Families of Douglas Park,

We hope that you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

This week, in addition to their regular classroom activities, our students engaged in a focused exploration of gratitude and thankfulness. It was inspiring to see the different ways in which they embraced this important life lesson. Some classes read heartwarming stories about gratitude, while others reflected on what they were thankful for by writing thoughtful journal entries. Many students used their creativity to design gratitude-themed art, showcasing the people, places, and experiences they hold dear. The variety of activities made it clear that gratitude can be expressed in so many meaningful ways.

As we approach the Thanksgiving season, it’s natural for gratitude to come to the forefront of our minds. However, this week has served as a powerful reminder that gratitude is not something to think about only during the holidays. It’s a practice that can—and should—be integrated into our daily lives. Developing the habit of appreciating the little things, and taking the time to acknowledge them, is something we strive to nurture in our school community. Not only is it a positive character trait, but it’s also essential to overall well-being. Studies show that practicing gratitude regularly is linked to better mental health, increased happiness, and greater resilience.

At school, we are committed to continuing this practice with our students, encouraging them to reflect daily on what they are thankful for. Whether it’s recognizing a kind friend, appreciating the support of family, or simply enjoying the beauty of nature, the act of recognizing the good in our lives helps build a more positive mindset. We encourage you to join us in this practice at home with your children. Taking even a few moments each day to pause and reflect together can be a powerful way to bond and help cultivate a shared sense of gratitude. You might find it useful to ask your children during dinner or before bed, “What are you thankful for today?”

In a world that can sometimes feel overwhelming, gratitude offers a grounding perspective. By practicing it daily, we’re reminded of what truly matters most, and we create space for joy and connection. We hope that by working together—both at school and at home—we can help our children develop this important skill, leading to happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives.

This upcoming week is another busy and exciting one at Douglas Park! Our Grade 5 Soccer Team will be playing an away game at Uplands, our Cross-Country Team will be taking part in their second race of the season, and our annual Terry Fox Run will take place on Friday. Leading up to the run, we will be collecting coins each day for Terry, with all donations going towards our school donation to the Terry Fox Foundation to support cancer research.

On Wednesday, we are also excited to welcome approximately 100 elementary school administrators from across the Langley School District for a meeting highlighting the awesome school community we have at Douglas Park and some of our exciting instructional initiatives. While we are looking forward to sharing the great things happening at our school, this will mean a much busier-than-usual morning around the school. We have asked our visitors to avoid using our school parking lot and parking directly in front of the school. With so many additional visitors expected, please be aware that traffic and activity around the school will be busier than usual on Wednesday morning. Thanks for your understanding and support!

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

Good Things to Talk About

Shaving Cream and Letters - Learning letters is a lot more fun when you can get your hands right into it! Ms. Olafson’s class had a great time practising the letters they’ve been learning by writing them in shaving cream. This hands-on activity gave our Dragons a chance to practise letter formation, build their fine motor skills, and use their sense of touch to help reinforce what they’re learning. A little mess, lots of smiles, and some awesome letter practice! 

Gratitude Turkeys - Ms. Lee’s class brought together art and writing to create some awesome Thanksgiving turkey art! As part of their learning about gratitude, the students have been thinking about the people and things in their lives that they are thankful for. They added their ideas to their turkey artwork, using “because” to explain their thinking and practising how to extend their sentences with “and” to add more details. It’s a great way to combine creativity with writing while helping our Dragons reflect on what makes their lives special. 

Math Detectives at Work! - Ms. Loewen’s class has been learning all about place value and how to represent numbers using Base 10 blocks. To put their learning into action, the students headed out on a fun scavenger hunt with clipboards in hand! They searched around the room for pictures of different place value blocks and recorded each number in standard form. It was a great way to get moving, practise recognizing numbers, and build a stronger understanding of how hundreds, tens, and ones work together. Our Dragons are making math fun! 

What Are You Thankful For? - Ms. Shaw’s class has been exploring this question as they get into the spirit of Thanksgiving! The students spent time thinking about the people and things that make their lives special, then shared their ideas through pictures and writing. It was wonderful to see our Dragons putting their thoughts into words and pictures while reflecting on the many things they appreciate in their lives. Activities like this help students practise their writing while also learning to recognize and appreciate the good things, big and small, that surround them every day!

Lots to Be Thankful For - With Thanksgiving here, Ms. Yoon’s class has been spending time thinking about gratitude and all the things they are thankful for. This week, they’ve been reading books and having class conversations about the people, experiences, and little things in their lives that make them happy. The students then put their thoughts onto paper by drawing pictures to show what they are most thankful for. It’s a great reminder to slow down, appreciate what we have, and recognize the many things that make our lives special.

Stone Soup - Mrs. Evans’ and Ms. Treleaven’s classes had a fun lesson all about Stone Soup! They started by reading the book, which tells the story of how a community comes together to make a delicious soup by everyone contributing a little something. After reading the story, students were invited to bring in their own ingredients to help make a big pot of class soup! It was a great way to bring the story to life while learning about sharing, teamwork, and how everyone has something special to contribute. Our Dragons are learning that when we work together, we can create something pretty awesome! 

Turkey Art - Mr. Lee’s class got creative with some awesome Thanksgiving turkey art! The students brought their turkeys to life with lots of colour, using oil pastels to create and blend different colours for their feathers. This was a fun way to explore colour blending, practise their artistic skills, and make each turkey unique. Our Dragons did a great job showing off their creativity with these colourful fall masterpieces! 

Pumpkin Art - Mr. Boehmer’s class created some awesome pumpkin art using pastels! The students started by drawing their pumpkins with glue and letting it dry before adding colour with pastels. Once the glue dried, it created raised lines that helped separate the colours and gave their artwork some really cool texture and definition. This was a fun way for our Dragons to explore different art materials, experiment with colour, and get creative with their fall-inspired designs! 

Fun with Big Buddies - Our Dragons have been getting into the Thanksgiving spirit with some fun fall art! Ms. Lengle’s kindergarten class teamed up with their big buddies from Ms. Bhambi’s class to create some awesome turkey art. First, they headed outside to collect leaves, then worked together to turn their leaves into colourful turkey feathers. It was a great way to get creative, enjoy the fall season, and spend some time learning and creating together. Our Dragons are pretty awesome at being better together!

Thanksgiving Math - Who knew Thanksgiving, Art, and Math could go so well together! Ms. Di Sabatino’s class brought the three together by creating Thanksgiving turkeys that show what they’ve been learning about place value. Students chose a number and represented it in different ways, including word form, expanded form, and using Base 10 blocks. This gave students a chance to show that numbers can be represented in many different ways while deepening their understanding of the value of each digit. A fun and creative way to bring math learning to life!

Learning with Leaves - Ms. Millington’s class took their math learning outside! Students collected leaves, estimated how many they had as a class, and decided that counting in groups of 10 would be the easiest way to count them all. They then turned their leaves into a fun matching game, matching each number to the leaf with the corresponding number of dots. We love seeing our Dragons use teamwork, problem-solving, and creativity to make math meaningful! 

Dragons Soccer - Our Douglas Park Grade 5 soccer team kicked off their season this week with a great first game against the Shortreed Eagles! After putting in lots of hard work at practices, our Dragons showed fantastic teamwork, encouraged each other, and played with great energy on the field. All that hard work paid off with an awesome 4–1 victory! A huge shout-out to Mr. Boehmer and Mr. Solano for not only coaching our team, but also organizing the entire Grade 5 soccer season for local elementary schools. Way to go, Dragons! 

Cross Country - Our Douglas Park Dragons Grade 4/5 cross-country team kicked off the season with an exciting first race at Aldergrove Regional Park! Under sunny skies, our Dragons hit the trails with energy, determination, and plenty of school spirit. Every runner gave their best from start to finish, cheering one another on and showing fantastic teamwork along the way. We are incredibly proud of all our athletes and the positive attitude they brought to the day. Way to go, Dragons! 

The Week Ahead

Monday

• Thanksgiving (No School)

Tuesday

• Grade 5 Soccer Team Away Game (at Uplands)

Wednesday

• School District Meeting in Douglas Park Gym 
• Cross Country Team Race

Thursday

• Earthquake Drill at 9:55 am

Friday

• Terry Fox Assembly and Run

Month at a Glance

October 12th - Thanksgiving (School Closed)

October 15th - Earthquake Drill

October 16th - Terry Fox Run

October 20th - PAC Meeting at 9:00 am

October 22nd - PAC Hot Lunch

October 23rd - Provincial Pro-D Day

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)

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

• Hot Lunch on October 22, 2026

Next Meeting Time

• PAC Meeting on October 20, 2026 at 9:00 am in the Staff Room

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

Updates and Reminders

Free Financial Literacy Workshop - A workshop with a team of Licensed Financial Advisors to help families learn how money works in Canada and gain practical tools to help build a stronger financial future. This free workshop is open to individuals, couples, families, newcomers, stay-at-home parents, and anyone looking to improve their financial situation. Families will receive practical financial education in a supportive, no-obligation environment. RSVP: klangford@sd35.bc.ca

Date: Friday, October 16^th 

TIME: 9 -10 AM

Location: SWIS Portable

Election Day – Use of School Sites (October 17 and October 24) - On Saturday, October 17^th (local election) and Saturday, October 24^th(provincial election), many school gyms across the District will be used as election polling stations. As guided by Section 81 of the Election Act “accommodation in a school that is the property of a Board of School Trustees under the School Act must be made available by the Board for use as a voting place." Please take note of extra pedestrian and vehicle traffic in the area of these sites on these days. The District appreciates the support and cooperation from families and members of our community. The District is encouraging everyone who is eligible to do their civic duty and vote. For a list of school sites being used, visit the District website here.

Parent Consent Forms on MyEDBC Ready for Families - Parent consent forms can now be received on MyEDBC. Families are asked to please log in to the MyEDBC parent portal and complete the process. 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.

PAC Hot Lunch - We are excited to share the our awesome school PAC will be hosting their first hot lunch of the year! Please see the poster below for more details:

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

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