Happy Vaisakhi!

 

It was an exciting week at Whiteside! Aside from our wonderful learning and fun outdoors, our Wolfpack experienced a total eclipse (from the safety of their classrooms), a surprise fire drill, a lockdown drill, Here 4 Peers workshops for grade sevens, and Play n’ Eat in the gym.

 

Next week looks to be as busy as this one! We hope to see our whole community out for the French Festival at McRoberts. It is a fun event that includes music, shows, food trucks, and more! We also have class photo day, a PAC meeting, and hot lunch. We can’t wait!

 

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 15            Crepe workshops

April 16            Concours/French Festival at McRoberts

April 17            Class photos

April 19            Crepe workshops

April 19             Hot Lunch (Yummy Slice)

April 23            PAC Meeting

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 24             Hot Lunch (Chipotle)

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

 

APRIL IS SIKH HERITAGE MONTH

Proclaimed by Parliament on April 30, 2019, this month recognizes and highlights the important contributions that Sikh communities have made and continue to make to Canada’s social, economic, political, and cultural heritage. Canada is proud to be home to more than 500,000 Sikh Canadians, making it one of the largest Sikh diasporas in the world. Since the arrival of the first Sikh immigrants in the late 19th century, members of this community have contributed to Canada through their achievements in all areas of society and have helped shape the diversity found within it.

 

Sikhism’s core principles include equality, generosity, openness, and compassion. Sikh Heritage Month is an opportunity to reflect on the pivotal role that Sikh communities have played, and continue to play, in building a stronger and consciously more inclusive Canada.

 

AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH

April marks Autism Awareness Month, a time dedicated to celebrating the unique perspectives and talents of individuals on the autism spectrum. It's an opportunity for our community to foster understanding, acceptance, and inclusion. Let's embrace diversity and spread awareness to create a world where every individual is valued for their strengths and contributions. For more information, please visit https://www.autismbc.ca/.

 

SMILE - CLASS PHOTO DAY

April 17 is class photo day. Our photographers will be on site to take group, class, and school photos in the morning.

 

HOT LUNCH – APRIL 19

Our next hot lunch is Pizza Day on April 14. Please remember to send a recess snack and water bottles. Thank you, PAC!

 

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 23^rd  at 6:30 p.m.! Please reach out to our PAC at whitesidepac@hotmail.com for more information.

 

CONCOURS – FRENCH FESTIVAL

This year the Richmond School district is hosting the second annual Festival Culturel Francophone at McRoberts on April 16 from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. This event is open to everyone, regardless of age, background, or language proficiency. We welcome you to come and celebrate with us, meet new people, and learn about French culture. Admission is free, so bring your friends and family.

 

WOLFWEAR UPDATE

For those of you who missed the sale in February, Wolf Wear has been set up as an online boutique store: https://urstore.ca/group/whiteside-wolves_531344

Please note, this is a per order store and your item(s) will be made when you place the order and will be delivered to your address.  This is reflected in the higher pricing. 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS FOR RICHMOND FAMILIES

Family Smart - Events for Parents and Caregivers

Please see information about these upcoming events to share with your school community through usual communication channels (attachments are below):

 

• April 16 - In Person Event for Parents & Caregivers at Grauer School - “Beyond Behaviours: When Is it More? Ages 4 to 8 years” Event Link: https://familysmart.ca/event/beyond-behaviours-when-is-it-more-ages-4-to-8-years (link)

 

• May 7 - National Child & Youth Mental Health Day online event with Kim Barthell - "Connecting with Kids"  Event Link: https://familysmart.ca/event/connecting-with-kids (link)

 

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.

 

HEALTHY EATING HABITS

Children need a balanced diet with food from all 3 food groups—vegetables and fruit, whole grain products, and protein foods.

Children need 3 meals a day and 1 to 3 snacks (morning, afternoon and possibly before bed). Healthy snacks are just as important as the food you serve at meals.

The best foods are whole, fresh and unprocessed—fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, dairy, and meats; and home-cooked meals.

 

WHITESIDE READING INFORMATION OF THE WEEK

Model reading fluently by practicing reading aloud with your child.

Having children read aloud daily, both with and without feedback, helps them develop the skills of reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension.The boxes below show several approaches to use when reading aloud together.

When reading aloud with children:

• Model and provide feedback on proper tone, pausing, and which words to emphasize.
• Set a slow, steady pace, slowing down for words that are challenging. Gradually increase the pace, moving on to more difficult books. Remind the child that reading fluently does not necessarily mean reading quickly.
• Use familiar books. Make sure that the book is appropriate to the child’s reading ability/ Of the book is too difficult, children can develop poor reading habits.

 

CITY OF RICHMOND – EARTH WEEK (APRIL 20-28)

Earth Week (www.richmond.ca/EarthWeek (link)) is happening April 20-28 with lots of free and low-cost family-friendly activities. 

 

CHINESE MENTAL HEALTH LITERACY PROJECT - RECRUITMENT

Please find attached information on a research study called “Rising Up: Collaborating with Chinese Families and Communities on Parenting Resources”. This project is conducted by Dr. Janet Mah and her research team at BC Children’s Hospital and University of British Columbia. Chinese parents and caregivers (including grandparents) of children aged 3-12 living in BC are invited to attend a 90-minute workshop either in-person at community sites or virtually over Zoom. Here, family members will discuss what they want for parenting resources related to child behavioural and social emotional well-being. The research team aims to identify family needs and preferences in order to co-design culturally meaningful resources for Chinese families.

 

BIKE TO SCHOOL WEEK

Bike to School Week is an annual celebration where students of all ages are encouraged to bike, roll, or walk to school. This year Bike to School Week takes place June 3-7, 2024. Over 140 schools participate in a typical year across Metro Vancouver. HUB Cycling offers support such as resources and event ideas, prizes and packages to make ride tracking easy. 

 

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.

 

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 weekend!

 ~Whiteside Elementary