Hello Rideau Families!

Remembrance Day Ceremony 2025 – A message of thanks from Ms. Lewis

Major Ret. Griffiths, our 102-year-old veteran Corp. Ret. Morache, and Corp. Elderkin were very impressed with our ceremony. All hope to be back again next year. Corp. Ret. Morache said in parting the school today: “I want everyone to know I was proud to fight for my country, Canada.” On behalf of the Veterans Food bank, thank you to all the families that were able to donate food items for our veterans. With our help we have ensured that our Canadian Military Veterans will have access to the food they need in Calgary and area.

Thank you to the Grade 6 students who took on sharing announcements the week leading to our ceremony this year. Alice, Gloria, Remigold and Emerson, thank you for your leadership. Thank you also to all the students who helped make this year's Remembrance Day Ceremony memorable. Major Ret’d Griffiths and Corporal Morache were not only impressed with our ceremony, they are grateful for our dedication. Thank you to our MC’s Hamilton and Evian as well as speakers: Maya, Zoe, Cora, Sparrow, Maxwell, Sloane, Piper, and Kostia. Thank you to our Cadets Sebastian, Iris and Avelina, who laid a wreath, and welcomed guests to the ceremony. The Grade 9 band played beautifully- much thanks to all our musicians and to Miss Koshynsky for her work with the musicians and assistance with sound check. Gratitude to both the yearbook photographers, and Mr. Yackulic for taking photos throughout the ceremony. To all the students who helped to set up and put away chairs, thank you so very much for your assistance! I am so very grateful for the country I live in, and for our Canadian Military. Thank you to everyone in our community who continue to support all we do here at Rideau Park School.

Education Matters – Donation Received

Thank you to our anonymous RPS family who generously donated $924.00 of Provincial grant money back to the school for us to directly improve conditions at Rideau Park School. We have determined that these funds will make a valuable contribution to our ongoing improvement to our Learning Commons. We are grateful for this thoughtful and timely offer of support for the benefit of all students! This, together with approved funding from the RPPA, allows us to purchase materials that will create a truly flexible and engaging space for students and staff.

Athletics Updates

Exhibition games for all of our Jr. and Sr. girls and boys teams will be hosted at Rideau Park School on Monday November 17 (vs Elboya) and Monday November 24 (vs Robert Warren). Games will run from 4:30pm – 8:30pm. Please join me in thanking our teachers for continuing to volunteer their time before and after school hours to ensure our students have this opportunity.

School-based Fundraiser – Winter Greenery and Poinsettia

Rideau Park School is once again partnering with Growing Smiles and DeVry Greenhouses for our annual seasonal fundraiser. All proceeds from this initiative will be used for school programming. Available this year:

• Red and White Poinsettias
• Holiday Wreath
• Outdoor Greenery Arrangement
• Indoor Tropical Planter
• New: Bloom Buds – a poinsettia trio plush toy & a jingleberry tree plush toy

To place an order: Rideau Park School Growing Smiles Fundraising before Monday November 17, with delivery and pick-up day of December 2.

Reminder - Gym Strip Orders

Orders have been received by the office during the strike. Support staff will distribute items to students over the course of next week. If there are any issues with sizing, please contact Ms. Jackie Cochrane for support.

If you missed ordering with Top Marks during our September order window, we will not be able to accommodate individual requests as they only provide us with bulk ordering. The school has some limited items and sizing available for purchase. Please contact the office if you are interested in exploring this option.

Reminder - Individual Program Plans (IPPs)

If you did not yet receive a finalized version of your child’s IPP prior to the teacher strike, please know that our system has extended the deadline for teachers to complete documents and review them with families until November 28. If you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s teacher directly.

Update - Picture Re-Takes

LifeTouch is working with schools across the system to reschedule photo retakes. We are now confirmed to have Fall Retakes scheduled for our students for Monday December 1.

Rideau Park Parents Association – School Council Update

Healthy Hunger

Regular fun lunches are back! Please login to healthyhunger.ca to place your orders.

• Nov 20 - Chick Fil-A (FYI - peanut oil fryers)
• Dec 4 - A&W
• Dec 18 - Little Ceasar's Pizza

On behalf of all teachers at Rideau Park School, we are so proud to be a part of our very special community of students, families and staff.

Sincerely,

Andrea Riquelme

Principal, Rideau Park School

Key Dates

• Nov 10-12, 2025 Fall Break
• Nov 17, 2025 RPS hosts Elboya Jr/Sr Boys and Girls Games
• Nov 19, 2025 Parent Council Meeting at TBD
• Nov 24, 2025 RPS hosts Robert Warren Jr/Sr Boys and Girls Games
• Nov 24-28, 2025 Scholastic Book Fair
• Nov 27-28, 2025 Conferences (evening) 4:30-7:30pm
• Nov 28, 2025 No School for Students, Conferences (AM) 8:00am – 12:00pm
• Dec 1, 2025 Photo Retakes