Posted: March 2, 2025
Families of Shortreed,
What a difference a couple of weeks can make! We have gone from snow to almost a completely flooded field to almost a feeling of summer! I hope you enjoyed the beautiful sunshine out there recently.
I want to wish a peaceful and blessed month and say Ramadan Mubarak to all our families who are honouring Ramadan over the next four weeks. During Ramadan, people fast during the day, pray, and provide charity to others. Ramadan is also a time for hospitality and spending time with friends and family.
This week is the start of Student Inclusive Conferences. The online signup is now closed so please connect with your child’s teacher to book a time that works for both of you. A reminder that your child must come with you for the conference. Also, please note that we can only accommodate one conference per family. If possible, please either have care for younger siblings during the conference time or bring something to keep them engaged so all the attention can be on the student and the conversation. A reminder that Wednesday is an early dismissal at 12:33 (students will still need a snack but will not eat lunch at school; they will still have time to play outside). Thursday is our SIC Day so students ONLY attend during their conference time IF they have a conference booked. We hope you enjoy the rich discussions around their growth and learning this week! Thank you to teachers and staff for all their work in preparing for the conferences.
Grade 5 basketball practices on Tuesday and Friday mornings this week and host James Hill after school on Tuesday in the Shortreed gym for their final regular season game of the year. Come out and cheer them on! Grade 2 basketball practices on Monday after school.
Our Jump Rope For Heart Fundraiser is starting FRIDAY! Our Jump Rope for Heart activities Kickoff is on March 7 and our event day is March 10-14. Students will be participating in fitness and jump rope activities in the gym throughout the week.To donate, please go to our school JUMP website: https://jumpropeforheart.crowdchange.ca/89640. Our school goal this year is $2000 = ~$4 per student so we would love your support for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. We will also have prizes for students at the school and anyone who fundraises will be entered into the draw. Please see parent info by clicking on the links below and thank you for your support!
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. On Friday, I was at BGMS for an assembly on Friday and listened to principal Mrs. Burns share a beautiful personal land acknowledgement to the school. It reminded me of the importance of gratitude for the land in which we live, play, and work. She spoke of the land’s beauty and watching an eagle soar above her on the way to work that day. As I spent some time outside this weekend, I intently observed the birds and squirrels and enjoyed seeing some of you going for walks and scooter/bike rides. We live in a beautiful community and I am so thankful to the Màthxwi People for being stewards of this land since time immemorial. I hope you all had a chance to get outside, get grounded, and observe Mother Nature.
Good Things to Talk About
Last week was Diversity and Respect Week in Langley Schools. In addition to Pink Shirt Day, classes spent time reminding us about the importance of our mantra that “You belong here”. We strive to make sure every child is valued and gets to come to school being their authentic selves. Mrs. Datema’s class reminded us with their reading, writing, and art, “It’s OK to be different!”.
Our final session of Club Wednesdays for Term 2 happened last week and the smiles and positive chatter continued. We hope the students enjoyed the chance to explore an area of strength, interest, or curiosity. Thank you to the staff for their extra efforts in planning and running CW’s again this term. Special thanks to Ms. Macklin, Mr. Troy, and the team from Wild Education for donating their time to make it another memorable Cub Wednesday.
Our Gr. 5 Basketball team continued its strong season with a couple more wins this past week. With strong defense, solid rebounding, and clutch baskets, the team defeated Douglas Park 28-24 and Uplands 20-16. The team plays its final regular season game at home on Tuesday versus James Hill and then has its jamboree next week.
The Eagles were out and moving last week as classes went for walks, explored the forest, went skating (Southcott and Johnstone), and even headed to Walnut Grove for some swimming (Mostat’s class)! We love to see active bodies and active brains!
Thank you to our PAC volunteers who organized and ran another Movie Night on Friday. Families enjoyed connecting, enjoying some food, and watching Sing 2! Thank you to PAC for working to make this accessible to our community!
The Week Ahead
Monday – Start of Student Inclusive Conferences; Gr. 2 Basketball 2:45
Tuesday – Gr. 5 Basketball 7:45; HOME game vs James Hill 3:00
Wednesday – Early Dismissal at 12:33 for SIC
Thursday – SIC Day – students only attend their conference timeslot (if scheduled on this day)
Friday – Gr. 5 Basketball 7:45; Jump Rope for Heart KICKOFF!
Month at a Glance:
Monday, March 10 – Jump Rope for Heart event starts
Tuesday, March 11 – EQ Drill
Wednesday, March 12 – PAC Treat Day (Cobs)
Thursday, March 13 – Assembly – Quinn Beasley 1:00pm
Friday, March 14 – Last day for SIC, last day before Spring Break; assembly at 1:30
Monday, March 31 – Schools reopen, Trestle Tree/gymnastics in the gym all week
Friday, April 4 – SIC Documents sent home
PEACEful Schools and Homes
At Shortreed, we have been using some of the PEACEful Schools strategies from the Complex Trauma Resources Centre. Although the teaching is focused on supporting children who have experienced trauma, it is helpful for ALL children. The PEACE in peaceful stands for the following strategies:
- Predictable routines
- Emotional literacy
- Attuned relationships
- Calming activities
- Empowerment
They also have information for families. We know the importance of predictable routines for students and children – they do much better when they know what to expect (for the most part). We also know that students need to understand their emotions and have attuned relationships. We shared this info with families over the last month. This week, we are again sharing information on Calming Activities:
CALMING ACTIVITIES
- Mindfulness activities. Incorporate these in your daily routine. Remember: it is better to model and encourage the child to join in than it is to TELL the child. Most of the time, children need an adult to help co-regulate.
- Drumming. This intervention consists of allowing the child to make rhythms using hands, feet, or percussive instruments. The focus here is on creating opportunities for patterned, repetitive, and rhythmic stimulation. Younger and/or developmentally challenged children may respond best to copying or clapping games. More sophisticated drumming can be added as the child’s developmental/functional abilities improve. Drumming (rhythmic or chaotic) can be both therapeutic and cathartic.
- Sound Generator: This can be used both during the day and at night. The child’s hours of sleep provide an ideal opportunity to be providing pattern, repetitive, and rhythmic stimulation for many hours at a time, so this is often a mandatory intervention with highly aroused children. A principle that we have followed is that sounds such as waves, rain, and wind will provide patterned, repetitive, rhythmic stimulation deep in the brain. We must be careful that the sounds we use for intervention are not activating to the brain by being random or too stimulating – e.g. a forest sounds tape that includes random bird noises may be too alarming for some children.
- Create a Cozy Corner or Calm Zone in the house (this can be used to calm anxious energy).
- Tools: soft lighting, and comfort items such as: soothing furniture, cushions, bean bag chair, weighted blanket, stuffed animals, squishy balls, headphones, calming music, calming scents
- Techniques: shoulder squeeze, hug, burrito blanket wrap, deep breathing, etc.
- “Body check” or “self check”. Directly teach the child what “body clues” might come up when feeling anxious or stressed. Teach the child to “self-check”, for example, instead of saying, “stop being loud” or “stop wiggling”; the caregiver can say, “Can you check yourself please”. This allows the child to develop the crucial life skill of selfmonitoring.
- Click here to read the full PEACEeful Homes document as a PDF.
Information and Reminders
- 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.
- 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.
PAC Info
FUN FAIR 2025!Mark your calendars! This year’s event will be May 23rd, 3:30 to 7:30 pm. Email shortreedpac@gmail.com if you want to help out!
Community Events and Information
Be sure to check out the Langley School District’s community bulletin board here.
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Screenagers – Elementary School Age Edition: Community Screening and Expert Q&A – April 9, 2025
Physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston examines the growing impact of screen time on young children, exploring the challenges families and educators face in managing digital use. Through personal experiences, expert insights, and the latest research, the film addresses key issues such as social media pressures, video gaming, screen time limits, and the effects of early exposure to technology.
Offering practical strategies for fostering healthy digital habits, Screenagers: Elementary School Age Edition is a must-watch for parents, teachers, and caregivers looking to guide children toward balanced tech use. View trailer: https://youtu.be/EzzzeCny6oU
FREE EVENT: Join other Langley parents and caregivers for a 55-minute documentary screening followed by a Q&A with expert panelists.
Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1140497717607292
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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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