December 12, 2020

Week of December 11th, 2020

It’s the Final Countdown ( cue 80’s smash hit by the hair band Europe )!  The last week before the break is coming and we’re all looking forward to a “long winter’s nap!”  It was really wonderful this week to get a chance to see and hear how everyone continues to find creative ways to build community, both in their classrooms and among us (terrible pun, but awesome).  I’ve talked a lot about the spirit of gratitude, and especially in this season, being thankful where we live, where we work, but more importantly, who we work alongside.  That is what makes this place so special – the COMMUNITY.  Even in a pandemic – we find ways to encourage each other, support each other and build community.  Thank you for all you do!

Here’s the scoop…

PICTURES FROM THE WEEK:

Ms. Roberts put together a Staff self care challenge with a really creative twist – Scratch and Win!

The new sign is up in the Community Room – Painted by the amazing ACCESS SEA Ms. Ruether!

A student in Blue 6 received his new Sweater – he’s excited!
Covert Coffee Cart Round 2 – was spreading Holiday Cheer – Thank you to the Sunshine Crew!

The fireplace is under construction, but Marvin the Moose has his stocking ready! Marvin is a frequent flyer in Ms. Kaur’s classroom – the magic is in his antlers!

Our Announcement Crew continues to spread cheer and encouragement and thanks to our incredible PAC they will go digital with Cameras & Green Screen in the new Year.  They will also be recruiting new Grade 6&7s!

Red 7 learned all about Cricket thanks to Dev this week – what an awesome example of kindess, courage, and building community through sport.  Ms. Lyth. and Mr. Hantke gave it a whirl – but he was a little slow

Ms. Parchoma’s Visual Art exploration class created a Winter Wonderland where even DJ Marshmellow made an appearance!

Clearly Mr. Van Meer’s excitement about having Sammy the Skyhawk move into his room in the new year has taken over…  Sammy may need to make an adjustment to his new living arrangement.

Gold 7 is studying early Civilizations and attempted basket weaving – Yes…it’s harder that it looks!

NEW INFORMATION TO SHARE:

WELCOME

• Please welcome TIM RUCHKALL who will be joining our Resource Team and working with Gold & Blue 8. 

REPORT CARDS PUBLISHED & MYED PARENT PORTAL ACCESS

PROGRESS REPORTS HAVE NOW BEEN PUBLISHED – PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL TO ENSURE YOU HAVE RECEIVED IT.

• MyEd Parent Portal Assistance:  https://www.sd35.bc.ca/students-parents/myedbc-family-portal-help/
• Log in site: https://www.myeducation.gov.bc.ca/aspen/logon.do
• Request for Assistance: https://www.sd35.bc.ca/students-parents/myedbc-family-portal-help/myedbc-request-for-assistance-form/

CLOSED CAMPUS & SKIP THE DISHES REMINDERS

• Please be reminded that HDSMS is currently a closed campus to everyone but students and staff.  We are seeing an increased flow of parent traffic to drop off various items throughout the day.  The doors are locked and parents need to call the school first if they require access.
• Please DO NOT order Skip the Dishes delivered to the school – this brings an unnecessary safety risk to our building.

2019-2020 YEARBOOKS FOR $5

• We have 35 yearbooks left over from last year – If you did not get one last year and would still like to purchase one – they are only $5!  A great stocking stuffer :

CHRISTMAS PARTIES:

• While we are all looking forward to having some much-needed festive fun with our classes, we need to ensure that we are following the COVID Health and Safety Guidelines for the safety of all our staff and students. A reminder that students can NOT bring food / drinks to share unless individually wrapped.  

LOCKDOWN DRILL

• We will be practicing a lockdown drill on Wednesday December 16^th @ 12:30pm in accordance with the District’s emergency protocols.

PARKING

• Just a reminder that there is no stopping/parking on Grade Crescent in front of HD Stafford Middle School. In consideration of our community neighbours and for the safety of our students, please refrain from blocking driveways and crosswalks and jaywalking. Please have a conversation with your child(ren) of where an appropriate place to meet up after school could be. There is lots of available parking by City Park which is just a short walk away for our students.

STUDENT SAFETY AROUND SCHOOLS – WEATHER

• With the days growing shorter and the weather changing to rain, fog, and frost, HD Stafford Middle is reminding all our students to take extra precaution when walking to and from school. Please be aware of your surroundings, walk on the sidewalk and with someone whenever possible, and avoid wearing headphones. We also ask drivers in our school community to be vigilant on our roads. Student safety is our priority. Thank you for your cooperation and support in keeping everyone safe.

MASKS AND WATERBOTTLES:

• MASKS – Please ensure that your children have their masks each day. 
• WATER BOTTLES – please remind your children that they need to have a  water bottle at school.

LANGLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT FOUNDATION SURVEY – 2020-2021

The Langley School District Foundation was established with a mission to make learning UNFORGETTABLE for every Langley student. Our mandate is to support and provide programs that are not funded or fully funded by the Ministry of Education and our goal is to ensure that every Langley student receives the maximum benefit of the education to which they are entitled.

We value your opinion. To better understand the impact our programs and the emerging needs of Langley students, we’d appreciate your participation in this short survey. Please click on the following link: https://bit.ly/SD35-FoundationSurvey.

STAYING CONNECTED:

• HDSMS will continue to work towards being a completely paperless school when it comes to communication with parents. In order to stay informed, please be sure you use at least one of the following on-line methods:
  • Email: send your information to tdick@sd35.bc.ca or alyon@sd35.bc.ca to ensure you are on our parent email list.
  • Attendance: If your child is going to be away from school – you can email hdsattendance@sd35.bc.ca to report the absence.
  • Twitter: Follow our feed at twitter.com/HDSMSskyhawks
  • Instagram: Follow us at instagram.com/HDSMSskyhawks
  • Website: Stay up-to-date at sd35.bc.ca

PAC NEWS:

• Fundraising Update:
  • The class who sold the most Community Value Coupon books in last month’s fundraiser was Division 8-1, selling 22 books, with Scarlette O’Neill selling 20 books.They are the winners of a virtual zoo presentation. Special recognition in other classes where Chloe Hubbs sold 10 books, James Hanna sold 10 books, and Jayden Davis sold 10 books. We want to thank all those who supported this initiative!
• New Information Below:
  • Here is the NEW HDSMS PAC Constitution and Bylaws

  • 2020 Constitution

• We had a great first PAC meeting of the year and the PAC elections were completed. Meet you’re new HDSMS PAC TEAM!
•   Any questions or if you are interested in joining our PAC initiatives please contact hdsmspac@gmail.com

COMING UP THIS WEEK:

ATHLETICS UPDATE 🏐🏀⚽🎾🏸🎯🏐🏀⚽🎾🏸🎯

There is no athletics at this time – we will keep you updated as this situation progresses.

MS. LOREE’S COUNSELLING CONNECTION:

Stay tuned!

FROM THE DISTRICT:

Be sure to checkout the district’s webpage for the latest updates: www.sd35.bc.ca

4th Annual West Fine Art Show

The Foundation, in partnership with The West Fine Art Show Society, is holding the 4^th Annual Art Show at the Glass House Winery in South Langley. Eighteen professional artists will be showing and selling their exquisite pieces. At the same time, the Foundation will host an online exhibition and adjudication of student art with cash prizes for first, second and third. Photography, paintings and 3-D sculptures are eligible and should follow a theme of COVID-19 and what it has wrought on our society (the positives, negatives, changes, trends). Please send images via email to scairns@sd35.bc.ca and rosemary_creative@hotmail.com.

Friday, March 5, 2021 • 5 pm to 9 pm

Saturday, March 6 • 11 am to 7 pm

Sunday, March 7 • 11 am to 5 pm

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: