Families of North Otter, 

We hope you have had a lovely weekend... it certainly was a mix of rain and sunshine over the past three days!

This is an important week at North Otter as we take time to read stories and engage in meaningful reflective discussions regarding the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We encourage students to wear orange on Tuesday in support of survivors of Indian Residential Schools and Indian Day Schools, their families, and all those who never returned home. We have a limited number of free (new) orange shirts available and will have them on a table near the basketball courts before school on Monday. A reminder that there is no school on Wednesday as we honour NDTR in the community. 

We have our first Hot Lunch date of the year this Friday with McDonald's on the menu. To order, and/or learn more about North Otter PAC's hot lunch program, click here. See below in the PAC section for the hot lunch schedule. 

Our Grade 4-7 Cross-Country team will have their first practice at lunch on Thursday on the track around the field. Please wear running shoes and athletic clothes. Permission forms will also be sent home this week. Our Grade 6 and 7 girls' and boys' volleyball teams will start up soon, so if your child is interested, make sure they listen for a meeting announcement. 

Thank you to everyone who came out for Meet the Teacher Night on Thursday. Our Grade 7 teachers also hosted a Grade 7 Parent Info Session to share all the awesome opportunities for our students this year. It was lovely to see all the families and to have PAC volunteers serving up some yummy popcorn and hot dogs! Thank you to the volunteers and to all the staff for staying late. 

During Friday's School Improvement Day, our staff participated in a SOAR Analysis (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, and Results), a great way for us to learn more about where we are and where we would like to go as a school. Following this, Mr. Harris led us in some learning about Numeracy (specifically computational fluency), and Ms. Palitti showed us more about a program to support literacy at the school. We finished the day off with some time to dive deeper in National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. 

At North Otter, we are honoured to work, learn, and play on the unceded ancestral and traditional lands of the Máthxwi and Kwantlen First Nations. We share this not only to acknowledge the lands but also to express our dedication to learning on our journey of truth and reconciliation. September is an important month for learning and a platform for building a foundation for learning throughout the year. Over 10% of our students have Indigenous ancestry, and their families and ancestors have all been impacted by Indian Residential Schools and Indian Day Schools. We honour these families and so many others through the learning we participate in on our journey. 

The Week Ahead

• Monday - Fire Drill, 10:00
• Tuesday - NDTR at School (Orange Shirt Day)
• Wednesday - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation - schools closed
• Thursday - Gr. 4-7 Cross-Country Practice at lunch
• Friday - PAC Hot Lunch

A reminder to subscribe to our school calendar here. 

School Information and Reminders

• Audition information for our School Musical that takes place in the spring, is available on the bulletin board near the music room. 
• A reminder that fees for school supplies ($55) can be paid through your School Cash Online account. Teachers purchase the supplies for their classes, so there is no need to shop. 
• 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. 
• As the Langley School District shared, electric bikes and scooters are not permitted on school property. 
• If your child rides their bike or scooter to school (we LOVE this!), please remind them to dismount and walk once they are on school property. 
• Like cell phones, smartwatches (watches that can call, text, game, etc.) have become a significant distraction in class. Because they function like cell phones, students should keep these watches at home or in their backpack during school time. 
• 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

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.

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.

SchoolMessenger
The Langley School District uses a notification system called SchoolMessenger to communicate information to families throughout the school year. As we continue to welcome new families to our District, some parents/guardians may receive a text message notifying them about SchoolMessenger. If you need to update your contact info on file, please reach out to your school. For more info about SchoolMessenger, visit the District website here.

Communicating With Your School
Schools and families continue to work together to ensure success for students. If you have an issue or concern but don’t know who to speak with, the District encourages you to read these helpful Communicating with your School guidelines for parents/guardians found on our District website here. As an additional reference, review this one-page resource here.

Parent Code of Conduct 
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.

Families play an important role in helping students achieve success as well as helping create a compassionate learning community. Just as students are expected to follow the District’s Student Code of Conduct, there is an expectation for parents/guardians to uphold the District’s Parent/Guardian Code of Conduct. 

Student Accident Insurance Plan
The District is pleased to offer families access to two voluntary student accident insurance options for the 2026/2027 school year.

Although enrollment is optional, these plans can provide additional accident-related coverage and benefits beyond those available through standard health care programs. Please note that enrollment is completed online directly through the provider. Families may choose either of the following options: Insure My Kids OR Study Insured

Transportation: My Ride K-12 App
Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, the Langley School District’s Transportation service will be using the My Ride K-12 (app or website) to share up-to-date bus rider information with parents/guardians and students. The application allows parents/guardians and students to view assigned bus stops and pick-up/drop-off times and receive notifications about bus delays or route changes. To access your child’s bus rider information, sign-up and login to the My Ride K-12 app by following instructions found on the District website here.

PAC News

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

Join us for our first PAC meeting on Wednesday, October 14 at 7:00 PM in the library. All parents/caregivers are welcome. 

Month at a Glance

• Monday, Oct 5 – World Teachers' Day (and support staff!) 
• Tuesday, Oct 6 - Cross-Country Practice at lunch
• Wednesday, Oct 7 – Cross-Country Meet #1 
• Friday, Oct 9 – Terry Fox Run (Assembly and Run) - time TBD; PAC Treat (Booster Juice)
• Monday, Oct 12 – Thanksgiving - schools closed
• Wednesday, Oct 14 – Cross-Country Meet #2; PAC Meeting 7pm
• Thursday, Oct 15 - Great Shakeout Earthquake Drill
• Friday, Oct 16 - Theme Day - Farmer Friday!; Hot Lunch (Mucho Burrito)
• Wednesday, October 21 – XC Meet #3 3:15
• Thursday, October 22 – School Photo Day; PAC Halloween Dance 6pm
• Friday, October 23 – Provincial Pro-D Day (no school for students)
• Monday, October 26 - Fire Drill 10:45
• Thursday, October 29 - PAC Treat Day - Halloween Donuts
• Friday, October 30 - Halloween at School!; Informal Learning Updates sent home 

Community Opportunities

LEAP (Outdoor Education) Parent Information Session
Thursday, October 1, 2026

 Imagine your child’s classroom in the open air! Join us on Thursday, October 1^st @ 5pm at Fort Langley Elementary for our LEAP (Langley Environmental Awareness Program) Information Session. This meeting is for families interested in Kindergarten enrolment for the 2027-2028 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 more about the outdoor education program and to watch our new stunning promotional video please visit:

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

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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

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Talk with Me, Play with Me, Learn with Me - Aldergrove 

Talk with Me, Play with Me, Learn with Me is a fun and engaging Langley Literacy Network program designed for Kindergarten students and their caregivers. The program will run in Aldergrove on Saturday mornings from 10am –11am, Saturday, October 10^th to November 28^th in the Family Place portable on the grounds of Shortreed Community Elementary. It is an opportunity to read, play, learn, and connect. Each week, families will explore new books and activities that support early literacy and learning. Plus, every participating family will take home eight new books to build their home library! 

Registration is required, and space is limited. Sign up today at: https://langleyliteracynetwork.com/talk-with-me-play-with-me-learn-with-me/