Principal's Message
Thanks to all parents who came to our Open House/Meet the Teacher this year – it was a fabulous turnout! A few important items for the upcoming month:
- School Fees will be available on the portal later this month. We will advise you of when they are ready with the “REMIND” app.
- The October Progress Reports will be available on the Parent Portal on Friday October 15th.
- Bringing treats to school: If you would like to bring a treat for your child’s class; please first check with your child’s Homeroom teacher. Due to numerous allergies and food intolerances at school; only packaged treats with a list of ingredients will be allowed at school; or a fruit or veggie platter.
- Mascot Search: During September’s Assembly; there was a special presentation made by our school teacher “Mascot Committee”. We are looking for a mascot for our school; and all students will have the opportunity to vote for the animal of their choice one day this week. The 4 choices that were presented are: The Grizzlies, The Grey Jays; The Gophers; and The Gators. We will be announcing the official mascot once all the votes have been tabulated.
Please be sure to review the newsletter carefully to see all of the important and exciting news this month!
ITEMS COMING TO SCHOOL
Cell phones, electronics, and toys are not permitted at school, or on the bus.
Children can bring their lunch box, water bottle, and extra clothing in their backpack but all other items must remain at home.
Events at School
TERRY FOX NEWS
On Friday September 23rd Greater Gatineau held a very successful Terry Fox Run/Walk. Students were very motivated to raise money. We far exceeded our goal of raising $1500 by raising $5854.15 !!!
Students were very excited to challenge themselves to complete multiple laps of the course, many running the entire distance. Some students ran over 5.5 km’s. The event was full of school spirit, enthusiasm and energy.
We are so proud of Greater Gatineau students for making such a positive contribution to one of Canada’s most honoured events.
PLAYGROUND ACTIVITY LEADERS IN SCHOOLS (PALS)
Our PALS program has begun. We have over 60 volunteers from our grade 5 and 6 classes this year. The groups have received training in leading games for the younger students during lunchtime recesses. We are excited to see all the fun activities they come up with!
BREAKFAST PROGRAM
Our breakfast program is running well, thanks to our grant from the Breakfast Club of Canada and our nutrition grant from the Ministry. We are accepting cash donations to go towards the program if you are interested. Please send donations in an envelope marked “Breakfast Club”.
All students will be offered the breakfast program, regardless if you make a donation or not.
OUTDOOR EDUCATION TRIP
The Grade 6 classes will be hiking to Lac Beauchamp on October 4th for an outdoor education day experience. Classes will participate in activities, as well as a whole Grade 6 group, that promote team building. Hot Dogs will be served for lunch! Funds will be provided by a ministry grant.
CROSS-COUNTRY RUN
Our grade 4, 5, and 6 cross-country team will running at Lac Beauchamp on Thursday, October 6th in the afternoon.
SOCCER TOURNAMENT
Our soccer teams will attend the tournament on October 12th in Quyon this year. Go GGS, Go!
GENDER DIVERSITY PRESENTATION
On October 20th the grade 6 classes will have a presentation from The Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity. This workshop will encourage students to reflect on their own experience of who they are, and how to be respectful to those around them who may be different. It is primarily focused on identifying and avoiding stereotypes, developing confidence in our own diversity, and developing empathy for others.
HALLOWEEN MOVIE NIGHT
Greater Gatineau Home & School presents Halloween Movie Night. Keep an eye out for the flyer and mark your calendars for October 21st.
PHOTO RETAKES
October 26th will be photo retake day for any students who were absent on Photo Day. Corrected Date = November 4th
MONTREAL TRIP
The grade 6 classes are planning a day trip to Montreal on October 27th. The trip will be funded by our Cultural Outings Grant. More details will be sent to grade 6 parents soon.
HALLOWEEN AT SCHOOL
Students are invited to wear their costume to school on Monday, October 31st. For safety reasons, students must leave weapons, and props (anything that they hold in their hands) at home. If students have a mask, they will only be allowed to wear it during the indoor parade. Unfortunately parents are unable to attend due to lack of space.
We will have a whole school costume parade and many classes will participate in a Halloween Bingo. There will be prizes for “best costume” in each class and for the Bingo games.
In the weeks following Halloween, please save the candy and treats for at home. Continue to send healthy options for lunch and snack time.
MONTHLY ASSEMBLY
Our next assembly will be on Friday, October 28th, where we will celebrate the students who have shown the chosen virtue throughout the month.
- Grade 5&6 at 10:05
- Kindergarten + Grade 1&2 at 10:55
- Grade 3&4 at 12:35
October is RESPONSIBILITY month. We hope to see students showing us how responsible they are. You can show this by doing what you say you are going to do, taking care of yourself and your belongings, and being reliable.
PEACE LEARNING CIRCLES AT HOME
When sitting around the table for dinner, families can play “That’s Me!” to learn about everyone’s day.
Taking turns, each person says one thing about their day. If anyone else had the same thing happen in their day, they raise their hands and say, “That’s Me!” This can promote further discussion on replies.
Sample statements that parents can use:
- “I read something interesting today.”
- “I learned something new today”
- “Someone told me something today that made me laugh.
- “Someone gave me/I gave someone a compliment today”.
Home & School
With the 2022-2023 school year underway, we are very excited to announce the return of in person events and activities!
What were your favourite activities or events in the past? What events would you like to see this year? Send us an email at gghomeandschool@gmail.com or comment on our Facebook page to let us know.
Our first activity this year will be a Halloween Movie Night on Friday, October 21st. More details to follow, please be on the lookout for a movie flyer that will be sent home.
We have had a few new members join us, however, if you would like to volunteer at events or activities, please let us know. In order to run activities, we may need additional support.
We are looking forward to a great 2022-2023 school year.
For the upcoming year we will be posting our communications on our Facebook page, if you haven’t done so already, please follow us to stay up to date on upcoming events https://www.facebook.com/GreaterGatineau
The next Home & School meeting will be held virtually via Teams on October 18th at 6:30pm
Daycare
Registration has been finalized for this year. We have a total of 89 regular spots. Moving forward, if your child requires regular daycare services, you will have to wait for a spot to be vacated by another child. Drop-in days available depending on each group numbers each day.
There are two PD days this month. October 13th and 14th, These days are open to all Greater Gatineau School students. We are going bowling in the afternoon on the 13th at Salle des Quilles Danis and we will be at school for activities planned by the educators on the 14th. The deadline for registration is Thursday, October 6th.
New families, please sign up for @ggdaycare2 on the Remind app to get the notifications regarding PD days and other important daycare information.
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 x3 or e-mail jplaxton@wqsb.qc.ca
Special Notes
GOVERNING BOARD
On Wednesday, September 14th, the Governing Board had their General Assembly. We would like to welcome our returning parent members: Yan Racette, Carl Coutlee, Isabelle Lefrançois, and our new parent members: Melanie Malette, Laetitia van Romondt-Kearney, and Virginie Sabourin.
The next governing board meeting will be on October 12th at 6:30 p.m.
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
We ask that parents/guardians please take a minute to call or email the school and advise us if your child is going to be late or absent. You only need to contact the school, as daycare is advised of the absences each day.
We have close to 500 students in the school and it is very helpful when parents contact the school.
You can reach Julie Caron at (819) 663-4842 ext. 1 or email; jcaron@wqsb.qc.ca Please try to let us know before 8:30 a.m.
If you are sending a note or an e-mail to your child’s teacher about an absence or picking them up early, please ensure that Julie receives a copy so she can remind the teacher and have your child waiting at the office upon your arrival.
CHANGES TO PICK UP ROUTINE
Parents of all students are reminded that information regarding attendance at school or an early pick up at, or before, 2:35 should be directed to Julie Caron at the office (819) 663-4842 ext. 1 or jcaron@wqsb.qc.ca.
Information regarding a change in who will pick up your child at daycare (between 2:35 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.) should be directed to Jennifer Plaxton at the daycare (819) 663-4842 ext 3 or jplaxton@wqsb.qc.ca.
To help us out, please make sure that we always receive a note, email, or call before picking up your child. It is very important that we receive the information before 1:30 p.m.
Our list for the day’s changes has to be compiled and sent out to the teachers and daycare before 2:00 p.m., so please respect our cut-off time.