Aberfoyle Public School

Important dates in December

Click on the pictures to see a small video to learn more!

Advent (Christian)- Dec 1-24

Chanukah (Judaism) Dec 25-Jan 2

      Yule/Winter Solstice Dec 21

Messages from the Office

LOST AND FOUND- Please encourage your child to pick up their missing items! Lost and Found will be on display until Dec 6 on the ramp. On Dec 6, the items will be bagged and prepared for donation. 

If your child is not going to be on the bus, please complete the form (link)  Pick Up Instead of Bus . It is found on the top purple bar on our website.

For all students who are signed off the bus, the office/Adult Bus Supervisor MUST be informed by a parent. We will not accept information given to us by a student only. We will hold the buses until we get verbal or text confirmation from a parent. 

If you bring your child in late, please report to the office. This applies to ALL grades. Ms Warden is sometimes busy or replaced by others who don’t have her magical power of knowing every person in the school. Please help us to keep all students safe and accounted for.

For security reasons, ALL visitors must report to the office upon arrival at the school. Even if you are dropping off materials, lunch or special surprises, a stop at the office is MANDATORY. We need to ensure that we do not have outside adults through the building.

Pizza

Pizza orders are currently up on Schoolcash Online for January-March. The deadline for ordering is December 16th

Dress Code

Both the Aberfoyle Code of Conduct and Board Code of Conduct state that students cannot wear:

● Clothing or accessories containing violent language or images Images, logos  depicting drugs, alcohol or any illegal item or activity.

● Images, logos or language that portray: ethnic prejudice, racism, sexism,vulgarity, gang-related markings, obscenities, profanity, hate speech, and/or pornography

Please monitor your child’s clothing to ensure that it complies with our dress code.

We are hiring

Early Morning Supervisor needed 8:00-8:45 daily - Are you looking for a rewarding paid part-time position? The job offers the chance to meet and greet children as they arrive at school each day by bus and by personal vehicle. We need you! Email, call or pop by the office for a chat with Mr Cloutier or Mrs Darroch to find out how you can join our dynamic team! 

Week of Giving

Our wonderful Social Justice and Community Builders groups have organized this meaningful week and have carefully chosen the organizations that the Aberfoyle community will be donating to this year. Please click the link for ideas about how your family can participate. 

Thank you for your generosity. Your contributions make a big difference!

Week of Giving

Dec 6- Warm and Fuzzy - Fuzzy Socks, slippers, warm and fuzzy sweaters, warm sweats are good things to wear. Doing kind deeds to make you feel warm and fuzzy. Telling someone that you care spreads good feelings.

Dec 13- Sparkle and Shine - Wear your sparkly clothes and your brightest smile!

Dec 20 - Comfy Cozy - PJs! Anything that makes you feel like you are wrapped in a hug!

Winter Concerts!

Kindergarten Winter Concert: Families of kindergarten students are welcome to come Tuesday December 17th at 11am to watch the kindergarten classes perform a variety of musical presentations. The performance will be in the gym.

Grade 1-6 Winter Concert: On Wednesday December 18th, classes will be performing for the students of Aberfoyle. Due to the size restriction of our gym, this performance will not be open to the public. However, all families will be sent a link Wednesday morning to watch a livestream of the performance and homeroom teachers will have the opportunity to share some pictures/videos with classroom families.

Our Spring Musical and Spring Concert will provide opportunities for families to come watch Aberfoyle students perform IN PERSON. Stay tuned for future details

Reading Partners Wanted for our Kindergartens! 

It takes lots of practice to become a fluent reader. Do you have a small bit of time during your week that you can come to our library, sit beside a student and guide them through a book? You don’t have to be an expert reader or skilled instructor to participate. This is an excellent opportunity for University students or retired folks too! If you or someone you know might be interested, please contact Mrs Darroch at theresa.darroch@ugdsb.on.ca

Volunteer Requirements

The safety of the children is most important, UGDSB requires that every volunteer must have a Vulnerable Sector Check and an Agreement form. Information about the process can be found below.

Steps to complete the check:

• Please complete this form so that we can send you the required volunteer letter from the school

• Visit https://www.opp.ca/index.php?id=147&lng=en

• Print and send in your completed check

• Print, sign and send in the volunteer agreement form

Please do not hesitate to call the office if you have any questions about this process.

Grade 7/8 Snowball Bash

On December 13, grade 7 and 8 students are invited to attend a Snowball Bash Fundraiser for the Food Bank.This dance will start at 1:10. There will be a games area for those students who would rather join with friends in a quieter space. The cost to get in is $5 or at least 3 canned items. Let’s dance!

Embracing the Holidays 

At Aberfoyle PS, we are very fortunate to host many different cultures, faiths and beliefs in our school community. At this time of year, some students are learning about holidays and traditions from many cultures. It’s an exciting time as students may be presented with topics that include lessons and crafts about Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and the Winter Solstice (Yule). When students hear the stories and traditions of others, they are enriched by their experience even as their own traditions and beliefs remain steadfast and strong. 

With the exception of classroom lessons based on specific traditions and celebrations as outlined in the Ontario Curriculum, holiday events and spirit days will remain secular with inclusion of every child being of the foremost importance. It is our goal as a school that every child feels represented, welcome and included at all times of the year. 

However your family celebrates the holiday season, the staff at Aberfoyle PS wish you joy, peace and goodwill. We will work to ensure the weeks of December are happy and productive for all of our students.

Inclement Weather

It is the parent’s responsibility to determine whether or not it is safe for his or her child to leave for school in inclement or severe weather. A parent must be aware of the following:

When a bus does not travel a route in the morning due to fog, ice, or snow conditions, it will NOT travel that route in the afternoon.

While we have an excellent transportation system, buses may be delayed in the morning due to traffic, poor road conditions, mechanical breakdowns, etc. To ensure your child is not stranded at his/her pick-up point, please make sure they know what to do and where to go if their bus is more than 15 minutes late.

The STWDSTS website (https://stwdsts.ca/)contains the most up-to-date information on school bus delays and cancellations. Cancellations will also be tweeted @stwdsts. An email will be sent to those subscribed to STWDSTS delays and cancellations.

STWDSTS will post information on bus cancellations on their website by 6:30 a.m. Information on school closures due to bus cancellations will also be posted to the STWDSTS website.

 Information on transportation cancellations or school closings due to severe weather is also available through CJOY 1460 AM or Magic 106.1 FM in the event of inclement weather. They will broadcast bus cancellations or school closures. Listen for messages for the City of Guelph -Yellow Card.