Our Kindergarten to Grade 3 students have been working hard on the government-mandated literacy and numeracy assessments. It’s been amazing to see how much growth they’ve made since the start of the year!  

Notes of Thanks 

  • To all our new kindergarten families and students who are registering    
  • To all students and staff who wore a hat this week to show that we care about mental health at our school 
  • To our Fun Lunch volunteers 
  • To our Teacher’s Pet Grade 1 volunteers  
  • To all families who are continuing to freeze ice blocks for our Carnaval week
  • To all of our IPP parents who attended meetings this week     
  • To all families who are on time for class thus avoiding traffic issues 
  • To all families who are on time for class thus avoiding classes to be disturbed 

Online Report Cards Available January 27  

The end of January is report card time. Information about accessing the on-line report card starting January 27 is available at our website with this link. 

Teachers have been busily reviewing assessments and writing comments for each child. Report cards will be live starting January 27. Please note that you will only have 30 days to access your child’s report card online. If you’d like to keep a copy, make sure to print it during this time. Report cards will include sections on areas of strength and areas of growth, with comments designed to enhance consistency across all CBE schools. If you have any questions about your child’s progress at any time, please don’t hesitate to reach out to their teacher.   

Owl’s Nest Book Fair – Thank you to everyone 

  • Sales at the fair: $6886.30  
  • Sales from promo code: $226.73 
  • Total sales: $7113.03 This gives the library an extra $1422.61 to buy new books for. 

Outstanding Fees 

Thank you to families for the payment of outstanding fees from activities your child participated in during the last 2023-2024 and 2025 school year so far.  The amounts paid are helpful in keeping us financially healthy as a school.  We request your attention to please check if there are any fees owing on your MyCBE Account and make payment. 

Student Safety – Pick Up and Drop Off Issues 

There is an increase in concerns about unsafe conditions. For everyone's safety, please:  

  • Do not jaywalk Use marked crosswalks  
  • Do not U-turn near school 
  • Do not park in no-parking zones (5m from crosswalks, stop signs and in bus zone) 

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 are 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 exit only through the cul-de-sac.  36th Ave North Side in Front School Doors - This section is used as a “Kiss & Ride” drop off - 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.  

Consider parking further from the school to make it safe during pick up. Thank you for your support with this and to help keep our students safe. 

Book Club Grade 2 and 3 – January 9- 30 2025 

  • Every Thursday in January, Mme Sabrina and Mme Lytwyn are excited to host a Book Club for all interested students in grades 2 & 3.  
  • The club will take place in Mme Lytwyn's class, room 5, from 11:55 - 12:25, after the students have eaten. Each week the club will feature French and English books from different series and authors. Mme Sabrina and Mme Lytwyn will pre-select the books for the students to read and explore each week.  

Winter Carnaval February 3-7, 2025 

Carnaval d’hiver 2025 is right around the corner and we are looking forward to seeing many of you during the week of February 3-7. This will be 5 days packed full of fun and exciting French-Canadian traditions, fun for all! The week’s schedule is as follows and
we are asking for volunteers (with Police Clearance) for some of the activities (marked with an asterisk).  

  • *Monday Feb. 3 – castle building.  
  • Tuesday Feb. 4- banner competition and
    activity day   
  • Wednesday Feb. 5 – la Tire/ Sugar
    Shack  
  • Thursday Feb. 6 – Folklofolie    
  • *Friday Feb. 7 - sports day (10 -11:30) 

Mark your calendars and get your snow gear ready if you plan on volunteering for sports day or castle building and be sure that your police clearance is up to date! 

Another great activity over the break would be to get a head start on the blocks for the ice castle. You make these by spraying the inside of 2 L cardboard milk containers with PAM spray before filling them with colored water. We cannot use any ice blocks that come in plastic containers as they are too difficult and awkward to cut. 

DO NOT put toys, glitter, food, beads, etc. in the blocks; we want to protect our environment and the animals in our school yard. We cannot wait to see you all at the Carnaval d’hiver! 

Calling All Volunteers 🎉 

Have you ever dreamed of being part of one of the most iconic celebrations at William Reid School? Well, here is your chance! We are looking for volunteers to become Bonhomme Carnaval—the heart and soul of our Carnaval! 

✨ Why Volunteer as Bonhomme? 

Bring joy to the students of William Reid  

Be part of a our tradition. 

Have a blast meeting kids of all grade levels. 

🌟 What You Need: 

A friendly and outgoing personality! 

A love for celebration and fun. 

Commitment to wearing the Bonhomme costume with pride! 

Be free any day during the week of Feb 3-7 for a small portion of the day (you choose) 

Interested? Please let the grade 1 team know. 
ckpynn@cbe.ab.ca, coturbide@cbe.ab.ca, brspereira@cbe.ab.ca 

Yearbook 

Order the gift of precious memories this New Year! Place your order for the William Reid 2024-25 yearbook now! Yearbooks capture the memories of events throughout the school year and are a great keepsake to remember students’ time at William Reid. The yearbook committee is hard at work creating this year’s memory book, which will be sent home in June. The cost is $22 which is paid online directly through the Lifetouch yearbook pay website. Order your 2024-25 yearbook here: WR Yearbook Orders 2024-25 
Yearbook ID: 14464825  

French for Parents  

Chinook Learning Services offers courses specifically designed for parents and caregivers of CBE French Immersion students. For Winter 2025, Chinook Learning Services is offering French for Parents – Level 1.  

This eight-week course will help parents of immersion students learn or refresh their French language skills, build their network of bilingual parents, and support their children’s learning at home.  

Lost & Found or can we call it “Responsibility, Environment & Labelling”? 

Please think about the money that goes through our Lost & Found section: maybe $3,000 worth of clothes, water bottles, books etc is sorted, stored, photographed, and sent to charity, every quarter. Thanks Rosalyn, for organizing this!  As most, if not all, items are in very good shape and need to be replaced: the environmental impact is a factor too. Please use a marker or Mabel’s labels and add your child’s name to all items. And, feel free to check out the Lost & Found rack at the main entrance.  

Water Bottles 

There are a large number of students water bottles in the lost and found.  Please consider labeling these bottles for your children.  

Resources | CBE Family Literacy Week 

Families across Calgary are invited to join the Calgary Board of Education in celebrating Family Literacy Week from Jan. 26 to Feb. 2, with a focus on environmental learning through the theme “Learn to Be Green, Together.”  

Resources are available at this LINK. 

Icy Conditions and Snow Removal at William Reid 

Facility operators, caretakers and grounds crews work hard to remove snow and ice throughout the winter months at CBE schools. First priority is given to snow clearing and sanding of perimeter sidewalks adjacent to school property, as well handi-capped zones and bus
drop-off areas and other related zones. This could take up to 48 hours for this cleaning to be complete following a snow event. Second priority is given to snow clearing of asphalt playground compounds at elementary schools. 

We know there are some concerns at schools about snow and ice on sidewalks and parking lots. We are doing our best to keep up with requests; however, with the ongoing thaw and refreeze cycle it has been difficult to find opportunities to effectively clear these areas. 

The facility operator at William Reid School is working to keep pathways clear and gravel is place on icy patches. However, there are still some sections of icy buildup on our pathways. Our facility operator is working with CBE ground crews to determine what else can be done to support the removal of  ice buildup.  If you see a red cone please use caution.   

The school is monitoring the safety of the playground and fields during the winter months until all snow and ice has melted for the season. 

School staff will review seasonal/winter mobility safety with our students. We ask that parents also support us at home with safety conversations about walking and running on icy paths and sidewalks. 

Upcoming Events 

Jan 26 Kindergarten Science Field Trip Bow Habitat  

Jan 31 PD Day – no school  

Feb 3 - 7 Carnaval (Jeudi FolkloFolie) 

Feb 4 Grade 4 Teachers Pet 

Feb 5 All students outside for Winter Walk Day 

Feb 7 PM KG to Bow Habitat 

Feb 13 -14 Teacher Staff Convention – no school 

Feb 17 Family Day – No school 

Feb 19 Special
Lunch  

Feb 21 AM KG to Bow Habitat 

Feb 28 Non-Instructional Day – No school 

Mar 19 Special Lunch  

Mar 21 – 22  
Parent Teacher
Conferences & IPP  

Mar 24 – 28  Spring Break  

Apr 1 Spring Photos 

Apr 8 Field Trip - Heritage Park Gr 2 

Apr 10 Field Trip – Landfill Grade 4  

Apr 18 Good Friday – No School  

April 21 Non-Instructional Day – No school  

May 14 Special Lunch  

May 16 Non-Instructional Day – No school 

May 19 Victoria Day – No School  

May 30 Volunteer Tea  

Important Links  

  • Mabel’s Labels
  • Donations
  • Bottle Drive:  Manchester Bottle Depot – 410 – 38aAve SE – Donate your bottles here for William Reid School  

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

Hand to heart,  

Mme Christine Stiles and Mme Sheri
Bullough    

William Reid School