Rocky View Schools (RVS) students are encouraged to leave personal mobile devices at home when the school year begins.

The division has introduced Administrative Procedure (AP) 148: Responsible use of Personal Mobile Devices and Social Media in Schools in to alignment with new provincial government standards. The AP takes effect Sept. 3, the first day of classes for RVS students.

“RVS is committed to fostering a focused and engaging learning environment,” said Greg Luterbach, Superintendent of Schools. “By establishing clear expectations for the responsible use of cell phones, personal mobile devices and social media in schools we can work together to reduce distractions and maximize valuable instructional time.”

Highlights of the AP include:

• The safest place for students’ devices is at home. Should they choose to bring them to school, they must be out of sight and turned off or silent. Parents/guardians and students assume full responsibility if their device is lost, stolen or damaged.

• Students cannot use their personal mobile device in school during instructional time, unless specially authorized by their school’s administrator or their teacher for educational purposes. This includes any personal electronic device that can be used to communicate with or access the internet. Examples include cell phones, smart watches, laptops and tablets.

• Students with health or medical reasons or special learning needs may be granted permission to use personal mobile devices during instructional time, upon completion of Form AF148A or as indicated in the student’s Individualized Program Plan.

• Students will not have access to social media platforms at school over the school’s Wi-Fi network and are not permitted to access it at school using their own data plans to ensure students remain focused on educational tasks.

• The procedures are designed to have teachers and administrators work with students and parents/guardians toward the common goal of limiting distractions and staying focused on learning.

RVS families are encouraged to read the AP to learn more.

“We recognize this will be an adjustment as these changes become part of school life and we appreciate the cooperation of all students, staff and families to support focused student learning,” said Luterbach.  “Our teachers and administration teams will work with students to help them understand the expectations of personal mobile devices and social media at school.”

Thank you, Eaton Electric and School Council, for another fantastic pancake breakfast. Eaton Electric generously donates the food for our breakfast and cooks enough pancakes and sausages for over 650 people! Some of the amazing volunteers from Eaton have been flipping pancakes at R.J. for over 25 years!

A big thank you also to Superintendent Greg Luterbach and Area Director Ryan Reed for helping serve our guests and helping us kick off another great school year.

Our regular school office hours are:

Mon. - Thurs. -  7:45 am - 3:00 pm

Fri. - 7:45 am - 1:30 pm

At R.J. Haweky, we try very hard to be good neighbours to those who live around and beside the school.

We ask that families and guests do not block our neighbours' driveways when dropping off their children for school.

Please park along the fish fence if you are dropping off or picking up your child.

We Need Your Help!

It takes our whole school community to keep all of our students safe. Before and after school are very busy, and we are asking everyone to help us by remembering the following:

Please keep to the 30 km/hr speed limit

Please observe all posted NO PARKING zones, including the bus zone in front of the school

Please DO NOT use the staff parking lot as a drop-off zone

Please DO NOT double park beside the buses and block traffic on Big Springs Drive

Please do not park on the wrong side of the road to drop off or pick up your children. It creates dangerous conditions for everyone.

Please walk your children across the street using the crosswalks. Jaywalking and cutting through parked busses is dangerous

Parents and guardians are reminded that there is no morning supervision before 7:55 am. After school, there is supervision until the busses depart the school, which is at 2:55 pm. After busses depart, the supervisors bring any students who are still waiting to be picked up to the office to wait for their parent or guardian. There is no supervision on the playground after buses depart after school.

All supervisors wear orange vests for easy visibility.

If your child is late or absent from school, families are asked to call the Safe Arrival phone number at 1-933-244-5565 or use the attendance tab on the SchoolMessenger app to report their child's late absences (if five days or less). The SchoolMessenger app is available for both Android and iPhones.

RJ has a supply of new backpacks for students who may need one thanks to generous donations from Costco and other community agencies. If any families need a backpack for their child, please reach out to the school at 403-948-3939.

Starting this week a small grab and go breakfast will be available for students who need it at the office. Breakfast will include items such as cheese strings, mini muffins, and yogurt tubes.

Throughout the school year, there are various opportunities for parents, guardians, and other family members to volunteer at R.J. all volunteers require a criminal record and vulnerable sector check. Criminal records checks are valid for five years, provided you sign an annual declaration. Please get in touch with the school office at 403-948-3939 if you have any questions about your criminal record check or annual declaration.

If you are interested in volunteering in your child's classroom, don't hesitate to contact the teacher directly to learn about what opportunities are available.

Come Join Us

School Council meetings are not just gatherings; they are an important way for parents and guardians to ensure the success of all students at R.J. Hawkey and have an active voice in our school community.

You will hear updates from our RVS School Board Trustee and our teachers at council meetings. In addition to the updates, you can share your thoughts and opinions on school goals and community events, and we can support our students.

Join us on Tuesday, September 17, at 6:30 pm in the learning commons for our first school council meeting. In this first meeting, we will discuss the new Administrative Procedure 148 regarding personal mobile devices and what this new procedure means for R.J. students. We will also hear from our learning support team about how student needs are supported at R.J. and how to access support for your child.

Hello, ACP parents and caregivers.  

Chapel begins on September 10th and will focus on what it means to be adopted by God. We will focus on God's love for them and how He has chosen them to be part of His special family. Just like how some kids are adopted by families here on earth, God adopts people into His family. This means that God promises to care for them, love them always, and be with them no matter what. September 17th, we will look closely at the difference between grapes and raisins and why it is important to be connected to 'The Vine.'  On

September 24th, Grade 4 will lead our chapel time as we explore Matthew 7-1:8, when Jesus tells the Pharisees that their lips honour him, but their hearts are far from him. They are asking the question, 'What does it mean to have our hearts (thinking, feeling and choosing place) set on Jesus?

RJ Hawkey is part of the A-1 Receipt Program with Sierra Springs CO-OP in Airdrie.  RJ is now collecting Co-op receipts and receives 1% of the tally of the receipts to receive a gift card to use towards the school snack program. 

If you would like to help us with this, please bring in your co-op receipts to the school and place them in the co-op box at the front office. The store honors all receipts from all lines of co-op business.