Absences or Late Arrivals: Please email: cgabsences@fmpsd.ab.ca if you are aware that your student will be absent or late. For early pickups or changes to pickups, families should contact the office via phone.
CG Gear: Our online store is up and running for the year. Check out https://christinagordon.entripyshops.com/ to order school clothing. There is a wide variety of styles, logos, and colours to choose from!
Hot Lunch Program: Hot Lunch ordering for the month of November is now open. Ordering will be open from the 1st to the 20th of each month in order to order for the following month. When placing your order you may notice a button to Volunteer for Hot Lunch days. Please consider volunteering to help sort and organize Hot Lunch from 11:30 am-12:30 pm. This program will not continue to run without the support of parent volunteers. To place your order click on the following link (https://christinagordon.hotlunches.net) and refer to the instructions below (Digital Take Home Folder). If you have any questions you can contact our Hot Lunch team at cgshotlunch@outlook.com.
Lifetouch Photos: There is no school code required to access Lifetouch photos this year. To access your student's photos, login to the FMPSD Parent Portal and click on the "Student Fees" page. Your student's student number is listed on the "Student Fees" page. That is the number that you will use instead of a school access code. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the office at (587) 276-2017.
Temporary Changes Due to Support Staff Strike: As you may know, our support staff, including our dedicated and passionate educational assistants, have provided strike notice again. As a school division, the safety and well-being of every child is our top priority. Our CUPE staff are vital members of our school team and play a crucial role in helping all students succeed. Educational Assistants provide support in learning, social skills, emotional health and physical care. Without their crucial support as a part of our team, we are not able to fully support students who depend on these services. Because of reduced staffing, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily ask some students who typically receive direct support from an educational assistant to remain at home for the duration of the strike. Principals have reached out to parents to make requests to keep children at home and we know this is difficult for families. We want you to know that this decision was not made lightly. Important details: For now, we know that the strike will be Wednesday, November 13th and Thursday, November 14th and then CUPE members will be back in schools Friday. All students can attend Friday, November 15th. CUPE members are choosing to do a rotating strike at a few schools each day of the week starting November 18th.We will receive notice of which schools will be impacted the day before, by 6:00 pm, as stated by CUPE Local 2545. We will share the information once it has been communicated with us. If you have questions, please contact your student’s school. Thank you for your understanding, patience and support during this challenging time. We hope for a quick resolution so that all students and staff can return to their regular routines.
Art Cards by Kids: The deadline to order Art Cards has been extended to November 14th. We apologize for the very short ordering period, as we know many caregivers look forward to this fundraiser every year. The Art Card samples that were sent home have a deadline date of November 8th listed which is now incorrect. Our Art Card ordering deadline is now November 14th. We hope you are able to support this fundraiser. If you have questions or concerns you can email the Fundraising crew at: cgsfundraising@outlook.com.
Who Do You Tell Program: All Gr. 3 students at FMPSD participate in the "Who Do You Tell?" program. Students at Christina Gordon Public School are scheduled to participate on November 19th and 20th. In Canada, 1 in 2 girls and 1 in 4 boys will be sexually abused before the age of 18. Many children never tell anyone of their abuse and the long term effects can be devastating. For these reasons, it is very important for children to attend the "Who Do You Tell?" program. The "Who Do You Tell?" program is a safety program, not a sexuality education program. The language and messages are created and presented for each age and grade level. These safety messages are presented in a fun and positive manner while children learn they can get help from trusted adults if they are confused or scared about a touch or behaviour. The school provides classroom lists to the educators which are used for name tags and program statistics. Once the program has been delivered, the lists are destroyed. Occasionally students have concerns which require the educators to obtain family contact information from the school in order to complete needed follow-up. It is the requirement of the FOIP Act that parents are informed of and provide consent for the educators to have access to child and family contact information as required. The issue of child sexual abuse is difficult for many parents, schools, and communities. This awareness has guided the design of the program to be comfortable, enjoyable, and respectful of children, their parents, and the school community. Parents and guardians are invited to watch the short Child Sexual Abuse Safety video at www.waypointswb.ca under the "Sexual Assault & Abuse" tab, on the Public Education page. If you require additional information, please contact the Sexual Assault Prevention Public Educator by email at sap.educator2@waypointswb.ca. Please respond to the permission form that was sent home in students' Take Home Folders, indicating whether you want or you do not want your student to participate in this program.
Student-Led Conferences: Families can now schedule an appointment to our upcoming Student-Led Conferences using the following link: https://christinagordon.fmpsdschools.ca/bookings. It is the preference at Christina Gordon Public School that students accompany parents to conferences, making them a Three Way Conference or Student-Led Conference. We believe that there are benefits to both the parents and students sitting down to discuss a student's learning and progress together, which is why we have conferences involving all parents, students, and teachers, instead of a more traditional Parent-Teacher Interview. Please plan for your student to attend their scheduled conference. Our classroom will be conducting Student-Led Conferences. Conferences are scheduled to occur in-person on November 20th and November 21st. As our classroom will be utilizing a Student-Led Conference model, students are encouraged to come into the classroom before or to remain in the classroom after their scheduled appointment with the teacher. During this time, students will be sharing their learning with you by leading you through a variety of centres/stations. These centres/stations will allow families to gain first-hand knowledge of some of our classroom routines and activities. It allows your student to take ownership of their work and to share their classroom experiences with you. I understand that families may have other appointments they need to attend throughout the night (ie. siblings, etc.). Families are welcome to leave and return to the classroom as needed. You will visit the "Meet the Teacher" station at your appointed time. Please be mindful that these appointments are only 10 minutes in length. There is no grace period between appointments. As such, these appointments are meant to be brief, quick conversations to update you on your student's progress. You will gain more insight into your student's progress from your student, by completing the centres/stations with them. After our Student-Led Conference, if you still feel that you require a longer meeting with me, a reminder that families are always able to schedule to meet with me at any time throughout the year and that I would be happy to find time to do so. Families do not need to wait for future Student-Led Conferences or Report Cards to address any questions or concerns you may have.
