Important Dates:
· March 16, 2026: Lockdown Drill #2 at 9:45am and Return Read-a-thon forms to school
· March 17, 2026: Fun Lunch & St. Patrick’s Day (wear your green)
· March 18, 2026: Grade 3 Field Trip to WinSport for the World Women’s Curling Championship
· March 19 & 20, 2026: Student Led School Conferences
· March 19 & 20, 2026: School Council Used Book Sale
· March 21 – 29, 2026: Spring Break
· March 30, 2026: Classes Resume
· March 30 – April 30, 2026: Nature Play Residency
· April 3, 2026: Good Friday – No School
· April 10, 2026: Fun Snack & Wonder Hour
· April 14, 2026: Group Class Photo Day
· April 15, 2026: Grade 4 Field Trip to Telus Spark Science Centre
· April 15, 2026: Grade 3 Field Trip to Aggie Days
Dear Royal Oak School Families,
Thank you to all of our students and families for your wonderful participation in our March Read-a-thon! The event wraps up on March 15, and we have been so impressed with the enthusiasm for reading throughout the school. It has been fantastic to see students diving into books and celebrating the joy of reading together. A special thank you as well for the amazing creativity shown on Dress as Your Favourite Book Character Day on Friday. The costumes were fantastic, and it was such a fun way to bring beloved stories and characters to life in our school. As we wrap up our Read-a-thon celebrations, we are also preparing for our Used Book and Puzzle Sale on March 19 and 20. Families are encouraged to donate gently used books and puzzles to help make the event a success. Donations can be sent to the school with your child. Thank you for helping us build a strong reading community at our school!
We look forward to seeing our ROS families at the upcoming Student-Led School Conferences. On the evening of Thursday, March 19, 2026, and Friday, March 20, 2026, Royal Oak School March Learning Conferences will be conducted as Student-Led Conferences. Conference times are 4:00-8:00pm on Thursday evening and 8:30 –11:30am on Friday. From 11:30-1:30 time will be set aside for individual student meetings arranged by teachers with families, as necessary. Conference schedules opened for families to book times beginning at 4:30 on Monday, March 9 and will close on midnight on Wednesday March 18, 2026. Sign in to Power School to do so. Information of How-to: https://cbe.ab.ca/support/Pages/MyCBE-PowerSchool-School-Conferences.aspx You will still sign up for a specific time. You will arrive at your child’s class at this time, with your child. This will be your start time, and you can stay for 30 to 60 minutes to talk to your child about their work in Reading, Writing, Mathematics, and Science or Social Studies and to participate in learning activities that have been prepared by your child’s teacher. For each class, there will be two families scheduled at every 30-minute interval so there will be times that there might be several families in the classroom at the same participating in Student Led Conferences. During your conference time, you will still be able to connect with your child’s teacher to talk about celebrations and next steps in learning. Please contact the school or email your child’s teacher if you have any questions about Student Led Conferences.
On-Going Registration and ‘Returning to Royal Oak Next Year’ Survey: Kindergarten registration is ongoing as is registration for students new to Royal Oak entering grades 1-4. If you know of families looking to enroll at Royal Oak School for the upcoming school year, please have them contact the school at 403-777-6279. To help us get an accurate count of students returning to Royal Oak School for the 2026-2027, we ask that parents complete this survey for each child in the family. Accurate enrolment data is key to ensuring we staff accordingly for the next school year. An early understanding of our enrolment numbers will be beneficial as we look at grade configurations and school organization beginning next month. We kindly ask that you complete this form no later than March 18, 2026. Thank you to those families who have already completed this important survey.
Volunteers Needed for our upcoming Nature Play Residency: We can’t wait to get outside and play with your kids this spring with our Nature Play team starting March 30th and running until May 5th! Nature Play is all about enhancing and promoting healthy child development. During our outdoor play residency, classes will get the opportunity to engage in outdoor play experiences at the school’s nearby natural spaces within walking distance of the school. The sessions are designed to encourage creativity, problem solving, resilience, and teamwork, as well as developmentally appropriate gross motor, fine motor, and social skills. Teachers will have lots of opportunities to learn as well, and our hope is that the ideas and learning experiences can continue to resonate in the school, long after the residency wraps up! In order to support our teachers and students with this learning experience, we need volunteer help. All volunteers must have valid police clearance completed through CBE. Please sign-up using the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0A4FA9AE2CA5F94-62332284-nature#/
Developing Independence: Learning Through Mistakes - Mistakes are an important part of learning. Allowing children to problem-solve and work through challenges helps develop perseverance and confidence. Independence grows when children are trusted to learn from both success and struggle.
Lost and Found: Our lost and found continues to grow! All items will be laid out during school conferences on March 19 and 20. Please come by and see what your child might be missing. Please note that after Friday, March 20, these items will be collected and donated to charity. We also kindly remind you to label your child’s belongings with your child’s name, so that when items go missing and are found, they are easier to return to their rightful owner.
Warm Regards,
Michelle Ryskamp & Nadine Duque
Principal & Assistant Principal, Royal Oak School
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SCHOOL COUNCIL & FUNDRAISING SOCIETY NEWS – EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. LITERACY MONTH
· Library Night
o Thank you to everyone who came out to our library event at the Crowfoot Library on March 5. It was great to have so many Royal Oak School families join us for crafts, button making, a scavenger hunt, and story time.
o Congratulations to Adriana S who won our draw prize.
· Dress Up Day
o March 13 was dress like your favorite author or character from a book day. It was fun to see so many characters at school including Harry Potter, Dobby (the house elf), the Cat in the Hat, Ash (the Pokemon trainer), Pikachu, Arwen (Lord of the Rings), Henny Penny, Princess Pea, and many more.
· Read-A-Thon
o This is the last weekend to get those reading minutes in!!! Keep reading to help your class reach their goal.
o Please return read-a-thon time logs to the school next week
o Help us reach our fundraising goals!!! Donations for the read-a-thon are ongoing, click on the link below to donate http://square.link/u/kb7zQfjT
· Book and Puzzle Drive
o Donate your gently used children’s books and puzzles for the ROS book sale until March 18. Students can bring books and puzzles to their classrooms, or they can be dropped off at the main office.
· Used Book Sale
o Our third annual Used Book Sale will take place during the student led conferences on March 19 & 20. Buy used children's books for $1 and puzzles for $3.
2. FRESH FRUIT FRIDAY
· On Friday March 6, students were provided with fresh fruit including mandarin oranges, red bartlett pears, and Fuji apples as a snack. It was great to see so many children excited for their special snacks.
· Thank you to the volunteers who washed, peeled, chopped and delivered the fruit to the students.
· Thank you to Evergreen Fresh Fruit Market for the discounted produce for Fresh Fruit Friday.
3. INSTAGRAM
· Did you know Royal Oak School Council is on Instagram?
· Follow us @RoyalOakSchoolCouncil
· https://www.instagram.com/royaloakschoolcouncil/
· Send us a picture of a book your child is reading for a chance to win a prize!
4. COUPON BOOK FUNDRAISER
· Coupon books will be available for purchase during the student-led conferences on March 19 & 20.
· Payment for books is via cash or square
· Please bring your form for tracking purposes.
5. FUN LUNCHES (Healthy Hunger)
· March 17 – Subway (fun lunch) for students in grades 1-4 that have pre-ordered.
· April to June dates to be posted next week
· If you have any questions, please contact our fun lunch coordinator via email at rosfunlunch@gmail.com