Bears Beat - October 26, 2025

Information

Gallery Walk

You've probably seen some art or other student work displayed in classroom windows recently, but maybe you haven't seen what's adorning the hallways. Here's a quick look at a few pieces.

The writing examples below don't work well with a slide show, so I'm putting them in as straight images instead. I love how strong our students' writing is. There is a clear sense of voice, which is tricky to teach, but vital for writing success.

Halloween Dance Success

Congratulations and thanks go out to the parent team who put on the Halloween Dances last Thursday. It was great to see so man families come out, and the kids (and grown-ups) seemed to be having lots of fun. I was so impressed to see some of our youngest kids actually dancing (with choreography in some cases) and singing along to the music. So often, they seem just to run around, but our Bears were really dancing. It was incredible. I was also so impressed by the efficiency of the clean-up. The team was out of the school with everything clean in 30 minutes! That's unprecedented.

Halloween Costumes

On Friday, many students will surely want to wear their costumes to school. We love seeing the creativity and commitment that goes into these, and we are looking forward to our parade. We have some requests, though, to go with that fun.

Please keep all replica weapons at home. They should not be coming to school.
Students are welcome to wear masks during the parade, but we ask them not to wear them at playtimes or during class.
Costumes that are extra fragile or have sentimental value will be safer left at home.
We have kindergarteners who are easily scared. If your costume is extra-scary, save that scariness for Halloween night, please.
We have many families who do not observe or celebrate Halloween. Please remind your students to respect that (though from hearing their conversations last week, they already do just that).

Halloween Costume Parade

On Friday, starting at 9:15, we will have a costume parade, so that students in costume can show off a bit (who doesn't like that?). We are grateful to Mr. Huang who has built a plan for us all to be able to see and be seen. If your child is not participating, they are welcome to parade anyhow. Alternately, talk to your child's teacher to arrange for them to have an alternate activity and location for those 20 minutes or so. Parents who would like to be part of the event are welcome, but we'll ask you to wait outside. Our parade route will take us down the driveway on the west side of the school and in through the front doors. On parade day, please expect the driveway gates to be closed at entrance and exit from 9:00 until the parade finishes.

Halloween Food Safety Reminder for Langley Parents

With Halloween just around the corner, the Langley School District encourages families to keep food safety top of mind as children enjoy seasonal treats and school festivities. Here are a few important tips to help ensure a safe and healthy celebration:

Inspect Treats Carefully

Before children dig into their candy haul, take time to discard anything that’s unwrapped, damaged, or unfamiliar. Be especially cautious of homemade treats unless they come from trusted friends or family.

Be Allergy Aware

Many Halloween treats contain common allergens like peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, or gluten. If your child has allergies, consider sending safe snacks to school and reviewing labels together.

Hand Hygiene Matters

Remind children to wash their hands before and after eating—especially when handling shared treats or participating in classroom activities.

Scooters and Bikes and Helmets and Concussions

I re-certified my First Aid the other day, and did a refresher on concussion protocols, and it got me to worrying about our students (and family members) who ride their scooters and bikes to school without helmets. Some tell me they don't need a helmet because a scooter is small, or because they're close to home. Or they have their helmet tied securely to the handlebars. My own worst bike crash injury was a block from home, and left me with a concussion, stitches in my forehead, and gravel bits that took 2 years to grow out of my face. And I was wearing my helmet. And my crash was from a mechanical failure on my bike. Please, please, please, wear your helmets, Bears! Traumatic brain injuries can impact a person's entire life.

Quote of the Week

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Something to read (or watch)

Why Trick or treat and why are the treats sweet? Apparently Disney had a hand in it, as did the end of World War II. Why Hallowe'en, even? Scholars don't all agree on this one. This topic is a rabbit hole for sure, with some truly frightening aspects - costumes that were scary in all the bad ways, others that should never have been acceptable, fears of tainted treats, you name it!

Josette Dandurand Elementary School