VOLUNTEERS  NEEDED | Parent Society Elbow River Casino Night Fundraiser - November 18 & 19

Volunteers needed! Please check the volunteer sign-up page here and consider donating your time to help our school raise much-needed funds. This is our biggest fundraiser and makes a huge difference for our school and kids. 

We only have this opportunity to run the casino once every two years, making this chance to raise funds vital for our school. Currently, we don’t have enough volunteers. We need to fill several positions over these two days. No experience is necessary, and food will be provided during your shift.  

 Please consider signing up for a shift with a friend! It’s a great opportunity to enjoy some food, connect with other parents, and help raise funds for our school community.  Thank you for your support! 

 on behalf of Rideau Park Parent Society Executive

Donations | Veterans Food Bank, November 4 - 7 

Help Rideau Park School combat hunger by sending non-perishable food items with your child to donate to the Veterans Food Bank this November. Collections of non-perishable food items will begin on Monday, November 4, and will continue until the day of our Remembrance Day Ceremony (Thursday, November 7). Students can drop off donations at the office or directly to the food bank box in the PE foyer. We thank you for your support. 

Remembrance Assembly, November 7 

Students will be participating in our Remembrance Assembly on Thursday, November 7.  All students will be given a poppy or poppy sticker to wear during the assembly and for the day. Students are encouraged to give a small donation for a poppy (a loonie ($1) or a twonie ($2) is suggested); however, a donation is not mandatory to receive a poppy tomorrow. 

Invitation | Families and friends of Rideau Park School are welcome to attend the Remembrance Ceremony on Thursday, November 7. Parent and guest seating will begin at 9:50 am. 

Upcoming | Scholastic Book Fair 

Mark your Calendars: The Scholastic Book Fair Fundraiser is coming to Rideau Nov 25-29! You’ll find us in the Learning Commons: 

• Monday, November 25 to Wednesday, November 27, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Thursday, November 28, 9:00 am to 8:00 pm 
• Friday, November 29, 9:00 am to 3:30 pm 
• We’ll be open over lunch, too! 

All purchases earn Scholastic Dollars that can be redeemed for books and educational resources for our school. The countdown is on!  See you at the Fair! 

Parent Volunteer Opportunity | Scholastic Book Fair Fundraiser 

Parent volunteer assistance is needed to help set up/run/take down the Scholastic Book Fair Fundraiser from November 22 – December 2. 

Volunteer shifts are 1 hour to 2 hours depending on the day: 

• Monday, November 25 to Wednesday November 27, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Thursday, November 28, 9:00 am to 8:00 pm 
• Friday, November, 24, 9:00 am to 3:30 pm 

 Sign up here to volunteer: TBA 
 Thank you for your support. 

Time Sensitive | Retake Photo Orders 

Retake photo proof packages were sent home with students this week.  The order deadline for retake photos is November 15. Online ordering is preferred:  

• Log into LifeTouch ordering portal
• Enter Portrait ID (found in retake proof package)  
• Enter Access Code (found in retake proof package)  

  OR  

• Select the Student ID tab 
• Enter your child’s CBE ID number 

If unable or prefer to order photos online, you can return the order envelope found inside the retake photo proof package.  Ensure the order form, full payment is included in the order envelope & the information outside of the envelope is fully filled in. Order envelopes must be returned to the classroom/homeroom teacher by November 15.  

If your child was absent for both the school photo day in September and the recent photo retake day, you can book a brief school photo session at LifeTouch Studios on November 16. There is no cost for this session  

Choose ‘Fall Individual (5 Min)’ at this link: Photos at LifeTouch Studios 

Social Networking Safety | Student and Parent presentations

Paul Davis is an expert on the topic of social networking safety.  He will speak with our students on Thursday, November 1, on this topic.  Students in Grades 4 to 9 will participate in the assembly with Paul Davis to learn more about social networking safety.

At 6:30 pm, Paul Davis will present to parents on the social networking topic and how to promote safe habits with their children.  The parent presentation will take place in the gym.  All parents are invited to attend. 

Winter Greenery and Poinsettia Fundraiser 

We are pleased to partner with Growing Smiles & Devry Greenhouses for our annual Winter Greenery & Poinsettia Fundraiser. 

All proceeds will be used to support student programs at Rideau Park School. 

Order with this link until November 18: Winter Greenery & Poinsettia Fundraiser 

Parent Teacher Conferences 

Parent Teacher Conferences are coming up at the end of November.  They are scheduled for: 

• Friday, November 22, 1:15 – 3:30 pm – virtual appointments, Grades 7 to 9 only 
• Thursday, November 28, 4:15 – 8:00 pm – in-person appointments, all grades 
• Friday, November 29: 9:00 am – 11:50 am – in-person appointments, all grades and 1:00 – 3:30 pm – virtual appointments, all grades 

Appointments can be made via MyCBE.  Technical support to navigate the booking system and schedule appointments with your child’s / children’s teacher can be found here. 

The booking system will open on Monday, November 18 at 10:00 am for scheduling an appointment(s).  

High School | Information Evening & Open House 

Western Canada High School is holding an information evening for students & families interested in enrolling in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program on Monday, November 28 from 6:60 – 8:00 pm. 

More information at this LINK 

Central Memorial High School is hosting an Open House for the Performing and Visual Arts (PVA) Program on November 21, 6:30 - 9:00 pm. If interested in applying, applications are due by January 15, 2025.

More information at this LINK

Western Canada's regular program information evening and open house is scheduled for January 27, 4:00 – 6:00 pm.  Grade 9 students will be touring WCHS on this same day—more information to come.

School Immunization Program 

A team of school health nurses will be at the school to administer immunizations on Monday, November 25. Only students who return the consent forms will be administered an immunization. Questions about this year’s immunizations can be directed to Ms. Cochrane, who can put you in touch with our school’s health nurse as needed.   

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

The Rideau Park Parent Association is once 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 them to classrooms.  The 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: 

• December 5 – 1 volunteer
• December 19 – 2 volunteers

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

Important Safety Notice for Parents  

Please be advised that 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 nor parking available directly at our school entrance. 

Be aware that Rideau Road Back Alley access (off 30 Ave SW) is NOT permitted for student drop-off. Alley access is for residents and Rideau staff ONLY. Please respect our neighbours. 

More information, including a map with the drop-off loop HERE.   

Road Closure | Mission Bridge 

Mission Bridge will be closed to vehicle traffic for rehabilitation work for approximately 6 months. 

The City of Calgary is currently working on Mission Bridge to rehabilitate it and extend its service life by about 35 years. This means there may be some impacts for you this year when dropping off or picking up your child and your child's route to/from home if they are walking or wheeling to school. Please keep the following in mind: 

If you'd like to stay informed on the project, you can visit the project page where construction updates, current detours, closures, lane reductions and other impacts are posted.  

Looking ahead – Calendar of events