Happy Haunts, Whiteside Wolves!

Our school wide dance performance was an awesome way to kick off our Halloween! Thank you to Serena, our dance instructor, and the PAC for providing this opportunity. Thank you to all the families that came to cheer us on. It was fun watching all our super heroes, witches, and little goblins sidestep and glide through the Halloween hits.

We wish all our families an eerily fun and magically memorable Halloween! We want all our Wolf Pack to be safe this Halloween. We encourage all students to wear bright, visible costumes and use reflective gear so drivers can see them easily. Have a great time sharing laughs and collecting treats. Let's work together to make this a safe and happy night for every ghost, witch, and superhero! Be smart, be safe, and have fun! 👻🍬

We hope you have a wonderful weekend!

~ Whiteside Elementary

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 Events:

November 3 – Photo retake day

November 10 – Remembrance Day assembly at 9:00 a.m.

November 11 – Remembrance Day

November 18 – Volleyball game at Lee

November 18 – PAC meeting online at 7:45 p.m.

November 20/21 – PAC family photo nights

November 21 - TCO2 presentations for Gr. 4-7

November 26 – Volleyball game at Whiteside vs. Lee

November 27 – McRoberts Volleyball Jamboree at 3:30 p.m.

December 1 – Pro-D Day

December 10 – Winter band concert

December 16 – Winter musical

December 18 – Term 1 reports published

December 19 – Last day before winter break

January 5 – Whiteside re-opens

WHITESIDE INFORMATION AND EVENTS

Photo Retakes

Photo re-takes are next week on Monday, November 3^rd. Please let your classroom teacher know if you would like your child to get re-takes. This message will help ensure no one is missed.

Volleyball Season

Our Wolves have started to bump, set, and spike in our gym. Mr. McCuaig, Mme Jien and our intermediate students started our new volleyball season this week. We look forward to seeing you at our home games soon! Go Wolfpack!

November 5 - @ Bridge

November 18 - @ Lee

November 26 – vs Lee at Whiteside

November 27 – McRoberts Volleyball Jamboree at 3:30 p.m.

Remembrance Day

Whiteside will be closed on Monday, November 11 in observation of Remembrance Day. Whiteside invites you to join our Remembrance Day assembly at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, November 10^th. We are accepting donations via SchoolCashOnline for the Richmond Poppy Fund. Your generosity supports local veterans and their families. Primary classrooms will have their poppy pins replaced with tie tacks to ensure more student safety. Thank you.

PAC Updates

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. Please reach out to our PAC at whitesidepac@hotmail.com for more information and an invitation link for our next PAC meeting in October. Our next PAC meeting is online at 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday, November 18.

Wolf Wear Wednesdays

To show our school spirit, we invite our students, staff and community to wear their favourite Wolf gear every Wednesday!

Run Club!

Mme David-Harel, Mme Swordy, and Mme Lai brought back run club. As a result, many Wolves participated in the Cross Country Fun Run at Garry Point. They represented Whiteside well. Way to go Wolf Pack! We will pause Run Club during the rainy season. Keep you eyes open for when we restart!

Mini Sun Run 2026!

Last year, Whiteside had a group of students and parents enter the SunRype Youth Team Mini Sun Run 2.5 km Challenge at the Vancouver Sun Run.  It was an exhilarating time for all of us, and we are now looking to our next challenge!  We are hoping to participate in the 2026 Vancouver Sun Run on Sunday, April 19^th in Vancouver.  We invite you to join our Whiteside Wolves Team and do the 2.5 km or 10 km Youth Team Challenge.

Friends and family can also join the fun!

Team Name: Whiteside Wolves

Team Access Code: PRPGFA

Link to JOIN OUR YOUTH TEAM: team member registration.  Enter the “Youth Team Challenge – 10 km or Mini Sun Run 2.5 km”. 

On that day, students will need to be accompanied by an adult.  If your child enters the Mini Sun Run, entry includes one adult escort. If your child enters the 10 km Youth Team Challenge, they will need to be running with an adult family member.  Both child and adult will need to register individually.   

Run club will start training for the Sun Run in February 2026, but students do not have to be a part of our Whiteside Run Club to participate in the run.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email slai@sd38.bc.ca.

Kindergarten Registration

Richmond School District 38 is excited to welcome kindergarten registration applications for children born in 2021, turning 5 in 2026. These children will begin kindergarten in September 2026. Online registration opens on November 1, 2025. Please visit our website  for more information about our online registration process, required documents, important dates, and FAQs.

http://www.sd38.bc.ca/kindergarten 

Families are encouraged to register any time during the Priority 1 registration period (November – January) for the best chance at attending their catchment school. All registration applications received any time during the Priority 1 registration period will receive placement decisions by February 2025. 

Instead of in person information evenings this year, we have posted short videos that provide our new parents with information about the registration process, English Language Learner (ELL) assessments, and District Program Options – Early French Immersion and Montessori. These videos are available in English and Mandarin. Please view the videos at http://www.sd38.bc.ca/kindergarten.

Important Safety Reminder: Visitors on School Grounds

We have noticed an increase in adult visitors on our school grounds, particularly near classrooms and playgrounds. While we love seeing our community enjoy South Arm park, the presence of unknown adults makes it difficult for our students to quickly identify a safe and trusted adult and creates confusion.

To keep all children safe and prevent allergy risks (due to accidental exposure to treats or pets), we must enforce a strict safety rule:

All visitors, including parents and grandparents, must report directly to the Main Office upon arrival.

If you need to drop off an item, treats, or share a message with your child, please do so through the office.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our entire school community safe and secure every day.

Food Security and School Affordability Support

Please reach out to our principal, Brett Cameron (bcameron@sd38.bc.ca), if you require financial assistance for school-related costs.  As always, all requests will be treated with dignity, and your privacy will be respected. We want to work with families to ensure that students have everything they need to be successful at school. Do not hesitate to reach out if we can help.

Whiteside Fundraising – Return It

Help raise funds for our school by recycling at home! 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

Allergy Alert:

All families should be aware that Whiteside School has many students with severe, life-threatening food allergies. Some classrooms may be designated nut free to protect the health of these students. Please help us limit the nut products entering our school overall, as the impact on a student can happen anywhere in the school. If possible, please do not send food to school containing nuts.

THE MORE YOU KNOW…

Building numeracy and literacy skills at home really helps students feel confident when learning at school. The Stealth Learning Method connects skills learned at school to fun, low-pressure activities that your child doesn't recognize as schoolwork.

• For Math: Use cooking or baking to practice counting, adding, fractions, measurement, and conversion. Asking your child to double a recipe or convert cups to milliliters turns math into a practical life skill with an immediate, delicious reward.
• For Reading/Literacy: Turn reading into a fun, active game by having your child read ingredients lists, directions for a new board game, or road signs during a car trip. This shows them that literacy is a tool for navigating and enjoying the real world, not just a task for the classroom.

This approach reinforces that learning isn't confined to a desk; it's a natural, joyful part of daily life.

~Whiteside Elementary