Oct 19-23, 2026 Parent Update

Good afternoon Cinnabar families,

This is a friendly reminder that Formative Assessment Conferences will take place this week October 19–22. Students will be dismissed early at 1:28 p.m. each day, Monday through Thursday. Please ensure you have made arrangements for your child’s pickup or that they follow their regular after-school plan.

We would also like to welcome Mark Douglas, who will be joining us as our temporary IST until Mrs. Robertson returns. We’re happy to have him as part of our school community.

Warm regards,
Colette Young

October 19-22 Conference Week and Early Dismissal 1:28pm

October 21 Mrs. Young away/ Ms. Shannon TIC

October 22 Picture Retake Day

October 23 & 26 Pro-D- No School

October 27 Cross Country Meet (am)

October 28 Lockdown drill

October 30 Halloween/ Pumpkin Carving Contest

Please check out all of our celebrations and events on our website: https://cb.schools.sd68.bc.ca/

“Expressing gratitude is like giving a hug with your words.”

Sometimes when we say “thank you” it can feel like a hug. Gratitude is a way of letting someone know that you care about them and appreciate them.

Ms. McNeil’s Division 5 got creative with science by designing and building their own solar ovens. Students put their creations to the test by using the sun’s energy to make delicious s’mores. What a fun and tasty way to learn about solar energy.

Get ready for some Halloween fun at Cinnabar Valley. We invite students and families to participate in our Pumpkin Carving Contest on Friday, October 30. Students are welcome to bring in a pumpkin they have carved at home to show off their creativity. We look forward to seeing all the spooky, silly, and imaginative designs!

Contest Categories:

• Kindergarten/ Grade 1

• Grades 2–3

• Grades 4–5

• Grades 6–7

• Family Category

We look forward to seeing the wonderful creations from our students and families.

Halloween Costume Parade Reminder

We will also be holding our outdoor Halloween costume parade. Students are encouraged to dress up and join in the fun! Please remember that, in keeping with school safety expectations and current weapons-related legislation, costumes and props must not include weapons of any kind, including toy weapons and realistic weapon replicas.

Thank you for helping us make Halloween a fun, creative, and safe celebration for everyone.

British Columbia's Firearm Violence Prevention Act (FVPA) came into effect on October 1, 2026, establishing a province-wide ban on firearms, low-velocity firearms (such as BB, pellet, gel, airsoft and paintball guns), and all imitation firearms across all K-12 school properties.

The FVPA strengthens existing laws and school and district policies banning firearms and imitation firearms on school property by providing police with additional tools to address and enforce firearm-related public safety risks.

Our Student Code of Conduct bans all weapons from school property. The FVPA further bans all imitation firearms as well.

The goal of the FVPA is to support greater public safety by keeping firearms and objects that look like firearms out of schools. This includes all imitation firearms, including anything that is part of a costume, for a school theatre or video production, a starter gun for track and field, or part of a uniform (i.e. Cadets). There are narrow instances where an exemption may be granted by school authorities for an imitation firearm to be allowed on school property.

Anyone that possesses a firearm, low-velocity firearm, or imitation firearm on school property without a valid exemption may have these items confiscated, forfeited, and disposed of by law enforcement, and if convicted of an offence, could also face fines and serious penalties under the FVPA.

If you have questions, please contact the school office.

Today, our Grade 3 students had an exciting and educational visit to the Mobile Fire House. The students had the wonderful opportunity to meet with real firefighters, learn about their important role in keeping our community safe, and discover more about fire safety. It was a fantastic hands-on learning experience that helped our students better understand fire prevention, fire safety, and the importance of these community helpers. Thank you to the firefighters for taking the time to visit with us and share their knowledge.

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Country Grocer for their ongoing generosity and support of Cinnabar Valley Elementary. From providing fresh fruit for our students each week to contributing other items throughout the school year, their support helps make our school community an even better place for our students.

A friendly reminder to families: Please continue to send in your Country Grocer receipts. When we collect enough receipts, we can redeem them for gift cards that help us purchase popsicles for students and other special treats throughout the year.

We are so grateful for Country Grocer’s continued partnership and for our families who help make this program possible. Every receipt makes a difference.

Loaves and Fishes – Food Support/Hampers

• Anyone can register for food support or a Christmas hamper.
• Families do not need to be experiencing a specific crisis to access this support.
• Families can register directly.

Address: 1861 E Wellington Rd, Nanaimo, BC V9S 5X2

Phone: (250) 754-8347

The Great Nanaimo Toy Drive

https://thegreatnanaimotoydrive.ca/

• Anyone can register to receive Christmas toys.
• Families can register directly.
• The pick-up location will be Dufferin Community School again this year.

Our Cross Country team is working hard in practice with just one week left until the big meet!

Our Football team remains undefeated with just one game left before the playoffs! Way to go, teams!

Safe Arrival

Daily attendance is a proven factor for success in school, however, if your child is ill or unable to attend school on that day, please use our reporting tool to let us know if your child will be absent. Log on to cinnabarvalley.sd68.bc.ca or contact the office at info.cb@sd68.bc.ca before 9:00 am.

Parent Volunteers

Criminal Record Check

Please consider having a Criminal Record Check done at the start of the year, if you haven’t already done so. Thank you to the parents who have. A CRC does not expire for 5 years and allows you to participate in all activities inside and outside the school with our students. We desperately need parent helpers at events and it is a challenge when CRC have not been done. This is a district-mandated step that must be taken in order to become involved in any way in the school.

Online application: https://justice.gov.bc.ca/eCRC/home.htm

Access Code/ID Number: UQ4T7XXBHE

Phone (toll free): 1-855-587-0185

Fax: 250-953-0408

Email: criminalrecords@gov.bc.ca

Driver Volunteer Form

If you wish to help drive students for field trips , you will need to fill out a Driver Volunteer Form as well. Please contact the office for a form if you are interested.

Open Parachute is a program that some teachers are using in our school. This program is designed by a team of Clinical Psychologists, Educators & Filmmakers, to teach mental health skills to all students in a way that is engaging and relatable, while being easy for educators to facilitate. Every lesson features an authentic peer voice, role modeling self-reflection and Resilience. Please see the link below for parent resources.

https://learn.openparachuteschools.com/parent/login?id=CA_RHDBtgi2