This November, FamilySmart is offering several free events for parents and caregivers who want to better support children and youth facing mental health or substance-use challenges.

Each In the Know event features a recorded conversation with an expert, followed by a facilitated discussion with other parents and caregivers.

Upcoming FamilySmart sessions

Substance Use and ​the Power of Support

Connection and relationship can make a difference in substance use and addiction. Guy Felicella, a renowned advocate and international speaker who has overcome a two-decade substance use disorder, passionately promotes harm reduction, trauma therapy, and faster access to treatment using his story of resilience and recovery. Learn how we can show care not just for our kids, but for the broader community impacted by substance use disorder.

November 6 | 12:00–1:30 PM | Register
 
Now What? Supporting Families When Kids Begin Experimenting with Substances

These discussions help families navigate early substance-use experiences with understanding and support.

November 4 | 6:30–8:00 PM | Register
November 13 | 6:30–8:00 PM | Register
November 26 | 6:30–8:00 PM | Register

Other events & programs offered in the community

November 5 – ADHD Education Day (Sponsored by BC Children’s Hospital)

A free virtual day of learning and discussion focused on understanding and supporting children with ADHD. 

November 5 | 9:00 AM–3:30 PM | Registration details available on the event poster below.

To learn more about these opportunities and register, visit the FamilySmart website.

Families are invited to join FamilySmart for an in-person event in Coquitlam exploring ways to support children with ADHD.

Event: Raising Children with ADHD: Finding Calm in Unpredictability
Date: Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Time: 6:30–8:00 PM
Location: Executive Plaza & Suites, 405 North Road, Coquitlam - Aspen Room

While strategies for managing challenging behaviour, whatever our child’s neurotype, can be helpful, they’re difficult to use when you’re burnt out, overwhelmed, or caught up in your child’s emotional state. Even though you can’t control it, you’re not powerless.  In this session, we’ll explore how shifting your own responses during difficult moments can ease tension and help you feel calmer and more confident as a parent or caregiver.

Join FamilySmart and Rebecca Van Der Hijde, a Family Therapist and a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst. She has over 15 years of experience working with families raising children with autism, ADHD, and/or developmental disabilities. Her work has spanned a variety of roles in helping families navigate complex emotional and behavioural challenges with compassion and evidence-based care. With a focus on calm, connection, and empowerment, Rebecca is passionate about helping caregivers understand their child’s behaviour (and their own behaviour too!). Registration for this event is limited. 

Register here

About FamilySmart

FamilySmart is a non-profit organization that supports parents and caregivers of children and youth facing mental health challenges. They offer free events, 1:1 support, and community presentations across BC.

For more information or to connect directly with FamilySmart, visit their website.

This event combines two events in the same place at the same time. For details and a list of accepted and not accepted items for each event, please refer to the webpages linked below.

Pop-up Recycling Event

Bring your unwanted electronics, small appliances, clothing and more to our FREE pop-up recycling event.

Learn more

Halloween Free Swap Tent

There are three ways to participate in the Halloween free swap tent:

1. Swap it. Drop off items for others to choose from and then pick out new-to-you items dropped off by others.
2. Donate it. Feel free to donate items without taking home anything new.
3. Take it. Nothing to donate? No problem! Everyone is welcome to take items home – there are plenty of great finds to go around.

General guidelines:
Items will be accepted from 10am-12:30pm.
Size – each item will fit in a regular size reusable bag – think grocery bag.
Condition - in clean, good working order.
Quantity - bring 1-2 items, take as many as you like.

What to do when you arrive:
Step 1 - If you have them, check-in your donated items with the event organizers.
Step 2 - Browse the swap tables and select items you can use.
Step 3 - Check-out your selected items with event organizers.

Learn more

Location

Kitsilano Secondary School
2706 Trafalgar St
Vancouver, BC V6K 2J6, Canada

We’re thrilled to share that several of our Tennyson graduates are part of the TREK Outdoor Education Program this year and they’re hosting an incredible community event!

Join us for the TREK VIMFF Fundraiser, a night of inspiring outdoor adventure films presented by the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival. There will be a prize draw, concession, and silent auction.

All proceeds support the TREK Program, an outstanding Grade 10 outdoor education experience that promotes leadership, teamwork, and a love for nature.

🎟️ Get your tickets and come out for an amazing evening in support of our students!

Date: Thursday, November 13, 2025
Location: Prince of Wales School Auditorium
Doors at 6pm
Show starts at 7pm

Tickets available in advance for $20 online from School Cash Online.
Also sold at the door for $25 debit, cash, or credit.

Learn more

Many of our kids are anxious and glued to their phones, seeking endless distraction and feeling isolated and disconnected. Aggressive outbursts have become common, and yet others seem to have stopped talking altogether. As parents and caregivers, we are increasingly alarmed. We entice, cajole, bribe, encourage, shout, but nothing seems to work long-term.

Is technology bad? Absolutely not - it's wonderful and has brought us so many gifts. But the invention of devices that travel with kids has also greatly shifted childhood and adolescence, affecting their learning, relationships and emotional health.

Is change impossible? No... in fact, we are seeing a ground swell of change percolating across the world! Although we may not be able to change the culture at large, there is much we can do to shift our family and school cultures so that we can support our kids in truly discovering their best selves. Small changes can have big effects.

Join Hannah for a warm and conversational workshop exploring practical strategies we can use to help our children and youth when it comes to managing devices. This conversation has never been more important as we look at how we can support our children and youth to grow, learn, develop, and reach their fullest potential.

Nov 19, 2025 · 6:00 PM PT · Online (Zoom)
Workshop: “Cellphones – What’s Healthy, What’s Not, and How We Can Support Our Kids” with Hannah Beach

👉 Check out the PAC e-blasts or PAC Corner in the Principal’s “Week at a Glance” for the registration link.

Hannah Beach is an award-winning educator, author, emotional health consultant, and keynote speaker who speaks about the power of relationships and play worldwide. She is the co-author of the best-selling book Reclaiming Our Students: Why Children Are More Anxious, Aggressive, and Shut-Down than Ever—and What We Can Do About It, with Tamara Neufeld Strijack, which has been adopted by school boards across Canada. She was recognized by the Canadian Human Rights Commission in 2017 as one of five featured changemakers in Canada. Her bestselling I Can Dance book series won a 2017 Gold International Moonbeam Children’s Book Award.

Hannah delivers professional development services across the globe, provides emotional health consulting to schools and community-based programs, and speaks at conferences about the power of relationship and play. Hannah is an emotional health and play-based learning consultant for Britannica Education, where she develops courses which are facilitated by the Britannica Education team.

Tennyson Spirit Wear is now available for order! Please see below for details.

ORDER HERE

Spirit Wear Try on-We will have a try on for sizes on Friday October 3rd in the front foyer and Tuesday October 7th in the back courtyard at both drop off and pick up times.

Orders will be delivered directly to classrooms 3-4 weeks after ordering closes. An email update will be sent once orders are ready and have been delivered to the school.


If spirit wear is not in your budget right now please reach out to the admin for bursary information. Financial challenges should never be a barrier to participating in Tennyson activities.

Spirit Wear Exchange- Have spirit wear that you are no longer using? Please bring your used, clean spirit wear and place it in the box in the office. Need spirit wear? Please help yourself to something from the box. You don't have to donate something in order to take something.


* A note on spirit wear pricing- the price of the item includes any additional charges for screen shooting and set up and admin time for setting up the Tennyson online store and organizing the orders by division. This is done specifically for our school in order to make the process as easy as possible on volunteers and school staff. Thank you for supporting a women owned, living wage employer and a member of our westside parent community. Any additional funds from spirit wear will be returned to the PAC and a vote will be held to decide how to use them.