Welcome Letter
Hello to our new and returning GMHS families. Welcome back to another year of school. I hope you have had a wonderful and relaxing summer. The start of the school year can be a stressful time for families, so I am reaching out with some information to help answer some of the common questions that arise.
Our office will be opening back up on August 23. At that time, we are focusing our attention on new registrations as we have a large number of new students. Our school counsellors will be working on timetables for our new students and will not be taking appointments for course changes until our new students have been scheduled. Please check our website for updates on when guidance appointments can be scheduled. We will be providing opportunities for course changes until Sept 15. Course and schedule changes will only be approved for academic/graduation requirements, future program requirements, and student interests. Course changes are not possible for peer or teacher preferences.
We are having a brief open house tour for new students to GMHS and for students that are still feeling a little nervous about navigating their new school even after touring the school previously. On August 31st from 10:00 – 11:00 we will have a group tour of the school. There is no formal presentation, but it will allow newly registered students a chance to walk the halls and get their bearings before the first day of school.
Speaking of the first day of school, start date for grade nines is Sept 5 and the remainder of students will join them on Sept 6. Grade nines will be starting in their homeroom classes and then we will have an assembly to officially welcome them to the school. We will have a hotdog BBQ at lunch. Grade nine students will be provided a locker and school lock on the first day of school. Grade tens will also be provided with a locker on the first day of school and they will need to use their school provided lock from last year. Grade eleven and twelve students are not automatically provided with a locker but can request a locker during the first week of classes. They will need to use their school locks as well.
The school had another major renovation this summer, although it is not as obvious when you walk thru the school. Over the summer we had an update to our heat pumps. This should make our school much more comfortable compared to last year. Many of our students will remember the heat in our second-floor classrooms and our learning commons during the heatwave last Spring. Things should be much better this year. We are still expecting a single portable to be delivered; however, it will not be ready for the start of the school year. We expect the portable to arrive around mid September and we should have permission to occupy it by the end of October. As our school is very full and running at well over 100% capacity the extra classroom fill be appreciated.
Some staffing changes and updates. As mentioned last Spring, we have a number of new staff joining us but over the summer there were a few extra changes made. I would like to welcome back Ms. Wenaas to her role in the Phys Ed department, she will be covering a leave of absence for the year. Ms. Mejia will be moving over to the French Immersion program to cover the leave of Ms. Locke and Mr. Nguyen will be joining us to fill the space created by her move. We will
also be looking to cover some resignations and additional needs in our Learning Assistants team. Once those names have been confirmed I will announce those new staff. Things have certainly been dynamic with our staffing but we are well positioned for the start of classes.
As we get closer to the start of classes, I will be returning to my weekly information newsletter. For our new families, this newsletter is sent out every Friday and includes information around what is happening in the school and important dates that students and families should be aware of. Once a month, we also provide a celebration newsletter that focuses on showcasing the amazing things that have happened over the month.
Thanks for taking the time to read today’s update. We look forward to seeing students in September.
Scott Bloxham
Principal
