November 2023

Happy Friday ESQE Families!

We have a lot on the go as we head towards the holidays! Please keep informed with class news and our weekly communications so you don't miss anything! We are looking forward to some fun events ahead!

Friday, December 1st -Writing Day

You are invited to join your child in writing to friends and relatives for the holiday season on Friday, December 1st from 9:15-10:15. We’ll supply an assortment of writing paper and Christmas/winter cards. We encourage you to bring along any family members or friends so that every student has someone to write with them. Students are welcome to wear their pajamas to help get into the cozy winter holiday spirit!

Please make sure to check in with teachers at their classroom rather than the office for this busy event.

ESQE Winter Open House & Sound Kreations Performance -Save the date!

In case you missed it! What you need to know:

1) Our December Classroom Open House will be on Thursday, December 7th from 5:30pm to 6:30pm

The Details:

Join us in some fun festivities in your child’s class! Connect with your child's teacher on more details.
Families are welcome to attend an activity/craft or game in their child’s classroom.
Have more than one child? Share the time between the classes, older students can be left with their classmates if you want to visit another class.

2) Sound Kreations presents our Winter Concert on Friday, December 8^th in the afternoon: Group A 1:15pm-2:00pm & Group B 2:15pm-3:00pm

The Details:

Sound Kreations is back to put on an exciting show of Hip-Hop!
The following classes will perform between 1:15pm to 2:00pm: Group A - Lapointe, Ryan, McQueen, Eade, Stewart, Castrillo, Parker, Dion, Hryhirchuk, Sorensen
The following classes will perform between 2:15pm to 3:00pm: Group B - Miller, Goldman, West, Lazar, Keller, Regnier, Crighton, Georgy-Embree, Paquette
Due to capacity limits, only 2 family members are able to attend. Unfortunately, we can’t accommodate more than two members per family - We appreciate your understanding with this.
Also, due to capacity limits and to accommodate all families, you can only attend the show(s) your child or children are in. This may mean you attend both times if your children are in different groups but please do not attend both if this does not apply as we don’t want to have a family miss out due to not enough seating.

Community Christmas Care Hampers

Mr. Georgy-Embrees' class is collecting donations for the Squamish Community Christmas Project. These donations will provide hampers for individuals and families in need, over the holiday time. If you are able, we are looking for donations of new toys, gift cards, and/or cash donations. These will be collected from classroom each day by Mr. Georgy-Embrees' class. They can also be dropped off at the front office, in a box labeled Community Christmas Project.

ESQE Writing Day!

Please join us from 9:15 - 10:15 a.m. on Friday, December 1st. Students and their families will have the option of writing in the gym, the library or their classrooms. Please check in with your child’s teacher in the classroom first.

As we will not be providing envelopes, please feel free to send your own cards and pre-addressed envelopes with your child. Unfortunately Canada Post is unable to sell stamps this year, so children will be bringing home their letters and cards for families to mail from home.

For those of you who do not celebrate Christmas we encourage you to have your children write family letters.

If your child would like to write a letter to Santa, please send an envelope with the correct return address and name for Santa to write back to you. There is no cost to send Santa a letter.
Santa’s address is:

Santa Claus

North Pole

HOH OHO

Celebrating ESQE

On November 10th, our school gathered to share a moment of silence, and some learning around Remembrance Day. Thank you so much to all students and classes who participated in this years Remembrance Day assembly. It was a beautiful way to honour those who have fought, and continue to fight for our country

Mme. Lazar's grade 1-2 class created beautifully Georgia O'Keeffe inspired poppies for Remembrance Day and went on a walking field trip to Rose Park in the search of patterns in our environment.

Mr. Georgy-Emrees' and Mrs. Sorensen's classes visited the Britannia Mine Museum!

A huge congratulations to our Ms. Keller for hosting her very first Professional Development Day. Ms. Keller has taken her passion for art and the environment and infused it into her daily practice, now she is sharing this passion out to other teachers, giving them the tools to teach this to their students.

ESQE SOGI

A message from our SOGI Committee. ESQE is a safe place where we value and respect each individual's identity. SOGI 123 is not a class or a prescribed curriculum, but rather an initiative to create an inclusive, respectful and safe environment where individuals of all sexual orientation and gender identities feel value, accepted, and safe.

Gender identity is about how someone feels inside and how they see themselves. There are many unique ways people feel about their gender. Some people may identify as the gender the were assigned at birth, while others may feel more comfortable identifying differently. As allies, we play a vital role in creating a supportive and accepting atmosphere for everyone.

Here are some ways we can be fantastic allies:

Respect and Use the Right Pronouns: People might use pronouns like he/him, she/her, they/them, or others. Using the correct pronouns shows respect for their identity.

Listen and Learn: Being open to understanding and learning about different gender identities helps us support our friends and classmates better.

Stand Up Against Bullying: No one should be teased or mistreated because of their gender identity. Speaking up and supporting those who are targeted is crucial.

Be Kind and Inclusive: Creating an environment where everyone feels safe and valued promotes a positive school experience for all.

Remember, being an ally means being a friend who cares, respects, and supports others for who they truly are. By embracing diversity and standing together, we create a vibrant and welcoming community where everyone can thrive.

PAC Update

Our PAC has had a busy month! From hot lunches and popcorn days, multiple fundraisers on the go, and hosting the 3rd Annual Sea to Sky Artisan Market. A huge congrats to the PAC and all their efforts. This year they hosted their first online auction, raising over $5000.

Ongoing Fundraisers

- Purdy's Chocolate until Nov 26th

- Happy Hippos until Nov 26th

Elf Workshop: donations needed!

Our annual Elf Workshop will be held on Thursday, December 14th. This is an incredibly fun day for the students, where they get to shop (in the gym) for YOU, and everything is $1!

Starting Monday, donations for the Elf Workshop will be collected in the foyer, outside the main office. You will see a box labelled “Elf Workshop” where you can neatly place your gently used items. Every Friday, they will be sorted and moved to their storage location in preparation for our event.

Reminders

For any absences or early pick-ups: please email [email protected] as this is more efficient than calling in.
Please send your child to school with appropriate clothing and shoes for the weather, the rain is here!!
Please remember to send a water bottle with your child
We still need your help to keep our students and staff save in our parking lot. Please find a proper spot to park and do not park or idle in the bus loop or round about.
If your child is sick, please keep them at home.

Upcoming Dates

Dec 1st ESQE Writing Day! Details ABOVE
Dec 1st Hot Lunch Orders Due
Dec 7th ESQE Open House 5:30pm-6:30pm
Dec 8th Sound Kreations Concerts
Dec 12th PAC Meeting @ 6:30pm in the SQE Library
Dec 14th Elf Workshop
Dec 15th Hot Lunch Day
Dec 15th Ugly Christmas Sweater Day
Dec 18th Popcorn Day
Dec 22nd Last Day before Winter Break

Happy Birthday To Mr. Georgy-Embree's Class

And to all our November Birthdays!