Posted: February 7, 2021
Families of Shortreed,
We hope you have had a great first week of February and had a chance to enjoy the sunshine… and, if you are a Tom Brady and/or a Bucs fan, I am sure you had an AWESOME day!
Although the field has been relatively wet, it has been great seeing classes and students out there exploring, playing, creating, and learning!
Grade 4/5 basketball has been going well. This week, Div 4/5 will play on Tuesday morning and Div 1/2/3 will play on Thursday morning (as Friday is a Pro-D day). Going forward, we will do our best to keep Div 4/5 on Tuesdays and Div 1/2/3 on Fridays.
A reminder that no treats (including packaged treats) are permitted for Valentine’s Day at school this year. Also, don’t forget that Friday is a Pro-D Day so there is no school for students but lots of learning for staff. Please see the updates and reminders sections for some info on the updated provincial Covid safety protocols.
As always, we want to acknowledge that the Langley School District works, learns, and plays on the unceded ancestral lands of the Matsqui, Kwantlen, Katzie and Semiahmoo First Nations.
Good Things to Talk About
A New Lens – Mrs. Kirk’s students love their community walks. To help with their observations, Mrs. Kirk got her class some binoculars and they were able to see birds and other flora and fauna up close. Back in the classroom, the students are finishing up their unit on graphic novels. One of their tasks this past week was to create a scene from their story that stayed true to the characters in their chosen book, used all the features, and told a clear story in 3 boxes. Check out a few samples on our social media.
Paddling Together – Mrs. Creech’s students welcomed Ms. Elson into the class to share her wisdom and teachings on the importance of cedar canoes to Indigenous Peoples. Students all made their own mini canoes too. The students also wrote some heartfelt reflections of Harley (Mr. D’s dog and the dog next door for Div 10) and all that he meant to them. On Thursday, one of the students brought in their pet chicken to show her classmates!
Dragon Drawings – Ms. Bedard’s class has started to discuss the importance of Lunar New Year celebrations. They recently did a directed drawing of the Dragons used to celebrate this important time of the year. They also had a blast making their “Gnome” version of community Valentin’s cards!
Natural Hearts – Miss Petersen’s class headed out to the forest last week to find natural materials to make hearts. They used sticks. stones, leaves, and everything else they could find to make their Valentine’s creations.
Bring on the Sight Words – A few of our kindergarten students are learning sight words! Sight words are high-frequency words that we memorize and put into long-term memory to help with reading. Ms. Coghill’s students were so excited to start reading a few of the sight words in class!
Reflecting on Identity – Students in Ms. Rafighi’s class are learning about the Cree artist George Littlechild. They will be creating their own self-portrait in this style to create their own painting that reflects their identity. They have also been working on their subtraction skills in math.
The Power of SMALL – Small group instruction is so important at Shortreed. The self-regulation strategies, classroom routines, and engaging independent/partner activities allow the classroom teacher to work with a small group of students to provide key instruction at their level. While students in Mrs. North’s class played some math games and practiced their number facts, a small group of students were able to work with Mrs. North using manipulatives to practice their subtraction skills.
Community Valentine’s Cards – Our classes are all creating their own versions of Shortreed’s community Valentine’s cards that will be distributed to seniors as well as local organizations and businesses. Mrs. Graham’s students started their cards on Friday by painting their pink and red hearts on the front of their card. Next week they will add a message to share some love in our community.
Sometimes My Heart Feels… Mrs. Datema recently read the story “In My Heart: A Book of Feelings” with her class to help teach and build an understanding of the different feelings we have in our hearts. For students, it is often difficult to differentiate between feelings like silly and happy or sadness and anger; knowing and understanding these feelings helps students to learn what to do when they are feeling sad, angry, frustrated, silly, happy, etc. Students picked a feeling and then chose an example of when they might feel that way.
A Love of Read-Alouds – When I first met our lovely library tech, Mrs. Watson, she shared how much she LOVES reading to students. We are thankful for her passion for this as our kids get to enjoy a read-aloud with her on Thursdays each week.
Feelin the Beat – Mrs. Muller has been working on “rhythm and beat” with students as they learn to read music and then stomp, clap, or march to the beat of a song. Ms. Manhas’ students loved the rhythm games that they played in music and seemed to forget that they were learning so much! Students in Ms. Manhas’s class have been making some huge gains with reading this year… the continual effort, big focus on literacy, and consistent classroom reading routines are paying off!
Flora for Valentine’s – Ms. Toby’s class, along with the support of Ms. Elson, headed out to the forest to create heart-like shapes to be used for their community Valentine’s cards. The staff took photos of their creations and these were placed on their cards along with a message of care to be shared throughout the community. They have also been working very hard in their Daily Number Corner – exploring representing numbers in various forms, including tally, picture, on a number line, ten frames, and more… and have even been practicing some simple addition and subtraction!
Learning From Leaders – Students in Mrs. Parsons’ class have learned and read about a lot of inspiring people and characters this year. They recently chose a person who they see as a role model/leader and used this person as an example to reflect upon and share the qualities and attributes of leaders and role models.
In Fine Form – Mr. D’s students continued their learning about landforms as it was part of their classroom “Weekly Wonder”. Students learned about the role that weathering and erosion can play on landforms.. including some local examples.
Centres in the Library – Over the past year, Ms. McKay has added a number of literacy stations to help practice and build on the literacy skills taught in class. Students love the Osmo device and app as they can play some word-building games (and more!) to practice in an engaging way.
Use the Force – Students in Mrs. Dhaliwal’s class have been learning about forces in science. They recently had a chance to explore magnetic force by using some magnets in the classroom and collecting objects from around the classroom and testing whether they were magnetic or not.
A Tidal Effect – Ms. Fenech shared some pictures of a trip she took to the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia and used this to explain to the students how tides work (and the effect they can have on living organisms). Students then had to draw their own representations of low tide and high tide and their effect on humans, plants and animals.
Lit Circle Time! Ms. McCabe’s students started picking their books for their lit circles. They started reading them and having some important discussions about their reading. In math, they were working on addition with regrouping so they worked in small groups and students broke the addenda into tens and ones to make easier questions. They also went for a very sunny community walk!Super Stamina! One of the ways that classroom teachers can provide time for individual assessments and small group instruction is if students can spend time reading to themselves. I had a chance to pop into Ms. Bain’s classroom while she was doing a reading assessment. Students were spread out throughout the classroom, all with multiple books and all spending time reading to themselves. This stamina for reading not only helps them practise their reading skills but helps the teacher with assessment and instruction (sorry, the photo of kids reading did not turn out).
The Week Ahead
Tuesday – Div 4/5 Basketball – 7:30 am
Thursday – Div 1/2/3 Basketball – 7:30 am
Friday – Pro-D Day – no school for students
Month at a Glance
Friday, February 19 – Lockdown Drill – 12:45 pm
Monday, February 22 – Report Card Prep and Design and Assessment Day – no school for students
Mon-Fri – Feb 22-26 – Diversity and Respect Week (and February 24 is National Pink Shirt Day)
Wed-Thurs, March 11-12 – Parent-Teacher Conferences
Friday, March 13 – Last day before spring break
PAC News
Response Requested – PAC Survey – Our Langley District PAC is currently working alongside the School District to look at policies around emergency school closures. Part of this process includes getting a sense of what parents’ wishes are in regards to this. The Shortreed PAC Executive would love to get your feedback, and will then share this with DPAC in the coming weeks. Please fill out this quick survey by February 10th. You can find the survey by clicking the link below, and you do not have to have a Google account to complete it. Your Shortreed PAC Executive thanks you!
Important Updates and Reminders
Enhanced Safety Measures for K-12 Schools
The District appreciates all the hard work from students, staff, and families in helping keep our community safe. We continue to work closely with the Ministry of Education and Provincial Health Office. This week the province announced changes to COVID-19 health and safety guidelines for schools. Mask requirements for middle and secondary school students and K-12 staff have been amended. Guidelines have also been strengthened for physical education and music classes.
It is important to note, our schools will need some time to implement these new changes; all changes will be in effect as of February 26, 2021. Your continued patience and support are appreciated. If you have any questions, please contact the school.
Please read below and full details found in the province’s news release located on the District website here.
Changes to Mask Wearing
All middle and secondary students and K-12 staff will now be required to wear non-medical masks in all indoor areas, including when they are with their learning groups. The only exceptions are when:
• sitting or standing at their seat or workstation in a classroom;
• there is a barrier in place; or
• they are eating or drinking.For elementary students, wearing masks indoors remain a personal choice.
It is important to note, as advised by the province, these changes above do not apply to grade 6 and 7 students attending an elementary school.
Changes to Physical Education and Music Classes
High-intensity physical activities are to be held outside as much as possible. Shared equipment or items, such as weight machines, treadmills or musical instruments, can be used only if they are cleaned between use, according to strict school sanitization guidelines. Students using equipment or playing instruments should also be spaced at least two metres apart and masks are to be used when singing.
- School Messenger – a reminder to sign up for important text messages from the school. Just text Yes to the number 978338.
- IMPORTANT SAFETY REMINDER – please do not make any u-turns across the double yellow line along 28th Ave (the road the school is on). Also, please use the crosswalk instead of walking across 28th through traffic. Our kids are watching so please remember to follow pedestrian and driving rules… especially near the school. Also, please avoid U-Turns in the Alderview housing area as many of our kids and families are walking in that lot.
- If your child will be absent, please email shortreedabsent@sd35.bc.ca or call the school.
- Health and safety continues to be our top priority. We want to remind students and families to complete the Daily Health Check. Thank you for your ongoing cooperation and for doing your part to ensure our school community is healthy and safe. The form is available in multiple languages on the District website here: https://bit.ly/2Mw0jo5
- 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 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 school parking lot is closed between 8:15-9:00 and 2:00-2:30 (other than daycare, buses, and vehicles for people with a disability). The church across the street generously allows us to use their parking lot so please park there or along 28th Ave. Do not park in the “no parking” (coned) area.
Community Events and Information
For some other great opportunities in the community, click here.