Hello Louis Riel Families,  

Since our last Bison Bulletin, we enjoyed the opportunity to host families in person and online for our student conferences. Such opportunities to connect establish and maintain open communication while strengthening collaboration between families and our teaching team for the benefit of our students. Our goal is to keep families well informed about their student’s growth and progress throughout the school year, so events like student conferences or the release of report cards don’t hold surprises for parents or students. Conferences provide a forum to ask questions and clarify understanding of teaching and learning in general in addition to opening conversations about how to accommodate the needs of students with support from their families. Even though conferences only take place a few times a year, families can always access achievement information through MyCBE and are also encouraged to reach out to our teaching team to discuss how we can work together to support our students.     

Helpful links to current assignments, assessments, and attendance information:  

The final two weeks before the winter break have arrived and so has a lot of seasonal energy. Despite the urging of some students to slow the pace of learning and coast towards the winter break finish line, rest assured that our staff will continue to support learning in our classrooms every day. We do have some activities planned for the final week of classes before the break, but learning and student well-being will remain our focus. Our band program will be performing to students and families in the final week, and we’ll also be holding our annual elementary sock hop and junior high winter dances again. Although this time of year is exciting for many of our students and their families, we recognize that it can also be challenging for some. Our leadership students have organized a food drive for the Calgary Food Bank. We warmly welcome any donations of non-perishable food items to be deposited in our food drive bins found in the main entrance to the school, or in our elementary atrium. The leadership students thank you in advance for any donations you can spare to help Calgarians in need.     

Thanks for taking the time to read the entire Bison Bulletin, or simply the bolded points in the bulletin that apply to you and your student.  

Fun Lunch Dates 

https://healthyhunger.ca/  

Dec 11 – Jr. High Grades 

Dec 18 - Elementary Grades 

Louis Riel Parent and School Council(s)   

There will be no meeting this month, but we look forward to seeing you in January. 

Hello Louis Families and supporters!

It's almost time to pick up your Growing Smiles Plants and Purdy's Chocolate Orders. 

  • Date: Wednesday, December 12, 2024 
  • Address: Louis Riel School, 9632 Oakfield Dr SW, Calgary, AB T2V 0L1 
  • Time: 3:15pm - 6:00pm 

Pick up is in the South Gym, closest to the office. Please come in through the front doors.  
Thank you all so much for supporting our students and school, your support is amazing!  

This email was sent to you by The GATE Parent Association and Louis Riel Parent Council. 

Lost and Found

Our lost and found collection continues to grow, and grow, and grow. If your student is one of those kiddos who happens to leave their possessions on the playground with regularity, please consider adding tags, labels, or some other visible means of identification in or on their clothing or personal items.     

Parking and Dropoff Zones

Please do not park in front of the school to drop your child in the mornings. This area is a designated bus zone and parking there causes significant challenges for our drivers to safely navigate around parked vehicles. Drop your student to the South of the school or past the second crosswalk to the north. If you park across the street please ensure your student crosses at the crosswalk. We continue to see families make the unsafe choice to jaywalk. A short walk for your student will allow them to arrive safely at a school entrance without disrupting bus traffic or compromising road safety for anyone.  

AMA Crossing Guards

Our volunteer team is at the crosswalk every morning and again at dismissal to ensure students can safely cross the road. We ask that our students please follow instructions at the crosswalk, dismount their bicycle, and proceed to cross only after they’ve been directed to do so by the crossing guards.  

Dogs on School Property

There have been some concerns shared with the school about the number of dogs outside the school at pickup and drop off times. Although you and your family may see your dog as a part of your family, please be considerate of those who may not experience your four-legged family member the same way. We need to ask that dog owners explore other means to manage their pet that will allow all our families to feel comfortable while waiting for their children. If you cannot leave your pet at home during pickup and drop off times, please provide adequate space for those who may benefit from the added sense of personal comfort.  

Field Trips, Forms, Payments and Deadlines

This is a reminder to please pay close attention to the forms that come home with your student for any upcoming field trips, field studies, or special events. We often have hard deadlines for confirming student numbers with service providers and venues that do not allow us to be flexible by accommodating last minute changes or adjustments. Teachers will always communicate the deadlines for forms to be returned and fees to be submitted as well as by following up with a reminder. If you cannot meet a deadline, we may not be able to accommodate a last-minute request to attend. When paperwork comes home, we request your prompt attention to avoid disappointment for your student.    

Louis Riel is a busy and dynamic K-9 school, and it can be challenging to keep up with everything that happens here daily. Providing families with multiple information streams and sources including our website, teacher/classroom emails, paperwork for field trips, and the Bison Bulletin should cover everything that families need to know. The challenge for some families may be that the information, timelines, and deadlines for activities can be hard to track. Our school and staff do our best to notify and remind families of upcoming dates and deadlines through the Schoolmessenger app and email. Thanks for reading the bulletin. Dates of importance can be found below: 

Upcoming Dates of Importance 

  • December 10 – Grade 7 (7.3&7.4) Calgary Zoo Trip 
  • December 11 - Grade 7 (7.1&7.2) Calgary Zoo Trip 
  • December 11 – Fun lunch Junior High 
  • December 18 – Fun lunch Elementary 
  • December 19 – Winter Band Concert 
  • December 23 – January 3 WINTER BREAK