Apr 14th update
We hope you enjoyed the weekend!
Vaisakhi is one of the most important Sikh and Hindu festivals worldwide and marks the beginning of a new harvest season. It is important culturally, agriculturally, and also in the religious sense. Vaisakhi is traditionally celebrated annually on April 13th and 14th. We wish all families celebrating a Happy Vaisakhi!
We also wish all families celebrating Passover will be observed this year from April 12 to April 19, 2025. It is the Jewish Spring festival celebrating freedom and family.
Secondary School Boundary review:
Please see the attached update for the boundary review. Find attached a notice of the update report that will be presented at the Finance and Facilities Committee meeting on Tuesday to be distributed to your school community. Check out the latest update on the new South Guelph Secondary School boundary review process: https://www.ugdsb.ca/article/8654
This week, we have our parent engagement session on Tuesday, April 15th from 6:00-7:00 pm. This is an evening session about anti-bullying and inclusion. The co-author of Stop the Hate Dr. Larry Swartz, has been an educator for over 4 decades working as a classroom teacher, consultant, workshop presenter and author. He currently works as an instructor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. Larry’s work is centred on literacy and equity instruction through children’s literature. He is the author of several publications for educators to support their language arts, arts and diversity, equity and inclusion programming. Some titles include: Dramathemes, Teaching Tough Topics, Write to Read, The Bully-Go-Round and Stop the Hate for Goodness Sake. This session will provide participants with insights to address hate and bullying issues. Larry will provide an overview of some strategies and resources, including children’s literature, to address social justice diversity and equity. Larry will welcome any questions that may emerge that address the complexities of bullying, the bullied and the bystander experiences in order to deepen the importance of maintaining a sense of belonging, inclusion and caring with young people.
Please join us in the library if interested in attending.
Fundraiser-JD Sweid We raised $1425, with 235 boxes of chicken sold. Pick up your orders Wednesday Apr 16th between 3:00-5:00 at the school’s front entrance. Pick up arrangements can be made by sending an email to a member of the school council at rcpsfundraising2.0@gmail.com.
Student Vote 2025: Federal Election Edition - Friday, April 25: Student Vote is back! With a Federal snap election set for April 28th, M. Agro has once again enrolled our school in this exciting mock election initiative. Student Vote is run by Civix, a nation-wide charity organization that helps Canadian schools run student elections that mirror Federal/Provincial elections. They provide all the materials (official-looking ballots, ballot boxes) plus educational resources to help teachers introduce concepts and facilitate discussions in class. All students in grades 4-8 will have the chance to participate in the mock election and to learn about the election process via in-class learning. Additionally, interested student volunteers can speak with M. Agro to sign up to be part of the election team and help facilitate the day. If you have any questions, please contact M. Agro.
Grade 7 volunteers needed for Gr 8 graduation Wed. June 25th:
We are seeking parent volunteers to help with the Grade 8 Graduation on Wednesday June 25th including tasks such as set-up, chaperoning, clean-up, or a combination of all three. Your support is truly appreciated! A valid Vulnerable Sector Screening (VSS) is needed for this role. If you don’t currently have one but would still like to volunteer, you can reach out to Mrs. Aziz) to assist with the required information needed to proceed. If you do not have a VSS and prefer not to proceed with getting one, no worries—just let Sam the Grad volunteer co-ordinator know. Her email is chris.samantha@gmail.com If you already have your VSS completed, please confirm with Sam so she can check it off her list.
Thanks again for your willingness to help make this event special for our Grade 8 students!
Save the date: We have our RCPS Fun Fair planned for Thursday, May 29th from 5-7 pm. Save the date and more information will be sent home soon.
April Communications Newsletter
The April Communications Newsletter is out! This is the monthly public-facing newsletter from the Board communications department.
In this month's issue we have information about:
Practicing gratitude
Free dental health services
And more!
You can view the newsletter here: https://www.ugdsb.ca/page/communications-newsletter
We also wish all families celebrating Easter, a joyous holiday. Enjoy the long weekend!!