Hello Rideau Sept. 6 | Guests, Attendance, Volunteers, Athletic Form, Gym Strip & Spirit Wear

Hello, Rideau!

We trust that everyone had a wonderful long weekend as 2023-24 takes further shape!

Yet, again it has been so wonderful seeing students, families, and staff reconnecting as our building comes alive once more! Each new school year is always filled with so much anticipation and excitement for a brand new, hope-filled year! We wish to express continued thanks to our Parent Society in coordination with School Council for not only hosting a Welcome Coffee for parents/guardians (allowing our parent community to become even more connected), but also for ongoing and continuous support and generosity throughout each school year!

Rideau Park School staff, once more, have been working exceptionally hard planning for students’ arrival. Within each classroom, staff are getting to know each learner better while also finding ways for peers to get to know one another. Learning communities are taking shape!

As our school year unfolds, routines and expectations are being established while prioritizing school values of:

  • Empathy, as caring adults within welcoming, safe, caring respectful learning environments
  • Open-mindedness, through high expectations and
  • Integrity, through effective teaching and learning design practices.

We look forward to further welcoming parents into the building for two upcoming events:

  • School Council for interested parents/guardians is also in our school’s Learning Commons (library) at 7PM on Wednesday, September 20. Parent Society meetings follow School Council meetings.
  • September 21 for a Meet Your Teacher event, providing informal time for students/parents/guardians to see classrooms and say hello to teachers for anytime between 5:30 PM to 7PM. The format for Meet Your Teacher is casual/drop-in with families invited to come in for any portion of the 2h open house window.

As a reminder, school-wide weekly messages (in this format) will be distributed each Wednesday afternoon.

Mr. T. Robertson

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 | Attendance

Parents are requested to inform their child's Homeroom teacher as a primary contact about attendance decisions (i.e. reporting absences) in kindergarten and grades 1 to 5, and the Learning Leader as primary contact in Grades 5-9. Learning Leaders are teaching staff with administrative designations.

The more specific you are as parents/guardians with teachers/learning leaders, the more specific the attendance code applied will be.

Kindergarten to Grade 5:

Teachers' contact information is also available on Our Staff page.

Please also include as a carbon copy (CC) within attendance e-mails learning leaders (listed below) for each grade-divisional-level division, too:

Grades 6-9 (primary contacts, below):

Our student information system, MyCBE provides parents, guardians and students with access to detailed attendance information. For help creating an account or signing in, please visit Technical Support for Students & Parents.

Reminder | Volunteer Clearance

Don’t miss out on an amazing field trip because you haven’t updated your Police Clearance.

Please make sure your that Volunteer Clearance is up to date: https://www.cbe.ab.ca/get-involved/volunteer/Pages/volunteer.aspx

If you have any questions, you can contact the office at RideauPark@cbe.ab.ca

Link | Annual Authorization for Athletic Tryout Form

Homeroom teachers are working alongside coaches to ensure an Annual Authorization for Athletic Tryout form is on file for 2023-24. Forms are to be submitted prior to any tryout, and only one form is necessary to be filed per year.

Some families have been asking for the link for the form for printing/signing, it is linked, below:

At Rideau Park School most extra-curricular seasons are open to tryouts for students in grades 7, 8, & 9 (i.e. Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball, & Badminton). Cross Country Running and Track & Field are open to tryouts for students in Grades 6, 7, 8, & 9. If your child(ren) think they may try-out for any team, having a homeroom teacher collect an annual form with the maximum amount of possibilities checked-off, will prevent disruptions to try-outs.

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. Time commitment would be 30 – 45 minutes starting at 11:05 AM. We ask for assistance in sorting the individual orders and ensuring they get to the students. Please note that all lunches are marked with the child’s name and classroom, and all classes are grouped together when they are delivered to the school front doors by the restaurant at 11:20 AM on the date of the order.

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.

Rideau Gym Strip & Spirit Wear

The online ordering window for Rideau Gym Strip and Spirit Wear via Top Marks is September 18 to 22.

Website link: http://www.topmarks.ca/
Password: RID01

Please measure your child and double check the sizing chart on the order form. You can also provide your child's measurements on the 'profile page' after logging in to your online account. Select 'sizing by Top Marks' when looking to select a size, and Top Mark sizing technicians will help you figure out the size using the measurements provided.

Top Marks does not accept returns for mis-sizing.

Online orders from September will arrive at the school for distribution to students at the end of October 2023.

Gym Strip

All students in Grades 7 to 9 will be required to change into a gym strip for PE classes. We recommend the following for junior high gym strip:

  • Rideau Park shorts and T-shirt (or equivalent) - required
  • Rideau Park hoodie (or equivalent) - recommended cooler weather
  • Rideau Park jogging pants (or equivalent) - strongly recommended & can be worn instead of shorts

Spirit Wear

Top Marks offers sizing for younger students as well. For students in Grades K – 6, parents may want to purchase Rideau Spirit Wear from Top Marks.
A Rideau t-shirt/sweatshirt is a great way to show school spirit, especially on Spirit Days.

Looking Ahead – Upcoming Calendar of Events

Sept 6

Wed

Apple Fundraiser Orders due by 4pm (Parent Society)

Sept 11 – 15

Mon -
Fri

SOGO Adventure Running Residency – all grades
During PE classes

Sept 13

Wed

Fall Quebec Trip: Student Meeting 12:00 – 12:30, Rm 36

Sept 14

Thurs

Healthy Hunger Fun Lunch– Subway (Parent Society)

Sept 19

Tue

Apple Fundraiser – delivery day (Parent Society)

Sept 20

Wed

School Council 7PM (in person)
Parent Society meeting follows School Council

Sept 21

Thur

Meet the Teacher
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM (tentative times)

Sept 25

Mon

School Photo Day

Sept 22

Fri

Non-Instruction Day (no classes)

Sept 25-29

Mon-Thurs

This week will honour:
Every Child Matters & Reconciliation through Educations

Sept 27

Wed

Fall Quebec Trip: Student Meeting, 12:00 – 12:30 pm, Rm 36

Sept 27

Wed

Fall Quebec Trip: Parent Virtual Meeting, 6:30 – 7:30 pm

Sept 28

Thurs

Healthy Hunger Fun Lunch – Cedar’s Deli

Sept 28

Thurs

Orange Shirt Day (observed at RPS)
Sept 28 Fri No School
(day-in-lieu for National Day for Truth & Reconciliation, Sat., Sept 30)

Sept 30

Sat

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation