Principal's Message

Welcome et Bienvenue!

Dear Edwards students, staff, and parents,

It is with great joy that I am in my third year as principal with École Edwards for 2024-2025. I am excited to get to know each one of you and to learn how I can best support and encourage optimal learning.

A few of my favorite things about Edwards are:

• Our school's mission & vision
• Our school-Wide PBIS expectations
• The amazing, creative, adaptive staff
• Our supportive families
• The caring and hard-working students
• The incredible learning experiences and activities throughout the year

I love learning… really, I sincerely do. I love to try new things and challenge myself. I care deeply about people and helping them discover their optimal potential. I enjoy good food, art, music, travelling, reading, kayaking, camping, and hiking. I strive to live life to the fullest and believe each day is a new and beautiful gift. My favourite travel destinations have been Cambodia, Santorini in Greece, Croatia, Ethiopia, and Italy. It was through traveling that I got into photography, as I love to capture the daily miracles of the world around us.

My leadership style is open, creative, supportive, and collaborative. I enjoy building leadership in others and making decisions with the help of multiple perspectives. My background in design thinking, technology, and quality learning has served me well by being adaptable and versatile in my skillset. My leadership commitments are to:

LEARN the school context, history, culture, unique strengths, needs, and areas for growth	CONNECT in meaningful ways with all types of people and learners, co-creating a shared vision together	BUILD trust by believing in the capability of others, honouring their efforts, and being supportive
LEAD with focus, confidence, transparency, collaboration, and humility	LISTEN carefully, actively, and thoughtfully to all students, staff, and families in the community	DEVELOP leadership & involvement across the school in staff, students, and parents
ACT strategically on developed plans, build feedback loops, and monitor for success	OBSERVE teaching and learning throughout the school, be involved, be present, and celebrate often	EMPOWER others by encouraging their creative strengths, independence, and personal growth

The 2024-2025 school year marks my 13th year in school leadership and over 20 years of teaching experience. Before joining Edwards, I was an Assistant Principal at Cooper’s Crossing and Cochrane Christian Academy. I provided leadership in literacy programming, kindergarten programming, inclusion, student learning support, and making learning visible. I also worked as a principal for two rural schools with Palliser Regional Schools and worked with Alberta Education in the Learning and Technology Resources Sector, providing consultation support, and expertise in project management, stakeholder engagement, and systemic planning.

Throughout my career, I have taught in Edmonton, Ottawa, Calgary, Dominica, Ethiopia, and Japan in public, charter, and private settings, within K-12 schools. My teaching strengths are in project-based learning, paperless-online learning, and formative assessments in subject areas of leadership, design thinking, science, literacy, drama, robotics, architecture, photography, and entrepreneurship.

I look forward to learning together!

Ms. Rachelle Prud’Homme