March 2021 Newsletter

Dear parents/guardians,

I hope you enjoyed a wonderful week with your children during the break. If you have not had the chance yet, please take a moment to consult our new school website. It has many helpful bits of information for parents and guardians. For instance, we just posted new information regarding the “WQSB Online Learning Expectations for Students and Parents-Guardians Updated” for March 8. We have also posted to our site, the latest changes to the Public Health directives for parents and guardians that we have just received. Some measures will be loosened across the province while others are becoming stricter so please take a minute to read through the documents. Please also see the information items below and have a great month!

STUDENT RECOGNITION ASSEMBLY

We will hold our February Student Recognition Assembly on Thursday, March 11. The school value on which we focused in February was “Integrity”. Congratulations to all our award winners. The value on which we will focus in March is “Leadership”.

LORD AYLMER SPIRIT FRIDAYS – NEW SHIRTS

We were pleased to be able to distribute our new T-shirts with the Lord Aylmer logo upon our return from the March Break this week. We will be encouraging everyone to wear these or the original blue LA shirts every Friday to show pride in our school and to instill a sense of belonging in our students. For parents who would like to purchase some of the blue shirts, hoodies or vintage Lord Aylmer merchandise, please go to the Home and School website to access the online store they have set up.

SKI AT SCHOOL

Students from grades 3-6 enjoyed an introduction to cross-country skiing in February, provided by the Ski at School program. After just one session, many students and teachers mentioned that they would love more opportunities to practice this healthy winter activity. You’re in luck! To follow up on this year’s successful experience, we have now secured a grant to purchase enough cross-country ski equipment to outfit a full class from grades 3-6! That means that next year, students will be able to have ski sessions as part of their regular physical education classes. This was only made possible through the very generous support of the Connexions Resource Center, which carries out many initiatives that support the well-being of the English-speaking community in the Outaouais. For more information, please visit: https://centreconnexions.org/.

AUTHOR ANDRÉE POULIN

We are pleased to inform you that all French Immersion classes (grade 1 – grade 6) will have a virtual visit from the author Andrée Poulin. She will be visiting the classes during the week of March 22. This is made possible through a culture grant from the Ministry of Education.

REMINDERS FOR COVID-19 MEASURES

At this time, we still cannot allow items to be brought from home to school to be exchanged or shared with other students. This includes birthday cards, food, invitations, toys, treats, etc. Some of these restrictions will be loosened once the pandemic is over.

PICK UP AND DROP OFF

This is a reminder that students are not to be dropped off at the front parking lots at either campus unless for daycare or late arrival. Please use the bus lanes instead during regular drop off and pick up times.

SCHOOL FEES

We would like to remind you that school fees are now due. You may view your statement of account on your Mozaik parent portal account. We accept the following methods of payment: By Phone – Visa or Mastercard. Please call Corinna Abraham at (819) 684-6801 ext.405007. In Person (by appointment only) – Visa, Mastercard, Debit or Cash. To book your appointment please visit our school website and click on the link in the “School Fees” section. Please note that all appointments made for in person payments, for both the Junior and Senior campus, will be held at the Senior campus (116 Frank Robinson). For further information regarding your child’s school account, please contact Corinna Abraham at (819) 684-6801 or cabraham@wqsb.qc.ca. Please let us know if you would like to set up a payment plan.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATIONS

The registration for the 2021-2022 five-year-old Kindergarten program is now being accepted. All registrations will be done via e-mail. No in-person registrations are taking place at this time due to COVID-restrictions. If you wish to register your child please contact Corinna Abraham at cabraham@wqsb.qc.ca or by phone at 819- 684-6801 to request the registration package. We will hold a virtual Kindergarten Open House for our new students and their parents/guardians in the spring. More information to follow.

RE-REGISTRATION

All re-registrations for the 2021-2022 school year will be done on the Mozaik parent portal. Forms will be available on the portal mid-March.

PD DAY AND DAYCARE

March 26 is a PD day and the daycare will be open. The theme for the day is “out of this world” …learning about space. February daycare payments are due the week of March 8 – 12.

GOVERNING BOARD

The next Lord Aylmer Governing Board meeting will be held virtually on March 17 at 6:30 p.m

HOME AND SCHOOL

Upcoming Pizza Dates: March 12 & 23

Upcoming Sub Dates: March 19

Lord Aylmer Home & School’s Pizza and Sub Shops are still open!!

Visit the Shop at: www.lordaylmerhs.ca. Payment Deadline for this third quarter: Thursday, March 25 by midnight.

Get payment deadline reminders:

Follow Our Facebook Page and add events directly to your Google calendar: www.facebook.com/LordAylmerHS

Subscribe to our News Bite (https://www.lordaylmerhs.ca/subscribe) to receive reminders directly to your email. Subscribed but not receiving the emails? Make sure to check your Spam box.

Not sure if you’ve purchased pizza or sub for your child? You can check all past purchases in our shop by logging into your Parent Account on our Home & School website at https://www.lordaylmerhs.ca.

Questions or to volunteer? Please contact Lianne, our Pizza & Sub Diva, at lordaylmerhs@hotmail.com

NEW FUNDRAISER:

Let Lord Aylmer Home & School get your Easter on!! Join us for a chocolatey fundraiser filled with bunnies, eggs and even hedgehogs!

Purdy’s chocolates are made in Canada with 100% sustainable cocoa.

Here’s how it works:

Step 1. Create a new supporter account by clicking the following link: https://fundraising.purdys.com/1193440-84050

Step 2. Make sure to enter the following customer number : 55624

Step 3. Once logged-in, click on the hamburger menu at the top-right of the page.

Step 4. Click on JOIN CAMPAIGN.

Step 5. Start shopping!

The order deadline is March 16th. Order pickup is March 31st. Shipping is to the school at a 2% cost of your order.

CONNEXIONS RESOURCE CENTER – FREE WEBINARS AND WORKSHOPS

Burnout to Balance: Strategies for Regulating Stress – Wednesday, March 31 from 7:00 to 8:30pm Living through a pandemic, we can easily feel overwhelmed and exhausted from the stress we are experiencing in our everyday life. This chronic stress is a fast track to burnout which can be debilitating and very painful. Join as we explore the impact of chronic stress in our lives and introduce fundamental daily practices that we can all do to help process our stress in order to prevent burnout. With special guest, Amanda Rocheleau, Registered Social Worker in Ontario and certified Compassion Fatigue Specialist. Register at: https://centreconnexions.org/event/burnout-to-balance

The Joys & Challenges of Raising a Gifted Child or Youth – Thursday, March 25 from 7:00 to 8:30pm Join us as we explore the signs of giftedness, the challenges that many bright children and youth experience, and the various strategies to help you support your child’s unique needs. With special guest, Nathalie Courcy, published author of the children’s book Zoé Douée and speaker on the topic of supporting bright and gifted children and youth. Register at: https://centreconnexions.org/event/gifted-child/

8 Effective Ways to Manage Power Struggles with your Child or Youth – Tuesday, March 30 from 7:00 to 8:30pm Fed up with shouting, repeating, arguing and punishing? Wondering how to get your child or youth to listen to you? Join us on Tuesday, March 30 from 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm to learn new and effective ways to interact with your child and change your stressful and challenging family dynamic into a positive and healthier one. With special guest, Léonie Galarneau, an early childhood educator for over 10 years and now a full-time facilitator and speaker whose main goal is to help families find harmony, joy and happiness in their home. Register at: https://centreconnexions.org/event/manage-power-struggles/

The Imaginary World Through Drawing (Ages 6-9) with Liz Voyer – March 27, April 10 & 24, May 1 from 10:00 to 11:00am Is your child very creative? Do they love to draw what they imagine? Join us for a series of workshops on art through storytelling. With step-by-step instruction, your child will learn how to draw an imaginary world based on an oral story shared by our visual artist. With special guest, Liz Voyer, B.A. Fine Arts & Theatre, Visual Artist and Art Teacher. Register at: https://centreconnexions.org/event/imaginary-world/2021-03-27

Drawing & Mixed Media (Ages 9-12) with Liz Voyer – March 27, April 10 & 24, May 1 from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm Does your child like to draw? Through this series of art workshops, your child will get to experiment with colour pencils, markers and 3D paper crafts while also learning new drawing techniques such as proportions, colour layering and textures. This mixed media workshop will help your child feel more confident in their art skills while also having fun! With special guest, Liz Voyer, B.A. Fine Arts & Theatre, Visual Artist and Art Teacher. Register at: https://centreconnexions.org/event/drawing-mixed-media/2021-03-27