August 28, 2024

Dear Parents/Caregivers:

We are excited to welcome our families back for the 2024/2025 school year next week! We hope you had a wonderful summer spending some quality time relaxing or on adventures.

Please, continue to access our Diefenbaker School website for information updates and calendar items at https://diefenbaker.sd38.bc.ca/

I am writing with important information about next week's school start-up.

Seismic update

As many of you have heard or seen on the news at the end of July, our school is now due for seismic replacement. We will no longer be upgrading our building but replacing it.  A separate email will be sent to you tomorrow with more details about this future project.

 

Diefenbaker Staffing Update

Warm welcome to our new staff members:

Mme Bourne –                 Grade 7 LFI

Mme Yick -                       Grade 7 LFI

Ms. Ngan -                       Grade 3/4

Ms. Hedges -                   Resource and Primary class Relief

Shay Lucovic -                 Resource (until Ms. Wong returns on June 1st, 2025)

 

Mrs. Carrigan will be teaching resource.

Mrs. Hikida will be teaching library.

 

Our first day of school is Tuesday, September 3rd, 2024.  The schedule for that day is as follows:

 

9 – 10 am:  ALL students in Grade 1 – 7 (returning and new) attend

 

• Returning students should proceed to their classroom from last year using the exterior doors. 

 

• New students/families will meet with Ms. Vosahlo, Mme Stevenson and Mrs. Hikida in the Library.  Please, enter the school through Door #2 on the Garden side by the Main Office.  Meet your child at 10 am at the front of the school.

 

• All Grade 6 LFI students will enter through outside Doors #20 and #21 by the school playground; Mme Lupini and M. Martyniuk will greet you and lead the students to their classrooms.

 

• All Grade 7  LFI students will enter through outside Doors #13 and #14; Mme Bourne and Mme Yick will greet you at these doors and lead you to your classrooms.

 

Division 6 Mrs. Peco’s class – students will meet in their last year’s classroom at outside door #15.  Ms. Lucovic will walk the class to classroom 109 where the students will learn until Friday morning.  Please, pick up your children at outside door #12 by the gardens.

 

Division 7 Mrs. Anderson’s class – students will meet in their last year’s classroom at outside door #18.  Mrs. Anderson will walk the class to her classroom 107 where the students will learn until Friday morning.  Please, pick up your children at outside door #10 by the gardens.

 

Division 8 Mrs. Hikida’s class – students will meet in their last year’s classroom at outside door #10.  Ms. Ngan will walk the class to her classroom 115 where the students will learn until Friday morning.  Please, pick up your children at outside door #18 by the playground.

 

Division 11 Ms. Aguilar’s class - students will meet in their last year’s classroom at outside door #6.  Ms. Peco will walk the class to her classroom 112 where the students will learn until Friday morning.  Please, pick up your children at outside door #15 by the hockey court and playground.

 

Thank you.

 

 1 – 1:45 pm: ALL Kindergarten students attend

• New Kindergarten students will be greeted at Door #3 by the Main Office to meet our Kindergarten teachers and Support Staff.

 

New Kindergarten parents and caregivers will meet in the library for welcome chat with our school administrators, Ms. Vosahlo (Principal) and Mme Stevenson (Vice-principal).

 

Please, follow the Gradual Entry Schedule for your Kindergarten child until September 11^th.

 

Visitor access to our building will be limited to Door 2 (main office door on the Garden side) and all visitors must sign in at the office.  

 

Parking Guidelines:

• The school parking lot is reserved for staff; please use the drop off lane for student drop off, or park in the neighbourhood streets and walk to school. 

 

Timetable: (Please, note the new recess and lunch times)

Regular school hours (8:45 am – 2:45 pm) will begin on Wednesday, September 4^th.

New Recess time is from 10:45 – 11 am

New Lunch time is from 12:05 pm – 12:57 pm (eat from 12:05-12:20, play from 12:25 – 12:55) 

 

The September calendar, updated staff list and Bulldog Bulletin will be emailed to you on Friday, September 6^th.

Please, access the school website at Diefenbaker.sd38.bc.ca at your convenience and of course, feel free to contact us at the school if you have any questions.   We very much look forward to seeing everyone next week! 

Kind regards,

 

Ms. Regina Vosahlo                     Mme Sol Stevenson

Principal                                                 Vice-Principal