Dear DG Families,
Parent Connect
Please take the time to log in to Parent Connect and to update your forms.
Each year, the Delta School District requires that parents approve, through Parent Connect, various permission forms (eg. walking field trip, Fruit & Veggie program, Photo & Media consent, Google Apps).
What happens if these forms are not filled in? Only students who have permission will be able to participate in walking field trips, the fruit and veggie program, etc…
It is important that the contact information that we have for you is up to date.
As well, parent connect is the portal that you will need to use when booking parent teacher interviews. Please see the link for details.
If you are having difficulty accessing Parent Connect, please call the office.
School Planners for Grades 1-7
At Devon Gardens, students in grades one through seven use student planners. This is an excellent tool to help students develop effective habits and take responsibility for their learning. Planners also help keep parents informed about their child’s schoolwork, and can also be a communication tool between parents and teachers. This year, payment for the planners will be done online, through Parent Connect. Payment is due Tuesday. Please see link below for instructions on how to do this.
If you are having difficulty, or need any assistance, please contact Ms Chahal in the school office.
Online Payments through Parent Connect
This year we will be starting to use online payments for various things at school (planners, field trips, etc…). Payments will be done through Parent Connect. Instructions for how to this can be found on the Parent Connect section of our school website under “Parent Connect student fees”. Please be patient as we are learning to use this system. Also, please understand that there may be times when we will not be able to accept payment online, and payment will need to be made through old fashioned methods of sending cheque or cash to the school.
Reporting Absences
Student absences must be reported directly to the office, rather than through your child’s teacher. Of course, you can also let the teacher know, but it is very important to let the office know, directly. As such, if your child will be absent from school, please remember to either call our office at 604-581-6185, or email the school’s general mailbox at devongardens.elem@deltaschools.ca , to let us know.
In your message, please include:
- your child’s full name (first and last)
- their teacher and/or division number
- the date(s) they will be away
- the reason for your child’s absence.
Students who are sick must not come to school.
If your child is away due to illness, please also let us know your child’s symptoms; particularly in the case of communicable diseases such as respiratory infections, strep throat, chickenpox,stomach flu, etc… as this helps us to know if there are any communicable diseases circulating through the school and, to take additional precautions as needed such as enhanced cleaning protocols and connecting with Fraser Health.
When leaving a voicemail message, please speak slowly and clearly.
Student Safety at Arrival and Dismissal
Pick up times can be very busy, and Russell Drive and 112th are very busy roads. As such, we encourage families to walk to and from school if possible, or to even park a little further away and walk the rest of the way. Annieville Park is a great alternative parking spot. There is ample parking available and it’s only about a 6 min walk away!
Parents can continue to help us keep our students safe during pickup and drop off times, by doing the following.
- Use the designated parent parking lot (safely and courteously!) across the street from the school. Please do not double park or block the entry/exit to the parking lot
- Follow the directions of the crossing guards, including our Student Crossing Guards
- Use the cross walk to cross Russell Drive and encourage your children to do the same (it’s not safe for kids to run across the middle of Russell Drive)
- Keep our staff parking lot clear of parent vehicles and pedestrians (lately we’ve noticed an increase in parent vehicles driving through, and even parking in, the staff lot; please don’t do this)
- Stress to your children that they should not hang out in or run across the staff parking lot. Use the path across the front grass areas, rather than cutting through the staff parking lot.
- Keep vehicles clear of Downs Road – there is NO student drop off/pick up, here
- Do not block private driveways of houses near our school
- Encourage older students to walk or bike to school
- If possible, walk younger students to school
- Drive slowly and cautiously
Here’s a link to the traffic reminders/parking map on our website. ‘
Snack, Lunch, and Water Bottles
Please ensure that your child comes to school with all that they need for the day, including their snack, lunch and water bottle. These items should come to school with your child in the morning, packed in their backpack. Please refrain from dropping items off mid-day for your child. We do have some items on hand for students who forget their lunch.
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.
NO:
onions
seafood/fish
nuts
Managing Life Threatening Allergies at school
While many people suffer from bothersome but manageable allergies (eg. pet dander, seasonal allergies, etc…), a small number of people have severe, life threatening allergies.
At Devon Gardens, we have students and staff who have severe allergies to nuts, seafood/fish and onions. Their allergies are so severe that these items cannot be brought to school, at all.
In addition to this, if your child is in a class with a student who has a severe allergy, you will receive a letter from the school outlining if certain food/products need to be avoided by students in the class in order to create a safe environment. Thank you for your cooperation. With your help, we can do our best to prevent a reaction and to make sure that all of our students are safe, healthy, and able to concentrate on learning. Anyone wishing further explanation or information on this type of allergy may contact the school.
If your child has life-threatening allergies, please ensure you have informed the school by calling the school office 604-581-6185.
MEDICATION AT SCHOOL
If your child has any serious allergies or medical conditions, and/or needs to have access to medication such as an inhaler or epipen at school, it is imperative that the school be made aware to ensure we have all the required information, as well as your child’s medication, at school. We have already contacted families of returning students who had medication at school last year, to request that their medication be brought back. If you have not already sent this in, please do so asap. This is especially important if your child requires an epipen for allergies resulting in anaphylaxis
If you are new to us this year and your child requires medication at school, please contact the office promptly.
School photos are happening Tuesday, September 16th. Typically, the photographers are finished by noon, however sometimes not. Unfortunately, we are unable to specify what time your child’s class will have their photo taken. Anyone who misses having their photo taken on Tuesday can have their photo taken on Photo Retake Day, October 21st.
Terry Fox Run
Devon Gardens will be participating in the annual Terry Fox Run again this year! Our run date is Wednesday, September 17th! Please have your child wear running shoes and clothes that allow for easy movement on this day. We also encourage students to each bring in a “Toonie for Terry”, which will go toward cancer research. Thank you for your support!
DG Open House
Our DG Open House will be from 5:30 – 6:30 pm, this Thursday. 
The intent of this evening is not to discuss student progress, but rather for students and families to come tour the school and meet the teachers (parents/guardians will have an opportunity to ask more specific questions about their child’s learning at parent/teacher conferences in October). The DGPAC will have an information table set up and we’ll also have some other fun things for families to check out! We hope to see you all our Dragons, and their families, on Thursday!
Orange Shirt Day Donations
Monday, September 29th we will be observing Orange Shirt Day at school.
This year, the Indigenous Education Department of the Delta School District is encouraging schools to collect donations of orange shirts students may have outgrown so that these shirts could be worn by others in our school community on Orange Shirt Day and during the Truth and Reconciliation Walk. Between now and September 22nd, we will be collecting donations of clean orange shirts, in both children’s and adult sizes.
Thank you to Mme Oliveira’s class for assisting with the collection and organization of donated orange shirts.
If you would like to participate in donating an orange shirt, please have your child bring it to class and someone from Mme Oliveira’s class will come around and collect it.
What is Orange Shirt Day?
Between the 1860s and the 1990s, approximately 150,000 Métis, Inuit and First Nations children were sent to church-run schools residential schools. Residential schools harmed Indigenous children by removing them from their families, forcing them to speak English or French instead of their ancestral languages, disconnecting them from their culture and traditions and forcing them to adopt Christianity in order to assimilate into Canadian society. Participating in Orange Shirt Day is one way we can show our remembrance and respect for residential school survivors and their families.
Learn more about the origins of Orange Shirt Day:
https://www.cbc.ca/kids/watch/video/1.6589904
Stay up-to-date with School Events
Please be sure to check the Events Calendar on our website, frequently (side tab on the Home Page). This calendar gets updated regularly throughout the year, as new events are scheduled, so it’s the best way to stay on top of what’s coming up at school.
Here is the link: https://dg.deltasd.bc.ca/events-calendar/
Please note, we have changed our Events Calendar to a different format/platform (still found in the same spot on our website). If you had previously bookmarked this page, be sure to update it to the NEW LINK https://dg.deltasd.bc.ca/news-events/monthly-calendar/
Constable Calnan’s Corner – A Message from your Police Liaison Officer
For more than 50 years, the Delta Police Department and the Delta School District have been working in partnership through the School Liaison Program.
The role of the School Liaison Officer (SLO) includes; enforcement of the Criminal Code and other Federal and Provincial Statutes, including the School Act. The focus, however of the SLOs is education and prevention, through positive contact with the student population, forming positive relationships with the youth of Delta as they progress through the school system, and into adulthood.
Constable Calnan is the SLO for Devon Gardens. In addition to the other supports Constable Calnan provides to our school (eg. routine visits, safety presentations to students, assistance with some of our emergency drills, and more), from time to time, he’ll also be sharing information with DG families through the Constable Calnan’s Corner section of our weekly news posts. Here’s the first one:
After School Freezie Sale – Monday
The PAC will be selling freezies for $1.00 after school on Monday, in the undercover area!
Movie Night Order Forms
PAC Movie Night (Elio) coming soon … September 26th!
Movie night order forms were sent home, Thursday, September 10th, with youngest and only children. They are due back on Thursday, September 18th
Important Information
- Students must be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the movie.
- Younger siblings are allowed.
- All children ages 2 and older as well as adults must purchase a ticket.
- You may bring blankets and pillows for the gym floor, limited seating available.
- Space is limited. Tickets are first come first served.
- No refunds will be given.
- Cheques made out to: Devon Gardens PAC
Need another copy of the form?
Questions? Send an email to pacdevongardens@gmail.com
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
Use your personal Return-It account by clicking donate and looking up Devon Gardens Elementary
click image for more info
Mention Devon Gardens Elementary or code 7806, 10% of your purchase goes back to our school
click image for more info
Use code DevGardens25, $5 from each registration goes back to our school
click image for more info
Mention Devon Gardens Elementary at checkout, 10% of your purchase becomes credit for the school
click image for more info
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
September 15th – 22nd – Orange Shirt Donations Collection
Monday, September 15th: PAC $1 Freezie Sale after school, undercover area
Tuesday, September 16th: planner payments due (online) for grades 1-7
Tuesday, September 16th: Individual student photos
Tuesday, September 16th: Student Crossing Guard Training @ lunchtime
Wednesday, September 17th: Terry Fox Run
Thursday, September 18th: PAC movie night orders due
Thursday, September 18th: PAC recess snack day (TCBY)
Thursday, September 18th: Term 1 previews sent home electronically
Thursday, September 18th: DG Open House 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Friday, September 19th: Professional Development day (school is not in session)
Other dates and events are listed on our school calendar on our website: https://dg.deltasd.bc.ca/events-calendar/
Please note, we have changed our Events Calendar to a different format/platform (still found in the same spot on our website). If you had previously bookmarked this page, be sure to update it to the NEW LINK https://dg.deltasd.bc.ca/news-events/monthly-calendar/