Gator Gazette Sept. 7 - 11, 26

Week 7-11 September 2026

Attendance reminder

Families are reminded to ensure the school office has up-to-date contact information including phone numbers, home addresses, email addresses, emergency contact information, and medical information if necessary. As part of the Board’s Safe Sign-In Protocol, please notify the school office each time your child will be absent. If you have activated your Edsby account, you can log in to Edsby and report your child’s absence online at www.yrdsb.edsby.com. For more information on how to do this, you can access an online video tutorial (bit.ly/edsbyabsence).

Addis Ababa

The York Regional School Board continues to partner with Edsby to provide a safe platform for families to stay connected to their child’s school and education. Edsby offers a variety of features that the YRDSB will be rolling out over the next few years. Some of these features include:

● Absence report

● A stream of news with school events and information

● Booking times for parent-teacher interviews/student-supervised sessions

● Application registration

● Extracurricular groups and activities

● Access your child's schedule and upcoming events.

Click hereFor more information on how to register.

Academic Year Guide and Startup Training Packages

Academic Year GuideAvailable online only. A link is shared in the launch packages and viaFamily Resources PageOn the Board's website. Online setup forms will be sent centrally to all families at all schools at the beginning of the school year.

The board will send a central email to all families at the beginning of the school year containing a personalized link to a Google Form to complete the Getting Started forms. Please note that you will need your child's GAPPS login information to complete the form.

Teacher and class placement: 

There will be no changes to class placements at this time of the school year. Our staff, using their professional judgment, have carefully created balanced classes that support the academic and social success of all students. These decisions are made with great care to ensure that each student has the best possible opportunity to thrive.

School grounds: 

During school hours, our school grounds are restricted to staff, volunteers, and students to ensure a safe and focused learning environment.
While staff and students participate in various cleanup activities throughout the year, the community is reminded that during their stay on board property:

• It is not permitted to throw public waste into school trash bins;
• Leaving trash or waste on school grounds and playgrounds, including fireworks, toxic and hazardous materials, or any type of illegal dumping of waste, is not permitted.
• "Pet waste collection platforms" are a legal requirement of every municipality; and
• All pets must be kept on a leash when walking on school grounds.

Harvest Hills Park will not be used by students during recess. Families are encouraged to use the park after school and on weekends.

Shoes during recess: 

For safety, please remind your students to wear shoes during recess, especially when playing soccer on the playgrounds.

Kiss and ride.

This is our pick-up and drop-off line. A designated short-term drop-off area is provided where parents can quickly drop off or pick up students.

Parents who are taking their children to school are asked to drop them off at the “Kiss and Ride” area on the west side of the building. A teacher will be on site from 8:15 to 8:30 a.m. to pick up your children and either take them to the kindergarten yard or direct them to their appropriate location.

Please note that we only allow children to exit vehicles in the right lane, next to the curb. Exiting on the driver's side of the vehicle puts them at risk from oncoming traffic. The other lane is only used when your child has entered or exited the vehicle and you are ready to drive.

Please prepare students to get out of the car with their bags. (Hug and kiss each other at home!)When entering the Kiss and Ride lane, please pull your vehicle as far forward as possible to allow other vehicles to enter. Parking in the Kiss and Ride lane is strictly prohibited.If you need to walk your child to school, please park on the street, not in the school parking lot.   

Birthdays, sweets and other celebrations:

We appreciate the importance of personal celebrations, but we ask that they be celebrated at home. Treats and goodie bags (e.g., candy, stickers, pencils, erasers, pizza, etc.) should not be sent to school.

A note about mobile devices:

This letter is to inform students about the use of personal mobile devices in schools, specifically students should keep their mobile device out of sight and turn it off or on silent mode during the school day.Please click here to view the full text of the letter.

Terry Fox Run - September 18

In honor of Terry Fox Day, Phoebe Gilman, staff, and students will also be running/walking the trail.September 18^M.Every year we run/walk to continue his legacy in the fight against cancer. The Terry Fox Foundation is a national funder of cancer research, having committed more than $17 million to its programs last year.

Online school

It is recalled that Phoebe Gilman uses School Cash Online to process payments made to the school, including hot lunches, school trips and other exciting opportunities.

Registration takes less than 5 minutes and you can choose your desired language by selecting Google Translate.Click here for more information..

If you require further support, please email the office at the email address below.phoebe.gilman.ps@yrdsb.ca

Hot lunch with lunch box

This year, hot lunches will be ordered using Lunchbox. Lunches can be ordered weekly or in advance for any number of days throughout the school year. Orders will be placed using your SchoolCash Online credentials. Click the link for more information and stay tuned for more launch dates and details.

Indigenous Languages ​​and International Languages ​​(ILIL) 2026-2027

Classes for 7th to 8th grade students will be held in person or online. The registration deadline for the entire program is...Monday, September 14, 2026(Students can still register after this date, starting Tuesday, October 6, 2026.) Language class offerings and/or program locations may change depending on enrollment.Elementary program information

The Georgina Island Pawa 2026 will be held on September 26 and 27, 2026. 

As students prepare for another school year, helmet safety can help ensure safe trips to and from school. 

Every cyclist under the age of 18 must wear a proper bicycle helmet. Some students may also use assistive electronic devices such as electric scooters or electric bicycles. 

In Ontario, you must be 16 years of age or older to use an electric scooter or electric bicycle. 

Students should not ride their scooters or electric bikes to school because they are under 16 years of age..

YRDSB continues to encourage families to use safe transportation to and from school. We encourage students to use active transportation to school whenever possible. Active transportation refers to any type of human-powered vehicle, including walking, cycling, skateboarding, and scooters.

Students using any means of transportation, whether electronic or non-electronic,They must get off before reaching the school grounds.This includes all sidewalks, footpaths and walking paths on school grounds. Please note that the school is not responsible for lost or damaged equipment.

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