Dear DG  Families,

We are excited to welcome some of our students back to school on Monday, June 1.  We have been working hard at school in order to be prepared for our partial return to in school instruction.  Just a reminder, whether or not to send kids back is a personal decision that each family needs to make.  We understand and respect that not all parents are comfortable having their children return.  If you have decided not to have your child attend, that’s ok!

This Week’s Correspondence

All families who are returning have been emailed their child’s schedule.  If you did not receive an email indicating which days your child is to attend, please call the school office.   Please do not just bring/send your child to school. We have very strict density guidelines from the Province that must be adhered to.

Please ensure that you have read through Mme Greenhalgh’s Back to School Protocol email from May 28th.

Back to School Protocols May 28

The Delta School District sent out the following email as well.

https://www.deltasd.bc.ca/return-to-school-resources-for-parents-and-guardians/

Things look different at school

We have prepared some pictures of how things look at school.  As parents are not allowed to come inside, we hope the photos are helpful in letting you “see” the physical changes we’ve made.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1uunJrqqR7Zvx6ADFPDuhL3ZCYGu41q9_iEJc2jHKunE/edit?usp=sharing

Virtual PAC Meeting

The purpose of this meeting will be to hold Executive Member Elections for the positions of Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, Gaming Representative, District PAC Representative, Canadian Parents for French Representative and members at large.

The Devon Gardens PAC is active and coordinates a number of programs and events throughout the year.  Special happenings like pancake breakfasts, special lunch, snack and popcorn days, Family Fun Night, and more are all PAC organized.  They also undertake fundraising for new school/classroom equipment purchases and improvement projects, like the recent beautiful library transformation.   None of this would be possible without our PAC.  Without sufficient parent volunteers, some programs and events may have to be discontinued. Please consider joining the PAC. Your contribution will aid in the success of the students and school. PAC needs you! Become involved!

Your contribution will aid in the success of the students and school.  Any school parent can nominate themselves for a PAC position.  More details will be provided at the PAC meeting.

Library Books

If you have any school library books at home, please return them to the school.  If your child is returning to school on June 1st, the books can be brought back then.  If your child will not be returning to school but you have library books at home, please drop them off at the school after June 1st.  As access to our building will be limited to staff and students only, a box will be available right outside the front office doors. Any items you are returning can be left there.  In dropping these off, please ensure you attach a note or any other information that would be helpful for us to have.  We will be following a protocol where hard surface items are cleaned and those that cannot (books, etc…) are put into a quarantine area prior to being handled.  Thank you for ensuring that our library books are returned.

Please find attached the calendar for the 2020 – 2021 school year.

2020-2021 appendix II -FINAL COPY

Many of these dates have been added to the calendar on our school website, which is updated regularly throughout the year (this is the calendar you should check most often)

Are you moving?

At the school level, we are beginning to plan for September 2020.

Please let the school know if your child will not be returning to our school in September 2020.  Please email the school at devongardens.elem.cims@deltasd.bc.ca

2020-2021 Class Placement Information

Although we are still navigating uncertainty with respect to this school year, we are still working through many of our typical year-end tasks, such as 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, number of ELL (English Language Learners), 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.

Optional Parent Information Form due June 5th.

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 a 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 Friday, June 5th.

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 Friday, June 5th.  Please fill in 1 form for every child.   Please note, parents are not required to do this.  It’s optional.

https://forms.gle/etPMWugANtxTpP93A

Virtual Summer School

We are offering REMOTE Summer Learning opportunities to kids currently in Grades K-6, Delta students ONLY.  The program is called Grades 1 – 7 Enrichment ONLINE Program.  Please see the website through the link provided for more information.

Here is the link: https://www.deltasd.bc.ca/programs/continuing-education/summer-school-registration/