Hi Whiteside families!

 

Congratulations to our grade sevens and their families! Today we celebrated the successful conclusion to our eldest Wolves time in elementary school. We wish them all the best for a successful journey through high school and beyond.

 

Our school year is coming to a close. We appreciate all the kindness and support you have given our community this year. We were happy to celebrate the achievements of so many at our year end assembly as well as bid farewell to some of our teachers and staff. We wish them all the best as their experience and expertise will support new communities in the fall.

 

Many of our classes are going on fun and exciting year end field trips. Events like these could not be possible without the support of our amazing PAC. Thank you, PAC, for your generosity, teamwork, and support.

 

We look forward to a busy but amazing final four days of school next week!

 

We hope our community enjoys an amazing weekend!

 

BACK TO SCHOOL INFO

Grade 1 – 7 students return to school from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. on September 5^th. All returning students will meet their teacher from 2022-2023 by their exit doors. All new students can meet our resource teachers at the front entrance.

Kindergarten students begin their gradual entry from 10:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. or from 1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. They can meet their teacher at the front entry door. Gradual entry schedules and information will be sent to our new Kindergarten students during the summer.

All Gr. 1-7 students will attend for their regular schedule on Wednesday, September 6^th at 8:45 a.m.

 

FAREWELL TO STAFF

Unfortunately, June is also the time of year that we have to say goodbye to some of our staff. This year, we will say goodbye to Mr. Avery, Mme. Evans, Mme. Gagnon, Mr. Guimond, Ms. Liang, Ms. Mann, Mr. Quan, Ms. Yoshihara, Ms. Yuan, and after more than 20 years, Mme. Robie. We hope that our paths will cross again and wish them all the best in their new endeavours.

 

PAC MEETINGS and AGM

Our final PAC meeting of the year was held this week. Thank you to our current PAC for all their hard work and support. We congratulate our new PAC:

• Co-Chairpeople – Sandeep Bhullar and Ken Loy
• Treasurer – Jaylene Sandhar
• Secretary – Carrie Viloria
• Hot Lunch Coordinator – Karen Au
• Social Media and Communications – Chris Ho

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 September.

 

SCHOOL SUPPLIES and KINDERGARTEN COOKING FEES

Our school supply fee will be $33 next year. Our agenda fee will be $7. Our Kindergarten cooking and craft fee will be $22. We will collect these fees in the new school year. Other field trip and special programs may require additional fees to be collected next year as plans are made throughout the school year.

 

REACH TO TEACH ART INSTALLATION

This spring 15 grade seven students joined grade seven students from McKinney Elementary to create a public art installation. They spend four sessions working together around a common theme at the Arts Conservatory in Steveston. The art installation will be on display at the Ironwood Public Library next week. We thank the Arts Conservatory, our students, and our teachers for their dedication to this project.

 

SUMMER FUN

As we look towards the summer, here are some summer ideas to help your children have a fun, memorable summer:

• Please visit https://www.richmond.ca/parks-recreation/about/sports/summerpass.htm for the City of Richmond Swim, Skate and Golf Summer Pass
• Schedule fun – What family activity is on your bucket list? Mark something fun on the calendar, share with your kids, and look forward to the fun together.
• But don’t overschedule! – Routines are important, but children need summer to unwind, relax, and enjoy unstructured time.
• Spend time together – Run through a sprinkler. Ride your bikes to get a Slurpee. Find small ways to connect with each other.
• Try something new – encourage your children to find a new hobby, activity, instrument, type of book, or sport. Summer is a great time to experiment with new things.
• Limit screen time – Screens are often the default to cure boredom. Encourage other ways to enjoy summer vacation.
• Consistency is good – Freedom during the summer is great but kids still need some routines. Bedtimes, meals, chores, family expectations should still be consistent through the summer.
• Have fun!

 

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 or park in staff parking spots; if you need to come into the school, please park in a parking space closer to South Arm Community Centre.  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.

 

 

Coming Soon:

June 29             Last day for students

June 29             Report cards posted to MyEdBC

Sept. 5              First day of school

                        (9 a.m. for gr. 1-7)

                        (10 a.m./1p.m. for Ks)

 

 

We wish you all a wonderful weekend!

 

~Whiteside Elementary