Beginning Days

All learning materials are provided for your child. There are, however, several items that we ask you to send with your child. If you require assistance in ensuring your child has the following items, please speak with the Principal who may be able to help.

A large zippered backpack

A backpack, labelled with your child's name that's large enough to hold your child’s snack/lunch bag, water bottle, mailbag, a large library book, nightly home reading materials and works of art. Please practice opening and closing the backpack with your child before September.

A lunch bag

Lunch bag big enough that your child can independently access. It should hold enough food for both snacks and lunch. Consider sending litter-less lunch containers that your child can open by themselves, and cutlery such as spoons and forks if needed. Please label all of your child's containers and lunch bag.

A reusable water bottle

Please ensure that your child's water bottle is clearly labelled. At Glen Dhu, we encourage healthy snacks that are nutritious and delicious! More details about lunch and snacks can be found under the nutritious tab.

Extra Clothing

Please send in a large clear zip-lock bag that contains extra pants, socks, underwear and tops. Please label it with your child’s name. Make sure that the extra clothing is appropriate for the season. as these clothing items will remain at school in case of accidents, spills or too much fun at the water centre. We ask again that you label your child’s clothing items so that lost items find their way back to you.

Indoor and Outdoor Shoes

Your child will need two pairs of shoes. Please label both pairs with your child's name. One pair to stay at school (indoor shoes) and one pair to wear to and from home and to play outside at recess ( outdoor shoes). Indoor and outdoor shoes should have Velcro straps. Please avoid shoe laces unless your child can tie his/her shoes independently. Indoor shoes must be running shoes with non-marking soles (suitable for gym). Upon entry, students must remove their outdoor shoes and put on their clean, indoor shoes. The indoor shoes will remain at school for the school year. Please no Crocs or sandals (they are not safe in the gym).

Mailbags

Each night, your child will be bring home their very own mailbag. Please check the mailbag for notices, forms, finished work or a home reading book. Please empty the mailbag each night and send the bag back to school each day, with the home reading book inside. If you have any notes or other communication you are sending to school, please place them in the bag (children hand the bags in every day so that we can check them).

Calendar/Newsletter/Website

A monthly calendar and/or newsletter will be sent home detailing important things we will be doing, such as phys. ed., library, or special events. Please refer to it so that you can send your child prepared for school. In September some classrooms will choose to keep families updated via a classroom website. You will be able to access all pertinent school/classroom information from the site. Hard copies will be sent home for those without access to a computer. More specific information will follow in September. As well, Glen Dhu has several ways to share information with all families.

• The school website is http://www.ddsb.ca/school/glendhu

• The school’s Twitter account is @GlenDhuPS

• The school has an electronic sign on the front lawn that is updated regularly.

• Occasional emails and voice messages are sent out to our whole school community to notify them of important information.

• The School Community Council has a Remind account (text messaging) . Account information will be provided in September

• The school holds occasional Family Fridays where parents can spend some time in their child’s class to see what happens on a typical day.

Any money and permission forms (e.g., for field trips, special lunches or Scholastic book orders, etc.) should be sent in an envelope or baggie, with your child’s name on it, and returned to school in their mailbags. If the teacher gets interrupted, she could forget who handed in the envelope, therefore making it difficult to determine to whom it belongs. This coming Fall, Glen Dhu will be launching an online program so that families will have the option of paying for school related items via our secure payment site.

School Cash Online

Please visit their webite for more information:

https://www.schoolcashonline.com

We will occasionally ask if you have any materials at home that we could use in the classroom. Please feel free to contribute any loose parts, recycled materials or science materials such as bird nests (after the birds are finished with them), shells, pine cones, fossils, or any other scientific treasure that you may have found, discovered or purchased.

Thank you in advance!