Principal's Message
We would like to send out a big thank you to the Home and School for all of the wonderful treats and gifts provided for Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week. This year has been a more challenging one for staff; and these treats were truly appreciated.
Another big thank-you goes out to all students who went on the online form to provide words to describe staff members. These words turned into a “Wordle” picture frame for each staff member; and it touched the hearts of our staff.
We’d like to wish everyone a fabulous March Break and we hope you have time to get outside and enjoy the outdoors.
TIME CHANGE Daylight Savings Time starts on Sunday, March 14th at 2:00 a.m. So please remember to turn your clocks ahead one hour. |
Events at School
MARCH BREAK
This year our March break is from Monday, March 1st to Friday, March 5th.
We hope everyone has a fabulous week.
ANTI-BULLYING MAGICIAN
Presented by Michael The Magician – Live for our school on ZOOM!
A fun, engaging and interactive magic show that gets the children talking and keeps the message going strong. Talks about verbal, physical, and cyber bullying and focuses on inclusion, respect, acceptance and a safe school community. Gives practical strategies while being fun and entertaining.
- March 9th – Kindergarten to Grade 3
- March 10th – Grade 4-6
GENDER AND SEXUAL DIVERSITY PRESENTATION
The grade 6 students will be having a guest from The Canadian Center for Gender and Sexual Diversity visit our classrooms via GoogleMeet.
This guest will facilitate a virtual workshop that will explore and define diverse families, discrimination, sexism, racism, homophobia, and transphobia in an age appropriate and interactive manner. We are excited to have this opportunity as the workshop aligns well with WQSB’s policy on Anti-Discrimination and Gender Identity.
- March 23rd – Birch and Fama
- March 30th – Dooling and Sauve
GRADE 6 STUDENTS INTRO TO GRADE 7 AT HADLEY
Virtual Information Evening:
There will be a virtual meeting with grade 6 families on March 25th @ 6:00
A link will be sent for the grade 6 families, closer to the date.
Virtual Tour/Presentation and Visit:
There will be a presentation with important information and a virtual tour of the building. This will be sent to all feeder schools to show in our grade 6 classes. They will also be sending an agenda and some important tools needed for grade 7 for each class to explore on their own. Students can prepare questions with their teachers. Mrs. Payne, principal at Hadley Junior High, will join the classes virtually to answer questions and introduce some important people to the class.
MONTHLY ASSEMBLY
Our next assembly will be on Wednesday, March 31st, 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.
March is TRUSTWORTHINESS month. We hope to see students showing us how trustworthy they are. You can show this by doing what you say you are going to do, being responsible, and being reliable.
TRIBES AT HOME
TRUST WALK
This activity is done in pairs and you take turn being blindfolded and being a leader. One person volunteers to be led with their eyes closed or blindfolded. The other member of the pair leads the person for five minutes, taking very good care of the blind partner. After five minutes, switch roles.
TRUST CIRCLE
Make a circle with your family and friends. Have one person stand in the middle with their eyes closed and feet planted firmly. Have the rest of the people gently push on the shoulders of the person in the middle, making sure they do not fall. The group supports the person as they rotate.
Home & School
We have three fundraising campaigns currently running, Plantables, Mabel’s Labels and Fundscrip. With the reduction of in person fundraising, these two options are a great way to support the H&S.
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. We will have some new activities coming in the new year.
The next Home & School meeting will be on Tuesday, March 16th at 6:30pm. We hold our meetings through Zoom, please reach out to us via email if you would like to attend.
Daycare
Tax slips were available for pick up at daycare as of February 10th. The remaining slips were mailed out the last week of February to all families who were unable to pick up their slip.
We have one PD day in March. It is on Friday, March 26th and is open to regular and sporadic students who were registered on September 30th. Please sign up for @ggdaycare on the Remind app to get the notifications regarding PD days.
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
LOST AND FOUND
We have many items in our lost and found. We also have some children who have lost items that may have gone home to different houses. Please check with your children to make sure they have not brought someone else’s items home by mistake. Also check in to make sure your children have all their items. We hope to reunite some children with their items.
Please label your child’s items with their name so they can be returned to the right child if they are ever misplaced.
PHONE NUMBERS & HEALTH INFORMATION
We ask all parents to please make sure that they keep the office advised of any changes in their phone numbers.
It is extremely important that our files are kept up-to-date should an emergency arise.
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 e-mailing admissions@wqsb.qc.ca
EARTH HOUR
Please join millions of people around the world on Saturday, March 27th, at 8:30 p.m. and turn off your lights for one hour in support of action on climate change.
NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH
March is National Nutrition Month and a great time to think about the importance of healthy eating.
Healthy eating means eating a variety of foods from 4 groups to feel good and maintain your health.
Follow these steps to help you eat healthy:
- Eat the right types of food by following Canada’s Food Guide.
- Choose a variety of foods from each of the 4 food groups.
- Eat the recommended amount of food for your age, gender, and activity level.
- Read food labels to compare and choose healthier foods when shopping. The Nutrition Facts table and the Percent Daily Value can help you make better choices.
- Limit foods and drinks that are high in calories, fat, sugar, and sodium.
For more useful information on food and nutrition, consult:
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/health/food-nutrition.html
WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY
World Down Syndrome Day – annually on March 21st – is officially ratified by the United Nations. It allows communities around the world to recognize and celebrate contributions from people with Down syndrome. We want to encourage our students to celebrate WDSD on the days surrounding it.
Please wear mismatched socks on Monday, March 22nd in support of World Down Syndrome Day.
WORLD EPILEPSY DAY
Purple Day is an international grassroots effort dedicated to increasing awareness about epilepsy worldwide. On March 26th annually, people in countries around the world mark this day.
You are invited to wear purple on Thursday, March 25th in support of epilepsy awareness.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
We are pleased to announce that Karyssa A-H was the winner of the Grade 5 anti-bullying poster contest sponsored by the Gatineau Police.
Congratulations Karysa!