Back To School! 2026-27
Principal’s Note:
Hard to believe it is only a couple of weeks and we’ll all be back for the 2026-27 school year! I hope you all have a restful summer, and that you are feeling ready for the new year!
On behalf of the AHE Staff, we are so much looking forward to the year ahead, and the enormous privilege of teaching your child. See you soon!
Sincerely,
Pam Mair
Principal,
Arrow Heights Elementary
First Partial Day: Tuesday, Sept 8th 9:30-12:00
Our first day will be a partial day and will begin at 9:30 a.m. and end at 12:00 noon. We will have the traditi
onal “Mug and Muffin” (coffee and time to visit parents, students and school staff together) to start the first day of the year. **Note that for families of Kindergarten students, you will follow the gradual entry schedule in your Kindergarten letter, rather than the schedule below.**
9:30–10:00 Mug and Muffin: Bring your own mug! This year again we’ll spread out the muffins and coffee and gather at the front of the school. Help yourself to coffee and mingle to meet your child(ren)’s teacher(s) and our support staff members. The school bell will ring at 10:00 and students will line up with their teacher and head to their classroom.
While there will not be a formal recess time, teachers will take classes outside for a break, so please pack your child a snack.
12:00 Dismissal – this first day is a partial day, be please have a plan for your child to walk/ride home or be picked up .
Wednesday, Sept. 9th will be a regular school day for Grades 1 through 7 (8:30 – 2:32)
Configuration of Classes
We are planning for 10 divisions, and about 203 students. If we have many families who have moved to our area, or many who have moved away, our class configurations may change. The partial day on September 8th allows us to count “whites of eyes” to know exactly who will be attending in the year ahead. If your child will not be in attendance on September 8th, but will be attending AHE this year, ensure that you call the office to include them in our student numbers. AHE staff has spent many hours on class lists, considering social and academic needs to create balanced classrooms. Requests to change classes are rare and are only considered after all options to make the placement work have been tried. In our configuration, multi-aged or combined classes will exist. This practice is well supported by research, and it also accommodates the number of children in each grade.
AHE Class Lists
Class lists will not be posted this year. You will receive an email on Friday, September 4th, informing you of your child’s class placement.
Kindergarten and other Families New to AHE
Kindergarten students have a slightly different gradual entry schedule from other grades. Letters have gone out to kindergarten families, so if you do not receive yours, please contact the school office (250-837-6360), the week of August 31 – September 4th to receive your child’s schedule for the first days of school. .
Families of students in other grades who are new to our school, Welcome! If you would like to arrange a little tour of the school, please call the office on Monday (August 31st) and we’ll arrange a time for you and your child(ren) to visit the school.
Bulk School Supplies Plan
The AHE Supply Purchase program includes the entire year’s supply of classroom materials needed. We have been able to maintain the fee at $45, this includes $37 for supplies + cost of agenda book, $8. Supply fees can be paid by cash, cheque, card or online once the school is open. More information to follow.
Be sure to send a water bottle, clean indoor running shoes with non-marking soles, and a pair of headphones (preferably the plug in kind rather than ear buds) labelled with your child’s name. If you would rather purchase supplies yourself for your child, there are supply lists on the AHE website as well as at local stationary stores.
Agendas and Student Handbook
Each AHE student in Grades 1 through 7 is required to purchase an agenda book, available from the school for $8. This is an important tool to aid in planning and to facilitate communication between home and the classroom. As well, the agenda book contains the AHE Student Handbook (the first 8 pages of the agenda). Please carefully read the Handbook together with your child, and sign that you’ve read it. If you have questions about the Handbook, please don’t hesitate to contact me or your child’s teacher, either by phone or email.
Important school policies to note:
Cell phones
Students are not to come to school with a phone or other connected device, including smart watch that can access the internet. We have school iPads and laptops to facilitate instructional technology use, and the use of phones, cameras, social media distracts from rather than enhances the elementary school experience. If your child needs their phone after school hours, they may bring it and leave it in airplane mode, either in the office or with their teacher until after school.
E-Bikes and Scooters:
The use of e-bikes and e-scooters by students is not legal in BC for elementary school aged children. Students must be age 16 or older to ride e-scooters or most e-bikes (smaller power e-bikes may be ridden over 14 years of age). Please do not send your child to school with these motorized vehicles. This article from the Canadian Paediatric Society outlines the risks. https://caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/safety-and-injury-prevention/electric-scooters-and-bikes
BC laws for electric scooters are available here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/driving-and-cycling/cycling/electric-kick-scooter-rules
and BC laws for electric bikes are here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/driving-and-cycling/cycling/cycling-regulations-restrictions-rules/e-bikes
Please encourage your child to walk, bike or scooter to school, but leave the motorized ones at home.
Lates and Absences:
Contact the school if your child will be late or absent. Call the office the evening before or first thing in the morning if your child will be late or absent for any reason (250)837-6360.
Traffic Flow:
Park Drive gets very busy during pick-up and drop off. Please be aware of students on foot and on bikes, and park in designated areas only. Please refrain from turning around in front of the school.
