Dear William Reid Families,
With the upcoming week being Support Staff Appreciation Week, I would like to take a moment to recognize the many contributions of our support staff. Our school simply would not run as smoothly or effectively without them. Their work touches every part of our community—from maintaining a safe and welcoming environment, to supporting student learning, to assisting families and staff in solving day-to-day challenges. Their efforts make a meaningful difference and help create conditions for both students and staff to thrive. We are deeply grateful for all that they do in service of our school community.
Additionally, Earth Day is coming up this week. Recent images from Artemis II mission offer a powerful reminder of just how remarkable—and fragile—our planet is. Each year on April 22, more than a billion people around the world take part in Earth Day to support environmental protection efforts. Whether it’s picking up litter, planting trees, or making small changes in our daily habits, these actions contribute to a healthier planet. As a school community, we invite you to consider one simple way you might honour and care for the Earth this week.
Below is some information to support your planning for the upcoming weeks.
Upcoming Dates and Events
See our School Calendar
1. Year End BBQ | Seeking Volunteers
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are excited to celebrate the incredible efforts of our students this year—especially their hard work raising funds through our bottle drives! To recognize their contributions and bring our community together, we will be hosting our 2nd Annual Year-End BBQ and Western Day on:
- Thursday, June 11, 2026
- 12:00–1:30 PM
This special event will include a school-wide western day celebration and barbecue, providing students and staff an opportunity to celebrate as a community.
We Need Your Help!
To make this event a success, we are looking for parent/guardian volunteers to assist with:
- Barbecuing hot dogs
- Serving refreshments
- Picking up and returning the large barbecue grill (most urgent need)
- Clean-up after the event
Your support plays a key role in helping us create a fun and memorable experience for all students.
Calling All Alumni!
We are also excited to invite former William Reid students to volunteer at the celebration. Alumni can volunteer in a variety of ways, such as:
- Preparing food and drinks
- Assisting with activities
- Helping tidy and support event setup
This is a wonderful opportunity for former students to reconnect and serve as positive role models within our school community. Please note that alumni volunteers may be assigned to different roles based on event needs.
All alumni students must have parent/guardian permission and are responsible for informing their current school of their absence.
If you are able to volunteer or if your child (alumni) would like to attend, please contact
Mme Kathryn Ferguson at kaferguson@cbe.ab.ca.
Thank you for your continued support in helping us build a strong, connected, and vibrant school community. We look forward to celebrating together!
2. Earth Day Recommendation | Nature Calgary
One example of our support staff bringing Earth Day to life is the work of Christa Kahl, one of our Educational Assistants. Christa has taken the initiative to start a student club called Club Jardin. Through this initiative, she aims to create meaningful, hands-on outdoor learning experiences that connect students to language, the land, and the broader community.
As part of this work, Christa would like to share a couple of opportunities and resources with families:
- City Nature Challenge Calgary (April 24–27, 2026): Hosted by Nature Calgary, this city-wide event invites participants to explore local biodiversity. Families can take part in guided hikes, contribute observations, and engage with nature across Calgary. https://naturecalgary.com/city-nature-challenge-calgary
- Birding and Language Learning Resource: Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers excellent birding tools and educational materials, including resources available in French and Spanish—supporting both environmental learning and language development. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology
We are grateful for Christa’s leadership in creating opportunities that inspire curiosity, connection, and care for our natural world.
3. Kindergarten to Grade 2 Parents | Learning Opportunity
The SLP team are offering two upcoming literacy sessions that are designed for parents. These sessions are targeted towards parents of children in kindergarten to grade 2.
Tying it Together with the Reading Rope
- April 20 - Building Language Comprehension through Shared Reading
- May 4 - Identifying and Playing with Sounds at Home
We look forward to welcoming you and learning together.
Registration Deadline: April 16, 2026
4. We still need Volunteers for the Scholastic Book Fair!
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! This link is also in the William Reid Calendar.
5. 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
6. 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
Use this link to order: WR Yearbook Orders
Our Yearbook ID code is 14464826
7. Elementary Track & Field City Championships | Grades 3 - 6
The Elementary School Track & Field City Championships will take place on Saturday, May 31 and is open to students in Grades 3–6. This event is designed to build physical literacy through fun and inclusive experiences in running, jumping, and throwing, helping to address a gap in opportunities for younger students.
This is a great opportunity to support student well-being, confidence, and engagement in physical activity while introducing them to track and field in a positive, accessible way.
Please click on this link to register: Brochure Link
8. Attendance Tip of the Week
Please call the 24-hour absence line 403-777-6940 ext. 1, if your child will be late or absent. This minimizes the time it takes our administrative secretary to phone parents to confirm your child’s safety.
If it is necessary to take your child out of school for an appointment, please come to the office first to sign them out and wait as we call for your child’s teacher to dismiss them.
Ongoing Fundraising Links
We have several ways that parents can contribute to our school throughout the year.
Mabel’s Labels: Make our Lost & Found Mountain smaller – put your name on stuff!
Financial Donations: 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