Information

I promise that most of these newsletters will be shorter and less packed with procedure.

Thanks for Week One!

It's here! Our new school is here! We are so excited to have you joining us on this new learning adventure. If you missed last week's message about startup procedures and such, here's a link.  

We want to thank all of the families who came out to take a peek inside the building on Friday afternoon. It brought such a cool energy to the building, and we're grateful for the positive feedback.

Supplies to school

As we are moving into our permanent classes on Monday, that's the day to bring in those school supplies.

Traffic

Thanks to all of you who have been walking thus far. I love seeing cars park on the street and walk onto the grounds. It makes a difference to everybody's safety to minimize cars in the driveways during busy times.

Over the next few weeks, we'll be experimenting a bit with traffic flow patterns to smooth everybody's trip. While the signs along the south and west sides of the school currently say not to park, we are revising those, as those spots are probably the best ones for people to use if they must park on the grounds. While we currently do have some space in the staff lot on any given day, that will certainly change over the next year or two, if not sooner, so we want to build systems and habits that will sustain us over the years. Also, the backing up that has to take place there creates delays and dangerous conditions. To help, you will notice that we are blocking that entrance with traffic cones. Please respect that closure when we set it.

Class Placements

We were grateful to receive class placement information from many of the schools you attended last year. The team worked hard at the end of the week to build classes for the year, and we are confident in the learning groups we have assembled. We are also excited to share that we will be doing lots of collaborative learning between classes this year, within a grade level or two, and beyond.

One request we routinely receive is to make keep kids only in 'straight' classes, rather than in combined-grade classes. Of course, this isn't always possible, nor is it necessarily desirable, to be honest. Today's classroom has a wide range of learners in it, no matter what the grade, and we strive and plan to accommodate those differences, no matter what grade is attached to a student in the class. One Langley principal wrote this article about combined-grade classes. It's definitely worth a read.

Logistically, Monday will be our last day of meeting and dismissing at the spots we used last week. Once we have our permanent classes sorted, students will know where their line-up and pick-up spots are for the year. Those spots will be communicated Monday, and will remain until further notice. As we get a bit more of the schoolyard to use, we might change a few of those.

Where's the front door?

In the coming days, you will likely find that the back doors (that face the parking lot) are locked. Once we have the building access system fully functional, only the sliding doors on the west side of the school, next to the office, will be open during the day.

LEAP (Outdoor Education)

Parent Information Session on Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Imagine your child’s classroom in the open air! Join us on Wednesday, September 24^th at 5:30pm at Fort Langley Elementary for our LEAP (Langley Environmental Awareness Program) Information Session. This meeting is for families interested in kindergarten enrolment for the 2026-2027 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 the 2025-2026 school year. For more about the outdoor education program and to watch our new stunning promotional video please visit:

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

Attendance

If your child is late (after 8:50), even by a few minutes, please come to the office to check in your child. This is simply a way for the homeroom teacher to know that the child has checked in, and no phone call will be made home.

If a child is marked absent, but the office has not received an email or a telephone call from the parent/guardian advising of the absence/tardiness, a phone call home will be made to ensure the child is safe.

If your child will be absent or late, please email JDEAttendance@sd35.bc.ca or call the school office at 604-604-532-1444 and leave a message.

Please contact the office, even if you have already advised the teacher, so that we do not bother you at home.

Leaving Early

If your child needs to leave the school early, (i.e. for medical appointments, illness, etc.) parents must come to the office to check their child out. This is a way for us to track students who are no longer in the building in the event of an emergency. Please let your child’s teacher know in the morning so they can have them ready and also email JDEAttendance@sd35.bc.ca 

We ask that parents/guardians please not pick up students during the 10:20am-10:35am recess and during the 11:55am-12:28pm lunch period.  When children are out on the fields and playgrounds it can be difficult to track them down. If you will need to pick up during those times for an urgent appointment, please pick them up before that break to avoid waits.

If someone other than the people on your child(ren)’s emergency contact list is picking up your child(ren), you MUST contact the office and provide us the person’s name. 

Late Picking up Children?

Students should be picked up from school at the end of the school day, at 2:33pm. The school provides for a fifteen-minute supervision period after the end of the school day for student pick-up. The school asks parents, guardians, and caregivers to be mindful of the extra burden placed on the office when students need to be watched after staffed supervision ends.

If you are unable to pick up your child at the end of the day, (running late due to unforeseen circumstances e.g. traffic) or have plans for someone else to pick up your child, call the school to advise us (604-532-1444), and please let your child’s teacher know in the morning.

Important: If you know you cannot pick up your child on a daily basis, at the time of dismissal, please arrange for your child to go home with a friend or relative.

Dropping off Items

Please only drop off essential items for students (i.e. forgotten lunch, eye glasses) on the desk just inside the foyer. Please label clearly with your student's First and Last Name and grade.  Students will be called down for items only at 10:10am and at 11:45am to avoid classroom disruptions.

Lunchtime!

I promise we won't just send you 'rules' in these newsletters most of the year. Promise! But for now, there are some things we need to share.

Litterless Lunch - We instruct students to bring all litter and uneaten lunch home in their lunch bags. This helps you know what they are eating (and not eating) and helps the custodial team keep our school sparkling. Reusable packaging and containers rule, disposables don't.

We are Nut-aware - We do have students and staff who have life-threatening allergies. Please be nut-aware in what you send with your child. This will help us to keep everybody safe at school

'Can I have a spoon?' - A reminder to all families that if your child is eating food that requires cutlery, please send it in his/her lunch bag. We do not  have a supply of plastic spoons or forks at the school.

Crash! No glass bottles or containers, please, to avoid accidental breakage.

Beep-beep-beep-ouch! To prevent burns, elementary schools do not have microwaves for student use.

Back to School Health Tips (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 various topics to keep our students healthy and safe as they return to school. Please see below for helpful reminders to support your child.

Tips 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.  

Fostering healthy routines for sleep, mealtimes and physical activity can support your child’s health and wellness. Learn more at Fraser Health’s School Health and Children and Youth pages.  

Staying healthy during the school year isn’t just about routines - it’s also about protecting children from illnesses that can spread quickly in classrooms. An important preventable illness to be aware of right now is measles, which has been increasing globally, including here in Canada. Symptoms of measles include fever, cough, runny nose and red, inflamed eyes, followed by a rash. The rash usually starts on the face and neck and spreads to the chest, arms and legs.  

Get vaccinated against measles 

Immunization is the best way to prevent measles infection. 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.  

Measles-containing vaccines are available at many pharmacy locations, physician offices and at all public health units.  

If your children have symptoms of measles, please keep them home. 

If you or your child needs urgent care for something like a high fever, please inform your health care provider before you visit so they can take steps to prevent the spread of measles. Wear a mask and avoid using public transportation. 

Need general health advice? Fast care for busy families with Fraser Health Virtual Care 

Our Fraser Health Virtual Care registered nurses and dieticians have access to your personal health record and 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, saving time and, in many cases, avoiding unnecessary visits to clinics or emergency departments. Nurses can connect you directly with a health care provider at an Urgent and Primary Care Centre for various health needs, including questions about measles-like symptoms.  

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, seven days a week 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  

PAC Message

We will be having a PAC meeting at 6:30 on Wednesday, September 10. Come in through the front doors. Exact room TBD.

Quote of the Week

Something to read (or watch)

At my last count, we had students in grades 1-5 joining us from well more than twenty different schools in numerous districts (and provinces, and countries). And as a kid who moved schools (and provinces) several times in my own childhood, I know that those moves can be difficult, especially in terms of friendships. Today, I came across this article on 'friendship breakups' (for a variety of reasons) in tweens, and how adults can help. Some of the advice in it, though, points back to kids' earliest friendships. It's a good little read, and as with many articles on that site, it has extensive cross-linking.

I quite appreciate the Holderness Family podcasts and videos. Some of them have some application in schools, and others in personal life. It's ironic that I'd be sharing an internet-based resource that talks about the power of disconnecting, but here it is: https://theholdernessfamily.com/life-beyond-your-phone/. One of their other articles, on 'forced family fun' connected me to a study that found that just having phones present reduces our cognitive function, even if the phone is face-down and on silent.

September Dates to Remember

Monday, September 8, 2025

• Move to permanent classes (grades 1-5)

Tuesday, September 9

• Line up at your new spots

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

• PAC Meeting - 6:30 pm

Monday, September 15, 2025

• First full day of Kindergarten!!!!

Friday, September 26, 2025

• Truth & Reconciliation Assembly

Monday, September 29, 2025

• School Improvement Day - Students do not attend

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

• National Day for Truth & Reconciliation