April 3, 2024

Principal’s Message

We hope you and your family have had an enjoyable and restful Spring Break. We are all happy to see the longer days and the shift to outside activities.

Congratulations to all involved in the incredibly successful Mean Girls Musical! The production was very well received by the community, who were treated to a truly entertaining and intelligent production. Special kudos to directors Bria Shantz, Danielle Hamilton, Kate Prefontaine, Jennifer McKee and Laura Marenych who created the conditions for outstanding teamwork and community. The hard work, dedication, and caring of everyone involved is something that our school can be incredibly proud of.

Term Two is coming to an end and Learning Updates will be posted to MyEd next week. This Friday, April 5th we will have an early dismissal with an alternate bell schedule to allow teachers time for preparing reports. The alternate bell schedule is posted elsewhere in this newsletter.

This month, we encourage all parents to complete the Ministry of Education’s Student Learning Survey. A link can be found later in this newsletter.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your student’s learning experience, please do not hesitate to contact the school and those individuals who work closely with your student.

Thank you for your continued support and interest and we hope to see you at the school soon!

Tsawwassen First Nation Treaty Day – April 3

Today, April 3rd, Tsawwassen First Nation (TFN) will be celebrating Treaty Day. This is the 15th anniversary of the TFN Treaty, the first urban treaty in British Columbia. This treaty restored land ownership and self-government jurisdiction to the Tsawwassen people after many years of negotiation.  You can read about the treaty process on the TFN website under the https://tsawwassenfirstnation.com/about-tfn/our-nation/timeline-of-history/ both Pre & Post-Treaty. 

Student Learning Survey 2023/2024

The Provincial Student Learning Survey is unique in its scope, size and usefulness to schools. It gathers information from parents/guardians/caregivers, teachers, and students on topics related to school environment, safety, and achievement. The information is used for planning in individual schools and provides a district and provincial perspective.

This month, the Student Learning Survey will be administered to students in grades 10 and 12, their parents/guardians/caregivers, and all school staff. We encourage parents/guardians/caregivers to participate in this survey, as the results are important in identifying and celebrating current strengths, as well as determining where the school needs to focus improvement. The surveys contain standard questions for the Province – in addition, questions from the school and/or district that focus on local conditions or issues may be included.

The survey can be completed electronically and can be accessed on the Internet at http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/sat_survey. Any computer with an Internet connection can be used, and access to the e-survey is simple and secure. The survey can be accessed through the link with or without an anonymous logon code by selecting the school district and school name where your child attends school. Provincial, District and School Reports for previous years can be viewed at the same site under the Results section.

The e-survey site will be open until May 3rd.

If you have any questions, please contact the school at southdelta.sec@deltaschools.ca.

Delta District Parent Advisory Council Annual Open House and Social

The Delta District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC) would like to invite all parents and caregivers to attend their Annual Open House and Social:

Date: Monday, April 8, 2024
Time: 7pm – 8:30pm
Location: School Board Office, 4585 Harvest Drive, Delta
Contact Name: Jennifer Rak, Chair, DPAC
Email: deltadpac@gmail.com
RSVP by: Friday, April 5th

This is an opportunity for parents, caregivers and those in our school community to meet district employees, community partners and of course, your DPAC Executives. The evening will start with short introductions before opening up the floor to socialize, gather information and enjoy a snack. Children are welcome since this will not be a formal meeting.

It is also the last meeting before the DPAC AGM on Monday, May 13th where the elections for the 2024/25 DPAC Executives will happen. If any parents or caregivers are looking to get more involved at the district level, this event will be an opportunity to speak to the DPAC Executives regarding positions and ask any questions they may have.

Please RSVP to deltadpac@gmail.com by Friday, April 5.

Early Dismissal Schedule – Friday, April 5th 

There will be an early dismissal and alternate bell schedule on Friday April 5th to provide teachers time to complete term two learning updates. Learning Updates will be viewable on MyEd on Thursday, April 11th.

Social Media Awareness Workshop

The Ministry of Education has announced new dates for online Family Sessions on the topic of Social Media Awareness. These sessions are meant for caregivers and children aged 10 and up.

Dates: Tuesday, March 26. Wednesday, April 10. Tuesday, April 16.
Time: All sessions take place from 6:30pm to 7:30pm.

The sessions can be accessed at the following link: erase Family Sessions (saferschoolstogether.com)

Dry Grad Fundraiser

The parent dry grad committee is having a Growing Smiles fundraiser. If you need plants or Mother’s Day gifts these plants are amazing. Please consider ordering and supporting the grads of 2024.

https://sdssgrad.growingsmilesfundraising.com/home

Partial Solar Eclipse – April 8, 2024 

A partial solar eclipse will take place on Monday, April 8. While this is an exciting astronomical event, it’s important that students know not to look directly at the sun at any time to guard against temporary or permanent damage to their eyes. 

During a solar eclipse, the moon moves between the sun and the earth, partially or completely blocking the Sun’s rays. Looking at the eclipse directly, or through sunglasses, windows or a camera even for just a few seconds is not safe as the sun’s intense radiation has the potential to cause eye damage. 

In Delta, the solar eclipse is expected to begin at 10:42 a.m., peak at 11:30 a.m., and finish by 12:20 p.m. (https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/canada/delta?iso=20240408) 

A safe way to view the eclipse is online at NASA/Exploratorium_livestream or Space.com.