Bears' Beat - June 14, 2026
Information
Sports Day is coming!
June 23 (Tuesday) is our first-ever Sports Day at Josette Dandurand Elementary. We will have a wheels parade at 9:00 am for grades 3-5 where students ride their decorated (or not) bikes or scooters on a parade around the driveways. Please note that the gates will be closed for that event, as we need no cars and all the driveway we can muster up. Also please note that students without properly fitting helmets may not participate in the parade. Younger students will line the driveway and cheer. As this is our first event of this sort, we are being a bit cautious and experimental to see what we can make work.
After the parade, we will have field games for classes. Classroom teachers should have (or will be) sent home colour team assignments. Please note that we will be providing freezies (or half-freezies) to kids as part of this event.
Parents are welcome to come and cheer for the kids! We'd love to see you around the field, though we'd ask you to cheer from the perimeter and leave the center of the field for our classes to move.
June 25 Dismissal
Please note that students will be dismissed for summer at 11:30 am on Thursday, June 25. The office will be open until Friday, July 3.
Culture Fair
On Monday our grade 3s hosted a culture fair. They shared with each other and the rest of the school what makes their culture special to them. We had some very interesting choices this year, beyond nationality as culture, though we also had lots of nationalities represented too. One student focused very precisely on the culture of his ancestral state in India. Other students shared about hockey, football, tae kwon do, and school as examples of culture. And they all were right: those are all culture.
Cricket!
We're trying out cricket. It's difficult. But thankfully we are patient learners, and we do have some students who know the game well enough to help us sort of know what we're trying to accomplish. And at this point, we'd really just like to hit the ball once or twice.
Topographic Models
The grade 5s have been hard at work on their final cross-curricular projects this week. They have brought together geography, math, science and ADST to design and build topographical relief maps and amusement parks (complete with rides). The level of engagement we saw when walking around was unreal. And the work is too. Well done, all!
Donut Shops
On Wednesday, some of our grade 2s opened their very own donut shops. In addition to the artistry that went into some of their recipes, they also priced out every item on their menus, and then 'sold' their donuts to visitors, adding up bills and making change. Lots of learning, and lots of fun was had. Note: no actual donuts were harmed in the making of these shops.
Block Party!
Read in your best monster truck voice: 'Be there! Be there! Be there!'
Lost & Found
On Wednesday, June 24, any useable items left in our Lost & Found will be donated to a 'free store' run by a local church. Please stop in and check the lost and found before that time to see if any of your child's clothing (or bottles, or otherwise) is there. The volunteer team managing the donation will be picking up shortly after 1:00 that day.
Learning Summaries (aka Final Report Cards) are coming...
Teachers are already hard at work on final learning summaries for our first year at Josette Dandurand Elementary. These will be published to MyEducationBC on June 25, and you will be able to access them through the MyEdBC parent portal. Given the frantic pace in a school office on the last day of school, now is a good time to make sure you can log into your account.
- Passwords are reset every 90 days
- You can also log into MyEdBC using your BC Services card, then you do not have to keep resetting the password.
- If you need assistance navigating the website please visit MYEDBC – Family/Student Portal Help
If you need your account reset, please email jdes@sd35.bc.ca the following information:
- Student First and Last Name
- Grade
- Division
- Parent First and Last Name
- Address
- Phone number
- Please note that report cards may not be posted until the late afternoon/evening on June 25, 2026. You will receive an email from Mr. Oliver that tells you when they are published. Also, remember they are published one grade at a time, so if you receive one child's report and not their siblings, nothing is wrong. We just haven't made it to the next grade yet.
Fraser Health: Same-Day Care Survey
Our community partner, Fraser Health, is seeking information from families regarding health care experiences. To help support improvements in the health care system, please complete this five-minute survey about Same-Day Care using the QR in the poster below or here.
School supply lists for 2026-2027 (repeat)
Parents in grade 1-5 have the option of purchasing their child’s school supplies on their own utilizing the grade supply list or, for your convenience, you may wish to purchase supplies as a package through . Payment is made directly to School Start and orders will be sent to homes. Costs for supplies vary based on grade.
Quote of the Week
Something to read
As we approach the summer solstice, the proverbial 'first day' of summer, I got to wondering, as I do. If summer is the longest days/shortest nights, shouldn't the solstice be the middle of summer? The days start getting shorter as of June 22, after all. At the same time, it keeps getting warmer from late June through August before things start to cool down, so 'first day' makes sense. Naturally, I found out that I wasn't the first to wonder. This article is from a British source, but as it is northern hemisphere rooted, it applies here too. When does summer *really* start? Anyone from the southern hemisphere can tell you, though, that this business talking about summer in June is totally northern hemisphere-centric anyhow, and there's a whole opposite perspective on the other side of the world.
And reading that sent me (naturally and inevitably) down the internet rabbit hole. I saw reference to the earth's elliptical orbit. I remember a textbook where the orbit was illustrated as really elliptical, and I knew that was just an illusion from a perspective drawing, but I thought that the orbit is really circular. Turns out it isn't, but rather is ever-so-slightly elliptical (like only 3 million km or about 3% longer than it is 'wide'), but that shape fluctuates over a 100000 year cycle. This article had a ton of stuff I found interesting. What is Earth's Orbit? Shape, Speed and Seasons.
Calendar Items to Remember
There's a lot going on in June, so we'll put the whole calendar on here now, so you have notice of what's coming up. Remember to check back, though, as items may be added from week to week, and don't forget your child's class calendar which may have class-specific additions that we don't include here.
Monday, June 15
- Grade 5 Swimming Program
Tuesday, June 16
- Grade 5 Swimming Program
Wednesday, June 17
- National Indigenous Peoples Day Assembly
- Grade 5 Swimming Program
Thursday, June 18
- REMSS Grad Walk - we get a visit from the REMSS graduating class of 2026
Friday, June 19
- Grade 5 Swimming Program
Sunday, June 21
- National Indigenous Peoples Day
- Summer Solstice - 7:22 pm PDT.
Monday, June 22
- Grade 5 Farewell Ceremony
Tuesday, June 23
- Sports Day (rain or shine)
Wednesday, June 24
- Lost & Found Donation picked up - 3:00 pm
Thursday, June 25
- Last Day of school for students - Dismissal at 11:30
Friday, June 26
- Administration Day - Students do not attend
Friday, August 3
- Office Closes for the Summer