Congratulations to both our boys and girls basketball teams who played in the district playoffs last week. Our boys team finished in 2nd place and our girls team placed 3rd.
Student Inclusive Conferencing
A reminder that conferences are occurring this week. Teachers have their student inclusive conferencing schedules for December 5th and 6th now posted on the Parent Portal. If you have any questions regarding schedules, please ensure that you are in touch with your child’s teacher.
A reminder that students dismiss at 11:300 am and on Friday there are no regular classes.
Back Parking Lot- Safety Reminder
A reminder to please not walk down the centre of the back parking lot as there are staff vehicles entering and exiting the lot. Please walk behind the portables and along the walk way. Parents are also asked to not stand by the recycling bins as vehicles often need to turn around. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation on this matter.
Scholastic Book Fair
We will be hosting a Scholastic Book Fair this week in the Library during conferencing.
Wednesday 2:20 pm- 3:30 pm
Thursday 11:30 am- 5:00 pm
Friday 8:30 am- 2:20 pm
Primary Christmas Musical
Our Primary Christmas musical will be held on Thursday, December 19th with 2 showings 11 am-12 pm and 1:00 pm-2:00 pm.
Families will be able to order 4 tickets. Ticket order forms will be sent home this week and are due back by Friday, December 13th. On Monday, December 16th extra tickets will be released on a 1st come basis.
15 Days of Giving
This year we are dedicating our final 3 weeks of 2024 to Giving.
We will be starting off this week with cash donations for Coins for Kids. All money collected go directly to the Ridge Meadows Hamper Society.
On Monday, December 9 we will collect socks to give to the Salvation Army
On Tuesday, December 10 our students will be performing random acts of kindness.
On Wednesday, December 11 we will be collecting bags of candy and then will donate the candy to seniors.
On Thursday, December 12 we will be picking up garbage around the neighbourhood.
On Friday December 13 we will be providing our parents/guardians with coffee at drop off. Tim Horton’s has also donated Tim Bits for our students.
On Monday, December 16 we will collecting baby items for the local food bank and the hamper society.
On Tuesday, December 17 students will write notes of kindness for other students and members of our community.
On Wednesday, December 18 we will be collecting pet items to give to the food bank and local SPCA.
On Thursday, December 19 we request that families attending the Primary Christmas Musical bring in a non-perishable item that will be donated to the local food bank.
On Friday, December 20 we request that families attending the Intermediate Talent Show bring in a non-perishable item that will be donated to the local food bank.
*Please pick and choose what events you would like your family to participate in.
Student Leadership
Thanks to all the families who have sent in pictures of their family pets, we now have a display of over sixty pictures of dogs, cats, snakes, goldfish, horses, bunnies, hamsters and birds. We are still waiting to see if a picture of a family tarantula will be sent in. As part of the ‘SPCA Cares For Pets, Just Like Yours’ student leadership initiative, blankets of any size are still being collected for the next two weeks. Blankets can be placed in the donation box at the front entrance under the television. Thank you for your support!
Inclement Weather Procedures: SnowAs the weather cools, please review the school district’s inclement weather procedures as they relate to snowfall and possible school closures.The decision to close schools due to accumulating snowfall is ultimately the responsibility of the superintendent, who must balance the safety of students, staff and parents with the need to provide learning. The decision is not taken lightly and is the result of a carefully thought-out process that is reviewed after each experience and refined if necessary.Except in rare circumstances, no announcement will be made if schools are open.The decision to close schools is made by 6:30 a.m. Details are:
- posted on the SD42 Website (www.sd42.ca).
- posted on the SD42 Facebook feed (SD42Facebook);
- posted on the SD42 Twitter feed (@sd42news);
- shared with News 1130, CKNW, and CBC 690 radio stations.
Please note: The district supports individual and family decisions regarding safety. Parents/guardians have primary responsibility for their children’s safe travel to school. If, for any reason, there are personal concerns about the ability to travel safely to school, other arrangements should be made.
Education Assistant Program at Ridge Meadows College
If you or someone you know may be interested in a career working with children and youth with diverse abilities, Ridge Meadows College (operated by SD42) still has seats available for the January 2025 cohort of its Education Assistant (EA) program. The demand for this job is high as the province faces a shortage of EAs and virtually all graduates of the program move on to work in school districts across B.C., including Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows School District No. 42. If you’d like to learn more about the program, you can visit the website at https://rmcollege.sd42.ca/program/education-assistant/. In addition to the EA program, RMC also has programs in administration, early childhood education, community support and others.
Water Testing Strategy for District Facilities
The school district is updating its water testing program by adjusting the number of drinking water sources in its facilities. This new water testing strategy, which has already been implemented in a number of neighbouring districts, will ensure a more streamlined testing schedule, limiting annual testing only to water sources that are being used. Each facility will also have at least one designated water dispensing station, with the goal of increasing this number over time.
Water sources designated for drinking are marked with a Drinking Water sticker, while those not included in the testing program are marked with a Not for Drinking sticker. A limited number of drinking water sources in the district require a 2-minute morning flush to ensure water quality; these are marked with a 2-Minute Morning Flush sticker. This morning flush is completed by staff as the facilities department prioritizes upgrades as a long-term solution.
Adjustments to designated drinking water locations may be made to meet any emerging needs and ensure easy access to safe drinking water across all our schools.
Staff will review this new labeling system with students at the beginning of each school year to ensure that all students, particularly younger ones, understand which water sources they can use for drinking.
For more information about the water testing program, visit the district website at https://bit.ly/40Uvcqy or the Ministry of Education and Child Care website at https://bit.ly/466CPuI.
Board Meeting Highlights (November 13, 2024)
Board meeting highlights from the November 13, 2024, public meeting can be found on the district website: https://www.sd42.ca/assets/media/2024-11-13-Board-Meeting-Highlights.pdf
Community Information
Monday, December 2nd
Girls’ Comp Basketball Practice – 7:30am
Boys Comp Basketball Tryouts – Recess
Handball Intramurals @ lunch (Team 2 vs Team 6)
Last day to get pizza for the movie night- see www.munchalunch.com to order
Tuesday, December 3rd
Girls’ Drop-In Basketball @ Recess
Girls’ Rec Basketball Practice – 2:30pm
Wednesday, December 4th
Handball Intramurals @ lunch (Team 3 vs Team 5)
Boys Comp Basketball Practice – Recess
Girls’ Comp Basketball Practice – 2:30pm
Book Fair Open 2:20-3:30 pm
Thursday, December 5th
Dismissal 11:30 am- Student inclusive conferencing
Girls’ Comp Basketball Practice – 11:30am
Book Fair Open 11:30 am- 5:00 pm
Friday, December 6th
Book Fair Open 8:30 am – 2:20 pm
No Classes – Student Led Conferences
Upcoming Events
Monday, December 9- Div. 2 Curling 12:00 pm-2:10 pm
Tuesday, December 10- Grade 6 Immunizations
Wednesday, December 11- Grade 6/7 Entrepreneur Fair
Thursday, December 12- Div. 4 and 13 Skating 12:25-2:20 pm
-Div. 2 Curling 12:00- 2:10 pm
Friday, December 13- Theme Day- Dress like your favourite celebrity/character day.
-Candy bags for sale $2.00 after school
-PAC Movie night
Thursday, December 19- Primary Christmas Musical 11am-12 pm and 1-2 pm
-Div. 11 Bowling 12:00-2:20 pm
Friday, December 20- Intermediate Talent Show- Time 11-12 pm
– Last Day Dismissal 2:20 pm
Monday, January 6- School Re-opens