Posted: December 15, 2024
Information
Have a safe, happy winter break!
We wish you all a wonderful, exciting, relaxing, and possibly learning-filled winter break. Stay cozy and warm, and cross your fingers that the only snow we see this year is in the two weeks we are off. If you travel, do it safely!
Kindergarten Registration 2025
Kindergarten registration across the Langley School District runs January 6, 2025 – February 18, 2025. If your child will be five years old by December 31, 2025, 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.
Attendance
When notifying the school of an absence please make sure to include your child’s full name, first and last name, so we can make sure we have marked the correct child absent.
- Student’s First and Last Name (for reference, we have 4 Calebs, 7 Lucases, and 7 Chloes, and a number of classes where 2 students have the same first name, so both parts are necessary)
- Grade
- Division
- Length of absence
- Reason (illness, late, appointment, vacation)
With over 650 students to account for every morning, it is very important that you let the school know if your child(ren) are going to be late, absent, leaving early or away for a period of time.
If families notify teachers that’s great, but please also remember to notify the office, if the teacher is away, the school will not get the message.
We encourage you to call the school before 8:00 am to leave a message or email RBEAttendanceVoicemail@sd35.bc.ca We experience a higher volume of calls between 8:00 and 9:00 am.
Please do not email Ms. Davies or Ms. Martens, as if they are absent, the school will not get the message.
Students who are late (arriving after 8:50) need to check in at the office before going to class.
Early Start or Late Return for Winter Break?
If your student is going to be starting winter break sooner than the last day of school (Dec 20, 2024) or returning after school re-opens (Jan 6, 2025), it is very important to let the office and your student’s teachers know. If a child is marked absent, but the office has not received an email or a telephone call from the parent advising of the absence/tardiness, a phone call home, email and text message, will be made to ensure the child is safe.
Please email RBEAttendanceVoicemail@sd35.bc.ca with the name(s) of your student(s) and what dates they will be away from school. You can send in one email per family, you do not need to send a separate email for each of your children.
We need the following information (IMPORTANT – please include your students last name)
- Student’s First and Last Name
- Grade
- Division
- Length of absence
- Reason (illness, late, appointment, vacation)
If your student is going to be away for 25 consecutive school days OR more please complete the missing time form please and return it to the office
(Grade 5) The Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) is coming to your school in January/mid-March!
The Langley School District has partnered with the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) at the University of British Columbia to measure and promote children’s social and emotional development, health, well-being, and assets through the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI). The Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) is a self-report questionnaire that asks children in middle childhood about their thoughts, feelings and experiences. The MDI is the first survey of its kind to gather information about the lives of children both in school, in the home and in the community, from their own perspective. The survey questions align with the BC Ministry of Education’s K-12 curriculum, which includes a focus on promoting children’s personal and social competencies.
Grade 5, 6 & 8 students are invited to complete the MDI during class time between:
January 14th and March 14th, 2025.
For more information and to view the questionnaires:
https://earlylearning.ubc.ca/monitoring-system/mdi/mdi-overview/
Parent FAQs:
https://earlylearning.ubc.ca/monitoring-system/mdi/parent-caregiver-info/
Information and Informed Passive Consent letters were shared via email to families on DATE. If you don’t want your child to participate, please contact your child’s teacher, fill out the withdrawal form at the end of the parent/guardian informed passive consent letter, or contact the MDI project staff at mdi@help.ubc.ca.
Winter Health Tips from Fraser Health (repeat)
Health, safety, and wellness continue to be a priority in our schools. To help support our students and families, we are sharing important information from our community partner Fraser Health about winter health. Please see below for helpful reminders to support your child.
Keeping Your Child Healthy During Winter (from Fraser Health)
As the chilly winter season is upon us, there’s a few extra things you can do to help keep your children healthy and well. Navigate this season with these essential tips.
Bundle Up For The Cold
Dressing appropriately for the cold weather is vital in keeping your child comfortable and protected. Wearing multiple layers is a great way to trap body heat and provide insulation against the cold.
Keep a warm hat, gloves, scarves and insulated boots handy. Remind your child to wear these items before heading outside to play or going to school.
Protect Against Winter Illnesses
Winter brings an increased risk of colds and flus. Make sure your child is getting enough sleep (nine to 11 hours for elementary-aged children), eating a variety of foods and staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Ensure your child receives their annual flu vaccine and talk to a health care provider about any additional vaccines that may be recommended. Teach your child good respiratory etiquette such as regular hand washing, covering their coughs and sneezes and staying home when sick. If they are sick and cannot stay away from others, they can wear a mask to reduce the risk of spreading their illness. Learn more about masks here: Masks (bccdc.ca)
Keep Their Bodies Moving
While colder weather may limit outdoor activities, it’s crucial to keep your child active during winter as regular physical activity boosts their immune system and keeps them energized. Encourage indoor play and activities such as dancing, yoga or interactive video games that promote movement. Look for winter programs at local community centres or indoor sports facilities.
Find more tips for a healthy winter: https://www.fraserhealth.ca/health-topics-a-to-z/winter-health
Lost and Found
Please check the lost and found, there are lots and lots, and lots of items. Any items not claimed by Dec 20 will be donated.
Quote(s) of the week
From the PAC
Giving Tree Donations
Thank you RBE community for stepping up with all your amazing donations benefiting our three sponsored families from the Langley Christmas Bureau!
The deliveries were made on Tuesday and Wednesday night, and the families were very grateful for your generosity.
Thank you for your support!!
Congratulations to our Lucky Winners from our Volunteer Gift Card Draws!
For October: Cristina Ruiz
For November: Pierre-Lyn Arcega
Thank you for volunteering at our events!
If you’re interested in volunteering at our events, please email Edith at rbevolunteers@gmail.com. Volunteers are entered into monthly Starbucks gift card draws!
General PAC Meeting – Monday, December 16th
Please join us for the December General PAC Meeting on Monday December 16th at 7 PM on Zoom.
You can find the link to join on our Richard Bulpitt PAC Facebook page.
This is open to all parents of the RBE school community. Hope to see you there!
Pancake Breakfast Volunteer Sign Up
Our Pancake Breakfast (and PJ Day) is coming up on December 20th. We rely heavily on parent volunteers to help mix batter, cook pancakes and serve our students. We really cannot feed our 650 students without your help! If you have any time to spare, please check out our volunteer sign up page here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090A44AAAD2AAAFE3-53065451-pancake#/
Flip Give Fundraiser
This year, fundraising for RBE PAC is going to be so much easier with FlipGive, a free team funding app.
We can earn cash back on every purchase we make all year long! All you have to do is shop anytime with the brands you already love, like Home Depot, Walmart, Sport Chek, Indigo, Old Navy, Apple, Esso, and Loblaws. No more going door-to-door selling chocolate bars – it’s completely virtual and contactless.
Join our team now and you’ll get a $5 bonus the first time you shop: https://flipgive.app.link/teams/join?joincode=WYW49S
Or enter this code: WYW49S
Want to learn more? Check out this 2 minute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vTO_Qg4n80
Email bulpittpac@outlook.com with any questions.
Stay in the Know
Follow the Richard Bulpitt PAC Facebook page, our Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/rbepac/) and now visit our website to stay up-to-date with all the details!
Something to read
- I’ve been playing a bit with generative AI. I even used it to make a couple of images for holiday cards this year. Then I heard about the carbon footprint of an AI image. While the research is in its infancy, it did give me pause to remember that my little uses of something like AI don’t come completely free. Since I read that article, though, I found another suggesting that it’s more complex than that. I also heard on the radio that people appreciate AI-generated images differently (less) than ‘real’ art, and that appreciation of an AI-generated image drops when we learn that it wasn’t made by a human (here are some samples if you’re interested). At risk of reducing your appreciation of them, here’s our full disclosure: our Christmas bulldogs at the top and those in the calendar below were generated by AI.
This news story was on a couple of weeks ago, and I meant to share it, and then forgot. It’s some super-cool footage of a humpback whale and some seals & sea lions feeding on a bait ball filmed from underwater. What I think is coolest, though, is the fact that the camera was there by accident. I have to say, the last footage I got from dropping my camera in the water was dirty dishes and the bottom of the kitchen sink. Click the image to see the story, including video.
Things to Remember from the Calendar
It’s the last school week of 2024! That was fast.
Monday, December 16
- Spirit Day – Holiday Sweater Day
- PAC Meeting (on Zoom)
Tuesday, December 17
- Spirit Day – Toque Day
Wednesday, December 18
- Spirit Day – Whoville/Grinch Day
Thursday, December 19
- Spirit Day – Head to toe Holiday Wear Day
Friday, December 20
- Spirit Day – PJ Day
- PAC Pancake Breakfast
- Last school day in 2024
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