The Week Ahead - November 3-7. 2025
Families of Shortreed,
I hope your kids (and you) had a fantastic Halloween night! Although it started wet, the rain seemed to hold off just enough for the kids. I always love seeing the kids stop by for some candy (and a scare) or seeing them out trick-or-treating in the neighbourhood.
This is an important week as we focus on Remembrance Day and National Indigenous Veterans Day at Shortreed. Our assembly will take place on Friday at 11:00. Although we would love to open this event to the community, unfortunately, due to capacity limits in the gym, only parents/caregivers of our Grade 5 students and our class wreath-bearers will be permitted to attend. We encourage you, if possible, to donate to the Royal Canadian Legion through School Cash Online. Poppies will be distributed later this week.
On Thursday at 11:00, our Grade 5s will be partnering with the Aldergrove Legion again for the 2025 No Stone Left Alone (NSLA) ceremony at Aberdeen Cemetery. In this formal ceremony, some of our students will read poems and recite the names of the veterans resting at Aberdeen, while all students will place a stone poppy on the headstone of the veterans.
Our Grade 5 Soccer team will be back on the field this week (after a bye week) as they host Uplands Elementary on Tuesday after school. Come out and cheer them on in their 4th game of the season on our backfield.
Quincy Mack will be visiting Shortreed with his high-energy "Be an All-Star" presentation on Tuesday. Q-Mack has hosted the Toronto Raptors and numerous other NBA events and will bring his passion and basketball freestyling skills to our gym.
A reminder that Monday, November 10, is a Design and Assessment Day, so our staff will be in session; however, there will be no school for students. November 11 is Remembrance Day, so it is a 4-day weekend for our students.
A special thank you to the Sts. Joachim and Ann Catholic Church. They conducted a shoe and boot drive, donating bags and bags of shoes/boots to us. These were put out on the tables for Shortreed families and we hope they helped everyone who picked some out!
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 to not only acknowledge the lands but also to share our dedication to learning on our journey of truth and reconciliation. As part of our learning, we will be discussing the importance of National Indigenous Veterans Day this week. This will be in addition to Remembrance Day. We do this as a separate acknowledgment because for far too many years, Indigenous veterans were not honoured in the same way as their non-Indigenous peers. They were not permitted to attend Remembrance Day events to be honoured. When they returned from the wars, Indigenous Veterans did not receive any of the benefits that non-Indigenous veterans received. We hope you can take some time on November 8 to honour National Indigenous Veterans Day,
Good Things to Talk About
Our PAC Volunteers did it again!!! They decorated and created another epic Spooky Gym for our students this Halloween! With awesome decorations, creepy animals from Wild Education, a brilliant carved pumpkin patch, and a dancing Yeti, our kids had a blast touring through the gym.
T
he rain did not stop hundreds of family members from coming and cheering the kids on during our Halloween Parade on Friday. Each student had a chance to show their stuff in their costumes while their peers and the community supported them.
Our kindergarten classes did some fun Trick-or-Treating at nearby seniors' residences on Friday. We love our community connections with local organizations. Ms. Bowers and Ms. Gostelow headed to Bellevue Park, while Ms. McLeod and Ms. Coghill walked to Jackman Manor. We are not sure who was more excited... the kindies or the seniors! Our K students also loved heading to Eagle Acres Farm on Monday for their annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch!
For some of our students who are new to Canada, Halloween is a whole new experience! Before heading out to collect some candy on Friday, some of our intermediate ELL students had a chance to carve some pumpkins with the ELL team. It's always awesome to see a child's first experience with grabbing a handful of the "guts" of a pumpkin for the first time!
Several classes had 
a chance for a fun fall/Halloween photo with our "Massive Celebrity Pumpkin" last week! The Lewis family grew a 422lb pumpkin and donated it to our school for our students to check it out! It took 4 adults and a lot of creativity to bring this huge guard into the school! Thank you so much to the Lewis family for adding to our Halloween experience at Shortreed.
One o
f our PE Teachers, Mrs. Rossnagel, has been organizing intramural sports activities in the gym each Thursday for our Grade 5 students. They are loving it and had a chance to play some fun, competitive skittle ball last week.
Darby Photos was here again for Photo Retakes. We love seeing all the extra efforts they put in for the students and staff at our school! Original photos should be here soon, and retake proofs should arrive later this week.
The Week Ahead
- Monday, November 3 - Gr. 5 Soccer Practice 2:45
- Tuesday, November 4 - Lockdown Drill 10:00, Quincy Mack Assembly 1:15, Gr. 5 Soccer Home Game vs Uplands 3:00; Neufeld Farm order pickup at 6:00.
- Wednesday, November 5 - PAC Hot Lunch (Panago)
- Thursday, November 6 - No Stone Left Alone (Gr. 5) 11:00
- Friday, November 7 - Remembrance Day Assembly 11:00
Upcoming Dates and Events:
- Saturday, November 8 - Indigenous Veterans Day
- Monday, November 10 - Design/Assessment Day - no school for students
- Tuesday, November 11 - Remembrance Day - schools closed
- Thursday, November 13 - PAC Meeting 6:30
- Friday, November 14 - last day for Growing Smiles fundraiser
- Monday, November 17 - Gr. 5 Soccer practice 2:45
- Tuesday, November 18 - Fire Drill 11:00; Gr. Soccer game at Nicomekl 3:00
- Wednesday, November 19 - PAC Popcorn Day
- Friday, November 21 - PAC Dollar Sale 1:00-6:00
- Monday, November 24 - Student Inclusive Conferences begin
- Wednesday, November 26 - Student Inclusive Conference Day (students only attend their conference appointment time)
- Thursday, November 27 - Early Dismissal at 12:33 for SIC
- Friday, November 28 - Pick up Growing Smiles order at 2:45
- Saturday, November 29 - Shortreed Winter Market (gym)
- Wednesday, December 3 - PAC Hot Lunch - McDonald's
- Friday, December 5 - Santa Breakfast!
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:
- Road and Pedestrian Safety
With less daylight hours and as we enter the season of wind, rain, and ice, we are sharing an important reminder from our community partner ICBC to students, staff, and families to help keep our community safe. Drivers should be alert, focus on the road, watch for pedestrians, especially at intersections and transit stops, and always be ready to stop. Pedestrians and travelers on bikes or scooters should be careful at intersections, always use designated crosswalks, remove headphones and devices, and be aware of your surroundings. For more tips read this resource Kids Pedestrian Safety or visit ICBC’s webpage here.
- Information About School Status During Inclement Weather
Snow closures and power outages are an annual occurrence in Langley School District. So, where do you go to get information about the status of schools during periods of inclement weather? If you are able to access the internet via computer or smartphone, current information about Langley schools can be accessed on all school websites or www.sd35.bc.ca. Updates are also posted to X (formerly Twitter) @LangleySchools and Facebook at www.facebook.com/langleyschooldistrict. If you don't have internet connectivity but your phone is working, call a relative or friend in an area that has not been affected by the storm and ask them to check the district website for you. Local radio stations are also informed of school status in Langley. Tune in to CKWX 1130AM, CKNW 980AM, Country Radio 107.1FM, Pulse 107.7 or CBC 690AM or 88.1FM for updates.
Please note that Langley District schools are all considered 'open' until a decision to close is required. Decisions on school closures are usually made by 6:30am. As always, it is a parent's decision whether to send their child to school based on safety and individual circumstances. If you feel it is unsafe for you or your child to travel to or attend an open school for any reason, please keep your child home and report an absence to the school.
- 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.
- 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:
- 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
Our Growing Smiles fundraiser is now OPEN!
https://shortreed.growingsmilesfundraising.com/
This year the only option is to pay by credit card. If this poses any problems, please email us at Shortreedpac@gmail.com, and we can work together to find a solution that will work to place your order.
Start date: open now!
End date: All orders must be in by end of day Friday November 14th
Pick up date: Friday November 28th 2:45pm at Shortreed
The Neufelds Farms Fundraiser Pick up date/time: Tuesday, November 4th, 6:00PM in the Shortreed Parking Lot. If you have made arrangements with a seller to pick up your order, please send them a reminder email that you have ordered. We are unable to store your items for you. Thank you for your support!
Hot Lunch Orders can be made now. Go to www.munchalunch.com/schools/shortreed/ to order.
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 - FamilySmart services are free with no waitlists, and we serve parents and caregivers experiencing mental health or substance use challenges with their children or youth. This includes talking and collaborating, offering possible resources, helping parents navigate community resources, and sharing monthly events.
November Events:
FamilySmart is hosting 3 events this November - two on Zoom and one in person. All of our programs are free - parents or caregivers can register on our website -https://familysmart.ca/monthly-events/ if interested.