April 5th 2024
Sent on behalf of Dr. Alex Choi, Medical Health Officer, Vancouver Coastal Health.
- As many of you will know On Monday, April 8, 2024, a solar eclipse will occur when the Moon moves between the Sun and the Earth. In the VCH region, this event will be a partial eclipse, expected to start around 10:40am and end around 12:20pm. While it is dangerous to look at the sun anytime, the risk of harm is higher during a solar eclipse because we are more tempted to look, and some of our protective mechanisms that would make us turn away may be less effective due to lower light levels. Even during a partial eclipse, the sun’s intense radiation can cause severe damage to the eyes. It’s crucial to avoid looking directly at the sun during the eclipse, especially for children, as their eyes let in more light to the retina than adult eyes. Young children also may not fully understand the risks or be able to follow safety directives and may require more supervision.
· Avoid direct viewing: Never look directly at the eclipse under any circumstances.
· Only use safe viewers: Only view the eclipse if you have safe viewers and filters that meet the international standard ISO 12312-2.
· Avoid homemade filters: Do not use homemade filters, sunglasses, ski goggles, camera lenses, smoked glass, photographic film, or x-ray film by themselves or in combination with a binocular or telescope.
· Pinhole projector: If you don’t have eclipse viewers that meet the international standard, create a pinhole projector and focus on the projected image, not the sun itself.
· Always supervise children.
For more information, see:
Canadian Space Agency: How to safely watch a solar eclipse - Canadian Space Agency (asc-csa.gc.ca)
Canadian Association of Optometrists: https://opto.ca/eye-health-library/solar-eclipse-safety
Student Project: How to Make a Pinhole Camera | NASA/JPL Edu
- Passover. Click here to learn more about Passover.
- World Health Day: Click here to learn more about World Health Day
- Solar Eclipse: watch the eclipse live online here
- Health and Safety Meeting
- Eid al-Fitr, end of the holy month of Ramadan: Click here to learn more about Eid al-Fitr
- School Learning Plan Review: Click here to check out this year's updated School Learning Plan website (this website can always be found on the Myrtle Philip School website under the families tab)
- May Day Planning Meeting: 2pm Learning Services Room
- Reading link challenge finals 9am at the Whistler Public Library
- Physical Literacy: Division 2, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14
- !!!Spirit day: Wear Plaid!!!
- Weekly PAWS ticket sticker draw
Website: https://mpcs.hotlunches.net/
School Access Code: mpcs
Click here to volunteer for this session.
- Bikes MUST be walked at all times on school property, with the exception of the actual roadways in the parking lot and bike loop. There should never be anyone riding any sort of bike on a sidewalk, a walkway or a crosswalk for any reason. Bikes should be dismounted from at the bottom of the Valley Trail hill (in the parking lot area), and before the green garbage can in the bus loop area.
- Bikes on the roadways MUST follow traffic laws and the flow of traffic. The bus loop must be entered on the same side a car would enter and ridden through in the same direction a car would go, and the parking lot should be ridden through in the same direction as cars drive.
- If a staff member asks you to dismount from your bike for any reason that staff member must be treated in a respectful manner and the direction must be followed.
- When dropping off or picking up in the bus loop parents must remain IN THEIR CARS at all times. This means no helping little ones with seatbelts, backpacks, or walking them to their classrooms. It is integral for safety that while in the bus loop the driver is always in the vehicle and behind the wheel.
- Parking in the bus loop is also prohibited. This is a quick drop off or pick up area. If you need to park please continue to the parking lot to do so.
- Children are walking through the parking lot all the time, please slow down to ensure safety.
FEEDING FUTURES FUND
We would like to update you on the grant from the Ministry of Education and Childcare to make back-to-school more affordable for students and their families struggling with rising costs of living due to global inflation. We are mindful that many families in our community are struggling with the increased cost of living. We want every family to know that they are eligible for financial assistance through the Student & Family Affordability fund, no questions asked.
This one-time funding support (this year) will be allocated towards school-related expenses, including:
- School supplies
- Field Trip funds
- Family food security
- Hot lunch
- Basic necessities
- Clothing/footwear
- Other necessities
The funds will be available through gift cards from Nesters for foods and other supplies. We will also continue to support anyone who requires assistance with paying to participate in our hot lunch program. If you require support in one of the other above areas, feel free to inquire and we will do our best to accommodate on a case-by-case basis.
If you would like to access the affordability fund, please let the office know by email to myself at [email protected] & share what you may need support for from the above list. Please be patient while we organize getting these gift cards and a system in place to support our families. If for whatever reason you have not heard back from me within a week, please re-send just in case it was missed. We don’t want any barriers for you to receive this support.
The School District is happy to announce that they are also partnering with local food banks to specifically support school food programs. At Myrtle Philip we receive lunch items weekly from Whistler Community Services Society. Thank you to the volunteers who make this program possible.