Good afternoon Wings,
We just received word from Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region.
Due to a software malfunction, STSWR and our bus operators will not be able to post late notices on websites for transportation routes that are not running on schedule. Further, late notices cannot be sent to parents via e-mail or text message as normal.
We apologize for this late notice and the issues it will create to your schedules.
Hi Saint Gabriel School Community!
Thank you for the warm welcome! The school community students, parents and staff are awesome!
Miss Stevens and I had the opportunity to talk to all students in grades 1-6 this morning. Morning announcements occurred prior to lunch which included O’Canada, Land Acknowledgement and prayer as a school community.
In the afternoon, we continued with our school-wide daily Christian meditation followed by meeting all students in grades 7 and 8 in our school gymnasium. The presentation was led by the Intermediate teachers and expectations for the school year was discussed. Our grade 7 and 8 students listened attentively and are true leaders of our school.
As our school population is continuously growing with 19 classrooms and over 465 students, members of the school community are reminded that changes in class size and configuration can change until the second week of September. In the event this happens, families of any affected changes will be notified.
Please save the date! Meet the Teacher Night is back and is scheduled for Thursday, September 22. We will have an Open House drop-in from 5:30 – 6:45 pm for you to meet your child’s (ren) teacher and to see their classroom. School Council will be providing a bbq. More info to follow.
Soar like the Wonderful Wings that you are.
P. Bruni E. Stevens
Principal Vice Principal
Good evening Wings,
Please see the attached link from Student Transportation Services. The bus driver shortage may have an impact on our school.
https://www.stswr.ca/blog/2022/09/01/anticipated-transportation-service-delays/
On behalf of the school staff, welcome to the beginning of a new and exciting school year at Saint Gabriel Roman Catholic Elementary School and a special welcome to all our new families and students. I am thrilled to begin my first year as administrator at Saint Gabriel. I am very fortunate that I have had the pleasure of being an administrator for the WCDSB for the past 17 years. In addition, I have been a teacher in all divisions including early years.
I am very excited about the talents, expertise, and experiences that our staff members will be able to share with our students and the Saint Gabriel School Community during the 2022-2023 school year. It is great news that Miss Stevens is returning as vice principal as she has a special place in her heart for this school community. We are looking forward to working with you and continue to build a strong bond with home, school and church.
A couple of housekeeping items prior to our first school day. As mentioned in our Director’s message yesterday to all school communities in our region:
Miss Stevens and I are so proud of many things! We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Mr. Aguiar, Ms. Oliveira, and Ms. Byfield for working tirelessly over the summer to make Saint Gabriel shine for our students. We would also like to thank our teachers and support staff for all of the work they have put into setting up classrooms and work spaces throughout our school that are inclusive and welcoming.
September is also a time when we can give God thanks for this wonderful month, for all the love poured out on us, and the good days to come during this new school year. May God bless all of us who work, pray and learn together with new friendships, successful learning, good health, and happiness.
Philip Bruni Erin Stevens
Principal Vice Principal
Dear Waterloo Catholic Families,
We are excited to be welcoming you and your family back for the start of the 2022-23 school year. We offer a special welcome to all families joining us for the first time this year. We hope that all of you had a great summer and are looking forward to the new opportunities this year will bring.
If you need information about registering for school, please CLICK HERE .
We look forward to joining with you this year in the name of Catholic education to support the academic success and faith formation of all of our students. We are thankful for the opportunity to work together with you to provide the very best educational opportunity possible for your child and family.
I am writing to you today to provide important information to assist with your planning as we approach our first day of school next Tuesday, September 6, 2022.
On August 5, the Ministry of Education released the Health and Safety protocols for the start of the school year. Most protocols and guidelines remain unchanged to those that were in place at the end of June. We continue to work with our local public health officials to ensure we are aligned with the most up-to-date guidance and hope to minimize any potential disruptions to learning throughout this school year.
The following is a summary of what you can expect in September:
Ventilation – Over the past several years, significant upgrades have been made in school ventilation systems to support a healthy learning environment. Our custodial and maintenance staff have been working throughout the summer to ensure our schools are safe, clean and that the ventilation systems have been inspected and properly maintained to welcome staff and students back. UV or combination UV/HEPA filtration units will continue to be present in all classrooms and learning spaces throughout this school year.
Daily Screening – Staff and students are asked to continue to screen each morning before school using the COVID-19 school screening (ontario.ca) resource, and stay home when feeling unwell or exhibiting symptoms. We ask that screening become part of your personal daily routines. The daily screening requirements and related guidance may change throughout the year and notification of any changes will be communicated to our community.
Masking – Continuing with the protocols in place in June – and based on the advice of the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health – masks will remain optional for students, staff and visitors in schools, and on student transportation. We continue to support a mask-friendly environment in our schools and workplaces and recognize there are times when staff or students may need to wear masks in alignment with provincial or federal guidance or may choose to wear masks if there is a high incidence of illness in our community. Masks will continue to be available upon request to staff and students in the 2022-23 school year.
Rapid Antigen Tests – Rapid Antigen Test kits will continue to be available to staff and students in schools as needed.
For more information about school start-up routines, please watch for updates from your school this week.
Thank you for your ongoing support of Catholic Education. We look forward with anticipation to the new opportunities this year will bring.
I wish you all the best as we begin this school year in the coming week.
Sincerely,
Tyrone Dowling
Director of Education
The first day of school for Grades 1-8 will be Tuesday, September 6th beginning at 9:10 am and ending at 3:40 pm. Junior and Senior Kindergarten students do not attend school on this day. Orientation meetings will take place for all our new JK and SK students and families on this day. SKs will begin school on Wednesday, September 7th.
Any students with a medical plan for allergies or other medical conditions are asked to please drop off EpiPens, medications, etc. at the office by the first day of school.
All the necessary forms are now available on School Cash Online for you to complete. Thanks for your cooperation, and once again please feel free to call the school office should you have any questions with School Cash online. Please click the link for instructions to sign up. SCO Instructions
To support a successful transition, families should have received an email yesterday regarding classroom placements and teacher information to begin the school year. If we missed you, please contact the school as soon as possible. Please remember that even though we try hard to get as much settled as possible, placements may change depending on enrollment fluctuations during the first week of school.
A great deal of time, effort, and thought has gone into the student and classroom placement process. Consideration of different needs, personalities and learning styles was given (with input from Staff) in order to identify our existing placements.
Thank you so much for being positive with your child and helping them to understand how hard it is to place all students with a preferred best friend or teacher. Our staff work hard to make school as safe and positive an experience that they can for students. We are focussed on enriching as many areas of your child(ren)’s life as we can. It is also helpful to remember that it can take a few weeks for a child to acclimate to a new grade, peer group, and teacher. We thank you for working in partnership and support in this regard.
Supervision on the schoolyard begins at 8:55 am. At the bell, students in grades 1-6 will enter the gym through the outside gym doors. We ask parents to please say their quick goodbyes and remain outside the school building. Upon entering the gym students will see staff members holding grade level signs. Once students find their grade level, a staff member will be there to greet them and introduce them to their teacher. Students in grade 7 and 8 are asked to enter through the main doors on the tarmac and make their way up to the library where they will be greeted by the Intermediate team.
Finally, it cannot be said enough: THANK YOU for working with us in partnership to ensure a safe, healthy, and happy return to school for all. Soar like the Wonderful Wings that you are.
P. Bruni E. Stevens
Principal Vice Principal
