See our School Calendar for all of our upcoming Dates and Events.
Dear William Reid Families,
What a first week it has been for students and staff at William Reid! It is truly a blessing to begin the school year in such a positive way.
This week, we hosted the first of seven assemblies grounded in the Seven Sacred Teachings. Our focus for today’s conversation was courage. Students gathered in the gym and listened to a representative from the Terry Fox Foundation share Terry Fox’s story and the courage he demonstrated throughout his journey.
One of the most striking things we learned was that William Reid School has raised more than $30,000 for cancer research since our school began participating in Terry Fox Runs. This is an incredible accomplishment and a wonderful reflection of the generosity and spirit of our school community.
Following the assembly, students returned to their classrooms for a circle conversation about courage. They reflected on the question: “When was a time that you were courageous?”
We saw countless examples of courage throughout this first week. For many students, courage meant entering the school for the first time, meeting a new teacher and new classmates, or learning new routines. These may seem like small moments, but they require courage—and we are proud of the way our students have embraced them.
Our staff will continue to foster and encourage this idea of courage throughout the coming month as we work toward our Terry Fox Run on September 28.
Thank you for all that you do to support your child in developing the courage to try hard things, take risks in their learning, and persevere when things feel challenging.
Below is some information to support your planning for the coming weeks.
Upcoming Dates and Events
- September 7 Labour Day Holiday – No school
- September 14-18 Soccer Residency
- September 14 ALL Forms are Due on MyCBE (#8)
- September 15 First School Council Meeting (#4)
- September 16 Picture Day
- September 24 Fall Fling/ Meet the Teacher (#6 and 7)
- Healthy Hunger (Subway) - Parents must preorder
- September 25 Non- Instructional Day
- September 28 Terry Fox Run (#3)
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1. Schedule/Calendar
Please remember that you can access our school calendar at any time on our website. The website will always be updated and will have the most current and reliable information.
Kindergarten parents will find this calendar helpful as their Friday schedule alternates on Fridays. Kindergarten Calendar
Time Saving Parent Hack: You can download or subscribe to the calendar by scrolling down the calendar page, and below the filters on the left side are download and subscribe buttons!
2. Traffic Reminders- A helpful guide to support the safety of our students
A big thank you to our parent community for supporting the safety of our students.
William Reid School’s location in the community can create challenges for picking up and drop off; however, safety must be paramount for our students.
Two areas of improvement that I have noticed include: not walking your child through our parking lot in the morning and avoiding J-walking. We would like to support our kids in understanding that the safest route to get to school is along the sidewalk and through crosswalks. Students benefit from developing good habits with their parents so that when they are on their own, they make safe choices. Your support in teaching our students safe habits with regard to traffic is greatly appreciated!
- 36th Ave North Side in Front of School Doors - This section is used as a “Kiss & Ride” - For safety, please do not park or get out of your car in the area on 36th Avenue in front of the school doors, or stop there for longer than a quick hug
- 11th Street Cul-de-Sac East of the staff parking lot - For safety, treat this cul-de-sac as a one-way during peak drop-off and pickup times. If you’re planning to drop off or pick up your kids near the playground, please enter the cul-de-sac via 10 Street SW through the back alley that runs parallel to the large field, and then exit only through the cul-de-sac (see the picture below)
- Please do not park or pull over at any time in the bus zone. (Bus Zone - 12 Street, between 36 and 34 Ave)
- Unload children on sidewalk side of the road, not on the narrow streets
- No jaywalking, use crosswalks and look both ways
- Do not drop off in staff parking lot, walk along the sidewalks
- No U turns on streets
- Please do not block the ally’s for our neighbors
3. Terry Fox Run | Sept 28
Our Terry Fox Run is coming up on September 28th at 1:45 p.m.! We’re excited to come together as a school community to support cancer research and honour Terry’s legacy. Please visit the link to view our fundraising page.
Last year we were able to raise $6032.00 and were identified as one of the top fundraising schools in Alberta and offered the opportunity to have a guest speaker from the Terry Fox Foundation. We are hoping to meet or exceed our target of $5000.00 again this year.
4. School Council | Sept 15
Tuesday, September 15 will be our first School Council Meeting. We will be meeting in person at the school or alternatively, online. The link, agenda, and minutes will be posted on our school website under School Council. Link is also below and is new for 2026-2027:
Microsoft Teams
Meeting ID: 290 697 515 796 6
Passcode: My3BN9cF
We would like to share ways you can get involved this year as a William Reid School parent:
- Attend Parent Council meetings. Held the second Tuesday of every school month, the next meeting is this Tuesday, September 15 @ 7PM. Everyone is welcome! Learn more about the meetings on the school website
- Volunteer. Parent Council is responsible for organizing a number of special activities throughout the school year. Every year we have turnover on our organizing committees, which provides an opportunity for new, enthusiastic parent volunteers to lend us their talents.
- Every year we need a new copy of your Annual Volunteer Form, please complete the form located here and email to williamreid@cbe.ab.ca
Reminder: Annual Volunteer Registration Required for All School Volunteers
To ensure the safety and security of CBE students and staff, all volunteers must be registered with the school each school year before participating in volunteer activities.
The Annual Volunteer Registration Form is valid for the current school year only. All volunteers, including returning volunteers, must complete a new registration form each school year before participating in volunteer activities.
Without the support of parent volunteers, the events and initiatives we organize are not possible. Thank you in advance for your support.
5. School Picture Day | Sept 16
September 16 is Photo Day. Please add this important date to your calendar.
6. Healthy Hunger Special Lunch | Sept 24
Volunteer Opportunity
We are looking for three parent volunteers each month to help distribute lunches to classrooms.
- Volunteer time: 11:00 a.m. to approximately 12:00 p.m.
- Student lunch period: 11:35 a.m. to 11:55 a.m.
Please use the SignUpGenius link below to view and sign up for volunteer opportunities throughout the year:
Healthy Hunger Volunteer Sign Up
If you have any questions, please contact our Health Hunger Co-Ordinator Vanessa Powell at vanessa.lavalley@gmail.com
Order a Lunch
Our first special lunch of the school year will be held on September 24. All orders must be placed by Saturday, September 19.
Ordering and payment are completed through the Healthy Hunger website.
How it works:
- Log in to Healthy Hunger
- Create a profile for your student(s) by selecting "Add Student" and entering their details, school name, and teacher.
- If your student(s) already have a profile, please update their classroom/teacher information for the new school year.
- Place your orders and pay online. Families may place orders for the entire school year at one time if desired.
- Orders close five days before each lunch date, so please ensure your order is submitted before the deadline.
Please note that special lunches are available only to Grade 1-4 students and Seeds of Spice children attending the William Reid location due to delivery timing requirements. Additional information can be found on the William Reid School website.
7. FALL FLING | Thursday, Sept 24 | 5:00–7:00 PM
Fall Fling is back! Join us on Thursday, September 24 from 5:00–7:00 PM for William Reid’s annual welcome-back celebration. All William Reid students and their families are welcome!
Bring the whole family, grab your picnic gear and come mix and mingle with the William Reid community. Enjoy dinner from the food trucks, tunes from DJ Ray and treats from our longtime sponsors Marble Slab, Poko Popcorn and Scholars. Kids can join in the fun with giant bubbles, hula hooping and soccer with the amazing coaches from 1UP Soccer.
Fall Fling will take place alongside Meet the Teacher, so families can visit classrooms and then head outside to eat, play and catch up with friends.
Events like Fall Fling are only possible with the help of our wonderful parent community. Please consider signing up for a short volunteer shift during the evening here.
See you at Fall Fling!
8. Forms and Information
For the 200 parents who still need to complete All the required forms, the Demographic Verification 2026-27 – This form is required for Alberta Education and Childcare requirement as proof of Registration for funding purposes and includes your child’s personal information as well as parent / legal guardian contact information.
https://support.cbe.ab.ca/schoolengage-demographic-verification-form
ALL FORMS ARE DUE September 14
9. William Reid Casino Fundraiser | Volunteer opportunity
The William Reid School Fundraising Society needs volunteers for our next casino fundraiser happening November 27-28, 2026 at Elbow River Casino. The casino happens every 2 years and is a crucial fundraiser for our school: the last casino brought in over $80,000 that has gone towards technology, residencies, and more to support our kids and our school! To make the casino happen, we need to fill 36 volunteer positions over those 2 days and nights. We'd love to get an early start on filling those shifts!
If you'd like to volunteer for this important event, please check the schedule and sign up at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A49ABA72CA1F4C61-64475131-william/174787391#/
If you have any questions, please contact our parent casino rep Vince Terstappen at vince.terstappen@gmail.com
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Ongoing Fundraising Links
We have several ongoing ways that parents can contribute to our school financially throughout the year.
Mabel’s Labels:
https://mabelslabels.ca/en-CA/fundraising/support
Financial Donations:
https://www.educationmatters.ca/schools/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.
Kind Regards,
Kenzie Rushton Principal | École William Reid School | Sheri Bullough Assistant Principal | École William Reid School |
“Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things but learning another way to think about things.”
Flora Lewis