Round Hill Extra
2 Railway Ave. NE Round Hill AB T0B 3Z0 P: 780.672.6654 F: 780.672.4852
[email protected]
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March 7, 2017
Principal’s Message
February was a month of many accomplishments and celebrations at Round Hill School. The
Jr. High boys basketball team represented our school very well throughout the season and
finished strong with a 2nd place finish in the Fort Saskatchewan Christian School
Tournament. Mini Dunkers also had success with almost all students in grades 4-6
participating on the team. I was very proud of our students, staff, parents, and community in
hosting our Mini Dunkers tournament on March 3 as I received great feedback from other
schools on our hospitality and welcoming environment. Thanks again to all of our coaches
and parent volunteers for investing in the students at Round Hill School.
February also presented the opportunity for students from Round Hill School to share our
R.E.A.L. program to other schools in the division. This has led to many conversations and
sharing of resources with other BRSD schools about creating positive learning environments
in their schools. I am very proud of the work that has been accomplished by the Round Hill
School Community that can now be used to support all students in BRSD.
As we look forward to March, I am excited to see students continue their learning in different
ways. Students will have the opportunity to learn about winter ecology at Miquelon Lake as
well as continue their swimming lessons at Ryley School. Report cards will be going out later
this month which will also offer the opportunity for students, teachers, and parents, to reflect
on the progress of our students’ learning.
Yours in education,
Matt Spronk
Principal
Round Hill School
Principal of the Day
A big congrats to Levi Huard on being Principal of the Day! Levi has consistently shown
what it means to be R.E.A.L. at Round Hill School by helping others, showing courtesy,
and by being a positive role model.
On February 24, Levi took the time to read to the students in grades 1& 2. He also gave
the students in grades 3 & 4 an extra gym class. Levi shared the following quote during
the morning announcements to his fellow students:
“I'm not trying to be the next Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux, ... I am putting pressure
on myself to do my best and perform to my potential -- that's all I can do.” - Sidney
Crosby
Mini Dunkers Staff Vs Students March 3
The students were in full force Friday afternoon as they beat the staff with a score of
40-26.
Congrats to the Jr. High Boys Basketball team in placing 2nd at the Fort Saskatchewan
Christian School Basketball Tournament!
Thanks to all of our basketball coaches!
Badminton Grade 7/8
Areas in Tofield April 11, Regionals in Camrose April 27
Practices will run after school on Wednesdays
Skating!
As part of the physical education program all students will be skating in January, February and
March. The students will be walking over to the rink in Round Hill to skate. Their participation is
expected as part of the physical education class. Everyone needs to have the permission form
signed as even non-participants will be required to accompany their class to the rink.
Students will need to have a hockey helmet, NOT a bike helmet, mitts/hockey gloves, and their
skates​. NO sticks are allowed as per the Safety Guidelines for Alberta Schools.
We do have some skates and helmets at the school that we could loan your child. Please
contact Mr. Lowe ​[email protected]​ or phone the school (672.6654) to make arrangements.
Grades 7/8 will be at the rink from about 12:30 - 1:40 on Thursdays
Grades 5/6 will be at the rink from about 2:00 - 3:10 on Thursdays (on early out days they will
go periods 3 and 4, 10:25 - 11:04 instead)
Grades 1/2 and 3/4 will be at the rink from about 10:30 - 11:40 on Fridays
Does this sound familiar? A child who melts down in the supermarket? The
child who’s always disobedient, or the one who bites, hits or fights?
Triple P Can Help
Discussion Group Topics:
Dealing with Disobedience – Tuesday March 7​th
·
Managing Fighting and Aggression – Tuesday 14​th
Come join us for a FREE Triple P Discussion Group where you will learn practical strategies to
manage disobedience. You can choose to attend one group or both.
In a relaxed group session, your provider will give you tips and suggestions for dealing with your
child’s problem behaviour. You’ll also be given a take-home workbook with simple exercises
and information to help you try your new strategies at home.
Upcoming Events
March 14 Miquelon Lake Field Trip!
March 16 Swim / Skate
March 24 Day in Lieu No school
March 27 PD Day - No School
March 30 Irving’s Meat Delivery
April 6 Early Dismissal
April 14 Spring Break
April 24 Classes resume
Spring 2017
The upcoming Leadership courses for
Spring 2017 at the Camrose Aquatic
Centre are as follows:
Age 11-14 Years…
Babysitter Course
Saturday
April 8
9:00am – 5:00pm
Babysitter Course
Tuesday & Thursday May 30 June 1
5:00pm – 9:00pm
Pink Shirt Day!
Anti-Bullying Awareness Day
Students and staff had fun with
different activities for Pink Shirt
Day! There were several group
projects and individual ones like the
pink t-shirts that you see on the
wall.
All in all it was a resounding
success! The students were very
engaged and very proud of their
projects.
Soccer ​The Camrose and District Soccer Association is excited to announce that
registration for the outdoor soccer season (with teams for kids aged 4 to 18 ) will go live
starting February 01, 2017. From that time until March 31, 2017 registrations can be
processed online at our website: c
​ amrosesoccer.com​. We will also have two in person
registration dates set up during the weeks of February 20th and March 20th at Business
IQ. The confirmed dates and times will be posted on our website.
OUT OF SCHOOL DAY CAMP
Looking for a place your child can attend on out of school days to keep them active, entertained and safe?
Join us in our NEW program designed for full time school kids ages 6 to 12 years old. During the program
the kids will go on adventures (weather pending) make crafts, play games, go for a swim or skate/sledding.
The program will run out of Kin Room #1 at the Aquatic Centre from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. This program will
run on the following non-student days. Register soon to ensure a spot!
Items for kids to bring every day to camp:
· Clothing and footwear for the weather
· Water Bottle
· Lunch and Snacks
· Swimsuit and Towel
· Equipment on designated skating or sledding days
Dates and Themes:
March 9 & 10 - Super Science
​Drop off times from 8:00-8:30 am
March 24 - Spring is Sprung
​Pick up times run from 4:30-5:00 pm
March 27 - Hollywood Hall
April 17 to 21 - Wild Adventure
May 19 - Music ‘N’ Moving, June 2 - Sunventure
Cancellation Policy: There will be a 20% administration charge for non-medical cancellations.
Multi-Child Discount: If registering more than one child from the same immediate family, receive
10% off for additional children.
Out of School Day Camp Fees:
City/County $32.00/Day Out of Area $37.00/Day
​Upcoming Specialty Swims at the Camrose Aquatic Centre
​Camrose Aquatic Centre Half Price Public Swim March 9 & 10
The Camrose Aquatic Centre will be having a Half Price Public Swim on Thursday
March 9 and Friday March 10 from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm. No school, make sure to come
and enjoy the pool!
Aquatic Centre is located at 5600 – 44 Avenue (Rudy Swanson Park, 53 Street and 44
Avenue).
Camrose Aquatic Centre St. Patrick’s Day Theme Public Swim March 18
Join us for our St. Patrick’s Day Themed Public Swim on Saturday March 18 from 1:00
pm to 4:00 pm,
there will be games, prizes and tons of fun! Come on down to try out your luck! Regular
admission
applies.
The Aquatic Centre is located at 5600 – 44 Avenue (Rudy Swanson Park; 53 Street and
44 Avenue).
Camrose Aquatic Centre Half Price Public Swim March 24 & 27
The Camrose Aquatic Centre will be having a Half Price Public Swim on Friday March 24 and
Monday March 27 from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm. No school, make sure to come and enjoy the pool!
Aquatic Centre is located at 5600 – 44 Avenue (Rudy Swanson Park, 53 Street and 44 Avenue).
Camrose Aquatic Centre FREE Sponsored Early Out Public Swim April 6
Come one, come all and come down to the Camrose Aquatic Centre to enjoy our Sponsored
FREE Early Out Swim on Thursday April 6 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Thank you to Ken’s
Furniture for sponsoring the Aquatic Centre to offer a FREE Swim!
Aquatic Centre is located at 5600 – 44 Avenue (Rudy Swanson Park, 53 Street and 44 Avenue).
Camrose Aquatic Centre Little Explorers and Discovery Kids Summer Day Camps
Looking for fun, supervised activities for your child this summer? Register for the Summer Day
Camp at the Aquatic Centre! The camps run weekly from Monday to Friday starting at 8:30 am
to 4:30 pm, with the ability to drop your child off at 8:00 am and pick them up by 5:00 pm; the
camps will begin on July 3​rd​ and run until August 25​th​. Little Explorers program is for kids age 4-7
years, while the Discovery Kids program is for kids age 8-14 years. The cost for Little Explorers
is as follows, City/County $152.18 per week and Out of Area $157.18 per week. The cost for
Discovery Kids is as follows, City/County $181.80 per week and Out of Area $186.80 per week.
If registering more than one child from the same immediate family save 10% for each additional
child enrolled. Fees may be paid with equal bi-weekly payments using post-dated cheques. All
cheques must be dated before June 30​th​, 2017. Please note that there will be NO program
running the week of August 7 to August 11.
Registration for this popular program begins on Monday April 3, 2017.
To register, stop by the Camrose Aquatic Centre, call us at 780.672.9909, or email us at
[email protected] . The Aquatic Centre is located at 5600 – 44 Avenue (Rudy Swanson
Park; 53 Street and 44 Avenue).
Excerpt from the Camrose Canadian about Round Hill School!
What are kids learning at school these days?
Do you ever wonder what children learn in school nowadays? Battle River School Division will
be offering a peek inside the schoolroom walls about once a month, to share information on
different programs, activities and types of learning that Camrose-area children experience.
In Round Hill School, it’s all about being real. That’s actually R.E.A.L. which stands for Respect,
Effort, Attitude, Leadership.
Staff in the Grade 1 to 9 school are taking a new approach to learning this year, by focusing on
these main ideas:
-​
​Setting
clear expectations for students
-​
​Ensuring
-​
​Modelling
the behaviour that students are expected to meet
-​
​Providing
positive reinforcement for meeting expectations, rather than punishment for not
students know how they can meet those expectations
meeting them
It may seem like simple common sense, says Principal Matthew Spronk, but in fact this
deliberate focus on setting expectations and showing kids how to meet them is not as straight
forward as it seems.
“As adults in schools, we used to make assumptions that everyone knew what was expected.
We made a lot of rules telling kids what they could not do and the punishment that would
happen if they did things they shouldn’t.”
“Today, schools are more focused on being clear about what we d
​ o​ want kids to do. Believe me,
it’s a lot more time consuming to be clear about what you expect and help students to meet
those expectations than it is to just tell someone they’ve behaved badly and take away their
recess break. But in the end, the students learn a lot more from positive reinforcement than they
do from punishment.”
Mr. Spronk stresses that positive reinforcement does not mean overlooking negative behaviour.
And he is definite that there are consequences when students behave inappropriately. But those
consequences are now more closely tied to the action and not generic punishments like taking
away privileges.
This way of encouraging students is based on a belief that all students can achieve at high
levels, both academically and socially. It’s also based on the thinking that good behaviour leads
to good learning.
“We’re not just making up something new for staff to do,” Mr. Spronk explains. “It’s based on a
fundamental belief that everyone – adults and students – can do better.”
“We operate from a growth mindset. We believe everyone can achieve if they know what’s
expected of them, put in an effort and try new ways. Whether it’s having a tidy boot room,
getting along well with others or learning geometry, the principle is the same. Show someone
clearly what you expect of them, encourage them as they make mistakes in trying to meet those
expectations, and celebrate when they achieve the goal.”
“We are teaching kids to make good decisions and have the confidence to keep trying.”
This philosophical shift has been making its way into schools for some time, here in Battle River
School Division and far beyond. Every school within BRSD is using their own strategies but all
are working toward implementing this type of learning environment.
So far, says Mr. Spronk, the Round Hill community has been very supportive.
“The parent feedback has been really good,” he says. “The student feedback is even better.”
In January the school’s Grade 3 to 8 students took part in a survey about their experience this
school year. 73% of classmates say the R.E.A.L. focus has positively changed how they act at
school. 92% said that R.E.A.L. has somewhat or greatly increased positive behaviour at the
school and 89% said R.E.A.L. has somewhat or greatly increased the learning in their class.
Students also see the school building as being better cared for by students, they feel people are
more polite, courteous and inclusive of others, and all of those things give the class more time
to learn.
There’s also been a few rewards along the way, as students receive R.E.A.L. cards from staff
who observe them doing well at meeting expectations. The cards are put in a barrel and each
week someone will win a prize – water bottles, t-shirts, pens have been handed out over the
course of the year.
For Mr. Spronk, the most rewarding part of this new focus is not just watching the students
change their attitude and their behaviour, it’s watching them celebrate their classmates.
“In the beginning it was only adults who were giving out R.E.A.L. cards,” he explains. “This week
we have started letting the students themselves give cards to other students. Watching the
students recognize positive behaviour in others and acknowledge the classmates who are
working toward making this place the school we all want it to be – that’s the real reward for me.”
Photos: Students joined the BRSD Board of Trustees recently to talk about their positive
experience being RE.A.L. Pictured are Devyn Rasmuson (Grade 3), Noah Johnson (Grade 4)
Sami Turley (Grade 6) and Aiden Belich (Grade 7) with Board members Norm Erickson, Tracey
Boast Radley, Susan Chromik, Rebecca Heiberg, Lorrie Sitler, Kendall Severson and Laurie
Skori.
Students are much more focused on making sure gym supplies are put away following class.
Sami, Aiden and Noah demonstrate, with Mr. Spronk, how positive interactions and
collaborations can enhance student learning.
Positive behaviour gets rewarded with a R.E.A.L. card.