Weekly Memo - September 29 - October 3

Rideau Public School - Weekly Memo Sept. 29 - Oct. 3

Fall is here

Good afternoon Rideau Families,

Thank you for coming in great numbers to our Open House. It was nice to see the students proudly showing their families where their classes were. The most endearing sight was our little kindergartners taking the long trek from the kinder hallway all the way to the lowest floor to show where the music room was, dragging their parents by the hand to make sure they did not get lost. Mr. Davison must have had a lot of visitors.

There will be another opportunity for families to come to the school for a special event this fall: Boo Bash. Stay tuned, more information to follow.

NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION - On Tuesday, students will be invited to wear an orange shirt to acknowledge this day. The Every Child Matter flag is displayed in the main hallway for all to remember historical injustices against indigenous people in Canada and commit to doing better.

TERRY FOX - Our website for fundraising for the Terry Fox Run (taking place on October 8 at our school) is live. Teachers will share Terry's legacy with students in the coming weeks.

FRESH FROM THE FARM - Parent council is launching their first fundraiser of the year. Fresh from the farm offer two bundles, apples or vegetables. Order deadline is October 17, 2025 and the delivery date will be shared when we have a specific date. Here is the link to order. See the poster below.

DENTAL SCREENING - will take place in November for students in kindergarten and grade 2. See poster below. Please note that a clean up from an hygienist is free of charge for children.

FRONTENACS - On October 5th, 2025 our school is hosting a Frontenacs' game fundraiser. This is always a great event for school spirit and cheering on our national sport. To buy your tickets, follow this link. We hope to see many of you there.

Enjoy the last few days of September!

Valerie Arsenault, Principal

Week at a Glance

Monday, September 29

• Cross-country practice at recess

Tuesday, September 30

• National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (wear an orange shirt)

Wednesday, October 1

• Cross-country - Sydenham Race
• Fire Drill

Thursday, October 2

• Dassain
• Yom Kippur
• Field Trip for Matthews, Guardado, McIntosh/Vankoughnett, Kozo/Cuerrier

Friday, October 3

• Field Trip for Himada/Hunter, Trevors/Dusharm

Looking Ahead:

October 6 - Zhong Qu Jie, Bus Patroller Training for older students, Field Trip Sveinson/Graham, Cross-Country practice

October 7 - Sukkot, BRAVE workshops

October 8 - Terry Fox Run, BRAVE workshops, Cross-Country practice

October 9 - BRAVE workshops

October 10 - PA Day - no school for students

October 12 - Shemini Arzeret/Simchat Torah

October 13 - Thanksgiving - no school for everyone

October 15 - Field trips (Bettas, Parson, Walker, LeBlanc)

October 16 - Cross-country Regionals

October 20 - Diwali Krisna Chaturdasi, Southern Deepavali, Junior classes on field trip

October 21 - Diwali Amavasya, Northern Deepavali

October 22 - Cross-country District

October 23 - School Assembly

October 25 - Clothes sale

October 29 - SCHOOL PHOTOS (this is a change from the original date), Boo Bash

October 30 - Boo Bash

October 31 - Halloween

Parent Council Corner

Our next meeting is October 7 at 3:45 pm.

🎉 Our First Fundraiser of the Year is Live!
We’re excited to kick off the school year with a meaningful opportunity to support our students and local Ontario farmers! 🍎🌽

📅 Order Deadline: October 17, 2025
📦 Delivery Window: November 3 – December 4, 2025
📍 Pick-Up Only at the School (orders are too heavy to send home with students)

40% of all sales go directly to enhancing student experiences at our school. We are excited to use this fundraiser to contribute to the cost of purchasing new iPads. Thank you for helping us make a difference—your support means everything! Follow this link!

To reach out to parent council, email Rebecca at welfarerebecca@yahoo.ca.

Here are the minutes of our June meeting: Parent Council Meeting Minutes 2025 06 03

Dental Screening

Hot Lunch Orders

Wednesday's hot lunch will have fewer options comes October. We will keep our most popular: Chicken nuggets and Mac & Cheese.

STUDENT CRAFT SALE - CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Is your student creative and crafty? Would they like a chance to become entrepreneurs and sell their own creations at our Fall Student Craft Sale on October 25th?

During the sale, Rideau Public students will be able to sell their own crafts at a Student Maker table which will be set up and hosted by a member of the Parent Council.* 
As their 'vendor fee', each participating Student Maker will also have to donate ONE item they submitted for sale to the Parent Council fundraising table, from which all proceeds raised will go towards future student initiatives at the school.
It's a great opportunity for kids to be creative, connect with their peers, and learn business & marketing skills all while having fun! 
Participation is open to all Rideau Public students from JK - Gr 6. 
To sign up a Student Maker, please fill out the following form:
Student Craft Sale (Fall 2025) - Student Maker Sign Up
[NOTE: Sale day attendance is NOT required.]

* Council member to be responsible for handling cash box; parent volunteers also able to assist!

Clothes Sale

Second hand clothing swap

Rideau is hosting a second-hand clothing swap to help keep items circulating locally in the Kingston community. Good for your wallet, good for the planet! See info, posters, and links below for details and share widely!

DONATE

Oct 23 and 24th, 8:30am-4:30pm

Clean clothing (sz 0-14), Books, and Tiny toys (smaller than your fist)

Drop off donations @ Rideau Public School (look for signs near Toronto St entrance)

Rideau students can bring small bags to school with them!

SHOP

Sat Oct 25th , 9am-1pm

All sales are pay what you can. All $$ goes to the school

Pre-loved kids clothing 0-14 & Book

Rideau Public School Gym

Open to everyone, help us spread the word in the Kingston Community!

Facebook event

Instragram Posts

Volunteers needed

Oct 24th: Sorting

We need help! Oct 24th anytime between 2:30-until it's done (~8pm)! Come for 15 min or come for 5 hours. Pop in for a few minutes before or after pick up, with or without kiddos! Every little bit helps!

Fun fact: The kids who came to help last year had a great time, bring your kids so they can be a part of this event that supports our community and the environment.

Oct 25th: Take down

Swing by the school at 2pm to pick up a few boxes of leftover items to donation locations

Health Curriculum Exemption

As part of LDSB's commitment to ongoing transparency and communication with families, please follow the link to Form 325-D on the LDSB website. It outlines the Human Development and Sexual Health curriculum expectations for Grades 1-8.  Families can request to have their child or children exempted from instruction related to Human Development and Sexual Health expectations by completing and returning an exemption form for each child (Form 325-B) five school days before the start of instruction. Prior to instruction, your child's classroom teacher will inform parents/guardians when the expectations related to the Human Development and Sexual Health expectations in Strand D will be covered. For a more detailed overview of this process, please refer to Administrative Procedure 325: Exemption From Human Development and Sexual Health Instruction (listed under the Policies and Procedures section of the LDSB website), or contact the school. 

2025-2026 LDSB School Year Calendar

A PDF version of the 2025-2026 School Year Calendar is available online.

Daily Schedule

Allergen Awareness - Nut-Free School

Thank you for packing nut-free snacks! Please communicate with teachers before sending any treats in for your student's class.