School Update 

To the students and families of MRS,  

This week has been a busy one so buckle up as we have quite a few highlights to share. 

First off, we are happy to announce that all Passion for Glass student artwork has been displayed on the front entrance fence. This residency, provided by our Parent Association, allowed students to learn more about the science behind glass, while creating a legacy artwork piece for our school. If you have a chance, we encourage you to stop by and view these outstanding creations. 

This week also included a trip for all classes to the Weaselhead to continue our Land-based learning with Elder Harley. We are extremely grateful for these teachings and for the ongoing leadership and wisdom that Elder Harley provides. 

To wrap it up, the weather continued to cooperate as it allowed us to host our first annual National Indigenous People’s Day/STEM/Sports Day. For this event, we partnered with Alberta Lacrosse and were fortunate to have Skylar Running-Rabbit share an overview of lacrosse and the Indigenous aspects of the game. In our Naturalization Area, students were able to participate in Indigenous Art by Gitxsan artist Michelle Stoney, as well as a picture book walk to the story “When We Are Kind”. This picture book walk will remain up for the weekend and families are welcome to come and view this work 

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend. 

With gratitude,  

Maple Ridge Staff 

Upcoming Important Dates 

Staff Updates 

It is with a heavy heart that Ms. Villaroman (Ms.V) will not be returning next year for the 2024-2025 school year. Her father was diagnosed with ALS, and she has made the hard decision to focus on her family and to be with her dad. Tracy is an amazing educator and her passion for creating meaningful learning opportunities with her students will be greatly missed. Ms. V shares that she will miss all the families and students she has formed relationships with and hopes her path crosses with them again one day.  

We also want to share a heartfelt thank you to the following staff members as they also will not be returning to Maple Ridge next year: 

• Ms. Jocelyn Payne, Early Childhood Practitioner. 
• Ms. Gloria Van Den Berg, Grade 2 teacher that has been covering a short-term contract. 
• Ms. Caitlin Hamilton, Literacy Intervention Teacher, in a temporary position. 
• Ms. Elaine Hordo, Grade 3 teacher, is moving to an Assistant Principal position at Sunalta School (previously shared) 
• Ms. Urvi Gohel, Lunchroom Supervisor, has been covering a short-term absence. 

Maple Ridge TRC Commitment to Action 2024-25 

June 21st marks National Indigenous People’s Day and the opportunity to re-commit to Truth and Reconciliation as a school. This commitment will be reflected on our school website, and we are providing the document here. We are looking forward to continuing our work to learn from Indigenous Elders and knowledge keepers, learn on the land, acknowledge and celebrate significant Indigenous cultural observances and develop our understanding of circle processes.  

Library Books 

All library books are now due. Please be sure to return all books by Monday, June 24th.   

Lost and Found  

We still have many lost items that need finding at our school. To help with this search, all teachers will be taking their class for a ‘Lost and Found’ tour early next week. Any remaining items as of Thursday at 3pm will be bagged up and donated to a good cause. 

Back to School Information  

Our website has been updated with important back-to-school information. Please find the information here. 

Fees Reminder 

We encourage all families to take a moment to review your myCBE account for any outstanding fee payments. When doing this, please ensure you look at all tabs (top of page) for your students and use the “Fee, Waivers & Service Registration” to access all school-based fees. Your support with this is greatly appreciated as any unpaid fees become a school cost. 

MRS School Council & Parent Association 

Big thank you to all the parents and guardians who responded to our survey. We are reviewing the 141 responses now and look forward to discussing your ideas in the fall. The winner of the Amazon gift card has been notified via email. 

We will continue to check our inbox periodically through the summer, so you can continue to reach us at mapleridgecouncil@gmail.com 

Wishing you all a safe, wonderful summer! 

Lindsey M and Cara P 

On behalf of Maple Ridge School Council and Parent Association 

Celebrating Acceptance & Diversity this Pride Month 

The Calgary Board of Education strives to create an inclusive, safe, and respectful environment every day for our students, families, and staff.  

June marks the beginning of Pride Month, a time to recognize the pursuit of equality and rights for 2SLGBTQ+ individuals. During Pride Month, we can recognize the valuable contributions individuals of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities have made to history and society. This year, we reaffirm our commitment to creating safe and caring learning and work environments for 2SLGBTQ+ students and staff. 

With students, families, employees and our communities, we are working together to build positive learning environments for student success. Every student should have the opportunity to succeed personally and academically regardless of background, identity or personal circumstances. 

Learn how we are creating safe and caring environments for 2SLGBTQ+ youth