Dear DG Families,

Emergency Preparedness Week, May 1-7

Although we have, unfortunately, had to cancel our Emergency Release Drill (originally scheduled for Friday, May 13th), there are lots of things families can do to focus on their Emergency Preparedness plans.  Emergency Preparedness Week (May 1-7, 2022) encourages Canadians to take concrete actions to be better prepared to protect themselves and their families during emergencies.

By taking a few simple steps, you can become better prepared to face a range of emergencies – anytime, anywhere. It is important to:

• Know the risks – Although the consequences of disasters can be similar, knowing the risks specific to your community and our region can help you better prepare.
• Make a plan – It will help you and your family know what to do
• Get an emergency kit – During an emergency, we will all need some basic supplies. We may need to get by without power or tap water. Be prepared to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours in an emergency.

Here’s a message from Bill Blair, Canada’s Minister for Emergency Preparedness:

For more tips on what you can do to help prepare your family, check out https://www.getprepared.gc.ca

2022-2023 School Year

Planning for the 2022-2023 school year has already begun. If you are moving homes and schools, please make sure that you let our office know via email and or phone.

2022-2023 Class Placement Information

In the coming weeks, we will start to look at next year’s organization and class placements for students.

Some Things to Know about Our Process:

Class placements are important decisions and something that teachers consider very carefully.

FACTORS & CONSIDERATIONS: Assigning students to classes is a very complex task that takes into consideration a variety of factors, including: learning styles and strengths, what a student is able to achieve in relation to the goals of the curriculum, degree of independence in work habits, social and personal needs, age and physical maturity, previous placements, gender balance of class, etc….

The number of staff members assigned to our school is decided by the Superintendent’s Office and is based on projected student enrolment. Enrolment estimates and class size guidelines affect the configuration of classes, which may also necessitate a particular organizational configuration (i.e. whether or not we have combined or “split” classes and the number of students, per grade, in the class).

SCHOOL-BASED DECISIONS: The professional staff is in contact with children in the school setting for 30 hours a week. Your child’s present teacher, along with other educators who work with your child, have a year’s worth of current, rich information and insight about the conditions under which your child learns best. Therefore, decisions around where to place students are determined through school-based, team decisions, based on their recommendations.

INPUT FROM PARENTS: As our partners in education, parents may also have important information to assist us with the placement of students. Parents are welcome to share with the school personal, educational, or social information that could affect their child’s placement. Our staff will keep in mind this information, along with the above considerations, when building classes.

If you have information about your child and the kind of learning environment in which she/he best works and learns, and you would like to share this information with our staff, please fill in the “Parent Information” form by clicking on the link below.   Please complete the form no later than Tuesday, May 24th, 2022. 

It is important to note that it is not possible for parents to choose their child’s teacher or make requests regarding other students. Teachers who are currently on staff may not be here next year, may not be assigned the same grade, or may not teach a class configuration that meets your child’s learning needs. Whatever the scenario, we strive to place your child in a warm, caring environment that will maximize his/her learning potential.

Should you have information you wish to share with us, please fill in the form by Tuesday, May 24th, 2022.  Please fill in 1 form for every child.   Please note, parents are not required to do this.  It’s optional.

https://forms.gle/Yrs3wKTVKx3yD8cA9

Reporting Absences

If your child will be absent from school, please remember to call our office at 604-581-6185 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…

ELL-1-7-Registration-Information-2022

Welcome to the Entrepreneur Fair!

Some of our students are learning about how to be young entrepreneurs by making and selling items! See how these up and coming entrepreneurs are learning about business, creating their own products and putting their imagination to work. Be sure to bring your wallet. Most products will be from $1.00 to $5.00. Some may be more.

When?   Friday May 6 (just before Mother’s Day)

Opening times: 10:10am – 10:40am

11:25am- 12:15pm

1:15pm- 2:15pm

Where? DG gym (parents will enter through gym door near the staff parking lot)

Note: A limited number of parents will be permitted to enjoy the fair at any given time. Please limit your visit to about twenty minutes. As the gym will be busy, masks are recommended. Parents may be asked to wait at the entrance if we have reached maximum capacity. Thank you and enjoy the fair.

Author Visit

As you may be aware, our school has been focusing on a writing goal all year and helping students see themselves as writers.

This week, award-winning author Charis Cotter will be visiting our school virtually as part of Canadian Childrens’ Book Week, May 1 to 7, 2022. She will be telling Newfoundland ghost stories and talking about her books.

Lost and Found

With so many families coming to the school on May 6th for the Entrepreneur Fair on Friday, we will be putting out the lost and found trolleys near the undercover area by the gym. Please come and look for what your child may have lost since spring break.

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. We have advertised this position through the local paper, notices at the library and community centres and on social media.  If you know someone interested in this paid position, please email stee@deltaschools.ca 

Get Active! Did you know?

Physical activity is important for ensuring children and youth live their best (and
healthiest!) lives. Because how kids spend their time in the day will impact other
behaviours like how much they sleep at night, it’s important to look at all movement
behaviours as integrated and co-dependent rather than in silos. We need to get kids
sweating, stepping, sleeping and sitting the right amount for optimal health.
According to the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, children and youth aged 5-17
years should:
• accumulate 60 minutes of heart-pumping physical activity each day
• get consistent sleep (9 to 11 hours/night for those aged 5–13 years and 8 to 10
hours/night for those aged 14–17)
• minimize sedentary behaviors (limit of 2 hours/day of recreation screen time)
We recognize the impact that the global pandemic has had on the physical health of staff,
parents and students. Over the next six weeks, in order to help our community be as
healthy as possible, we are running the Get Active! campaign and will be highlighting
information related to physical health. We hope you find it interesting, and that it will
prompt you to get more active with your kids. For more information, please visit:
https://www.participaction.com/en-ca/benefits-and-guidelines/children-and-youth-age-5-
to-17

Upcoming Parent/Caregiver Workshop

How to talk to your kids about drugs and alcohol: what works and what doesn’t.
with Dr. Marvin Krank

This talk will focus on what works in the prevention of alcohol and drug problems in
adolescents. The talk will review our best knowledge about the kinds of information and
the methods of talking to adolescents that have proven to reduce substance use problems
in youth. You will hear practical advice on approaching you children about these
potentially life changing choices. We will also talk about how these principles inform
effective prevention initiatives in your schools.
When: May 5, 2022 06:30 PM Via Zoom
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://ca01web.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5IqceGoqjMrG9Lje7tvfMRG2i3OKvIxBC3g
Please see attached Flyer for more information.

May 5th – Dr. Marvin Krank (1)

The next PAC meeting will be on Monday, May 2nd at 7:30 p.m. via zoom. A link will be sent out to all families Monday morning. 

Yearbook Orders

 The end of the school year is fast approaching and our annual Devon Gardens yearbook is being put together by two dedicated parent volunteers (Matt Hoekstra and Amber Bogner).

PAC is launching ordering through our online ordering system (https://devonpac.hotlunches.net/). Books will be delivered and distributed before the last day of school in June. Ordering will be open until Sunday, May 1st.  Cost is $21 per yearbook. If you wish to have this keepsake please order before the deadline. There will be no extras available for purchase later.

Should you have trouble ordering through the online system and would like a yearbook, your child must bring in the money to the office (see Ms. Tee) on Monday morning by 9 a.m. 

Questions? Send an email to pacdevongardens@gmail.com

Regards,

Devon Gardens PAC

Popcorn Helper Needed

Our PAC is looking for helpers to pop popcorn for popcorn snack days and to help with selling them. If you are interested in helping out, please email pacdevongardens@gmail.com

Here are the details of the position:

• popcorn will need to be popped and bagged prior to the snack day (this job takes about 3 hours)
• on the snack day, volunteers will need to come to the school to hand out popcorn and to count the monies collected (2-3 hours)

Neufeld Farms Fundraiser

The DG PAC is pleased to offer the Neufeld Farms Fundraiser Event – open now!

The PAC is offering a chance to stock up on your Summer favourites through Neufeld Farms.

Approximately 20% of the money paid gets funneled back to the school. Start planning your BBQs now!

https://app.neufeldfarms.ca/fundraising/2022-devon-gardens-elementary-pac/ref/em

Devon Gardens Elementary PAC View our Gourmet Foods. All of your favorites are just a click away… app.neufeldfarms.ca

Orders will be accepted until May 8th and orders will be picked up from the school on May 18th at 6 p.m.

Monday, May 2nd: PAC meeting via zoom 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 4th: Delview visits Grade 7 students

Thursday, May 5th: Virtual author visit

Friday, May 6th: Entrepreneur fair

Tuesday, May 10th: Regional Track Meet a North Delta Secondary (for Grades 4-7 participants)

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