A Beautiful, Sunny and Cold Day at Graham Bruce!

Dear Graham Bruce Families,

Our first week of school after the winter break went smoothly. It was very nice to see our students happy and rested and ready to learn. As the weather gets much colder, we are reminding our families to send their children to school dressed for the weather and in layers with everything they need to stay warm and dry. Students go outside rain or shine at recess and lunch breaks and we would like to ensure that they enjoy the fresh weather and remain active, while they are equipped with weather appropriate clothing.

School Attendance / Arrival / Pickup

• Importance of Regular Attendance: Regular attendance is not only essential for student engagement but also a key factor in achieving academic success. It lays the foundation for on-time graduation and paves the way for future success in college and careers.
• Educational Impact: Regular school attendance has a significant impact in fostering a positive learning environment. There is a connection between consistent attendance and academic growth. Studies reveal that missing just 10 percent of school days, approximately 18 days in a year, can significantly impact a child's academic performance. Whether excused or unexcused, absences represent lost opportunities to learn and can have long-term consequences.
• Parental Involvement: Parents are encouraged to play an active role by reporting excused absences directly to the school using the safe arrival system. The collaboration between parents and schools is crucial in ensuring a supportive learning environment. Consistent routines and reminders to begin school on time will create the best skills for future life endeavours. 
• Early Intervention: Recognizing the importance of attendance from kindergarten onwards is crucial. Early habits set the tone for academic success, and poor attendance in preschool can predict absenteeism in later grades. By middle and high school, chronic absence becomes a warning sign for potential dropout.
• Arrival / Pickup: School is in session from 9:00am to 3:00pm. The outside supervision takes place from 8:40 to 9:00am in the mornings and 3:03 to 3:23pm in the afternoons. There is no supervision outside these hours for students who are dropped off too early at school or picked up late. The safety of our students is our first priority, and we need your support to do our job well with the only resources we have available to us at this time. Thank you for your consideration and ensuring that your children are not dropped off at and picked up from school outside of the supervision hours.

Documents on MyForms

In September a package was sent to all families enclosing important school documents and introducing a new initiative at the Vancouver School Board called MyForms. This new initiative will help to ease the environmental and administrative overhead associated with paper-based consent forms that are typically sent home at the beginning of the school year.  My Forms will also allow students, parents, and administrators to manage all areas of consent digitally. An email has been sent to those families with incomplete forms. Please access MyForms at https://myforms.vsb.bc.ca and complete the outstanding forms listed in your child’s MyForms account. Please note that these forms are only ON LINE and cannot be sent to you in paper form. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this, please do not hesitate to contact school.

Rollerblading @Bruce

Rollerblading is once again back at Graham Bruce for two weeks, January 8 - 19, 2024, as part of our Health and Physical Education curriculum. Westcoast Wheel Kids Rollerblading is back to teach our students to rollerblade in a safe and responsible manner. Each class will have a minimum of 5 sessions of rollerblading in the two-week period in our gym. Each child will be given a pair of rollerblades and a helmet to use while the program is here. However, if your child has their own helmet or rollerblades, they are more than welcome to bring them to school on the days they are having PE. Once again, our wonderful PAC will be subsidizing this program. The remaining cost of $7.00 per student will be charged to your child/children's School Cash Online Account. 

Upcoming Dates

January 8 - 19: Rollerblading at Bruce

Monday, January 15: PAC meeting @6:15pm - More info to come from PAC

Friday, January 19: Kindergarten Hearing Screening in the morning in the Future Play Room

Wednesday, January 24: Professional Development Day - School closed for students

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me at school with any questions.

Have a safe and restful weekend.

Sincerely,

Armin Samiei | Principal

Graham Bruce Elementary School 

We are honoured to be working and learning together on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the xwməθkwəyə̓ m | Musqueam, Sḵwxwú7mesh | Squamish & səlilwətaɬ | Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Graham Bruce Elementary acknowledges the history of our community and neighbourhood.