Don't bring your kids to school tomorrow or Monday since it'll be closed for the Victoria Day Weekend Mini-break from Friday, May 19, to Monday, May 22. Instead, enjoy your long weekend and come to school bright and bushy-tailed on Tuesday, May 23. Remember that the formal uniform must be worn!

Next week is Missions Week and high school students (minus the grade 12s on the Tanzania team) are involved in an incredible amount of service projects for churches and non-profits in the valley and beyond. From cleaning up camps to picking up garbage and so much more! Our students are serving others and that's always a good idea!

It's Hide it in Your Heart next week and if your grade 6-12 child has been memorizing scripture for this event, they'll need to recite it for their classroom teacher sometime during the week. Grades K to 5 may recite a full passage at a time to their teacher and complete all passages by the end of May. (Note: this is separate from the Truth Seekers Challenge.) 

Bible passages for memorization this year are Joshua 1:1-9, Matt 28:18-20, Deuteronomy 28:1-14, Galatians 5:13-26, and Ephesians 6:10-20.

Grade 4 students are going on a swimming adventure on Tuesday, May 23, from 10:40 am-1:30 pm. 

Grade 10 and 11 students will be in Victoria from May 24-26 to work with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) on various mission opportunities around the city. 

Grade 1 students are learning about Forest Friends at Comox Lake on Thursday, May 25, from 8:45 am-2:30 pm.

To help celebrate Missions Week, we're having a Jeans Day fundraiser on Wednesday, May 24, for Comox Valley Pregnancy Care Centre. Students participate by donating $1.00 to wear jeans and then $1.00 for each additional non-uniform article of clothing worn. Please make sure that all non-uniform clothing adheres to our school dress code. 

Students not participating must wear their regular uniform.

K-7 students are participating in a Home & Independent School track meet at the Vanier track on Friday, May 26, from 8:45 am to around 1:45-2:00 pm. Grades K-3 students can either wear a grey t-shirt or their white uniform shirt with dark-coloured shorts (navy, if possible). Grades 4-7 students must wear their PE uniforms. Pack a lunch, bring a water bottle or two, and a hat and sunscreen. It's going to be an exciting and fun day!

Permission forms went home today in your child's backpack. Please complete and return to your child's classroom teacher by Wednesday, May 24. If you didn't get one, click the link below. BTW, parent volunteers are necessary to help run this event so if you can help out, please contact your classroom teacher or email office@gaglardiacademy.ca.

Our Tanzania team are away on their missions trip so are asking that no more bottle donations be brought to the school until they get back in June. The team is very thankful for all your contributions; they currently have oodles of bottles to recycle upon their return. Please know that you can always take them to the recycling centre and donate them to the team right there. Easy? You bet!

At Phil and Jennie Gaglardi Academy, we are holding an Operation Baby Bottle fundraiser for the Pregnancy Care Centre here in the Comox Valley. The Pregnancy Care Centre is a non-profit Christian organization that helps support new families and even offers grief counselling. As they are non-profit, they rely on fundraisers and donations to keep their doors open. K-7 students may bring in money to fill up baby bottles. This fundraiser will run until next Wednesday, May 24, which is the school's annual Jeans Day fundraiser. This year, funds raised from Jeans Day will also be going toward the Pregnancy Care Centre. Please encourage your children to wear their jeans!

Many thanks for your support!
-Kaileigh Jones, Grade 12 student

Once again, we are on the lookout for rental housing. Can you help us out? Our beloved Mrs Jones needs a new home immediately for her family (by the end of this month!) and, hopefully, it can be one with 4 bedrooms. A new teacher, Mrs Chelsea Sugure, is moving here with her family from Alberta in the summer. She has already taught at our school and we're overjoyed that she is coming back to us! Mrs Sugrue is looking for 3 bedroom accommodation with 2 baths, if possible.

If you have any rental accommodations or know of any leads in the valley, please let us know. You may email office@gaglardiacademy.ca or contact the teachers directly: Mrs Jones' email is tina@gaglardiacademy.ca and Mrs Sugrue's is mrs.sugrue@hotmail.com. Thanks so much. You guys are the best! :)

If so, we want to hear from you! What a great day you're having! Specifically, we want to know your opinion about our annual Academy Awards ceremony held on the last day of school in June. However, rather than have you seek us out, we've created a handy-dandy form so you can let us know with the click of a button. Technology for the win! By the way, the due date for submissions is Tuesday, June 23. Thanks for participating!

If you're short volunteer hours, we've still got a bunch of opportunities for you. Read the list by clicking the link below. If you see something you'd love to assist with, phone 250-339-1200 or email office@gaglardiacademy.ca to sign-up. Remember, volunteer hours for this school year need to be completed by May 31. You can do it!

The website calendar is the easiest way to find out about school events and activities (like the Truth Seekers Challenge on May 31 and the Wizard of Oz Musical on June 2-3). And since it's always being updated, be sure to check it often. Bookmark the page for even easier access or subscribe!