This school year certainly started with a bang!  Hurricane Dorian brought us our first school closure, and yours truly had an emergency appendectomy.  I fervently hope that things will calm down a little for a while!  I am recovering slowly but surely, and I am anxious to be able to get back into the classroom.  I miss my students!  I would like to shout out a huge THANK YOU to Mrs. Bissett for filling in for me on such short notice and for loving on your children the way I know she does.

With another week ahead of us, please take note of the following important announcements and information.

Healthy Snacks:

Please try to ensure that your child has a healthy snack available for our morning snack time (fruit, veggies, yogurt, cheese and crackers are great examples).  I am not against a sweet treat, but it should be saved for lunch time.

Science class this week:

Each student has been asked to bring in a rock for Wednesday’s Science class with Mrs. MacNeill.

Bring Your Bible:

Our classes are well on their way this week.   Please note that all students are required to have a Bible.  Ideally the Bible will be the ESV version, however the NIV or NLT version will work.  We understand that many families have found it challenging to purchase a Bible in Charlottetown.  Please let Mrs. McGonnell know if you cannot purchase a Bible and she will try her best to find one for your child.  Bibles should have both the Old and New Testaments.

Lego WeDo Camp:

We are excited to be offering a Robotics Camp for our elementary students again this year.  Please see the flyer sent home with your child if he/she has expressed interest in participating.  The 8 week camp will run on Wednesdays from 3:15 – 4:30, beginning on September 25th.  If your child wishes to participate, please return your child’s permission slip and payment of $150 to your child’s homeroom teacher.  Space is limited.

Soccer Camp:

Students in grades 1-6 are invited to participate in our annual GCS Soccer Camp.  Soccer camp will take place on Wednesdays, weather permitting, from 3:15 – 4:15.  Camp will begin on September 18th and run until October 23rd.  Registration forms and payments can be sent to your child’s homeroom teacher.  Only 25 students will be invited to participate.  Get your registration forms and payments in early!

Cheer & Dance Academy:

We are delighted to have Mrs. MacDougall running our Cheer & Dance Academy this year. Girls in Grades 1-6 are invited to participate each Friday from 3:15 – 4:30, with practices beginning on September 20th.  The registration fee of $30 and registration forms can be returned to your daughter’s homeroom teacher.

Elementary Cross Country:

Elementary Cross Country practices will be held on Mondays from 3:15 to 4:00.  There is no registration form or fee required, however students wishing to participate are asked to meet in the atrium at 3:15 sharp, dressed in proper running attire, with a full water bottle.

Milk / Lunch Program:

As in previous years, GCS will be offering a milk program for elementary students and a lunch program for the entire school. We are currently in the process of implementing an online ordering and payment platform that will be used for the milk and lunch programs. This new platform will be available to school families in early October. Additional information regarding this new platform will be sent out in the next few weeks. Until then, we appreciate your patience as we prepare this new and more efficient option for our milk and lunch programs.

No Homework?

Although many class assignments are completed throughout the day in class, there are a number of items that students should be spending time on each night.  These daily homework items include: spelling & vocabulary review, reading for a minimum of 15 minutes, as well as Bible memory work. Any unfinished classwork in Math or Language must also be completed.  ESL students will have additional homework from the ESL Department which will be tracked using the SeeSaw App.

Scrip Program:

Scrip is Grace Christian School’s simple fundraising program using gift cards from popular retailers. The school purchases these gift cards at a discount and resells them to parents for the face value of the card. Families will earn back the difference of the purchase (to a specified amount) to be returned to that family in June in the form of their choice of gift cards, tuition bursary, donation to GCS staff, or donation to GCS Plant a Seed Fund.  Please remember to stop by the GCS Armoury just inside the new school atrium to purchase your gift cards.

Important Dates:

October 10 – Fall Pictures
October 11 – PD Day (No Classes)
October 14 – Thanksgiving (No Classes)

Assessments this Week:

Monday – Spelling Test 1

Friday – Spelling Test 2