Newsletter 

Message From the Principal

Dear Families, 

Thank you for another great week with your children. The weather has been on our side and all of the students and staff have been enjoying being outside.  Our Play Structures do close down over the winter months but we may get another few weeks yet before the colder weather sets in. Proper footwear on the Play Structures is required. 

Our school follows the provincial Ontario Physical Activity Safety Standards in Education (Ophea) and the risk-management guidelines set by our insurer, the Ontario School Boards’ Insurance Exchange (OSBIE). These standards establish a strict legal duty of care to protect students from foreseeable injuries, particularly slips and falls, which represent the majority of playground accidents.

Under these provincial safety standards, footwear on elevated play structures must be designed specifically for athletic/physical activity, fit snugly to prevent the foot from sliding inside the shoe, and provide flexible traction. Rain boots do not meet these criteria because they are loose-fitting, lack ankle support, and can slip off or cause a child to lose their footing while climbing.

Therefore, athletic shoes are mandatory for climbing structures. Many thanks for your cooperation and understanding in this manner.

Pizza days have started and many thanks to our very own Mrs. Albert for getting this up and running! An extra Special thanks to Ben and Jamie Gorley for helping out with distribution of pizza for our students on a weekly basis!

St Matthew E-waste Collection Poster  Oct 24th.pdf

Fall School Photo RETAKE Day

Student Photo Day: November 10th, 2026
School Code: CGC

Upcoming CSPA Presentations:

Please share in your family newsletters & with your School Council:

• October’s Monthly CSPA meeting will take place on Wed, Oct 28th at OCSB Board Office beginning at 7PM. Learn about the practitioner services offered by the Special Education and Student Services Department and discuss effective  use of School Council agenda templates and a month-by-month to-do list. Register HERE.

• Careers Beyond the Screen: The Apprenticeship Pathway in an AI World Parent Evening, with award-winning employment researcher Dr. Jon Callegher, is taking place on Wed, Nov 4th, at St Pius X High School beginning at 6:30 PM. Register HERE!

Wishing you and your families a wonderful Weekend with your family and loved ones. 

School Council Updates

HALLOWEEN DANCE

We are one week away from our CGCS Halloween Dance! Get those (school-approved) costumes ready! The Convent Glen Catholic School Parent Council is excited to invite all families to our 2026 Halloween Dance Party on Friday, October 30th from 5:30–7:00 p.m. in the school gym!

To make this event successful, we’re looking for parent/ guardian volunteers. If you would like to help out on the day of the dance, please SIGN UP HERE. Your time is greatly appreciated. 

Get ready for music, dancing, crafts, treats and plenty of spooky fun!

WHEN: Friday, October 30 | 5:30–7:00 p.m.

5:30–6:00 p.m. | Quieter music
6:00–7:00 p.m. | Louder music
WHERE: Convent Glen Catholic School Gym
ADMISSION: Registration and admission by donation through SCHOOL CASH ONLINE.  All proceeds will go towards funding field trip transportation 

IMPORTANT NOTES:  

Bring cash for concessions and glow sticks. 

Bring indoor shoes. Outdoor shoes or socks are not permitted. 

To make the dance enjoyable for everyone, we’ll start the evening a little quieter. From 5:30–6:00 p.m., we’ll play quieter music, perfect for younger children and anyone who prefers a lower-volume, less busy environment. From 6:00–7:00 p.m., the music will get louder, and the dance party will be in full swing!

There will be Halloween crafts and activities, plus concession snacks and glow sticks available for purchase.

There will be no registration or payment at the door please register online . The event is for Convent Glen students and their immediate family members only, and all students must be accompanied by an adult.

Grab your costumes, bring the family, and come celebrate Halloween with our CGCS friends and community. We can’t wait to see everyone there!

Halloween at School

On Friday, October 30th, students are invited to wear Halloween costumes or wear orange and black. As tempting as it may be to dress children in their first choice of costume, it is important to consider a more thoughtful approach about whether the costume is culturally sensitive and appropriate. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, cultural appropriation is, “the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect the culture.” Halloween is a fun event and with some creativity and imagination, parents can help their child(ren) with deciding on a costume that aligns with a culturally sensitive Halloween. Being proactive can help all of us to avoid uncomfortable situations at school and in our community and can help us to ensure that Halloween is a fun event where all students feel safe and honoured.

If you chose for your child to wear a Halloween costume to school on October 31st, please keep in mind that for many of our newcomer students, Halloween is a new experience. We do not want them or our younger students to be frightened or feel uncomfortable. We request your assistance and cooperation on some important details.

• Please refrain from selecting children’s costumes that demonstrate violence or gore or that may be scary to students. We want all children to feel comfortable and safe, and to enjoy their day.

• Costume accessories/props are not to be brought to school as they are easy to lose. 

• Students will not be permitted to wear costume face masks as it limits visibility.

• No costume/pretend weapons are permitted at school.

• Please ensure the costume has nothing hanging below the ankle as we do not want children to trip on their costume or for their costume to get caught.

• Please keep in mind that children will be playing outside with their costumes on. Consider not having them dress in a costume that students want to wear trick or treating, if they are going this year, in case they forget it at school or if it gets soiled/torn.

Please do not send in treats to share with your child’s friends and classmates as they will not be shared with the class due to allergies/food sensitivities. As well, please reconsider sending Halloween treats to school with your child in their lunch/snack as many contain nuts/traces of nuts and their sugar content does not lend to a focused learning environment.

Allergies

Please be aware that there are students and staff members in our school with severe life-threatening food allergies. Please see our updated list: Please do not send any peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish. These individuals are diagnosed as anaphylactic. Anaphylaxis is a medical condition that causes a severe reaction to specific foods and can be fatal. Your child’s teacher will share specific information about possible allergies in their classroom.  Convent Glen Catholic School strives to be a scent-free environment for the safety of staff and students.  We thank you for your cooperation in helping to keep all of our students and staff safe.

Important Dates