Posted: January 23, 2022

Information

Family Literacy Week

It’s Family Literacy Week, and there are activities for you from our own fantastic Mrs. Smith in the library, as well as from the Fraser Valley Regional Library. Pick something, and have some fun with reading! Click the graphic below for a copy of the Choice Board with active links. 

You can also find Family Literacy Week activities on the paper Family Literacy Activity Sheet that came home with kids on Friday. Complete a row and return it to Mrs. Smith to be entered in a prize draw.

You can also find activities at the Langley Literacy Network where you’ll find a fun scavenger hunt you can do, and then turn in to the Fraser Valley Regional Library. First 500 of those in win a prize.

Updated COVID-19 Screener

The Thrive COVID-19 self-assessment tool has been updated to include the symptoms that I am hearing are common with the new variant of COVID-19. This is the check that all students and staff are expected to ‘pass’ in order to come to the school each day. Please bookmark it and continue your work to help keep everybody in our school community safe.

Please Update Parent/Guardian Contacts

Have you changed your email address or phone number? As the District continues preparing procedures and communications for potential school closures, we kindly ask families to ensure their contact information is up to date. If there are any changes, please be sure to inform your school office. If you want to receive SchoolMessenger notification text messages in the event of emergencies or urgent communications, you can opt-in by following these instructions here.

Kindergarten Registration

Kindergarten registration across the Langley School District runs January 17, 2022 – March 31, 2022. If your child will be five years old by December 31, 2022, you will be able to register through your catchment school. Registration will take place online via email to the school. Our school will have site-specific instructions posted on our website once registration opens. Please understand there is no advantage in rushing to register your child in the first few weeks of the registration period. Families have until the end of March to secure a space for their child. That said, in the busy Willoughby slope area, the sooner and the more we know, the better we can plan for September at RBE. For information on what documents you need and instructions on how to register, please visit the District webpage here. To learn more about Kindergarten in the Langley School District, read our brochure here.  

Daily Health Check

A friendly reminder to everyone to conduct the daily health check before coming to school or boarding a bus. Please note, the Ministry is currently updating the K-12 Health Check App, to reflect the current COVID-19 landscape. Students, staff, and visitors are asked to use the Thrive BC COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool until further notice. The District will provide an update as soon as information is made available. If you do have symptoms and self-isolate here are the new guidelines for return:

And if you have a confirmed case of COVID-19, here are instructions for ending self-isolation:

Reporting School Absences

The school appreciates the work of families in following our processes when it comes to reporting student absences. As per Ministry guidelines, students and their families are being asked to indicate if the reason for the absence is due to illness. As per Ministry guidance, students do not need to disclose if their absence is specific to COVID-19; however, those who test positive for COVID-19 should be diligent in ensuring their school is aware their absence is illness-related. Providing us with accurate information regarding the reason your child is away, is extremely critical in helping keep our school community safe. This data will help our school, the District, and Fraser Health work together to assess and make decisions about closures which could impact operations and student learning. The attendance information families provide remains confidential, will not be shared, and is only used for reporting and planning purposes. If you have any questions about reporting absences, please feel free to contact the school. 

Musc Request

“Diversity makes beautiful music” – DJ O Show.  We would like more diversity in the songs we use for Music class.  The students at Richard Bulpitt Elementary speak 38 different languages.  Unfortunately, Ms. Knuttila only speaks English.  She needs your help!  Can you please recommend some some songs to us? Do you have a favourite song performed in your language(s)?   Please let Ms. Knuttila know using this form and she will be able to play the songs for all of our students.  Thank you for your assistance!!!

For parents of Grade 5 students – Bulldogs Basketball

Basketball is here. While COVID restrictions have made inter-school competition impossible this year, we will have 5 or so in-house teams at RBE. Many grade 5 students signed up on Thursday, and we will continue with practices this week. While spectators are not currently allowed at school sports events, we’ll hopefully go long enough into the spring that the restrictions can lift in time for you to see a game. And no, it’s not too late to sign up! Please note that players are not penalized if they can’t make a practice. Contrary to rumour, they are not ‘cut’ for missing a practice.

Supporting the Foundry Langley

Did you know that 70 per cent of mental health problems begin during childhood or adolescence? While one in five young people aged 15 to 24 report experiencing mental illness or substance use problems, fewer than 25 per cent of those in need receive appropriate services! Behind these statistics is a vulnerable young person with a future of potential and promise. Let’s show them they are not alone!

Join Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation in fundraising to build Foundry Langley, a centre dedicated to providing young people aged 12-24 access to mental health and substance use support, primary care, peer support and social services.

Together, we can raise the $2.1 million needed to provide Langley’s youth the much-needed support. To make a donation to Foundry Langley in support of youth wellness, visit FoundryLangley.

PAC News

Unfortunately, current COVID restrictions and safety procedures mean we will have to put Fun Lunch on hold for the next few weeks.

Quote(s) of the week

Something to read (or watch)

• Since it’s Family Literacy Week, we thought we’d share the NY Times 2021 list of best children’s books. And here’s the Chapters/Indigo list of top kids’ books.

• You’ve surely heard of Wordle by now. It’s a guessing game that reminds me of Mastermind, which I played as a kid (though not so successfully sometimes). There’s also a math one (maybe a bit tough for kids under grade 5, mostly, but sometimes not. It’s called Ooodle. 

Things to remember from the calendar

Tuesday, January 25

• Girls’ basketball practice after school 2:45-4 

Wednesday, January 26

• Boys’ basketball practice after school 2:45-4

Thursday, January 27

• Girls’ basketball practice before school 7:30 

Friday, January 28

• Fancy Hat/Hair Day (or favourite hat day) Bottom line: You can wear a hat in school if you like.
• Boys’ basketball practice before school 7:30 
• Open Gym for all interested grade 5 basketball players after school (until 4)