October Calendar:

• Oct 19-22nd- PAC Pumpkin Order Pick-up (3-4pm outside gym doors)
• October 22nd- Hot Lunch Day 
• October 23rd- Province Wide Pro D Day- school is not in session
• October 24th- Elections Day- Brooke gym will be used as a Polling Station 
• October 30th- Halloween @ Brooke

November:   

• Nov 4th-Photo Retake Day
• Nov 4th-PAC meeting via Zoom @7pm (all are welcome!)
• Nov 6th-Hot Lunch Day
• Nov 10th-Remembrance Day @ Brooke

Hot Lunch is BACK!

As you are aware, our Hot Lunch Program will reconvene this Thursday. STRICT protocols have been put in place to ensure that Health and Safety guidelines, outlined in our District Safety Plan, are followed. Please note that, at this time, we are still requesting families do NOT drop off individual hot lunches for their children as we do not have a hot lunch table set up nor are we calling students down to the office to pick up lunches. Parents are always welcome to take their children home for lunch or to send a special lunch in the morning. We thank you in advance for your support with this continued safety protocol.

A Message from our PAC:         

Brooke PAC kicked off the year with its first meeting last week  We welcome all PAC participants – it is great to see so many new parents joining.

This year, we will see some exciting new events in the school that are supported by our fundraising efforts. There will be a refresh of equipment in the gym, new electronic microscopes and math scales in some classrooms, in-school field trip and more.

We are working hard to maintain a similar level of support to the school as has been provided in past years.  PAC has supported many events including in-school tennis and in-line skating lessons, opera, Science World, Artist in Residence in the past.

Our fundraisers to bring these great learning opportunities to our kids will include favorites like Neufield Farm and Purdy’s at Christmas and Easter, fabulous basket raffles and Brooke Bear Spirit Wear. You will see some new ones as well: pumpkin sales, Art Cards by Kids.

 Our next PAC meeting is Wednesday, November 4 at 7:00pm via zoom.  Everyone is welcome.

Halloween

Halloween is just around the corner! While it may look different this year, we certainly still plan to celebrate Halloween at Brooke! Please look out for details regarding our plans at Brooke next week. In the meantime, please keep the following details in mind for children’s costumes when dressing up for school:

• They need to be safe and comfortable. Students must be able to sit, walk, breathe, see and hear.
• They should not be too scary
• They should be age appropriate
• They must not promote illegal activities, be offensive or perpetuate stereotypes of culture, gender, heritage or religion
• Please, no toys weapons 

Rainy Day Weather Reminder

It’s that time of year where we know we’re going to have lots of our WET west coast weather! We also know that it’s important for children to be outside moving their bodies and getting fresh air, particularly this year. Please note; we will be going outside for recess and lunch everyday.  Please help us by sending your children to school dressed for outdoor weather. This includes rain jackets, rain boots, hats, and umbrellas. We also recommend that all students have an extra pair of clothes at schools in case of emergency. 

Emergency Planning for Families:

Last Thursday morning, at 10:00 a.m., our school joined millions of people worldwide in “The Great ShakeOut”. The purpose of this drill was to practice how to “Drop, Cover and Hold On”, in case of earthquake. In addition to participating in the Great ShakeOut, every fall we also review our school’s emergency plan and supplies. 

This is also a good time to review your family’s Emergency Preparedness Plan.  Part of your family’s emergency plan includes ensuring that you have updated your emergency contact and emergency release information on Parent Connect. Just a reminder, there are some differences between the two:

Emergency Contact vs Emergency Release – what’s the difference?

It is important to know that “EMERGENCY RELEASE ” and  “EMERGENCY CONTACT” are not the same thing.  This information is inputted separately in Parent Connect.

Emergency Contact – who we contact if we cannot reach you

Emergency Release – In the event of an earthquake, fire or other serious occurrence resulting in an emergency school closure during the school day, it is important that you have designated at least one “emergency release” adult for your child(ren), in the event that you are unable to collect your child(ren) from school.

The people you designate as “Emergency Release” are : 

• over 19 years of age (we cannot release your child to a minor, including an older sibling who is under 19 years old)
• not necessarily the same people as those you have listed under “emergency contacts” (but they could be)
• ideally within walking distance, as roads may be closed in an emergency situation
• trusted adults who will assume responsibility for the guardianship/care of your child until you are able to get there (in an emergency, such as an earthquake, this could be up to 72 hours)

The people you designate as “Emergency Release” are the only people (besides you, the parents) to whom we can release your child in the event of an emergency school closure.

***It is important that all parents understand that in emergency situations (or during an emergency drill),  students will only be dismissed from school to their parents or designated “emergency release” adult.   In order to maintain the safety of your children, there can be no exceptions. This means that, if grandparents or daycare providers routinely pick up students, they must be named as “EMERGENCY RELEASE” CONTACTS on Parent Connect.

Very Important – If you have multiple children in our school/the district, this information must be added/updated separately for each child.  Changing the information for one child will not automatically change it for your other children.

Looking for Noon Hour Supervisors!
Brooke would like to hire a few more casual/on-call noon hour supervisors. This is an excellent part time position that only requires 1 hour of commitment each school day between 11:55 AM to 1:15PM. The noon hour supervision role is a paid position and can be an excellent way to gain employment with the Delta School District. Please contact 604-583-6668 or send an email to sparmar@deltasd.bc.ca for more information about this opportunity.