November 8, 2024

Dear Families,

Lest we forget, we held a Remembrance Day ceremony today. Our students recited In Flanders Fields and paid respect to those who have served with expressions in art and music.

• Our early dismissal is on Thursday, Nov. 21st. Home time is at 11:40 and buses will run at this time. Our teachers are reaching out to let families know informal and shared learning times. 
• Action Item: Student Information Contacts are now published to MyEd BC family portal, please login to the portal and check for correct phone numbers, addresses, and pick up people using this link: https://www.myeducation.gov.bc.ca/aspen/. Please let us know of any changes by emailing us at ashea@sd62.bc.ca. These changes will be made until November 22nd, 2024.
• When your Black Bear is going to be late, away, or if you need to pick up your child early, please email us at poirierattendance@sd62.bc.ca. You can include the classroom teacher as well. Please do not use this email for any other communication. Thank you.
• Don’t forget to download our app using this QR code. Ms. Shea will keep the calendar updated on the app. You also get engaging information like this!

Information from our PAC:

• Get those orders in on Munch A Lunch before the deadline!  The menu will be live on Tuesday, Nov 5, 2024. 

New parents/guardians can quickly sign up for Munch a Lunch here 

https://munchalunch.com/register to create an account. 

Returning parents/guardians, your login awaits you here 

https://munchalunch.com/login

• • A message from Wild Wise Society:
    • We are hearing an increase in Bear activity over the past few weeks in neighbourhoods surrounding the school. When fall arrives, black bears enter hyperphagia—a phase where they eat nonstop to build up the fat they need to survive winter hibernation. During this time, bears are foraging for nutrient-rich foods like berries, nuts, and fish to prepare for the months ahead. During this time bears typically consume around 26,000 calories per day – that’s the equivalent of around 76 cheeseburgers.Bears are opportunists and scavengers with a sense of smell two thousand times stronger than a human, they will take advantage of easy and readily available food sources like unsecured garbage and accessible unpicked fruit!
    • Securing our attractants is the best way to avoid habituating wildlife – please refrain from putting garbage out until the morning of pick up, consider investing in a bear resistant bin, keep your garbage bin inside a garage or other secured space. It’s important to secure our attractants at all times and not exclusively when sightings are posted.
    • Please also remember that bird feeders are attractants, we suggest bringing them indoors at night or when you’re not home. Avoid feeding pets outside and clean your BBQ after every use.
    • With children walking to and from school in combination with our daylight hours growing shorter, it is vital that attractants are secured to ensure bears are motivated to hibernate with the lack of natural food availability. When bears have consistent access to non-natural foods like garbage, they will often avoid hibernation as it disrupts their natural cycles.
    • Consistent access to attractants leads to escalations in behaviours which can lead to risks to public safety and ultimately cost bears their lives. It is not fair for an animal to lose its life due to the human convenience of storing our garbage outside. Please do your part to prevent this outcome from being an option…

• If you see a bear posing a threat to public safety, please contact the conservation service at 1-877-952-7277. 

Attached to our Weekly:

• Walking School Bus Information
• Santa Breakfast Dec. 7th
• Lions Winter Clothing Drive

Dates Ahead:

November 11, Monday Remembrance Day -No School

November 19-21 Book Fair

November 21, Thursday Early Dismissal for Shared Learning Dismissal 11:40

November 22, Friday Professional Development Day -No School

December 20, Friday Last day before winter break

Thank you to our Canadian Military past and present. We appreciate you.

From Everyone at Poirier.

Have a very nice weekend. 

Tess Vally and Grania Bridal

Nov. 1, 2024

Dear Black Bear Families

Happy Diwali to our community! For Halloween this year, our Black Bears put together an impressive gallery of Jack o Lanterns. Their costumes were a showcase of ghoulish and comic creativity too; they paraded to Journey to show them off to our middle school neighbours who thought they were adorable, of course.

Our days are getting shorter and finding ways to bring light and warmth into our lives is a way to enjoy it. Diwali, the festival of lights, does this, and so does a cozy fire with family. On that note, Remember clocks fall back on November 3rd so you all get an extra hour’s sleep and brighter mornings for a bit. 

• • Action Item: Student Information Contacts are now published to MyEd BC family portal, please login to the portal and check for correct phone numbers, addresses, and pick up people using this ink: https://www.myeducation.gov.bc.ca/aspen/. This email came to you earlier today. Please let us know of any changes by emailing us at ashea@sd62.bc.ca. Changes and updates will be made over the next few weeks. These changes will be made until November 22nd, 2024.

• Safety Reminder: When our school staff does not recognize someone picking up a student we may ask for ID. If the person is not on the contact pick up list we will need to contact family before releasing our student.

• Lost and Found is going to be donated next Friday, November 8th. It is overflowing and spilling onto the floor. Please come and look if you are missing something.
• Preparing and dressing for the weather: A reminder to send in a change of clothes for your student. Our Kindergartens to Grade 5s have slips and spills and a change of clothes here makes for a quick fix and on with the day. Thank you. Remember we go outside in all weather so please send your child prepared for the day with outside time. Thank you 
• The Poirier Choir is pleased to be presenting a song at our Remembrance Day assembly on Friday, November 8th at 10:45. We are asking all choir members to please wear black or dark coloured clothing on Friday, and each student will be given a red choir scarf to wear, along with their poppy. Poirier families are welcome to attend. If your child is in choir, please check the “CHOIR” group in the Poirier App. We update families on choir happenings using the app, and will have some news to share soon about a singing opportunity in the community in December.  – Mme Arts and Mrs. Murphy
• QR code to download our app:

• Community Groups and Events of Interest to Our Families:

Do you have a child with autism or who is neurodivergent? The Sooke Autism Support Society is a grassroots community based group who is there for you and your family. For example they offer programs like this one: “ SASS SIBKIDS SIBSHOPS – Monday, November 4 at 3:30 pm @ The Sooke Regional Library This is an amazing program for siblings of those with special needs – Advanced Registration is required. For more information visit our website at www.sooke-sass.com and click on the link for Sibshops Registration.” Check SASS out on facebook too.

Attached:

• 6 Conversations To Have With Your Preteen -Zoom information presentation on Nov. 18th

Information From PAC

The “Created By Kids” art fundraiser is back.  For new parents to our community, each student is given a card on which to design their own artwork.  When the card is sent home, you can then go online and view a catalogue of products on which you can have your child’s artwork printed.  All orders are done online and then those who have ordered something must return the cards to school filled out, to be sent to the company for printing.  Cards will be returned with the ordered item.  The PAC then receives a percentage of all sales to use toward equipment and events for our school.  Cards should be coming home around November 8th, and need to be returned to the school no later than November 18th.

Scholastic Book fair is happening November 19th to 21st! We will have lunch time sales on the 19th and 20th for children to shop, who are allowed to bring money to school, and after school for an hour if parents would like to come with their children or come and shop.  For our little ones who are too young to count money, it would be helpful if parents helped them count it ahead of time and put the amount on a piece of tape or a note with their money, so we can better help them understand what they have enough money for. November 21st is early dismissal, shared learning and teacher conference day, we will be open for sales at 11:40am dismissal time and throughout portions of the day for parents who may wish to come and shop for their children.  

Dates Ahead:

November 5, Tuesday PAC Meeting 7pm

November 8, Friday Remembrance Day Ceremony

November 11, Monday Remembrance Day -No School

November 19-21 Book Fair

November 21, Thursday Early Dismissal for Shared Learning Dismissal 11:40

November 22, Friday Professional Development Day -No School

December 20, Friday Last day before winter break

Have a restful weekend.

Tess Vally and Grania Bridal