Week at a Glance

Feb 24th Monday- Hot Lunch

Feb 25th Tuesday-

Feb 26th Wednesday- Pink Shirt Day; Concession (Popcorn only)

Feb 27th Thursday- Fire Drill

Feb 28th Friday- Concession; Start of Ramadan

Dear LIS Families,

We are thrilled to announce that basketball season is underway, and both our boys' and girls' teams are off to a fantastic start! Our student-athletes have shown great enthusiasm and dedication, and we are excited to see their growth and teamwork throughout the season. We invite all families to come out and cheer on our teams as they represent LIS with pride and sportsmanship.

Don’t forget to check out the PAC Corner for the latest updates on how you can support LIS. Whether it’s volunteering, fundraising, or attending community events, your involvement makes a difference in enriching the experiences of all our students.

As we continue to celebrate and honor the diversity within our school community, we want to acknowledge that Ramadan is approaching. Ramadan is a significant and sacred time for Muslims around the world, marked by fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. We are committed to supporting our students and families observing Ramadan by fostering an inclusive and understanding environment. If your child needs any accommodations during this time, please feel free to reach out to us so we can provide the necessary support.

Thank you for your continued support and engagement in our school community. We look forward to an exciting basketball season and a meaningful time of reflection for those observing Ramadan.

We are Kind....

We are Compassionate...

We are LIS...

Huy'ch'qa,

Dionte Jelks

Principal

Monday February 17, 2025

Family Day (School not in session)

Wednesday February 26, 2024

Pink Shirt Day

Tuesday March 11, 2025

Pancake Day

Wednesday March 12, 2025

2nd Term Report Cards emailed

Friday March 14, 2025

Last Day of School for Spring Break

Monday March 31, 2025

Student return back to school

Friday April 11

BC Lions End Racism @ LSS

Gr. 6 & 7 students

Tuesday April 15, 2025

LIS Track and Field Meet

Friday April 18, 2025

Good Friday (School not in Session)

Monday April 21, 2025

Easter Monday (School not in Session)

Pink Shirt Day, celebrated annually on the last Wednesday of February, is a powerful day to raise awareness about bullying and to stand up against it. The day began in 2007 when two students in Nova Scotia, Canada, took a stand against bullying by organizing a protest after a classmate was bullied for wearing a pink shirt. Today, it has grown into an international movement aimed at promoting kindness, inclusivity, and respect.

Join us in making a difference by wearing pink on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, and showing your support for those affected by bullying. Together, we can help create a world where kindness and respect lead the way.

Auditions for our one-night evening performance, ‘Tales from the Twilight Zone’, finished this week and casting announcements were made today. Congratulation to those students who are now members of the LIS Drama Club that will be performing on the evening of May 16th. A big thank you to Ms. Fall for co-directing this production with me.

Now, it’s time to share information about the week-long radio theatre festival portion of DramaFest, which runs from May 12th to 16th. Shows will be during school hours since we have performances from 13 divisions. Each class will be performing 2-3 radio plays with voice acting in front of wired microphones, using some props and wearing basic costumes.

Our Grade 4s will be voice-acting fractured fairy tale comedies. The Grade 5s and 5/6s will be performing spooky Twilight Zone radio plays. Finally, the 6s, 6/7s and 7s will be on-stage voice-acting Lights Out thrillers.

Every student in the school will be involved in the festival whether they are cast or crew. Cast roles range from leads to large & small supporting characters. (Lines do not need to be memorized for this radio play portion of DramaFest.) About a quarter of the students in each class will become the crew, which includes lighting, visuals, foley artists (live sound effects), stage managers and front-of-house positions. The last term fine arts mark will be an assessment of how well students perform their role/position in their plays.

Two rounds of auditions for each class begin the week of March 3rd to figure out who best fits each role. All students are encouraged to audition, even if they hope for a crew position. Paper copies of the audition scripts will be sent home starting Monday, February 24th for students to practise. You can also download and print these audition scripts online at my drama website… https://pitchblackdrama.weebly.com/

All rehearsals will take place during school hours in fine arts periods. More information about school-time performances will be shared in April. Up-to-date information about DramaFest can be found at my drama website. https://pitchblackdrama.weebly.com/ If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by sending me an email to rob.michalopoulos@sd68.bc.ca.

Much appreciated,

Mr. Michalopoulos

Help us plan for the future – tell us about your education experience. Students in Grades 4, 7, 10, 11 and 12, their parents/caregivers and all staff in B.C. public schools are invited to participate in the 2025 Student Learning Survey, an annual online satisfaction survey about their school experience. This year, the Ministry is also including Grade 11 students in the survey and the survey is now open to May 2, 2025.

The survey covers a range of topics, providing a comprehensive picture of the educational experience in B.C. public schools. Questions were developed with input from partner groups, teachers and experts in educational measurement and special education. If a school district or school has added questions, it may take longer. The survey takes about 30 minutes to complete.

All responses are anonymous and confidential. Student and staff surveys are available in English and French. Parent surveys are available in 18 additional languages.

For more information, visit the Ministry of Education and Child Care’s website at 2025 Student Learning Survey or contact LIS.

To take the survey access this link: Student Learning Survey 2025

The results of the parent/caregiver Student Learning Survey will be available through the Ministry of Education and Child Care website in summer 2025.

Substance Use Prevention, Part 2: Mental Health & Decision-Making Information Sessions

In partnership with adolescent clinical psychologist Dr. Hayley Watson from Open Parachute, the ministry will host three, free virtual sessions for parents, guardians and caregivers that will focus on practical skills you can teach your child and youth (ages 0-19) to prevent substance use and mental health challenges. These sessions will build on a previous presentation, which focused on practical conversation tools for speaking about substance use prevention with your children/youth.

Participants must register in advance for one of sessions on February 20, 25 or 26. Please share this information within your school community to reach parents, guardians and caregivers of all ages. Email the Mental Health and Substance Use team at educ.mentalhealth@gov.bc.ca if you have any questions.

February and March Fundraising Focus: Supporting Literacy and Numeracy at LIS

This February, our goal is to raise $30,000 to enhance literacy and numeracy resources at Ladysmith Intermediate School (LIS). Funds will be used to purchase new books for the library, novel study sets, literature sets, and teacher-selected materials.

Fundraising Initiatives:

• I LOVE LIS Fundraiser (Feb 5–21): We have raised over $2,000 as of Wednesday from donations alone. Thank you to all who have donated so far. Donations were due February 21st. QR code and bit.ly/ILoveLISFundraiser link will be available until March 31st, so you still have time to donate if you haven't already! Share the link with family and friends far and wide. Tax receipts are available. We will never turn down any late donations!
• Ladysmith Chronicle: News article about our fundraising efforts - Read it here
• Loonie Drive (Feb 24–28): Students bring in loonies, and the top class wins a Pizza and Ice Cream Party, with second place earning a Pizza Party.
• Donation Drive/Hot Dog and Hot Chocolate by Donation (Feb 22nd, 10:00 am–3:00 pm): Ladysmith Country Grocer. Volunteers needed! Two hour shifts available, please help out where you can. Sign up here
• Popcorn Days: Every Wednesday in February, $2/bag sold at big recess (LIS merch available this day too)
• Hot Lunches:

• Maya Norte: This bonus hot lunch was a success. We will be looking to add additional lunches from Maya Norte again on Tuesdays following a non-school Monday. We will be adjusting the menu based on what was popular and will adjust pricing on certain items. We will still offer dairy free and gluten free options, so stay tuned for added dates! Any feedback is appreciated.

• Feb 24: Ironworks Crêpes

• Mar 3: Panago Pizza

• Mar 10: Subway
  Order via Munchalunch (cutoff: 10:00 pm the Thursday before).

• Panago Coupons: $14 each for a medium pizza coupon. Order deadline is Friday, February 21 at 10:00 pm. Ask your friends and family if they want any coupons and order on their behalf. LIS will make $4 on every coupon sold. Delivery of coupons will be February 26th.
• LIS Merch: Ladysmith Intermediate mood changing pencils ($1) and mood changing bracelets ($4) will soon be available for sale on Munchalunch and at Concession.

Special Incentives:

• PAC Matching Donations: Up to $15,000!
• Free LIS cookies (with allergy-friendly alternatives) for all students and staff on February 28th to thank them for their efforts.

Donations and Contributions

• Used Books Wanted: Gently used youth novels (e.g., Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Wings of Fire, Alan Gratz novels) are welcomed.
• Country Grocer Receipts: Submit receipts to your teacher; LIS receives 1% back in gift cards for every $1,000 collected.

Thank You to Our Community Sponsors

We’re grateful for the support of:

• Save-On-Foods (juice for hot lunches)
• Panago Pizza (pizza coupons)
• Madill The Office Company (stationery for fundraising)
• Blooms At The 49th (Carnation Grams)
• Country Grocer (Donation of hot dogs, hot chocolate and supplies for our donation drive dates)

Hats Off

We're thankful for our school and community helpers, and donors:

· Oakes' family for donating books

· Mr. Vincent's class and other students for putting together the Carnation Grams

· All the families who have donated so far

· DBC Painting Ltd for your donation

Volunteer Opportunities

We’d love your help with the following:

• Anytime: Person to tally Country Grocer receipts (can be done at home)
• Mondays (Hot Lunch): 11:20 am–12:30 pm (1 helper needed per lunch).
• Fridays (Concession): 10:30 am–12:30 pm (2 helpers needed per concession).
• Feb 22: Drive-By Donation Drive/Hot Dog/Hot Chocolate (help for any amount of time between 9:30 am and 3:30 pm).
• Mar 3–7: Book Fair (details to come).
• Apr 15: Concession at LIS Track Meet (Rotary Bowl Stadium, Nanaimo).
• May 30: Fun Fair (setup, running games, or takedown from 2:30 pm–8:00 pm).

Meet Your PAC Members

Our Parent Advisory Council (PAC) is here to support the LIS community! Feel free to reach out to any of us or email us at ladysmithintermediatepac@hotmail.com.

• Marcy Drinkwater: Chair (Zekie, Grade 5)
• Susan Randle: Treasurer (Lindsey, Grade 4; Amanda, Grade 6)
• Andrea Gollmer: Secretary (Summer, Grade 5)
• Devon Warren: Hot Lunch/Fundraising (Colbie, Grade 6)
• Lindsey Conover: PAC Member/Concession (Ethan, Grade 5)
• Michelle Hiebert: PAC Member (Rose, Grade 7)
• Shiela Guay: Concession Lead (Olivia, Grade 6)
• Sarah Schaefer: DPAC rep (Gavin, Grade 4)
• Anna Coe: Graphic Design (Beatrice, Grade 5)

We look forward to making this February and March a success for LIS! Huy’ch’qa for your support.

We ask parents/guardians to call the school before 9:00 am at (250) 245-3351 or email Info.LI@sd68.bc.ca to notify the school of your child’s absence. Please follow up with a note to your child’s teacher when your child returns to school so the teacher can address any missed work, homework issues, etc. Also a reminder that if students need to leave early, they should be signed out in the main office.

The following is a reminder about the NLPS school closure procedure for students.

If schools are closed due to snow, or any other weather-related problems, announcements will be made on local radio stations (WOLF 106.9 FM, WAVE 102.3 FM, and 91.7 COAST FM) by 7 a.m., or earlier, on the day of the closure. Please do not call the radio station – tune in and listen for the announcements, which will be made on a regular basis.

In addition, the district will post the information on the district’s website, Twitter, Facebook, and mobile app. Families may also receive a message through the School Messenger notification system via phone, email, or text. Please keep in mind, however, that there may be situations where this is not always possible, for example, power outages or technical problems. The most reliable method is to listen to the local radio stations.

ADDRESS:

Ladysmith Intermediate School

317 French St. Ladysmith, BC V9G 1B1

(250) 245-3351

INTERNET/SOCIAL MEDIA:

WEBSITE: https://li.schools.sd68.bc.ca/