DGH community, please find attached the TLDSB 2018-2019 school calendar. A paper copy will be sent home with each family at the beginning of the school year (as always).
Enjoy a Safe and Happy Summer, DGH Community
On behalf of the DGH staff, I would like to wish our entire DGH community a safe and happy summer. 10 long months of the 2017-2018 school year have ended, with our students about to enjoy the fruits of their labour with 2 months to relax and involve themselves in our opportunities. I know that many of our students will have screen time (Mr. Parish is writing this post and has 2 kids – both of whom love their television and video game time), but do not forget to encourage physical activity and reading time! I played more than my fair share of video games as a student (ah, Pac Man, Defender and Ultima bring back fond memories), but read a great deal (the Shannara series, Belgariad series and anything written by Isaac Asimov), too. Whether riding a bike, swimming, playing sports or just running around with friends, get outside and enjoy the summer weather.
We are looking forward to seeing all of our DGH community members back in September!
Another Amazing Year at DGH!
Another amazing year at Dr. George Hall PS! As the 2017-2018 school year draws to a close, this is the perfect time to reflect on our school community’s many successes and celebrations. Our first celebration would be the wonderful and caring students we work with each day. Lunchroom monitors help out in our Primary classrooms, our recycling captains help set a great environmental tone for our school, our older students work with our younger students as Reading Buddies and our older students so often set excellent examples for our younger students on activity days, like the Olympics. Our younger students do equally great things! From their high level of participation in school activity days (I defy you to keep up with our grades 1 and 2 students when they are running around!) to the incredible amount of fundraising they do, they, too, set a wonderful example for others.
The number of extracurricular opportunities and activities available for our students would be our next celebration. Dr. George Hall PS is definitely a school in which students can involve themselves in a little bit of almost anything! The Band, the Yarn Club, the Choir and the Wizard of Oz all provided the chance for students to enjoy the Arts. As always, DGH offered students the chance to participate in pretty much all of the sports that the TLDSB offers. Our Primary students continued to participate in County Track and Field, and our Junior and Intermediate students had teams in everything from Soccer to Skipping. Students and staff alike put tremendous effort in these extracurriculars, giving up many recesses and coming before/after school for practices. Academics are the core of our business; however, we know that so many of our students derive great satisfaction from extracurriculars.
Thanks to staff and our Parent Council for offering a wide variety of other fun activities and events. Breakfast with Santa and the Christmas Shoppe, for example, make the holiday season just that much more fun and enjoyable for our students. Whether meeting Santa, enjoying pancakes or purchasing a special gift for a special person, these events make the holiday season that much more wonderful. Our Olympics Week was a tremendous success! Our Intermediate students acted as event and team leaders – doing an outstanding job; our Primary and Junior students had an incredible amount of participation. Track and Field Days (from Kindergarten to Grade 8) gave our track and field athletes the opportunity to shine (which is all about doing your personal best). Add in other activities such as Scientists in the School and Jimmy Chapman, not to mention a number of different trips, and our students get to sample a little bit of everything.
Our Student Leadership Council helps to make our school a fun place to be. Organizing activities like the Christmas Candy-Grams and Christmas raffles helps to add some fun to the school year, while raising money for the We Charities that they support. They were also involved in the Loonie Line and Walk for Water assembly. Not only did they raise money for the We Charity, they also helped our students understand the amount of work people go through in obtaining clean drinking water each day in the developing word. They are amongst the most enthusiastic helpers and event/team leaders in activities like the Olympics – setting a positive tone for others.
A final note of thanks to all of you: the parents, guardians and relatives who are so heavily involved in school life. Sports teams cannot run if students are not dropped off early or picked up after school. Activities that involve fundraising or donations cannot happen without your efforts. Field trips cannot run without volunteer supervisors.
Grade 8 Clap Out is Thursday, June 28th at 3:00 pm
DGH community, don’t forget that our grade 8 clap out takes place tomorrow, June 28th at 3:00 pm. This is our opportunity to say good-bye to our graduates and we invite parents, guardians and relatives of our grads to participate along with us. Weather permitting, we will be lining up along the sidewalk in front of our school and you will want to join us there. If this time of the day brings rain, we will do the clap out inside.
Last Day of School is Thursday, June 28th
DGH community, the day that our students have been waiting for is rapidly approaching! The last day of the 2017-2018 school year is Thursday, June 28th! Summer holidays for our students begins on Friday, June 29th.
The 2018-2019 school year begins on Tuesday, September 4th. We will see all of our DGH school community members back then!
Grade 8 “Grad Breakfast” – Tuesday, June 26th
One of DGH’s graduation traditions continues next Tuesday, June 26th: our “Grad Breakfast”! The Parent Council will provide a pancake breakfast for our soon to be grads. With only 3 days left of school (including Tuesday), this is a chance for graduates to enjoy those final moments of elementary school.
Kindergarten Peterborough Zoo Trip on Monday, June 25th
Our Kindergarten staff have planned another great experience for their students: a trip to the Peterborough Zoo on Monday, June 25th! The Peterborough Zoo is the perfect size for our youngest learners. There are a wide variety of animals to see, but the zoo’s size is not going to exhaust our students. The play area is always a big hit, too! Thanks for organizing, Kindergarten staff, and thank you to the many volunteers who make this trip possible! Should the weather not cooperate, the rain date will be Tuesday, June 26th.
2018 Graduation Events and Activities!
DGH community, our soon to be graduates will be involved in a number of activities in the final week of school. Check out this posting to keep on top of all the events!
• Tuesday, June 26th – “Grad Breakfast” right after announcements in the front foyer – thank you, Parent Council, for organizing!
• Wednesday, June 27th – is our Graduation Walk-Through in the 1st Block. Please schedule appointments for after the 1st Block (which ends at 10:40 am).
• Wednesday, June 27th – our Graduation Ceremony begins at 7:00 pm. The Graduation Dance will begin immediately after the ceremony (as soon as the chairs are put away!). The dance ends promptly at 10:00 pm.
• Thursday, June 28th – is our graduates’ final day of elementary school! Clap out will begin around 3:00 pm. Parents and relatives are welcome to join us! Students, parents and relatives line up on the sidewalk along the front of the school to celebrate and clap them out.
• Friday, June 29th – enjoy the first day of Summer Vacation!
Grade 7 Trip to Niagara Falls on June 19th and 20th
Our grade 7s will enjoy their year-end trip on June 19th and 20th – visiting Niagara Falls. For those of who have gone on this trip, you know how much Ms. Graham packs into 2 days! Having gone with last year’s grade 7s (it is Mr. Parish writing this post), it is hard to believe what students see in these 2 days: the Falls, attractions associated with the Falls, the cable car trip across the gorge, the wax museum and Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum, to name a few. Staying at Great Wolf Lodge and enjoying the water park definitely does not hurt, either! Thank you for organizing, Ms. Graham!
Grade 8 Quebec City Trip – June 18th to 21st
Our grade 8s will soon be headed off to what is sure to be a highlight of their school year and something that they will remember for the rest of their lives. Leaving early on Monday, June 18th and not returning until late on June 21st, our grade 8s will be visiting Quebec City. During this trip, organized by Mrs. Read, students will visit the many incredible attractions of Quebec City and gain an even greater appreciation for French culture and its contribution to Canada. Enjoy your time, grade 8s!
