Holy Redeemer School

October 4, 2026

Dear Holy Redeemer Families,

September has certainly blessed us with some beautiful weather, but the cooler mornings and changing leaves remind us that October is here. We have much to be thankful for as we look back on a wonderful start to the school year. May God continue to bless our students, families, and staff as we begin this new month together.

Paul Gautreau and the Holy Redeemer Staff

FALL PHOTO DAY: Tomorrow is Photo Day.  Please see the flyer included below.

OUTDOOR PLAY CELEBRATION:  Well, the weather didn’t cooperate this past week, so we had to postpone our Terry Fox Outdoor Play Celebration. The calendar this week shows some promising weather on October 6, so we’ll aim to head outside during the last block on Tuesday for some outdoor fun!

OUTDOOR PLAY DURING ‘IFFY’ WEATHER:  All students are encouraged to come to school expecting to head outside, even if the weather isn’t the best.  We won’t head outside if students will be soaked by rain, but if it’s just sprinkling a little bit, we absolutely will.  With this in mind, coming to school prepared with a sweater, jacket, a hat and maybe even a pair of gloves will make time spent outside much more enjoyable on less ideal days. 

A LOOK AT OUR EQAO SCORES: Our EQAO results from last year are in. We’re pleased with our Grade 3 results, and our Grade 6 math results give us some helpful information about where we can continue to strengthen student learning. We’re already working on it. We began using JUMP Math last year, and this year we are participating in a school board JUMP Math pilot (more details will be sent out in a separate email). Some classes have also begun using M.I.N.D. Math to build students’ computational fluency (e.g., knowing addition facts and times tables). We’ll continue to use assessment information, including EQAO results, to help us understand what our students need and to strengthen math instruction across the school. If you’re interested in learning more about the importance of building strong math skills, CBC recently published an interesting Math skills instruction article that you may want to check out.

EVERY DAY COUNTS: Every day at school matters. Every missed day means missed lessons, missed practice, and missed opportunities to learn. We understand that children need to stay home when they are sick, but when they are well, they should be at school. Good attendance makes a difference.

ON THE CALENDAR: 

• October 5 ~ Fall Photo Day 

• October 6 @ 10:30am ~ Thanksgiving Liturgy with Father Ambrose (family members are welcome to join us)

• October 6 @ 1:45pm ~ Terry Fox Outdoor Play Celebration

• October 8 ~ Saints and Games Club for Grades 5 and 6

• October 12 ~ Thanksgiving Monday (School closed)

• October 13 ~ Term 1 IEPs are sent home

• October 20 @ 6:30pm School Council Meeting (in the Staff Room. Please join us!)

• October 30 ~ Daytime Halloween Dance for Kindergarten (exact time TBD)

• October 30 @ 6pm ~ Halloween Dance for Grade 1 to 6 (organized by our School Council)

• November 3 ~ Photo Retake Day

• November 12 ~ Progress Reports are sent home and available on the Parent Portal

• November 19 from 3:00pm to 7:00pm ~ Parent Teacher Interview Evening