Posted: February 25, 2024
Families of Douglas Park,
We hope you are having a great weekend!
It is hard to believe that we are entering the last week of February! As we begin the last few weeks of Term 2, we are excited to meet with families for Student Inclusive Conferences to celebrate the hard work and growth of our students. A reminder to families that we will be starting Student Inclusive Conferences this week. If you have not registered for a conference time, please contact your child’s classroom teacher as soon as possible. It is very important that all students have a Student Inclusive Conference because this will be their report card for Term 2. These conferences will also directly have a positive impact on student learning because, in addition to celebrating the growth of kids, the conferences will involve families and teachers coming together to set individual learning goals for students.
This upcoming week is Diversity and Respect Week in the Langley School District. It is a week to celebrate diversity in our community and spread the message that everyone belongs. During the week we will be celebrating culture, ethnicity, and individuality in order to promote awareness, acceptance, reconciliation, and inclusion of all members of the school community. In addition to classroom lessons and activities, we will be promoting the week through school-wide events and celebrations. The following themes, events, and activities will guide us through our week and help share the message that our school community is beautifully diverse and we are better because of it.
For your reference, we have included a schedule for the week that shows the themes, events, and activities that will take place during the week.
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
- Theme: We Are Unique
- Spirit Day: Cultural Day (Wear something that represents your family’s culture)
- School Assembly: Boris Sichon – Presentation about instruments from around the world
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
- Theme: We Are Kind
- Spirit Day: Pink Shirt Day
- School Activity: Kindness Flowers – Every student provided with a flower to give to someone to spread kindness
Thursday, February 29, 2024
- Theme: We All Belong
- Spirit Day: Tye Dye and Rainbow Day (Dress in lots of colours)
- School Activity: I Belong Hearts – Students create a heart and write about why they are an important member of our school community (i.e. I am a good friend, I help others, I speak a different language, I play soccer)
Friday, March 1, 2024
- Theme: We Are Better Together
- Spirit Day: Wear What You Love Day (Wear something that represents your passion. For example, a sports jersey, cooking apron, paint smock, dance costume, etc.)
We are excited to continue to celebrate diversity at Douglas Park! As a school, we know that our school community is beautifully diverse and we are better because of it.
Looking forward to another great week at Douglas Park!
Mr. Touzeau
Proud Principal
As always, we want to acknowledge that the Langley School District works, learns and plays on the unceded ancestral lands of the Matsqui, Kwantlen, Katzie and Semiahmoo First Nations
Good Things to Talk About
Rock Paper Scissor Showdown – Ms. Egmore’s and Ms. Shaw’s classes got together for a fun buddy activity. The classes played Hula Hoop Rock Paper Scissors Showdown. In the game, teams start at two ends of a hula hoop pathway. Starting at the same time, students jump through the hula hoop pathway. When they come across a player from the other team, the two players play a game of rock paper scissors. The winner of rock paper scissors gets to keep, jumping along the pathway while a new player from the team that lost rock paper scissors starts jumping along the pathway. What an awesome buddy activity!
Learning About the Provinces – Ms. Knight’s class has been learning about the provinces. Earlier this week, they were learning about the location of each province and identifying the political borders. The students created maps of Canada, colouring and naming each province.
Digital Literacy – Mr. Boehmer’s class had a digital literacy lesson with Mr. Rafael this week. During the lesson students learned about how to stay safe online. They learned about how to create secure passwords, safety around image sharing, and the importance of analyzing information. To help engage the students and reinforce their learning, the kids worked in groups and used the Kahoot app to answer questions.
Jersey Day – We had an awesome Jersey Day on Friday! It was cool to see all sorts of jerseys from different sports and different teams.
Learning About Button Blankets – Ms. Di Sabatino’s class had a lesson about button blankets with presenter Krystal Delong. After teaching the kids about button blankets and showing them a blanket belonging to her family, Ms. Delong guided the students in making little button blankets and dancing dolls.
Heart Words – To help build proficiency with heart words, Ms. Schober’s class was practicing writing and reading heart words in different ways. They practised tracing the words, colouring the words, cutting out letters and pasting the words, and finding the words in a mix of random words.  Heart words are high frequency words that do not follow common literacy rules.
Healthy Learning with Buddies – Ms. Bhambi’s and Ms. Lee’s classes got together for a fun buddy activity to end off the week. The students focused on healthy living with some Go Noodle dancing and making delicious fruit smoothies. YUM!
Gee’s Bend Quilts – As part of their learning around Black History Month, Ms. Shaw’s class learned about the quilts of Gee’s Bend. The quilts are considered among the most important African-American visual and cultural contributions to the history of art within the United States. The quilts are known for their lively improvisations, their bold colours, and their use of geometric shapes. After learning about the quilts, the students created their own quilts.
Building Literacy Skills – Ms. Yoon’s class was practicing mapping out sounds in words, identifying syllables and matching their sounds to letters. It was amazing to watch and listen to the students using their knowledge of letter sounds and digraphs to spell a variety of words.
Learning About Probability – In math, Ms. Hewitson’s class has been learning about probability. This week, the students were looking at different situations, and determining the likelihood of an event happening. To help communicate their thinking they learned to use the words, likely, unlikely, certain, and impossible.
Dancing with Patterns – Ms. Lategan’s class is learning about patterns. The students have been making and identifying patterns using different materials. Earlier this week, they had some fun making patterns through song and dance with a Go Noodle movement break video. You can check out the Go Noodle video and dance along yourself at home with the following link: https://youtu.be/BQ9q4U2P3ig?feature=shared
PAC Hot Lunch – A huge shout-out to our awesome PAC and the amazing volunteers who helped organize and facilitate our hotdog lunch on Friday! Here’s a picture of a few of the awesome volunteers. We are lucky to have such an awesome PAC!
The Week Ahead
Monday
- Design and Assessment Day / Report Card Writing (Student Do Not Attend)
Tuesday
- School Spirit Day: Cultural Day (Wear something that represents your family’s culture)
- School Assembly: Boris Sichon – Presentation about instruments from around the world
Wednesday
- School Spirit Day: Pink Shirt Day
Thursday
- School Spirit Day: Tye Dye and Rainbow Day (Dress in lots of colours)
Friday
- School Spirit Day: Wear What You Love Day (Wear something that represents your passion. For example, a sports jersey, cooking apron, paint smock, dance costume, etc.)
- Reading Link Challenge from 12:15 – 2:00 pm (parents of participants are welcome to attend)
Month at a Glance
February 26th – March 1st – Diversity and Respect Week
February 26th – Report Card / Design and Assessment Day (Students Do Not Attend)
February 27th – School Assembly (Boris Around the World)
February 28th – Pink Shirt Day
March 1st – Reading Link Challenge at Douglas Park from 12:15 – 2:00 pm (parents of participants are welcome to attend)
March 4th – PAC Meeting at 9:00 am
March 6th – Student Dismissal at 12:30 pm for Student Inclusive Conferences
March 7th – Students Do Not Attend (Student Inclusive Conferences)
March 15th – Agri Kids and Venechuk Farms Produce Truck
March 15th – Playground Opening Ceremony
March 18th – 29th – Spring Break
April 1st – School Not In Session (Easter Monday)
April 2nd – School Re-Opens
April 2nd – 5th – Stream of Dreams (Fish Painting)
April 4th – Fire Drill at 2:00 pm
April 11th – Class Picture Day
April 12th – PAC Movie Night
April 12th – Agri Kids and Venechuk Farms Produce Truck
PAC News
We are looking for parents to join our Parent Advisory Council (PAC). The purpose of the PAC is to organize activities and events and to encourage parent involvement in the school. PAC meetings are the place to bring ideas for creating social events for fundraising or simply to bring the community together. Meetings are held once a month and you are welcome to bring your little ones to our meetings. Some examples of what the PAC does are:
- Movie Nights
- Hot Lunch
- Popcorn Day
- Chess Tournament
Please join us, we’d love to have some new PAC members and we look forward to meeting you. Upcoming meetings are in the school newsletter!
Your 2023/2024 PAC
- President – Umang Banatwala
- Vice President – Etarre D’Etcheverrey
- Secretary – Carol Shields
- Treasurer – Susan Joyce
- Fundraising Coordinator – Chelsea Gore
- Member at Large – Zeynep Aktar
- Member at Large – Emelym Averia
- Member at Large – Jen Ruscheniski
- Member at Large – Sarah Verbeek
- Member at Large – Analisa Stewart
- Member at Large – Bhumi Patel
Upcoming PAC Events
- PAC Movie Night – April 12th, 2024
Next Meeting Time
- Monday, March 4, 2023 at 9:00 am in the Staff Room
Messages from the PAC
Dear parents,
If you want to help us organize or assist with any event, you can sign up at www.munchalunch.com by hitting the volunteer button or shoot us an email at pacdouglaspark@gmail.com.
– Douglas Park PAC
Updates and Reminders
Round Table Gathering for Ukrainian Families – The Round Table is aimed to provide a platform for newly arrived Ukrainians to connect and support each other. The Round Table is for meeting new friends, solving problems together, sharing experiences and strategies that help in the hard moments. Join us for the monthly meetings to participate in the building of Ukrainian Community. The next Round Table gatherings will take place at HD Stafford Middle School in the Community Room from 5:45-6:45 pm on Feb 28th, March 6th, and 20th. For more information, please email Olena (OBalkashynova@sd35.bc.ca) or Kinder (Ksandher@sd35.bc.ca).
Playground Opening Ceremony (Rescheduled) – On March 15th at 2:45 pm, we will be having a short ceremony with school district staff to celebrate the opening of our accessible playground. While our new playground has been open for several months, we want to celebrate this awesome play structure and show our gratitude for the play opportunities it has provided our kids. All families and students are invited and welcome to attend.
#thatWellnessThing – March 6th – Join several of our community partners to learn more about mental health and wellness at the 5th Annual Open House & Community Resource Fair. Please see the poster attached for more details. Wednesday, March 6th from 4:30-7pm at the Langley Education Centre (21405A 56th Avenue).
Kindergarten Registration 2024 – Kindergarten registration across the Langley School District runs January 15, 2024 – March 1, 2024. If your child will be five years old by December 31, 2024, you will be able to register your child online. Information about required documents and instructions is available online and will also be posted on catchment school websites in January. For information, please visit the District webpage here. To learn more about Kindergarten in the Langley School District, read our brochure here.
SOGI – The Ministry has created a new resource to help parents understand the non-truths and truths when it comes to SOGI in BC schools. Visit the Resourcessection of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) web page for a copy of this document, which is available in multiple languages.
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/erase/sogi
BC Training and Education Savings Program Grant – Students in Kindergarten through Grade 4 may be eligible for a $1,200 BC Training and Education Savings Grant for their post-secondary education. Please see the attached poster for more details.
Early Years Programming – We are excited to have Strong Start, Gifts and Gatherings and Come As You Are available for families and children. Please see the below flyer for more information about early years programs.
Early Years Programs 2023 – 2024
StrongStart – Hours are 8:45-11:45 with a first come, first served limit of 20 children. To register for the 2023/2024 StrongStart year, please bring a birth certificate to be copied. A registration form can be filled out at your first visit.
Breakfast Program – The breakfast program is open Monday – Friday from 7:15 – 8:25 AM. It is located in the Boys & Girls Club Portable. The program is FREE for all Douglas Park students. It is run by volunteers and supported through donations. You do not need to register for this program. Parents/guardians are welcome to join their child(ren). For more information about the breakfast program, please contact Star Gleboff at sgleboff@sd35.bc.ca
Information About School Status During Inclement Weather – Snow closures and power outages are an annual occurrence in Langley School District. So, where do you go to get information about the status of schools during periods of inclement weather? If you are able to access the internet via computer or smartphone, current information about Langley schools can be accessed on all school websites. Updates are also posted to X (formerly Twitter) @LangleySchools and Facebook. If you don’t have internet connectivity but your phone is working, call a relative or friend in an area that has not been affected by the storm and ask them to check the district website for you. Local radio stations are also informed of school status in Langley. Tune in to CKWX 1130AM, CKNW 980AM, Country Radio 107.1FM, Pulse 107.7 or CBC 690AM or 88.1FM for updates. Please note that Langley District schools are all considered ‘open’ until a decision to close is required. Decisions on school closures are usually made by 6:30am. As always, it is a parent’s decision whether to send their child to school based on safety and individual circumstances. If you feel it is unsafe for you or your child to travel to or attend an open school for any reason, please keep your child home and report an absence to the school.
Emergency Procedures & Response – Health and safety are a priority in the Langley School District. Schools follow emergency procedures to ensure students, staff, and any visitors in our schools or sites are safe when unexpected incidents or events happen. At the start of every school year, administrators, teachers, and staff review these emergency procedures. Schools practice a set number of drills annually in preparation for unexpected situations. If you have any questions or concerns about emergency procedures, please get in contact with your child’s teacher or administrator.
Attendance – If your child is going to be away or late please be sure to call the office and leave a message @ 604-533-4491 or email Ms. Langford @ klangford@sd35.bc.ca.
FaceBook – Be sure to follow us on Facebook for updated information
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Douglasparkcommunityelementary
Bell Schedule
8:42 – Warning Bell
8:47 – Instruction Begins
10:10-10:25 – Recess
11:47-12:20 – Lunch
2:30 – Dismissal
School Calendar 2023/24 – Please click the link below to access our school calendar for the year. It provides general dates about when the school is open and closed.