Getting Ready for Kindergarten

2022-2023

Welcome to our school community!

We believe that all families are composed of individuals who are competent and capable, curious, and rich in experience. We know our families love their children and want the best for them. Families are experts on their children. They are the first and most powerful influence on children’s learning, development, health, and well-being. Families bring diverse social, cultural, and linguistic perspectives. Families should feel that they belong, are valuable contributors to their children’s learning, and deserve to be engaged in a meaningful way.

Welcome to Kindergarten Event You will be invited to our school this year in the spring, where we can gather in community and get to know each other! There will be an opportunity for you and your child to participate in activities together and ask questions. Let’s get ready to Talk, Create, Read and Play!

Welcome message from Mrs. Sodaro

“Welcome to our School where Young Minds Grow.” I am so excited to welcome our new Kindergarten friends to St. Gabriel Catholic School and be your first elementary school principal.

Kindergarten is a time of new beginnings, of making many new friends, and learning and exploring many new things. Under the guidance of our dedicated staff, your time at St. Gabriel will be filled with many new experiences and learning opportunities. I am excited to get to know you and watch you grow.

I can’t wait for your educational journey to begin at our school. So glad that you are joining our school family, “The Home of the Wings.” Welcome to St. Gabriel.

Welcome message from Ms. Stevens

Hello Everyone!

I would love to take this opportunity to introduce myself and say welcome to St. Gabriel!  My name is Erin Stevens and I am the vice-principal here at the school.  This is my first year at St. Gabriel and I am loving every minute of it!  I have met so many wonderful students and their families and feel lucky to be a part of such a wonderful community.  I look forward to meeting our newest friends, as they begin their journey here in Kindergarten!

Introducing Our Early Years Team

Each Kindergarten class includes a certified Kindergarten teacher and registered early childhood educator(s) (ECE). St. Gabriel also provides a before and after school Extended Day program:

Meet Mrs. Jessica Kartalianakis (Teacher)

Hello and welcome! My married name is a mouthful, so at St. Gabriel everyone knows me as Mrs. K! I have been teaching with WCDSB since 2017 and have been blessed to find a special love for teaching Kindergarten. This will be my second year at St. Gabriel and I feel so fortunate to be part of such an incredible community of students, parents and educators. There is never a dull moment in Kindergarten and I very much look forward to meeting and getting to know each and every one of you this upcoming school year!

Meet Mrs. Laura Amaral (DECE, Extended Day Program)

Hi everyone! I’m excited to start my sixth year at St. Gabriel and continue to be a part of an amazing Early Years Team! I look forward to meeting all the children who are starting their Kindergarten journey in the fall. I’m glad that I get to be a part of that journey and to be able to meet all the families. It’s going to be a great year full of fun and learning! Have a great summer, see you all in September.

Meet Mrs. Maria Pereira (DECE, Extended Day Program)

Welcome to Kindergarten! My name is Mrs. Pereira! I am very excited to meet all of our friends in September. I am working in Kindergarten and also working with the after school program. I can’t wait to meet you all in the Fall! Take care!

Meet Mrs. Brenda Craig (Teacher)

Welcome families! I am incredibly proud to say that I have been a student, parent, and teacher with the WCDSB. I have been a part of the St. Gabriel Catholic School Early Years Team since it first opened its doors in 2014. I am very excited to be welcoming your child to this remarkable school community in September 2022! I look forward to getting to know your family as we begin to create some wonderful new memories this year. We will play, learn, and grow together in Kindergarten!

Meet Vanessa Camara (DECE, Extended Day Program)

Hey there! I feel so blessed to be back for my sixth year at St. Gabriel, with our amazing Early Years Team. I’ve been a student with WCDSB from JK to grade 12, and an employee since 2012. This amazing community is a BIG part of my life! I love teaching, but most of all, I LOVE learning. I’m eager to meet all of you, and can’t wait for us to embark on all the adventure that awaits! Have a fun and safe summer! We will see you in the fall!

Meet Mrs. Sarah-Anne Procunier (Teacher)

Hello everyone! I have been blessed to be a part of this school community since 2018, and I am very excited to embark on another year at St. Gabriel as part of our Early Years Team. I cannot wait to meet all of our new Kindergarten students and am eager to get to know all of the new families in our Wings community. Our students and Early Years Team are going to have so much fun learning and growing together this year! Have a wonderful summer and I look forward to seeing you in September!

Meet Mrs. Meagan Yake (DECE, Extended Day Program)

Welcome families! I am blessed to say that I have been a student, parent, and educator with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board. I am excited to start my second year St. Gabriel Catholic School Early Years Team this fall. I cannot wait to meet all of you. I look forward to learning and creating memories with you! See you in September!

Introducing Our School Community and Learning Spaces

Each Kindergarten classroom at St. Gabriel is equipped with a wide variety of learning spaces to foster play-based learning (ex: dramatic play centre, craft table, literacy, and math centres). As part of the St. Gabriel community, students will learn about the Catholic faith and will be provided with opportunities to practice our faith together at our class prayer centre, during Christian Meditation, and at school masses. We will also participate in celebrations throughout the liturgical year to celebrate events such as Advent and Lent. Students also engage in learning outside the classroom– in the gymnasium, library/computer lab, and outside on the schoolyard. Every day students will have the opportunity to learn and grow together as part of our Wings community!

Our Early Years Team works to provide a collaborative and complementary partnership to support children and families. We work together to create learning opportunities that foster the interests of the students, whether it be dinosaurs, space, bugs, rainbows, etc.

Information

Safe Arrival and Dismissal

The school hours are 9:10 am to 3:40 pm. In the morning, there is Kindergarten supervision beginning at 8:55 am in the fenced-in area. Please drop your child off there and feel free to leave once supervision arrives. Your child’s teacher will come and get them when the bell rings at 9:10.

St. Gabriel School has a “Safe Arrival Program.” It is very important that if your child will be late or absent from school, that you call the school, or leave a message on the answering machine; it operates 24 hours a day. Any change in supervision to or from school should be made in writing to the teachers.

At the end of the day, children can be picked up at the same rear door. In order to ensure that each child goes home with their designated person all supervisors/guardians must be on the safe dismissal “pick-up” list that you fill out. Bus students will be safely escorted to their bus.

Personal Hygiene in the Classroom

Each Kindergarten classroom has an individual washroom and classroom sink. We encourage students to frequently use the washroom throughout the day and to wash hands as often as necessary (ex: before snack/lunch, after coughing/sneezing). Unfortunately, we do not have a water fountain close to the classroom for a quick drink, so it is important that students bring a water bottle every day.
With current concerns over COVID-19, we will do our best to implement the cleaning practices shared by the Ministry of Health in order to ensure we protect the health of the students and teachers in our school (ex: increased frequency of hand washing and physical distancing).

Medical Information

• Please help us make our school safe for your child: If your child has any health concerns (ex: asthma, allergies, etc.), please inform the school Principal and our Early Years Team as soon as possible.

• Please note: Our school board has a nut-free policy. Please do not send nuts or nut products with your child. This also includes nut substitutes. Thank you for your understanding.

Health & Safety Protocols (COVID-19)

“We Will Establish a Balance Between Physical Health and Safety & Social Emotional Health and Well-Being”

SOCIAL DISTANCING: Children in the same cohort (classroom) can play together. Children in the same cohort can play with the toys and materials in the classroom. We recognize that physical distancing is difficult with small children. When students are seated at tables in the classroom they will be spaced 1 metre apart. When waiting in line for entry or waiting for the washroom or sink, students will be asked to stand 1 metre apart.

WEARING A MASK: All staff and students at St. Gabriel are required to wear masks at school. Students will be allowed to remove their mask during snack and lunch time. If parents have concerns regarding the mandatory mask mandate, please contact your child’s teachers to have a private discussion. Throughout the first couple weeks we will be talking about and modelling proper mask wearing and handling. At times, teachers will also be seen wearing face shields in the classroom (i.e., during small group instructional times). Try encouraging your child to properly take care of their mask by washing their hands before/or after handling it, practicing putting it on/taking it off, and safely storing it in a bag or plastic
container while eating.

HAND WASHING: Hand washing will be reinforced as the key strategy to utilize to maintain good hygiene. Health Canada recommends hand washing using soap and warm water for 20 seconds. Try encouraging your child to count to 20 or to sing “Happy Birthday” two times in their heads. Hand sanitizer will also be available in the classroom and throughout the school.

Videos from Public Health:

• How to wash your hands
• How to wear a face mask
• How to use hand sanitizer

USING MATERIALS IN THE CLASSROOM: All students will be provided with a personal “bucket” to keep personalized items such as their supply pack. At other times, students will be asked to wash hands before/after handling shared materials such as building blocks or art supplies. Materials and toys will be washed frequently after use.

SCREENING: It is more important than ever before, that anyone feeling ill should not attend school. All children, students, staff, and visitors must be screened for symptoms of illness every day before attending school or childcare. Any student or staff member with any symptom should not report to school. To help meet this requirement, you should use the provincial screening tool found here: COVID-19 school and child care screening tool. Using the screening tool will lead you to the right process for family/household contacts as well. Please use the screener and review your full outcome carefully. Confirmation of self-screening will still be a requirement when we return to school and we will continue to reinforce masking and hand hygiene, as well as cohorting and physical distancing with students and our staff. 

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR CHILD IS ILL: If your child is feeling unwell or exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms at school the following protocol will be followed: 

1. The classroom teacher will contact the office and the student will come down.
2. A staff member from the office will escort the student to our isolation room where we will discuss how they are feeling and gain insight as to what their symptoms might be.
3. The student’s temperature will be taken with our contactless thermometer.
4. If they are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 (which in some cases can mirror other illnesses), we will be contacting parents to come and pick up the child immediately. Parents/Guardians, please have a “Plan A” and a “Plan B” in place in case your child needs to be picked up during the day. 

If you or your child believe that you are dealing with a case of COVID, (because you have one or more symptom) it is up to you to ensure you/your child remains isolated until the positive case is both symptom free for 24 hours and it has been 5 days since symptom onset for vaccinated individuals (2 vaccines) and 10 days since symptom onset for unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals. Household contacts should also isolate for the duration of the isolation of the positive case. 

This is the process that we will follow in an effort to keep everyone at St. Gabriel School and in our greater community, safe and healthy. (*This protocol was updated to reflect the Ministry changes effective January, 2022)

Cash Online & Newswire

“Cash Online” is a system we use to collect money (for school lunch days, field trips, etc.) and to sign permission forms. Families will be required to sign up for Cash Online in September. Here is the link for Cash Online if your family is not already signed up: https://wcdsb.schoolcashonline.com/

“Newswire” is a mailing list to receive news releases, school updates, activities, and opportunities (ex: fundraising initiatives). To sign up for St. Gabriel Newswire, check out our school website at https://stgabriel.wcdsb.ca/ and scroll to the bottom and click “Subscribe to our news events”.

To sign up for the school board Newswire (WCDSB), check out the WCDSB website at https://www.wcdsb.ca/ .  

Suggested School Supplies

• Big school bag
• Lunch box with snacks and lunch (reusable containers ☺)
• Face masks (recommended 2-3 per day, labelled with students names)
• Reusable water bottle
• Indoor shoes (Velcro/Slip-Ons, no laces please!)
• Change of clothes
• Label EVERYTHING

Getting Ready for School

Readiness for school refers to the child’s ability to meet the demands of school:

• to interact and work cooperatively with others
• to be able to listen and follow directions
• to be able to share
• to see, hear, speak clearly (hearing and vision check-ups are recommended before September)
• to be independent regarding washroom routines

Talk about school and what it might be like!  Get excited!  This will be a great experience!

Here are some suggested book links that are suitable for talking with your child about starting school:

Tumblebooks:

1. Visit: https://www.tumblebooklibrary.com/
   
2. Login with the following (all lower case):
   Username: wcdsb
   Password: books
3. Once you’ve logged in, click the following links to read the books:

• Bear and Lolly: Off to School
• Boomer goes to School
• A Pocket Full of Kisses

YouTube:

• Owen
• Starting School with Akili

More detailed information will be shared with families in our August letter and in September.

Information

 

If you have not registered your child for school yet, please click HERE to start the online registration process.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with us!  We are here to help!