Principal's Message
The holidays are a wonderful time of year, but sometimes there are families that are in need of assistance to help them through this time of year. Please help out some Greater Gatineau families by donating some food items or by requesting an angel tag from our angel tree to buy a gift for a child. We still have 7 angel tags left, and more food items are welcomed.
We will be delivering food baskets and gifts to 17 families from our school. We are working with St. Aloysius Church on this holiday project.
Reminder that the last day of school before the holiday is Friday, December 22nd. We return to school on Tuesday, January 9th after the winter break.
I’d like to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season!
PROPER DRESS
With the weather turning colder, we want to remind you that children must be dressed appropriately for the weather. Hats, mittens/gloves, warm coats, snow pants and boots are needed so they can play outside comfortably.
Events at School
PEACE BUCKET REWARD
The Peace Bucket is full! Congratulations to all the students for following the Peace Agreements at school. We will have Backwards Day with chocolate milk and cookies on Thursday, December 7th as a reward.
HIP HOP WORKSHOP
On December 18th and 19th, the Grades 3/4 and 4 students will participate in a workshop led by Bboyizm Dance Company – one of Canada’s top street dancing companies! They will learn about street dance culture and engage in an exploration of rhythm and movement as a form of self-expression.
The workshop is free of charge, as it has been paid for by a grant, “Arts Inspire”
MUSEUM OF HISTORY TRIP
On December 20th the Grade 1 students will be going to the Museum of History! They will be visiting the Children’s museum and going to see a 3D film at the Ciné+ called “Flight of the Butterflies.”
SPECIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON
OPEN MIC “NIGHT”
Students can submit winter themed or holiday jokes to be included in the announcements during the month of December.
HOLIDAY BINGO
Some classes will participate in a Holiday Bingo during the last week of school.
UGLY SWEATER DAY – Monday, December 18
Don your ugliest holiday sweater or make your own outfit.
FROSTY DAY – Tuesday, December 19
Wear white and blue for frosty day
FESTIVE HAT DAY -Wednesday, December 21
Break out the Santa hat or reindeer antlers or create your own special hat for festive hat day.
RED & GREEN DAY -Thursday, December 22
Put on something red and green to show-off your holiday spirit – holiday of your choice.
PAJAMA DAY – Friday, December 22
Please wear your favourite pajamas and bring your favourite holiday book to celebrate the last day of school for 2023.
HOLIDAY SING-ALONG – Friday, December 22
The Holiday Sing-Along will take place on December 22nd in the gym. Students will sing various holiday songs. Unfortunately, due to space limitations parents are not able to attend.
MAZZOLA HOT LUNCH
We offer hot meals on Mondays and Fridays here at Greater Gatineau. The company we use is Mazzola.
Place your orders online at order.mazzola.ca
SUBWAY LUNCH
Our Subway lunch program runs right until Wednesday, December 20, 2023. With make-up days in the new year on January 10th and 17th to replace the days missed during the strike.
MONTHLY ASSEMBLY
Our next assembly will be on Thursday, December 21st, where we will celebrate the students who have shown the chosen virtue throughout the month.
Please remember to wear your Red or Green shirt this monthly assembly. This creates a sense of community at school.
- Kindergarten, Grade 1+2 at 10:05
- Grade 3+4 at 10:55
- Grade 5+6 at 12:35
December is COOPERATION month. We hope to see students making an effort to work together as a team.
PEACE LEARNING CIRCLES AT HOME
Here is a quick and fun energizer you can do at home with your whole family.
It’s called “Do After Me” Sit in a large circle. One person begins by entering the circle and making a gesture, sound, or movement (the more ridiculous, the more fun), and then points to someone else in the circle to succeed them. This person makes the same gesture, sound, or movement as the proceeding person made, and then adds their own performance. They then choose the next person, and this person need only repeat the preceding action and add one before choosing someone new.
The game is over when everyone has had a chance in the circle.
Home & School
Thank you to everyone who supported the Amazing Cookie Dough and More Fundraiser this year. Cookie Dough pick up will be on Friday, December 15th from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm in the school gym. Please enter through the back gym door off Rue Napoleon-Groulx. We are not able to store cookie dough not picked up, please mark your calendars and plan accordingly. We will also have extra cookie dough, muffin batter and sticky or cinnamon buns that can be purchased on site, $24 (cookie dough and muffin batter) and $20 (cinnamon buns and sticky buns), please see our Facebook page for available flavours and if possible, bring the exact amount.
We are also 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. We will have some new activities coming in the new year.
The next Home & School Meeting will be on Monday, December 4th at 6:30pm. We hold our meetings virtually, please reach out to us via email if you would like to attend.
The Home & School would like to wish all Greater Gatineau families a very happy holiday season!
Daycare
Our daycare is divided into zoo animal groups this year. You may know already, but you can ask your child if they are a sloth, elephant, lion, chimpanzee, tiger, or zebra. All the animals in the zoo are watched over by the fantastic team of zoo keepers.
Daycare Remind messages are sent to @ggdaycare and @ggdaycare2 regarding PD days and other daycare updates. New families please sign up for @ggdaycare2 on the Remind App.
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) 663-4842 ext. 3 or e-mail jplaxton@wqsb.qc.ca
Next PD day is January 8th and will have a deadline of December 15th for registration.
Special Notes
FOOD DRIVE FOR CHRISTMAS
We will be collecting canned food, pickles, pasta, rice, toothpaste, laundry detergent, and any other non-perishable items until Friday, December 15th, 2023.
Please give generously so we will have enough items to help out some families in our school.
Please make sure that you check the expiration dates on the items.
If your family is in need of a food basket, please email Mrs. Link at vlink@wqsb.qc.ca.
ANGEL TREE
This program helps our less fortunate families make the Christmas season a little brighter.
You can receive an angel tag which would have “boy” or “girl” marked on it with their age. You would purchase an age appropriate gift valued at approximately $25.00. You wrap the gift and send it back to the school with the angel tag taped onto the gift so we can make sure it gets to the right person.
If you are interested in an Angel Tag, you can email Amanda at awells@wqsb.qc.ca and we will be happy to send one home with your child.
We will record your name to help us keep track of who has the Angel Tags and ensure that all children receive a gift.
Please make sure that all gifts are returned to school no later than Friday, December 15th, so they can be organized for distribution.
Christmas is for children and we hope you can help us put as many smiles as we can on the faces of Greater Gatineau students.
CROSS COUNTRY RUN
The committed athletes of the Greater Gatineau Cross Country Team enjoyed a great afternoon running through the forest to Lac Beauchamp in late October. This year we had a small team of just five students. However, they were a hard-working group who pushed each other to run hard. All members were supportive and positive, always offering each other words of encouragement and congratulations. Despite the rain, the run to Lac Beauchamp was a fun afternoon that combined running, playing at the playground, a game of camouflage and a sweet treat to finish off the day. Congratulations to all of the athletes!
Free Online Tutoring – Learn Quebec
Students are eligible for free online tutoring. You simply need to register and use your child’s WQSB email and password to log in. Please take advantage of this great opportunity if your child is in need of some extra assistance. For more information; please visit: learnquebec.ca/en/home
Anti-Racism Committee (ARC)
Land acknowledgement
The land on which we gather is traditional unceded Omamiwininiwag (Algonquin) and Anishinabewaki territory, a place which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst nations. Today, this place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to gather on this land.
International Day of Persons with Disabilities – December 3rd
International Day of Person with Disabilities was created by the United Nations in 1992 to promote an understanding of disability issues and show support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities.
International Volunteer Day – December 5th
International Volunteer Day is a global celebration of volunteers. It takes place every year on December 5 to shine a light on the impact of volunteer efforts everywhere. Thank you to all the volunteers who support our school!
Human Rights Day – December 10th
Human Rights Day is a commemoration of the day the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations. It provides all adults and children with equality and the right to education.
Hanukkah – begins December 7th
Hanukkah, the festival of lights, is celebrated by the Jewish community for eight days with nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and cultural dishes.
Winter Solstice – December 21st
Winter solstice marks the first day of winter. It is the shortest day and longest night of the year. It is December 21st or 22nd in the Northern Hemisphere but actually in July in the Southern Hemisphere. Cultures across the world celebrate the shortest day of the year in different ways.
Christmas – December 25th
Christmas is celebrated on December 25th . It is both a Christian holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus and cultural phenomenon that includes the legendary Santa Claus.
Kwanzaa Begins – December 26th
Kwanzaa, modeled after traditional African harvest festivals, is a cultural holiday that celebrates seven principles. It emphasizes unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.