Mise à jour | le 22 septembre - Weekly Update | September 22
Mise à jour | le 22 septembre – Weekly Update | September 22
In the effort of making our school website appear more bilingual, we will be changing the title “Weekly Update” to “Mise à jour”, which simply means “update”. It will be accompanied by the date in French. An email will still be sent to parents each week so it will continue to be easy to access and understand. The messages will continue to be communicated in English.
Meet the Teacher Night – Thank you!
Sincere thanks to all those families who attended our Meet the Teacher night yesterday. We had a great turnout!. As always, we will gather feedback from parents at the following School council meeting.
Orange Shirt Day
Orange Shirt Day is on September 30 annually. It began in 2013 when residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad shared how her orange shirt was taken away on her first day at residential school. This story is an opportunity for students and staff to reflect on history, legacy and implications, to discuss stories of survival and strength and to share ways we can work together toward truth and reconciliation. It is also an opportunity to commit to commemorating the children who attended residential schools, recognizing their experiences, honoring them and sharing a collective commitment to ensure that every child matters and that each student is welcome, safe, respected and cared for in their learning community every day.
This date is significant because it is the time of year in which children were taken from their homes to residential schools, and because it is an opportunity to set the stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for the rest of the school year.
As September 30, 2023 (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation) is a Saturday, there is no school Friday September 29, 2023 in lieu. We will be honouring Orange Shirt Day at Westgate on Tuesday September 26, 2023. We invite students and staff to wear orange on Tuesday, September 26, 2023.
For more information on Orange Shirt Day, please visit: http://www.orangeshirtday.org/.
Terry Fox Run
On Thursday, September 28th from 1:45 to 2:15pm, Westgate staff and students will be running the Terry Fox Run outside on the field. The morning Kindergarten students will be doing their own Terry Fox run in the morning. Please dress your children for the weather, we will run rain or shine. Parents are welcome to join us. An email was sent earlier in the week with more details and pledge sheets were sent home with students.
School Council Meeting – All Westgate Families Welcome
Our first School Council meeting is Thursday, September 28, 2023 at 6:30pm. It will be held in person in Room 12. Parents should park in the south parking lot and access the meeting through the compound doors which will open at 6:20pm. Our tentative plan for the 2023-2024 school year is for the first one to be in person then alternate in person and virtual meetings throughout the year. Each monthly School Council meeting will also include a Leadership Report. For the September meeting, Julie Muhlberger, Principal, and Stephanie Leech, Assistant Principal, will be discussing the following items:
- Meet the Teacher Night – Parent feedback
- September start-up
- New Curriculum
- Class configuration and sizes
- Grade 3 to 6 Physical Education
- Grades 1 to 4 Literacy and Numeracy Assessments
- New furniture – thank you to Parent Society
We really would like to encourage more parents to join our School Council meetings. It is very important to us to connect with parents, gather input and feedback in order to continue to make Westgate a great school community. Particularly if you are new to the school, it’s a fantastic way to get to know the leadership team, familiarize yourselves with school programs and learn about highlights. Looking forward to seeing many parents come!
Important Dates
September 26 - Orange Shirt Day
September 26 - Apple Pick Up
September 28 - Terry Fox Run 1:45pm
September 28 - School Council Meeting 6:30pm
September 29 - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Day in Lieu | no classes)
October 9 - Thanksgiving Day