Families of North Otter, 

We hope you had a lovely weekend and found a way to get outside in this fall weather. 

Our staff enjoyed diving deeper into professional learning on Friday for the Provincial Pro-D Day.  We had many opportunities for teachers and support staff through sessions at the school, conferences throughout the Lower Mainland (and beyond), and online. We look forward to bringing this learning to North Otter. 

Our Grade 6/7 Volleyball teams hosted Coghlan Fundamental Elementary this past week. Our players are improving each week (and each set!) and this showed in both matches. The boys defeated the Cougars 2-1 in a close match, while the girls fell just short, losing 2-1. The teams have a bye week this week with the boys practicing after school on Monday and the girls after school on Tuesday. 

Our Grade 4-7 Cross-Country team had another successful meet this past week, with many students posting personal-best times and results. We had 17 of our runners make the District Championships that happen Tuesday of this week! Congrats to all our runners, and good luck to all those who made the Championships! 

On Thursday night, our PAC held the 2026 North Otter Family Halloween Dance. The kids and families had an absolute blast connecting with friends, dancing, getting their faces painted, capturing moments in the photo booth, and enjoying some yummy food! Thank you to everyone who could make it, and a huge thank you to our PAC and parent volunteers for making it happen!

With Halloween coming up on Saturday, we have some exciting things happening on Friday! One of our goals this year is to provide more opportunities to engage with our families and North Otter community. This year, we're trying something new for Halloween: a parade OUTSIDE the school, so parents and families can watch and cheer us on! Our Halloween parade will run from about 8:45 to about 9:00. Parents and families are invited to watch near the outside of the gym. There, we will have music playing and the opportunity to watch every class walk by. Please see the map below for more information and the parade route plan. We really hope you can stick around after drop-off and support our 2026 Halloween Costume Parade! 

We will also continue our Halloween traditions of costume, colouring, and pumpkin-carving contests. For the pumpkin-carving contests, we encourage students to carve their own pumpkins (parents can help younger students, but we want it to be child-led) and bring them to the gym on Friday morning. A reminder that costumes should not be too scary for our younger students, glorify violence, or demonstrate cultural appropriation (wearing cultural regalia, religious symbols, or traditional regalia as costumes). Weapons are also not permitted at school. If your child's costume includes a mask, they may wear it during the parade, but they will need to put it away for the rest of the day. 

On Friday, we will send home our Term 1 Informal Learning Updates (formerly called interim reports). Please check your child's backpack after school on Friday. 

Reminder: Due to severe traffic congestion and significant safety concerns, our North Parking Lot will be closed from 12:30-2:20. Please see last week's email for more information. Access remains available for staff, Students with Diverse Abilities (priority parking passes available), and those who need the handicapped parking spots in the staff lot. The North Parking Lot will still be available for morning drop-offs, as this goes really well for our community. We will monitor traffic and parking over the next few weeks. and make any needed changes as they arise. 

We have completed our2026-2027 Action Plan Summary, which you can view below. If you ever have any questions about our Action Plan, please reach out to Mr. Wejr. 

The Week Ahead

• Monday, Oct 26 - Fire Drill 10:00; Boys VB Practice after school
• Tuesday, Oct 27 - Girls VB Practice after school
• Thursday, October 29 - PAC Treat Day - Halloween Donuts
• Friday, October 30 - Halloween Parade at 8:45, assembly to follow; Informal Learning Updates sent home; D&D Club after school

A reminder to subscribe to our school calendar here. 

School Information and Reminders

• Grade 7 Fundraiser - It's time to order your holiday chocolates (or just a sweet treat for yourself)! The North Otter Grade 7's are hosting their annual Purdy's fundraiser! Support our Grade 7 students by ordering your chocolates through Purdy's using this link! The deadline to place your order is December 1st. Orders will be delivered to classrooms on December 10th, just in time for the holidays! We appreciate your support! 
  
  
• Parent Consent Forms on MyEDBC Ready for Families
  Parent consent forms can now be received on MyEDBC. Families are asked to please log in to the MyEDBC parent portal and complete the process. A set of consent forms will need to be completed for each child attending a Langley school. It is advised to access MyEDBC and complete the parent consent forms using a desktop or laptop as the process requires the full site version (which is not mobile-friendly). For step-by-step instructions, please read here. More information can be found on the District website here.
  
• Don't forget to follow us on Instagram for images and updates about life at North Otter. You can also follow us on our NEW Facebook Page (note that this is different from the North Otter Elementary PAC Facebook Group, as the school page is more about sharing photos and less about questions/conversations for parents at the school). 
• If you need a lunch for your child each day at school, please let your child's teacher know or email the school, and we can set that up. 
• We are looking for a family who can house some materials/props for our musical this year. A larger, dry storage area would be much appreciated. If you have space to accommodate these items and can help transport them, we would be extremely grateful. Please contact the school to discuss.

District Information

Road, Pedestrian, and School Bus Safety

With fewer daylight hours and as we enter the season of wind, rain, and ice, we are sharing an important reminder from our community partner ICBC to students, staff, and families to help keep our community safe. Drivers should be alert, focus on the road, watch for pedestrians, especially at intersections and transit stops, and always be ready to stop. Pedestrians and travelers on bikes or scooters should be careful at intersections, always use designated crosswalks, remove headphones and devices, and be aware of your surroundings. 

An important note for drivers, when a school bus has its red lights flashing, drivers travelling in either direction must stop. Students may be crossing the road to get to or from the bus. Please stop, stay alert, and do not proceed until it is safe.

For more tips read this resource Kids Pedestrian Safety or visit ICBC’s webpage here.

Information About School Status During Inclement Weather

Snow closures and power outages are an annual occurrence in Langley School District. So, where do you go to get information about the status of schools during periods of inclement weather? If you are able to access the internet via computer or smartphone, current information about Langley schools can be accessed on all school websites or www.sd35.bc.ca. Updates are also posted to X (formerly Twitter) @LangleySchools and Facebook at www.facebook.com/langleyschooldistrict. If you don't have internet connectivity but your phone is working, call a relative or friend in an area that has not been affected by the storm and ask them to check the district website for you. Local radio stations are also informed of school status in Langley. Tune in to CKNW 730AM, Country Radio 107.1FM, Pulse 107.7FM, CBC 690AM or CBC 88.1FM for updates.

In the event of inclement weather, the District may implement a delayed start or early dismissal at school sites. This information will be communicated to families via one or more of these methods: SchoolMessenger, email and/or text and on the District website. For District bus riders, schedules may change depending on the school status. Bus riders will be notified of changes via one or more of these methods: My Ride K-12 App, email, phone, and/or District website.

Please note that Langley District schools are all considered 'open' until a decision to close is required. Decisions on school closures are usually made by 6:30am. As always, it is a parent's decision whether to send their child to school based on safety and individual circumstances. If you feel it is unsafe for you or your child to travel to or attend an open school for any reason, please keep your child home and report an absence to the school.

Student Safety in Schools (Elementary Schools)

The Langley School District is committed to fostering safe and caring schools that promote mutual respect, cooperation, and social responsibility, and support optimal learning. Trauma Informed Practices and Procedures promote the creation and maintenance of safe, inclusive, equitable, welcoming, and nurturing school environments. The District expects all students to follow the Student Code of Conduct AP 350. This expectation is also in line with the new Provincial Firearm Violence Prevention Act (FVPA).

 The District is sharing a reminder that no one can have “any weapon for any purpose” on school property. This means that weapons are not allowed to be used as part of an educational project, drama production, or themed costume. Examples of weapons include but are not limited to knives, bb guns, and toy guns. Failure to follow these expectations may result in confiscation, intervention, and consequences. 

PAC News

North Otter Winter Market

We’re excited to share that the North Otter Winter Market is returning in 2026, and we’d love for you to be part of it!

Last year’s market was a huge success thanks to amazing vendors . We hope this year will be a bigger and busier event, filled with holiday cheer, unique handmade goods, and a festive community spirit.

Event Details: North Otter Elementary - Saturday, November 7, 2025 - 10am - 3pm

To apply for a spot at this year’s market visit: https://forms.gle/8f9rU45n5KD1qd2GA - Spaces are almost gone! Be advised. We will be sending out an invoice with payment options upon approval. Please do not submit payment without approval.

We hope you’ll join us to make this year’s market another memorable kickoff to the holiday season!

Family Photo Sessions are back on November 25th!

We’re super excited for our family picture day with Made the Grade Photography! Sessions are $40 and are 12-15 minutes long - plenty of time for shots of the entire family, parents together, kids together and individual kid shots too.

Every session comes with an included 8×10” portrait of your choice, though there will be packages for those looking for a bit more, and digital download options as well.

Space is limited so be sure to book your spot today! To purchase your session, login to Munchalunch under fundraisers click ‘Family photos “ https://munchalunch.com/

North Otter PAC Hot Lunch Program

Hot lunch can be ordered online through the Munchalunch website here.

Month at a Glance  

• Monday, Nov 2 – Girls VB Practice 2:30; Boys VB Game @ WIX
• Tuesday, Nov 3 – Boys VB Practice 2:20; Girls VB Game @ WIX
• Wednesday, Nov 4 – Chris/Elise at Supts Meeting for AM
• Thursday, Nov 5 – Staff meeting 2:25-3:40
• Friday, Nov 6 – Boys VB Practice at lunch; PAC Hot Lunch (hot dog); D&D Club after school 
• Saturday, Nov 7 - North Otter Winter Marker 10-3
• Sunday, Nov 8 - National Indigenous Veterans Day
• Monday, Nov 9 - Girls/Boys VB Practice 2:30
• Tuesday, Nov 10 - School Remembrance Day Assembly 10:45; Girls VB Home Game vs Peterson Rd
• Wednesday, Nov 11 - Remembrance Day - Schools closed
• Friday, Nov 13 - Theme Day: PJ Day; Boys VB Practice at lunch; D&D Club after school; PAC Treat Day - Milk/Cookies 
• Nov 16-19 - Scholastic Book Fair
• Monday, Nov 16 - Boys VB Game at PRE; Girls VB Practice 2:30-3:30
• Tuesday, Nov 17 - Girls VB Game at FLE; Boys VB Practice 2:20-3:20
• Wednesday, Nov 18 - PAC Hot Lunch (White Spot)
• Friday, Nov 20 - Design and Assessment Day (no school for students)
• Monday, Nov 23 - Girls VB Practice 2:30; Boys VB Game at Peterson Rd 2:45
• Tuesday, Nov 24 - Photo Retake Day
• Wednesday, Nov 25 - PAC Bake Sale
• Thursday, Nov 26 - Gr. 7 Fundraiser - Candy Sale after school
• Friday, Nov 27 - PAC Hot Lunch (pizza); Boys VB Practice at Lunch; SD35 Indigenous Program Winter Solstice Gathering at Langley Secondary

Community Opportunities

Check out the Langley School District's community bulletin board here. 

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Safer Schools Together Parent Information Sessions

Safer Schools Together is once again providing Family Information Sessions on a variety of topics. These are good opportunities for parents and guardians to increase their knowledge on the evolving world of digital citizenship, social media, AI, etc. Sessions are recommended for those in care of children aged 10 & up. 

The first two sessions available are titled:

• Establishing Safe, Caring, and Respectful Digital Communities
• Establishing Family Practices for Safeguarding Against Cyberbullying and Sextortion

https://pages.saferschoolstogether.com/erase-family-sessions