Mark Your Calendars:
· May 5-9, 2025: Mental Health Week & Teacher Appreciation Week
· May 5, 2025: Bus Driver Appreciation Day
· May 6, 2025: Grade 1s to The Zoo for Conservation Champions Festival
· May 7, 2025: Hats on for Mental Health Day & Water Bottle Wednesday Challenge
· May 8, 2025: Wear your Active Wear or Sportswear Day
· May 9, 2025: School Council sponsored Fresh Fruit Friday
· May 12, 2025: School Council Meeting
· May 16, 2025: Professional Learning Day – No School for Students
· May 19, 2025: Victoria Day – No School for Students
· May 23, 2025: 1:30-2:30pm Open House for New Students and Families
· May 28, 2025: Bike & Roll to School Day
· May 29, 2025: Grade 2 Field Trip to Heritage Park
· June 6, 2025: Sports Day\
Dear Royal Oak School Families,
The second Spring Family Dance, held on May 1, was another fantastic success! We are grateful to all the families who came out to connect, celebrate, dance and enjoy the evening together. A sincere thank you to our Social Council and the many volunteers who generously gave their time and energy to make this event possible.
Teacher Appreciation Week May 5-9: This coming week we take the opportunity to celebrate our teachers. We want to thank them from the bottom of our hearts for all they do to support our students’ learning - the connections and relationships they make with students, the safe and caring classroom communities they establish, the engaging learning tasks they design and prepare, and their on-going communication with students and parents.
May 5-9 Mental Health Week in Canada is a special time each year when we learn more about how to take care of our feelings, thoughts, and overall well-being. Just like we brush our teeth to keep them healthy, we also need to care for our mental health to feel good inside and out.
During this week, people across Canada talk about things like:
· How to share your feelings with someone you trust
· What to do when you're feeling sad, angry, or worried
· Ways to feel calm and happy, like playing, talking, or resting
We will be holding fun activities at school including Hats on for Mental Health Day and Water Bottle Wednesday on May 7, Active Wear Day on May 8, and Fresh Fruit Friday on May 9. Please see this attached poster for additional information. Wellness Week Flyer 2025 (2).
2025-2026 Transportation Pre-Registration: The CBE Transportation team will be announcing new transportation boundaries, fees and service levels for the 2025-26 school year this week on May 8, 2025. At that time pre-registration will begin for the next school year. If your family is considering using transportation services for the next school year, you must register by the deadline to ensure yellow school bus service for the first day of classes in September. There is no financial obligation for registration; families have until October to cancel without a fee. The sooner you register for bussing, the better chance you are able to impact where bus stops are planned for and located in September.
My First Ride Program- Helping Students Feel Confident Riding the Bus: The Calgary Board of Education, along with our partners, are pleased to offer a school bus orientation program called My 1st Ride. This program is designed to familiarize students with the experience of taking the yellow bus to and from school on a regular basis. The orientation is aimed at first-time riders, students with special transportation needs and older students who are using transportation for the first time. Each group is offered an orientation session to meet their diverse needs. The orientation consists of a 20-minute presentation followed by a short ride on a school bus. Each new rider will be given a certificate of completion. Participants must register in advance. Spots are limited and are on a first-come, first-served basis. When registering for My 1st Ride orientation, please select one ticket per student attending, parents and siblings do not require a ticket. The sessions run every half hour between 9 am - 3 pm. Each session will take approximately 1 hour. There is no cost for this event. Please find registration information by using this link.
Class List Creation for 2025-2026: In the upcoming weeks, we will begin creating our class lists for the 2025-26 school year. It is important to note that significant time and attention goes into the creation of class lists. As teachers and the admin team meet, we aim to balance our classes based on the learning needs of students, gender and student complexity. We ask that you trust in the process. Should you feel there is a particular educational situation the school is not already aware of regarding your child’s placement for next year, please contact Michelle Ryskamp via email at mcryskamp@cbe.ab.ca no later than May 19, 2025, indicating your request and reasoning. While all requests will be reviewed, please note that we may be unable to accommodate all of them.
Spring-Time Safety Reminders: With the nicer weather finally here, we would like to share a couple of reminders with our Royal Oak School families to ensure that we keep everyone safe and sound. We would like to remind our families that scooters, bikes and skateboards are not to be ridden on the school sidewalk that runs around our school building. We ask that students, parents and siblings dismount and walk all scooters, bikes and skateboards through this area as well as when crossing the street at our crosswalks.
Bikes and Scooters at School: A reminder that when riding bikes or scooters to school, these are to be locked up on our bike racks at either the front or back of the school. Please note that this is at your own risk. We are unable to accommodate the storage of scooters inside the school building.
Wishing you a great week ahead!
Sincerely,
Michelle Ryskamp,
Principal, Royal Oak School
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SCHOOL COUNCIL & FUNDRAISING SOCIETY NEWS – EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
· A Huge THANK YOU to our Spring Dance Volunteers! We truly appreciate the support of all the parents who came out to volunteer at the dance (and in some cases, both dances!). If you are interested in helping plan fun events like this for our school, get involved; the events sub-committee meets year-round to plan activities. Contact roschoolcouncil@gmail.com for more information.
· Spring Plant Fundraiser order deadline is May 9 – Spring 2025 Fundraising Form - Royal Oak School Support our school and brighten up your garden with our Spring Plant Fundraiser! Order beautiful plants supplied by Bluegrass Nursery in Calgary. Pick-up will be on May 22 at ROS. All proceeds go to the Royal Oak School Fundraising Society, helping to fund materials, resources, and programs for our students. Thank you for your support!
· Wellness Week is May 5 to 9: All week long, it’s Wellness Week. On May 7, wear your favourite hat for Hats On! For Mental Health, a Canadian Mental Health Association initiative to raise awareness for mental health in schools. Join us on May 8 for free family outdoor yoga. Bring your mat and meet us in the school’s field (weather permitting) at 3:45pm for a restorative yoga session. Students who attend will be entered to win a prize! On May 9, students will enjoy fresh fruit provided by Royal Oak School Council to encourage healthy eating habits.
Mark Your Calendars!
1. NEW! May 20: Subway Fun Lunch (12-1.15pm)! Help sort lunch orders into classroom bins, plus be part of the excitement handing them out to students. 6 more volunteer spots available. ROS Volunteers: Spring 2025 Fun Lunch & Snack
2. NEW! May 22: Plant Fundraiser Unloading/Order Pick Up (NO POLICE CLEARANCE NEEDED)! Help needed to unload plants from delivery truck and assist with accurate order pick ups. Sign up here: ROS Volunteers: Plant Fundraiser Pick Up
3. Coming Soon! Bike & Roll to School Day (May 28)! Volunteers (with CBE registered police clearance) will be needed at morning drop off, kindergarten pick up/drop off and then after school pick up to load all kinds of wheels into the gym then unload them back onto the compound! This is a HUGE team effort and upwards of 30 people will be needed throughout the day! Don’t have your police clearance yet? Head over here to start the process now – there’s still time: Volunteer - Royal Oak School
4. June Events Coming Soon! Sports Day (June 6), Jump Rope for Heart (June 12)