Hi Whiteside families!

What a week! The spring and year-end fun continues at Whiteside. Not only is our Wolfpack working hard on their studies, but they are also engaging in great community, building events like our district track meet and family teams dance practice.

We hope you will join in the fun. We have a PAC movie night, band concert, and sports day coming soon!

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:

June 3              Crepe Day

June 4              Gr. 7 rafting trip

June 7              Family Teams event

June 7               Movie Night

June 13             Band concert at 6:30 p.m.

June 14             Sports Day and Hot Lunch

June 21             Grade 7 farewell celebration

June 27             Last day of school for students

WHITESIDE INFORMATION AND EVENTS

Sports Day PreSchool Race and Bike Parade

We welcome our little sisters and brothers to join us at 9:10 a.m. on Sports Day for our preschool race. These little ones will line up on our field and run to their families on the other side while all of Whiteside cheers them on. We also welcome all our students to adorn their bikes, scooters, roller blades, roller skates, skateboards, and anything else with wheels with their team colours for our bike parade at 9:00 a.m. (Please no e-bikes or e-scooters. Bike parade is child-powered only.)

2024-2025 School Calendar

Our 2024-2025 school calendar was released this week. Please see the attachment.

Movie Night – June 7  

Bring a friend, blanket, and pillow to join us for our final movie night on June 7. Entry is free and pizza/concession can be purchased before the movie on Munch-a-Lunch. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. Movie begins at 6:30 p.m.

Hot Lunch – June 14

Celebrate Sports Day with Triple O’s on June 14. Orders and full payments must be received on munch-a-lunch by no later than Friday, June 7th.  Please ensure that you have fully paid for your children's order by this date, or their order(s) will be cancelled.

Yearbooks

Yearbooks are available for pre-sale now! Please have your order in by Sunday, June 2nd to have your book delivered to the school without additional shipping costs. Please note, the school will NOT be purchasing extra yearbooks for sale. The vendor this year has changed (our previous vendor was acquired by Edge Imaging). There will be no individual purchasing if you miss this deadline.
Order on SchoolCash Online.

Play N’ Eat Breakfast Club

Our final Breakfast Club will be June 7^th.

Year End Band Concert – June 13

Please join us in the gym to enjoy our final band concert of the year. Doors for our audience will open at 6:15 p.m. and the show will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Class Placements

Please see the attached letter with information regarding class placements for 2024-2025.

Notice Of Late Return 2024-2025

Families must complete a Notice of Late Return form 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

Our PAC will hold their AGM next month. We encourage all parents to attend this meeting and ponder joining our PAC executive. Our PAC is a great group of parents that care for our school and students. 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 our AGM on Tuesday, June 18^th at 6:30 p.m.!  We hope to see parents out to join our PAC next year. Please reach out to our PAC at whitesidepac@hotmail.com for more information.

Whiteside Fundraising

To help support new learning 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

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…

National Indigenous History Month

In June, Canadians recognize and celebrate National Indigenous History Month to honor the history, heritage, and diversity of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Please visit: the NIPD site or the NIHM national site for more information.

COMMUNITY INFORMATION AND EVENTS:

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. 

Exciting Kids Summer Camps - Connections Community Services

Connections Community Services Society is hosting new kids summer camps in July for kids aged 9 to 12.

City of Richmond – Community Services Connectors

Established in January, the City of Richmond will be continuing its Community Services Connectors program for the remainder of 2024. This weekly drop-in is offered at Ironwood Library every Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. and is an opportunity for people with lower incomes to connect with community services in Richmond (i.e. social service benefits, affordable housing supports, affordable family services, free and low-cost food, employment resources, transportation, as well as other community programs and assistance).

Have a great weekend!

 ~Whiteside Elementary