Good afternoon, Raven families,

Although our soccer season has come to an end, basketball and wrestling are in full swing! Students and coaches have been busy taking advantage of opportunities to participate in tournaments beyond their regularly scheduled games and competitions. It is great to see the dedication, enthusiasm, and school spirit that our student-athletes and coaches continue to bring to our athletics’ program.

A special thank you to our Parent Council for their continued support of our school community. Parent Council members have been busy fundraising for our school by selling treats at our home games. We truly appreciate the time and effort they put into supporting our students and school programs. Their contributions help make a positive difference in our school community.

It was wonderful to see so many students dressed up for Halloween today. I was especially impressed by the creativity and ingenuity that went into so many of the costumes. It was a fun way to end the week, and it was great to see students and staff getting into the Halloween spirit.

Another special thank you to Ms. Beatty and Mr. Newman for organizing our first STEM challenge of the year. Students worked in mixed-grade teams and were tasked with designing and building a three-wheeled vehicle using only the materials provided. The goal was to create a vehicle that could travel across 20 floor tiles as quickly as possible. This challenge provided a great opportunity for students to collaborate, think critically, solve problems, and put their creativity and engineering skills to the test.

Thank you to our students and staff for another great week of learning, teamwork, and school spirit. Wishing everyone a safe and relaxing weekend, and to those heading out trick-or-treating, have a fun and safe Halloween!

Girls Excel in Math (GEM):

• Calling all grades 6-8 girls who are interested in math! Girls Excel in Math (GEM) Calgary is a free Saturday enrichment program for any grades 6 - 8 students who identify as girls and want to have fun exploring some interesting mathematical topics they wouldn't normally see in the classroom! Students will begin in a large lecture hall with a session led by Lauren DeDieu and then split into a smaller classroom with other students from RTA and Ms. Shuffler. 
• GEM will take place at the University of Calgary from 9am – 12pm on the following dates: 
  • Saturday, Nov. 7th, 2026: Prisoner’s Dilemma
  • Saturday, Dec. 5th, 2026: Fractals
  • Saturday, Jan. 23rd, 2027: Origami
  • Saturday, Mar. 13th, 2027: Eulerian Graphs 
• Please email Ms. Shuffler at mashuffler@cbe.ab.ca or come to Room 18 if you are interested in participating or have any questions! Sign-up required by November 2.

Remembrance Day Assemblies | Tuesday, November 10:

• With over 700 students at RTA, we will be holding two separate Remembrance Day assemblies to ensure all students can participate.
• Students who are members of cadets, Scouts, or Girl Guides are encouraged to wear their uniforms for the occasion.
• As a sign of respect, students will be asked to remove their caps, hats, and toques during the assemblies.

Parent Teacher Conferences| November 20, November 26 and November 27:

We are looking forward to connecting with families during our upcoming Parent-Teacher Conferences. These conferences are an important opportunity to celebrate student learning, discuss progress, and work together to support your child's success.

Conference Information:

• Conferences will be 10 minutes in length with your child's grade team.
• Conference Booking (via PowerSchool) will open on Monday, November 16 at 9:00 AM
• Families can also book separate conferences with the following PE & Wellness teachers (Mr. Schroeder, Ms. Braben and Ms. Leung), as well as the Complementary team (Mr. Lee, Ms. Gray, and Ms. George)
• We are offering both virtual and in-person options to help accommodate family schedules.

Conference Dates and Times:

• Friday, November 20 | 1:30–3:00 PM – Virtual conferences
• Thursday, November 26 | 4:30–8:00 PM – In-person conferences at the school
  • Grades 5 & 6 teachers will be located in the Learning Commons
  • All other teachers will be located in the Gym
• Friday, November 27 | 9:00 a.m.–2:00 PM – Virtual conferences

We recognize how important these conversations are, and we are doing our best to ensure that all families have an opportunity to connect with their child's teachers. This is why we have added an additional conference day this year to provide more booking options.

We understand that 10 minutes can go by quickly and may not be enough time to discuss everything. As always, we encourage families to reach out to their child's teachers at any point throughout the school year if they have questions about learning, progress, or supports. Communication and collaboration are not limited to conference days!

Yearbook Designs Wanted | November 30:

• Submissions should feature original artwork on an 8.5 x 11 page. We are looking for covers that connect with our school, such as our school’s name, colours, ravens, or science.
• Please write your name and homeroom on the back of your submission and bring it to Ms. Shuffler or Ms. Beatty by November 30.

Monday

• SR Boys’ Basketball practice 7:30 – 8:45 AM
• Rotation 6,5,4,3,2,1
• Book Club at Lunch in RM 12
• Grade 8 & 9 Off Campus
• JR Boys’ Basketball practice 3:45 - 5:15 PM
• SR Girls’ Basketball game at Wilma Hansen 6:30-7:30 PM

Tuesday

• HR 603, 604 & 605 Calgary Zoo
• Grade 8 & 9 Off Campus
• SR Girls’ Basketball at Lunch
• Grade 9 Leadership in RM 14 at Lunch
• Wrestling Practice 4:00 – 5:00 PM
• SR Boys’ Basketball game at RTA 5:00 – 6:00 PM
• JR Boys’ Basketball game at RTA 6:00 – 7:00 PM

Wednesday  

• Grade 8 & 9 Off Campus
• Gr. 5 & 6 Healthy Hunger: Noodle Box
• GSA Club at Lunch in RM 21
• Wrestling Practice 4:00 – 5:00 PM
• JR Boys’ Basketball Wildcat Tournament at Nickle 4:30 – 8:30 PM

Thursday

• SR Boys’ Basketball Practice 7:30 – 8:30 AM
• Photo Retake Day
• Grade 7 Off Campus Day
• Gr. 7-9 Healthy Hunger: Noodle Box
• Grade 8 & 9 SWAT Team meeting in the Arts’ RM at Lunch
• Girls’ Wrestling Tournament at Mountain Park 4:00 – 8:00 PM
• SR Girls’ Basketball Quarter Finals at Nickle PM

Friday

• Rotation 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B
• Boys’ Wrestling Tournament at Mountain Park 3:00 – 8:00 PM

Upcoming Events:

• Sunday, November 8: Indigenous Veterans’ Day
• Monday, November 9: HR 601 & 602 Calgary Zoo
• Tuesday, November 10: Whole School Healthy Hunger: Saucy Bread Co.
• Wednesday, November 11 – Sunday, November 15: Fall Break (NO SCHOOL)
• Monday, November 16 – Friday, November 20: Metis Week
• Tuesday, November 17: HR 501 & 502 Telus Spark
• Wednesday, November 18: Gr. 5 & 6 Healthy Hunger: IHOP
• Wednesday, November 18 – Thursday, November 19: Grade 8 Band Trip to Banff
• Wednesday, November 18: HR 503 & 504 Telus Spark
• Wednesday, November 18: RTA School Council & Parent Association Meeting 6:00 – 7:00 PM
• Wednesday November 18: Henry Wise Wood IB Information Evening 7:00 - 8:30 PM
• Thursday, November 19: Gr. 7-9 Healthy Hunger: IHOP
• Thursday, November 19: HR 505 & 506 Telus Spark
• Friday, November 20: VIRTUAL Parent Teacher Conferences 1:30 – 3:30 PM
• Tuesday, November 24: EP Scarlett High School visits RTA  9:10 - 10:00 AM
• Thursday, November 26: IN SCHOOL Parent Teacher Conferences 4:30 – 8:00 PM
• Friday, November 27: VIRTUAL Parent Teacher Conferences 9:00 – 2:00 PM

Kind regards,

Brenda Lewis