Dear DG Families,
We hope you all had a wonderful Victoria Day long weekend! We are in for a busy finish to May, and are looking forward to all the fun this part of the school year brings!
Track and Field
Congratulations to all 81 of our students who participated in the District Track Meet this past Thursday. As always, a big thank you to the staff members who worked so hard to help students practice and prepare for the meet ahead of time, organized students into their events, and accompanied the group to NDSS. It was a great Track and Field season at DG to be sure!
Parent/Guardian Appreciation Day – Friday, May 29th
Please mark the date! We hope you will be able to stop by DG on Friday, May 29th, before school, for our Parent/Guardian Appreciation Event. Whether you’re able to stay for a bit of a visit, or just pick up a to-go goodie bag on your way, we look forward to seeing you to say “hello and thank you” to all our parents and guardians!
When: Friday May 29th 8:20AM – 8:50AM
Where: DG school site
*There wll be grab and go goodie bags for those parents on the run!
We will have staff in the Gym if you have time for a quick visit, and if not, there will be staff stationed by the front of the school and 112th street to greet you with a to-go goodie bag.
Our green team would like to request that if you are able to bring your own mug on Parent Appreciation Day, it would go a long way to reduce waste.
Keeping your Cool when it gets Hot!
While the sunny weather is a welcome change, the shift to warmer temperatures can make it harder for us to acclimatize. Here are some ways to help your children beat the heat at school:
- When it’s hot we naturally want to wear less clothing. However it’s important to avoid too much direct sun exposure on skin. While it might seem counter intuitive, longer sleeves and pants are often a much better option as they help keep us cooler while protecting skin from the sun. Choose loose-fitting, light-coloured clothing, made from a breathable fabric.
- Sunglasses and a wide-brimmed, breathable hat are great to wear outside, on the playground
- Use a broad spectrum sunscreen that is SPF30 or higher. Please be sure to apply sunscreen to your child in the morning. If you are sending sunscreen to school with your child for them to reapply throughout the day, be sure to teach them to do this themselves, as school staff won’t be applying sunscreen to students.
- Keep long hair tied up or in braids to allow as much air as possible to evaporate sweat
- Ensure your child brings a reusable water bottle (even 2!). Add some ice to help water stay cool
- Remind your child of the importance of staying hydrated, and to drink throughout the day (we have 3 water bottle refilling stations at school)
- Avoid packing sugary or carbonated drinks in your child’s lunch to help reduce dehydration – stick to water instead
- Raw fruits and vegetables help cool the body and keep kids hydrated
- Encourage your child to slow down/take a break when playing at recess and lunch, and to check in with their friends about how they are feeling in the heat
- Remind your child to seek help from one of the adults at school if they are feeling unwell
Summer Volunteers Needed to Water our Garden Area!
You may have seen the Western Red Cedar tree and the planter boxes on the front grass area of the school. This area is well-used as an outdoor learning space during the school year and both the tree and the garden boxes require regular watering. While school is in session, teachers and students take care of this. During the summer, though, we need your help to keep these areas watered.
We will put together a schedule of volunteers to take turns doing the watering so that it’s a manageable task (many hands make light work). You will have access to water and a hose at the school, and we will show you exactly what needs to be done before the end of the school year.
If you are willing to help out with watering this summer (particularly if you live nearby!), please email Mr. Rodgers
And, if you’ve helped with watering the garden in previous summers, you’re now an expert, so we’d love to have you on the team again this year!
Not Returning Next Year?
We are beginning the process of planning for next school year. If you are moving and are not planning to return to Devon Gardens in the fall, please make sure that you let our office know as soon as possible.
2026-2027 Class Placement Information
In the coming weeks, we will start to tentatively look at next year’s organization and possible class placements for students.
Some Things to Know about Our Process:
Class placements are important decisions and something that teachers consider very carefully.
FACTORS & CONSIDERATIONS: Assigning students to classes is a very complex task that takes into consideration a variety of factors, including: learning styles and strengths, what a student is able to achieve in relation to the goals of the curriculum, degree of independence in work habits, social and personal needs, age and physical maturity, previous placements, gender balance of class, etc….
The number of staff members assigned to our school is decided by the Superintendent’s Office and is based on projected student enrolment. Enrolment estimates and class size guidelines affect the configuration of classes, which may also necessitate a particular organizational configuration (i.e. whether or not we have combined or “split” classes and the number of students, per grade, in the class).
SCHOOL-BASED DECISIONS: The professional staff is in contact with children in the school setting for nearly 30 hours a week. Your child’s present teacher, along with other educators who work with your child, have a year’s worth of current, rich information and insight about the conditions under which your child learns best. Therefore, decisions around where to place students are determined through school-based, team decisions, based on their recommendations.
INPUT FROM PARENTS: As our partners in education, parents may also have important information to assist us with the placement of students. Parents are welcome to share with the school personal, educational, or social information that could affect their child’s placement. Our staff will keep in mind this information, along with the above considerations, when building classes.
If you have information about your child and the kind of learning environment in which she/he best works and learns, and you would like to share this information with our staff, please fill in the “Parent Information” form by clicking on the link below. This is optional. Please complete the form no later than Friday, May 22nd, 2026.
It is important to note that it is not possible for parents to choose their child’s teacher or make requests regarding other students. Teachers who are currently on staff may not be here next year, may not be assigned the same grade, or may not teach a class configuration that meets your child’s learning needs. Whatever the scenario, we strive to place your child in a warm, caring environment that will maximize his/her learning potential.
Should you have information you wish to share with us, please fill in the form by Friday, May 22nd, 2026. Please fill in 1 form for every child.
Please note, parents are not required to do this. It’s optional.
2026-27 Class Placement Information Form
PAC EXECUTIVE ELECTIONS COMING UP Next Meeting
At the June 1st meeting, the PAC will be holding their elections for the 2026-2027 Parent Advisory Council (PAC) Executive Committee. To view the Executive Officer positions available and their respective duties, refer to the PAC constitution.
The Devon Gardens PAC cannot function without dedicated volunteers. We welcome nominations for all elected positions and hope you will join us in fulfilling our mandate to represent the parent voice and support our school. Below is a list of the PAC executive positions, name of the current appointed representative, with years served and intention to continue for the 2026-2027 school year.
|
PAC Executive Position |
Name |
Years in Position |
Intention to Return for 2026-2027 |
|
Chair |
Cleo Nomm |
2 |
Yes |
|
Vice-Chair |
Jennifer Iachetta |
6 |
Yes |
|
Secretary |
Carlie Hubele |
3 |
Yes |
|
Treasurer |
Emily Klimchuk |
2 |
No |
|
Gaming Representative |
Lauren Schellenberg |
1 |
Yes |
|
District PAC Representative |
Rani Hayden |
1 |
Yes |
|
Canadian Parents for French Rep. Special Food Coordinator |
Kurtis Beaumont Teelah Logan |
2 1 |
Yes No |
|
Member at Large |
Shannon Gee |
3 |
Yes |
|
Member at Large |
Patience Okantey |
2 |
Yes |
|
Member at Large |
Manjeet Sidhu |
2 |
Yes |
Treasurer: Keeps bank records, makes deposits, issues cheques when necessary and balances the accounts. Provides monthly budget reports for Executive Meetings. Attends all Executive Meetings.
Special Food Coordinator: Liaise between PAC, School Administration and food vendors to schedule special food days for the year. In charge of organizing volunteers to help with meal distribution. Sets up and maintains the online ordering website. Attends all Executive Meetings.
Executive Officers shall be elected by the Voting Members at the AGM held in June each year. The term of office shall commence in September of each year and shall be held for one year. Any Elected Member of the PAC may serve on the Executive for as many years as is elected to a position.
Please also refer to the PAC Letter, regarding donations, that was sent home a few weeks ago.
FAMILY FUN NIGHT – Ticket and General Info.
Family Fun Night is scheduled for 5-8 PM on June 5, 2026!
This is an event the PAC puts on annually and is the largest fundraiser we do. This is a celebration of our community, so everyone is welcome (you don’t have to be part of the DG Community to attend). There will be a lot of fun activities including carnival games, raffle baskets, 50/50 Square Board, and much-loved musical cakes!
This year we will have the Triple O’s Food Truck and “Coyote Candy Clouds” Cotton Candy and Lemonade Truck. The concession will serve some snack foods and drinks.
There is no entrance fee, however, you will need to purchase a wristband to have unlimited access to the carnival games. Tickets for musical cakes and raffle baskets will also be available to purchase. Prices will be posted in advance.
This is a cash only event.
TICKET PRESALE!!!
Save, by pre ordering your wristbands for the carnival games. Pre-sales will open on Tuesday, May 19th and close on Friday, May 29th.
Order your wristbands through the Devon Gardens Hot Lunch website.
NEW this year, we will be running an online silent auction! Stay tuned for information on this in next week’s newsletter. This is a great event for our school and a great way to celebrate another fantastic year at Devon Gardens. FAMILY FUN NIGHT – MUSICAL CAKES EVENT!
What is Musical Cakes?
Musical cakes is one of the most popular events at Family Fun Night!!
To make this a successful event, we ask families to donate nut-free baked goods. This could be donuts, cookies, homemade cake, etc.
At Family Fun Night, chairs are set up and the game works similar to musical chairs. The exception to the rules being when the music stops, you sit on a numbered chair and then a wheel is spun. If the wheel lands on your seat number, you get to pick a treat of your choice from the table.
We have had upwards of 70 cakes in the past and there is always a long line of people wanting to play!!
The PAC is looking for your support (and your baking skills) to make Musical Cakes a success and are requesting that the nut-free baked donations be dropped off at the school the morning of the Family Fun Night, June 5.
This is a great opportunity for students to bake something to share with their school community.
Please email the PAC (pacdevongardens@gmail.com) if you can bake or donate items!
Raffle Baskets!
The deadline is fast approaching on MAY 29! Notices were sent home to primary classes on Thursday. All intermediate classes will receive their notice this week, for your child’s classroom basket theme. Please consider bringing in an item (or 2!) to help us make these baskets plentiful!
Remember, the classes who contribute to the highest estimated value of items in their basket will win an ice cream treat! Cash donations are also welcome to support purchasing extra basket items.
Thank you all for your continued, generous support to help keep this event running every year!
Family Fun Night – Themed Basket Donations (MORE INFO!)
Each classroom is asked to contribute to a gift basket raffle—a much-loved highlight of the night. Families have always done an incredible job putting together these baskets, and we’re excited to do it again this year!
We’re kindly asking families to donate a new, unopened item or gift card to help fill the class basket. If you’d prefer, you can also send a monetary donation, and we’ll use it to purchase an item on your behalf. If donating a food item, please check the expiry date to make sure it has not expired. If you’re sending something with multiple items (like a bulk pack), please keep it packaged together.
This year, we will be doing four different theme baskets and each divisions is assigned to one of the themes:
The classes who contribute to the highest estimated-value basket will each win an ice cream treat. Yum!
Your support makes a big difference. Proceeds from the raffle go directly back to the school, helping fund important initiatives like library books, school jerseys, electronics, and more. If you’d like to learn more, feel free to email the PAC at pacdevongardens@gmail.com —we’d love to tell you about what’s happening!
Please bring your donations to your child’s classroom by Friday, May 29, 2026.
Thank you in advance for your generosity and support. With everyone’s help, we’re looking forward to another fantastic, fun-filled event!
MORE WAYS TO GET INVOLVED: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
As the much anticipated family fun night approaches, the PAC is asking for volunteers to help out with this event. We are canvassing for a number of positions. The time commitment of these positions are between 1-2 hours each. These are the positions we are looking to fill:
● Setup
● Take down
● Concession
● Ticket and wristband sales
● Raffle and basket duties
And more!.
There are many spots to fill, and we will need as many people as possible to commit to these volunteer spots to keep to the 1-2 hour time commitment.
To volunteer for Family Fun Night, please sign up here: Family Fun Night Volunteers or email the PAC at pacdevongardens@gmail.com.
Keep watching this section of the Sunday night “Week at a Glance” posts for more information about Family Fun Night!
Vancouver Canadians Baseball Fundraiser
PAC Fundraisers ongoing throughout the year
For information about the following fundraisers, please click the logos.
Questions? Send an email to pacdevongardens@gmail.com.
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Use code DevGardens26, $5 from each registration goes back to our school
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Use your personal Return-It account by clicking donate and looking up Devon Gardens Elementary
click image for more info
Mention Devon Gardens Elementary at checkout, 10% of your purchase becomes credit for the school
click image for more info
Use this link https://mabelslabels.ca/en-CA/fundraising/support to make a purchase and 20% of your purchase becomes goes back to our school
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Monday, May 18th – Victoria Day (schools are closed)
Thursday, May 21st – PAC special lunch day (Mary Browns)
Wednesday, May 27th – Welcome to Kindergarten, session 1 2:30pm
Friday, May 29th – Parent Appreciation Event
Monday, June 1st – PAC Meeting 7pm (PAC Elections)
For other upcoming events, please refer to the calendar on the school website:
https://dg.deltasd335.upanupstage.com/news-events/monthly-calendar/