DRE Dynamo News

June 25, 2026

What's Happening at DRE?

School's Out for Summer!

That's a wrap! What an amazing school year. I feel incredibly grateful to be part of this learning community. It's filled with kind students, caring staff, and families who are true partners in learning. On behalf of the whole staff, I wish you all well this summer, and we look forward to welcoming students back to school on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.

Last Day of School

As we think about the last day of school for our students, it's also the last day of school (forever) for a long time teacher from Davidson Rd. We would like to congratulate Mrs. Mortenson on a long and meaningful career in Central Okanagan Public Schools. She has made a positive impact on the lives of hundreds of students and we are so grateful to have been part of her story.

Final term learning updates will be distributed today.

Staff Updates for 2026/27

Davidson Road Elementary is such a great school because of the people who choose to make it that way. We have been fortunate to work alongside many new teachers and support staff this year, and as the year comes to a close, we will need to say good-bye, and for some, see you soon. We thank each of the following people for their contributions at DRE and we wish them all the best with their future adventures.

We look forward to welcoming new staff as school resumes.

Learning Updates

Yearend learning updates will be distributed today. If you're child was not in attendance, you will have an opportunity to pick up next week. The office will be open from 9am-11am on Monday and Tuesday June 29th and 30th. If you are unable to make it during that time, learning updates will be available once again as school resumes in September. We will not be mailing unclaimed learning updates.

Start Up Information for 2025/26

Please anticipate an email on the September long weekend with information about start up routines and class placement for the upcoming school year. We are expecting all classes to be at full capacity. Considerable efforts and a tremendous amount of time has already been put into creating the best classroom compositions possible and we are unable to consider new requests for placement or changes. We will also have a number of new teachers joining us in September, and we look forward to welcoming them to our school community.

Indigenous Peoples' Day - June 21

June 21st is Indigenous People's Day. It is a day for us to recognize the contributions of Indigenous People in Canada, and an opportunity to continue our learning and stand firm in our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation. Thank you to the staff members and students who collaborated to host an Indigenous People's Day assembly today. Students took a lead role in the event, and we are so proud of their accomplishments.

Sanctuary Schools Policy

The Central Okanagan School District's Sanctuary Schools Policy Board Policy 4030 – Sanctuary Schools (see www.sd23.bc.ca) upholds the Board's commitment to providing educational opportunities for all students who are ordinarily resident in the Central Okanagan, including those with precarious immigration status or no immigration status.

Student registrations that pertain to Policy 4030 – Sanctuary Schools will be processed through the Welcome Centre.

Policy 4030 - Sanctuary Schools

Welcome Centre

Rotary Centre for the Arts Summer 2026 Camps - Arts Blast Camps

Arts Blast Camps July and August 2026

To register visit: https://rotarycentreforthearts.com/learn/camps/. Designed for kids ages 5–12, Arts Blast Camps focus on collaboration, creativity, and confidence-building through music, theatre, movement, storytelling, and visual arts. Guided by professional artist-instructors, campers spend the week creating together in a supportive, low-pressure environment before sharing their work in a celebratory performance on the Mary Irwin Theatre stage. No prior experience is required — just imagination and a willingness to have fun.

Registration is now open.

Homestay opportunities

The school district is looking for families to host international high school students from around the world.

Next round of placements begins September 2026. Homestay compensation will be $1200/month/student starting in 2026-2027.

Apply now to join our team as a host family for international students experiencing Canada.

Link:

Click here to learn more & apply

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED AT THE BC GAMES

The BC Summer Games are coming to Kelowna this July 22 - 26. Events like this need reliable volunteers to help create memorable experiences for the young athletes. If you are interested in helping out please CLICK HERE FOR VOLUNTEER REGISTER

Are You Moving?

We are in the early stages of planning for the 2026/27 school year, and it is very important that we have an accurate number of students for enrollment so we can begin to organize our school. If you are planning to move out of the area, or if you have alternate plans for schooling for the 2025/26 school year, please let the office know as soon as possible so we can account for that in our enrollment process. Please email dre@sd23.bc.ca with the updated information. Thanks for your help with this.

School Bus Applications for 26/27

The School Bus Transportation Application for September 2026 (2026-2027 year) is now open!

IMPORTANT:

Although school bus transportation applications are accepted throughout the school year, priority seating for the 2026–2027 school year is given to those applicants who have applied before end of day on May 31, 2026.

Use the following link to submit a school bus transportation application for the 2026-2027 school year. https://busconnect.sd23.bc.ca.

Students must be registered to ride on the school bus, for detailed information regarding student eligibility for transportation please visit our website: https://www.sd23.bc.ca/transportation-services-programsservices.

Please see Board Policy 470R – Transportation Services Management – Guiding Principles for Transportation for more information about bussing services in Central Okanagan Public Schools

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.

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.

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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