Hello Rideau Families!

Open House & Meet the Teacher – Thank you for coming!

The positive energy throughout our school last night was undeniable. Teachers enjoyed connecting with each of you and students proudly showcased their learning spaces. Thank you for joining us!

Terry Fox Update – WOW! We Beat Our Goal!

Your generosity is outstanding and we soundly beat our goal of raising $2600. As of this writing, our school has raised $3,350! All students from K-9 kept the momentum of Terry’s Marathon of Hope going today. Thank you for joining us today for our assembly and our run.

Orange Shirt Day Assembly – Sept 24, 2025 at 11:00am

Please join us for a special assembly to acknowledge Orange Shirt Day. Our approach to Orange Shirt Day this year is to highlight the importance of connection – to family, to place and to each other. School should be a place where children feel safe and know that they belong. Engaging in Truth & Reconciliation helps us to understand the impact of the past so that we can move forward together in a good way to create inclusive, safe and productive communities for everyone.

Staffing Updates – Impact of Fall Budget (RAM)

Lower than expected student enrollment this fall has impacted the budget that was developed in May 2025 for the 2025-2026 school year. All school budgets centre on the number of students in the building as of the end of September. This fall, we have experienced a decrease in enrollment across all grade levels totaling over 20 students. Some of these changes are the result of moves out of area. However, we experienced a higher number of families “placeholding” registration at Rideau Park School and then cancelling in the fall. When this occurs on a larger scale, it impacts our ability to effectively plan for the upcoming year. This requires difficult decision-making to continue to work effectively within our resources:

• Staffing reductions
• • Reduced 1 full 30hr EA position – Sadly we will be saying goodbye to Ms. Tricia Hargrove. We are grateful for the service that she has been able to provide our students since joining Rideau Park last year.
  • Reduced teacher FTE from 0.7 to 0.5 for Ms. Lindsay Bliek
  • Reduced 25hr Library Tech to 15hr Library Assistant - Our Library Tech Andrea Lane made the decision to resign from the CBE to join her family on the west coast. In her place we have hired Ms. Heather Milojica who will join us on September 29.
• Cascading effect
• • Redeployment of teachers during prep time (student support)
  • Redeployment of administration – Jackie will cover a portion of Gr 1/2

We are committed to providing high quality learning experiences for our students. Working within our funded resources to achieve that goal is a priority. We are grateful for the fundraising efforts of our Rideau Park parent community to help offset costs for some of our supplies and materials to enrich the learning environment, as our limited budget must focus on staffing. We sincerely thank you for this support.

Grade 7-9 Complimentary Courses

There have been some complicating factors which have affected complementary course scheduling for our junior high students. The result has been that complementary courses started at the second week of school, and requests for course changes have experienced some delays.

Please note: We work very hard to ensure that students are enrolled in courses that they chose in the spring. If students are enrolled in courses they have requested, we have met our commitment to the student, and the change request cannot be accommodated.

Course changes that we can accommodate will be added to student schedules as of Friday, September 19. This means student schedules are confirmed for Term 1 as of the morning of Monday, September 22.

Athletics Updates

Please continue to check our school website calendar for the most up to date information on practices and games for our busy fall season. Go Rams!

Construction Update – From the City of Calgary

Alley Access from 30 Avenue SW

• September 25 – Concrete repair work is planned to happen at the alley access located on 30 Avenue SW, near Rideau Park School. There are no expected impacts to school pick-up/drop-off or school bus zones.
• September 25 – October 1 - Access from 30 Avenue SW to the back alley of homes along Rideau Road SW will be closed to complete concrete repairs. The alleyway will still be accessible from 31 Avenue SW.

Mission Bridge

Starting at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 25, Mission Bridge and its adjacent intersections will be fully closed to vehicle traffic for about four days, reopening the morning of September 29. This is the final scheduled closure of the bridge before substantial completion of the project!

During this time, sections of Elbow Drive S.W., 4 Street S.W., and 26 Avenue S.W. will also be temporarily closed with local vehicle access maintained. In addition, pedestrian and wheeled user access will be maintained across the east side of Mission Bridge. Throughout the temporary road closures, pedestrian detours will be set up to cross 4 Street S.W. and 26 Avenue S.W.

Please note the following temporary closures and detours starting the evening of September 25:

• Mission Bridge: Northbound and southbound traffic lanes closed. Pedestrian and cyclist access on the east side of the bridge will be open. The southwest corner of the Mission Bridge intersection at 4 Street S.W. and Elbow Drive S.W. remains closed to pedestrians.
• Elbow Drive S.W.: Westbound and eastbound traffic lanes closed between 4 Street S.W. and 5 Street S.W. The Elbow River Pathway closure along this section of Elbow Drive remains in effect. The sidewalk just south of Safeway will be open.
• 4 Street S.W.: Northbound and southbound traffic lanes closed (local access only) between 25 Avenue S.W. and the intersection at Mission Bridge.
• 26 Avenue S.W.: Westbound and eastbound traffic lanes closed (local access only) between 2 Street S.W. and 4 Street S.W.

Reminder - Birthday Treats at School

We kindly ask that families refrain from bringing treats (food items) to school for their children to distribute on their birthdays. While we appreciate the kindness and generosity of this gesture, celebratory food items create distraction from learning and may negatively impact students with food allergies or sensitivities. Teachers do find other ways to help your child feel special on their birthday. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Rideau Park Parents Association – School Council Update

Support School Fundraising, give yourself a break and treat your child at the same time! Order a hot lunch and skip the packing stress.

Hot lunches are served every other Thursday. Our last lunch raised $500 to support programs and activities for the kids at Rideau Park School. One less lunch to pack, and one easy way to give back to RPS!

• Visit healthyhunger.ca
• Add students, make orders and pay online
• Next Lunches: Sept 25 - A&W, Oct 9 – Edo

Communication Update – Look for our School Council on Instagram! @rideauparkschool.parents

LAUNCHING SOON!: Friday Snacks! Once a month snack style items (pretzel, jugo, cookie) to be delivered at early dismissal.

We appreciate your ongoing support! Enjoy the weekend!

Sincerely,

Andrea Riquelme, Principal

Rideau Park School

Key Dates