Gator Gazette June 22 - 26, 26

Week of June 22^th- June 26^th, 2026

Have You Moved or Are You Moving Over the Summer? 

Please let the school office know if you have a change in address so we can keep our files up to date. If your child will not be returning to Phoebe Gilman in September, our office staff can support the transfer of our students’ files to the new school.

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Early Release Last Day of School, Thurs., Jun 25, 2026

On the last day of school, June 25, students will be dismissed at 12:00 p.m. Arrangements will be made to ensure that students who are normally bused to and from school will receive transportation at this time. Families whose children attend after-school child care should make appropriate arrangements to address this change in schedule.

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Summer Mental Health & Well-Being Guide

In our ongoing commitment to Student Well-Being and Mental Health, York Region District School Board is pleased to share the Summer Family and Student Mental Health and Well-Being Guide to support the alignment of the Well-Being and Mental Health goals. 

Reminder - Returning Library and School Books

Please take a moment to look around your home for any books belonging to the school and return them to school so they can be inventoried.

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Message from our Administrators: 

We would like to thank our Phoebe Gilman community for completing a successful Term 2! We have celebrated many wonderful moments together this term; as a community, we continued to support, educate and develop our students’ academic, social and emotional well-being. Together, we have made our school a place of care, equity, and belonging. It is important to remember all of the wonderful times we had throughout the year, the laughter, the friendships, and the joy.  Your children have worked so diligently to meet the expectations of learning. This amazing community has exceptional students, and we are proud to serve as Administrators. 

We have to say a big thank you to our staff, students, school council, and community for being so supportive and generous towards our students. Together, we saw them engaged in tremendous learning and collaboration. We wish everyone a fun and safe summer. 

Mrs. Baptiste & Mrs. Keosongseng

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Student Medication

Student medication, such as EpiPens and puffers, will be sent home with students next week. At the beginning of September, new medication forms will need to be filled out.

School Council 

It has been a pleasure meeting with our hard-working School Council. Discussions were always lively and focused on the well-being of our students and on helping our families feel connected to the school and the community. We hope for more participation, and we welcome new parents to our Council in September. 

Fond Farewells to Staff Leaving Phoebe Gilman

We know that it is our Teachers, DECEs, EAs, Office Administrators, and Caretakers who make this school run in the beautiful way that it does to teach and support all children. We will be saying goodbye to some of our staff who will be moving on for the 2026-2027 school year. We are sad to say goodbye to them, but also excited for them as well. We would like to wish fond farewells to: Ms. Koruna, Ms. Greco, Ms. Barnett, Ms. Laarakkers, Ms. Russo, Ms. Heer, Ms. Loveless, Mme. Atkinson, Ms. B. Fisher, Mr. King, Ms. Ficele, Ms. Almeida.

We wish these staff members all the very best as they move on to other paths and schools. Their impact at Phoebe Gilman has been unforgettable, whether over many years or just one. Thank you for the wonderful memories. We look forward to sharing the names of new incoming staff members before the start of the new school year.

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Important Reminders for Student Safe Arrival Procedures 

As we break for the summer holidays, we would like to remind families to report any student absences, especially during the first week of school. We recognize some families may be on extended vacation, transfer schools or move out of the board area and ask that you contact the school to inform office staff during the last week of August or on the first day of school.

As per Board Policy and Procedures #665.0, Safe Arrivals and Departures – Elementary and Secondary Students, if your child’s absence is still not verified even after exhausting different steps to connect with the family, York Regional Police will be contacted and may be dispatched to your residence.

We remind parent(s)/guardian(s) to update the school with all emergency contact information when changes are made. Thank you for your cooperation in reporting student absences.

Parents/Guardians/Caregivers

School staff and families share a common purpose, and to reach our goals, we must be a strong team that thinks like a community. We thank you for making our community stronger.

Denison Child Care Services

Our child care partner located within the school has been a key support to the school by caring for and educating some of our students and helping parents in our area feel connected to the school and their community.  Thank you for all that you do to support our school community, Denison Child Care Services. We look forward to continuing our partnership. 

School Assistants

Our School Lunch Assistants are an integral part of our staff. They provide an invaluable service to monitor and help students while ensuring their safety. Thank you for your commitment!

Trustee, Carolyn Butterworth & Superintendent, Farooq Shabbar

Our Trustee and Superintendent have supported Phoebe Gilman in numerous ways through their work at the Board and in the community. Thank you for your support, Ms. Butterworth and Mr. Shabbar. 

Office Closure for Summer 

The school office will be closed for the summer, and office staff will return on Monday, August 24th. Thank you for a great year, and we hope you have a wonderful summer! 

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Click here for the Persian Translation.  Click here for the Russian Translation. Please email the school if you need the Gator Social translated into a different language. phoebe.gilman.ps@yrdsb.ca