Dear Families,

I hope you are doing well.

Here is some information for this week:

Reporting Student Absences

• If your child is going to be absent from school, or if you need to pick your child up early or drop them off late, please email our attendance office here:

sdmattendance@wqsb.qc.ca

D’Arcy Annual General Assembly

• We appreciate your understanding and support with this postponed event
• The AGA for D’Arcy parents will be in our auditorium on September 27^th at 6pm
• The purpose of the AGA is to inform parents of the structures and routines of school as well as to elect the parent representatives to our Governing Board
• I have attached information about Governing Boards to this email for your information – it’s a great way to get involved!
• At the AGA, we will also be taking names for potential spots on the WQSB Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC)
• Parents will also have an opportunity to meet their child’s teacher and tour the school

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

• Because September 30^th is a Saturday, we will be respecting the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Orange Shirt Day) on Friday, September 29^th
• This day honours the children who did not return home from residential schools as well as the survivors, their families and their communities
• Recognizing the tragic and painful history and it’s ongoing impacts is a necessary part of the reconciliation process
• Orange shirts will be on sale all next week at lunch in the Goose Lodge or room 245 for $20

Attendance During Midterms/Exams

• To help families plan ahead, please note that the formal D’Arcy McGee Midterm period is between February 5^th – February 9^th, 2024
• Attendance during midterms and final exams is mandatory and as per the Ministry of Education Guidelines, only the following reasons for student absences will be accepted:

• Illness or accident confirmed by a medical report or certificate
• Death of a close relative
• A court summons
• Participation in a provincial or national event

Upcoming Dates

• September 29th – Orange Shirt Day at school
• September 30^th – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
• October 9^th – Thanksgiving Holiday
• October 12^th – PD Day
• October 13^th – PD Day
• October 13^th – Progress reports published to the parent portal

Have a great weekend!

Hi,

We have decided to postpone this evening’s Annual General Assembly and Meet-the-Teacher event.  We are unsure of the duration of the road closures near the school as well as the impacts these closures will have on afternoon commuter traffic.

The D’Arcy McGee AGA will take place next Wednesday, September 27^th at 6pm in our auditorium.

Thank you for understanding.

Take care,

Dear Families,

I hope you are doing well.

Here is some information for this week:

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

• Because September 30^th is a Saturday, we will be respecting the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Orange Shirt Day) on Friday, September 29^th
• This day honours the children who did not return home from residential schools as well as the survivors, their families and their communities
• Recognizing the tragic and painful history and it’s ongoing impacts is a necessary part of the reconciliation process

Annual General Assembly (AGA)

• Thank you all the Symmes parents that came to our assembly this week – what a great turnout!
• The AGA for D’Arcy parents will be in our auditorium on September 20^th at 6pm
• The purpose of the AGA is to inform parents of the structures and routines of school as well as to elect the parent representatives to our Governing Board
• I have attached information about Governing Boards to this email for your information – it’s a great way to get involved!
• At the AGA, we will also be taking names for potential spots on the WQSB Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC)
• Parents will also have an opportunity to meet their child’s teacher and tour the school

Health Forms

• Please complete the attached health forms and have your child return it to the front reception office
• You can also email the completed form to jpilon@wqsb.qc.ca

Report Cards

• Student progress reports will be published to the parent portal on October 13^th
• Term 1 report cards will be published to the parent portal on November 17^th

Complaints Procedure

• Please visit the following link to learn more about the Western Quebec School Board complaints procedure:

Morning Announcements

• You can watch our daily morning video announcements here:

• This is a great way to stay informed about things that are happening at school!

Upcoming Dates

• September 21^st – school photo day
• October 9^th – Holiday
• October 12^th – PD day
• October 13^th – PD day

Have a great weekend!

Dear Families,

I hope you are doing well.

Here is some information for this week:

Health Forms

• Please complete the attached health forms and have your child return it to the front reception office
• You can also email the completed form to jpilon@wqsb.qc.ca

Dental Screening – Grade 8

• CISSSO is offering dental screening and a dental sealant application to all students in grade 8
• There is no cost for this service, it is optional and it will take place at school during the school day
• I have attached an information letter as well as consent forms to this email
• Your child can bring the consent form on the day of the screening or if they are 14 years old they can fill it out with the dental hygienist on the day of the screening
• Our screening dates are September 19^th and 20^th
• The hygienist will apply sealant to those that require it and have consented between September 21^st-October 13

Annual General Assembly (AGA)

• The AGA for Symmes parents will be in our auditorium on September 13^th at 6pm
• The AGA for D’Arcy parents will be in our auditorium on September 20^th at 6pm
• The purpose of the AGA is to inform parents of the structures and routines of school as well as to elect the parent representatives to our Governing Board
• I have attached information about Governing Boards to this email for your information – it’s a great way to get involved!
• At the AGA, we will also be taking names for potential spots on the WQSB Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC)
• Parents will also have an opportunity to meet their child’s teacher and tour the school

Upcoming Dates

• September 15^th – PD Day
• September 21^st – School Photo Day

Have a great weekend!

Gatineau, Québec, September 5, 2023

To: Parents and Guardians of WQSB Students

Dear Parent/Guardian,
As you are no doubt aware, the weather forecast for the next few days is projecting high temperatures. I have
received questions asking whether our schools and centres will remain open during these days. My purpose in
writing to you is to explain our plan of action.
Our schools and centres are open today and we plan to have them open tomorrow as well (the two days during
which temperature will be highest). We will closely monitor the situation in all our individual schools and centres;
namely to track the temperature in each building. In the event it becomes evident that there is a safety concern, we
will take whatever measures necessary to ensure that all students and staff are safe. In the event a decision is made
to cancel classes, you will immediately be advised with information regarding dismissal of students.
Students are encouraged to bring two bottles of water to school each day.
I thank you for your anticipated understanding and support. Please know that we will take all necessary measures to
ensure the safety of our students and staff.
Sincerely,
  
  
GEORGE SINGFIELD
Directeur Général
Director General
t 819 684-2336 #500001

Dear Families,

I hope you are doing well.

What a GREAT week!

It was so wonderful to welcome back our students. 

Here is some information for this week:

Letter from the Director General

• I have attached a letter from our Director General Mr. George Singfield, to this email

Annual General Assembly (AGA)

• The AGA for Symmes parents will be in our auditorium on September 13^th at 6pm
• The AGA for D’Arcy parents will be in our auditorium on September 20^th at 6pm
• The purpose of the AGA is to inform parents of the structures and routines of school as well as to elect the parent representatives to our Governing Board
• I have attached information about Governing Boards to this email for your information – it’s a great way to get involved!
• At the AGA, we will also be taking names for potential spots on the WQSB Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC)
• Parents will also have an opportunity to meet their child’s teachers and tour the school

School Fees

• You can view your school fee statement on the parent portal
• For payment information, please visit this page on our website:

• Please direct any questions about school fees to Ms. Nadine Plourde at nplourde@wqsb.qc.ca or by calling 819-684-7472 ext. 437009

Sexuality Curriculum

• Here is a link to the Ministry of Education’s comprehension guide to Sexuality Education in the province of Quebec:

http://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/en/non-teaching-professionals/dossiers/sexuality-education/content/secondary/

• If you would like to have your child exempt from portions of the curriculum, please refer to the attached procedures and request form

Activities Fair

• Next Wednesday, we will be running an activities fair at lunch
• This fair will give students an opportunity to see many of the opportunities and activities available to them this year
• Please encourage your child to attend and get involved!

Upcoming Dates:

• September 4^th – Holiday
• September 13^th – Symmes AGA
• September 15^th – PD Day
• September 20^th – D’Arcy McGee AGA
• September 21^st – School Photo Day

Have a wonderful long weekend!

Dear Families,

I hope you are doing well and enjoyed the summer.

We are looking forward to welcoming our students back to school NEXT WEEK!

Here is some important information to help you and your child transition from summer to school:

Opening Days

• You can find important information such as our school calendar, school supply list, opening days, etc. on our website here:

• The first day of school for grade 8, 11, PY3 and Centre of Excellence students is Wednesday August 30^th (these students stay home on Thursday August 31^st)
• The first day of school for grade 7, 9, 10, PY1, PY2 is Thursday August 31^st (these students stay home on Wednesday August 30^th)
• All students are at school on Friday September 1^st
• When your child arrives to school on the first day, they should go to the cafeteria to receive their schedule and to greet their teacher
• Please reassure your child that there will be many adults circulating to help!

Guidance/Administration Structure

• Tara Laine – Principal
• Kate Smith (katesmith@wqsb.qc.ca) – Vice Principal – Students with last names A-L
• Chris Byrne (chrisbyrne@wqsb.qc.ca)  – Vice Principal – Students with last names M-Z
• Holly Richardson (hrichardson@wqsb.qc.ca)  – Guidance Counselor – Students with last names A-F
• Danielle Nikota (dnikota@wqsb.qc.ca)  – Guidance Counselor – Students with last names G-M
• Franny Maloney (fmaloney@wqsb.qc.ca) – Guidance Counselor – Students with last names N-Z

Transportation

• The Parent Portal will be open at the end of the day on August 25^th until August 31^st for you to check for transportation details for your child
• I have attached a guide to the Portal to this email
• We recommend that your child arrive at their bus stop a few minutes early for the first week and to record their bus information
• We encourage families to download the Western Quebec app in order to receive notifications about late/cancelled buses (information attached)

Student Schedules

• Students will receive their schedules when they arrive on their first day
• Schedules will be uploaded to the parent portal on Thursday August 31^st

Affirming Names

• We are now able to support our non-binary and trans students by having their affirming name, gender marker and pronouns appear on school documents
• I have attached some information and a request form to this email if it pertains to your child

Baseball!

• The baseball season starts early so a fast recruitment process will take place next week
• Tryouts will be open to ALL students and practices may take place over the long weekend
• Students participating must be available for the championship weekend (September 29^th – October 1^st)
• Students can sign up for tryouts during our opening days in the cafeteria during lunch or they can email Ms. Brown (slbrown@wqsb.qc.ca) for more details

Grade Level Flyers

• I have attached a flyer with important course information for each grade level to this email

Upcoming Dates

• September 4^th – Holiday
• September 13^th – Symmes Annual General Assembly – 6pm, School Auditorium
• September 15^th – PD DAY
• September 20^th – D’Arcy Annual General Assembly – 6pm, School Auditorium
• September 21^st – School Photo Day

We are so excited to start a new school year and welcome your children back.  For all of our incoming grade 7 students and families, WELCOME!  We are so proud to be a part of this wonderful community.

See you next week!

Dear Families,

I hope you are doing well.

Here is some information for this week:

Ministry of Education – Evaluation of Learning Document

• Please see the attached document from the MEQ

Covid-19 – Parent Information

• Please see the attached documents from the Centre Integre de Sante et de Services Sociaux de l’Outaouais (CISSSO)

Resiliency Workshop

• Please see the attached poster advertising a workshop titled “How To Make Kids More Resilient By Not Over-Protecting Them”
• The workshop is virtual and takes place on January 19^th, 2023 from 7pm – 8:30pm
• To register – simply click on “register now” at the top of the poster

Upcoming Dates

• December 2^nd – PD Day – No school for students
• December 26^th – January 6^th – Winter Break
• January 9^th – PD Day – No school for students

Thank you to all the parents who attended our Parent-Teacher Interview evening.  It was so nice to host this event in-person again.

Have a nice weekend.

Dear Families,

I hope you are doing well.

Here is some information for this week:

Remembrance Day

• On Remembrance Day, we honour those who gave their lives to serve our country
• By remembering, we pay tribute to members of the Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP who served to defend our values and freedoms
• We also honour those who continue to serve our country today
• All week, students have been viewing educational videos and tributes
• You can view the videos here:

Term 1 Report Cards

• Report cards will be published to the Parent Portal on Friday November 18^th
• Term 1 is worth 20% of the final mark

Parent-Teacher Interviews

• In-person Parent-Teacher interviews will take place in the gymnasium on Thursday, November 24^th from 5:30pm-8:30pm
• D’Arcy parents can arrive and line-up to speak with the teachers they would like to meet with
• Symmes parents will receive a form next week to sign up for timeslots

College, University and Trades Evening

• Information booths and kiosks will be set up in our cafeteria during Parent-Teacher interviews
• Please see the attached flyer for more information
• Our school council will also be holding a bake sale to raise money for student activities – cash only!

EPCA Survey

• In order to understand concerns, priorities and opinions, the English Parent Committee Association of Quebec (EPCA) is inviting parents to respond to the following survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/S7YFWCN

Upcoming Dates:

• November 14^th – PD Day – No school for students
• November 18^th – Term 1 report cards
• November 24^th – Parent-Teacher interviews
• November 25^th – PD Day – No school for students

Have a great weekend!

Dear Families,
I hope you are doing well.

Here is some information for this week:

Grade 9 Vaccines

• Reminder that a team of CISSSO nurses will be at school on Friday November 11^th to administer regular vaccines (tetanus booster, meningitis) to our grade 9 students
• I’ve attached a letter to this email with more information

Webinar

• Please see the attached flyer for an upcoming webinar on online hate presented by Connexions

Term 1 Report Cards

• Report cards will be published to the Parent Portal on November 18^th

Parent-Teacher Interviews

• Parent-Teacher interviews will take place, in-person, in the gymnasium on November 24^th from 5:30pm-8:30pm

Upcoming Dates

• November 14^th – PD Day – no school for students
• November 25^th – PD Day – no school of students