​​​We would like to give thanks to the individuals, groups and organizations who have made special contributions to the school:

Special Projects:

Outdoor Learning Grounds:

The Start of our "Forest & Stream" Stewardship Program

We started our "Forest & Stream" Stewardship Program in 2016 and it has become a remarkable site to teach our students.  What used to be an out of bounds area, completely overgrown with invasive brambles has been transformed into an innovative enriching and exciting learning environment.  On April 12, 2019 we dedicated our outdoor classroom, with thanks to the following people and organizations:

• Mission School District Superintendent, Facilities Director, Secretary Treasurer, and Board of Trustees
• Principal Mike Abercrombie and Administrative Assistant Debbie MacLean
• DFO Community Advisor, Robert Schaefer
• SVSES Director, Jim Taylor
• FVRD Regional Directors, Al Stobbart and Alec Niemi
• Fraser Valley Watershed Coalition Manager, Natasha Cox
• Leq'a:mel Land and Environment Project Manager, Stacey Goulding
• Ministry of Lands and Natural Resource Operations
• Inch Creek Hatchery, James Weger
• Environmental Consultant, Jason Barsanti
• Lacey Development, Lesa and Erik Lacey
• Go Wild BC/Habitat Conservation Education Foundation
• Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds
• Sasquatch Lions Club
• Pacific Salmon Foundation
• RBC-Blue Water Project
• New Heights Celebrate Foundation
• R.R. Smith Foundation
• Communities in Bloom
• TD Friends of the Environment
• Tom Cassel – TW Excavating
• MRA-Mission Ridge Aggregates
• Nic Turnbull
• Ron MacLean
  
• Bryce Shepherd
• Josh Keats
  
• Justin Wilcox
  

Book of Thank Yous - Year 1-2.pdf

Our New Bridge!

March 2018 - A special thank you to Tom Cassel and Ian Kerr from Deroche's TW Excavating for installing our new bridge across the stream in our Outdoor Learning space.  Thank you also to Ron and Debbie MacLean for volunteering their time to help with the install.  Tom took care of the design details, construction and installation and did a fabulous job.  The bridge is a great platform for students to view the stream below and we hope to see many salmon spawning here for years to come.  We would also like to thank Mission School District for your help in funding this project.

Phase 2 - Bridge Work.pdf

Our New Outdoor Structure!

We were thrilled to begin construction of our outdoor structure in November 2018.  A special thank you to Lacey Construction for doing an outstanding job on the build.  They took care of all the details from planning to permits to the finishing touches.  The Lacey crew exceeded our expectations and their high quality of workmanship shows as the structure looks amazing.  What an exciting time for us as we now have an outdoor sheltered area for students to gather for year-round instruction.   Thanks also to the following supporters who contributed to the material costs for the build:  Sasquatch Lions Club, FVRD, Celebrate Foundation and our PAC.  We also want to thank Lacey's for generously donating much of their time to get the job done.  We are very grateful.

Phase 3 - Outdoor Structure Work.pdf

School Playing Fields:

Our New Running Track

August 2018:  We were so excited to hear that our proposal for a 200 meter track had been approved by the Mission School District!  Thank you Mr. Abercrombie for submitting the request.  The School District was able to obtain special funding to cover the cost of the excavation work plus gravel and PAC saved up enough to cover the cost of the track curbing from their fundraising efforts.  It's very exciting to have a venue for children to do their daily physical activity and we hope to host several running meets with other schools in Mission and our surrounding area.  We also hope that the track will serve as a place for our local community to walk on in the evenings.  A big thank you to the Grounds department for completing this project for us.

Our New Playground!

March-October 2018:  We were thrilled to receive funding to install a new playground for our students!  What a super exciting time for us and our school community.  There's several people who we would like to thank.  Firstly, Mr. Abercrombie and Mrs. MacLean for submitting our grant application and coming up with design options; to Tammy from SwingTime for turning our design plans into reality; to the hardworking volunteers who helped with the weekend install, including: 

• our PAC Executive: Tammy, Kasey, Krista, Janet and their families; 
• our school staff: Mrs. T, Mrs. H, Mr. A, Mrs. MacLean and their families;
• our volunteer parent group:  The Chambers, Collins, McDonald, Shepherd,  Cavanagh, Sharan and Kernahan families
  
• members of North Fraser Fire Department; 
• members of the Sasquatch Lions Club;
  
• FVRD Director, Al Stobbart; 
  
• SwingTime Contractor, Jim.  
  
• SD75 Facilities Department - Rod, Jessie and Carl
  

We couldn't have done it without you!  Thanks as well to the staff, students and parents for shoveling the playground chips into place once the Grounds Department finished the final grading work. And finally, thanks to Carl from Facilities for installing our playground benches for us.   With our new track and now playground, our school field has become transformed into a wonderful place for our children and families!

Playground Install 201810.pdf

Extra Curricular:

Sports

We are very fortunate to have a dedicated group of teachers and support staff who go the extra mile to offer extra-curricular activities for our students.  Thank you to the coaching staff who've allowed us to participate in District sporting events such as Basketball, Volleyball, Cross Country and Track & Field.  Our most recent coaches include:  Mr. Stubley and Mr. Abercrombie.  Thanks also to Ms. T for offering a Running Club so our students can stay in shape throughout the school year.  We would also like to thank our parent volunteers for making sure our students got back and forth to the school on game day. 

Garden Club

Students have enjoyed participating in our Garden Club Program thanks to Mrs. H, Mrs. MacLean and Mrs. McDonald.  Our Garden Club students have taken on various projects around the school including our garden boxes, healing garden and being stewards of the stream.  Garden Club has also helped with fundraising efforts including making gifts for our planted tea-cup sale and selling birdhouses and garden crafts.  Thank you Cyndi, Debbie and Janet for your contributions and for helping our students learn and grow.

Music

Thanks Ms. T for running an after-school Guitar Club for our group of music lovers.  Thanks also for leading our Cultural Club and Drumming Program.  It is very special to have our students perform the Children's Blessing Song at school ceremonies and celebrations.   We would also like to thank Phil Sherwood for your extra drumming lessons and Ms. Macintosh for leading out on our Deroche Bear Christmas Concerts.  The sets and stage have been fabulous over the years!

Extra Givings:

Reading Volunteers

We would like to thank our Reading Volunteers who have been helping our students become better readers.  We appreciate the hours that you have put in over the last several years and it's exciting to see reading levels improve as a result of the work you do.  Thank you:

• Ted & Marilyn
• Elsie & Colleen
• Ms. Beth
• Ms. Fiona
  
• Ms. Diane
  
• Ms. Janet
  

Lesa Lacey   -- Isthmus Backpack Program   -- Telus Foundation

A special thank you to Lesa Lacey for supporting our school through Isthmus.  Every week Lesa packs up her vehicle and delivers groceries to Deroche Elementary so families that need it can have a little extra food over the weekend.  Lesa also organizes fundraising events to raise funds for this food program for our school and others including Dewdney and Mission Central. She has also connected us with other supporters, including the Telus Foundataion who provides our school with a supply of backpacks filled with school supplies each year for any student in need. 

Lacey Construction is well known for their quality building and also a local company with a big heart that always steps up to give back to the community.  Thank you Lesa and the Lacey team!

Deroche Store

We cannot say enough about the generosity of Tracy and Ben Driessen, owners of the Deroche General Store.  Thank you for your weekly donations of bread for our Breakfast Program, your ongoing donations of food for hampers, your yearly contributions for our Santa Brunch and annual Sports Day, and for supporting students in their reading by providing them with $5.00 gift certificate incentives.  You are true heros of the Deroche Community!

Food Program

Thank You:  

• Superstore - President's Choice Children's Charity
  
• BC School Fruit and Veggie Program
  
• Mark & Barb
• Nettie & Rick
  
• Ms. Trudy
  
• Tapadera Estates
• Eagle Point Estates
  
• Sasquatch Lions Club 

We are very grateful to the President's Choice Children's Charity for giving us a grant for our school's nutrition program.  The funds allow us to serve Breakfast to all students every morning before we start the day.  Mission Superstore has been very generous to the school over the years, also donating to Camp Central, an educational focused summer camp with many of our students attending at no cost to families.

Thanks also to the BC Fruit & Veggie Program.  Once a month, the school receives a special delivery of fresh fruit and vegetables as well as milk to ensure our students receive a healthy snack.

Our school has also been blessed  by some amazing community members with very giving hearts.  A special thank you to Mark and Barb who drop off extra groceries every week for our Breakfast Program and for recess snacks.  Thank you also to Nettie and Rick who make a significant donation every year to help with our Breakfast and Lunch programs.  It is because of your generosity that we are able to put nutritious food on the table for breakfast and lunch time.  Nourished bellies = Nourished minds.

We would like to thank Tapadera Estates and Eagle Point for their ongoing "extra givings" donations.  Pictured below is our guardian angels, who, for the past several years, have put together food and gift hampers for our families.  We feel very blessed that you have taken our school under your wings.  We also appreciate the many knitted gloves and hats that you have made for us to make sure our students stay warm in the winter.  

Clothing Program

Thank you to the Hemlock Homeowners Association and Hemlock Fire Department for your yearly fundraiser for our school.  Through your generosity, we've been able to set up a clothing program to help with emergency clothing needs for our students.

Going Above & Beyond

We are so fortunate to have the support of our local Sasquatch Lions Club.  Your contributions over the years have made such a difference for our students.  Our Outdoor Learning Space has really grown as a result of your support and our families are very thankful of your food hamper donations each year at Christmas.  We are also very grateful for your support to Camp Central, which has seen many of our students attend over the years.

Fundraising:

We would like to thank the many families who have contributed to various fundraising events and sales.  You have made a difference in your child's experiences while at school.  Fundraising profits have allowed for various field trips, equipment, special guest speakers and many extracurricular activities.  A special thank you goes out to the parents and grandparents who have stepped up to help with hot lunches, bake sales, bottle drives, basket raffles, craft fairs, Christmas events and more.   Thank you also to our non-parent contributors at the school, Ms. Beth, Ms. Marilyn, Mrs. Herfort and Mrs. MacLean for always stepping up to help with our various fundraisers.

A special thank you to our PAC Executive who have served at the school, both present and past.  Most recent thank yous go to:  Justin Wilcox, Chrystal McCallum, and Jacelyn Scott.  Thank you also to Janet McDonald, Leah Shepherd and Kasey Cavangh for you past contributions.