We continue our spotlight of notable Black Canadians, past and present:
Lincoln Alexander (1922-2012)
Lincoln Alexander was the first Black Canadian Member of Parliament, and later the first Black Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. He dedicated his life to public service and was a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion. His message: “We all must strive to create a society of equality, where everyone’s talents are valued.”
In February, Glenbrook staff and students highlight a variety of activities around Black Heritage, Black Brilliance, and Black Futures. We are shining the spotlight each day on notable Black Canadians, past and present. Today's spotlight is: Viola Desmond (1914-1965). Viola Desmond was a courageous businesswoman who challenged racial segregation in Nova Scotia. In 1946, she refused to leave a "whites-only" section of a movie theater, leading to her arrest. She became a symbol of resistance, and today, she's celebrated as a trailblazer for civil rights in Canada. Her message: “Stand up for what is right, even when it’s hard.”
POPCORN DAY returns tomorrow! For $2 per bag, students can choose from a variety of flavours of popcorn, while supporting our grade 8 graduating class!
Glenbrook is closed today: INCLEMENT WEATHER NOTICE - WED. JAN. 29:
Schools in Zone 4 (Dufferin) are CLOSED to students and staff. Be safe!
INCLEMENT WEATHER NOTICE - WED. JAN. 29: Schools in Zone 3 (North Wellington) and Zone 4 (Dufferin) are CLOSED to students and staff. Schools in Zones 1 and 2 are open as normal today.
Today is the last day to order pizza for the next round of Pizza Days!
All UGDSB families are advised to be prepared for cold weather tomorrow morning. Please dress accordingly and take precautions with the cold temperatures. Bus families are reminded to check the Transportation website in the morning for possible impacts to school transportation: https://stwdsts.ca/.
The UGDSB wants to remind families of some important deadlines that are approaching, including deadlines for Kindergarten Registration, Junior Kindergarten FI Registration and Out of Area/Out of District applications for next school year: https://www.ugdsb.ca/article/7231
During extreme cold temperatures, we want to ensure parents that we closely monitor the temperature and wind chill throughout the day. Because fresh air and physical activity are vital for student learning, we do try and go outside, even in cold weather, for short periods of time. Please ensure that your child is dressed in warm layers. Sometimes, particularly when windchill temperatures fall below -25, we will keep students in for recess. However, educators may still take their classes out for 10 minutes of supervised body breaks and fresh air.
Parents/guardians are invited to attend a free webinar on EQAO math assessments. EQAO staff will discuss math questions that Ontario students encounter when they participate in Ontario’s large-scale assessments. These assessments are taken by all Ontario students in Grades 3, 6 and 9: https://www.ugdsb.ca/article/7217
Remember your $2 for Popcorn Day tomorrow! Help support our grade 8 graduation!
Popcorn Day is back!
On Wednesday, January 15, in conjunction with Parent Council, our grade 8s will be selling popcorn. All proceeds will go towards supporting the Grade 8 year-end trip and Grade 8 Graduation. Popcorn will cost $2.00 a bag, cash only on the day of. Students will not be permitted to use the phone to call home for money.
The following flavours will be available for purchase:
White Cheddar
Butter Salt
Dill Pickle
Salt and Vinegar
Chipotle Cheddar
Sweet and Salty
Students will be able to purchase their popcorn at second nutrition break. Kindergarten and Primary classes will have their popcorn sorted and brought to them for second nutrition break.
Thank you for your support!
Glenbrook's Grade 8 Students
As you may already be aware, we experienced a power outage at school this morning, along with the other Shelburne schools. The outage was brief and did not require any relocation of classes or interruption to learning. Admin and support staff circulated through the halls and classrooms, ensuring that students were safe and happy.
For those of you who have noticed a few changes around the school, we have transitioned to a new Lockdown Notification System:
A message from the board: We are writing to inform you about an important update regarding our emergency notification systems. As part of our ongoing commitment to safety and security, we will be replacing the existing Lockdown notification
system with a more advanced Lockdown Notification Systems in all our schools.
The current system has served us well over the years, but recent advancements in technology have provided us with an opportunity to enhance our emergency response capabilities. The UGDSB Lockdown Notification System offers several key benefits, including automated announcements, sirens, flashing lights, clear signage and email notifications to key stakeholders for expedient actions during critical situations.
As always, we will continue to notify our school community in advance of any practice drills but wanted to make sure you were aware of the enhancements to the current system we have in place at school.
Free parenting workshops from the Parent Support Network! See attached flyer for details.
ICYMI: As winter continues to roll on, a reminder of our inclement weather procedures: https://www.ugdsb.ca/article/6033
Happy 2025! A few reminders as we ease back into healthy routines this week: It is Pizza Day on Thursday, and our next school-wide Spirit Day and Challenge on Friday! For the Spirit Day, we are getting silly and having a Backwards Day, and our Challenge is Random Acts of Kindness! Welcome back, Grizzlies, we missed you!
Some fun things planned for this week as so many of our staff and students celebrate a variety of upcoming holidays! Wear red/green/white on Tuesday to recognize Christmas! On Wednesday it's red/black/green day to recognize Kwanzaa! Wear blue/white/silver on Thursday for Hanukkah! To round out the week ahead of winter break, Friday is PJ/comfy clothes day, and our challenge is 'helping hands!' Who can you offer some extra help to on Friday?
Our Winter Wonderland and Art Show was an incredible success! How wonderful to have our community gather to support our school and enjoy the artistic creations of our students from K - 8. A huge shout out to our School Council for their time and effort in organizing this event! Also, to our Student Leadership group, led by Mr. Clost and Ms. White.
Winter Wonderland and Art Show! Today is the day, we hope to see you and your families at Glenbrook this evening, 6:00 - 8:30.