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Happy Weekend, ESR Families​!

Wow, what a busy week! Thank you so much to our PAC and parent volunteers for doing our hot lunch and popcorn yesterday! Thank you also to everyone who supported our Young Entrepreneur Fair. Despite the rain, the event was very successful. Thanks to all who helped set up and put away tables - we are grateful for your support!

​Thank you to Jamie Hayes for organizing our Panago Pizza Fundraiser! On May 14th and 15th, $2.00 from every pizza sold at the Mission Panago location will be donated to ES Richards Arts Based Curriculum School! This is valid on medium and large pizzas. Guess where I'm ordering from on the 14th or 15th? Pizza, anyone? (The website is not cooperating for me this morning, so I'll try to upload it again on Monday - in the meantime,  please check it out here:)

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​On Monday and Friday next week, Follow That Rabbit characters are invited to wear their costumes to school. Students can expect to see Alice, the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter, March hare, card soldiers, a mock turtle, colourful birds, queens, a cook, a duchess, a caterpillar, and more around the school on those days and each Friday while we present, "Follow That Rabiit - the Radio Show" to our school. Curiouser and curiouser!

It's that time of year again where we begin to think about the Grade 6 year-end slide show! For those who are new to our school, on the last day students enjoy a slide show of all Grade 6 students, as babies and as we know them now. This is a favourite for all students, and we would ask that you send a baby photo of your Grade 6 child to Mrs. Zimmerman at karina.zimmerman@mpsd.ca by May 31st so that she can begin working on the powerpoint. 

Students are busy working on their Genius Hour projects, and while we are unable to host families this year there is a buzz of excitement in the school and I'm learning a lot about some topics I've never even considered before! ​

Stay tuned for more information about events and activities as we move toward the end of a very strange school year. And as always, we thank families for your continued support. 

* A reminder* Please remember to pay for the Triumph Acrobatics in-house field study through cash online if you have not already done so. We are hoping that you will have a moment over the next week to make sure that items have been paid to date. Some accounts have fees outstanding for planners, in-house field studies, arts programming fees, etc. We will be sending outstanding fee notices home soon. As always, please contact me privately if there is some difficulty in paying fees.

Finally, please remember:

**Adults are not permitted in the building without an appointment, which must be scheduled through the office. Guests must hand sanitize, sign in, and will not be admitted without masks. 

**Also, please remember that social distancing is still in effect. As the weather warms, children naturally want to play in the playground after school and parents like to catch up with each other. You may remember that when we provided our COVID plan for school, families/caregivers were asked to pick up their children and take them home to avoid the risk of transmitting the virus. There have been some concerns raised about students and families gathering on the playground after school, so I would ask that you help us stick to current protocols as much as possible. If we work together, we will see the end sooner! I am so looking forward to seeing students and families together on the playground, and inviting parents into the building once again :)

Have a great weekend, and enjoy this wonderful weather! 
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 Upcoming Dates/Week at a Glance

May

10 It's Monday - wear your Spirit Wear!

      Follow That Rabbit characters wear costumes

11 Triumph Circus Arts​

12

13 Triumph Circus Arts

    Indigenous Drumming - Grade 5/6

14 Follow That Rabbit characters wear costumes

Remember that you can subscribe to our school calendar which can help keep you up to date on events and activities. You can find the calendar on the main page of our school website. 

Weather-appropriate clothing. Please ensure your children come to school with warm, waterproof clothing. We want to be outside as often as we can, and many students (mostly intermediate) come to school with hoodies and no jackets. Temperatures are expected to drop over the next week and we want students comfortable outside. Students are outside for a full thirty minutes during the staggered lunchtimes, which is long enough to become very chilled. Please also ensure that your children have indoor shoes at school.

Please see the letter from Fraser Health regarding Grade 6 and 9 immunizations. Access it here:

Fraser Health School Letter Gr 6 9 immunizations Nov 2020 copy.pdf

 If  you have not yet paid for your child's planner or the arts programming fee, please do so at your earliest convenience. Thank you for helping us clear those balances, and you can pay both through school cash online. We will be sending home invoices in the next few weeks to families who have balances showing on their childrens' accounts. Thank you for your continued support.

Have a wonderful weekend!

**Important reminder - At this time, adults are not permitted in the school without an appointment, and must wear masks! If you wish to meet with your child's teacher, please contact me to book a time. 

*** You may be aware that the health indicators for sending your children to school have been adjusted and some symptoms on their own are no longer considered reasons to keep your child home.  A student can come to school with a runny nose or headache, or sore throat, or fatigue, since none of those on their own indicates a cold, flu, or other illness. However, a combination of those symptoms ie. runny nose, sore throat, and headache, would indicate something more and children should not come to school, and yellow or green nasal discharge (yuck) means your child should be at home. I would also ask that you keep them home if they have a fever! Please help us keep our school safe and healthy for everyone here, including those in attendance who are immune compromised. Thank you for your continued support. 

Also on that note, we have several students in our school who are severely allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. ESR is a nut-free zone and we appreciate your support and cooperation in saving snacks and foods that contain those items for after school. If you child eats peanut butter or other nut foods before school, please make sure their hands and faces are washed and free of traces of nuts. Some classrooms have students who are allergic to other substances and parents are asked to consider classroom allergies when sending lunches and snacks to school. In that case, you will receive a letter from the classroom teachers to let you know which food sensitivities may be an issue in your child's class. 

Absences

If your son/daughter will be away, please call and let Miss Amy know 604-826-2834 or email her at amy.masuch@mpsd.ca

Afternoon Pickup

Please arrange play dates and pickup location with your child before school. End of day is a very busy time in the office - it may not be possible to get pickup messages to all students, so please make sure your child knows in advance where to meet you at the end of the day.

Criminal Record Checks are now done online.

Please go to the Parents (Tob Tab) & Volunteer Forms (Side Tab) to complete your Criminal Record Check (CRC remain effective for 5 years and there is no cost associated with the check).

PAC News

We are very grateful for our dedicated PAC here at ESR for all the hard work they do to benefit students. There are many ways you can become involved. If you are able to assist the PAC in any way - hot lunch, fundraising, etc., please contact them via email at esrichardspac@gmail.com   If you have questions regarding any fundraisers, events, etc. that are sponsored by PAC please email them directly for a quicker response.

You can also check out the  latest PAC news and events at  https://www.facebook.com/groups/630266870328153/  

General Information
Homestay Families Wanted 

Mission Public Schools International Program is accepting applications for nurturing homestay families who want to provide a caring home for our elementary age students. Please clink the link below to apply online or you can emil kim.hunter@mpsd.caif you have any questions. 

http://www.studyinmission.ca/become-a-host-family.