Holiday Message

On behalf of Rideau Park staff, we wish a very Happy Holidays to all of our students and families.  We are looking forward to hearing about how students enjoyed their break from school, whether cozying up at home with family and friends, or exciting trips and adventures.

Wishing you all the best of the Holiday Season.

~ Mr Haensel & Ms Cochrane

Celebrate the Holidays | Holiday Cheer Days

Students and staff are invited to participate in one, some or all the Holiday Cheer Days leading up to the Winter Break.  Participation is voluntary but we encourage students to participate in the festive fun.

Wednesday, December 20: Sweater Weather - Wear your Best or Ugliest Christmas Sweater
Friday, December 22:  Cozy up for the Holidays - Wear your comfy clothes or PJ's

2024-25 | Registration Begins January 15, 2024

Registration for the 2024 – 25 school year opens on January 15, 2024.  This will include Kindergarten registrations and any student who will be new to CBE for the next school year.  This is also an important date for students in Grades 1 – 8 who will be transferring to Rideau Park from a CBE school.

Rideau Park will have capacity limits for 2024-25.  All new registrations will be included in the lottery draw for placement in our school for next year.  To ensure that your registration or transfer is included in the lottery draw, it must be received via School Engage (new to CBE) or at our school office (Transfer Requests) by February 14, 2024.  All registrations received after Feb. 14, 2024, will be added to the callback list (based on the appropriate priority level) in the order they are received.

High School Registration: For our Grade 9 students moving on to high school, registration information will be shared with students towards the end of January.  For high school students thinking about transferring to a non-designated high school program, the high school transfer deadline will be set for mid-March.

Athletics | Volleyball Try-out Schedule

The volleyball season of play will start when classes resume on January 8.  First up is the try-out process to play on the school teams.

• Monday, January 8:  Senior Girls - 7:30 am – 8:50 am & Junior Girls 3:45 pm – 5:00 pm
• Tuesday, January 9:  Junior Boys – 7:30 am – 8:50 am & Senior Boys 3:45 pm – 5:00 pm
• Wednesday, January 10:  Senior Girls - 7:30 am – 8:50 am
• Thursday, January 11:  Junior Girls – 7:30 am – 8:50 am & Junior Boys 3:45 pm – 5:00 pm
• Friday, January 12:  Senior Boys - 7:30 am – 8:50 am

Participants should be changed and ready to play by the try-out start time.

Grades Kinder, 6 & 9 | Celebration Photos

On Wednesday, January 17, 2024, students in Grades Kinder, 6 & 9 will be having their Celebration Photo taken.  As with the fall photos, all students in these grades will have a photo taken for the yearbook and composite photos.  Photo proof packages will be sent home with students & families can place photo orders, as preferred.

Students are encouraged to wear attire suitable for a celebration for their photo.

Composite Photo Orders:  Students can place their order for a class composite photo by returning the order envelope to the

Student Club | Rideau Park Science Fair Club

Rideau Park Science Fair Club will continue in January for Grades 5 – 9 students who want to work independently, or with a partner, to research or experiment on a topic of their choice. Interested students are invited to meet on Tuesdays at lunch in Room 11.   

The City Science Fair takes place April 11-13, 2024, at the Olympic Oval and students who are successful in completing a project prior to March 9th will compete for one of the 14 spots available to represent Rideau at CYSF 2024. Students who are interested in exploring an idea or testable question using the scientific method are encouraged to check out the Calgary Youth Science Fair website for more information (cysf.org).

Parents with questions are invited to email Ms. Watson at kaawatson@cbe.ab.ca

Open House | Open Houses & Information Evenings

• Tuesday, January 30 – Western Canada High School
• Information Evening for Regular Program, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
• Thursday, February 1 – Elboya School
• Information Evening for French programs, 6:00 – 7:30 pm
• Intensive French:  Grade 6
• Late French Immersion: Grade 7

Parent Volunteer Opportunity | Fun Lunch Thursdays

Fun Lunch – we require some assistance with sorting the Fun Lunch orders from the Healthy Hunger vendors every second Thursday, starting 11:05 am for approximately 45 minutes.    We ask for assistance in sorting the individual orders and ensuring they get to the students.

For next week on December 21, one additional volunteer is needed.
Additionally, for upcoming dates, volunteers are needed for:

• January 25
• February 8
• February 22
• March 7
• And more dates in the spring months.

If you can help with one or some of these Thursdays, please use this link, on behalf of Parent Society, for sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0E49AFA72DA7F49-funlunch

Thank you for your support.

Safety Protocol | Guests to our School

Rideau Park School, like each Calgary Board of Education school, is closed campus.  All guests must sign in immediately upon entry into the school building.

In the mornings, or throughout the day, students are dropped off outside of the main entrance.

Reminder | Important Safety Notice for Parents/Guardians (pick-up and drop-off)

With the colder weather, we have increased congestion with cars trying to drop off closer to the school.  Even with the colder weather, we ask your cooperation for the same procedures with pick up and drop off. 

Due to increasing safety concerns of neighborhood residents and our student community, policing of city bylaws relating to parking and traffic restrictions will be more strictly enforced in the coming months. Unfortunately, there is no car-accessible front door drop-off or parking availability directly at our school entrance nor from the t- intersection at the front of the school. Continue Reading

Looking Ahead – Upcoming Calendar of Events  

Dec 20	Wed	Holiday Cheer Day #5: Sweater Weather: Wear your Best or Ugliest Christmas Sweater
Dec 20	Wed	Grade 6 & Class 5-2 – Telus Spark
Dec 21	Thurs	Healthy Hunger Fun Lunch – McDonald’s
Dec 21	Thurs	Homework Hotel, Grade 7:  3:45 – 4:15 pm
Dec 22	Fri	Holiday Cheer Day #6:  Cozy Up for the Holidays:  Wear your Pajamas
Dec 22	Fri	Last day of classes prior to Winter Break
Dec 22 to Jan 7		Winter Break
Jan 8	Mon	Classes Resume
Jan 9	Tues	Grades 5 – 9: Science Fair Club, Lunch, Rm 11
Jan 11	Thurs	Healthy Hunger Fun Lunch – Subway
Jan 11	Thurs	Homework Hotel, Grade 7:  3:45 – 4:15 pm
Jan 15	Mon	Non-Instructional Day (no school for students)
Jan 15	Mon	2024 - 25 Registration Opens
Jan 16	Tues	Grades 5 – 9: Science Fair Club, Lunch, Rm 11
Jan 17	Wed	Celebration Photos:  Grades Kinder, 6 & 9
Jan 18	Thurs	Grade 9 – Visit from Western Canada High School Counsellor, info for high school registration
Jan 18	Thurs	Homework Hotel, Grade 7:  3:45 – 4:15 pm
Jan 22 - Jan 26		Grade 6 – Campus Calgary Open Minds: YMCA
Jan 23	Tues	Grades 5 – 9: Science Fair Club, Lunch, Rm 11
Jan 25	Thurs	Healthy Hunger Fun Lunch – Cedar’s Deli
Jan 25	Thurs	Homework Hotel, Grade 7:  3:45 – 4:15 pm
Jan 29 – Feb 2		All Grades: Danc3play – school residency
Jan 30	Tues	Grades 5 – 9: Science Fair Club, Lunch, Rm 11
Jan 30	Tues	Grade 9:  High School Tour at Western Canada High School
Jan 30	Tues	Last Day of Semester 1
Jan 30	Tues	Report Cards are viewable in MyCBE
Jan 31	Wed	Semester 2 Begins
Jan 31	Wed	School Council, virtual meeting, 1:45 pm
Feb 1	Thurs	Homework Hotel, Grade 7:  3:45 – 4:15 pm
Feb 6	Tues	Grades 5 – 9: Science Fair Club, Lunch, Rm 11
Feb 8	Thurs	Healthy Hunger Fun Lunch – Coco Brooks
Feb 8	Thurs	Homework Hotel, Grade 7:  3:45 – 4:15 pm
Feb 13	Tues	Grades 5 – 9: Science Fair Club, Lunch, Rm 11
Feb 14	Wed	Lottery Registration Deadline
Feb 15 - 16		Teachers’ Convention – no school for students
Feb 19	Mon	Family Day