Bears' Beat - May 24, 2026
Information
Opening Ceremony
Our Opening Ceremony for the school is this Wednesday morning. We are asking all students to wear their Josette Dandurand gear if they have it. We are excited to a significant number of special guests attending, including much of Josette's family, and numerous representatives from Kwantlen First Nation. Unfortunately, due to the size of our gym, we are not able to invite families to attend in person. If we can organize a virtual experience, we will let you know. Thank you for your understanding.
Summer Session Registration Reminder
Summer Learning registration for elementary, middle, and high school remains open to all applicants. Registrations in available classes are processed in the order received (“first-come, first-served basis). If families have not yet registered, please use the following link to register online:
https://sd35summer.registerbc.ca
Registration closes on the following dates for all applicants:
Elementary/Middle: Wednesday, June 3rd. Secondary: Wednesday, June 17th
School supply lists for 2026-2027
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.
Early Start or Late Return for Summer Break?
If your student(s) will be starting summer break sooner than the last day of school, June 25, 2026, or returning after school re-opens September 8, 2026, it is very important to let the office and your student’s teachers know. If a child is marked absent, but the office has not received an email or a telephone call from the parent advising of the absence/tardiness, a phone call home will be made to ensure the child is safe. Please email our attendance email with the name(s) of your student(s) and what dates they will be away from school.
Moving/Withdrawing?
Parents are asked to inform the school as soon as possible if/when they know that their children will be leaving our school or not returning in the fall. Please complete our withdraw form and return it to the office.
Upcoming Reunification Drill
On the afternoon of Friday, June 5, we will be conducting an Earthquake - Reunification Drill. All students will duck-cover-hold and evacuate, and we will set up at least a part of our anticipated emergency response plan. Students in Ms. Warwick's class (and their siblings) will then be dismissed family-by-family to an emergency pick-up contact so we can practice our planned procedures with an eye to fine-tuning them. Other classes will return to their rooms and will be dismissed at the normal time. We are grateful to Ms. Warwick, her students and their families for being our test group. In the event of a real major emergency, we would be dismissing everyone in the school one-by-one and only to one of the pick-up contacts designated on their emergency release forms. To Ms. Warwick's families, you should have received an email with more detail on Friday. If you did not, please let the office know.
Also, so everyone has a high-level view (pun totally intended), here is our site plan for a major emergency and the pick-up sequence. We set up so as to be a safe distance from the building, and the parking lot section of the driveway will be closed and blocked off. Please do not park in that area until the blocker cars have been removed.
Emergency Preparedness for Kids
Thinking about the Reunification Drill got me thinking about emergency preparedness as a whole. We know that we should be prepared for 72 hours with no response or assistance, and maybe we have kits at home, but what about in the car? At work? Do you have an out-of-province emergency contact who can act as a relay between you and family here in BC? If your kids are old enough to be at home alone for a bit (not many of our Bears yet, but time flies, and they will be sooner than you think), do they know what to do in an emergency? Do they know which neighbour they can count on for assistance?
The government of Canada has resources to help families prepare their kids for emergencies. The Red Cross has resources too.
Kindergarten Welcome (repeat)
Every year, we welcome the incoming Kindergarten students to a special event. This year, that day will be on the afternoon of June 2. Kindergarten families of this year, please note that your kids will be dismissed at 12:33 that day so we can meet our incoming Kindies. Everyone, please note that the parking lot and driveways are likely to be extra-full that afternoon.
From the PAC
We Need YOU at Our PAC AGM!
Hey JDE families!
Our PAC Annual General Meeting is coming up on May 25, and this is your chance to have a real say in what happens at our school next year.
Whether you’ve been involved before or this is your first time — this is the moment to jump in.
- Want more fun events for your kids?
- Want to help decide where fundraising money goes?
- Want to meet other parents and be part of something meaningful?
Then come join us!
We’re electing next year’s PAC executive team.
All positions are open — no experience needed!
Small roles, big impact — even helping a little makes a difference
Not ready for a full role? No problem — we also need volunteers for events throughout the year
May 25, 2026
School Gym
6:30 pm
Bring your ideas, your questions, and maybe even a friend!
If you're interested in a position, you can nominate yourself (yes, really — we’d love that!) or reach out ahead of time.
Let’s make next year amazing for our kids — together!
Quote of the Week
Something to Read (or watch)
Here's the Langley Advance news piece on last week's IDEA Summit. Grade 4s, start brainstorming now!
I have a challenge for the kids (and parents). Watch the video below and count how many times the white team passes the ball. White team only, mind you.
Do you multitask? When? Does it work? I certainly do sometimes, and with varying levels of success. On Saturday I came across this video about visual attention and multitasking (while doing something else, ironically) and I found it quite interesting, so here it is for you. You can also read a bit about inattentional blindness here.
Calendar Items to Remember
Monday, May 25
- Pop-up Strong Start
- Mobile Planetarium
- PAC AGM - 6:30 pm
Tuesday, May 26
- Mobile Planetarium
Wednesday, May 27
- Grand Opening Ceremony - 10:30
- Ready-Set-Learn 1-2-3 - 12:30
Tuesday, June 2
- Kindergarten Welcome! Current K students dismissed at 12:30
Wednesday, June 3
- Last day for Summer School Registration (Elementary & Middle)