18 Jan to 22 Jan 2021
Monday, 18 January
Tuesday, 19 January
Wednesday, 20 January
Thursday, 21 January
Friday, 22 January
- Spirit Day - Multicultural Day
Looking ahead
28 Jan: DPAC meeting, anti-racism
11 Feb: Spirit Day - Lunar New Year
12 Feb: Pro-D Day
View the school calendar online
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At this time of year we would normally host a Parent Information Night to promote the IB programme at Southlands. Because of the pandemic, we have had to plan a different way to share information. Ms. Wood and Ms Paxton have prepared a video and a sheet of FAQs for prospective families, along with “how to register.” We wouldd appreciate your help in “spreading the word.” Thank you for your support!
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Please make sure you review the daily health assessment before sending your child(ren) to school. Click here to review.
If you are late to school, your child(ren) must enter through the upper front door by the salmon mural and check-in at the office. Please call the office at (604) 713-5414 so they can let the child(ren) in.
If your child(ren) will be absent from school, please phone 604-713-5159 as soon as possible and leave your child's name, division number, the date and whether they will be absent or late. Our school code is 79.
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Hello and Happy New Year, Southlands Families.
On Monday we will be welcoming back 10 students from Option 4.They will have a Health and Safety Orientation with Mr. Jung first thing in the morning and then will join their classes. I have asked all staff and students to be friendly, helpful and welcoming, and I know they will be. Please note Monday is NOT a professional day at Southlands. Our next professional day is Friday, Feb. 12th. So we will be celebrating Lunar New Year and Valentine's Day on Feb.11th. We now have our IB Information video and FAQ sheet on the school website. Thank you for helping us spread the word about the IB program at our school to prospective families.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch.
Sincerely,
Margaret Paxton
Twitter | Instagram
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Units of Inquiry
Current units of inquiry are:
KG: How We Organize Ourselves
Gr1: Who We Are
Gr2/3: Where We are in Place and Time
Gr4/5: How We Express Ourselves
Gr6/7: IB Primary Years Programme Exhibition
Please read Ms Wood's PYP blog for the full description of the units of inquiry and the central idea. It also outlines what unit of inquiry they will be transitioning to next. Remember to subscribe to the blog!
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Need a beautiful new Southlands mask to keep you safe and warm through the winter? Then you're in luck! Our mask sale is re-opening for one week, until Sunday, January 24th on MunchaLunch.
Replace lost masks, top up your mask collection, or finally get one of these beautiful, two layer cloth masks with our gorgeous Southlands logo that you've been dreaming about. Limited supplies of youth sizes remain, and plenty of adult sizes - the larger masks will fit older children comfortably.
Log in to MunchaLunch to purchase with your credit card, or contact Renee at Southlands.fundraising@gmail.com to ask about e-transfer.
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LRFP (Long Range Facilities Plan)
As parents of VSB schools we encourage you to be informed community stakeholders and voice your questions and concerns about the building conditions of our schools.
Parents who have been actively engaged in the DPAC Facilities Committee and following along the process of the 2019 LRFP to the draft 2020 version, are generally disappointed and not in favour of the January 11, 2020 version shared with the public. DPAC presented some feedback to VSB Facilities and Planning Committee on January 13, and will continue at the extra meeting added on Monday January 18 at 5 pm https://www.vsb.bc.ca/District/Board-of-Education/Meeting_Minutes/Documents/agendas-files/21_01Jan18_Facilities%20Planning_full%20agenda.pdf
Background:
In April 2019 the Ministry of Education amended the LRFP Guidelines and provided a letter to all Boards of Education encouraging their LRFP to be:
- a "broad vision document"
- to have a "much broader focus than just enrolment and capacity utilization".
- “emphasize potential changes to programming to support the natural movement of students, analyzing changing demographics to neighbourhoods and account for other important facility uses such as childcare, before-and-after school care, and community uses of school buildings”
- “guide medium to long-term planning … how communities may grow and change in the years ahead”
- “how a board of education intends to manage existing schools while planning new facilities that will meet the anticipated needs of communities”
- “Robust community consultation is vital to a successful LRFP. Consultation with the community, especially local Indigenous communities, is a key requirement and will help boards develop plans that reflect the needs and aspirations of their communities”
2020 Draft LRFP
On Monday January 11 VSB released the draft "LRFP" with the proposed six new Regions. Southlands and future Point Grey Secondary families, our schools will be included in the Southwest family of schools region (one of six zones)
Links to all documentation about the LRFP
Within the LRFP Southlands and Point Grey can be found on pages 89-106
Impact to Southlands
In short, there is no concrete evidence that Southlands will become a seismically safe school in the short or long term. Southlands is notionally listed five years from now for consideration in the SMP (Seismic Mitigation Plan) yet at the same time the LRFP states that Southlands is a "weak business case" for future seismic mitigation.
The LRFP does not acknowledge our local community programming as there is no reference to the two onsite child care programs at Southlands: Jericho Kids Club (since 2002) and Creative Minds Early Learning Centre (since 1985).
The LRFP does not recognize our uniqueness as the only VSB IB Primary Years Program K-7 school.
The Preferred School Size Working Group has identified the preferred school size for elementary schools to be between 300 to 550 enrolled students; and 1200 to 1750 enrolled students at Secondary schools. Southlands has been below 300 for at least the last 6 years (currently 223).
The draft LRFP forecasts Southlands as declining to 114 students by 2029. It also highlights that there will be future available seats in other elementary schools; of which two of these schools remain to be in very poor building condition (Kerrisdale and Kitsilano from the UBC / Kits Region). Which leaves only Maple Grove, one of the nine elementary schools, to be in "excellent" building condition and two, Shaughnessy and Trafalgar as "fair".
It is important to note that there is no security for being listed in the SMP, as evidenced by Point Grey Secondary moving from #3 (2019 LRFP) to being entirely struck from the VSB list, to a future consolidation with Prince of Wales (2020 LRFP). Here is a snapshot of the Southwest Region and the VSB enrolment forecast:  For any parents who are City Planners or developers in our area, how does this declining forecast address future housing development? VSB has informed DPAC that they will not consider future housing development into enrolment forecasting until built.
How can you help?
We encourage all families to provide their questions, concerns and feedback as soon as possible, and before the January 25 VSB Board meeting, at which they will vote to pass the draft 2020 LRFP. Please address the LFRP feedback letters to “Dear Trustees” and send it to the VSB & Trustees and cc: Southlands PAC and DPAC rep. The relevant emails are:
lrfpfeedback@vsb.bc.ca, carmen.cho@vsb.bc.ca, estrellita.gonzalez@vsb.bc.ca, janet.fraser@vsb.bc.ca, fraser.ballantyne@vsb.bc.ca, lois.chan-pedley@vsb.bc.ca, oliver.hanson@vsb.bc.ca, barbara.parrott@vsb.bc.ca, jennifer.reddy@vsb.bc.ca, allan.wong@vsb.bc.ca, shoffman@vsb.bc.ca
Please cc: southlands.elementary@gmail.com, Southlands.dpac.rep@gmail.com, vik.khanna@vancouverdpac.org |
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Anti-Racism Day at Southlands |
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Support our fundraiser and help keep belongings out of the Lost & Found! Start shopping through our special link www.emilypress.com/southlandspac. Thank you for your support!
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Thank you to the families who have joined our FlipGive team! We have already earned $300 for Southlands programs. We encourage others to join the team using code FRJ3Z5.
Use the FlipGive app or browser plugin before shopping online at stores like Starbucks, Amazon, Sportchek, Nike, Bay, The Gap, Indigo, etc. and you will be ensuring a percentage of your purchase gets credited to Southlands programs.
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