GORDON HAPPENINGS

February has been a very busy month here at Gordon.  Classes participated in a number of activities that highlighted February being a Month of Kindness.  One example is the Kindergarten classes with their Month of Kindness letter writing campaign.   Please take a moment to visit our Gordon website to learn more.  Thank you to all the students and parents who wore pink on Wednesday for Pink Shirt day!  It is a good reminder that here at Gordon we are following out school code of conduct “Be Kind, Be Safe, Be Fair” every day.

This month was also Black History Month.  Students engaged in a number of activities that focused on Canada’s Black History.  Though February is a month to recognize this history, it needs to be a part of what we continually encompass into our curriculum.  A huge thank you to our Social Justice Club and Mme. Wardrop for supporting this recognition by creating posters, weekly announcements and producing a video to share with classes.  Each teacher also received an illustrated book to share with their class.  See below for an example of some of the books and a brief synopsis.

Thank you to everyone who is continuing to follow our school health and safety guidelines and doing the daily health check.  The VSB has updated its guidelines which can be found on their website.  We continue to strongly encourage all students to bring a mask to school as well as a water bottle or cup to keep at school.  That way students can use the water filling stations as we no longer have water fountains.  We also ask that parents wear masks while on school property and social distance.  Please drop your child off in the line-up and leave after waving good-bye.  That way there is not the perception that we have a large number of people all congregating at once.  One thing I have learned very quickly here at Gordon is how amazing this community is – thank you for working together to support each other and making everyone feel safe.

One other reminder is that we do not allow students to bring any toys to school but especially toys that even loosely resemble a weapon.  There are no weapons of any kind at school which is clearly outlined in the district code of conduct.  It is important that parents monitor what students are putting into their backpacks or bringing to school.  Thank you for your support.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

By now you would have heard from your child’s classroom teacher regarding conferences next Wednesday, March 3 and Thursday, March 4.  These conferences will be held either over the phone or through your child’s Microsoft Teams account.  A reminder that Wednesday and Thursday are early dismissal at 2 PM.

2021/2022 Notice of Return Form

We are organizing staffing for the 2021-2022 school year.  In order to calculate numbers for next year, it is important that we know which students will or will not be returning to Gordon Elementary for the 2021-2022 school year.  If you have a child in Kindergarten to Grade 6 this year, please fill in the form below for EACH child attending Gordon and submit it by MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2021. Please mark only ONE of the responses below. If you are waiting to hear about acceptance at another school or program, please indicate this in Question 5.  For families with children on Option 4, a District communication explaining the September enrolment process will be issued at the beginning of April.  Thank you for your prompt attention to this. Should your situation change before the end of the school year, please contact the office as soon as possible with any new information. No child will be transferred out of Gordon until a formal request is made from the new school.

Please click on the link: 2021/2022 NOTICE OF RETURN FORM

Lost & Found

Please take a minute to look through the pictures below and see if you recognize anything belonging to your child.  Everything is in the lost and found for your child to grab if it belongs to them.  We will look at maybe putting any unclaimed items outside the last week before Spring Break for parents to come pick up.

Books for Black History Month

When Little Mae was a child, she dreamed of dancing in space.  She imagined herself surrounded by billions of stars floating, gliding and discovering.  Follow Mae as she learns that if you can dream it and you work hard for it, anything is possible.  Inspired by the story of Mae Jamieson, the first African American women in space.

 

Every kid in Lola’s school was from somewhere else.  Hers was a school of faraway places.  So when Lola’s teacher asks the students to draw a picture of where their families emigrated from, all the kids are excited.  Except Lola.  She can’t remember the Island – she left when she was just a baby.  With the help of her family and friends, Lola learns about her families past and the meaning of her abuela’s words: “Just because you don’t remember a place doesn’t mean it’s not in you.”  This picture book is a celebration of creativity, diversity, and our imagination’s ability to connect us.

 

From humble roots in swinging Montreal, Oscar Peterson grew up to be a legendary jazz pianist who tickled the ivories all around the world.  But the piano was not his first love when it came to instruments – this is a tale of a little boy who is forced to give up an instrument he loves – and who finds his way back to a passion for music that would last a lifetime.

 

On the night of November 8th 1946, Nova Scotia businesswoman Viola Desmond stood up for her right to be in the “unofficial” whites-only section of a New Glasgow movie theatre . . . and was arrested for it. Viola took her quest for the right to freedom from discrimination to the courts. While she ultimately did not succeed, she was a beacon to other early civil-rights activists. Her sister Wanda worked hard to promote Viola’s legacy, which has been finally honoured by Viola’s inclusion on the new Canadian $10 bill.

This is a love letter to America.  To black America.  To the grit, passion, and perseverance of our greatest artists, athletes, and activists.  With references to lyrics and lines originally shared by our most celebrated heroes, this poem digs into the not-so-distant past to underline the endurance and spirit of those surviving and thriving in the present.