Mark Your Calendars:
Nov. 17-19, 24-27, 2026: Artist in Residency - Storyteller Jeff Stockton
Nov. 19, 2026: School Conference Bookings open to parents in PowerSchool at 5:00pm
Nov. 26 & 27, 2026: School Conferences (Thurs. 4:00-8:00pm & Fri. 8:00-1:00)
Nov. 26 & 27, 2026: Scholastic Book Fair
Nov. 30, 2026: School Lockdown Drill @ 9:15am
Dec. 1-2, 9-10, 2026: Artist in Residency with Storyteller Jeff Stockton – continues
Dec. 1-2, 2026: School Council / Fundraising Society – Casino - Volunteers Still Needed!!!
Dec. 10, 2026: Residency Wrap-up: Story Telling Family Evening 5:30-8:00pm (more information to follow)
Dec. 11, 2026: Wonder Hour #1 @ 11:15-12:15
Dec. 19, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027: Winter Break
Dear Royal Oak School Families,
We hope all of you are enjoying a wonderful Fall Break! It has been a pleasure to experience the beautiful November weather and mild temperatures this week. We hope you have had the opportunity to spend time with family, enjoy the outdoors, and recharge for the busy weeks ahead. We look forward to welcoming our students back to school refreshed and ready for continued learning on Monday, November 16th.
Storytelling Residency: Thanks to the generous support of our Royal Oak School Council / Parent Fundraising Society, through funds raised at our last casino, Royal Oak School is excited to welcome Jeff Stockton for a special Storytelling Residency in the coming weeks.
Jeff Stockton is an award-winning Celtic harpist, singer, storyteller, and children's author from Water Valley, Alberta. With more than two decades of experience performing across Canada and internationally, he combines the beauty of Celtic harp music with the rich tradition of oral storytelling to create engaging and memorable learning experiences. Before becoming a full-time artist, Jeff spent 12 years as a classroom teacher and now draws on both his educational expertise and passion for literacy to inspire young learners.
This residency aligns directly with our School Development Plan goals to strengthen student literacy. Through storytelling, students will have opportunities to develop their oral language skills, expand their vocabulary, strengthen their listening comprehension, and build confidence as communicators. By engaging with spoken narratives and creative storytelling experiences, students will deepen their understanding of how stories connect us, inspire imagination, and support literacy development across all areas of learning.
School Instagram Account: Follow us on our Instagram account, royaloakschoolcbe to find out more about the amazing things happening at Royal Oak School.
School Conferences: Our next set of School Conferences are scheduled for Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27. Thursday is a regular school day for students in Grades 1-4, however there is no school for our Kindergarten students. On Friday, Nov. 27, there is no school for all students. The booking system will open to parents at 5:00pm on Thursday, November 19th and will close on Thursday, November 26th at 8:00am. To book a School Conference, please login to your MyCBE/PowerSchool parent account and click the link for School Conferences.
Teachers look forward to this opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations about student learning, celebrating each child's strengths while identifying areas for continued growth. These conferences provide an important opportunity for families and teachers to build and maintain strong partnerships, share insights, and work collaboratively to support student success. These 15-minute conferences are an important part of our ongoing communication about student progress throughout the school year. We encourage families to attend with their child, as student participation helps foster reflection, goal setting, and a shared understanding of next steps in learning.
Morning Safety | Keeping Our School Community Safe: November has brought shorter days and darker mornings. As Alberta transitions to year-round daylight-saving time, sunrise will occur later in the morning, making it especially important that everyone takes extra care when travelling to and from school. Student safety is always a priority at Royal Oak School. We ask families to review safe travel practices with their children, including using designated crosswalks, looking both ways before crossing, and ensuring they make eye contact with drivers before stepping into the street. Families may also wish to consider adding reflective strips or tags to their child's backpack or jacket to make them more visible to drivers during darker mornings.
Sincerely,
Michelle Ryskamp & Todd Faunt
Principal & Acting Assistant Principal, Royal Oak School
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ROS Council Corner
1. FUN Lunch Nov 17 (Subway)
2. SIGN UP for a CASINO SHIFT. We need you! No Police Clearance or experience needed. Dec 1 & 2 @ Cowboys Casino: Our school casino is one of our biggest fundraising opportunities. Anyone 18+ (even if they are not part of the ROS community) can volunteer.
4. Free Community Skate Event (hosted by RRROCA) Dec 19 and Jan 9, 11:00-3:00 Try on a pair of skates for free and enjoy some time skating together at the outdoor rink in Royal Oak. Volunteers needed! SIGN UP.
5. Current Volunteer Opportunities:
· Book Fair Nov 26+27 Volunteer Sign up HERE
· Fun Lunch/Snack Helpers: Sign up HERE
· Secretary Position (Parent Council) Are you detail-oriented, well organized, and can type considerably well? We need you. Email roschoolcouncil@gmail.com
**The Safety Team would like to remind drivers to slow down and come to a full stop for pedestrians in crosswalks around the school. When dropping off please do not stop to let children out of your vehicle in roadways or crosswalks. Parents who would like to submit requests to the City for improved signage and crosswalk visibility measures around the school are encouraged to submit requests through 311 by phone or online. Please contact ROSchoolcouncil@gmail.com if you require further assistance. CLICK HERE for instructions on how to submit a 311 request.