched into the larva stage – the bee life cycle is egg, larva, pupa and adult – and bees cap the hexagon of honeycomb until the larva matures and hatches out of the comb to join the hive.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“We need to see these bees increase their numbers so they can go out and forage to bring back pollen and nectar to the hive so they can ultimately make honey, said Neubauer.” The packages don’t contain a large number of bees, so it is important to give them every chance to be successful. Sheldon (Hill) will be feeding them simple syrup – a sugar and water mixture – in a free flow, nonstop supply until spring takes off and there is an abundance of flowering plants available.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Currently, there are some early spring flowers available, primarily fruit trees and various shrubs, but bees require an incredible volume of flowers to make even a small amount of honey. Once the hives are well established and the bee colony has increased in numbers, a flow hive will be added on top of the brood boxes. Flow hives enable the extracting of honey without disturbing the bees as the hive doesn’t need to be dismantled to access the frames. Flow hives are designed to be placed directly on top of the brood box and will be the way Prairie Rose Honey is harvested this year.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer&nbsp;</p>

<p>Additional information can be found in the June 10, 2025, Board Meeting Agenda package: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HfRXmYRN31Yy48zdOOPpe6chhOgPLu--/view?usp=drive_link">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HfRXmYRN31Yy48zdOOPpe6chhOgPLu--/view?usp=drive_link</a></p><p>------</p><p><strong>Parkside School Presentation</strong><br>Parkside School administration provided an overview of the school’s programs, emphasizing elective options available to students, school-wide activities such as “undercover spirit days,” and the&nbsp;<i>Community Character</i> initiative that connects students with local seniors. The school also noted the addition of the new SAHA U15 hockey team next year, and shared that the school had seen improvement on recent Provincial Achievement Test (PAT) results. A scene from the school’s&nbsp;<i>Mamma Mia</i> musical theatre performance was presented by several students. For the upcoming school year, the school will be focussing on strengthening parent involvement.</p><p><strong>First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) Education Update</strong><br>Student Experiences Coordinator Carol Carlson presented the annual report on First Nations Metis Inuit education in Prairie Rose Public Schools. In the 2024-2025 year, 133 students self-identified as Indigenous within the division, with a total of 241 when including students from Coulee Collegiate and South Alberta High School. PRPS Indigenous students continue to exceed the provincial average in high school completion rates (78% compared to 58.6%). Other highlights of the report developments included:</p><ul><li>Tipi donations (10 in total) from Saamis Employment and Training Association</li><li>New resources such as 4Canoes Digital Library</li><li>Monthly Truth &amp; Reconciliation content for teachers</li><li>Hands-on learning kits (dreamcatcher, soap carving, drum kits)</li><li>14 Indigenous students are graduating this year</li><li>Indigenous Peoples Day will be observed on June 21.</li></ul><p><strong>Occupational Health &amp; Safety Report</strong><br>The annual Occupational Health and Safety report indicated 106 student and 15 staff injuries during the 2024–2025 school year. The majority of student accidents occurred in gymnasiums and on playgrounds. Staff injuries were primarily due to slips/falls. Increased WCB claims have resulted in a 10.17% surcharge. An external consultant will be hired to conduct an audit of WCB claims. Emergency preparedness remains a focus, with Hour Zero training and site compliance audits showing most schools at or near full compliance. Forty-four staff received Standard First Aid training, and bus drivers will receive training in August.</p><p><strong>Financial Update 2024-2025</strong><br>The fiscal financial update for the 2024-2025 school year as of May 31, 2025 included:</p><ul><li>Revenues totaled $62.2 million, $2.1 million above budget</li><li>Expenses totaled $62 million, $1.6 million over budget</li><li>The year-to-date result is a surplus of $213,830, an improvement from the previously projected deficit of $281,086</li></ul><p><strong>2025-2026 Budget Approval</strong><br>Prairie Rose Public Schools has approved a balanced budget for 2025–2026 which is the first in more than a decade. The total budget is $83.29 million, a 38.5% increase over the previous year, largely due to the addition of two Calgary schools (AJ and OBK) and over 1,600 new students.</p><p><i>Revenue and Grants</i><br>PRPS receives 94.4% of its funding from Alberta Education. Key changes include:</p><ul><li>A $20.4 million increase in instructional funding</li><li>A $1.18 million Supplemental Rural Allocation</li><li>A new $100,000 School Technology Grant</li><li>Increases to Supports &amp; Services (2.32%) and Classroom Complexity (20%)</li><li>Transportation revenue will decrease slightly due to changes in funding formulas and fuel subsidies.</li></ul><p><i>Program Allocations</i><br>Total funding by program area:</p><ul><li>Instruction: $65.95 million</li><li>Operations &amp; Maintenance: $9.78 million</li><li>Transportation: $4.61 million</li><li>System Administration: $2.68 million</li><li>External Services: $262,630</li></ul><p><i>Staffing and Wages</i><br>Staffing will increase by over 90 FTE to support enrollment growth. The budget includes projected wage increases for both teachers and support staff, with teacher salary adjustments expected to be funded by the province.</p><p><i>Reserves</i><br>Operating reserves are projected at $2.66 million (3.19% of expenditures), with capital reserves estimated at $868,000.</p><p><strong>Redcliff School Project</strong><br>A site assessment meeting with the Alberta Education/Infrastructure designated contractor is scheduled for June 17, 2025. The assessment will confirm if the selected location meets compliance requirements. Utility design is also complete, and next steps depend on the outcome of the site assessment.</p><p><strong>Student Services Report</strong><br>The Board received the Student Experiences Accountability Report, which outlined the range of supports provided across Prairie Rose Public Schools. The division employs a diverse team that includes 124 educational assistants, 11.125 inclusion support teachers, 7 student wellness counsellors, a psychologist, two therapy assistants, and a part-time resilience strategist. Additional supports are accessed through contracted services for occupational therapy, physical therapy, and vision supports.</p><p>Over the past year, 445 students accessed wellness services, with the most common concerns related to emotional regulation and family issues. A total of 162 Early Childhood Screenings were conducted for incoming students. Five students participated in the division’s hippotherapy program, which is available by referral. Prairie Rose also continues to support the use of trained service dogs in schools, with two dogs—Ian and Taija—currently working with students.</p><p>The report emphasized the growing complexity of student needs across the division and identified increasing challenges in programming and service delivery for students requiring specialized support. Educational assistants were acknowledged as essential members of school-based teams in meeting these needs. A new website and monthly newsletter have been developed to improve communication about the services provided and to support staff in accessing available resources.</p><p><strong>Executive Report</strong></p><ul><li>Two students are graduating with Veterinary Technician credentials from Senator Gershaw and Foremost schools</li></ul><p><strong>Other Items:</strong></p><ul><li>The board approved a new school code for Rosebank Colony School</li><li>The Board approved the 2025-2026 Board Monitoring Schedule</li><li>The Board passed three readings of Bylaw 1-2025 to allow for more than one voting station in a subdivision at the upcoming municipal trustee elections</li><li>The board approved locally developed courses Forensic Studies 25/35, Design Thinking for Innovation 15/25/25, Developing Personal Integrity 15/25/35, and Religious Studies Islamic Studies 15/25/35</li><li>The board approved K-9 Biblical Studies (a PRPS locally developed elective course for Burdett School)</li><li>Cathy Hogg (12 years), Lois Bedwell (8 years) and Pam Cursons (8 years) received awards for years of service from the Public School Boards Association</li></ul>

Sorry if there has been any confusion regarding exams this month, the Grade 9's will write their PAT's and the Grade 7 & 8's will write their final exam in the same subject on the same day. FRIDAY 13TH - GRADE 9 MATH PART A PAT GRADE 7 & 8 MATH FINALS WEDNESDAY 18TH - GRADE 9 SOCIAL STUDIES PAT GRADE 7 & 8 SOCIAL STUDIES FINALS THURSDAY 19TH - GRADE 9 SCIENCE PAT GRADE 7 & 8 SCIENCE FINALS MONDAY 23RD - GRADE 9 LA PART B PAT GRADE 7 & 8 LA PART B FINALS TUESDAY 24TH - GRADE 9 MATH 9 (K & E) PART B PAT GRADE 7 & 8 MATH PART B FINALS

🌟Students/parents🌟 Just a polite reminder to make sure that all Grade 9 Chromebooks are charged on Thursday evening and that all Grade 7 & 8's remember to bring a pencil ready for their exams on Friday!

<p>Due to smoke from nearby forest fires, air quality levels across our school division may vary throughout the day. Prairie Rose Public Schools is closely monitoring the situation to ensure the health and safety of all students and staff.</p><h4>How Decisions Are Made:</h4><p>Each school uses trusted weather sources to check the <strong>Air Quality Index (AQI)</strong> in their local area. Based on these readings, schools will adjust outdoor activities and follow safety protocols when needed.</p><ul><li><strong>If air quality is rated high risk</strong>, students will <strong>remain indoors</strong>, and the <strong>Shelter in Place</strong> protocol will be activated.</li><li><strong>If conditions fall in the moderate range</strong>, schools may limit outdoor activities, especially for students or staff with health concerns.</li></ul><h4>Monitoring Tools:</h4><p><strong>The Weather Network</strong> is used in some locations to access the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI). A rating of <strong>7 or higher</strong> triggers Shelter in Place.</p><p><a href="https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/weather/alberta/medicine-hat">Check AQHI for Medicine Hat</a></p><p><strong>AccuWeather</strong> provides data for many of our rural areas. If air quality is listed as <strong>Poor or Unhealthy</strong>, the same indoor protocols apply.</p><p><a href="https://www.accuweather.com/en/ca/medicine-hat/t1a/air-quality-index/46928">Check AccuWeather for your area</a></p><h4>What This Means for Your Child:</h4><ul><li>Outdoor recess, PE classes, and other outside events may be moved indoors depending on air quality levels.</li><li>Students with asthma or respiratory conditions may be given additional precautions.</li><li>Principals and staff will continue to monitor conditions throughout the day and adjust as needed.</li></ul>

Redcliff Days is just around the corner, we hope to see you all there for a weekend of fun. Hopefully the weather holds up this year. #RedcliffDays #CommunityFun

We hope you all enjoyed your long weekend and are ready for the week ahead.

🏆🎉 Exciting news! Some of our talented Parkside Track and Field students qualified for Zones on Tuesday! Their hard work and dedication have truly paid off, and we couldn’t be prouder. Way to go Parkside! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️💪 #ParksidePride #TrackAndField

🌧️➡️☀️ Our Grade 9 and 8A students turned a cloudy Monday into a splash-tacular day at the pool! 💦 Although the day started a bit wet and gloomy, the sun decided to join us just in time for some fun in the water. Here’s to more sunny days ahead! ☀️🏊‍♂️ #PoolDay #SchoolSpirit #MakingMemories

We have a bulletin board up in school with tips and tricks to help all students with their studying on the lead up to their exams, there are also sheets available for students to take home.