School News & Announcements

Welcome Back Gators

posted Aug 31, 2020, 11:32 AM by Susan Edwards

We are all excited to be returning to school and look forward to seeing our Gators back in our classrooms. Please read the Back to School Letter for important information for the first day and school routines.

| Attachments: Back to School Letter August 31st, 2020.pdf

August 13 Announcement: Distance Learning Form

posted Aug 13, 2020, 5:30 PM by Susan Edwards

This afternoon the Ministry of Education announced a new policy that includes new requirements for Distance Learning (online). While we review this, we still need parents to complete the online form by Friday, August 14 (midnight). If significant changes are made to our Back to School Plan, parents will have an opportunity to change their decision before school begins.

Opportunities for Summer Mental Health and Transition Supports

posted Jun 30, 2020, 9:32 AM by Christine Pépin

As we begin our summer season, OCSB wishes to provide information to you regarding the various programs and supports being offered for students over the summer period.

Mental Health Supports:

Links to various community supports

Phone line Support

Importance of routine during the summer

July SEL calendar for elementary students

July Wellness Calendar for Teens

August Wellness Calendar for Teens

Coping with Uncertainty: OCSB will be offering stress management groups to students currently in Grades 5-6 as well as a high school version for students in Grades 7-12. This program is available to all interested families with students in Grades 5 and above. The groups will take place over the "Google Meet" application. The program will consist of three sessions, ranging from 45 minutes to 1 hour in length, and all three sessions will be completed over the span of a single week. During each group session, students will be provided with opportunities to learn and implement specific skills that will foster their social and emotional competence, resilience and well-being. Special attention will be given to the effects of stress in relation to COVID-19. Students will also examine feelings of stress that may surface as they prepare to return to school after the extended break. Parents may register their children using the link indicated on this poster for Grades 5-6

Getting Ready for Grade 7: OCSB will be offering in-person group sessions for students transitioning from Grade 6 to Grade 7 during the last two weeks of August. The sessions, which will occur at the High School, will be facilitated by Board Mental Health Workers. Sessions will address dealing with change, positive coping strategies, organization skills and will include a tour of the school.

Have a safe and fun summer!

GUA Announcements June 22-25

posted Jun 30, 2020, 9:23 AM by Christine Pépin

Hello Gators,

Here are your last announcements for the 2019-2020 School Year. Thank you for watching.

June 22: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSFc_DtBY6w&feature=youtu.be

June 24: https://youtu.be/nwqDqjF3jmg

June 15-19 GUA Announcements

posted Jun 19, 2020, 9:39 AM by Christine Pépin

Hello Gators!

Here are your announcements for this week!

Happy viewing!

June 15: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x88_a0e5ZA

June 17: https://youtu.be/aqDJnjsJ9oA

June19: https://youtu.be/HS-We8WQTCc

GUA Virtual Announcements June 8-12

posted Jun 12, 2020, 1:20 PM by Christine Pépin

Hello everyone,

Here are your announcements from this past week.

Well done Gators!

Monday June 8: https://youtu.be/o8A0gs7qJ8E

Wednesday June 10: https://youtu.be/x8dLnSF35_E

Friday June 12: https://youtu.be/g4VWo882n8I

Have a great weekend.

Retrieval of Personal Belongings

posted Jun 9, 2020, 9:50 AM by Christine Pépin [ updated Jun 9, 2020, 12:33 PM ]

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Dear GUA Parents and Guardians,

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work together through this challenging time. The Ottawa Public Health Department has now given permission for parents/students to temporarily access the school to retrieve their personal belongings. This process will occur on Monday, June 15th and Tuesday, June 16th at a designated time according to your child/ren’s last name. Please use the following schedule.

Monday, June 15th

Last Name beginning with the letter:	Time allocated
A and B	9:00 am - 10:00 am
C, D, and E	10:00 am - 11:00 am
F and G, H	11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Touch Point Cleaning	12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
I, J, K, L, N	12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
O, P, Q, R	1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
M	2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Tuesday, June 16th

Last Name beginning with the letter:	Time allocated
S, T	9:00 am - 10:00 am
U, V, W, X, Y, Z	10:00 am - 11:00 am

If you are unable to make the designated time that your family has been given please inform your child’s educator prior to Monday, June 15th and we will try to make alternative arrangements, such as curbside pickup. Please note that student items left behind at the end of the retrieval process will be donated or discarded.

Before coming to the school please ensure that you do not have any of the following symptoms, travel history or contact with a person who may have COVID-19. Please note that Ottawa Public Health will not allow your entry into the school if any of the following conditions exist. If any of these situations apply to you, please let us know and we will make other arrangements for you to retrieve your personal belongings.

Fever (temperature of 37.8 degrees C or greater), new or worsening cough, shortness of breath,
Other symptoms - sore throat, difficulty swallowing, new olfactory or taste disorder(s), nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, runny nose, or nasal congestion (in absence of an underlying reason for these symptoms such as seasonal allergies, postnasal drip, etc.)
Other signs - clinical or radiological evidence of pneumonia
Atypical symptoms and signs - unexplained fatigue/ malaise, delirium (a serious medical condition that involves confusion, changes to memory, and odd behaviors), unexplained or increased number of falls, acute functional decline, worsening of chronic conditions, chills, headaches, crup, conjunctivitis, multisystem inflammatory vasculitis in children unexplained tachycardia (heart rate over 100 beats per minute), including age-specific tachycardia for children, decrease in blood pressure, unexplained hypoxia (even if mild i.e. O2 sat <90%), lethargy and difficulty feeding in infants (if no other diagnosis)
If you or your child(ren) have symptoms compatible with COVID-19 and in whom laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19 is inconclusive
If you have traveled outside of Canada in the last 14 days
If you live with, or provide care for (without appropriate Personal Protective Equipment), or spent time with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, is suspected to have COVID-19, has an inconclusive laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19, or who has symptoms that started within 14 days of travel outside of Canada
If you or your child(ren) lived in or worked in an institution, group home, or other facility known to be experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19 (e.g. long-term care, prison)

Step by Step Guide to “Retrieval of Personal Belongings Process” at Guardian Angels:

Please consider walking to the school, if you can, or park your car in the neighbouring streets. Do not use the bus loop when parking your car.
Bring a plastic bag or garbage bag with you.
We are asking that you wear a mask if you have one. If you do not have a mask, you can still access the school, but be mindful to remain 2 metres (6 feet) away from anyone else in the school at all times.
Please come to the front of the school entrance. While waiting your turn, stand beside a pylon in the line. Ensure that you do not proceed past these markers until there is no one ahead of you. These markers are to assist you in keeping 2 metres (6 feet) when accessing areas where others may also be present.
You will be asked to verify your name so it can be checked off a master list. The check-in process is very important so we can provide information to Ottawa Public Health if necessary.
If your child’s classroom is in a portable, please go directly to the area where the portables are located where a staff member will sign you in.
Upon entering the school/portable you will be asked to wash your hands using the provided hand sanitizer/disposable wipes.
If you are aware of your child’s classroom location and location of their belongings, please come to the school on your own. Volunteer staff, wearing a safety vest, will be positioned in the hallways to help direct you to the correct classroom. All items belonging to students in grade 4 will be displayed in the gym.
When going through the school please follow the directionality arrows and signs to help keep the flow of people running smoothly. You are designated 15 minutes for your time in the school.
If you need your child to accompany you to identify their personal belongings then please bring them with you. Only one person from each family can come and one child can accompany them if needed.You are asked to ensure that your child also wears a mask and remains 2 metres (6 feet) from anyone that they may encounter during their time in the school.
If you need to retrieve your child’s medication, it will be placed with your child’s personal belongings.
Place any library books you may have in the designated bins in front of the Learning Commons doors and then proceed to (use the hand sanitizer or wipes when you have completed this process) to the classroom in a timely manner.
If you received a loaner chromebook and it is no longer needed, please return this to the table in front of the learning commons doors and ensure that the chromebook and the power cord have your child’s name labelled on them. You can keep the chromebook if you need it for continued learning.
Once you have arrived in your child(ren)’s classroom please use your bag to retrieve shoes, clothing, pencil cases, and any other personal learning materials from your child’s desktop, cubby or bin. Staff have organized the items so you can easily see them and do not have to touch or sort through them.
If you have any books or other school items to return, please place them in the designated area in the classroom.
Please keep any items that you need for learning at home. These can be returned in September.
Baywood items will be placed in the hallways near the Baywood room for you to pick up.
When you are done, please use the nearest exit. Do not go back to the front entrance.

Please know that our entire staff is saddened by the events that have impacted our school year. We all look forward to some return to normal. Our primary focus continues to be on your safety and the well-being of all students and staff.

Take care, stay well and stay safe,

Your Leadership Team,

Karen Wilson - Principal

Christine Pépin - Vice Principal