March 2024

Happy Spring Break ESQE Families!

Let the sunshine and fun begin! We hope you have a great time with family and friends over Spring Break! We know that with a holiday break, can come some shifts in routines, including the sleep schedule. Please see this helpful resource to read over the break and as we get closer to returning to school for ideas on how to get ready for the return to school!

How to get back on a sleep schedule after a holiday break!

Have a wonderful break!

Sincerely.

Sarah Hain

ESQE Principal

Important Upcoming Dates

April 2nd First Day back after spring break
April 5th PAC Hosting Pancake Breakfast! Volunteers and griddles needed!
April 9th PAC Meeting 6:30pm ESQE Library
April 10th Fire Drill
April 12th Subway hot lunch
April 12th Hot Lunch Orders Due
April 16th Grade 6 Immunization Day
April 17th Collaboration Day, early dismissal at12:05pm
April19th PAC Soup Day
April 24th Clerical Appreciation Day
April 24th Celebration Of Learning, Early Dismissal at 2:03
April 26th Hot Lunch
April 26th Spirit Day, Dress as your teacher
April 29th - May 2nd Dance Directions will be hosting musical theatre workshops for our students

Important - Board of Education Calendar Update

Due to a provincial change in dates for the October Non-Instructional days for the next two school years (2024-2025 & 2025-2026) the Board of Education has approved a change to the October Non-Instructional days for those two years.

The October Non-Instructional day is a common day for all BC school districts and those dates are set provincially.

Please note the following calendar changes:

For 2024-2025 the provincial professional development day is changed from Oct 18th to October 25th
For 2025-2026 the provincial professional development day is changed from Oct 17th to October 24th

All school and District calendars will be updated to reflect this change. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Celebration of Learning! On April 24th ESQE will be hosting our annual Celebration of learning. This is a time for parents/guardians to 'celebrate' their child and all of their learning success. This time is less about conferencing with the teacher and more about connecting with your child, while the teacher helps facilitate this. If you have any concerns or want to connect with the teacher on progress, please set up an alternative time to do this so the focus remains on our students showcasing their learning. The gym will be open to share learning from a variety of classes and our library will be open for families to learn about best fit books and to read some stories. More information and communication on how to sign up for a time slot for this celebration will be sent out to families in April.

Parking

We have a busy parking lot during drop off and pick up.
Please park in a parking spot during morning drop off and afternoon pick up.
We encourage families to walk and/or bike to school as the parking lot is very busy.
We are recommending that you use the overflow parking lot at the end of the parking lot for older children to be dropped off and picked up at where they can safely come and go from the field.
DO NOT park or leave your car unattended in the round about. The round about is for emergency vehicles only, or for quick drop off (not for picking up unless the student is already outside or waiting to come out).

Chain of Communication

If you are having concerns about your child's academics, social dynamics, or emotional well-being, please connect directly with your students classroom teacher.

Our classroom teachers work the closest with our students and therefore are the main contact to discuss concerns and to problem solve with.

If additional support or consult is required, teachers will connect with our admin team.

Photo Credit: Ms. Hain: Her lovely pup Cabo & Ms. Velasco and her cute wiener dog Nala

Dogs On School Property must be leashed

As we know, both animals and children can be unpredictable. In order to keep everyone safe, dogs are not allowed to be off leash when on school property.
If you are choosing to bring your dog on school property, please have them leashed and under your direct supervision.
This includes during the school day and playing ball in the field, as we use the outdoor space often.

Celebrating SQE

This month we have been able to start up our ESQE Drumming group. Every Monday at lunch, Jaime Williams (one of our EAs) has gathered with students in the library during long recess to drum together.

Mrs. West's grade 1/2 & Mrs. Sorensen's grade 5/6 classes went on an adventure to Whistler. They visited the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre. They had an opportunity to learn about the Squamish and Lil'wat nations, learn about the language, and even a cultural dance. If you have not had a chance to visit it yourself, check out this website! https://slcc.ca/

At the end of February we gather together for "Pink Shirt Day", this day started in Nova Scotia back in 2007 by 2 students, banning together to end homophobic bullying after a grade 10 student was bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school. A huge shout out to Mrs. Sorensen and Mr. Georgy-Embree's grade 5/6 classes for putting together such an informative and meaningful assembly.

Mr. Castrillo’s grade 2/3 class has been working on a book study for literacy week. Students are creating a diorama showcasing info and illustrations about characters and main events in their books. Their literacy project will also show a summary and an alternative ending to their books with illustrations. Students also created a publicity film poster promoting a stop motion movie about the main event in their books. Here are a few pics illustrating settings that the students are presently creating as a background for their stop motion book study video.

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Under the guidance of Ms. Duncan, Ms. McQueen's and Ms. Lapointe's classes collaborated together for this "Baking up a good friend" Health and Career/Literacy project!

PAC - Parent Advisory Council

April PAC meeting, 6:30pm in the SQE Library,

This year's Carnival will be bigger and better - but we need your help! We are looking for more volunteers to run the activity booths, BBQ, and concession stand. We will be adding more activity booths and renting another blow-up activity, plus a few more surprises.

We know that not everyone can or wants to volunteer, but may want to help in another way! Consider donating to offset our costs of materials, food, rentals, prizes, and face painter fees.
TO DONATE: Go to munchalunch.com and click the yellow "Donate To Carnival"

Many thanks for all your support. We promise you'll have fun and feel our school community vibe!

Its not too late to order Fresh To you!

Fresh To You Fundraiser!

BC Grown produced, delivered the same day they are picked!
40% of all proceeds come right back to the school and towards our fundraising efforts to build an inclusive playground!
Orders are due to teachers by Friday March 15th
After the 15th, orders can be made directly through e-transfer up until March 22nd
Payments are made to [email protected] with the inclusion of your childs full name and teacher last name in the notes.

Here are 30 great recipe ideas for locally grown foods!

Community News!

STEM Spring and Summer Camps! Registration is now open!
If you wish to register, please go to www.kiddosteam.ca and select https://kiddosteam.ca/summer-camps or https://kiddosteam.ca/after-school-program or https://kiddosteam.ca/registration for the spring camp.

_{Happy March Birthdays!}

_{This Month, we celebrated birthdays in Mr. Dion and Mrs. Sorensen's classes with a pizza lunch! Yummy!}