S.D. #38

(Richmond)

S C H O O L N E W S NEWSLETTER #1

École élémentaire James Gilmore Elementary School 8380 Elsmore Road, Richmond, B.C. V7C 2A1

Phone 604-668-6268 Fax 604-668-6134 Early Warning 604-668-6637 E-mail: gilmore@sd38.bc.ca Website:gilmore.sd38.bc.ca Twitter: @gilmoregriffins

Mr. Mark David Ms. Naomi Hazon Principal / Directeur Vice Principal / Directrice adjointe September 11, 2017 Dear Families: Welcome back to a new school year at Gilmore Elementary. We hope that everyone had an adventurous, relaxing and family filled summer. A warm welcome is extended to our new families, both those in kindergarten and those with older children. We are excited for you to join the Griffin community and wish you all the best in the upcoming year of many new learning experiences. Remember that communication with your child’s teacher is always the best method for fostering success for your child in school. Please contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions about their progress or their educational program. Welcome to Our New Staff Please join us in welcoming: • Ms. N. Hazon (Vice Principal) • Mrs. J. Tolman (Resource Teacher) • Ms. L. Dolbec (Educational Assistant) • Mrs. O. Svalestuen (Area Counsellor)

There have also been other staff changes

over the summer. Mme Hunter-Mogg will be Gilmore’s new Librarian. Mme Porter will be teaching Div. 9 (Gr. 1/2 F.I.). Ms. Ingham will be our ELL

support for primary students. We have a new rule regarding students’ use of cell phones in the foyer. Effective immediately, the foyer will be a cell phone free zone. New Bell Schedule

There will be some changes to Gilmore’s bell schedule this school year. Specifically, we will no longer have a reverse lunch. Lunch will begin at 12:20 p.m. and will finish at 1:05 p.m.

As well, Doors will open at 8:30am in the morning.

2017/2018 Class Placements The first week of school was an opportunity for everyone to settle and for the staff to review placements decisions as we received updates on our school population. We appreciated your patience as we finalized our numbers, our staffing allotment and our class lists. The process of making sure students are in the best learning environment is one which staff took very seriously and put great thought into. We will send home a package of information this week. Drop Off / Parking

Parents are reminded that the drop off & parking area is on Kelmore. The main school entrance on Elsmore is for staff and families that have children in the West Richmond Before and After School

Care program. Thank you for helping to make the journey to school a safe one! Early Warning An important reminder for parents & guardians: If your child is going to be late or absent, please call the Gilmore EARLY WARNING (604)668-6637 before 8:45 a.m. to let the school know. Your cooperation and diligence in this program helps to ensure your child’s safety. Meet the Staff Night

“Meet Your Teacher” night is scheduled for Tuesday, September 19th from 4:30 until 5:00 p.m. followed by an

introduction of all Gilmore staff, and then a Family Pizza Night.

More information will be forthcoming.

Red Cross Babysitting Course A babysitting course will be offered at Gilmore on Friday, October 20th from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. The course is open to interested Grade 6+ students.

Babysitting with First Aid Hero emphasizes learning through real life scenarios. Information covered includes: Exploring the business of babysitting, creating safe environments, safely caring for ages 0-12, and first aid skills. The cost is $60 + GST. Please register online at: http://www.firstaidhero.com/babysitting-vancouver.html Jesse Miller Presentation Jesse Miller, an anti-bullying expert, will be at Gilmore on Thursday, September 14th from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. for a presentation on cyber-bullying. Interested parents and guardians are invited to attend this informative session. Terry Fox Run – September 15 @ 1:45

The Gilmore School Terry Fox Run will take place on Friday, September 15th at 1:45 p.m. Please dress

appropriately (hats would be a very good idea) and wear sunscreen. Juice will be provided to all staff and students following the run. We are requesting that students bring a “Toonie for Terry” and all donations will be accepted throughout the week. The Richmond Community Run will be on Sunday, September 17th at Garry Point Park at 9:00 a.m. Safety at Lunch Time This is a reminder to all parents and students that leaving the school grounds over the lunch hour is not permitted without written permission from a parent or guardian. A Message Regarding Allergies

Anaphylaxis is a very severe allergic reaction that can become fatal. There are several students at Gilmore who have a severe allergy to nuts and peanuts. If you see a sign on the door of your child’s

classroom that says “Tree Nut / Peanut Free Zone”, we respectfully ask that you avoid foods in your child’s snack or lunch that contain nuts and/or peanut products. The school appreciates your caring attention to this request.

Newsletters via E-mail We are continuing to distribute our school newsletter via email to the families of Gilmore. Each family will be receiving a

walking field trip permission slip, along with authorization and email address confirmation for the school newsletter. There will be some ‘hard copies’ of the newsletter available in the front foyer for families who do not have internet access. Please inform the school of any changes to your address or email, to ensure that our records are up to date. Photo Day – October 11 Individual student photos will be taken on Wednesday, October 11th. Agenda Books and School Fees

The Richmond Board of Education provides students with basic school supplies at a cost of $30.00. This optional program is both convenient and

cost effective. At Gilmore Elementary, Divisions 2, 3, 4, 5 ,6, 7, and 8 use an agenda book as a planning and communication tool. Payment for the cost of this book ($5.00) is requested with the fees for the basic school supplies.

A $25.00 cooking/craft fee for Kindergarten students only is requested to cover cost for arts & crafts and cooking projects throughout the year.

Bell Schedule: 8:30 - Doors Open 8:45 - Attendance 8:45 – 9:35 - Block 1 9:35 – 10:25 - Block 2

10:25 – 10:40 - Recess 10:40 – 11:30 - Block 3 11:30 – 12:20 - Block 4

12:20 – 1:05 - Lunch (12:35 – 1:00 playtime) 1:05 – 1:55 - Block 5 1:55 – 2:43 - Block 6

Online Payments Paying school items just got easier. Sign up to get started today! Once registered, future payments of school-related fees can be paid online. In order to register, please obtain your child's student ID number from the office, and then follow these steps: 1) Visit the School Cash Online homepage at: https://richmondsd38.schoolcashonline.com/

2) Select "Get Started Today" to create your profile 3) Check your inbox for the confirmation email and

click the confirmation link to confirm your email address.

4) Add a student to your account by filling in the required information about your child.

5) If you have more children you would like to add, select "Add Another Student" and repeat the steps above.

6) Once all of your children have been added, select "View Items for Students", which will list all available items or activities for purchase.

Switching to online payments will be convenient for Gilmore families, and will help the school to reduce the amount of Cash and Cheques collected. Please see the attached FAQs sheets for further info.

Important Dates for the 2017-2018 School Year Pro-D Day (no school) Friday, September 22 Thanksgiving Day

Monday, October 9 Individual Photo Day Wednesday, October 11 Provincial PSA Day PD Day (no school) Friday, October 20 Remembrance Day (Statutory Holiday) Monday, November 13 Curriculum Implementation Day (no school) Friday, November 24 School Closes for Winter Vacation Friday, December 22 Winter Vacation Period (inclusive) December 23 through January 5 School Reopens after Winter Vacation Monday, January 8 BC Family Day Monday, February 12 Professional Development Day (no school) Friday, February 23 School Closes for spring vacation Thursday, March 15 Spring Vacation Period (inclusive) March 16 to March 29 Good Friday Friday, March 30 Easter Monday Monday, April 2 School Reopens after Spring Vacation & Easter Monday, April 3 District Professional Development Day (no school) Friday, May 18 Victoria Day Monday, May 21 Last Day for Students Wednesday, June 27 Professional Development Day (no school) Thursday, June 28 School Closed Friday, June 29

September 2017

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

LABOUR DAY ( n o s c h o o l )

1st Day of School Students to New Classes

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Assembly

10:45 a.m. PAC Kindergarten Welcome 9 - 10:30 am

Jesse Miller Presentation 9 – 10:00 am

Terry Fox Assemb ly

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 “Meet Your

Teacher” / Family Pizza Night 4:30-6:30 pm

Rosh Hashanah

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

PRO-D DAY ( n o s c h o o l )

PAC Mtg 6:30pm Yom Kippur

Upcoming Events • PAC K Welcome Sept 13 • Terry Fox Assembly Sept 15 • Meet the Teacher Sept 19 • Pro-D Day Sept 25