I hope you have had a good summer and enough downtime to feel refreshed.  I know it went too quickly, it always does!

Our staff have been preparing for the year and are looking forward to welcoming your children on September 3^rd.  I have included some information on the start-up, but please do reach out to our office or me if I have missed anything.   

For information on bussing, or to register to ride the bus if you haven't already (it is mandatory for all bus riders each year) please go to our district website:  https://www.sd8.bc.ca/node/36719

School starts for all students in grades 1-12 on Tuesday, September 3^rd  – it is a half day, from 8:25 to 11:30.  Buses will leave at 11:40 AM.   (Kindergarten students will have a gradual entry schedule, sent separately)

On the first day, students will be greeted by staff in the morning and taken to their classes.   This is an important day as teachers will share the shape of the year, but also check that all class configurations are accurate. 

If your child is unable to attend on the first day, please call Tanya at the office to let us know:   250-227-9218

We will have 4 classes in 2024-2025:

• Wolfpack: Grades K-2 with Miss. Conne and Ms. Delport
• Otters: Grades 3-5 with Ms. Strom and Ms. Hilde
• Grizzlies: Grades 5-7 with Ms. Draper and Ms. Kristy
• Osprey: Grades 7-12 with Ms. Hilde, Ms. Kristy, Ms. Draper and Ms. Delport

Some notes and links about our plans for the year:

• Supplies and Fees – Here is a link to our website for the details  Supplies and Fees 
• The SD8 school calendar for the year is here:  2024-2025 School Calendar
• Bell Times:
  
  • Grade K-6 classes start at 8:25AM.
  • Grades 7-12 classes start at 8:20AM. 
  • All classes will dismiss at 2:35PM 
  • Buses leave at 2:40PM
• Already classes are starting to plan their field trips.  I will be reaching out in September to have some volunteer orientation meetings.
• There will be lots of start-up forms for you to send out and we appreciate your attention to these.
• Food: 
  
  • Hot lunches will start up on September 9^th -  I know, how wonderful is that?  Here  is where you will find the details:  Hot Lunch Info
  • For all students, re. recess snacks and lunches- please limit single-use containers and plastic garbage if you can.
• We ask that all students have water bottles, as we provide filtered water here at school.
• We always have healthy snacks available at school for students who need more- please reach out if you would like us to provide food to your child.
• If you are receiving this email, it is because we have your child registered for this coming year.  If things have changed for your family, please let us know.
• If you know of families who haven’t yet registered, please ask them to come to our office or call to register. 
• As always, please contact our office every time your child will be late or away – we have a Safe Arrival Protocol, and your communication helps make this smooth. 
• Cell Phone Policy:      As you may be aware, our province is establishing new student cell phone use guidelines.  In our school, it looks like this, for this coming year:
  
  • Grades Kindergarten to grade 6 – no personal devices (cell phones, smart watches etc.) at school at all. 
  • Grades 7-9 – no digital devices permitted during the school day.  Students may take them on the bus if used appropriately for a situation where there are children as young as four and a half years old, but they must be stored in their lockers or the class storage area during the school day. 
  • Grades 10-12: students may use their digital devices during lunch, following safe use procedures. 
  • Any student who struggles with following the process above will have their phone stored in a safe place in the office, to be brought home at the end of the day.  Parents will be contacted to pick up phones if there are repeated contraventions. 

Your PAC will be reaching out soon.  I hope you will consider becoming involved in this vital part of our school community.  They are a very fun group doing work that immeasurably enhances our school culture and opportunities for our students, and there are so many ways to get involved.  

I want to thank our custodians and operations department for the incredible work they have done over the summer - our school and grounds look terrific and are ready for next week.  And thank you to the gardeners who have come through the summer to make sure we have lots of homegrown food to eat!   I can't imagine a more beautiful and functional school.

Thank you for reading and for all of the big and small ways you prepare your child/children to be ready for in-school learning.