Month: April 2020

Dear Parents: 

“We are all in the same storm but we are not all in the same boat.”   Author Unknown 

 Nothing is more accurate than that statement right now. Without a doubt we have all been impacted by this pandemic yet each of us are on our own journey.   I am not sure what the journey in your boat is like but I want you to know we as a school are here to support you and your families as best as we can.  We are community after all!  Feel free to reach out to me or the School Principal if there is something specific you need support with. 

Here is a list of different websites that you might find useful.  

ICBC Information 

https://www.icbc.com/about-icbc/newsroom/Pages/2020-apr16.aspx 

BC Hydro 

https://www.bchydro.com/news/press_centre/news_releases/2020/covid-19-relief-fund-open.html 

Fortis BC  

https://www.fortisbc.com/about-us/supporting-british-columbia-during-the-covid-19-outbreak 

Telus 

https://www.whistleout.ca/CellPhones/News/covid-19-telus 

Shaw 

https://www.shaw.ca/covid-19 

Mortgages Information 

https://www.canadianmortgagetrends.com/2020/04/mortgage-lenders-provide-covid-19-update-part-1/  

https://www.canadianmortgagetrends.com/2020/04/mortgage-lenders-provide-covid-19-update-part-2/ 

 Rent Information 

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/residential-tenancies/covid-19 

Food Sources 

https://foodbank.bc.ca 

Salvation Army – New Westminster – By appointment – Call in advance  604-521-2421

New Life Community Church – Free Bread Saturday Mornings (while supplies last) 8765 Government Street

604-420-0761

Muslim Food Bank – 604-446-6750 –  For individuals or families with dietary restrictions (cultural or religious)  for low

income families or refugees.

Anxiety Canada  

https://www.anxietycanada.com 

Kids Help Phone 

https://kidshelpphone.ca 

Dear parents, 

I know that there is so much on your plate long before we all had to self-isolate for Covid 19.  I wanted to write you and provide some helpful tips for our ‘new normal’ as you try and navigate these interesting times.   

I would encourage you to figure out a ‘new’ rhythm for your family. We always have, and always live by certain rhythms that you may not have even thought about.  The earth rotates around the sun once making a year.  The angle of the earth’s axis changes giving us seasons.  The sun rises every morning and sets every evening.  Though there are slight variations on the timing of these rhythms they are constants in our world.   

So, I encourage you to find a rhythm that works for your family.  I like to call it a rhythm instead of a schedule because it seems less rigid and gives some flexibility to your ‘new normal.    Try different things and see what works for your family.  Talk with “your people” (other parents) and see what is working for them. However, if talking to other people about this and finding out what they are doing adds to your stress then don’t talk about it.  This is not a competition.   It won’t be perfect because what we are living through is far from perfect. 

Take care and feel free to reach out if there is something I can help you with…Sue McAllister