Hi Whiteside Families!

 

We hope you are enjoying a sunny start to your October and are looking forward to fall fun with your families. We had another great week of learning at Whiteside. Our Wolfpack had big smiles for our photo day and our volleyball has been enjoying some practice time. Each classroom is working on building community, improving literacy and numeracy skills, and strengthening friendships. Thank you for your ongoing support of learning at Whiteside.

 

Please remember that our school will be closed for the provincial pro-d day on Friday, October 20^th.

 

Photo retake day is Thursday, November 16^th at 9:00 a.m.

 

We hope you enjoy a wonderful weekend with your families!

 

We wish everyone a safe and peaceful weekend!

 

MEET THE TEACHER PICTURES

Thank you again for joining us for the Meet the Teacher BBQ. It was a great evening with our community. If you have pictures from the evening, please share with us at whiteside@sd38.bc.ca. Thank you!

 

LEARNING CONFERENCES

Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled for October 18/19. These conferences are a great opportunity to connect with the school and discuss your child's learning. This year our conferences will be completed in person. Alternate arrangements can be made individually with your classroom teacher. Teachers will connect with you to schedule conference times. Please note that these two dates are Early Dismissal Days with 1:45 pm dismissal times to accommodate the conferences.

 

HOT LUNCH

We have two Hot Lunch Days open for ordering! Please order online by going to the school website whiteside.sd38.bc.ca and clicking on the link under the MunchaLunch icon, or visit https://munchalunch.com/login.

Subway – Monday October 30^th

Sushi Lovers – Friday November 10^th

All orders and full payment are due by Friday, October 20^th.

 

PAC HALLOWEEN PARTY

The Whiteside Halloween Party is BACK! Tickets are available for $8 per child by pre-order on MunchaLunch & will be sold for $10 at the door. The activities are geared towards K-Gr. 5. All ages are welcome to attend. Children in K-Gr. 4 must have a guardian stay with them during this event. Grade 5 and up must be signed in at the front door.

 

Each admission includes: face painting, carnival games, a costume parade and cupcake decorating. There will be a Halloween photo booth with a minimum donation of $2. Dress up in your Halloween costume (school rules apply!) and then join our costume parade for a chance to win one of our Halloween Prize Baskets.

 

Cheese, Hawaiian and pepperoni pizza will be available for pre-order. A limited amount will be available at concession during the event. As this is a PAC fundraiser event; the concession stand will also be selling drinks, chips and other treats. Pre-order your ticket to save $2 on your entry cost and to purchase a pizza dinner; on MunchaLunch. Pre-order available October 6th until Monday, October 23rd. (Parent admission is free at this event!)

 

Volunteers are needed. Please sign up here to help.

 

FEEDING FUTURES

Recently, the provincial government announced a new Feeding Futures School Program Fund, designed to assist schools in the development and enhancement of school meal programs and other nutritional supports for students.

If you would like to request support for your child at school, please reach out to our principal, Brett Cameron (bcameron@sd38.bc.ca). We are gathering information and look to provide ongoing support wherever possible. Implementation plans are underway, and we want to ensure families are aware, and as always, able to reach out if they require support. All requests will be treated with dignity and your privacy will be respected. We want to work with families to ensure that your children have everything they need in order to be successful at school. Please do not hesitate to reach out if we can help.

 

BACK TO SCHOOL WELLNESS KIT

Back-to-school transition can be a stressful time for students and their parents/guardians or caregivers. The B.C. Children’s Hospital has released a back-to-school wellness toolkit to help support families. This toolkit provides practical guidance and resources to support children or youth as they adjust to the school routine and change in their environment.

 

CHECK IN AND CHECK OUT

If your child is arriving late to school, please check in at the office through the front entrance.

If your child needs to leave school early, please sign your child out at the office and wait at the front entrance for them.

 

PAC MEETINGS

PAC are amazing resources for our entire school community. A strong PAC bonds our school community with our families. PAC is an excellent way for our families to connect directly with the action at our school as well as develop relationships within the parent community. Our next meeting is on Tuesday, October 17 at 6:45 p.m.! Please reach out to our PAC at whitesidepac@hotmail.com for more information

 

WEST COAST RECESS

During recess and lunchtime breaks, students are expected to be outside at all times this year.  Students are strongly encouraged to dress appropriately for the weather. You may also send a change of clothes to school just in case your child gets wet. Playing outside will ensure our students get some fresh air and exercise to enliven their day.

 

SCHOOL VISITORS

In the interest of safety, everyone entering the school must check in at the office. Classrooms are busy learning places and we try not to interrupt them during instructional time.  If you need to see your child, leave them a message, or drop off a lunch, our office staff will happily take care of that for you.  As well, it is difficult at the end or beginning of the school day for our office staff to have in-depth discussions with parents.  Making appointments either by phone or in person is preferable. Thank you for your support!

 

PARKING LOT SAFETY

With school starting up, it is important to remind both drivers and pedestrians to keep traffic safety in mind and remain alert during their commutes. Our east parking lot is closed to parent drivers. Please use the South Arm lot or our drop off lane. Students and families use the crosswalks in front of the school all day. Please be mindful of pedestrians and other cars when driving in front of our school. When using the drop off lane, please continue to pull forward to allow more space behind you, but do not block or park on the zebra crosswalks. Blocking crosswalks creates danger for pedestrians trying to cross to our school.

 

Coming Soon:

 

Oct. 18/19        Learning Conferences (1:45 p.m. dismissal)

Oct. 20             Pro-D Day (school closed)

Oct. 27             PAC Halloween Party

Oct. 30             Hot lunch

Oct. 31             HUB Cycling begins for intermediate.

Oct. 31             Halloween costume parade

Nov. 10             Remembrance Day Assembly

Nov. 10             Hot lunch

Nov. 11             Remembrance Day

Nov. 13             Remembrance Day observed – school closed.

Nov. 20             Pro-D Day (school closed)

Nov. 24             Hot lunch

Dec. 7               Grade 6/7 immunizations

Dec. 12             Winter Concert – 6 p.m.

Dec. 15             Hot lunch

Dec. 19             Winter musical – 6 p.m.

Dec. 21             Reports published.

Dec. 22             Last day before Winter Break

 

Have a great weekend!

 ~Whiteside Elementary