Families of Douglas Park,

It’s been another awesome week at Douglas Park, filled with exciting activities that brought our community together! Scarecrow Day was a big hit, with each classroom designing its own unique scarecrow and proudly displaying it outside their door. Students also took part in a variety of scarecrow-themed activities, showing off their creativity and teamwork. Our cross-country team also wrapped up an incredible season this week. The students worked so hard all fall, training regularly and pushing themselves to improve their times at each race. Their effort, determination, and positive attitudes really stood out. The final meet at Aldergrove was a great celebration of all their hard work, with lots of cheering, encouragement, and school spirit. It was wonderful to see students supporting each other, along with so many families and staff coming out to celebrate their achievements. Congratulations to all of our runners on an amazing season! Finally, a huge shout-out to our awesome PAC for hosting the first hot lunch of the year this past Thursday. The kids loved the pizza, and we really appreciate all the work that goes into organizing these lunches for our students. We’re so lucky to have such a great PAC that puts so much time and energy into making Douglas Park an even better place for our kids!

Next week promises even more excitement as we head into the final days of October! On Monday, we’ll kick things off with our annual Douglas Park Pumpkin Patch, where every student will get to celebrate the season with their very own pumpkin. Classes will visit the patch together, and each class will carve or decorate a pumpkin to enter in our school-wide pumpkin contest! On Friday, we’ll be celebrating Halloween, which is always an exciting day for many of our students. Personally, I love taking my kids trick-or-treating and spending time out in the community with other families. Of course, we also recognize that Halloween can bring out a range of emotions and experiences for different people. While we’ll have lots of fun Halloween activities at Douglas Park, our goal is to make sure the day reflects our school values of safety, kindness, and respect. We ask that families help by choosing costumes that don’t include violence, weapons, or blood. With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, we’ll hold our annual school parade on Friday, October 30, at 9:15 a.m. The parade will move through classrooms using both inside and outside doors. While most of the parade will take place indoors, students will briefly head outside as part of the route. Families are invited to watch the parade from outside the school.

We’re looking forward to another amazing week here at Douglas Park as we celebrate and learn together! 

Looking forward to another awesome week at Douglas Park! 

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

Good Things to Talk About

Guided Drawing - Ms. Di Sabatino’s class celebrated Scarecrow Day with a fun guided drawing during art! The students followed along step by step to create their own scarecrow pictures, adding their own creative touches along the way. We love seeing their artistic skills grow while having fun with these festive fall activities!

Take Me Outside Day - Ms. Olafson’s class celebrated Take Me Outside Day by taking their learning outdoors! The students had fun getting creative with some awesome leaf art, using the colourful leaves they collected to create their own unique designs and celebrate the beauty of fall. They also rolled up their sleeves to help weed and tidy up the primary courtyard. It was a great day of creativity, outdoor learning, and taking care of our school community!

Desk Pumpkins - Ms. Egmore’s class has been getting into the Halloween spirit with a fun and festive pumpkin decorating activity! Each kid got to decorate their very own desk pumpkin using paint, letting their creativity shine and bringing lots of Halloween personality to their classroom. Their desk pumpkins are looking festive and ready for Halloween!

Scarecrow Day - We had a great time celebrating Scarecrow Day at Douglas Park on Thursday! The school was filled with some amazing scarecrow costumes, and students enjoyed lots of fun scarecrow-themed activities throughout the day. Each class also created their own scarecrow, and we love seeing all the creativity that went into them! The finished scarecrows are now on display outside our classrooms, adding a little extra fall spirit to our hallways. What a fun way to celebrate the season with our Douglas Park Dragons!

Story Workshop - Ms. Shaw’s class got creative with scarecrow puppets during Story Workshop! After making their own scarecrows, the students brought them to life by using them to tell their own stories. They focused on building full sentences that make sense by including who or what the sentence is about and what they are doing. It was a fun way to combine creativity, storytelling, and building important writing skills! 

The Case of the Missing Candy - Ms. Lee’s class became detectives as they tackled the “Missing Candy Case”! Students used their inference skills to look for clues, make predictions, and figure out what might have happened to the missing candy. They then put their thinking into writing, using sequencing words to help tell the story in order. A fun way to build important reading and writing skills while solving a sweet mystery! 

Math Scavenger Hunt - Ms. Mackenzie’s class took their addition practice on a scavenger hunt! Students grabbed their clipboards and travelled around the room searching for addition equations to solve, practising their addition with regrouping along the way. They had to put their problem-solving skills to work as they worked through each equation and checked their answers. It was a fun way to get moving, build confidence with math and bring a little adventure to learning! 

Cross-Country - Our Douglas Park Dragons cross-country team wrapped up their final race this past Wednesday at Aldergrove Regional Park, and we couldn’t be prouder of this amazing group of runners! Throughout the season, they worked hard at practices, challenged themselves to keep improving their times, and gave it their very best on race day. Just as importantly, they showed awesome sportsmanship by encouraging one another and cheering on their teammates. We’re so proud of the effort, determination, and positive attitude they brought to every race. Way to go, Dragons! 

Learning About Inukshuks - Mr. Lee’s class has been learning about Inuit culture and the significance of inukshuks, which have traditionally been used as landmarks to guide travellers and mark trails. Building on their learning, students put their clay-sculpting skills to the test by designing and creating their own inukshuks. Their creative sculptures reflected both their artistic skills and their understanding of the important role inukshuks have played in Inuit culture!

Visiting the Watershed - Mr. Boehmer’s class headed out on a field trip to the Mount Seymour Watershed for some hands-on learning in nature! The students had the opportunity to explore the watershed and learn how it provides clean drinking water to communities across Metro Vancouver. They discovered how water moves through the watershed, why protecting the surrounding forests and ecosystems is so important, and how our everyday choices can affect the water we use. It was a great opportunity to connect classroom learning with the natural world and learn more about where our drinking water comes from!

Making Scarecrows - Mrs. Evans’ class got into the fall spirit by creating some awesome scarecrows! The students coloured and cut out all the different paper body parts before putting everything together with fasteners to bring their scarecrows to life. They had fun putting all the pieces together and seeing their unique creations take shape. What a fun way to get creative and celebrate the fall season!

The Week Ahead

Monday

• Douglas Park Pumpkin Patch Day

Tuesday

• Grade 5 Soccer Game at Shortreed 
• Action Basketball from 2:45 - 3:45 pm
• TeamUp Multi Sport from 6:30 - 8:00 pm

Thursday

• Jump Shot Sports at Lunch Time
• TeamUp Soccer from 2:45 - 4:15 pm

Friday

• Halloween Parade at 9:15 am
• Inclusion Langley Family Support Group from 9:30 - 11:30 am

Month at a Glance

October 26th - School Pumpkin Patch

October 30th - Informal Learning Updates Sent Home

October 30th - Halloween Parade at 9:15 am

November 2nd - Picture Re-Take Day

November 10th - Remembrance Day Assembly

November 11th - Remembrance Day (School Closed)

November 16th - 20th - School Book Fair

November 19th - PAC Movie Night

November 20th - Design and Assessment Day / Report Card Prep (Students Not In Attendance)

December 2nd - Student Inclusive Conferences (Classes Not In Session)

December 3rd - Student Inclusive Conferences (Early Dismissal at 12:32 pm)

December 5th - Rotary Santa Breakfast at Douglas Park

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

• PAC Movie Night on November 19, 2026
• Hot Lunch on February 5, 2027

Next Meeting Time

• PAC Meeting on November 17, 2026 at 5:30 pm 

Messages from the PAC

Dear Douglas Park Community School Parents,

The Douglas Park PAC is looking for parent representatives for each class to help us with our hot lunch program! We are hoping to have one parent volunteer from each class who can act as a point person on hot lunch days. The commitment is very small — just a few times throughout the school year. The main responsibility would be to help pick up and deliver the hot lunches to your child’s classroom on the scheduled hot lunch days. It’s a simple way to lend a hand and help make our hot lunch program run smoothly. You don’t need to be a PAC member or have any special experience — just a willingness to help out a few times during the year. If you are interested in becoming your child’s class representative, please reach out to the Douglas Park PAC. We would love to have your help! Thank you for supporting the Douglas Park community and helping make these programs possible for our students.

Warm regards,

Douglas Park PAC (Email: pacdouglaspark@gmail.com)

Updates and Reminders

Road, Pedestrian, and School Bus Safety - With fewer daylight hours and as we enter the season of wind, rain, and ice, we are sharing an important reminder from our community partner ICBC to students, staff, and families to help keep our community safe. Drivers should be alert, focus on the road, watch for pedestrians, especially at intersections and transit stops, and always be ready to stop. Pedestrians and travelers on bikes or scooters should be careful at intersections, always use designated crosswalks, remove headphones and devices, and be aware of your surroundings. An important note for drivers, when a school bus has its red lights flashing, drivers travelling in either direction must stop. Students may be crossing the road to get to or from the bus. Please stop, stay alert, and do not proceed until it is safe. For more tips read this resource Kids Pedestrian Safety or visit ICBC’s webpage here.

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 about our next upcoming gathering.

Daylight Saving Time Information for Families: Fraser Health - Earlier this year, British Columbia adopted permanent daylight saving time, with the final clock change taking place on March 8, 2026. As a result, the province now observes Pacific Time (PCT) year-round, eliminating the twice-yearly switch between Pacific Standard Time (PST) and Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). During parts of the winter, particularly between late November and early February, many children will travel to school before sunrise. Fraser Health is sharing this information to support families as they adapt to year-round Pacific Time and maintain healthy sleep habits and safe travel to and from school.

What Families Can Do

Support healthy sleep and well-being by:

Support safe travel to and from school by:

If driving:

 Additional school health resources can be found on our website at fraserhealth.ca/schoolhealth.

Staying Healthy this Winter (from Fraser Health)  - Health, safety, and wellness continue to be a priority in our schools. To help support our students and families, we are sharing important information from our community partner Fraser Health about how to stay healthy this winter. Please see below for helpful reminders to support your child.

Keep Your Children Free From Respiratory Illnesses This Winter - As the weather gets colder and more time is spent indoors, we are more likely to get sick with things like colds, flu or COVID-19 because these illnesses spread more easily in enclosed spaces. Everyone should take these steps to protect themselves and limit the spread of respiratory illnesses: 

• • • Get vaccinated against flu and COVID-19. 
    • Wash your hands often with soap and water. Use alcohol-based sanitizer if soap and water are not available. 
    • Cough and sneeze into your elbow. 
    • If you have flu-like symptoms, stay home and away from people at higher risk of serious illness. If you are sick and cannot stay away from others, wear a mask. Learn more about masks here.

Vaccinations for Respiratory Illness - Vaccinations prepare our immune system to recognize and respond to viruses. When children get immunized, they are less likely to get sick or pass along illness to others. When children remain healthy, they are better able to focus on learning, playing and doing the activities they love. Their parents and caregivers also have less disruptions in their personal and work routines. Register your children with the Get Vaccinated system so you can be reminded to get flu or COVID-19 vaccinations when they are due. Seasonal respiratory vaccinations are available from pharmacies, public health units and some primary care providers.

School-aged Immunizations - Getting your child vaccinated on schedule is one of the best ways to protect their health. To set young people up for long-term health and well-being, vaccines are offered routinely in kindergarten, grade 6 and grade 9 with catch-up opportunities in other grades. Protection is long lasting for most vaccines, except for whooping cough. This vaccine is one of the infant immunizations that can wear off and needs to be given again around Kindergarten and Grade 9 to provide protection. All routine school-aged immunizations are free in British Columbia. If your child is not up to date with their vaccines, please make an appointment with a public health unit, family doctor, nurse practitioner or pharmacy. If your child’s record shows their vaccines are not current, but they did get vaccines from a health care provider outside of public health: 

• Contact the health care provider who immunized your child and ask for a copy of the immunization record. 
• Provide these immunization records to Public Health online at: http://www.fraserhealth.ca/immunizationform

Learn more about school-aged immunizations, including how to access your child’s records, here: Children and youth immunizations – Fraser Health Authority

Information About School Status During Inclement Weather - Snow closures and power outages are an annual occurrence in Langley School District. So, where do you go to get information about the status of schools during periods of inclement weather? If you are able to access the internet via computer or smartphone, current information about Langley schools can be accessed on all school websites or www.sd35.bc.ca. Updates are also posted to X (formerly Twitter) @LangleySchools and Facebook at www.facebook.com/langleyschooldistrict. If you don't have internet connectivity but your phone is working, call a relative or friend in an area that has not been affected by the storm and ask them to check the district website for you. Local radio stations are also informed of school status in Langley. Tune in to CKNW 730AM, Country Radio 107.1FM, Pulse 107.7FM, CBC 690AM or CBC 88.1FM for updates. In the event of inclement weather, the District may implement a delayed start or early dismissal at school sites. This information will be communicated to families via one or more of these methods: SchoolMessenger, email and/or text and on the District website. For District bus riders, schedules may change depending on the school status. Bus riders will be notified of changes via one or more of these methods: My Ride K-12 App, email, phone, and/or District website. Please note that Langley District schools are all considered 'open' until a decision to close is required. Decisions on school closures are usually made by 6:30am. As always, it is a parent's decision whether to send their child to school based on safety and individual circumstances. If you feel it is unsafe for you or your child to travel to or attend an open school for any reason, please keep your child home and report an absence to the school.

Gifts and Gathering - Gifts and Gatherings is a 90 min program from 8:30 - 10am hosted weekly at one of the Langley Strong Start sites. Any family member or caregiver is welcome to participate along with children ages 0-5 years. Families will explore activities that emphasize indigenous perspectives, highlighting the many interconnected gifts of land, people and animals. Experiences may include: art, sensory exploration, story-time, table top activities and more. During each session, participants will receive a gift that will allow families to continue to explore their learning at home. The program is intended to build connections between families and the school and to support children in their transition into Kindergarten. Please see the flyer below with locations and dates:

Gifts And Gatherings Dates - Fall 2026.jpeg

Breakfast Program – 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. For more information about the breakfast program, please contact our school community coordinator, Ms. Langford (klangford@sd35.bc.ca).

Parent Consent Forms on MyEdBC - 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. Beginning in this school year, Langley Schools will be using the MyEdBC parent portal to collect this information. During the second week of school, please watch for an email from the MyEdBC system notifying families to log in to the MyEdBC parent portal to complete the online consent forms. A set of consent forms will need to be completed for each child attending a Langley school. It is advised to access MyEdBC and complete the parent consent forms using a desktop or laptop as the process requires the full site version (which is not mobile-friendly). For step-by-step instructions, please read here. More information can be found on the District website here. 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 consent forms by the end of September or have any questions/concerns, please contact your school administrator.  

Strong Start – Douglas Park Strong Start will resume on Monday, September 21st. Hours are 8:30 - 11:30 am with a first come first served limit of 20 children. To register for the 2026/2027 Strong Start year, please bring a birth certificate to be copied. A registration form can be filled out at your first visit.

Douglas Park Family Info Sessions - This year, we are excited to introduce our monthly Family Info Sessions. Hosted by Ms. Langford and members of our school team, these sessions provide an opportunity for families to connect with one another and learn about school tools and community resources. Below you will find a poster that includes upcoming dates and session topics. We look forward to seeing you there! 

E-Scooter and E-Bike Guidelines for Langley Schools - To help ensure student safety and comply with district regulations, the Langley School District has updated its guidelines regarding e-scooters and e-bikes on school property. Effective September 2026, e-scooters and e-dirt bikes will not be permitted on any Langley school site, including elementary, middle, and secondary schools. E-pedal bikes remain permitted at secondary schools, provided students meet the legal age requirements: light e-bikes for students aged 14 to 15 and standard e-bikes for students aged 16 and older. Adults may use e-pedal bikes at all school sites. Families are encouraged to review these guidelines with their children and make alternative transportation arrangements if needed. Thank you for your support in helping maintain safe school environments for all students.

Privacy Reminder: Recording Devices in Schools - To protect the privacy and security of all students, staff, and visitors, the Langley School District reminds parents and students that digital recording devices, such as Meta Glasses and AngelSense Trackers, are not permitted at school for staff, students, nor members of the community. If parents have concerns about safety and supervision, please refer to our robust district planning (Student Success Plans, Plans of Supervision), and supervision schedules. If parents still have concerns about supervision, please reach out to your Director for guidance. This policy is in place to ensure compliance with the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and the District’s procedures for responsible information management.

Parking Lot Safety Reminder - Thank you for helping us keep our students safe! A quick reminder that our parking lot is for staff only. The front area is a drop-off/pick-up zone—please stay in your car so traffic can keep flowing smoothly. If you need to park, street parking is available along 205 Street by the back field. Adding a couple of extra minutes to your commute helps ensure a safe and efficient experience for everyone. We appreciate your continued support in putting safety first!

Nut Aware Policy - At our school, the safety of all students is a top priority. While we cannot guarantee a completely nut-free environment, we are a nut-aware school. This means we ask families to avoid sending peanut or tree-nut products (such as peanut butter, Nutella, or almond snacks) to school, as even small traces can cause serious allergic reactions. Any food brought to school for sharing, such as for birthdays or classroom celebrations, must be store-bought with a clear list of ingredients so we can ensure it is safe for all students with allergies. Food from restaurants (such as Tim Hortons) is also allowed as long as ingredients can be confirmed. Please check with your child’s teacher before bringing in treats so we can make sure everyone is included safely. Students are reminded not to share food and to wash their hands after eating to help reduce the risk of accidental exposure. Families of children with life-threatening allergies are asked to provide the school with the necessary medical forms and prescribed EpiPens each year. Staff are trained to recognize and respond to allergic reactions, and emergency procedures are in place. By working together, we can help keep our school community safe and welcoming for everyone.

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.

Emergency Procedures in Schools - Schools follow emergency procedures and practice drills throughout the year to ensure students, staff, and any visitors at our sites are safe when unexpected incidents happen. The District encourages families to become familiar with emergency procedures to help you and your child be prepared. You will find the District’s Emergency Procedures poster in schools and on the website here.

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.

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. Jack @ jjack@sd35.bc.ca.

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

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

Bell Schedule

8:40 – Warning Bell

8:45 – Instruction Begins

10:05 -10:20 – Recess

11:47-12:20 – Lunch

2:32 – Dismissal

School Calendar 2026/27 – 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 - 2026 - 2027.pdf