Posted: October 6, 2024
Families of Shortreed,
We hope you and your family enjoyed some time in the sunshine this weekend. What a beautiful October day it was today! (Featured image from Mrs. Datema from Sept 26)
Saturday was World Teachers Day so I want to start off by giving a HUGE shoutout to our teachers and the entire Shortreed staff. These educators go above and beyond in so many ways… all working to make a positive impact on the life of every child in the school.
Our staff dove deep into some learning and collaboration on Friday for the School Improvement Day. In the morning, we spent time discussing how to best support our students so they can be calm and ready to learn in class. Following this, we collaborated on strategies to enhance literacy at our school. It always fills my bucket to sit back and listen and watch our incredible and dedicated staff bounce ideas off each other and wrestle with how to support our students best.
Our Cross-Country Team had another solid showing at the race last Tuesday. Many of our students have improved since the week before, with a few more cracking the top 20. Congrats to Bennett, who went from 23rd in the first week to 13th in the 2nd week! The results page is down right now so I cannot share any other results at this time. The final meet is Tuesday, and the championships will happen next week. So far, Ryu, Sam, Adam, and Connor have qualified for the District Championships on Wednesday, October 16 (Olivia finished one spot away from the finals, so she will have a chance to make it this week).
We had some Vancouver Giants tickets donated by the organization and the Thank You for the Music Society. Congrats to the Lee, Adam, and Lamas families for winning tickets and getting to enjoy the Giants win!
A reminder that next Monday is Thanksgiving so all schools are closed.
We are starting to fundraise and prepare for our Terry Fox Run this week! This year, we are encouraging people to support our Terry Fox Run by coming out and cheering us on and donating online. Our goal is $1000, which is about $2 per child to the Terry Fox Foundation. If you would like to donate online and want a tax receipt, you can donate on the Shortreed Terry Fox Foundation website here. Mrs. Stoddart will also send out a way to donate smaller amounts through your School Cash Online account. Teachers will also accept cash and send it to the office (but online is preferred). If you have toonies at home, you can bring in some for Terry! On Friday, October 11th, we will have an assembly at 1:15, with our run starting shortly after 1:35. We would love to have you out supervising and cheering us on! Please read this letter and map first if you can volunteer to be in a spot. Once you have looked at the map, you can sign up using the link here.
So… if you are able
- Donate with a toonie or online here.
- Check out the map at the link here.
- Sign up for a supervision spot here.
Thank you for your support of Shortreed and the Terry Fox Foundation.
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 in our journey for Truth and Reconciliation. For cross-country, we are once again running at the Aldergrove Regional Park. As I set up the course each week, I take a few minutes to think about this incredible land we can access and how grateful I am that the Màthxwi people have been stewards of this land since time immemorial. I try to think about a time thousands of years ago, before colonization, when families hunted and gathered on this land. They could also see the beauty of Mt. Baker, the trees, the streams, and the meqsel that is now called “The Big Rock”. They respected and lived closely with the flora and fauna of the area. My friend Carman McKay has always encouraged me to be grateful for this land and to take the time to see all the connections we have with the land. These past few weeks, I have made this effort and am so thankful to get to work, learn, and play on the unceded ancestral lands of the Màthxwi people.
The Week Ahead
Monday – launch of our Terry Fox Run Fundraiser
Tuesday – XC Race #3 3:30
Wednesday – PAC Hot Lunch – Subway
Thursday – Neufeld Farms orders can be picked up at 2:30 in the church parking lot
Friday – Terry Fox Run Assembly 1:15; Run at 1:35
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. Click here for more info.
Click here for a Langley Schools calendar that includes Pro-D Days, etc.
Month at a Glance
Monday, October 14 – Thanksgiving (schools closed)
Wednesday, October 16 – Cross Country Finals
Thursday, October 17 – Great BC Shakeout Earthquake Drill 10:00am
Friday, October 18 – PAC Meeting 9am
Wednesday, October 23 – PAC Treat Day Cob’s Bread; Fire Drill 1:30
Thursday, October 24 – Informal Learning Updates; Cultural Assembly – David Lane 1:00
Friday, October 25 – Provincial Pro-D Day – no school for students
Thursday, October 31 – PAC Haunted Gym; Halloween Parade 1:30 (families invited to watch)
Friday, November 1 – PJ Day!
Wednesday, November 6 – Gr. 5 Rem Day Field Trip; PAC Hot Lunch – pizza
Thursday, November 7 – Remembrance Day Assembly 11:00; Photo Retakes after lunch
Friday, November 8 – Design & Assessment Day – no school for students; Nat’l Indigenous Veterans Day
Monday, November 11 – Remembrance Day – schools closed
Information and Reminders
- All toys should stay at home. We are seeing an increase in volume of toys being brought to school and these cause problems as they can get lost or stolen or create distractions. Thank you for your help with this.
- Programs of Choice – Deadline to Register is Monday, October 21st – Langley School District offers a rich diversity of programs that are designed to meet the specific needs and interests of students. Programs include Fine Arts, French Immersion, Fundamental, Langley Environmental Awareness Program (outdoor education), Montessori, and U-Connect. Registration for Kindergarten entry (for most programs) begins on Monday, October 7th at 12 noon, and closes on Monday, October 21st at 12 noon. For U-Connect, please contact the school directly. For more information and instructions to register your child, visit our District website here and review our FAQ choice programs resource here.
- U-Connect – Kindergarten to Grade 3 Spaces Available: Elementary – Is your child in need of an education program that offers more flexibility and continues to meet their educational needs? U-Connect may be a great fit for your child. The blended learning program has students in class two days a week with an optional third day offered for additional student support and fun community field trips. Students will be at home two to three days per week, which enables them to discover their own extra-curricular passions and allows for caregivers to support students at home in partnership with school. Students will build on their own personal learning style with the support of caring and dedicated teachers. Interested students and their families are encouraged to call the school to get more information or learn more here.
Communicating With Your School Schools and families continue to work together to ensure student success. If you have an issue or concern but don’t know who to speak with, the District encourages you to read these helpful Communicating with your School guidelines for parents/guardians found on our District website here. As an additional reference, review this one-page resource here.
- 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.
- We all know kids love juice boxes… but these are often extremely high in sugar and can cause a sticky mess in classrooms. Please opt for water as much as you can.
- A reminder that we are a “nut aware” school and have some students with life-threatening allergies to nuts. Please avoid packing snacks or lunches with nuts as the oil from a student’s hands can be enough to create a significant medical incident.
- 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
Hot lunch ordering is now open online through Munch-a-Lunch! The cutoff date for the first lunch is Tuesday, Oct. 1.Munch-a-Lunch is an online-based order/payment program. Once you place an order you have up to 24 hours to complete payment or the order will be cancelled and you will have to go through the process again. If you are only able to pay in cash or cheque, you MUST email PAC BEFORE placing an order so we can make special arrangements for payment of your orders. (shortreedpac@gmail.com). Once set up you can send in cash or cheques (cheques for orders over $25.00 only) in an envelope with your child’s full name and division clearly indicated on the outside.
Community Events and Information
Grade 4/5 Basketball!
Aldergrove Community Schools is offering our first basketball skills program! Students will sign up to learn basketball skills and game play.
Shortreed Boys – grade 4/5
Thursdays, 4:00-5:15pm
Oct 10 – Nov 28 (no session on Oct 31)
Shortreed Gymnasium
$15/7 classes
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1038683358887/?aff=oddtdtcreator
If you would like help with payment (to cover the $15), please let the school know.
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Multi-Sport and More Pro-D Day Program October 25th Grades 1-4
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Online Family Support Sessions on Navigating Digital World – Hosted by Safer Schools Together
The Ministry of Education has once again contracted Safer Schools Together to offer complimentary Family Sessions, designed to support families and caregivers navigate the digital world. There is one session per month. Families can participate in as many as they wish. Sessions can be found at the link below: erase Registration (saferschoolstogether.com)
Families will learn:
- Digital media habits, oversharing, and digital addiction
- The permanence of online posts/activity
- The significance of your digital tattoo in how others perceive you (e.g., sports teams, college admissions, and potential employers)
- The importance of caring for peers both online and offline
- Geo-locational settings and the dangers of social media and cell phone misuse
- The social and legal consequences of cyberbullying behaviour as well as possession and distribution of intimate images (sexting and sextortion)
- An anonymous student reporting tool that can help you and your friends stay safe both online and offline
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