Central Community Newsletter

Welcome Back & Hello Term 3!

It was wonderful to see the strong support from our community for the PAC Frozen Treat Fundraiser on Thursday, April 2nd—thank you to our PAC and families for making it such a success!

Welcome back from Spring Break—and bring on Term 3! We hope everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable break. We are looking forward to a busy and exciting term ahead.

This month brings many initiatives across the school, along with several important dates to mark on your family calendars.

Our Grade 5 students have begun training for the Como Lake Relays, and students interested in the upcoming District Track Meet on May 21 should listen carefully to the morning announcements for practice times and details.

We are also excited to share that student‑athletes from the Riverside Girls Basketball Team will be hosting a Girls Basketball Skills Development Camp in the mornings before school. More information will be shared soon.

To welcome our newest learners, we will be hosting two events for incoming kindergarten families:

• Playground Playdate: April 30
• Welcome to Kindergarten Event: May 13

Just a heads up that if you are looking to contact me via email please make sure you use sobrien@sd43.bc.ca

Recently a few folks have sent emails to the generic email that sends out my mass emails to the Central Community. Unfortunately, those emails do not reach my inbox.

Feedback is always appreciated. I can be contacted at sobrien@sd43.bc.ca

You should have received an email memo from the school district notifying families of a district-wide emergency release day on Thursday, May 14, 2026, with an early dismissal at 2:00 p.m. On this day, students will be released only to an authorized adult who comes to the school to pick them up. Students will not be released to walk home. An authorized adult needs to pick up your student(s). Please be sure to mark this date and time in your home calendar.

Once details are confirmed, we will share the plan with families through email and our school newsletter.

In the meantime, please ensure the school has an up-to-date Student Emergency Release Form for your child. I will be asking our secretary to reach out to families to assist with those that need to submit their paperwork.

This form tells us who is authorized to pick up your child in the event of an emergency.

If you need to update the form:

• Download a copy from our school website
• Submit the completed form in person to the school office or by email to central@sd43.bc.ca

👉 Click here to access an electronic copy of the form

🎶 Save the Date! 🎶

Central Staff are proud to present our Spring Concert!

Please mark your family calendars for Thursday, May 7th, 2026, as we celebrate our students with a special spring performance. This year’s exciting theme is Canadian Artists!✨

Our students and staff have already begun practicing their songs, designing visuals, and preparing for the show—and we even have a small surprise in the works!

To better support all of our families and accommodate varying schedules, we will be offering two performance times:

• a matinee show during the afternoon, and
• an evening show later that evening.

🎤 Matinee Show

Due to capacity limits in the gymnasium, we kindly ask that parents and family members who are able to attend during the day consider joining us for the matinee performance. This will help ensure that families who work during the day can attend the evening show. Thank you for your support in making this event accessible to as many families as possible!

🌟 Evening Show

For the evening performance, we are asking for your support in having students attend the show. We know that evening schedules can be busy, but in the spirit of celebrating our students’ hard work and honoring the time and effort put into producing this special event, we truly appreciate your help in ensuring students participate.

Students would need to be dropped off at their classrooms for 6:00pm. If parents saw the afternoon show we ask that they drop off their students and come back for pick up after the evening show is completed.

A heartfelt thank-you to our teaching and support staff who are generously giving their evening to stage students in their classrooms and help transition them to and from the gym so everyone can shine on stage!

📅 Event Details

What: Central Community School Spring Concert
When: Thursday, May 7th, 2026

Times:

• Matinee Performance:
• Tentative start: 1:15 PM
• Doors open: 12:45 PM
• Evening Performance:
• Tentative start: 6:30 PM
• Doors open: 6:00 PM
• Student drop-off: 6:00 PM (at their classroom)

We can’t wait to celebrate our talented students with you—thank you for your continued support! 🎶🌟

Confirmation of times will be communicated shortly.

🎉 Central Community School — Let’s Show Our School Spirit! 🎉

Get ready to wave, smile, and show off your Central pride! Central Community School is excited to continue our tradition of participating in the 103rd Port Coquitlam May Day Parade on Saturday, May 9th, 2026.

The Port Coquitlam May Day Parade is one of the longest-running community parades in the Lower Mainland—and it’s a big one! In 2025, the parade featured over 90 parade entries, ran for 1.5 hours, and drew an incredible 22,000 spectators from across the region.

👏 We Need You!
We’re inviting students and families to join us by walking the parade route together. This is a family-friendly event, and we’d love to see parents walking alongside their children. To keep the energy high, we’ll have a portable speaker and a fun playlist playing along the route!

👕 What to Wear
Students are asked to wear their black Central School shirt to proudly represent our school.

🚗 Volunteer Opportunity
As in past years, we are looking for one family with an electric vehicle to generously volunteer their time and vehicle to lead our group at the front of the parade. If this sounds like you, please let us know through the survey or connect directly with Principal O’Brien.

📣 Parade Line-Up
Our lead vehicle will be followed by the Central Community School banner, with students and families proudly walking behind—waving to the crowd and sharing our school spirit with the community.

So grab your Central gear, bring your smiles, and come join the parade! Let’s show everyone what makes our school so special. I can’t wait to show off Central with you all!

CLICK HERE to fill out the survey to participate. May Day Parade Participant Survey – Fill out form

📅 Event Details

What: Port Coquitlam May Day Parade
When: Saturday, May 9th, 2026
Time:

• Parade runs 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (rain or shine!)
• Vehicle staging begins at 9:00 a.m.
• Participants arrive by 10:00 a.m.

More information will be shared with participants closer to the date as details are finalized with the city.

Staff Parking Lot: Pick-Up and Drop-Off Expectations

In our February newsletter, we shared an education-first approach to pick-up and drop-off procedures in the staff parking lot. Unfortunately, the parking lot continues to be a source of congestion and frustration—both for staff who are regularly blocked in by double-parked vehicles and for our neighbours whose access to their underground parkade is impeded due to the shared laneway.

To address these ongoing concerns, we are asking for your cooperation with the expectations outlined below.

Drop-Off

Families can expect to see increased staff presence during drop-off times to help keep traffic moving. Once you have dropped off your student, please move your vehicle along promptly so that cars behind you can proceed and congestion can be minimized.

If you need to visually confirm that your student has been received by their teacher from the lineup, please park in the surrounding residential areas and walk your student to the school. Waiting in your vehicle for your student to be received at the entry bell is not permitted.

Pick-Up

We are asking for your support in remaining in your vehicle during pick-up. Once your student has arrived, please move along promptly so the next vehicle can pull forward.

If you notice a staff member returning to their vehicle, please be mindful and ensure your car is not blocking their exit so they can move on to the next part of their day.

We are confident that by working together, we can maintain a safe, efficient pick-up and drop-off area while also being respectful and responsible neighbours.

If we do not see improvement, we may need to consider alternative solutions, which could include restricting the staff parking lot and laneway to staff and residents only.

Thank you for your cooperation and continued support—it is truly appreciated.

Eligible individuals can attend an in-person clinic where a Canada Revenue Agency–trained volunteer will prepare their taxes at no cost through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP).

Eligibility Criteria:

• Individuals with low income or receiving eligible government income assistance
• Income guidelines:
• $40,000 for a single individual
• $55,000 for a couple
• Only simple tax returns are accepted

Please note that self-employed returns (including delivery drivers) and returns for deceased individuals cannot be processed.

Location:
Pitt River Community Middle School

Dates & Times:
Wednesdays: April 8, 15, 22, and 29
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Contact Information:
Neelofar Nurani
Email: nnurani@sd43.bc.ca
Phone: 778-879-3191

To book your appointment, please use the following link: Book your appointment!

Spring Afterschool Programming will run from Tuesday April 7th - Friday May 29th, 2026

Registration begins: Monday March 23, 2026 at 9:00am

*Programs will NOT run on Pro-D Days and Statutory Holiday's*

How to Register:

Our Community School After-School Programs Registration is online through Karelo. The system will accept payment using Visa or MasterCard from most major banks. An email address is required to receive your confirmation number and to be able to print out a receipt for your payment.

CLICK HERE to be taken to the registration page

Any questions please contact:

Neelofar Nurani

nnurani@sd43.bc.ca

778.879.3193

Community School Program website: CLICK HERE

PAC will be hosting a fun Movie night (Zootopia 2). On Friday April 23rd. Time 6:00pm - 8:00pm

More information to come.

The Central PAC is excited to host their very popular Grade 5 Bake Sale fundraiser in support of Grade 5 initiatives, including the Grade 5 leaving ceremony and the year-end field trip.

Please see the poster below for more details. E-transfers are gratefully accepted at centralcompac@gmail.com, and any questions or inquiries can also be sent to this email address.

Thank you for your continued support of our Grade 5 students!

Support our school while you shop local! 🌿

The Central Elementary PAC is fundraising with Meridian Farm Market gift cards — a simple way to give back while picking up groceries, gifts, or fresh local products.

💳 Available in any amount

🛒 Use in-store anytime

❤️ A portion of every purchase goes directly back to our school

Every gift card makes a difference for our students and helps support programs, events, and opportunities at Central Elementary.

Grab yours here:

https://meridianfarmmarket.ca/products/gift-cards?bg_ref=HeZkUtX90f

Thank you for supporting local and supporting our school community!

SD43 Clothing Swap

The SD43 District Sustainability Leadership Committee is pleased to host its annual Clothing Swap initiative.

SD43 families are invited to visit their local high school and check in at the office to drop off pre‑loved clothing. These donated items will be given a second life by another family in our community.

Families who donate clothing will receive a VIP Pass, which allows one hour of early entry to the event before it opens to the general public.

What: SD43 Clothing Swap
When: Saturday, April 18, 2026
Where: Pinetree Community Centre
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
VIP Entry: 9:00 a.m.

Westcoast Family Centers is hosting a free Mother Goose circle and story time for parents with children aged 0-6 years old.

When: Mondays

Time: 9:00am - 10:00am

Where: Central Community School - upstairs beside the library

The Student Learning Survey is an annual online satisfaction survey that lets students in students in grades 4, 7, 10, 11 and 12, their parents and all staff in B.C. public schools share their school experience. Parents & guardians of our grade 4 students, all staff and administrators are encouraged to participate to provide their feedback and experiences as well.

The survey takes about 30 minutes to complete and covers a wide range of topics, providing a comprehensive picture of the educational experience in BC public schools. Questions were developed with input from partner groups, teachers and experts in educational measurement and inclusive education.

Grade 4 students will take the survey either before spring break or shortly after we return from break.

The survey can be accessed and be completed electronically from the following link: Student Learning Survey

Staff and parents can access the survey directly from the survey landing page by selecting the appropriate survey name. Select the district, school and language of choice from the drop down options to enter the survey. For the staff survey, these information would refer to where the staff are currently working. For parents, these would refer to where their children are attending school for the majority of the time.

Provincial, District, and School Reports from previous years can be viewed under the Results section

The e-survey site will be open until May 1, 2026

Please see below information with regards to Summer Learning. There have been some changes to how registration happens.

Most up-to-date information: www.sd43summerlearning.ca

Questions? Email: summerlearninginfo@sd43.bc.ca

Phone: 604.936.4261

Central Community School Contact

Principal: Shawn O'Brien

Email: sobrien@sd43.bc.ca

Office email: central@sd43.bc.ca

Website: Central Community School

Address: 2260 Central Avenue Port Coquitlam

Phone: 604.941.0355