Dear Families,

As we move through the winter months, we want to take a moment to highlight an important factor in student success—regular school attendance—and to share some exciting upcoming events at our school.

Why Attendance Matters

Regular attendance plays a critical role in student learning and long-term success—from Kindergarten through high school. Research shows that:

• By Grade 3, consistent attendance supports reading at grade level
• By Grade 6, it helps predict high school completion
• By Grade 9, attendance is a stronger predictor of graduation than test scores

While we understand that illness and unexpected life events happen, frequent absences can lead to gaps in learning. Homework or make-up work at home cannot fully replace the classroom experience—where instruction, guided practice, discussion, collaboration, and teacher observation take place each day.

Attendance Letters Sent Home This Week

This week, attendance letters were sent to families as part of our ongoing effort to support student success:

• Families were notified if a child has missed more than 10% of school days
• Families were invited to meet with us if absences exceeded 19%

👉 Please note: days affected by the recent strike were not included in these attendance calculations.

Our goal is not to assign blame, but to build awareness and work together to prevent future academic challenges.

How Families Can Help

You can support regular attendance by:

• Maintaining consistent routines (sleep, breakfast, limited evening screen time)
• Talking with your child each day about their learning
• Scheduling appointments outside school hours when possible
• Sending your child to school unless they are unwell
• Reaching out early if attendance becomes a concern—no issue is too small

If you have questions or would like support, please contact the school. We truly value our partnership with families and are here to help every student succeed.

Family Literacy Week

This week is Family Literacy Week, and we are excited to celebrate the joy of reading together!

Thursday, January 29

• Dress up as your favourite book character
• Fun Lunch

Friday, January 30

• No School – System PD Day

Upcoming Dates

• February 2 – Grade 1 Mad Science Residency
• February 4 – Grade 1 Mad Science Residency
• February 10 – School Council Meeting, 6:45 PM
• February 12 & 13 – Teacher’s Convention (No School)
• February 24 – Report Cards visible to parents
• February 25 – Pink Shirt Day
• February 26 – Fun Lunch
• February 27 – No School, PD Day

Warm regards,

EJ Lamontagne
Principal

Message from School Council

Hug and Go Remains suspended for January

Do you miss the Hug and Go volunteers helping with student drop off? Would you like to meet some other parents in the school? Would you like to contribute to our school community

Consider signing up for a volunteer shift so we can resume the program in February! Volunteer shifts are only 20min and require no experience, police clearance, or ongoing commitment.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409044DA9A828A6FD0-60074644-hugngo#/

Work Bees Dates February–June

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409044DA9A828A6FD0-61822145-work

• Questions? Email: drbsworkbee@gmail.com
• No experience necessary. No police clearance needed.

Call for Agenda Items

Our next School Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, Feb 10 at 6:45pm. In following with our consent agenda format, please send any agenda requests to DRBSCouncilChair@gmail.com. Please have your agenda items submitted by the end of day Sunday Feb 1 so we can finalize and distribute the agenda to the school community.