Douglas Park Community School School District #35 th 5409 206 St.

School District #35 Langley, BC V3A 2C5 Phone: 604-533-4491 Principal: Esther Schmit PAC President: Maxine Cheung Together We Succeed Newsletter #9 February 20, 2014 **WE ARE A NUT, BUCKWHEAT & LATEX AWARE SCHOOL**

School will be CLOSED in FEBRUARY and MARCH on the following days:

TOMORROW, February 21 This coming Monday, February 24 March 17-28 Wednesday, March 12 Thursday, March 13 Pro-D Day Design & Assessment/Report Card Prep Day Spring Break Two Weeks 1 Hour Early Dismissal at 12:50 PM 1 Hour Early Dismissal at 1:50 PM

EARLY DISMISSALS for Parent/Teacher Interviews on the following days:

PRINCIPALS MESSAGE
With Valentines in February it is a time to think about what we hold dear. With that I need to tell you how much I love to be Principal of this school. The staff is tremendous and dedicated to helping all students succeed. This year with the support of our Special Education Assistants (SEAs), we have started an Open Gym in the mornings and a Homework Club after school. The community is generous in their donations to assist with Breakfast Club, lunches, clothing donations and Explorations. Many of these programs are not offered at the majority of Langley schools. It is this attention to the needs of the whole child that make Douglas Park a very special place to be. Our small but dedicated Parent Advisory Council (PAC) do so much each and every day to support the work done by the staff as well as offer the extras like Beach Day and Hot Lunch. This year they will be bringing the Vancouver Aquarium to us!! Additionally, we are fortunate to have the Boys and Girls Club on site to provide after school sessions. They run their own programs in the portable but also volunteer with Explorations and co-ordinate the Jump Start program for families wishing to enroll their child(ren) in extra-curricular activities (application form attached). The Douglas Park Community School Society raises funds that directly support our students. Fifty-four parents returned the recent calendar survey. I thank you for your input. While some of you expressed issues around the altered calendar that weve b een running since 2003, sixty-four percent of you see the benefit and would like to see it continue. I will be presenting the results of the survey to the School Board and they ultimately decide on what our calendar will be for next year. One thing is for sure, the number of days in session and even the number of minutes will be the same as all BC schools. When this calendar was established ten years ago, it was to minimize the summer slide that is usually seen. Generally, students come back to school in September at a lower academic level than which they left. I am working with the District to re-establish Intersession camps for the November and May breaks; these also support learning. There is so much good going on here every day and I am grateful to be a part of it. This past week we had an aboriginal presentation in one class, 100s day in grade one, field trips and our first student returned their Book Worm Club 25 form for 25 nights of reading. Thank you to the staff, students and parents who make Douglas Park such a terrific place to be.

Feb 20, 2014 Newsletter

THIS WEEKS SELF-REGULATION GOAL:

Struggling through the hard parts to learn something new MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Friday, February 21 Monday, February 24 Tuesday, February 25 Wednesday, February 26 Wednesday, Feb 26, Mar 5 Thursday, February 27 Friday, February 28 Friday, February 28 Monday, March 3 Wednesday, March 5 Tuesday, March 11Thursday, March 13 Wednesday, March 12 Thursday, March 13 Thursday, March 13 Friday, March 14 Monday, March 17 Friday, March 28 District-wide Pro-D Day STUDENTS DO NOT ATTEND Design & Assessment Report Card Prep STUDENTS DO NOT ATTEND Basketball practice at 8:00 AM Basketball game (home game) after school against Simonds SPIRIT DAY - PINK SHIRT DAY - Anti-Bullying Day Wear pink to show your support! www.pinkshirtday.ca Explorations for those students participating; early dismissal (1:50 PM) for all other students Ready Set Learn Session 2, 11:0012:00 PM, in the Preschool Room Basketball practice at 8:00 AM Basketball Team Wind-up after school in the Multi-purpose Room Month-end Assembly at 1:00 PM Basketball practice at 08:00 AM SPIRIT DAY World Read Aloud Day Book Fair more information to follow 1 Hour EARLY DISMISSAL Day at 12:50 PM Parent/Teacher Interviews 1 Hour EARLY DISMISSAL Day at 1:50 PM Parent/Teacher Interviews Ready Set Learn Session 3, 11:0012:00 PM, in the Preschool Room 2nd Term Report Cards sent home Spring Break STUDENTS DO NOT ATTEND

Simona Yevseyev, Amelia Tolonics, and Mira Martin were the first to hand in their completed Book Worm Club 25 forms. They now move up to the Book Worm Club 50.

Congratulations!
2

Feb 20, 2014 Newsletter

Pink Shirt Day at Douglas Park Wednesday, February 26

On Wednesday, February 26, Douglas Park will be recognizing Pink Shirt Day, Anti-bullying Day. The Boys and Girls Club are selling t-shirts for Pink Shirt Day. Cost is $6 for kids and $10 for adults. Wear pink on Wednesday, February 26, to show your support! www.pinkshirtday.ca

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY REVISED INSTRUCTIONS

The following information was provided in our last newsletter but we have provided revised instructions which are easier to follow.

While we hope that every day will be uneventful, it is best to prepare for emergencies. You can image how difficult and time consuming it is to contact each family to alert them to something we need to draw to your immediate attention. We have the technology to send a 1-way message directly to your cell phone or email to alert you if the school is closing (e.g., snow day, power outage) or in the event of an emergency. This will certainly reassure you and allow us to focus on the children and the situation at hand. Please sign up by texting the message @dpcsp to 604-200-5870 or send an email to [email protected]. Contact information will only be used to relay urgent messages and will be kept confidential.

Feb 20, 2014 Newsletter

SCHOOL BOARD INFORMATION IMPORTANT - Registration Reminder for Parents

Parents must register students BEFORE March 31, 2014, in order to ensure a placement in neighbourhood catchment schools for September 2014. By now, all families who plan to register students in Langley Schools for September 2014 should have completed the registration process at their neighbourhood catchment school. Unless students have successfully completed registration in a choice program at a different school site, families should be completing the registration process at neighbourhood catchment schools. Cross boundary applicants will not receive a response about pending applications until June 13. Therefore, at this time families should be registered at neighbourhood catchment schools. As per Langley School District Policy 7008, registrations received after March 31, 2014 may not result in a placement in neighbourhood catchment schools. Langley School District Policy 7008 may be viewed online: www.sd35.bc.ca/board/Policies/Policy%207008.pdf. For more information please visit your neighbourhood catchment school.

Amended Calendar Consultation

In last springs calendar consultation process the District approved a three year calendar. What has now come to the Districts attention is that the 2015-2016 Spring Break is out of line with other Metro Districts. In order to change an approved calendar the District is required by legislation to undertake a consultation process for 30 days. This process will begin on Wednesday, February 26 and continue until March 26. Attached are the original, approved calendar and the proposed revised calendar. An important piece of feedback that we received through our comprehensive calendar consultation was that parents and staff wanted alignment with other districts. The District is undertaking this early as we realize that some individuals plan that far ahead and book trips, weddings or international field trips. A link has been posted on the Districts website for feedback.

EdCamp35
Langley is excited to be hosting EdCamp35, a free Professional Development "un-conference" being held on April 12th at RE Mountain Secondary. Join staff, students, parents and others from Langley and around the province with an interest in our education system for a new frontier in professional development. Participants will be able to suggest and contribute to discussions throughout the day, with the focus being on sharing ideas and connecting with one another. To learn more about EdCamp or to register, visit www.edcamp35.com.

Feb 20, 2014 Newsletter

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
________________________________________________________________________________ FREE Family Community Dinner Brought to you by Southgate Church When: 1st Monday of every month starting at 6:30 PM Where: Boys and Girls Club For more information contact Southgate Church at 604-532-7769 ________________________________________________________________________________ Come, Play, Learn and Discover at Family Place Family Place is a FREE, drop-in, play-based program for children 0-6 years of age and their caregivers. Our daily schedule includes: free play/open-ended activities, creative and expressive art, music/circle and story time, snack time. Hours of Operation: Family Place South, 20581 Fraser Hwy, Monday through Friday from 9:00 11:30 AM For more information on Family Place, view our website at www.lcss.ca. ________________________________________________________________________________

Feb 20, 2014 Newsletter

________________________________________________________________________________ Womens Aboriginal Circle: Crafts and Culture Women of all nations welcome! Knitting, beading, button blankets, Christmas crafts and much more or bring your own projects to work on while socializing and having coffee or tea. When: Tuesdays 10:00 AM 12:00 noon (October- June) Where: Xyolhemeylh Langley Office Board Room, Suite 102-20621 Logan Ave., Langley For more information call Gary at (604) 533-8826. ________________________________________________________________________________ BC Healthy Kids Program What it means for children: Automatic registration once a family is approved for premium assistance by MSP Access to preventable & restorative dental care; up to $1,400 of basic dental services every 2 years Prescription eye glasses once a year For information call 1-866-866-0800 (press 4&2) or visit www.sd.gov.bc.ca/publicat/bcea/HealthyKids.htm ________________________________________________________________________________ Fraser Health Dental Treatment for Children Ages 5-12 without Dental Coverage Your child may be able to receive free dental treatment through the UBC Childrens Dental Pro gram. A supervised UBC dental student will provide treatment. A parent must accompany their child to the appointments. Treatment will be done at UBC in Vancouver. For more information please contact the Fraser Health Public Health Dental Program at 604-507-5446. ________________________________________________________________________________ Langley Community Services Society 5339 207 St., Langley Join our IPALS Sessions! (Immigrant Parents as Literacy Supporters) FREE, FUN, LEARNING Newcomers and Immigrant Families in the Langleys with children ages 0-5 years Parents and caregivers will learn how to best help support their children in their play while learning new skills that encourage their childs early literacy development to best help prepare them for school. When: Every Monday and Thursday from March 3 April 7 from 12:30 2:20 PM Phone to register at 604-534-7921 ________________________________________________________________________________ Langley Olympians Swim Club They are currently offering a FREE MONTH of swimming (just pay $36 Swim BC insurance fee), limitations apply. As long as you can swim 25 metres (1 length of the pool) and are comfortable in deep water, you are welcome to come along. Programs offered at Walnut Grove and WC Blair pools to children aged 5-17 years. Please call 604-532-5257 or visit the website www.langleyolympians.com. ________________________________________________________________________________ Bullying Hurts, and Keeps on Hurting presented by Learning Disabilities Association Fraser South Bullying is one of the most underrated and enduring problems in schools today and is a reality in the lives of all children, whether they are bullies, victims or witnesses. This presentation is designed for parents, teachers, and support staff who work with special needs children, including learning disabilities, ADHD and Aspergers. Participants will learn about bullying as it relates to special needs children as well as strategi es and skills on how to recognize bullying, how to deal with bullying as both a victim and a bully, and how to help parents and caregivers deal with bullying problems that may be occurring with their children. When: Thursday, February 20, 7:00-9:00 PM Where: Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Theatre, 6151-180 St., Surrey Cost: by donation at the door. Pre-register at 604-591-5156 or [email protected] ________________________________________________________________________________

Feb 20, 2014 Newsletter

________________________________________________________________________________ Hey Girls Come Fly with Us Hosted by Langley Regional Airport Girls and women of all ages come discover aviation. There will be fun for the whole family. Free flights for eligible girls and women; fun activities learn about various aviation vocations; meet outstanding women of aviation; explore cool aircraft and meet the crews. Register now at www.girlsfly2.ca. For more information: email: [email protected] or phone 877-728-4033 ________________________________________________________________________________ Supporting Your Childs Special Education presented by Learning Disabilities Association Fraser South (LDAFS) This is a one-day workshop for parents and caregivers of children with learning disabilities and/or ADD. Learn about your childs rights and entitlements for special education programs and services. Find out what you can do to make sure your child receives the best education possible. When: Sunday, March 9, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Where: LDAFS Resource Centre 201-13766 72 Ave., Surrey (located above Coast Capital Savings) Cost: $35 full day workshop Register at 604-591-5156 or [email protected]. Visit our website at www.ldafs.org. ________________________________________________________________________________ 24 Hour Drum Everyone Welcome! Bring Your Drum! This is a 24 hour cultural event to support the Canadian Diabetes Association, Langley Food Bank, and Basics for Babies. There will be vendor tables, bannock tacos for sale, crafts, traditional games and activities. Volunteers are needed, contact us by email [email protected]. To book a table ($25), email [email protected]. When: April 25- 26 Where: D.W. Poppy Secondary School 23752 - 52 Ave., Langley Opening ceremony at 11:00 AM Friday; Closing Ceremony at 10:00 AM on Saturday. Admission is by donation (cash or items for the Langley Food Bank or Basics for Babies). For more information call Sheila Jack at 604-530-2151 or email [email protected] ________________________________________________________________________________

Feb 20, 2014 Newsletter

Feb 20, 2014 Newsletter