October Newsletter

Happy Fall! What a busy and exciting start to the school year. Everyone is easing into their back-to-school routines, and a special welcome goes out to our new families!

Establishing routines in September is a total team effort, and we are deeply grateful and thankful to everyone who keeps our school running—our students, staff, support team, bus drivers, School Lunch crew, and after-school partners. Your continuous support in the Goulds community creates a strong home-school connection that helps our students thrive every day.

We had a fantastic turnout for our September Meet the Teacher night. It was wonderful seeing staff, students, and families chatting and getting to know one another. Families had time to meet teachers face-to-face and tour their child's classroom and get a firsthand look at where they learn.

We truly believe that thriving students start with strong home-school teamwork, and the great feedback we received proved how impactful these events are. Thank you for coming out and making our school year launch so positive!

We are so pleased that our playground is such a well-loved community space! It's fantastic to see it getting so much use from our students and neighbourhood families.

To keep it a wonderful and safe environment for everyone, especially our little learners, we need your help in a couple of key areas:

• Pet Waste: If you are walking your dog on school grounds, please be sure to clean up after your pet immediately and dispose of the waste properly. The last thing we want is our students accidentally walking through or playing in pet feces.

• Litter: We ask that everyone help us keep the grounds tidy by ensuring all garbage is placed in the appropriate containers.

By working together, we can ensure our playground remains a clean, safe, and welcoming space for all. Thank you for your cooperation.

Thank you to our amazing community for the incredible response to our Breakfast Blitz! Your donations make sure our students start every morning with a healthy meal. We appreciate you!

Ongoing Breakfast Program Needs

Your support doesn't have to stop after the blitz! Breakfast donations are welcome throughout the year, at any time.

If you are able to contribute, here are some items we are always in need of:

• Grains & Cereals: Bread, Cheerios (all flavours except Honey Nut), Chex (all flavours except Honey Nut), Mini Wheats, Nutrigrain bars, and peanut-free granola bars.

• Dairy & Protein: Butter, cheese strings, yogurt tubes, and bags of yogurt.

• Fruit: Fresh fruit, jam, and apple sauce.

• Snacks: Goldfish crackers, and arrowroot cookies

Any donation helps us keep our program running smoothly!

We’re thrilled to welcome the Roots of Empathy program back to Goulds Elementary! This initiative helps our students build compassion, strengthen relationships, and develop vital social and emotional skills.

What is Roots of Empathy?

The Roots of Empathy program is delivered to elementary school children who are coached to recognize and connect with the vulnerability and humanity of a baby who visits their classroom throughout the school year with their parent(s). A trained Roots of Empathy Instructor uses a specialized curriculum to guide the learning.

In Roots of Empathy, emotional literacy develops as children begin to identify and label the baby’s feelings, reflect on and understand their own feelings, and then bridge to understand the feelings of others.

Ms. Coady’s Grade 3 class gets to take part in this special experience! We can’t wait to share updates with you as they welcome their "Tiny Teacher" into the classroom.

A huge thank you to our Grade 4 and 5 students who have stepped up as leaders this year! We are so proud of our "Big Buddies" and "Cafeteria Helpers" for creating a welcoming environment for our younger students. Their commitment is a wonderful demonstration of empathy, leadership, and citizenship. We also want to extend a special thank you to Ms. Vanessa Bailey for her hard work in organizing and guiding these student leadership opportunities!

We are still feeling the positive energy from our Terry Fox Walk! We had a beautiful sunny afternoon to honour the legacy of Terry Fox.

Thank you to everyone, who made it such a wonderful success, including support from the RNC. We loved having families walk with us, appreciated the enthusiastic support from our Grade 5 cheerleaders, and are deeply grateful for your generous donations. Together we raised a total of $370.00 for cancer research! Every dollar makes a difference.

On September 29th, our school community participated in an important moment of learning and reflection by wearing Orange for Orange Shirt Day, which aligns with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30th.

This day serves to spread crucial awareness of the multigenerational impacts that the Residential School system continues to have on Indigenous Peoples, and to show unwavering support for the healing journey of Survivors and their families.

The orange shirt is a symbol that originated with the story of Phyllis Webstad, a Residential School Survivor who had her brand-new orange shirt taken away on her first day of school. The shirt and the color represent the loss of culture, freedom, and self-esteem experienced by thousands of children.

By wearing orange, we affirm the enduring principle that "Every Child Matters."

The Grade Two's will be having their assembly on Thursday, October 8th at 10:30 am. Please line up at the main entrance. Doors will open at 10:15 am. Parents/guardians of Grade Two students are invited and kindly asked to bring along a non-perishable food item.

Our annual Thanksgiving Food Drive is back! We're excited to carry on this tradition and teach our students the importance of giving back.

Students are encouraged to bring their non-perishable food donations to their classroom anytime up until Thursday, October 8th.

All collected items will be donated to the Family Aid Center in the Goulds to help local families have a happy Thanksgiving.

Hands-on history in Ferryland! Our Grade 5 classes had an amazing field trip "up The Shore," exploring historic sites and bringing their Social Studies curriculum to life. Exploring the historic site allowed them to connect directly with the past and see the concepts they've been studying come alive. What a great day of real-world learning!

We highly encourage parents and guardians to use email to communicate with your child's teachers. Email is the best way to share information, ask non-urgent questions, and stay connected to your child's learning.

It is important to note: Our teachers are actively instructing and supervising students throughout the day and may not have time to check email until before or after school hours.

Urgent Messages - If you have an urgent message that needs to be passed on to your child (such as a change in pick-up arrangements) and you have not received a reply from the teacher, please call the school office. Our secretary can ensure the message is relayed to the classroom quickly and efficiently.

Ordering for November's menu opens on October 13th. Please ensure you submit your orders before the deadline, October 21st.

For those parents that are registering for Kindergarten (Fall, 2027), KinderStart registration (2026-27) for families attending Goulds Elementary will take place on Wednesday, October 7 and Thursday, October 8. Updated catchment viewers will also be in place for the rescheduled dates. The registration platform will open at 9:00 AM (NL time) and will be ongoing for both English and Early French Immersion programs simultaneously.

When open, families will be able to register their children for Kindergarten in September, 2027 (Kinderstart during the 2026-27 school year). This delayed registration will not impact any child’s access to the Kinderstart program or the start of Kindergarten.

Please note, children registering must be turning five years of age on or before December 31, 2027. Families will need an email address to receive electronic confirmation of registration, a contact phone number, an emergency contact phone number and an internet ready device to complete the process. See link below for Registration site, it will be open only on the dates given above.

https://www.nlschools.ca/studentsfamilies/kindergartenregistration.jsp

Families needing assistance for any reason (technology issues, learning disabilities, etc) should contact their zoned school for assistance. For more information, visit www.nlschools.ca

We know families are excited about attending this year's Kinderstart Sessions!

Here are the confirmed dates for those sessions: January 22nd, February 19th, March 19th and April 16th.

Please note: Our current Kindergarten students will NOT have school on these dates to accommodate the program.

This year's theme is “Charge into Fire Safety: Safe Charging is a Superpower.” It centers around lithium-ion batteries for the second consecutive year because the rapid rise in rechargeable devices continues to present a persistent, evolving public safety hazard that requires ongoing, reinforced education.

Lithium-ion batteries power many devices we use daily, from phones to scooters, and safety is crucial. The campaign stresses how important it is to remember three key actions:

1. BUY safely (only purchase batteries and products from trusted sources).

2. CHARGE safely (follow manufacturer instructions and unplug when charging is complete).

3. RECYCLE safely (never put old batteries in the regular trash).

We will be reviewing fire safety procedures at school and encourage you to discuss these important steps for lithium-ion battery safety at home this week!

Please note that the Goulds Elementary staff will be participating in a Professional Learning Day on Friday, October 9th and Monday, October 19th.

There will be no school for students on these dates.

Our Septemeber Recycling Blitz was a huge success! A huge thank you to our amazing families for bringing in recyclables! Your support makes a big difference.

Our next Blitz is on Wednesday, October 28th. We are asking students to bring in 10 drink container recyclables to support our school initiative. This is a fun and easy way for students to practice environmental responsibility and win a great prize!

How to Participate:

1. What to Bring: We can accept plastic drink bottles (like water or pop bottles), drink cans (like pop cans), and tetra packs (like juice boxes).

   • Please note: We CANNOT accept glass bottles or milk containers.

2. The Draw: For every 10 recyclables a student contributes, they will receive one entry into a draw for a $5 Tim Hortons gift card! We will choose two winners from each grade level.

Dropping Off Large Donations:

We understand that large bags of recyclables can be heavy! If you are dropping off a large bag (or bags), please use our convenient morning drop-off:

• Drop-Off Location: Outside, near the school dumpsters.

• Action Required: When you drop off a large bag, please send a quick email to your child's classroom teacher to specify exactly how many recyclables you have dropped off. This is essential for ensuring your child gets the correct number of entries for the draw!

The School Council will be launching our major fundraiser: a fantastic 50/50 Halloween Monster Mash Ticket Sweep! This is your chance to win a huge cash prize while directly supporting our students' learning and play environment at Goulds Elementary.

More details to follow in the coming weeks!

As we approach our fun Halloween Parties/Activities on Friday, October 30th (in the afternoon for Kindergarten to Grade 5 students), we have a few important reminders regarding our school policy:

🚫 No Treats or Loot Bags, Please

In keeping with our school policy, please do not send in treats or loot bags to be distributed to students.

We ask that you do not place the classroom teacher in the difficult position of having to refuse to distribute these items and sending them back home with your child. This policy ensures a safe, healthy, and inclusive environment where all students feel welcome.

✅ Party Snack Encouraged

We still want our students to have fun! Children are encouraged to bring along a party snack for themselves for their own personal enjoyment during the classroom Halloween party/activity time.

Thank you for your cooperation in making October 30th a safe and fun day for everyone!

As we prepare for the Halloween Parties/Activities on October 30th, children are encouraged to wear costumes for the afternoon celebration!

To ensure a safe, caring, and socially-just environment for all our students, we kindly request that you follow these guidelines when choosing costumes:

• 🚫 No Face Masks: Please avoid costumes that require a full face mask or hood that covers the face.

• 🚫 No Toy Weapons: Students should not bring toy weapons (swords, guns, knives, etc.) to school.

• 🚫 No Fake Blood: Please do not use fake squirting blood or excessive gory makeup.

Thank you once again for your support and understanding as we all work together to make the day fun, safe, and inclusive!

We want to remind all families that we have students and staff with life-threatening allergies in our school community.

To ensure a safe environment for everyone, we are strictly a:

• Peanut / Tree Nut (pistachios, cashews, almonds, etc.)

• Avocado

• Fish

• Legume

...aware school.

We also ask that you be mindful that we are a Scent Aware school.

Your cooperation in avoiding these items when preparing lunches, snacks, and personal care products is deeply appreciated and directly helps protect the lives of our students and staff.

Thursday, October 8th - Thanksgiving Assembly

Friday October 9th - Teacher PL Day - No school for students

Monday, October 12th - No School - Thanksgiving Holiday

Tuesday, October 13th - School Lunch Ordering Opens

Monday, October 19th- Teacher PL Day - No school for students

Wednesday, October 21st - School Lunch Ordering Closes

Wednesday, October 28th - Recycling Blitz

Friday, October 30th- Halloween Activities