Family Literacy Night: Our next CG Family Night will take place this upcoming Wednesday, January 25th from 5:30-7:00 pm. This month's family night is Family Literacy Night. Join us for a Book Swap, games, a scavenger hunt, door prizes and more.
Book Swap: Need new books? Trade in old books for "new to you" books! During our Family Literacy Night on Wednesday, January 25th from 5:30-7:00 pm, bring any books that you no longer read. They can be at any reading level, fiction, or non-fiction, etc. Students can also bring their old books to school before Family Literacy NIght to give to their classroom teachers. Each book students turn in will recieve one ticket, which students can use to acquire books at the Book Swap during Family Literacy Night. Any books left over from the Book Swap will not be returned. They will be donated to classroom libraries.
Global School Play Day: Anyone who has been at Christina Gordon Public School for a few years will know that our past Global School Play Days (in 2019 and 2020) were a resounding success and one of the highlights of the year. Sadly, the pandemic put a hold on this for the past two years. We are excited to announce that once again this year we will be participating in Global School Play Day! On Wednesday, February 1st from 1:30 - 3:15 pm ALL students at Christina Gordon Public School (ECDP-Grade 6) will participate in Global School Play Day, along with thousands of other schools from all over the world. Information on Global School Play Day can be found on their WEBSITE. What does that mean? An afternoon of unstructured play:
1. PLAY! NO SCREENS - NO STRUCTURE - ALL AFTERNOON
2. Children will choose what they play. There will be nothing organized but they may choose from things such as board games, dolls, Legos, blocks, trucks, cars, racetracks, playing cards, empty cardboard boxes, markers, jigsaw puzzles, blankets (for forts), social games (charades, Pictionary, etc.)
NO TECHNOLOGY AND ABSOLUTELY NO DEVICES FOR THIS PERIOD
3. Children will not be told what they have to play with or how they play.
4. Staff will fully supervise the students but won't interfere with students unless they see something that may be dangerous or harmful.
5. Students may choose to bring along toys or games, but must be aware that they are fully responsible for the game, and for ensuring that the game is not lost or damaged. We'd recommend against bringing in that special toy or game, unless the child is willing and able to ensure it's taken care of.
Every parent will know that something that always sparks creativity in a child is an empty box that can become a fort, or a boat or a million other things. If you have any cartons at home (especially larger ones such as appliance cartons) that you can donate for GSPD, please bring them along to the school between Monday, January 30th and Wednesday, February 1st. Please note that due to extremely limited space restrictions, we cannot accept them any earlier that Monday, January 30th. Also, some students may be bringing toys or games from home. If this is the case, please stress to your child the importance that they are responsible for that item and for bringing it home. You will understand that it will be impossible for staff to keep track of these items, especially on a day when there will be so many items brought in. It's going to be a fun day! There is a mountain of evidence that points to the link between play and learning. In fact, all of our Early Learning classrooms (ECDP and Kindergarten) offer a play based environment. Below is an excellent article about the importance of play for school age children found online at
https://www.brighthorizons.com/family-resources/importance-of-play-for-school-age-children.
Regulated Classroom Parent Session: Please see the attached (Digital Take Home Folder) in regards to the Regulated Classroom Parent Session taking place on November 2nd, from 7:00-8:00 pm at Westwood Community High School. This session is a remarkable opportunity to take part in a parent session that may be invaluable for you as a parent. The session is free and sponsored by FMPSD.
Smencils Fundraiser: The CG Inclusion Advisory Committee will be having a fundraiser in February to help support the Triple I (Intensive Individualized Intervention) Program. We will be selling Smencils (scented pencils) for $2 each. If you would like to order some Smencils, please bring your money to your classroom teacher by February 1st. We are hoping to deliver the Smencils to classrooms the week of Valentine's Day.
