June 12th

Hello Brackendale families,

Whew! We are signing off after one of the busiest weeks of the year. So much on the go, all of it only possible because of the dedication of our staff and volunteers. We started with our Volunteer Tea on Monday, where we were able to give thanks to all of our parent and community volunteers who made so many events possible this year. Thanks to Brenda Cornish for organizing and for Chris Jorgensen, Jovanka Forde and Benno Roch for orchestrating some student performances. The District Track and Field meet took place on Tuesday, with over 40 Brackendale students running, throwing and jumping their way around Don Ross and Brackendale schools. Despite the wet and windy weather, students had a great time. Thanks to Beth Smith, Tamara Branzsen and Sean Kliman for spending all day with hundreds of students making this annual highlight possible. Wednesday was another day of field hockey, led by Katherine Atkinson, one of our Brackendale mothers who happens to be a PE specialist. Thursday was our Brackendale Sports Day, which was a huge success. Again, thanks to all our teachers and EA’s, but particularly Beth again, who took the coordination of this event on. A number of parents, led by Stephen Fryer and assisted by our PAC, fed our students hot dogs for lunch, and somehow convinced Amanda Manke to take part in a hot-dog eating contest to earn her classroom a pizza lunch! Lastly, we finished off the week with a rugby tournament for our older students and the Neon Dance, organized by our wonderful PAC.

I know all of my staff find these types of event both rewarding, but also quite tiring, so everyone has earned a couple of days off this weekend. We look forward to our final full week of school next week, which is still pretty busy with a number of events, perhaps most importantly (for the kids) our Slide n’ Slide Day on Friday, June 19^th. More info to come next week!

Antony Blaikie – Principal

Brackendale Elementary School

Sea to Sky School District, SD48

I am honoured to be living, working, and learning on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Sḵwxwú7mesh Nation.

From PAC:

Squamish Helping Hands is bringing the Cereal Drive to our school from June 2-19! The Cereal Drive targets a heightened need for kid-friendly meals during the summer months when families do not have access to essential school meal programs. Cereal is a meal most kids are able to prepare for themselves and/or their siblings, and can provide filling whole grains and vitamins that make a comforting, nourishing meal. In 2025, Helping Hands had over 4,860 families visit the food bank. This number is rising, and we're grateful for every donation we receive to help us address this need in our community. Thank you!

GRADE 6 FUNDRAISERS

School Meal Program: Zero Waste Pilot!

Just in time for Earth Day on April 22, Brackendale Elementary is proud to be the first school to pilot a zero-waste lunch program as part of the School Meal Program, in partnership with Squamish CAN. Meals will be served on reusable plates and bowls, and all food waste will be composted.

Parents/guardians: if your child participates in the meal program and you would like them to bring home any leftovers, please send a reusable container with them. Please note that food should not be consumed if it has been outside of refrigeration for more than two hours.

Thank you for supporting this initiative! 🌱

Criminal Record Check

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Please consider this efficient method for obtaining a Criminal Record Check at no charge for volunteers.

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

Access Code for Brackendale Elementary: EFQHCA7NB2

Instructions:

Please follow the link and read the information provided.
1. Note that the CRRP is not affiliated with the police or RCMP and so any previous record checks done through them cannot be shared with us through the CRRP.
2. Two of the requirements to use the online process is living within Canada for at least 24 months and having at least six months credit history (for ID verification).

Enter the Access Code and choose the appropriate option to either Request a New CRC (recommended) or Share the result of a Completed CRC.

Read and confirm understanding of Consent Information

Complete applicant information as required.

Identity verification questions will be asked. These are provided by Equifax and use your financial history to verify your ID.

If you fail any of the ID verification questions you will be asked to print off the application and have the organization (Brackdendale Elementary) verify your ID using two pieces of valid ID and provide a signed signature where it asks for it (under “To be completed by requesting organization”).

Happening in the community: