Families of Shortreed, 

We hope you had a wonderful summer with your children, family, and friends. We are excited to welcome you back to school next week! I hope you can take a few minutes to read over the schedule and information so you are all set for next week.

I am thrilled to be back as Shortreed Principal for another year and excited to have Michelle Gill work alongside me as our new Vice Principal. We are also happy to welcome Chantale Hubbs, who has joined us as our new admin assistant.

I apologize for the delay with the newsletter this year. Our previous newsletters have been deleted with the move to a new website, so I have to start from scratch and try to recall everything with this old brain of mine. If I have forgotten to share something, it will be addressed in a separate post. 

A huge thank you to our custodial team of Troy, Trevor and Jayden, who worked all summer to get our school to absolutely SHINE!

Please save the date for our Welcome Back BBQ and Meet the Teacher Night on Thursday, September 18 from 5:00-7:00pm. The BBQ starts at 5:00 and Meet the Teacher starts at 6:00.

At Shortreed, we are honoured to work, learn, and play on the unceded ancestral and traditional lands of the Máthxwi First Nation. We share this to not only acknowledge the lands but also to share our dedication to learning on our journey of truth and reconciliation. I recently had the opportunity to hear author and educator Leona Prince speak, and she reminded me of the absolute importance of a sense of community and belonging. Our mantra at Shortreed is 'You Belong Here,' and we want to ensure that these are not just words on our shirts and walls, but words we live by and strive to create for our students, staff, and families. For many years, Indigenous students were excluded, sent to different schools, and marginalized in so many ways. We strive to do and be better for our Indigenous students and all our students so that every child can walk through our doors and feel like they matter, connect, and belong. 

Welcome to New Staff

We are delighted to welcome the following new staff to our school this year:

• Ms. Chawla (SEA
• Mrs. Chadwick (SEA)
• Mr. Nicolato (SEA)
• Ms. McDonald (SEA)
• Ms. Smith (SEA)
• Mr. Bazett (District Psychologist)
• Ms. Stratidakis (Clinician)
• Ms. Palitti (YCW)
• Mrs. Sidhu (gr. 4 teacher)
• Mrs. Wettstein (gr. 2 teacher)
• Ms. Boyd (gr. 1 teacher)
• Ms. Littlejohn (gr. 1 teacher - note that we still have the amazing MRS. Littlejohn as one of our SEAs)
• Mrs. Hlady (gr. 5 teacher)
• Mrs. Rossnagel (PE teacher on Thursdays and Fridays)
• Mrs. Hubbs (admin assistant)
• Mrs. Gill (VP)

We are thankful to have the following staff returning with new positions this year:

• Ms. Harrison (SEA)
• Ms. O'Mara (SEA)
• Mrs. Ensing (nee Bozzard, SEA)
• Ms. Reimer (SEA)
• Ms. Wu (SEA)
• Ms. Latreille (SEA)
• Mrs. Cathcart (SEA)
• Ms. McLeod (K teacher)
• Mrs. Baker (nee Anderson, resource teacher)
• Ms. Henry (gr. 2 teacher)
• Ms. Cheema (gr. 3 teacher with Mrs. Dornian)
• Mrs. Thompson (gr. 5 teacher with Mostat)
• Mrs. Johnstone (gr. 3 teacher with Ms. Loverock)
• Ms. Garcha (gr. 4 teacher)

First Week Schedule

The most common question for next week is always about the schedule. Please take a moment to read this information carefully. We will be outside each morning to help with anything you might need.

The focus of our first week is always on CARE and CONNECTION, so we want our students to go back to their last year's classrooms as temporary homerooms for the week. Students will be placed in their new official 2025-2026 classrooms on Monday, September 8. A reminder that we do not accept teacher requests, as there are so many variables that we need to consider in our class placements. 

Tuesday, September 2 from 8:50-10:30

All returning grade 1-5 students return to their last year's classroom for Tuesday (see table below). This will be their temporary homeroom for the week, so students can be dropped off and picked up from this classroom all week.  All new students and families are welcome to enter through the front entrance and proceed to the gym. Our admin team will welcome you, and then some of our staff will walk you and your child to their temporary classroom homeroom (where they can be dropped off and picked up this week). 

Wednesday-Friday, September 3-5

Students will report to their temporary homerooms (last year's classrooms) each morning and can be picked up there at the end of each day. Throughout the day, students will work with various teachers of their current grade level (so, grade 4 students will work with grade 4 teachers after their homerooms).

Students should bring a snack, water, and a lunch. Please note that we will have snacks and lunches available for students who need extra help, but it will be pretty basic as staff get these programs up and running. Our school breakfast program will start on Monday, September 8. More information will be emailed about this. 

Here is the schedule for Wednesday-Friday:

Information and Reminders:

• Students will not need to bring supplies for this week. They can be brought to school next Monday. If you ordered through SchoolStart, they will be delivered on Monday as well. If you need financial assistance with supplies, please notify your child's teacher.
• Our Shortreed First Day of School Selfie Frames will be outside next week for that perfect first-day photo opportunity!
• Kindergarten students will follow the gradual schedule and information that was sent out earlier this week and posted here.
• A reminder that juice boxes are not permitted at the school. Please send your child with a refillable water bottle each day. 
• There is no parking or pickup/drop-offs in our school parking lot. Please park along 28th Ave or 273rd Street. The Catholic Church allows us to park there for pickup and drop-off. Do not block the driveways of any residences. 

Upcoming Dates and Events:

• Monday, September 8 - first official day in new classrooms (parents will be notified at the end of the day)
• Wednesday, September 17 - Photo Day!
• Thursday, September 18 - Welcome Back BBQ and Meet the Teacher Night (5-7pm)
• Monday, September 22 - PAC School-wide (FREE) Popcorn Day
• Tuesday, September 23 - PAC Meeting 6:30pm
• Friday, September 26 - School Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Orange Shirts)
• Tuesday, September 30 - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation - school closed

A reminder that you can subscribe to our online school calendar by clicking here. The calendar on our website will be updated soon, but you can view our Outlook calendar here.