Posted: November 17, 2024

Families of Shortreed,

I hope you found a way to stay dry this weekend! It was nice to have a small break from the rain this morning. As I am sure you know, the drainage on our backfield is not very good, so it is very muddy out there. If your child enjoys playing on any of our grass areas, please send them with boots.

We sent out the signup link for the Student Inclusive Conferences last week. Please make sure you sign up before the end of the day on Thursday (after that, you will need to contact your child’s teacher directly). As was shared, these conferences take the place of report cards (and give you a much deeper understanding of how your child is doing), so it is essential that you sign up for a conference. To sign up, you must register a new account each year. A reminder that if your child does not have a conference on November 27, they do not attend school; if you have signed up for a conference, they only attend at that time. 

Grade 5 basketball practices are starting up this week with our first practice on Monday morning from 7:45-8:45. All grade 5s are welcome.

Photo Retake proofs were sent out last week. Orders are due Friday.

Be sure to add our 2024 Santa Breakfast to your calendars! This year’s event will run on Friday, December 6 from 7:30-8:45. More details to come!

Friday is our annual winter PAC Everything for a Dollar Sale from 1:00-6:00!  This event is one of the biggest fundraisers for our school! Here’s how the sale works:

• Our school collects donations from the community, and PAC turns the gym into a big sale. CASH ONLY and please bring a reusable bag for your treasures.
• Pricing is as follows:
  • 1 pm to 3pm: Every item is $1
  • At 4 pm: 4 items for $1
  • At 5pm: 10 items for $1
• We have some fantastic items that are donated each year. Please come and see what treasures you can find. Invite your family and friends to shop or ask them if they have any donations they would like to give. The Dollar Sale is open to the public as well.
  PAC will be accepting donations starting November 15 until Nov. 21. Please drop off donations at the PAC office during school hours (9 am to 2pm). If you have a lot to donate, please contact the PAC to arrange for a drop off time at shortreedpac@gmail.com.
  We have limited storage and volunteers. Please only donate usable items. Many hours are spent organizing and sorting donations, and unfortunately, we end up with items that cannot be sold or donated again due to their condition.
  Unaccepted donations: used candles, used bath products, dirty/stained clothing (we do not expect clothing to be folded but clean would be nice, if possible, tie shoes together), broken toys and/or other broken/damaged items. Please no large items such as large furniture or mattresses.

As always, we want to acknowledge that we do our important work to ensure every child belongs on the unceded ancestral territories 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. As I attended the Rotary Starfish Backpack fundraising dinner last night, I reflected upon the Indigenous tradition and teaching of putting children at the centre of our community (think of a circle with children in the middle). Everyone gathered in our community on Màthxwi ancestral lands to support the Starfish program and put the children at the centre. It was a good reminder of the power that can happen when we all gather and care for each other and the children of our community. I am so appreciative of the teachings from Indigenous elders and leaders whom I have had the privilege of learning from through the years. 

We had another successful PAC Movie Night on Friday! Thank you to everyone who came out and a huge thank you to all those who volunteered.

Last night, Mrs. Tarasoff and I had the pleasure of joining about 300 other people at the Aldergrove Rotary’s Starfish Backpack Fundraising Dinner. We shared this program’s impact on our students and families so some of our students can get a “backpack” of food to take home for the weekend each week. We want to recognize Aldergrove Rotary (especially George Bryce, Charlie Fox, and Emma Stewart) for all their efforts in organizing this each week for our kids. Thank you to Gail Macklin, a former staff member and current Shortreed grandparent, who helps to pick up and transport the bags each week. Running this program costs about $60,000 each year and is solely based on donations from Rotary and our community.

The Week Ahead

Monday – Gr. 5 Basketball 7:45; PAC Purdy’s Chocolate orders due
Tuesday – Winter Plant orders due
Wednesday – PAC Popcorn Day
Thursday – Last Day for SIC Signups
Friday – PAC Dollar Sale 1-6, Photo Retake orders due

Shortreed Calendar: Did you know Shortreed has a digital calendar to view and subscribe to? Once you subscribe, you will get all our school events right to the calendar on your phone and/or devices at home.

2024 Christmas Concert info:

We will be having 3 concerts again this year – Dec 17th at 12:45, Dec 18th at 12:45 and Dec 18th at 6:20* (see below)

• Tuesday, December 17th – students should come to school dressed in their nicest clothes. Students will be inside all day. There will be a parent performance at 12:45. Doors open at 12:15.
• Wednesday, December 18th – students should come to school dressed in their nicest clothes. Students will be inside all day. There will be a parent performance at 12:45. Doors open at 12:15.
• December 18th Evening performance (please read carefully)
  • Students in divisions 13-20 and their parents/siblings will be let into the school at 5:55 pm. Parents can go to the gym, Div 13-20 students/siblings to classrooms. Divisions 13-20 performance starts at 6:20.
  • *All other students and parents should arrive by 6:30 pm. There will be a very short intermission around 6:50. During the intermission, parents of students in divisions 13-20 will exit gym through the outside doors and pick up kids from outside classroom doors. Parents with kids in both performance groups will stay in the gym and parents of students in divisions 1-12 only will be let into the gym. Division 1-12 performance starts around 7 pm.

Please note: All students in the school are participating in the concert and are expected to be at all performances. If a student can’t make it for a very important reason, please send a note, email or call Mrs. Muller to let her know.  Students should be dressed in their nicest clothes for all performances. They will not be going outside for recess or lunch on performance days.

Month at a Glance

Monday, November 25 – SICs begin
Wednesday, November 27 – SIC Day – students only attend their conference timeslot
Thursday, November 28 – SIC Afternoon – early dismissal at 12:33
Saturday, November 30 – Shortreed Winter Market
Wednesday, December 4 – PAC hot lunch; Lockdown Drill 2:00
Friday, December 6 – Santa Breakfast 7:30-8:45
Friday, December 13 – PAC Meeting 9:00
Saturday, December 14 – Aldergrove Christmas Parade
Tuesday, December 17 – Christmas Concert #1 12:45
Wednesday, December 18 – Concert #2 12:45; Concert #3 6:20 and 7:00
Friday, December 20 – Shortreed Christmas Sing-along 1:15; PAC Treat Day; SIC Reports sent home

Information and Reminders

• Communicating Student Learning (CSL) – Elementary School

  Learning is a journey for all students that requires the support of teachers, staff, and families. Parent/guardian involvement is always a contributing factor to a student’s success. But how does a parent/guardian know how their child is doing? The District is sharing information about the different ways of Communicating Student Learning (CSL) to help support families. On this webpage you will find information about student inclusive conferences, proficiency scales, and self-reflection on the core competencies. These resources are aimed to help support your child. Read more here.

• Extended Absences: due to enrollment pressures in Langley Schools, if a student is absent for 25 or more consecutive days (and not due to medical reasons), they could possibly lose their space in the class and/or in the school. Once they return, they could be placed on a waitlist. If you are planning on having your child be absent for an extended trip, please contact your child’s teacher at least 3 weeks before you leave. 

• Information About School Status During Inclement Weather

  Snow closures and power outages are an annual occurrence in the 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.

• 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.
• 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

The PAC November Calendar is out (click to enlarge) —>

Community Events and Information

Be sure to check out the Langley School District’s community bulletin board.

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