August 26 2025
Dear Families of James Bay Community School,
I am so excited to be a part of this wonderful school again this year. I look forward to seeing our returning students and families and getting to know those that will be new to our community. Welcome everyone!
We hope this finds you enjoying the final days of summer and having one last adventure before we return to school. We just wanted to give you a couple of updates as we get ready for our new year. School administration and office staff are back in the building as are many of our teachers and custodial staff. The school will be closed on Monday, September 1st for Labor Day.
Just a reminder that the first day of school for students in Grades 1-5 is Tuesday September 2nd beginning at 9:00am and ending at 11:30am. All students will begin the school year in their WELCOMING GROUPS (tentative classes). As always, we must wait for the district to give us permission to finalize these classes however changes are not likely to be made. As you know, class placement is a multi-faceted process, and all staff have worked together to place each student carefully. Please help your child to adjust to this new placement by encouraging a positive attitude about change.
Parents who have already created a Parent Connect account will not need to do any further steps. New families to James Bay will need to create a Parent Connect account. Please go to the link: https://parentconnect.sd61.bc.ca . If you have any questions, please feel free to call Cheryl Claibourne ( our School Administrative Assistant) for assistance at 250-384-7184.
Information about welcoming groups will be posted on doors and rolling signs throughout the school yard. Staff will be available to assist you in finding your child’s tentative teacher. Please also respect that Freedom of Information restricts you from taking photos of lists as there is personal information on them. Signs will be posted where to go – please ask for help if you need.
Please send students with a snack and a filled water bottle only for Tuesday. Starting Wednesday, please send your child with a snack, water bottle and lunch every day. Information about the School lunch program provided by the James Bay Community Centre will be sent out soon.
The first full day of classes for Grades 1 – 5 will be Wednesday, September 3rd from 8:45 – 2:37pm. Please send your child with a snack, water bottle and lunch but keep school supplies at home until instructed by your child’s teacher. Our school is a “pack-in and pack-out” school for lunch time waste items, which means all containers, wrappers and compost will be put back in your child’s lunch to be discarded at home.
As always, it will take us a few days to get class placements finalized and we thank you for your patience. We always need to wait for the district to give us the go ahead before placing students in their final classes for the year.
Kindergarten families should follow the outline given on the letter that you received in June. If you did not receive a letter, please contact the school for further information about your first day. In addition, your child’s Kindergarten teacher is reaching out via email to set up you and your child to attend a welcoming conversation meeting in the first few days of school.
Here is to an amazing year of learning and growing together!
Marla Margetts, Principal