April 24, 2026

I hope everyone had a lovely week, even with the cooler temperatures! Staffing season has started at DSBN, and so far we look pretty stable going into next year, we should have the same number of classes and teachers. As teaching assignments can change from year to year, and even over the summer months, students will receive their teacher and home room information the Friday before school starts. Please note that school is a later September 8th start this year, due to Labour Day falling on the second week. 

Watering Can Workshop

A reminder that the Watering Can Workshop is next Thursday April 30th. With the recent wins of our Junior Girls Basketball team, this may put a bit of a hiccup in your plans. Please know that you can change your timeslot by emailing me by Monday to let me know. The girls will be playing from 4:00-4:45 at EI McCulley and you should be able to make the 5:00-6:00 timeslot 

Yearbook

The Grade 7 Yearbook Club has been busy working on the yearbook this year. We have taken lots of pictures, captured so many fun events, and next on our list is Teams and Clubs. We will be having a Team & Club Photo Day on Tuesday Apr 28th second break and Wednesday, April 29th at first break. The yearbook is available for purchase on School Cash. It is $25.00 this year, as we have to use an external printer and we aim to have 52 pages! The option to pay in two installments will be available. Please make sure you go online to purchase as soon as possible, as we need the numbers for the ordering, and it will only be available for a limited time. 

**Please note that the first School Cash Purchase Post contained an error in the price, and the item has gone back up after the correction. If you purchased prior to today, your purchase will be refunded next week. If you chose the payment option, these payments have been cancelled and will not be taken from your account. Please make you go back and re-purchase the yearbook so you don’t miss out!  

Year End Trips

All of the year end trips have been posted on School Cash Online. As we need to confirm numbers for booking purposes, please go on before April 29th to sign up or to choose a payment plan option. The cost of buses has been covered from school generated funds for ALL end of year trips. Thank you to parents for contributing to supporting trips, or supporting school funds through purchasing hot lunches, milk or Tuck Shop tickets this year. If the cost of the upcoming Trips or Yearbook is a barrier for your family, please reach out to Mrs. Di Roma for support. 

PROM PROJECT 2026 – EFN

The Education Foundation of Niagara is hosting their annual Prom Project Niagara on Saturday, May 9 (10:00 AM–3:00 PM). Offering free formal wear to students graduating from grades 6, 8 or 12 and secondary students attending prom, helping reduce financial barriers so they can fully participate in these important milestone events.  

Date and time: Saturday, May 9, 2026 10:00am-3:00pm

Locations:

St. Catharines Collegiate – registration required with timeslot selection; includes a sensory-friendly shopping time with no music and no crowds (8:00–9:30 AM). Walk-ins may be accommodated case-by-case (wait times not guaranteed).

Stevensville Memorial Hall (hosted by the Kinette Club of Fort Erie) – registration requested (no timeslots); walk-ins accepted.

Transportation: Free for both locations through Switzer-Carty (opt-in during registration)

Registration: Here is the student registration link

Registration is open to grade 6, 8 and 12 graduates and secondary students attending prom 

Open until May 1 at 4:00 PM or until full

Confirmation email (to email address provided at registration) will be sent on May 6 with timeslot and transportation details (if applicable)

Please ensure the most appropriate contact email is used (i.e. student, staff member, parent/guardian)

Volunteers and donations: 

New/gently used formal wear donations are accepted until April 30 at Pen Centre Guest Services and select Pen Financial branches (Fort Erie, Niagara Falls, Fonthill and St. Catharines). If these locations are not accessible, please contact efn@dsbn.org for alternate drop-off arrangements.

Click here to sign up to volunteer with set up and/or event day! This event is powered by volunteers!

Secondary student volunteers can also support setup, takedown, and donation sorting in advance of the event.

For registration, volunteering, or donation related questions, please contact efn@dsbn.org!

Thank you for your continued support,

Education Foundation of Niagara

Parent Involvement Committee Event

 Please join the Parent Involvement Committee for an amazing speaking engagement by Ms. Jen Alexander on one of three nights – May 5, 6 or 7.  Registration link is available on the attached flyer or on the PIC webpage

(https://www.dsbn.org/parent-involvement-committee/pic-home ).

We’re All in This Together: Supporting Youth at Home and School When Stress is Big

Have you ever wondered how to best support your child(ren) or teens when they experience stress reactions? If so, you're not alone. Join other caregivers at this special community event to explore the difference between healthy and overwhelming stress. Many youth and families are experiencing big stress whether it’s related to personal worries or anxiety, losses, a lack of access to needed resources, changing circumstances or pressures, meeting diverse needs within families, discrimination, bullying, or other harms and traumas that influences how safe we are or feel in our communities. While some stress is outside our control, our community can still do much to support one another and act for positive change! We can also help youth develop skills to navigate life’s ups and downs. In this interactive session with Ms. Jen—an educator, author, speaker, and consultant—you’ll learn some of what DSBN school leaders are learning so you can better understand and support needs within your family.

Upcoming Spirit Days

To celebrate the coming of spring and the warmer weather, the Student Council have planned the following Spirit Days:

School Council Events - Please join us!

Please feel free to join us for the upcoming Council Meeting, where we will begin to plan for the June 11th Fun Fair! Volunteers are welcome and a sign up sheet will be shared in May. Don’t forget to complete your Police Check requirements and Declaration if you are interested in volunteering for council events, or on upcoming school trips. 

The End-of-Year Fun Fair event will feature fun games, a tasty food truck, and a special appearance from our local fire department (hopefully), who will bring their fire truck for kids to explore and a fun sprinkler spray! It promises to be a fantastic way to celebrate together before the summer. Stay tuned for more details!

Student Registrations and Organization for 2026/27 School Year

In order to assist us with making the best decisions possible with respect to class organization and student placements for Gracefield Public School for the 2026/2027 school year, we would appreciate it if you would let the office know if your family is planning to move in the next few months. We thank you in advance for keeping us informed! In addition, if there is any input you have for 2026/27 class placement, please email me directly. When building classes, we can keep family input in mind, but we cannot always accommodate all requests, especially at a small school like Gracefield, where there is often only one choice moving forward in grade. However, sharing information about your child’s learning style or past relationship struggles or strengths can help them move into their new classroom community with support from their new teacher, regardless of placement. School and classroom organization begins in May, so sharing this information with us now is very helpful for our planning for next year!

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Di Roma

Principal​​​​​​​

New Dates Added! Please read to the end.