Dear DG Families,
Do you have a child coming to Kindergarten in the fall and are interested in having them attend our French Immersion program? If not, do you know a family for whom that does apply? Very important – The deadline to apply is this Wednesday at 4:00pm. Read more in the “Information from the School District” section, below.
Allergy Reminder
Due to very serious allergies, we ask that NO seafood/fish, onions or nuts be brought to school. Please also keep this in mind whether it be a lunch prepared at home as well as if you are dropping off a commercially prepared lunch (eg. fast food) for your child.
Ensuring Students come Dressed for the Weather
The temperatures have been dipping down to the single digits (and lower!) and we may get some snow this week! Please expect that kids will go outside at recess and lunch, unless there is extreme weather. Ensuring students come dressed for the weather isn’t just important for playing outside. It’s also important in case of an emergency requiring evacuation of the building.
In addition to ensuring your children come dressed for the weather, we ask that ALL students have a change of clothes at school (yes, even grade 7s). The field can be quite slippery and muddy. In order to avoid us having to call you (possibly at work), to bring your child a change of clothes, please ensure that your child has spare clothes at school that they can change into, just in case. Your child’s spare clothing should be labelled with their name, in a ziplock bag, and left either in the classroom or in your child’s backpack.
What happens if it snows? Occasionally the District has closed schools due to snow. In this event, any district wide closure or decisions will be decided and communicated by 7 a.m. the day of. Any announcements will be made via radio stations (CBC AM 690, CKNW AM 980, News AM 1130, Fairchild AM 1470) and via TV stations (CTV BC, CBC, City TV, Global BC). Information will also be posted on the District website. Please note: If it’s snowing, no announcement will be made stating that schools are open. Only closures and delayed openings will be announced.
Please see the school district website or more detailed info on winter weather procedures.
Volunteer Basketball Coaches Needed
Are you interested in helping to coach basketball? We are looking for volunteer coaches to assist with coaching our Grade 6 boys team. Volunteers need to have a had a recent criminal records check completed;
Practices can be either at lunch or after school, and games are typically once a week, after school. Schedule yet to be determined.
If you are interested, or for more information, please contact Ms Leveque via email at kleveque@deltaschools.ca
Early Dismissal February 6th and 7th
Student led conferences are on Thursday, February 6th and Friday, February 7th. To accommodate this, students will be dismissed at 2:00 pm both February 6th and 7th.
As teachers will be conducting conferences, students must be picked up, promptly, at 2:00 pm on these dates.
Please make a note of this in your calendars and advise daycare providers or other family members who pick up your child from school.
What is a Student-Led Conference? Just as it sounds, a student-led conference is a conference with parents, led by the student. The role of the classroom teacher is a facilitator in the conference process. Students lead parents through a discussion of their work and established academic and social goals. The process includes the teacher facilitating several conferences at the same time. Conference appointments will be 20 min long (some students/parents may require less time, which is fine), and several sets of parents may sign up for each appointment time.
When students have the opportunity to show, explain and demonstrate their learning, they are not only communicating their accomplishments and understanding, but also sharing with you what and how they are learning, and the criteria for success. In addition, giving students this opportunity:
- develops your child’s self-assessment and communication skills
- helps build the independence, confidence, self-esteem and pride of your child
- provides an opportunity for your child to receive supportive feedback to further their learning
- provides an opportunity to celebrate your child’s learning. While your child is leading you through the conference, the teacher will be available to join you for part of the time.
Roles and Responsibilities of Student-Led Conferences
Appointments for Student Led Conferences will be booked through Parent Connect, and the on-line booking will be opened up on Thursday (please watch for an email from Ms Chahal). In the meantime, be sure you are able to log in to Parent Connect.
Instructions for Parent Connect can be found here. If you are having difficulty logging into Parent Connect, please contact Ms Chahal in the office. Again, on-line booking for conferences will open on Thursday
What exactly is PAC? Check out their one-pager, here
PAC Meeting
The January PAC meeting is Monday, January 20th at 7:00pm and all DG parents/guardians are welcome. Please watch for an email, with the meeting agenda and Zoom link, on Monday afternoon.
A reminder about Special Lunch Days- there’s one this week (Nandos)
- 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.
PAC Fundraisers ongoing throughout the year
Return-it Express
PAC has created a school fundraising account. To participate, simply bring your containers to the depot in sealed, clear bags, and enter the registered phone number, 604-581-6185, into the Express kiosk. You will be prompted to select the number of bags you’re dropping off, the kiosk will automatically print the same number of sticker tags displaying our PACs unique Express account code. Tag each of your bags with a sticker tag and drop the bags off in the designated Express drop-off area to be counted. For a list of Return-it Express location visit https://www.return-it.ca/locations/express/
Cobs Bread Dough Raiser Program
This program enables us to raise money for our school throughout the year! Be sure to mention Devon Gardens Elementary (or code 7806) each time you make a purchase at COBS Bread Scott 72 Centre; they will donate 10% of your purchase back to our school
Online Stay Safe & Babysitting Courses
Offered through First Aid Hero. When registering use promo/coupon code “DevGardens25” and our PAC will earn $5 from each registration. For details, available course dates and online registration, please follow the link: www.FirstAidHero.com
Questions? Send an email to pacdevongardens@gmail.com
Kinder Books
Introducing the Kinder Books Loyalty Program for schools! This year-long fundraising program is designed to help schools earn credit towards purchasing books for their school library.
Here’s how it works: for every net book purchase made at Kinder Books, the school will earn 10% of the purchase amount towards a credit at our store. At the end of the fundraiser, we will notify the school of their credit amount. The school can then decide to use the credit at the beginning of the new school year or at the end of the calendar year.
The best part? This program applies to all book purchases at our store, including special orders for kids and books for adults. Plus, orders can be placed online at www.kinderbooks.ca, making it easy for grandparents or other family members who live out of town to participate. Simply mention your school’s name at checkout, and we’ll credit your school accordingly.
Online orders can be picked up at the store during business hours or shipped through Canada Post
Information from the School District
French Immersion for the 2025-26 School Year
There are two French Immersion Programs offered in Delta: EARLY French Immersion Program (Kindergarten to Grade 12) and LATE French Immersion Program (Grade 6 to Grade 12). Do you, or does someone you know, have a child who might be interested in the French Immersion Programs staring in September?
While it might seem early, now is the time to start looking into it! There is an application process, with very strict deadlines.
The first step is to attend a French Immersion Parent Information Meeting.
Early French Immersion (Kindergarten Entry):
In-Person Information Nights
Jan 13, 2025 at 6:30p.m. at Burnsview Secondary
Jan 14, 2025 at 6:30p.m. at South Delta Secondary
Application deadline: January 22, 2025 at 4p.m.
Late French Immersion (Grade 6 Entry):
In-Person Information Nights
Feb 10, 2025 at 6:30p.m. at Chalmers Elementary
Feb 11, 2025 at 6:30p.m. at Cliff Drive Elementary
Application deadline: February 12, 2025 at 4p.m.
Online registration for both programs begins on January 4th, at 8:00 am Online Application Page
If this doesn’t apply to your family, but you know someone else who might be interested, please pass the information along.
Reminder – Personal Digital Devices at School
Please be reminded that students are not permitted to use cellphones or other personal digital devices at school. For more information, please visit: Elementary school restrictions. If you have any questions, please contact the school.
Delta School District Seeking Volunteers for Accessibility Advisory Committee
The Delta School District is looking for student, staff and community volunteers interested in serving on its Accessibility Advisory Committee.
The Accessibility Advisory Committee is dedicated to identifying social, physical, sensory and other barriers that prevent people from fully participating in all aspects of school community life and advising on strategies to reduce them, ensuring a more inclusive and accessible environment.
If you are interested in helping our school district become more accessible and welcoming to all, please complete the online application (or copy and paste this link into your browser: https://forms.gle/UnQJP7uDdLQX5AFC8) by February 7, 2025.
Applicants who are shortlisted may be required to attend a short interview. Committee appointments will be made based on best fit and in accordance with the Accessible BC Act and the applicant criteria.
Applicant Criteria
The Accessible BC Act stipulates that advisory committees should feature a broad spectrum of people to represent B.C.’s diverse population. Committees must include an Indigenous person, and at least half of the members must be people with disabilities, members of families of people with disabilities, or members of organizations that support people with disabilities. To be eligible, applicants must also be a resident of the City of Delta or study, work or volunteer in Delta, or have children that study in Delta.
Accessibility Plan
The Delta School District has developed an Accessibility Plan which will be reviewed and updated at least once every three years in accordance with the Accessible British Columbia Act with the support of the Accessibility Advisory Committee. In addition to the committee, the district has established a working group made up of leaders within departments and schools who will carry out the work devised in the Accessibility Plan.
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact Nicole Braid, District Principal, Employee Services at nbraid@deltaschools.ca or 604 952 2939.
Now – Jan 22nd – French Immersion applications for 25-26 school year available on line
Monday, January 20th – Performance Group – Metaphor “Hip Hop 101”
Monday, January 20th – PAC meeting, 7:00pm
Wednesday, January 22nd – deadline for applications French Immersion Kindergarten, 4:00pm
Thursday, January 23rd: Special Lunch Day (Nandos)
Thursday, January 23rd: Term 2 Previews sent home electronically
Thursday, January 23rd: online sign-up for student led conferences begin (through Parent Connect)
Thursday, January 23rd: Grade 7 Parents night at Burnsview, 6:30 for French Imm & 7:00 for Reg Program
Friday, January 24th: Pro-D day (no school for students)
Monday, January 27th – Grade 7 parents night at Delview, 6:30pm
Wednesday, January 29th – Lunar New year
Other dates and events are listed on our school calendar on our website: https://dg.deltasd.bc.ca/events-calendar/
