Hi Whiteside families! Happy Cinco De Mayo!

 

Thank you to our amazing staff and wonderful parents for providing our grade 6s with an amazing camp experience. Our grade 6s spend three days exploring, paddling, and hiking at Camp Elphinstone in Gibsons.

Next week, Ms. LB brings her incredibly talented honour band to Whiteside. We welcome our families to this awesome concert on Friday at 1:30 p.m.

Track is about to start, and we are excited to see our Wolfpack jump, run, and throw through our track attack stations, practices, and then at our annual track meet at Minoru.

Spring is a great season for our Wolfpack!

Thank you for all your care and support. You make Whiteside a special community to learn, teach, and play.

The Richmond Board of Education acknowledges and thanks the First Peoples of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language group on whose traditional and unceded territories we teach, learn and live.

 

Coming Soon:

 

May 1-3            Grade 6 Outdoor Education trip

May 10             Honor Band performance at 1:30 p.m.

May 13             Speed Control concert

May 16             Family Teams picnic reading

May 17             Pro-D day

May 20             Victoria day

May 22             Welcome to K event

May 24             Ian Maskin concert

May 24             Hot Lunch (Chipotle)

May 27             Track Meet

May 31             Family Teams event

June 4              Gr. 7 rafting trip

June 7              Family Teams event

June 14             Sports Day

June 21             Grade 7 farewell celebration

June 27             Last day of school for students

 

WHITESIDE INFORMATION AND EVENTS

Krispy Kreme Fundraiser for Grade 7 Farewell

Help support our grade seven farewell celebration. Our grade seven parent team is selling Krispy Kreme donuts for $18 per dozen. Order on School Cash Online by May 10th for May 16th delivery.

 

Notice Of Late Return 2024-2025

The attached form must be completed for any student(s) who anticipate a delayed return to school in September and will not be in attendance by 12:00pm on Wednesday, September 4, 2024. Please return the form to the school principal by June 21, 2024.

Please note that student absences at the start of the school year result in missed opportunities for valuable social connections, instructional time, and establishment of routines and expectations. The reason for a late return to school should only be for extenuating circumstances.

Please be advised that any student not in attendance before end of the school day on September 11, 2024, will not be guaranteed a placement at École Élémentaire James Whiteside Elementary School. This may result in a placement at another school upon return.

In the event of an unforeseen critical family circumstance occurring after July 1, 2024, that causes an unexpected late return to the school, the parent must advise the school as soon as possible by email (whiteside@sd38.bc.ca).

 

Sharing Fridge

The sharing fridge is now stocked with a variety of healthy snacks for our students to enjoy.  We teach and encourage our students to take what they need and when they need it.  We kindly remind families that this is not to replace sending your child to school with a packed lunch and snack but for students who are still hungry after finishing their lunch, forgot their lunch at home or do not have access to fruits and veggies.

 

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, May 21^st at 6:45 p.m.! Please reach out to our PAC at whitesidepac@hotmail.com for more information.

 

Outdoor Education Fundraising

To help lower the cost of our annual intermediate outdoor education experiences, Whiteside has partnered with Return-It Depot to fundraise.  Return your cans and bottles to our local Return It depot (Unit 110 - 11020 Horseshoe Way), go to the Express area, type in our number 604-668-6419, affix the label to your bag, drop, and go.

 

DISTRICT INFORMATION AND UPDATES

Exploitation Education Institute (EEI) – Cybersafe from Exploitation Parent Presentation, May 23 @ 7 pm, Zoom

The district and EEI are hosting a parent presentation that reviews the content recently shared in elementary school presentations around online exploitation, age of consent laws, information sharing, and risks with online gaming. This session will also provide key tips to parents in keeping their children safe and respectful to others. Flyer attached.

 

Student And Family Affordability Fund

The provincial government recently announced a renewal of one-time funds for the Student and Family Affordability Fund. This fund is designed to assist families who require financial assistance with school-related costs in the following areas:

• school and course fees.
• school supplies and course materials.
• field trips.
• school-related extracurricular opportunities. 
• clothing and footwear required for sports and school activities. 

Please reach out to our principal, Brett Cameron, (whiteside@sd38.bc.ca) if you need assistance.  As always, all requests will be treated with dignity and your privacy will be respected. We want to work with our families to ensure that our students, your children, have everything they need to be successful at school. Please do not hesitate to reach out if we can 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 currently provide breakfast and lunch options for students daily. 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 to be successful at school. Please do not hesitate to reach out if we can help.

 

THE MORE YOU KNOW…

Healthy Eating Habits

Sodium

• Sodium is a mineral that maintains proper fluids in your body. It’s also needed for nerve and muscle function. But, eating too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart disease. Sodium is commonly referred to as salt.
• Offer your child healthy foods that are low in sodium as often as possible.
• Processed and pre-packaged foods tend to have high amounts of sodium.
• Too much sodium in childhood can lead to a preference for salty food, which is associated with obesity and/or disease later in life.
• Use the % Daily Value (DV) on food labels to compare products. Look for foods with a sodium content of less than 15% DV.

 

Whiteside Reading Information of The Week

Read about it, talk about it, and think about it! Find ways for your child to build understanding, the ultimate goal of learning how to read. The tips below offer some fun ways you can help your child become a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best for your child.

• Fill your home with books
• Studies show having a library at home is linked to higher standardized test scores. Particularly for families in low-resource communities, having books at home can create a positive learning environment. Neighborhood garage sales and thrift stores are great and inexpensive options to build a child’s library. It is important to fill at-home libraries with a diverse selection of books: fiction and nonfiction, paperback and hardback, books for pleasure and informational books. By exposing children to an array of books, their scope of interests and understanding will expand. Parents will see an increase in curiosity and enthusiasm about new topics.

 

COMMUNITY INFORMATION AND EVENTS:

 

South Arm Community Center Swap Meet - May 4

Our center is hosting our Swap Meet this Saturday, May 4^th from 10:00am – 2:00pm. There will be 40 vendors selling a variety of gently used household items, sports equipment, and clothing.

 

Girls At Bat – SACC

Mondays and Thursdays at SACC

This program focuses on friendships and learning new skills in this fun introduction to baseball and softball. All self-identified girls, cisgender, and transgender, as well as Two-Spirit and non-binary people are welcomed to register. This course is offered in partnership with the Jays Care Foundation. Please see the flyer for more information.

 

Family Smart - Events for Parents and Caregivers

• May 7 - National Child & Youth Mental Health Day online event with Kim Barthell - "Connecting with Kids” Event Link: https://familysmart.ca/event/connecting-with-kids (link)

 

2024 Child Care Symposium - May 4, 2024

The Richmond 2024 Child Care Symposium is now open for registration. Organized by the City of Richmond's Child Care Development Advisory Committee, this symposium celebrates Child Care Month and is for early childhood educators, child care providers and parents. 

 

Bike To School Week

Bike to School Week is an annual celebration where students of all ages are encouraged to bike, roll, or walk to school. This year Bike to School Week takes place June 3-7, 2024. Over 140 schools participate in a typical year across Metro Vancouver. HUB Cycling offers support such as resources and event ideas, prizes and packages to make ride tracking easy. 

 

Have a great weekend!

 ~Whiteside Elementary