February Communication to Families

Posted January 31, 2024

Bonjour!

February marks the start of the second half of our school year and the 100th day of school!  It’s a short month, but it will be a busy one at École Guelph Lake. The month of February provides us with the opportunity to celebrate Black Heritage, Black Brilliance and Black Futures. Lunar New Year will also be celebrated by many students and families in our school and city community.  The Wheelchair Basketball program will be at our school from February 7th to 13th. Grade 1-8 report cards and Kindergarten Communications of Learning will be available to families mid-month.  The month will surely fly by, despite being 29 days long this year!  Please see below for further details.

Thank you, Guelph Lake families, for your patience and understanding when Mme Schaefer’s email was compromised last week.  As a result, a very legitimate looking email was sent to many families.  Thank you for notifying the school and deleting the message from your inbox and bin/trash.  Important safeguarding information on phishing has been included for your reference in the updates.

Please see below for important information and updates from the school.

Bonne journée!

 

Communication with home

The school will continue to use UGDSB platforms to communicate with families.

  • Monthly updates are emailed to families at the start of each month.  Please note that this information is also posted to the school website on the Newsletters page
  • Posts on the school website
  • UGConnect posts for reminders (e.g., School Council meetings and events, photo day, P.A. days, etc.)
  • Google Classrooms for some events and activities

Inclement Weather Procedures
Every year, we are asked by parents how we determine if it is too cold for the students to be outside. There isn’t a concrete answer. Decisions depend on the amount of wind, sunlight, length of time outside, if there is weather warning or advisory etc.  We also confer with colleagues at other local schools.  Generally, we do expect students to come dressed for the weather as we plan on being outside.  When it is cold outside, we use our judgment and remain aware of weather and wind conditions, Government of Canada alerts, the length of time spent outside, how students are dressed, etc.  In certain circumstances, outdoor play time may be shortened or students may be kept inside.  Please see the UGDSB Inclement Weather Procedures page for further details: https://www.ugdsb.ca/schools/inclement-weather-procedures/

Immunization Records and WDGPH 

In January, some families may have received letters from Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) if their student has incomplete records on file. There are approximately 80 names on our list; please make sure your records are up-to-date.   Please note that the reporting deadline is March 1, 2024, by 4pm.  Should you have any questions, please call the WDGPH Client and Community Support Line: 1-800-265-7293 ext. 7006 (Monday–Friday 9am-4pm).  Families can report immunizations: 

You can also view current, overdue and upcoming immunizations. 

February 28th is Pink Shirt Day

The following are important messages from Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health:

  • Did you know that  #PinkShirtDay is February 28th? This day reminds us all to be kind and speak up when we or others around us are being bullied. Wear pink to show your support and let’s lift each other up every day! 
  • Did you know that 1 in 5 kids is affected by bullying. You can be the one being bullied, you can be the one watching someone else being bullied, or you can be the one hurting others. Be kind and speak up! 
  • Did you know that bullying happens with friends around more than 80% of the time. Bullying and/or being mean is NEVER okay. Show kindness, empathy, compassion every day, and speak up for others who don’t have a voice. Wear pink to show your support to end bullying on #PinkShirtDay February 28!
  • Learn more at PREVNet or call Bullying Canada 1-877-352-4497.

Human Sex Trafficking webinar

The UGDSB is pleased to offer parents and caregivers another webinar on Human Sex Trafficking. The webinar will include a presentation and a panel discussion. Please see the flier for more information, a link to view the webinar from last year if desired and a link to register.  AHST Poster Winter 2024.pdf

Cyber Scams and Phishing

A cyber scam is a criminal online activity designed to scam people out of money or personal information. 

Most Common Types of Online Scams: 

  • Phishing and Smishing is a technique to “fish” for usernames, passwords, and other sensitive information, from a “sea” of users – through emails or text messages. 
    • Phishing emails and smishing text messages may look like they’re from someone or a company you know or trust. 
    • These messages urge you to click a link, open an attachment, call a number or contact an email address.  The victim is then tricked into providing their personal information and credentials to other websites or services. 
    • Fake apps are apps created by cybercriminals to cause harm to users and their devices. They are designed to resemble legitimate apps but instead monitor your activity, install malware, or steal your personal information. 
    • Websites that sell fake products. These sites offer low priced high-demand products that never arrive. 
    • Formjacking is another scamming technique when a legitimate retail website is hacked. When a shopper enters their payment card information and hits submit, a malicious code collects the payment card number – as well as other personal information. 

How to Avoid Scams: 

  • Do not open attachments, do not click links and do not respond to suspicious messages – ask questions, consult people you trust, or contact the sender using an alternative communication method 
  • Avoid suspicious apps and deny permissions for something the app shouldn’t be doing 
  • Always use secure sites (look for the “s” in https://) when shopping or logging into your accounts online Buy products from known marketers only 
  • Do not post personal information on social media

Resources: 

Important Dates in February

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 February.  (Please note, these dates are subject to change, however the school calendar on the school website will be updated as required).

February 1 National Sweater Day
February 7-13 Wheelchair Basketball Program
February 8  Grade 8 Trip to Blue Mountain
February 14 School Council Danse-a-thon during the school day –  CARE shirt spirit day
February 15 Grade 2, 3 and 4, 5 Guelph Police Presentations with Officer Natasha
February 15 Kindergarten Communications of Learning and Grade 1-8 Report Cards available on the UGDSB Online Parent/Guardian Portal
February 15 Intermediate Girls Basketball Tournament at École Guelph Lake and Intermediate Boys Basketball Tournament at Rockwood Centennial PS
February 15 7:00 – Virtual Meeting for School Council Playground Planning Subcommittee using link: meet.google.com/yim-cwdu-vob 
February 16 Grade 8 Graduation Photos
February 19 Family Day – no school today
February 22 Mme Fildey, Mme Black, M. Gallagher and Mme Hambly’s classes to River Run
February 23 Wear Your School Colours/Spirit Wear Day
February 28 Pink Shirt Day

School Council Update

The School Council Dance-A-Thon will take place during the school day on Valentine’s Day (February 14).  The School Council’s Playground Planning Subcommittee will meet virtually February 15  at 7:00 p.m. using the meeting link http://meet.google.com/yim-cwdu-vob.  The School Council minutes from the January meetings are available on the School Council page of the school website.   Please save the date for the end of year School Council event which will take place on June 6, 2024.

Categories: Newsletters