Riverside Remembrance Day assemblies – Thursday, November 7
Professional Learning Day – no classes – Friday, November 8
Indigenous Veterans’ Day – Friday, November 8
Remembrance Day – school closed – Monday, November 11
Fall Break – school closed – November 12-13, classes resume November 14
Metis Week – November 12-15
Athletics - See updates on our Athletics Page
Once again, I can write about the numerous events happening at this busy place we all learn in. Our school hosted our inaugural Riverside Rumble basketball tournament this past weekend. I am so grateful for the support our community expresses for these activities and the time and effort spent by the coaches and organizing team. All students who attended, whether from our school or others, were very appreciative and positive about their experience. While events such as the Riverside Rumble do add to our workload, I view them as an investment in our relationships with students, which are foundational to learning.
We also said ‘hello’ to two new student teachers from the University of Calgary this week! Mr. Higgins and Ms. Berntsen will be mentoring a student teacher over the next six weeks. Mr. Howe and Ms. C are entering their final two field experiences, which will likely both be at our school, prior to beginning their professional careers. Welcome to Riverside!
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Riverside Social-Emotional Team meeting
I was both grateful and humbled to join the Social-Emotional Learning team’s kick-off meeting in our Learning Commons this morning. Mr. Sticksl, Ms. Yu and I met with some parents from the Riverside community to share our goals and vision for Social-Emotional Learning at our school. We engaged in a slightly modified version of the work we completed as a staff on last Friday’s non-Instruction Day. Thank you to all those who expressed interest in joining, and those who were able to attend and share their ideas. I am hoping to arrange another meeting prior to the New Year. If you are interested in joining, please let me know via email – together we will do great work!
Mr. Sticksl and I will next work with students to gather their ideas and feedback on this topic. We’ll chat with the 2024-25 Student Advisory Council (further details to come) and then report back to the community with our initial ideas.
From School Council re: upcoming silent auction fundraiser
Please see the following message from our School Council:
The countdown is on! Two days to go! Here is a sneak peak of our online auction. Bidding will open 8 am Friday Nov 1st and close November 22nd. There are some last-minute donations trickling in so please email schoolcouncil.riverside@gmail.com If you have any questions. To participate in the bidding, you will have to create an account but it's easy peasy and all you need is your email and a password. Thank you so much for being such an amazing support!
Please share this link with family and friends. https://www.32auctions.com/riverside2024?r=1&t=all”
Battery Recycling program – student initiative
Would you like to conveniently get rid of your old, dead batteries? Have your child bring them to Riverside! They’re not something that can go in a blue bin. Thanks to the grade threes, each class now has a battery recycling bag and students can bring in any type of batteries. We’ll keep them out of the landfill and make sure they get recycled.
Yearbook Cover Contest
The theme for the 2024-25 yearbook cover is “nature” (habitats/biomes). All K-9 Riverside students are welcome to submit an entry for the contest prior to the deadline of November 19. Submissions can be digital or hand-drawn, but must be submitted on a standard 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper. They can be submitted to your classroom teacher!
Additional Free Dress Day – October 31
Students in our Grade 9 Leadership class approached me early this month to ask about the possibility of wearing costumes to school on October 31. I have been working with them since to consider the request. Students designed a bias-free survey question (which was approved by their teacher) asking if students should be permitted to wear costumes that day. The results came in with 90% of students saying ‘yes’.
I also asked the Grade 9s to consider how we might make that a special day for others who do not wish to participate in wearing a costume. This is why we arrived at a decision for a free dress day. The students are asking for families whose children wish to participate in a free dress day to bring in a non-perishable food bank donation, or a small cash donation, if they are able.
I know this is a change from historical practice at Riverside and I wish to thank everyone for their understanding. I think it is important to give this a try, especially given the strong desire for it among our students. If you have feedback for me about this, please feel free to contact me by email.
Student drop-off and pick-up – staff parking lot
With the ongoing construction project along 1st Avenue, and the long-term removal of the “Hug And Go” space on the north side of the street, we have seen a rise in families dropping their children off in the staff parking lot each day.
This is a significant safety concern as so many of our students walk through that area each morning. With the days getting shorter and the sky being dark at the start of the school day, the safety concern is becoming more urgent.
Families are welcome to drop off their children in the community – even just a short distance away – but I thank you all in advance for avoiding the use of the staff lot for this purpose. Keeping Riverside students safe is a priority we all share!
Steve Radder, Principal
Riverside School