Hello Louis Families,
Another two weeks have passed and the anticipation and energy around the building have continued to grow as we approach the end of October. The pace of things never seems to decrease in our school. The Bison Bulletin can, at times, sound like a list of this and this, then this and that, followed by more of this. This is one of the many characteristics of a busy K-9 school that is also home to two programs living in harmony. The educational experiences, learning opportunities, student clubs, and extracurricular activities can be hard to keep up with. Field trips and field experiences were leaving the school as quickly as the leaves were falling from the trees this week. A gentle sprinkling of snow did little to dampen the enthusiasm of our students who went on field trips to the zoo or ran outside to play in the first flakes of the approaching winter. Our basketball teams hosted a tournament last weekend and they ended this week by attending another one at Henry Wise Wood. Our teachers enjoyed their professional development day learning about new curriculum implementation, teaching through the lens of science, analyzing . student assessment data, diversifying our library collection, and planning new strategies to support student well-being. We’re all looking forward to the upcoming week full of learning and building school spirit through student planned games, activities, and special events
Thank you for taking the time to read through the points in the bulletin that apply to you and your student; we hope the revised format and frequency of the Bison bulletin will help you keep in the loop on all things Louis Riel without being overwhelmed.
Spirit Week is Here!
Our leadership students have arranged a full week of fun activities, contests and special events for the entire school to participate in next week. The students and staff have all been divided into 6 teams, each with a Halloween theme and colour, and they’ll be competing for points won in challenges, contests, and through group participation. For example, each day will involve a school-wide search for a single hidden pumpkin. The person who finds it wins 30 points for their team. Each morning will also involve a class riddle and a “name that tune” challenge for each homeroom group. Every lunch will feature outdoor games arranged by the leadership students with points to be won through participation and friendly competition. Read below for the daily themes!
Monday - Colour Day – dress in your team colour to win points.
Tuesday - Jersey Day! Show up at lunch in your jersey to win points.
Wednesday - Twin Day! Show up with your twin at lunch to win points.
Thursday - Costume Day! Show up at lunch in your costume to win points (see below).
Friday - Pajama Day! Because kids can’t imagine a spirit week without one...
Dressing for a Costume Day at Louis Riel School
As you help your student plan a costume for a special or silly dress up occasion, we ask you to please take some time to consider the following questions:
- Is your child's costume consistent with school norms around reasonable attire (i.e.: is there a risk of over-sharing/catastrophic costume failure? Will they be able to safely participate in all of their learning while in costume)?
- Does your child's costume involve a weapon?
- Does your child's costume represent a negative stereotype?
- Does your child’s costume involve a mask that hides their identity entirely? (although we have become more accustomed to wearing masks, we do need to be able to recognize if the student in costume is a Louis Riel student.)
- Does your child’s costume allude to committing acts of violence against others? (this is a tricky one but please remember we are a k-9 school)
- Does your child’s costume involve excessively gory elements?
- Does it involve changing the colour of their skin? (Shrek green is ok, however emulating another nationality/race is unacceptable)
- Does it allude to or reinforce a negative stereotype of a culture that is not the child's own, such as a kimono, a turban, a hijab, or a feather headdress, etc.?
- Does it mock religious beliefs (nun or priest or cleric or imam or rabbi, etc.)?
- Does it mock the LGBTQ+ community?
- Is it based on tragic or violent historical moments, such as slavery, the Holocaust, residential schools or cultural role play?
If the response to any of these questions is yes, we would ask you and your child to reconsider the costume that they will be wearing to school and perhaps leave those more challenging elements of their costume for another time outside of the school day. If your student chooses to disregard the above guidelines, we will ask them to change into attire that meets a more k-9 school-friendly standard of dress.
It is our hope that with the above in mind, the whole Louis Riel community will be able to safely enjoy all our dress up days and activities without feeling insulted or otherwise upset or uncomfortable.
Radon Testing at Louis Riel
This fall the CBE will be conducting tests for radon gas in a number of schools across our system, including ours. Radon gas is odorless, tasteless and comes naturally through the soil. When the gas reaches unsafe levels, over many years of exposure, the gas is known to have harmful effects on health. If testing reveals a heightened presence of radon, various mitigation strategies can be implemented to reduce the gas concentration to safe levels.
Testing involves hanging a small, round testing device (alpha tracker) for 91 days from the ceiling in areas of the school that are occupied 4 or more hours a day. The device is passive, which means it omits no information, sounds, or smells.
The device will be installed on a non-instructional day, evening or weekend, so it will not interrupt learning.
If you would like to learn more about radon, please visit Health Canada’s website.
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. 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.
Basketball Season is in Full Swing
We hosted four nights of exciting basketball for our junior and senior teams and saw some amazing competition and fantastic teamwork. We love to see our teams of student athletes enjoying the benefits of healthy athletic competition. We encourage our students to do their best on and off the court and we rely on our families for their support. Our spectator policy continues to welcome students to watch the first game every evening but they must have parental supervision for all subsequent games. Please support your student athlete by ensuring they can balance the demands of school and their chosen sport and by being a good spectator when you attend any events at Louis Riel or at other venues. Go Bisons!
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 are not able to meet a deadline, we may not be able to accommodate a last-minute request to attend. If and when paperwork comes home, we request your prompt attention to avoid any disappointment for your student.
The October Louis Riel Parent Society and School Council meetings will be held back-to-back on Wednesday, October 30 at 6:30 p.m. We are opening our doors to welcome in-person attendees at this meeting in addition to our online attendees. We hope to see you there in person or online as we discuss various topics of interest to students and parents alike. The agenda this month will include PAT results, diagnostic testing, school improvement project updates, and student wellness initiatives.
We will have the full agenda up this week so be sure to check the link below.
Zoom Link: Zoom Meeting ID 7967478647
To learn more, please visit our website to see what’s new or follow us on Instagram at wearelouisyyc
- Louis Riel’s Growing Smiles Winter Plant Fundraiser has officially launched!
Explore our festive collection of arrangements and poinsettias: https://louisrielschool.growingsmilesfundraising.com/home
By purchasing a plant, you will be helping to support our students. The order deadline is November 27, 2024.
Pick-up has to be in person and will take place at the school on December 12, 2024. We appreciate your support!
- The Purdy's Holiday Chocolate Fundraiser is on now! Place your order to help the Louis Riel Parent Society's efforts to support our students.
Submit your orders online by November 27, 2024. Please use your name, not your child's, to avoid confusion.
Orders will be available for pick-up on December 12, 2024.
https://fundraising.purdys.com/4393-119888
Sincerely,
Parent Council
GPA Parent Association
Welcome back to our new and returning GATE families!
All parents and guardians of GATE students are automatically members of the GATE Parent Association. The GPA is a great way to stay connected to the GATE community and receive updates on GATE-specific matters. Please sign up for the newsletter.
Lost and Found
Two months of collecting lost items and getting some of them back to their owners have passed. This week we had homerooms walk through the displayed items in hopes of some items being identified and claimed. After this final effort we will donate the final unclaimed items to charity next week.
Upcoming Dates of Importance
- Oct. 29 – Grade 5 (5.1 and 5.2) Scientist in School visit
- Oct. 30 – Grade 7 (7.3 and 7.4) Jumpingpound Field Trip
- Oct. 30 – Grade 6 Vaccinations
- Oct. 31 – Grade 7 (7.1 and 7.2) Jumpingpound Field Trip
- Nov. 7 – Kindergarten Teacher’s Pet visit
- Nov. 7 – Grade 9 Nose Hill Field Trip