École Guelph Lake Public School

January Commmunication to Families

Posted January 9, 2024

Bonne Année!  Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2024!  We hope that everyone had a safe and restful Winter Break.  

At the beginning of each month, a Communication/Update email will be sent to families.  This information will also be available on the school website under the Newsletters tab.  In the Communication/Update email, a list of events will be included, however the École Guelph Lake school calendar can be accessed from our school website.  The UGDSB school year calendar and cycle day calendars are located on the UGDSB website should those be helpful for your family.  During the month, reminders to families are sent via UGConnect (e.g., photo day, School Council meeting reminders, Professional Activity days, etc.).

Our school team would like to extend a special thank you to our School Council members for all the work they continue to do for our students and school community, including organizing the Snowed-In event in December.  Thank you also to all who participated by organizing, volunteering, or joining the Snowed-In fun!  It was a great night and students were very happy and engaged in the activities. 

Staffing Updates

We are delighted to welcome Mme Marchese to our Primary Team and Mme Miller to our Office Team.  Mme Marchese will be teaching Grade 1.  Mme Miller will be supporting the office on Thursdays.

Kindergarten Registration

The French Immersion on-time application window for registration for the 2024-2025 school year will be open from January 9 at 7:00 a.m. to January 26 at 4:00 p.m. for children born in 2020.  Each UGDSB elementary school that offers FI has a Junior Kindergarten enrollment cap.  JK is the only entry point for French Immersion in UGDSB.  Further information can be found on the UGDSB JK FI Information webpage.  If your student is currently in JK at our school, you do not need to re-register for SK.

Reminder – Volunteering in the school

Volunteers, including on field trips, will need a Police Vulnerable Sector Check.  If you wish to volunteer in the school, and you have not yet already done so, please complete and submit a Police Vulnerable Sector Check, UGDSB Volunteer Application Form and UGDSB Volunteer Agreement Form to Mme Schaefer in the office. Please visit the Guelph Police Services website for further details regarding Vulnerable Sector Checks.

Is conflict the same as bullying? 

People may sometimes confuse conflict with bullying, although they are different. Conflict occurs when two or more people have a disagreement, a difference of opinion or different views. Conflict between students does not always mean it is bullying. Children learn at a young age to understand that others can have a different perspective than their own, and developing the ability to gain perspective takes time and the process continues into early adulthood. In conflict, each person feels comfortable expressing his or her views, and there is no power imbalance. Each person feels able to state his or her viewpoint. How people deal with conflict can make it positive or negative. Conflict becomes negative when an individual behaves aggressively by saying or doing hurtful things. Then the conflict is an aggressive interaction. Conflict only becomes bullying when it is repeated over and over again and there is a power imbalance. Over time, a pattern of behaviour may emerge where the person who behaves aggressively in the conflict may continue or even make it worse. The person who is the recipient of the aggressive conflict may feel less and less able to express his or her point of view and feel more and more powerless. That is when negative conflict may turn into bullying. A school will respond to bullying and conflict differently. For example, in the case of a conflict, a school staff member may try to have the students come together to tell their side of the story and help them resolve the situation together. In the case of bullying, a principal will consider discipline, which may include suspension or expulsion.  

No Bus Days 

On days when school buses are canceled in the morning, they will not be running at the end of the school day. If you wish to drive your child(ren) to school on days when buses are canceled, please arrive to pick them up at the 3:25 p.m. dismissal bell. Parents can access bussing information through the Student Transportation Services website at http://www.stwdsts.ca/. If you use the Student Transportation Services website, please focus on the Division 1 yellow card to access transportation information specific to schools in Guelph. 

Family Literacy Day – January 27th

Family Literacy Day takes place every January 27th to raise awareness about the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family.   Celebrate 25 years of Family Literacy Day and learning together as a family by having a party!  Make food, sing songs, and play games. The possibilities for learning are endless – and it’s fun when you do it together.  Learning can happen at any time. Practicing literacy together every day has tremendous benefits for both children and parents. Here are some great ways to get started: 

• Read a “wake up” story in the morning (after reading your bedtime story the night before). 
• Search online for fun places to go in your community. Pick out a spot for your next family day trip. 
• Make up a new recipe together and post it online. 
• Tell knock-knock jokes together while doing the dishes.
• Create a story with your family: take turns writing one sentence at a time, then read the whole story aloud when you’re done. 
• Write a review of a book you read together as a family. Send it to the author through email or snail mail. 
• Organize a book swap at your school or with your friends. 
• Track your trip to school, the park, and the grocery store on a map. Find a different route to take to each place. 
• Learn to play a musical instrument. What about the ukulele? 
• Write a note to include in a grown-up’s lunch – ask them to write back! 
• Make a popsicle stick model with your family. 
• Write your names graffiti-style using chalk on your sidewalk – you may need to shovel first! 
• Play a board game together. 
• Look up the words to your favourite song online. Have a sing-off with your friends! 
• Count how many steps it takes to get from your bedroom to your kitchen. Find out who in your family has the most steps to a snack!

Important Dates in January

The École Guelph Lake school calendar can be accessed from our school website.  The UGDSB school year calendar and cycle day calendars are located on the UGDSB website. Please see below some important dates for January.  (Please note, these dates are subject to change, however the school calendar on the school website will be updated as required).

School Council Update

The School Council will meet January 11th  at 7:00 p.m in the school library. The School Council minutes from the November meeting and the agenda for the January meeting are available on the School Council page of the school website.  

If you are interested in volunteering for future School Council events, please let us know by emailing [email protected].

Categories: Newsletters