Hello Juniper Ridge Jaguars,

This will be the last weekly update I send by email. Beginning next week, I will transition completely to sending my weekly messages via the website and the mobile app. See below to learn how to download it so that you receive notifications.

Please note, there is no school on Monday Sept 21 as it is a Professional Development Day for staff.

We've launched a new SD73 Mobile App!

Last year, you were able to receive messages via email from the old school website. This is no longer possible. However, a new SD73 mobile app is now available on the Google Play and Apple App stores (just search "School District 73") – it includes news and events from the district and school websites. App users can select their schools and then receive school news and event alerts from those specific schools. App download links are now available in the footer of all district and school websites.

In today’s message, you will find the following information:

Upcoming Dates
PAC Message (Updated)
Juniper Meet & Greet (Reminder)
Fresh for Kids (Formerly the BC Fruit & Vegetable Program)
Terry Fox Run
Connect Parent Program, Pre-adolescent session this coming October (NEW)
New Literacy Screener (NEW)

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Upcoming Dates

Sept 21 - Inservice Day (NO SCHOOL)
 Sept 23 – Parent/Teacher Meet & Greet 8:30am – 9:15am
 Sept 25 – Fire/Evacuation Drill
 Sept 29 - Wear Orange for the National Day for Reconciliation
 Sept 30 - National Day for Reconciliation (NO SCHOOL)

Use this link to see the calendar of in-service and holiday dates for the entire school year: SD73 School Calendar At A Glance
 
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PAC Message

Big Deal Coupon Books

$10 for a book full of local coupons AND it helps the PAC support our school & our students.

Now available to order on MunchALunch OR by returning your COMPLETED order form to the school.

All books will be sent home with your student!

Hot Lunch

The first session of Hot Lunch is now open for ordering on MunchALunch!

Please be sure your orders are completed & paid for within 24 hours so they don't get removed from the list.

Ordering deadline is the Wednesday in the week prior to the lunch you are ordering (ie. 8 days before the hot lunch).

Want to help us hand out hot lunch? Sign up here: https://signup.com/go/yXaoUkU

Our next PAC Meeting will be Oct 5 @ 6:15pm in the school library. Free childcare is available!

Juniper Meet & Greet

We, the staff of Juniper Ridge, would like to invite you to a meet & greet. This is an opportunity to come into the school and visit the classroom(s). This is meant as an informal gathering to put names to faces.

What: Meet & Greet

When: Wednesday September 23 from 8:30-9:15am

Where: JRES

We invite parents to go to the gym at 8:30am to meet the admin team, your PAC and enjoy a few snacks. Please note that snacks are for adults only. This is also to give us time to get the students settled and take attendance. At approximately 8:40am, we would invite you to go to the classrooms to meet the teachers, have time for the students to show a little of their learning and just become a little better acquainted with the school. At 9:15, we will put on an announcement asking parents to leave so that we can get back to our learning.

We hope to see you Wednesday next week.

Kamloops Terry Fox Run – Riverside Park

Sunday, September 20th | Riverside Park Bandshell

We would LOVE to see our Juniper Ridge community come together again on Sunday for the Kamloops Terry Fox Run!

This is a non-competitive, family-friendly community event where participants can run, walk, or roll at their own pace. There is no registration fee or minimum fundraising requirement, and participants of all ages and abilities are welcome.

Kamloops Run Day Details:

Location: Riverside Park Bandshell
 Time Registration opens: 9:00 am
 Warm-up: 9:30 am
 Run/Walk begins: 10:00 am

Participants can choose from 1 km, 5 km, or 10 km routes.

For the Sunday event, we encourage our Jaguars to wear:

❤️ Red
 🤍 White
 👕 Terry Fox shirts
 🐆 Juniper Jaguar swag!

Join the Juniper Ridge Team! 🐾

Families can register to participate and/or make a donation directly to our Juniper Ridge Elementary Terry Fox Team here:

https://run.terryfox.ca/team/juniperridge

Every donation helps support cancer research and continues Terry’s dream of a world without cancer.

Important Reminder for Sunday

Please note that the Sunday, September 20th Terry Fox Run is a community event and is separate from our school-run event on Friday. Teachers and Juniper Ridge staff are not responsible for supervising students at the Sunday event.

Parents and families are encouraged to attend and participate alongside their children. We hope to see lots of Juniper Ridge families running and walking together!

Two runs. One community. One incredible cause. ❤️

Thank you for your support:)

Your Terry Fox Committee,

Mrs Mulholland, Mrs Murphy, Mrs Shaw and Mrs Sandhu

Fresh for Kids (Formerly the BC Fruit & Vegetable Program)

Juniper will once again be participating in the Fresh for Kids Program. Once a month, produce will be delivered to classes for students to sample. The produce varies from year to year, but typically has included: apples, pears, plums, cucumbers, and tomato varieties. Student participation is optional. Students with allergies or who choose to opt out won’t take the item being offered. 

The Fresh for Kids Program is supported by the Province of British Columbia and the First Nations Health Authority. It is administered through BCAITC, a non-profit organization dedicated to “Working to bring BC’s agriculture to our students.” The Foundation works with local growers and distributors to bring fresh BC products to students.

Connect Parent Program, Pre-adolescent session this coming October (NEW)

Sent on behalf of BGC Kamloops

We are offering Connect Parent Program, Pre-adolescent session this coming October.

Connect Parent is an attachment-based program that focuses on strengthening parent-preteen relationships and building a foundation for collaborative program-solving. As an alternative to behaviour modification strategies, this group focuses on supporting parents in understanding the attachment needs that create the behaviour their child is demonstrating.

This is a free, 10-week program for parents/caregivers of children ages 9 to 12. Dinner and childminding are provided.

This program is provided in partnership with Child and Youth Mental Health.

Facilitators: Brianna Campbell & Angela Gatzka

Dates: October 7 – Dec 16, 2026

Times: 5 to 6:30PM, @ John Tod Centre (150 Wood St.)

To register, next step is a pre-I. This entails a meeting with the facilitators, Brianna and Angela.

This meeting will give your facilitators a chance to get to know you one-on-one before the group starts.

In this meeting they will

· talk about Connect program, it’s origin and benefits

· get to know you and your relationship with your kiddo

· make sure this program is a good fit for you and your goals from this program.

This meeting will also give you a chance to ask any questions about the program that you might have!

If you are interested in enrolling for this program contact Neevesha at Neevesha Panjawani - n.panjawani@bgckwl.com OR call 250-554-5437.

New Literacy Screener

Message from Lisa Beare, Minister of Education and Child Care of BC

Dear Parents and Caregivers:

The start of a new school year is always an exciting time for students and families. As schools

reopen this fall, I am pleased to share important information about early literacy screening which

will support and strengthen your child’s learning. It also plays a vital role in how government is

focusing on educational excellence for all British Columbia students.

To continue reading this message, use this link: Early Literacy Screening

Kukwstsetselp.

BLAKE BUEMANN (Principal)

ASHLEY MOORE (Vice-Principal)

Juniper Ridge Elementary

School District No. 73 (Kamloops-Thompson)