Principal's Message
We are very excited that it has been announced that elementary students will be returning to school Monday, May 10th. It will be wonderful to have students and staff back in person.
Although elementary schools are re-opening, many of the other regulations for Gatineau are the same for the “red zone” we will be in as of next Monday. Some of these regulations include:
- No visitors from another household
- No indoor or outdoor gatherings permitted (except 1 person who lives alone)
- Non-essential businesses are closed
- Non-essential travel is prohibited
For the full list of regulations, please click this link Measures in force
If we all follow these measures, then we will be able to help battle this “third wave” of Covid-19.
The Government is recommending that everyone 16 years and older should be vaccinated, and the schedule is as follows: The following groups are now being vaccinated:
People 40 years of age and older throughout Québec. To register, go to Make an appointment to get vaccinated.
Appointments for the next age groups will take place according to the following schedule:
- May 7, 2021: 35 years of age and older,
- May 10, 2021: 30 years of age and older,
- May 12, 2021: 25 years of age and older,
- May 14, 2021: 18 years of age and older;
MEDICAL MASKS AT SCHOOL
All students from grades 1 – 6 are required to wear a medical mask while at school (on the bus, in-class, at daycare, and in the schoolyard). The masks have been purchased by the Ministry of Education, and we will be providing them to all students. Students will receive 2 masks/day; as they need to be changed at lunch. Your child will go home with a mask for the following day, so students need to put on a medical mask before they go to morning daycare; before getting on the bus; or before being dropped off at school.
Students are only allowed to take off their mask outside, if they are 2 m away from any other person (including their classmates – “bubble”). We will be providing opportunities for students to take a break from their mask, when we can ensure the 2 m distancing. Teachers will also be holding some classes outdoors; where they can space students 2m apart during the lesson.
Please prepare your child by explaining that they will need to wear a mask for the majority of the day at school (the mask is taken off for eating and drinking).
If your child is in Kindergarten and you would like them to wear a mask, we can provide them. Please email your child’s teacher if this is the case.
If you do not want to wear the medical masks from the school; you may send your child to school each day with 2 medical masks (FACE COVERINGS ARE NOT PERMITTED). Please email your child’s teacher with a Cc to Mrs. Link (vlink@wqsb.qc.ca) if you plan to send your child/children to school with their own medical masks.
SUBWAY LUNCH PROGRAM
Wednesday will be our regular “Subway Day”; for all of those who have ordered their meals. We have missed 4 Subway Days this month; so this means these replacement days will be on May 12-19-26 and June 2nd. May 19th rescheduled for June 9th.
MAZZOLA HOT MEALS
The meals that we had planned for students in April; free of charge and paid by a Nutrition Grant will take place later this month. We will be sending home a new order form next week.
SAFETY
Our main safety rule in the school is the “No Touching” rule. Classes remain in their “bubble” all day; and we encourage social interaction and play – but without any physical contact. Please remind your child/children about this rule.
RAINY DAYS
We will be going outside for recesses unless there is a downpour of rain; so please dress your child appropriately for outdoors on rainy days.
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
If you have not registered for kindergarten next year, or if you know anyone who has a child turning five before September 30th please make arrangements to register by emailing our secretary Michelle at mcomple@wqsb.qc.ca or calling (819)663-4842 extension 2.
REMIND APP
It is important for all families to sign up for our communication tool. Please see the instructions at the end of the newsletter or click the link here.
SCHOOL FEES
We will be collecting school fees this month, and more information about times and payment method will be sent in the next couple of weeks.
Events at School
MEET THE AUTHOR
Cycle 2 and 3 are excited to have an opportunity to work with Catherine Austen, who is an author who has written many fiction books from comics to drama for children and young adults.
We will be reading one of her books and having a “Meet the Author” session where she will discuss how she came up with the idea for the book and do a small writing project with the students. Sessions will occur during the month of May.
GRADE FOUR VACCINATIONS
On May 17th students in grade 4 will receive one dose of hepatitis A and B vaccine (Twinrix Junior®) and one dose of HPV vaccine (Gardasil 9®).
Nurses from the CLSC will be at the school in the morning to administer the vaccines.
CYCLE 3 DEBATES
Students from the grade 5 and 6 classes will participate in debates.
The debates will be broadcast to the students from Grade 4, who will watch virtually from their classrooms.
GRAD PHOTOS
Grade 6 students get your best smiles ready for grad photos as they have been rescheduled for May 19th.
NEW DATE : June 3rd
PERFORMING ARTS AUDITIONS
We are happy to announce that our school will be hosting its annual Greater Gatineau Performing Arts Show virtually this year! We can’t wait to see all of the wonderful hidden talents at our school. It is also the perfect chance to see all those talents that we typically aren’t able to perform in the gym!
Please send in your submissions to rboersma@wqsb.qc.ca before May 24th.
MONTHLY ASSEMBLY
The April Assembly celebrating respect has been rescheduled for May 14th. Our next assembly will be on Thursday, May 27th, where we will celebrate the students who have shown the chosen virtue throughout the month.
Please remember to wear your purple GG shirt for all of our monthly assemblies. This creates a sense of community at school.
May is SPORTSMANSHIP/ FAIRNESS month. We hope to see students showing us fairness while playing with others and good sportsmanship whether they win or lose.
TRIBES AT HOME
SHAPING UP WITH “BLOCKS”
You will need two sets of the same items, can be done with blocks, Lego, or even just a group of household items. The first person (the director) sets up their objects in some sort of shape or design on the table or floor out of sight of the second person. Then the object is to explain to the second person (the listener) how to place the items so they match the first design. Switch roles and try the activity again.
Questions to ask after the activity has been completed:
- What did you learn giving directions to others?
- Why is this a difficult or easy activity?
- Why is listening and following instructions important?
- How did the director and listener work together?
- How can they improve working together?
- How did you feel having to follow directions without being able to see the pattern?
Home & School
Ongoing fundraising campaigns;
- Plantables, ships seedlings anywhere in Canada. Use promo code GGHOMEANDSCHOOL at checkout. We get 10% of all sales. Runs until June 2nd.
- Mabel’s Labels label your child’s items so they can be returned when misplaced
- Fundscrip buy gift cards, shop with the cards, support the school
We will be offering the Babysitting Course (11-14 year olds) every Saturday from May 8th-29th between 11:00 and 12:15 or May 31st-June 3rd each evening from 6:00 to 7:15, and Home Alone Course (9-12 year olds) every Saturday from May 8th-29th between 9:30 and 10:45 or May 10th-13th each evening from 6:oo to 7:15.
We are always looking for new members to join us or ideas for upcoming events, please contact us via email gghomeandschool@gmail.com or through our Facebook page.
We will continue to post on our Facebook page, if you haven’t done so already, please follow us to stay up to date on upcoming events facebook.com/GreaterGatineau.
The next Home & School meeting will be on Tuesday, May 11th at 6:30pm. We hold our meetings through Zoom, please reach out to us via email if you would like to attend.
Daycare
We have two PD days this month. The first is on Friday, May 21st and the second is on Monday, May 31st. Both days are open to all Greater Gatineau students. Please sign up for @ggdaycare on the Remind app to get the notifications regarding PD days.
We do have spots available in the daycare. If your childcare needs have changed, please contact us to add your child to the daycare.
Should you have any questions about our program or to register for the PD days please do not hesitate to contact Jennifer by phone at (819) 643-6365 or e-mail jplaxton@wqsb.qc.ca
Special Notes
OSTEOGENESIS IMPERFECTA AWARENESS DAY
On May 6th for Wishbone Day please wear yellow to help bring awareness to those who have this rare and complex genetic disorder that is often characterized by fragile bones.
ARE YOU MOVING?
As we prepare for next year, it is very important that you notify the school if you are moving. Please call the school at 819-663-4842 and speak to Katharine at extension 1, with your change of address so we can up-date our files for transportation.
DAYCARE WEEK
May 10th to 14th is Quebec School Daycare Week. This week is to recognize the importance of the complementary role of school daycares in the school team.
Wednesday May 12th is the “Journee de reconnaissance du personnel en garde scolaire”.
TRIBES BUCKET REWARD LUNCH
The tribes bucket was full before we left at the beginning of April. We will be sending a new order form for the special lunch that was going to be offered as a reward. Please fill in your child’s choice and return by May 19th.
Lunch Dates below
Tuesday May 25 | Thursday May 27 | Friday May 28 | Tuesday June 1 |
Boersma | Hooker | Birch | Bush |
Allen | Given | Fama | Stone |
Sanford | MD | Sauve | Plue |
Carey new date* | McClelland | Dooling | Everson |
Golding | Weir | Schultz | DV |
| *Carey | Cusin | Schindel |
Sign up for the REMIND App
We use the REMIND app as a tool for communication here at Greater Gatineau. It is important for all families to sign up to get reminders about school events, bus changes or cancellations, special activities, and important updates. You can get the app on your smartphone or sign up to receive emails. Follow the instruction below to sign up.
1. On your cell phone go to the app store. Look for the “Remind” app
2. Download the app. Click on the “Join a Class” button.
3. For school reminders from Mrs. Link there are classes created based on your child’s grade level.
Codes for 2020-2021
Kindergarten student = ggs2020
Grade 1 student = ggsr2019
Grade 2 student = ggsr2018
Grade 3 student = ggs2017
Grade 4 student = ggs2016
Grade 5 student = ggs2015
Grade 6 student = ggs2014
Prospective Kindergarten student (2021-2022 school year) = ggs2021
4. For daycare reminders from Jennifer Plaxton the class is called ggdaycare. This is for daycare specific reminders only, you will also need to sign up for a school class code as well.
You only need to sign up for one school class as the messages will be sent out to all classes. The class code will follow your child as they move up at our school. Please sign up for your youngest child’s class so you will continue to receive the messages for the duration of their time here at Greater Gatineau.
To get reminders by email
Go to www.remind.com/join you will be prompted to find your class. The class codes are the same as above for school and for daycare.
You will then be prompted to enter your name and e-mail address or phone number. We suggest email because there are some phone carriers who do not support text messages from remind. If you have signed up for remind in the past you can go to your account settings to modify how you receive your messages. Push notifications will come up in the app and the email option will send an email to the address of your choice.