Families of Douglas Park,

It was an awesome first week back at school! There was lots of excitement and smiles as students returned to their classrooms for a week of building connections and taking part in fun learning activities. We were also thrilled to welcome our new Kindergarten students and their families as they started their exciting journey into the world of school. It’s just great having the Douglas Park community back together!

Following an amazing first week, I want to take a moment to thank the Douglas Park staff for all of their hard work with setting up classrooms/offices and welcoming our students and families back to school. I also want to say thank you to our Douglas Park families for the positive energy and excitement they brought to the school this week. Our school is a community that works together. Through hard work and positivity I believe we can best support and nurture our kids, further building on the successes of our school.

As we kick-off the school year at Douglas Park, we want to share our school vision with you. We are a community school, which means we believe in the importance, value, and positive impact that a community of people can have on supporting the development of kids. We have an incredible school community that focuses on spreading kindness, sharing gratitude, and celebrating special moments and successes together. We believe that a healthy school community is essential for supporting the social-emotional and academic growth of our kids.

Therefore our vision involves working together to:

• Help kids know that they are loved and that they belong
• Teach expectations that create a safe, kind, and respectful school environment
• Inspire kids to work hard and reach their full potential as learners
• Maintain a school community that builds hope and joy, shares gratitude, and celebrates growth

This upcoming week will be another transition for staff and kids as we move students into their “forever classes.” On Monday, we ask families to drop-off and pick-up their children at the same classroom as last week. During the day, students will be moved into their “forever classes” to meet their new teacher and classmates. Before the end of the day, they will return to the classroom that they have been attending for the past week so that there is no confusion for pick-up. When you pick-up your child, they will have a piece of paper with their new teacher’s name and new room number. On Tuesday morning, students can officially be picked up and dropped off at their new classroom.

Transitions can be tricky for everyone and often take a little time to get used to. Over my 15 years of back-to-school transitions, I’ve noticed some common patterns with students. One of the hardest parts can be saying goodbye to a previous teacher and classmates, and this can sometimes shape how students first feel about their new class placement. The good news is that, after a few weeks, most students begin to feel comfortable, settled, and excited about their new class.

During this time, what students need most is lots of encouragement from both teachers and families. Please take a moment to celebrate the positives with your child and remind them that adjusting to a new class takes time and is a normal part of the process. We also want to reassure you that a lot of thought and care goes into class placements. Teachers spend time considering each child’s needs and interests and work hard to find a placement where they can thrive with their new teacher and classmates.

We are very grateful to have such an amazing school community that works together to encourage and support our students! ❤️

Looking forward to another awesome week at school!

Mr. Touzeau

Proud Principal

As always, we want to acknowledge that the Langley School District works, learns and plays on the unceded ancestral lands of the Matsqui, Kwantlen, Katzie and Semiahmoo First Nations

 

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Good Things to Talk About

Field Trip to the Library - Mrs. King and Mr. Lee’s class, along with Mr. Boehmer’s class, went on a fun walking field trip to the public library. Students learned about all the different kinds of books and even discovered other cool things you can borrow from the library. They got a special tour, went behind the scenes, and met Ollie—the book-sorting octopus robot! To finish the trip, students took part in a scavenger hunt and won prizes.

 

 

 

 

Summer Memories with Playdough - Ms. Shaw’s students had lots of fun using playdough to show one of their favourite summer memories. Then, they wrote all about it with lots of details. After that, they went on a gallery walk, where they got to explore each other’s creations and hear about all the exciting things their classmates did over the summer!

 

 

 

 

Building Connections - Ms. Mackenzie’s class worked in groups to find things they all had in common. Once they found their common ideas, they wrote them on index cards and used the cards to build the tallest tower they could. This was such a fun activity because students got to talk, listen, and learn more about each other while also working together as a team. It helped them practice cooperation, problem-solving, and building strong friendships! 

 

 

 

 

Fun with Math Games - Ms. Datema’s class had an awesome first full day of school! They learned a fun new math game called Bump. To play, you roll two dice, add the numbers together, and then multiply that number by five. The answer tells you which spot you can cover on the game board. If someone else is already on that spot, you can “bump” them off! This game is awesome because it helps kids practice adding and multiplying while also having fun with their friends.

 

 

 

 

Writing About Summer - Mr. Boehmer’s class jumped right into writing! Students wrote about their favorite part of summer. They began by brainstorming ideas and then added lots of details to make their stories interesting. It was awesome to see how proud they were of their writing!

 

 

 

Friend Bingo - Ms. Lee’s class had fun playing a Class Bingo game! Students walked around and tried to find classmates who had different interests, like a favorite sport or hobby, and wrote their names in the bingo squares. This game was a great way to get to know each other and make new friends! 

 

 

 

 

Safety First - A big thank you to the Langley RCMP and ICBC Road Safe Team who joined us at Douglas Park this morning to hand out reflective key chains and remind everyone about the importance of road safety! We are grateful for these awesome community members who help promote safety in our neighbourhood. 

 

 

 

 

Amazing Custodial Team - A big thank you to our amazing custodial team for all their hard work over the summer getting the school sparkling clean and ready for our students. We couldn’t do it without you! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Week Ahead

Monday

• Students Move to New Classrooms

Wednesday

• PAC Meeting at 9:00 am

Friday

• School Spirit Day (Wear School T-Shirts/Colours)
• Welcome Back Assembly at 10:45 am

 

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Month at a Glance

September 8th – Students Move to New Classrooms

September 10th – PAC Meeting at 9:00 am in the Staff Room

September 12th – School Spirit Day (Wear School T-Shirts / Colours - Blue and White)

September 12th – Welcome Back Assembly

September 18th – Meet the Teacher BBQ from 4:30 – 6:00 pm

September 22nd – Student Picture Day

September 25th – Fire Drill at 10:00 am

September 26th – Orange Shirt Day Assembly

September 29th - School Improvement Day (Students Not in Attendance)

September 30th – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (School Closed)

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PAC News

Message from the PAC – We are looking for parents to join our Parent Advisory Council (PAC). The purpose of the PAC is to organize activities and events and to encourage parent involvement in the school. PAC meetings are the place to bring ideas for creating social events for fundraising or simply to bring the community together. Meetings are held once a month and you are welcome to bring your little ones to our meetings. Some examples of what the PAC does are:

• Movie Nights
• Hot Lunch
• Popcorn Day
• Chess Tournament

Please join us, we’d love to have some new PAC members and we look forward to meeting you. Upcoming meetings are in the school newsletter!

Upcoming PAC Events

• Welcome Back BBQ on September 18th

Next Meeting Time

• PAC Meeting on September 10, 2025 at 9:00 am

Messages from the PAC

If you want to help us organize or assist with any event, please shoot us an email at pacdouglaspark@gmail.com.

– Douglas Park PAC

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Updates and Reminders

School Supplies – If you have not yet purchased your school supplies, they are still available for purchase directly from School Start. To order, families can go directly to: https://schoolstart.ca/

Breakfast Program – Our breakfast program will be starting up on Monday, September 8th. The breakfast program is open Monday – Friday from 7:30 – 8:27 AM. It is located in the Boys & Girls Club Portable. The program is FREE for all Douglas Park students. It is run by volunteers and supported through donations. You do not need to register for this program. Parents/guardians are welcome to join their child(ren). For more information about the breakfast program, please contact the school office.

Strong Start – Douglas Park Strong Start will resume on Monday, September 8th. Hours are 8:30 - 11:30 am with a first come first served limit of 20 children. To register for the 2025/2026 Strong Start year, please bring a birth certificate to be copied. A registration form can be filled out at your first visit.

Inclusion Langley Family Support Group – We are excited to be hosting a family support group organized by Inclusion Langley. The group will be meeting once a month in the SWIS portable and exploring various topics for supporting families who care for children aged birth to 12 years old with support needs. If you are interested in joining this group, please see the attached poster for more details:

Langley Family Support Group at Douglas Park 2025:2026.pd

Stalew Pow Wow – Everyone is welcome to attend this immersive, 3 day cultural experience that is taking place from September 12 – 14 at the Langley Events Centre. Please see the event poster below for more details:

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.

LEAP (Outdoor Education) - 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.

Attendance – If your child is going to be away or late please be sure to call the office and leave a message @ 604-533-4491 or email Ms. Langford @  klangford@sd35.bc.ca.

FaceBook – Be sure to follow us on Facebook for updated information

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Douglasparkcommunityelementary

Bell Schedule

8:42 – Warning Bell

8:47 – Instruction Begins

10:10-10:25 – Recess

11:47-12:20 – Lunch

2:30 – Dismissal

 

School Calendar 2025/26 – Please click the link below to access our school calendar for the year. It provides general dates about when the school is open and closed.

Douglas Park School Calendar 2025:26.pdf