Aldergrove Weekly News May 8, 2026

Message from Admin 

Dear Aldergrove Families,

It has truly been a full and exciting week at Aldergrove, filled with celebrations, collaboration, and meaningful experiences for students and families alike. I’m pleased to share some of this week’s highlights with you.

Badminton Success!

We are incredibly proud to share that our Badminton team brought home three banners this week! This outstanding achievement reflects months of dedication, teamwork, and perseverance. Our students competed with focus and sportsmanship, representing Aldergrove with pride and determination. Congratulations to our athletes and coaches on this fantastic accomplishment!

Discover Kindergarten: Welcoming Our New JK Families

Our Discover Kindergarten event was a huge success, and it was a joy to welcome our newest Junior Kindergarten students and their families to Aldergrove. This special evening marked the beginning of their learning journey with us, offering families a chance to explore the school, meet staff, and begin forming connections within our community. We are excited to watch our future Aldergrove scholars grow and thrive with us.

School Council & Community Collaboration

Our School Council meeting took place on Thursday evening, and we are grateful for the continued collaboration and partnership with our parent community. A key focus of the meeting was planning for Aldergrove Plays, taking place on June 4—an event centred on fun, connection, and community spirit.

A reminder to families:

• Please RSVP using the Google Form shared
• Be sure to pre‑order food through School Cash Online, as no food will be sold on the night of the event

We look forward to seeing many families join us for this wonderful evening.

Markham Concert Band Visit

We were thrilled to host a performance by the Markham Concert Band Brass Quartet, followed by engaging workshops for our Aldergrove musicians. Students were inspired by the live performance and benefited greatly from hands‑on learning with skilled musicians. Experiences like these enrich our music program and expose students to the joy and possibilities of musical expression.

SODA Athletics & Activities Event

Some of our students had the opportunity to participate in the SODA (Students of Different Abilities) Athletics and Activities event at Bill Crothers Secondary School. With beautiful weather and a welcoming atmosphere, the day was filled with smiles, laughter, and meaningful participation.

Students took part in a variety of inclusive athletic and recreational activities, built confidence, and connected with peers from other schools. The event focused on celebrating strengths, encouraging participation, and ensuring that every student felt valued and supported. It was truly a great day for all involved.

Theme of the Week

Celebrating Achievement, Belonging, and Community

Quote of the Week

“Children flourish when their community comes together to support them.”

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and partnership. Weeks like this remind us how special the Aldergrove community truly is.

Warm regards,

Mr. Louca                         Mr. Pamayah

Principal                           Vice Principal

Aldergrove Performance of DREAMS

Please join us Thursday, May 14th at 1:30 pm at Aldergrove Public School for 45 minutes of dance, drama, fantasy and fun to inspire hope and remind us that if we put our hearts and hands together …DREAMS REALLY CAN COME TRUE!!! 

BOOK YOUR SEATS HERE!

DREAMS Performance Date: May 14, 2026

Time: 1:30 PM

Performing Classes: 5A, 5/6A, 6A, 6B, 6C, 7A, 8A, 8B, 8C.  

Aldergrove Plays on June 4, 2026 3:30-6:30
 

1. Register for the Aldergrove Plays and badminton through google form.
2. Purchase food at schoolcashonline
3. Sign up to be a parent volunteer at Aldergrove Plays

Event: 3:30 to 6:30 pm

Location: Aldergrove P.S.

Food Availability:  4:00 to 6:00 pm

• Ice Cream Truck: Purchase on-site
• BBQ: Pre-order and Pre-purchase (Big Flames BBQ Food Truck) 

Register and purchase food today!

2026-2027 Kindergarten Registration

Bright Beginnings, Endless Possibilities

Kindergarten Registration is open.

Is your child turning 4 or 5 in 2026? Or do you know someone who is? 

Mark your calendars and follow these simple steps. 

1. Find your home school. 

Use our school finder to find your home school - the school in your neighbourhood. 

2 .Register for Kindergarten. 

You can register online, in person, or by phone or email.

Visit www.yrdsb.ca/kindergarten to access the online registration portal or download the registration form. Once you have completed your application, the school will contact you to make an appointment to review and verify the required documents. 

3. Register early for Before and After Care 

All schools offer before and after-care programs. Check your school’s website or our before and after care directory for details. Contact providers early to secure your spot. 

4. Explore and Prepare for Kindergarten

Kindergarten is where big dreams start small. Learn how Kindergarten helps children develop the academic and social skills they need to thrive in Grade 1 and beyond. Our skilled and caring teams of certified teachers and early childhood educators work together to support every child in a welcoming, inclusive environment.

Ready to Begin?

Start your journey at www.yrdsb.ca/kindergarten.  

Mental Health Awareness @ Aldergrove

April 27-May 1

SPIRIT has completed lessons to support Children’s Mental Health Week. They will be going into Kindergarten to Grade 8 classes to share out Mental Health Backpacks that contain activities, games, writing prompts, discussions, photocopy materials and other cool things that support different areas of mental wellness. Each bag is different and is tailored to be age-appropriate.

We had our first Board Game Club on Friday and it was a HIT! Students in Grade 3-4 came in and played games like Sorry, Topple, Uno, Hungry Hockey, Operation, AND MORE! They were engaged, laughing and playing well with each other. Our SPIRIT team supported explaining the rules as well as ensuring fair game play.  Students discussed ways to communicate with each other during games and after games to promote safety in play.  For example, if a student lost, they were encouraged to try saying things like “Thanks for the game, maybe we can play again later?” if they were upset about losing. With the board game club, we hope to promote a deeper understanding of self and others by learning to play fair, win and lose with care, as well as how engaging in social interactions improves our mental health. 

May 4-8

This week was Children's Mental Health Week.  Staff were given slides to follow for each day from our YRDSB Mental Health Team with support also coming from School Mental Health Ontario. SPIRIT members visited all classes in the school to educate them on our Mental Health Backpacks that are differentiated for age groups for mental health needs. For example, Grade 1 learned about naming emotions, understanding non-verbal cues from others, and how to engage in safe conversations with others about their feelings. While Grade 7s learned about Allyship and supporting their peers with personal or mental health struggles, they may be experiencing. The bags were purchased over the past couple of years using grant money from YR Public Health, so we would like to extend our thanks for allowing us that opportunity. 

6 members from our MindUp program also pushed past their own reservations and anxiety and went into Grade 1-2 classes to talk about some things they learned during the program.  They taught a lesson together about the importance of breathing for self-regulation and emotional control.  They took classes through 2 breathing exercises: 1) with a Hoberman Sphere, 2) Tibetan Singing Bowl or Singing Bar.   They also read a book that pertained to breathing practices to encourage students to use this technique when they felt upset. 

We are very proud of all of the student leaders this week, going above and beyond to support their peers with their Mental Wellness. Great job, everyone!

Literacy at Home

Fluency is an important part in reading. It means moving past 'sounding out' to 'speaking' the text—reading with the accuracy, rhythm, and emotion that makes a story click.  

Think of it as the bridge between "sounding out" words and actually understanding the story. When a child develops automaticity—reading without the 'stop-and-go' of sounding out every word, their brain is free to enjoy the plot, imagine the characters, and learn new things.

The next time you sit down to read with your child, listen for these three things:

• E – Expression: Do they sound like a person telling a story? Do they change their voice for different characters?
• A – Accuracy: Are they getting most of the words right?
• R – Rhythm and Rate: Do they pause at periods and commas? Do they group words together in phrases rather than reading one... word... at... a... time? Are they reading at a pace that sounds like natural speech (not too fast, not too slow)

Library Learning Commons

April 27-May 1

This week, Ms. Dash’s class came in and learned about Equity in Car Safety.  They learned about how seatbelts have traditionally been designed using only male crash test dummies of a certain body type.  This week, we challenged that and examined how the design is inequitable by not protecting other genders or body types as well, due to design.  Groups were given various case studies like a below height, above weight male, a full-term pregnant woman, an elderly woman with brittle bones, and some missing limbs.  They were challenged to design a seatbelt for a car that would protect their particular body type the best and provide reasons why their design was superior to traditional designs. The next half of their challenge was to build a car.  They learned all about the many safety features that are in new vehicles now (e.g., crumple zones, air bags, crash detection software, cameras, etc) and had to apply the knowledge into building a car that would demonstrate some safety feature, as well as adding a seat with their redesigned seatbelt for their case study. Students worked with many tools and materials, including saws, miter boxes and scissors as well as using different kinds of wood material to build a car (e.g., cardboard, popsicle sticks, dowels, etc).   Their designs would have to pass a crash test, which will be completed next week. 

Students in Kindergarten engaged in conversations about Autism Acceptance Month. We read a book called “All My Stripes” and talked about how everyone's brains are different, and we just need to take the time to understand each other. 

Students in Grades 1-2 engaged in a guided imagery activity where we celebrated nature. We pretended we were at the beach, in a field, or outside on a rainy day. Students were encouraged to work on staying present in that imaginative moment and picture what they would hear, see, smell, or feel.  We then read a book called “Sometimes I Feel Like a River,” which likens things in the environment to emotions we may experience or personality styles.  Classes were then each given a Nature Backpack to use for two weeks, which contains many activities, learning projects, and photocopy materials for engagement with different aspects of nature.  The goal is to strengthen the bond between nature and mental health. 

Library Helpers are gearing up for another Bookfair that will be happening the week of June 1-4th. We can’t wait to share the excitement and new books with everyone! Flyers will be coming home soon!! STAY TUNED!

It’s been a GREAT week in the Learning Commons!!!

May 4-8

On Monday, the Library hosted a virtual interactive learning experience for Ms. Dash and Mrs. Nandakumar’s classes with Brainable. Students participated in activities that support mental health and brain health! They learned the difference between them, noting mental health is linked to emotions and brain health is linked to physical choices they make daily related to screen time, diet, exercise and sleep. 

The Game Board Club had its second round with even more students joining in the fun! We will continue meeting for Grade 3-4s until mid-June. SPIRIT is supporting engagement as well as dialogue between students (positive talk and play), and ensuring everyone has someone to play with. 

We are starting to get ready for our Bookfair happening the week of June 1-4th. We will be open late for Aldergrove Plays, so don’t forget to stop by! Flyers might start coming home this week in anticipation of the fair. Remember that purchases support our school as Scholastic gives us money back for every dollar that is spent at the Bookfair. 

Students in Grades 1-2 were back at Makerspace this week after a few weeks off due to scheduling. They are experimenting with code using dinosaurs, building and testing a marble run, making structures with magnet tiles and connecting straws, and using the light table.  We are also working on mindfulness by playing chess, colouring, using fidgets, or making positive images of things on the Lego wall. 

Kindergarten classes heard the book “Chopsticks” by Amy Rosenthal as we talked about Asian Heritage month and how many Asian countries use chopsticks to eat, but also other parts of Asia and the world use their hands to eat.  While reading the book, discussions were had about having many kinds of friends and trying different things because it helps us learn more about others and ourselves.

Coming Up!

• May 10: Mother’s Day.
• May 12: Making a Difference Program
• May 14: Aldergrove Show: Dreams 1:30 PM. Families invited
• May 15: Spirit Day: Count On Me (Wear numbers for Mental Health Month)
• May 18: Victoria Day (Holiday - No School).
• May 19: Immunization Clinic for Grade 7.
• May 20: Grade 6 EQAO Day 1; Gauss Contest for Grade 7&8
• May 21: Regionals Intermediate Badminton; Grade 6 EQAO Day 2.
• May 22: Grade 6 EQAO Catch-Up; Cricket for Grade 5-6
• May 25–26: Grade 3 EQAO (Days 1 & 2).
• May 27: Eid-ul-Adha (Significant Faith Day); Grade 3 EQAO Catch-Up.
• May 29: Grade 1 Field Trip to Space Center; Pride Flag Raising Ceremony (12:40 PM).

June 2026

• Jun 1: Ontario Day; Cricket for Grade 5-6;
• Jun 2: Junior Track and Field Day
• Jun 3: Intermediate Track and Field Day
• Jun 9: Grade 8 Grad Trip to Wonderland.
• Jun 12: Junior Badminton Areas.
• Jun 15: Junior Track and Field Areas (at Stouffville Arena).
• Jun 21: Father's Day & National Indigenous Peoples Day.
• Jun 23: Outdoor Music Concert 11am Families Welcome
• Jun 24: Hard Copies of Report Cards sent home with students.
• Jun 25: Last Day of School for Students/ Early Dismissal &.PA Day
• Jun 26: PA Day