Author: Chris Byrne
Dear Families,
I hope you are doing well.
Here is some information for this week:
Grade 9 & 10 Vaccines
- The team of CISSSO nurses will be back at our school on May 13th to administer vaccines to students in grades 9 & 10 who are missing doses
- These vaccines are part of the regular vaccination campaign through Public Health and include: measles, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, poliomyelitis, mumps, rubella, meningitis group ACWY, varicella (chicken pox), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and HPV
- Parents of students missing any of these vaccines will receive a letter with more information prior to May 13th
What’s the Plan?
- The Service de Police de la Ville de Gatineau (SPVG) has launched a new impaired driving prevention initiative called “What’s the Plan?”
- Our grade 11 students will listen to a presentation given by our school police educator next Tuesday, April 29th
- We encourage parents to speak with their children about the importance of making safe choices when driving
- I have attached a letter from the SPVG to this email
WQSB Virtual Library
- The WQSB Virtual Library has been newly designed and updated and the link can be found here:
https://bibliowqsbvirtuallibrary.my.canva.site
- I have attached a student guide to this email as well
Upcoming Dates
- May 16th – PD Day
- May 19th – Holiday
Have a great weekend!
| Tara Laine Directrice Principal Symmes-D’Arcy McGee High School Phone: 819-684-7472 Ext. 437001 925 boul. du PlateauGatineau, QC, J9J 3G2 Website: https://symmesdarcy.westernquebec.ca/ |
Benjamin girls D4
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Dear Families,
I hope you are doing well.
Here is some information for this week:
Beetlejuice Jr!
- Our school musical will be playing April 24th – 26th in our auditorium
- Showtime is 7pm with the doors opening at 6:30pm
- Tickets can be bought at our reception desk or from cast members, $7 for students and $10 for adults
- Tickets can also be purchased at the door – $10 for everyone
Screen Pause
- On May 25th, there is a provincial campaign to pause screen time
- You can find more information here:
La Grande Journee des Petits Entrepreneurs
- This is a provincial initiative designed to celebrate and support the entrepreneurial spirit of our youth
- A vibrant neighbourhood market filled with engaging activities will be held of Saturday June 7th at the Community Centre in the Plateau
- I have attached 2 flyers with more information
Upcoming Dates
- April 18th – Holiday
- April 21st – Holiday
Have a great weekend!
| Tara Laine Directrice Principal Symmes-D’Arcy McGee High School |
To all basketball and volleyball student athletes at Symmes and D’Arcy. As your playoff season begins, we hope all of our teams are able to have success in their respective playoff games. If your team is eliminated prior to the medal games, you will be expected to return your uniforms as soon as possible.
Volleyball– uniforms are to be returned to Mrs. Stone at student services or as directed by your respective coaches.
Basketball– uniforms are to be returned to Mr. Delorme in room 376.
As a reminder, if you do not return your uniform you are not eligible to play games in spring sports and returning student athletes will not be issued a uniform for the next season. On return of your uniform the uniform deposit cheque will be destroyed, or you can see someone at admin to have your cheque or money order returned.
Dear Families,
I hope you are doing well.
Here is some information for this week:
Promotion Policy/Graduation Requirement Presentations
- Our guidance counselors will be hosting presentations for grade 9 & 10 parents to provide information on promotion policies and graduation requirements
- These presentations will be held virtually and guidance counselors will send invitations to sign up via email in the coming days
- The presentation for grade 9 parents will be on Monday March 31st at noon
- The presentation for grade 10 parents will be on Thursday April 3rd at noon
Grade 11 Graduation Event – SAVE THE DATE!
- This milestone event will take place on June 25th at 2pm in our school gymnasium
- More information to come as we continue working on our plans
- For planning purposes, each graduating student should expect to be able to invite up to 4 guests
Annual Open House
- We are hosting our Annual Open House on Wednesday March 26th at 6pm in our school auditorium
- While this event is geared towards families that will be new to our school community next year, everyone is welcome
Upcoming Dates
- March 26th – Open House
- March 28th – PD Day
- April 4th – Regular school day
Have a great weekend!
| Tara Laine Directrice Principal Symmes-D’Arcy McGee High School |
Dear Families,
I hope you are doing well.
Here is some information for this week:
Student Re-Registration
- Re-registration will open on the Parent Portal on March 3rd
- Please refer to the 3 attached documents for more information including instructions and procedures
- Please note the deadline to register is March 14th
Upcoming Activities
- I have attached 3 posters advertising the following upcoming workshops: bookbinding, body scrub and lotions, seedlings
Calling All Crafters!
- On Thursday, March 13th, students, staff, and their families are invited to gather in the library for an evening of crafting in good company
- Crafters are invited to bring their current project, whether it be knitting or crocheting, scrapbooking, beading, or their sketchbook
- Light snacks will be provided!
- I have attached a poster with additional information
Grade 11 Photo
- On Wednesday March 12th, our grade 11 students will be invited to participate in a group photo for their GradBook
2025 Prom!
- I have attached an important letter from our 2025 Prom Committee
- Parents of grade 11 students should read this letter as it contains information regarding date/location/tickets
- If your family requires confidential financial assistance to purchase a prom ticket for your child, please reach out to me directly
Wellness Fair
- Please see the attached flyer for a Wellness Fair that is taking place at the Western Quebec Career Centre on March 25th
Cegep Applications
- Please note that the deadline for Cegep applications is Saturday, March 1st
- For applications to be considered complete, application fees must be paid, and any accompanying documents must be uploaded
- Please contact your child’s guidance counsellor if you have any questions.
Toronto Trip
- We are offering a trip to Toronto for grade 7, 8 & 9 students on April 4th – 6th
- Please see the 3 attached documents with detailed information
- Please note that TODAY is the deadline for payment
Upcoming Dates
- March 3rd – 7th – March Break
- March 21st – PD Day
- March 28th – PD Day
Have a great weekend and a lovely March break!
| Tara Laine Directrice Principal Symmes-D’Arcy McGee High School |



Dear Families,
I hope you are doing well.
Here is some information for this week:
Report Cards and Parent-Teacher Interviews
- Term 2 report cards will be published to the parent portal on Monday, February 24th
- To book a VIRTUAL interview with your child’s teacher(s) on Thursday, February 27th, please click on the following link:
https://outlook.office365.com/book/PTISymmesDArcyMcGeeHighSchool@wqsb.qc.ca
- The booking tool will only become active at 9am on Monday, February 24th
Quebec Basic School Regulations – Promotion Policies
Please take note of the following promotion policies which determine if a student advances to the next grade level for the 2025-2026 school year:
Grade 7 & 8
- Grade level promotion
- A student must be successful in 6 out 8 courses to be promoted to the next grade level
- 2 of these courses must be English, French or Math
Grade 9, 10 & 11
- Subject promotion
- A student must successfully complete EACH course in order to advance to the next grade level
- For example, if a grade 9 student is unsuccessful in math but is successful in all other subjects, they will advance to grade 10 but will be repeating grade 9 math
Course Selection Forms
- Students have received their course selection forms for the 2025-2026 school year
- The forms are attached to this email for you to review with your child
- Course selection forms should be handed in at our reception desk by Thursday February 27th
2025 Prom!
- I have attached an important letter from our 2025 Prom Committee
- Parents of grade 11 students should read this letter as it contains information regarding date/location/tickets
- If your family requires confidential financial assistance to purchase a prom ticket for your child, please reach out to me directly
Wellness Fair
- Please see the attached flyer for a Wellness Fair that is taking place at the Western Quebec Career Centre on March 25th
Cegep Applications
- Please note that the deadline for Cegep applications is Saturday, March 1st
- For applications to be considered complete, application fees must be paid, and any accompanying documents must be uploaded
- Please contact your child’s guidance counsellor if you have any questions.
Toronto Trip
- We are offering a trip to Toronto for grade 7, 8 & 9 students on April 4th – 6th
- Please see the 3 attached documents with detailed information
- Please note that payment is due on February 28th
Upcoming Dates
- February 24th – Term 2 Report Cards
- February 27th, 5:30pm – 8:30pm – Parent-Teacher Interviews – VIRTUAL
- February 28th – PD Day
- March 3rd – 7th – March Break
Have a great weekend!
| Tara Laine Directrice Principal Symmes-D’Arcy McGee High School |
🎓 Attention D’Arcy McGee Students! 🎓
Get ready to capture that graduation moment! 🎉
Graduation pictures will be taken February 20th-21st – don’t miss out on your chance to look sharp for the big day! 📸✨
👉 Sign up for your slot now: Calendly Link
Spots are limited, so book your time ASAP! We can’t wait to see all your smiling faces. 😁
From your Admin Team 💼
Dear Families,
Happy New Year!
Please note that I am sending this update one day early.
Here is some information for this week:
D’Arcy McGee Midyear Exams
- Please note that our formal midyear exam session for D’Arcy students is February 3rd – 7th, 2025
- Attendance during midyear 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
- Regular classes will be running during the times when your child does not have an exam scheduled
- The midyear exam schedule is attached to this email
#keepitprivate Program
- Earlier this week, the SPVG (Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau) in collaboration with CALAS and the DPCP, presented to all grade 7 students
- The presentation focused on the social and legal implications of producing and distributing inappropriate text messages and/or images
- I have attached a document for parents who would like to continue this conversation with their children at home
Upcoming Events
- Please see the attached poster advertising some upcoming activities at school
Upcoming Dates
- February 3rd – 7th – D’Arcy McGee Formal Midyear Exam Period
- February 10th – PD Day
- February 11th – PD Day
- February 25th – Term 2 Report Cards
- February 27th – Parent-Teacher Interviews – VIRTUAL – more information to come next month
Take care,
| Tara Laine Directrice Principal Symmes-D’Arcy McGee High School Phone: 819-684-7472 Ext. 437001 |

Dear Families,
I hope you are doing well.
Here is some information for this week:
Power Outage
- Thank you for your patience and understanding during the power outage on Tuesday!
- We are so proud of how our students handled this unexpected situation
Upcoming Events
- Please see the attached flyer advertising upcoming events at our school
Grade 7 Presentation
- Next week, our grade 7 students will receive a presentation from our DART (Drug Awareness Resource Team)
- Mr. Elvis Masudi is a social service officer who will deliver this WQSB substance prevention and awareness presentation
Grade 8 Dental Screening
- This will take place at school for grade 8 students between December 10th-13th
- Please see the attached letter from Health Services with more information
- If you do not want your child to receive this free screening, please complete the refusal section in the attached letter and have your child bring it to our reception desk before December 10th
Donation Drive
- Please see the attached letter regarding our yearly holiday donation drive and consider supporting our community
Upcoming Dates
- December 23rd – January 3rd – Winter Break
- January 6th – PD Day
- February 3rd – 7th – D’Arcy McGee Formal Midterm Period
Have a great weekend!
| Tara Laine Directrice Principal Symmes-D’Arcy McGee High School |