Hi Whiteside families!

 

As spring breathes new life into our community, I wanted to share the excitement buzzing within our school. As the flowers that bloom, our Wolfpack is blossoming with newfound knowledge and creativity. We look forward to a season of growth together, celebrating the achievements, big and small, of our children as they continue to flourish in their learning journey. Although the weather is getting better, the days are getting longer, and spring activities are ramping up, it is important for our Wolfpack to focus on their learning and try their best at school every day.

 

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 30             PAC Meeting

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

 

TERM 2 STUDENT LEARNING UPDATES (REPORT CARDS)

Term 2 Reports were published yesterday (April 25).  Logins and temporary passwords will have been sent out to all parents by District.  Please login before then.  (The first login must be done from a workstation, laptop, or computer. Do not use an iPad, tablet, or cell phone for this.) Previous users, who forgot their passwords, will need to click through the “I forgot my password” hyperlink on the login page to reset their passwords.  If you do not remember your login, contact the office at whiteside@sd38.bc.ca with your child’s full name and Division number.

More info is available on the school website at: https://whiteside.sd38.bc.ca/parents/myed-parent-portal

 

SUMMER LEARNING

The District emailed the Summer Learning 2024 catalogue to all parents this Tuesday, April 16^th.  Please note that the registration for Elementary Enrichment programs began on Monday, April 22^nd.  For more information, see the Continuing Education website: https://ce.sd38.bc.ca/news/2024/02/summer-learning-2024-new-programs-camps

 

KRISPY KREME FUNDRAISER FOR GRADE 7 FAREWELL
Help support our grade seven farewell celebration. Our grade seven parent team is selling Krispy Kreme donuts for $18 per dozen. Order on School Cash Online by May 10th for May 16th delivery.

 

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

 

UPCOMING EVENTS FOR RICHMOND FAMILIES

Family Smart - Events for Parents and Caregivers

• 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)

 

HEALTHY EATING HABITS

Juice and water

• Offer water when your child is thirsty, especially between meals and snacks.
• Limit juice to one serving (125 mL [4 oz]) of 100% unsweetened juice a day.
• Serving actual fruit instead of fruit juice adds healthy fibre to your child’s diet.
• Sometimes children will drink too much at mealtime or between meals, making them feel full.

 

SHARING FRIDGE

The sharing fridge is now stocked with a variety of healthy snacks for our students to enjoy.  We teach and encourage our students to take what they need and when they need it.  We kindly remind families that this is not to replace sending your child to school with a packed lunch and snack but for students who are still hungry after finishing their lunch, forgot their lunch at home or do not have access to fruits and veggies.

 

STUDENT LEARNING SURVEY – OPEN UNTIL MAY 3

The parent and guardian/caregiver survey is now available online at https://www.awinfosys.com/SurveyFull1/central/main/access.asp (link) and is available in 18 different languages (go to the “Parents” section, and under “District”, select “38 Richmond” and then select your child’s school under “School". The survey will be available until Friday, May 3, and will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. Your responses are voluntary and anonymous, and your child will not be identified as a result of your participation in the survey.

 

CITY OF RICHMOND - FREE LACROSSE SESSIONS APRIL 24

Richmond Lacrosse is offering free community Try It Lacrosse sessions at Minoru Arena on Wednesday, April 24 from 6 – 7 pm. See the flyer attached for more information.

 

WHITESIDE READING INFORMATION OF THE WEEK

Read about it, talk about it, and think about it! Find ways for your child to build understanding, the ultimate goal of learning how to read. The tips below offer some fun ways you can help your child become a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best for your child.

• Set aside designated reading-together time
• Reading with your child should be a regular occurrence that your child looks forward to each day. One-on-one, individualized attention is highly effective, and demonstrates to a child that reading is important. Some specific tactics can be used during this reading time to help kids learn to read on their own. Pointing at the words as you read them can help very young readers understand the reading process. They will see that reading goes from left to right and can help them make connections between the words they hear and see.

 

2024 CHILD CARE SYMPOSIUM - MAY 4, 2024

The Richmond 2024 Child Care Symposium is now open for registration. Organized by the City of Richmond's Child Care Development Advisory Committee, this symposium celebrates Child Care Month and is for early childhood educators, child care providers and parents. 

 

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. 

 

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. 

 

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.

 

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.

When leaving our parking lot, please remember that the access road to Williams Rd. is a 2-lane road. Cars are able to turn right into the school at all hours of the day. Please keep the entry lane clear at all times.

 

STUDENT AND FAMILY AFFORDABILITY FUND

The provincial government recently announced a renewal of one-time funds for the Student and Family Affordability Fund. This fund is designed to assist families who require financial assistance with school-related costs in the following areas:

• school and course fees.
• school supplies and course materials.
• field trips.
• school-related extracurricular opportunities. 
• clothing and footwear required for sports and school activities. 

Please reach out to our principal, Brett Cameron, (whiteside@sd38.bc.ca) if you need assistance.  As always, all requests will be treated with dignity and your privacy will be respected. We want to work with our families to ensure that our students, your children, have everything they need to be successful at school. Please do not hesitate to reach out if we can help.

 

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