After many weeks of glorious fall weather, we can see that the forecast calls for a dip in temperatures in the week ahead. In preparation for the cooler temperatures during breaks such as recess and/or lunch, please support your student by insisting they bring suitable clothing that will ensure their comfort while outside. Alfred Wainwright, in his 1973 book Coast to Coast wrote “There's no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.” This week will see temperatures remain below zero throughout the day but well above CBE guidelines for “blue days” when we would not have any students going outside. CBE guidelines: 

We recognize the value of outdoor breaks such as recess and lunch during the school day, however, when the weather is excessively cold, outdoor breaks may not be a viable option. When temperatures reach -20 Celsius or colder including the wind-chill factor, it is recommended that students be kept inside for recess or lunch breaks. The -20 Celsius guideline is comparable to other school jurisdictions in Alberta and across Canada.  

We are looking forward to another week full of learning activity in the school as well as off-campus field studies as usual but please remind your student(s) to dress for the weather.  

This past week was full of after-school athletic competitions as Louis Riel hosted basketball games for all our teams. Our teams competed against the schools in our division and if you had the opportunity to witness any of the games played, you will hopefully share the appreciation I have for our volunteer coaches, volunteer score keepers, volunteer timekeepers and onsite supervisors. The time and energy our coaches invest in their players and our volunteers dedicate to hosting game nights is significant and generous. That being said, the end result of students working together to build community through athletics and volunteerism seems to be well worth it for all involved. Go Bisons!  

School Council Online Meeting this week: October 25 at 6:30 pm

Link and agenda to follow this week. Each month we will have teachers from different divisions, departments, and programs present to school council and community about the teaching and learning going on in their classrooms. Teacher speakers in this month’s meeting: Ben Wetsch (Science Learning Leader) and Karen Davis (Div 3 Science and Science Fair Champion) have volunteered to talk at the upcoming meeting about the Science program of choice at Louis Riel and how to support student and family engagement in our annual Science Fair. 

Meeting Tips: 

• You will be in the online waiting room, and our moderator will let you in. 
• Our moderator will support speakers and attendees during the meeting. 
• Please remember to stay on mute unless you are talking to the group. 
• If you would like to submit a question, please write them in the chat, and our moderator will manage and direct them to the speakers. Alternatively, the moderator will call on any raised hands (Zoom feature) to un-mute and ask your question. 
• A reminder that all current minutes and agendas are available on our 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.  

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

CBE educators believe that parents and guardians can inspire their kids to make healthy lifestyle choices and increase protective factors – in order to do so, they need the right tools and information. 

Well-being is a precondition for learning. As our understanding of student well-being continues to evolve, it is important for those that support children and youth to stay up to date on the same information so everyone can support student success.   

The intention of the series is to advance student well-being by raising family and caregiver’s understanding of a variety of health-related topics. 

Thank you for your time and consideration to join us.  

Demographic Verification Forms 

This is a reminder and request to please complete your demographic verification form online through your MyCBE account.

Fun Lunches at Louis  

Fun lunches are a great source of fundraising for the Parent 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 2nd 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 

Upcoming Events  

October 24 – Grade 3 Walking Field Experience 
October 25 – School Council Meeting ONLINE at 6:30 
October 25 – Grade 7.1 Zoo Trip 
October 25 – Grade 9 to Theatre: Calgary 
October 25 – Grade 8 Outdoor Ed Kayaking Trip 
October 26 – Grade 5 Mad Science: Kitchen Chemistry Visit 
October 30 & 31 – Gr. 8 & 9 GATE Abacus Lessons 
November 1 – Grade 7.2 Zoo Trip 
November 3 & 4 – Bison Bawl Junior Basketball Tournament