Important Dates:

December 7: PAC meeting at lunch regarding Winter Breakfast
December 7: Last day for Savings Card Fundraiser
December 9: CSL reports sent home this week
December 14: Winter Breakfast & Pajama Day
December 18: Early Dismissal @1:27 pm for Parent -Teacher Conferences
December 19&20:Winter Concert parent audience @12:45 pm
December 20: Theme Day (read below)
December 21: Last Day of classes before Winter Break
January 7: Schools open
January 13: Canadathon begins!
January 17: Theme Day – Hat Day
January 18: PAC meeting at 1 pm
January 23, 24: Maker Faire for intermediate students
January 30, 31: Maker Faire for primary students

Winter Pancake Breakfast

Our Winter Breakfast is a fun tradition.  We love seeing students attend the breakfast with their families (parents, siblings, grandparents).  We encourage the whole family to wear their pajama’s.  We have a Please purchase tickets in advance for our Winter Pancake Breakfast.  Due to fire safety regulations we need to follow, we are selling tickets to the breakfast.  If you do not purchase a ticket than you will not be able to attend the breakfast.

Please remember to purchase your tickets in the hot lunch section of the PAC website before Sunday, December 9th.  We also have Santa in the building – he is more than happy to take a selfie with you and your family!

Remember that this day is also a theme day.  Students (and staff) are asked to dress comfortably in their cozy winter pajama’s on this day.

Communicating Student Learning

In the week of December 9th, 2018 students will bring home their CSL “reports”.  Some teachers in our school use FreshGrade, if your child’s teacher is using FreshGrade then you have already been invited into your child’s portfolio and have been able to see the progress.

We have early dismissal on December 18th at 1:27 pm for Parent Teacher Conferences.  Please call the office to set up an appointment with your child’s teacher.

Learning Spotlight: Marble Run in Div. 8

This week, Ms. Burrell’s class is working on their marble runs. Students were asked to make a marble track using materials gathered from home; for example, using items such as carboard, paper and string.

While we were interviewing some of the students during their work on the project, they shared with us what they felt was the most challenging aspect, what they had learned so far, and their favourite part of the process.

Ms. Burrell’s class, thank you for allowing us to come in the classroom and sharing with us the exciting project you have been working on. We wish all the students good luck on a successful marble run!

Written by: Kara Jahanshir and Katelyn Chang

Winter Concert

Our Winter Concert  this year will be held two days so all parents are able to attend and so we are able to accommodate seating. The concert is the same on both days – if your child’s class attends music class with Mr. Leader then your child will be performing on both Wednesday and Thursday.   On Wednesday, December 19th we will have parents of students in odd numbered divisions to watch the concert.  On Thursday, December 20th, we will have parents of students in even numbered divisions to watch the concert.  The concert time will be 12:45 pm start on both days.

If you have children in both odd or even numbered divisions – choose one day to attend. Remember, the reason we are doing this is so we can accommodate parent seating.

The Winter concert will have all of our music classes performing.  Please talk to your child about the performance his/her class is practising for the concert.

Pacific Heights Savings Card Fundraiser

Important Dates

November 19               Last day for Purdy’s orders
November 21               PAC meeting at 6 pm in Library
November 22               Theme Day:Movember Moustache Day
November 28               Boys Volleyball Play Day @ Pacific Heights
November 29               Girls Volleyball Play Day at Pacific Heights
December 10-14         Communicating Student Learning to share with parent this week
December 14               Winter Breakfast and Pajama Day
December 18               Early Dismissal for Parent-Teacher Conferences 1:27 pm
December 19               Winter Concert Parent Audience(parents of st. in odd divisions)
December 20              Winter Concert Parent Audience(parents of st. in even divisions)
December 21               Last Day of classes before Winter Break
January 7                   Schools open

Pacific Heights Savings Card Fundraiser

Student Leadership News

We Scare Hunger Update 
Thanks to the generous donations from Pacific Heights Students and families, we were able to exceed our fundraising goal of 800 non-perishable food items and collected an amazing 926 items! Because of your efforts, the Sources White Rock/South Surrey Food Bank will now be able to help several families in need. Way to go, Pacific Heights!

Theme Day: Movember
Show your school spirit and support for men’s health awareness by wearing a moustache to school on Thursday, November 22^nd. Movember is a yearly event where many people around the world grow a moustache during the month of November to raise awareness of men’s health and also to support the Movember Foundation. This event has been run since 2004, and Pacific Heights students and staff are being asked to carry on this important tradition. We can’t wait to see all the creative moustaches!

Written by: Kara Jahanashir

Winter Concert

Our Winter Concert  this year will be held two days so all parents are able to attend and so we are able to accommodate seating. On Wednesday, December 19th we will have parents of students in odd numbered divisions to watch the concert.  On Thursday, December 20th, we will have parents of students in even numbered divisions to watch the concert.  The concert time will be 12:45 pm start on both days.

If you have children in both odd or even numbered divisions – choose one day to attend. Remember, the reason we are doing this is so we can accommodate parent seating.

The Winter concert will have all of our music classes performing.  Please talk to your child about the performance his/her class is practising for the concert.

Gravity Track

This past Friday, we had students from Divisions 1, 2, and 4 doing some woodworking as they worked on their gravity cars. Student were sanding, sawing, and drilling (all with adult supervision, of course) to make a car that will go fast and look good.  Take a look at the pictures below along with some video interviews on what our students are learning:

Important Dates

November 19               Last day for Purdy’s orders
November 21               PAC meeting at 6 pm in Library
November 28                Boys Volleyball Team Play Day location TBD
November 29               Girls Volleyball Play Day at Pacific Heights
December 14               Winter Breakfast and Pajama Day
December 18               Early Dismissal for Parent-Teacher Conferences 1:27 pm
December 19               Winter Concert Parent Audience(parents of st. in odd divisions)
December 20              Winter Concert Parent Audience(parents of st. in even divisions)
December 21               Last Day of classes before Winter Break
January 7                   Schools open

School Travel Planning Team

As many of you are aware, we are working with the City of Surrey School Travel Planning Team to find a solution in making our pick up and drop off zones safer for students.  The program aims to create a safe and comfortable environment for children to walk, bike, and roll to school .

The program involves working with staff from the City of Surrey and school district, school administration, parents, students and other interested members of the community. We want to hear from YOU! The information you provide will help us learn how students are currently travelling to and from school and some of the challenges students and care givers face. This information will help us create an action plan that considers the needs of all members of the school community.

Please click on this link and complete the survey on line.  Thank you.

Winter Concert

Our Winter Concert  this year will be held two days so all parents are able to attend and so we are able to accommodate seating.  On Wednesday, December 19th we will have parents of students in odd numbered divisions to watch the concert.  On Thursday, December 20th, we will have parents of students in even numbered divisions to watch the concert.  The concert time will be 12:45 pm start on both days.

If you have children in both odd or even numbered divisions – choose one day to attend. Remember, the reason we are doing this is so we can accommodate parent seating.

The Winter concert will have all of our music classes performing.  Please talk to your child about the performance his/her class is practising for the concert.

Halloween Fun!

Take a look at some of our photos from our Halloween parade:

Upcoming Events

October 31            Halloween Parade at 8:45 am
October 31            Halloween Dance for primary students at 10:30 am
November 5          Bohemia Ballet and Co. Performance in gym at 1 pm
November 8          Remembrance Day Assembly 10:30 am
November 9          Pro D – classes not in session
November 12        Schools closed – classes not in session
November 15        Theme Day (theme TBD)
November 19        School Assembly at 12:45 pm
November 19        Last Day for Purdy’s orders to be in
November 21       PAC meeting at 6 pm
November 29       Purdy’s delivery
December 10        CSL reports sent home this week
December 14        Winter Breakfast
December 14        Theme Day: Pajama Day
December 18        Winter Concert Rehearsal at 9 am (student only audience)
December 18        Early Dismissal at 1:27 pm
December 19        Winter Concert at 1 pm – parent audience of last names
December 20        Winter Concert at 1 pm – parent audience of last names
December 21        Last day of classes before Winter Break
January 7              Schools open

Halloween

Halloween is only five sleeps away!  A reminder that students are encouraged to wear their costumes to school.  We have our costume parade in the morning and the seating in the gym is the same as it was during our Harvest Day Celebration.  A couple of guidelines as to follow as you decide on costumes:

• costumes are not to be too scary as we have young students in the building (Kindergartens)
• Absolutely no replica weapons allowed (knives, guns, axes,)
• if your costume has a mask then the only time you can keep the mask on is during the Halloween parade and in your classroom.  For safety reasons, students are not allowed to wear masks in the hallway or outside (we need to be able to identify students)

We also have our Halloween Dance for primary students (Kindergarten to grade 3).  The dance is in the gym.  After recess the primary students come into the gym and we go over some guidelines with the students (dance, no running, etc.) – the dance ends at approximately 11:30 am.  Parents are more than welcome to come in and dance with their child(ren).

Gravity Cars

Mr. Unruh’s gravity car has two uses!

When you enter our school you will notice our gravity track in front of the music room.  Almost all of our classes will be busy building cars to race down this track.  The students will be building the fastest possible gravity-powered car.  Classes are using a variety of materials for the challenge.  Our intermediate classes are using wood, or bars of soap.  Some of our primary classes are using lego or recycled materials. There has been much learning around what will influence how fast the car travels – wheel size, diameter, shape of the car, materials used, etc. Click on the links here and here and here, for some fun ideas on how to build a gravity car.

Spotlight on Learning

Ms. Song’s class worked on an Egg Drop Stem Challenge.  The students created a contraption that had to hold an egg and survive the drop from two different heights.  Each group was provided with 50 straws, 3 m of masking tape, and scissors to cut.  The students came up with some interesting and creative design ideas.  Click on the videos below to watch the egg drops.

Sports

Intramurals – Handball

Handball is sometimes called European Handball – it is an easy sport to learn and play.  Handball is a great team sport for learning and practising basic movement skills like throwing and passing.  The sport allows players to learn about offence and defence skill strategies.  The students in grades 4 and 5 signed up to participate in our handball season.  Teams have been made and a schedule has been posted by the gym door.  Students play every Wednesday during the lunch hour.  Thank you to Mr. Henderson and Ms. Banbury for organizing and supervising the games.

Volleyball

Volleyball season is also underway.  We have Mr. Unruh and Ms. Luck coaching the girls team. The coaches for the boys team are Ms. Champion, Ms. Fadum, and Ms. Song.

A BIG THANK YOU to our teachers who have volunteered in their spare time (before school, after school, and lunch hours) to coach our students.

Student Leadership

We Scare Hunger

The Student Leadership Team is collecting non-perishable food items for our local food bank.  Our last day for collection will be Tuesday, November 2nd. Our goal is to collect at least 800 food items do donate. Our leadership students have been exploring the issue about hunger.  Below is information we learned from the Me to We website

“Thirteen percent of Canadians are in a state of food insecurity, which means they are unable to access a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. Without enough food, many people feel the effects of short-term hunger, like headaches, nausea and the inability to concentrate.
Each month, over 850,000 Canadians require help from food banks—more than one third of these individuals are children and youth. People seeking food assistance come from all walks of life. Employment is no guarantee that someone will never struggle to provide enough food for their family. In fact, nearly one in six households that accessed a food bank in 2016 included someone who was employed.

People who access food banks come from all walks of life. Some people need support over longer periods, but most require help only occasionally or for a short period of time. Hunger leads to long-term health conditions, especially in young children, and is a barrier to academic success.

A food package may make the difference for a family trying to get back on their feet after a crisis. It can mean that a child doesn’t go to bed hungry, or doesn’t get sick and miss school due to an immune system compromised by lack of adequate nutrition.”

Walk and Roll Wednesdays

Every Wednesday we are encouraging students to walk or roll to school.  We are encouraging students to walk or bike to school.  We understand that some families do not live within walking distance of the school and for that we have a safe solution.  For those families who do not live close by we recommend parents park their vehicles 1-2 blocks away from the school (and away from the traffic) and walk the rest of the route.  It is a win-win for everyone:

• parents save fuel
• parents do not get caught up in the drop off traffic zone on 26th Avenue
• walking and cycling to school builds regular physical activity into the daily routine
• student collect house team points for walking or biking to school

Students who walk and roll to school will receive points for their house team.

Crosswalk Safety

Morning drop off at school is a very busy time.  There have been major safety issues along 26th Avenue at the crosswalk in front of the school.  The British Columbia Motor Vehicle Act provides a variety of protections and rights to pedestrians, whether they are walking or standing alongside roads or crossing them at intersections. In general, vehicles must yield to pedestrians. Here are some of the issues we are facing:

• Vehicles are driving too fast in a school zone.
• Some vehicles do not pull over and park on the street to drop off, but instead stop their vehicle on 26th and have the child get out of the car.
• Some vehicles do not yield to pedestrians!
• Some vehicles are crossing the crosswalk when students have not even fully crossed the street.

We want our students to feel safe as they walk to school.  It is ok if your child is late for school because you couldn’t find a parking spot, or you got stuck in traffic, or if you just had a slower start to the morning.  We would rather your child be a couple of minutes late to class than your child be hurt by one or more of the behaviours listed above.

“Hiding in Plain Sight” Exhibition

Families are invited to experience Metis artisans and live entertainment at an event at the Museum of Surrey on October 28, 2018 from 1- 4pm.  Admission is free.  This exhibit explores the portrayal of Métis—some of whom are “hiding in plain sight”—in art and photographic collections and the accompanying descriptions. The event includes performances, vendors, children’s beading, bannock and tea, tanning, weaving and carving.

Important Dates

October 15-18          Walk and Roll to School Week
October 16             Cross Country Meet @ Crescent Park Elem
October 18             Theme Day – dress up in your house team colours
October 19             Pro D – classes not in session
October 21             Interims handed out this week

October 22            Drop Everything And Read
October 24             PAC meeting 6 pm in Library
October 26             Individual Photo re-takes
October 31             Halloween Parade   9 am
October 31             Halloween Primary Dance 10:45 am
November 8         Remembrance Day Assembly 10:30 am
November 9         Pro D – classes not in session
November 12       Schools closed – classes not in session

Class Floss Challenges

If you have been following our school IG account you will have seen the great flossing videos our students have submitted.  The month of September has been a fun one – with classes being set, getting to know our teachers, Terry Fox run, and preparing for our Harvest Day.  Amidst all of this students were flossing all over the place – in class, on the playground, in the hallways, teaching parents and even teaching teachers!  Since some of our class flossing videos were too long for IG, I have posted them below (Div. 2, 4, 20, 13, 1, and 9) Flossing winners will be announced on the morning of Friday, October 12th.

Student Leadership

Our student leadership team is big this year – over 30 students!  We have scheduled meetings for every Wednesday during the lunch hour.  Our team is committed to helping those in need locally and globally along with making our school a kinder and fun place.  This year we are assigning house colours to students (red, yellow, green, or blue) so that we can collect points for events.  The points will accumulate throughout the year.

For the month of October, we encourage every student in the school to bring in a canned good (non-perishable food item) for our We Scare Hunger initiative.  All non-perishable food items will go to the Sources White Rock/South Surrey Food Bank.  Our goal is to collect at least 800 items.

October 15-18th is our Walk and Roll to School Week.  As a school community we are encouraging students to walk or bike to school.  We understand that some families do not live within walking distance of the school and for that we have a safe solution.  For those families who do not live close by we recommend parents park their vehicles 1-2 blocks away from the school (and away from the traffic) and walk the rest of the route.  It is a win-win for everyone:

• parents save fuel
• parents do not get caught up in the drop off traffic zone on 26th Avenue
• walking and cycling to school builds regular physical activity into the daily routine
• student collect house team points for walking or biking to school

Students who walk and roll to school will receive points for their house team.

Drop Everything and READ!

On October 22nd schools across our school district will be participating in Drop Everything And Read (D.E.A.R.).  Please send your child to school with a book he/she likes to read.  Teachers will have students read for 20 minutes during various times during the schoold day. Some classes will be doing flashlight reading on that day.

Halloween

Halloween is approaching!  A reminder that students are encouraged to wear their costumes to school.  We have our costume parade in the morning and the seating in the gym is the same as it was during our Harvest Day Celebration.  A couple of guidelines as to follow as you decide on costumes:

• costumes are not to be too scary as we have young students in the building (Kindergartens)
• Absolutely no replica weapons allowed (knives, guns, axes,)
• if your costume has a mask then the only time you can keep the mask on is during the Halloween parade and in your classroom.  For safety reasons, students are not allowed to wear masks in the hallway or outside (we need to be able to identify students)

We also have our Halloween Dance for primary students (Kindergarten to grade 3).  The dance is in the gym.  After recess the primary students come into the gym and we go over some guidelines with the students (dance, no running, etc.) – the dance ends at approximately 11:30 am.  Parents are more than welcome to come in and dance with their child(ren).

Harvest Day Update

Tomorrow is our Harvest Day!  We are looking forward to seeing all our students (and staff) coming to school wearing their western/harvest wear.  I’m sure there will be a lot of plaid, cowboy hats and boots.

The event will start at 1 pm sharp.  So that means we start loading the gym after lunch.  The classes will be performing in the following order:

• Div. 4 Presentation
• The Funky Cowboy performed by students in Ms. Hall, Ms. McIntyre, Ms. Luck, Ms. Beare, Ms. Rawlyns, and Ms. Fadum’s class
• Div. 4 Presentation
• The Heel Toe Polka performed by students in Ms. Darby and Ms. Beale’s class
• Div. 4 Presentation
• Magic Trumpet Square Dance performed by students in Ms. Holmes and Ms. Champion’s class
• Div. 4 Presentation
• Mountain Music Square Dance performed by Ms. Song, Mr. Unruh and Mr. Loosemore’s class
• Div. 4 Presentation
• The Chicken Dance performed by the entire school

*students in division 4 are presenting (in groups of 5-6 students) information about Harvest Day in different countries from around the world.

Parent Seating

Since we have special seating for our Harvest Day, where classes sit around the periphery of the gym, there is no seating available for parents on the gym floor.  Parents are more than welcome to watch their child perform from the Multipurpose Room (which is also a school stage).  However the space cannot hold more than 30 adults comfortably.

We ask parents that after their child has finished performing, the parents wait outside in the hallway so other parents can enter to watch.  So for example, If your child is in Ms. Darby’s class, please wait until your child performs to be in the multipurpose room.  Once your child has finished performing please exit so there is room for parents to watch the next performance.

Other Notes

Parents, at the end of the day please take home the Veggie Creation(s) your child has made.  Also, students will be dismissed from their classrooms at the end of the day.

Don’t Forget!

September 25            Scholastic Book Fair opens after school
September 25            Cross Country Meet at Crescent Park (after school)
September 28            Orange Shirt Day
October 1                   Last Day of Book Fair
October 2                   Cross Country Meet at Crescent Park (after school)
October 3                   Early Dismissal @ 1:27 pm
October 5                   Harvest Day

Scholastic Book Fair

Our book fair opens after school on Tuesday, September 25th and closes on Monday, October 1st.  The book fair will be open during lunch hours and after school. Only intermediate students can shop in the book fair during lunch hour.  After school the book fair is open to both intermediate and primary students.  There are two things to remember:
1. Students can only buy books for themselves or their younger siblings.
2. Entry into the book fair is from the outside library door.

Orange Shirt Day-Every Child Matters

Orange Shirt day is on Friday Sept. 28th. Orange shirt day grew out of Phyllis’ story of having her shiny new orange shirt, bought by her grandmother, being taken away on her first day of school at St. Joseph Mission residential school.  This day has also become an opportunity to keep the discussion on all aspects of residential schools happening annually.

Residential Schools had a profound effect on the culture and language of aboriginal people across Canada, and forever changed the lives of thousands of aboriginal children.  As the terrible legacy of these schools has become public, the Canadian Government offered an apology to aboriginal people for the forced cultural assimilation embodied in the residential school system.

Orange Shirt Day is an opportunity for First Nations, local governments, schools and communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come.

Harvest Day

Harvest Day is a school tradition that is unique to our school.  On Harvest Day the students come to school dressed in “Harvest Wear” – plaid shirts, jeans, cowboy hats, boots, etc.  The students are encouraged to bring in their Veggie Creations (vegetables that come from the harvest.  All Veggie Creations are created at home with the help of family members.  On the morning of our Harvest Day celebration (Friday, October 5th) students are asked to bring in their Veggie Creations and place them on the tables in the common area in front of the gym.  Please take a look at the pictures below for inspiration.

In the afternoon students come into the gym to watch our Harvest Day performances (square dancing, line dancing, reciting poems, etc.)  This year with 21 divisions (over 451 students), we will have reached our crowd capacity in the gym with our students and staff.  We have a special seating for Harvest Day where our students sit around the periphery of the gym, so classes can perform in the centre of the floor. This seating leaves no room for parents. I understand in the past we have had parents join us for the celebration, this year we will not have room on the gym floor for parents.  If parents do join us to celebrate, they will have to sit in the Multipurpose Room and watch from the stage. Our music room stage is unable to hold more than 30 adults at the most.

Flossing Contest

Student, class, family, and teacher entries for the Flossing Contest are being accepted this week.  If you have an entry, please see Ms. Chohan during lunch hour.  Contest entries can be posted on Instagram as long as the student(s) in the video have handed in the media coverage forms with approval to post on school sites such as Instagram.

Contest Categories:

Best Class Floss
Fastest Flosser
Most Creative Floss
Best Family Floss
Funniest Floss
Best Floss done by school staff

Contest Rules:

1. You may enter the contest as an individual or group.
2. In order to enter the contest you must have your consent form signed so we can post your flossing entry on our school Instagram account.
3. If you are a group entry then all members of the group must have media consent forms signed.
4. All entries will be posted on our IG account
5. Have FUN!

Winners of each category will get a PIZZA PARTY.

Important Dates

September 18               Terry Fox Run (after lunch)
September 18               Cross Country Meet @ Crescent Park 3 pm
September 18               Meet the Teacher 6-7 pm
September 21               Individual Photo Day
September 24               Pro D (classes not in session)
September 25               Cross Country Meet at Crescent Park 3 pm
September 25               Scholastic Book Fair starts after school
October 2                      Cross Country Meet at Crescent Park 3 pm
October 3                      Early Dismissal @ 1:27 pm
October 5                      Harvest Day
October 8                     Thanksgiving Holiday
October 9                     Cross Country Meet at Crescent Park 3 pm

Parking Lot Safety

With more students attending our school this year ( we have gone up four divisions) we have noticed an increase in parking lot safety along with safety issues on 26th Avenue as parents are parking to drop of students.

If you are parking on 26th Avenue please be sure to follow bylaws as you find parking.  We have placed cones on the street to indicate the area you cannot park as it obstructs the crosswalk where students cross.  Student safety is our primary concern.  Please do not drop your children off in the street!  Park your car in a legitimate parking spot and then let your child out of the vehicle.

Our parking lot is very congested during drop off and pick up times –  we all need to work together so students are SAFE.  Here are some simple guidelines to follow:

• the roundabout is for single lane traffic only (there is no parking or idling in the roundabout)
• Please stop and drop off your child on the outside of the roundabout, so your child gets out of the car safely onto the sidewalk (not onto the roundabout road where cars are circling)
• Please park in the visitor parking if you have to (not in the roundabout or in the vehicle lane coming into the school)
• Pedestrians have the right of way
• If you find the roundabout area stressful, please park your car down the street and walk your child to the school
• drive slowly
• PLEASE DEMONSTRATE KINDNESS

Cross Country Season

Cross Country season is underway.  A big thank you to our coaches Ms. Banbury and Ms. Beale for organizing.  Cross Country is for all interested students in Grades 3-7.

Practises are on Monday at 2:45 pm and Thursday at 8 am

Meets are at Crescent Park Elementary on:
September 18
September 25
October 2
October 9
October 16

Flossing Contest

All parents have been witness to children flossing.  Not the traditonal flossing that the dentist recommends to prevent cavities, but instead the flossing that became famous by the Backpack Kid who posted the viral move on his Instagram page.  After watching so many of our students doing the floss, we decided to have some fun with it – we are having a contest with the following categories:

Best Class Floss
Fastest Flosser
Most Creative Floss
Best Family Floss
Funniest Floss
Best Floss done by school staff

Contest Rules:

1. You may enter the contest as an individual or group.
2. In order to enter the contest you must have your consent form signed so we can post your flossing entry on our school Instagram account.
3. If you are a group entry then all members of the group must have media consent forms signed.
4. All entries will be posted on our IG account
5. Have FUN!

Winners of each category will get a PIZZA PARTY.  

Contest closes October 12th, 2018

If you have any questions or suggestions please talk to Ms. Chohan

Principal’s Message

Our school staff extends a warm welcome back to school to all of the students and families in our community.  I hope everyone had a great summer holiday and you all are ready to step into the learning routines these fall and winter months will bring. I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you.  If you are new to our school community please take minute to introduce yourself to me when I’m out on supervision in the morning and after school. This year promises to be full of great learning opportunities!

Sincerely,

Ms. Chohan

Class Placements

This week the students in grades 1 through to 7 have been placed in mixed groupings.  The students have the opportunity to get to know the teachers that will be teaching their grade level.  The mixed groupings also give teachers a chance to get to know all the students in their grade level and allows them to work collaboratively with each other to develop classes.  We should have students in their permanent classes by the end of the day on Friday or by the very beginning of the second week at the latest.

When students are placed in classes, the factors listed below are taken into consideration.  As each class situation is different, the factors are not in order of importance.

• Student intellectual, social and emotional development
• Learning styles and strengths of students
• Degree of independence
• Social compatibility- based on past experience, some students may not be placed in the same class as they experience difficulties together, while other students may be placed together because they work well together.
• Gender balance- attempts are made to form classes with equal number of boys and girls
• Behaviour – students requiring behavioural support are placed in classes that best meet their needs
• Maintaining appropriate teacher-student ratios

I have had many parents email or come into the school to discuss their child’s placement for this school year.  If the requests are for educational reasons (listed above) we try to honour them if possible.

EduPac and Student Agendas

If you ordered school supplies through EduPac then your child will receive the supplies once classes have been set.  All supply lists are found on our school website.

All students in Grades 1-7 are expected to purchase a planner for $2.  The planner contains important information for parents.  The agendas will be distributed by classroom teachers next week.

Important Dates

PAC meeting                                               September 17 at 6 pm
Terry Fox Run                                            September 18
Meet the Teacher                                       September 18 at 6 pm
Individual Photo Day                                September 21
Non-Instructional Day                              September 24
Book Fair starts (after school)                 September 25
Orange Shirt Day                                        September 28

Principal’s Message

Dear Parents,

As our school year comes to a close today we have much to celebrate and happy memories to reflect upon. Our students enjoyed a successful year of learning. Students continued to follow their passions in academics, sports, music, sewing, coding, and so much more.

Thank you to our parent community for the hours you have put in volunteering, chaperoning, helping with hot lunch, organizing, donating, helping your child with reading and school projects…and so much more. Special thanks to our PAC who went above and beyond to provide support for student learning, and to add to a rich school experience for all of our students.

In September we will have a Vice Principal!  I would like to welcome Mr. Loosemoore to the Pacific Heights community.  I would also like to welcome our new staff members: Ms. Gill, Ms. Rawlyns, Ms. Fadum, Ms. Champion, and Ms. Burrell.

I would like to wish you all a great summer break. I look forward to welcoming you back for another exciting school year.

Sincerely,

Ms. Chohan

Class Placements

The first week of school is a busy week as we are getting to know our students.  The students will be working in their grade groups, providing them the opportunity to work with different teachers and peers. These interactions will help teachers determine class placements and go over class/school routines.  We are thoughtful and deliberate as we review the educational and social emotional needs of each child as we make our class lists.  The most suitable placement your child based on the following criteria:

• Student intellectual, social and emotional development
• Learning styles and strengths of students
• Degree of independence
• Social compatibility
• Gender balance
• Maintaining appropriate teacher-student ratios

In the first week of school we are figuring out our class configurations as things change regarding enrolment numbers.  For this reason, we are unable to concretely answer which teacher is teaching which grade.  However, we can tell you that we have 21 divisions for September, and we can tell you which teachers are teaching primary classes  and which teachers are teaching intermediate classes:

Primary Teachers:
Ms. Andrews
Ms. Horvat
Ms. Tavares
Ms. Gill
Ms. Beare
Ms. Rawlyns
Ms. McIntyre
Ms. Hall
Ms. Fadum
Ms. Darby
Ms. Beale
*TBA – Ms. Shears has accepted a position in Langley

Intermediate Teachers:
Ms. Banbury
Ms. Burrell
Ms. Champion
Ms. Chamberlayne
Ms. Holmes
Mr. Loosemoore
Mr. Henderson
Mr. Unruh
Ms. Song

Portables and Construction

Many of you have asked how many portables we are getting for the 2018-19 school year. At the moment, we will have three portables added.  Two portables will be placed next to the portables on the intermediate playground.  The other portable will be in the parent parking lot behind Ms. Chamberlayne’s portable.  The portable will have barriers around it, so that students are safe and are not in the parking lot.  Furthermore, this will change our parking situation. The current parent parking lot, will be the teacher parking lot.  The current teacher parking lot will become the parent parking lot.  We will have more information for you by the first week of September.

Construction vehicles used for the addition will not be accessing the site through the roundabout.  Instead there is a back road being built behind the school.  Construction will start in July.  More information about student play zones will be provided by the first week of September.