What a fantastic week we've had at DPE!
Our students are settling beautifully into their classes, and routines are starting to take shape. The highlight of the week? Motivational Magic with Steve Harmer! It was absolutely amazing — we're still scratching our heads wondering how that giant teddy bear appeared out of nowhere, or how Stew the Rabbit magically popped into the box. Pure magic!

Starting Monday, our kindergarten students will be joining us full-time — we’re so excited to have them with us every day! Our first PAC meeting of the year is Thursday at 7 PM. All parents are encouraged to attend. And to wrap up the week, we’ll be coming together for our annual Terry Fox Run. This year marks the 45th Anniversary of the Marathon of Hope, and the theme is “Finish It” — a powerful reminder of our shared commitment to Terry’s legacy and the fight against cancer. We’re encouraging students to bring in “Toonies for Terry” over the next two weeks to support cancer research.

The run will start with a short presentation in the gym at 1pm followed by the run and Freezies in the classroom. Parents are encouraged to join us on the field.

Looking ahead, mark your calendars for Thursday, September 25 — it’s our Meet the Teacher Family BBQ! Join us from 4:30 to 6 PM for an evening of connection and community. From 4:30 to 5 PM, classroom teachers will be outside their classroom doors for introductions. Then at 5 PM, staff will gather with families on the primary blacktop to enjoy the BBQ together. This is a great opportunity to meet other families and say hello to your child’s teacher — just a friendly reminder that this event is for introductions, not individual progress discussions.

We can’t wait to see you there and share in the joy of the new school year!
NEW INFORMATION

Communicating With Your School 

Schools and families continue to work together to ensure success for students. If you have an issue or concern but don’t know who to speak with, the District encourages you to read these helpful Communicating with your School guidelines for parents/guardians found on our District website here. As an additional reference, review this one-page resource here. 

Parent Consent Requests

Each year, Langley Schools asks families to complete a set of parent consent forms for their child. These consent forms are required by our schools to ensure the health, safety, and security of all students. Langley Schools uses a secure web form to collect this information. Beginning mid-September, please watch for an email request (subject Parent Consent Request) that contains one link for you to submit consents for all children in your family attending any Langley School. If your email address or contact information has changed, please call your school to correct it in our files. If you have not received an email regarding Parent Consent Request by the end of the month or have any questions/concerns, please contact your school administrator.

 Voluntary Student Accident Insurance

This year again, the District is offering two options for a voluntary student accident insurance plan that replaced the family accident reimbursement plan last year. This plan is voluntary, but I would encourage you to share the following information with the parents of your students as soon as you can, so they have an opportunity to enroll as early in the school year as possible. There are significant benefits of this accident insurance coverage for families. Please use the following messaging in your newsletter and on your websites:

The District is offering two options for a voluntary student accident insurance plans for students. This plan is voluntary, but provides significant benefits for accident insurance coverage for families. 

Please note, enrolment in the program can be done online only, through one of the following options. Corresponding digital support materials for above service providers can be accessed via following links:

Insure My Kids. OR  Study Insured

ICBC Back to School Awareness

“With the start of the school season, we’re asking drivers to avoid distractions and watch for children, especially near schools, parks and residential areas,” said Leanne Cassap, local ICBC road safety coordinator. “We encourage parents and caregivers to give their children a refresher on road safety and practice their route to and from school if they’ll be walking or cycling.” Please see the attached info sheet for parents and caregivers.

Teach your child to be a safe pedestrian. Good habits start at home. https://www.icbc.com/road-safety/teaching/road-safety-for-your-kids.

BOOK SALE FUNDRAISER

The DPE library team will be running a fundraiser in a few weeks and would very much appreciate help advertising and to find volunteers. We’ll be selling books that were discarded from the library. We have somewhere between 1500 and 2000 books to sell. Books will be sold  for $1 each. CASH ONLY. We will have limited change, so please bring small bills and/or coins. Funds raised will go towards adding new titles to our library. Anyone interested in volunteering can email gmerrell@sd35.bc.ca

 The book sale will take place on:

Wednesday, September 24 from 2:30-3:30

Thursday, September 25 from 2:30-5:00 (some overlap with of Meet the Teacher Night)

Friday, September 26 from 2:30-3:30

FROM LAST WEEK

Medical Alerts: Each September, we identify or confirm any students with life-threatening medical situations so that we can provide a safe environment for all.  Even if you completed forms or paperwork last year, these must be resubmitted.  For some children, the severity of their needs changes, medication doses have been altered due to growth spurts, or new issues arrive.  Our staff consults this documentation carefully.  Proper maintenance of this information is critical to the well-being of our students.  Please visit the office this week or next to complete these documents.  

Attendance: Throughout the year and particularly during the first week, it is imperative that we have accurate attendance for all our students. If your child is going to be away, please either call the school directly (604-513-8000) or email dpeattendance@sd35.bc.ca. Your support and cooperation with this is greatly appreciated.

Parents at School During the Day. We love visitors! Please kindly remember to sign in at the office so we know you are on school grounds and to keep everyone safe. Also, as a friendly reminder, photographing students on the playground is not allowed due to privacy concerns.    

Parking Lot Upgrades and Safety Rules. Our drive thru and parking lot are receiving some much needed painting upgrades. We have made a few changes. Please watch for the new areas of drop off and bus parking. We also ask that parents model good safety habits for students by using the 2 crosswalks between the parking lot and the sidewalk. We want everyone to be safe.               

Parent Code of Conduct. The Langley School District is committed to fostering safe and caring schools that promote mutual respect, cooperation, social responsibility, and support optimal learning. Trauma Informed Practices and Procedures promote the creation and maintenance of safe, inclusive, equitable, welcoming, and nurturing school environments.

Families play an important role in helping students achieve success as well as helping create a compassionate learning community. Just as students are expected to follow the District’s Student Code of Conduct, there is an expectation for parents/guardians to uphold the District’s Parent/Guardian Code of Conduct. The District’s Parent/Guardian Code of Conduct can be viewed on the District’s website here.

PAC NEWS

First PAC Meeting of the Year!

The first Dorothy Peacock PAC meeting of the year will be on Thursday, September 18th at 7 pm in the library. Each and every parent of a child at our school is a part of the PAC and is welcome and encouraged to attend. It is a great opportunity to have input into how to help make our school community even more amazing! We are excited to announce that free childcare will be provided during the meeting. We hope to see as many parents there as possible, and we look forward to another wonderful year together!

HOT LUNCH INFORMATION

The DPE PAC Executive is proud to offer hot lunches from a variety of local vendors as a major fundraising initiative for the 2025-2026 school year. We will continue to use the Munch-a-Lunch website for hot lunch ordering and payments. This online ordering system is fast and easy to use. Payments can be made online using your credit card, or, if necessary, a cheque can be dropped off at the school office (cheques should be made payable to Dorothy Peacock PAC).

Regular notifications and reminders will be posted on social media, as well as in the school newsletter to let families know of opening and closing dates for each lunch or treat day. You will have the ability to order for all dates within each ordering session at once. Sessions will be as follows:

Term 1 - October 3rd - December 12th, 2025

• Ordering opens: September 15th, 2025
• First cut off: September 24th, 2025

Term 2 - January 23rd - March 12th, 2026

• Ordering opens: January 5th, 2026
• First cut off: January 14th, 2026

Term 3 - April 10th - June 12th, 2026

• Ordering opens: March 16th, 2026
• First cut off: April 1st, 2026

If you choose to order for all dates at once, payment is due in FULL for each ordering session, by midnight, 10 days prior to the first hot lunch date. i.e: First hot lunch is October 3rd. Payment for all lunches between October 3rd and December 12th is due on September 2th. If you wish, you still have the ability to order and pay for each lunch date individually, prior to the cut off date.

New families: www.munchalunch.com/schools/dorothypeacock and click on “Register Here”

Returning families: www.munchalunch.com/schools/dorothypeacock and click on “Login Here”

Please remember to update your child(ren)’s division the first time you login!

Please keep in mind the following guidelines to keep our hot lunch running smoothly!

1. Late orders cannot be accepted and unpaid orders cannot be fulfilled.

2. For those with allergy concerns, please refer to the allergy information of the restaurants and brand name snacks on the menu.

3. If you need to make changes to your order during the open dates of the order session, you can do this through your Munch a Lunch account.

4. If a child is unexpectedly absent on the day of hot lunch and you have not contacted the school by 10:00am (to inform us that you will pick-up their lunch), their lunch will be donated to a staff member. No REFUNDS will be issued.5. Please contact Heather Rodland at dpehotlunchco@gmail.com with questions regarding hot lunch.

Lastly, in order for our hot lunch program to run smoothly, we need volunteers to help with the distribution of lunches. It is a 20 minute commitment, once every 2-3 weeks. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact dpepacvolunteers@gmail.com. THANK YOU!

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

Talk with Me, Play with Me, Learn with Me

Talk with Me, Play with Me, Learn with Me is a fun and engaging Langley Literacy Network program designed for Kindergarten students and their caregivers. The program will run Saturday mornings from 10-11am, October 4 - November 22, 2025 in the Family Place portable on the grounds of Shortreed Community Elementary. It is an opportunity to read, play, learn, and connect. Each week, families will explore new books and activities that support early literacy and learning. Plus, every participating family will take home eight new books to build their home library!  Registration is required, and space is limited - sign up today at:

https://langleyliteracynetwork.com/talk-with-me-play-with-me-learn-with-me/

 Reading Buddies Program 

Reading Buddies is an initiative that pairs different grade-level students for community reading time, outside of school hours. A Grade 10, 11 or 12 student buddies up with a Grade 2, 3 or 4 student to practice reading. The program will begin in October 2025 and take place in libraries across Langley. To register for the program visit:

https://langleyliteracynetwork.com/reading-buddies/. 

Please note applying for the program does not guarantee a spot in the program. The number of Little Buddies we can serve depends on the number of Big Buddies that sign up. 

Langley Music Programs Fundraiser with partner, Thank you for the Music Society

Please share with your school community as appropriate. CLICK HERE for all the details and to request your tickets for October 24 

Vancouver Giants – October 24, 2025, tickets are $25. Funds raised will support music programs at Langley Schools.

GRADE 7 COMMITTEE

Apple Fundraiser. The Grade 7 Farewell Committee has begun fundraising for the special day in June. Back by popular demand is the Fresh Apple Fundraiser by Sun-Oka. Orders are open from now until Monday, October 6th, 2025. https://fundraising.sunokafruit.com/buyer_1/andrea-collyer/org-sales/dpe-grade-7-farewell-2026-harvest-2025 Pick up details will be confirmed at a later date. 

First Committee Meeting of the Year will be: October 7 at 6 PM in the library. 

AROUND THE GLOBE

SD35 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Calendar. Please click HERE for a printer-friendly version. 

FROM THE DISTRICT

LEAP Outdoor Education – Parent Information Session September 24, 2025

- Parent Information Session on Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Imagine your child’s classroom in the open air! Join us on Wednesday, September 24^th at 5:30pm at Fort Langley Elementary for our LEAP (Langley Environmental Awareness Program) Information Session. This meeting is for families interested in kindergarten enrolment for the 2026-2027 school year, as well as any current grade 1-7 students who might want a change and an opportunity to learn in the great outdoors for the 2025-2026 school year. For more about the outdoor education program and to watch our new stunning promotional video please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdXcrUJSzfI.

September Health Messaging – Fraser Health

Fraser Health’s Healthy Back-to-School Guide has information on back-to-school anxiety, nutrition, safe travel to and from school, sleep and immunizations.

Fraser Health School Health Web Resource has answers to the most frequently asked health related questions from parents, teachers and school administrators.