Send us your Holiday Message for Dickens Staff!

Hello Dickens Families!

We're putting together a “Thank You & Happy Holidays” video for our wonderful Dickens Staff. 

 

We are hoping that you can create a 3 second video or a photo of your kids to include in the final video.  

Your video/photo can include holiday inspiration and/or thank you messages.

 

Please send your video/photo to dickens.div5@gmail.com by the end of  Monday, December 14 

 

Let’s share some smiles and thank you's with our amazing teaching community!

Thank You!

Smartphone Use at Dickens and Raising Digitally Responsible Youth - A Parent's Guide

 

The BC Ministry of Education and Safer Schools Together have also produced Raising Digitally Responsible Youth - A Parent's Guide.  All Dickens Parents & Guardians are welcome to read or download the PDF here.  

2020 Holiday Gift Card Drive!

Charles Dickens Elementary PAC
2020 Holiday Gift Card Drive

The holidays will be a little different this year, so with that in mind, 

we have changed up our usual Holiday Hampers program into a special Holiday Gift Card Drive.

The need in the community is great and the best way for us to help is to 

match gift cards with those in need, so we Spread Joy, Not Germs! 

We have partnered with Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House, 

Aunt Leah’s Place and Baby-Go-Round.

You can help by contributing in the following ways:

 

1) Donate ANY AMOUNT online via your account at SchoolCashOnline.com  

   

Steps to donate online:

• Sign in.
• Click the Make a Donation button and choose an amount.
• Select E-Charles Dickens PAC as the fund destination for your donation and include a comment that it is for the Holiday Gift Card Drive. 
• Tax receipts are provided immediately.
• Cash donations must be received by December 9, 2020.

2) Contribute to our Gift Card Drive from December 7- 11, 2020. Cards will be collected by classroom teachers. 

Gift card suggestions:

• Grocery: Buy-Low, No Frills, Superstore, Walmart or Save-On-Foods, Safeway
• Other: Shoppers Drug Mart, Old Navy, Toys R Us, Metrotown, EB Games, Granville Island Toy Company, Best Buy, London Drugs. 
• Please note gift cards are not eligible for a tax receipt. 

Your support is greatly appreciated. Thank you! 

 

If you have any questions, contact Mona via email: charlesdickensholidayhampers@gmail.com

Vancouver School Board Sustainability Conference (via Zoom)

Join an engaging and informative evening with your Vancouver District PAC Community for part 2 of the sustainability education series called Sustainability: Principles to Practice on Thursday, November 26, 2020 (7- 9:30pm)

You will take away the latest information about the Vancouver Plan for greening our city, plus the latest developments and next planning stages. 

Register at this link!

Come discover more about the Six Big Moves and comprehensive recommendations that will improve access and mobility, increasing wellness, and guide the principles in reaching essential climate targets. In addition, you'll hear from student organizers for this year's VSB Sustainability Conference. 

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION for 2021-2022

Kindergarten Registration for the 2021 - 2022 School Year starts on Monday, November 2:

To register your child for Kindergarten next year at Charles Dickens Elementary, you will need to register online and then come to the school with the required documentation.

Documentation includes: 

Birth certificate, immunization records and proof of address. Proof of address is either a rental agreement or property tax notice and a copy of a  recent utility bill (BC Hydro/Telus etc.)

Please call our School Office Admin at the Main School (604) 713-4978 and speak to Anne (Mon - Wed) or Michelle (Thu - Fri) and arrange a time to drop off the documentation.

Alternatively, you are welcome to come to the school and drop it off for us to photocopy. Please call when at the front door of the main entrance.

Thank you,

Anne Canning 

Charles Dickens Elementary 

COVID-19 Contact Tracing at BC Schools

There has been a case of COVID-19 identified within the Dickens community and you may have heard stories on the news of late, regarding how COVID cases in schools are being handled. 

We’re sure that many of you have questions about the process for informing and tracing cases and we encourage you to take a look at the websites for both Vancouver Coast Health exposures and the BCCDC exposures. 

Below, you’ll find the outline of Vancouver Coastal Health’s process when a positive case is identified, along with an infographic which describes how contact tracing works. If a student or teacher receives a confirmed positive COVID-19 test result, Public Health follows a rigorous protocol:

Contact tracing is initiated to determine how the individual was infected and who they were in close contact with. We identify and notify close contacts who may be at an increased risk, and advise them to self-isolate and monitor for symptoms for 14 days.

Only Public Health can determine who is a close contact. Learning groups, friends or other connections may not be determined to be a close contact. 

Public Health staff works closely with the school and school district throughout the case and contact management process to maintain close communication with the school community.

Understanding that it’s easier said than done, we encourage you not to panic, but rather to be vigilant in monitoring yourselves and your family members for any of the identified symptoms and keep your kids home if you’re unsure. 

When you’re picking up your child(ren) from school, keep your distance, wear a mask (unless you aren’t able to for health reasons) and, as Julie recommended last week, rather than staying in the park or on the playground where there are lots of people, head home. 

Ahead of Thanksgiving, we’d like to remind you of what Dr. Henry has said:

“Make your celebrations large in thanks, large in gratitude, but small in size.
Stick to six and share turkey, not COVID.”

Sending all our best for a wonderful, safe and healthy Thanksgiving, 

Your PAC Co-Chairs,
Laura, Tiffany, Sara & Daniela