William's Weekly Sept 18-22 | Meet the Teacher and Fall Fling, Running Club, Lifetouch, Recycle, Adult French Class, Volunteer, etc

Hello families,

What a beautiful week last week.  The weather was excellent and all classes were able to get outside on the land and do some learning in nature.  It is great to see our students settling into a new school year.  Thank you to all the parents who attended our first School Council meeting this week, especially those who came in person.  We appreciate the ability to connect in person and to share thoughts and ideas about the direction of the school.  I especially enjoyed the humour and great collaborative ideas we shared on Tuesday night here at the school.  

Reminder Meet the Teacher and Fall Fling  

This is the perfect opportunity for new families to get to know our wonderful school community. All William Reid families are welcome.  Join us on September 21st from 4-6 PM. Meet the teachers, groove to some tunes, visit the petting zoo, take part in some coloring crafts and join an epic William Reid soccer match.  Thanks to Marble Slab ice cream, we will also have complementary ice cream and popcorn for the kids.  As a special surprise - our very own William Reid mascot will be revealed for the very first time. The kids will have a chance to submit a name for our new mascot - and play a part in the school's lasting legacy.  We encourage you to SIGN UP HERE TO VOLUNTEER and be part of making this event a great success.  We look forward to seeing all of you! 

Our September Meet the Teacher conferences will be a little bit different this year.  We have combined this event with William Reid’s Fall Fling  We have done this so that all teachers can be at this event!  Teachers will have times where you can drop-in to their classrooms to meets them and see the space where your child is learning.  Teachers will also be reaching out by the end of the day Friday September 15 or on Monday the 18 to certain parents (those who have a child on an IPP)  to schedule private interviews.  

Teacher drop-in schedule for Thursday September 21 

Grade 

Teacher Name 

Drop-in time on Sept 21 

Location 

K1 

Mme Gunn 

1:00-4:00 private interviews  

4:00-4:30 in classroom drop-in 

Room 7 

K3/K4 

Mme Moreau 

4:00-5:00 in classroom drop-in 

Sept 22 9:15-12:00 private interviews 

Room 9 

1A 

Mme Coralie  

4:30-5:30 

Room 4 

1B 

Mme Maria 

4:30-5:30 

Room 3 

1C 

Mme Brooke  

4:30-5:30 

Room 1 

2A 

Mme Nancy  

4:00-4:30 

Room 2 

2B 

Mme Tetyana 

4:00-4:30 

Room 5 

2C 

Mme Losier 

4:00-4:30 

Room 6 

2D 

Mme Fergusson 

4:00-4:30 

Room 8 

3A 

Mme Kendra 

4:00-4:30

Room 13 

3B 

Mme Karen  

5:30-6:00 

Room 10 

4A 

Mme Briard 

4:00-4:30 

Room 12 

4B 

Mme Rebecca 

4:00-4:30 

Room 11 

Gym 

Mme Puchalski 

Just stop and say hi 

Outside & in halls 

Musi 

Mr. Cohen 

anytime 

Library & Outside 

 

Running Club 

This year, we will be having a fall running club (grades 1-4) that will take place during lunch hour on Wednesdays beginning September 20th until October 18th. As this will be during school hours, there are no permission forms and will be drop-in format for students. If your child would like to join, please ensure that they are wearing appropriate footwear and clothing. We will meet at the bike racks behind the playground at the beginning of their lunch recess. At this time, we will be running with students only as we are working to foster student relationships through the beginning of the year. We  will look into inviting parents for a potential spring session. Please email me with any questions at: kapuchalski@cbe.ab.ca   Kali Puchalski Physical Education Teacher 

 

Lifetouch Picture Day Tuesday September 26 2023 

All students will have their school photo and class photo taken on Tuesday September 26 2023. Retake Day will be Wednesday October 25, 2023.  

 

Mission to recycle with ARMA 

Please join the staff and students at William Reid as we plan to embark on a mission to refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle! We have been offered a wonderful opportunity to help raise funds that will be put towards a student inspired goal such as a William Reid reusable item for each student and/or a water bottle fill station in the school. We will be partnering with the Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA), which is the province’s leading authority on recycling, overseeing all aspects of end-of-life processing of electronics, paint, tires, and used oil materials. Along with William Reid, ARMA is looking to host a community round-up event on October 26th, 2023. The school would serve as a drop-off point for unused electronics and beverage containers and bottles in a half-day event. We will be inviting other schools in the area to join us in our efforts by bringing their broken electronics and bottles to our school after 3 pm on the day of the event. The concept and goals are simple:  

  • To provide real-world experience and exposure that are aligned with learning outcomes related to recycling, waste management, and circular economy in K-12 grades;   
  • To engage, educate, and inspire our youth to continue living toward a future without waste;  
  • To encourage conversations in the classroom and at home about what recycling, zero-waste and circular economy is; and  
  • To provide an opportunity for William Reid to have a school-wide and student-led fundraising event. 

This event will allow students to broaden their knowledge, gain experience, and be a part of positive future investment. Additionally, the school would be able to advertise its appreciation for the environment at the same time as expanding students’ minds with a fun and creative event. If you have any questions about this event, please contact Mme Ferguson at kaferguson@cbe.ab.ca 

 

Adult French Class 

Chinook Learning Services offers courses specifically designed for parents and caregivers of CBE French Immersion students. For Fall 2023, Chinook Learning Services is once again offering French for Parents – Level 1 classes. This eight-week course will help parents of bilingual students learn or refresh their French language skills, build their network of bilingual parents and support their children’s learning at home. Here is the link on the Chinook Learning Services website: French-For-Parents-Level-1  Check out the course content at Outline-French-For-Parents-Level-1 Continuing Education | Chinook Learning Services | ChinookLearningServices.com 

 

Volunteer opportunity for all parents, guardians and grand parents 

If you would like to volunteer for a class field trip or event during the school year, we would love to have you here. However you MUST complete these forms below (they can take up to 6 weeks) in order to get a police check.

 register as a volunteer

 electronic Police Information Check (ePIC)

Please refer to School Website for more information:  https://school.cbe.ab.ca/school/williamreid/get-involved/volunteer/pages/default.aspx

   

Special Lunches at Healthy Hunger starts Sept 28 2023

For those who would like a day off from making lunches, William Reid School has monthly special lunch days with Healthy Hunger for the 2023-2024 school year.  Healthy Hunger Lunches will commence on September 28, 2023.  Here's how it works:  

  • Login into https://healthyhunger.ca 
  • Create a profile for your student(s) and select their teacher 
  • Place orders and pay online 
  • All orders will close 5 days before the date of the lunch so you must place your order before then.  

*Please note that these special lunches are available only to Grades 1 - 4 students and Seeds of Spice due to the delivery time for the lunches. All information is on our William Reid School website: https://school.cbe.ab.ca/schoo... 

  

Healthy Hunger Special Lunch Volunteers 

We are asking for two volunteers each month to come help distribute the special lunches to each classroom. The time expected is one hour from 11:20am-12:20pm. 

Please click on the link below to view the online sign up sheet. 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4BACAF23A3FFCE9-healthy#/ 

If you have any questions related to Healthy Hunger Lunches, please reach out to Sarah Simms at sarahasimms@me.com. 

 

Reminder – Yearbooks 

If you did not collect your yearbook at the end of June 2023, or if you would like to purchase one, we have them in the office. If you did not get a yearbook and are interested in purchasing one, we have a few in the office you can purchase for 20$. We will locate students in their new classes and send uncollected yearbooks home next week.  Please e-mail Sheri Bullough at sbbullough@cbe.ab.ca for any questions regarding Yearbooks.   

 

Reminder - Volunteers for Book Fair Committee 

In November 2023 we are having our first book fair, and we need volunteers. Please email Naomi at nmsorensen@cbe.ab.ca 

 

Reminder - Traffic 

 William Reid School’s location in the community can create challenges for pick up and drop off, however safety must be paramount for our students. As we welcome back students to school, some reminders to share with everyone dropping off and picking up students: 

  • Do not jaywalk  (This means crossing the street outside of cross walks)
  • Use marked crosswalks  
  • Do not u-turn 
  • Do not go into Staff Parking lot
  • Do not park in no-parking zones (5M from crosswalks & stop signs, in the bus zone) 

Kiss n’ Dash (36 Ave north side between 11 and 12 Street, front of school sidewalk): Kiss and dash in the morning means you may not park or get out of your vehicle. Children should exit on the curbside and use the nearest crosswalk. 

Bus Zone (12 Street, between 36 and 36 ave): Please do not park or pull over at any time in the bus zone.  

11th street cul de sac: To make drop-off and pick-up safe for our children, we’d like to ask everyone who uses the cul-de-sac east of the staff parking lot (11 Street SW), to 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.  

Just to be clear: this one-direction of traffic flow is not a City of Calgary legal requirement. Instead it is a non-enforceable courtesy or convention that William Reid School families have been following for over two decades.  

The cul-de-sac is too tight for a high volume of traffic if parents and nannies are trying to turn around their cars. It makes it easier and safer for everyone if the cul-de-sac on 11th Street is used only for exiting cars.   

Please pass this information to anyone driving your child to or from school, including nannies and grandparents. Thank you for your support with this and to help keep our students safe.  

Upcoming  

Sept 21  Fall Fling / Meet the teacher 

Sept 22  Non-Instructional Day  - no school

Sept 26  Picture Day 

Sept 28  Healthy Hunger Special Lunch 

Sept 29  National Truth and Reconciliation Day – Holiday – No School

Oct 2–6  Walk to School Week 

Oct 25 Picture Re-Take Day 

Oct 26 Recycle Day 3:00PM 

Important Links 

Mabel’s Labels: https://mabelslabels.ca/en_CA/... 

Donations: https://educationmatters.akara... 


If you have any questions please call the school at 403-777-6940 or email us at williamreid@cbe.ab.ca. 

It has been a great start up to the year and we want to acknowledge and thank everyone for making this a smooth transition! 

 

Hand to heart, 
Mme Christine Stiles and Mme Sheri Bullough 
William Reid School