Welcome Back Grizzly Students and Families!

We are excited to have our returning students back at school this week, and to meet the many new families coming to our school this fall – Welcome to the Grizzly family! Our teachers and staff members are ready to create engaging learning opportunities and build new relationships with their students to help them achieve their personal best from the start of the 2023-2024 school year.

What to expect this week...

Students will be receiving a welcome email from their teachers by tomorrow afternoon. In this email, teachers will indicate where their classes will be meeting on this coming Thursday morning when they arrive at the school, along with additional information regarding their classroom and/or grade for the upcoming school year. If you do not receive an email from a teacher by tomorrow evening, we kindly ask that you please send an email or call to the office with the name and grade of your child with the subject heading ‘No Homeroom’.

All students will be expected to wear formal uniform for the first day of school. Students will only be wearing formal uniform on all Mondays, unless otherwise indicated in a school/classroom message to parents for special occasions throughout the year.

Upcoming Events and Key Dates

August 31 First day of school
August 31 Tea and Tears – Kindergarten Parents Only (info below)
September 1 Tea and Tears – Kindergarten Parents Only
September 4 Labour Day – no school
September 15 Welcome Back Breakfast (info below)
September 21 Meet the Teacher
September 22 Non-instruction day – no school
September 27 School Council Meeting
September 29 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
September Terry Fox Run (TBD – more info will be sent early this month)
October 1 Picture Day
October 9 Thanksgiving Day
October 20 Non-instruction day
November 8 Last day of classes
November 9 System Indigenous Education professional learning non-instruction day
November 10 - 14 Fall Break
November 15 Classes resume
November 23 Parent-Teacher Conferences
November 24 Parent-Teacher Conferences
December 8 Non-instruction day
December 22 Last day of classes

Grade 6-9 Sports Seasons of Play

• Soccer: Aug. 31 - Oct. 29
• Cross-Country Running: Aug. 31 - Oct. 15
• Basketball: Sept. 11 - Dec. 3
• Wrestling: Oct. 30 - Feb. 4 (May not have program at Glamorgan)
• Volleyball: Jan. 8 - Mar. 24
• Badminton: Apr. 2 - May 21
• Track & Field: May 13 - June 16

As with any extra-curricular activities offered throughout this year, we will need to have a teacher and/or parent volunteer willing to take on the responsibility. We will be sending out information in the coming weeks to inform students and families if any of the upcoming sports seasons will be happening at Glamorgan. If you are a parent and would be interested in coaching this year, please contact the office.

Welcome Back Breakfast — Invitation AND Call for Volunteers!

Welcome to another school year! Students, their families, and school staff are invited to a FREE breakfast, sponsored by School Council and run by parent volunteers.

Glamorgan School Welcome Back Breakfast – Friday, September 15

A light breakfast of baked goods, fruit, and beverages
Food will be served to families starting at 8:00 - 8:45AM.
Bus students will be offered food upon arrival
Attendees are encouraged to bring their own water bottles, coffee/tea mugs (adults), and reusable small plates to reduce waste
Limited indoor seating will be available. Attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket and join fellow Glamorgan families picnic-style on our school grounds!

Parent volunteers are critical to the event happening!

• Sign up online now for volunteer positions on September 14 and 15!
  https://signup.com/go/PhkBwkC
• Note: Police clearance is required to volunteer for clean-up, as you will be volunteering in the school during school hours. Police clearance is not required for other positions.

Looking foward to seeing many of our families at the breakfast,

School Council

School Council Meeting – Wednesday, September 27

We encourage all of our family members to join in our first school council meeting of the year. We will be meeting on every last Wednesday of the month. We always meet at 6:30 pm and all of the meetings will be offered online. We usually have an in-person meeting (hybrid online) at the beginning and end of the year, but most of our meetings are held online to accommodate the busy life of our families. A more detailed message and reminder will be sent out in the coming weeks.

New Gaga Ball Pit

Thanks to our amazing school council, we have the cement pad poured and are now just waiting to set up our brand new Gaga Ball Pit. An email with date and time will be sent out to all families looking for anyone who is available and/or interested in helping set-up our new Gaga Ball Pit. Any and all volunteers will be welcomed, and our goal is to have this ready for students ASAP - please stay tuned!

Tea and Tears – Kindergarten Families Only

Back by popular demand and parent feedback, we will be hosting our annual Tea and Tears event for our Kindergarten families on both Thursday and Friday morning this week. All Kindergarten families will have the opportunity to come and join other families in the staff room for refreshments and treats. After saying your final goodbyes, the school administration, along with School Council members, will share introductions and school reminders, as well as provide time for any last minute questions, and hopefully make some new friends in the Grizzly family!

Have a great start to the school year,

Fred Mattersdorfer
Principal - Glamorgan School