February 3, 2021

I can’t believe it is February already!  This year, Valentine’s activities will be held on Thursday, February 11th and, due to COVID, they will take on a different look.  The district rules around COVID safety require that there be no sharing of any food unless it is given by the school and commercially packaged.  Students are able to send non-edible gifts such as cards, stickers, pencils, erasers, etc, but are not allowed to hand out any treats, including packaged foods like candy or chocolates.  Your child’s teacher may send out more specific details with respect to this.

Reminder that if you have a child at home that will be turning 5 this year and you plan to send them to Kindergarten in September, registration is underway.  Please see below for more details.

House points are as follows:

Mome Raths – 7,631; White Rabbits – 7,492; Cheshire Cats – 7,272; Deck of Cards – 8,665

Have a good weekend!

Susanna Eppich, Principal

2021 STUDENT LEARNING SURVEY - GRADE 4 FAMILIES

During the months of January to April, School District #35 is participating in the 2021 Ministry of Education Electronic Anonymous Student Learning Survey Project in cooperation with all other school districts throughout the Province.

Parents/Guardians/Caregivers can complete the online Anonymous Student Learning Surveys any time before 11:59 pm April 30^th, 2021, providing immediate results to the school and the district.

For 2021: Students in Grades 4, 7, 10 and 12 complete the survey; Parents/Guardians/Caregivers of Grade 4, 7, 10 and 12 Students complete the survey; and all Staff associated with a School complete the survey.  Schools may survey other grade levels after finishing the grades above.

To complete the survey:

1. Go to any computer that has an up-to-date internet browser access at home, work, or school.
2. Go to www.bced.gov.bc.ca/sat_survey/access.htm
3. Under the section Direct Access – no logon number required select:
   • District: the name of your child’s district
   • School: the name of your child’s school
   • Language: the language of your choice
4. Complete the survey by clicking on the appropriate circle to answer each question.  Move to the next set of questions by clicking on the right arrow in the bottom right corner of the screen. Click on the left arrow to navigate backwards.
5. When you are finished the survey, you will get a message “Thank you for sharing your views”.
6. Once complete, your school will have the results immediately.

Thank you for participating in this innovative project.  If you need more information or would like to see the results for the District or your school, consult with your school principal.

MIDDLE YEARS DEVELOPMENT INDEX - GRADE 5 FAMILIES

Dear Parents and Guardians of Students in Grades 5, 6 and 8,

The Langley School District has partnered with the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) at UBC to invite students to take part in completing the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI). The MDI is a self-report questionnaire that asks children in Grades 4 to 8 about their thoughts, feelings and experiences in school and in the community. 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.

The questionnaire will be administered between February 5th and March 5^th, 2021.

Your Grade 5 child should have brought home an informed passive consent letter with more information about their participation in the MDI. Please complete the form that was attached to that letter if you DO NOT wish your child to participate, or contact the project staff at mdi@help.ubc.ca. The MDI is voluntary; Grade 5 children can choose whether they would like to complete the questionnaire.

SKILLS ASSESSMENT (FSA) - CHANGE OF ADMINISTRATION DATES - GRADE 4 FAMILIES

The BC Ministry of Education has adjusted the administration dates for this year’s Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA).  All Langley students in grades 4 and 7 will now complete the FSA in the new administration window between February 15 and March 12, 2021.  Parents of students in grades 4 and 7 would have received a letter in September from Gord Stewart, Superintendent of Langley Schools, regarding the annual Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) for the 2020/2021 school year.  The letter indicated that this year’s FSA would be administered between October 5 and November 13, 2020.  The remainder of the information outlined in the letter still applies and if parents have any questions regarding the FSA, they should contact their school’s Principal.

2021-2022 KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION

Kindergarten registration across the Langley School District runs January 18 – March 31, 2021. If your child will be five years old by December 31, 2021, you will be able to register either online or in person at your catchment school.  Proper documentation is required at the time of registration.  Your child’s registration will not be processed without the required documentation.

Registration will not be available at the school during Spring Break, from March 13 –28, 2021.

Please check our school website for specific information about how to register beginning January 18.

Due to COVID-19 health and safety guidelines, the process for registration and collecting documents may be different this time. For information and instructions on how to register, please click here —> Kindergarten Registration 2021 and for the Student Registration Form click here —> Student Registration Form_20212022

Although your child’s Care Card is not a required document, it is an important piece of information for the school to have.  Please make sure you have indicated any medical concerns or information that the school should be aware of (i.e. asthma, allergies, etc.).  If you have copies of any medical documents or diagnostic reports for learning or physical needs, please also have a copy of the original (a copy can be made at the school).  Please also have a copy of any Court Orders regarding custody so the school can have a copy on file.

MESSAGE FROM THE BLACKLOCK PAC

Here are the Minutes from the latest PAC meeting –>  PAC Meeting – Jan 21, 2021

FAMILY PORTAL in MyED BC

Below are links to two videos that offer some help in accessing the Family Portal in MyED BC:

How to Access the Family Portal

Help with Forgotten Passwords

DAILY HEALTH CHECK

Thank you for completing the Daily Health Check with your child and doing your part to ensure our school community is healthy and safe.

Health Check Form – Revised 2020Sep

Please read the Daily Health Check Form (by clicking on the above link) and use it as a reference when completing the daily health check with your child.

INFORMATION ABOUT SCHOOL STATUS DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER

Snow closures and power outages are an annual occurrence in Langley School District. So, where do you go to get information about the status of schools during periods of inclement weather? If you are able to access the internet via computer or smartphone, current information about Langley schools can be accessed on all school websites or www.sd35.bc.ca. Updates are also posted to Twitter @LangleySchools and Facebook at www.facebook.com/langleyschooldistrict. If you don’t have internet connectivity but your phone is working, call a relative or friend in an area that has not been affected by the storm and ask them to check the district website for you. Local radio stations are also informed of school status in Langley. Tune in to CKWX 1130AM, CKNW 980AM, Country Radio 107.1FM, Pulse 107.7 or CBC 690AM or 88.1FM for updates.

Please note that Langley District schools are all considered ‘open’ until a decision to close is required. Decisions on school closures are usually made by 6:30am. As always, it is a parent’s decision whether to send their child to school based on safety and individual circumstances. If you feel it is unsafe for you or your child to travel to or attend an open school for any reason, please keep your child home and report an absence to the school.

CALENDAR

Here are the upcoming events:

February 12 – Pro-D Day – Students not in Attendance

February 15 – Family Day – Statutory Holiday

February 22 – Design & Assessment Day – Students not in Attendance

February 23-26 – Diversity & Respect Week

March 5 – Term 2 Report Cards Published

March 10 & 11 – One Hour Early Dismissal for Parent/Teacher Interviews

March 12 – Last Day prior to Spring Break

March 29 – School reopens

April 2 – Good Friday – Statutory Holiday

April 5 – Easter Monday – Statutory Holiday

May 21 – Pro-D Day – Students not in Attendance

May 24 – Victoria Day – Statutory Holiday

June 29 – Final Report Cards Published & Last Day prior to Summer Break

For access to our District Community Bulletin Board, please click here:  Community Bulletin Board.      There are always new flyers that may be of interest to you.