DRE Dynamo News

January 26, 2026

What's Happening at DRE?

Thank You!

If you have stopped by the office in recent months, you may have noticed a completely revamped fish tank. We are grateful to Kelli Turcot, a parent volunteer at DRE, for taking this on. She single handedly rebuilt our aquascape complete with live plants and new healthy fish. In addition, she has volunteered to maintain the tank on a regular basis. We are grateful for her contributions. The fish tank is a popular feature for many students and staff at DRE.

Gymnastics & Parkour at DRE

Thank you to the PAC for sponsoring an in-school field trip with Kelowna Gymnastix. The club offers an in-school program where our gymnasium is converted into a gymnastics studio. Students in K-3 will each have a gymnastics lesson with a qualified gymnastic coach, and students in grades 4 & 5 will participate in a parkour lesson. This is a great opportunity for all our students, and we thank the PAC for their generosity to support this event. Classes will rotate through the gymnasium all week.

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.

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. Online sign-up is now open and will close on Monday February 2nd at 7:00am.

Click here for instructions to book your appointment(s).

family literacy week

This week is Family Literacy Week in British Columbia! Literacy includes reading, writing, talking, and learning together. Reading with your child helps build confidence and a lifelong love of reading. Each night this week, your child will receive a daily reading challenge to complete with their family. We encourage all families to join in and participate. Have fun reading together!

Monday - Read a book with someone in your family.
Tuesday - While reading, stop and talk about one new word you learned.
Wednesday - Read something that is not a book, like a menu, recipe, or sign.
Thursday - After reading, retell the story to a someone in your family.
Friday - Read together and share what you enjoyed most about reading this week.

Book Fair

The Book Fair will be happening during student learning conferences!

Thursday, February 5: 12:00pm – 6:00pm
Friday, February 6: 12:00pm – 2:30pm

To make the fair a success, we are looking for volunteers to help with running the event. Volunteers must have a current criminal record check on file. If you’re interested in helping out, please email our teacher librarian: kiana.kramer@sd23.bc.ca

SD23 Strategic Plan Public Engagement Invitation

The Board of Education is inviting all parents, students, staff members, partner group representatives and members of the public to participate in a strategic plan engagement process in response to 4 key questions that will inform the District's future strategic plan.

When you think about the world students are entering today, what do you believe students need most from their experiences in our schools to be successful?
When you think about the future, what ideas do you have that would improve student learning for all students?
What would help families feel more meaningfully involved in supporting student learning?
What is one change that would make schools healthier and more supportive places for students, staff, and families?

Community feedback events are scheduled at a variety of locations over the coming weeks, and a session is available in Lake Country at George Elliot Secondary School on Monday January 26th, from 6pm - 9pm. Register here.

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.

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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