Latimer Road Elementary

Dear Parents, Students, and Families of Latimer Road Elementary,

We are well into October, and the first month and a half of school has already brought many opportunities to learn, connect, and grow. Students are settling into classroom routines, building friendships, and contributing to their school community. Throughout the school, we see students sharing ideas, working together, and approaching new challenges with curiosity. Thank you to our teachers and support staff for the care and thought they bring to creating welcoming classrooms where every student can feel included and experience success.

As we move through Term 1, we look forward to learning experiences that encourage students to explore their interests, develop their skills, and strengthen their connections with others. Alongside academic learning, we continue to emphasize kindness, responsibility, and respect in our everyday interactions. Families play an essential role in this work, and we appreciate the communication, encouragement, and support you provide. Working together helps us understand each child’s needs and celebrate their progress.

Thank you to everyone who attended our “Meet the Teacher” evening on September 23rd. It was a pleasure to welcome families into the main building and our new building, introduce classroom learning plans, and begin conversations that will continue throughout the year. There will be many more opportunities to connect through PAC events and initiatives in the months ahead, and I encourage you to participate in ways that work for your family. Whether you volunteer, attend an event, or support learning at home, your involvement makes a difference. Thank you for helping make this first month a welcoming and positive start to the school year.

Warm Regards,

Mr. B. Helland and Ms. E. Gill

Download it, create an account, and once classes are setup in the app, subscribe to classes. You may not receive notifications if you are not signed into the app, so please ensure you create an account and sign in.

Students needing the washroom at recess and lunch are now using the washrooms in the Latimer Lodge (new building). We migrated to this location to prevent "hanging out" in the washroom on cold days and in inclement weather. We have washroom monitors and extra staff check-ins. The washrooms are floor to ceiling doors for privacy, but communal sink areas (boys/girls). This makes the breezing through of staff much easier to supervise while still providing complete privacy (much like a home washroom). One of the glitches with this new process has been with boys not lifting the seats when standing up to use the washroom. We are actively promoting proper washroom etiquette and we are hopeful this could be reflected in your homes as we are sure no one else in the family likes to sit on a wet seat. The poster we have placed on the walls in front of the toilets are identical to this one below. While we have seen improvements, we would like to see continued growth and believe this will also benefit you in your homes.

On Hot Lunch days, children who order (or who are on the School Meal Program) receive their lunch from either PAC or from the School District. It is imperative that students still bring their regular snack on that day to tide them over from breakfast to lunch. The hot lunch order does not provide a snack for "in-between". Please send a snack with your child everyday.

Fall weather is beginning to arrive, bringing rain, puddles, and muddy fields to our school grounds. Students continue to spend time outdoors each day, and an unexpected slip or splash can leave them needing dry clothes.

Please ensure your child has a complete change of clothes at school, including pants, a shirt, socks, and underwear, stored in a labelled bag. Although younger children may need a change more often, we recommend keeping spare clothing at school for students in every grade. Older students are certainly not immune to a well-placed puddle!

Having dry clothes readily available helps students return to class comfortably and avoids the need to call families to bring clothing or arrange an early pickup. Please also check the bag periodically to replace items that have been used or outgrown.

Thank you for helping your child arrive prepared for the rainy season and ready to enjoy both outdoor play and classroom learning.

If your child has an anaphylactic allergy to anything, it is imperative that you let the office know by filling out a specific form, and ensure that you have provided our office with an epi-pen. We try to be cognizant of allergies and do our best to support children in this regard, but none of us have complete control over the environment. Ensure we know everything we can about your child and their needs.

Several of our students have severe allergic reactions to peanuts, nuts, and their by-products. Please do not send any foods containing peanuts, nuts, and their by-products. Other ways you can help: remind your children to wash their hands carefully after eating. Remind children not to share snacks and please do not use these products in any classroom treats you may send in over the year. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we aim to make our school a safe environment for all students.

* Please inform the school office immediately if your child has any severe life-threatening allergy

Be kind to our neighbours. I have had reports of parents parking on 192 Street literally blocking the entrance and exit to the townhouse complex immediately north of our school. I have heard about parents parking over sidewalks, and in some cases on the lawn of residences that border 192 Street. This is unacceptable. The residents need to be able to get into and leave their home. Respect their property as you would expect others to respect yours. Park in accordance with the map provided or use the Kiss and Drop lane. Further reports have been sent to me about parents parking in the visitor spaces at this complex to pick up their child. The strata may very well contact a towing company to have you removed. Those spaces are definitely not for the use of our school community.

* DO NOT PARK IN ANY OF OUR NEIGHBOUR'S DRIVEWAYS, LOTS or STRATA AREAS

It is important for us to be good neighbours to all of our neighbours! We have several students who live in Greenside Estates, and so we have pedestrian gates through our shared border. We have recently had parents pulling into this townhouse complex and parking their cars along the fire lanes, even on their grass, while they drop off their children in there. Please stay out of the front Greenside Visitor Parking Lot at the front near 60 Avenue as well. Please keep in mind that this is private property.

Please set a good example for our children! Park around the corner and walk the short distance. City of Surrey has provided us with some information around parking around our neighbourhood. Please click the links below.

Latimer Road Elementary Parking Map
Please see the attached document for a JPG version.

“City of Surrey Parking Enforcement”
This is the main website for Parking information in the City of Surrey. We have lots of useful information regarding parking restrictions as well as our Bylaw contact information for anyone who may need it.

The three reserved spaces to the right at the far end of the Kiss and Drop lane are reserved for our children with neurodiversities or physical challenges that require individualized support and access to the building. Please do not park or stop in those spaces unless you have had a prior conversation with the principal.

* These spaces are NOT for adults with accessibility issues who are waiting in their car for able-bodied children.

Please DO the right thing. Take Care of Our Neighbours and Take Care of This Place!

DO NOT earn yourself a ticket. That will be embarrassing for both you and your child.

As a reminder to all families, the Kiss & Go lane is designed for quick, safe drop-offs to help keep traffic moving smoothly in the mornings. Please pull up, have your child exit the vehicle promptly, and then continue driving forward so others may do the same. If your child requires extra time, or you prefer to assist them with their bag or walk them to the entrance, we ask that you park your vehicle in a designated parking stall and walk them in. Stopping in the middle of the lane or leaving your car unattended creates congestion and safety concerns for everyone.

We are now several weeks into the school year, and most families are doing a great job following this routine. Thank you! For those still getting used to the process, we appreciate your cooperation in helping make drop-off safe and efficient for all. Let’s continue modeling respect, patience, and thoughtfulness for our children as we navigate busy mornings together.

A special note during pickup - if your child is not out when you get to the pickup spot, take a little cruise around again and everyone goes home more quickly.

The Surrey School District participates in the BC Government's Feeding Futures program, providing breakfast and lunch at 92 schools. This program receives foundational funding from the provincial and federal governments for staffing and core operations, with additional support from generous donations from businesses, organizations, and individuals covering food costs. This collaborative effort enables us to address the nutritional needs across our expansive student population.

Our meal offerings, both hot and cold, are carefully designed to meet complete nutrition guidelines, ensuring that they not only nourish but also bring comfort, joy, and a sense of value and recognition to our students.

A troubling statistic from Statistics Canada in November 2023 highlights that 17% of BC families experience hunger. With a student body of 83,000+ in our district, this translates to more than 14,000 students facing food insecurity. Addressing this, the district is dedicated to fulfilling the food needs of these students. However, with annual food and preparation costs reaching $22 million to provide lunch for this number of students, additional support is crucial.

If you or someone you know could benefit from the program, please contact your school office or the Feeding Futures Department at (604) 595-5300. Surrey Schools is committed to ensuring all students have access to meals and snacks.

We know it can happen to everyone. If you're running late, phone the office and give us a heads up. That being said, teach your children the importance of being on time. Children are learning the importance of routines at this early age. Most of us cannot be late for work with any regularity or we would lose our jobs. This is an important habit for children to nail down at an early age. It is the adult's role to support that.

All students who are even two seconds late, must come to the office to check in. If they don't, they run the risk of having already been marked absent by the teacher while they're actually sitting there in class. Then you get a call home and everyone is scared. If your child is late, you must check-in at the office.

If you are picking your child up early from school (before the regular dismissal time for the day), we ask that you let the office know in the morning that they are leaving early and if it’s a last minute appointment, that you call us on your way so that we have time to find the students. By calling ahead, you provide us extra time to get them down to the office. This is optimal for both you and for us!

Our Parent Advisory Council has openings in their executive for the coming year and is actively seeking parents interested in filling these roles. Feel free to reach out our Latimer Road Community Facebook page to find out about PAC meetings or volunteering for hot lunch days and other PAC events.

November PAC Meeting - November 10, 2026

Latimer Road Elementary | School Library

Time: 7:00pm

Diwali is known as the “Festival of Lights” and is one of the most important holidays in India. The actual Diwali Celebration (worldwide) is on November 8.

At Latimer Road, on Friday, November 13, students will have an opportunity to learn bhangra dance moves, create rangoli art and design their own diya.

We will not be doing Henna this year.

We continue to be on alert for incidents of vandalism around our school (eg. broken windows, small fires, broken bottles, drug paraphernalia). If you see suspicious people hanging around the school after hours or on weekends, please call Surrey RCMP Non-Emergency at (604) 599-0502, and tell them the specific location of the vandals. If you see a crime in progress, and it's an emergency, then please call 911.

NORTH: Back of Building by the townhouses and Fire Lane

WEST: 192 Street side

SOUTH: Road Side by the School Sign at 60 Avenue

EAST: Playground / Grass field side

Doing this will also show your children one of the three things that we honour and respect at Latimer Road Elementary - "Taking Care of This Place".

1. NO BLOOD. It is okay to look "scary," but there is a difference between a little frightening and totally gruesome.

2. NO MASKS. Makeup should be minimal and applied at home. * Remember--learning will still be taking place, and children are constantly touching their own face.

3. NO WEAPONS (neither real, nor fake)

4. NO CULTURAL, RELIGIOUS, or GENDER MISAPPROPRIATIONS. NO EXCEPTIONS. We do not "dress up" as another culture, religion, or gender. We also do not dress up in such a way to ridicule or mock others or their religions, keeping in mind that we have multiple religions and multiple different cultures represented in our wonderful school.

On October 30, students are invited to join two school-wide events:

• PAC-run Pumpkin Carving Contest - Students bring their pumpkin to the gym immediately between 8:00 and 8:25 with their name and division on the back. Students must be able to carry their own pumpkin and should be their creation (with parent-support). Parents can assist children. Children should not be the assistant :). No burning candles allowed.
• School Parade will happen during the day. Format may change depending upon weather.

Our PAC is hosting a Holiday Kids' Market like we did last year. Details are here.

Presented by the Latimer Road PAC

Dates: December 3 & 4, 2026
Location: School Gymnasium

The gym will be transformed into a festive holiday market where students can shop for gifts for their immediate family members. All gifts will be wrapped onsite!

Cost:

• Suggested donation of $5 per student.

• All proceeds will go toward supporting Latimer families this holiday season.

Donations Needed

We are seeking new or gently used items suitable for regifting, along with holiday gift bags, wrapping paper, and tape.

Examples of items include:

• Toys, puzzles, and games (complete, with no missing pieces)

• Small electronics

• Sports equipment and accessories

• Tools and gardening items

• Jewelry, purses, and bags

• Ties, washable scarves, and belts

• Books for adults and teens

• Kitchen items, mugs, and decorative items

• Christmas and holiday decorations

• Unused and unopened makeup, cosmetics, and bath products

• Home décor, picture frames, and candles

• Men's gift items

• Unopened tea, coffee, and similar products

Donation Drop-Off

• Deadline: November 30, 2026

• Location: School Office

• Times: Before or after school

This is a wonderful opportunity to declutter before the holidays while helping our students experience the joy of giving and supporting families in our school community.

OCTOBER

Oct 22 Interim Report #1

Oct 23 Pro-D Day #2 – School Closed

Oct 26 Individual Photo Re-Take Day

Oct 30 Halloween Parade and Pumpkin Carving Contest (See Costume Rules above)

NOVEMBER

Hindu Heritage Month

Nov 06 Pro-D Day #3 - Non-Instructional Day (No Students Attend)

Nov 07 Inuit Day

Nov 08 Diwali

Nov 08 Indigenous Veterans Day

Nov 10 Remembrance Day Assembly for students 10:45am

Nov 11 Remembrance Day - School Closed

Nov 20 World/National Child Day

Nov 20 Transgender Day of Remembrance

Email: helland_b@surreyschools.ca
Website: surreyschools.ca/latimerroad
Location: 19233 60 Avenue, Surrey, BC V3S 2T5
Phone: (604) 576-9184
Instagram: LatimerRoadLearns