Families of North Otter, 

"Happy New Year" and we look forward to seeing you back (or starting) at North Otter!

It is truly an honour to be appointed principal of this wonderful school, and I cannot wait to get to meet all of you in the coming weeks. I will share a little more about me over the next few weeks, as this newsletter is jam-packed with information you will need for the first week of school. I do want to share my sincere appreciation of Mr. Woelders, Mrs. Davenport, Mrs. Robinson and many of the North Otter staff for all their help and guidance in making my transition to North Otter as smooth as possible. I am not sure where I would be without their help! I am so excited to build on the awesome work the entire staff and community have done over the past few years and to continue the wonderful legacy of North Otter Elementary.

Last year, Mr. Woelders shared the message below and I want to work with the community to keep this going:

In addition to building relationships, the elementary experience is about curiosity and play and exploring and pursuing our passions. It is our goal that all students find a place at NOE where they feel a sense of belonging and where their talents flourish. To that end, we encourage students to take advantage of the many opportunities we hope to provide this year, including music/band, sports teams, and school clubs. We also encourage our parent community to seek ways to get involved in the school by coaching, supporting classrooms, and volunteering with our PAC. It is through these shared experiences where we work together, build relationships, and strengthen our connections.

My hope/plan is to send out a weekly newsletter (likely on Sundays) that will include some of the great things happening at out school along with information on opportunities for our students. The "North Otter News" will be posted on the website so if you ever need a date or more information, it is easily accessible. We will also be sharing some snapshots of life as an Otter on our Instagram account so if you have not followed us, please do so by clicking here. We also have a community digital calendar that you can subscribe to that can be added to you phones/devices and subsctibe to this by clicking here. 

In addition to the many caring and dedicated staff members who have been at our school for a few years and are returning. We have some new staff and some who are returning to our school in various roles. Please welcome the following new staff to our school!

• Ms. Davis, Grade 5 - Ms. Davis is joining us as a grade 5 teacher. She has been at North Otter in the past, volunteering in Ms. Ewert’s class prior to her practicum so we are thrilled to have her back. 
• Ms. Smith, Grade 2/3 - Ms. Smith joining us from Parkside Elementary where she was teaching grade 2. She also has a background in teaching secondary too!
• Mrs. Noonan, Resource - Mrs. Noonan is joining us from Shortreed Elementary as where she worked as a classroom teacher, and prior to that, as an SEA. Her experience in the district will be extremely valuable, and we are excited to have her passion for special education on our team. 
• Ms. Alamwala, Resource Teacher - Ms. Alamwala is joining us from Blacklock Elementary, where she worked as a resource teacher. Her previous experience in Resource at Blacklock and classroom/resource in the Richmond School District will be a lovely asset to our team. 

And a big "welcome back" to the following staff:

• Ms. Palitti, Grade 3 –Technically, Ms. Palitti is not “new” to us, she did her practicum in grade 1 with Ms. Tocol and was covering grade 3 for Ms. Tegart last year. 
• Ms. Mason, Kindergarten – We are excited to have Ms. Mason rejoin us after her maternity leave this past year.  
• Ms. Behboudi, Kindergarten – Ms. Behboudi is back on staff full-time this year after her last two years supporting primary teachers through instructional services three days a week at the district level. 
• Ms. Carich, Grade 2 – Ms. Carich has been an amazing educator in our building for several years and has been incredibly flexible, having taught K-2, changing each year. We know she’ll be an excellent addition to the grade 2 team. 
• Ms. Gibbons, Aboriginal Support Worker – Ms. Gibbons stepped into the position of ASW midway through the year last year and began building relationships with our students, specifically ensuring support for our indigenous students. We are happy to have her back in the role for the start of the year. 
• Ms. Miki, Counsellor – Ms. Miki also joined us partway through the year last year, stepping in to fill the school counselling role. We are thankful to have her vast experience and knowledge back on our team this year. 
• Mr. Pala, SEA – We are happy to have Mr. Pala back with us this year after an extended leave last year. We look forward to his presence and connection with students in the building. 

The bell schedule has changed slightly this year. This bell schedule will begin on Wednesday, September 3rd. 

Information for the first week

As we have done in past years, the first week will be a great time for us to re-connect with students, welcome our newest Otters and set a positive tone for the year. We also use this time to finalize registrations, restructure classes and get students with their teachers in a timely fashion. Students will be placed into this year’s finalized classroom no later than Monday, September 14th.

Our new First Day of School Frames will be outside around the school throughout the week, so be sure to capture that First Day of School moment!

Our breakfast program is available to any students who need it and will be available at 8:00 on Wednesday to Friday during the first week. 

Tuesday, September 8th

• Students in Grade 1-7 will attend 8:23 – 9:55. A warning bell will sound at 8:18 each morning. Please note that we are only in session for 92 minutes. Buses should be running to meet these hours. Transportation should have communicated with parents if you have secured a spot on the bus. 
• On the first day of school, Grade 1-7 students will return to last year’s classroom location to meet with last year’s teacher unless specified below. Please note cases where your child’s class may not be returning to the same room and a new location has been assigned (see list and map below).  
• New Students in Grade 1-7 - If your grade 1-7 child is new to North Otter this year, please come to the library and we will greet you and walk you to a classroom that you can be at for this week.  
• Kindergarten students do not attend until Friday (as per the gradual entry schedule below). 

Wednesday, September 9th

• Starting on Wednesday, students will stay with their 2025-26 cohort but will attend a classroom with one of the teachers in their current 2026-27 grade. Please note that this is not their permanent placement. This just allows their potential teachers to begin to get to know the students. 
• Please note where you child will attend class on Tuesday and Wednesday – Friday in the list below. If it states "as assigned", students will be notified by the teachers

Kindergarten Students

• Kindergarten students follow the gradual entry schedule and start on Friday, September 11th. You should have received an email indicating which group your child belonged to, along with the gradual entry schedule. If you have not received this info, please contact Mrs. Robinson at crobinson@sd35.bc.ca. 
• September 9th and 10th are reserved for kindergarten family meetings. If you have not met with our kindergarten team (in June) or would like a follow-up meeting, please contact kbehboudi@sd35.bc.ca and caitlind.mason@sd35.bc.ca to arrange a time on Wednesday-Friday with our kindergarten team. 
• Gradual entry schedule is below.

What to bring...

• As was the case last year, school supplies will be provided by the school. This cost has been built into student fees that can be paid using schoolcashonline. If finances are an obstacle for your family, please let us know, and we will look to provide financial assistance.
• Please note that we will NOT be running lunch club in the first week of school. If this presents a challenge for families, please reach out to the office.
• Student Fees should be up on school cash online and payments should be made in the first week of school. 
• Tuesday, September 8th - Students will not need a lunch.
• Starting Wednesday, September 9th - Students will need a snack for recess and a lunch. We will continue to be a litter-free school and we will ask that all garbage produced from snacks and lunches be returned home in the student’s lunch bag. We recommend using reusable storage containers.

General Information and Updates

Reporting Absences

• If your child is going to be absent, arriving late, away or leaving early due to an appointment, please notify the school of your child’s absence by email or call the school. These absences are particularly important as we count our enrollment over the first few days. 
• To report an absence by email, send information including student first name and last name, grade, division, length of absence, and reason to noeattendance@sd35.bc.ca.  To report an absence by phone, call 604-856-3355 and follow the prompts for the attendance line to leave a message with information including student first name and last name, grade, division, length of absence, and reason. You can see these instructions on our school webpage https://www.sd35.bc.ca/northotter. If you have any questions about attendance/absence procedures, contact the school office.

Communication With Families:

It is important to us to maintain open communication with our community to share school information, celebrate what is happening at NOE each day, and discuss student progress. Our doors are always open, whether in person or electronically. Please feel free to reach out to staff and/or administration if you have anything you wish to discuss.

Throughout the year, we will use the following platforms to share information with the community and celebrate our school:

• School Messenger - This is our main format for sharing information including our newsletter. School messenger allows us to email and text the community. We can also use it to call you with an automated message in emergency situations.
• NOE Website: We work to update our website on a regular basis throughout the year. It is a great place to get general information about the school https://www.sd35.bc.ca/northotter
• NOE Instagram: @north_otter_elementary

Parking at North Otter

Similar to elementary schools across the district, parking during drop-off and pick-up has been a challenge at North Otter. Please exercise patience and expect delays when dropping off your children. To help ease congestion, we recommend the following...

• If you have intermediate students who know their way around the building, please drop them off earlier and/or down the street on 54th. 
• Arrange a pick-up location down the road on 54th so that you don’t need to park your vehicle for extended period. Leave the parking spots for parents of younger children.
• If you have an older child that can pick up your younger child, please do so and have them meet you at the drop and go.
• If you are in walking distance, take advantage of the warm weather and walk your child to school.
• Carpool when possible.
• Please review the North Otter Parking Map Guidelines on the map below.

Save the date! 

Our Meet the Teacher event will be on Thursday, September 24. More details will come soon.