Hi Whiteside!

We had another great week in the sun at Whiteside. We’ve started our Family Teams Sports Day activities to prepare for our Star Wars Sports Day. We look forward to bringing the Force to Whiteside on June 13.

Our intermediate students have been busy ideating, designing, building, and marketing for their Grand Marché (see below). They have also been rehearsing for their band concerts next week.

There is so much fun to have at Whiteside in June but it is important that our Wolfpack continue to follow their regular routines. Routines help our kids regulate, participate, and learn. Please pack healthy lunches and snacks, maintain a regular bedtime, and enjoy time together as a family.

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

We acknowledge and thank the First Peoples of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language group on whose traditional and unceded territories we teach, learn and live, and upon where the Musqueam people continue their traditions and cultural education.

 

Coming Events:

June 9              Grand Marché

June 12             Band Concert at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

June 13             Sports Day

June 13             Hot Lunch – White Spot

June 16             Rain Out Sports Day

June 17             PAC AGM @ 7 p.m. online

June 18             K/1, 6/7 immunizations

June 20             Gr. 7 Farewell assembly

June 26             Last day of school

June 26             Final report cards posted on MyEd

 

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.

 

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.)

Lunch will be at 12:10 p.m. All families are welcome to enjoy a great hot lunch with their children in South Arm Park.

 

Shape of the Sports Day:

Before school, bring bikes, scooters, etc. to the gym.

8:40 a.m. – check in regular classrooms

9:00 a.m. – 9:55 a.m. – bike parade, preschool race (bring your little brothers and sisters), school wide dance.

9:55 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. – Recess

10:10 a.m. – 12:05 p.m. – Sports Day stations

12:10 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Lunch

1:00 – 2:45 p.m. – Tug o’ War and Shoe Toss

2:45 p.m. – Dismissal

*Our tug o’ war and shoe toss may end early. Please remember to let your teacher know if you want to take your child home early.

Grand Marché

Our Grade 4-7 classes are excited to be participating in the Junior Achievement (JA) "Business of Our Own" program. For their final project, students will plan, create, and sell their own products at "Le Grand Marché," a community market event scheduled for early June. This project connects directly to curriculum areas like math (financial literacy), careers education, and ADST. Each student has a $5 budget for materials; after repaying this initial amount, all profits will be donated to a charity chosen by the classes. We look forward to seeing the Whiteside community, including students and parents, come out to support this wonderful student initiative!

 

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts -  Sports Day June 13th

Prices:

$2 per doughnut | While supplies last

$20 per dozen | While supplies last

All proceeds will go towards the Grade 7 Farewell Celebration. Thank you for your support.

 

Library Reminders

Next week is the last week of library book exchanges for all divisions. All library books are due back to the library on Monday, June 17^th. Thank you.

 

Notice Of Late Return

At this time, we are asking families who will not be returning to Whiteside by noon on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, to submit the Notice of Late Return for 2025-2026 (see attachment).

Please note that the reason for a late return should only be for extremely extenuating circumstances. Not returning in time for the beginning of the school year will affect student learning, and the important opportunity to make connections for the school year. 

If a student is not returning on or before Wednesday, September 10, 2025, the school cannot guarantee a spot in the school, and there may be a need for placement at another school upon the student's late return.

 

PAC Update

Come Join the Fun – We Need YOU!

The Whiteside PAC is a powerhouse of parents who work together to make our school an even better place for our kids — building community, supporting students, and making school life extra memorable!

Our amazing events like Sports Day and After-School Snack Sales wouldn't happen without the helping hands of parent volunteers — and this is where YOU come in!

Whether you have a special talent to share, want to try something new, or are simply looking for a fun way to get more involved, we'd love to have you on board.

We're currently looking for volunteers to help out this spring and welcoming new faces who might want to join the PAC team for next year (nominations happen at our June AGM!).

If you're curious, excited, or even just a little bit interested, reach out to us at WhitesidePAC@hotmail.com — we’ll happily share more about the different ways you can get involved.

Thank you for making Whiteside such a wonderful community!

Our next PAC meeting will be our AGM online on June 17^th at 7:00 p.m. Thank you for your support! - Whiteside PAC.

 

Grade 7 Farewell Celebration

Schedule of Events

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: Farewell Ceremony 

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Photos and mingling outside 

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.: Lunch for students and staff (families can visit outside or come back at 2:45 p.m.)

1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.: Dance

2:30 p.m.: Go back to class for dismissal

 

Year End Band Concert – June 12

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.

 

Whiteside Fundraising

After a summer of collecting empty cans and bottles, you can help raise money for Whiteside. 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

 

Nut Awareness

Nut products can cause severe and life-threatening allergic reactions. To help us maintain a safe and inclusive environment for all students and staff, we ask that you refrain from bringing any items containing nuts to school. While we cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment, the district is committed to taking reasonable steps to minimize the risk of accidental exposure to life-threatening allergens. 

 

THE MORE YOU KNOW…

Try this fun activity that builds literacy skills while enjoying the outdoors:

Nature Story Stones.

What you'll need:

• A few smooth, flat stones for each family member (you can collect these on a walk together!)
• Marker
• A small bag for holding the stones)

How to Prepare & Play:

1. Gather Your Stones: Go on a short walk in your backyard, a local park, or a nature trail and have everyone collect 3-5 smooth stones they like.
2. Decorate Your Story Starters:
   • Once you have your stones, find a comfortable spot outdoors.
   • Each family member draws simple pictures on their stones. Think of things you might find in a story or outdoors: a sun, tree, flower, animal (like a bird, bug, or squirrel), path, house, key, happy face, a child, a star, etc. Keep the images simple and open to interpretation.
   • Let them dry if you used paint.
3. Let the Storytelling Begin!
   • Sit in a circle. You can place all the decorated stones in a bag and have people pick without looking, or lay them picture-down in the middle.
   • The first volunteer picks a stone and starts the story based on the image. For example, if they pick a stone with a sun on it, they might start with: "Once upon a time, on a very bright and sunny morning..."
   • Person 2 then picks a stone and continues the story, weaving in the element from their stone. If they pick a tree, they might add: "...a little squirrel decided to climb the tallest tree in the forest."
   • Continue taking turns, with each person picking a stone and adding the next part to the story.
   • Encourage creativity, silliness, and listening to what others have said to make the story flow.
4. Concluding the Story: The game can end when all the stones have been used, after a certain number of rounds, or when the family decides the story has reached a satisfying (or hilarious!) ending.

 

Have a great weekend!

 

~Whiteside Elementary