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Friday, June 12, 2026

Hello Rideau Families!

Pep Rally! Walking Trips! Spring Band Concert! Ducklings!

It is difficult to summarize and celebrate each week all the learning, enrichments and extra-curricular activities that occur at Rideau Park School. This past week highlights a fantastic variety of experiences that have fostered our sense of community, strengthened learning and celebrated the successes of our students.

Monday’s Pep Rally was incredible! This student-led and designed event celebrated the achievements of our teams and coaches. Additionally, we invited many of our incoming grade 7 students (currently at Elbow Park) to provide them with a fun introduction into what makes Rideau Park such a special community school. I cannot emphasize enough that this was STUDENT-LED event. Leadership students poured their hearts into organizing the activities and collaborating with teachers to make the celebration memorable. Additionally, our students demonstrated incredible audience skills. They were excited and respectful – a perfect combination!    –    that demonstrates joy and good sportsmanship.

I also cannot celebrate enough how fortunate we are at Rideau Park to be in a setting that provides valuable community experiences within walking distance of our school. It is even more important to celebrate that our teachers plan for experiences to take students out of the 4-walls of the classroom to enrich their learning.

Our kindergarten and grade 1-2 students are exploring the science and mystery around animal life cycles through their experience with duck hatching. I love watching how teachers are engaging students in careful observation using document cameras and direct observation to notice the signs of life visible through candling eggs, the precarious journey of breaking free of the egg and the joy of seeing a duckling emerge and find it’s voice (and feet) once outside.

This week, both Ms. Cochrane and I, along with 60 grade 1-2 students and their teachers were able to witness the moment a duckling finally hatched… we celebrated by whispering “Happy Birthday”. 

Finally, a year of learning culminated last night with our Grade 7-9 Spring Band Concert. Ms. Koshynsky and her students put on a fine show, topped off with a special vocal performance by Ms. Kelsey along with Douglas Umana, one of our valuable pre-service teachers and a professional French horn player. The progression in skill and musicality of our students was undeniable last night! Yes, the year is winding down, yes, we are all feeling very ready for summer, and YES, we have so much to be proud of, thanks to the efforts of all students, staff and our families.

If you want to join us in celebrating all of the great things going in at Rideau Park School, I encourage you to follow us on Instagram – either through our school-based accounts @principalriquelme or @cbe.rideaupark where we work to capture many of these special events and experiences. There are simply too many to fit into a newsletter!

Talent Show- Audition Update

When: June 15 and 16 at 12:10 PM

• specific days will be assigned for each grade depending on numbers)

Where: Music Room (students bring their lunch)

Who: anyone in grades 1-9 who wants to perform! 

• Talent Show Audition form - https://forms.gle/Xygsr7pE5jF5gYHy8

Other info:

• Acts can be solo or a group, and can be cross-grade
• Anyone who auditions will be able to perform. We hold 'auditions' to ensure that students have an act they have been practicing, and that it is appropriate for school.
• Parents will need to fill out the Talent Show Audition Form linked here so that we know who to expect for auditions and can prepare their music ahead of time.
• Students are responsible to bring any props, materials, etc. that they need
  • The school will provide the sound system to play any music they might need, a microphone, a piano/bench, and a music stand. All other props, instruments, etc. must be supplied by the student

Provincial Achievement Test (PAT) Volunteers Needed!

PAT’s have arrived for students in grades 6 and 9. Adult volunteers (with security clearance) are needed to support students as either test readers or scribes. If you can assist with any of the dates and times below, please contact our Assistant Principal Ms. Cochrane jacochrane@cbe.ab.ca

Additionally, if your child will be absent for any of the remaining dates indicated below, please contact Ms. Cochrane ASAP.

A reminder from Phys Ed.

Please check in with your student to ensure that they have appropriate footwear (indoor runners) to participate in gym. Additionally, some PE activities take place outside and proper footwear supports safe movement and prevents injury. Our 7-9 students are still required to change for PE. Please make sure that they have what they need to be successful!

SAVE THE DATE – You are invited to our Volunteer Tea!

Volunteers, please join us on Wednesday June 17 at 2:45 PM for a special event to honour YOU. We will gather in the Learning Commons and treat you to coffee, tea and a variety of sweets to thank you for the time that you have provided to us this year. Whether you supported us through Council, helped out on a field trip, read to students or acted as a room parent, this special break is our expression of thanks to you.

Registration for School Bus transportation for 2026-27

Eligible families must apply by Sunday, June 14, 2026 for students to be added to routes for the start of the next school year. We continue to accept registrations after the deadline; however, students are added to the closest existing bus stop with available space. Processing times for registrations submitted after the June 14 deadline will be delayed. It may take until mid-October before your child is able to ride the bus. Confirmed routes will be posted in MyCBE in August.

Rideau Park Parents Association - School Council Update

Thank you to our School Council and Rideau Park Parents Association for working tirelessly to enrich the learning environment at Rideau Park School for all students.

Healthy Hunger – Hot Lunch

Here are the final dates for this school year! Thank youto parent volunteers, in particular Healthy Hunger Coordinator Jenny Swift for organizing hot lunches for students this year.

June 25 – Boston Pizza

Reminders – Help us with the following!

• Please ensure that your fees are up to date. There are many field trips occurring this month that have new fees applied to your accounts. Our school budget is not equipped to cover unpaid fees for these services. Your cooperation is appreciated so that we can continue to plan for these enrichments for your students. Any outstanding fees must also be paid. If you have questions about your account, you can reach out to Ms. Janzen in the office by phone or e-mail at fajanzen@cbe.ab.ca THANK YOU!
• Cellphones and personal tech – Away for the Day K-9 (provincial legislation). We notice that some parents continue to text or call students during the day. Please know that students in grades 7-9 should only have access to their personal devices when off school property at lunch time. All families are reminded to call the school directly and speak to school staff if an important message needs to be shared with their child. Your child can be called down to the office in order to connect with you.
• Students are asked to please walk their bikes and scooters once the arrive on school property. We are noticing many ‘near-misses’, especially at the end of the school day when students are rounding the corner at the south end of the building. Please also remember to secure your bikes and scooters. The school is not responsible for any lost, damaged or stolen property