BTPS Newsletter

Yesterday, March 20, was the International Day of Happiness, a day to celebrate joy, connection, and the moments that bring meaning to our lives. It highlights the importance of relationships in fostering well-being and bringing people together.

As I reflect, I think back to March 14, as teachers gathered for their Professional Learning Day. Being together as a team reminded me of how much joy this group—and all of our incredible staffing groups—brings me and the positivity you have when gathered together. The energy, collaboration, and shared commitment to supporting students are truly special. Whether through deep discussions, laughter, or simply the opportunity to connect, that day reinforced how important it is to find happiness in the work we do and the people we do it with.

Thank you for all you do to make our schools and communities happier places every day. I’m grateful to work alongside such an incredible team.

Wishing you all moments of joy in the days ahead!

Be Well,

Michelle

Check out the Board Highlights from the March 2025 meeting.

All highlights from previous meetings are also listed on our website for easy access—check them out here.

BTPS Board of Trustees is pleased to announce Morgan Jarvie, Edgerton Public School teacher, as our nominee for the 2025 Edwin Parr Teacher Award, presented annually by the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) to six outstanding first-year teachers from across the province.

The Edwin Parr Award is given annually to one first-year teacher in each ASBA zone who has demonstrated excellence in teaching. Each school division nominates one candidate, and then a committee selects one recipient for the zone. The Edwin Parr Award recipients are recognized at the ASBA Fall General Meeting.

Edgerton Public School Principal, Glen Sunderland, shares:

"What truly sets Morgan apart is her ability to connect personally with every student in her classroom. She takes the time to understand their strengths, challenges, and interests, making each child feel seen and valued. Whether it's through individualized check-ins, incorporating students' passions into lessons, or celebrating their achievements, Morgan fosters a deep sense of belonging and confidence in her students."

"Beyond her classroom, Morgan is a dedicated member of our school community. She collaborates with colleagues, contributes to school initiatives, and builds strong relationships with parents. Her enthusiasm, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to student success make her a truly deserving candidate for this award."

Congratulations, Morgan!

JR Robson’s Interact Club was formed this past December. Several students who have had wonderful experiences due to opportunities from the Vermilion Rotary Club, formed an off-shoot group called Interact Club. It’s a formal group of like-minded youth supported by a Rotary Club to fulfill similar results to help in local and international endeavors. Our club has 20 students and is overseen by long-time Rotarian and Social Studies teacher, Mr. Maier. The club has been incredibly motivated and successful in their projects thus far.

They baked and sold cookies and hot chocolate during Vermilion’s winter parade, with proceeds going towards a charity called Haying in the 30s, which supports families affected by cancer. Next, they collected hygiene products for our Care Closet, which provides these necessities to youth in need.

After that, they collected toys and sports equipment for another Interact group (Vegreville) to take with them on their upcoming trip to Mexico where they will be helping to build a school.

One evening, the group visited the Vermilion Lodge, where they visited and played games with the seniors. They had a lot of fun and plan to return in the future.

Their most recent endeavor was to help with Rotary’s international project of Purple Pinkie Day which helps with immunizing children in the few countries that are still affected by Polio. Our Interact planned, organized, and baked for a bake sale to coincide with Purple Pinkie Day and they earned $315 to donate to the cause.

We had two days for students to join in on a ski/snowboarding trip to Table Mountain in Saskatchewan, one day for junior high and one for senior high. It was a great couple of days.

Grade 10 students Brogan and Jade have showcased their artistic talents through their latest creations—Brogan with a detailed fish and Jade with a striking frog. Meanwhile, in Biology 30 with Mr. Bates, students are engaging in hands-on learning by dissecting portions of a sheep’s brain, gaining a deeper understanding of its structure and function.

In semester 2, students in Grades 7-12 are enrolled in CTF and CTS, experimenting with many strands of interest-driven or passion-focused learning. Students are coding and 3D printing, doing esthetics, cooking and baking, and readying our greenhouse for plants. It is wonderful to watch students light up in their areas of passion and interest.

Our Grade 1/2/3 classroom along with Miss Linda, a music specialist in our community, are preparing for the upcoming CBC Music Class Challenge. They will be performing and recording a song for this competition. We are excited to see their final creation.

We really enjoyed participating in the BTPS literacy challenge last month. We decorated doors and bulletin boards, read daily, and had a book character dress-up day. Students in our Grade 4/5/6 also were able to attend an Oil Kings game with tickets earned through the “Reading, Give It a Shot” program!

Our local public library and Women in Business group hosted students for an “Empowering Women” art activity to recognize International Women’s Day in early March. We appreciate our community partnerships and the learning opportunities they bring to our students.

Each 5 day week, our school recognizes an Islander of the Week who is contributing positively to our welcoming, safe, and caring environment! We look forward to recognizing more students who have had a great week or consistently contribute to our environment positively. See our social media for the ongoing recognitions!

During March our elementary students have been completing their swimming lessons at the Vegreville Aquatic Center. They have had a blast and learned a ton of skills. We ended our lessons with a DQ celebration! Thank you to our school council for financially supporting this year over year for our students and families.

Our badminton program is running strong. Students are learning about badminton in Physical Education across the grades and participating in practices after school for junior and senior high.

With April around the corner and spring knocking on our doors, we are 'hopeful’ to be saying farewell to winter. Our grade 4-12 rescheduled ski trip next week will be on March 26th to Table Mountain, and an arctic adventure at the Telus World of Science for our Grade 1-3 class will happen on the same day. We are excited to host our school-based public speaking competition on April 2nd with community volunteer judges. We will also welcome some shopping with our Book Fair running April 7-11.

Teachers and administrators from across BTPS came together at JR Robson School for a fantastic day of connecting, learning, and growing!

The day started with an inspiring keynote from Dr. Greg Wells, who shared powerful insights from his book Powerhouse: Protect Your Energy, Optimize Your Health, and Supercharge Your Performance. His message focused on the science of wellness and offered practical tools to support our well-being during times of change.

In the afternoon, staff had the opportunity to collaborate with peers and explore innovative practices. With support from our Optimum Learning Coaches, teachers discovered ways AI can enhance lesson planning and support the design of meaningful student learning experiences. It was a day filled with great conversations, new ideas, and meaningful connections.

Your feedback is incredibly valuable and helps plan for future learning opportunities that best support our staff. If you attended the event, please take a moment to complete the survey here by Friday March 28.

Thank you for being part of such a positive and inspiring day!

We are excited to launch Motivation Mondays, a new wellness initiative beginning this April. This initiative reflects our ongoing commitment to fostering a positive and supportive workplace culture—one where staff wellness is valued and prioritized as an essential part of a thriving school division.

Each month, we will introduce a wellness theme in the staff newsletter. Building on that theme, you’ll receive a brief Motivation Monday message in your inbox each week, offering a practical strategy, reflection, or wellness activity to help you start the week with energy and intention.

Throughout the month, the focus will rotate through key dimensions of wellness:

• Physical Wellness
  
• Mental/Emotional Wellness
  
• Nutritional Wellness
  
• Wrap-Up Week to reflect, recharge, and reset
  

Rooted in our shared mission to create safe, caring, and effective learning environments, this initiative is one way we continue to support the people who make that mission possible—our staff.

To keep things fun and engaging, there will also be a monthly participation prize draw! Watch for the first message coming this April. We look forward to supporting your well-being—one Monday at a time.

Lana has been busy visiting schools across BTPS, bringing energy and expertise to our classrooms! She has modeled 80-minute robust literacy lessons for various classes throughout the division, giving teachers a firsthand look at how her professional learning sessions translate into real teaching practices.

After each modeled lesson, teachers have the chance to debrief with Lana — revisiting the lesson, asking questions, and planning their next steps to integrate robust literacy into their daily teaching.

The excitement and enthusiasm from both teachers and students have been incredible! Teachers are eager to try out new strategies, and students are engaging deeply with the lessons. This has been an amazing professional learning experience for everyone involved — we can’t wait to see the continued impact in our classrooms!

Distributive Learning (DL) has played a key role in BTPS for over 20 years. The DL timetable supports our senior high schools by offering synchronous learning for the core subjects. It fills a niche for those schools with a limited number of students in these courses. By having a centralized timetable and funding, we can use our staff, limited budget, and resources as efficiently as possible. As an in-person teacher is optimal, DL offers an opportunity for all schools to have “live” synchronous offerings that otherwise would be taught through traditional asynchronous offerings from the Learning Hub.

Buffalo Trail Public Schools is proud to lead the way in providing Distributed Learning courses across our small rural schools. This innovative approach allows expert teachers to deliver the full spectrum of high school courses, ensuring our rural students have access to the same opportunities as any student in the province. By embracing Distributed Learning, we celebrate the unique advantages of our rural communities while providing a full offering of robust high school courses. In 2024/25 we have 27 offerings through the DL timetable. These 27 teachers send a course to 76 classrooms. In total DL reaches 103 classrooms across BTPS.

Buffalo Trail Public Schools remains dedicated to communicating with parents how Distributed Learning provides students with access to a comprehensive selection of courses, delivered by knowledgeable and skilled teachers across all our schools.

“Our teacher did a great job making DL learning more efficient for me. I loved how there were always lots of resources for extra help and how the notes were posted if we missed a day of class. The teacher was also great at responding to emails and helping with any questions.”

“...this DL class was really good and I found that you included all the schools very well and I really thought I was gonna struggle this year but I'm really glad I didn't…”

“... I was a little skeptical of taking a class through DL but I actually liked the way it worked”

Yesterday, March 20, was the International Day of Happiness!

Buffalo Trail Public Schools celebrates the power of positivity, kindness, and well-being in our schools and communities! This special day, established by the United Nations, is a reminder to embrace joy and share it with those around us.

What brings you happiness? Take a moment to appreciate the little things and spread some smiles today and everyday! https://www.un.org/en/observances/happiness-day