page background
page background

GISH GLIMPSE

January 2025

GISH GLIMPSEJanuary 2025

Principal's Message

Dear Warrior Families,


As we approach the holiday break, I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for the incredible support and partnership we’ve experienced throughout the year. The warmth and dedication you bring to our school community are felt in every classroom, and it’s because of you that we are able to create such a nurturing and vibrant environment for our students.

This year has been filled with many wonderful moments of growth, learning, and celebration. I am incredibly proud of all that our students have accomplished and the kindness and resilience they continue to show one another. As we head into this festive season, I encourage everyone to take time to rest, recharge, and enjoy the company of family and friends.

We also recognize that this time of year is marked by various cultural and religious celebrations that are important to many families in our community. Whether it is Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, or other special observances, we celebrate the rich diversity that makes our school community so unique. The Winter Solstice, which falls on December 21st, is a moment of reflection and renewal as we mark the longest night of the year and the return of the light. It’s a time for all of us to embrace the values of kindness, generosity, and togetherness that these traditions inspire.

For those who celebrate Christmas, I extend my warmest wishes for a joyful and peaceful holiday filled with love, laughter, and special memories. May the season bring you moments of happiness and reflection, and may the new year ahead be filled with hope and promise.

Thank you again for your continued support. I look forward to seeing you all in the new year, refreshed and ready for another exciting chapter of learning and growth.

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

Warm regards,

Derek Harrison
Principal
Elmer S. Gish School

Reminders

Upcoming Dates to Remember.....

Monday, Jan. 6 - Classes Resume

Tuesday, Jan. 21 - School Council Meeting 6:30pm

Friday, Jan. 24- Gish Wear/Hat Day ($2 for Autism Edmonton) - Family Movie Night Kinder - Grade 6

Thursday, Jan. 30 - Backwards Day - Kinder Info Night

Friday, Jan. 31 - PD Day - NO School

No Utensils or Microwaves Available for Student Use

Please send your child with the lunch tools they need to be successful. We are NOT able to heat up lunches or provide forks and spoons.

Lost and Found

Items will be on display the week of Jan 27 - 30th. Please remind your children to take a look for anything they might be missing. Or feel free to come in and look through. Any unclaimed items will be donated at the end of the day on Jan 30th.

Registration

Registration for NEW students will open on Jan 10th, 2025. This would be for anyone who does NOT currently attend a St. Albert Public School.


Returning Student Registration will open March 3rd, 2025. This is for students who are CURRENTLY attending a St. Albert Public School.

GISH Kindergarten Information Evening

Gish School will host our annual Kindergarten Information Evening on Thursday, January 30th at 6 pm. After a general overview in the gym, parents can attend presentations for Cogito and Global Programs in either order.

Recently we have noticed an issue of vandalism in some of our washrooms. Instances of property damage have been observed, and we are working diligently to address the situation and ensure the cleanliness and safety of our facilities.


We kindly ask for your support in speaking with your child about the importance of respecting school property. Maintaining a positive and respectful environment is a shared responsibility, and we want to encourage all students to take pride in their school community.

Life at Gish

Over the last couple weeks, the engineers in 4H have been designing a prototype to protect an egg from a large drop. Today, each group had the opportunity to watch Mr. Rurka throw their prototype from the roof of the school and see if their designs were successful!

Grade 1&2 Book Club has been having fun meeting on Tuesdays to hear a story and do a book activity.

Gym Class

James Day came to teach our students about the Inuit Games. These are traditional games that test strength, develop hunting skills, and build community. Each grade was able to challenge themselves with games and had some fun along the way.

Option classes

I.A. Skills Exploration Day, over a 1,000 students across Alberta participated in the event where they were required to design a dwelling for our Alberta climate that included sustainable, renewable and eco-friendly features. The students had to build everything from scratch and had about 4 hours to complete.


In the one photo, Liam L. and Kira M. are with their project. In the grand finale where the Skills Exploration hosts highlighted only 5 dwellings to the rest of the Alberta participants, both of these student's project made the top-5! Pretty impressive considering how many students participated and them being recognized amongst their peers and to the rest of the province.

Fit for Life visited Desa Karate this month and learned some new skills.

ESG iLead Leaders

Habitudes

At our November junior high assembly, we recognized grade 7-9 students who demonstrated values aligned with the "Habitudes" program. These students showcased leadership, resilience, and integrity, inspiring their peers through positive influence within the ESG community. Their actions reflected the values of character and teamwork, serving as a positive example for others.

Warriors Athletics

Our Sr. Boys team took first place at the MCHS basketball invitational. Great job team!

Junior girls are getting excited and ready for their season! They play VJM for their first game of the season and will get into the full swing of things after the winter break!

Gish's Got Talent

Another very successful Gish's Got Talent is in the books. We are so proud of our performers who dared to get on stage. ESG has some amazing talent, thank you for sharing yours with us.

Congratulations to our winners!

Hot Lunch

Wednesday, Jan. 8 - Hot Dog Day (halal options available)

Wednesday, Jan.15 - Popeye's Chicken

Wednesday, Jan. 22 - Mr. Sub

Wednesday, Jan. 29 - Opa!

GPA Update

GPA Fundraising Success

We are proud to announce that the GPA successfully raised $3,881 through the Fall Ball event. Additionally, the 50/50 raffle brought in $705, and an additional $200 from the winner, Sujata, who chose to generously donate it back to the GPA.


The GPA was pleased to support the Gish Got Talent show by donating some prizes and volunteering their time. It sure was an inspirational and fun event for the students. The lucky winners were happy to go home with amazing prizes and the GPA was able to fundraise to support the band program.


Stayed tuned for another Code Ninja Spirit event in January and a fun Valentine’s Day fundraiser in February.


Thank you for your continued support!

Movie Night

Come escape the winter chill and cozy up with your family and friends at Family Movie Night. This year we are excited to bring you Inside Out 2, at Gish Gymnasium on January 24th . Stay tuned for more details!

Compassion Committee

The Gish Compassion Committee provides support to families at Gish who are facing difficult or unexpected life circumstances. The need for this fund is always growing. Any family can contact the school admin to ask for support. This is a completely confidential process. The Compassion Committee does not know the name of the family; they only receive the age/grade of the children and what the family might need. Please email Sue Werner if your family could use some extra support any time through the year. Sue.werner@spschools.org

Volunteers

There are a lot of ways to get involved at Gish! The GPA works tirelessly through the year to fundraise and foster community. We have made signing up for GPA volunteer opportunities a super easy process! If you are interested in volunteering for the Gish Parent's Association please email esgpavolunteers@gmail.com or join us for our monthly meetings. ALL ARE WELCOME!

New News

Whitney Visscher
Whitney is using Smore to create beautiful newsletters