Oct 5-9, 2026 Parent Update

Good morning Cinnabar families,

A heartfelt thank you to all of our wonderful families for helping us celebrate Teacher and EA Appreciation Day. We are so grateful for the thoughtful messages, kind gestures, treats, snacks, and delicious goodies that were shared with our staff. Your generosity and appreciation mean so much to our entire Cinnabar Valley team.

Formative Assessment Conferences are coming up! Our Parent-Teacher Conferences will take place during the week of October 19–22. Please remember that students will have early dismissal at 1:28 p.m. each day to allow time for these important conversations. We encourage all families to sign up for a conference time with their child’s classroom teacher. These meetings are a wonderful opportunity to connect, celebrate your child’s learning and progress, and work together to support their continued growth. We look forward to seeing you.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone, and we’ll see you Monday.

Warm regards,

Colette Young

October 6 Tie Dye Tuesday

October 6 PAC Meeting online

October 7-9 Hamper Challenge

October 12 Thanksgiving- No School

October 15 BC Shake Out- Earthquake Drill

October 19-22 Conference Week and Early Dismissal

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/

“Gratitude is when you appreciate the little things. Even if it’s just a smile or a kind word, showing gratitude is a great way to show that you care.” – Explanation: Showing gratitude is a great way to show your friends and family that you care about them and are thankful for all they do.

Division 4, Ms. Smith's Class, and Division 9, Ms. Browning's Class, took their learning outdoors with a visit to beautiful Pipers Lagoon.

Students had the opportunity to explore the shoreline, observe the natural environment, and connect their classroom learning to the world around them. They spent time investigating the beach and surrounding areas, noticing plants, rocks, wildlife, and other natural features. The visit provided plenty of opportunities for curiosity, conversation, and hands-on learning as students worked together to make observations and share what they discovered.

It was a wonderful day of outdoor learning, exploration, and community building.

Get ready to show your Cinnabar spirit! Tuesday is Tie-Dye Tuesday! Students and staff are invited to wear their favourite tie-dye clothing or accessories and show off their school spirit.

Wear tie-dye and earn points for your House Team! Let’s see which House can bring the most colour and spirit to Cinnabar!

It’s time for our Hamper Challenge! From October 7–9, students can bring in non-perishable food items to help support families in our community.

Every donation helps—and your generosity can also help your House Team earn points! Let’s work together to fill our hampers, support families in need, and show what makes the Cinnabar community so caring and generous.

Bring in a donation, earn House Team points, and make a difference!

A heartfelt thank you to our new drumming group for sharing their beautiful drumming with us during our Orange Shirt Day assembly. Your music created a meaningful and powerful moment for our school community as we gathered to acknowledge Truth and Reconciliation, honour Survivors and those who did not return home, and reflect on our shared responsibility to learn, listen, and continue moving forward together.

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.

Cross Country and Football Update

Our Cross Country practices started today. Thank you to Coach Mr. Klan for leading our runners and getting the season underway. We are excited to see our students challenge themselves, build their endurance, and have fun being active together.

Congratulations as well to our football team on an incredible first game. What a fantastic way to start the season. We are so proud of the teamwork, effort, and school spirit shown by our athletes.

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.

For your information, Verification Forms/ eConsent Forms will be sent home electronically the second week of school. Please check with the person you are using as an emergency contact so they know they may be called. This information is absolutely critical to have as soon as possible. Thank you.

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