• Oct 21 – Nov 4 Think Fast Comedy/Improv 
  • Oct 30 Redesignation session for families in Windsor Park, Manchester, Meadowlark Park and Mayfair 5– 6:30PM 
  • Oct 31 Halloween Day: Pumpkin/Costume Parade 
  • Nov 6 Remembrance Day Assembly – Value Respect 
  • Nov 6 Interactive Musical Theater play Mary Lambert 
  • Nov 8 System Indigenous Learning Non-instructional Day 
  • Nov 11 – 13 Fall Break Schools are closed 
  • Nov 15 Rock your Mocs Day 
  • Nov 18 Earth Rangers whole school animal presentation  
  • Nov 20 – 21 Casino we need 10 volunteers 
  • Nov 20 Vacation theme day! (Dress as if you were on vacation)  
  • Nov 28 – 29 Student Learning Conferences 
  • Nov 29 Non-instructional Day  

We are entering November this week.  Every month we celebrate one of the 7 Sacred Teachings.  September was Courage / October Humility and Gratitude and in November we honor Respect.  We will be have 3 whole school assemblies / presentations centered around Respect this month: Remembrance Day, Mary Lambert, Earth Rangers.  

Please have conversations with your children about respect and kindness.  We would also like you to discuss cultural respect and respect for your health and for the health and welfare of others.  These last topics are central to our growth here at our school. We value your input as partners in our community and we look forward to hearing diverse ways our families show respect in our conversations this month. I will discuss this further at the November 5 School Council meeting this month and I look forward to hearing from you. 

Hindu Heritage Month 

Namaste! November is recognized across Canada as Hindu Heritage Month, which is a time to honour the rich traditions, culture, and contributions of the Hindu community in Canada. In Alberta, it is recognized in the month of August. With close to 830,000 persons identifying as part of the Hindu community in Canada, this is a time to learn about the significant role they have had in shaping the nation's multicultural identity. This is a time to celebrate and recognize the contributions across the economy, culture, arts, politics, vitality of the Canadian Hindu community and celebrating the mosaic of cultures that enrich the nation.  We want to welcome and celebrate families of Hindu Heritage at William Reid School. 

Halloween at William Reid School  

Many have been asking about the school expectations for Halloween Day on Thursday October 31.  Halloween will continue to be a day of learning at the school.  Students are welcome to wear their costumes for the full day or even part of the day if they choose.  We encourage students to wear their costume over their regular clothes or bring a change of clothes in the event that they become uncomfortable or find that it interferes with their activities like gym or outdoor play. 

The guidelines for costumes are:  

  • No weapons  
  • No masks  
  • No blood or gore  

A reminder that we do not give or share food at school and ask that no classroom treats are sent to school. If children have treats in their lunches following Halloween, we ask that they are peanut-free and that they do not share them with peers.   

The reason behind these guidelines is that we want school to continue to be a safe, caring and welcoming place. Our learners from kindergarten to grade 4 share common spaces and are always interacting with one another.  We want to make sure that no one is scared or fearful in coming to school.  We thank all families for helping us continue to make our collective space a safe one.  

Pumpkin Parade - October 31  

This Hallowe’en is sure to be spooktacular as we are BOO-ringing back an old tradition of our Pumpkin and Costume Parade!  All kids are invited to carve up their very own pumpkin in the most CREATIVE and FANG-TASTIC way and bring it to sghoul to show it off in the hallway. Kids bring their (already carved) pumpkins and place them on the tables in the hallway on Thursday, Oct. 31. They can dress the pumpkin up, transform it into a funny or scary pumpkin, or just carve a face in it. When the sch-OOOOl has its annual Halloween costume parade on the 31, all the kids will walk past the Pumpkins to admire their hard work.  I encourage you to have fun with this and be as creative as possible.  Only 1 pumpkin per family please.  ALL pumpkins must be taken home on Thursday to be enjoyed by all trick-or-treaters! 

William Reid Apparel 

This Fall our store is open.  Please check out the clothing you can  purchase for students and adults as the weather gets cooler.  There are sweat pants, hoodies and a cool toque.  The store will be open until November 6 2024.   William Reid School Shop 

Mary Lambert is coming to William Reid 

On November 6 our students will see an interactive theater play hosted by Canada’s Mary Lambert.  This play will help kick off our value of the month for November which is RESPECT.  The interactive musical play is:  Together we learn for ages K-4 

The topics Kindness and Bullying are explored in this very creative musical performance, with discussion and interactive music. Between songs, there are questions, answers, and personal stories shared by Mary. During songs, Mary will encourage some audience members from our school to become active participants on stage, but all in attendance will be engaged with the colourful costumes, props and action-based music. Kindness, inclusion, respect, responsibility, friendship, talents, and our uniqueness as individuals are promoted through original and popular music.  

Our students are able to have this experience due to the monies raised from our Casino. Our School Council funds have paid for this play for all of our students.   

Jacket Racket  

Each year William Reid school participates in Jacket Racket, a volunteer organization that collects, sorts and distributes gently used, clean, winter jackets, snow pants, hats and mittens to Calgary children through the Calgary Board of Education and the Calgary Catholic School District.  

From October 18 until November 22, a box will be set up inside the School across from the office for collection.  We are asking parents and students to donate gently used, warm winter jackets, snow pants, hats and mittens (no boots), in all sizes (from small sizes for young kids in Kindergarten to large sizes for teens in Grade 12).   

We encourage you to generously support this worthy project. Last year, Jacket Racket distributed close to 2000 coats to needing families! Please visit http://www.jacketracketcalgary.comor contact Sarah Simms at sarahasimms@me.com for further details or if you have any questions.  

School Development Plan | SDP 

Alberta Education requires each school to create a plan to improve student learning. The School Development Plan (SDP) aligns individual school goals with the identified goals in CBE Education Plan | 2024 – 2027 ; Learning Excellence, Well-Being and Truth & Reconciliation, Diversity and Inclusion. At William Reid, we are currently underway analyzing our data to form our SDP. I will be speaking directly to our SDP and consulting with families at the next School Council meeting on November 5 and I would encourage you to attend! 

Casino November 20/21 - Volunteers needed  

Wednesday, November 20 and Thursday, November 21 we need volunteers to cover shifts at Pure Casino. This fundraising event brings in 80% of our total fundraising dollars for the year, so it is particularly important to all our school programs that it is successful. We require 40 volunteers to fill the positions over two days, feel free to share this opportunity with anyone who might be available and willing to help. No CBE police clearance is required.  We are appreciative of all the parents, family and friends who can donate their precious resource of time that we need to make this event a success.   

To date we have 20 Volunteers signed up, so we need about 10 more! Signup link:  

William Reid School - Annual General Meeting (AGM) Nov 5 2024  

This year's School Council  AGM will take place on:  

November 5 at 7:00 pm  In person at the school or online using the following link on our website under School Council  

Remembrance Day  

The William Reid Remembrance Day assembly will be held on Wednesday,  November 6 this year. We are currently looking for anyone in our parent community that is or was involved in the Armed Forces, or who has a connection to them, to be a guest speaker for our assembly. If you are, or know anyone who is interested in helping us to make this event a success, please email Mme Ferguson or Mme Briard.  Find more contact information on Our Staff page.

Earth Rangers Presentation - November 18 

William Reid School has been selected to receive the new Earth Rangers Assembly at no cost, thanks to generous
sponsorship from Gibson Energy!  Thank you Gibson Energy!  Here’s a sneak peek at what the Assembly entails: 

During the 2024/25 school year, students will embark on an exciting “choose your own adventure” journey that showcases the vital roles of science in protecting animals and the environment. We’ll dive into the importance of species conservation and how our everyday actions can significantly impact Earth’s biodiversity.  This presentation aligns with our value of the month for November of Respect.  Students will learn about respecting animals and respecting the planet! 

Here’s what to expect from the 45-60 minute Assembly, which will take place in our gym: 

  • An immersive HD multimedia experience 
  • Live animals demonstrating their incredible natural behaviors 
  • Interactive components, including a fun trivia game to get students engaged 
  • Educational content linked to the curriculum, tailored for Grades K – 4. 

Important Links 

Mabel’s Labels

Donations

Bottle Drive

Manchester Bottle Depot – 410 – 38aAve SE – Donate your bottles here for William Reid School   

Absences or lates
403-777-6940 opt 1 

If you have any questions, please call the school at 403-777- 6940 or email us at williamreid@cbe.ab.ca.  

Hand to heart,  

Mme Christine Stiles,
Mme Sheri Bullough and staff  

William Reid
School