May 15th, 2020

Please see the following email, shared earlier this evening: 

Good evening,

Just a few updates to share with you at the end of this week of home learning. First, the Fort McMurray Public School Division would like to recognize how difficult this has been on students and families and that there are times that we all need support. As a result, FMPSD has launched the FMPSD Online Wellness Support Website. This site is a resource for any families/students who need extra support in the following areas:

• Mental Health
• Parent/Family Group Sessions
• Academic Supports
• Technology Supports
• Physical Activity Supports

Please don't hesitate to use these resources and remember that the staff at Christina Gordon are always here anytime our students or families may need us. 

Second, please see the following letter from Mr. Thorne in regards to registration and class creation for the 2020/21 school year:

Dear Parent/Guardian, 
I trust you and your family are doing well in these unprecedented times.  
I realize it may be difficult at this time to think ahead to the upcoming 2020-2021 school year, but as a school we believe it is important that we do everything in our power to ensure we are ready to roll once things return to ‘normal’. 
As we approach the end of the school year, as happens every year,  the teachers and school admin will be engaged in the process of grouping students into classes for the upcoming school year.  From time to time we receive specific requests for students to be in particular class groupings due to extenuating circumstances.

Each of these requests is considered seriously, however, it is not always possible to accommodate them given what is best educationally using our existing resources. We do recognize that parents have valuable insights and information about their child regarding their educational and social needs that may help us in our process. 
If you do have information that you feel we should consider, I ask that you provide this to me in writing or by emailing  richard.thorne@fmpsd.ab.ca no later than Friday, May 22, 2019 .  We are unable to entertain requests past this date.  We cannot consider telephone or word of mouth requests and would ask that requests come directly to me rather than to teachers.

It is important for parents to realize that we only consider requests where there are extenuating circumstances that we may not be aware of. 

We do NOT entertain requests for particular teachers.

Much care is taken by our teachers when they compose classes to ensure that each class has a mix of students that provide for the best possible learning environment.  Once these classes are created, we will not be in a position to entertain parent requests.
If you have not yet completed your registration for next year, it is imperative that you do so as soon as possible.  Also. if you are aware of families who plan to register their children for 2020-21 at Christina Gordon, It may be a good idea to suggest they register their children soon, so that they can be best placed as our new classes are created.

As always, know that our Christina Gordon staff is here to work with you and support you in any way we can as we find our way through this uncertainty.  

Regards, 
Rick Thorne, Principal

Third, Girls Inc. continues to offer supports for our community while maintaining social distance. Girls aged 6-18 can still access programming at: https://girlsincofnorthernalberta.org/post-7718/. Please go to the link to check out online, virtual programming that is available for girls in Fort McMurray. The link provides an explanation of and scheduling of current programs. If you are interested in what you see in this link, look beneath the information page to select a link to the registration form. Fill out the form provided to be connected to Girls Inc. programs. Or, to register for a program you can go directly to: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeZE3Eu32Z8U6eHchS848MRvckXA8pMBVrbTifo6C1zbqEfAQ/viewform. 

Finally, next week's continuity plan was shared on Thursday at approximately 1:00 pm with students and families on Seesaw. As in previous weeks, attached is a PDF version for families who are not consistently using Seesaw. Attached are copies of the PDFs shared with families on Thursday. Please remember that all activities are meant as suggestions only. Everything is optional. Please do what is best for your family. The weekly continuity plans and any activities created and shared on Seesaw are meant to assist families, not provide any undo stress or worry. Below are some of the video links that have been shared to Seesaw since our last email update:

May 12th- Read Aloud
May 13th- Happy Birthday Iyla!
May 13th- Read Aloud
May 14th- Weekly Numeracy Lesson
May 14th- Read Aloud

Students are also always welcome to use Mathletics, Reading Eggs, or Raz Kids while working from home; to get some extra math and reading practice. If you need assistance with a student's account (ie. login information, passwords, etc.), please let me know. Have a wonderful long weekend and please let me know if you have questions or concerns in regards to any of the above,

​- Ashley Barrington, Grade 3 Teacher 

​Read Aloud Playlist:

​Weekly Instruction Playlist: