Happy Earth Week to our Rideau Families! 

2024-25 Yearbook 

The final sales deadline for the 2024-2025 yearbook is April 30, 2025. 

How to purchase a yearbook: 

1. In MyCBE choose the correct student if you have multiple students with CBE, then click on Fees, Waivers and Service Registration (green Icon). 

2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select ‘General Forms’, then click on the Yearbook icon.  

3. Add the yearbook to the cart and proceed to pay.  

CPS Poster Contest 

The Calgary Police Service (CPS) Crime Prevention Team and YouthLink Calgary have partnered for the 2025 Crime Prevention Poster Contest. This contest invites school-aged children and teens to showcase their creativity while promoting important safety tips.   

Submit your design before midnight on April 30.  

Contest information 

Reminder for Grade 7 to 9 Students: Make Responsible Choices When Off-Campus 

Our Grade 7, 8 and 9 students are reminded to make safe and responsible decisions when off-campus during the lunch break. With the spring weather, more junior students are choosing to take the privilege to leave campus during lunch break. Students should be safe and responsible when doing so. 

Safety: students are reminded to pay attention to crossing signals, signage (including bridge remediation signage) and vehicle traffic when out in the community. 

Making responsible decisions: students are reminded to stay on the sidewalks and refrain from walking on and/or sitting in homeowner’s grass, gardens & sidewalks. 

Making responsible purchases: when purchasing from Safeway and Dollarama, such as refraining from purchasing candy, energy drinks, beverages over 500 ml, family-sized chips, and other snack foods, will be important as none of these items will be allowed to be consumed inside the school.  Water toys (ie water guns) and large sized toys are not allowed to be used inside the school or on school property, including the school bus.   

We appreciate our parents’ and guardians’ support with this issue.   

Spring Plants & Planters Fundraiser 

With 2 weeks remaining with the Spring Plants & Planters fundraiser, we have almost reached our goal of 200 plants!. The Growing Smiles website will be open for orders until May 7 to order greenhouse-quality bedding plants, patio planters and hanging baskets. Delivery date is May 22, just in time for gardening season. 

All profits from this fundraiser go toward supporting our students and school programs. 

Place your order 

From Rideau Park School Council / Parent Society 

Rideau Park Families: 

We need YOU to support our school and continue all of the amazing initiatives that enrich our Rideau Park students’ experience! We have several vacancies on school council/parent society for the 2025-2026 school year, which will need to be filled. 

Read more at the School Council and Parent Society pages.  

Math 15 Summer School Course 

Grade 9 students transitioning to high school can take Math 15 as a summer school course.  Math 15 is intended to build a solid foundation of grade 9 math concepts and skills in preparation for enrolling in Math 10-C during the school year.  Students interested in taking Math 15 as a summer course should contact Mr Yackulic for more information.  

Healthy Hunger eGift Card 

The Healthy Hunger ‘fun lunches’ are a fundraiser for the Rideau Park Parents’ Association.  There is an additional fundraising opportunity at the Healthy Hunger website for ordering eGift Cards. 

Gym Strip & Spirit Wear  for 2025-26

The online ordering window for Rideau Gym Strip and Spirit Wear via Top Marks is May 9 - 23, 2025 for spring purchases.  

Website link: Top Marks  
Password: RID01  

Some sample sizes for fitting will be on display at the school for sizing. Please measure your child and review the sizing chart available on the Top Marks website. Top Marks will not accept returns for mis-sizing. 

Online orders from May will arrive at the school for distribution to students during the first full week of school in September 2025.  

All students in Grades 7 to 9 are required to change into a gym strip for PE classes.  We suggest the following for a Junior High gym strip: 

• Rideau Park T-shirt (required) 
• Rideau Park shorts or jogging pants (required) 
• Rideau Park hoodie (recommended) 

Top Marks offers sizing for younger elementary students, too. Rideau clothing is a great way to show school spirit, especially on spirit days.  

Provincial Achievement Test Schedule 

All Grade 6 and 9 students in Alberta will write Provincial Achievement Tests (PAT) in May and June.  Please review the PAT schedule below. If there is a conflict with any of the dates and/or times below, contact Ms Cochrane to make arrangements to write at a later date and/or time.   

New Bell Times - 2025-2026 School Year 

As a reminder, starting in the 2025–2026 school year, our school’s bell times will change due to a new provincial law that changes how transportation eligibility is calculated. This has increased the number of students qualifying for yellow school bus service, prompting the CBE to adjust routes and school schedules.  

Rideau Park's new bell times will be:  

• Start Time: 9:15 am  
• Dismissal (Mon–Thurs): 3:49 PM  
• Dismissal (Fridays): 1:16 PM  

We are currently finalizing lunch, recess, and kindergarten schedules and expect to share more details next month. For more information, visit the CBE FAQ page: CBE Bell Times FAQ 

Leftover Fun Lunch Orders  

Each Fun Lunch day, there are a large number of Fun Lunch orders that are not picked up after every order date. Most of these are never picked up and end up being tossed out at the start of the next week.    

Parents/guardians can cancel Fun Lunch orders via the Health Hunger website up to 5 days in advance of an order date.   

The office will be using the following process until June, and will work with the RPPA parent coordinator for fun lunch to decide if it will continue for next school year:   

• For the Fun Lunches left behind after spring break, please call the office to arrange for the fun lunch to be picked up (ie parent, sibling or alternate pick up).    
• Unclaimed lunches (ie not picked up or student absences) will be offered to a student in need of lunch on order dates.    

Parent Volunteer Opportunities 

If you are available to volunteer to assist with the trips and / or events below, please contact your child’s teacher or as indicated below.  The Annual Volunteer Registration with a valid Police Information Check is required: 

• Band 7, 8 & 9: Studio Bell Tour, May 5:  contact Mr Doherty 
• Grade K – 2: ArtFelt Studio, May 7 & 8: volunteers can sign up Google Classroom 
• Grade 3 – 4: Calgary Farmyard, May 21: contact your child’s teacher 
• Grade 6 – 9: Track & Field Meet, May 30: contact Mr Pocock 
• Grade 6 & 9: Exam Scribe &/or Reader for upcoming Provincial Achievement Tests (PAT), May 28 & 29 
• Fun Lunch, every second Thursday starting 11:00 am – see below  

Fun Lunch, Healthy Hunger on behalf of RPS’ Parent Society 

The Rideau Park Parent Association is again coordinating a bi-monthly ‘Fun Lunch’ with Healthy Hunger.  This is also a great fundraiser for the school with a portion of sales being returned to the school.  Participation is completely voluntary with a variety of healthy lunch vendors to choose from.   

Parent Volunteer opportunity: for each Fun Lunch Thursday, parent volunteers are needed to help sort orders and deliver to classrooms.  Time commitment is about an hour, with the start time at 11:00 am.  If available to help on one or some Thursdays, you must complete the annual volunteer registration, which includes a valid Police Information Clearance. 

Volunteers are needed for: 

• Apr 24 – 1 volunteer 
• May 8 – 1 volunteer 
• May 22 – 2 volunteers 

Sign Up to volunteer for the above dates and/or future dates.   

Student Pick-up before PM Dismissal 

If your child(ren) require pick-up before the close of the school day, we kindly request they be picked up before 3:15 pm. 

When teachers are finishing up the day with students, it can be very disruptive to closing procedures and clean-up for the day, such as the art project clean-up, science lab materials put away, securing Chromebooks, and other routines that happen during the last 15 – 20 minutes of instructional time.  Our front office is also finishing up tasks for the day, often time sensitive tasks.  We appreciate your cooperation in helping us maintain optimal learning experiences and an efficient front office. 

Looking ahead – Calendar of Events