*New Date*-New to Grade 7 Information Session for Parents & Students, 7:00 pm

Due to unforeseen circumstances, it has become necessary to postpone the New to Grade 7 Information Session for Parents & Students to Thursday, May 29.  Start time is still the same: 7:00 pm, and ending at approximately 8:00 pm. We look forward to meeting our new families and students just a little later in May.   

School Council’s Schoolyard Spruce Up, May 29, 4:00 – 6:00 pm 

Our School Council is looking for volunteers for the annual School Yard Spruce Up.  Some of the tasks for the spring clean are gardening (tidying the garden beds, pruning some of the trees & bushes, raking the topsoil, etc) and general clean up (sweeping gravel from walkways & sport court, etc).   

Sign up to help out at the annual School Yard Spruce Up, May 29, 4:00 – 6:00 pm. 

 Next Year Class Lists 

Teachers and administration will begin configuring next year’s class lists. This is not a task taken lightly at Rideau Park School.  Our teachers who have worked with these children will engage in discussions to determine the best possible placements, and then revisit these class lists multiple times before they are shared with families. Please know that much care and attention is given when creating class lists, and many factors are considered to create the most positive learning environment possible for your child. Friends, academic needs, strengths, behaviours, balance, and mixing from previous years’ classes are amongst the many factors considered within our junior high. For elementary, we consider the above for our current Gr K, 2, and 4 students and if change is appropriate for our Gr 1, 3, and 5 students. Your child’s teacher is aware of your child’s academic, behavioural and social/emotional needs and will consider these factors when placing your child in the best learning environment possible.   

We ask that our families trust this process and the professional judgement of our staff.  At the same time, we recognize that parents may have some significant information they wish to share with our staff regarding class placements.  Contact Mr Robertson or Ms Cochrane to share any significant information by Friday, May 23.  We will do our best to consider information shared by parents along with the factors listed above. 

We cannot confirm class placements until just before the first day of school in the fall. Many students may experience some change when they find out their classroom placements in the fall.  Discussing with your child the positive effects that change can bring will help to prepare them to process and experience upcoming changes.  

Spring Plants & Planters – Order Pick-up Day, May 22, 1:00 – 4:00 pm 

Thanks to the support of our Rideau Park parent & guardian community, we have surpassed our fundraising goal with 254 plants in total! Order pick-up day is May 22, 1:00 – 4:00 pm.  Pick-up location will be the main parking lot, by the doors to the gym foyer.   

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.  

Important:  Provincial Achievement Test Schedule 

All Grade 6 and 9 students in Alberta will write Provincial Achievement Tests (PAT) in May and June. The first PAT is in 2 weeks 

Please review the PAT schedule below. If there is a conflict with any of the dates and/or times below, contact Ms Cochrane as soon as possible so that arrangements can be made to write the PAT at a later date.  

Volunteer opportunity: we require several volunteers to provide student assistance as test readers and scribes for the May 28 Grade 6 PAT and the May 29 Grade 9 PAT.  

 Contact Ms Cochrane if you are available to volunteer to assist a student on these dates and times.  

Gym Strip & Spirit Wear 

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

Website link: Top Marks  
Password: RID01  

Some sample fit sizes will be on display outside of the office from May 5 - 22. 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 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.  

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: 

• Grade 3 – 4: Calgary Farmyard, May 21: contact your child’s teacher 
• Grade 7: Shepard Landfill Tour, May 27 & 28: contact your child’s homeroom teacher 
• Grade 6 & 9: Exam Scribe &/or Reader for upcoming Provincial Achievement Tests (PAT), May 28 & 29: contact Ms Cochrane 
• School Council’s Schoolyard Spruce Up, May 29:  Sign Up 
• Grade 6 – 9: Track & Field Meet, May 30: contact Mr Pocock 
• 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 and the number of volunteers are needed for: 

• May 22 – 1 volunteers 
• June 5 – 1 volunteers 
• June 19 – 2 volunteers 

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

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 access the privilege to leave campus during lunch break. Students should be safe and responsible when doing so. 

Make responsible purchases: when making purchases from the stores on 4 Street, students are reminded that pop, energy drinks and sugary drinks, and family-sized snack items are not allowed to be consumed in the school building.  Secondly, when purchasing toys from Dollarama, students should take care with what they are bringing back to school.  For instance, any type of toy weapon (ie. water, cap, and foam dart guns will be held at the office to be returned to a parent if brought into the school. 

We appreciate our parents’ and guardians’ support in speaking to their child(ren) with this issue.   

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