Posted: April 21, 2025

Families of Shortreed,

We hope you had a lovely long weekend! To all those families who celebrated and honoured the days on Friday and Sunday, Happy Easter! We also want to acknowledge Passover for all our families honouring this holiday over the past week.

Our PAC Everything for a Dollar Sale is coming up this Friday! People can bring donations until Thursday and stop by to find some treasures at the sale from 1:00 to 6:00 on Friday.  We are still looking for volunteers. You can sign up here.

Venechuk Farms is back again this year for their Agri-Kids Program. Watch for Farmer Blake and his team outside on Thursday before and after school giving out free produce for all our families. Students will spend the day learning with the farmers all about the local produce (and will come home with some recipes on how you can use the food). They encourage you to cook and eat together as a family.

Club Wednesdays will be starting next week (April 30) and students will have a chance to choose their clubs this week in class. A reminder that we do not send home the forms anymore as the students are given opportunities to select their clubs with their teacher during class time.

Wednesday is Admin Professionals Day, and we hope you can join us in honouring the incredible Mrs. Stoddart! She is the first person everyone sees when they arrive or talk to when they call, and she is always there to greet everyone with a warm smile and a listening ear. She is also the person who gives out ice packs and bandaids and makes sure the kids are well taken care of when they need some extra TLC. This year, we added Ms. Goltz on Wednesdays so we have double the warmth, care, organization, and strong work ethic in our front office. Thank you to Mrs. Stoddart and Ms. Goltz for being there in so many ways!

Our track practices will continue this week with the Grade 3s running with Coach Gandouin on Thursday at 12, and our Grade 4/5s running with Coach Mostat on Friday.

As always, we want to acknowledge that we do our important work to ensure every child belongs on the unceded ancestral and traditional lands of the Màthxwi (Matsqui) First Nation. We acknowledge this to honour the land and the people and share our commitment to learning on our journey for Truth and Reconciliation. With the recent changes in imports and exports with our neighbours to the south, it has reminded me of the Indigenous teachings of living off and taking care of the local lands. For thousands of years, Indigenous Peoples harvested, hunted, and fished in areas in and around these traditional lands. They taught each other only to take what was needed and to give back to the lands so the lands would give to them. It’s a good time to share these teachings with our families so we can take care of the lands and look to them to provide for us. If you have a small area with some sunshine, plant a garden with your children. When you shop with your children, talk about where the food comes from and how we can ensure that we have food opportunities for years to come. Thank you to all those who have helped me to learn about the importance of taking care of the ancestral lands we are honoured to live on. 

The girls on our grade 5 basketball team travelled to Parkside on April 9 for an all-girls basketball game. Our girls came out strong and played with intensity and confidence to come away with another win for the Eagles. Many of these players will play together in middle school so it was great to have a friendly, competitive game.

Easter festivities took place all last week, with classes participating in art activities, egg hunts, and literacy activities. Our ELL students had a chance to make cake pops and decorate eggs in this Easter tradition.

Darby Photos was here to capture the smiles of the classes for our class and group photos. They also snapped photos of our Grade 5 class as well as our Grade 5 basketball team. A big shoutout to the photographers for all their flexibility in making it work!

If you get the chance to drop off and/or pick up your child from school (or drive by), you will see that our trees are full of beautiful blossoms. When the wind came up last week, the kids had a great time collecting flowers and tossing them into the air. It finally felt like spring last week… and it looks like the lovely weather will be around for a few days this week too.

Ms. Johnson and Mrs. Datema’s class headed to Science World last week for some non-stop hands-on learning. The kids had a blast… AND there was some lovely feedback from all those who supervised the trip about how well these students represented our school. Be sure to flip the photo upside down to see these kids flying through the air! 🙂

Gr. 3-5 Track practices have started at lunchtimes on Thursdays and Fridays. Coaches Wright, Gandouin, and Mostat have focused on running this month, and we have had an awesome turnout of kids! Practices continue this week as we get ready for our school track meet on May 9.

The Week Ahead

Tuesday – Earth Day; Growing Smiles orders due (see PAC info below)
Wednesday – PAC Popcorn Day
Thursday – Agri-Kids; Gr. 3 Running Practice 12:00
Friday – Gr. 4/5 Running Practice 12:00; PAC Dollar Sale 1-6pm

Month at a Glance:

Monday, April 28 – Federal Election in Shortreed Gym
Tuesday, April 29 – Gr. 5 trip to Orpheum Theatre
Wednesday, April 30 – Club Wednesday Day 1
Thursday, May 1 – Track Practice 12:00
Friday, May 2 – Track Practice 12:00
Monday, May 5 – National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (stated in calendar so that adults can be aware and learn more)
Wednesday, May 7 – PAC Hot Lunch (McDonald’s); Club Wednesday Day 2
Friday, May 9 – Shortreed Gr. 3-5 Track Meet 9-12; Informal Learning Updates sent home
Tuesday, May 13 – PAC Meeting (AGM) 7:00
Wednesday, May 14 – Kindergarten Welcome Event 12:45-4 (early dismissal for current K’s)
Thursday, May 15 – BGMS Grade 6 Band performs 1:00
Friday, May 16 – Pro-D Day (no school for students)
Monday, May 19 – Victoria Day (schools closed)
Tuesday, May 20 – Quinn Beasley assembly 1:00
Wednesday, May 21 – PAC Treat Day (TCBY); Club Wednesday #3
Thursday, May 22 – Grade 3-5 Regional Track Meet at McLeod Stadium
Friday, May 23 – PAC Fun Fair after school

Information and Reminders

• Outside Play and Physical Activity Information (from Fraser Health) 

  Health, safety, and wellness continue to be a priority in our schools. To help support our students and families, we are sharing important information from our community partner Fraser Health about outside play and physical health for school-aged children and youth. Please see below for helpful reminders to support your child. 

  Get Outside and Play!

  Physical activity is a necessary requirement for optimal health – and the benefits are even greater if you can do it outdoors. Regular physical activity in childhood and adolescence helps to develop cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength and bone density, and being outdoors is known to improve mental health.

  There are many benefits to unstructured, outside play. When children and youth spend time outside, they:

  1.    Sit less, move more and play longer – key to cardiovascular health and fitness.

  2.    Have healthier eyes – spending more time outside reduces nearsightedness risks.

  3.    Sleep better – sunlight helps regulate sleep hormones and sleep patterns.

  4.    Enjoy improved mood – exercise reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression.

  5.    Feel more connected to nature – experience calm and develop mindfulness.

  Planning active outings doesn’t have to be challenging or costly. Here are some ideas that you can try this week:

  ·         Try a new activity – check out geocaching or seaweed searching.

  ·         Unplug and connect – here are some ideas to decrease recreational screen time

  ·         Go for a scavenger hunt – try this nature scavenger hunt, plant scavenger hunt or backyard activity

  ·         Go for a walk or hike – try these 10 hikes to take your kids on this summer

  ·         Play in a forest or park – try a new regional park every day for a week

  ·         Explore a local stream – check these beautiful watershed walks in the region

  ·         Swim at the pool, waterpark or beach – check beach safety conditions first or stay cool at a local spray park

  ·         Ride a bike or scooter – explore the Hope Bike Park or check out the pumptrack at Vedder Rotary Trail

  ·         Visit farms, fish hatcheries and bird sanctuaries – this local family fun guide has unique ideas

  Find more ideas to keep your kids active through the year on Fraser Health’s website: 

  Keeping children active – Fraser Health Authority

• Strive for FIVE Days (or Less) – Attendance is crucial to your child’s learning as it helps with academics, social-emotional well-being, and peer connections. We understand children get sick, but please send them to school as many days as possible and strive for FIVE or fewer!

• 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 and state the following information:

  • Student First Name and Last Name
  • Grade
  • Division
  • Length of Absence
  • Reason (illness, late, appointment, vacation)
• If your family needs support for breakfast before school, our breakfast program runs from 8:20-8:35 each day. Students must register and come every school day. You can register here.
• 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.
• 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.

PAC Info

Community Events and Information

Click here to check out the Langley School District’s community bulletin board.

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For families seeking help to support their teens’ transition into adulthood, especially those with neurodiverse teens.

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Free Swim Lesson Opportunity for Students – Inspired Swim’s Making Waves Program

The Langley School District Foundation is excited to announce a new partnership with Inspired Swim, a leading provider of private swim instruction. This initiative is designed to make water safety education more accessible to families in our district. 

Through Inspired Swim’s Making Waves Program, Inspired Swim will provide free swim lessons to students who may not otherwise have access. 

Parents can apply for free lessons using the form linked here: [Apply Here] 

Thank you for helping make water safety accessible to all children in our community! 

 For more details, visit www.inspiredswim.com or contact zach@inspiredswim.com

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International Student Program Homestay Families

Embark on a rewarding journey of cultural exchange! The District is seeking homestay families to host International Student Program (ISP) students for the 2025-2026 school year and beyond. There are many benefits including learning a new culture, sharing your family traditions, and developing life-long friendships. Homestay families are provided $1200 per month to offset costs. Start your journey here: https://www.studyinlangley.com/student-life/

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Raising Digitally Resilient Kids

The Raising Digitally Resilient Kids parent workshop outlines how parents and guardians can support children’s well-being and help them balance the risks and benefits of digital media. Based on insights from MediaSmarts’ research with youth, the workshop provides an overview of online risk categories and provides resources and essential strategies that participants can take to manage these risks.

https://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/workshops/raising-digitally-resilient-kids?mc_cid=cadc5a99de&mc_eid=43f3fb04f2

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