To our families of Golden Gate,
We hope this finds you well!
Guest Speaker
Wilfred Buck is a member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation and a respected elder within our community. He is an Indigenous Astronomy Expert, Educator, and Consultant. When he was a Science Facilitator at the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Center, he studied ININIW ACAKOSUK (Cree Stars and Constellation). His knowledge and his contributions have helped him become known world-wide as a prominent expert on Indigenous Astronomy. He will be bringing his portable planetarium to Golden Gate on Monday where he will have the opportunity to share his knowledge of Indigenous Astronomy with our students.
News from the Gym
Congratulations to all our badminton players who participated on our Tier 1 and Tier 2 teams. Thank you to their coaches and to our drivers for getting them to their games! Tier 1 wrapped up last night and should be congratulated for their overall and individual performances.
As one season ends, another begins! Track and Field practises will begin on Monday, May 13. The Divisional Track and Field meet takes place on Tuesday, June 3 at the University of Manitoba.
Students are enjoying Ultimate Frisbee season. Students are growing as they learn the game. The season will be completed by Wednesday, May 22nd. Go Gators!
Our World Cup Soccer Intramurals will begin the last week of May with sign up taking place now. A sign-up sheet will be posted directly outside the gym on the whiteboard for any students interested in participating. Stay tuned for more information!
SJASD Wheel Challenge
Once again, the SJASD “Wheel Challenge" will take place from May 21 to June 10, 2024. It is getting closer and it is a wonderful chance to celebrate and encourage students to “wheel" on a regular basis. So, roller-skate, rollerblade, bike, scooter, use your wheelchair or bike your way to wellness AND White Pine has partnered to provide prizes for students! Please pick up your Bingo Cards from the office.
Social Media
Parents/caregivers please continue to do regular check ins with your child regarding their social media accounts, and the apps that they may be using and group chats. Students should not be accepting people they do not know, or people who do not identify by their names for safety reasons. Any misuse should be reported to the social media platform provider to shut it down. Parents/caregivers are the owners of the phones and parameters should be established to ensure your child is being socially responsible and being a good digital citizen.
Moose Hide Campaign
Our staff and students will take part in the Moose Hide Campaign on May 16, 2024. As a school we will participate in learning activities that day. Moose Hide pins will be provided to students if they would like to wear one. To learn more about the Moose Hide Campaign, please see the following link.
https://moosehidecampaign.ca/#:~:text=Moose%20Hide%20Campaign%20Day%20is,of%20ending%20gender%2Dbased%20violence.
Lunch Program
Just a friendly reminder that if your child is in the lunch program and would like to leave school property for lunch that we require a note giving permission brought it to your child's homeroom teacher at the start of the day. Students who are late returning from lunch will call home to let their parents know. Students who continue to be late will be required to pay back time. Arriving to class late is a disruption to the learning environment which we would like to avoid.
Year End Activities
We are in the process of organizing field trips for all grade levels for the end of the year. This is very exciting, and we look forward to these field trips! Grade 7's have a field trip planned on June 19th, the grade 6's on June 5th and the grade 8's have theirs planned for June 18th. There will be more information to follow as field trip forms are sent out. All students must have their field trip permission forms to participate on any of the field trips, no verbal permission will be accepted.
School Board Cash Awards Information
Each year our school division provides School Board Cash Awards in the amount of $150. This is only open to returning students to Golden Gate as we want to support the students returning from these learning experience to enrich our programs and grow the program. Students in grades 6 and 7 interested in a bursary, would apply to the teacher of the respective area requesting consideration for the bursary. These School Board Cash Awards are in the areas of Athletics, Band, Choir, and Visual Arts. All applications are due June 7 to these teachers who teach these areas, as well students should see these teachers if interested to receive an application form and all applications would require a parent/guardian signature.
Tornado Drill
Early next week we will be doing a Tornado Drill Practise as per policy.
Energy Drinks
We are certainly seeing an increase in students arriving at school with energy drinks which is concerning. These are products we do not want to see in our school. Please talk to your child about energy drinks and the adverse effects that they have.
Class Placements 2024-25
It is that time already when we are considering our Homeroom lists for student placements. It is always a challenge for schools to try and make the best fit considering multiple variables when determining a homeroom placement for any child. These decisions are best left with the staff at Golden Gate. Please see attached letter explaining the process of planning homeroom lists.
Road Safety
As we have a number of students bringing their bikes to school, please review with your child the importance of road safety. Just a friendly reminder that there is a city by-law for students to be wearing helmets, and it is in their best interest to wear a helmet as accidents do occur.
Please see link from MPI that can be helpful in knowing the rules for bike safety to review with your child.
Cycling 101 (mpi.mb.ca)
Pizza Day
Our next Pizza Day will take place on Friday, May 24.
Have a great rest of your day and upcoming weekend!
Important Dates:
Monday, May 20 - Victoria Day - No School
Tuesday, May 21 - Early Dismissal – 3:05
Friday, May 24 - Pizza Day
Monday, June 3 - Divisional Track and Field Meet
Tuesday, June 4 - Early Dismissal – 3:05
Friday, June 14 - Inservice Day - No School
Monday, June 24 - Great Gator Celebration #4 - 9:15 am
Have a great rest of your week!
Mr. D. Kalynchuk Ms. T. Wilson
Principal Vice-Principal
