Southlands Elementary Community News
Friday September 13, 2024
Happy Friday! We have completed our second week of school, and I am very happy with our start. It has been an absolute pleasure to get to know the staff, students and families here. I am truly honoured to be here at Southlands as a guest on the ancestral and unceded lands of the Musqueam Nation.
I will aim to send out a newsletter every other Friday. If things are urgent, I’ll send separate emails as well. If you ever have questions or want to chat, please feel free to contact me any time and we can set something up.
*One of our beautiful display boards in the hallway
Pro-D Day – Monday September 16th
A reminder that we have a Pro-D Day coming up this Monday September 16th and there will be no school for students on Monday. Classes will resume on Tuesday September 17th.
Truth and Reconciliation Day – Monday Sept 30th
School will not be in session on Monday September 30th either, as we observe Truth and Reconciliation Day. The school will be closed. We will also have an event for Orange Shirt Day coming up later in September as well. More info to come on that.
Community Gathering – Thursday September 19th
We invite you to join us at our first Community Gathering next Thursday September 19th. If the weather cooperates, we will gather in the back garden. This will give families and caregivers a chance to meet their child’s teacher and the rest of the staff. This will be a casual event, with no real timeline or agenda, just a nice way for us to connect as a community. We will aim to start at 4pm and finish at 6pm. We look forward to seeing you there!
Cross Country Season
We are excited to let you know Southlands will have a cross-country running team again this year. Our practices will be Monday and Thursday mornings at 8am. Our emphasis for cross country is participation, improving personal fitness levels, and having fun. Our practices will be held on Monday and Thursday mornings at 8:00am. Practices are RAIN or SHINE, and they will take place on the trails surrounding the school, so we will need parents to help with supervision. There will be an information meeting for interested students on Tuesday at recess.
This year, there will be a new format for students in kindergarten to grade 3 in the cross country meets. All K-3 students will now run with their peers in the same grade, without differentiating their gender. This change supports the VSB’s Education Plan and our commitment to fostering an inclusive environment for all students.
Safety Patrol
We will be starting the school Safety Patrol up in the next couple weeks. We have several student volunteers in grades 6 and 7. These student leaders will be stationed on Camosun Street helping students cross the road before and after school. We have a training session scheduled for October 1st and we are hoping to launch immediately after the training.
Quotes
We asked some of our community members, “What was the best part of the first two weeks at Southlands?”
Grade 1 student – “Going to our buddieses class to read!”
Kindergarten student – “Drawing and puzzles.”
Grade 7 student (new to our community) – “The people being so welcoming.”
Grade 7 student – “New peeps!”
Mr Edwards (our new grade 7 teacher )– “Being back!” Mr. Edwards attended Southlands Elementary growing up!
On a personal note, I really want to thank you for making my first few weeks here at Southlands so memorable. I have had countless people introduce themselves and welcome me to the community and I am so grateful for that. I am really looking forward to this year and building our community together. Have an amazing weekend!
Thank you,
Craig
Craig Larson (he/him)
Principal
Southlands Elementary School
5351 Camosun St. Vancouver, BC V6N 2C4
e: cmlarson@vsb.bc.ca | p: (604) 713-5414
vsb.bc.ca | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | TikTok | YouTube
With deep gratitude and respect, I am honoured to be learning and unlearning on the ancestral and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam Nation)
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