The signs of spring are beginning to appear all around us. With the sun staying out longer, warmer days arriving, and the clocks moving forward this weekend, it certainly feels like the season is changing. As we head toward Spring Break, parents also can book school conferences to connect with their child’s teacher. Conference bookings will open at 8:00 AM on Saturday March 7.
Our School Council meeting this week will include a couple of special guests. Mme Moreau will share a short presentation and our Area Director, David Dyck, will be in attendance. David supports half of the schools in Area 7 and brings valuable insight into system priorities and directions.
Finally, we are very excited to welcome Keely Shaw to William Reid on Thursday March 12th. Keely is a Summer Paralympic athlete who will share her journey as an athlete, her passion for sport, and the ways she has overcome challenges along the way. To celebrate and show our support for Paralympic athletes, we encourage students to wear red or their favourite jersey that day.
Below are some informational items for your reference.
1. School Council | Next Council meeting, March 10, 2026
We're thrilled to introduce you to our new School Council Chair, Danisha Bhaloo-Shivji, and President of our Fundraising Society, Sarah Moss!
Sarah is a proud mom to two wonderful boys and is grateful to call the Calgary area home. She is a photographer and entrepreneur with more than 10 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, where she developed a deep appreciation for connection, storytelling, and building meaningful community. Today, she runs her photography business while continuing to grow creative ventures that reflect her passion for people, design, and thoughtful work.
Danisha is a proud mom to a spirited six-year-old daughter and a two-year-old son she jokingly calls a budding feminist. She's Chief Mom Officer and in her spare time (outside of that), she is a Certified Fundraising Professional and currently serves as the Manager of Engagement and Affinity Groups at United Way of Calgary and Area. Danisha is deeply committed to community and volunteers on several boards, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada, Imagine Canada, and the Nonprofit Chamber. She also hosts regular ‘Motherhood and the Mental Load’ gatherings that bring together caregivers who are fundraisers.
Join us
Tuesday, March 10 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 Guests: Mme Moreau one of our Kindergarten teachers and Mr. David Dyck – Area Director will be present)
In April, we're thrilled to welcome our School Board Trustee, Susan Vukadinovic to our School Council meeting. Save the date (April 14!)
The agenda for the meeting and minutes can 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. Parent-Teacher Conferences | March 19 and 20
Bookings will open on Saturday, March 7 at 8:00 AM and close at 8:00 PM on March 18.
Grades 1- 4
- Thursday, March 19 from 4:00 to 7:45 PM
- Friday, March 20 from 8:30 AM to 12:45 PM
Kindergarten
- Thursday, March 19 from 8: AM to 7:45 PM
- Friday, March 20 from 8:30 AM to 12:45 PM
- Mme Gunn is only available Thursday morning and evening, but not during the afternoon.
- PLEASE Note: To accommodate conferences on Thursday, March 18, there will be no kindergarten classes that day.
CBE Booking System (MyCBE)
Appointments will open on Saturday, March 7 at 8:00 AM. Please go to MyCBE and book under My Conferences. (Instructions below)
To book, please follow these steps:
- Log in to your myCBE parent account.
- Choose your child’s grade in the “Conference” drop-down menu.
- Read the “Conference Message” in the box to determine when the classroom or where the meetings will be held.
- Book the time with your teacher, this will be in person.
See information on our Parent-Teacher Conference page.
3. Bottle Drive – Collecting Donations at William Reid on Thursday
Our third monthly bottle drive is coming up on March 12, and we’re excited to see if we can beat our amazing total of nearly $300 from our first time! Let’s turn this into a fun, friendly competition — 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:
- March 12
- April 9
- May 14
- June11
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.
4. 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
5. Healthy Hunger Special Lunch Volunteers
Our next Healthy Hunger fun lunch day is on March 19, 2026 – Mary Brown’s.
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. Child Care Tax Receipts | Lunch Supervision
Child Care Tax Receipts for CBE Lunch Supervision (January 2025–December 2025) are now available through MyCBE
7. Student Fees | Collection
Any unpaid 2024-25 lunch supervision and transportation fees will be sent to collections in February/March 2026. Families can avoid having their account sent to collections by:
Settling their 2024–25 central fees in full via MyCBE, or
Applying, and being approved, for a 2024–25 Central Fee Waiver. We are currently offering extensions for the 2024–25 waiver until June 30, 2026. Parents can be directed to FeeWaiver@cbe.ab.ca for more information.
Requesting a Payment Plan by contacting StudentFees@cbe.ab.ca. A payment plan requires a signed commitment to pay a minimum of $20 per month toward 2024–25 central fees.
8. 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 – more details to come for this year’s cover contest in February!
- Use this link to order: WR Yearbook Orders
- Our Yearbook ID code is 14464826
9. Attendance Tip of the Week
If you are looking to create a calmer, less rushed start to your child’s day, we encourage you to arrive at 7:50 a.m. Our doors open at that time to provide students with a “soft start,” allowing them to settle in, connect with peers, and begin the day feeling prepared and ready to learn.
Ongoing Fundraising Links
Ongoing Fundraising Opportunities
Families can support the school throughout the year through the following initiatives:
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