THE GIBSON GAZETTE Jan. 4 - York Region District School Board

THE GIBSON GAZETTE
                                       Jan. 4
                                    @JosephAGibsonPS

Website                                                                       Email
www.josephagibson.ps.yrdsb.ca                            joseph.a.gibson.ps@yrdsb.ca

Gillian Gibbons                                                      Nadeem Mahmood
Superintendent                                                                Trustee
905-764-6830                                                             905-850-5038

       “No matter how hard the past is, you can always begin again.”
                                     (J. Kornfield)

Happy New Year, Gibson! We are looking forward to a new year filled with joy and
happiness and more opportunities to reconnect with our students, families and school
community. Whether we are learning and/or teaching online or face-to-face, we
remain partners in the Gibson community and will continue to support our students
and families during the upcoming 2021 year. As outlined in YRDSB communication
over the break, from January 4th to January 8th, all students will return to school
through remote learning on their Google Classroom.

January is not only the start of the new year; it is also Tamil Heritage Month, which
aims to celebrate the richness of the Tamil language and its literature, as well as to
highlight the vibrant traditions, histories, arts, and cultures of Tamil Canadians. In
addition, Tamil Heritage Month recognizes the significant contributions of Tamil
Canadians.

Prior to the Winter Break, our incredibly generous school community participated in
our Holiday Donation drive to support those in a local Youth and Women’s Shelter. As
a staff, we wanted to thank you for your endless compassion and support towards
these two communities. It has made a difference in so many lives. The shelters were
incredibly thankful and wanted to pass on their words of appreciation to you all. Thank
you for taking the time to spread the joy to others during these unprecedented times
and to Ms. Sivanesan and Mme Viau for coordinating this initiative!

PARKING REMINDERS – Familes are reminded to please remember to park on the
road and walk your child in to the school when dropping off your child in the morning
or picking up at the end of the day. If possible, please park on Netherford (instead of
on Naylon Street) as buses need to be able to drive in and out of the school safely
during bus dismissal. Often times, cars are parked on the north side of Naylon right up
to the stop sign making it very difficult for busses to drive out of the school and turn
safely onto Netherford. Thank you for your support in keeping everyone safe!

Upcoming Events
            DATE                                       EVENT
                           JANUARY is Tamil Heritage Month
 Jan. 4-8               Online Learning through Google Classroom
 Jan. 11                Return to face to face learning in school for students and staff
 Jan. 11                School Council Virtual Meeting – 7 pm
 Jan. 14                French Immersion Virtual Information Night (for new Gr. 1
                        students in Sept. 2021)– link to be sent to families to view
 Jan. 15                PA Day – no school for students
 Jan. 15                French Immersion and Kindergarten registrations begin for Sept.
                        2021

       New HEALTH and SAFETY Protocols starting
                    January 2021
As per new health and safety protocols that were outlined by YRDSB at the start of
the winter break, please note the following items that take effect as of January 2021:

NEW - Two-layer masks for students

York Region Public Health (YRPH) has recommended that students now wear a two-
layer mask, as opposed to the previous recommendation of any kind of face
covering. Parents/guardians will be expected to provide their child with a two-layer
personal face covering to wear at school to reduce the spread of their own respiratory
droplets to protect others. A two-layer face mask is now recommended as per
Provincial direction.

NEW - Physical distancing for physical activities in school

YRPH has recommended that the physical distance in gymnasiums for all grades be
increased. In indoor learning spaces, where vigorous physical activity takes place,
YRPH is now recommending that students maintain a 3-metre physical distance at all
times. Where a 3-metre physical distance cannot be maintained (i.e. in school gym
class), students in Grades 4 to 12 must wear face masks at all times while in
gyms. YRPH has confirmed that students in Kindergarten to Grade 3, where mask
wearing is optional, are not required to wear masks while in the gymnasium. All
students are to continue to maintain a 2-metre physical distance in the rest of the
school building and while out on the school yard at all times.

REMINDER - Self-screening

As a reminder, 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. 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 staff.

Anyone travelling outside of Canada must follow the Government of Canada’s mandatory
14-day quarantine.

We encourage you to visit Ontario.ca/covidresponse to learn what public health measures
are in place in our community. Please be aware that these could change depending on the
most current public health advice. We also suggest checking out the York.ca/covid19
website for additional resources and support.

Please review these new protocols with your child(ren) prior to sending them back to
school. Thank you for your assistance in implementing these new safety measures. The
safety of our students and staff is our highest priority – always!

          Grade 1 French Immersion for Sept. 2021
Grade 1 French Immersion Information Sessions and Registrations
What is French Immersion?
      In French Immersion, students receive instruction in French in a variety of subjects
       from a teacher who speaks French fluently
      The French Immersion program begins in Grade 1 and is designed for children whose
       first language is not French.
      In Grades 1, 2 and 3, all subjects are taught in French. Starting in Grade 4, time is
       shared equally between French and English instruction.
      The French Immersion program continues in high school
      Secondary school students must earn at least 10 French Immersion credits to qualify
       for the French Immersion Certificate upon graduation.
Important Considerations
      For the first few months of Grade 1, the children do not acquire skills identical to those
       learned by children in an English program as the focus is on learning in French.
      There may be certain lags in English Language Arts skills in the first few years of the
       program, but by the end of the elementary grades, successful French Immersion
       students perform as well as their peers in a regular English program.
      Communication with parents/guardians is in English including, but not limited to, report
       cards, newsletters and parent-teacher interviews.
       Reading to a child at home in a child's native language can strengthen literacy skills.
       Research studies confirm that children achieve greater academic success when
       parents read frequently (daily) to them.
      there is only one entry point into French immersion in YRDSB; grade 1
Information Sessions
This year our Information session for Grade 1 entry into the French Immersion (FI) program
will take place virtually on January 14, 2021. A link will be shared with you via email where
you will be able to view a pre-recorded information session which includes commonly asked
questions and answers.

Registration
FI registration will begin on January 15, 2021. Parents or guardians of Senior Kindergarten
students entering Grade 1 in 2021, and wishing to enrol in the FI Program, can email or call
their home school office and indicate their intention to enrol. The home school will notify the
French Immersion school, and the French Immersion school will contact you by phone or
email to collect any necessary information. You are asked to register by February 5,
2021. Registration during this period is not first come, first served.

Late Registrations
Late registrations are those submitted after February 5, 2021. Late registrations will be
treated on a first- come, first-served basis and will be considered subsequent to registrations
received during the registration period should overflow be necessary.

Accommodation Plan
YRDSB’s FI Accommodation Plan provides long-term consistency and equity of access to all
students in York Region and will enable YRDSB to continue to offer the FI program to all who
wish to enrol. The FI program will be offered in Dual Track or Single Track settings, in a
variety of configurations. In order to meet community needs and optimize available space in
our schools, a community's Grade 1-8 FI program may be provided over more than one
school during the course of a student's FI education. Space requirements at some schools
may mean that siblings are in different schools for primary dual track French Immersion
programs due to differing grade structures. Like any of our schools across the Board,
changes to school boundaries, and/or the accommodation model for the French Immersion
program may need to be considered when new schools open, a school experiences
enrolment growth, and program changes occur. This will allow flexibility in addressing
community needs and the opportunity to use existing space in schools.

More information is available on the Board’s website: www.yrdsb.ca. Please note: Some of
the FI accommodation plans will require facility modifications or the development of new
schools and will require short-term transition plans that might include overflow while we work
toward the long-term vision. Overflow refers to situations in which the Board directs students
to attend a school other than their community school or optional program for a specific period
of time, as defined in Policy #108.

                            Dress for the Weather
 If students are well enough to come to school, they are expected to go outside for
 recess. Our students benefit from spending time outside and being active. We
 monitor weather conditions throughout the day and if there are extreme weather
 conditions, we may consider a shortened or indoor recess. Students should come
 dressed appropriately for the weather and for outdoor play during recesses. They
 can stay warm by wearing layers of loose-fitting clothing, a hat, scarf, jackets, snow
 pants and mittens or gloves. Students may also want to bring extra pants and socks
 in case they get wet.

 To avoid adding to our clothing collection in the Lost and Found Bin, please be sure
 to label all articles of clothing with your child’s name.

Family Math - Problem of the Week
Dec. 14th Problem of the Week Solution in T.A.C.K. format:

MIXED UP LETTERS
The letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, and I each appear in one of the nine squares of the grid
below:

                               • A is in one of the top corners
                     • B is directly below H and directly to the left of I
                                • C is directly to the right of F
                           • D is in the middle square of the grid
                               • E is in the same column as C
                                    • F is directly above D
                                    • G is directly below E
                                    • H is directly below A
                                    • I is between B and G

 What is the correct arrangement of these letters in the grid that satisfies all the clues
                                       above?

                A solution will be shared in the next Gibson Gazette.

                            School Council News
2020-21 School Council Chairs:                                    Pina Olsson and Lisa Papa

                                    NEXT VIRTUAL SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING:
                                            Monday, January 11 , 2021
                                                     7:00 pm

                                 We welcome all parents/guardians to attend School Council
                                 meetings. If you are not a current Member-at-Large or on the
                                 Executive Council, but would like to attend the next meeting,
                                   please email claudia.fischer@yrdsb.ca and a link to the
                                                  meeting will be sent to you.

Claudia Fischer
Principal
claudia.fischer@yrdsb.ca
50 Naylon Street | Maple, Ontario | L6A 1R8 | 905-832-1291 | Fax: 905-832-5014