Newsletter #1 - September 1, 2026
September 1, 2026
Dear Highland Park Elementary families,
Welcome to the 2026-2027 school year. I certainly hope you were able to experience some fun, friends, family and adventure this summer. In addition to setting up classrooms, the school staff will be busy this week with IPE parking. A big thank you to our staff, PAC, parents and community who organize, participate in and contribute to this big fundraiser. These efforts will benefit our school and our students in many ways. The PAC is still in need of a few volunteers to fill some shifts on Saturday, September 5 from 12 - 4pm. Please CLICK HERE to sign up. REMINDER: For EVERY PAC shift you sign up for, you receive a FREE IPE entrance ticket. You can also CLICK HERE to read more on the PAC Facebook Page. Thank you.
We are looking very forward to seeing students in grades 1 – 5 for a part day on Wednesday, September 9. Dismissal on this first day will be at 11:03 am, three hours early. Busses will run as usual but will arrive at regular stops, three hours earlier.
We look forward to welcoming our approximately 46 new kindergarten students who will attend on Thursday, September 10th for their first day. CLICK HERE to access the gradual entry schedule for 2026 – 2027 kindergarten students. We wish our last year’s grade 5’s much success as they transition to Len Wood Middle School. And of course, to any families that have moved to new schools in other communities; you ALL will be missed very much here at HPE.
It is very normal for children to feel nervous about returning to school, starting in a new class with a new teacher and new group of students, changing schools, or starting kindergarten for the first time. Please know that we are here to support you and your child as we work together to make the transition as smooth and positive as possible. The following are only a few strategies to help your child with back-to-school worries:
1. Take care of the basics: good sleep, nutritious food, and exercise are important foundations.
2. Show empathy: listen to your child and acknowledge their feelings.
3. Problem-solve together: create a plan with simple, concrete steps.
4. Focus on the positives: gently redirect attention toward what your child can look forward to.
5. Pay attention to your own responses: the more confidence you model, the more your child will believe they can handle this. Be supportive, calm, and firm.
Below you will find information about our school start up and the usual important information for students and families at our school. These processes, procedures, and routines are in place to ensure our school is safe, caring, and welcoming. We work hard at HPE to ensure that all students feel like they belong. Student-to-student interactions play a big part in creating a sense of belonging for all. Please refamiliarize yourself with them so you can help your child find success and contribute positively to the school experience of others.
VOLUNTEERING: If you have a desire to volunteer at the school and have not yet completed the necessary requirements, please email hpe@sd83.bc.ca and request the link so you can complete the Approved Volunteer Package. Upon completion, you will be asked to complete a registration form. For more information about the Volunteers in School Policy 240, CLICK HERE.
BUSSING: In order to ride a school bus, your child must be registered with SD83 Transportation. Please contact the SD83 Transportation department at 250-832-9415. For all things related to SD83 bussing, please CLICK HERE. Kindergarten students are unable to ride on the school bus until their first full day of school on Tuesday, September 22.
CALENDAR: CLICK HERE to access the SD83 Calendar so you may update your personal calendars with days students are not in attendance. Please note the Student/Teacher/Family Conference Day on Monday, October 26 where students only attend for their scheduled conference time. More information will be available in early October. Also, in your calendars, please save the date for our very first PAC meeting of the 2026-2027 school year on Tuesday, September 22 at 2:30 pm in the school library and the Welcome Back to School Event on Thursday, September 24 at 5:00 pm. More details of the BBQ will be shared soon by our wonderful PAC who are planning this event for our HPE families and staff. Also, CLICK HERE for the calendar on our website which is updated throughout the year to include all the happenings at HPE.
THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL PLAN: For the first week of school, we are planning for students to return to their last year’s classrooms. There may be some classes where the last year’s teacher is not returning to HPE or available, and in those circumstances, students will be able to learn from one of our newly hired teachers at HPE or other familiar teachers from our HPE staff. On the first day, please have your child line up a their last year’s outside classroom line up. Their assigned teacher will let them know where to meet them at the bell moving forward for the rest of the week. Returning to last year’s class allows for an opportunity to connect with their previous teacher and classmates. It also allows our staff to consider any last minute registrations and make adjustments to our school configuration if necessary. As communicated previously, we are down from 14 divisions to 13 with very limited space. Having said that, please encourage any new families with school aged children in our area to contact our office at 250-546-8723 so we can be as proactive as possible with our planning and get students into classrooms as soon as possible. For any families that have moved, please also encourage them to advise the office. We are hopeful that students will transition to their assigned classes for the year on Friday afternoon. If that is not possible, the transition to their assigned classes for the year will happen on Monday at some point during the school day. Attendance is important this first week so we can ensure all students are counted in our enrollment numbers. Any new students to the school are asked to report to the office for instructions.
REPORTING ABSENCES: We ask that you continue to contact our office by phone 250-546-8723 or email hpe@sd83.bc.ca to report any absences. Please remember this week and throughout the year when reporting absences to include your child’s first and last name, teacher’s name, and reason for the absence. Thank you for your assistance in helping us ensure all students are accounted for each day. The time it takes to track down this information can take away time from other important tasks in our office. We thank you for making the reporting of student absences an ongoing priority throughout the year.
HPE STAFFING UPDATE: A special welcome back to Ms. Bergman, who is returning as Learning Resource Teacher and Classroom Teacher teaching one of our grade 4/5 classes with Ms. MacDonald, our Vice Principal. Welcome back to Ms. Johnson and Ms. Brandoli who will be sharing the K/1 classroom. A special welcome to Ms. Shona Wuschke, Early Childhood Educator supporting our kindergarten students, and CEAs, Kelly Martwig and Stephanie Halifax. We are very excited to welcome all our new staff to our HPE Husky team. CLICK HERE to access our 2026-2027 staffing list so far.
STUDENT PLACEMENT INFORMATION: Regarding student placement, please know that the HPE staff work very hard, given the constraints of class size and composition, on a variety of scenarios to best meet the educational needs of our students schoolwide. We work hard as a staff to consider the best learning environment for your children. The goal is to create balanced classrooms, taking into account a variety of factors that affect the overall composition of the class. We know that change can be difficult but your trust in our staff and our rationale with the placement of students is important to us and much appreciated. Once our placement process is complete, and children have been assigned to their classroom for the year, rarely are requests for changes considered as they can negatively affect the overall classroom composition, we have worked hard to create in each class. For those parents who provided input in April and May we thank you for sharing your insights. All input was considered as a valuable piece of the complex puzzle. Having said that, we will not be able to accommodate all requests. You know your child best. We use our knowledge of your child and the many other students from their experiences in the classroom and school environment. We look forward to a fantastic year of learning, growth, and working together.
If you wish to reread the information about providing parent input into classroom placement, please click on the April Newsletter. Information about school configuration planning can be found in the June Newsletter.
CLICK HERE to access the SD83 process for communicating with your school.
SCHOOL BELL SCHEDULE: CLICK HERE to access our 2026-2027 Bell Schedule. Information about why it needed to be slightly modified can be found in our June Newsletter. In short, school will start at 8:00 am and end at 2:03.
BEFORE SCHOOL SUPERVISION: Supervision is available for students before school starting at 7:40 am. We ask that students who walk, bike and get dropped off not arrive to school before 7:40 am. This is for student safety so we may provide adequate supervision.
AFTER SCHOOL SUPERVISION: The school is responsible for your children from the time they leave home for school until they return home after school. For this reason, it is important that all students go directly home at the bell after school, unless of course parent supervision is present on the playground. Supervision is provided after school for bus students ONLY. No students are allowed behind the school at the end of the day unless they are with their care giver. If students wish to return to the school to play after checking in at home, the parent is then responsible for their safety. Please be vigilant teaching your children about safety to and from school, including the use of the flashing light when crossing from the overflow parking at the IPE grounds at the front of the school. We encourage students to walk with a buddy or group.
AFTER SCHOOL PLANS: Please ensure your child is aware of their after school plan each day. If changes are made from the usual plan, make a note in the student planner or send an email to the classroom teacher. You can also contact the office at 250-546-8723 before 1:30 pm so we can ensure your child is aware of any change prior to the end of day bell.
DROP OFF AND PICK UP: We have put a lot of effort into our parking lot to improve student safety and the flow of traffic the last couple of years. We would like to take this opportunity to remind families of the important instructions to navigate our parking lot successfully. You will see newly painted parking lines, arrows for direction and a new center line along the kiss and ride zone (pick up and drop off area). Please CLICK HERE to read more. In short, please remember these points:
1. Allow space for two lanes of traffic along the kiss and ride lane (drop off and pick up). One for Kiss and Ride (right lane) and one for Through Traffic (left lane). We ask that the Through Lane give right of way to the vehicles exiting the Kiss and Ride Lane. If you are the very first vehicle in the Kiss and Ride Lane (nearest the gate), pull forward to exit, otherwise all other vehicles are asked to exit out the Through Lane.
2. When using the Kiss and Ride Lane for pick up or drop off, use your signal and pull up as far as you can to the very end of the Kiss and Ride Lane (right before the gate). If a space becomes available ahead of you, pull up. Be sure to signal to enter back in the Through Lane. Stay in your vehicle, have children load and unload on the passenger side of the vehicle onto the sidewalk, not in the Through Lane. As vehicles in front of you exit the Kiss and Ride Lane, drive ahead to maximize the space available to others behind you. Anticipate the actions of others. Wait to let your child out or in your vehicle if it looks as though a space may come available ahead of you. This creates more space for those who arrive behind you.
3. Be quick at the Kiss and Ride to allow for the much need steady stream of pick up or drop off traffic. DO NOT hold up traffic. Be ready to pull up promptly in the Kiss and Ride Lane as space becomes available. Please do not socialize with others at the Kiss and Ride. At drop off, if you must watch as your child goes to their outside line up, consider parking and walking them. At pick up, students are told to meet their driver at the far end, watch carefully as they arrive and enter the vehicle quickly.
4. Turn right ONLY onto Wood Avenue during our busiest times (7:40 – 8:00 AM and 1:50 – 2:10 PM). Outside of these times, two vehicles can fit at the stop line if the vehicle turning left keeps to the very left of the line.
5. Do not park in staff designated areas during our busy times (see picture below). This prevents the need to turn around or back up into congested areas. The road leading to the back of the day care is for staff parking, accessible parking permit holders and daycare traffic ONLY. If you must park during our busy times, please utilize the IPE grounds.
6. Use the crosswalks to navigate your child to the school grounds from your vehicle. Especially to cross the two lanes of traffic – the Kiss and Ride and Through Lane.
BICYCLES AND WHEELS: All students and guests are instructed to walk their wheels while on school grounds at pick up and drop off. If riding a bike or scooter to school, a helmet must be worn. Students are expected to dismount their bicycles or scooters upon entering the school grounds and walk them to the bike rack to lock them up. They are not to be used during the school day.
SCHOOL FEES: Fees are due on October 2 so payment any time before that would be appreciated. CLICK HERE to access the notice outlining the 2026-2027 fee structure. In March, HPE staff with PAC support gave notice to families of moving toward a board approved school supply fee of $45 for classroom supplies. CLICK HERE to read more about this change and our rationale. It has also been mentioned in subsequent Newsletters as well. If you are currently experiencing financial hardship and require extra time or support with the payment or partial payment of these school fees or supplies, please contact Shelly Cull, principal. We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter so we can replenish our budget sooner than later.
THE HUSKY WAY: At HPE we are focusing on important skills that we hope will improve our school culture and climate. Our goal is to build a greater sense of social and personal responsibility in order to contribute in positive, productive, and expected ways at school and beyond. We call this the HUSKY WAY and being HUSKY STRONG. We will continue to have monthly schoolwide assemblies to promote behaviours that contribute to a safe, caring and welcoming learning environment; one where EVERYONE feels that they belong. S – Stay safe, Seek Safe Solutions, T – Take Care of Each Other, R – Respect EVERYONE, O – Own our Actions, N – Never Give UP, G – Grow with Goals.
STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT: Please CLICK HERE to access our Student Code of Conduct. We also believe in the importance of solving problems when problems are small and communicating about problems early. We can only intervene if we are aware of the problem. It is important to report unwanted behaviour to the school as immediately as possible in order to be effective in making the problem stop. Your child’s classroom teacher or Principal can help investigate and find resolution to challenges your child might be facing. CLICK HERE to access the SD83 Process for Communicating Concerns. Students can access strategies to solve problems using our Problem Solving Wheel. Students are also encouraged to seek help from a supervising staff member during recess and lunch time play.
RESTRICTIONS ON THE USE OF PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES: To learn more about the Ministerial Order, SD83policy and regulations, please CLICK HERE. Simply put, student use of personal digital devices is no longer permitted during the school day during both instructional and non-instructional times for students in elementary and middle school grades (including before school, break times and after school). Electronic devices are encouraged to remain at home, including smart watches, phones/tablets and game systems. If you need to reach your child at any time, please contact our office. Students can also get permission from their classroom teacher to phone home at the office if needed. Please ensure messages regarding transportation and after school plans are received no later than 1:30 pm.
FAIR NOTICE FOR VIOLENT AND OR THREATENING BEHAVIOURS: As a school district, we have a district safe school protocol for responding to any and all situations in which students may be posing a threat to themselves or others. School District No. 83 requires principals to activate a threat assessment protocol in all cases where students are making significant high-level threats to harm themselves or others. The procedure is called a Threat Risk Assessment. CLICK HERE to learn more about the Fair Notice process and protocol. If you become aware of a violent or threatening situation in which any student at HPE may pose a risk or be at risk, please contact Shelly Cull at 250-546-8723 or scull@sd83.bc.ca. This includes incidents that occur outside of school in the community or even online. Parents are also able to contact RCMP.
HEAD LICE: Schools no longer conduct schoolwide checks as the primary responsibility for the control of head lice rests with the family. To prevent the spread of head lice, it is important that families check for head lice regularly. If a case of head lice is made known to the school, it is managed confidentially and sensitively. Students are no longer sent home. A notice will be sent home to parents of students in that classroom so parents can assist in the prevention of the spread by checking even more regularly. In support of regular checking, principals provide reminders when returning from breaks, Summer, Winter and Spring. Please consider this your reminder 😊. Teach your child about prevention of head lice (avoiding head to head contact, not sharing hats, brushes, helmets, tie long hair back, etc.). CLICK HERE for more information. We encourage communication with the school as an important tool in support of prevention.
SCHOOL GOALS: We will be working on the following school goals for the 2026-2027 school year:
1. To improve in the area of LITERACY, in particular writing, for greater impact (Style and Conventions).
2. To improve student NUMERACY skills – we have specific goals for each grade level.
3. To improve students’ sense of BELONGING – focusing on social responsibility (problem solving) to create a welcome, safe and caring environment.
4. To improve students’ sense of WELL-BEING – focusing on positive self-identity, personal awareness and perseverance for goal setting.
5. To develop students’ competencies to be successful in a CAREER path of their choice – focusing on the engagement of students in goal-setting and self-assessment opportunities.
Our updated School Learning Plan for the 2026 - 2027 school year will be shared soon. This will be reviewed to gather input at upcoming PAC meetings. In addition, an information session for parents will be planned for an evening in November.
INSIDE DAYS: On occasion, due to severe weather, (cold below -14, heavy rain or strong winds, etc.) the office may determine an inside day. Having said that, it is a rare occasion so please ensure your children have what they need in their backpacks for all kinds of weather conditions. We value the importance of fresh air and outside time but staying warm and dry is a must so we can keep our priority on learning during our learning times. Air Quality is monitored using this link: https://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/bcairquality/data/aqhi.html?id=AQHI-NORTH_OKANAGAN
EMERGENCY DRILLS: As part of our ongoing efforts to ensure students and staff are prepared in the event of an emergency, we are required to conduct a variety of emergency procedure as practice opportunities. We will conduct 6 fire drills, 1 lock down drill and 1 Earthquake drill each school year.
ORANGE SHIRT DAY: Our school will be observing the Wednesday, September 30 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Tuesday, September 29. Students and staff are encouraged to wear Orange on Tuesday, September 29. In recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, K̓wsaltktnéws ne Secwepemcúl'ecw School District (SD83) is selling orange t-shirts and hoodies, as a part of the commemoration of this very important day. This year's winning design comes from a Ranchero student, Cruz. CLICK HERE if you wish to purchase an SD83 Orange Shirt. Orders must be placed by Sunday, September 20. Stock is limited so order sooner than later so you do not miss out on this opportunity.
TERRY FOX RUN: Our school will be participating in the annual Terry Fox Run once again. The tentative date has been set for Friday, September 25 in the afternoon. While you can observe this event from designated areas, only parent approved volunteers will be able to help volunteer and supervise student while running.
FSA - FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS ASSESSMENT 2026: Each year, students in grades 4, 7, 10 and 12 participate in a provincial assessment called Foundational Skills Assessment (developed by the Ministry of Education and Child Care) that takes a look at students’ learning in the areas of Numeracy and Literacy. CLICK HERE for a very informative brochure for parents on the FSA, what it is, why it’s important and how the results are used. For even more information, CLICK HERE to access the Ministry of Education and Child Care website. The assessment process will occur from September 28 – November 6. Students are required to complete a variety of tasks in a booklet and online to assess their skills with comprehension in Literacy and problem solving in Numeracy. This assessment is marked and scored by SD83 teachers, Principals and Vice Principals. Results are used by SD83 and our school staff to measure progress in Literacy and Numeracy and set direction for the coming years. Results are viewed as a grade cohort and individually to show growth in areas outlined in our School Learning Plan. The student booklet containing individual student results is sent home to parents in December. If you would like to view sample questions or even help your child prepare for the assessment, CLICK HERE to access sample assessments for each grade level and topic assessed.
All students in grades 4 and 7 must write the FSA to ensure our data accurately reflects our population as these results guide our improvement planning and efforts. We work hard to ensure that students have the time they need to ensure they can demonstrate a complete understanding to the best of their ability. Principals can identify students eligible for exemption from one or both components of the FSA, in accordance with specified criteria exemptions. More information will be forthcoming in an email directly to families of students in grade 4. If you have questions, please contact Mrs. Cull or Ms. Mac.
PAC NEWS: Please ensure that you save Thursday, September 24 in your family calendars for the Back to School BBQ at 5 pm. More information will be coming soon. CLICK HERE to access more information about the Davison Orchard Apple Fundraiser for PAC. Orders are due Tuesday, September 29 with a pick up date of Friday, October 16. Our first PAC meeting of the year will be on Tuesday, September 22. Subsequent PAC meetings will fall on the third Tuesday of each month, with no meeting in the short month of March. PAC meetings are at 2:30 pm in the school library.
SPIRIT WEAR: If you are interested in purchasing our HPE spirit wear to show you Husky STRONG pride, CLICK HERE to access the link to order. We encourage students and staff to wear their HPE HUSKY STRONG apparel at our school wide assemblies. It's the HUSKY Way! Whoo - AH!
Please continue to check our website https://hpe.sd83.bc.ca/news for additional information about school procedures, expectations and upcoming events. You can also CLICK HERE to access our school calendar that will updated throughout the school year.
As always, Mrs. MacDonald and I welcome your thoughts, questions, suggestions, feedback and input regarding all aspects of Highland Park Elementary School. We hope you enjoy the last few days of summer break.
Warmest Regards,
Mrs. Cull and Mrs. MacDonald 😊
