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Hello Gator Families,
Thank you for such a great start to our school year! As the principal, I am very proud of our respectful, polite and positive students. Those who were forced to go into a class reorganization showed great resiliency and have settled in well with their new teachers. This month's Gator gazette is full of information about our school, and we ask that each month you block off some time to read through each item to help the school run smoothly throughout the year, and to learn about all of the amazing things happening at our school. I look forward to meeting you all at our open house on October 9th - details below!
Mr. G. Donaldson
Principal
Gladys Speers PS
Term 1 Pizza Days
Gladys Speers School Council has organized Pizza Pizza to be delivered every Thursday at 1st break by volunteers. Participation in this hot lunch program is optional. Term 1 pizza starts on Thursday, October 9th and runs through to, and including Thursday December 18th. Your order remains the same for this term (11 weeks). School CashOnline is open now until Wednesday October 1st when it closes. WE CAN NOT ACCEPT LATE ORDERS. There is no pizza sold at the school. Everything is pre-ordered with our vendor and paid for on SchoolCash Online. Students can order either cheese pizza or gluten free pizza. Pizza slices will be delivered to the classroom by Volunteers. Since the pizza slices are not individually boxed it is recommended that students bring a reusable plate for their pizza. Please remember to pack enough food/snacks for the 1st break, and your student may want more than just a slice of pizza at 2nd break. Gladys Speers and School Council thanks everyone for participation in this voluntary hot lunch program. All proceeds from pizza lunch go towards school equipment, school enhancement and programs for our students.
***Orders are DUE by: Wed Oct 1st and MUST be placed online.***
If you would like to volunteer, School Council created this link HERE to sign up. A up to date police check and/or Volunteer Declaration is required to volunteer for Pizza Days.
Scholastic Book Fair!
The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to Gladys Speers October 7th-9th! We are in search of parent volunteers to assist with various tasks throughout the school day, as well as during our open house night on October 9th. Volunteers would be working with our Library Technician to help with wish list creation, purchasing and counting money, among other tasks as they arise. Anyone who is able to help is asked to contact Kamile Bettencourt our Library Technician at bettencourtk@hdsb.ca with a list of dates and times they would be available to help out. Hours are flexible and any help is appreciated (and needed!). Students are able to browse the fair and bring home wish lists on Oct 7th and 8th, and purchasing will be available on the second visit on October 8th and 9th.
BBQ and Open House
On Thursday, October 9th, we have the opportunity to come together as a community for a BBQ dinner and time in classrooms where our students can show off the spaces they learn each day to their parents. From 5:30pm-6:30pm, please bring a blanket and/or lawn chairs and have a picnic with our community on the back field. We will have a BBQ for you to enjoy, but all food MUST be pre-ordered through school cash online. We have beef burgers, halal burgers, veggie burgers and jumbo hot dogs available for purchase with a bag of chips and a drink. Deluxe toppings, pickles, hot peppers, and all the regular condiments and cheese will be provided. All orders are due on Sunday, October 5th. At 6:30pm, students can bring their parents through the school to meet their teachers and show off their classroom. For those who can't attend the whole time, classrooms will be open until 7:30pm, at which time the evening will conclude. We look forward to meeting all of our parents!
Police Checks
In order to volunteer with students, on field trips, or regularly at the school in lunch programs, an up to date Police Check with a Vulnerable Sector Search is required. If you gave us a police check previously, you just need to sign the declaration each and every year to keep the police check up to date. We have noticed that many Police Checks have expired, as the declaration has not been kept up to date. Please connect with the school when you get a new police check on file so that we can update our files and welcome you into the school as a volunteer!
Parent Council
We have our first parent council meeting on Monday, October 6th at 7:00pm in the School Library. At the meeting, we will have a Principal's Report, Teacher's Report, Budget Report and then form the new council for this school year. All parents are welcome to attend.
Halloween Parade
This Halloween season, we plan on having a Costume Parade for all of our students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 on October 31. Students can come to school dressed in their costumes for the first two periods of the day, or can wear Orange and Black. It is expected that students in costume have a change of clothes so that they are out of their costumes by the end of first nutrition break. As a rule, students should not be wearing any masks during the morning, except for during the parade itself. In addition, please think carefully about the props that you send with costumes to ensure that nothing gets damaged, or nothing is too scary for our younger children, could be used as a weapon, or is insensitive to ethnic, religious, racial or gender identity groups. If you do not wish to have your child participate in the Halloween parade, please let your child's teacher know in advance so that we can organize an alternate activity. More details will follow closer to the date on how parents can watch the parade of students.
Terry Fox Run
Our Terry Fox Run was a great success! The students walked and ran for an hour enjoying the beautiful day, exercising and catching up with friends. We not only honoured Terry's legacy, but also raised funds for cancer research. During the week leading up to the run classes spent time learning about Terry Fox, why he is a Canadian hero and the importance of continuing to raise money for cancer research. Our school beat our $3000 goal, raising $4160!!! Thank you so much for your generous donations and commitment to this cause.
Recognizing Truth and Reconciliation Day
On September 30th, our school will observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Students are encouraged to wear Orange Shirts to honour the children who survived Residential Schools and remember those who did not return home. Throughout the day, our students will engage in age-appropriate activities in their classrooms to foster understanding, empathy, and respect as we commit to the ongoing journey of reconciliation. This is a vital opportunity for our students to learn about the history of Residential Schools and the strength and resilience of Indigenous peoples.
Student Personal Devices
Should you feel that your child requires a personal device for the way to and from school, these devices should remain in a student’s backpack throughout the day. As per the Ministry's PPM128. personal devices include cell phones, tablets, laptops and smartwatches. With the high level of access to technology for our students, and the early stages of their digital literacy, students in these grades do not need personal devices for any academic reason. If there are special circumstances for your child, we require you to have that conversation with your child’s classroom teacher.
Peanut Allergy Awareness
To help us keep our school a safe place for all students, we need your support with lunch and snack items brought into the school. We understand that sometimes it's convenient to bring a special lunch, but we need to remind everyone that items from fast-food restaurants (e.g., Wendy's, McDonald's, Chick Fil-A, Tim Hortons, etc.) should not be brought into the school for students. The main reason is that these locations cannot guarantee that their items are free from cross-contamination with peanuts and other allergens, which poses a serious health risk to our students with severe allergies. We appreciate you choosing items prepared at home or in facilities you know are safe when packing your child's lunch. Thank you for helping us protect all our students.
Safety Routines
Thank you to our community for a safe space in our parking lots during Kiss & Ride so far this year. As the cooler weather hits, please continue to be safe, pull up all the way, and not pass anyone to ensure the safety of our students. Please note for any parents who are walking thier children to the back of the school that there are pathways located on either side of the parking lot. It would not be safe to walk through the parking lot to the back of the school, both at entry and dismissal
As a reminder, it is an expectation that all students are at their entry door at the back of the school, no later that 8:45am. Students in Grades 4-6 will enter beginning at 8:35am, and students in Grades 1-3 will enter at 8:45am. No students will be allowed in the front doors of the building until after our Morning announcements, so please ensure that you are on time each day. Any student who comes to school after the morning announcements will be required to sign in late at the office. Entry will be permitted to the building at the back of the school until 8:50am, and morning announcements will likely conclude around 9:00am.
Notification of Transportation Delays to Families
Every September, when students and drivers are getting accustomed to new routines, there tends to be a higher frequency of delays. We thank families for their ongoing patience and understanding during this time. We expect Bus Operators to promptly communicate any delays and provide updates so that families have the chance to make necessary adjustments to their plans. We encourage families who have not already done so, to sign up for a Parent Portal account and add their child(ren). This will ensure they are automatically signed up to receive email notifications when delays are posted. For detailed instructions please click here. We highly encourage anyone with a mobile device to download the free BusPlanner Delays app and sign up to receive instant notifications of route delays affecting their family. For detailed instructions please click here.
Prescribed Medication
There is a board policy on dispensing prescribed medication to students. As with epiPens and inhalers, all prescribed medication to be dispensed at school requires a Physician’s signature. Therefore, if you are heading to the doctor’s office, and think that your child may require medication at school, please ensure you get the physician’s signature on the correct form before you leave. These forms can be found in the Student Health Page of our board website. If you are not sure which form to use, please contact the office. Over-the-counter medication (e.g., tylenol, advil, cough syrup) will not be dispensed by school staff at any time. If you wish to provide this to your child, please come to the front doors of the school and we will call them down for you to administer. Students should not be carrying any medication on them while at school, other than epiPens and inhalers. Kindergarten students are able to have their EpiPen in a backpack, while students in Grades 1 through 6 must carry their EpiPen on them at all times.
Communication & Social Media
We will continue to send home editions of the “Gator Gazette” electronically at the beginning of each month. Valuable information may also be found on our updated website at gla.hdsb.ca. Also, Please follow us on our new Instagram page @gladysspeers! We will use this as an additional tool to communicate with our parent community about what is happening at the school, as well as celebrate the great things happening at our school.
CYC-P Classroom Visits
This month, our Child and Youth Care Practitioner visited many of our classrooms! Students listened to the reading of either the mentor text "Beautiful Oops" which discusses growth mindset, or "I am Peace" which was followed by classroom coping skills for achieving a sense of calm at school.
PALs Program
Coming up, Gladys Speers will be running the PALs Program! This stands for Playground Activity Leaders in Schools. It provides opportunities to help foster a sense of belonging and inclusion among students, while engaging them in physical activity in the school yard. The program motto is “there’s always room for one more.” Stay tuned for more information! This leadership opportunity will be available for our grade 5 and 6 students.
Flag Football
Our grade 4, 5 and 6 students learned all about Flag Football this September, beginning with an intramural. Each team played three times, and we had a whopping 8 teams of students participate. Shout out to the Banana Splits, who didn't lose any of their games! We have chosen students from those teams to represent our school in a Jr Flag Football Tournament in Burlington on October 15th against 23 other schools in the HDSB. Good luck to the Gators!
Cross Country
The grade 3 through grade 6 students have been given the opportunity to participate in Cross country again this year. We have over 120 students who are dedicated to the team and practicing three times per week. The team will compete at Sherwood Forest Park in Burlington on October 8th. Good luck again to our Gators!
Coding Club
Starting Thursday, October 2nd, students in Grades 4 and 5 can dive into the exciting world of coding! In our Coding Club, we’ll create games, stories, and interactive projects while exploring Scratch and Bloxels. Space is limited to 26 students, so be sure to sign up quickly to join the adventure! Students can see Mr. Bakkali to check if there are still spots open for the club.
Multilingual Story Time
Welcome back families to another amazing school year. If you can speak and read another language and wish to come into the school to read a book to some of the amazing students at Gladys Speers, please fill out the Multilingual Storytime form. Our English as an Additional Language Teacher, Mrs. Witton, will reach out to you to set up a date and time for you to come in an read to a small cohort of students.
Help 300 HDSB Students Start School with Confidence
Some students in our Oakville community walked into school last month without a backpack, supplies, or even lunch. The Halton Learning Foundation (HLF), thanks to our donors, is here to help. Since the beginning of this school year, HLF has supported more than 126 students across our HDSB schools, including 70 students within two days alone, with emergency help and school supplies. HLF’s goal is to help 300 students by September 30, but with only a few weeks left, they are asking our generous community to step in urgently, to make sure they can continue to say “YES” to every request for emergency support they receive. Here's what one parent shared last week about what saying “YES” meant to her family:
"Just wanted to say how grateful I am for this support. I’m a single mom, and because of your help, I’m able to get what my daughter
needs for back-to-school and food, and I’m so unbelievably grateful for the support."
Make a gift for a student in need today: Donate Now. Together, we can give students not just supplies, but confidence, dignity, and hope.
Calling all Three-Year Olds
Calling all three-year olds to the Halton District School Board! In October and November, the HDSB will be hosting Kindergarten Open Houses in Acton, Georgetown, Burlington, Milton and Oakville to answer any questions families may have about how the HDSB sets students up for lifelong learning and success. Future students and their families are invited to attend any of the following Kindergarten Open Houses, to be held between 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.:
Acton: Oct. 8, 2025 - Robert Little Public School
Georgetown: Oct. 16, 2025 - Ethel Gardiner Public School
Burlington: Nov. 6, 2025 - Alton Village Public School
Milton: Nov. 13, 2025 - Irma Coulson Public School
Oakville: Nov. 20, 2025 - Dr. David R. Williams Public School
Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/5n8a5bd9
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