Families of Shortreed, 

We hope you had a lovely weekend and had a chance to celebrate all the mothers and caregivers in your and your children's lives. 

A reminder that Friday is a Pro-D Day this week so there is no school for students; next Monday is Victoria Day and schools are closed that day. 

On Monday morning, our grade 5's will have a redo of their group photo. At 11:30, our grade 3-5 track meet continues with the 400m race, followed by the 800m race at 1:45. 

Wednesday is our 2026 Kindergarten Welcome event, where we host all our future K students and their families to give them a glimpse of what their classrooms and school will look like in the fall. As we need all our K team for this event (and the half day was included in the minutes as part of the gradual entry), Wednesday will be an early dismissal for all current kindergarten students at 11:30. 

Our May PAC Meeting is at 6:30 on Thursday. Please see important information about our PAC Fun Fair in the PAC section below. 

Our Jump Rope for Heart activities and fundraiser are underway and will continue through next week. From May 4–15, students will participate in activities that promote movement, teamwork, perseverance, and heart health while raising funds for the Heart & Stroke Foundation. Our school goal this year is $1200 — approximately $3 per student — and we would love your support. Families can donate through our school fundraising page: https://jumpropeforheart.crowdchange.ca/114960  You can also donate through your School Cash Online account. Every donation, big or small, helps support research, education, healthy living initiatives, and life-saving advancements for heart disease and stroke across Canada. Thank you for helping make this event meaningful for our students and community. We appreciate your support!

Congratulations to all our grade 3-5 athletes who participated and gave it their all in our 2026 Shortreed Track Meet. Students had the chance to run in the 50m, 100m, and 200m events and try their skills in the long jump, ball throw, and shot put. Thank you to everyone who came out to cheer them on, and a huge thank you to Coach Jessica Wright, Devon Maxwell, Shortreed Staff, and ACSS Recreation Leadership students for all their help with the event!

Our grade 5 students all had a chance to get a taste of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra on Tuesday as they travelled to the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver. The VSO presented the performance based on the book "The Hockey Sweater" to various elementary schools in the Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley. The students had a chance to play and eat lunch at Rainbow Park, see the beautiful Orpheum, and hear the VSO's majestic artists. Thank you to Mrs. Muller for organizing this incredible opportunity!

Our students had "the force" with them on Monday for Star Wars Day ("May the 4th Be With You"). Students wore costumes and shirts, and did their hair up like various Star Wars characters. Thank you to everyone who participated!

We had our first session of Club Wednesdays for Term 3 last week, and students had a chance to participate in art, music, crafts, cooking, sports, technology, Wild Education, slime-making, and so much more! Club Wednesdays continues NEXT week (not this week as there is the Kindergarten Welcome Event). 

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 today being Mother's Day, I also want to acknowledge the incredibly strong and resilient mothers and matriarchs who have played prominent roles at Shortreed and in the Langley School District. Chief Alice McKay of Máthxwi First Nation is a resilient, respected, and driven leader, and a residential school survivor who has been (and continues to be) a dedicated grandmother and great-grandmother to Shortreed students. Her daughter, Councillor Brenda Morgan, and granddaughter, educational leader Melissa Epp, have had significant voices in education in Máthxwi and in the Langley and Abbotsford School Districts. We raise our hands to these mothers as well as all the other mothers, aunties, grandmothers, and caregivers who have put the children at the centre of the community. 

The Week Ahead

• Monday, May 11 - Gr. 1 field trip; Gr. 5 Photo 9:45; 400m race 11:30; 800m race 1:45
• Tuesday, May 12 - Gr. 4 Swim Program
• Wednesday, May 13 - Kindergarten Welcome Event 12:45-4:00 by appointment (current K students dismissed at 11:30)
• Thursday, May 14 - Gr. 3-5 Track Team (Running) practice 12:00-12:25; PAC Meeting 6:30
• Friday, May 15 - Pro-D Day (no school for students)

Upcoming Dates and Events:

• Monday, May 18 - Victoria Day (schools closed)
• Wednesday, May 20 - PAC Treat Day (TCBY); Club Wednesday #2; Gr. 3-5 Track Team (Running) practice 12:00-12:25
• Friday, May 22 - Spirit Day - Anything But a Backpack Day; PAC Fun Fair!!!; Gr. 3-5 Track Team (Running) practice 12:00-12:25
• Monday, May 25 - Gr. 3-5 Track Team (Running) practice 12:00-12:25
• Wednesday, May 27 - ACSS/LSS Regional Track Meet 9:30-1:30
• Thursday, May 28 - BGMS Grade 6 Band Performs 1:10
• Friday, May 29 - Earthquake Drill 10:00
• June 1-5 - Bike/Roll to School Week
• Wednesday, June 3 - PAC Popcorn Day; Club Wednesday #3 
• Friday, June 5 - Wheels Parade (this is moved away from Sports Day this year)
• Monday, June 8 - Gr. 5's visit BGMS
• Tuesday, June 9 - Proud to be Me Day
• Wednesday, June 10 - Gr. 4 Field Trip
• Friday, June 12 - Sports Day!; PAC Hot Lunch Pizza

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:

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• Transportation Registration 2026-2027

  Transportation registration for 2026-2027 is open. Please note the instructions to register are different for each category of rider. To help in our planning and creation of bus routes, registrations must be submitted by May 4^th for eligible riders and June 9^th for courtesy riders. The District cannot guarantee approval after the deadline. New and existing riders can find more information on our Transportation Registration webpage here.

• Summer Session 2026 – Elementary/Middle/Secondary

  Are you looking for skill-building or new learning opportunities for your child to keep them engaged during the summer? The District offers a variety of courses as part of Summer Session. Online registration begins on Wednesday, April 22^nd for Elementary (Grades 1 to 5), Monday, April 27^th for Middle (Grades 6 to 8), and Wednesday, April 29^th for Secondary (Grades 9 to 12) at 11:30am each day for Langley School District students. For important dates, times, and courses available to Grade 1-12 students, please visit our webpage here. 

• 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

• Fill cleaned and clear plastic containers or zipbags with anything that a child would love to win.

• This could be candy, craft items, small toys; the options are endless, so be creative!

• Drop items off at the child’s classroom

• If dropped off at the office include the division or it will not be counted towards the class prize

• Items can be dropped off any day up until May 21st, to be included into the class count.

• If dropped off after May 21st at 2:45pm items will no longer be included in the class count for the prize.
• You can still bring items right up until the start of the fun fair, but they will not be included in the class count.

For Dessert Dance we need donations of cakes, cookies, pies, pastries or desserts for our Dessert Dance.

Anything a child would love to win! Store bought or homemade are happily accepted. 

On the morning of the fun fair, May 22nd, please bring your dessert to the door at the back of the school, on the playground side closest to the portables. We will be accepting desserts all day, and they can be dropped off at the front office.

You can now order your Fun Fair wristbands. You can use our online order form or the paper copy that was sent home last week. Fun Fair is on May 22nd from 3:30-7:30pm. We have bouncy castles, pony rides, Wild Education and much, much more. 

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.

Langley RCMP Youth Cadet Camp application and info are below:2026 Langley RCMP Youth Camp Application WORKING FILE.pdf This is open to children born in 2015 and 2016.

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Home Alone at Shortreed

Friday, May 15

9am-1pm

Ages 10+ yrs

$40

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1985772643432?aff=oddtdtcreator

Reach out if you have any questions or if finances are a barrier to participating.

Stephanie Eby 

Community School Coordinator

seby@sd35.bc.ca or 604.862.5943

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Talk with Me, Play with Me, Learn with Me

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 Saturday mornings from 10–11am, April 4^th to May 23^rd at the Donna Gabriel Robins Elementary School Welcome Centre. 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/

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Parkside Just Be Four (JB4) Preschool - Registration Open for September 2026

Langley School District operates a licenced 4 year old preschool program at Parkside Centennial Elementary.  Registration is now open for September 2026-2027.

Classes operate on Tuesdays/Thursdays from 12:45 - 3:15.

Please complete the contact form here, and our staff will contact you to secure a space for your child.  Please contact Charlene Redekop at credekop@sd35.bc.ca for further information.

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Gifts and Gatherings is a 90-minute program from 8:30am - 10am hosted weekly at one of the Langley Strong Start sites. Any family member or caregiver is welcome to participate along with children ages 0-5 years. Families will explore activities that emphasize indigenous perspectives, highlighting the many interconnected gifts of land, people and animals. Experiences may include: art, sensory exploration, story-time, table top activities and more.  During each session, participants will receive a gift that will allow families to continue to explore their learning at home. The program is intended to build connections between families and the school and to support children in their transition into Kindergarten. Please see the flyer at the link below with locations and dates.

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Fraser Valley Regional Library (FVRL) Reading Advisor 

FVRL Reading Advisor is a free resource for everyone living or studying in communities served by FVRL, including Langley. The Reading Advisor service offers personalized book recommendations for readers of all ages, making it an excellent support for students and staff across the Langley School District. All that is required is to fill out a short form about your reading interests, and trained library staff respond with a customized reading list based on genre, themes, age level, and preferred formats (print, eBook, audiobook, graphic novel, etc.) This is ideal for boosting reading engagement, supporting diverse learning needs, and possibly helping teachers quickly discover high‑quality texts for classroom use. This free community resource extends the capacity of school libraries and connects learners with a broader range of inclusive and accessible materials and would be a great resource to share with students and other staff to help them find some new great reads for over spring break. Happy Reading!

https://www.fvrl.bc.ca/my-reading-adviser

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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.

Aldergrove Family Resources