Important Message For Families Interested in Before and After School Care at FG Leary

September 21, 2020

Happy Monday Morning, Leary Families,

Some of you might be aware that we lost our Before and After School Child Care provider in the last week.  We have been working with the School District to find a new provider and at this time the YMCA is working to set-up at Leary.  Here is an important message from them:

The YMCA is in the process of exploring the opening of a licensed before and after school care programs at FG Leary Elementary. If this is a service you would be interested in, please complete our Expression of Interest Form (click here).  Should you have any questions please email us at ymcakidsclubs@gv.ymca.ca.

Please indicate your interest as soon as possible, so we can see if this service can be viable for our school community.
 

Regards,

Jim Edgcombe                   Devin Atkins
Principal                               Vice Principal

FG Leary Fine Arts Elementary

We are privileged to work, learn, and play on the Stó:lō unceded traditional territory of the Pilalt and Ts’elxwéyeqw tribes.

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Additionally there are Early Dismissals on October 29, February 11, and June 24 

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Healthy Living Opportunity

Generation Health is a FREE 10-week healthy lifestyle program for children and their families. We will be meeting (with safe social distancing protocols in place) once a week as of October 2020 at YMCA Chilliwack. This program covers various topics related to healthy living such as healthy eating, physical activity, goal setting, body image, self-esteem and more! Families who participate in this program will receive a FREE 6-month membership to the YMCA. This program requires prior registration and screening through these details: telephone 1-888-650-3141 or send an e-mail to info@generationhealth.ca.

 

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Update Email - Friday, September 11

September 11, 2020

Happy Friday, Leary Families,

We have a few more important updates and information for you.

First, our classes are now set.  The teacher that your child spent the day with yesterday morning and today will be your child’s teacher this year.  You should hear from them in the near future with important classroom information, how to send in money for school supplies, as well as other important things they might wish you to know about how this year will unfold for your child.

Second, our awesome Leary PAC has collated some questions that they have been hearing from you, and we would like to answer them as best we can.

Here we go:

1. Backpacks?  Yes, starting Monday, September 14.
   1. That being said, please do not allow your child to bring toys or other personal items to school in their backpacks.  Please try to limit it to:
      • Lunch kit/bag
      • Water bottle
      • Clothing items appropriate to weather
      • Items that might be related to their own physical needs
2. Cloak Rooms?  Yes, starting Monday, September 14.
   1. We will be limiting the number of students in/at the cloakroom at one time.
3. Inside Shoes?  Not yet.  But probably soon.  Absolutely before we get to our soggy winter.
   1. We need to figure out and put into place a way to keep them separate, likely individual bins for each child. 
   2. We will let you know as SOON as that is done!
4. Before & After School routines?  Separate Doors are what we will continue to have moving forward for AM drop off and PM pick up.  This is to ensure cohort separation and physical distancing.  These are the same doors your children have been lining up at on Thursday and Friday morning this week.
   1. We really need to promote a “drop and go” model for kids when they get to school in the morning.
   2. We also need your help to have children arrive after supervision starts each morning (8:05).
   3. Please let your child line up when they get here
   4. We really need parents to be physically distant from our morning line-ups
   5. Teachers will continue to pick up and drop off students from the door they’ve been assigned to.
5. Morning play before school?  Sorry, this would lead to cross-cohort interactions, and can’t happen.
   1. We are building a lot of opportunities for students to be outside learning and playing during the school day.
6. Use of the Walking Track? Yes, with some guidelines.
   1. Teachers are going to be using the track significantly as a part of their outside physical activity planning with their students
   2. At this time students will only be using the track during class times.  We do not have enough supervision to open it at recess or lunch due to having staggered recess and lunch.
7. Staggered start and end times? Not at this time. Our health and safety plan does not require this and also allows all of our kids to have a close-to-normal daily schedule. 
8. We have had a few questions from families that use Hotmail for email that are not receiving emails from the school.  This is unfortunately an issue on the Hotmail side.  The Provincial data system (MyEd) that we use for email has sent a ticket in to Hotmail about this, but have not heard back.
   1. One solution might be to get a Gmail, Yahoo or an email address from your Internet Service Provider (Telus/Shaw, etc.) for school correspondence until Hotmail fixes their code.
   2. Please keep us up to date if you make changes to your email address.
   3. You can also check our school website at fgleary.sd33.bca for up to date information.  We post the contents of these emails on our Main Page as we send them!

We hope that helps to answer some of your questions!  Please don’t hesitate to reach out directly.  We are trying to get as much information out as possible as we consider and respond to all of the new things we face this year.

Also:  Don’t forget we are on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  Look for us at @fgleary !

     

We continue to appreciate all of your support as we figure out all of the many, many, many things that we have to do differently at school for a while!

Warm regards, and have a great weekend!

Jim & Devin

Jim Edgcombe                     Devin Atkins
Principal                               Vice Principal

FG Leary Fine Arts Elementary

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Staged Restart - K-12 Options

See PDF Link for live links in the document.

Letter From School Regarding Back to School Procedures & Schedule

Thursday, September 3, 2020

Hello Leary Families,

It is one week today that the kids come back to school! 

Parents, please know how seriously we are taking this restart.  We are also mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, as well as someone’s child.  Your concern for your family is our concern for our family too.  This means that we will not relax as the year progresses. 

Our Health and Safety routines will be followed diligently throughout, to the benefit and safety of all of us in this school community.  Hands will be washed many times per day.  Kids will stay in their learning cohorts throughout the day, including during recess and lunch playtimes. 

One of our biggest goals is to look to emotional health and make school not just a place of learning, but also of healing and joy for our students.  We are really working on our community being a joyful one for our students this year!

Things to note for start-up:

• Parents are required to perform a daily health screener with their children prior to attending school each morning. 
  • Sick kids will have to stay home/go home this year.
  • If your child is showing any symptoms of anything on the Health Screener Checklist while at school, they will be removed from the class and isolated (with adult supervision) until you can be reached to come and pick them up.
    • Students may return to school as soon as all symptoms have ended.
    • If you require support from a health practitioner, you can always reach one by dialing 8-1-1 on cell or landline
  • This protocol is to keep us all safe and healthy; kids, staff, families, and community members
• On Wednesday, September 9, Leary Teachers will be calling the parents of the students that they will personally be working with on Thursday and Friday with details about routines for the first two days, as well as where to drop off in the morning and where to meet at dismissal.
• Thursday, September 10 will be a partial day from 8:20-10:00
  • All students in attendance will go through our Health and Safety orientation first thing that morning.
• Friday, September 11 will be a full school day from 8:20-2:20
  • Students will need a lunch that day.
• We are hopeful to have kids in their permanent class assignment and learning cohort by Friday, but this is always dependent on numbers at each school before we get permission from the School District to set our classes.  As you can imagine, this year will likely be more complex than others!
  • Due to the cohort learning group model, we will not be able to accept any teacher requests, or changes in classroom assignment that we did not receive in the Spring of last school year.
• Kindergarten students will not attend next week, other than as laid out in the interview times sent out earlier this week.
• Only staff and students will be able to enter the school without an appointment this year.  All other adults (parents/community members) can set up appointments with various staff via phone (604-792-1281) or email, as needed.
• Students only need to bring a lunch with them each day, in addition to appropriate clothing for the weather.
  • Please do not send a back pack or inside shoes at this time.
  • We will be seeing kids outside for outdoor learning opportunities significantly more this year, so weather-appropriate clothing is very important.
• School supplies will be purchased through your child’s teacher again this year.  Cost this year per pupil will be $35 from Kindergarten through Grade 5.  Please wait until you hear from your child’s assigned teacher in the second week of school before you send these funds in.

Most importantly, please communicate with us any time you feel the need and are looking for info or support.  We are now on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter (@fgleary), and want to keep you as informed as possible as this year progresses.  You will continue to get a weekly update email each Thursday to keep you in the loop about upcoming events, new information, and things to note from our amazing Leary PAC. 

If you ever have any questions about any of the info you receive, please don’t hesitate to contact the school at either fgleary@sd33.bc.ca, or at either of the Principal/Vice Principal email addresses below.  Additionally, you can contact us by phone at (604) 792-1281. 

• Please ensure your contact information is up to date with the school, as we will need that to ensure you get all of the important information you need.

Stay tuned for info.  We’ll get you what we have pretty much as soon as we have it. 

Until then, we can’t wait to see your kiddos next Thursday!

Jim & Devin

Jim Edgcombe                   Devin Atkins
Principal                               Vice Principal

FG Leary Fine Arts Elementary

Ph: 604.792.1281
Jim_edgcombe@sd33.bc.ca devin_atkins@sd33.bc.ca

     

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Letter From School Regarding School Start Up

August 26, 2020

Welcome Back, Leary Families!

The FG Leary Fine Arts Elementary staff are so excited to be welcoming students back into the building on Sept. 10^th, for the 2020-21 school year.

We know that you have been eagerly awaiting news regarding how school is going to be organized and structured.  We also appreciate your patience and understanding as the district took some time to ensure that we have strong Health and Safety Protocols in place for students and staff.  These District Protocols have been created based upon the Provincial COVID-19 Health and Safety Guidelines for K-12 Settings.

For Leary students and parents, we have created a one-page document that outlines our COVID-19 School Restart Plan.  Here you will find important information regarding: cohorts/learning groups, health and safety training plans for students and staff, recess/lunch time structures, entrance/exit protocol, mask usage, busing, before/after school protocols, library/book exchange as well as helpful links.

Here is what you can expect our first week back:

Wednesday Sept. 9^th

You will receive a phone call or email from the teacher of the Learning Group / Cohort that your student has been assigned to for the first week.  This phone call/email will detail what items your student needs to bring with them the first two days as well as where they will enter and exit the school.

Thursday Sept. 10^th (8:15-10:00 AM)

Students will gather at the door of the school you will be told of in your contact from the classroom teacher between 8:00 and 8:15 AM.  Students will be dismissed at 10:00 that day.  Please do not bring or drop of your child prior to 8:00 when supervision begins.  They must go directly to their assigned spot to limit mixing out of their learning cohorts.  The same is in place for the end of the day.  We can best ensure a safe school environment by limiting out-of-cohort mixing as much as possible.

All students will spend time that morning learning the expected health and safety routines, as well as some of the things they will be learning in their new grade, and classroom expectations, etc.

Friday Sept. 11^th (regular day of instruction)

Friday will be a full day of instruction, from 8:15-2:20.  Students will need to bring a lunch and a water bottle.  Students need to meet and will be dismissed at the same place as on Thursday at start and end of day. 

We anticipate that after the first week of school we will be able to solidify learning cohorts for the remainder of the school year.

Parents, we are asking that you spend some time going over the Daily Health Check Screening Tool.  Collectively to stop the spread of COVID-19, we need to understand the signs and symptoms.  It is extremely important that when your child is not feeling their best, that they remain home.

Our commitment this year is to provide in-the-moment information to Leary families as much as is possible.  We have added social media platforms (Twitter/Facebook/Instagram) to our weekly school-wide emails and website to help keep you informed.  Please check us out on those platforms as we get them up and running (details to follow!).

As we enter into this school year we know that we are going to need to be flexible and ensure that our lines of communication are open.  If you have questions about our plan, please reach out and connect over the phone, by email or book a time to meet in person at the school.

Warm regards,

Jim Edgcombe                   Devin Atkins

Principal                              Vice Principal

FG Leary Fine Arts Elementary

Complete Document as below with live links can be viewed here, or click the Re-start Plan image:  LINK

Message from Interim Superintendent Arul-pragasm

School Start-up Letter August 2020

 

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May 30, 2020   Your Top 6 Questions Answered about Expanding In-Class Instruction We know that you might have a lot of questions about transitioning to Stage 3 of B.C's K-12 Education Restart Plan. With that in mind, we've put together the answers to the six most frequently asked questions we've received from educators to date about Monday’s gradual return to in-class instruction. If you're curious about the rationale behind Government's decision to expand in-class instruction, we invite you to read Friday's edition of Learn before you go through the questions and answers below. We also invite you to watch this video message from Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry to educators and school staff thanking them for their ongoing efforts to flatten the COVID-19 curve.   Will there be non-medical masks available for students and staff? Will students and staff be encouraged to wear masks? Based on advice from the Provincial Health Officer, the use of non-medical masks isn't needed in a school environment. For this reason, students and staff won't be required to wear one. That being said, wearing a non-medical mask is a personal choice. If you or some of your students feel more at ease by wearing one at school, this decision will be respected. Personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks and gloves, will still be available for staff who are using it as part of regular precautions based on the hazards of their regular work duties.   How will teachers be supported to ensure a balanced workload? Have teachers been consulted? School districts have developed return-to-school instruction plans in order to move to Stage 3 on June 1. As part of these plans, school districts are outlining the work they've done in collaboration with their local union to determine classroom schedules and approaches. The goal is to balance workloads for teachers to ensure there is appropriate time for teaching in-class and supporting students learning at home. How many students will be allowed in a school at a time? School density targets have been established to ensure the number of students in a school at any one time is safe and manageable. These targets have been reviewed by the Office of the Provincial Health Officer and align with public health and safety protocols established by BC Centre for Disease Control. Please see B.C.’s K-12 Education Restart Plan for the school density targets at each grade level.  How will students and teachers practice physical distancing while at school? The BCCDC public health guidelines for K-12 school settings recognize that physical distancing can be challenging in a school setting and offer several different methods for teachers and school staff to consider. See pages 6 and 7 of COVID-19 Public Health Guidance for K-12 School Setting for more information. As children are at low risk of COVID-19 infection, the focus should be more on minimizing direct physical contact rather than keeping young children 2 metres apart. Check with your school principal if you'd like to learn more about the specific approach in your school. Will teachers continue to prepare a report card for June? Yes, teachers will continue to prepare report cards for their students for June. The Student Reporting Policy provides significant flexibility for schools regarding the content and format of report cards. Teachers also have the professional autonomy to decide how grades are best determined for their students using both pre- and post-spring break learning. Since many students may not have easy access to specific learning resources aligned to the curriculum, summative assessment should focus on the development of competencies and key literacy and numeracy skills, rather than mastery of specific content. Does the Provincial Health Officer's 50-person maximum rule apply to schools? The Provincial Health Officer's order is intended to prevent large groups of people from gathering in close quarters with one another. In the context of schools, it's safe for more than 50 students and staff to be in a school at any given time if they aren't all in one area and are practicing physical distancing. As such, large assemblies of staff and students in schools won't be held.

Update about Returning to School in June

Thursday, May 28, 2020

Hello Leary Families,

Here we are heading into June!  We are hoping that you all continue to be in good health.  As we head into face-to-face instruction next week, we need to let you know about a few things if your child is returning to school.

Start and End of Day

• We really need parents to follow a couple of important routines as they drop of and pick up their children each day.  If you are able to help us by following these, it is really appreciated.
  • Please bring your child to school and pick them up each day as close to start time as possible, if possible
  • Please meet at your assigned door as close to the bell time as possible
  • Please meet your child at the end of the day as close to the bell as possible to allow for appropriate social distancing; our entry/exit doors are a bit of a choke point…
• There will be directions to the appropriate doors for your children around the grounds on Monday and Wednesday morning
• Students who are late must come to the front door and will be met by a staff member who will help them through our entry procedures and get them to their class
  • Please remember no parents or other community members are allowed in the building during Phase 3

Things to Bring, or not…

• Given the program we will be working on with your children, they will not need to bring as much with them each day. 
  • Please send your child with the following each day: 
    • Lunch, refillable water bottle, appropriate clothing for the day, and perhaps sunscreen and hat on a sunny day
  • Please do not send the following each day:
    • Backpack, inside shoes, any toys or things from home (they’ll have to be confiscated for the day)

Things to Bring Back!

• Please bring back any library books, or other supplies your child’s teacher may have sent home at the start of the lockdown.
  • Please hang on to any technology that we have sent home for now.  There will be an email sent out about when and how to return that!
• If your child is NOT coming back for face-to-face instruction in June, you can return their supplies or library books to our greeter at the front door between 8:30 and 9:30 starting on Monday, June 8
  • If you still need to pick up any of your child’s supplies or belongings from the school, please contact your child’s teacher to arrange this

Childcare Spaces

• Parents who have requested essential services childcare spaces (as laid out in previous emails) will receive an email tomorrow with details for what to do on Monday.  At this time, we are able to accept all students who have requested childcare thus far into the program.

Wishing you a happy and healthy last days of May!

Warm regards,

Jim Edgcombe                   Devin Atkins
Principal                               Vice Principal

FG Leary Fine Arts Elementary

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May 21, 2020

Good Afternoon, Leary Families

We are hoping that you are well as this move to the next phase of Covid-19 response.  You received an email from the School District earlier this week with a general statement about some of the things that will occur in relation to increased face-to-face instruction beginning on Monday, June 1^st.  The following email will give you some specifics about how that will occur at Leary Fine Arts.

As you are aware from the previous email, the return to school in June is an absolutely optional decision for parents to make for their children.  To help you better make that decision, here is how some of that is going to look:

Class Assignments:

• We are not allowed to have more than 50% of our entire student population in the school at one time. 
  • Classes are being split in half to allow for this.
• Each student will be assigned two days per week that they can attend school
• Classes are being split to allow siblings to attend on the same to days to help families
• Leary students will be assigned to either Monday/Tuesday or Wednesday/Thursday
• Friday will be a remote learning day for all students; families will still receive a weekly agenda of suggested activities from their child’s teacher for the following week each Friday
• You will receive an email from your child’s teacher early next week to inform you of the 2 days your child is being assigned to attend

There will be no personal requests for specific days possible due to the complexity already involved in setting this up.

School Routines:

• Only students and staff will be allowed in the building
• Parents may contact the school virtually, by phone, or by email, but may not enter the building
• Every staff member and child will diligently practice Hand Hygiene; this means they will wash their hands frequently during the day (e.g. each time they enter and leave their classroom, during activity transitions., before and after eating, etc.)
• You may have heard the social distancing will look different at school:
  • Social distancing will be somewhat relaxed for K-5 students, as recommended by the Provincial Health Officer, but students may not at any time touch each other
  • Each classroom and area of the school will be set up to promote this with visual cues, assigned seating, as well as regular teaching, practice, and reminders about the expectations
  • Adults/Staff will still fully respect existing Social Distancing guidelines (2 metres) from each other
• Students and staff may, at their discretion, wear personal masks while at school
• Students and Staff will also learn and practice Respiratory Hygiene; what to do if you have to cough or sneeze.
• Parents must do a daily assessment of their child’s health for symptoms of common cold, influenza, COVID-19, or other respiratory disease prior to entering the school
  • Students and staff who present with any of those symptoms at school will be isolated and sent home, including children of essential service workers
  • If a student or staff member is assessed by their family physician or nurse practitioner and it is determined they do not have COVID-19, they may return to school once symptoms resolve
• Recess and lunch will also be staggered so as to only have four classes of children outside at any time during unstructured playtime

Cleaning

• The District is following what are called enhanced cleaning measures that do a deep clean of every room used in the school each evening and more regular surface cleans during the school day
• Areas like washrooms will be cleaned more frequently, and will have staff to monitor, sign students in and out, etc. to ensure safety of all members of the school community
• Any shared equipment (e.g. balls, sports equipment, sand toys) will be cleaned as they are used, and student Hand Hygiene procedures will help to ensure these stay safe as well

Priority For 5 Day Childcare Placements

For June, 2020

Due to limited space and staffing, as well as the need to meet health and safety guidelines for Covid-19 for students and staff, we will be prioritizing placements for our in-school childcare in the following way:

Tier 1 (Highest Priority): School-aged Leary Fine Arts students whose parents are employed in Health and Health Services, Law Enforcement, First Responders, Emergency Response, Social Services Workers, Teachers and other SD33 School-based Staff

Tier 2 (Second Priority): School-aged Leary Fine Arts students with identified Special Needs; and, school-aged students who are deemed vulnerable due to factors out with their control (e.g. social-emotional, socio-economic, others)

Tier 3 (Third Priority):  School-aged Leary Fine Arts students whose parents are employed in all other occupations not included in Tier 1 that are listed in the Essential Services Workers List (LINK)

Please note that we will be supporting Tier 1 starting June 1^st.  We will add in additional Tiers (on a full or part time basis) as we determine space availability after June 3^rd. 

Additionally, childcare at the school will run the hours of the regular school day; parents will be responsible for securing before and after school care. 

Moving Forward

That was a lot of information, but hopefully it helps you to be well informed about how we are going to restart our school, and what it will look like. 

Again, expect to hear from your child’s teacher early next week with information about which days your child is assigned to, as well as which door and time your child will enter the building on their assigned days, and which order they will enter the building in.

Thanks for your support as we figure things out.  We fully expect that some things may need to be tweaked or changed as we identify other things that need to be addressed, and as Chilliwack specific procedures are further developed.

Regards,

Jim Edgcombe                   Devin Atkins
Principal                              Vice Principal

FG Leary Fine Arts Elementary

 

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Click the image NOW to see!!

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It's Fred! A Reminder About Zones of Regulation...

(more tools below)

Check back soon for Fred's next message!

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More Zones of Regulation Resources for Home HERE!

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Click the image to get to our online resource page.  We hope you find it useful!

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Chilliwack School District COVID-19 Responses

The School District Office is Closed to Public Walk-ins As a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and to support the safety of the public and our employees, the Chilliwack School District Office is temporarily closed to public walk-ins. To make an appointment please call 604-792-1321 between 8:00am and 3:30pm Monday to Friday (the office is closed 12-12:30 for lunch).

Closures SCHOOLS: To prevent the spread of COVID-19, and to support the safety of students, public and our employees, schools are closed to most students at this time (some students may be scheduled to attend school for short periods of time).  PLAY STRUCTURES: Play structures are closed to the public until further notice to stop the spread of COVID-19 and keep our          community safe.

Questions and Updates Visit our Updates page for all COVID-19 resources and communications from the Chilliwack School District, Ministry of Education, and Public Health.

 

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Email Sent to ALL Leary Families on April 16, 2020

Good Thursday Afternoon, Leary Families!

We are hoping that you all continue to be in good health, and that you are slowly feeling more comfortable with this new way of learning.  Thanks to all of you we are hearing that BC is quickly flattening the curve! 

Life will continue as it has been this week, and you should receive your weekly Learning Activities for next week by end of day tomorrow.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or Miss Atkins if you need any assistance at all.  We are getting pretty good with tech help, and can also help you to find answers to other questions you may have.

We have been having Fred the Lion show up every second day or so on our school website, with a message of encouragement for your children.  You can find him at the top here:  fgleary.sd33.bc.ca

Wishing you a sunny and restful weekend, and really hoping that we can all beat this thing soon so we can see each other again in the school!

Warm regards,

Jim Edgcombe                   Devin Atkins
Principal                               Vice Principal

FG Leary Fine Arts Elementary

Ph: 604.792.1281
Jim_edgcombe@sd33.bc.ca; devin_atkins@sd33.bc.ca

 

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ONLINE CALENDAR LIVE!

Weblink

This link can be opened on any browser as a webpage: FG Leary Calendar

Add Web Calendar to Mobile Devices

Apple: Settings à Passwords & Accounts à Add Account à Other à (Calendars) Add Subscribed Calendar

Paste this address: https://mail.sd33.bc.ca/owa/calendar/3cd564792e5a4117bb903e550130ef3a@sd33.bc.ca/2f856d923b80404dbc6eced0621e68628928254505182466273/calendar.ics

Android: On a Desktop or Laptop open your Gmail account and select Calendar.

On the left hand side select the “+” beside Other Calendars, Select à From URL

Paste this link https://mail.sd33.bc.ca/owa/calendar/3cd564792e5a4117bb903e550130ef3a@sd33.bc.ca/2f856d923b80404dbc6eced0621e68628928254505182466273/calendar.ics

Select à Add Calendar

Go into your device's Calendar app, in the settings make sure your Google account is checked, then select 'Sync Now'.

You may need to select the Google account calendar, then under "Other calendars" check the subscribed calendars the Android device is to sync with (by default, the "Other calendars" may not be checked).

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Parents, 

In order to help you receive the communications we will sometimes send home on Take Home Thursdays, we are going to try colour coding what comes home, so you can spot the various forms and newsletters that often come home.  Nothing worse than getting a non-descript permission form the day of a Field Trip!  Hope this helps.

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