Posted: October 15, 2023
Families of Shortreed,
We hope you had a great weekend.
Thank you so much for your support of our Terry Fox Fundraiser! With all your support, we surpassed our goal of $1200 and raised a total of $1210 as of Friday! Thank you, Shortreed!!! All this will go to help cancer research through the Terry Fox Foundation. If you have not donated, you can still donate online here.
A reminder that Thursday is Photo Day! Also, Friday is a provincial Pro-D day, so the staff will be at school, but students will not.
An update this year on early dismissals for parent-teacher conferences. Because we have Student Inclusive Conferences at the end of November, Shortreed does not have early dismissal on October 25-26 as BGMS and ACSS have. Instead of two 1-hour early dismissals that are not near the Student Inclusive Conferences, we will have one 2-hour early dismissal on November 30.
As always, we want to acknowledge that we do our important work and learning at Shortreed on the unceded traditional territories of the Matsqui First Nation. We are so honoured to have the opportunity to continue to develop our relationship with the people and families from Matsqui First Nation to listen and learn more about the truths of the past and all the teachings that have occurred on these lands since time immemorial.
We hope you take a few minutes to read about some of the Good Things happening at our school and some updates and reminders for the weeks ahead.
Good Things to Talk About
Dear Terry… We had some incredibly excited runners ready to run for Terry Fox (or a family member, friend, or animal) for our annual Terry Fox Run. The route was packed with parents cheering us on and we had one of the best turnouts for both support and effort as many students ran an extra lap for Terry. We even had some lovely neighbours from Jackman Manor out there cheering us on and warming our hearts at the same time. Thank you to everyone who came out to help and cheer us on!
Cross Country Comes to a Close – Many of our athletes had their final meet of the season on Tuesday. Students had another impressive showing with a few more attaining their personal best placing of the season! For 5 of our athletes (Ryu, Caroline, Maddie, Makinley, and Elise), they will run this week in the District Championships! Thank you to all those families who came out and cheered on the kids and thank you to Ms. Bowers, Mrs. Parsons, Ms. Kaur, Mostat, and Mrs, Tarasoff for their help with organizing and coaching.
The Tallest… Pumpkin! Mrs, Kirk challenged some of the students in the library to build the tallest tower that could hold a pumpkin! The students used Keva Planks to build the towers… with some being as tall as they are! Check out the photos on IG.
Langley Book of the Year – Mrs. Kirk got the kids pumped about the Langley Book of the Year event with our grade 4/5 students. They will have the chance to read some (or all!) of the books and then vote on their favourites. There will also be prizes available too. Mrs. Kirk may have to order a few more copies with all the excitement around these books!
It’s Beginning to SOUND a lot like Christmas? Wait… it is only October! Well, that is what happens when you put on the awesome Christmas concerts that Mrs. Muller does with the kids each year! Students have been learning and practicing their concert songs to prepare to perform in December. You shouldn’t hear too many songs at home though as we want it to a special surprise for you at the concert!
Div 19 – An Apple a Day… Ms. Coghill’s students have been learning all about apples… inside and out! Students shared all they knew and wanted to know and then learned about the life cycle and parts of the apple and some interesting information. They explored the insides of the apples and even did a taste test of different types of apples and then did some apple art. They finished off by sharing all they learned about apples.
Div 17 – Making TEN! Miss Petersen has been learning about counting and adding up to ten. They took some time to enjoy the fall-themed loose parts to practice their math facts. Students counted (1 to 1 correspondence) and added numbers to 10, and showed their learning with the parts.
Div 15 – A Phonemic Foundation – Ms. Fournier’s students have started their literacy routines. (UFLI – from the University of Florida Literacy Institute). Each morning, students practice their letter sounds, blends, graphemes (for writing) and decoding strategies in a fun way that builds confidence and important skills to provide the foundation for literacy.
Div 13 – Ms. Kaur’s class continues to move into their literacy and math routines with a chance for some small group support and number corner. A highlight of learning from Ms. Kaur’s class will come next week!
Div 11 – Fort and PJ Day! Ms. Cheema’s class has worked hard to achieve their classroom behaviour and self-regulation goals. They recently accomplished some of these and celebrated with a Fort and PJ Day! Students wore their pyjamas, built forts, and spent some time learning and working in the forts.
Div 9 – Running for Terry – Mrs. Gandouin’s students reflected on their efforts and determination and thought of Terry Fox while running the run on Thursday. They spent some time writing about these reflections and sharing them with peers. As a school, we want the students to understand the importance and true meaning of the run and these grade 2 students showed their understanding (and their effort and why the student’s legs were “killing” him! haha – see image)
Div 7 – Going Batty for Science! Ms. Johnson’s students have been learning all about the parts and behaviours of bats! To some people, bats can be scary, but they are actually fascinating creatures, and the students were very interested to learn. In addition to this, students also spent time sharing some of their strengths and interests as part of their self-reflections as we move into the middle of the term.
Div 5 – Mrs. Ewald and Ms. Penner’s class has been learning about biomes, math patterns and sequencing, and creating maps. They also spent some time reflecting and writing about Terry Fox as a Canadian hero. We will share a photo a more info next week.
Div 3 – IN the ZONES – Mostat’s class has been diving deeper into the Zones of Regulation. They recently spent time identifying situations that put them into each zone (Green, yellow, blue, red)and strategies that can be used to help them regulate their emotions. The Zones are a cornerstone of Shortreed and learning how to regulate their emotions is a key part of our teaching in the fall.
Div 1 – Learning and Writing about Terry – Mrs. Parsons’ students have been learning and discussing the life and legacy of Terry Fox. They spent some time sharing their learning (through writing) of all he did and his impact over the past 40 years.
The Week Ahead
Tuesday – Cross-Country Championships (4/5) 3:30
Wednesday – Kindergarten field trip to the pumpkin patch
Thursday – Photo Day!
Friday – Pro-D Day – no school for students
Month at a Glance
Wednesday, Oct 25 – PAC Treat Day
Friday – Oct 27 – Gr. 2-5 Dance Session in the gym 7:45am
Tuesday, Oct 31 – Halloween at Shortreed!
Friday, Nov 3 – Gr. 2-5 Dance Session in the gym 7:45am
Wednesday, Nov 8 – National Indigenous Veteran’s Day, PAC Hot Lunch
Thursday, Nov 9 – Remembrance Day Assembly 11:00
Friday, Nov 10 – Design/Assessment Day – no school for students
Monday, Nov 13 – Schools not in session (Remembrance Day stat)
Friday, Nov 17 – Fire Drill 11:00
Friday, Nov 24 – PAC Dollar Sale, PAC Treat Day
You can download a list of the important dates in the district for 2023-2024 here. You can also check out the PAC Facebook Group for a NEW monthly calendar!
Information and Reminders
- Friday Dance Sessions starting October 27! Does your grade 2-5 child love to move? Come to th
e gym at 7:45 on Friday mornings to learn Bhangra, line dance, and other forms of dance!
” I dance to bring meaning, to bring possibility, and to bring inspiration to others. I dance because it makes me whole, so would you like to try some dance moves with me on Friday mornings!” See you on October 27th at 7:45 in the gym! From Ms. Kaur - As the weather cools, if you are in need of boots and/or a coat, please check out our free Boot and Coat exchange near the office and gym.
- We are excited to have early learning opportunities such as “Strong Start”, “Gifts and Gatherings” and “Come As You Are” available for families and children in the Langley School District. Check out more in the flyer here.
Attendance/Absence – 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 emailing SCEAttendance@sd35.bc.ca or calling 604-856-4167.
- Our district received funding for breakfast programs staffing this year. We are still determining staffing so have been unable to get our breakfast program up and running yet. We do have our snack and lunch programs running and if your child is in need of a breakfast/snack when they arrive, please have them let their teacher know.
- Our school parking lot is closed between 8:15-9:00 and 2:00-2:45 (other than daycare, buses, and vehicles for people with a disability). The church across the street graciously allows us to use their parking lot for pick-up and drop-off so please park there or along 28th Ave. Do not park in the “no parking” (coned) areas along the yellow curbs. No u-turns.
- West Coast Recess – As we have done over the past few years, every day is an outside day at Shortreed. Unless there is a severe rainstorm (or snowstorm), we will be heading outside. Please make sure your child has a coat to wear outside. We have a good selection of coats in our FREE Coat Exchange near the office, so come by and check them out.
- Please bring inside shoes for your child. This helps to keep our school clean and dry. If you need some help with shoes, check out our FREE Shoe and Boot Exchange at the office.
- Not Feeling Well? If your child has cold or flu-like symptoms, please keep them home until they have improved and they are well enough to attend school. This will help keep our staff and students as healthy as possible.
PAC Info
Shortreed PAC is holding another fundraiser through Global Coffee (same company as last year), the only difference is the packaging is a little smaller, and you pay a little less for it.Returning Parents: Please sign in to your Munch-a-Lunch account at https://munchalunch.com/loginand update your child’s grade and teacher.
Community Events and Information
Check out events and activities around Langley by clicking on the Community Bulletin Board!
Erase Family Sessions: Establishing Safe, Caring, and Respectful Digital Communities
Three virtual Erase learning sessions for families will be held on November 8th, 28th, and 30th, focusing on establishing safe, caring, and respectful digital communities. These sessions are best suited for families and youth aged 10 and above. Please see the form here for links to register for these sessions.
B2U Basketball Camps are BACK at Shortreed!
Professional coaches and college players working with interested athletes from Aldergrove every Tuesday for 8 weeks!
Gr. 1-3 – Tuesdays from 3:00-4:00 (Oct 17-Dec 12) – $50 – SOLD OUT!
Gr. 4-5 – Tuesday from 4:15-5:45 ((Oct 17-Dec 12) – $90
Click here for more info and a chance to register. Space is limited to 30 players, and the camp sold out in the spring, so register soon! If the fee is out of reach for your family, please let Mr. Wejr know.
Pacific Sport Fraser Valley is back, providing some athletic opportunities for our students for a very reasonable price! Click on the links below to register. (note that the early ones are at Shortreed and the later ones are at Parkside)
XploreSportZ Aldergrove – Shortreed– Coed – Grades K-4 – Wednesdays – 2:45pm – 3:45pm – $20
XploreSportZ Aldergrove – Coed – Grades K – 4 Tickets, Wed, 18 Oct 2023 at 2:45 PM | Eventbrite
XploreSportZ Aldergrove – Shortreed – Coed – Grades 4-7 – Wednesdays – 4:00pm – 5:00pm – $20
XploreSportZ Aldergrove – Coed – Grades 4-7 Tickets, Wed, 18 Oct 2023 at 4:00 PM | Eventbrite
XploreSportZ Aldergrove – Parkside – Coed – Grades K-4 – Wednesdays – 5:30pm – 6:30pm – $20
XploreSportZ Aldergrove – Coed – Grades K – 4 Tickets, Wed, 18 Oct 2023 at 5:30 PM | Eventbrite
XploreSportZ Aldergrove – Parkside – Coed – Grades 4-7 – Wednesdays – 2:45pm – 3:45pm – $20
XploreSportZ Aldergrove – Coed – Grades 4 – 7 Tickets, Wed, 18 Oct 2023 at 6:45 PM | Eventbrite