Category Archives: School Council News

News items from the Gledhill School Council

Land Acknowledgement Information

As you know, we begin each morning by acknowledging the traditional land upon which Gledhill sits, and where we gather each day.

But do you know why?

Orange Shirt Day is a great day to think about it!

Indigenous peoples have lived on the land we now call Canada for thousands of years, with their own unique cultures, identities, traditions and languages.

Making land acknowledgement statements is a way to show thanks and respect to the land and the people, and helps to make sure that our school is a safe and welcoming space for everyone. It is important for us to be aware of the history of the places we call home.

Today, this area is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island –now known as North America – and we are grateful to have the opportunity to learn here.

So we acknowledge that this school is situated upon traditional territories. The territories include the Wendat, Anishinabek Nation, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Mississaugas of Scugog, Hiawatha, Alderville First Nation and the Métis Nation. The treaty that was signed for this particular parcel of land is collectively referred to as the Williams Treaties of 1923 and applies to lands east of Woodbine Avenue. We recognize the enduring presence of Aboriginal peoples on this land.

We acknowledge the land. And we acknowledge the history. And we acknowledge the people.

Thanks for wearing Orange today!

Pizza Lunches for Grades 1-5: Orders now being accepted

PIZZA LUNCH ORDERS

Please Order & Pay Online:

www.Sagoto.com/gsc/pizza

Again this year, Gledhill School Council is pleased to coordinate the Pizza Lunch fundraiser for students in grades 1-5 who would like to participate. Proceeds are used to help ALL grades with the cost of programs and resources that enrich the Gledhill School experience such as workshops, Drama with Jeff, and more.

Pizza dates for this school year are as follows:

  • Friday, November 29th
  • Friday December 13th
  • Friday January 24th
  • Friday February 28th
  • Friday March 27th
  • Friday April 24th
  • Friday May 29th
  • Friday June 19th

Orders must to be submitted by FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1st.  Please note that no pizza will be sold on the day of the lunch.  Refunds will not be made if your child is absent from school on a pizza day.

If you have any questions please email GSCPizza@gmail.com . School Council would like all students to be able to participate if they wish to do so. There are funds available to cover the cost for students if finances are a concern.

IF YOU PREFER TO PAY CASH, PAPER FORMS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE OFFICE

Pizza lunches cannot take place without the help of several parent volunteers. If you can help with the setting up and serving of pizza for 1 or more pizza lunches please email us at GSCPizza@gmail.com.   Thank you!

Pizza Lunch information coming Monday!

We have had a lot of parents and families asking if we will be having pizza lunches this year at Gledhill…

The answer is YES!

We will be posting information on Monday September 30th here on the blog, including dates, pizza options and online ordering details.  Forms for ordering will also be available next week in the school office.

Stay tuned for more information!

pizza neon light signage

Photo by Rodolfo Clix on Pexels.com

PARENT COUNCIL MEETING AND ELECTION – TONIGHT SEPT 19th @ 6 pm

A final reminder to all parents and guardians of students at Gledhill Jr PS.  Tonight (Thursday Sept 19th), at 6pm in the school library we are having our first Parent Council meeting.  Elections for our Council Executive will be this evening.  It’s a great opportunity to learn about different  ways you can get involved in the school.  Hope to see you there!

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Agenda for Council Meeting on Thursday Sept 19, 2019

Agenda for September 2019’s School Council meeting

 Date: Thursday September 19, 2019

Time: 6:00pm to 7:30pm

 ALL Parents and Guardians are welcome to attend all or part of the meeting and all are considered members of the Council! ALL parents and guardians also have voting rights at each meeting, regardless of how many meetings you attend.

Location: Gledhill School Library, 2nd Floor

Pizza will be served.  Childcare will be provided.  If your children are attending, please stay to help clean up the space that they are in when the meeting is over. 

Note if the door is locked – please ring the bell and the caretaker will let you in.

Agenda Items

6:00pm to 6:15pm – Welcome and introductions

6:15pm to 7:30pm (main agenda items)

  • Council Roles
    • Lori to review the roles available
    • Expression of interest from candidates and voting on positions
  • Principal’s Update
  • Bike Rally Discussion
  • Committee Updates
  • Other Business – Open floor 

Upcoming Dates

  • Monday, September 30, 2019 – Orange Shirt Day
  • Thursday, October 3, 2019 – Cross Country Meet
  • Thursday, October 3, 2019 – Picture Day
  • Friday October 11- PA Day
  • Monday, October 14 -Thanksgiving
  • Monday, November 11 – Remembrance Day Assembly
  • Thursday November 14 & Friday, November 15 (PA Day) – Parent/Teacher Interviews
  • November 13 – 20, 2019 – Book Fair

 Upcoming Council Meeting Dates will be confirmed shortly and shared via the blog.

 

Parent Council Meeting- Thursday Sept 19th @ 6pm

GLEDHILL SCHOOL COUNCIL WELCOMES YOU!

The first School Council Meeting and Election is on Thursday, September 19th at 6pm in the library.

Make a difference in your child’s education.

No contribution is too small. Learn how you can volunteer, chair a committee, or feel free to just come and listen in. The meeting will cover initiatives for the year and election of the council positions. All help and ideas are welcome.

Next week we’ll provide the agenda other information you’ll need but we wanted to provide an overview of the roles available for the Election.

Elected Council positions​:​ Council Chair/Co-chair, Secretary and Treasurer

CommitteesParent Engagement, Communications, Fundraising, Grants, Healthy Kids, School Improvement, Volunteer Coordination, Ward and School Advocacy, Eco and Governance

To ask a question or put your name forward for a position in advance, please email thegledhillguardian@gmail.com

Elected Roles
School Council Chair / Co-Chair – ​provides leadership and guidance to the Council, liaises with the Principal and Vice Principal on School Council related matters and represents the Council at external Toronto District School Board (TDSB) meetings, as required.

Secretary – ​provides organizational oversight for the Council, including attending and taking minutes at each School Council meeting, preparing these minutes for draft review, and assisting in the creation and sharing of meeting agendas. The Secretary also ensures that agendas and minutes are shared on the School Council website.

Treasurer – responsible for maintaining the School Council financial records including issuing cheques, making bank deposits, preparing financial statements (including annual statements to the TDSB), and bank account reconciliations. The Treasurer is a signatory on the bank account.

Committees

Parent Engagement – ​leads activities such as “Coffee and Conversation” to gain input from parents regarding activities of the Council, the school, and the TDSB and to foster an environment of diversity and inclusion. They act as a point of contact to parents by providing information about Council and school activities and connecting parents with available resources.

Communications – ​works to communicate Council, school and TDSB information to the Gledhill community of parents and teachers, using a variety of communications channels (blog, Facebook, Twitter, school bulletin board and paper notices). This includes posting the daily announcements to http://www.gledhillguardian.com.

Fundraising – ​oversees and coordinates fundraising activities by organizing and implementing a fundraising plan and working with fundraising leads and committees for various fundraising initiatives. Funds raised via this role are key to student enrichment activities at Gledhill. Events include things like Family Fest, pizza lunches and family movie nights.

Grants – ​seeks out available grant opportunities, determines if the grant would be advantageous to the school, and leads the preparation and submission of grants on behalf of the Council, with input and support from various people (parents, teachers, Principal/Vice Principal), as required.

Healthy Kids – ​plans for and implements initiatives, with input and support from the School Council, with the aim to support and improve the health and wellbeing of students at Gledhill.​ ​Includes coordination of events such as the annual Skate Day.

School Improvement – ​determines opportunities for the Council to assist Gledhill in improving the physical space at the school and leads any improvement efforts on behalf of the Council.

Volunteer Coordination – ​oversees the recruiting of volunteers for Council events, including fundraisers and activities, and works with event leads to ensure that events are supported by volunteers, as required.

Ward and School Advocacy ​– attends Ward 16 School Trustee meetings and other related meetings, if required, and reports back to the Council on relevant information and learnings.

ECO – plans for and implements eco initiatives at the school with input and support from the School Council, and may support current eco school initiatives such as assisting with the school garden. Includes coordination of events such as the annual Bike Rally.

Governance – is responsible for planning for and overseeing the Council elections as per the legislative and School Council bylaw requirements.

 

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL FAQ’S

The Gledhill School Council welcomes you to the 2019/2020 School Year!

The start of a new year always brings great excitement, and also lots of questions!As a group of parents and guardians, we (The Gledhill School Council) thought it might be helpful to put together a list of Frequently Asked Questions (and answers!) for other parents who may be wondering about this information. We’ve done our best to provide accurate answers, and apologize in advance if there are any errors. If you have questions about specific details, please feel free to contact the school at 416-393-1745.

School begins Tuesday, September 3rd!

TIP: Stay Informed by gettingthe Gledhill Guardian – our School Council blog – right to your inbox! Go to https://gledhillguardian.com/and sign up to receive email updates including daily announcements and upcoming events.

Be sure to join the Gledhill Student Council Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/GledhillSchool/ and follow the Gledhill Guardian on Twitter: @gledhillSC

The Daily Schedule- Children enter and exit from the schoolyard at the following times:

School starts at 8:40

Lunch starts at 11:30

Lunch ends at 12:30

School ends at 3:20

(Note: some Kindergarten classes come out earlier, however teachers remain with the children until dismissal time at 3:20pm)

Line up procedures (where, when, and how to find your line)

Class lists should be posted the Wednesday before school starts. They will either be just outside the office, or just inside the Terry Fox Entrance (north of the main school entrance). Watch for news on the school council facebook page and blog for more information on when and where they are posted.

On the first day, students can find their teachers outside behind the school and will line up with their class to enter the school together.

The Principal, VP and teachers will have clip boards with class lists to help guide people to their line ups.

You can find School Council Representatives in orange vests who will be happy to help you!

(Note: This is always a hectic morning for everyone – kids, parents and staff! Our school community appreciates your patience.

Lunch

Within the first days of school, your child will receive forms from the school for you to complete indicating whether they will be leaving or staying at lunch time.

If you are picking your child up for lunch, their teacher will bring them outside to the back of the school at 11:30am.

Children should be back in the schoolyard to line up outside with their class by 12:25pm.

At Gledhill we encourage litterless lunches and snacks. There are water fountains and bottle-filling stations throughout the school.

Food/Allergies

Gledhill is a nut-free school. Please be sure to send nut-free snacks/lunches.

Any other allergy considerations specific to your child’s class will be communicated by the teacher in the first few days.

Absences/Late Arrivals

If your child is going to be late/absent, call the school at 416-393-1745 to notify the office ASAP.

Gledhill Administrative Staff:

Principal – Cathy McAleese

Vice Principal – Ms. Bambrick

Office Administrator- Mr. Poursanidis

Getting to/from school:

Let’s all work together to keep our kids safe!

Walking to school? There is a crossing guard located at the corner of Danforth and Gledhill.

Bike racks are located at the front of the school and at the north end of the school yard for your use/convenience.

If you drive your child to school, please obey the posted parking/stopping signage in front of the school and note the bylaw limiting idling to 1 min.

However you get to school, please be aware that Gledhill Avenue can be very busy at drop off/pick up times. Stay alert whether on foot, on bike, or in a car!

We look forward to seeing you!

Mark your calendars! The first School Council meeting will be held Thursday, September 19that 6 pm. Pizza and childcare will be provided unless otherwise communicated. Hope to see you there!

 

Big Family Fest “Thank yous”

Last Friday we had amazing weather and a fantastic turnout to Gledhill’s Annual Family Fest. Each year the event raises valuable funds for the school council supported programs and initiatives including Drama with Jeff, Scientists in School and Skate Day.

We’d like to say a few important thank yous:

THANK YOU to all the local businesses who contributed to the day including Davidson’s valu-mart who donated all the food for the BBQ, Kevin Smith for donating the loot bag contents, the Fire Station on Woodbine for visiting with their truck and Toronto Water for sending the water truck.

THANK YOU to all the familes who attended the event and supported this important fundraiser.

THANK YOU to Andrea A and her team of parent volunteers who helped set up, man the stations and clean up afterwards.

THANK YOU to everyone who baked and cooked for the food tables.

And finally, a HUGE THANK YOU to Chantal, Marni, Scarlett and Melissa who have worked so hard to organize and run many of our fundraisers over the last few years!

Day of Pink at Gledhill

The entrepreneurial spirit and poster making game was strong  in the halls at Gledhill this morning – all in the name of the Day of Pink.

 

Today – Wed, April 10th, is the Day of Pink

“The Day of Pink is the International Day against Bullying, Discrimination, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Transmisogyny across the world. We invite everyone to celebrate diversity by wearing a pink shirt and by organizing activities in their workplaces, schools and communities.”

Gledhill is celebrating this day in several ways:

  • Students are encouraged to wear PINK today
  • The Grade 4s and 5 have been busy baking and will be selling their treats in the hallways before lunch today to students Grade 1 and older. All proceeds from the sale will go to www.dayofpink.org. Items will range in price from $0.25 – $1.00.
  • Grades 4 and 5 students will host “Kindie Buddy chats” with the kindergarten students to talk about friendship and kindness.