Hello Louis Riel families,

Thank you to all our students and staff for another week full of learning together at Louis Riel. Although it’s hard to believe, the second half of the year is well under way as we move through the first weeks of February. The weather outside continues to vary day to day but there is still a thin layer of snow on top of the ice blanketing our playgrounds and fields. Although no boots can prevent slipping on ice, please remind your students of the importance of wearing proper footwear and moving with care on icy surfaces while playing.

This week felt surprisingly calm as we didn’t see our typical stream of field experiences or offsite activities. There wasn’t a single off-site activity this week other than junior high athletics. We are well into our volleyball season for our Junior and Senior teams so many of our teams ventured to other schools for games this week. All of our teams are enjoying the learning experience of healthy competition with our neighboring and/or rival schools. Go Bisons!  

Please keep in mind that next week will be a short one as Thursday and Friday will have no school as staff attend the annual Calgary City Teacher’s Convention.

Student Pickup/Drop off

Please be mindful of how you choose to navigate pickup and drop off at Louis Riel. We have noticed an increase in vehicles entering school parking lots to collect or drop students. These parking lots are not safe spots to access as they involve crossing busy sidewalks and driving between busses. Please obey all posted speed limits and watch out for our crossing guards.   

Yearbook?

Did you know that Louis Riel students create an amazing yearbook each year and make it available to all families? That’s right! The other thing you may not know is that you don’t have to be in Grade 9 to be able to get your hands on one. If you want to learn more please refer to the weekly announcements you receive from your student’s homeroom teacher for a link to the yearbook page for Louis Riel.

GPA Parent Association

Did you know if you have a child in GATE as of September 2023 you are automatically a member of the GATE Parent Association? Sign up to receive the GPA newsletter on their website https://gatecalgary.ca/  and be a part of the GPA Community!

Next Louis Riel Parent and School Council(s) meeting: Wednesday February 28, 2024

Each month we invite teachers from different divisions, departments, and programs to present to the council and community about the teaching and learning going on in their classrooms and beyond. We are currently lining up a teacher guest speaker for the upcoming meeting but should have a topic and speaker to announce next week. In addition to the teacher speaker we will be launching our annual school planning survey focused on collecting stakeholder input about our future school development plan and identifying areas of need we can plan to support.

A reminder that all current minutes and agendas are available on the LRPAC website:

https://www.wearelouis.ca under Agendas and Minutes

Registration at Louis Riel

If you are reading this Bison Bulletin you already have a student at Louis Riel. If you have family, friends, colleagues, or neighbors who would like their students to join the learning community at Louis please share this information with them.

Admission to Louis Riel’s Science program is managed using a lottery process. This process was established to ensure fair and equitable access to schools, programs (regular, alternative) or grades, experiencing a student population that is either at capacity or over capacity. This process provides a consistent approach across our system. 

Registration for the 2024-25 school year began on Jan. 15th and, due to ongoing demand, our Science program continues to have limited capacity for new students. With a few more days to go before the lottery deadline we have almost 500 new students who have shared their expression of interest to join the Louis Riel community of learners.  

The lottery deadline occurs in February each year. For the 2024-25 school year, registrations submitted prior to the lottery deadline of 12 PM (noon) on Feb. 13, 2024, will be included in the lottery draws. All registrations received after noon on Feb. 13, 2024, will be added to the callback list (based on the appropriate priority level) in the order they are received.

To learn more about the lottery process click HERE

Lost and Found at Louis Riel

Please remind your student(s) to walk by and locate any lost or misplaced clothing and lunch container items and take them home. If your student regularly loses items at school, please also consider sewing nametags on their clothing items.

We can only keep lost and found items on display for so long until we are left to assume that they are no longer wanted. Twice a year we donate unclaimed items from the lost and found to charitable organizations to share with those who are in need.  

Upcoming Events

February 13 – Grade 7-9 MADD Presentation
February 14 – Grade 9s to Vertigo Theatre
February 15 & 16 –Teacher's Convention NO SCHOOL
February 19 – Family Day NO SCHOOL
February 21 – Grade 9 Virtual Reality Space Experience
February 27 & 28 - Kindergarten Let’s be Scientists In-class experience