Dear DG Families,
Wishing all our families a wonderful family day! We hope you all enjoy the Monday.
Pink Shirt Day – Wednesday, February 23, 2022
While every day is “anti–bullying day” at Devon Gardens (regardless of what colour shirt anyone is wearing),on Wednesday, February 23rd, everyone is invited to participate in “Pink Shirt Day”.
For many people this day has come to symbolize anti–bullying in general, but did you know that “Pink Shirt Day” actually began as a response to an instance of homophobic bullying?
In 2007, at Central Kings Rural High School in Cambridge, Nova Scotia, a Grade 9 student was bullied and harassed when he wore a pink polo shirt to school. Two Grade 12 students decided to take a stand against homophobic bullying. They bought 50 pink shirts, and organized a “sea of pink” to spread a message of acceptance.
Please note, it is not necessary to purchase a special pink shirt to participate in Pink Shirt Day. Students are encouraged to proudly wear the shirt colour of their choice.
Rapid Antigen Test Kits
The BC government has announced that each student at K-12 schools will receive a box of 5 rapid
tests. These tests will be shipped directly to schools and the schools will organize the distribution. We will send out more information to families once the test kits arrive at our school.
Early Dismissal Wednesday, March 2
We will have an early dismissal day on Wednesday, March 2 for parent teacher conferences (via TEAMS). Primary students will be dismissed at 11:55 a.m. and intermediate students will be dismissed at 12:00 p.m. As a conference may not be needed for all students, teachers will be requesting a conference with those parents they need to see. Parents may also request a conference with the teacher. A note was sent home with your child on Thursday, Feb 17th, with more detailed information.
Public Consultation – School District Draft Budget 2022/23
The Delta School District is committed to transparent budget planning and resource allocation that is directly aligned with the strategic vision, goals and objectives established by the Board. We would like to invite parents/caregivers to attend the following Zoom sessions to learn more about the budget and to provide feedback on their funding priorities for the upcoming school year. It is our sincere hope that as many voices as possible will engage in this important process:
- Wednesday, February 23, 7pm – 8pm: A budget webinar, which will contain presentations and short videos aimed at explaining the budget process and providing an overview of district departments and their priorities.
- Tuesday, March 8, 7:30pm – 9pm: A budget public input session, where the focus will be on encouraging open discussion and gathering important feedback on the community’s priorities for the draft budget.
Both sessions will provide an opportunity for participants to ask questions regarding the draft budget for 2022/2023.
Please register using this link: https://forms.gle/dBsaxBdwdNu6E66A7
Safety to and from School
At the start of the school year, we review with kids basic road safety reminders, both at home and at school. This might be a good time to do a review, though, especially for those kids who walk or bike.
Some suggestions (you may have other, family specific, rules):
- Use the buddy system whenever possible when travelling to and from school.
- Stick to main streets and pathways (don’t shortcut through people’s yards)
- What to do if someone you don’t know approaches you (do not talk or engage in conversation, if it’s a vehicle do not go closer to the car, etc..).
- If something happens on the way to/from school that makes you feel uncomfortable, tell an adult you trust (parents, teachers, etc…)
- Keep iPads, cell phones, and other high-value items out of sight
- Walk on the sidewalk, if one is available. When on a street with no sidewalk, stay over to the side and walk facing the traffic
- Before you cross the street, stop and look left, right and left again to see if cars are coming. Follow the directions of the crossing guard, if there is one.
- Make eye contact with drivers before crossing and always cross streets at crosswalks (this includes at school – don’t run across the middle of Russell Drive).
- If there’s no crosswalk, cross at a corner. Not in the middle of the street
- Stay alert and avoid distractions while walking (eg. be aware of your surrounding, don’t text & walk, head up/phone down, etc…)
- At school, stay out of the parking lot
- On a bike:
- wear a helmet
- stay well over, to the side of the road
- when riding with others, make sure to stay in single file (one ahead of the other, not beside each other)
- come to a complete stop before crossing the street; walk bikes across the street
- walk your bike on the school grounds and stay out of the parking lot
Nordel and 112th Adult Crossing Guard Position
We are still looking for an adult paid crossing guard for the Nordel and 112th Crossing. This position is half hour before school and half hour after school when school is in session; perfect for a retired person wanting to do something everyday. If you know someone interested in this paid position, please email stee@deltaschools.ca
Crossing Guard Schedule – Until May, 2022
Please check the crossing guard schedule for when your child is scheduled to be a crossing guard. Reminders to please find someone to take your spot if you are unable to be out for your shift. Many thanks!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BMm71ezj8vyuCaZ2IBOJVu2osV2625I0zcJIqqkwYCk/edit?usp=sharing
Upcoming PAC meeting will be on Monday, February 28th at 7:30 p.m. via zoom. An agenda and the meeting link will be sent out on the morning of February 28th.
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. For details and to place an order, please visit our very own Devon Gardens landing page https://www.kaci.io/devon-gardens-elementary-school-level-ground. Enter DevonGardens in the discount code field at checkout and 15% of your purchase will be a payback to the school on every order of $40+. Free shipping on orders $40+
Online Stay Safe & Babysitting Courses
Offered through First Aid Hero. When registering use promo/coupon code DGPAC and our PAC will earn $8 from each registration. For details, available course dates and online registration, please follow the links below: Babysitting – https://firstaidhero.com/babysitting-courses/online-babysitting-courses/ Stay Safe – https://firstaidhero.com/stay-safe/
Questions? Send an email to pacdevongardens@gmail.com
Regards,
Devon Gardens PAC
Please read about the upcoming FREE parent education workshops!
Trauma-Informed Parenting: How To Understand and Support Children and Youth Experiencing Trauma
Andrew Neufeld
Via Zoom – 6:30pm – 8:00pm on February 24, 2022
Feb 24th Workshop – Andrew Neufeld
Emotional Intelligence: The Key To LongTerm Success
March 8, 2022
6:30pm – 8:00pm
via Zoom (space is limited)
Please see attachment for more information
March 8th Parent Caregiver Workshop
We’re up to 25 parents learning French. The Valentines’ weekend the collective practice time was 9 hours, if you start practicing with us now, by next Valentines’ Day you should be able to wish your ” petite chou chou” all your love. To join go: www.duolingo.com/classroom/ffkjhc
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Learn languages by playing a game. It’s 100% free, fun, and scientifically proven to work.
www.duolingo.com
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(“Petite chou chou”= little cabbage-a classic term of endearment which clearly translates well 😉
Monday, February 21st: Family Day (School is closed)
Wednesday, February 23rd: Pink Shirt Day
Friday, February 25th: COBBS PAC Snack Day
Monday, February 28th: Duck/Cover/Hold Drill
Monday, February 28th: PAC meeting at 7:30 p.m. via zoom
Other dates and events are listed on our school calendar on our website: https://dg.deltasd.bc.ca/events-calendar/