Families of Shortreed, 

We hope you have had a great week and, for those who celebrate, a happy Lunar New Year and a lovely start to Ramadan. We also hope you have enjoyed watching the incredible athletes at the 2026 Winter Games. As heartbreaking as it was to see Canada lose close games in hockey, the road to these games and the gold medal games themselves remind us how fun it can be for fans and how close these teams/countries are at the top. There have been so many proud moments for Canada and so many other countries at the Games. 

A reminder that the link for Student Inclusive Conferences was sent out last week. Families have until Wednesday to sign up for a timeslot, so please do so as soon as possible. Every family should do their best to find a time slot that works for them to come in with the student to meet with the teacher. Our students are very proud of their learning and are looking forward to sharing their progress with their families. 

Our grade 5 basketball team continues their season with a couple more games this week. They host Nicomekl on Monday and travel to Uplands on Wednesday. They also practice on Tuesday and Friday before school. Note that there is no practice for Grade 3s this week. Grade 4s practice on Thursday at 4:00. 

This week is Diversity and Respect Week in the Langley School District, with Pink Shirt Day falling on Wednesday. We cherish the diversity at Shortreed, and that is why we are proud of the work we do year-round to build understanding of different cultures, identities, families, traditions, backgrounds, and abilities. 

As we approach the end of term 2, we would like to remind you about the importance of regular attendance. When students miss more than 5-10% of the year, not only do their academic skills (reading, writing, math) suffer, but their social-emotional well-being does as well. Research has shown that students experience greater difficulty with learning, focus, and friendships as school absences increase. if you need some support with this, please reach out. The image below is based on a full year of 180 days of school. 

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 not only to acknowledge the lands but also to express our dedication to learning on our journey of truth and reconciliation. With Diversity and Respect week in Langley Schools, it is another reminder of why we spend time on our journey of truth and reconciliation. It is all about listening and learning, because the time spent doing so leads to much more understanding. When we don't understand, we can judge or make assumptions based on misinformation or biases we have been exposed to throughout our lives. Through listening and learning, we can begin to question these biases and replace them with thoughts grounded in greater knowledge. When we stop listening and learning, we stop growing. Thank you for your commitment to listening so we can move forward on our journey of Truth and Reconciliation and continue to make Shortreed a kind, caring place where every student understands our motto: "You Belong Here." 

Good Things to Talk About

We took some time this week to celebrate Lunar New Year with our students. We encouraged students to wear traditional attire and families in our Vietnamese community treated staff to a Vietnamese lunch (Chúc mừng năm mới!). Mrs. Choi taught classes some traditional Korean games, and teachers read books and shared traditions about this important time of the year. 

On Friday, some of our grade 5s travelled through our classrooms as part of our Shortreed Lion Dance. The Lion ate the red envelope at the door while the kids cheered them on. 

Our Grade 5 Basketball team continued their undefeated season (through 4 games) by beating the Douglas Park Dragons 44-20 on Tuesday. The team played some strong defence and hit some key baskets throughout the game. 

Club Wednesdays continued this past week with our third session of the term. Mrs. Macklin (a community volunteer and former Shortreed staff member) worked with kindergarten and grade 5 students on some fun, healthy snacks. Thank you again to thr staff for all their work to ignite interest, curiosity, and passion in our kids!

A few of our primary classes honoured the 100th day of school this past week with their 100s Day Celebrations. Students brought in 100 items from home (or from vacation!), counted and organized various collections, and some even had a 100-year-old version of their faces generated! 

The Olympic Hockey games this past week drew the attention of our students and staff. Sometimes, the Olympic games were on in the background for eating and break times, but the women's gold medal game and the men's semifinal game came to the forefront for some of our classes. No shortage of excitement during these memorable games!

It finally arrived! Although in very short supply, our students embraced every bit of snow on Tuesday. Students did their best to make snow buddies and slip-slide around the field. Thank you to everyone who brought in gloves, mits, and hats for our kids as they were needed this past week! 

The Week Ahead

• Monday-Friday, February 23-27 - Diversity and Respect Week in Langley Schools
• Monday, February 23 - Gr. 5 Basketball vs Nicomekl (home game) 3:00
• Tuesday, February 24 - Gr. 5 Basketball practice 7:45-8:45; PAC Berry orders delivered
• Wednesday, February 25 - PAC Popcorn Day; Club Wednesday Session #4; Pink Shirt Day; Gr. 5 Basketball at Uplands Elementary 3:00
• Thursday, February 26 - Grade 4 Basketball 4:00, Movie Night pizza orders due. 
• Friday, February 27 - Gr. 5 Basketball practice 7:45-8:45; School Assembly 1:30

Upcoming Dates and Events:

• Monday, March 2 - Gr. 5 Basketball at James Hill 3:00; Start of Term 2 SIC
• Wednesday, March 4 - Early Dismissal at 12:33 for SIC
• Thursday, March 5 - SIC Day (students only attend their SIC if they have one booked); Gr. 4 Basketball 4:00
• Friday, March 6 - Grade 3 Basketball 2:45-4:15; PAC Movie Night
• Monday, March 9 - Grade 5 Basketball playday 3:00-6:00 at ACSS
• Wednesday, March 11 - PAC Treat Day (Cobs Bread)
• Thursday, March 12 - last day of SIC
• Friday, March 13 - last day before Spring Break
• Monday, March 30 - Schools Re-open
• Tuesday, March 31 - Rock Your Socks Day (Spirit Day - World Down Syndrome Day)
• Thursday, April 2 - Term 2 SIC Reports sent home
• Friday, April 3 - Good Friday (Schools closed)

You can see our digital calendar here. We encourage you to add our school calendar to your phone/device by clicking here. 

Information and Reminders:

• Message to Community from Minister of Education and Child Care

  Health and safety continue to be a priority in our schools. We are sharing a letter from the Minister of Education and Child Care which provides information about health and safety in schools as well as resources to support students and families. Thank you to parents/guardians who continue to collaborate and cooperate with our staff, as we know they have an important role in ensuring a healthy, safe, and positive learning environment for all students.
  Please read the letter here --> Letter of Support from Minister Beare.pdf

  
  
• Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS) are hosting Kindergarten Orientation Sessions for newcomers to Canada. They are also happy to make contact with newcomers to support their settlement into schools. Click here for more information. 
• Our Shortreed Breakfast Program runs each school day from 8:20-8:35. This is free for any students registered, and they must come each day they are in school. To register, click here. 
• We know that illnesses occur and absences can happen. 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 doing either of the following:
  • E-mail SCEAttendance@sd35.bc.ca or call 604-856-4167 and follow the prompts for the attendance line, and leave a message with information including:
    • Student First Name and Last Name
    • Grade
    • Division
    • Length of Absence
    • Reason (illness, late, appointment, vacation)

  • Please be aware that if your child is often late, they will miss significant lessons, as much of the literacy and math instruction takes place at the beginning of the day. If your child is ill (flu-like symptoms), please keep them home until they are no longer contagious and can participate in regular school activities. Homework will be provided upon request. Please avoid long absences due to holidays, as this can seriously jeopardize your child’s academic achievement. Homework may not be provided as assignments based on lessons your child missed, as it can be more confusing than helpful. If you will be away for an extended period, please notify the school, as this may impact enrollment.

  • We STRIVE for FIVE absences or less at Shortreed. We know that children will get sick, but it's important to minimize absences.

• 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. 

PAC News

Berryhill (Raspberry and Blueberry orders) pickup will be at the gravel parking lot at the church, just after the bell at the end of the day. 

Shortreed's Spring Everything For a Dollar Sale will be held on May 1st, and we will start collecting donations as of April 13th.

Spring Hot Lunch Orders are now live on 

Please join us for our next PAC Movie Night on Friday, March 6! We will be showing Bad Guys 2 with doors opening at 6 and the show starting at 6:30. You can pre-order pizza up until Thursday, February 26. Late orders will not be accepted. Students were sent home with order forms. 

Save the Date! Our PAC Fun Fair is Friday, May 22 from 3:30-7:30. 

Have any questions? Email us at shortreedpac@gmail.com. 

Join our Shortreed PAC Facebook Group too!

Community Events

To read about some fantastic family opportunities across Langley, check out the Community Bulletin Board.

FamilySmart presents two “InTheKnow” events this March, and we’d love to see you!  All our events are free, and parents/caregivers can register for the date that works best using the link below:

https://familysmart.ca/online-events/

Self-Harm: There is Always Help, There is Always Hope

Realizing that your child is self-harming can be scary and confusing. Learn from a young person with lived experience and a therapist as they talk about why some kids harm themselves and some healthy coping strategies.

Tuesday, March 3, 6:30 pm

Thursday, March 5, 6:30 pm

Parenting When Anxiety Shows up as Anger

Anxiety in our kids can show up as anger, and that can make parenting extra challenging. Discover some strategies that can help us before, during, and after these hard moments.

Wednesday, March 11, 12 pm

Wednesday, March 25, 6:30 pm

Tuesday, March 31, 6:30 pm

MediaSmarts has launched a new, free, self-guided workshop to help families develop healthier technology and screen-time habits. Building Better Tech Habits provides practical, research-informed strategies for managing family screen use and addressing common digital challenges at all ages. The workshop can be accessed 24/7 via the link here and completed any time, making it easy to fit into busy schedules.

Healthy Minds BC has provided preventive and early intervention tools and resources to support the mental health of neurodiverse students. Parent Resources can be found here. 

Aldergrove Family Resources