Throughout the year, Wishart Elementary will be fundraising to better support our families. For the last few years, our school has benefitted from the government’s Family Affordability Fund. With this fund, the school was able to support many initiatives to help our families. This fund has now been discontinued, but we are going to try to keep a few of the many initiatives going. We will not be able to do as much as we used to, but we hope to still be able to help as much as we can.
To this end, our first fundraiser is Smencils!
Smencils are a gourmet scented pencil that is made from 100% recycled newspapers. Each Smencil is a No.2 graphite pencil and is packaged in its own recyclable plastic freshness tube that includes a collectible character on the top cap! All Smencil purchases will be a random scent.

Smencils will be on Sale starting today until October 31, 2025

We’re celebrating 45 Years of the Marathon of Hope!  What a special year it is! We’re thrilled for Wishart students to be participating again in the Terry Fox School Run, a powerful tradition that unites students across Canada to raise funds for cancer research. Our school run is on September 26^th.  Our school will be raising money for cancer research and bringing in a “Toonie for Terry.” Please have students bring in a toonie to their classroom teacher. We will be raising money until mid October.

If you would like to donate online the link is: https://schools.terryfox.ca/WishartElementary

We are excited to announce the return of Pizza Lunch Day for intermediate classes at Wishart!
Students in Divisions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 will have the chance to enjoy a slice of cheese pizza and a beverage for lunch on Wednesdays throughout the year.

Please note: This program is separate from PAC Fun Food Days.

Where does the money go?
Proceeds from Pizza Wednesdays help fund class field trips and special activities such as but not limited to bowling, swimming, ice skating, the Centre of the Universe, the Legislature (Grade 5), and more. Any remaining funds at the end of the year will go toward helping cover the costs of the Grade 4 and Grade 5 year-end field trips.

How to order:

• All orders must be placed online through the School Cash Online system.
• Please ensure you have provided consent to use this system before ordering.
• You may select which months you’d like your child to participate.
• We cannot accept mid-month orders or partial orders (e.g., some Wednesdays but not others).

Order deadlines:

• The first order period runs from October through the end of January 2026.
• All orders must be placed by Tuesday, September 23rd.
• No late orders will be accepted.

Missed days:
If your child is away on Pizza Wednesday, their slice will be donated unless arrangements have been made ahead of time with your child’s teacher.

**No refunds will be provided for missed days.

Thank you for supporting Divisions 1–6!

We’re looking forward to a fun year of Pizza Wednesdays and exciting field trips!

Just a gentle reminder to parents to check their students information on the parent portal- https://myeducation.gov.bc.ca/aspen/logon.do.  If you require any updates to be done regarding phone numbers, addresses and authorized pick up people please email the information that needs to be changed in to the school – nolsten@sd62.bc.ca

Please ensure you have your school cash online account up and running for your student/s. All school field trip permission forms and school fundraisers are done through the school cash online system.  Cash and/or Cheques are no longer accepted into the school. When students are going on school field trips please note that all permission forms must be completed 24 hours PRIOR to the field trip taking place.

PARENTS NEEDING TO CREATE A SCHOOL CASH ONLINE ACCOUNT:

If you need to set up a school cash online account please follow the instructions below:

Use this link to access school cash online: https://sd62.schoolcashonline.com/

#1         Please ensure you use the consent link to “consent” to the use of the school cash online program PRIOR to registering for an account: Consent for use can take up to 48 hours; once this step is complete you can register in the school cash system.

#2       Register for your account. Follow the steps to register for an account by entering your email address. A confirmation email will be sent to the address entered. Please click on the link in the email to complete your registration

   #3        Adding your student: Please add your student by using their PEN number.  Once your student is added you will be able to see all permission slip and items for sale by the school.

If you have followed these steps and still require assistance please contact the office via email: nolsten@sd62.bc.ca

Please ensure all consents are up to date each year.  Please use this link  https://consent.sd62.bc.ca/apps/OnlineConsent  to consent to the following:

• General consent for school Fieldtrips/Activites-
  this is for walking trips only; all bussing field trips will have online consent for each trip via school cash online
• Google Apps for Education
• Internet Access Consent
• Media Consent
• NA ‘TSA’MAHT Indigenous Education
• School Cash Online Consent
• SpacesEDU Consent
• Web-based Applications General Consent

Please complete your student consents as soon as possible

Parents volunteering for field trips or classroom work require a Criminal Record Check when working with our students. This needs to be completed and on file at the school office prior to volunteering. Criminal record checks for the Sooke School District are to be completed through the Ministry of Justice.

Driving any students in a private vehicle also requires a completed Criminal Records Check as well as a driver’s abstract from ICBC and  a copy of your valid driver’s license and insurance showing a minimum of $3,000,000 liability.  These are now required for all volunteers when driving for field trips and must be in to the office at least 72 HOURS PRIOR to driving or attending a field trip. Please see the link with information below.

CRC and parent volunteer

The school office will keep your CRC and Drivers abstract on file for three years from the date of its receipt. Vehicle insurance and drivers license must be submitted yearly.

Thank you again for volunteering your time so our children can have the best educational opportunities.

Drop-off and Pick-up:
We ask that parents continue to ‘Park and Go’ their child/ren at the parking lot. This is working well for most part and we request that you continue with this practice. This helps
us ensure that students and staff are safe. We will also continue to have cones in the front and at the back of the building to prevent crowding during drop-off and pick-up times.

SUPERVISION

• Morning supervision for all students starts at 8:15 am. Please do not bring children to school earlier than 8:15 a.m. Children who arrive at school on the bus have separate supervision. Thank you for your help with important student safety issue.
• Afternoon supervision – If you are going to be late picking up your child, please inform school staff and we will keep your child safe.
• On rainy mornings students are welcome to come inside. All portable students will head to the gym through the back-gym door, and all other students will head to their classes by their entry doors

PARKING

• Thank you for being mindful of the parking crunch we face daily
• ‘Drop and Go’ is working well in the lower parking lot
• We are grateful to Colwood City Hall for allowing parents access to their parking spaces; please remember to park in designated areas only
• Thank you for help in keeping our students safe!
• Please stay behind the coned off areas during drop-off and pick up times

It is School Board Policy that animals are not allowed to be on School District property. The purpose of this policy and procedure is to ensure the greatest possible level of safety for students and staff with regard to animals on School District property and in school buildings. This general prohibition includes domestic dogs, cats, birds, and other pets, and especially applies to potentially dangerous exotic animals.

Some exceptions may be allowed, only with the prior approval of the Principal, and could include:
– Vision, hearing and service dogs.
– Police dogs under the control of a police officer.
– Pets for show-and-tell.
– Small pets kept in classrooms under the supervision and care of a teacher.
– A demonstration at a school assembly.

Prior to allowing animals in schools or classrooms, steps are to be taken to ensure that students and employees are not allergic to the presence of these animals, that the animals will present no physical danger to students or employees, and that the animals are free from any disease or parasites. Prior to introducing any animals into classrooms and using animals as part of the educational program, teachers shall make all efforts to ensure that students receive instruction in the proper care and handling of animals. Owners of animals will be responsible for the safe and sanitary removal of their pet’s excrement from buildings and grounds.