Families of Shortreed, 

We hope you had a lovely weekend and had a chance to enjoy our wonderful Fun Fair on Friday! What a memorable event that was, with hundreds of people coming and enjoying the rides, games, and many activities at the Fair. We know our Fun Fair sets a high bar, and we could not do it without the help of all the volunteers who plan, donate, run the events, and clean up. Thank you to the volunteers from our parents/families, staff, ACSS and BGMS students, our PAC executive, and the main organizer, Jodi Stiglic! 

On Friday, we also had another Shortreed Spirit Day, and this time, we challenged the students to use "Anything But a Backpack" to bring their stuff! The creativity was pumping as students brought baskets, various bags, wagons and carts, coolers, homemade box-packs, and even a lawnmower with the fuel tank and blades removed!!! Thank you to everyone who participated in this fun event. 

We had our 2nd session of Club Wednesdays last week, with the kids bursting with excitement about the fun learning activities they got to participate in! Note that there is no CW this week due to the Regional Track Meet. 

Mr. Stephenson, a former Astronomy teacher, has been filling in for Mrs. Kirk in the library a few days a week. This past week, he worked with the school to bring in a Mobile Planetarium for all the Grade 3/4 classes. They got to be inside a large tent structure offering a closer, clearer look at the stars and planets visible in our sky!

Well done, Shortreed! Together we raised close to $6000 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation through Jump Rope For Heart!!! This is a significant amount and we are incredibly grateful. A huge thank you to the Lewis family, who donated/raised a ton of funds on their own.

Our grade 4 swim program finished up about 10 days ago, and this week our grade 5's get their turn to learn water skills in the Operation Waterproof program. Mrs. Hlady's class will start on Tuesday, and Mostat and Parsons' classes will start on Thursday. 

On Wednesday, it is the 2026 LSS/ACSS Family of Schools Regional Track Meet, and we will be sending about 60 athletes to compete against seven other schools in various events at McLeod Athletic Park. Thank you to Coach Jess and Coach Hlady for their efforts with track this season! To help prepare, we will continue to practice relays at lunch, and we will also have a shot put and long jump practice from 2:45 to 3:15 on Monday.

On Thursday, the BGMS Grade 6 Band will come back to perform for our school. We always love seeing former students with their new music skills. 

Announcing the Shortreed Elementary PAC Spring Silent Auction! filled with amazing prizes, local experiences, family fun packages, gift cards, sports tickets, wellness services, and so much more! Go to  https://www.32auctions.com/shortreedspring2026 to bid on one or many of the awesome items! Every bid supports Shortreed Elementary School and helps enhance programs, resources, and opportunities for our students.

🗓️ Auction Opens: May 21
⏰ Closes: May 28 at 9 p.m.

REMINDER - We are participating in HUB Bike/Roll to School Week again this year, from June 1-5. Students can ride their bikes or scooters, rollerblade, or skateboard to school to encourage active travel. If you live a longer distance from school, consider parking further away and having your child roll to school from there. Please do not ride e-scooters or e-bikes as these are only for those aged 16 and over in our community. Helmets also must be worn. NEW THIS YEAR - We are moving our Wheels Parade to Friday, June 5, at the end of the Bike/Roll to School Week this year. In years past, we had it on Sports Day, but with the rapid growth of our school, Sports Day has become pretty rushed. We thought having the Wheels Parade on the final day of Bike/Roll to School Week would be a perfect way to end that week! We will share the house colours for Wheels Parade and Sports Day soon, so students can decorate their bikes/scooters/themselves in their house colour OR whatever theme/character they want! 

SAFETY NOTICE: We have been observing an increase in families stopping on the road to drop off their children. This is extremely dangerous because it obviously increases the risk of them being hit by a car, but also increases the risk of serious injury if a vehicle is rear-ended, as the children would be out of the seatbelts and even partially out of the car. Please park on the street or in the church parking lot and have them use the crosswalk to safely get to school. If you are parking on the road, please do not block driveways or the church entrance. 

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.  Reflecting on our Fun Fair on Friday, I am reminded of the importance of gatherings like this in bringing our community together... and, further, of doing so with children at the centre. From 1885 to 1951, Indigenous Peoples in Canada were not allowed to gather (Potlatch Ban), and you can imagine the devastating impact this had on communities across these lands. Indigenous Peoples persevered and eventually brought back traditional gatherings and cultural celebrations. We are so thankful to be able to gather on these beautiful Máthxwi lands and keep our children at the centre of our community, an Indigenous teaching that has occurred since time immemorial. 

The Week Ahead

• Monday, May 25 - Gr. 3-5 Track Team (Running) practice 12:00-12:25; Shotput/Long Jump Practice 2:45-3:15
• 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

Upcoming Dates and Events:

• June 1-5 - Bike/Roll to School Week
• Wednesday, June 3 - PAC Popcorn Day; Club Wednesday #3 
• Friday, June 5 - Wheels Parade 1:45 (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
• Monday, June 15 - KIUAN Dance Performance 1:05
• Wednesday, June 17 - Grade 5s at Waterslides; ACSS Grad Walk 1:10-1:30
• Friday, June 19 - School National Indigenous Peoples Day
• Sunday, June 21 - National Indigenous Peoples Day
• Monday, June 22 - Grade 5 Farewell 1:00-3:00 
• Wednesday, June 24 - Final Assembly 1:05
• Thursday, June 25 - Final Day of School; Dismissal at 11:30; Report Cards sent home

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

Announcing the Shortreed Elementary PAC Spring Silent Auction! filled with amazing prizes, local experiences, family fun packages, gift cards, sports tickets, wellness services, and so much more! Go to  https://www.32auctions.com/shortreedspring2026 to bid on one or many of the awesome items! Every bid supports Shortreed Elementary School and helps enhance programs, resources, and opportunities for our students.

🗓️ Auction Opens: May 21
⏰ Closes: May 28 at 9 p.m.

The Neufeld Farms fundraiser ends on May 27th at 11:59pm. Delivery date is June 5th at 2pm in the Church Parking Lot. Please note that PAC does not have a place to store items if not picked up. Please make sure that if you are unable to pick up at that time, you arrange for someone else to pick it up. You can place your order here: https://app.neufeldfarms.ca/fundraising/2026-shortreed-elementary/ref/em

PAC is having a POP-UP TREAT DAY on Thursday, May 28th, after school. We will be set up by the playground near the portables. We will be selling Cotton Candy for $5 and Jumbo Freezies for $2. Please make sure to bring some money with you after school.

We would like to give a big THANK YOU to everyone who volunteered their time for the Fun Fair. It was a very successful event, and we can not do it without your help. We are still adding up our final numbers, but we have brought in an estimated $5400!!

We would like to welcome our New PAC Executive Team for the 2026/2027 Year:

President: Jodi Stiglic
Vice President & Hot Lunch Coordinator: Kyla Des Mazes
Treasurer: Krista Shuryn
Secretary & DPAC Rep: Susan Ngo
Communications Coordinator: Kaelin Nelson 
Fundraising & MAL: Ashley Buzzard, Tasha Mash
Members At Large: Jen Cooksley, Paula Halvorson, Ben Lanteigne
Emergency Preparedness Coordinator: Jodi Stiglic, Tasha Mash
Scholarship Coordinator: Ashley Buzzard
Constitution & Bylaws Committee: Jodi Stiglic, Susan Ngo, Paula Halvorson
Spooky Gym: Ashley Buzzard
Fun Fair Coordinator: Jen Cooksley

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.

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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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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