This year, we will be asking for donations at the door of the Winter Concert in support of the Goldstream Foodbank.  Below you will find a letter we received from the foodbank describing their hamper program.  This is not mandatory for entry, but it would be great if we could fill a few boxes.

CHRISTMAS HAMPER PROGRAM
Seasons Greetings,
I trust this letter finds you in good health and spirits. We believe that food is a human right, and no one should go hungry. With your generous support, The Goldstream Food Bank Christmas Hamper Program will be able to provide an immediate and tangible way to help an individual or family who might otherwise go hungry this holiday season. The challenges of the last few years have made things increasingly difficult for our more vulnerable community members. Christmas is a time we can come together to put smiles on the faces of families with your kind fundraising and donation efforts that will make a difference in the lives of so many. Thank you for your time, assistance and continued support of our CHRISTMAS HAMPER PROGRAM

Items in need:
Pasta and Grains – noodles, sauce, rice, oats, quinoa 
Toiletries – toothpaste, soap, shampoo, toilet paper, feminine hygiene, razors 
Drinks – coffee, tea, hot chocolate, juice 
Breakfast- cereal, pancake mix, syrup, oatmeal 
Snacks – crackers, cookies, granola bars, fruit snacks, fruit cups 
Baking – flour, sugar, cake, mixes, vanilla 
Condiments – ketchup, peanut butter, mayo, mustard, pickles, jam, salad dressing 
Treats – Candy, chocolate, cookies, Christmas treats 

We are very happy to announce that our Winter Concert, entitled “Sounds of the Season!” will be held on December 3 & 4th. There will be three shows available, with all divisions performing at each of the shows. Tickets will be free with a limit of four tickets per family.  Tickets will become available at a later date.

Show #1 – Wednesday, December 3 at 1:30 – Doors at 1:15
Show #2 – Thursday, December 4 at 1:30 – Doors at 1:15
Show #3 – Thursday, December 4 at 6:00 – Doors at 5:45

The Wishart Choir Club will be performing again at this year’s Colwood Christmas Tree Light up on Wednesday December 10^th. Wishart is scheduled to perform at 6:50 pm.  All choir club members please meet Mrs. Martin by 6:35pm so we can get in order and get ready to sing. Parents, please remain at the venue.

ROYALS UPDATE: Tickets for choir club families attending the Victoria Royals game will be made available sometime next week, along with further information about the day. Mrs. Martin is waiting for links and further information from the organizers.

We are very happy and proud to add this incredible Wolf to our logo bank.  The artist, Brianna Bear, was great to work with and we thank her for this gift of art.

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