Newsletter #7 – March 2022

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope everyone has enjoyed a safe and restful week during the March Break. On behalf of the members of our staff, I want to thank you for the many messages and kind gestures received during the Staff Appreciation Week before the break. A big thank you, especially, to the Home and School team for organizing the week. It was quite moving.

As we head into March, it is important to point out that we are in a critical learning period with four months left in the school year. Term 2 evaluations will be weighted at 60% of the school year so students have an opportunity to greatly impact their marks between now and the end of June.

As stated in previous newsletters, please communicate with us if your child reports any acts of violence or bullying. We take these seriously and handle cases discreetly, protecting the confidentiality of the person who has reported it.

Please take a moment to read through some of the important messages below. Have a great month!

-Eldon Keon

COMPUTER DEVICE DROP OFF

Please note that we will be collecting all devices (Chromebooks and iPads) that were distributed for online learning, on Monday, March 14th. They will be collected from 3:00 PM-6:00 PM at the senior campus parking lot. A REMIND message will be sent out again before the collection to remind everyone.

COVID-19 MEASURES

As stated in the letter to parents before the break, starting March 7th, masks are no longer required for children in class but are still to be worn in common areas such as hallways, in the gym during physical education and while on the bus. The school will continue to supply masks to students. If parents wish to provide their child with a KN-95 mask or an N-95 model rather than a procedural one, that is fine. Cloth masks are still not permitted in the common areas but students are permitted to wear them in the class if they wish. Students may continue to wear a procedural mask in class if they choose and can be provided one by the school. Students in Kindergarten do not need to wear a mask in the school but must do so on the bus. The school will continue to apply all other measures as before (hand washing, social distancing, etc.)

STUDENT RECOGNITION ASSEMBLY

We will hold our February Student Recognition Assembly on 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”.

ST-PATRICK’S DAY

Students and staff are encouraged to wear green to celebrate St-Patrick’s Day.

SCHOOL FEES

If you have not yet paid your school fees, please visit the parent portal for your statement of account.

K5 & K4 KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATIONS

Registrations for our five-year-old Kindergarten classes are being accepted now and will be ongoing. The registration for the 2021-2022 four-year-old Kindergarten program, however, will only be accepted until March 11th. (Other notices have gone out previously.)

All registrations are being done via e-mail. No in-person registrations are taking place currently due to COVIDrestrictions. For detailed step-by-step instructions on how to register, please visit https://lordaylmer.westernquebec.ca/about/registrations-2022-2023/. On the site, you will be able to access all the forms, instructions, and lists of required documents needed to complete each type of application. Due to the limited number of spaces in the K4 program (four-year-old Kindergarten), registrations for this program will be determined by a “lottery system”. Registrations received after March 11 will not be accepted. If you have any questions, please contact Corinna Abraham at cabraham@wqsb.qc.ca or by phone at (819) 684- 6801.

SPORTMAX SUMMER CAMP

This summer, our senior campus will be the site of a SportMax Summer camp that will run from June 24th until August 19th . The school agreed to rent the facilities to SportMax on condition it provide bilingual programming for students in our community and on condition it hire high school and post-secondary students who are bilingual. If you know of someone who would be interested, please direct them to apply directly using the following link https://emploi.sportmax.ca/emploi-camps-de-jour-aylmer.html. They are hiring for part-time and full-time positions at $15 per hour.

OurSchool STUDENT SURVEY

Students in grades 4, 5 and 6 will again participate in our annual OurSCHOOL student survey, beginning at the end of March. Participation is voluntary. If you do not wish for your child to participate, please contact your child’s teacher as soon as possible. The survey includes topics related to behaviours and attitudes linked to student success, emotional and social well-being, violence, bullying and physical health. For more information about the OurSCHOOL Student Survey, please visit The Learning Bar Inc.’s website: www.thelearningbar.com.

PD DAY AND DAYCARE

March 25 is a PD day, and the daycare will be open. Our theme for the day is “Science”. IMPORTANT: Starting in March, all PD day registrations should be done by email. Paper copies will no longer be distributed. Jr. campus students should register with Ms. Michelle at mimacdonald@wqsb.qc.ca and sr. students with Ms. Julie at jbelisle@wqsb.qc.ca. More information will follow via Remind after the March break. We would like to remind you that daycare payments are due during the current month. For example, February invoices must be paid in February.

GOVERNING BOARD

The next Lord Aylmer Governing Board meeting will be held virtually on March 16 at 6:30 p.m.

HOME AND SCHOOL PIZZA AND SUB DAYS

• Pizza Day: Mar. 11 & 21
• Subway Day: Mar. 18 & April 1

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER