January 2021 Newsletter

Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you had a restful holiday with your family members. It was great to see our students again this morning. We have worked very hard as a staff to ensure our safety procedures are clear for our students as they return to school. We will continue to devote time throughout the week to teach our students the new measures and to review those that continue to be in place. To support the work we are doing, I will also make a plea to all our families to continue to be vigilant with all measures that have been announced for the duration of this new phase as they relate to school and at home. Everything we do at home can have an effect on every other family in our school community and everything we do at school can also have an impact on every other family. We have been fortunate thus far with our number of cases because of the partnership between our parents/guardians and the school. I am confident that if we continue to have a common front and are observant of the instructions given to us by public health, we will all get through this together. Please see below, reminders and events at the school as well as some news items.

STUDENT RECOGNITION ASSEMBLY

We will hold our Student Recognition Assembly on Jan. 13. The school value on which we focused in December was “Collaboration”. Congratulations to all who received an award. We are very proud of our students’ efforts in following our school values. The value on which we will focus in January is “Perseverance”.

EVALUATION AND REPORTING

The provincial government announced the following changes to reporting and evaluation last week. The report card will now be available to parents on February 5. The end-of-year exams from the Ministry of education have been cancelled. The Ministry of Education will soon send schools a list of essential learning that will become the focus of the rest of this year. More information will go out to parents once we receive details.

COVID-19 TESTING

During last week’s press conferences, the premier and his public health officers indicated that there would be a change in the procedures when a child experiences symptoms of COVID-19. Schools will proceed as they have by accompanying the student to an isolation room, calling parents to pick up the child and providing parents with information from the school board and public health. However, parents will now be asked to contact public health right away to schedule a COVID-19 test rather than having them wait and monitor symptoms for 24 hours. If a child is symptomatic at home, parents should keep the child home and call public health immediately to schedule a test rather than monitor for 24 hours. In all cases such as these, parents should follow the instructions given by public health, even if the procedures differ than those presented here.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATIONS

Please note that the registration period for 4-year old and 5-year old Kindergarten programs for the 2021-2022 school year will take place the week of February 8-12. All registrations will be done via e-mail. No in-person at this time due to COVID-restrictions. If you wish to register your child please contact Donna Norris at dnorris@wqsb.qc.ca or by phone at 819-684-4888 to request the registration package. More information will be sent out before registration begins.

DEROGATION PARENT INFORMATION EVENING

An information session on the derogation process (early admission to school) for parents of 4-year-old children who may be eligible for the 2021 Fall Kindergarten Program will be held on January 25 at 7:00 p.m. via zoom. The following questions will be addressed:

1. What is derogation?

2. Who is eligible to apply for derogation?

3. What are the requirements for qualifying for derogation?

4. What constitutes “school readiness” for Kindergarten?

5. Why does my child need a psychological assessment to complete the derogation application?

6. How do I apply?

A brief question and answer period will follow. Parents are strongly encouraged to attend the Parent Information Evening before deciding to apply for early admission to school. Please note: this session does not address the Special Education Derogation Process.

To register for this session, please contact Wendy Routliffe at wroutliffe@wqsb.qc.ca or 819-684-1313 x 560006

REMIND NOTIFICATIONS

Please visit our website to find out how to sign up for REMIND, if you have not already done so. Important information is shared through this notification system. Some families have shared that they were no longer receiving notifications. We are not sure of the reason but have found that deleting your registration and then reregistering has fixed the error.

GOVERNING BOARD

The next Lord Aylmer Governing Board meeting will be held virtually on Wednesday, January 20 at 6:30 p.m.

PD DAY AND DAYCARE

Our next PD day is Jan. 22 and our daycare will be open. The theme for the day is everything winter. Registration forms will go home on January 11 and are due back by January 18. December daycare payments may be made the week of Jan. 11.

INCLEMENT WEATHER

Please ensure children are dressed appropriately for the weather. Students will be outdoors as much as possible. An extra pair of dry socks and mittens or gloves are recommended.

LOST AND FOUND

We continue to have several items in our lost and found. Please remember to label all winter clothing, including sweatshirts and sweaters. All labelled items will be returned.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

HOME AND SCHOOL

Pizza Day: Jan. 11 & 19

Subway Day: Jan. 15 & 29

Our Lord Aylmer Home & School is seeking new H&S members to help promote our Volunteer Association, volunteer for any of our upcoming fundraisers and share new fundraising ideas! Join us on Thursday, January 14 at 6:30 pm to find out more about our organization and our upcoming fundraisers and meet our Executive Members. To take part and receive the Zoom link, please email us at lordaylmerhs@hotmail.com.

CONNEXIONS RESOURCE CENTRE – UPCOMING FREE EVENTS FOR PARENTS AND SCHOOL TEACHERS/STAFF

MANAGING MENTAL HEALTH: WARNING SIGNS & ACTIVE COMMUNICATION

Join us to learn how to identify basic signs within yourself and those around you that indicate poor or worsening mental health, and how to promote safe and open conversations through active listening strategies. Special guest: Breanna Pizzuto, BHSc, BA Spec. Psych., Lead Trainer and Consultant, Talk Tools Thursday, January 21 & February 25 from 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Zoom Webinars – Register at 819-557-0615 or info@centreconnexions.org

SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD’S LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT (0-5) – BILINGUALISM

How does bilingualism impact language development in children 0-5? How do we prepare a child for school entry in a language other than the one(s) spoken at home? Spend an evening with us discussing bilingualism and multilingualism from 0-5 years of age. Bring your questions, concerns and curiosities! Special guest: Kristy Findlay, M.Sc.O(C), Speech-Language Pathologist and co-founder of Centre Mosaique de Québec, Clinique d’orthophonie

Thursday, January 28 & February 4 from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Zoom Webinars – Register at 819-557-0615 or info@centreconnexions.org

READING SKILLS PARENT-CHILD WORKSHOPS (GRADE 3-6)

We are pleased to offer this series of six online workshops where parents and their child, who face challenges with reading tasks (may include ADD/ADHD and other learning disabilities), will explore a variety of reading and homework support strategies. Two time options are available to parents:

Option 1: Saturdays, January 30; February 6, 13 & 20; March 13 & 20 from 9:30 am – 10:30 am

Option 2: Saturdays, January 30; February 6, 13 & 20; March 13 & 20 from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Zoom Workshops – Register at 819-557-0615 or info@centreconnexions.org – LIMITED SPOTS!

READING & WRITING SKILLS PARENT-YOUTH WORKSHOPS (GRADE 7-9)

Special guest: Isabelle Béslisle, Special Education Consultant and Educational Workshop Facilitator for Learning Disabilities and ADHD Outaouais

We are pleased to offer this series of four online workshops where parents and youth, who face challenges with reading and writing tasks (may include ADD/ADHD and other learning disabilities) will explore a variety of reading and writing, as well homework support strategies. Two time options are available to parents:

Option 1: Sundays, January 31; February 7, 14 & 21 from 9:30 am – 10:45 pm

Option 2: Sundays, January 31; February 7, 14 & 21 from 11:15 am – 12:30 pm

Zoom Workshops – Register at 819-557-0615 or info@centreconnexions.org – LIMITED SPOTS!

PARENT-CHILD WORKSHOPS ON SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD’S LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT (0-5)

Does your child have speech, language and communication difficulties? Are you waiting for services from a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)? Join us for a series of Six Parent-Child Workshops led by an SLP, who will offer parents various strategies to integrate language stimulation techniques into the daily routine of their child and through play.

Special guest: Kristy Findlay, M.Sc.O(C), Speech-Language Pathologist and co-founder of Centre Mosaique de Québec, Clinique d’orthophonie

Tuesdays: February 2, 9, 16 & 23; March 9 & 16 from 9:30 am – 11:30 am

Zoom Workshops – Register at 819-557-0615 or info@centreconnexions.org – LIMITED SPOTS!

SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD’S LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT (0-5) – LITERACY

Spend an evening with us discussing the importance of books and how to inspire your child to turn to books for learning, language development, and exploring the world around them. Interactive and lively discussions are on the agenda with the goal of providing concrete ideas and activities for parents and individuals who care for children 0-5 years of age.

Special guest: Kristy Findlay, M.Sc.O(C), Speech-Language Pathologist and co-founder of Centre Mosaique de Québec, Clinique d’orthophonie

Thursday, February 11 & 18 from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Zoom Webinars – Register at 819-557-0615 or info@centreconnexions.org

UNTYING THE LEGAL KNOT: DIVORCE & SEPARATION

Join us to learn about the legal issues that are encountered during divorce and separation including the division of property, child support, parental authority, mediation and the judicial process.

Special guest: Mtre Laurie Verreault, Jurist at the Centre de Justice de Proximité de l’Outaouais

Tuesday, March 9 from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Zoom Webinar – Register at 819-557-0615 or info@centreconnexions.org