Dear Families,

I hope you are doing well.

Here is some information for this week:

National Day of Truth and Reconciliation

• On September 30^th, we will be observing the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation
• We will be wearing orange shirts to honour 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
• For those of you that want to learn more, here is a link to a database of residential school survivor stories put together by a librarian at the University of Toronto:

https://irsssurvivors.library.utoronto.ca/home

• Here is a link to a poem by Rita Joe:

Rita Joe’s I Lost My Talk: A poem for reconciliation | National Arts Centre (nac-cna.ca)

Letter From Public Health

• Please see the attached letter from Public Heath regarding outbreaks of whooping cough in certain regions of Quebec

College, University and Trades Evening

• This event will take place at our school on November 7^th from 6pm-8pm
• There will be more than 20 representatives/kiosks with information for students and families
• I’ve attached a poster with more information – all are welcome!

Health Forms

• Please complete the attached health form and have your child bring it to our receptionist’s office
• You can also email the form directly to cgreen@wqsb.qc.ca

Photo Day

• School photos for all students will take place on Tuesday October 1^st
• Please remind your child not to wear green on this day as it will impact the quality of the photo

D’Arcy McGee Midterms

• Please note that our formal midterm session for D’Arcy students is February 3^rd – 7^th, 2025
• 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

• Regular classes will be running during the times when your child does not have an exam scheduled

Upcoming Events

• I have attached 2 flyers advertising upcoming events at our school
• Please visit our school website (scroll to the bottom of the main page!) to watch our daily video announcements where you can learn more about school life:

Upcoming Dates

• September 30^th – National Day of Truth and Reconciliation
• October 1^st – school photo day
• October 14^th – Thanksgiving Monday
• October 15^th – Progress Reports published to Parent Portal
• October 17^th – PD Day
• October 18^th – PD 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:

Academic Immersion In Healthcare (AIH)

• AIH has an e-mentoring program that allows students to be paired with healthcare students from McGill University
• This mentorship allows for a unique opportunity to make meaningful connections that will expose students to careers in healthcare
• I have attached additional information to this email

Annual General Assembly (AGA)

• The AGA for D’Arcy parents will be in our auditorium on September 25^th at 6pm
• Please note that we are going PAPERLESS for this AGA
• You will need to bring a hard copy or photo of your child’s schedule
• You can also view the schedule on the Parent Portal (instructions attached as well as a photo of the MOZAIK Portal app that you can download)
• 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

Published Photos

• We sometimes upload photos of student activities on our school website
• If you do NOT want your child’s photo published (this includes their gradbook photo), please reach out to me directly

Upcoming Dates

• September 25^th – AGA D’Arcy McGee
• September 30^th – National Truth and Reconciliation Day (Orange Shirt Day)
• October 1^st – School Photos

Tara Laine Directrice Principal Symmes-D’Arcy McGee High School

Attention all students! Don’t miss out on the opportunity to join the Peru Trip. Only a few spots are left, so act fast. Get in touch with Ms. White in the gym office or contact her at jwhite@wqsb.qc.ca to grab your information and application package. The deadline to apply is Monday, September 23. Don’t delay, secure your spot today!

Dear Families,

I hope you are doing well.

Here is some information for this week:

Health Forms

• Please complete the attached health form for your child
• Your child can return a hard copy to our front reception desk or it can be emailed directly to cgreen@wqsb.qc.ca

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

• We will be observing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30^th (Orange Shirt Day)
• 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
• More information to come on resources and how to purchase an orange shirt for your child

Academic Immersion In Healthcare (AIH)

• AIH has an e-mentoring program that allows students to be paired with healthcare students from McGill University
• This mentorship allows for a unique opportunity to make meaningful connections that will expose students to careers in healthcare
• I have attached additional information to this email

Sexuality Curriculum

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

Learning Content in Sexuality Education (gouv.qc.ca)

• Apologies as the link I sent out last week was not working
• If you would like to have your child exempt from portions of the curriculum, please refer to the attached procedures and request form

Annual General Assembly (AGA)

• The AGA for Symmes parents will be in our auditorium on September 18^th at 6pm
• The AGA for D’Arcy parents will be in our auditorium on September 25^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 18^th – AGA Symmes
• September 25^th – AGA D’Arcy McGee
• September 30^th – National Truth and Reconciliation Day (Orange Shirt Day)
• October 1^st – School Photos

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:

Upcoming Events for Students

• Please see the attached poster advertising some fall activities for students

Activities for Families

• Please see the attached poster from Connexions advertising fall events for families

IEP Presentation

• I have attached a PowerPoint presentation that details the resources and supports we offer to students who have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP)

STO Passes

• We have been distributing STO passes for our new grade 7 students
• These passes can be used for free on the weekends and in the evenings
• Please encourage your child to pick up their pass at our reception office during lunch

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

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

Annual General Assembly (AGA)

• The AGA for Symmes parents will be in our auditorium on September 18^th at 6pm
• The AGA for D’Arcy parents will be in our auditorium on September 25^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 13^th – PD Day
• September 18^th – AGA Symmes
• September 25^th – AGA D’Arcy McGee
• September 30^th – National Truth and Reconciliation Day (Orange Shirt Day)
• October 1^st – School Photos

Have a great weekend!

Tara Laine Directrice Principal Symmes-D’Arcy McGee High School

This year’s Volunteer trip will take place in Peru.  If you are interested in travelling to amazing places, learning other cultures and volunteering to help remote communities, come to room 222 (across from Ms. Laine’s office) on Friday, September 6^th at noon. 

All Symmes-D’Arcy Students are welcome to sign up.

This year’s trip will focus on volunteering, hiking to waterfalls, sand boarding in a real Oasis and surfing in Lima. For more information, see Ms. Jessica White in the gym office or join the Peru Teams Group with Code emaxi7k

Dear Families,

What a great start for our students!

The return to school has been very smooth and the building has been filled with positive energy.

This is a link to the video announcement that welcomed back our students and advertised some fun start-up events:

Here is some information for this week:

Tuesday September 3^rd

• ALL students are expected to be at school

Fall Baseball

• Baseball evaluations will be held on Monday September 2nd at the Aydelu baseball diamond
• Students who are 15-18 years old will meet on the field at 10am
• Students who are 12-14 years old will meet on the field at noon
• If your child did not have a chance to sign up this week, they are still able to attend the evaluations
• Students must bring their own equipment including baseball cleats, a batting helmet, gloves and a bat
• Please email Ms. Brown at slbrown@wqsb.qc.ca if you have any questions or cannot attend the evaluations

Volunteer Coaches

• Please contact Carlos Brown cabrown@wqsb.qc.ca or Chris Byrne chrisbyrne@wqsb.qc.ca if you are interested in volunteering with one of our athletics teams this year
• A list of sports available can be found on the school website:

School Photos

• School photos will take place on October 1^st
• We will communicate the make-up date once it has been confirmed with our photographer

Europe Trip

• There are still some spots available for D’Arcy students to participate in our March break trip to Spain and Portugal
• Please reach out directly to Ms. Lisa Richardson lrichardson@wqsb.qc.ca for more details

Annual General Assembly (AGA)

• The AGA for Symmes parents will be in our auditorium on September 18^th at 6pm
• The AGA for D’Arcy parents will be in our auditorium on September 25^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

Supplies

• I have attached a list of suggested school supplies to this email
• Individual teachers will inform students of any additional items they may require
• If you need support in purchasing any items, please reach out to me directly for confidential assistance

Admin/Guidance Support/Attendance

• Vice-Principal Kate Smith – responsible for students with last names A-L:  katesmith@wqsb.qc.ca
• Vice-Principal Chris Byrne – responsible for students with last names M-Z: chrisbyrne@wqsb.qc.ca
• Guidance Counselor Holly Richardson – responsible for students with last names A-F: hrichardson@wqsb.qc.ca
• Guidance Counselor Danielle Nikota – responsible for students with last names G-M: dnikota@wqsb.qc.ca
• Guidance Counselor Franny Maloney – responsible for students with last names N-Z: fmaloney@wqsb.qc.ca
• Please remember to report all students absences by emailing: sdmattendance@wqsb.qc.ca

Upcoming Dates

• September 2^nd – Holiday
• September 13^th – PD Day
• September 18^th – AGA Symmes
• September 25^th – AGA D’Arcy McGee
• September 30^th – National Truth and Reconciliation Day (Orange Shirt Day)
• October 1^st – School Photos

Have a great long weekend!

Take care,

Tara Laine Directrice Principal Symmes-D’Arcy McGee High School

Benjamin (U-14) and Juvenile (U18) BASEBALL evaluations.

All students interested in playing baseball are invited to participate in evaluations on the following dates:

Monday Sept. 2^nd   10am-noon for ages 15-18 at Aydelu Baseball Diamond.

Monday Sept. 2^nd  noon – 2pm for ages 12-14 at Aydelu Baseball Diamond.

Student athletes must provide their own equipment including: baseball cleats, baseball pants, batting helmets, gloves, bat.

Contact Ms. Brown for questions or additional information.  slbrown@wqsb.qc.ca

All cadet and juvenile age girls interested in playing basketball are invited to participate in evaluations on the following dates:

Dates: Sept. 04, Sept. 06, Sept. 09, Sept. 12

Time: 3:45-5:30

Where: D’Arcy gym