October 27th – 31st, 2025

Dear DG Families,

We are looking forward to a safe and fun Halloween at Devon Gardens!

We will be having a Halloween Parade on Friday, October 31st, at approximately 9:30 am.  Family members are welcome to attend/take photos along the outdoor section of the parade route.  A reminder to please only take pictures of your child. If you happen to take pictures of children that are not yours, please do not post publicly on social media or share the pictures with others.  The parent/guardian spectator section for the parade will be:

  • the outside perimeter of the undercover area
  • along the back side of the school
  • along the front grass

Please ensure you stay to the outside edge of these areas in order to keep the parade route clear and safe for students.

Guidelines for Halloween Costumes at School

In preparation for the Halloween parade, we want to remind everyone of the importance of choosing costumes that are fun and respectful.

Costumes:

  • should not be too scary or gory (some of our Kindergarten students have not yet turned 5)
  • should be age appropriate
  • must be safe & comfortable.  Students must be able to sit, walk, breathe, see and hear.  Anything that limits vision or restricts movement can lead to falling & other injuries. That’s no fun on Halloween!
  • that include masks must not fully cover the face or limit vision (students may wear masks during the parade, provided they can safely see)
  • must be appropriate for the learning environment and all school activities, including PE class, outdoor learning, recess and lunch (students need to be able to safely play outside and be appropriately dressed for the weather).
  • that promote illegal activities, drugs/alcohol, could be offensive to others, or perpetuate a stereotype of someone’s culture, gender, heritage, religion, etc… are NOT ok for school
  • that use traditional clothing, cultural symbols, or stereotypes can cause hurt and offense, even if unintentionally, and show disrespect to members of our school community
  • that don’t use or make fun of someone else’s identity (culture, gender, heritage, religion, etc…)  demonstrates kindness, respect, and care for everyone in our school community

Also:

  • toy weapons are not permitted at school, even on Halloween
  • props and accessories such as magic wands, brooms, tiaras, etc… are ok as long as they are used safely (keep in mind these items are more likely to get lost/broken, so please consider this carefully before bringing them to school)
  • not all students like to dress up and that’s ok, too! Students who don’t want to dress up, but still want to participate in Halloween, could wear Halloween colours (orange and black), or they can come in their everyday clothes!  That’s great, too!
  • costumes worn to school may not survive the day intact, so consider a spare/alternate costume for the school Halloween parade and save the “real” one for trick or treating that night

If students have questions about if their costumes are OK for school, they should check with their teacher or Mme Greenhalgh, ahead of time.

Students who do wish to dress up for the parade should come to school dressed in their Halloween Costume, as students will not be changing into their costumes/putting on make-up at school before the parade.  Students who are coming in costume should also bring an extra set of clothes to change into after the parade. It can be uncomfortable to wear a costume all day and they may wish to change.
Students who do not wish to dress up for the parade should not feel pressured to do so!

 

The Rainy Season is Upon Us

As we know living on the West Coast, it often rains more than it doesn’t.   Particularly in the winter months.   We are noticing that some students are coming to school without wearing shorts and without jackets.  We know that some students prefer to wear shorts, regardless of the time of year (which is totally fine), however they should at least have pants with them, that they could put on over their shorts if needed.    Students who get a ride to and from school, and are going from inside their warm home, to inside the warm car, to inside the warm school (and vice versa) 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).  Students should expect to go outside at recess and lunch, even when it’s raining (inside recess is rare; in the event of extreme weather).   Dressing for the e 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.

Does your child have a full change of clothes at school? 

VERY IMPORTANT –  all students (yes, even Grade 7s!) are required to have a spare change of clothes (socks, pants, T-shirt) at school. That way, if a students gets wet/muddy or happens to slip on the wet field, they can change into dry, comfortable clothing for the remainder of the day. Spare clothing should be in a ziplock bag, labelled with your child’s name.   

 

Adult Crossing Guard Disruption 

We are experiencing a turnover in our adult crossing guards, for both the 112th crossing and the River Road crossing. Please be advised that the crossing guards at these locations may be inconsistent until replacements have been secured. Please cross with care.
If you are aware of anyone in the DG community who may be interested in taking on casual crossing guard duties, please have them contact our Vice Principal, Mr. Rodgers at jrodgers@deltaschools.ca to express their interest.  Please note, this is a paid position.

Emergency Preparedness Fee

Last year, the school district introduced an annual $10 Emergency Preparedness Fee to help ensure every school is equipped with essential emergency supplies – such as food, water, and first aid items – in the event of a major incident like an earthquake (see letter from May 2024). As of mid-June, we have collected more than $125,000, which is already being used to ensure each school is stocked with emergency food and water reserves.

Our ultimate goal is to maintain at least a three-day supply of food and water for every student. This annual fee, due at the beginning of each school year, plays a vital role in helping us meet that goal and allows us to replace supplies as they expire.

For the 2025/2026 school year, families will be asked to pay this $10/student fee by the end of October.    For more information, please refer to the notice sent home with youngest/only children last week.  If you need another copy of the notice, you can find it, here.   If your family requires financial support in relation to this fee, please contact the school office. Discretion will be maintained.

 

 

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

  • Proceeds from all hot lunch fundraising 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 on special lunch days 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 the day of the hot lunch, the meal will be automatically donated to someone else. Please email your child’s teacher if you want to pick up their food. Pick up is between 1:30-2:15PM at the office on the day of the hot lunch

Questions???  Please send an email to pacdevongardens@gmail.com.

 

Fruit and Vegetable Program - Chalmers Elementary

For Fruit and Veggie Program

The PAC is in need of volunteers to assist with the Fruit and Veggie program.  This involves receiving, sorting and distributing the fruit and veggie order to classrooms, approximately once every 3-4 weeks.   This position can be shared between two or more people.   If you can help, or for more information, please contact the PAC at pacdevongardens@gmail.com

 

Created by Kids Art Fundraiser 

Our Next Fundraiser Launches November 3rd!  Our talented Devon Gardens students will be busy creating beautiful artwork and, soon, their masterpieces will be transformed into one-of-a-kind keepsakes you can order and cherish forever!
Support our school while celebrating your child’s creativity!
All proceeds go toward supporting Devon Gardens PAC initiatives that benefit our students and school community.

 

Stay tuned for more details coming soon!

 

PAC Fundraisers ongoing throughout the year

For information about the following fundraisers, please click the logos.

Questions?  Send an email to pacdevongardens@gmail.com.

 

Click image for more info

 

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Use your personal Return-It account by clicking donate and looking up Devon Gardens Elementary

 

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Mention Devon Gardens Elementary at checkout, 10% of your purchase becomes credit for the school

 

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Use this link https://mabelslabels.ca/en-CA/fundraising/support to make a purchase and 20% of your purchase becomes goes back to our school

 

Tuesday, November 28th – Gr 7 Volleyball (group A) – game @ Brooke Elem

Thursday, October 30th – PAC special lunch day (Panago)

Friday, October 31st – Emergency Prep fees due to the office

Friday, October 31st – Halloween Parade 9:30am

Sunday, November 2nd – End of Daylight Savings – “fall back” (set clocks back by 1 hour)

Monday, November 3rd – PAC meeting 7pm

Tuesday, November 4th – Gr 7 Volleyball (group B) – game @ DG

Thursday, November 6th – Gr 6 Volleyball – game @ DG

Monday, November 10th – Remembrance Day Assembly 9:15am

Tuesday, November 11th – Remembrance Day (schools are closed)

Wednesday, November 12th – PAC Recess Snack Day (Cobs)

Thursday, November 13th – Gr 7 Volleyball (group A) – game @ DG

Friday, November 28th – DG Spirit Day (wear your DG spirit wear or green, our school colour)

For other upcoming events, please refer to the calendar on the school website:

https://dg.deltasd.bc.ca/news-events/monthly-calendar/

 

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