Dear Ferris Families, 

Welcome back to another school year! We hope our students had a wonderful summer, filled with rest, fun and time with friends and family. We are looking forward to getting our students back in the routine of learning and gathering once again as a school community. Ferris continues to be a welcoming community that promotes an inclusive and happy learning environment. Members of our school community strive to create and maintain a caring and engaging learning environment for our students. The partnership and collaboration of parents, students, staff, and community members make this school great!  Please feel free to reach out to our awesome Office Staff (Mrs. Daum, Ms. Williams, Mrs. Wong) or Myself and Ms. Navin (Vice Principal) with any questions. Below is some key information that you will kindly need to know for the first week of school.:  https://ferris.sd38.bc.ca

Tuesday, September 3rd (First Day-Welcome Back)

8:45am – 9:45am GRADE 1-7 Students in Attendance 

1:00pm – 1:45pm KINDERGARTEN Students in Attendance

• KINDERGARTEN students will follow the K Gradual Entry Schedule for the week BUT on this day, all Kindergarten students attend from 1:00pm – 1:45pm. 
• RETURNING students (Grades 1-7) will return to their last year’s classes using the same entering and pick up procedures as last year.
• NEW students (Grades 1-7) will meet in the gym. They will be greeted by a teacher or staff member and will be led to the classroom they will be learning in for the week. New students will return to the gym for dismissal. 

**Kindergarten parents will be invited to the gym for a meeting with the school admin (Emmanuel Adjei-Achampong Jr. and Nona Navin) after their child has been dropped off from 1:00pm- 1:45pm.

*At any point in the year, if your child will be absent or away, please kindly contact the Early Morning Line: 604-668-6546 

 Wednesday, September 4^th and Thursday, September 5^th

• • RETURNING Gr. 1-7 students will go to the classroom that they were at on the first day (by meeting/lining up either outside the classroom door or a location in the school grounds indicated by the classroom teacher by 8:45)
  • NEW GR 1-7 students will meet/line up outside the gym by 8:45

Friday September 6^th – Grade 1-7 Students Move to New Classes 

• Once Ferris’ school organization has been approved by the Richmond School District, we will begin the process for moving into our new classes. The plan is to move at 1pm on September 6^th. Any change to the plan will be communicated to families.  

End of Day Dismissal on Friday, September 6^th  

Intermediate Students (Gr. 4-7): Students will be in a new classroom at the end of the day. Please arrange a pickup plan with your child (e.g. a location at school to meet or a plan to walk home). 

Primary Students (Gr. 1-3): Parents will be emailed by the office on Friday afternoon. This email will indicate the pickup location for each primary class (e.g. outside the classroom door or a location in the school grounds). Teachers will stay with students until they are picked up by a parent. Please check in at the office if you are not sure about the location. 

Important information for Parents 

Allergies/Health Considerations: If your child has an epi-pen, please notify the teacher and give the epi-pen to your child’s teacher upon drop off, and they will direct you to the office to fill out the appropriate forms. Also kindly provide a note to the teacher and office regarding any allergies or other health considerations. We will be following up with this information regarding any required doctor’s notes.  

Outside Recess and Lunch Breaks: Recess and Lunch breaks will be held outside rain or shine. It is very important that students are properly prepared for all types of weather. Younger students should store a change of clothes at school (e.g. socks, pants…). It is helpful to label all their belongings.

Lunch, Snacks and Water: Please remember to send a lunch, snack(s) and water bottle with your child as we will not be able to accommodate lunch drop offs during the day (except in emergency situations).  

Day Care Pick Up: If a day care provider is picking up your child, please arrange a pickup spot for them. Tomorrow’s Top Kids is on site and will pick up students from classes (as appropriate).  

Traffic Safety/Parking Lot/Drop Off Loop: Our school continues to grow. We will have close to 630 students this year, and the streets around the school are not designed to accommodate large volumes of traffic. Whenever possible, we ask our families to use options other than driving to transport their children to and from school (e.g. walking, biking etc.). Here are some important traffic reminders: 

• Student Drop Off: Sunnymede Crescent has a NO STOPPING zone in front of the school. Parents dropping students off need to park outside of the no stopping zone. Please kindly DO NOT drop off students or pick them up in the no stopping zone. The drop off loop will remain closed to increase pedestrian safety. 
• Parking Lot: The parking lot is reserved for staff. Any parents accessing the lot need to have permission from the school. 

• Walking Paths in the Parking Lot: Families need to use the designated walking paths when crossing the parking lot. Please kindly remind your children that it is unsafe to walk through the area where cars drive. As a school community, we strive to ensure that Ferris continues to be a safe and caring place.

Enjoy the rest of the week and your long weekend, and we greatly look forward to seeing you on Tuesday! 

Sincerely,  

Emmanuel Adjei-Achampong Jr., Principal     Nona Navin, Vice Principal