Families of Douglas Park,

We had another awesome week at the school, celebrating our community, building a positive learning culture, and introducing a variety of activities in classrooms. Walking around the school and visiting classrooms is always exciting. We love seeing how hard our students work and listening to them share about what they are learning in class. Earlier this week, I was in the school office when a student came running in to show me what he was learning in his Grade 2 class. It filled my heart and put a big smile on my face as I listened to him proudly tell me about how he was learning to "add big numbers." As an educator, there’s nothing better than seeing your students proud of what they are learning.

This past Thursday we had a large number of families attend our Welcome Back BBQ and Meet the Teacher Open House. There was excitement in the air as our school community came together for a time of relationship-building and celebrating the new school year. Following the BBQ, it was awesome watching students excitedly bring their families into the school to tour classrooms and introduce their families to their new teachers. We want to thank all of our school community families for their ongoing support and for helping us build a positive and encouraging environment. We also want to thank our amazing PAC for organizing the Welcome Back Fair. Their hard work with planning this awesome event brought so many smiles and made the evening extra exciting for our kids! There was lots of joy and positivity as families enjoyed the bouncy castles, entertainers, and treats. We have an AWESOME school community!

September 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. In the lead up to this day, our school will be focusing on promoting the concept, “Every Child Matters” and teaching our students about the impact of residential schools. At Douglas Park, we believe in the importance of teaching our students about residential schools and we know that it needs to be done in an age-appropriate way. For elementary school students, it is common practice to read picture books about the residential school experience. Here are a few examples of picture books that we use to teach our students about the impact of residential schools:

When We Were Alone

When I Was Eight

Stolen Words

We encourage you to click on the links for the above books and listen to the stories. As we all work towards truth and reconciliation, being able to have conversations with your child at home about residential schools will further extend their learning. Because schools are closed on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we will be observing Orange Shirt Day at Douglas Park on September 29th. We will be having a school assembly on that day.

As we enter the last couple days of September, we want to thank you for all of the support you show to our school community. We know that our kids learn best in a positive and encouraging environment and we do our best to ensure that our school is this type of community. Continue to spread encouragement and positivity with one another.

Sincerely,

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

Meet the Teacher Night - Even a little rain couldn't slow us down! Our Welcome Back BBQ was awesome, and it was so great to see so many Douglas Park families come out to connect, celebrate the start of a new school year, and meet new teachers. A huge thank you to our PAC for organizing and hosting another amazing Fun Fair. It was such a fun evening and a great reminder of what makes our school community so special. We're excited for another great year together! 

Fun with Math - There's been a whole lot of number fun happening in Ms. Di Sabatino's class! The day started with place value and addition as students challenged themselves with some pretty big numbers. Later, they brought their learning to life by using Base 10 blocks to build hundreds, tens, and ones, helping them see how numbers are put together. It's awesome to see our Dragons building confidence, stretching their thinking, and making math fun through hands-on learning!

Field Trip to the Hatchery - There were some pretty excited Dragons in Mr. Bohmehr's class as they headed off to the Seymour Fish Hatchery! Students had a chance to get up close with salmon, learn about their incredible life cycle, and see how people help protect and care for local fish and waterways. It's always awesome when learning jumps off the page and into the real world, and this was one of those days that had lots of curious questions, big smiles, and memorable moments. 

Learning About Apples - There has been a whole lot of apple fun happening in Kindergarten this week! Our Dragons have been busy exploring apples in all sorts of ways, from trying different types of apples and talking about their tastes and textures to learning about the different parts of an apple. It’s been a fun week of hands-on learning, exploring, and discovering all about one of our favourite fall treats!

Game Time - Game time in Ms. Shaw’s class! Our Dragons had some fun playing Jenga, Sorry!, and a few other favourite games together. Game time is a great way for students to practise taking turns, working together, following rules, and handling both winning and losing while having a whole lot of fun with their classmates. It was awesome to see everyone laughing, cheering each other on, and enjoying some time together!

Class Flowers - There was some creative fun happening in Ms. Egmore’s class as our Dragons got hands-on making paper flowers to decorate their classroom! Using construction paper, students worked on cutting, folding, shaping, and putting their flowers together to create some colourful decorations for their learning space. It’s always awesome to see students take pride in making their classroom feel like their own! 

Literacy Stations - Literacy stations are back, and Mr. Lee’s class was so excited to get them up and running again! During their morning literacy block, students rotated through Read with Teacher, Word Work, Writing, Read to Self, and Listen to Reading on iPads. It was great to see everyone working independently, helping each other, and staying so engaged at every station. During Read with Teacher, students had some great conversations about their books, shared their thinking, made connections, and built confidence as readers. It’s awesome seeing our Dragons so excited about reading and learning together! 

Learning in the Library - Our library has been a busy place this week as our Dragons have been excited to get back to book exchange! Students are learning all about the different kinds of books they can find on the shelves, how to choose books that spark their interest, and how to take good care of library books so everyone can enjoy them. There’s something pretty special about seeing kids head back to class with a new book in their hands, excited to jump into their next great read.

Student Picture Day - So many smiles filled Douglas Park on Monday for Picture Day! It was great seeing our Dragons dressed up, smiling big, and making memories with their classmates. If your child missed Picture Day today, don't worry—they'll have another chance to have their photo taken on Picture Retake Day, which is on Monday, November 2. Thanks to everyone for helping make it such a great day!

Nouns and Verbs - There has been some great learning happening in Ms. Bhambi’s class as our Dragons have been learning all about nouns and verbs! Students have been practising how to identify the people, places, and things around them, along with the action words that help bring sentences to life. It’s awesome to see our kids building their language skills, working hard, and being proud of their learning!

The Week Ahead

Tuesday

• Assembly at 11:00 am

Wednesday

• National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (School Closed)

Friday

• Free Kids Clothing Store from 3:00 - 6:00 pm (School Gym)

Month at a Glance

September 29th – Orange Shirt Day Assembly

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

October 6th – Fire Drill at 10:00 am

October 12th - Thanksgiving (School Closed)

October 15th - Earthquake Drill

October 16th - Terry Fox Run

October 20th - PAC Meeting at 9:00 am

October 23rd - Provincial Pro-D Day

October 26th - School Pumpkin Patch

October 30th - Halloween Parade at 9:15 am

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

• TBA

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

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.

SchoolMessenger - The Langley School District uses a notification system called SchoolMessenger to communicate information to families throughout the school year. As we continue to welcome new families to our District, some parents/guardians may receive a text message notifying them about SchoolMessenger. If you need to update your contact info on file, please reach out to your school. For more info about SchoolMessenger, visit the District website here.

Free Kids Clothing Store - Centre Point Church will be hosting a free kids clothing store at Douglas Park on October 2nd. Please see the poster below for more details: 

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.

Community Volunteers in Emergencies - Emergencies can happen unexpectedly due to weather events (e.g., earthquake or flooding) or unforeseen situations in the community. The health and safety of students, staff, and families is the District’s priority. The District, together with schools, follow emergency procedures to respond to incidents as well as prevent them from happening. In these circumstances, schools may rely on members of the community to assist with emergency responses. Administrators may send a request to parents/guardians to help volunteer with first aid, facilities and maintenance, safety and security, and general labour. Adults with special skills in health care, policing, and engineering would be an asset in an emergency. No action is needed from families at this time as the purpose is to keep families informed.

Choice Program Applications Open Soon for French Immersion - French Immersion is a cultural and linguistic educational program that starts at either Kindergarten or Grade 6. Students learn all their academic subjects in French while also developing bilingual proficiency in French. The online registration window opens October 5 and closes October 26. To learn about French Immersion, there is an online information meeting on October 6^th at 6 pm. This meeting features a short presentation about the programs and the benefits of learning an additional language, with time for questions. Families that want a meeting link sent directly to your inbox or to receive more information about early and late French Immersion, can also go to this link:

Curious about Early or Late French Immersion in the Langley School District? – Fill out form

General information can also be found on the District website:

Early French Immersion

Late French Immersion

LEAP (Outdoor Education) Parent Information Session (Thursday, October 1, 2026) - Imagine your child’s classroom in the open air! Join us on Thursday, October 1^st @ 5pm at Fort Langley Elementary for our LEAP (Langley Environmental Awareness Program) Information Session. This meeting is for families interested in Kindergarten enrolment for the 2027-2028 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 more about the outdoor education program and to watch our new stunning promotional video please visit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdXcrUJSzfI

Safer Schools Together Parent Information Sessions - Safer Schools Together is once again providing Family Information Sessions on a variety of topics. These are good opportunities for parents and guardians to increase their knowledge on the evolving world of digital citizenship, social media, AI, etc. Sessions are recommended for those in care of children aged 10 & up. 

The first two sessions available are titled:

· Establishing Safe, Caring, and Respectful Digital Communities

· Establishing Family Practices for Safeguarding Against Cyberbullying and Sextortion

https://pages.saferschoolstogether.com/erase-family-sessions

Early Literacy Screener Information - This week, we are sharing a letter from the Ministry of Education and Child Care regarding the Early Literacy Screener. The screener is designed to help identify students’ early reading strengths and areas where additional support may be beneficial. Please take a few minutes to review the attached letter for more information about the purpose of the screener and how the results will be used to support student learning.

Ministry of Education & Childcare: Letter to Parents re: Literacy Screening

Additional parent information can also be found here: Early Literacy Screening: Information for Parents & Caregivers.

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 – 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! 

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.

Student Accident Insurance - The District is pleased to offer families access to two voluntary student accident insurance options for the 2026/2027 school year. Although enrollment is optional, these plans can provide additional accident-related coverage and benefits beyond those available through standard health care programs. Please note that enrollment is completed online directly through the provider. Families may choose either of the following options:

Insure My Kids

OR

Study Insured

Back to School Health (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 back to school health. Please see below for helpful reminders to support your child.

Tips for Parents for a Healthy Back to School Season - As children head back to school, parents face the familiar challenge of managing busy schedules, school routines and inevitably, health concerns. Help set the stage for a healthy school year with Fraser Health’s Healthy Back to School Guide. The guide provides information on a variety of ways to keep children healthy during a school year. For instance, fostering healthy routines for sleep, mealtimes and physical activity can greatly support your child’s health and wellness. 

 Staying healthy during the school year is also about protecting children from illnesses that can spread quickly in classrooms. It is important to make sure children wash their hands properly, and to keep them home if they are feeling unwell.

 Another way to protect your child’s health is to ensure their immunizations are up to date. Vaccines help prevent several serious illnesses and infectious diseases, for example, measles. Please check that you (if born in or after 1970) and your children have received at least two doses of a measles-containing vaccine. Find out how to check your immunization records here. Vaccines are available at many pharmacy locations, physician offices, and at all public health units. If you are new to B.C. or Canada, provide your immunization records to public health at fraserhealth.ca/immunizationform.

Need fast access to health advice? Call Fraser Health Virtual Care - Our Fraser Health Virtual Care registered nurses and dietitians can provide convenient, fast health advice and information for busy families. With options for phone or web chat consultations, families receive medical advice from nurses with emergency experience. It can save you time and may help you avoid having to visit a clinic or emergency department. Nurses can also connect you with an Urgent and Primary Care Centre, if needed.

How to reach Fraser Health Virtual Care  

1. Dial 1-800-314-0999. For an interpreter, say your language in English.  

2. For web chat, go to fraserhealth.ca/virtualcare and click the blue chat bubble in the right corner to start. 

 Available 10am to 10pm every day, including statutory holidays. After hours, call 8-1-1. 

Learn more about Fraser Health Virtual Care, other care options and more at: Fraserhealth.ca/VirtualCare  

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.

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