We were so excited to welcome everyone back after Spring Break. Students returned with enthusiasm and quickly settled back into our school routines.

This weekend marks a significant moment in the Christian calendar, and we extend our warm wishes to all those celebrating Easter. For many Christians, Easter is preceded by Lent, a 40-day period of reflection and penance that begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes on Holy Saturday. In French Canadian communities, this long season of fasting and abstinence was traditionally lightened by Mi-Carême (Mid-Lent), a festive day rooted in French tradition. This celebration continues to be observed in some communities in Québec and Acadia today.

Below are some upcoming events for your reference.

Upcoming Dates and Events

See our Calendar

1. School Council | Next Council meeting, April 14, 2026

Join us

Tuesday, April 14 at 7:00 PM. It will be held in-person (preferred) and online via Microsoft Teams. All parents are welcome; it is an excellent way to stay up to date and be involved in school planning. (Special Guest: School Board Trustee, Susan Vukadinovic)

The agenda for the meeting and minutes can will be found here: School Council

  • Naturalization Lead — Coordinate a few annual garden clean‑ups and organize the summer watering schedule for the school’s naturalization and garden areas.

These roles are not overly time consuming but are crucial to the organization and success of Parent Council. Please contact wrchair@gmail.com with your interest.

2. Bottle Drive – Donations at William Reid on Thursday, April 9

Our fourth monthly bottle drive is coming up this Thursday April 9. Every extra bag collected helps fund special student activities and experiences. Start saving those bottles now and let’s see how much we can raise together! 

You can start dropping your bottles off on the cement compound along the fence line on 36th ave. at 7:50 a.m. A bottle truck will be parked on the school cement compound from approximately 8:15 to 8:45 and they will load the bags of bottles then. We will be collecting refundable drink containers only.

Scheduled pick-ups for the rest of the year:

  • May 14
  • June 4

All funds raised will go directly toward activities and events that benefit our entire school community.

Your participation truly makes a difference and helps us create fun, memorable experiences for all of our students. Thank you for your continued support and for being such an important part of our school community.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mme Ferguson at kaferguson@cbe.ab.ca.

3. Scholastic Book Fair Volunteers Needed

Scholastic Book Fair will be at William Reid School April 27 - May 1

This Book Fair is run with Volunteers and help is needed to make it run smoothly.

Please sign-up below – This link is also in the William Reid Calendar. 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4FA8AE23A6FCC25-62619910-william

WRBook Fair

4. Healthy Hunger Special Lunch Volunteers

Our next Healthy Hunger fun lunch day is on April 30, 2026 – EDO.

The Saturday prior is the last day to get your orders in! Order here: https://healthyhunger.ca/

Thank you to all the Volunteers that have signed up to help organize and distribute food!     If you’d like to volunteer for fun lunch food distribution days, sign up here:

Healthy Hunger Volunteer Sign Up

5. William Reid 2025-2026 Yearbook 

Order your 2025-2026 Yearbook now! The yearbook is a valuable keepsake which captures memories and key moments throughout the school year. The book contains 32 color pages and features a custom cover created by one of our students – this year’s cover contest winner is: Ariana B! Congratulations! It was such a close competition with many fantastic covers submitted. Some of the runner-up covers will be featured on the back of the yearbook. Order yours now, to see if your cover entry is featured!

Final deadline to order: Tuesday, May 12, 2026

6. Love your Belongings – In the name of Recycling, avoid Waste

Label Everything: Use waterproof labels, iron-on labels, or a laundry marker on clothing tags, water bottles, and lunch containers. Create a Routine: Ask kids to do a "last look" around at their seat before leaving the car, classroom, gym, or playground. Check Frequently: Don't wait—check the school's lost and found within 1–2 days. Finally:  don’t forget to thank Rosalyn for organizing the Lost items, for us.

7.    A Helpful Reminder About Email Communication

To help us respond to family questions and requests as efficiently as possible, here is a helpful guideline for using TO and CC in emails:

  • TO: This is for the doer. Send your request directly TO the person taking action. Keep this list small so they know it’s their turn TO help!
  • CC: This is for the listeners. Use it for people who just need to stay in the look like a backup contact or your spouse, or the William Reid office.
  • Pro Tip: Avoid putting multiple people in the "TO" field for one request. It prevents confusion and stops four people from doing the same job!
  • WRS Tip: Feel free to put williamreid@cbe.ab.ca  = the office staff email, in the CC line in case your TO person is out of office.
  • The Silver Rule: TO is for the person doing; CC is for the person listening.

Ongoing Fundraising Links

We have several ongoing ways that parents can contribute to our school throughout the year.

Mabel’s Labels

Help reduce lost items by labeling student belongings.
Mabel’s Labels – William Reid Fundraiser

Financial Donations

Support school initiatives through Education Matters:
https://www.educationmatters.ca/project-matters/william-reid-school/

Bottle Drive

Manchester Bottle Depot – 410 – 38a Ave SE – Donate your bottles here for William Reid School

Please return empties to the Manchester Depot and let them know that you would like your refund to be donated to William Reid, the funds will come directly to the school. And, your visit at the Depot will be super quick, no wait time, just drop-tell-leave.

“Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things but learning another way to think about things.”
— Flora Lewis