Posted: September 23, 2024
Families of Shortreed,
My apologies for sending this out on a Monday night. I am not feeling great, so staring at a screen is hard.
I hope you had a great weekend and enjoyed that Saturday sunshine!
Thank you to everyone who came out to our Welcome Back BBQ and Meet the Teacher night! We had a wonderful turnout of families, and we loved sharing a meal with so many of you. Thank you to our PAC executive for organizing the BBQ and to all the volunteers who shopped, cooked, and prepped! Thank you to our teachers for staying late and opening their classrooms to students and families. It was a lovely evening for our community!
Darby Photos was here last week to take photos of our students. Proofs will be sent home on Monday or Tuesday. The deadline is September 29, but we have extended it until October 6 because we know it is helpful to have some funds in place to order.
We had a lovely turnout for our 2024 Kindergarten Playdate on Sunday. It was great to about 30 families joining us on the playground to play, smile, and connect. Families met parents of new friends, and friends got to see each other with their families nearby. Thank you to the K teachers for coming out and to our PAC volunteers for providing coffee and treats!
We hope our families had a lovely Mid-Autumn Festival last Tuesday!
This week is important to us at Shortreed and across Canada, as we lead into National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (and Orange Shirt Day) on September 30th. We will honour this day at the school on Friday, September 27th. Classes have been diving deeper into the learning of what occurred in the sad history of Indian Residential Schools and Indian Day Schools. On Friday, our bulletin boards will represent the learning that has occurred in each class and classes will do a gallery walk to take a look and reflect. In the afternoon, we will have an assembly and gather on the backfield for a Round Dance. We encourage all students, staff, and families to wear an orange shirt on Friday.
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. Although learning continues throughout the year, it is our commitment to Màthxwi People and Indigenous Peoples in our school and across this country that we will make learning the truth a priority in September. Through picture books and stories, children better understand what was lost through this sad part of our history in education. Our journey of Truth and Reconciliation starts and continues from here. It will continue throughout our lives to ensure that we work together to deal with the generational impacts of residential and day schools. On Friday, we will gather for a Round Dance, and we will remember that this, like languages, ceremonies, and traditions, was not allowed and was attempted to be banned and removed from the children, families, and communities. As students, staff, and a community, we will walk gently on this land and stay committed to learning the truth and helping to reconcile this as we move forward.
The Week Ahead
Tuesday – Grade 4/5 Cross Country meet #1
Wednesday – XC practice at lunch; PAC FREE Popcorn Day!
Thursday – XC practice at lunch
Friday – Orange Shirt Day (School event for NDTR); Feeding Futures Hot Lunch
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. You can also connect with us on Instagram and Facebook and join the PAC Facebook Group.
Month at a Glance
Monday, September 30 – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Schools not in session)
Tuesday, October 1 – Grade 4/5 Cross Country meet #2
Friday, October 4 – School Improvement Day (no school for students)
Saturday, October 5 – World Teachers Day
Tuesday, October 8 – Grade 4/5 Cross Country meet #3
Wednesday, October 9 – PAC Hot Lunch – Subway
Friday, October 11 – Terry Fox Run 1:15
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 – Cultural Assembly – David Lane 1:00
Friday, October 25 – Provincial Pro-D Day – no school for students
Information and Reminders
- 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.
Student Safety in Schools (Elementary Schools) The Langley School District is committed to fostering safe and caring schools that promote mutual respect, cooperation, and social responsibility, as well as support optimal learning. Trauma-Informed Practices and Procedures promote creating and maintaining safe, inclusive, equitable, welcoming, and nurturing school environments. The District expects all students to follow the Student Code of Conduct AP 350.
The District is sharing a reminder that no one can have “any weapon for any purpose” on school property. This means that weapons are not allowed to be used as part of an educational project, drama production, or themed costume. Examples of weapons include but are not limited to knives, bb guns, and toy guns. Failure to follow these expectations may result in confiscation, intervention, and consequences.
- Student Accident Insurance Plan (Voluntary Insurance)
This year, the District is offering two options for a voluntary student accident insurance plan that replaces the family accident reimbursement plan offered last year. This plan is voluntary, but any families can enroll. There are significant benefits of this accident insurance coverage for families. Please note, enrolment in the program can be done online only, through one of the following options:
Insure My Kids OR Study Insured
Corresponding digital support materials for above service providers can be accessed via following links:
Insure My Kids: Insure My Kids – Support Material
Study Insured: Study Insured – Support Material
Langley Community Services offers support and assistance to families looking for childcare in Langley. The Childcare Resource & Referral (CCRR) Program offers free consultation, support, assistance with affordable childcare benefit applications, and referral services to parents seeking childcare in Langley. Parents may contact the Langley CCRR office for a list of childcare providers in their neighbourhood or for more information at (604) 533-4425.
- Parent Consent – Each year, Langley Schools asks families to complete a set of parent consent forms for their child. Our schools require these consent forms to ensure all students’ health, safety, and security. Langley Schools uses a secure web form to collect this information. Beginning mid-September, please watch for an email request (subject Parent Consent Request) that contains one link for you to submit consents for all children in your family attending any Langley School. If your email address or contact information has changed, please call your school to correct it in our files. If you have not received an email regarding Parent Consent Request by the end of the month or have any questions/concerns, please contact your school administrator.
- SchoolMessenger in the Langley School District – The Langley School District uses a notification system called SchoolMessenger to communicate information to families. As we welcome our new families to our schools, some parents/guardians may receive a text message notifying them about SchoolMessenger. For more information about the system and how to opt-in to receive text messages, visit the District webpage 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
Please check your child’s backpack for our September PAC newsletter.
Thank you to everyone who came out to our BBQ and also those who helped! We served over 600 meals to our community.
Click here to read the minutes from our September PAC meeting.
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
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
Child Day Event at Church in the Valley – October 4, 2024
A free one-day expo that aims to connect families of pre-K learners with important resources is planned for next month. Child Day will be held on Friday October 4 from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at Church in the Valley, and will feature community agencies, a marketplace, door prizes and more. See attached poster for details and ticket information or learn more here:
https://buytickets.at/inclusionlangleysociety/1302946
