Newsletter #1 – September 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians:

With one and a half weeks into the school year, I am happy to report that the first days have gone well. There have been some hiccups with transportation but the return to classes and learning has been smooth thanks to the preparations by the staff and cooperation from all of you. It is great to hear children’s voices in the halls again and seeing them hard at work and learning. This only reaffirms how adaptable and resilient our Lord Aylmer students have been throughout the pandemic. I would like to thank you for your continued support and patience as we have implemented a number of new measures and routines these past two weeks.

I look forward to getting to see our returning parents and guardians as well as those who are new to Lord Aylmer. I invite you to become involved in the school and your child’s learning as much as possible. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions, concerns or suggestions that impact your child’s educational experience or that of others. Please read below for important news items and reminders for September.

-Eldon Keon

STUDENT RECOGNITION ASSEMBLY
We will hold our Student Recognition Assemblies (virtually for now) at the end of every month to recognize students who have best demonstrated our Lord Aylmer values. “Respect” is the value we are promoting throughout September. We are very proud of our students and appreciate their efforts in living our values.

VIRTUAL MEET THE TEACHER – OPEN HOUSE
Our Meet the Teacher Open House will not occur as it has in the past for obvious reasons. Instead, teachers will host a virtual Open House using Microsoft TEAMS on Wednesday, September 15th. Junior campus classes will start their meetings at 6:00 PM and senior campus classes at 7:15 PM. During the meeting, your child’s homeroom teacher will provide you with a Parent Syllabus. This document will include a breakdown of what will be taught, how students will be evaluated throughout the year as well as the names of all teachers working with your child’s class. Class expectations and other pertinent information will be shared during the virtual open house meeting. Teachers will not be able to answer questions about the progress of individual children. If you wish to meet to discuss specific needs or concerns regarding your child, please schedule in a time with the teacher to discuss these. You will receive an invitation for the open house meeting before the day of the meeting.

ANNUAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY FOR PARENTS
Elections for Parent Representatives to Governing Board – Outdoor Meeting
On Thursday, September 16 at 6:30 p.m., parents will be invited to assemble outside the front entrance at the senior campus to elect their representatives to the school’s governing board from among the parents in attendance. In case of inclement weather, the meeting will take place inside. The Governing Board is comprised of parents, teachers, support staff, the principal and community representatives. Parent members serve for two consecutive years. The purpose of the Governing Board is to make decisions about the aims and objectives for the school and to monitor how these are being achieved. This includes voting on policies and overseeing the implementation of the Educational Project, fundraisers, Code of Conduct, budget, school fees, school trips and other important items. Meetings usually take place one evening per month. If you are interested in becoming part of this organization, please ensure that you attend the Annual General Assembly. All parents present will be able to nominate themselves or another parent who is present, and then vote for the candidates of their choice to fill the vacant positions that are up for election this year.

Elections for Representatives to Parent Committee
Once governing board parent representatives are elected, one of the parents (on governing board) will also be elected to represent Lord Aylmer on the school board’s Parent Committee. An alternate will also be elected.

Parent Participatory Organization
Any parents who are interested in forming a Parent Participatory Organization are invited to submit their names during the meeting. The PPO acts as a consultative body and can help the school through fund raising activities and school events.

Special Education Advisory Committee
Parents who wish to take part in the school board’s Special Education Advisory Committee (S.E.A.C.) will also have an opportunity to submit their names for consideration. Interested parents must have a child with an Individual Education Plan (I.E.P.). Selection of parents for this committee will be made later by the school board’s Parent Committee.

Home and School Committee
Finally, after the AGA, the president of our Home and School committee will be on hand to explain all of the wonderful things this committee does to support the school. She will take names of anyone interested in joining the Home and School. Our Home and School is extremely active and contributes greatly to many of the school’s projects. It also plans and runs many events for our students and school community throughout the year.

ALLERGIES
Please note that we have several people with severe allergies at the school. Exposure to these foods either by eating them, touching them, or touching a contaminated surface, can result in a serious life-threatening reaction for certain individuals. As such, we ask that all lunches sent to school be nut-free. Some classes may have other food allergies of which you will have been made aware already. We also do not permit any food to be brought into the school by students or parents for birthdays or other special celebrations for safety reasons. We thank you for your understanding.

HEALTH AND CONSENT FORMS
If you have not yet returned your health form and consent form, please do so as soon as possible. If for any reason you need another copy of either, please contact the office at either campus and we will be happy to send it home with your child.

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS FOR PARENTS-WEBSITE
Our website contains all of the pertinent information you need as parents/guardians regarding COVID-19 information. Lord Aylmer’s site also has other important documents that will be updated and accessible on our website by the end of September.

Standards and Procedures for Evaluation and Reporting While the Parent Syllabus document is prepared by each teacher and is specific to each classroom, a more general document explaining the types of evaluations and reporting methods throughout the school is being prepared for you as well.

Curriculum Documents The Quebec Education Program, Progression of Learning, and Framework for the Evaluation of Learning in Quebec are the official curriculum guides for educators across Quebec.

Lord Aylmer Code of Conduct Another document you can access on the site is the Lord Aylmer Code of Conduct, which outlines school rules, expectations and possible consequences.

MORNING DROP-OFF AND END-OF-DAY PICK UP
We would like to thank all of our parents/guardians for their cooperation in ensuring smooth and safe drop offs and pick ups in the first weeks of school. As bus routes get sorted out and arrival times at bus stops (and at the school) continue to stabilize, wait times for parents will be minimized. We appreciate your patience very much!

PRINCIPAL’S CIVICS LESSONS
Every year, principals across Quebec present the school’s rules to the students in September. Mr. Keon will conduct the sessions virtually with the classes this year.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLANS
The school is conducting fire evacuation drills and lock down drills in the first weeks of school. The discussion with students about the lock down (in case of a threat on premises) is approached in an age-appropriate manner with our students. The drills for lock downs are conducted in a sensitive and calm manner and announced ahead of time. Our approach was developed with the Sureté du Québec police and approved by the Gatineau Police. You may wish to discuss the matter with your child ahead of time.

PD DAY AND DAYCARE
September 17th is a PD day and the daycare will be open. Our daycare closes at 5:00 p.m. on this day. If you wish to have your child enrolled to the daycare on that day, please ensure you have registered with the daycare services ahead of time. For more information, please contact Julie Belisle at jbelisle@wqsb.qc.ca . Please note that students from the junior campus will attend daycare at the senior campus during the PD day.

Junior campus morning daycare drop off is between 7:00-7:40 a.m. After 7:40 please go to regular drop off.

Senior campus morning daycare drop off is between 7:00-7:45 a.m. After 7:45 please go to regular drop off.

Please call daycare at 819-684-1494 for any changes in your child’s daycare schedule (change of days, withdraw from daycare etc.…) A two-week notice is required.

SCHOOL FEES
School fees will be invoiced later in September. Parents will be advised by Remind when statements of account and procedures for processing payments are available on the Parent Mosaik Portal.

MOZAIK PARENT PORTAL
If you have not yet set up your parent portal account and need assistance, please contact Corinna Abraham at the Sr. Campus. It is necessary to access the parent portal to view your child’s Statement of Accounts, Written Communication (November and April), Report Cards and Re-registration.

STUDENT ABSENCES
Please don’t forget to call the school if your child will be absent or late. When leaving a message please include the date and the reason for your child’s absence. If you wish to make any changes to your child’s after-school routines, you must contact the office and the daycare before 2:00 pm. Messages left after 2:00 may not be heard until after dismissal.
Jr. Campus: 819.684.4888
Sr. Campus: 819.684.6801
Daycare: 819.684.1494

HOME & SCHOOL
Our Lord Aylmer Home & School is welcoming new members. Families may visit our website at lordaylmerhs.ca or Like our Facebook page @lordaylmerhs to learn about our organization. All are welcome!

Take note! The Pizza & sub shops are now open! Order before the deadline at: lordaylmerhs.ca

Pizza & Sub Lunches are Back!! Order Now!
Check-out the Lord Aylmer Home & School website at www.lordaylmerhs.ca to Shop Pizza & Subs:

Special Pizza Day on September 24 – Payment Deadline: Friday, Sept 17.
Special Sub Day on October 1 – Payment Deadline Friday, Sept 17.

Pizza & Sub Lunches for the year:

• Quick Full-Year Payment for October to June: Friday, October 1
• 1st Quarter Payment (Oct-Dec): Friday, October 1
• 2nd Quarter Payment (Jan-Mar): Friday, December 17
• 3rd Quarter (Apr-Jun): Friday, March 25

Have your Say. Be Heard. Make a Difference! Join us for our first Home & School meeting of the school year on Tuesday, September 14, 2021 at 6:30 PM on Zoom. All are invited to find out about our Home & School, meet our Executive Committee and join our team! To take part in the meeting, please RSVP at lordaylmerhs@gmail.com so we can send you the agenda and Zoom link. To be a voting member, which includes votes on how raised funds are spent, there is a $25 membership fee. Make sure to visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LordAylmerHS

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER