Hello Louis Riel Families   

After the first full week in what feels like a long time, I hope your student(s) will enjoy their weekend and perhaps even get outside to enjoy the continued above seasonal warm weather. Hopefully they won’t miss the opportunity because we know our beloved region of Canada experiences March as the snowiest month of the year despite the fluctuating temperature. In addition to the changes in weather signaling the approach of spring with the equinox on March 20, this month has several dates of significance. One such day is International Women's Day, previously known as International Working Women's Day on March 8. It commemorates women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.  

March 14 (3,14) is Pi (π) Day, the annual celebration of a never-ending number—and Albert Einstein's birthday so it’s a big deal for our young scientists. In short, pi is the ratio of the circumference of any circle to the diameter of that circle. So, no matter how big a circle is— our planet’s equator or the cross section of Timbit—the ratio of its circumference (the distance around the circle) to its diameter (a line straight across its middle) will always equal pi—approximated as 3.14 in decimal form. Numerically we can see Pi as 3.14159265358979323846 (if you go 20 decimal places) and the coolest fact is that it never ends and never repeats. In 2019, UNESCO designated Pi Day as the International Day of Mathematics. The day is a great excuse to celebrate the fun and educational aspects of math and science by eating pie, reciting pi, sharing Pi-ku poetry, and participating in other fun activities. Please read about our Leadership students’ fundraising raffle in the section below.  

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. 

Pi Day is Coming! 

As a culminating caring and sharing event for our current grade 9 Leadership class, our students are fundraising for the Awo Taan Healing Lodge Society. Our students have chosen this charity as their focus because International Women's Day is this month and our students recognize the importance of giving to a charity that supports women in crisis.  

Learning about empathy and mutual respect has brought our leadership students their focus on giving to this charitable organization in hopes of demonstrating their improved capacity for intercultural understanding. There are many worthy charities that the students considered but they chose this one because it matters to them most. 

The students have chosen to run a Pie raffle on Pi-Day to observe the day and raise funds for their charity of choice. The pie prizes (given as gift certificates, not an actual pie to carry home in a backpack) were generously donated by Pie Junkie. Pie Junkie and Bakery is a Calgary business Owned and operated by Nancy Goemans & Jo-Anne Caza. Their sweet and savory pies are handmade from scratch, using only the finest ingredients, slow-cooked in small batches, poured into our all-butter crust. Pie raffle tickets are only a dollar and will be sold all week. Learn more about their tasty donations by clicking on the link below:

School Conferences March 20 and 21 

Parent-Teacher Conferences can be booked online starting March 12 at 9:00am. 

Note: All conferences will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams 

Dates & Times  

  • 5:00pm - 7:30pm on Thursday, March 20, 2025  
  • 8:00am –1:00pm on Friday, March 21, 2025 

How to book a conference: 

Labour Action in the CBE 

On Feb. 19, 2025, CUPE Local 40 served 72-hour strike notice to the CBE. The union withdrew services beginning Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. Work is currently underway to bargain a new collective agreement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 40. CUPE Local 40 represents about 800 employees, or 5% of the CBE workforce. Its members include cleaners, facility operators, heavy duty mechanics, locksmiths and members involved in snow removal, grounds maintenance and other lines of work. Unlike many other school boards in Alberta, support staff employees like education assistants and administrative assistants belong to the CBE Staff Association. 

During strike action, all CBE schools and buildings​ will remain open and classes will continue. However, a strike will have an impact on schools and operations, and some activities may be impacted.​ In the event of any cancellations, families will be informed in advance. We are committed to supporting student learning and well-being while maintaining safe and welcoming school environments for students, staff and families. 

How long is the strike expected to last?  
It is not possible to predict the duration of the strike. We value the contributions of all employees who support student success, and we respect the bargaining process. We are committed to bargaining in good faith to negotiate a new collective agreement.  

The Annual Lottery and Registration Draw is Complete 

With the initial round of offers to successful lottery entrants behind us, registration will be ongoing with families on the waitlist being contacted as soon as spots open. If your family or someone you know is on the waitlist, please know an offer to attend can be made up until the first week of school next year. We look forward to meeting and welcoming our new families in our annual Open House at the end of May.   

Louis’ Painting Continues 

The painting crew are making substantial progress throughout the building with most of the junior high hallways and both gyms painted. The crew is making progress towards the elementary wing of the school and the main office. The hallways upstairs and on the main floor have never looked brighter and we look forward to being able to invite our families to see it in person at the end of May for our open house.  

Learn and Share | School Planning Meeting and Survey

We know we can make better decisions to support student learning when we build understanding and work together. That’s why we’ll be sharing information about school planning and asking you to share your thoughts and perspectives through an online survey and Parent Council meeting this month. 

During this school planning engagement, you will have the opportunity to: 

1. Learn About 

  • School planning, which includes the school development plan, school budget and school fees 
  • How the school development plan sets the overall focus and direction for a school to improve student learning outcomes 
  • School fees and how they support learning  

2. Participate 

  • Participate in our virtual school council meeting on March 19 starting at 6:30om to learn more about school planning. There will be an opportunity to provide feedback at this meeting and complete an online survey. 
  • Share your perspectives through an online survey open from March 16th to March 31st. A link to the survey will be shared with all families on March 16th when the survey officially opens.   
  • In the meantime, watch this short video to learn about the planning work schools do to improve and support student learning. 

Louis Riel Parent and School Council(s)   

The January Louis Riel Parent Society and School Council meetings will be held back-to-back on Wednesday, March 19 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting is virtual and anyone is welcome to attend, we hope to see you there as we discuss various topics of interest to students and parents alike.  

Being an engaged part of your student's community helps to ensure we are all informed. The agenda will be posted the week prior on the Louis Riel website and on the day of, you will be sent a live link to the meeting.  

Agenda & Minutes: https://www.wearelouis.ca/agendas-and-minutes-and-budgets 

GATE Parent Association 

The GATE Parent Association is comprised of parents whose children attend the Calgary Board of Education’s GATE Program. The GATE Parent Association is unique in that it represents parents and supports the GATE Program in all GATE schools, but it is independent of the Calgary Board of Education and other parent organizations within those schools. If you have a student registered in GATE for this current school year, you are a member of the GPA. 

Goals of the GATE Parent Association: 

  • To undertake FUNDRAISING to enhance the educational pursuits of the GATE Program. 
  • To ADVOCATE for the GATE Program and the students and parents of the Program. 
  • To encourage and sponsor EDUCATION for parents and professional staff. 
  • To promote COMMUNICATION with the Calgary Board of Education, Alberta Learning and among parents and other stakeholders.  

GATE Parent Association: gatecalgary.ca 

Email us: info@gatecalgary.ca 

Connect with us: www.gatecalgary.ca    Facebook    Instagram 

Fun Lunches 

With another calendar year come more Fun Lunches to save you and your student from un-fun ones! You can log into Healthy Hunger at any time to see the upcoming schedule and order ahead and there is always a link on the Louis Riel School website. Remember, orders always need to be placed by the Wednesday prior. 

March dates are: 

Grades 6 – 9: March 12  

Grades 1 – 5: March 19   

Due to health and safety protocols on food storage, the school cannot accommodate storing left-over lunches for the next day if your child is absent. Left-over lunches will be donated. 

Accessing Academic and Assessment Information Online 

Even though report cards are only published twice 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. If you are looking for current information about how or what your student is doing in class, log in to MyCBE with your student to ask them to help you understand what they’ve been working on or if they need any help to complete overdue or missing assignments.    

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

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. After a few months of collecting lost items, our Lost and Found reaches maximum capacity and we have to assume the unclaimed items are abandoned and they are donated to organizations who get them to others in need.  

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.  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 School Messenger app and email. Thanks for reading the bulletin.  

Upcoming Dates of Importance 

  • March 11 – Grade 4 (4.1 & 4.2) Shepard Landfill and Composting Facility Field Trip 
  • March 11&12 – Grade 6 Astrodome Activity 
  • March 12 – Fun Lunch Grades 6-9 
  • March 13 – Grade 6 Safety Expo Trip 
  • March 13 – Spring Band Concert 
  • March 18 – Grade 7 EsFs – U of C Field Trip 
  • March 19 – Fun Lunch Grades 1-5 
  • March 19 – Grade 5 (5.1 & 5.2) Sam Centre Field Trip 
  • March 20 & 21 – ONLINE Student Learning Conferences 
  • March 21 – Non-Instructional Day NO SCHOOL 
  • March 24-28 – SPRING BREAK