From the Principal's Desk - April 14, 2025 | École Arbour Vista Public School

Good morning Arbour Vista families!

As we step into another week at École Arbour Vista , our students are bustling with energy. Let’s see what exciting developments this week holds for our community!

Safe Access to Schools:

The Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) is committed to providing a safe, secure learning and working environment for students, staff, and visitors. All elementary schools are upgrading their door access systems and will consistently have their exterior doors locked during the school day.

This board wide project of upgrading the system used to access elementary school sites across the district is coming to our school. We will update you when we have an expected install date.

In the meantime, parents, guardians, and volunteers are as always welcome to attend the school as per usual, however will need to use a door bell or the phone number that will be posted to contact the office window prior to having the doors opened. All visitors to schools are still required to sign in at the school’s main office and wear a badge/sticker identifying them as a visitor to the school once signed in. We will implement this change as of Tuesday April 22, 2025.

If you would like additional information please see the link below which will take you to the board’s website and to Policy / Procedures 322 that outlines the management of access to schools sites across the system: https://www.ugdsb.ca/o/ugdsb/page/policy-322-safe-operation-of-schools-and-board-sites

EQAO Math Night for Parents and Guardians

Join for a free live webinar where EQAO staff will discuss math questions that Ontario students encounter when they participate in Ontario’s large-scale assessments. These assessments are taken by all Ontario students in Grades 3, 6 and 9. During the webinar, EQAO staff will show how these math questions help assess the skills students are learning in their math classes. Staff will also share valuable insights from the past three years of assessment results, which can help parents and guardians support their children’s math learning.

Register

Cookie Fundraiser

We’re kicking off a Cookie Dough Drop Fundraiser to help offset the cost of the Grade 8 Year-End Trip! Choose from a variety of delicious flavors, including vegan and gluten-free options, and stock up on ready-to-bake cookie dough the whole family will love. Order pick up will be May 14th.

Campaign Dates: April 9 – April 30
Order Online: All orders are to be placed through CashOnline

Your support helps make this special trip more affordable for our students. Thank you for your generosity—happy baking!

Class Building for 2025-2026 School Year

The planning process for the 2025-2026 school has started. Over the next couple of months, staff will spend many hours developing class lists based on a detailed set of criteria. We take this process very seriously and do our best to plan for the success of all of our students at Arbour Vista.

The planning process takes the following into account.

learning partners
ability groups – learning groups
needs of students
friendships
separating some students due to relationship issues depending on the number of classrooms
balance of gender/non-binary
behavioural needs/ dynamics between students
combined classrooms are not streamed (for example, a 2/3 split is not high achieving grade 2’s and low achieving grade 3’s)

We will not be taking any class placement requests for September 2025. If your child has an exceptional circumstance that is not covered above and requires consideration when doing class placements, please email me directly at shashana.hare@ugdsb.on.ca prior to May 5th, 2025.

Parent Guest Speaker Event/In-Person Council Event

Arbour Vista is excited to welcome Michael Jacques, author of Can’t Read, Can’t Write, Here’s My Book and I Belong: Can I Play?, on May 6th during Mental Health and Education Week (May 5–9). In addition to his visit with students, Michael will stay for a special presentation for adults, where he will share his life experiences to highlight the power of belonging. Diagnosed with autism and an intellectual disability at a young age, Michael's story is both inspiring and impactful.

Please RSVP if you plan on attending this event.

Tick Information

Tick season is beginning. Please see the memos below with helpful information from Public Health regarding ticks and Lyme Disease.

Blacklegged Tick and Lyme Disease

https://wdgpublichealth.ca/your-community/ticks-lyme-disease

April Communications Newsletter

The April Communications Newsletter is out!

In this month's issue we have information about: