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More information will be sent in advance of this virtual event, but please hold the date in the meantime!

Thank you to everyone who attended the Gledhill Parent Council meeting last Tues. Nov. 9!

Please find a summary of the meeting and follow-up notes below.

Introductions and land acknowledgement – 23 people attended the meeting, including the Gledhill Principal and Vice-Principal, 4 Gledhill staff, and 1 guest from DA Morrison 

Guest from DA Morrison Parent Council – Andrew Egan 

• Andrew informed attendees that parents from DA Morrison Middle School would like to get a crossing guard for the corner of Lumsden Ave. and Gledhill Ave. as: traffic has increased on Lumsden Ave., the available time to cross at the light is short, and kids will often run to get across the light before it changes which can create a dangerous situation. 
• Unfortunately, DA Morrison does not meet the criteria for requesting a crossing guard as the priority is for requests made from grades K-5 schools. 
• Gledhill would quality to apply; therefore, it is being asked that Gledhill apply with support and input from DA Morrison. 
• It was also suggested that the intersection may also not currently meet accessibility (AODA) standards for Ontario which could also be considered. 
• Action – Cathy McAleese (Gledhill Principal) will connect with Marc Mullen (DA Morrison Principal) to discuss further. 

Gledhill Principal and Vice-Principal Updates

• Welcome to the new Gledhill office admin staff member – Maxwell Harris!
• There was a coyote spotted on school property last week (when kids weren’t around) and it left on its own; the City of Toronto was informed; kids were informed not to approach or chase any coyotes if they see them; please also reiterate this message to your kids; the school staff will continue to watch for this in future. 
• It was a great Halloween at Gledhill, however, please limit the candy that kids bring to school going forward and also watch that any candy brought to school is nut-free. 
• The free muffin snack program at the school is going well. 
• Progress reports are being sent home the week of Nov. 15 and teachers have and will be in touch to schedule interviews. 
• Reminder of the PA Day on Fri. Nov. 19.
• Remembrance Day (Nov. 11) announcements were held over the school PA system; photos from the day will be shared in the next school newsletter. 
• November is Indigenous Education Month as noted in the recent Gledhill Newsletter. 
• Grades 1/2 teacher Chantal Leclerc explained how she communicates the land acknowledgement to her students in a way they can understand. 
• There are two upcoming spirit days:
  • Fri. Nov. 26 is creative hat day
  • Fri. Dec. 17 is pajama day
  • Students are asked to not bring any stuffed animals to school for these days
• The school is collecting non-perishable food items to donate; children are to bring one item each by Fri. Nov. 26.

TDSB Book Study – The TDSB is having a book study on the book “Reading Sweetgrass”; 3 copies of the book will be available to circulate to interested parents; please email thegledhillguardian@gmail.com if you would like to borrow a copy. 

The Healthy Kids Committee – Erin provided an idea about collecting and making/sharing a list of healthy lunch and snack ideas for parents to pack for their kids; this was supported by meeting attendees; emails with ideas can also be sent to thegledhillguardian@gmail.com.

School Improvement Committee

• Erin let the group know that the outside of the school will be decorated soon for the holidays; it was suggested that the beginning of December was good timing for this. 
• An indoor giving tree is also being donated by a Gledhill parent and will be displayed by the school office at the beginning of December.

December Council Meeting Speaker – Marisa shared that a guest speaker, Michelle Munroe, will be presenting at the Dec. 9 Parent Council meeting on the topic “Talking Race”; more information will be circulated about this. 

Pizza lunches – a question was asked whether pizza lunches would be allowed this year; it was confirmed that pizza lunches are not currently permitted by the TDSB due to COVID restrictions.

Parent Engagement Discussion

• Michael led a discussion on ways the Gledhill Parent Council can foster parent engagement this school year, especially considering current COVID restrictions. 
• The Council has sought input from parents and guardians in past years using online surveys, however, specific feedback on ways to engage and build community has not been collected (and is perhaps a good idea).
• It was suggested that the Parent Council review current meeting times to ensure they are good for parents; it was also suggested that blog posts could highlight pictures of kid-related items from the school (e.g., kids’ art) as these are things parents like to see; additional parent engagement ideas or input can be sent to thegledhillguardian@gmail.com.
• It was noted that the Council may still need a lead person for the Communications role (for activities like posting on the blog) in case anyone is interested. 

The next Parent Council meeting is scheduled for Thurs. Dec. 9, 6:30pm with the “Talking Race” guest speaker. 

Have a great week!

Tuesday November 9, 2021, 6:30pm – 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. 

Agenda items:

1. Welcome and introductions
2. Cross walk safety (with Andrew Egan – guest from DA Morrison Middle School)
3. Principal’s update
4. Healthy kids committee idea (Erin Spencer)
5. Holiday décor / school improvement committee (Erin Spencer)
6. Update about December speaker (Marisa Silver)
7. Discuss parent engagement (Michael Dijkhuis)
8. Other updates / questions

Zoom meeting link:
https://tdsb-ca.zoom.us/j/99674244632?pwd=dHFQSFZSM2ZPTjNlN29PdWxTb212Zz09

Meeting ID: 996 7424 4632
Passcode: 806095

Or Call

647-374-4685 or 647-558-0588 

Next Council meeting dates:

• Thurs. Dec. 9
• Tues. Jan. 11, 2022
• Thurs. Feb. 10 
• Tues. Mar. 8 
• Thurs. Apr. 7 
• Tues. May 10 
• Thurs. Jun. 9 

Announcing your 2021/22 Gledhill School Council 

(Positions Still Available!) 

We are excited to announce the acclaimed positions for the 2021/22 Gledhill School Council: 

· Council Co-Chairs – Marisa Silver and Lindsay Tarvit 

· Treasurer – Jennifer Reynolds 

· Secretary – Jill Kovacs Argue 

· Parent Engagement – Michael Dijkhuis 

· Healthy Kids – Erin Spencer 

· Eco Initiatives – Erin Spencer; Maili Sedore 

· School Improvement – Erin Spencer 

Thank to these individuals for volunteering for these important positions and making a difference at Gledhill! 

The following positions are still being recruited for: 

· Ward and School Advocacy 

· Communications 

· Fundraising 

· Governance 

If you would like to learn more about the positions, check out the description of Council roles on our website. If you are interested in holding one of these positions for the current school year, please email thegledhillguardian@gmail.com. 

It is expected that most School Council activities will be done remotely this year. 

Thank you in advance for your interest and participation in this year’s School Council activities!

Gledhill Parent Council Meeting Agenda

Tuesday, Oct 12, 2021 at 6:30pm

 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. 

1. Welcome, introductions
2. Council Election/Acclimations 
3. Principal’s Update
4. Council procedures update (fundraising, events, meetings)
5. Treasurer’s update
6. Snack Program
7. Meeting dates for the year
8. Q&A

Join Zoom Meeting
https://tdsb-ca.zoom.us/j/93501523286?pwd=eWJIc2kyRDJ6U2lDQ0c3UzU0OU1ZQT09

Or Call 
647 374 4685 

Meeting ID: 935 0152 3286
Passcode: 662480

GLEDHILL SCHOOL COUNCIL WELCOMES YOU!

The Gledhill School Council Election and first formal School Council meeting is on  Tuesday, Oct 12 at 6:30pm

Make a difference in your child’s experience in school this year!

No contribution is too small. Learn how you can support, chair or join a committee, or feel free to just listen in. This meeting will constitute our election of council positions for the 2021/2022 school year and set the stage for council work for the year ahead. Every parent/guardian of a Gledhill student (including virtual students) have a vote.

All support and ideas are welcome! All meetings will be held via Zoom until further notice. Zoom details and meeting agenda will be circulated next week.

We encourage you to consider joining us on the council this year as we work together to overcome obstacles and look for opportunities in these challenging times. All council positions and descriptions can be found here: https://gledhillguardian.com/council/roles/

To nominate yourself for a position on the council, just complete our easy form on Survey Monkey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DS28BS9 or pick up/drop off a paper copy outside the main door of the school beginning on Friday, October 1^st.

Nominations (survey or paper) are due by Friday, October 8th 2021.

Questions about roles, commitment or process? Feel free to contact us at thegledhillguardian@gmail.com

We look forward to seeing you on October 12th!

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

Committees: Parent Engagement, Remote School Representative*, Communications, Fundraising, Grants, Healthy Kids, School Improvement, Volunteer Coordination, Ward and School Advocacy, Eco and Governance

Welcome back Gledhill families!

We hope all of our in person and virtual families have had a great start to the 2021-2022 school year!

We wanted to bring to your attention some important days that are coming up at Gledhill:

September 30th, 2021- Orange Shirt Day

Gledhill will be recognizing Orange Shirt Day with lessons and activities where students will learn about the legacy of the Residential Schools System for First Nations, Métis and Inuit families and communities.

On September 30th we are asking everyone to wear an Orange shirt as Gledhill acknowledges the truths of Residential Schools in Canada, we honour Survivors, and we remember the thousands of children murdered by these schools, many of them buried in unmarked graves.  For more information about Orange Shirt Day, please visit https://www.orangeshirtday.org/about-us.html

October 1, 2021 – Terry Fox Run

Gledhill will hold its annual walk/fundraiser for the Terry Fox Foundation on Friday, October 1st! Teachers will conduct an outdoor walk with their class and their cohort. 

If you are interested in supporting this cause, please visit: www.terryfox.ca/GledhillPSToronto

(In the interest of safety for all, we will not be sending pledge sheets home and no cash donations will be accepted at the school.) For more information on Terry Fox and his legacy, please visit https://terryfox.org/

Hello to all of our Gledhill families!

What a year it has been! We hope that all of our families have a safe, fun and relaxing summer!

Before we sign off for the summer break, we wanted to provide a very exciting update on our year-end fundraising initiative! We raised $11, 245 and we couldn’t have done it without the amazing families and community that make Gledhill such special place! Thank you to everyone who was able to contribute and share the information!

A big thank you to all of our Gledhill staff- teachers, admin and support staff who kept the year going despite the many challenges!

We wish all of our Grade 5 graduates all the best as they head off to new school(s) next year and we look forward to welcoming our new JKs in September.

Do know a family joining Gledhill in the fall? Let them know about to sign up for this blog and to join our Gledhill Facebook page to stay up to date on back to school information for September 2021.

Stay well and stay safe Gledhill Tigers! See you in September!

We want to wish Gledhill’s Grade 5 students all the best as they move onto new schools next year! Students were invited to Gledhill at the beginning of this week to say goodbye to some of their teachers and have opportunities to share memories of their time at Gledhill! A big thanks to teachers, admin, and parents of the students for giving our Grade 5’s a special send off!

Today is the last day to support our students 2021-22 school year through Schools Council initiatives.

Thank You for everyone’s support so far, we have almost met our $10K goal.

Please consider the lack of fundraising this year and contribute what you can!

Contributing is simple: click on the link, sign in and select the amount for donation (whatever works for your family). A few minutes is all it takes to help the Gledhill School Council.

This year has been one like no other. Thank you to teachers and parents for stepping up and keeping the school year going for all the students.

Have a great summer!