Shortreed Weekly Newsletter

October 5th – October 9th, 2026

Shortreed Families,

We hope you enjoyed the beautiful sunshine this past weekend!

Today is World Teachers’ Day! I feel so fortunate to work alongside the incredible educators at Shortreed. Every day, our staff show up for our students with care, dedication, patience, and a commitment to making a positive difference. I am incredibly proud to serve as principal and to work alongside this amazing team. Thank you to all our Shortreed educators for everything you do to make our school such a special place to learn, grow, and belong.

This week is Terry Fox Week at Shortreed, and we are trying to match our total from last year of over $2000!!! We would be delighted if you could consider donating to this amazing cause. There are three ways to donate:

1. Donate online on the Terry Fox Run website: https://schools.terryfox.ca/138220 (tax receipts available)
2. Donate through School Cash Online
3. Bring in cash to the school.

Our Terry Fox Run will take place this Friday! We will gather in the gym at approximately 1:15 p.m. before heading out for the run at 1:35 p.m. We are always so grateful for the incredible support of our Shortreed families during this event.

We’re excited to cheer on our Eagles this week! Our Grade 4/5 soccer team has its season opener on Tuesday against Douglas Park. A big thank you to  Mostat and Ms. Garcha for giving their time to coach our students. Then, on Wednesday, our Grade 4/5 Cross-Country team competes in its first meet of the season. Best of luck to all of our Eagles athletes!

The Week Ahead: 

• Monday- World’s Teacher Day
• Tuesday - Grade 4/5 Soccer at Douglas Park, Cross Country practice 12:00
• Wednesday- PAC Subway Lunch, Cross Country Run 2:45 Aldergrove Regional Park
• Thursday- Cross Country practice 12:00
• Friday- Terry Fox Assembly and Run 1:15

Upcoming Events: 

• Monday, October 12 - Thanksgiving Schools Closed 
  Tuesday, October 13 - Grade 4/5 Cross Country Practice 12:00 p.m.; PAC Meeting 6:30 p.m.
  Wednesday, October 14 - Grade 4/5 Cross Country Meet #1 3:30 p.m.
  Thursday, October 15 - Grade 4/5 Cross Country Practice 12:00 p.m.
  Tuesday, October 20 - Grade 4/5 Cross Country Practice 12:00 p.m.
  Wednesday, October 21 - Grade 4/5 Cross Country Meet #2 3:30 p.m., PAC Cobbs Treat Day
• Thursday, October 22- PAC Movie Night
  Friday, October 23 -Pro-D Day No School for Students
• Friday, October 30- Halloween Costume Parade, Spooky GYM!
  Tuesday, November 3 - Photo Day Retakes
  Friday, November 6 - No Stone Left Alone
  Sunday, November 8 - Indigenous Veterans Day
  Wednesday, November 11 - Remembrance Day Schools Closed
  Friday, November 13- PAC Dollar Sale
  Friday, November 20- Design/Assessment Day No School for Students 

Information and Reminders

Student in Distress and School Safety

Health and safety are a priority in the Langley School District. Our schools follow procedures to help keep students, staff, and the community safe. Depending on the situation, communication to parents/caregivers is needed to keep families informed about incidents in our school, such as during lockdowns, hold & secures, and room clears, or in the event of a student in distress. Sometimes these situations may not be emergencies but events that require a school response. It is important to note that the decision to send communications to families is dependent on a variety of factors including the nature of what happened, who has witnessed or was directly impacted by what happened, as well as student and staff privacy. Communication is unique and dependent on the specific situation; there are times when a student is in distress, yet the situation may or may not require a message or letter to families. In addition to communication with parents/caregivers, teachers and staff may debrief with students after an incident that may have upset them. In some cases, the school counsellor may offer support to students in need. As always, we want families to let us know if your child requires support. If you have any questions or concerns about communication related to situations or emergencies, please reach out to the school.

Staying Healthy this Winter (from Fraser Health) 

Health, safety, and wellness continue to be a priority in our schools. To help support our students and families, we are sharing important information from our community partner Fraser Health about how to stay healthy this winter. Please see below for helpful reminders to support your child.

Keep Your Children Free From Respiratory Illnesses This Winter  As the weather gets colder and more time is spent indoors, we are more likely to get sick with things like colds, flu or COVID-19 because these illnesses spread more easily in enclosed spaces. 

Everyone should take these steps to protect themselves and limit the spread of respiratory illnesses: 

• Get vaccinated against flu and COVID-19. 
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. Use alcohol-based sanitizer if soap and water are not available. 
• Cough and sneeze into your elbow. 
• If you have flu-like symptoms, stay home and away from people at higher risk of serious illness. If you are sick and cannot stay away from others, wear a mask. Learn more about masks here.

Vaccinations for Respiratory Illness 

Vaccinations prepare our immune system to recognize and respond to viruses. When children get immunized, they are less likely to get sick or pass along illness to others. When children remain healthy, they are better able to focus on learning, playing and doing the activities they love. Their parents and caregivers also have less disruptions in their personal and work routines.

Register your children with the Get Vaccinated system so you can be reminded to get flu or COVID-19 vaccinations when they are due. Seasonal respiratory vaccinations are available from pharmacies, public health units and some primary care providers. 

School-aged Immunizations Getting your child vaccinated on schedule is one of the best ways to protect their health. To set young people up for long-term health and well-being, vaccines are offered routinely in kindergarten, grade 6 and grade 9 with catch-up opportunities in other grades.

Protection is long lasting for most vaccines, except for whooping cough. This vaccine is one of the infant immunizations that can wear off and needs to be given again around Kindergarten and Grade 9 to provide protection. All routine school-aged immunizations are free in British Columbia. If your child is not up to date with their vaccines, please make an appointment with a public health unit, family doctor, nurse practitioner or pharmacy.

If your child’s record shows their vaccines are not current, but they did get vaccines from a health care provider outside of public health: 

• Contact the health care provider who immunized your child and ask for a copy of the immunization record. 
• Provide these immunization records to Public Health online at: http://www.fraserhealth.ca/immunizationform 

Learn more about school-aged immunizations, including how to access your child’s records, here: Children and youth immunizations – Fraser Health Authority