Happy Friday, Whiteside!

We had such a wonderful time celebrating Pink Shirt Day with your children! It was inspiring to see our classrooms unite through performances, videos, and songs to spread kindness and celebrate inclusivity. The kids learned so much about what it means to be a good ally and how to stand up for one another.

Thank you so much to everyone who attended our recent Learning Conferences. We truly value these conversations—they are such a wonderful opportunity for us to connect with you and celebrate your child’s progress and achievements together.

Finally, a huge thank you to everyone who supported our Book Fair! Ms. Tsougrianis and Ms. Kawas are grateful for our amazing parent and student volunteers and the generous support from our entire school community

Spring Break is just around the corner! We're looking forward to the last two weeks of learning and creating wonderful memories in the classroom before the break.

Coming up: Spring Break from March 14-29

Thank you for your ongoing support of learning at Whiteside!

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.

Wolf Pack Student Corner:

This week students in intermediate French classes (both French Immersion and Core French) visited the Oval for Festival Franco. These are two reflections from our students on this amazing celebration of French culture.

“J'ai aimé les jeux qu'on a joués et j'ai aussi aimé qu'il y a des autres écoles parce que mes autres amis étaient là. Je pense qu'ils ont bien fait à mettre les jeux très amusants et qu'il y a des différentes heures pour manger le dîner.” - Zachary, Div 3

 “Au Festival Franco, j’ai aimé comment il y avait beaucoup des jeux que nous pouvons jouer. La nourriture qu’ils ont fourni était délicieux. Le concert de FLOFranco était amusant.” - Aiden, Div 3

Coming Events at Whiteside:

March 2-6 – Fusion Lacrosse week (Thanks, PAC!)

March 3/4 - McRoberts Basketball Jamboree

March 4 – K hearing screening

March 12 – Concours in the gym in the afternoon

March 13 – PAC Hot Lunch

March 13 – Talent Show

March 13 – Last day before spring break

March 30 – First day back after spring break

April 3 – Good Friday (school closed)

April 6 – Easter Monday (school closed)

April 21 – Class Photos and Panorama

April 23 – Term 2 report cards posted online

May 15 – Pro-D Day (school closed)

May 18 – Victoria Day (school closed)

May 20 – Welcome to Kindergarten

May 20-22 – Gr. 6 Camp at Cheakamus Centre

June 19 – Grade 7 Farewell

June 25 – Final day of school for students

WHITESIDE INFORMATION AND EVENTS

Fusion Lacrosse Coming to Whiteside

From March 2 – 6, Fusion Lacrosse will be running lacrosse clinics for all our P.E. classes. Thank you to our PAC for providing this amazing learning opportunity for our Wolfpack. If you are interested in joining or learning more about lacrosse, please check out: https://www.richmondlacrosse.com/ (registration is open now) or https://fusionwestlacrosse.com/lacrosse-for-schools/. 

PAC Easter Sales

This holiday season, support James Whiteside Elementary by purchasing Purdys chocolates—perfect gifts for family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors! 25% of proceeds go back to the school. 

Order Deadline: Friday, March 20^th https://fundraising.purdys.com/campaign/000027782

Order Pickup: Wednesday, April 1^st from 2:30PM - 3:00PM in the school gym

PAC Hot Lunch Orders – Subway on March 13^th – Orders due on March 6^th 

Please place your Subway orders on munchalunch.com for this delicious lunch before spring break. 

IMPORTANT: Hot Lunch Volunteers Needed

Thank you to our PAC for providing these yummy meals. We need more volunteers to join us on our PAC hot lunch days to organize and distribute the meals to our students. Without the hard work of this team, our hot lunches can’t happen. If you can help, please email our team at jameswhitehotlunch@gmail.com. 

Whiteside Basketball

Our Whiteside basketball season wraps up this week with our final jamboree at McRoberts on March 3 and 4.

Game schedule:

March 3: 

3:00 p.m. – Boys vs Mitchell in the new gym

4:00 p.m. – Girls vs Mitchell in the new gym

5:00 p.m. – Boys vs Bridge in the new gym

March 4:

3:00 p.m. – Girls vs Mitchell in the old gym

4:00 p.m. – Boys vs Lee in the new gym

5:00 p.m. – Girls vs Lee in the old gym

Grade 7 Farewell Planning

Spring break is a great time to begin planning our grade 7 farewell celebration. If you are interested in joining the planning team, we would love your ideas and support. Please email our principal, Brett Cameron, at bcameron@sd38.bc.ca if you can join our team.

Universal Hot Lunch Update

Ordering for our winter and spring Universal Hot Lunches are open at: https://munchalunch.com/. Please select the “Feeding Futures” option and ensure allergies are noted on your child’s profile. Our Universal Hot Lunch Dates are:

March 4 (Chilli Mashed Potato Bowl/Spinach Penne Alfredo)

April 8 (Chicken Penne Alfredo/Honey Garlic Tofu and Rice)

April 22 (Butter Chicken/Spinach Penne Alfredo)

May 6 (Honey Garlic Meatballs and Rice/Cheesy Veggie and Bean Burrito)

May 20 (Chicken Quesadilla/Veggie Chili Mashed Potato Bowl)

June 3 (Chicken and Veggie Chow Mein/Veggie and Edamame Chow Mein)

June 17 (Shepherd’s Pie/Butter Chickpeas and Rice)

Please order the age-appropriate size for your children. All orders must be placed one week prior to the hot lunch.

Whiteside’s Got Talent

Ms. LB and Ms. Johnson host our annual talent show at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, March 13 in the gym. We look forward to showcasing the amazing talents and abilities of our Wolfpack. Families are encouraged to attend.

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 participating in the 2026 Vancouver Sun Run on Sunday, April 19^th in Vancouver.  We invite you to join our 29 member-strong 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 has started training for the Sun Run on Tuesday mornings at 8:10 a.m. Everyone is welcome.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email slai@sd38.bc.ca.

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. Our next PAC meeting is online at 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21.

Wolf Wear Wednesdays

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

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.

Student Learning Survey 2025/2026

We invite parents of students in Grades 4 and 7 to participate in the Provincial Student Learning Survey, which gathers valuable feedback on our school environment, safety, and achievement. Your input is essential for identifying our strengths and areas where we can improve. Please complete the survey by visiting https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/support/student-learning-survey, clicking on the "Parents" icon, and selecting our district and school name. The e-survey site will be open until May 2, 2025.

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…

Experiencing activities outside the home as a family offers a wealth of educational benefits for everyone involved! 

For Kids:

• Real-world learning: Trips to museums, parks, historical sites, or cultural events bring lessons to life and provide context for what kids learn in the classroom.
• Social skills: Navigating new environments, interacting with people, and following rules in different settings helps develop social skills and awareness.
• Curiosity and exploration: New experiences spark curiosity, encourage questions, and foster a love of exploration and learning.
• Language development: Talking about experiences, describing observations, and listening to explanations expands vocabulary and communication skills.
• Physical development: Many activities involve physical activity, promoting healthy habits and gross motor skills.

For the Whole Family:

• Bonding and connection: Shared experiences create lasting memories and strengthen family bonds.
• Communication and cooperation: Working together, making decisions, and navigating new situations as a family enhances communication and problem-solving skills.
• Exposure to new perspectives: Experiencing different cultures, environments, and ideas broadens perspectives and promotes understanding and empathy.
• Stress reduction: Spending time together in engaging activities can reduce stress and improve overall well-being.

Making the Most of Family Outings:

• Involve kids in the planning: Let them help choose activities and research destinations.
• Encourage questions and discussions: Talk about what you're seeing and experiencing.
• Connect it to learning: Relate the experience to things they're learning in school or at home.
• Be present and engaged: Put away phones and distractions and focus on enjoying the experience together.

Family outings are not just fun adventures; they are valuable learning opportunities that enrich everyone's lives and create lasting memories.

Richmond offers plenty of opportunities to get out and explore:

• The World of Kidtropolis: A mini-town with scaled-down buildings for imaginative play.
• Jolly Bubble: A newly opened indoor play space for kids aged 14 and under, featuring themed play zones, ball pits, and slides.
• Speeders Richmond: A go-karting spot with dual-level tracks, laser tag, arcade games, and mini-golf.
• Splitsville Riverport: A bowling attraction with 10-pin and five-pin bowling, an arcade, and a restaurant.
• Watermania: A swimming pool complex with waterslides and a wave pool.
• 365 Fundays: A jungle-themed indoor attraction with ball pits, arcade games, climbing frames, and a laser tag area.
• Richmond Olympic Experience: Located at the Richmond Olympic Oval, featuring exhibits and hands-on activities for sports fans.
• Clip 'n Climb: An attraction with 25 climbing walls and 75 challenges.
• Terra Nova Adventure Play Environment: A public playground with a climbing wall, hill slide, grass maze, and treehouse.
• Richmond Nature Park: Features walking trails and a Nature House with interactive exhibits.
• Larry Berg Flight Path Park: A park for airplane-loving kids with seats resembling paper planes.
• Steveston Tram: A heritage attraction where children can climb aboard a vintage tram.
• National Historic Sites: Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site and Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site, offering hands-on exhibits and a boardwalk complex.
• Biking Excursions: Richmond has over 80 km of cycling routes, with bike rentals available in Steveston.

To find more information, including addresses, hours, and specific events, you can visit https://www.visitrichmondbc.com/blogs/activities-attractions/family-fun-activities-in-richmond-bc/.

~Whiteside Elementary