Dear DG Families,

Christmas Concert “Best Seats in the House”

*Not an actual representation of the seat you can win.*

A reminder that the Christmas Concert “Best Seats in the House” forms are due Thursday, November 21st !

This year our Christmas Concerts will take place on Tuesday, December 17th . We are offering you the opportunity to win the best seats in the house (in the first four rows)!

Families will have the opportunity to win up to four (4) reserved seats for the afternoon concert Tuesday, December 17h at 1:30 p.m. OR two (2) reserved seats for the evening concert on Tuesday, December 17th at 6:30 p.m.

Entry forms were sent home with youngest and only children last Thursday.

To enter, complete the entry form (including the skill testing question!) and return it to the school office, along with $2.00, no later than Thursday, November 21st

Proceeds will be used to offset concert related costs.

You can enter as many times as you like.    Entry form can be found on the school website under the notices tab, or click here.

Christmas Concert Tickets Coming Home This Week

Our Christmas concert is coming up soon – December 17th!  There will be two shows: 1:30pm and 6:30pm.  Due to space constraints, we are limiting attendance for the evening concert.

Families will be issued two tickets for the evening performance. 

Please put your tickets in a safe place! There are no extra tickets so we will be unable to replace any that are lost.

Tickets will be sent home this Thursday with youngest/only children.  

We understand that extended family members may also want to attend the concert.  The afternoon concert is open to all and there are no tickets required for the afternoon concert.

Welcome Ms Thiara, our new CYCW

Please join us in welcoming Ms. Thiara, our new CYCW.  Ms. Thiara is replacing Ms. Sale, who has taken a job, closer to home, as an Indigenous Enhancement Worker with the Vancouver School District.  We will very much miss her and we wish her well in her new role.

Ms. Thiara is currently the Child and Youth Care Worker at Hawthorne Elementary, in Ladner, and will be transitioning to her new role at Devon Gardens over the next week or so.

Weeks of Giving – Shoe Box Donations

At this time of year, one thing we focus on at Devon Gardens, is how help and give others hope for the holidays.  This year we will once again be preparing gift boxes for Whole Way House Society’s “Box of Hope” campaign to help spread holiday joy to those most in need.

Each Box of Hope is filled with love and essentials, providing warmth and happiness to over seniors, veterans, and vulnerable residents in our community.

Between now and November 29th, we will be collecting various new items that will then be assembled into wrapped gift boxes.   We have asked each division to focus on particular items (please see the information below).   We are also accepting donation of shoe boxes (with lids) and Christmas wrapping paper.

Weeks of Giving:

Students will also be making cards to be included in the Boxes of Hope.

Once we have received the donations, they will be assembled into the shoe boxes, so that each box contains something sweet, a tote bag and mittens, something cozy, a home decor item, a beautiful Christmas ornament, and a card made by one of our students..  The shoe boxes will then be wrapped so they can be given out by Whole Way House.

Thank you, in advance, for supporting this initiative!

Christmas Hampers for Delta Families

For the past few years, we have partnered up with another school in Delta and exchanged families in need, in order to provide them with Christmas hampers/gifts.  This is something we are doing again this year.  Our sister school will provide hampers/gifts for our families and in turn we are collecting items to help their families. We do this in the spirit of trying to keep things private and confidential for the families to whom we are donating.   Please keep any eye out for more information coming soon.

Dressing for the weather

Even with the torrential rain we had last week, there were still students coming to school without jackets.   We rarely keep students inside at recess and lunch time, as they need fresh air.  Students need to come to school prepared to spend time outside.   A hoodie is not sufficient on a rainy day.

If your family needs assistance with winter clothing, jackets, or footwear, the school can assist with this (discretely and confidentially).  We want to ensure all students have what they need to stay dry, warm and safe during the winter months.   Should you need assistance, please contact your child’s teacher or Mme Greenhalgh

We know that some students prefer to wear shorts, regardless of the time of year.  They should at least have pants with them, that they could put on over their shorts).    Students who get a ride to and from school , and are going from inside their home, to inside the car, to inside the school (and home again) may not realize how chilly it is.   Please check the weather forecast and ensure your children come dressed for the weather (which can change throughout the day).  This isn’t just important for playing outside at recess and lunch.  It’s also important in case of an emergency requiring evacuation of the building.  In the event of an emergency evacuation, we would be outside for an extended period of time. A reminder that ALL students (yes, even grade 7s) should have a change of clothes at school, in a ziplock bag labelled with their name,  That way, if students get wet or slip on the muddy field they’ll have clean, dry clothes to change into.

 

What exactly is PAC?   Check out their one-pager, here

A reminder about Special Lunch Days- there’s one this week (Panago)

• 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

Basketball Club in North Delta

A new basketball club has opened in North Delta. The Fall camp has just started but is still accepting players. Please visit https://ndbasketball.ca/fall2024  for more information.  For grades 4 and up.

Canadian Parents for French and EducationPlannerBC invites parents, families, and student supporters to join their virtual workshop on Tuesday, November 19th, 2024.

Learn about post-secondary education and career opportunities, as well as tools to best support your student in planning for their future.

Come explore their website! Search thousands of programs, get to know trades, discover career paths, and learn about options to study in French. Find helpful resources, including financial aid options, admission requirements, FAQs, and the Glossary. Learn how to create an account, save programs, paths, and careers to My List, and apply to post-secondary in B.C.

Presented by EducationPlannerBC in collaboration with Canadian Parents for French BC & Yukon.

Tuesday, November 19^th, 2024
6:30pm – 7:30pm PST 
Hosted on Zoom 

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYtceCvqDIpH93JibAiu21SEr9W7ZGQCqHK#/registration

Registration is required.

Visit their Parents & student supporters page for helpful resources:

www.EducationPlannerBC.ca/parents

Virtual Event: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: It’s More Than Overwashing Your Hands

Description: Living with OCD can present unique challenges that affect both our kids and us as families. For those living with it, simple tasks become overwhelming and disrupt daily life. Join us to discover ways to strengthen our understanding and support our kids living with OCD.

Registration: FamilySmart – Events

Dates:  November 28th 6:30pm – 8pm

Virtual Event: Supporting Safety at Home When Your Child Has a Mental Health Crisis

Description: When our child or youth has had a mental health crisis, knowing how to keep them safe can be overwhelming. Our concerns can include suicidal thoughts, self-harming and aggression. Listen to this discussion about some ways that can help us talk to our kids about their safety at home.

Poster: FamilySmart In the Know Event Nov 2024 Supporting Safety

Registration: FamilySmart – Events

Dates:  November 26th 6:30pm – 8pm

Virtual Event: Now What? A Beginning Conversation to Support Families Moving From Reacting to Responding When Our Kids Begin Experimenting With Substances

Description: Learning that our kids are trying substances can be scary. As families, we are a valuable resource to help them navigate the choices they are making, but it can be hard to know how to respond. This video introduces parents and caregivers to some ways that can help us move from reacting to our fears about substance use and towards a more thoughtful response that supports connection with our kids.

Registration: FamilySmart – Events

Dates: 

• December 3rd 6:30pm – 8pm
• December 4th 12pm – 1:30pm
•  December 5th 6:30pm – 8pm
•  December 10th 6:30pm – 8pm
•  December 11th 6:30pm – 8pm 

Thursday, November 21st – Best Seats entries due.   Get another form here

Thursday, November 21st – Evening Christmas concert tickets (2 per family) coming home with youngest/only children

Thursday, November 21st – Special Lunch Day (panago)

Monday, November 25th – pro d day (no school for students)

Tuesday, November 26th – Axe Capoeira performance

Wednesday, November 27th – Recess Snack Day (TCBY)

Friday, November 29th – last day for Weeks of Giving donations

Monday, December 2nd – PAC meeting 7:00pm

Thursday, December 5th – Special Lunch Day (subway)

Wednesday, December 11th – Recess Snack day (popcorn)

Thursday, December 12th – Term 1 Learning Updates (report cards) available on line, via Parent Connect

Tuesday, December 17th – Christmas Concerts 1:30pm & 6:30pm

Thursday, December 19th – Special Lunch Day (panago)

Friday, December 20th – Spirit Day (red & green)

Friday, December 20th – last day of school before Winter Break!

Other dates and events are listed on our school calendar on our website: https://dg.deltasd.bc.ca/events-calendar/