DRE Dynamo News

May 25, 2026

What's Happening at DRE?

Jump Rope for Heart

We are very excited to announce that our school is participating in the Heart & Stroke Foundation's Jump Rope for Heart.

Our campaign will run until May 26th. This is an online fundraiser for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. If you would like to participate in this fundraiser, please go to https://jumpropeforheart.crowdchange.ca/114208 (this link is also on our school website). You can also go to www.jumpforheart.ca, click on the register button, click on "join your school," and follow the directions. This year the Heart and Stroke Foundation will be giving gift cards for fundraising efforts.

Our school's Jump Rope for Heart Event Day will be on Tuesday May 26th from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. All classes will be skipping together at the front of the school. We are asking students to wear red or DRE gear to show school spirit and proper footwear. Please feel welcome to join us.

Thank you for helping to make this a great event and for supporting vital heart disease and stroke research and health education.

For more information, please contact any member of our school Jump Rope for Heart teacher sponsors (jolene.olsen@sd23.bc.ca or barbara.sveistrup@sd23.bc.ca)

PLease leave pokeman Cards at home

We recognize that many kids enjoy playing Pokeman cards. Unfortnately, staff have been managing a variety issues with missing cards and disputes about trades. Given these challenges, staff have decided that we would like Pokeman cards to remain at home. Please ensure your child does not bring the cards to school. In addition, household toys should also remain home. Kids play a variety of games at school, and household toys are often lost or damaged. Thank you for your support with this.

HVAC Upgrades

Work has already started on a significant heating and air conditioning upgrade at DRE. Most work will occur over the summer, and some preparatory work has already started. You will notice some fencing going up in the back of the school to isolate the work spaces. We look forward to having consistent heating and cooling in the fall!

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

Help wanted

We are seeking the support of our school community to offer some additional supervision at the crosswalk on Davidson Rd as school starts in the morning and at dismissal. In the past, a parent from our school supported additional safety at the crosswalk during these busy times. If you are able to help with part or all of this additional supervision, please contact john.morrone@sd23.bc.ca. If the whole week is too much of a commitment, we are happy to organize a schedule with multiple parents sharing days over the week. We appreciate your support.

Family Smart

FamilySmart is a community partner group that works alongside schools within Central Okangan Publis Schools.

Every month, they host online events for parents & caregivers who are parenting a child or youth with a mental health and/or substance use challenge called “in the know.” We watch a video and share experiences and strategies that help in the hard moments and focus on strengthening our understanding and connection with our kids.

Online events are facilitated by FamilySmart Family Peer Support Workers. Click here to see a listing of upcoming events for all families.

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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