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Welcome Back to School! 
Dear Harold Panabaker Students and Families, 
Welcome to the 2023 - 2024 school year! We are thrilled to have all of our students back in school on Thursday, August 31. We hope you all had an enjoyable summer filled with relaxation and special moments with friends and family. Our incredible staff have been back to work, diligently preparing for a safe, positive, and meaningful year ahead. Our heartfelt appreciation goes out to our wonderful custodial staff, who dedicated their entire summer to ensure our school is in pristine condition. We are eagerly looking forward to reconnecting with our returning students and extending a warm welcome to all the new students. Our goal is to collaborate with you and your children to support their academic, social, and emotional growth throughout the year. Let's make this a remarkable year together!
Here is some key information that will help you and your family get ready for the first day of school:
School Hours  
Monday to Thursday: 9:15am – 4:04pm  
Friday: 9:15am – 1:10pm 
Staff Members 
Administrative Team:
Principal: Ms. Li
Assistant Principal: Ms. Roach 
Administrative Assistant: Ms. Weatherhead
Teachers: 
Humanities Team                                       Math/Science Team 
Mr. Doerksen (Learning Leader)               Ms. Ray (Learning Leader) 
Ms. Cooke
Ms. Chalmers                                               Ms. Bruvall
Ms. Easton                                                    Mr. Deighton 
Ms. Godwin                                                   Mr. Halle                               
Ms. Hansen                                                  Mr. Egener               
Ms. Hougen                                                  Mr. Nickerson
Mr. McClure                                                              Mr. Privat 
Mr. Michalak
​Mandarin Bilingual Program 
Ms. Fischer (Gr.5/6 English)                      Ms. Law (Gr.5/6 Mandarin)  
Ms. Han (Gr.7-9 Mandarin)                        Ms. Duan (Gr. 7-9 Math)
L & L Team
Ms. Dickson (Learning Leader)                 Ms. Duan
Ms. Godwin                                                   Mr. Kohler      
Physical Education: Ms. Broks (Learning Leader) 
Music and Band: Mr. Michalak
ALP Program: Ms. De Borja
Support Staff: 
Educational Assistants:Ms. Day, Ms. Sefel and Ms. Korns (ALP Program) 
School Assistant:                Ms. Galindez
Library Assistant:                 Ms. Belisle 
IT Support:                            Mr. Singh
Bookkeeping:                        Ms. Lopez
Facility Operators:                Mr. He
 
Parents dropping off and picking up student(s)  
Parents we need your assistance in keeping all our children safe.  Please chose safety over convenience.  It is not safe to drop children off in the staff parking lot or in the bus zone (directly in front of the school).  Please drop off and pick up your child(ren) on the east side of Sackville Drive or along the school field. Having a plan identifying an area for the student(s) to be picked up further away from the building will support the distancing measures.  
Who is My Child's Homeroom Teacher?   Please expect a special message from your child's homeroom teacher on Tuesday August 29. 
School Supplies
All you need to know about school supplies is on our website. Click here.
Student Placement  A great deal of time and thoughts has gone into the process of student placement for the 2023-24 school year. Careful consideration was given to input from staff and families as well as student learning styles. We have tried our best to balance classrooms academically and socially. Our class lists are structured to provide equitable class sizes at each grade level.  Thank you so much for being positive with your child and helping him or her understand that it is impossible to place all students with a preferred best friend or teacher. All of our staff works hard to make school a positive experience for ALL students. Thank you for understanding that it can take a few weeks for a child to acclimate to a new grade, peer group and teacher. 
Option Classes 
Option forms were emailed to families before the end of June. However, we have noticed that a number of students have not yet submitted their option choices. Rest assured, we will make every effort to connect with each of these students on their first day back to place them into their desired classes as much as possible. However, please understand that some option classes have already reached their capacity, and your child may not get their preferred choices. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.
Tuck Shop Update
We are pleased to share that we are opening the Tuck Shop in the 2023-24 school year. The Tuck Shop will provide freshly made, nutritious lunches and snacks at reasonable prices. Staffing for the Tuck Shop is underway and we anticipate that food service will start as soon as the position is filled.
Best ways to stay informed.   Communication between home and school is key to student success. Please make sure to take advantage of all of the avenues of communication that we offer.  
Make sure to check your email regularly!  We send the vast majority of our communications home via School Messenger.  
Please be sure to read our Week at a Glance.  All Harold Panabaker families will receive a weekly email, we urge you to read the newsletter.  This is our primary mode of communicating important announcements and event information to parents, and we appreciate you taking the time to "stay in the loop!"  
The Harold Panabaker website is full of great information and we encourage you to check the website often for news and updates.    I hope your child will find Harold Panabaker a safe, caring, warm, positive and supportive place to learn and grow and we look forward to having a great year of learning with all of you.See you very soon!  Respectfully,  Shelly Li, Principal