Dear DG Families,
Stay up-to-date with School Events
In addition to the Week at a Glance updates published each week to the “news” section of our website, please be sure to check the Events Calendar on our website on a regular basis. This calendar gets updated regularly and is the best way to stay on top of important upcoming events at school.
Here is the link: https://dg.deltasd.bc.ca/events-calendar/
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). Our first Fruit and Veggie delivery is next week. Only students whose parents have given consent will be able to participate.
It is important that the 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.
https://dg.deltasd.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/09/parent-connect-instructions.pdf
Fruit and Vegetable Program
BC School Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition Program:
Our school is involved in the BC Fruit and Veggie orOne of the goals is to encourage healthy eating by providing fresh BC fruits and vegetables to the students during school time. The students will receive picked, washed and ready to enjoy produce about twice a month at no charge. Please complete the permission form in Parent Connect to ensure your child can participate in this worthwhile program. Many thanks to our PAC parents for coordinating this program for all our students.
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 also let us know the reason of your child’s absence. 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…
Road Safety
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 . 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 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 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.
Fall weather
Just a reminder that as the weather gets cold and wet, please make sure that kids come dressed appropriately for the outdoors in all sorts of weather (eg. jacket, waterproof/water resistant footwear, hat, gloves, etc…) . Please expect that kids will go out for recess and lunch, unless there is extreme weather.
VERY IMPORTANT – all students (even Grade 7s!) are required to have a spare change of clothes (socks, pants, T-shirt) at school. Spare clothing should be in a ziplock bag, labeled with your child’s name
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, and not dropped off at the office. We do have some items on hand for students who forget their lunch.
A reminder that, due to severe allergies, please ensure nuts, onions and fish/seafood are not included in the food your child brings to school.
Managing Life Threatening Allergies at school
While many people suffer from bothersome but manageable allergies (eg. certain foods, 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. Please either call the office or email Ms. Labrosse slabrosse@deltaschools.ca
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, please contact our school administrative assistant, Ms. Labrosse slabrosse@deltaschools.ca to ensure we have all the required information, as well as your child’s medication, at school
Adult Crossing Guards Needed
We are still looking for adult crossing guards, both full time (at Nordel and 112th), part time (at 112th by the entrance to the school field) and casual/on-call. If you are interested, or you know someone who might be, please email our Vice Principal, Mme Hamilton, or call the school office (604-581-6185).
Terry Fox Run
Devon Gardens will be participating in the annual Terry Fox Run again this year! Our run date is Wednesday, September 20th! Please have your child wear running shoes and clothes that allow for easy movement on this day. We also encourage students who want to, to bring in a “Toonie for Terry” which will go toward cancer research. Thank you for your support!
DG Open House
Our Open House will be from 5:30 – 6:30 pm, this Thursday. This is a chance for students and parents to come tour the school and meet the teachers. We’ve also put together a fun scavenger hunt to help you get to know different places around the school; at the end, you can even enter to win a prize! The PAC will also have an information table set up. We hope to see you there! As the intent of this evening is not to discuss student progress, parents will have an opportunity to ask more specific questions about their child’s learning at parent/teacher conferences in October.
PAC INFORMATION
After School Freezie Sale – Wednesday
The PAC will be selling freezies for $1.00 after school on Wednesday, in the undercover area!
Term 1 Special Lunch Days
Devon Gardens PAC Fundraiser – Hot Lunches
This term we are offering items from Fuel Catering on these days:
Thursday – Oct 5th
Friday – Oct 27th
Thursday – Nov 16th
Thursday – Dec 7th
Please refer to associated menu for item details
Deadline to submit online orders – Tuesday, September 26th
* Typically, Special Lunch Days are on Thursday. Please note that Oct 27th is a Friday
How to Order
- Visit https://devonpac.hotlunches.net/ and register for an account (you must register for a new account each year, may use same login and password as previous years)
- Select items/order per child & pay
- For step-by-step instructions on registering and ordering/payment, click here.
Other information to note:
- Hot Lunch ordering is optional. Absolutely no obligation to order.
- 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.
- No additional utensils or condiments will be provided. Please feel free to send a drink, etc. to supplement your child(s) order.
- If you have more than one child at the school, place orders for all children first and then proceed to final payment. This will save you transaction fees.
- Nutritional information will be forthcoming
- Please be mindful of known absences/vacations when placing orders.
- 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 before ordering.
Thank you,
Your Devon Gardens PAC
Reminder – 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.
Level Ground Trading
Level Ground is a BC business that works with fair trade coffee, tea, dried fruit and spice producers.
- Supporters enter the code devongardens in the ‘discount code’ field at the checkout.
- All products on our web store qualify for the fundraiser. Orders must be $40 or more. These orders also qualify for free shipping to most addresses in Canada (there is a shipping fee on all orders shipped to NU/NT/YK). All orders are paid for through our web site and shipped directly to your supporters. No need to collect orders or distribute products to households.
- Your fundraising amount is 20% of total sales. So on a $100 order your school will receive $2
Online Stay Safe & Babysitting Courses
Offered through First Aid Hero. When registering use promo/coupon code DGPAC 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
Looking for something to do on the pro-d day?
September 22nd (pro-d day) Play Day!
Community Schools Partnership is hosting a Play Day on Friday, September 22nd at North Delta Secondary School. The camp will run from 9am to 3pm and include Fall-themed games, crafts and other activities! If you’re interested in registering or getting more information, please see the PDF Registration Form.
September 22nd at Science World!
On Friday, September 22, admission to Science World is free for the Tech-Up Showcase. This event focuses on making STEAM subjects—science, technology, engineering, art & design, and math—accessible to everyone, regardless of your experience level. Please see the link for more information https://www.scienceworld.ca/event/tech-up-showcase/
Fraser Valley Regional Library – Free Events on September 22nd
Fraser Valley Regional Library has a number of free events happening on the Sept 22nd Pro-D. Events include Science Storytime, The Secret of Bees, Building Challenges and Button Making. See link and QR code below for more information
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARENTS/GUARDIANS/FAMILIES
Diversecity Community Resources Society Bond to Literacy Program @ Hellings Elementary
Are you a parent of a preschool child? Want to prepare them well for school? Join this free 12-week program to get them learning their ABCs, improve their motor skills and enhance their cognitive development. You will be able to:
• Introduce books to your kids and encourage them to read with you in a
fun-loving environment
• Take part in science experiments and math activities with your children
• Learn music and movement activities, which are important for your children’s early development
• Get to socialize with other parents
• Get free storybooks for your children!
Snacks, bus tickets and childminding services are available during sessions.
Fridays, September 15 to December 4, 2023 – 12–2 pm
At Hellings Elementary – 11655 86 Avenue, Delta, BC
Eligible for parents with children aged 3–5 living in Delta.
To register, please call 604-547-2003, email childrensprograms@dcrs.ca or visit dcrs.ca/families.
Strong Start
StrongStart provides free early learning programs for children from birth to Kindergarten entry. Parents/caregivers attend with their children.
StrongStarts are led by Early Childhood Educators who support children with their learning and share ideas, resources, and community services with families.
No advance registration is required. Programs run 9-12 at Heath, Chalmers, Jarvis, Hellings and McCloskey Elementary Schools. There is also an afternoon program at McCloskey. Families are welcome to attend anytime during program hours but it is recommended that if families are attending for the first time that the drop in during the first half hour, which is usually open play time.
StrongStart Locations In North Delta:
Hellings Elementary
11655 86th Avenue
604-596-1701
hellings.elem@deltaschools.ca
McCloskey Elementary (morning and afternoon programming)
11531 80th Avenue
604-596-9554
mccloskey.elem@deltaschools.ca
Jarvis Elementary
7670 118th Street
604-594-3484
jarvis.elem@deltaschools.ca
Chalmers Elementary
11315 75th Avenue
604-594-5437
chalmers.elem@deltaschools.ca
Heath Elementary
11364 72nd Avenue
604-596-1508
heath.elem@deltaschools.ca
Tuesday, September 19th – Student Crossing Guard Training at lunch time
Wednesday, September 20th: Terry Fox Run
Wednesday, September 20th: PAC Freezie sale, after school in the undercover area
Thursday, September 21st: Term 1 previews sent home electronically
Thursday, September 21st: DG Open House 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Friday, September 22rd: Professional Development day (school is not in session)
Tuesday, September 26th – deadline to order Special Lunch Days for Term 1
Friday, September 29th – Orange Shirt Day
Other dates and events are listed on our school calendar on our website: https://dg.deltasd.bc.ca/events-calendar/