Dear DG Families,
Crochet Club Donations
Our crochet club is looking for donations of wool/yarn and crochet hooks. If you have any such items you could donate, please contact Mme Ko
Reminder – Emergency Preparedness Donations Due Friday
Every fall, with the help of some dedicated parent volunteers, we review our school’s emergency bin supplies. In the event or a major emergency, such as an earthquake, bridges and roadways may be closed and parents may not be able to get to the school to pick up their children. As such, we need to be prepared to look after students and staff for up to 72 hours. This requires food and water rations, first aid supplies, extra clothing, activities to keep people occupied, and much, much more. Some items, like food and water rations, have a shelf life and need to be replaced when they expire.
Families are asked for a small yearly donation towards the Emergency Prep Program. Your contributions are essential for the maintenance and replenishment of emergency provisions, including food, water and first aid items, to help care for students in case of a large-scale incident such as an earthquake.
If you have not yet sent in your child’s Emergency Prep Donation, please do by Friday, November 1st.
If you need another copy of the Emergency Prep notice, you can find it here
Here’s a photo of the inside of our EP Bin (the big metal bin by the gravel field). As you can see, we keep it well stocked.
Halloween
Halloween is on Thursday! We will be having a Halloween Parade on the morning of October 31st, at approximately 9:15 am. A portion of the parade will be outside and parents 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 of the parade will be in the undercover area and along the back side of the school.
Guidelines for Halloween Costumes at School
Costumes:
- should not be too scary (some of our Kindergarten students have not yet turned 5)
- should be age appropriate
- that promote illegal activities, drugs/alcohol, could be offensive to others, or perpetuate a stereotype of someone’s culture, gender, heritage, or religion are NOT ok for school
- 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 obscure face or limit vision. Students may wear masks during the parade, provided they can safely see
- must be in line with our dress guidelines
- must be appropriate for and respects the learning environment of the school, including outdoor learning, recess and lunch (students are dressed for the weather)
Also:
- toy/replica weapons, objects that can be mistaken as such, are not permitted at school
- props and accessories such as magic wands, brooms, tiaras, etc… must be used safely (these items are more likely to get lost/broken, so please consider this careful)
- 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 their Halloween colours (orange and black), or they just come in their everyday clothes
- since costumes worn to school may not survive intact, consider a spare/alternate costume for the school Halloween parade and save the “real” one for trick or treating that night
If students or parents have any questions about the suitability of their costumes for school, they should check with their teacher or Mme Greenhalgh, ahead of time.
Celebrating Diwali!
This year, Diwali is being celebrated around the world on October 31st & November 1st. This week our DG student Culture Club will be helping us learn about Diwali by sharing music and information about Diwali during our morning announcements. They are also organizing an assembly for our students on Friday, November 1st! As Diwali is the “Festival of Lights”, everyone is encouraged to wear their sparkle on Friday! Many of our students will be wearing their beautiful cultural festive clothing. Bright colours, sequins, glitter, sparkly accessories, or anything shiny would also be great outfit choices to celebrate Diwali! Students who are wearing special outfits may also wish to bring another set of clothing so they can change before going out for recess. A huge thank you to the student leaders of our Culture Club (and their teacher sponsor, Mme Santos), for helping us learn about and celebrate diversity!
Dressing for the Weather
The rainy season is upon us! 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. 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 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). 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
PAC Fundraiser – Vancouver Giants Tickets Orders Due Tuesday!
A reminder that the order form for the PAC Giants Tickets Fundraiser is due Tuesday, November 29th. Don’t miss out on this great family event!
Need another copy of the order form? Get it here
Fruit and Veggie Helpers Needed
The PAC is looking for volunteers for the Fruit and Veggie program. Approximately twice a month (on a Wed or Thurs), parent volunteers are needed to receive and sort the produce to be delivered to each classroom. We are not able to continue this program without the help of parent volunteers. If this is something you are able to assist with, please contact email pacdevongardens@gmail.com
This position could be shared between two or more people
A reminder about Recess Snack Days- there’s one this week (Booster Juice)
- Proceeds from snack 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 Snack 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
Tuesday, October 29th – PAC Fundraiser Giants Tickets orders due
Wednesday, October 30th – PAC recess snack day (booster juice)
Thursday, October 31st – Halloween Parade 9:15 am
Friday, November 1st – Diwali Celebration (wear your sparkle!)
Monday, November 4th – PAC meeting 7pm
Thursday, November 7th – Special Lunch Day (white spot)
Friday, November 8th – Remembrance Day Assembly 9:15 am
Monday, November 11th – Remembrance Day (schools are closed)
Other dates and events are listed on our school calendar on our website: https://dg.deltasd.bc.ca/events-calendar/
