GORDON HAPPENINGS
It was wonderful seeing so many parents at our dance performance. The students were very excited to show off their moves! Thanks again to Jess Dance and our instructor, Kyle. The Student and Family Affordability fund has allowed us to off-set costs to families. One example is we were able to use this fund to pay for our dance program. We have also been able to support individual families with groceries, hot lunches, and clothing. Please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher or Sharlene Steele, Principal if your family could use some help. All requests are kept confidential.
It seems winter is not done on the West Coast yet. Please make sure your child is dressed for the weather. There are a number of sweaters and coats in our lost and found so please come into the school to have a look if your child has misplaced anything.
February is a month that we highlight how deeply affected students can be by bullying. Our counsellor last year spoke to our PAC and created a parent guide that talks about the difference between Peer Conflict, Mean Behaviour and Bullying. The vast majority of behaviour we see at school is either peer conflict or mean behaviour. Please take a moment to read through this document (click on the link above or visit our Gordon website) and have a discussion with your child. You can either talk about or draw different scenarios and what type of behaviour they think it is. We would also love to see parents at our next in-person PAC meeting where our new counsellor, Kerri Smith, will be talking about peer conflict, mean behaviour and bullying and strategies your child can use so everyone at Gordon feels safe and heard.
Lastly, I would like to wish everyone who celebrates Lunar New Year a prosperous new year. May this year bring you good health and good fortune! Below are just two of many activities classes did to honour Lunar New Year. 
This month the Kindergarten students have been learning about Lunar New Year.
Here are a few things they learned:
“It’s the year of the rabbit”
“In Vietnam it’s the year of the cat”
“I am a rooster”
“You can get a red envelope with money inside; we got one with a chocolate coin”
“We made a dragon and lanterns”
“There is a calendar that has different animals on it like a rat and a snake”
The students collaborated with their buddies in Divisions 4 and 9 to create a paper plate dragon. Each student painted a paper plate colour wheel, using pri
mary colours and secondary colours. They were extremely proud of the finished product.
Division 7 painted and drew rabbits because 2023 is the year of the rabbit. We used red, orange and yellow because those are Lunar New Year colours. ~ Srisht, Div. 7
CSL REPORT CARDS
Report cards go home to families on Tuesday, January 31. I would like to acknowledge how hard all our students have worked this term and that these report cards should be a cause for celebration. Families should take the time to review their child’s report card with them and recognize the hard work and accomplishments that they have made in their learning journey, as well as how they can support and encourage their child in their areas of growth.
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
Priority registration for next year’s Kindergarten students ends on Tuesday, January 31st. Families must register online and submit their documents to the school before this deadline. As we are considered a full school, there will be a lottery for entrance into Gordon if our registrations exceed the number of spaces we have. Any family that registers after this deadline will only be considered after our waitlisted students.
UPCOMING EVENTS
February is Black History Month. Each year, the Vancouver School District marks Black History Month through a number of events and school-based activities. This year, teachers and students will be participating in activities that honour and celebrate Canada’s Black History and how all of us can make a conscious effort through our thoughts and actions to make this a community and world where everyone feels accepted and valued.
Wednesday, February 22 is Pink Shirt Day. Our SOGI Club is VERY grateful to all the families who bought one of our very own Gordon Pink Shirts. We had 139 orders and over 200 shirts sold! Shirts will be delivered to the school and distributed to the classrooms before Feb. 23. When we have an exact timeline, we will be sending out reminders.
PAC NEWS
Make sure you stay up to date on all that is happening with Gordon PAC. Please visit their website- gordonpac.ca for all the news including Hot Lunch, PAC meetings and to sign up for their newsletter.