September 20th – 23rd

Dear DG Families,

Introducing our New Logo

Last year we began working with local artist, Bryce Williams, on a new school logo.  We wanted something more representative of the traditional territory of the Tsawwassen and Musqueam people on whose lands our school is situated.  Bryce is a well-know artist and carver from the Tsawwassen First Nation (TFN), as well as the former Chief of the TFN.     On Wednesday, Bryce came to our Welcome Back School Assembly to unveil the new logo design and to share a journey song with our school.  It was a great honour to have him share his gifts with our school.  And we love the new logo design!    It will take a little while to get everything (letterhead, website, etc…) switched over to the new logo, but you should start to see it appearing, as of now, on school correspondence.

 

 

Reminder – Planner Forms & Money due back

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.  Planner notices were sent home last week.  Just a reminder to please return your child’s planner notice and form to the teacher, if you have not already done so.

 

Reporting Absences

Student absences must be reported directly to the office, rather than through your child’s teacher.   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…

parkinglot (1)

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 across the street from the school
  • 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
  • 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.  

DG Open House

Our Open House will be from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.!  This is a chance for students and parents to come tour the school and meet the teachers.   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.

 

Parent/Teacher Conferences – Would you like a virtual option?

Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled for October 12th and 13th.   For the past couple of years, these have been held virtually, as we did not have an option.   This year, however, we do.  We have heard from some parents that a virtual option would be more convenient.  In order to assist us with planning our up-coming parent/teacher conferences, we would ask that you please complete this short survey letting us know your preference.

https://forms.gle/eJR8CyhCs8yMgYn87

 

Parent Connect

Please take the time to log in to Parent Connect and to update your forms. 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.

parent connect instructions 2022

EC_ER for parent connect forms

 

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   

 

Wednesday, September 21st – Student Crossing Guard Training with Constable Hilliard & Ms Grund

Thursday, September 22nd:Term 1 previews sent home electronically

Thursday, September 22nd: DG Open House 5:30 – 6:30 pm

Friday, September 23rd: Professional Development day (school is not in session)

Wednesday, September 28th: Terry Fox Run

Thursday, September 29th: Orange Shirt Day

Friday, September 30th: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (School is closed)

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