Weekly Memo September 25-30

Albion Families,

Well, the past couple weeks have been busy at Albion.  All students are settling into their classes and this past week we have had individual photos and a fabulous visit from the Cops for Cancer relay bike team. Ensure that you check out our website and the district website for photos of the event.  Through cash and on-line donations, our school was able to raise over $650 for this worthy cause.  If any families would still like to donate the Cops for Cancer donation raffle is open until October 6^th https://www.rafflebox.ca/raffle/ccs-bc

Volleyball has started and this week running club for all students in Grades 1-7 will begin on Mondays and Wednesdays after school.  The district fall cross country meet is scheduled for mid-October.

Information was sent out this week regarding our Universal Lunch program.  Links to this program can also be found on our school website under the Parent tab.

We have a PAC BQ on Thursday evening from 4-6 pm.  There will be free hot dogs and families can also purchase chips and drinks.  Classrooms will be open from 5-6 pm allowing families to meet their child’s teacher.  We are looking forward to seeing everyone on Thursday.

A friendly reminder to please ensure that you have submitted your child’s school supply fee of $55.00 per child.  Payment can be made via the parent portal or by sending cash to your child’s classroom teacher. If you have any questions regarding this fee, please ensure you contact Mrs. Dailey in the office.  Our intermediate planners have also arrived.  The fee for the planner is $6.00 and this can also be paid on-line or by sending cash into your child’s teacher.  We are expecting the primary planners in the next week or so as they were delayed due to our supplier experiencing a warehouse fire.  A payment notice for the primary planners will be sent out once they have arrived.

As a staff we have decided to postpone our annual Terry Fox run/walk this year as we wanted to focus this past week on the Cops for Cancer campaign.  We will be hosting our Terry Fox walk/run in April, in recognition of Terry’s birthday.

This week we are asking all students to wear orange all week in recognition of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.  On Friday, students from Div. 1 and Div. 2, with the help of our Aboriginal Support worker Jamie Robert, are hosting Indigenous games for all students.  Our flag will is also lowered this week as we have learned about the initial findings connected to former residential schools in the Fraser Valley, on the traditional territories of Stó:lō Nation. The findings confirm the deaths of at least 158 children at four locations.

A reminder to all families that there is no school on Monday, October 2^nd in lieu of National Day of Reconciliation and on Tuesday, October 3 as it is our school Growth Plan Day.

Below you will find some important information regarding some of our school routines, please so ensure that you take the time to read through them.  If you have any questions, please reach out.  Please also know that families can begin to expect a weekly memo from the office highlighting the past week’s events and keeping you posted of upcoming ones.  This memo is posted on our website and is also sent through our parent portal either on Sunday or early in the week.

We are very excited about the school year ahead of us!

Mrs. T. Dailey and Mr. R. Sheridan

Bell Schedule
8:25 am- Student Line Up- Classroom teachers meet students at line up
8:30 am- Instructional time begins, teachers escort students into the building
10:20 am- 10:35 am- Recess
12:00 pm- 12:40 pm Lunch
Intermediates play first then eat
Primary Classes eat first then play.
2:20 pm- Dismissal- Students taken to line up by classroom teachers

Student Absence or Late Arrival
Please contact the office if your child will be absent.  You can submit your child’s absence through the parent portal, by sending an email to al_reception@sd42.ca or by calling our office at 604-463-4848.   If the office does not know to expect your child absent, you will receive a phone call regarding their absence.

If you child arrives to school late, please remind them to check into our office for a late slip.

If you need to take your child early, please ensure you notify your child’s classroom teacher via an email or a note in your child’s planner.

West Coast Recess
At Albion we strongly believe that children need daily outside play, so our students go outside rain or shine for recess and lunch.  Only in extreme weather do we have them stay inside.  Please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately for the weather and always has a change of clothes at school.

On Line Policy Consent

Each year there are multiple policy consent forms on the parent portal.  These forms include consent for walking field trips, internet use, use of photos, yearbook, etc..    Please ensure that you take the time to login to the parent portal and review these documents.  This will be very important for we will be going off school grounds for the Terry Fox Run and students in the one-to -one classes will be assigned their iPads.

If you have any questions regarding these forms, please contact Mrs. Dailey.

Medical Intervention Forms
If your child has any health care needs that require support at school, including the administration of any medications, medical forms must be completed.  Please complete a “Medical Intervention” form that is available at the school office.  Please note that students may not be in possession of any medication at school unless specifically authorized by the Principal. Staff may not administer medication to students unless the required form is completed and signed by a parent.  The school cannot assist with any medical intervention unless the appropriate forms are completed.  Please contact the school as soon as possible to complete a form.  Medical documentation needs to be completed each September.  This procedure complies with the policy regarding the health care needs of children at school.  If there are any questions, please contact the school.

Emergency Procedures
This school year we will practicing a variety of emergency procedures at the school (6 fire drills, 2 earthquake drills and 2 lockdown drills). Please know that the purpose of practicing safety techniques is to keep students and staff safe in the event of an emergency.  Information on these techniques can be found on the parent Portal or at www.sd42.ca

Student Verification Forms
This week Student Verification Forms will be going home (look for a pink sheet).  Please take a look at this form, update it (if necessary), sign and return it to the school as soon as possible.  Even if there are no changes, please sign and return it.

Students and Cell Phones
We understand that cell phones have great utility, but cell phone use has increasingly become a source of distraction within our learning environment.

Albion Elementary believes in maintaining a safe and effective educational environment for all its students. Research shows that the mere presence of cellphones in the classroom can be detrimental to student performance. According to a survey and report from Common Sense Media that involved 1,240 interviews with parents and their 10- to 15-year-old children, 50% of them feel attached to their mobile devices, and 59% of their parents agree that their kids have a problem putting their devices down (U.S. News & World Report).

As laid out in our school code of conduct, cellular phones are not to be used by students during school hours unless given permission by the classroom teacher for educational activities.  Should you need to contact your child during school hours, please feel free to call the office and leave a message for them there.  We request that should students bring their cellular phones to school that they remain in their backpack or are given to the classroom teacher for safe keeping for the day.

We believe this will allow our students to be:

• Engaged in classroom activities and assignments
• Less dependent on electronics to do classwork
• Less likely to engage in conversations around bullying
• Less likely to be distracted and procrastinate on assignments in class

Thank you for your continued support in ensuring a safe and healthy learning environment for our students.

Front and Back Parking Lots
The front parking lot is an extremely busy place at drop off and at pick up.  We understand that the following requests below may be an inconvenience however, with the growth or our school and everyone entering and exiting through the front we must ensure that our students, staff and families are safe. We thank you ahead of time for your patience and understanding.

When dropping your child off please ensure you drive through the “drop and go” zone.  We do ask that parents do not get out of their vehicles as the drop off traffic, very quickly, will cause a back-up on 240^th street.  There is also NO parking for parents in our front parking lot as all parking spots are needed for our staff.  If you are required to get out of your vehicle, please ensure that you park on one of the side streets and walk in.  Parking is available for licensed daycares at the front of the school, after the drop off zone. (All daycares must have a visible parking pass.  Please contact our office for details.)

Our front north gate closes to all traffic shortly after 2:00 pm and remains closed until the crowds disperse after dismissal time. Please do not enter the parking lot through the south gate as this is an EXIT only gate.

Please note that the back parking lot, located on the north side of the building is for staff parking only.  It is a very small lot so please do not drive in and drop your child off at the back of the school as it becomes very unsafe for the students and families who are walking back there.  A reminder to also ensure that if you are walking back there that you do not walk behind the parked vehicles, please walk with your child on the pathway behind the portables.

Head Lice
This is the time of year when head lice may show up in your child’s hair. To prevent head lice among children at school, we ask that you remind your child not to share personal items such as hats, combs and brushes. We also ask that you check your child’s head weekly for the presence of head lice.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding head lice, or require further information, please contact the school or the Public Health Nurse at 604-­476-­7000.