• We hope everyone had a wonderful summer and we look forward to another great year at EMJS! For those families who are new to EMJS, we're glad to have you join our school community.
• The EMJS PAC sends out regular newsletters like this one to keep parents informed of what's happening at the school and in the community. You can subscribe here. If you have left EMJS and wish to unsubscribe from the newsletter, you can do so here.

• Chair: Anne Tomyn
• Co-Treasurers: Michaela Anderson & Carolyn Wick
• Co-Secretaries: Jessica McDiarmid & Heather Macdonald
• Members at Large: Britta Bentz, Betty Greer, Ian Paul, Jason Garber, Suzanne Weckend, Garrett Stanners

• This school year PAC is requesting at least one parent volunteer from each division to be a class rep.
• Responsibilities include: being a liaison between the teacher, other parents and the PAC; distributing a class contact list for parents to use to contact each other; organizing teacher cards/gifts before the holidays at the end of the year; ensuring there is a volunteer to help distribute food in your class on lunch days and help for artists in residence when they come to your class in the Spring; representing your class or delegating someone else to attend PAC meetings (optional but encouraged!) and anything else the teacher might like some parent help with.
• If you would like to volunteer, please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080f45acac2da2f85-room2
• Any questions? Please contact the PAC Executive: exec@emjspac.ca

• On Tuesday, September 17th, the school is hosting a Meet the Teacher session where you can visit your child(ren)'s class and meet their new teacher(s). Teachers will not be available for one-on-one interviews at this time. Stay tuned for more information from the school about this part of the evening!
• In conjunction with Meet the Teacher, please join us for a family BBQ, hosted by the PAC! There will be burgers (meat and veggie) and hot dogs and more. Ordering for the BBQ will open next week at https://emjs.hotlunches.net (access code EMJS). Deadline to order food will be Monday September 16th.
• We need parent volunteers to help make this event happen! If you can spare 30 min during the BBQ to help flip burgers or serve food, or if you can help with food prep before the BBQ, please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080f45acac2da2f85-welcome

• The PAC website (https://emjs.hotlunches.net) is the place to go to sign up to be included on your private class contact list (where only people verified as being in your class can see your selected contact info for setting up playdates etc.), and for placing orders for the Welcome Back BBQ, hot lunches, grad hoodies (for grade 5s), and other PAC initiatives. 
• Even if you don't ever plan to order anything, please register for an account as this will let you select what information you want displayed (or not) on your class contact list. Registration for an account will open next week... https://emjs.hotlunches.net (Note: even if you set up an account last year, the system is reset every summer so everyone needs to register each year for a new username and password). The access code is: EMJS
• Ordering for our BBQ will open first, followed shortly by our hot lunches.  
• Hot lunches are our main fundraiser of the year, offered as a service to parents and a treat for kids.  Menu options are being finalized with our suppliers but will once again include several different types of pizza, chicken strips, milk, apples, carrots and more. There will be 9 special hot lunches this year, all on Wednesdays: Oct 23, Nov 13, Dec 4, Jan 22, Feb 12, Mar 4, Apr 15, May 6, and May 27
• All proceeds from our fundraisers go toward specialized instruction for our kids (e.g. chess, Artists in Residence, Science Venture) and other opportunities for the school that would not be possible without PAC funding.
• We need a volunteer from every division at all our lunches to help distribute food to every classroom. If you want to signup you can indicate your availability when you order lunches, and/or email emjs@hotlunches.net to find out more about how you can help. It is a great way to see your child and their friends during the school day and also meet other parents!

• We are looking forward to Walk and Wheel to School Week (WWTS), which runs from October 7-11.
• During this week (and hopefully as often as possible during the school year!) we encourage all EMJS students to choose an active way to get to school - walking, biking, scooting or skateboarding! We will have draw prizes each day of the week for those children that walk or wheel to school. 
• Parent volunteers are needed to help organize activities for the week and hand out draw tickets before school during WWTS. If you would like to help, please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080F45ACAC2DA2F85-walk or email Heather Macdonald (heather002@gmail.com). 

• Below are a number of very easy ways you can help fundraise for the PAC when you are shopping:
• Load up your EMJS Thrifty Foods Smile Card every time you shop, particularly in the next few weeks (and you can load it up now and spend it later!). You can still collect your own Air Miles when you make purchases using the card - all that changes is Thrifty Foods generously donates 5% of what you load on the card back to our school!
• Load up your EMJS Fairway Market Community card
• If you do not have either of the above cards, you can find them in the school office, or contact us (exec@emjspac.ca) and we will arrange to send one home with your child.
• When buying bread at Cobs Bread on Oak Bay Avenue, tell them you have a “Dough Raiser” account under the name “Margaret Jenkins”.
• When buying shoes at Finn & Izzy on Oak Bay Avenue, tell them you would like to support Margaret Jenkins school.
• Before your bottle returns are processed at any Return-It Bottle Depot location, let the attendant know you would like the payout to go to “École Margaret Jenkins PAC”
• More details about these programs:  https://emjs.hotlunches.net/admin/view-doc.php?dnum=9694

Last year, starting with the action of just a single student, Greta Thunberg, millions of students took to the streets to demand governments take real action on climate change. Despite the incredible growth and strength of this movement, students know that we will not achieve these necessary actions without having workers and adults working alongside students in solidarity.

During the week of September 20 - 27, there will be actions across the planet, including right here in Victoria. Parents 4 Climate hope to reach out to parents in the community to work together to solve the climate crisis.

Specifically, on September 23rd, a professional development day, Parents 4 Climate is co-hosting a Rally & Teach-in along with the Greater Victoria Teachers’ Association and Dogwood BC. 

They hope to connect students, parents, teachers, and everyone else in our school communities to talk about strategies to stop catastrophic climate change. The event will take place from 1:30pm - 3:00pm on the lawn of the legislature.

There will be speakers, activities and information tables from a variety of environmental groups around the city. There is a Facebook event available here: https://www.facebook.com/events/638460760011883/