Gator Gazette Oct. 27 - 31, 2025

Week of October 27^th - October 31^st, 2025 

Cookie Sales

PGPS is thrilled to announce that our Grade 8s will be selling cookies as a Graduation Fundraiser starting this week.

Cookies have been ordered from a YRDSB-approved vendor and are nut and allergy-free. Cookies will be sold on Day 3 and Day 5, starting Tuesday, October 28, 2025 and will be sold for $2.00/bag.

If your child is interested in purchasing cookies, please send your child with exact change (if possible) on the day of cookie sales.

Teachers will collect all money and track orders for their classes. Cookies will be delivered to classrooms for lunch recess. Students will be asked to enjoy their cookies at their seats during lunch and remember to help our amazing caretaking team by cleaning up any spills.

Dress Up Day/Halloween on Thursday, Oct. 31

October 31 remains an instructional day. That means classrooms will not be hosting Halloween parties or parades. If your family celebrates Halloween and your child would like to wear their costume to school, please remember the following:

In the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation, it is important that costumes do not trivialize and devalue the lives of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

• Costumes should be respectful of others. Symbols or objects representative of a person’s culture or religious beliefs should not be worn as another person’s costume, nor should costumes that caricature social identities through stereotyping.
• Connections made to Hallowe’en should not overemphasize the scary aspects
• Students may also choose to wear fall/autumn colours (brown, red, orange, etc.)

Please do not send:

• Candy/food items to share
• Full costume face masks, no Halloween masks, are to be worn
• Toy and/or replica weapons
• Long or restrictive costumes that can lead to trips and falls
• Costumes that require adult assistance to take on/off for washroom use
• Students must be able to wear running shoes and outdoor clothing as per usual

Big Box of Cards Fundraiser Is Back!

We’re thrilled to kick off another round of our Big Box of Cards Fundraiser! This year, we’re offering four great options: the All Occasion Cards Box, All Birthday Cards Box, and Holiday Box for $35 each, and the Big Box of Candles for $40.

You can take a closer look at the boxes using the links below: 

• 💝 Main Product Video
• 🕯️ Big Box of Candles
• 🎁 Holiday Box
• 🔍 All Boxes – Close-up View

Each box is filled with beautiful, high-quality cards (or candles) that are perfect for any occasion, and every purchase helps support our school’s programs and activities.

Please help us spread the word! Share the fundraiser with your friends, family, and neighbours, and place their orders through School Cash Online. 

All orders and payments should be made by the end of the day on November 2, 2025. 

Thank you for your continued support and for helping make this campaign a success! 

Parent-Teacher Interviews

Parent-Teacher Interviews will take place on the evening of November 20 and the morning of November 21, 2025. Booking will be open to families on Monday, November 10th via EDSBY. If you need to be invited to your students' EDSBY account, please contact the school at phoebe.gilman.ps@yrdsb.ca.

Year 1 Kindergarten Observations   

As part of your Year 1 child’s transition to school, you are invited for a visit in your child’s Kindergarten classroom. This will be an opportunity to come to the school to observe your child in a variety of learning experiences within their play-based classroom. You will have an opportunity to collaboratively discuss your child’s learning with a classroom educator as a small part of your visit. Please see the letter that will be sent home by your child’s Kindergarten educators for more details about booking a day and time for your visit. 

Enjoy a Family Pizza Night and support Phoebe Gilman Public School! 🍕

Every Thursday and Friday from October through December, order one of the Domino’s specials shown on the flyer and use the code provided. For each order, $5 will be contributed directly back to our school. Thank you for supporting our school community!

Checking for Head Lice 

The Ministry of Health, York Region Health Services and the Canadian Pediatric Society consider pediculosis (head lice) to be a nuisance and not a communicable disease. Review the Canadian Pediatric Society Head Lice Facts; to learn how to prevent, check for and treat head lice. 

Preparing for the Fall Respiratory Illnesses Season Self-Assessment

Students/attendees, staff and visitors are encouraged to complete and follow the instructions in the provincial COVID-19 self-assessment tool if they have any symptoms of illness or have tested positive for COVID-19.

Vaccines

Ontarians are encouraged to remain up to date with vaccinations.  get their flu and COVID-19 shots as soon as they are available to them. To learn more about the flu shots, visit: The flu ontario.ca. To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines, visit COVID‑19 vaccines | ontario.ca.

Parent/Caregiver Workshop Supporting Students of Chinese Heritage

The YRDSB Community Care Team School Social Worker supporting the Chinese Heritage Community is pleased to offer this virtual event for parents and caregivers, aimed at fostering connection, supporting mental health, and promoting healing.

The session is offered for any parent/guardian of students of Chinese Heritage. Parents, caregivers and students are invited to join this workshop and engage in meaningful conversations that will help students thrive at school. Tips on ways to help strengthen family relationships and emotional well-being will be shared. This will be a free virtual event. 

Presentation: Keep the Door Open: Integrating a Compassionate Approach to Foster Effective Communication

• Oct 28th, 2025 at 6:00 pm-7:00 pm Mandarin Session: Registration for Mandarin Session  
• Oct 28th, 2025 at 7:00 pm-8:00 pm Cantonese Session: Registration for Cantonese Session 

Please email charmaine.tong@yrdsb.ca if you have any questions or difficulties accessing the registration link. Thank you

The Black Foundation of Community Networks 

The Black Foundation of Community Networks (BFCN), in collaboration with York Region District School Board (YRDSB), invites Black students and their families to a free online workshop on how to search, prepare, and apply for scholarships and bursaries. If you are in Grade 8 or high school, this workshop is especially for YOU! 

Join us on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. with your families online.

Please register directly at bit.ly/BFCNWorkshopNovember11. For any questions or concerns, please see the BFCN website for the flyer or email info@bfcn.ca.

The Centre for Black Student Excellence is inviting all students, families and staff to an evening on Wellness and Well Being. 

An evening filled with strategies to nourish both mind and body. Dinner will be provided.

• Date: Thursday, November 6, 2025
• Time: 6:00 - 8:00 pm
• Venue: Tommy Douglas S.S. Cafeteria, 

Please register by November 3, 2025. For further information, please email the Centre for Black Student Excellence (CBSE) at blackstudentexcellence@yrdsb.ca.

Consultation: Poverty reduction strategy 
The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services is assessing Ontario’s current 2020-2025 poverty reduction strategy and developing the next poverty reduction strategy. Please see the survey here if you are interested in sharing your feedback. The deadline to submit a response is November 30, 2025. The survey should take around 20 minutes to complete.