School Update 

To the students and families of MRS, 

Today, Maple Ridge School came together for our Indigenous Peoples Day, STEAM, and Sports Day celebration. The day began with a Land Acknowledgement, the singing of O Canada, and a beautiful performance of the Cree Morning Song, Waniska, showcasing students’ learning and commitment to Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Students then spent the day exploring a wide variety of hands-on activities, including traditional indigenous games, that encouraged curiosity, creativity, physical activity, and collaboration. 

A dedicated mindful space in our naturalization area provided opportunities for reflection, drawing, and connection to the land. Throughout the day, students moved freely between activities, challenged themselves to try new experiences, and demonstrated care for self, others and this place. We are deeply grateful to our volunteers and staff whose support made this special day possible. We also want to thank our Parent Association for providing refrehsments for our volunteers.  

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend. 

Maple Ridge Staff 

Upcoming Important Dates 

Staffing Update 

As we begin planning for next year, we wanted to share a few staffing updates with everyone.  

First we are thrilled to welcome the following new staff to the Maple Ridge School Team for the 2026-26 school year.  

• Amanda Hordyk – Teacher  
• Crystal Moore – Classroom Complexity Teacher  
• Sarah Jenkins – Classroom Complexity Educational Assistant 

Secondly, we are pleased to inform you that our school has been allocated 1 additional teaching position(s) for the 2026–27 school year through the Government of Alberta’s Class Size Reduction Grant.  

This grant funds teaching positions that support improved learning conditions in kindergarten to Grade 9 classrooms. At Maple Ridge School, this additional teaching position will be allocated to Grade 2.  

This funding is specifically intended to help reduce class sizes in core subject areas (English Language Arts/French Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies), with priority given to schools experiencing the greatest class size pressures. 

This decision was made using system-wide data that considers: 

• The number of classes exceeding provincial class size benchmarks  
• Projected enrolment and class organization 
• School programming and grade configuration 

Our goal is to ensure students benefit from: 

• Increased teacher attention 
• Improved classroom learning environments 
• Greater support for diverse learning needs 

We remain committed to supporting strong learning environments for all students and using our resources thoughtfully and strategically.  

iLab Donations – Fully Stocked 

Thank you so much for the generous donations to our iLab this week.  We are now fully stocked with cardboard and various boxes, plastics, and containers for the next while!     

Next Year Planning 

As we are engaged in our planning for next year, we ask all parents of students who would be attending our school next year that are not planning to attend, to please email David directly at drlidlaw@cbe.ab.ca. 

Police Clearance for Volunteers 

We are pleased to share that the EPIC system used for Police Clearances is now working again. If you require assistance or are still experiencing challenges obtaining a valid clearance, please do not hesitate to reach out to Kelly at kebryceburns@cbe.ab.ca or contact the school at mapleridge@cbe.ab.ca. We are happy to support you through the process.