Information

Orange Shirt Day

As a school, we will recognize Orange Shirt Day on Friday of this week, and will be holding an assembly to commemorate. We are grateful to have Luke Dandurand, Josette's son, joining us for our assembly.

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. As stated in the provincial Emergency Management Planning Guide for Schools, Districts and Authorities, staff have a legal “duty of care,” meaning that they “must ensure that students are cared for until such time as they can be safely reunited with their parents.” Depending on the situation, the school may be caring for students for many days. 

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

Did you know there are two options for families looking for French Immersion for their students? Early Immersion starts in Kindergarten and goes to grade 12; the Late Immersion program begins in grade 6. The online registration window opens October 6 and closes October 20, 2025. To learn about French Immersion, there is an online information meeting on October 1^stat 6 pm. This features a short presentation about the program and the benefits of learning an additional language, with time for questions.

Here is the link for the online meeting:

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 248 048 850 522 9

Passcode: P9rc9J9X

More information can also found on the District website:

https://www.sd35.bc.ca/programs-initiatives/programs-of-choice/immersion-programs/

All inquiries can be emailed to languages@sd35.bc.ca.

Walking to School & Driveway Traffic (repeat)

Thank you to everyone who has been walking to school. It has helped keep the traffic moving smoothly and has kept everyone safe. Now we have a request for the people who walk. While we currently close the parking loop when the crosswalks get busy at drop-off time, there are still vehicles exiting the parking area. To keep yourself safe, please use the sidewalks if you are a pedestrian, rather than walking down the driveway. Likewise, if you are parked, please move across to the sidewalks when you walk towards the building.

Terry Fox ran, now we run

Our Terry Fox Run will be on October 2, right after lunch. When you see us spill out of the gym, please join us for our school's first-ever Terry Fox Run. It will be the first of many. 

Terry Fox donations can be made on school cash online or if you would like a tax receipt please donate here.

Before his death on June 28, 1981, Terry had achieved his once unimaginable goal of $1 from every Canadian. More importantly, he had set in motion the framework for an event, The Terry Fox Run, that would ignite cancer research in Canada, raising more than $850 million since 1980, and bring hope and health to millions of Canadians.

"I want to set an example that will never be forgotten”
-Terry Fox

 Verification Forms

Verification forms are starting to come home.  Please carefully read through the information we have and update any changes on the form.  Please ensure you sign the second page of this form and return it to your child’s teacher no later than Sept 26. 

• Please check carefully for the following:
  • Is your child’s address correct
  • Parents’ phone numbers, email, address correct
  • Any Custody information or court orders?

Quote of the Week

Something to read (or watch)

Some of our students have been finding four-leaf clovers in the field at recess and lunch. Folklore says that finding them is good luck, because they are so rare. I got curious, so I started reading about them, and the history of the luck. It turns out that clovers with 4 leaflets (I didn't know that's the term) occur at a rate of about 1 in 5000. Then I found out that there are 5- and 6-leaf clover plants too, that are even more rare, and that the world-record clover had 63 leaflets. I'm not so sure we'll find any of those. Even the 6-leaf variant only occurs once in 312500 plants. I don't think we have that many plants on the field. (source: Wikipedia)

Speaking of wikipedia, I remember when it first came out, and it was dismissed by teachers (like me) as being wildly inaccurate and subject to manipulation by people who want to promote falsehood. Then I found a study that suggested that it was about as accurate as the Encyclopedia Britannica, and another that it was less so. Either way, any source we find online should be fact-checked if possible. Harvard even has a section on their website offering guidance on how and when wikipedia should be used by students.

Calendar Dates to Remember

Tuesday, September 23

• Cross Country practice for registered runners (meet after school at the field gate)

Thursday, September 25

• Cross Country practice for registered runners (meet after school at the field gate)

Friday, September 26

• Truth & Reconciliation Assembly & Orange Shirt Day observed at school

Monday, September 29

• School Improvement Day - Students do not attend

Tuesday, September 30

• National Day for Truth & Reconciliation - Students do not attend
• If you are looking for a ceremony to attend for this day, there is one at the Derek Doubleday Arboretum by the Langley airport.

Thursday, October 2

• Terry Fox Run - right after lunch
• Cross Country Race #1 - after school

Thursday, October 9

• Individual Student Photos (starting first thing with the littlest kids so they don't have time to get messy)