Dear Families,

A few updates from George Jay.

Hampers:

·         Hamper forms are available in the office and are due by November 8^th.

·         This year we can provide Holiday Hampers to some of our families. Hampers consist of gifts for children and food.  Please note that you should not be applying for a hamper if you have family support, have applied to another agency for a hamper, or have your own resources.  Sponsors want to support our families and know that their hampers will be the main source of gifts and food for the family they are sponsoring, which are generously provided by members of our community.

Halloween:

·         Students are welcome to wear costumes or wear black and orange to celebrate the day

·         Thank you for keeping candy at home to be enjoyed after the school day

·         More information about costumes is available here

Parent / Teacher Conferences:

·         Are being held November 6^th and 7^th.

·         Please contact your teacher if you need support in signing up for a meeting time

Swap and Shop:

·         Combined with Parent / Teacher Conferences our swap and shop is back.  Be sure to stop by the gym and grab some gently used clothes as we move into the winter season.

Early Dismissal:

·         All students will be dismissed on November 7^th at 11:50 am.

Coats for Kids

Each year the Victoria Coats for Kids Association provide new or gently used winter coats to families who need to ensure no child goes cold this winter. Please complete this form if you are a family in need and your child(ren) need a winter coat for the upcoming winter season. All coat requests must be in by Monday, September 30^th.

Link to request a coat

Parent Connect – Action item for all parents

It is time to do your annual review of all consent forms for your child.  Our district uses Parent Connect, an online service developed by the Greater Victoria School District to expedite consent requests. The service reduces the amount of paper forms and allows parents and school staff to review a student’s consent information on-demand. The service also includes Google Translate to support parents who prefer to communicate in languages other than English.

Please Sign into Parent Connect at: https://parentconnect.sd61.bc.ca/ and read and sign all the indicated forms.

For more information about setting up an account please follow this link.   Please note even if you did it last year there may be new programs that this year’s teacher will be using so we ask every parent to review yearly.

Cold and Flu season

In order to stay safe and healthy this season,

Please remind your child of the following important habits:

• Make sure to wash hands frequently.
• Avoid touching face, mouth, or eyes.
• Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing by leaning into your elbow or using a disposable tissue. Quickly throw away any used tissues and wash or sanitize your hands after.
• Respect the personal space bubbles of other students.
• Stay home when sick!

Please monitor your children daily for any cold or flu-like symptoms. In accordance with the Public Health Guidelines, students and staff are asked to stay home when sick or displaying any symptoms of sickness. If students develop symptoms throughout the day while they are at school, they will be reminded to use tissues or lean into their elbow to cover their coughs and sneezes. If required, an office staff member will contact you to arrange a pickup of your sick child. These protocols are in place to lower the risk of transmission of communicable disease and to keep our students and staff safe and healthy. 
For more information on the health and safety protocols implemented in our schools go to: Provincial Communicable Disease Guidelines for K-12 Settings

Parking Lot

• The parking lot is for staff vehicles only.
• To help ensure everyone stays safe we ask that students and families do not walk through the parking lot and use the paths around the school instead.

Waiting off property

We would appreciate it if all parents who can please wait on the sidewalks.  This will help us safely gather and dismiss all of our students at arrival and dismissal times.  Thank you for helping keep our students safe.

Facebook Page

• Did you know the school has a Facebook page and it is a great way to keep in the loop.
• You can find it here.

Food Programs at George Jay

• We have a number of foods programs here at George Jay.  Some programs are available for all of our families and some are more focused on those that need them.
• Check out this page for more info.

Supervision and Drop off

• Students are to be dropped off and picked up from their line-up spot.
• We have supervision only from 8:30 to 8:45 and 2:37 to 2:50 pm.  Please ensure a responsible adult is on-site before and after these times.

Attendance

• If you are going to be away from school please send an e-mail to GeorgeJayAttendance@sd61.bc.ca

Upcoming Dates:

September 23-Pro-D Day No School for students

September 26 – Bread Morning

Sept 27- Family Breakfast/Orange shirt day

Sept 30 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation- No School