{"id":102,"date":"2021-02-26T12:48:10","date_gmt":"2021-02-26T20:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/?p=102"},"modified":"2021-02-26T12:48:10","modified_gmt":"2021-02-26T20:48:10","slug":"march-newsletter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/2021\/02\/26\/march-newsletter\/","title":{"rendered":"March Newsletter"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>GORDON HAPPENINGS<\/h1>\n<p><strong><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-118 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/Spring-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"239\" height=\"183\" \/>February has been a very busy month here at Gordon.\u00a0 Classes participated in a number of activities that highlighted February being a <em>Month of Kindness<\/em>.\u00a0 One example is the Kindergarten classes with their <em>Month of Kindness<\/em> letter writing campaign.\u00a0 \u00a0Please take a moment to visit our Gordon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vsb.bc.ca\/schools\/general-gordon\/Pages\/default.aspx\">website<\/a> to learn more.\u00a0 Thank you to all the students and parents who wore pink on Wednesday for Pink Shirt day!\u00a0 It is a good reminder that here at Gordon we are following out school code of conduct &#8220;<em>Be Kind, Be Safe, Be Fair<\/em>&#8221; every day.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This month was also Black History Month.\u00a0 Students engaged in a number of activities that focused on Canada&#8217;s Black History.\u00a0 Though February is a month to recognize this history, it needs to be a part of what we continually encompass into our curriculum.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Each teacher also received an illustrated book to share with their class.\u00a0 See below for an example of some of the books and a brief synopsis.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you to everyone who is continuing to follow our school health and safety guidelines and doing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vsb.bc.ca\/schools\/general-gordon\/About-Us\/news\/_layouts\/15\/ci\/post.aspx?oaid=ce69ea19-7ecc-4462-8ccc-92d20384644e&amp;oact=20001\">daily health check<\/a>.\u00a0 The VSB has updated its guidelines which can be found on their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vsb.bc.ca\/News\/Documents\/In-School%20Instruction%20Stage%202%20Safe%20Work%20Protocols%20COVID%20-%20V3%20FEBRUARY%202021.pdf\">website<\/a>.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 That way students can use the water filling stations as we no longer have water fountains.\u00a0 We also ask that parents wear masks while on school property and social distance.\u00a0 Please drop your child off in the line-up and leave after waving good-bye.\u00a0 That way there is not the perception that we have a large number of people all congregating at once.\u00a0 One thing I have learned very quickly here at Gordon is how amazing this community is &#8211; <em><strong>thank you for working together to support each other and making everyone feel safe.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>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.\u00a0 There are no weapons of any kind at school which is clearly outlined in the district code of conduct.\u00a0 It is important that parents monitor what students are putting into their backpacks or bringing to school.\u00a0 Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n<h2>Parent\/Teacher Conferences<\/h2>\n<p>By now you would have heard from your child&#8217;s classroom teacher regarding conferences next Wednesday, March 3 and Thursday, March 4.\u00a0 These conferences will be held either over the phone or through your child&#8217;s <em>Microsoft Teams<\/em> account.\u00a0 A reminder that Wednesday and Thursday are <strong>early dismissal at 2 PM<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>2021\/2022 Notice of Return Form<\/h2>\n<p>We are organizing staffing for the 2021-2022 school year.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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 <em><strong>MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2021<\/strong><\/em>. 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.\u00a0 For families with children on Option 4, a District communication explaining the September enrolment process will be issued at the beginning of April.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n<p>Please click on the link: <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.office.com\/Pages\/ResponsePage.aspx?id=WC6KCzB7CEq6t9dVWeDjpQsbNyVC5GlIj56sJLnB7vJUMkFVNFA3TThZQkQ0RU9XT1RIVlozNFQ3Ui4u\">2021\/2022 NOTICE OF RETURN FORM<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Lost &amp; Found<\/h2>\n<p>Please take a minute to look through the pictures below and see if you recognize anything belonging to your child.\u00a0 Everything is in the lost and found for your child to grab if it belongs to them.\u00a0 We will look at maybe putting any unclaimed items outside the last week before Spring Break for parents to come pick up.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-109\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-1-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-1-560x420.jpg 560w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-1-260x195.jpg 260w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-1-160x120.jpg 160w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-1-rotated.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-110\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-2-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-2-560x420.jpg 560w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-2-260x195.jpg 260w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-2-160x120.jpg 160w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-2-rotated.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-111\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-3-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-3-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-3-560x420.jpg 560w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-3-260x195.jpg 260w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-3-160x120.jpg 160w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-3-rotated.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-112\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-4-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-4-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-4-560x420.jpg 560w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-4-260x195.jpg 260w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-4-160x120.jpg 160w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-4-rotated.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-113\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-5-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-5-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-5-560x420.jpg 560w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-5-260x195.jpg 260w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-5-160x120.jpg 160w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-5-rotated.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-114\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-6-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-6-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-6-560x420.jpg 560w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-6-260x195.jpg 260w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-6-160x120.jpg 160w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-6-rotated.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-115\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-7-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-7-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-7-560x420.jpg 560w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-7-260x195.jpg 260w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-7-160x120.jpg 160w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-7-rotated.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-116\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-8-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-8-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-8-560x420.jpg 560w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-8-260x195.jpg 260w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-8-160x120.jpg 160w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-8-rotated.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-117\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-9-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-9-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-9-560x420.jpg 560w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-9-260x195.jpg 260w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-9-160x120.jpg 160w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/pic-9-rotated.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Books for Black History Month<\/h2>\n<p style=\"letter-spacing: 0.8px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-104 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/Mae-Among-the-Stars-234x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"109\" height=\"135\" \/><\/p>\n<p>When Little Mae was a child, she dreamed of dancing in space.\u00a0 She imagined herself su<span style=\"letter-spacing: 0.05em\">rrounded by billions of stars floating, gliding and discovering.\u00a0 Follow Mae as she learns that if you can dream it and you work hard for it, anything is possible.\u00a0 Inspired by the story of Mae Jamieson, the first African American women in space.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-105 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/Islandborn-233x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"132\" height=\"162\" \/>Every kid in Lola&#8217;s school was from somewhere else.\u00a0 Hers was a school of faraway places.\u00a0 So when Lola&#8217;s teacher asks the students to draw a picture of where their families emigrated from, all the kids are excited.\u00a0 Except Lola.\u00a0 She can&#8217;t remember the Island &#8211; she left when she was just a baby.\u00a0 With the help of her family and friends, Lola learns about her families past and the meaning of her abuela&#8217;s words: &#8220;Just because you don&#8217;t remember a place doesn&#8217;t mean it&#8217;s not in you.&#8221;\u00a0 This picture book is a celebration of creativity, diversity, and our imagination&#8217;s ability to connect us.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-107 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/Oscar-Lives-Next-Door-244x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"106\" height=\"127\" \/><\/p>\n<p>From humble roots in swinging Montreal, Oscar Peterson grew up to be a legendary jazz pian<span style=\"letter-spacing: 0.05em\">ist who tickled the ivories all around the world.\u00a0 But the piano was not his first love when it came to instruments &#8211; this is a tale of a little boy who is forced to give up an instrument he loves &#8211; and who finds his way back to a passion for music that would last a lifetime.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>On the night of November 8th 1946, Nova Scotia <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-106 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/Meet-Viola-Desmond-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"142\" height=\"142\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/Meet-Viola-Desmond-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/Meet-Viola-Desmond-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/Meet-Viola-Desmond-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/Meet-Viola-Desmond-768x767.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/Meet-Viola-Desmond-560x560.jpg 560w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/Meet-Viola-Desmond-260x260.jpg 260w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/Meet-Viola-Desmond-160x160.jpg 160w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/Meet-Viola-Desmond.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 142px) 100vw, 142px\" \/>businesswoman Viola Desmond stood up for her right to be in the \u201cunofficial\u201d 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&#8217;s legacy, which has been finally honoured by Viola&#8217;s inclusion on the new Canadian $10 bill.<\/p>\n<p>Th<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-108 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/The-Undefeated-2-300x293.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"146\" height=\"143\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/The-Undefeated-2-300x293.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/The-Undefeated-2-560x546.jpg 560w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/The-Undefeated-2-260x254.jpg 260w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/The-Undefeated-2-160x156.jpg 160w, https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/files\/2021\/02\/The-Undefeated-2.jpg 615w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 146px) 100vw, 146px\" \/>is<span style=\"letter-spacing: 0.05em\">\u00a0is a love letter to America.\u00a0 To black America.\u00a0 To the grit, passion, and perseverance of our greatest artists, athletes, and activists.\u00a0 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.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>GORDON HAPPENINGS February has been a very busy month here at Gordon.\u00a0 Classes participated in a number of activities that highlighted February being a Month of Kindness.\u00a0 One example is the Kindergarten classes with their Month of Kindness letter writing campaign.\u00a0 \u00a0Please take a moment <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/2021\/02\/26\/march-newsletter\/\" title=\"March Newsletter\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":403,"featured_media":118,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsletter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/403"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102\/revisions\/136"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/gordon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}