Information

Bears Care

As part of our Bears Care assembly on Friday, Ms. Nordin's class shared a song they wrote with the school. They did a wonderful job, both of writing and performing it. Here are the lyrics for you:

We all belong in our community,

A place where everyone is free to be,

I’m here for you, you’re here for me,

Together we’re a family!

So come on everybody, gather round,

The best of friends is what we’ve found!

Helping out is what it’s all about,

Everybody working together!

All our beautiful colours, languages and food,

We are stronger when we come together!

Every voice matters, every hand helps out, 

That’s what being a community’s about

Different stories, different dreams we share,

Look around and you’ll see how much we care!

So come on everybody, gather round,

The best of friends is what we’ve found!

Helping out is what it’s all about,

Everybody working together!

All our beautiful colours, languages and food,

We are stronger when we come together!

As Bears we care for our community,

We lift each other up you see,

With open hearts and open doors,

This community is yours and mine it’s ours!

Helping out is what it’s all about,

Everybody working together!

All our beautiful colours, languages and food,

We are stronger when we come together!

We all belong, we all belong, We all belong together!

Happy belated Earth Day!

We missed wishing you a happy Earth Day on Wednesday last week. We hope you did something that made you and the planet both feel awesome! 

It's sunscreen season

With the sun arriving (wasn't this an amazing weekend?), it's time to sunscreen up! We would recommend that students wear sunscreen, as we're out for our 45 minutes daily, and classes tend to do more outdoor learning when the weather is this nice too. Please note, though, that we cannot keep up with applying sunscreen to students, so they need it applied before they come, please. It's probably best if they don't bring any to reapply, unless they can do so independently. But please, please, please don't send spray sunscreen; someone always ends up with it in their eyes!

Gardens

You may have noticed that the garden boxes are starting to fill. Ms. Reid & some students have planted two boxes with strawberries, and at last count we saw 30 blossoms which, if left undisturbed, will turn into 30 strawberries (some apologies may be due to the students who enthusiastically (but over-optimistically) told me that we'd all have unlimited strawberries there all summer). Mr. Uthaikhaifar's class has planted a range of plants including thimbleberry, wild strawberry and potatoes. Ms. Hornby and Ms. Van Deventer and their classes have a range of food plants started indoors to fill two more. And there's more to come. We are thrilled to note that the beds that have been prepared and planted are no longer being used as play climbers, and students are being very respectful of them.

1st Annual timəθət ct ceʔ Cup

You might notice Mr. Uthaikhaifar and some grade 5 students running soccer practices after school. They're getting ready for the first-ever timəθət ct ceʔ Cup, a soccer game between our grade 5s and the grade 5s from Donna Gabriel Robins Elementery. We are grateful to Luke Dandurand, Josette's son and Aboriginal Support Worker at Yorkson Creek and Peter Ewart Middle Schools, for organizing this event, and to Mr. U for being our coach and guide.

Track & Field is coming

The fields were busy last week as our grade 4 and 5 students tested out various Track & Field events in preparation for the June 11 REMSS Family of Schools Track Meet at McLeod Park. We'll have students competing in running, jumping and throwing events against students from the other Willoughby slope area schools. It should be a fantastic day! And to quote Ms. Slevin, who ran the 800m with one group of kids, 'They're so fast!'

Safety first!

So one of the things I have noticed as I wave goodbye to families at the end of the day is how many students are in moving cars but don't have their seatbelts on. Sometimes I call out to them to buckle up. I don't know if they do or not, but I sure hope so. Please, drivers, have your kids buckled up. It keeps them safe, and it avoids a ticket. Sounds like a win-win to me.

Pokemon? No thanks

Pokemon cards may be great fun to collect, but they shouldn't be coming to school, please. They are distracting, discourage physical activity, and risk the loss (or bad trade) of something precious. Please remind your children to save their Pokemon cards for after school.

🌷Spring Hanging Basket Fundraiser🌷

Student Learning Survey from the Ministry of Education - last chance

We want to hear from you! Please share your thoughts about your child’s learning by completing the BC

Student Learning Survey (SLS). This survey happens every year and helps us make education better for

all students in BC.

Why your opinion matters:

• It’s the only survey that asks parents across BC about their child’s learning.

• Your answers add to what students and staff share, giving a full picture.

• Results help identify areas of concern and guide improvements.

Please complete the survey by May 1, 2026:

https://www.awinfosys.com/surveyfull1/central/main/access_Parent.asp

Thank you for helping us improve education for all BC students!

Quote of the Week

Something to read (or watch)

When I was in elementary school (many, many years ago) watching the NFB film Paddle to the Sea was an annual event. Talking with one of our teachers, I found out that he had the same annual event, though quite a few years after I did. We maybe got to see it because it is far more connected to eastern Canada than to BC. In any case, I thought you might find it an interesting watch. Here's the NFB site for it.

Calendar Dates to Remember

Monday, April 27

• Pop-up Strong Start - 12:30

Tuesday, April 28

•  Grade 5s bound for Yorkson Creek Middle School go on their first visit (so exciting!!!)

Wednesday, April 29

• Ready-Set-Learn 123 - 12:30

Thursday, May 7

• Grades 3-5 Vancouver Bandits walking field trip

Thursday, May 14

• timəθət ct ceʔ Cup

Friday, May 15

• Professional Development Day