Announcements

A new child care facility at Davie Jones Elementary school will provide dozens of families and children in and around Pitt Meadows with convenient child care on school grounds.

“I am excited for busy Pitt Meadows parents and children who will have convenient child care on school grounds, making life easier and providing them with peace of mind knowing their kids are in one place for the whole day,” said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. “This gorgeous facility helps deliver on our promise to create new child care spaces, and we just hit a new milestone of 30,500 new child care spaces funded since the launch of ChildCareBC in 2018.” (more…)

Dear families,

On March 11, 2022, I provided you with an update on the changes made to Provincial COVID-19 Communicable Disease Guidelines for K-12 Settings. Since that time, the guidelines have been further revised to incorporate public health guidance from the BC Centre for Disease Control.

The most significant changes include the following:

1. Health Awareness: We are now transitioning from the daily health check to the more general approach of health awareness. Health awareness includes checking regularly for any symptoms of illness (including but not limited to Covid-19 symptoms), and staying home when sick (including if one is unable to participate fully in regular activities due to symptoms of illness).
2. Events and Gatherings: Events and gatherings can return to 100% capacity.

You can review the updated document in full here.

Sincerely,

Harry Dhillon
Superintendent of Schools

Join us for the Budget Committee of the Whole livestream at 6 pm, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. At this meeting, the board will receive public and partner group on the Proposed 2022/23 Preliminary Budget.

Watch the livestream on the district YouTube channel or the Online Board Meetings page.

The board received for information amended school calendars for 2022/23 and approved that the calendars be shared with the public. Proposed amendments to both the 2022/23 District School Calendar and the 2022/23 Kanaka Creek Elementary Calendar include the following:

• Adding the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Friday, September 30, 2022, as a statutory holiday for students and staff
• Making the previously approved schools not in session day on Friday, February 17, 2023, a regular in-session school day (to meet instructional minutes requirements)
• Moving the previously approved non-instructional school growth planning day from Monday, September 26, 2022, to Monday, October 3, 2022

You can provide input on the proposed amended calendar by email at yourinput@sd42.ca between April 14, 2022, and May 15, 2022. The board will review all feedback received before making its decision on the proposed amendments at its scheduled public meeting on May 18, 2022.

At its April 13, 2022, livestreamed public meeting, the Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows Board of Education received the Proposed Preliminary Budget 2022/23 for information. 

The board welcomes your feedback on this proposed preliminary budget, which includes budget balancing proposals in the following key areas: (more…)

The Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows School District is offering the following summer learning options for 2022: (more…)

Dear parent/guardian,

Further to the March 11, 2022, message from the superintendent, this is a reminder that those who have travelled outside of Canada must follow federal travel guidance upon their return. Importantly, this now includes wearing a well-constructed and well-fitting mask when in public spaces (including schools), both indoors and outdoors, for 14 days following entry into Canada. You can find additional information on the Government of Canada website.

For anyone who has not travelled outside of Canada, masks are a personal choice in schools.

Dear families,

As most of our schools move into spring break, I want to once again express my deep gratitude to staff, families, and students for rising to the challenges presented by this pandemic. Thanks to the dedication and tenacity of our staff, we were able to keep all schools open during the Omicron wave that followed winter break. I extend my sincere thanks to staff at every level of our organization, and wish all our school communities and families a restful and well-deserved break.

If your family is travelling over the break, please remember to review and follow any federal requirements as posted on the Government of Canada website (https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/covid-vaccinated-travellers-entering-canada#children). I would also like to take this opportunity to share a number of important provincial updates, which I have posted below. Should any other updates be issued over the spring break that may impact our schools, I will share these with you as they become available.

(more…)

Dear families,

The events unfolding in Ukraine can be upsetting for adults and children alike. It is often hard to know how to reassure our children when we ourselves are also working to understand tragic events. Children may experience a wide range of emotions in response to what they hear or see about the unfolding events. It is important to remember that they will look to the adults in their lives to help them feel safe and to make sense of the world. As a parent or caregiver, you may feel unprepared to help your child understand and process the messages around them. We are reaching out to share with you some strategies and resources that will help guide your conversations with your child and will help them put scary events into perspective. (more…)

Dear families,

The Ministry of Education announced this week that the additional COVID-19 prevention measures put in place for K-12 schools starting in January 2022 will be lifted at midnight on Friday, February 18. The changes mean a return to the health protocols that were in place prior to winter break outlined in the Provincial COVID-19 Communicable Disease Guidelines for K-12 Settings.

(more…)