Peace Arch News

It was wonderful to see our students returning for the 2023/2024 school year. We had a small increase in the number of students we had last year and the number of divisions (classes) has increased from 24 to 25.

Last week, our students were placed in grade appropriate groups and our staff provided meaningful educational activities until we received our final staffing numbers from the school district. Now that we know our staffing for this year, students have settled into their classes for the year, and we look forward to our first school event which is the Terry Fox Run next Friday, September 22nd.

This year, as in almost every year, there are classes with one grade level (straight classes) and ones with two grade levels, commonly referred to as combined classes. Students in combined classes receive instruction in the same curriculum that they would in a class that has one grade level and research shows that students in a combined class do as well and sometimes better than students in a straight grade class. Whether your child is in a straight or combined class, we're confident they will have a successful year in 2023/2024.

We appreciate everyone's patience and we look forward to another great year at Peace Arch Elementary.

Mr. P. Linklater

Principal, Peace Arch Elementary

Important Reminders:

· Just a friendly reminder to please pack a fork or spoon with your child’s lunch if they need one. We discourage the use of disposable utensils as they are not environmentally friendly and therefore, do not keep them in the office or supply spoons or forks to students. Thank you for your support with this. As well, please make sure your son or daughter’s lunch bag/container is labelled with their name.

We encourage all students to bring their lunches with them in the morning. It is beneficial for our learners to be a part of the lunch preparation process and learn responsibility by packing and bringing their lunches with them in the morning.

If your child(ren) is going to be off ill or late, please contact the school. You can call the office at 604-536-8711, leave a message or email us at peacearch@surreyschools.ca. If you are also planning an extended vacation, please inform the office. A student can only be absent for 25 school days in order to guarantee a space in the school.

Also, please note that parents have to come into the school to sign out their children if they are leaving before the end of the school day.

We have busy traffic around the school in the morning and after school and are hoping that parents/drivers follow some simple rules so we can keep all of our children safe.

1) Please keep your speed down around the school

2) Please drop off your child in the drop-off area in front of the school and never park or leave your vehicle unattended

4) No U-turns in the middle of the street especially in the front of the school

5) Be respectful of other drivers

6) Please do not walk through the school parking lot. Only use the designated crosswalks

Thanks everyone for making Peace Arch a safe place for our students!