May newsletter
Spring has arrived and we’re thrilled to take our learning and playtime outside in the sunshine! To ensure your child stays dry, kindly send an extra pair of socks as there are many puddles on the yard.
The students and the DanceEd team once again will be wowing us with their ‘Hip Hop Remix! We’re grateful for the families who will be able to attend and proud of our students’ hard work.
Join us on May 18th for our annual Dessert Party, a fun community event that’s been tirelessly planned by School Council and the Dessert Party Committee. Enjoy dinner , games and participate in our silent auction.
Mental Health and Education Week is happening on May 1st with the theme “STRIVE Together! – Mental Health and Education Week 2023!” “STRIVE ensemble!: Semaine de la santé mentale et de l’éducation 2023!”
EQAO testing for grade 3 and 6 students will take place on the mornings of May 29th to June 1st.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me at any time to share ideas, suggestions or questions regarding your child’s education and school experiences. My door is open.
Carla Anderson
(519)822-6931, ext. 223
Human Development and Sexual Health
The Ministry of Education has requested that the Human Development and Sexual Health expectations from the 2010 Physical Education curriculum be taught to students. This education starts with children learning about themselves, their feelings, their bodies and about showing respect for themselves and others in a reliable and accurate way. This learning is most effective when parents and schools work together. Parents help their children form values about relationships and their behaviours. To support these discussions, we are letting parents know that this unit will be covered in May and June for Grades 1-6.
Primary and Junior Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics
The EQAO (Education Quality Accountability Office) testing for this school year will take place on May 29 to June 1st for our Grade 3 and 6 students. Thank you to parents for avoiding interruptions on these dates and sending your children to school with healthy lunches! If you have any questions about the assessment please contact Mrs. Anderson.
Head Lice
Spring often seems to be a time when we discover a higher number of cases of head lice. Thank you to parents for checking your child(ren)’s hair frequently and letting us know if and when you find these pesky creatures. For more information, please go to: http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/head_lice
Pride Flag
We will be flying the pride flag under the Canadian flag to symbolize that all are welcome here at Victory. All through the year we work on the themes of equity and inclusion.
Moving?
If you know that you will be moving out of our school area before the year is done, or during the summer months, please call us at 519-822-6931. This information helps us with our school organization and classroom planning for September, 2023.
2023 – 2024 Class Placements
At this point in time we are not sure of class configurations or teacher assignments for next year. We will be setting tentative organizations early in May. Teachers work as a team to make decisions about class placements of each student. Decisions are based on many criteria, including learning styles, work habits and social groupings.
If you would like to make a request based on your child’s learning needs, please send Ms. Anderson a written note or e-mail message with your request and reason before May 4th. Please note that requests will be taken into consideration along with a variety of other variables.
Class placements will not be announced before the first day of school on Tuesday, September 5, 2023. Please also note that class placement in September is always tentative. Once school has begun our board takes a look at enrollment board wide and makes adjustments according to numbers of students. There is often re-organization during the first two weeks which results in changes for some students and teachers.
Emergency Drills
As a reminder, each year our school must conduct drills to ensure staff and students are prepared in the event of a real emergency. Our school conducts fire drills, lockdown drills, tornado drills and bomb threat drills each year. The following number of drills are required each school year:
• Three (3) fire drills in the fall and three (3) fire drills in the spring
• Two (2) lockdown drills
• One (1) tornado drill
• One (1) bomb threat drill
For each of these drills, there is an education component to explain why they are necessary. All drills are conducted in a manner that is sensitive to the needs of our students.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.
Victory Public School EcoClub
Thank You!
We want to send a BIG thank you to our Victory community for your enthusiastic engagement in our April EcoClub initiatives. During our Waste Less Wednesdays we were able to celebrate many wonderful reusable containers that reduce the amount of waste we produce through food packaging. We also collected many recycled batteries throughout the month to go towards the Ontario Schools Battery Recycling Challenge.
Garden Fun!
As we look ahead to May and June, we hope you will join us in enjoying the Food and Pollinator Gardens that will begin growing. Stay tuned for more information about how you can support these gardens during the summer break through watering and weeding.
Warm Weather Clothing
As the warm weather arrives, many of us delight in putting away our winter jackets, hats, boots, scarves and mittens! With this change in wardrobe, we ask parents to remind students of appropriate dress for school.
This includes:
- for safety reason, ‘flip flop’ style shoes are not appropriate for school
- in gym classes, secure running shoes (not ‘Croc’ style shoes)
Thank you for your support in helping us maintain a school climate that is conducive to learning.
School Council Meeting Wednesday, May 3, 2023
230503_VPS Council Meeting Agenda_May 2023
Speed Limits in Elementary School Zones & Parking Areas
The City of Guelph has implemented reduced speed limits in elementary school zones across the city:
- 40 km/h speed limits on arterial roads, in effect on school days from 8:00-9:00 a.m. and 3:00-4:00 p.m.
- 30 km/h speed limits on collector and local roads, which will be in effect at all times.
There are ‘No Parking’ signs on Exhibition St. at the front of the school. You can stop your car to let children out, but please do not park and leave your vehicle. Also note that on Powell St. cars should not be stopping in the bus zone or across the street from the bus zone. Please take a look at the Traffic Management Plan on our school website.
Please obey speed limits in our school zones and parking signs. Let’s all work together to ensure a safe walking environment for students, parents, crossing guards, pedestrians, and cyclists.
Categories: News