Happy Spring Break Whiteside!

Thank you for all the support and participation this winter. When we return, a great spring season of learning awaits our Wolves. Days will be longer and 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, rest, and have fun 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
• Explore the woods, experience new animals and learn about Surrey Parks during the Drop in Spring Break: Emergency Services event at Museum of Surrey
• Buckle up for Survival of the Slowest at the Vancouver Aquarium
• Travel back in time at the Burnaby Museum
• 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.

Have a wonderful spring break!

~ Whiteside Elementary 

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.

Wolf Pack Student Corner:

Reflections from Division 3 from their trip to the Richmond Art Gallery:

Our class visited the Richmond Art Gallery, specifically the Chromophiliacs exhibit. It was a very interesting experience, the art plentiful of colour and emotions put into the art. Each and every artist’s works perfectly epitomized themselves, and you could truly see a piece of every artist’s personality and rich culture through their work. The art activity was also very amusing, easy, and fun. It perfectly allowed students to express their creativity. Overall, I had a very enjoyable time at the Richmond Art Gallery. — Maya

Each time I come to the art gallery, I have a very fun and memorable time. We started off by getting a tour of the different art, which was very interesting to see how each artist expressed their different culture, life experiences, origins, and personalities. There was one art piece that we observed, that we recreated to fit our own personalities, art styles, and likes. The art was inspired by ovoids, with decorations such as stitches, paper circles, beads and buttons, and animals and cool figures were created. I had a lot of fun being alongside my friends, creating our own, unique ovoid-inspired art pieces. What I probably enjoyed most about this experience is how much creative freedom we had. We got to create whatever character—or shape we wanted, while being able to use many different colour schemes and materials. This art gallery experience was overall a very fun, memorable, and creatively open experience. — Ocea

Coming Events at Whiteside:

March 30 – First day back after spring break

April 3 – Good Friday (school closed)

April 6 – Easter Monday (school closed)

April 10 – Track Attack begins

April 15 - McRoberts band concert at Whiteside

April 21 – Class Photos and Panorama

April 23 – Term 2 report cards posted online

May 11 – Track Meet at Minoru

May 15 – Pro-D Day (school closed)

May 18 – Victoria Day (school closed)

May 20 – Welcome to Kindergarten

May 21 – Gr. 7 Day at McRoberts

May 20-22 – Gr. 6 Camp at Cheakamus Centre

June 19 – Grade 7 Farewell

June 25 – Final day of school for students

WHITESIDE INFORMATION AND EVENTS

Spring Break

Please remember that Whiteside will be closed from March 14 – March 29. We welcome back our Wolfpack on Monday, March 30. 

PAC Easter Sales

This holiday season, support James Whiteside Elementary by purchasing Purdys chocolates—perfect gifts for family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors! 25% of proceeds go back to the school. 

Order Deadline: Friday, March 20^th https://fundraising.purdys.com/campaign/000027782

Order Pickup: Wednesday, April 1^st from 2:30PM - 3:00PM in the school gym

Grade 6 Camp Update

Please remember that our grade 6s are camping from May 20-22. Grade 6 Camp final payment is due Wednesday, April 1st.  Please check your SchoolCash Online account.  Thank you to our generous parent fundraisers and donors! Please see the attached WaterSafe flyer for more information for obtaining your WaterSafe certificate prior to camp.

IMPORTANT: Hot Lunch Volunteers Needed

Thank you to our PAC for providing these yummy meals. We need more volunteers to join us on our PAC hot lunch days to organize and distribute the meals to our students. Without the hard work of this team, our hot lunches can’t happen. If you can help, please email our team at jameswhitehotlunch@gmail.com. 

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.

Grade 7 Farewell Planning

Thank you to the parents that volunteered to help plan and organize our grade seven farewell celebration. It’s not too late! If you are interested in joining the planning team, we would love your ideas and support. Please email our principal, Brett Cameron, at bcameron@sd38.bc.ca if you can join our team.

Hatch PreK Program Registration

Registration for the 2026/27 school year for PreK at Hatch Kids Learning Whiteside is now open! Email info@hatchkidslearning.com for more information or to schedule a tour. This program is for children ages 30 months to 5 years old and operates out of the modular building by the basketball courts.

Universal Hot Lunch Update

Ordering for our winter and spring Universal Hot Lunches are open at: https://munchalunch.com/. Please select the “Feeding Futures” option and ensure allergies are noted on your child’s profile. Our Universal Hot Lunch Dates are:

April 8 (Chicken Penne Alfredo/Honey Garlic Tofu and Rice)

April 22 (Butter Chicken/Spinach Penne Alfredo)

May 6 (Honey Garlic Meatballs and Rice/Cheesy Veggie and Bean Burrito)

May 20 (Chicken Quesadilla/Veggie Chili Mashed Potato Bowl)

June 3 (Chicken and Veggie Chow Mein/Veggie and Edamame Chow Mein)

June 17 (Shepherd’s Pie/Butter Chickpeas and Rice)

Please order the age-appropriate size for your children. All orders must be placed one week prior to the hot lunch.

Mini Sun Run 2026!

Last year, Whiteside had a group of students and parents enter the SunRype Youth Team Mini Sun Run 2.5 km Challenge at the Vancouver Sun Run.  It was an exhilarating time for all of us, and we are now looking to our next challenge!  We are participating in the 2026 Vancouver Sun Run on Sunday, April 19^th in Vancouver.  We invite you to join our 29 member-strong Whiteside Wolves Team and do the 2.5 km or 10 km Youth Team Challenge.

Friends and family can also join the fun!

Team Name: Whiteside Wolves

Team Access Code: PRPGFA

Link to JOIN OUR YOUTH TEAM: team member registration.  Enter the “Youth Team Challenge – 10 km or Mini Sun Run 2.5 km”.  Last day to register:  April 16^th.

On Sunday, April 19th, students will need to be accompanied by an adult.  If your child enters the Mini Sun Run, entry includes one adult escort. If your child enters the 10 km Youth Team Challenge, they will need to be running with an adult family member.  Both child and adult will need to register individually.   

Run club training for the Sun Run will be on Tuesday AND Thursday mornings at 8:10 a.m. Everyone is welcome.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email slai@sd38.bc.ca.

PAC Updates

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. Our next PAC meeting is online at 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21.

Wolf Wear Wednesdays

To show our school spirit, we invite our students, staff and community to wear their favourite Wolf gear every Wednesday

Food Security and School Affordability Support

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

Whiteside Fundraising – Return It

Help raise funds for our school by recycling at home! 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.

Student Learning Survey 2025/2026

We invite parents of students in Grades 4 and 7 to participate in the Provincial Student Learning Survey, which gathers valuable feedback on our school environment, safety, and achievement. Your input is essential for identifying our strengths and areas where we can improve. Please complete the survey by visiting https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/support/student-learning-survey, clicking on the "Parents" icon, and selecting our district and school name. The e-survey site will be open until May 2, 2025.

DISTRICT INFORMATION AND UPDATES

Allergy Alert: 

All families should be aware that Whiteside School has many students with severe, life-threatening food allergies. Some classrooms may be designated nut free to protect the health of these students. Please help us limit the nut products entering our school overall, as the impact on a student can happen anywhere in the school. If possible, please do not send food to school containing nuts. 

THE MORE YOU KNOW…

Things to do this Spring Break in Richmond

The City of Richmond is offering some low-cost and free family-friendly events and activities over the upcoming Spring Break (March 14-29).

Make the most of the school break with swimming, skating, nature adventures, exhibitions and more. Explore exciting day camps, drop-in fun and registered activities (in-person and online programs for all ages).

Save the Date! Richmond Celebrates Soccer (2026 FIFA World Cup)

The Richmond Olympic Oval would like to invite the SD38 community to join members of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Vancouver Rise FC on Friday, June 12th as we celebrate Team Canada's first game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Grade 4-7 students are invited to cheer on Team Canada as we welcome the world to our country.

Stay tuned for more details.

~Whiteside Elementary