Welcome back to school Aurora Grove!

Dear Aurora Grove PS community,

We sincerely hope you had a fantastic summer and that you are looking forward to returning to school rested and ready to learn. As a staff, we are excited to welcome both our new and returning students back to Aurora Grove PS for the 2023-2024 school year.

Class Placement Information:

To welcome learners, we shared class placement information with families (Kindergarten to Grade 8) on the afternoon of Friday, September 1 via email. 

We recognize that the first day of school brings a lot of change to our students’ lives. Children feel our energy and enthusiasm and will react and respond in a similar way

their parents do. The best way to support your child is to be positive and let them know that they need to give their class placement time and get to know their new teacher and classmates. Remain positive and supportive and the first week will go smoothly. 

Here are a few tips for a successful transition back to school:

• Encourage your child to be optimistic and excited about a new class and teacher
• Remind your child that their placement is an opportunity to meet a new friend
• Speak positively about school and a new school year

We know that straight grade classes are preferred. However, split classes are necessary based on our current enrollment at Aurora Grove P.S. Teachers and

staff have spent a considerable amount of time placing students with strategic learning partners and placing students where they will be most successful.

First Day of School Procedures:

Grades 1 to 8

• Please meet at the back of the school and find your teacher and class
• Teachers will bring students into the school as a class

Senior Kindergarten (Year 2)

• Students in K12-1 (Baumann) and K12-4 (Meyers) should meet in the kindergarten Yard on Stone Road
• Students in K12-2 (Fraser), K12-3 (Meglio) and K12-5 (Di Cristofaro), please meet in the Kindergarten Yard beside the parking lot
• Teachers will bring students into the school as a class

Junior Kindergarten (Year 1)

• The procedure for Junior Kindergarten students is a supported entry model that differs from the rest of the grades
• Specific information about the first day of school for Junior Kindergarten families will be sent in a separate email later this week

Kiss N’ Ride (morning drop-off):

It is extremely congested in our parking lot. Please follow the instructions of staff on duty. If you are driving your child to school, please make sure to use the school’s designated Kiss N’ Ride loop located in the school’s parking lot. The Kiss N’ Ride area is marked with yellow lines. Please pull up to the top of the Kiss N’ Ride loop (close to the cross walk if possible) to allow more cars to enter the parking lot.  

If families would like to bring their child to the back of the school, please park in designated areas on Stone Road or in a designated parking spot in the parking lot. 

*There is no parking or stopping on the south side of Stone Road. There is also no parking in the Kiss N’ Ride loop. This is for the safety of all community members.

Students Who Take The Bus:

Kindergarten to grade 2 students will be given a bus tag with their bus number and bus pick-up and drop-off locations on the first day of school. Bussing for SK to grade 8 students will begin on Tuesday, September 5th (the first day of school). Bussing for JK students will begin on Wednesday, September 6th. The bus tags will be attached to their backpacks.  Please do not remove them. Parents can check school bus times, locations, and late reports using School Bus City. 

School Times:

8:45am - 9:00am Free entry into the school - Students may enter the school/portables as teachers will be supervising inside. There will be no outdoor supervision. 

08:45am      Free Entry (students may enter the school building)

09:00am      School Begins

10:40am      Recess (30 minutes)

12:50pm      Lunch & Afternoon Recess (60 minutes)

03:30pm      Dismissal

Early Pickup:

If you require to pick up your child before the end of the day (i.e. dentist/doctor appointment), we ask that you do so before 3:00pm. Please report it in Edsby or contact the office and let your child's classroom teacher know.

End of Day Dismissal:

Teachers will walk their students down to their assignment exit doors. Please ensure that your child is aware of how they will be going home (i.e. meeting a caregiver, walking home, being bussed, etc...).

Before and After Care (Kids’ Club):

Students attending Kids’ Club will start on their first full day of school

• Grades 1 - 8 students will begin Kids’ Club on Tuesday Sept. 5

• Year Two students will begin Kids’ Club on Tuesday, Sept. 5

• Year One students will begin Kids’ Club on Wednesday, Sept. 6

Before and After School care is operated by an independent third party. Information about Kids' Club and how to sign up can be found at https://www.ypce.com/aurora-grove-kids-club/.

Kindergarten: 

We are so excited to welcome our new kindergarten families to AGPS and we can't wait to see our SK's again! Information regarding supported entry for Junior Kindergarten students was sent to families in a separate communication on Friday, September 1st.

Health and Safety:

At this time, we ask families to visit York Region Public Health to access the most current measures in keeping our school and community safe. Please continue to monitor your child for symptoms and ensure they stay home if they are not well.

Medical Forms:

If your child is required to take medication while at school, please fill out the forms that were given to you at the end of the school year upon registration. If you do not have the necessary medical forms, please contact the school.

Edsby:

Edsby is our school attendance program. If your child previously attended AGPS, please contiue to use Edsby to report any absences or lates. If your child is new to the school, you will be sent an invitation to sign up for an Edsby account.

Guide To The School Year:

The York Region District School Board updated its Guide to the School Year over the summer. It includes information about:

• who to contact if you have a question or concern 

• busing

• homework

• parental engagement

• health and safety

• board policies and procedures

Helpful information:

• Aurora Grove Public School YRDSB website 

• 2023-2024 School Year Calendar

• Covid-19 Screen Tool

• YRDSB SchoolCash Online

• Ontario Curriculum

• Online Student Tools

• Family Resources

• AGPS Community Update Blog (please subscribe!)

Looking forward to a great school year!

Ken Leang Kim Pollishuke

Principal Vice Principal

A Message from Mr. Leang & Ms. Pollishuke

Dear Aurora Grove Community,

As we come to the end of the 2022-2023 school year, we want to take this opportunity to reflect on the wonderful year we had at Aurora Grove. It has been a pleasure getting to know and work with the students, parents, families and staff of Aurora Grove.

We would like to thank all of the students for their hard work and dedication they showed at school.  We wish them good luck in their next grade and look forward to seeing them in September.

We would like to say goodbye to our Grade 8 Graduating Class and their families who have supported the Aurora Grove Community all these years.  You will be missed, but we are confident that each and everyone of our Grade 8’s will have a bright and exciting future!  Congratulations! 

We would like to thank all the amazing educators in this building. This includes teachers, support staff, office staff, caretakers and lunch assistants. These individuals spend their days teaching, planning, caring and dedicating their time to our students. 

We are saying goodbye to the following staff and wishing them well on their new endeavours. We are sad to see you go; however, this is not goodbye...just see you later. 

Heartfelt well wishes go out to Ms. Brown, Ms. Choy, Ms. Ebenbauer, Ms. Hargitai, Ms. Hamel, Ms. Lombardi, Ms. Nugent, Mr. O'Reilly, Mr. Rath, Ms. Rankin, and Ms. Valkanas. Also, congratulations to Ms. Desouza! She will be moving on from teaching as she will be retiring at the end of June. 

We want to thank each and everyone of you for your commitment and dedication to our students and school community. You have had a positive impact on students, staff, and families and have made a difference in the lives of others. Thank you for your service to our Aurora Grove Community. Wishing you well and good luck.

We would like to wish the entire Aurora Grove Community a safe and happy summer vacation filled with laughter, adventures and memories. We will continue our journey in September!

As a reminder, students will be dismissed tomorrow at 12:00PM. Arrangements will be made to ensure that students who normally take the bus to and from school will receive transportation at this time.  Parents/guardians whose children attend after school child care should make appropriate arrangements to address this change in schedule.

Ken Leang & Kim Pollishuke

Here is a little taste of what we all did at Aurora Grove this year:

AFFIRMING IDENTITY

• Lunar New Year celebration with the community

• Nowruz book reading for the whole school

• Haft Seen in the display case

• Strength chain for Autism Awareness month

• Announcements for all diamond day holidays

• Tour for Humanity school bus came to AGPS so students from grades 5-8 could learn about the Holocaust and anti-semitism

• GSA available for Grade 4-8

• Pride Assembly and Flag Raising

• Hosted and organized the first whole school Progress Pride Flag raising ceremony and Pride assembly

• Made 'All Access Bathrooms' known and available to ALL staff and students, creating a more safe and inclusive school environment

• Raised money through cookie sales for the Canadian Center for Gender and Sexual Diversity

• Organized Pink Shirt Day, International Day against homophobia and transphobia, International Day of Pink, 2SLGBTQ+ History Month and Pride month awareness initiatives (including visible posters and weekly announcements)

• Identity Poems

• Remembrance Day assembly that reflected many different identities

• Orange Shirt Day at the Willow Tree 

INNOVATIVE LEARNING

• Solar system talk shows

• Literature museums

• Literature circles

• Food truck designs

• Designed our ideal classroom

• French presentations

• Created a cardboard castle and learned about knights/kings/queens

• Celebrated 100th day by bringing in 100 items from home and displaying them in the hallway

• Created a cardboard boat and tested things that float and sink

• Created a solar system display and a rocket ship that students could play and learn in. 

• Made sticker stories with stickers donated by parents

• Pen pals with seniors from Kingsway Place

• Collaborated with DogTales to create adoption posters & many dogs were adopted

• Followed a nest of robin's eggs until the fledgling birds flew away - thanks to a parent who sent in updates and pictures to share with the class

• Maintained a classroom instagram that created fun conversations with students and parents

• Classroom planting

• Gauss math test

• Class garden (near Kinder Pen)

THE ARTS

• Winter Concert

• Played the ukulele

• Started a school band

• Sprint Arts Showcase

ATHLETICS

• Cross Country

• Regionals - 1st place in 100m dash

• Ran a Volleyball Club

• Track and Field for grades 4-8

• Basketball teams

• Volleyball teams

GUEST SPEAKERS & PERFORMANCES

• Guest Speaker from the Center for Gender and Sexual Identity came to AGPS so students from grades 5-8 could learn about gender and sexual identity

• Paul Davis spoke to grades 3-8 about social media and online safety

• No Fun Allowed Musical Presentation

• Dog Tales

FUNDRAISERS

• Guess the lego in the jar contest

• 4 movie nights

• 2 school dances

• Cookie sales for graduation

• Hot lunch program

• Popcorn sales

• Cookie sales for the Canadian Center for Gender and Sexual Diversity

FIELD TRIPS

• McMichael Canadian Art Gallery

• Ripley Aquarium Virtual Field Trip

• The Around The Bend Farm

• Grade 8 overnight trip to Brock University

• Community walks in the forest and outdoor exploration in the rocks/sand pit

• Movie Theater trip

SCHOOL EVENTS

• Primary Play Day

• Community Night

• Discover Kindergarten

• Safe School Assemblies

• Grade 8 Graduation

• Welcome to Aurora Grove

• Paul Davis spoke to our community about social media and online safety

• Affirming Identity talk at School Council meeting

CROSS-GRADE COLLABORATIONS

• Reading Buddies

• Trips to the Willow Tree

• Play Leaders

• Student SIP Talks

• Trivia Team

STUDENT LEADERSHIP

• School Council elections

• School Council

• Student Ambassador program

• Play Leader program with grade 3 & 4 and kindergarten students

Primary Play Day

The Primary Division participated in Play Day on June 23rd. They enjoyed a variety of outdoor games such as soccer relay, bean bag toss, and parachute games. Students did a fantastic job working together, encouraging their team mates and demonstrating positive school spirit. 

We would like to thank the grade 5 and 6 volunteers who ran the games and events for the primary students. 

    

 

June 30th - Early Release Day

All schools in the York Region District School Board are committed to improving student achievement and well-being.  On Friday, June 30, 2023 an early release day will take place to allow elementary teachers and support staff to take part in meetings during the afternoon of that day.  These meetings will allow for school staff to engage in culminating activities regarding the review and revision of the School’s Improvement Plan as well as year-end and transition activities that support student success.  

 

As has been our practice in the past, students will attend school during the morning of Friday, June 30, 2023 only.  Students will be dismissed early that day at 12:00PM.  

Arrangements will be made to ensure that students who are normally bused to and from school will receive transportation at this time.  

Parents/guardians whose children attend after school child care should make appropriate arrangements to address this change in schedule.

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school.

We Discovered Kindergarten!!

This past Thursday, Aurora Grove PS welcomed our incoming Year 1 (JK) students at our Discover Kindergaten event. Staff from Kindergarten to grade 8 took part both in the planning and running of the evening. 

Seeing all the kids faces moving through the classrooms, engaging in the creative and hands-on activities was wonderful. 

We were also very proud of our Student Ambassadors who greeted families in many different languages, guided families around the school and even kicked off the evening by welcoming everyone and introducing the Principal and Vice Principal. 

It's events like this that demonstrate that Aurora Grove PS is a true community!

  

 

  

  
  

Indigenous Languages and International Languages – Elementary Language Programs

The York Region District School Board offers language learning to elementary students in grade SK to grade 8 (and language credit courses to secondary students in grades 9 to 12).

Online registration is now open and available on the Elementary Program web page. The elementary program will be offered in-person and remotely.

• In-person learning will offered Tuesday to Friday evenings, and Saturday morning.
• Remote learning will be offered Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Teachers will use Google Classroom to provide both synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities.

Please see the linked flyer for more information.