Happy Friday, Whiteside!

Spring is almost in the air! As we close out our winter learning season, we want to send a BIG thank you to our families. Your support, and care mean the world to us and make our school community so special.

Get ready for a fantastic final week of fun before we head off for Spring Break! As a reminder, Whiteside will be closed from March 14 through March 29. Rest up, have a great break, and we will see you back in the classrooms on Monday, March 30!

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, Bailey from Fusion Lacrosse visited Whiteside to provide lacrosse camps for our Wolves. These are the reviews from Ms. Kinsey’s class:

Wyatt: Lacrosse was very fun!  I learned about tossing the ball, catching the ball, running with the ball.  I give it 10/10 because I shot it in the net and that is the fun part.  I’m happy that we got to practice lacrosse!

Wynn: I had fun shooting the balls with the lacrosse stick.  I was very excited to play.  I give it a 10/10.

Nolan: I felt pretty good about lacrosse.  I learned that the stick was called the crosse.  And the bottom of the crosse was called the grip.  I felt good about throwing the ball to my partner.

Coming Events at Whiteside:

March 11 - Grade 7 Parent Meeting in the library at 5:00 p.m.

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 21 – Gr. 7 Day at McRoberts

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 at Whiteside

We had an awesome week slinging the ball around the gym with Bailey. 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/. 

Grade 7 Parent Meeting – March 11 at 5:00 p.m.

If you have a child in grade 7 and want to make their farewell celebration special, please join us on Wednesday, March 11 at 5:00 p.m. in the library. We will discuss what the special day looks like and how to add to the excitement. 

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

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

Congratulations to our boys’ and girls’ basketball teams for a successful end to their season. Whiteside finished with a perfect 6-0 record. Way to go Wolves! We appreciate the hard work of our athletes and the amazing coaching talents of Mme Howells, Mr. Lenz and Mr. Cameron.

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:

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.

Morning Routines At Whiteside

Our Wolfpack are expected to enter school from their outside doors until 8:45 a.m. Please ensure that your children make their way to the back of the school to meet their teachers. This ensures that all children are met by their teacher or supervising adult and can begin the day with their class.

Play n’ Eat is on Friday mornings only. Students that arrive earlier than 8:40 a.m. are welcome to play on the playground or line up early.

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”.  Last day to register:  April 16^th.

On Sunday, April 19th, 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…

Things to do this Spring Break in Richmond

The City of Richmond is offering some low-cost and free family-friendly events and activities over the upcoming Spring Break (March 14-29).

Make the most of the school break with swimming, skating, nature adventures, exhibitions and more. Explore exciting day camps, drop-in fun and registered activities (in-person and online programs for all ages).

~Whiteside Elementary