Families of Shortreed,

Well, things certainly warmed up quickly this past weekend!!! We hope you enjoyed all the sunshine, and I loved running into Shortreed families outside at the baseball diamonds, soccer fields, and even Dairy Queen! Not a great weekend for Oilers fans, but an exciting one for those cheering on the Habs!

May the FOURTH Be With You! Don't forget that tomorrow (Monday) is Star Wars Day! If you have Star Wars gear or can create those side buns like Princess Leia... or if you just want to talk like Yoda, tomorrow is the day. 

On Tuesday, our grade 4 students continue with their swim program, and our grade 5s travel to the Orpheum to watch the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. 

Club Wednesday sessions are back starting this week! Students have been choosing their clubs and teachers/staff/volunteers have been prepping for our first CW at 1:20 this Wednesday. 

There is a grade 3-5 running practice on Thursday at lunch, the final practice for the meet. Friday is our Grade 3-5 Track Meet. Parents/Caregivers are welcome and encouraged to come by and cheer on the kids. Please note that the 400m and 800m events will be run on Monday at 11:30 and 1:45 (respectively). Here is the schedule (or click below to download the schedule with info and map:Shortreed Track Meet Schedule 2026.pdf

On Friday, your child will be sent home with an Informal Learning Update for Term 3. I know you recently received a Student Inclusive Conference document, but this week's report is mostly about work habits and classroom behaviour, along with a goal for the final 2 months of the year. 

PAC Hot Lunch is on Wednesday (Mucho Burrito), and on Thursday, Darby Photos will be here to take class and group photos. 

The Clearview Nursery vouchers (PAC fundraiser) are ready for pick up. Please come to the PAC room on Monday/Tuesday after the morning bell or after the end-of-the-day bell to pick up your vouchers from Ashley. If you are unable to pick up, please email PAC at Shortreedpac@gmail.com to make other arrangements. 

Thank you to all those students and staff who participated in Career Day on Monday! We loved seeing all the uniforms, hard hats, safety vests, scrubs, and so much more! 

Our Grade 5 Girls Basketball players dusted off their shoes and hit the court for a game against the girls from Parkside. The Eagles started off slowly but then found their game in the 2nd half, but came up short in a 26-16 loss. The future is bright for these future BGMS Raptops girls players!

We hosted 70 elementary and district administrators from Langley on Wednesday. Stan Morgan of Máthxwi First Nation (and a Shortreed parent) shared beautiful and powerful words and welcomed everyone to these lands. Ms. Elson then led some of our students with a song. Mrs. Gill and Mr. Wejr shared some highlights about Shortreed, and then 6 students joined a panel to discuss self-regulation strategies and what they love about Shortreed. Our guests then did a tour of the school. Thank you to everyone who helped make this day a success!!

On Friday, our Shortreed PAC hosted their annual Spring Everything For a Dollar Sale. This group of parent volunteers worked so hard collecting donations, organizing and sorting the items, selling them, and cleaning up everything left. A HUGE thank you to Kyla, Jodi, and all the volunteers. Thanks to our community's donations (thank you!) and all the volunteers' efforts, they raised over $ 3,500 for our 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.  As shared above, we were honoured to have Stan Morgan welcome my colleagues to our school on Wednesday. Stan shared some moving words about his time as a student at Shortreed as well as the pride he has in the community of Shortreed. Although we are always on our journey, we have come a long way and this is due to the patience and dedication of the people of Máthxwi, Ms. Elson, Shortreed staff and families, and the students of our school. We are proud to have "Community" in our name, and hearing the beautiful words from Stan made me again thankful to be part of this school on these Máthxwi lands. 

The Week Ahead

• Monday, May 4 - Spirit Day - Star Wars Day
• Tuesday, May 5 - Gr. 4 Swim Program, Gr. 5 Trip to Orpheum
• Wednesday, May 6 - PAC Hot Lunch; Club Wednesday #1 1:20-2:20
• Thursday, May 7 - Class/Group Photos; Gr. 3-5 Track (Running) practice 12:00-12:25
• Friday, May 8 - Shortreed Grade 3-5 Track Meet (9:00-12:00)

Upcoming Dates and Events:

• Monday, May 11 - Gr. 1 field trip
• 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)
• 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 9:30-2:00
• Friday, May 29 - Earthquake Drill 10:00
• Wednesday, June 3 - PAC Popcorn Day; Club Wednesday #3 

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:

• 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

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. 

Don’t forget we also need jar game donations the top primary class and top intermediate class who brings in the most amount of jars wins freezies for the class.

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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McHappy Day and the Langley School District Foundation

On Wednesday, May 6, 2026, McDonald’s Langley locations will celebrate McHappy Day, raising funds to support families and children in our community. Proceeds will be split between three local charities, including the Langley School District Foundation!

This year, the goal is to raise $28,000. Your support will help fund Out-of-School Programs for Langley students.

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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