Message from the Principal
As we wrap up the final days of the 2020-2021 school year, I wanted to thank all of you for your support and patience during what was a very challenging year for parents and guardians.
Online learning, continuous memos about changes to public health guidelines, changes to drop-off and pick-up procedures, calls to pick up your little one . . . and siblings for a single symptom . . . . It was a lot to ask and I want to thank you so much for your understanding. Your support of the teachers and the admin team as well as your help and suggestions throughout this year have aided us immeasurably.
I also want to thank our students in every grade for their cooperation whether they had to adapt to masks and health measures at school or to online learning with all the challenges that entailed. Our students worked well with their teachers to ensure everyone’s safety. We also know their parents/guardians played a large part in preparing them for each of these challenges so thank you for this also.
Our Home and School committee stepped in to do some heavy lifting this year as their members always do. Their contributions are too numerous and their impact too great to list here but suffice it to say our school community has benefitted greatly from the work of this group in 2020-2021.
I want to thank the Lord Aylmer School staff whose dedication to our students and families were on display even more than usual this year. All went above and beyond for our students. In many cases, our staff members were juggling the many stressors experienced by the families they served such as virtual learning for their own children, having to ensure consistent child care or supporting an elderly parent. It was inspiring to be among this hard-working, driven and talented team whose sole wish was to ensure quality learning and safety for the children in their care.
Much has been said about COVID-19 and the impact on schools and on children. The pandemic created significant disruptions in how we normally educate. However, I believe that the partnership between all of the stakeholders mentioned above helped us weather the most difficult aspects of this year. We made it through 2020-2021 because we did it together and for this, I want to convey my sincere appreciation! On behalf of the entire staff, I want to wish you and your families a wonderful summer holiday!
Please see the many items below for important information about events that have taken place in June and for details about next school year.
Back to School
At this time, the government has instructed schools to prepare for a normal start up for next school year. The plans thus far call for no COVID-19 restrictions such as masks or classroom bubbles. Should the government make changes to the provincial Back-to-School plans, we will include the information in a letter sent via REMIND in August that will also be posted to our school website at https://lordaylmer.westernquebec.ca/.
Graduation
We would like to congratulate our grade 6 students who will be making their way to Symmes/D’Arcy High School next year. Despite the prohibition on normal events this past year and a half, the staff was very pleased to offer students some of the traditions included in our graduation ceremonies in past years. They organized an outdoor graduation stage walk which took place on Tuesday, June 22nd, for our students. This enabled them to receive their graduation certificate and presents as well as to pose for photos with their teachers on stage, all in the presence of 10 guests.
On Friday, June 18th, we held a virtual assembly with all of the classes to say goodbye to our grade 6 students. Everyone was quite impressed by the eloquent addresses delivered by our three Valedictorians: Lucas Gomez, Alexia Garcia Newman and Gabrielle Evans Cadieux. Staff also prepared two moving media presentations celebrating our graduates.
We want to thank a number of our grade 6 parents who organized the purchase of lawn signs, graduation gifts and a banner in support of the graduates. These added considerably to the experience of our students and were much appreciated by all.
Our Home and School also provided our grade 6 students with a memento of their final year at Lord Aylmer: a graduation T-Shirt with signatures from all of their classmates. They also generously provided a free pizza lunch for the graduates on Monday, June 21st .
Governing Board
We want to thank the members of the governing board for their service and dedication throughout this year. If you are interested in being part of the 2021-2022 governing board, please keep a look out for our information notice regarding the Annual General Assembly in September. We will send the notice via REMIND. For more information on the roles and responsibilities of the governing board, please see our school website at https://lordaylmer.westernquebec.ca/about/governing-board/ .
2021-2022 School Calendar
To access our 2021-2022 school calendar, please refer to the Lord Aylmer School website at https://lordaylmer.westernquebec.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2021-2022-LA-CALENDAR-STUDENTS.pdf .
June Report Card
Report cards will be ready to access on June 30th in the MOZAIK Parent Portal. That can be accessed directly at our school website at https://portailparents.ca/accueil/en/ All of our parents are signed up for this portal but if you experience any difficulty accessing the report cards, please contact our administrative technician, Mrs. Abraham at cabraham@wqsb.qc.ca.
Lord Aylmer School Suggested School Supplies Lists for 2021-2022
At our last governing board meeting in June, a list of recommended school supplies for parents was presented. The lists are classified by grade and by programme and can be found on the Lord Aylmer website at https://lordaylmer.westernquebec.ca/about/suggested-school-supplies/
School Fees 2021-2022
School fees for parents vary according to grade and needs in different subjects. To access the fee breakdown for next year, please go to our school website at https://lordaylmer.westernquebec.ca/about/school-fees/
Daycare
If you are interested in registering for daycare services and have not done so, information and registration forms can be found on our site at https://lordaylmer.westernquebec.ca/about/daycare/ .
Helping with Reading and Math Skills Over the Summer
Many of our parents have asked about tips for preventing the Summer Slide (reduction in skills over the summer holidays). If you are looking to find ways to help your child maintain or improve the reading and math skills he or she worked so hard to learn this year, check out the series of webinars we have developed for you. Those for reading support are as follows:
- “Making the Most of Reading Time with Your Pre-readers”
- “Making the Most of Reading Time with Your Emergent Readers”
- “Making the Most of Reading Time with Your Independent Readers”
To help motivate the children to practice their reading over the holidays, we are holding a summer reading competition: “LA Reads 2021-Summer Sweepstakes”. Details have been shard with children over the morning announcements these past two weeks. We are also sending details to parents via REMIND and will be posting the webinars and competition details to the Lord Aylmer website in coming days. Our Home and School has generously agreed to donate a substantial amount of money toward prizes.
The same approach is also being developed for mathematics and will be shared with parents next week. Two webinars: “Making Math Fun Around the House” and “Making Mental Math Fun” will help parents in supporting stronger math skills for their child. The webinars and “The Principal’s Math Challenge” details will be shared via REMIND and posted to our website next week. The math competition will take place at the end of September.
Home and School
As a final send off to our students, on Monday, June 21st, the Lord Aylmer Home and School committee gifted each student at the school with a Lord Aylmer baseball cap. Each one sports our beautiful Lynx logo. They look very sharp! Home and School also treated the students to Freezies which was appreciated on that hot day.
We would like to thank our dedicated and tireless Home and School committee members for all they do for our school. Our Home and School supports countless activities and initiatives throughout the school year, sometimes leading an event or project and sometimes supporting discreetly from behind the scenes. This year was no exception, despite the pandemic. The committee members continued to find creative ways to serve our students and to support the school. Thank you so much for the impact you have made on the educational experiences of our students.
If you would like to become a member of the Lord Aylmer Home and School, please access their website at https://www.lordaylmerhs.ca/#/.