Posted: May 14, 2023
Families of Douglas Park,
It was another great week at school with the sun shining and students spending lots of time outside enjoying the great weather. Looking at the calendar it’s hard to believe that the school year has gone by so quickly. It seems like yesterday that we were welcoming students back from Spring Break and now we are making plans for the final weeks of school.
As I’ve been reflecting on this school year and all of the awesome things that have happened, I am reminded about the importance of slowing down to see and appreciate every special moment. School days, and life in general, are busy. It’s easy to get swept up and overwhelmed by this busyness. Often the hustle and bustle causes us to lose track of what’s important and miss out on good moments around us. As we look ahead to the last seven weeks of the school year, we want to stay committed to seeing and 
celebrating all of these good moments. From new things that students are learning in class to special moments with friends on the playground, there are so many positive things around us and we just need to remember to slow down and appreciate them. As we do this, we want to share these moments with our students and help them see all of the good things around them. As a school community, we believe that it is important to encourage kids to be grateful, present, and positive.
I read a great quote earlier this week from author Dan Millman. He writes, “Life is a series of moments. The quality of attention and action that we bring to each moment determines the quality of our lives.” In the busyness of life, I hope we can all slow down, notice the good things, and appreciate each moment around us.
Looking forward to another awesome week at school!
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
LSS Students at Douglas Park – All of our Grade 4/5 classes (Lazarowich, Sandhu, Knight, and Tam) are working with AVID students from Langley Secondary School. The goal of this partnership is to help build relationships and connections for our students with positive high school role models. This week the kids had fun playing sports, participating in STEM challenges, and spending time together.
Ted Harrison Art – Ms. Yoon’s class was learning about artist Ted Harrison and created these beautiful paintings! Ted Harrison was a Canadian artist who was known for his bold, colourful, and rhythmic paintings, depicting the landscape and everyday scenes of the Yukon.
Learning to Measure – Ms. Lengle’s students are learning about non-standard units of measurement. The kids were having fun measuring different items in their classroom using cubes. They started with measuring small items like pencils and glue sticks, then they begin working together to measure larger items like benches and tables.
Word Chains – The students in Ms. Baratto’s class have been working hard on their reading and writing. During literacy centres this week, students were exploring word chains with Ms. Havelock and taking part in guided reading with Ms. Baratto. Word chains help develop phonemic awareness, decoding (reading), and encoding (spelling). Word chains move in a progression where you only change one sound at a time. For example: sat-sit-pit-pat.
Pointillism – Check out this amazing artwork created by Ms. Sandhu’s class! The kids have been learning about pointillism, which is an art technique in which small, distinct dots of colour are applied in patterns to form an image. The kids were encouraged to create unique art pieces that reflected their interests and passions.
Learning About Eggs – Ms. Campbell brought in her family collection of bird eggs to show students. The collection includes a large variety of eggs from birds across British Columbia. It’s an incredible collection that our kids have loved exploring. The collection let’s kids see the difference in size and colour of various eggs.
Learning About Division – Ms. Datema’s class has been learning about how to use division to solve math problems. The students were using manipulatives to show how to split numbers into equal groups. It’s awesome to see how our kids are learning to use math concepts to solve real-world problems.
Reading for Information – As part of their social studies unit on events in Canadian history, Ms. Knight’s class has been learning about note-taking and how to read for information. After reading an article together, students worked in partners to re-read the article and highlight important information. I love watching our intermediate students develop tools for processing information and build skills that will support their journey into middle school and beyond!
CVC Words – Ms. Lategan’s class was learning about the short-o sound this week. After watching a Heggerty lesson that reviewed the short-o sound and how to identify beginning, middle, and end sounds, students practiced writing CVC words that have the short-o sound in them. I was impressed to see how the kids efficiently apply their understanding to sound-out words and write them!
Learning About Multiplication – Ms. Laforce’s class was working hard to develop their proficiency with multiplication this week. The students created different multiplication equations and used repeated addition to solve their equations. I loved seeing how proud our kids were as they worked hard on this activity.
Sand Play at JB4 – Ms. Rachel was having fun with her kids this week exploring modelling sand. The kids loved digging, building, and creating outside in the sand tray. We are so lucky to have Ms. Rachel and JB4 at Douglas Park!
The Week Ahead
Monday
- PAC Meeting at 9:00 am
Tuesday
- Grade 5 Visit to HD Stafford from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Thursday
- Soccer Shots for Kindergarten to Grade 3 Students
Friday
- Professional Development Day (No School for Students)
Month at a Glance
May 15th – PAC Meeting at 9:00 am
May 16th – Grade 5 Visit to HD Stafford
May 18th – Soccer Shots for Kindergarten to Grade 3 Students
May 19th – Pro-D Day (No School for Students)
May 22nd – Victoria Day (School Closed)
May 25th – PAC Hotdog Day
May 26th – Dress Like a Book Character Day
May 30th – Regional Track Meet at McLeod Athletic Park
June 1st – Soccer Shots for Kindergarten to Grade 3 Students
June 6th – Welcome to Kindergarten Event for New Kindergarten Students
June 9th – School Spirit Day – Tacky Tourist Day
June 10th – Langley City Community Days
June 12th – 15th – Operation Waterproof Swimming Lessons for Grade 5 Students
June 12th – PAC AGM at 9:00 am
June 16th – Rainbow Day
June 16th – LSS Grad Walk at Douglas Park
June 20th – School Beach Day at Centennial Beach
June 21st – National Indigenous Peoples Day
June 23rd – Grade 5 Waterslides
June 26th – Dress Fancy Day
June 27th – Grade 5 Farewell Assembly
June 28th – Sports Day
June 29th – Last Day of School
PAC News
Message from the PAC – 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!
Upcoming Events
- PAC Hotdog Day (May 25th) – The PAC will be hosting a hotdog lunch for our students. Stay tuned for more information.
- Welcome to Kindergarten (June 6th) – The PAC will be hosting a table at our Welcome to Kindergarten event for students and families beginning kindergarten next year. The goal is to welcome new families to the school community, share information about the school, and encourage parents to get involved in our school PAC.
Next Meeting Times
- PAC Meeting – Monday, May 15th at 9:00 am
- SAVE THE DATE: PAC AGM – Monday, June 12th at 9:00 am
Updates and Reminders
JB4 Registration for 2023/2024 Now Open – JB4 is a learning community for 4 year olds that inspires curiosity, discovery, and belonging to honour all children and how they naturally learn. It is a rich and purposeful preschool program that operates out of our school Monday to Friday from 12:45 – 3:15 pm. If you are interested in registering for the 2023/2024 school year, please contact Ms. Rachel at rsusheski@sd35.bc.ca. Please see the attached poster for more information about JB4!
New Ministry Reporting Order Support Materials for Parents and Caregivers – The Ministry of Education has released an excellent resource package designed to help parents and caregivers understand recent changes to assessment practices and the upcoming changes to the K-12 Student Reporting Policy. Below you will find a link to the resource package as well as a one-page introduction to the resource package which helps families as they navigate the document. The resource package is also available in 8 different languages on the K-12 Student Reporting Policy Information for Families web page.
How to Use Student Reporting Information
Information About Communicating Student Learning
Langley Children’s Choir – The Langley Children’s Choir is auditioning in May for next year’s group. The choir dreams of having a singer from EVERY school! For more information about the choir and upcoming auditions, please see the flyer below:
Langley Children’s Choir Information
Transportation Registration 2023-2024 – Transportation registration for 2023-24 is now open. Please note the instructions to register are different for each category of rider. To help in our planning and creation of bus routes, registrations must be submitted by May 15 (eligible riders) and June 18 (courtesy riders). The District cannot guarantee approval after the deadline. New and existing riders can find more information on our Transportation Registration webpage here.
Summer Session 2023 – Elementary/Middle/Secondary – Are you looking for skill-building or new learning opportunities for your child to keep them engaged during the summer? The District offers a variety of courses as part of Summer Session. Online registration began on April 20th for Langley School District students. For dates, times, and courses available to grade 1-12 students, please visit our webpage here.
Salmon, Science and Nature Exploration Summer Camp – Special arrangements have been made with local Sponsorship Agencies to offer students from Douglas Park Elementary School a discounted rate for the Salmon, Science and Nature Exploration Summer Camp at Trinity Western University. Please see the attached brochure for more information.
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). Please see the brochure below for more details about the menu.
JB4 Preschool – We are very excited to be opening our first Langley School District Preschool! JB4 (Just Be 4) Preschool is a new ministry initiative that allows our ECE staff to provide meaningful and engaging play-based learning for 4-year-olds. It will be running at Douglas Park Elementary in our StrongStart room. Please see the attached flyer and contact Ms. Rachel (rsusheski@sd35.bc.ca) for more information.
Child Day 2023 – The Langley School District is hosting our Annual Child Day Event on May 25, 2023, at Church in the Valley. This event is for children 0 – 5 years and brings together community partners for a day of fun and information for families. All are welcome. Please see the below poster for more details and information.
Chess Club – Exciting NEWS. We have partnered with Fraser Valley Chess Academy to start a Chess Club for all students at HD Stafford and Douglas Park Elementary School. A professional Chess Coach will be managing the club. It will open up the opportunity to compete at various chess events across BC and – it’s a great chance to learn & master a new skill for life! Register now for the free Chess Club with Ms. Sandher by email: KSandher@sd35.bc.ca. The Chess Club meets every Monday from 3:00 – 4:30 pm at HD Stafford Middle School.
Indoor Shoes for Gym and Classroom Use – Our new gym floor has reminded us about the importance of looking after our school and ensuring that we maintain our building so that it can be enjoyed by students for years to come. One of the challenges that we face with keeping our floors clean is the amount of dirt and mud that is brought into the school after recess and lunch. If your child happens to have an extra pair of shoes that can be used as indoor shoes, please send them to school. If not, please do not worry as we will continue to encourage students to stomp off mud before entering the school and wipe their shoes on the floor mats before gym.
BC Training and Education Savings Program Grant – Families of 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 below letter for more information.
Pokemon Cards – This is a reminder that Pokemon cards are not permitted at school. When brought to school, cards are often traded, given away, or lost, which results in upset students.
Early Years Programs – We have many opportunities for families to take part in Early Years Programming in our district. All of our programs are FREE, DROP-IN, and open to all caregivers. Families are welcome to attend any of the sessions available, regardless of their catchment school.
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 – 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.