Happy Spring Break Whiteside!

 

Thank you for all the support for and engagement in our Wolfpack’s learning this season. When we return, a great season of learning awaits our Wolfpack. Days will be longer. The weather will be warmer. There will be plenty of exciting learning opportunities and experiences coming too.

 

We hope that you will find time to unplug, relax, and rest during the break. However, there is plenty going on to help fill your days with exercise, learning, and adventure.

• Spring Break in Richmond
• Check out what our libraries have to offer.
• Explore the Steveston Tram
• Or visit the Britannia Shipyards
• Check out Beyond Ghibli at the VIFF Centre
• Brave the Monsters of the Abyss at the Vancouver Aquarium
• Travel back in time at the Burnaby Museum
• Grab your pokeball and check out the regional Pokémon tournament
• Go for a bike ride along Richmond’s recreational trails.
• Plan family games – board games, family Olympics, backyard obstacle courses.
• Book time for your family at the Oval or the Minoru pool
• Read together.
• Go on a neighbourhood scavenger hunt.
• Cook together.
• Create a kitchen science lab.

 

 

Thank you for all your care and support. You make Whiteside a special community to learn, teach, and play.

 

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 Soon:

 

April 2              Whiteside re-opens

April 17            Class photos

April 25            Term 2 reports published

May 1-3            Grade 6 Outdoor Education trip

May 13             Speed Control concert

May 17             Pro-D day

May 20             Victoria day

May 22             Welcome to K event

May 27             Track Meet

May 24             Ian Maskin concert

June 4              Gr. 7 rafting trip

June 14             Sports Day

June 21             Grade 7 farewell celebration

June 27             Last day of school for students

 

 

WHITESIDE’S GOT TALENT

Congratulations and thank you to our amazing performers, Ms. LB and Ms. Johnson for an afternoon filled with beautiful songs, awesome dancing, and incredible talent.

 

SPRING BREAK

Please remember that Whiteside will be closed from Friday, March 15 – Monday, April 1. We will welcome back our Wolfpack on Tuesday, April 2.

 

BREAKFAST CLUB

Breakfast Club will re-open on Friday April 5^th. We look forward to another fun season of playing and eating with our Wolfpack.

 

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. Only students in our breakfast program may enter the gym early during the week.

 

WHITESIDE BASKETBALL

Congratulations to all our basketball teams for a successful season! Our grade 6 boys came together as a team for the first time and had a great season playing throughout Richmond. Our girls’ team had a spirited tournament at McRoberts and finished ----. Congratulations to our grade seven boys for their big win at the Strikers tournament. Way to repeat, Wolfpack! Thank you to Mr. Lenz, Mme Howells, Mr. McCuaig, and Mr. Pelletier for your coaching, guidance, and passion for basketball.

 

HEALTHY EATING HABITS

How to eat with others more often

Making time to enjoy meals with others doesn’t just happen. With busy schedules at work, school, and home, making time to enjoy your meals with others can often get pushed aside.

The key to making it happen often starts with a plan. You could:

• plan a breakfast date with cousins.
• participate in community celebrations and feasts.
• start a regular community meal with your neighbours.
• have lunch with a co-worker at work or friend at school.
• ask your local community centre about groups you could join.
• plan a weekly dinner with extended family members or friends.
• eat dinner with:
  • old family friends
  • a neighbour
  • family members
• start a dinner party among your friends where everyone takes a turn hosting.

When you eat with others, it’s important to remember to:

• Take your time. Don’t feel the need to rush. Enjoy your food and the social aspect of being together.
• Put away distractions like the TV or electronics. This can help you be mindful of your food choices.
• Use it as a chance to connect. Talk to those around you and share what is going on in everyone’s life.

Learn more at:

https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/tips-for-healthy-eating/parents-and-children/

 

WHITESIDE READING INFORMATION OF THE WEEK

Help children sound out words smoothly. Sounding out a word involves saying the sound of each letter or letter combination one by one until the end of the word, and then saying them all together again quickly. Help children sound out words by:

• Showing how to say each letter sound in a word, starting at the left-hand letter and moving right, and then joining all the sounds together to form the word.

• Stretching and connecting sounds together as much as possible. The box below shows an example of how this might sound.

• Reminding children to check their pronunciation after they connect the sounds together. For example:

o Ask if the word makes sense or if it is a real word.

o Ask if they know the word that they said after saying the letters all together quickly.

o If the word is not familiar, ask them to read the word again to make sure they joined all the sounds together correctly.

 

PARKING LOT SAFETY

Although the mornings are getting brighter, it is important to mindful in our parking lot. Our east parking lot is closed to parent drivers. Please use the South Arm lot or our drop off lane. Students and families use the crosswalks in front of the school all day. Please be mindful of pedestrians and other cars when driving in front of our school. When using the drop off lane, please continue to pull forward to allow more space behind you, but do not block or park on the zebra crosswalks. Blocking crosswalks creates danger for pedestrians trying to cross to our school. Please drive slowly through the drop-off area.

 

EVIDENCE-INFORMED MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES

HealthyMindsBC provides evidence-informed prevention and early intervention tools and resources, including online learning opportunities. This site is for parents, caregivers, families, educators, and other professionals to help them support the everyday mental health of children and youth. A series of courses that focus on Everyday Anxiety Strategies for Educators (EASE K-7 and 8-12) and Early Years are available. The newest course, Walking Alongside Youth with Anxiety (WAY), is designed to build capacity and support the foster care providers and out-of-care/kinship care providers who are caring for Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth with mild to moderate anxiety.

 

PAC MEETINGS

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. Our next meeting is on Tuesday, April 16^th at 6:30 p.m.! Please reach out to our PAC at whitesidepac@hotmail.com for more information.

 

FEEDING FUTURES

Recently, the provincial government announced a new Feeding Futures School Program Fund, designed to assist schools in the development and enhancement of school meal programs and other nutritional supports for students. If you would like to request support for your child at school, please reach out to our principal, Brett Cameron (bcameron@sd38.bc.ca). We currently provide breakfast and lunch options for students daily. All requests will be treated with dignity and your privacy will be respected. We want to work with families to ensure that your children have everything they need to be successful at school. Please do not hesitate to reach out if we can help.

 

OUTDOOR EDUCATION FUNDRAISING

To help lower the cost of our annual intermediate outdoor education experiences, Whiteside has partnered with Return-It Depot to fundraise.  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.

 

CHECK IN AND CHECK OUT

If your child is arriving late to school, please check in at the office through the front entrance.

If your child needs to leave school early, please sign your child out at the office and wait at the front entrance for them.

 

WEST COAST RECESS

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!

  

 

Have a great spring break!

 ~Whiteside Elementary