Aldergrove News, February 27, 2026

Admin Message

Dear Aldergrove Families,

This week reminded us once again of the full character of a Canadian winter—cold mornings, fresh snowfall, and that familiar mix of challenge and beauty. While the weather certainly tested our patience at times, it also served as a reminder of the rhythms of our local climate. We know this season is part of what makes our region unique, and as we shovel, scrape, and bundle up, we also find ourselves looking forward to the warmth that awaits us in the months ahead. Winter builds our appreciation for spring long before the first buds appear.

Theme of the Week: Patience and Persistence

Just as the winter months ask us to endure and adapt, our students continue to demonstrate determination, resilience, and a spirit of growth in every corner of the school.

School Highlights

Intermediate Basketball

Both of our Intermediate Basketball teams represented our school with tremendous pride at their respective Area Meetings. They demonstrated sportsmanship, teamwork, and maturity—true ambassadors of our school community.

Rubik’s Cube Club Begins

Our new Rubik’s Cube Club is up and running, and already very popular! Beyond being fun and fast-paced, the club challenges students to think algorithmically, develop spatial reasoning, and practice perseverance—there’s nothing quite like the “aha!” moment when the final side snaps into place.

Volleyball in Full Flight

Our Junior and Intermediate Volleyball clubs continue to build skills and momentum. The energy in the gym is electric as students develop confidence, coordination, and collaborative play. 

Lion Dance Presentation

As part of our Lunar New Year celebrations, we were thrilled to welcome a local martial arts group to perform a traditional Lion Dance. The colours, movement, and drumming brought joy to our community and helped our students deepen their cultural learning. The excitement of our students brought true joy to our school.

Play Leaders Making a Difference

Our Play Leaders group has been hard at work supporting our younger students in the schoolyard, helping them navigate games, transitions, and positive choices. Their leadership continues to strengthen our recess community.

McMichael Art Gallery – Voices Program

Several of our classes continued with the McMichael Art Gallery’s Voices program, exploring art, identity, and storytelling. Students are reflecting on their own voices while learning from renowned Canadian artists.

Closing Thought

As many in our community observe Ramadan, we are reminded that this season is rooted in reflection, patience, and renewed appreciation—much like our experience of winter. Ramadan is a time when patience is practiced, gratitude is deepened, and light is found in the stillness, much like waiting for spring beneath the snow.

Warm regards,
Mr. Louca                         Mr. Pamayah

Principal                           Vice Principal

Parking Lot Safety Update

To ensure the safety of all our students, we are implementing an important change to our parking lot procedures.

Our parking lot will now be for staff only during morning drop‑off and afternoon pick‑up. Recently, we have experienced a significant increase in vehicle traffic in the lot, including vehicles blocking others in and drivers exiting their cars to drop-off students. This creates unsafe conditions for our students. Student safety is always our highest priority. For this reason, no cars will be permitted to park in the school parking lot during drop‑off or pick‑up times. Anyone parked in the lot will be asked to find street parking instead.

Families are kindly encouraged to:

Walk to school whenever possible, or use street parking in an alternate location and walk their child to and from school.

Thank you for your understanding, cooperation, and continued support in helping us keep all Aldergrove students safe.

Ramadan, February 18- March 20, 2026

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and begins on February 18 this year.  This is a blessed month for Muslims as it is the month during which the teachings of the Qur’an were revealed.  This is considered a time for Muslims to cultivate spiritual renewal through fasting, and an increased focus on prayer and contemplation, as well as a time to recommit themselves to practicing compassion and generosity for others.

Fasting:

Fasting from dawn to sunset during the month of Ramadan is one of the five prescribed tenets of Islamic practice.

Suhoor:

In preparation for each day, most Muslims who are fasting partake in a pre-dawn meal, called Suhoor or Sehri.  Muslims are strongly encouraged to partake in this meal in preparation for the day’s fast.

Iftar:

The fast concludes at sunset with prayer and a light meal called Iftar.  The end of the fast is determined by sunset, at which time the Adhan (call to prayer) is recited, and Muslims consume their first food items of the day.  These first items are traditionally water and dates.  Many masjids (mosques) and community groups will host Iftar meals for the public. 

Tarawe’eh:

Tarawe’eh prayers are performed only during the month of Ramadhan by some Muslim communities.  These prayers take place in congregation following the night prayer.  The whole Qur’an is recited over the course of the month during Tarawe’eh prayers.  

Students at Aldergrove who are fasting for Ramadan can use the library during lunch time (12:20-12:40).  The Quiet Space Room (Room (119) may be used for prayers during the day.

2026-2027 Kindergarten Registration

Bright Beginnings, Endless Possibilities

Kindergarten Registration Opens January 16, 2026

Is your child turning 4 or 5 in 2026? Or do you know someone who is? 

Mark your calendars and follow these simple steps. 

1. Find your home school. 

Use our school finder to find your home school - the school in your neighbourhood. 

2 .Register for Kindergarten. 

You can register online, in person, or by phone or email.

Visit www.yrdsb.ca/kindergarten to access the online registration portal or download the registration form. Once you have completed your application, the school will contact you to make an appointment to review and verify the required documents. 

3. Register early for Before and After Care 

All schools offer before and after-care programs. Check your school’s website or our before and after care directory for details. Contact providers early to secure your spot. 

4. Explore and Prepare for Kindergarten

Kindergarten is where big dreams start small. Learn how Kindergarten helps children develop the academic and social skills they need to thrive in Grade 1 and beyond. Our skilled and caring teams of certified teachers and early childhood educators work together to support every child in a welcoming, inclusive environment.

Ready to Begin?

Start your journey at www.yrdsb.ca/kindergarten.  

Literacy at Home

When children practice "zipping" sounds together with their ears, it makes it much easier for them to read words with their eyes later on.

Target: Blending (Putting Sounds Together)

Game: The Broken Robot

• How to play: Pretend you are a robot that can only say sounds, not whole words. Your child is the "Fixer" who has to guess the word.
• The Robot says: "I want a /c/ /u/ /p/."
• The Fixer says: "Cup!"

Game: Snail Talk

• How to play: Speak like a very slow snail to help your child hear how the sounds stretch together.
• The Snail says: "Please pass me the c-uuuu-p."
• The child says: "Cup!"

Tip: Start with short words that have only 2 or 3 sounds (like at, up, red, or fish) to help your child feel successful right away.

Target: Segmenting (separating the sounds)

This game helps your child hear every single "hidden" sound inside a word. This is the secret to becoming a great speller.

The Game: The Sound Speed Zone

• What you need: A small toy car or a bottle cap, and a piece of paper with three boxes drawn in a row.
• How to play:
  1. Give your child a short word, like "Fan."
  2. Have your child "drive" the car slowly into the first box while making the first sound: /ffff/.
  3. Drive into the middle box for /aaaa/.
  4. Drive into the last box for /nnnn/.
• The Big Finish: Have them zoom the car across all three boxes quickly to say the whole word: "FAN!"

You can challenge them to write the letters that make the sounds as well.

Game 2: What you need: Just some floor space.

How to play: 

1. Have your child stand at one end of the rug or tile floor. 

2. Say a word: "Ship." 

3. Your child takes one "giant step" forward for every sound they hear: One step for /sh/, one step for /i/, and one step for /p/. 

4. Ask: "How many steps did it take to finish the word?"

Segmenting is essentially spelling out loud. Before a child can write a word, they must be able to "pull it apart" to know which letters they need to put on the paper.

Mental Health Awareness @ Aldergrove:

February

This month there is a focus on Self Care. Students in Grade 1-5 will be receiving lessons based on a Tip Sheet created by School Mental Health Ontario. You can access this resource by clicking HERE. In support of these 10 lessons, our S.P.I.R.I.T. leaders will be visiting classrooms to demonstrate and explain the uses for our mental health backpacks. In these backpacks are resources, activities and strategies for managing mental health. 

Students in Grade 1-2 will also be receiving lessons on a self-regulation strategy called Interoception, or the ability to notice body signals and align them with an emotion or feeling.  Students will learn how to recognize signals in their bodies and what they could mean. For example, if I have a stomach ache, trying to find out if it means I am hungry, nervous, anxious, stressed or ill. These lessons are supported by our PTOT Anne Martin.