DRE Dynamo News

January 12, 2026

What's Happening at DRE?

It's been nice to welcome everyone back. We hope you had a great holiday break. The period of time between January and March is typically a busy season, and students will certainly experience a lot of growth during this time. Thank you for your ongoing support to get your kids to school on time each day. Consistency and routine are important for kids, and we appreciate your support.

Kindergarten Registration Opens February 2, 2026

Children who turn five years old before December 31, 2026 are eligible to attend kindergarten in September 2026. Registration opens for September 2026 on Monday, February 2, 2026 at 7:00 am. Families are encouraged to visit the enrollment page on the Central Okanagan Public Schools website (https://www.sd23.bc.ca/school-enrollment) prior to February 2nd to learn more about the registration process. If your child already attends Davidson Road, or is transitioning to HS Grenda, please do not complete a new registration. Current Davidson Road students are automatically transitioned to the next grade (or middle school).

Student Learning Conferences

DRE will host the second student learning conferences of the school year on Thursday, February 5th and Friday February 6th. Both days will be early dismissal days with classes ending at 12:30pm. Buses will be running at the adjusted time. Teachers will determine the format of these conferences for their individual classes, and it may include both individual meetings and student-led conferences. Sign-up information will be shared shortly.

Smart Device Reminders

We shared in our previous communications that the Province has required all school districts to amend codes of conduct to restrict the use of personal digital devices in elementary and middle schools. We would recommend that devices not come to school; however, if families would like to send them, they must remain powered off and stored in backpacks during the instructional day. That includes cell phones, tablets, smart watches, tablets and any other device that is used to communicate and/or access the internet.

In some cases, students may require the support of a digital device for accessibility or health needs. In those situations, please contact the classroom teacher. Please click here for more information about these expectations in Central Okanagan Public Schools.

It's Getting Colder...

The temperatures have taken a dip recently, and with that, we are pleased to see kids arriving with warmer clothing. Thank you for helping your kids come to school dressed for the weather. We go outside multiple times per day, and it's important that students have approriate coats, mits, hats and footwear.

School Swag

Thank you to the PAC for coordinating a new opportunity for families to purchase school spirit wear and other school swag items. Families can now order products online and have them shipped directly to their homes whenever it works to them. Please see our dedicated DRE Online Store for more information. The store is now open and ready to receive orders.

How to Sign Up and Use SchoolMessenger.mp4

reporting Absences and Early departures

Please note that our Absence Reporting System through SchoolMessenger is our sole absence reporting system for school attendance. Families have three options on how they can report an absence, late, or early departure:

Use the SchoolMessenger App on your smartphone. This method is by far the easiest way to report your child’s absence. (Follow this link for instructions on how to sign up and get started (http://bit.ly/2FrTa0p).
Use the SchoolMessenger Parent Portal at go.schoolmessenger.ca
Phone the school and push "1" to report using the SchoolMessenger automated system

Visit http://www.sd23.bc.ca/SchoolMessenger for family resources to help you get started with SchoolMessenger. In the past, Kindergarten families have told us that it’s better to wait until after the school year begins before setting up SchoolMessenger in order to avoid any setup errors.

Before and After School Supervision

Please remember that adult supervision outside the school begins at 8:00am. Thank you for waiting until at least 8:00am before dropping off your child(ren). After school supervision ends at 2:45pm. We need to keep everyone safe, so thank you in advance for staying within these time frames for drop-off and pick up.

A reminder to all of our Davidson Road Community that we are an All-Nut Aware School. As we have many students and staff with life threatening allergies to nut products, we ask that families are extremely vigilant in ensuring that nuts or food containing nut products are not sent to school. This includes chocolate hazelnut spreads like Nutella. Thank you for being proactive in your decision on what your child can bring to school.

A Note About Homemade Treats

Given a number of students and staff who have serious, life-threatening allergies to nuts, we also ask that homemade baked goods, such as birthday cupcakes, are not brought to school. If families wanted to send foods on special occasions, please limit items to store-bought, pre-packaged, individually-wrapped food items. Thanks for your help in ensuring the safety of our students.

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