Middle School Update
September 5, 2024
Upcoming Events
Saturday, September 7: Grade 8-1 Outdoor Ed trip returns. Pick up at SHS at 6pm.
Monday, September 9: Full school assembly at 9:30am; full uniform with blazer required
Mon, Sept 9-Wed, Sept 11: Grade 8-2 Outdoor Ed. Trip “Adrift”. Consent form below.
Wednesday, September 11: Spirit Day for families and staff 3:30-5:30pm. (MS students can join after their Phys. Ed. class ends at 4:15pm.) Details below.
Wednesday, September 11: Special Dress Day - House t-shirt, SHS athletic shorts or pants and running shoes can be worn to school in place of the regular uniform, to celebrate SHS spirit!
Thursday, September 12: School Photo Day for Grade K-12 students, full uniform with blazer required.
Friday, September 13: Terry Fox Run starting at 1:30pm for Grade 7&8 students.
Friday, September 13: Special Dress Day - House t-shirt, SHS athletic shorts or pants and running shoes can be worn to school in place of the regular uniform, for Terry Fox day.
Monday, September 16: Breakfast service begins for students and staff. Details below.
Mon, Sept 16-Wed, Sept 18: Grade 8-3 Outdoor Ed. Trip “Adrift”. Consent form below.
Thursday, September 19: Middle School Parent Information Evening. Join us in person 6:30-8:30pm in Coristine Hall to meet teachers and learn about the Middle School courses. A detailed schedule and course descriptions will be provided prior to the event.
Tuesday, September 24: PVA event for new parents. Details below.
Monday, September 30: Orange Shirt Day during Truth & Reconciliation Week. Details below.
Monday, September 30: Attestation day, official attendance verification day. Details to come.
Need to Know
August Veritas Students of the Month: We are proud to honour students each month, nominated by teachers, in recognition of going above and beyond Veritas culture. Nominations for this month’s recipients were nominated for efforts made at the end of last year. Congratulations to the students: Quentin Curtis (8-3), Taiyo Turcotte (8-1) and Emi Balta (8-1). We thank them for their outstanding contributions! Wear your Golden Tie with pride!
Clubs and Activities for Middle School Students: We are excited to start offering clubs and tutorials to the Middle School students. View the list options currently available in this calendar overview. We'll share more details in the coming weeks and Updates will be provided as more opportunities are added throughout the school year. Most clubs are optional and require no long-term commitment; we encourage all students to try new activities!
Fall Gryphon Sale Tally: Thank you to everyone who donated uniform items and joined us at yesterday’s Gryphon Sale. Thanks to your generous clothing donations and to all of you who joined us bright and early at the sale, we raised $6140.00 for the Nancy Pitfield Endowment fund which is used to offer a one-year partial bursary to a student in Grade 7. The next Gryphon Sale is slated for January 15, 2024, details to follow. We are now extremely low on stock, so please continue to drop off any gently used uniform articles you may have in the bins located just inside the front door of the school. Thank you!
Grade 8 Outdoor Ed Trip - Adrift: The first group is off on this beautiful adventure! If you are in 8-2 or 8-3, please find all the important links for the upcoming trips. 8-2 - September 9 to 11, 8-3 - September 16 to 18. A Consent Form (mandatory) needs to be completed today. Please reach out to Julian Geisterfer (geisterferj@selwyn.ca) with any questions about the Packing List and trip itinerary.
SHS Spirit Day is Wednesday, September 11, 3:30-5:30pm. Rain or shine! MS students have the option to wear house t-shirts and SHS athletic shorts or pants to school all day and are invited to attend Spirit Day after their phys. ed. classes end at 4:15pm. For all of the fun filled details, or to volunteer, please click here!
School Photos: Individual and class photos (by core group) will be taken on Thursday, September 12. Full school uniform with blazer is required on this day.
Terry Fox Run: All Selwyn House students will be participating in the annual Terry Fox Run on Friday, September 13. Students will attend school in their house t-shirts and Selwyn House athletics wear and running shoes (with a water bottle!) and should be prepared to run outside regardless of the weather. Please read the following Parent Information Letter for specific details about fundraising, event timing, and expectations. Please encourage your friends and family to support our fundraising efforts by donating on our school fundraising page.
Breakfast service begins on Monday, September 16: Our kitchen will offer an optional breakfast service of hot and cold food and drink items to all SHS students between 7:15-8:00 a.m. on school days. Student purchases will be logged and billed to corresponding Selwyn House accounts. No cash will be accepted. Throughout the year, on occasions when we cannot offer breakfast service due to special school events in the dining hall, we will notify families on our school calendar or via email.
PVA Invitation: The PVA (Parent Volunteer Association) invites all SHS new parents to join them on Tuesday, September 24 @ 8:15am for a coffee morning meet-up. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet other new parents. Meeting will be at Mouton Noir cafe at Westmount Rec Centre (4675 St- Catherine Street West Westmount H3Z 1S4). Sign up here.
Truth & Reconciliation Week: During the week of September 23-30, the school will be engaging in learning opportunities and activities based on the theme: Taking Truth to Action, inspired by programming from the National Centre for Truth & Reconciliation. Students and staff will honour the lives lost from Canada’s residential school system on September 30th by wearing orange shirts. Students may wear ANY orange shirt on Sept. 30 with their uniform pants and proper school shoes. Our orange shirt design is the same as last year, featuring a two row wampum. You may purchase a shirt via this Google Form. These orange shirts may also be worn throughout the year as part of the SHS physical education uniform. All proceeds will go towards an Indigenous organization in Kahnawake to be determined by the Indigenous Student Committee. If you have any questions, please contact Eden Schwartz.
Community Partnership with Contactivity. Calling all students! We are looking for students to join our Contactivity Programs this fall. If you enjoy connecting with senior citizens, please fill out this sign-up form by September 29. Middle and Senior School students can be paired with a Senior citizen for the fall term to chat weekly in person or on Zoom. Middle School students can also join our Crafting Club to learn how to knit, make jewelry, and more from Contactivity members.
Volunteering Opportunities - Centre Greene (AS): Looking for a rewarding way to give back? Join us on September 15 to help Centre Greene set up for their sandwich-making event with Bread and Beyond, happening the next day. It’s a fantastic opportunity to support a great cause and make a difference in our community. If you're interested, please email Ms. Segal for more information. Your help will be greatly appreciated!
Reminders
Visit our MS Update page for news and action items you may have missed, such as:
Student attendance: If you know that your son will be absent or late (arriving past 8:15am), please call the school (x2225) or email Ms. Beech (beechv@selwyn.ca). Even if you send the message last minute, it confirms with us that your child is safe and just running late or at an appointment! If we don’t hear from you, we need to contact parents to account for all absent students each morning. Similarly, please notify Ms. Beech if your son needs to leave school during the school day for any reason. Upon his arrival/return to school, he should report directly to Ms. Beech to sign-in.
Homework Supervision for Grades 7&8: This program (we call “Focus”), will be held in a Middle School classroom from 2:50-5:50pm on Monday-Thursday afternoons and from 2:50-4:30pm on Fridays. Contact Ms. Beech for more information (fees, etc.). Students can attend as needed at any time during the year.
514-931-9481