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Whiteside Newsletter #3 - September 23, 2022

Hi Whiteside families!

What an amazing week at Whiteside! Our community flourished through two events. Thank you to all the families that cheered us on during our Terry Fox Run. Thank you to all the families that joined us for the Meet the Staff night. We really enjoyed opening our doors for you and sharing the learning that is taking place in our school. We hope you continue to connect with your teachers and support teams throughout the year. Together we can all create success for our students and children

We hope you share in exciting conversations about your child’s learning at home this weekend.

We hope you enjoy a wonderful weekend with your families!

Shana tovah!

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is one of Judaism's holiest days. Meaning “head of the year” or “first of the year,” the festival begins on the first day of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, which falls during September or October. This year it is September 25-27.

 

ORANGE SHIRT DAY and the NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION

Truth & Reconciliation Day on September 30th honours the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. It is an opportunity to create meaningful discussion about the effects of Residential Schools and the legacy they have left behind. A discussion all Canadians can tune into and create bridges with each other for reconciliation.

Residential schools were schools built by the Canadian Government and ran by religious groups. The purpose of these schools was for Indigenous children to assimilate into Euro- Canadian culture. The first residential school opened was in 1831 and the last one to close was 1996.

Children were taken from their families and forced to go to schools that were often far away from their homes. The children were often not allowed to have contact with their parents for long periods of time. They were not allowed to speak their language or practice their culture. The children were treated poorly by the adults in the schools.

“Reconciliation is about establishing…a respectful relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in this country. For that to happen, there has to be awareness of the past, acknowledgement of the harm that has been inflicted, atonement for the causes, and action to change behaviour” (Phyllis Webstad and Joan Sorley, Orange Shirt Day, 2020).

Classes have been learning about and engaging in discussions about Residential Schools, Truth &Reconciliation, the Calls to Action, Orange Shirt Day and the impacts of these on the lives of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

We will be continuing these discussions beyond September30th as we commit to taking action in support of Canada's Indigenous Communities.

Please visit these links to learn more or find events around Metro Vancouver:

STUDENT POSSESSIONS AT SCHOOL

Children often like to share their prized possessions with their friends at school. We love the enthusiasm; however, school is a busy, messy place. We recommend that children keep their stuffies, toys, videogames, cards, and trinkets at home. We don’t want them to go missing, break, or get messy. Also, we encourage parents to return items that may come home that are unfamiliar or unknown. Some students recently lost their Pokémon collection. We have talked with our classes and hope that these binders and boxes of cards can be returned to school and their proud collectors. We are still looking for these missing treasures, please let us know if you have any information.

 

HOT LUNCH – OCTOBER 7th

Our first Hot Lunch Day of the 2022-23 school year will be pizza from Yummy Slice Pizza. Please order online by going to the school website https://whiteside.sd38.bc.ca/ and clicking on the link under the MunchaLunch icon, or visit https://munchalunch.com/login. Please submit your order before September 30th. (more information attached)

PARKING LOT SAFETY

Please help keep our students safe by using the drop off zone for picking up and dropping off students only.  Please do not leave your car unattended in the drop off zone; if you need to come into the school, please park in a designated parking space.  When walking to school, please use the designated paths south and adjacent to the driveway as you enter the school grounds. Please follow arrows to keep our students safe and keep our parking lot accident free.

Please remember the east parking lot is for school and construction staff only. Please do not park or drop off children in this area.

“IN” DAYS AND “OUT” DAYS: 

During recess and lunchtime breaks, students are expected to be outside at all times this year.  Students are strongly encouraged to dress appropriately for the weather. You may also send a change of clothes to school just in case your child gets wet. Playing outside will ensure our students get some fresh air and exercise to enliven their day.

 

SCHOOL VISITORS

In the interest of safety, everyone entering the school must check in at the office. Classrooms are busy learning places and we try not to interrupt them during instructional time.  If you need to see your child, leave them a message, or drop off a lunch, our office staff will happily take care of that for you.  As well, it is difficult at the end or beginning of the school day for our office staff to have in-depth discussions with parents.  Making appointments either by phone or in person is preferable. Thank you for your support!

STRONGSTART

StrongStart BC is a free early learning program for all children aged 0 to 5. Children attend StrongStart with their parent/caregiver. StrongStart Facilitators are ECE-trained school district employees. We are excited to welcome families to our six centres. The StrongStart educators will lead a variety of learning activities designed to support children on their learning path before they enter school. Parents and caregivers attending a StrongStart BC Centre will enjoy play activities, circle time and a snack! Programs go outside when possible, so please dress for the weather and for playtime! (please see attachment for more information)

Coming Soon:

Sept. 29                Orange Shirt Day assembly

Sept. 30            National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Oct. 10               Thanksgiving Day (School Closed)

Oct. 14              Individual photos

Oct. 21                  Pro-D Day (school closed)

Nov. 8/9               Learning Conferences (1:45 p.m. dismissal)

Nov. 10 Remembrance Day Assembly

Nov. 11                Remembrance Day 

Nov. 21 Pro-D Day (school closed)

 

Have a great weekend!

~Whiteside Elementary

Attachments

Newsletter #3 Sept 23, 2022.pdf
Updated: Tuesday, April 18, 2023