Hello Louis Riel families,  

As I type this bulletin, the last of our athletes, volunteers and parents have just walked out the door to end day one of our 2023 Junior Bison Brawl Basketball Tournament. The games were exciting and a fitting end to a week that started with zombies, superheroes, cosplay characters, and ghouls wandering the halls. On Tuesday it was entertaining to see the number of students dressed in their best Halloween costumes all doing their best to get to and from their classes despite the number of T-Rexes and cowboys getting in their way. It was almost as entertaining to see all those students struggling to remain alert on Wednesday after pushing their bedtimes back to knock on “just a few more doors” in the relentless quest to increase the candy haul from trick or treating.  

There are a few key indicators of school spirit that teachers really take note of and student engagement in dress-up days and events like Halloween are one of them. With so many students in costume on Tuesday I can say with a high degree of certainty that school spirit is alive and well at Louis Riel. School spirit thrives in a safe, caring and welcoming school that offers opportunities for all students to feel they belong... even if you choose to wear a costume a few days a year. It’s hard to believe that with November’s arrival we’ve already made it through 20% of our time together for the school year! Speaking of time, don’t forget to turn your clocks back an hour on Sunday evening so you can enjoy an extra hour of sleep on Monday.  

Traffic Safety at Louis Riel 

With the addition of ice and snow to the regular commute we have seen an unsettling increase in unsafe driving at drop-off and pickup times. Our crossing guards are positioned at the north crosswalk on Oakfield drive to ensure safe and orderly road crossings. It is up to those of us who are behind the wheel to be mindful of our speed and of our little pedestrians trying to get to school. Calgary Police have been invited to attend the school to help remind our hastier drivers that unsafe driving in school zones can earn fines and demerit points.  

Please slow down, be mindful of students crossing the road, and please respect the important work of our crossing guards.    

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! 

November 21st GATE Education Session: 

WHY I LOVE WORKING WITH 
GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS:  
Embracing originality, unpredictability and challenge 

The GATE Parent Association (GPA) is excited to announce that Mr. Gary Perfect, GATE learning leader at Queen Elizabeth School, will be leading a presentation for GATE families. Mr. Perfect has worked with Calgary GATE students for over 20 years and with gifted students for over 30 years. He will share his insights on GATE students and the unique ways in which GATE students approach school projects.  

Date: Tuesday November 21, 2023 
Time: 6:30pm 
Venue: Virtual meeting 

Immediately following the presentation, the GPA will hold a short General Meeting. If you wish to attend the presentation and the general meeting, please register at this link and a meeting link will be sent to you a day or two before the presentation: https://gatecalgary.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7e097cc7704c7aa4748cfdcd9&id=79f074d3d1&e=cef25d5c2b.  

Next Louis Riel Parent and School Council(s) meeting is November 29  

Each month we will have teachers from different divisions, departments, and programs present to council and community about the teaching and learning going on in their classrooms. This month’s teacher presenter will be Ms. Evans who will be sharing her experience as a GATE humanities teacher in junior high/division 3 classes.   

A reminder that all current minutes and agendas are available on the LRPAC website: https://www.wearelouis.ca/ under Agendas and Minutes 

Child and Youth Well-Being: A Webinar Series for Parents and Guardians 

The Calgary Board of Education invites all parents and guardians to join us in an online series focusing on child and youth well-being. These sessions will be hosted in partnership with experts from Alberta Health Services and will explore topics such as vaping, brain development, mental health, and sexual health. The next session is November 16th how to engage in challenging conversations with your young person regarding vaping. 

 Click here to learn more: Child and Youth Well-Being: A Webinar Series for Parents and Guardians  

Fun Lunches at Louis  

Fun lunches are a great source of fundraising for the School Council, give parents a day off from packing a lunch, and are exciting for the kids to receive! Fun Lunches will continue throughout the year with our regular rotation for Elementary and Junior High students each month. All future junior high fun lunch dates will be the second Wednesday of each month and Elementary will be on the 3rd Wednesday of the month.  

Sign up at www.HealthyHunger.ca. There is also a link on the Louis Riel School website. 

It is important to note, that due to health and safety protocols on food storage, the school will not be able to accommodate storing left-over lunches to the next day if your child was absent. Left-over lunches will be donated. 

Spectator Expectations at Louis Riel Athletics Events 

Last year our division shared common expectations for spectators at athletic events. This year Louis Riel will be maintaining these spectator expectations and conditional attendance policies for spectators to support a positive environment for our student athletes.  

Based on the athletic events we hosted all week this week and spectators that attended the school after hours, we need to remind our students of our expectation around adult supervision: 

If you plan to attend as a spectator after the first game of the evening you need to have an adult with you who is a parent or is willing to act as your chaperone. If you have a parent or chaperone in the gym, you must be seated with them for the duration of the game(s) you choose to attend.   

Please keep in mind that our main goal is to maintain a safe and fun environment for students. 

• The players are kids. 
• The coaches are volunteers. 
• The referees are human. 

Thank you for supporting our students and our spectator expectations 

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.  

Volunteers Support Our Program 

Volunteers are often required to meet supervision ratio requirements for off-campus field experiences. Without parent volunteers to help meet the required supervision ratio, off-campus activities and field experiences cannot proceed. Please volunteer for some off campus activities and field experiences this year to support your student and their class.  

Interested in volunteering this year? Please fill out the following form: https://cbe.ab.ca/FormsManuals/Annual-Volunteer-Registration-Form.pdf 

Digital Citizenship at Louis Riel  

We are an Away for the Day school. Student brains need a break from mobile devices, and they all benefit from opportunities to engage in other ways of communicating, creating and exploring. Part of our work is to promote safety, lessen cyberbullying, and to foster and sustain focus on learning. How our Away for the Day policy supports this is simple: 

• Cell phones/personal electronic devices are powered off and go into lockers as you enter 
• cell phones/devices do not come out until you’re exiting after the final bell at 2:50 pm 
• cell phones may only be used for learning tasks during the school day with teacher permission 

We regularly help our students navigate relatively simple and occasionally complex social situations and challenges as they arise in classrooms, hallways and on the playground. When it comes to online activity, we don’t always see what our children are learning or how they’re choosing to navigate social situations of varying complexity. Louis Riel’s Away for the Day policy confines the more challenging online interactions between students to the part of the day when students are not learning with us because they don’t have access to their phones. If you don’t make it a regular practice to discuss social media use with your student, please consider incorporating this topic into your regular conversations or check-ins with them.  

Upcoming Events  

November 7 – Grade 6 Presentation City of Calgary  
November 7&8 – Senior Basketball Invitational 
November 8 – Picture Retake Day 
November 8 – Grade 7.3 Zoo Trip 
November 9 – No School – Non-Instructional Day 
November 10 – 14 Fall Break 
November 15 – Grade 7.4 Zoo Trip 
November 16 – CBE Child and Youth Well-Being Webinar Series