May Newsletter

GORDON HAPPENINGS

You might have felt the collective sigh of relief amongst the staff here at Gordon when it was announced that we would be receiving our vaccinations.  We are very grateful that we have this opportunity to protect ourselves and the community.  Though we still need to continue with all our Health & Safety protocols, we are beginning to see a light at the end of our really long tunnel.  We really appreciate everything you as parents and care-givers are doing towards keeping everyone safe and well.

I also wanted to thank PAC and especially Erin Lee for organizing a very informative and inspiring evening with speaker Michelle Wing where parents looked at anti-racism and decolonization including how parents can talk about these topics at home and how we as a school community can support these conversations.  The VSB is committed to supporting these initiatives and all VSB staff will be attending an anti-racism workshop on September 7th, 2021.  We as a school will also begin the process of reexamining learning through a lens of equity that centers our BIPOC and marginalized students.

It is that time of year where we begin the process of organizing our school for next year.  On our school website is our Class Placement Parent Information Form.  This is not a form that parents can use to request what class they would like their child to be placed in next year.  It is an opportunity to provide the school with additional information about your child’s learning profile that we will consider in collaboration with class placements.  Please reflect carefully on the information provided on the form.  These forms can be submitted directly to the office but note that forms will not be accepted after Friday, May 28th and if names of staff members are used.

SCHOOL FEES 2021-2022

Please click here to view our school fees for the 2021-2022 school year.  These fees are collected at the beginning of the school year through our SchoolCashOnline system.

EARTH DAY

The Social Justice Club and the Dream Green Club would like to send a huge thank you to the Gordon Community for supporting their Earth Day initializes.  Thanks to your generous donations, we have raised $1150 which will plant 230 trees!  This is way past our goal of 100 trees.  Look for a special acknowledgment coming soon on the Gordon website.  We also want to thank all the students who wore blue and green and brought a litterless lunch to school.  Thank you for your support!

GARDEN BEDS

Students are very excited about seeing their hard work growing in our garden beds.  A number of divisions have been learning about where our food comes from and how to grow our food.  Besides the garden beds, classes have also been part of a project called “spuds in tubs” where they are growing potatoes in pots.  To learn more click here.  As tempting as it is for kids to explore and play in the garden beds, we would appreciate your support in reminding your children that our garden beds are part of our outdoor classrooms and that they need to be respected.  Our teachers and students are very proud of our garden and would like to see their hard work rewarded with a bountiful crop to harvest.

SPRING WEATHER

As the weather gets nicer so does the need to dress and prepare ourselves for the sun.  Please remember to send your child to school with a hat, cool clothing and suntan lotion already on.  We will not be able to apply suntan lotion to children because of our health and safety measures.  Don’t forget their water bottle as well.  We only have water filling stations and not water fountains.  Thanks for your support!

BIG ONE AT 2

Traditionally, the VSB has held their annual Earthquake Drill throughout the whole district on May 6th at 2PMThe drill gives us a chance to review the supplies in our Earthquake Bin, ensure each staff member knows their important roles in case of a real disaster as well as practicing our student release procedures.  However, with Covid we will only be practicing our Drop-Cover and Hold in the classroom and not doing a school wide evacuation.  Teachers will be going over with their classes what the expectations are if it was a real emergency.  Please speak to your child’s teacher if you feel this will bring up any strong emotions for your child.

The district has moved the date of our full Earthquake Drill to October 21st as part of the Great BC ShakeOut.  This is a great reminder to review your own emergency preparedness at home and talk about what you as a family would do if there was a natural disaster.

SUMMER SCHOOL

Registration: May 4, 8:00 a.m. – June 4, 11:59 p.m.

In response to the pandemic, the VSB’s 2021 Summer School program will only be offered to students currently enrolled in a Vancouver public school. The following schools will offer a limited number of courses with health and safety protocols in place.

Please note that changing Public Health Orders may require adjustments to Summer School instructional delivery.

Elementary Program – See Program Information

Nootka Elementary – 3375 Nootka Street
Tecumseh Elementary – 1850 41st Avenue East
Trafalgar Elementary – 4170 Trafalgar Street
Van Horne Elementary – 5855 Ontario Street

Grade 1-7 Remedial and Consolidation (Literary, Numeracy, Science) courses. Teachers will provide in-person instruction.

    • July 6 to 23 (9:00 am – 11:52 am; 12:30 pm – 3:22 pm).

Students are limited to one Ministry Funded course and must register in their current grade level as of June 30, 2021. Students can register in as many fee-based courses that fit in their schedule.

Please visit the VSB website for more information.