2024-2025
School Year Information
Welcome to a New School Year!
If you are wanting to register your child for school, please contact the office and Sonya will get a registration package ready for you. What is required is to show is the child's birth certificate upon registration. If you are new to the school and want to use the bus, please let Sonya know your location so she can notify the bus drivers. This years supplies list can be found in the Information tab. The student information packages will be ready for you soon, please update and sign all parts of the package so we have updated information.
Please have the following basic items for the school day:
Backpack
Non-scuff
Indoor shoes
Water bottle
We still have the breakfast and lunch program this year. Breakfast and lunch are returning to the kitchen. Our first day of instructional classes for grades Kindergarten to grade 9 for the 2024-2025 is Wednesday, August 28, 2024. Early learning and ILC will start on Monday, September 3, 2024.
No School
Monday, September 2, 2024 - Labour Day
Thursday, September 26, 2024 - PD
Friday, September 27, 2024 - PD
Busing
Let’s talk about the bus. It has been stated that students riding the bus are picked up from point A and taken to school and the opposite happens at the end of the day with school to point A. Now, with the daycare not operating at this time and parents working, we know point A at the end of the day can be a challenge. If you are needing to have your kiddo go to another location at the end of the day, please let us know early in the day and make sure someone is there to catch the kiddo when they get off the bus. At this time there is only Wednesday after school at 3:30 that Recreation has drama in the school gym. If your kiddo is going to Drama make sure they are signed up with Bev James. And please let your kiddo know that they are going to drama that day. Please let your kiddo know where they are going at the end of the day, a lot of time is used during the day figuring out where kiddos go, and if we don't hear from you or receive a note from you, they go home on the bus.
If you are not available to be at home when you child gets off the bus, please make arrangements for someone to pick them up at the school. If they are being picked up, please notify the school by 2:30pm with the name of the approved person picking them up.
The front door will be unlocked at 8:30 am, please do not drop your child off before then. The bus arrives shortly after that.
Student Registration
If you are looking to register you child at GTC, please call ahead 1-867-821-2929 to the office and Sonya will get a registration package ready for you and make an appointment to fill out the paperwork. To register a child you need to show the child's birth certificate.
Sleep
Sleep is very important for little brains to build new connections as part of learning. With little to no sleep, minds and body's can become irritable and tantrums (kiddos and adults) can occur. It is very important that we get enough sleep for self-care and wellness. This is a good first step to being healthy. With the season changing and the light becoming less, now is the best time to renew and revitalize our sleep patterns.
Announcements
ILC (Independent Learning Center)
To register your youth for the GTC ILC, please come and register at the school with the office. Paperwork is required to be filled out if the student has not been attending school either in Yukon or other areas. If the student is being moved from a school within Yukon, they will transfer to us or be cross registered.
Any new ILC student is required to go through an intake process with the teacher to assess where they are at with credits and courses and begin to create their "Grad Path".
We will be offering limited core courses on site and in partnership with Aurora Virtual School-core courses that are essential for graduation, elective courses are not available here and need to be taken in Whitehorse from the high schools there.
Registration is the responsibility of the parent, guardian or legal caregiver; not the C/TFN Education Department.
Marijuana / Cannabis
Although Cannabis is now legalized in Canada and Yukon, it is not legal in our school. Our school is a totally and completely "NO CANNABIS" zone. Students who come to school under the influence of any substance will be dismissed and if the situation persists, suspensions will commence. This is a non-negotiable.
No Vaping
Vapes are not to be brought to school. If a vape is spotted it will be taken and returned only to the parent/guardian of the student. If a student continues to break this rule, suspensions will commence. This is a non-negotiable.
Hot Lunch
We have STEFANIE back in the kitchen preparing meals for the students and staff.
We ask that you either have your child eat what is made or provide a packed lunch from home. Please try not to purchase food/lunch from Montana's and deliver to the school. Students should not be calling home before or at lunch demanding parents/adults buy them lunch. Only the grade AP students have the privilege on their lunch hour to walk over to Montana's, with signed Parental/Guardian permission. We ask you to support us in this request. Students are required to leave their junk food items in the office to be picked up at the end of the day and not put them in their desk bin or locker.
Cell phones in school/technology or personal electronic devices.
Students are not to be using personal electronic devices during instructional time, such as cell phones, iPads, switch, etc. All devices should be dropped off in the office as students enter the school. Personal Electronic Devices will be returned to the students before the end of day and bus time.
This expectation has been in place for several years now, and accountability to follow this expectation is with the students. The students are given ample opportunity to follow this expectation (and wait time to make the right choice) knowing what the consequences of not following the Personal Electronic Device Policy/Rule; that they each signed. If a device (cell phone, ipad, computer, etc) is being used during instructional time which is not part of the instruction, and the student refuses to either put it in the designated location/hand over to the office, this will be communicated immediately with home, the phone/device then can be held all day by the office and only given back to the students parent or guardian. The process of accountability is fully transparent and discussed with the students regularly, there are no surprises.
If a parent or guardian needs to communicate with their child, please do so through the teacher contact or the office directly. If the student needs to contact Parent or Guardian, they can do so through their teacher or office. The office phone will be monitored and its strongly encouraged that students do not have access to make personal calls. Please help support the students to make the correct choices and not put them in a conflict position with the Personal Electronic Device Policy.
Gunalshéesh.
Beverages at School
The school is promoting healthy beverage choices during school hours and we encourage students to have a water bottle and ask that students do not bring to school:
Energy drinks
Gatorade (unless a sporting event they participate in)
Pop "Pepsi, Coke, Sprite, Crush, etc."
Sunny-d
Ice tea (Big gulp cans from the store)
The best way to know if the beverage should not be in school: if the second ingredient is "sugar".
Cell Phones / Electronic Devices
It seems that almost everyone has a cell phone. This is a fact. And for those who do not have one, others wonder "what is wrong with them?" Nothing is wrong with not owning or using a cell phone. I remember when we had to only use a land line to call people, or walk over and speak face to face. We wrote letters to let friends and family know how we were doing, and we waited patiently to hear back.
We participated in more "face to face" time, being with others, having a cup of tea and a conversation, now..it seems different and is different. We go for a cup of coffee with a friend and our faces look to the screen and not the others face. We text and expect immediate responses and lose patience. We swipe left and delete things and people from our lives.
I encourage anyone who has a cell phone to look at the amount of screen time they do in a week, and track that information. I encourage those who have a cell phone to turn it off at dinner time, and talk with those around the table or room. I encourage those who have cell phones to take technology breaks during the week. To get away from those screens and turn to the faces around you and make a connection of a human kind.
Bullying
The definition of Bullying varies but here are two examples:
Is when an individual or a group of people with more power repeatedly and intentionally cause hurt or harm to another person or group of people who feel helpless to respond.
-or-
Repeated, persistent and aggressive behaviour intended to cause fear, distress, or harm to another person's body, emotions, self-esteem or reputation.
What Bullying In NOT:
Single episodes of social rejection or dislike
Single episode acts of nastiness or spite
Random acts of aggression or intimidation
Mutual arguments, disagreements or fights
These actions can cause great distress. However, they do not fit the definition of bullying, and they're not examples of bullying unless someone is deliberately and repeatedly doing them.
Here at Ghùch Tlâ Community School we have taken on the goal to "Hold Each Other Up", and be "Accountable" for our behaviour and will address bullying as it happens: within the school (children to children), coming into the school (adults to adults), outside of the school (lateral violence). We have a Kindness campaign going on for the school, and using positive posters to address "kindness", a compliment box and working to take back the word; "bully". Let's make the change together and fill this world with kind words, thoughts, actions and express our "love" for all of the Creators creations, big and small.
We need to work together to support and communicate collaboratively to make the change and bring positive Restorative Practices into our daily lives.