The Week Ahead

Posted: November 19, 2023

Families of Shortreed,

Thank you to everybody who helped celebrate Diwali at our school last week! We had several classes paint diyas and share the importance of Diwali and how light (and kindness and positivity) can conquer darkness (negativity) in our world.

It was a busy one last week and I could not get around to many classes; the newsletter will focus on The Week Ahead for this week.

A reminder to sign up for our Student Inclusive Conferences here; the online signup closes at 10pm tomorrow (Monday).

Don’t forget about our HUGE Dollar Sale that is happening on Friday in the gym. Please see below for more info. If you can volunteer to help, please sign up here.

If you have not already done so, please mark your calendars for the morning of Friday, December 8 as we host our annual Santa Breakfast! Families are welcome to attend between 7:30 and 8:30 and Santa will be available for photos from 7:15-9:00. We are changing things a bit this year and offering breakfast for all students who are not able to attend with their families (this will run from 8:50-9:20). We will be looking for some family volunteers to help distribute pancakes and cleanup (8:45-10:00) so we can ensure every child gets a pancake breakfast that day! More info and a signup will come out soon with all the info for the Santa Breakfast (watch your inbox this week).

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. This acknowledgement is a commitment to doing better… and ensuring that education helps to create more equity in a country that, sadly, had an education system that caused serious inequities (Residential Schools, Day Schools, etc). As we learn more, we do better and I am proud of the ongoing efforts of our community to learn more about the truth of our history and the actions leading to more equity,

Monday – SIC Signups close at 10pm
Wednesday – Orders due for PAC Plant Fundraiser
Thursday – last day to bring in Dollar Sale items
Friday – Dance in the gym 7:45; Dollar Sale 1-6pm; PAC Treat Day; Winter Solstice Aboriginal Family Gathering 5:00 at Langley Secondary
Sunday – Christmas in Aldergrove – Tree Lighting at 272 and Fraser 4:30

Month at a Glance

Monday, Nov 27 – Student Inclusive Conferences start
Tues-Thurs, Nov 28-30 – Scholastic Book Fair
Wednesday, Nov 29 – Student Inclusive Conference Day (only students who have conferences attend for conference time only – please see email that was sent regarding this day) and evening.
Thursday, Nov 30 – Early Dismissal at 12:33 for Student Inclusive Conferences
Saturday, Dec 2 – Shortreed Winter Market (in the gym)
Thursday, Dec 7 – last day for Student Inclusive Conferences; pick up plant orders
Friday, Dec 8 – Santa Breakfast
Wednesday, Dec 13 – PAC Meeting 9am; PAC Hot Lunch
Thursday, Dec 14 – Lockdown Drill
Saturday, Dec 16 – Aldergrove Christmas Parade (Shortreed will be in it again this year)
Tuesday, Dec 19 – Afternoon Concert #1 – 1:00
Wednesday, Dec 20 – Afternoon Concert #2 – 1:00; Evening Concert 6:20/7:00
Thursday, Dec 21 – pyjama day, PAC free treat day; Shortreed carolling; last day of school before Winter Break
Friday, Dec 22 – No School

You can download a list of the important dates in the district for 2023-2024 by clicking here.

Information and Reminders

Christmas Concert Info:
- Due to our growth over the past few years, we have had to make some changes to ensure that there are more seats for parents and families to watch. This year, we will be having THREE performances.
  - Tuesday, December 19th at 1:00 pm
  - Wednesday, December 20th at 1:00 pm
  - Wednesday, December 20th at 6:20 pm.
- All students are expected to be at all concerts. If they cannot make it for a very important reason, the school must be notified by a note, email, or phone call beforehand.
- Students should wear “nicer than everyday” clothes for the concert.
- For the evening concert on December 20th:
  - K/1 students and their siblings must arrive at the school at 6:00 pm and go to their classroom. Parents of K/1 students will be seated first, and then if there is any extra room in the gym, other parents will be seated.
  - Grade 2-5 students who do not have siblings in K/1 need to arrive at the school at 6:45 and go to their classrooms. Around 6:50, there will be a 15-minute intermission, when all K/1 parents will exit the gym, pick up their kids and go home. The grade 2-5 parents will then be seated in the gym to watch their concert portion. Parents with children in both groups will remain in the gym for the entire performance.
- Please consider coming to one of the afternoon performances (if possible) and leaving room at the evening performance for parents who can only make that showtime. Parents who are not attending the evening show to watch still need to drop their children off at the school from 6:00-8:00 pm so all students are in attendance for the evening performance. Students will be supervised by their teachers for this entire time.
Our breakfast program is up and running! Please register here.
Friday Dance Sessions! Does your grade 2-5 child love to move? Come to the gym at 7:45 on the last and first Fridays of the month 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!”
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 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.
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.
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 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’s Christmas Plant Fundraiser is underway. Beautiful poinsettias, fresh wreaths, indoor and outdoor arrangements, etc. Click on the link to order online with e-transfer or Credit card option. You can also send cash or cheques made out to Shortreed Pac (Min. $25) to the school. Please put your name and order number if you choose these as your payments to help us organize it. Orders online are due Nov. 23. Paper forms are due Nov. 22! Plants are to be picked up on Dec. 7 in time for Christmas gift-giving or to keep for yourself. More pick-up details will be posted closer to the date. Please share the link with family and friends locally. All proceeds help fund our Outdoor Shelter for the kids. Thank you!

Shortreed Elementary – PAC (growingsmilesfundraising.com)

PAC Dollar Sale is this FRIDAY!

Our School Dollar Sale is this Friday, November 24th, from 1pm untill 6pm. CASH ONLY
We appreciate all the help, as every dollar goes to our kids. If you haven’t heard about our dollar sale, here is how it all works.
- Our school collects donations from the community, and we turn our gym into a big sale. Starting at 1pm, every item is $1, then at 4pm, it goes down to 4 things for $1, and then at 5pm, it goes to 10 things for $1. We have some fantastic things that are donated each year. Please come see what treasures you can find, and invite your family and friends to shop or ask them if they have any donations they would like to give.
We will be accepting donations starting November 6th until the day before the sale; please drop off your donations at the PAC office during school hours ( 9am to 2pm) , if you have lots to donate, please get in touch with the PAC to arrange for a drop-off time at shortreedpac@gmail.com or send us a message.
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 can not be sold or donated again due to their condition. This includes 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 other broken/damaged items. Our volunteers would very much appreciate the help!! With everyone’s support, we can make this another great fundraiser.
Please, no large items such as large furniture or mattresses.
If you are able to volunteer, please sign up here.
Thank you again for supporting our school!