Dear DG Families,
It’s hard to believe it will be May in just a few days! Please read on for this week’s news …
Federal Election Monday, April 28th
Our school gym will be used as a polling station for the Federal Election on Monday, April 28th. This will mean an increase in traffic and, likely, even less parking than usual (which is not a lot to begin with). Please plan on carpooling if you can, or parking a little farther away and walking the rest of the way (or, better yet, the whole way if you live close enough!). A reminder that the parking lot at Annieville Park is a good alternate spot to park.
We have had some questions about school safety while the polls are open. Please note, the voting public will only have access to the gym, and not the rest of the school (we have interior doors we can lock), and both our school staff, and the elections staff, will be monitoring things very closely.
April 28th is National Day of Mourning
Grade 7 Bottle Drive – Thank you!
Thank you to everyone who supported the Grade 7 Bottle Drive on Saturday! They had a great turn out and were able to fill the truck with 150 bags of bottles and cans Fantastic!
2025-2026 School Year
We are beginning the process of planning for next school year. If you are moving and are not planning to return to Devon Gardens in the fall, please make sure that you let our office know. Even if you have let your child’s teacher know, we still need you to contact the office directly. You can do this by either calling Ms Chahal at the school office (604-581-6185) or emailing her at devongardens.elem@deltaschools.ca
2025-2026 Class Placement Information
In the coming weeks, we will start to tentatively look at next year’s organization and possible class placements for students.
Some Things to Know about Our Process:
Class placements are important decisions and something that teachers consider very carefully.
FACTORS & CONSIDERATIONS: Assigning students to classes is a very complex task that takes into consideration a variety of factors, including: learning styles and strengths, what a student is able to achieve in relation to the goals of the curriculum, degree of independence in work habits, social and personal needs, age and physical maturity, previous placements, gender balance of class, etc….
The number of staff members assigned to our school is decided by the Superintendent’s Office and is based on projected student enrolment. Enrolment estimates and class size guidelines affect the configuration of classes, which may also necessitate a particular organizational configuration (i.e. whether or not we have combined or “split” classes and the number of students, per grade, in the class).
SCHOOL-BASED DECISIONS: The professional staff is in contact with children in the school setting for 30 hours a week. Your child’s present teacher, along with other educators who work with your child, have a year’s worth of current, rich information and insight about the conditions under which your child learns best. Therefore, decisions around where to place students are determined through school-based, team decisions, based on their recommendations.
INPUT FROM PARENTS: As our partners in education, parents may also have important information to assist us with the placement of students. Parents are welcome to share with the school personal, educational, or social information that could affect their child’s placement. Our staff will keep in mind this information, along with the above considerations, when building classes.
If you have information about your child and the kind of learning environment in which she/he best works and learns, and you would like to share this information with our staff, please fill in the “Parent Information” form by clicking on the link below. This is optional. Please complete the form no later than Friday, May 23rd, 2025
It is important to note that it is not possible for parents to choose their child’s teacher or make requests regarding other students. Teachers who are currently on staff may not be here next year, may not be assigned the same grade, or may not teach a class configuration that meets your child’s learning needs. Whatever the scenario, we strive to place your child in a warm, caring environment that will maximize his/her learning potential.
Should you have information you wish to share with us, please fill in the form by Friday, May 23rd, 2025. Please fill in 1 form for every child.
Please note, parents are not required to do this. It’s optional.
https://forms.gle/NEVqcP21Ch5hoixi8
What exactly is PAC? Check out their one-pager, here
Available PAC Executive Positions
The PAC is looking for a new Gaming Rep. If interested, please email the PAC for more info pacdevongardens@gmail.com.
A reminder about Special Lunch Days- there’s one this week (White Spot)
- Proceeds from Special Lunch Days will be administered by the PAC and go towards the purchase of school/student/classroom needs/supplies/events, etc.
- Please send utensils with your child as these will not be provided. Feel free to also send a drink, condiments, etc. to supplement your child(s) order.
- If your child is absent on Special Lunch Days, your child’s order will be automatically donated to someone else UNLESS you email your child’s teacher that you want to pick up their food. Pick up is between 1:30-2:15PM at the office on the day of (please do not come earlier). Your child’s order will be kept in the fridge until this time
Questions??? Please send an email to pacdevongardens@gmail.com.
YEAR BOOK ORDERING OPEN UNTIL MAY 7th!
Family Fun Night – Basket Raffle
One of the events we have at Family Fun Night is the basket raffle. Our fundraising committee is working hard to collect donations from businesses in our community. In addition to these donations, each classroom creates a basket. Each class is given a theme and throughout May the students bring in items for their class basket.
Notices went home Thursday with each class describing their basket theme. The themes assigned to each class can also be found on our website, here.
The items for the baskets can be anything that fits the theme! The PAC will collect the basket items at the end of May.
To keep things fun, we also have a friendly competition! The primary class and the intermediate class with the highest estimated value baskets will WIN an ice cream treat for the end of the year!
In addition to the classroom baskets, we are looking for more community prizes for our popular raffle draw!
Do you own a business or know anyone who does?
We are looking for more community prizes for our popular raffle draw!
If you or someone you know can donate please email us at pacdevongardens@gmail.com by May 15 to arrange pick up or drop off.
Thank you for your generous support!
Keep watching this section of the Sunday night “Week at a Glance” posts for more information about Family Fun Night!
Vancouver Canadians Baseball Game Fundraiser
Vancouver Canadians vs Hillsboro Hops
Sunday Jun 1 at 1:05PM – section 8
PAC Fundraisers ongoing throughout the year
For information about the following fundraisers, please click the logos.
Questions? Send an email to pacdevongardens@gmail.com.
Use code DEVONG25 by June 30, 2025 for $25 off the cost of your registration, the school will also receive a $25 donation
Use phone number 604-581-6185 at the express kiosk
Mention Devon Gardens Elementary or code 7806, 10% of your purchase goes back to our school
Use code DevGardens25, $5 from each registration goes back to our school
Mention Devon Gardens Elementary at checkout, 10% of your purchase becomes credit for the school
Information from the School District
Summer Learning
The Delta School District is providing an enriching and free program for families looking to help their child(ren) improve their Literacy and Numeracy foundation skills. These programs are available for students entering grades 1-7. Please note, the French session is, unfortunately, no longer being offered.
SESSION ONE
DATE: July 7th – July 18th
TIME: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
PLACE: McCloskey Elementary
PLACE: Richardson Elementary
PLACE: Hawthorne Elementary
SESSION TWO
DATE: July 21st – August 1st
TIME: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
PLACE: McCloskey Elementary
PLACE: Richardson Elementary
For more information, please visit:
https://www.deltasd.bc.ca/programs/continuing-education/summer-learning-registration/
Parent Education
Establishing Healthy Screen Time at Home
Children are exposed to more screens than ever before, including television, computers, gaming consoles, smartphones and tablets. While quality media may offer benefits for learning and exploration, too much screen time can reduce the time we spend doing activities that keep us healthy like talking to friends and family, playing outside, and getting enough sleep.
Many parents find it challenging to limit screen time for their kids. Here are some resources that can help. Please see these screen time brochures for children 0-4 years and 5-12 years and for more information please check out https://www.fraserhealth.ca/health-topics-a-to-z/children-and-youth/physical-activity-for-children/screen-time-for-children#:~:text=For%20children%20under%20two%20years,than%20two%20hours%20a%20day
National Child and Youth Mental Health Day
Now – May 7th – Yearbook ordering available online https://devonpac.hotlunches.net
Monday April 28th- Federal Election (DG gym is a polling station) – expect an increase in traffic and a decrease in parking: walk, carpool or park further away
Thursday, May 1- PAC special lunch day (White Spot)
Monday May 5th- PAC mtg via Zoom, 7pm
Wednesday, May 7th- last day to order yearbooks
Thursday, May 8th- Regional Track Meet @ NDSS
Thursday, May 15th- District Track Meet @ SDSS
Friday, May 16th – non-instructional day (no school for students)
Monday, May 19th – Victoria Day (schools are closed)
Other dates and events are listed on our school calendar on our website: https://dg.deltasd.bc.ca/events-calendar/
