GMS Reorganization Information

Due to lower than expected enrollment in the regular English program at GMS, we will be reorganizing to reduce one class. While every effort has been made to minimize the impact on students, it will require changes to some class and teacher timetables. Details will be outlined in a letter that will be sent home with students on Monday October 3rd.  

Carol Gage
Principal

Today is the Terry Fox run at GMS

Good luck to all participants in the run today. Thank you for all of your fund-raising efforts.

Upcoming OCDSB Leadership Events

Please take a moment to review these exciting upcoming events. Click on either image to view the brochure.

Daniel Pink

Upcoming Events:
Oct 3 & 4 - HPV & Hep B immunizations

Ongoing:
Football & tryouts
Cross Country Practices

Increased Mumps Activity in Ottawa

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is notifying you of a recent increase of mumps activity in Ottawa, which is linked to a provincial outbreak.  To date, two cases of mumps have been reported in Ottawa and 31 cases have been reported in Ontario.

Mumps is an acute viral infection that can be transmitted from person-to-person through direct contact with respiratory droplets from the mouth or nose of an infected person.  Complications of mumps can be very serious, including meningitis, swelling of the reproductive organs that can lead to sterility, and deafness.

The two cases of mumps in Ottawa have been in school-age children.  Therefore, OPH is asking principals and teachers to be aware of the symptoms that a person with mumps may exhibit.  Typically, mumps is characterized by fever, swelling and tenderness of glands in the mouth or neck (parotitis).  Mumps should be suspected in a person who has these symptoms if there is no other apparent cause, even if he/she is fully vaccinated.

A person with mumps can spread the infection from seven days before to five days after the onset of parotitis.  It can take from 14 to 25 days from the time of exposure for a person to develop the symptoms of mumps.

For more information on mumps, you can call the Ottawa Public Health Information Line at 613-580-6744 or go to ottawa.ca/health.

Thanks for coming...

We would like to thank all parents, students and community members who attended our meet the teacher open house on September 22.  It was wonderful to meet our new parents and welcome back some of our familiar faces.  Please feel free to drop us a note with any questions or concerns throughout the year. 

Upcoming Events:
Sept 30 - Terry Fox Run @ GMS
Oct 3 & 4 - HPV & Hep B immunizations
TBA - Football tryouts

Ongoing:
Subway orders online
Cross Country Practices

From the Librarian's desk...

Coming soon to a library near you:

The Medusa Plot /Gordon Korman

Mockingjay/Suzanne Collins

I am Number Four/ Pittacus Lore

The Power of Six – Pittacus Lore

Once/Morris Gleitzman

This Dark Endeavour / Kenneth Oppel

Half Brother / Kenneth Oppel

and three graphic novels:

Smile / Raina Telgemeier

Brain Camp / Susan Kim, Lawrence Klavan

Meanwhile:  Pick any Path / Jason Shiga

...drop in and see me in the library. - Mrs. Clow

Consultation on Special Education Programs and Services Policy

Dear Parents/Guardians:

The following is provided as a follow up to discussions at the Board meeting on 13 September 2011. 

Two focus group discussions are being scheduled on October 19, 2011 to seek public input: one from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and the other from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The sessions will be held in the cafeteria of the Confederation Education Centre, 1645 Woodroffe Avenue, in Nepean.

The purpose of this consultation is twofold: to request input regarding possible changes to Policy P.096.SES Special Education Programs and Services and to request input on other issues affecting the delivery of special education programs and services.


For more details, click here.


Upcoming Events:
Sept 19, 20 & 22 - Food Order Cheque collection
Sept 19 - CHEO Connects Event
Sept 22 - Meet the Teacher (5pm-7pm)
Sept 30 - Terry Fox Run @ GMS
Oct 3 & 4 - HPV & Hep B immunizations
TBA - Football tryouts

Ongoing:
Milk, Pizza & Subway orders online
Cross Country Practices

Meet the Teacher - Thurs. Sept 22

The GMS teams invites all parents to join us on September 22 for our annual open house event.   Staff will be available in their classrooms from 5-7 pm to meet parents during their tour of the school and GMS facilities. Looking forward to seeing you there.




Upcoming Events:
Sept 19, 20 & 22 - Food Order Cheque collection
Sept 19 - CHEO Connects Event
Sept 22 - Meet the Teacher (5pm-7pm)
Sept 30 - Terry Fox Run @ GMS
Oct 3 & 4 - HPV & Hep B immunizations
TBA - Football tryouts

Ongoing:
Milk, Pizza & Subway orders online
Cross Country Practices

Organization and Homework Club

We are pleased to be able to offer a program in Organization and Homework Help at Greenbank Middle School. This initiative is supported by the OCDSB Continuing Education Division.

The program provides students with a supervised opportunity to complete, review, practice, and organize their work in order to help them achieve greater success at school as well as move them towards Provincial standards in Mathematics/Language Arts.

The group will meet 
Days 1 – 5   from 9:55 to 10:25 in room 111

Day 1, 3 & 4 from 12:25 to 1:05 ( bring your lunch) in room 111

Monday to Thursday from 2:45 – 4:00 PM in room 111

Program runs September 19, 2011  - June 2012.

To download the permission form, click here.

Silver Medalists!

Congratulations to the GMS Green Team and Mr. Cino for all of their hard work and efforts in achieving this prestigious award from Ontario Eco Schools.  Keep up the good work team!

Parent Information Sessions

CHEO Connects!

A free information series for parents in the community – providing trusted information and access to local experts

About CHEO Connects! 
There is an overwhelming amount of information out there for parents. The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) is working to help parents cut through the clutter and learn about the key physical and mental health issues that impact their kids.
CHEO Connects is a free information series for parents in the community — providing trusted information and access to local experts.
There will be six evening events rolled out over the 2011/2012 school year -- each covering both physical and mental health topics for a specific age group.
Each CHEO Connects session will help parents focus on key such things, including: What is “normal” for this age group? What are the biggest red flags I should watch out for? What I can do to help make a difference? CHEO experts will be on hand to answer questions.

Monday is Picture Day & School Council

Student photos will be taken on Monday Sept. 12.

GMS school council will meet at 7pm in the library. All welcome.

Ottawa Public Health Message

BE SAFE WHILE SKATING.  WEAR A HELMET.

Head injuries are the number one cause of disability in kids.  Often they occur when kids take part in sports or activities. Nine times out of ten head injuries will be less severe if a helmet is worn correctly.

This fall, a new helmet rule will be in place at all City of Ottawa indoor public skate sessions. Kids aged ten and less will need to wear a hockey helmet when skating. This rule is for new skaters as well. The goal is to lower the number of head injuries.

Here are some tips to choose a helmet:

•                     It has been tested for safety. It has a CSA sticker.

•                     It is not used.

•                     It is not too loose.

•                     It fits your head now.

For more information about the new rule, please call the Public Skate Info line at 613 580-2666.  Or click on the Helmet Link, under the Parks, Recreation and Culture section at ottawa.ca. To learn more about why you should wear a helmet visit thinkfirst.ca. 

Messages from Ottawa Public Health

Anxiety in Kids         

                                                                  

Anxiety is when you don’t feel okay; you may feel afraid or worried.  It is normal for kids to feel nervous when they are growing up, like when:

•          It’s their first day of school.

•          A test is coming up.

•          They have to talk to lots of people.

•          They go to crowded places.

Sometimes kids have feelings of worry that are too much for them to handle. You may also feel like you cannot help your child on your own.

If your child has feelings of anxiety that are:

•          Strong.                             

•          Last for a long time.

•          Not right for their age.

•              Not letting them handle common everyday activities.

These may be signs of a bigger problem. Anxiety disorder is the most common mental problem seen in kids and teens.  Anxiety can be handled, but if left alone, it can go on into the adult years.  If you think your child has an anxiety problem, there is help.

For more information on childhood anxiety, contact Ottawa Public Health at 613-580-6744 or go to ottawa.ca/health

Welcome back to school!

Greenbank staff welcome new students and their families as well as our returning Gators. 

Our new staff members this year include; Ms. Karen Buck, and  Ms Lindsay Bolger replacing Mme Todd and Mme Khemani on maternity leave, Mr Mark Hooper, returning to Greenbank  from a central position,  Ms Jessica Ferguson, Educational Assistant and Ms Charley Ainsworth, Office Assistant.

Thanks to Mr Pontone, Mr Wagenblass, Mr Micelli, Mr Littleton and Mr Partington, the school building is in great shape. Teachers have been working over the last few weeks to prepare their classrooms and their curriculum to be ready for students.

The first week of school at Greenbank is an Orientation week, when all students will learn about their new teachers, classmates and timetables and get to know Greenbank. Grade 7 and Grade 8 students will reminded of the routines and expectations of middle school. Parents can look forward to hearing from homeroom teachers about those routines and ways to communicate with all of your child’s teachers. 

On Friday a BarbQ  lunch of hamburgers, coleslaw and potato salad will be provided to all students and staff  at no charge. The day will end with a school-wide spirit event.

Through the course of the year, Greenbank students will be learning about the contributions they can make as citizens, and raising awareness about issues that affect their world. In that spirit, during the bar-b-q, a donation jar will be available to accept contributions to global efforts to help the drought victims of eastern Africa. All donations will be sent to World Vision.

If you have any questions or concerns, please give the office a call, or send us an e-mail.

We look forward to a great year of learning, leadership and citizenship.

-Carol Gage and Rod Oickle

Upcoming events
School Council Meeting - September 12 @ 7pm in the library
School Picture day - September 12 (retakes Nov. 1)
Education Day in Ontario - Tuesday September 20
Provincial Election - October 6

Welcome Back!

We are excited to welcome back our GMS community! Please check this site regularly for updates on events and activities at GMS.  A few housekeeping items;

1) Empty bus seat transfer forms will be accepted in the main office but will not be filled until early October.
2) Food and milk orders for subway and mommies yummies will be posted to the website by the end of this week.
3) Please note our new school schedule and our revised break times.
4) Please note our new morning kiss and ride lane. Your patience in learning the new system is appreciated as we continue to improve safety at school for your children.


Upcoming events
School Council Meeting - September 12 @ 7pm in the library
School Picture day - September 12 (retakes Nov. 1)
Education Day in Ontario - Tuesday September 20
Provincial Election - October 6