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WEEKLY REMINDERS

 
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WEEKLY REMINDERS
by Prospect Lake PAC - Friday, 24 November 2023, 5:09 PM
 

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

  • Tuesday December 12: PAC Meeting
  • Friday December 15: Subway Hot Lunch
  • Monday December 20: Kernel’s Popcorn Day
  • Winter Break: December 25, 2023 - January 5, 2024

WINTER CENTERPIECE ACTIVITY

This December, each student in the school will have the opportunity to create a beautiful and unique winter centerpiece that they will then bring home.  This is an activity we have done seasonally and has been widely enjoyed by students, teachers, and families. However, in order for this activity to blossom, we are asking for everyone’s help to make this successful.

Please consider if you can help in one of these 4 areas:

1. We need donations of greenery!  Perhaps you are a landscaper or may know of one that you could ask.  Perhaps you have just trimmed your hedges or completed some fall gardening.  We will happily accept fir, cedar and cypress as those are what we require the most of, however, other greens such as spruce, sequoia, pine, hemlock, yew, miscanthus, pampas grass, laurel, camelia, magnolia and ornamental round leaf holly (please no wild holly as it’s very sharp and pokey) work wonderfully too.  We encourage you to share our request with your extended family, friends, and neighbours.  It takes twelve full large garbage bags of greens to create a centerpiece for each student. 

2. We are looking for any new or gently used decoration donations.  We will happily accept items such as ribbon, bows, pinecones – natural or painted, faux berries, birds, pinecones, etc. on a stick, baubles, glitter stems / twigs, anything with sparkle and colour, and feathers.  Any item that can easily be stuck tied or stuck into foam. No glass or easily breakable items please.

We have two drop off locations open for greenery and decoration donations between Nov 25 thru Dec 4:

  • The Flower Patch at Tiny Tree Herb Farm – IN the Farm Stand, 6370 Old West Saanich Rd.
  • Brown’s the Florist Design Studio – Blue Tarp / Box, top left of driveway, 5021 West Saanich Rd.

You can also send in or drop off your decoration donations at the school.  From Friday November 24 thru end of day on Monday December 4, there will be a box in the front office by Mrs. Blackwell’s desk.  NO greenery drop off at the school please!

3. We are looking for financial support to cover the cost of these centerpieces.  If you can provide financial support, please do so through the MunchaLunch system HERE.  A suggested donation of $5 would be appreciated (please consider all children, teachers, and support staff are involved in this activity). People outside of our school community can make financial contributions via e-transfer to prospectlakepac@gmail.com. Contributions are accepted today thru December 3.

4. We need a LOT of volunteers to assist with the prep work that goes into this activity: preparing the base with the oasis and tape, cutting boughs and greenery into smaller pieces, organizing decorations, and preparing any flowers.  Volunteers will need garden clippers (some are available on site) for this activity.  Garden gloves are also recommended but not required. This is a fun filled activity and a great social opportunity too (additional family members and friends are welcome to sign-up too!  

There are two days available for sign-up:

  • Tuesday December 5, 2023: All day (9:30am-8:00pm) with lots of various time slots available - sign-up HERE
  • Wednesday December 6, 2023: Morning only between 9:30am-12:30pm - sign-up HERE

All prep work will take place indoor at The Flower Patch at Tiny Tree Herb Farm, 6370 Old West Saanich Rd.

Thank You to everyone for your consideration and support with this activity.  

If you have any questions, please reach out to the following people:

  • General questions: Wendy at wendy_bird@outlook.com 
  • Brown’s the Florist Design Studio greenery drop off: Natasha text/call at 250-884-5450
  • The Flower Farm at Tiny Tree Herb Farm greenery drop off: Yvonne text/call at 250-893-8351

PURDY’S CHOCOLATES

You are invited to support our school with the sweetest of fundraisers. The Purdy’s Chocolates Fundraiser is back for another year. Although we pay the same price online as you would in store, Purdy’s donates 25% back to the school, which in turn helps to better our children’s educational experiences. This year’s turnaround is FAST! Ordering is available now with a closing deadline of Wednesday November 29, 2021.

You can reach our fundraiser HERE

Important Details:

  • Customer Number: 16280
  • If your order can fit into your child’s backpack, we will send them in a Purdy’s bag.
  • If you do not want your order to go home with your child, regardless of the order size, please email Paula at phesje@gmail.com and you can pick it up at school.
  • If your order is large, you can pick it up at the school around Dec 13th (we’ll let you know the date as soon as Purdy’s informs us).

For a detailed notice about this fundraiser, please click HERE.

** Please feel free to pass along the fundraising link to family, friends, and co-workers. **

Questions? Please contact Paula Hesje at phesje@gmail.com

KERNEL’S POPCORN

The Grade 5 are holding another Kernel's Popcorn Fundraiser, with all proceeds going toward the Grade 5 camp day in June.

  • Popcorn Orders Due: Friday December 1st
  • Popcorn Day: Wednesday December 20th

Orders can be placed through MunchaLunch under the "fundraisers open" tab.

Flavours available are Buttersalt and White Cheddar.  Bags are $2.75 each.

Please note, popcorn will be handed out at the end of the day to go home in backpacks.  

Questions?  Contact Desiree at desireecdavies@gmail.com

WINTER CONCERT – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

The school is looking for volunteers to help with the set-up and take-down for this year’s winter concerts.  They are looking for volunteers that can safely lift heavy objects, as well as help decorate the gym.

December 11 - Winter Concert Set-Up, 3:10-4:10pm: Sign-up HERE 

December 15 - Winter Concert Take Down, 8:15-9:15am: Sign-up HERE

If you have any questions, please contact Sara Salemink at ssalemink@saanichschools.ca

PAC MEETING

Thank you to everyone that braved the rainstorm and made it to our November PAC meeting.  A lot of valuable information was discussed, and your PAC executive appreciated everyone’s feedback and suggestions.  You can find our meeting minutes and financial statements below, or on the webpage.  We would also like to thank Mrs. Russell for graciously allowing us to borrow and rearrange her classroom for our meeting.

We would like to congratulate the following winners of this month’s door prizes:

Meeting Minutes: November 2023

Balance Sheet: November 2023

Profit & Loss Statement: July – November 2023

SCHOOL-AGED CHILDCARE DEMAND - PARENT SURVEY

On behalf of the Ministry of Education and Childcare, we are sharing the survey information below to help inform the Province’s ChildCareBC initiatives:

We know that many families depend on school-age childcare to ensure their children have a quality, affordable, and inclusive place to be during a parent’s full workday. That is why the Province’s ChildCareBC plan is working to expand access to childcare for all families that want and need it.

The Ministry of Education and Childcare is conducting a parent survey to better understand the regional and provincial demand for school age childcare.

While we know there is unmet demand for school-aged childcare, there is no current provincial or regional data quantifying the demand. Your participation will help the Province plan for future school-aged childcare expansions.

This survey is intended for all parents, regardless of the type of childcare you currently use or even if you are not using any childcare at all.

Who should fill out this survey?

If you have children attending Kindergarten to Grade 7 at a B.C. school, we want to hear from you about your family’s childcare needs.

What will this survey be used for?

The survey results will be used to support planning for future initiatives under the ChildCareBC plan. All responses are voluntary and anonymous; you and your child will not be identified as a result of your participation in the survey. Information received will be combined and shared with your school and district as a summary.

How do I complete the survey?

The survey is now available online at:

https://www.awinfosys.com/surveyfull3/minofed/main/SchoolAgeParents.asp?SchoolNumber=1434

and is available in 18 languages. The survey will take 10-15 minutes to complete and is available starting November 21.  Please only complete the survey once. The link is intended especially for you. Please do not share the link with anyone else. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at ChildCareBC.Engagement@gov.bc.ca. If you encounter any technical difficulties, please contact the web survey provider (AWIS) at support@awinfosys.com.

We greatly appreciate your input and thank you in advance for your participation.

Sincerely,

Ministry of Education and Childcare

CONFEDERATION OF PARENT ADVISORY COUNCILS OF SAANICH (COPACS) NEWS

PARENT EDUCATION EVENING – EMPOWERING STRATEGIES & EFFECTIVE SUPPORTS TO BUILD RESILIENCE

Please join us for an ONLINE Presentation by Julie-Anne Richards on Empowering Strategies and Effective Supports to Build Resilience in children (age 5-10) experiencing anxiety, stress, and difficulty with peers. 

More about the speaker/session: Julie-Anne Richards is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, psycho-educational consultant, and an upbeat, seasoned, and dynamic motivational speaker. With advanced clinical training in the use of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and mindfulness techniques, Julie-Anne enjoys sharing her knowledge to assist parents and educators effectively support children experiencing anxiety. 

PAC YEAR-ROUND FUNDRAISING

Please note that the following year-round fundraisers bring in money that goes back to the PAC.  The funds raised go towards supporting our children by enhancing their experiences at Prospect Lake Elementary School.

GRADE 5 YEAR-ROUND FUNDRAISER

Country Grocer

Please save your receipts from Country Grocer and bring them back to the school.

  • There is a metal bucket on top of the wooden PAC mailbox beside Mrs. Blackwell’s desk that you / your child can place them into.
  • Country Grocer provides a percentage back via gift cards from all receipts we return.  
  • The money raised from the sale of the gift cards helps support the current year's Grade 5 class with their year-end activities.

If you would like to purchase any of the Country Grocer gift cards, please contact Angela at angela.formosa.gray@gmail.com

CONTACT US

Please feel free to connect with us at any time: prospectlakepac@gmail.com

Don’t forget to check our PLES PAC website regularly for up-to-date fundraisers, current news, important dates, and much more:  Course: Prospect Lake Elementary School PAC (sd63.bc.ca)

Sign up for the PAC Forum Subscriptions - found on our webpage!

 
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