QE: Our School

Welcome to a new and exciting year at Queen Elizabeth Community School. As new principal of Queen Elizabeth, I am impressed with the sense of community and team work in this richly diverse community.

Our students have settled into their new classrooms with their new teachers and are already underway learning and adjusting to routines, making new friends, and reconnecting with old friends. The staff have been very busy preparing for another successful and enjoyable year.

We have experienced many changes since June. The most obvious change is that we are growing! As of this date, we have 301 students registered, a growth of 15 students. Three Full Day Kindergarten classes and one Half Kindergarten class in the morning signal a growing and vibrant community.

While we said difficult goodbyes to some very talented and extraordinary staff members in June, we welcome new and equally talented staff members this September.

We would like to welcome the following classroom teachers: Mrs. Yee (Gr.1/2), Mrs. Leslie (Gr.2), Mrs. Wyness (Gr. 3/4), Mrs. Rowe and Mrs. Birks (K) and Miss Thompson (K), We also have two new resource teachers, Mr. Carter and Miss Cowan. Two new support staff have also joined our team of SEAs, Mrs. Roy and Mrs. Hoce. We also welcome, Maniya Rafiei our Settlement Worker, and our Noon Hour Supervisors, Miss Ducholke, and Mrs. Reimer.

Thank you to everyone, staff, volunteers, and parents, who made the Welcome Back BBQ a resounding success, despite the rain. I was struck by the willingness of everyone to help bring in equipment and furniture once the rain began. I was also impressed with how community partners contributed to the success of this event. Thanks to the Community Centre, NWSS Leadership students and the Knights of Columbus for their donations of food and time.

QE is lucky to have partnerships with the Community Centre, Strong Start and New Westminster Children’s After School Society. These relationships make a significant contribution to our school culture and sense of community. We thank them for their support and their willingness to make accommodations as we continue to grow.

It is a privilege to be the Principal of Queen Elizabeth. I look forward to working with an inspiring and stellar staff, and I am eager to get to know you and your children. Thank you for placing your children in our care and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

This is a friendly reminder to all visitors, including parents, to sign in at the office when on the school property. Please use our main entrance on Salter Street where the office is located. Please identify yourself to our secretary, Ms. Nagy, sign in, and take a visitor’s badge.

This will help us to ensure that all adults on the property are legitimate and keep our children safe. It also helps us protect our visitors in the unlikely event of an emergency.

For those visitors delivering lunches to students, we kindly ask that you do not go to the classroom or portables to do this. Please deliver all lunches to the office. Mrs. Nagy will call individual students to the office who have lunches delivered.

We also appreciate all the help parents are giving our Kindergarten Students on the playground during recess and lunch. Signing in at the office will help let our supervisors know that you are on school grounds. We really appreciate your cooperation in making QE a safe place for everyone.

Fruit & Veggie Program

Our school is a part of The BC School Fruit and Vegetable Nutritional Program. This program is part of ActNowBC, an initiative to improve the health of BC children and families.

"Participation in this Program is at NO COST to your school throughout the school year. Students and school staff will receive a fresh fruit or vegetable snack once a week every other week. Eating the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables improves children's health and improves children's ability to concentrate. The fresh and nutritious fruits and vegetables to be served in the Program will be grown in BC, subject to availability."

A reverse consent form was sent home to new students. If you DO NOT want your child to participate in this program and/or if your child has any allergies, please return the form to your child’s classroom teacher.

Parent volunteers will be needed for the distribution of fruits and vegetables. Please contact Sheryl Murrell if you can help.

Supervision Before and After School

This is a reminder to parents about the supervision of school grounds and playground equipment before and after school. While supervision begins at 8:50 am, we have only one staff member on the school grounds at this time. There is no supervision by school staff after 3:00 pm. In order to ensure all our students arrive home safely, we appreciate the efforts of our parents to meet their children at 3:00 pm. We all know that unforeseen circumstances may cause a delay in your arrival. While our children seem to know that they should come to the office to ask for help when this happens, please have a conversation with them to remind them that this is OK. Mrs. Nagy leaves at 3:30 pm and the office is closed, so we all want to ensure that if a student is waiting to be picked up, they should come to the office to let us know. Again we appreciate the team effort in making sure everyone is safe. If you have any questions regarding supervision, before, during,, and after school, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

QE is a Scent Free and Nut Aware School

Please be aware that there are children at our school with moderate to life-threatening nut allergies (anaphylaxis). Anaphylaxis is a medical condition that causes a severe reaction to specific foods and can result in death within minutes. Although this may or may not affect your child’s class directly, we want to inform you so that you may choose to send foods with your child that are free from peanuts or nut products.

Also, a growing number of students and staff have allergies and sensitivities to scented products– perfumes, deodorants, shampoos, flowers, etc. Please be aware that School District 40, and QE is a SCENT FREE environment, as per Board Policy 407.0.507.0 and WorksafeBC.

If you would like more information about anaphylaxis you might contact the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, WorksafeBC and the District Website. You may also contact Mr. J. Sadler through the school office. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Health

Flu season is quickly approaching. We appreciate the efforts of parents and teachers in teaching our children about good hygiene , frequent hand-washing, and coughing into elbows.

· Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. If you do not have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your sleeve.

· Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand gels are also effective as long as hands are not visibly dirty .

· If you get sick with mild illness, stay home and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

Flu vaccinations are available at all Fraser Health Public Health Units. The New Westminster Public Health Unit is located at:

If your son/daughter has a medical condition that we should know about, please go to the office and ask for District Medical Forms. Please take them home, complete them as accurately as possible and return them to Mrs. Nagy at the office. If your son/daughter has a life-threatening condition, there is an additional form to take to your family doctor to complete.

Completing and returning these forms promptly will ensure your child is safe at school and our staff has accurate information.

Gym Floor

You may have noticed that our gym floor was re-varnished this summer. To help us keep the floor in good condition, please ensure your son/daughter has proper footwear. White-soled runners that do not mark floors are the only type of shoes allowed in our gym. We want all our students to be able to participate in activities in the gym and thank you for your cooperation in keeping our facility in good condition.

Student Teachers

You may have noticed that your son/daughter has the luck to have more than one teacher in their classroom! Some of our teachers are mentoring student teachers from the UBC Teacher Education Program and the Profressional Development Program at SFU.

This is a unique and enriching experience for everyone. Student teachers bring new innovative ideas into the classroom. Our seasoned, experienced teachers at QE provide valuable mentorship and guidance. Students enjoy the benefit of having two teachers in the classroom, providing help, exchanging ideas and sharing the joys of learning.

At QE, we are proud to support teacher education programs. Many staff members were once mentored by teachers at QE who have since retired and are now passing on their wisdom and knowledge to a new generation of young teachers. If you have any questions regarding teacher education programs, please feel free to ask me.

30th Annual Terry Fox Run

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope run. On September 24th, 9:30am– 12:00 pm, Queen Elizabeth students and staff will be running to carry on Terry’s dream of finding a cure for cancer. To date, the Terry Fox Foundation has raised nearly 500 million dollars worldwide. His efforts and yours have helped to advance cancer research enormously. However, there is still a lot of work to be done. Please help our students in their efforts to support this worthy cause by sending donations to school on Friday September 24th. Parent volunteers will be along the route to help ensure nobody gets lost along the way– Thank you!!!. Grade 3 students will be coming to classes to collect donations at 9:00 am. Good luck on Friday’s run!!!

Dates to Remember

September-November

921 Salter Street

New Westminster, BC

V3M 6G8

Phone:604-517-6080

Fax: 604-517-6081

E-mail:jsadler@sd40.bc.ca

Newsletter

Principal’s Message