Joanna Brownlee – Ward 4 Trustee

As we enter the second half of our school year, I want to reflect with gratitude on all the work happening throughout the school division. From the division staff supporting students behind the scenes, to the teachers and students in our classrooms, this collective effort does not go unnoticed and is essential to the success we see today through Rocky View’s students.

RVS currently has eight capital projects at various stages of development throughout Cochrane, Airdrie, and Chestermere, with the first opening scheduled for 2027 and additional openings planned for 2028 and 2029. These projects reflect ongoing advocacy for our growing communities and long-term planning to ensure students have access to the space they need throughout their years with RVS. As the fifth-largest school board in Alberta, we are continually growing, presently sitting just above 29,600 students and counting.

The Board of Trustees is scheduled to begin work shortly on our next four-year strategic plan, with the rollout expected to coincide with the start of the 2026–2027 school year in September. The strategic plan is a priorities-based framework that allows the Board to communicate our core values and priorities to schools across Rocky View, while giving each school the flexibility to adapt it in a way that best suits their community. This process will include reviewing current priorities, discussing emerging needs, and ensuring the plan continues to reflect the diverse communities we serve. Strategic planning remains an important part of maintaining transparency and accountability in Board decision-making.

Springbank Community High School will be holding a raffle to support their Robotics and Physical Education programs! Attached is a QR code that can be scanned to purchase tickets.

They have a large assortment of exciting prizes available for all ages. The draw will take place on March 6 at 4 p.m. at Springbank Community High School.

For our younger learners, kindergarten registration for the 2026–27 school year will open on February 2 on SchoolEngage. All registrations must be completed online through SchoolEngage.

Four schools in Alberta are considering transitioning from the established half-day kindergarten program to a full-day program. These schools include RanchView School, Beiseker Community School, Prairie Waters Elementary School, and Fireside School. Rocky View Schools hosted community engagement sessions at each of these schools toward the end of January to gather feedback from parents. If implemented, kindergarten students would attend school for the full day on alternating days of the week. Rocky View encourages families who may be affected by this change to participate in the engagement process. RVS values the feedback of families of future kindergarteners and understands that kindergarten programming plays a significant role in a child’s introduction to school.