Serving our community is an important part of our school culture. We encourage all our students to participate with us for Pitch In 2021. We will be picking up garbage this coming Tuesday, June 1.

K-Gr 2 will be on our school grounds
Gr 3-4 will be in the Dokie Subdivision
Gr 5-12 will be on Hwy 97 between the school and town

Please ensure each student has appropriate footwear (there will be wet sections along the highway), clothing and sun protection (hat, sunscreen, sunglasses). Gloves and safety vests will be provided.

Parent assistance for Gr 3 and higher would be helpful so please let a teacher or staff member know if you are able to participate along with us.

Extra encouragement to participate will be house team points for each student participating, as well as a freezie treat at the end.

Have a great weekend!

On May 7, 2021, the Province of BC announced the launch of the Foundry BC app, which offers young people aged 12 to 24 and their caregivers access to integrated health and wellness services. Visit the Foundry Virtual BC web page to download the app or to access the web portal online. You can then drop-in or schedule a virtual counselling appointment, find peer support, join a youth group or caregiver group or browse the library of tools and resources.

We are looking for people who would like to adopt 1, 2 or more rows of haskap plants in our school orchard for this season. You will weed your rows twice (late May/June and again July/August), pick berries as they ripen (1-2 pickings) and enjoy the rewards! To sign up, please contact Cheryl Widdicombe by text at 250-788-6576 (cell) or call 250-788-3494 (home).

Our field trip to Moberly is tomorrow! The weather looks like it will be lovely and warm. We will be outside and by a lake and fire.

Please ensure your child(ren) has:
– a sack lunch
– a full water bottle
– sunscreen and/or hat
– good footwear and clothing

K-Gr 6 students will be away from school from about 8:45 – 12:15.
Gr 7-12 students will be away from school from about 10:50 – 2:30.

Our bus will run as normal.

Hello Everyone,

Happy May! Can you believe it? Our staff and students have been taking advantage of the warmer weather and doing more activities outdoors.

Illness: A big thank you to students and parents forstaying home/keeping kids home, when someone is not feeling well! We are thankful to have had very few illness symptoms at school and not spreading viruses among our students and staff. Please continue to send clean masks with Gr 4 & up to school and encourage continued hand washing and not sharing items with their classmates. The end of the year will be here soon and hopefully September looks a little different than now.

5:1 Donations: Another thank you goes to everyone who has supported our 5:1 giving offer. So far we have raised $10,850 of our $25,000 goal (turning into $150,000 for our school). If you have not yet had a chance to support this, you can e-transfer the school some funds (cash or cheques also work) and mark it as donation. Every bit counts!

Shuttle Bus: A reminder that there is not to be food or drinks (other than water) while on our bus between town and PCS. It is both a safety and cleanliness concern. Our bus is a great service for our students/families and we want to do everything we can to ensure it stays safe and viable for the future.

Tribute: As a school we would like to pay tribute to Margaret (Peggy) Geuder for the contribution she made to the lives of many young people through her lifelong teaching service. She taught with School District 59 and then Peace Christian School, followed by serving as secretary and librarian at PCS. She was also a volunteer in several community groups in Chetwynd, making life better for others around her, as she lived out her faith in Christ Jesus. Peggy passed away on May 1, 2021 and is mourned by many family and friends in our community.

May Events:

· This Friday, May 7 we have an outdoor games night for ages 11-14, including snacks, zip line, campfire, and prizes. Bring a friend for an additional chance to win a prize. Sign up on our webpage under "Events" (or try clicking here).

· Next Friday, May 14, there will be a field trip to Moberly Lake and Saulteau First Nations for K – Gr 12. Please watch for a permission form with specific details.

· Monday, May 17 is the last day for early registration discount.

· No School on Monday, May 24 for the Victoria Day stat holiday

Have a great week!

Kristin Atherton

Please forward this update to staff and families. It is also available at: bccdc.ca/schools/news-resources

April 14, 2021

Welcome

Dear school partners,

COVID-19 vaccines protect you and your community from COVID-19. As more people are immunized against COVID-19, it is harder for the virus to spread.

Every day more people across BC get vaccinated. However, the recent rise in cases means it’s more important than ever to follow school health and safety plans.

It’s also important to follow province-wide restrictions. This means:

· Do not host or attend indoor social gatherings.

· Only attend outdoor social gatherings with up to 10 people from outside your household. These should be the same ten people, not different people each time.

· Only travel outside of your community for essential reasons like work or health appointments.

The best way to prevent COVID-19 exposures in schools is to keep the number of cases in our communities low. Find out more about province-wide restrictions from the BC Government. Find preventive actions you can take from the BCCDC.

On behalf of our team at BCCDC, and regional public health teams across the province, thank you for your continued partnership.

Sincerely,

Dr. Geoff McKee, MD, MPH, FRCPC
Medical Director, Population and Public Health
BC Centre for Disease Control

Updates

BC Centre for Disease Control

Fill in the second province-wide COVID-19 survey

Public health experts are again asking British Columbians over 18 to share their experience with the COVID-19 pandemic. This will help public health professionals better respond to the challenges facing British Columbians. The survey includes questions on the experiences of families with school-aged children and is available in 10 languages.

Find out more at bccdc.ca/covid19survey.

Province of British Columbia

COVID-19 immunizations: Vaccine registration

COVID-19 vaccine appointments can now be booked online. Check in regularly to know when it’s your turn: gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated

To keep the system running, please wait until your age cohort is called to register. Check the gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated page often to find out when it is your turn. The following groups can register to book their vaccine anytime:

· Indigenous peoples 18 and older, and

· Those who are clinically extremely vulnerable.

When it is your turn, register gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated. Vaccine appointments can also be booked by telephone (1-833-838-2323) or in-person at the nearest Service BC location.

BC COVID-19 Immunization Plan: Front-Line Priority Workers

BC is temporarily pausing the use of the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine for people under age 55. This is based on guidance from Health Canada and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.

Front-line workers who were to receive the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine remain a priority. The program is expected to resume as more vaccines become available.

Find frequently updated information on BC’s COVID-19 Immunization Plan at gov.bc.ca/covidvaccine.

Learning about COVID-19 & Schools

Impact of vaccinations on school safety

By fall 2021, most adults in BC, including school staff, should have received their first vaccination. Many will have received their second vaccination as well.

As more people get vaccinated, we expect fewer cases of COVID-19 in communities. This means fewer exposures in schools.

People who are vaccinated are much less likely to experience severe illness and death from COVID-19. Even with most adults being vaccinated, some health and safety measures will be in place in schools and the community until there is significantly less community spread of COVID-19.

Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccines at bccdc.ca/covid19vaccine

COVID-19 vaccines and children

Vaccines are tested in adults before being tested in children. The vaccines available in BC at this time have been tested in adults and approved for use in adults.

The vaccines are not yet recommended for most children. Clinical trials with children under the age of 18 are underway to learn more. This will help us learn more about how the vaccines might work in children.

A summary of information about COVID-19 vaccinations is available at bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/covid-19-vaccine/covid-19-vaccination-at-a-glance.

Celebrating Safely

Graduation is an important event for students, staff and families. It is a time of excitement and change, and marks a significant accomplishment.

Graduation celebrations will still need to look different this year.

· Events like convocation and the granting of diplomas can happen in line with school health and safety plans.

o Consider live streaming events, so parents, caregivers, families, and friends can participate.

· Events like dinners and dances can only occur in line with the Provincial Health Officer’s Order on Gatherings and Events.

o People can have small gatherings of up to 10 people in parks, public areas or yards.

The Order on Gatherings and Events is updated as needed, based on the level of COVID-19 community spread. The types of events allowed may be different than what is listed here. Find out what is currently allowed, and how safer celebrations and ceremonies can be held at bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/social-interactions/safer-celebrations-and-ceremonies.

Public Health Profile

Public health includes a diverse group of professions that have unique training, skills and experiences. They include doctors, nurses, epidemiologists and health promotion specialists. Across the province, public health professionals work together to support schools impacted by COVID-19.

Fraser Health Schools Hub

Fraser Health’s Public Health team has a dedicated schools hub. They coordinate COVID-19 support to schools from Burnaby to Boston Bar. The team is composed of a group of health professionals. This includes medical health officers, public health nurses, contact tracers, environmental health officers, and healthy schools public health nurse leads. The Fraser Health schools hub team works seven days a week and provides many supports to schools, such as: · School-specific contact tracing, · Providing notifications such as letters and phone calls, and · Assisting schools with their COVID-19 safety plans. They also support our regional Rapid Response Team. The team supports schools and school districts when there are significant COVID-19 exposures.

Translations

Read in American Sign Language

Lire en français (read in French)

阅读简体中文版 (read in Simplified Chinese)

pMjwbI ivc pV (read in Punjabi)

April School Sector Update_English.pdf

Dear Families and Friends of PCS,

It’s spring and the careful planning for the last third of the year is underway. As you know, it has been a school year like no other. Despite the challenges Covid-19 has presented us, we are having a successful school year. Our Early Learning Program for preschoolers is going well. We have also gained a few students throughout the school year. And we love the growth and development we see in our students in learning both knowledge and skills as the year goes along.

I’d like you to know about these exciting updates:

1. We have received a 5 to 1 matching grant for our general operating expenses. Our goal is to raise $25,000 by June 30, 2021 in order to maximize the grant. This will give us a needed $150,000 for our operations. My family and four other board members are each committing $1,000 or more to start off the fund. Would you join us? We are encouraging each family to make a contribution. If funds are tight, this may be a smaller donation amount. If you have more flexibility, you may be able to match (or exceed!) the commitment of board members. Together we can make a big difference to the program for our children. For example:

· $10 turns into $60

· $50 turns into $300

· $200 turns into $1200

· $1,000 turns into $6,000

No amount is too small and no amount is too large! 😀 All general donations given in the next few months will be applied to this project. All donations are tax deductible.

2. Our new water system is officially complete, working well, and approved by Northern Health. We are thankful to our volunteers and donors who made this possible within our budget restraints.

3. We are now accepting e-transfers! Our bank has changed their system to allow us to maintain financial security and accept e-transfers. Payments can be sent to our main email account. Specific details are in the attached file. This may help you give a donation for our matching grant 😉

Our plans for next year are continuing. We have new students registering for our Early Learning Program and Kindergarten (a note about all others is coming soon). If you know of someone who may be interested, please let them know that registration is happening now.

Thank you for the great support you’ve shown to PCS this year and to each student who chooses us for their education!

Regards,

Kristin Atherton

E-Transfer Instructions.pdf

To our students and families:

This evening, the Ministry of Education provided updated guidelines for K-12 schools that are effective immediately.

"All staff and students in Grades 4 to 12 are required to wear a mask . . . indoors in schools and on school buses – both within and outside of their learning group. Students in Grades K to 3 are encouraged to wear a mask indoors in schools and on school buses, but are not required to do so – mask wearing remains a personal or family/caregiver choice for these students, and their choices must be respected."

There are a few exceptions (like while eating/drinking and during high intensity physical activities). If you have concerns about your child wearing a mask during school, please call our office.

This added safety measure is to do everything possible to keep schools open for the benefit of our students, parents, and staff. We will do our best to help provide masks where needed, but please join us in ensuring your child has a clean mask available to them each day.

Please continue to do a daily health check with your children before they come to school and encourage them to participate in the other guidelines we will continue to follow, such as frequent hand cleaning, staying within learning groups, physical distancing, and additional cleaning.

In times of uncertainty, when I feel more anxious, I have a Bible verse that helps and thought I’d share it with you now:
"Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." 1 Peter 5:7

Together we will get through the other side of this.

Thank you for your participation in doing what we can to stay safe and give your children a quality education.

Mrs. Atherton

It’s almost here! Whether the weather is hopeful spring, false spring, or real spring, a break in school for spring is upon us. Next week and the following week there will not be school (March 15 – 26). We will be back in classes March 29, with a four day week before Easter weekend.

Report cards will be going home this week. We are proud of our students and all they have accomplished so far this year. Please sign the brown envelope and return it back to the school to be used for the final report card in June (and so we know you received it).

We wish you a relaxing spring break. We ask for your continued caution with Covid-19 restrictions to keep all of our school family safe. April holds promise for more fun learning and some swim parties!

Mrs. Atherton

"The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him." Nahum 1:7

Hello Parents,

In keeping in line with revised government regulations, we have updated our Covid-19 Health & Safety Policy & Procedures. They are on our website, along with a summary of items.

The key update students and families will notice is the wearing of masks, as implemented earlier this month. This is an addition to the many procedures we have in place to reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19, including increased cleaning/disinfecting, hand hygiene, physical distancing, and masks for staff.

Here are a few key items for our families to remember:

– Please do a daily health check of symptoms for your children. A helpful tool for symptoms is https://www.k12dailycheck.gov.bc.ca/

– Students should clean their hands before they leave home to take the bus, when they leave school prior to taking the bus, and when they get home.

– Personal items coming to school should be limited to those necessary (e.g. backpacks, clothing, school supplies, water bottles, reusable food containers). Items brought regularly to and from school should be limited to those that can be easily cleaned (e.g. reusable food containers) and/or are considered to be low risk (e.g. clothing, paper, etc.).

– Homemade food items are not to be made available to other students at this time (e.g. birthday treats, bake sale items). Please note that different guidelines apply to food that is prepared in schools (e.g. as part of a culinary program) or for school food services.

– Gr 5 – 12 students will continue to wear masks while riding the bus, and Gr 7 – 12 students will wear a mask except when:

o sitting in (or standing at) their desk/table

o eating and drinking; or

o outdoors

Thank you to our students who are doing their best to follow all the guidelines. If anyone needs a mask or has any questions, please let us know. This is a challenging time and we will get through this to the other side.

Mrs. Atherton