Dear DG Families,
Thank you to all the families who attended our Open House on Thursday evening; it was great to see you! For those of you who entered your scavenger hunt forms for a chance to win a prize, we’ll be contacting the winners sometime this week!
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.
The importance of being at school, and being on time
Being present, on time and ready to learn are key elements for learning. Please work with your child to ensure they arrive at school with time to settle and be ready to start as the school day begins. Arriving late can cause stress while also disrupting the day for both your child and other students.
We understand that sometimes students will be late for school. If your child will be late due to an appointment or other reason, please notify the office by email at devongardens.elem@deltaschools.ca.
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.
School Planners for Grades 1-7
A reminder that payment for planners was due Tuesday, September 16th. If you have not yet paid for your child’s planner, please send $6.75 for your child’s planner to their teacher as soon as possible. As the window for online payments has now closed, if you have not yet paid for your child’s planner (grades 1-7), please send $6.75 cash or cheque. Cheques should be made payable to Devon Gardens Elementary School. If you need assistance with payment, please contact Mme Greenhalgh
Toonies for Terry
Our Terry Fox Run was last week. We’re still collecting donations, so students who haven’t yet brought in their Toonies for Terry can still do so this week.
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
Orange Shirt Day
On Monday, September 29th, we will be observing Orange Shirt Day at school. Staff and students are encouraged to wear orange in remembrance and respect to the Indigenous children who were sent away to residential schools in Canada
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. Learn more about the origins of Orange Shirt Day:
https://www.cbc.ca/kids/watch/video/1.6589904
Truth and Reconciliation Walk – September 29th
On Monday, September 29, as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting Indigenous Reconciliation, the District will host its second annual Walk for Truth and Reconciliation. Students and staff across the district will participate in a walk to honour the legacy of Residential school survivors and raise awareness about the importance of Reconciliation in Canada. Each school is organizing its own walk. Following the walk, a ceremony will take place in the theatre at North Delta Secondary School, which will be live streamed to all school and district sites.
At Devon Gardens, we will wear our orange t-shirts as we participate in this walk in our area. This is a symbolic gesture as part of the District’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Tuesday, September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day. If you’re wondering what you can do to recognize and honour the day, here are a few simple steps towards Reconciliation:
- Discover whose traditional territory you’re living or working on and then learn about those Nations. Both the Tsawwassen First Nation (TFN) (https://tsawwassenfirstnation.com/) and Musqueam Indian Band (https://www.musqueam.bc.ca/) websites have information about who they are and their histories.
- Check out the 94 Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action (https://ehprnh2mwo3.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf) Ask yourself if there is one Call that you can commit to acting on.
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As many of us celebrate the back-to-school season, stop, and reflect on why it may not be easy for everyone. Find out more about Phyllis Webstad’s story (https://orangeshirtday.org/phyllis-story/)
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Map of all the residential schools across Canada: https://nctr.ca/records/view-your-records/archival-map/
Reminder – PAC Family Movie Night is Friday
Friday is the PAC’s Movie Night. A reminder that pre-purchase of entries was required (they’ll be sent home with students this week) and you’ll need to show these at the door to get in. As this is a family movie event, all students must be in the company of their parent/guardian. Questions? Please email the PAC at: 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
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
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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
Friday, September 26th -PAC movie night (doors open at 4:30, movie starts at 5:00)
Monday, September 29th – observance of Orange Shirt Day
Monday, September 29th – Walk for Truth and Reconciliation
Tuesday, September 30th – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (schools are closed)
Thursday, October 2nd – PAC special lunch day (subway)
Monday, October 6th – PAC meeting, 7pm
Monday, October 13th – Thanksgiving (schools are closed)
Wednesday, October 15th – PAC recess snack day (popcorn)
Wednesday, October 15th – 12:00 noon early dismissal for parent/teacher conferences
Thursday, October 16th – 2:00pm early dismissal for parent/teacher conferences
Tuesday, October 21st – Photo retake day
For other upcoming events, please refer to the calendar on the school website: