March 27, 2020

March 27, 2020 / chohandiv7 / Leave a comment

Dear Parents,

Please click here for a message for parents and students from the Surrey School District.

Firstly, hope you are well and looking after yourselves and loved ones, following the safe health protocols and practising social distancing. I’m sure many of you are finding creative ways to connect with family and friends with the use of technology. What we are all experiencing is unprecedented territory. Each day brings new information and many new questions.

Be assured that we are working with the Ministry of Education and District to create an educational program for our students that will take effect later next week.

Please continue to monitor your email, and/or student FreshGrade accounts, school blog, and our school/district webpages. These will be our platforms of communication to you. If your contact information has changed (phone number, email, etc.) please make sure you contact the school on Monday (through email or phone call) to inform us of the changes.

As the health of our students, families, and staff are our primary concern, there will be no student access to the building at this time. We are doing all we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to keep everyone safe.

I understand many of you have questions – please be patient and wait for additional information that will come from the school, and/or your child’s teacher later next week. Many of your questions will be answered in that communication. If you have questions or concerns after the information is relayed late next week, please forward your questions to us and/or your child’s classroom teacher, and we will do all we can to answer them.

We ask for you patience as we navigate this unchartered territory with new obstacles and challenges. We are adapting to the reality that neither staff nor students will be working together from school. Through it all, please know that we are committed to providing the best educational experience. We will get through this together – one day at a time, working as a team.

Sincerely,

Ms. Chohan

COVID19 Parent Memo-March 17, 2020

March 17, 2020 / chohandiv7 / Leave a comment

March 17, 2020

Dear parents, guardians, students and community members,

I want to begin by sending our thoughts to those who have family members and loved ones who are directly impacted by COVID-19, including those with symptoms, confirmations of infection, in self-isolation, and those in the Lynn Valley Care Centre. This situation is uncharted territory for us all, and we are all impacted. It is a time to come together in support of stopping the spread of the virus.

As the cases grow and the impact widens, we are acutely aware of the effects of COVID-19. Our school district has close to 12,000 employees. We not only have people with compromised immune systems, but we also have an enormous number of people who are caring for their parents and other elderly on a daily basis. We are a community and we care for each other. Part of that care is trying to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Today, in an unprecedented move, the provincial government announced that schools in British Columbia will be closed indefinitely for direct face to face instruction. Most importantly, for our school system this means that on March 30th when our doors were to be opened after spring break, they will not be open to students. While students will not be in schools, we need to provide continuity of instruction.

You will have many questions such as:

What does continuity of instruction actually mean?
Will my grade 12 child be eligible to enter post-secondary?
How am I going to care for my child and go to work?
When we return to instruction at school, will school be extended into the summer to make up time?

We do not have answers to these questions at this time, but we are working diligently to get these answers as soon as we can. There are additional conference calls scheduled today and tomorrow so that we can get more clarity. We simply wanted to take this early opportunity to let you know that our team is planning for March 30th, and we have been planning in-depth since last week in anticipation of this announcement. We are not waiting to put plans into place and are acting now.

The most important message we are trying to convey first and foremost is to stay healthy. We are planning for a more detailed communication that will answer many of your questions, and we hope to share that with you in the coming days.

Sincerely,

Jordan Tinney

Superintendent of Schools/CEO

COVID-19 Parent Memo

March 13, 2020 / chohandiv7 / Leave a comment

March 13, 2020

Dear parents and guardians,

On Wednesday, COVID-19 was confirmed as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), and we’ve seen a sweeping set of societal and cultural changes that directly impact our personal and professional worlds. Today, I have sent a letter to all staff about what the implications are for us as a district. I wanted to follow up with a letter to parents and guardians so you know our planning and our communications given that spring break is upon us.

As you can imagine, our top priority is to continue to provide excellent educational programs for our community. I am proud of our district, our schools, and public education in British Columbia. Schools are, in many ways, the heart of our community and I am deeply reminded of that through the events of this week.

In the past 24 hours we’ve seen strong guidance from government and health leaders in many regions of the world to further prevent potential exposure and spread of the coronavirus. Here in British Columbia, our Provincial Health Officer (PHO) announced new directives and measures to help protect our communities. Specifically, the Public Health Officer and government are advising:

British Columbians should avoid all non-essential international travel, including to the United States.
Anyone who travels outside Canada is being asked to stay away from school or work for 14 days upon return.
Event organizers should cancel any gathering larger than 250 people

In our letter to our staff, we have stated that for the health of our schools, students and families and for the broader role we play in our communities, it is critical that we all follow the directives of public health.

Given our proximity to the United States, many of you will have made international travel plans for spring break. If families willingly travel outside of Canada against the advice of the Provincial Health Officer, then we are urging students and parents to stay away from school for 14 days upon their return. The Provincial Health Officer is asking all British Columbians to comply with this travel ban as part of our civic duty to stem the spread of COVID-19 and we are hoping that all families will help us in our fight to stem the pandemic.

You may have also heard talk of school closures or an extended spring break. The Provincial Health Officer advises that closing schools is not appropriate or advised at this time. There currently are no plans to extend spring break. Public health officials and the Ministry of Education will be working with school districts during spring break to continue monitoring the pandemic and to consider any further measures that may be required.

The World Health Organization in declaring a pandemic has stated that it will take a collective resolve by each of us to manage through these times. We know the above messages have a substantial impact on not only ourselves, but all our families and the broader community. We also know information is changing daily. Thank you for your patience and please continue to monitor our website for additional information as it emerges.

In closing, please stay healthy and we hope you do indeed manage to have a restful spring break.

Thank you,

Jordan Tinney
Superintendent of Schools/CEO

March 13, 2020

March 13, 2020 / chohandiv7 / Leave a comment

Upcoming Events

March 30 First Day back after Spring Break
March 30 Portable Classes move into new wing!
April 3 New Addition Open House 8 – 8:45 am
April 8 PAC meeting 6 pm

April 7 Parent Info Evening @ Hall’s Prairie re: Douglas Elem.
April 9 Class and Panorama pictures
April 10 Good Friday holiday – classes not in session
April 13 Easter Monday holiday – classes not in session
April 20 Parent Info Evening @ Sunnyside Elem. re: Edgewood Elem.
April 20 Book Fair this week
April 22 Grade 6 immunizations
May 1 Pro D – classes not in session
May 4 Variety Show Auditions this week at lunch
May 18 Victoria Day holiday – classes not in session
May 21 Variety Show at 12:45 pm for parent audience
May 25 Pro D – classes not in session

Coronavirus

For the latest news from the school district regarding the coronavirus please visit the district website – click here.

Dear parents and guardians,

Spring break is almost upon us, and it is a fast changing and unusual time. Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. The Director-General of the WHO talked of a collective “resolve” to do what we can together to change the course of the pandemic. With that in mind, we are sending this letter to families who are deciding to travel internationally during spring break. It is not just your travel that you need to consider, it is the potential impact upon your return.

First and foremost, we hope that you are monitoring the Government of Canada’s Travel Health Notices. There is vital information on that site, and clear reminders about what you need to consider when travelling to different countries or embark on a cruise.

Next, we are very fortunate that spring break is near. This means that we have a two-week buffer that allows things to hopefully slow down in our community. However, the down-side is that once spring break is over, and people return from around the world, there will be no buffer on the horizon and it’s very possible that we could still be in a period of escalation.

With these things in mind, we are asking you to be vigilant on a few fronts. Once again, as always, the best ways to avoid transmission are (From Health Canada):

Avoid spending time in large crowds;
Avoid contact with sick people;
Follow public health advice;
Wash hands with soap and use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available;
Cover your mouth and nose with your arm if you sneeze or cough;
Use tissue and dispose of it as soon as possible; and
If you become sick, avoid others.We look toward a time when the pandemic is behind us. Whether you travel or stay close to home, we hope that the break brings the rest and relaxation that the coming of spring signals. We also hope you don’t mind us sending you these reminders so that we can all do our collective part to stay safe and stay well.Sincerely,

Jordan Tinney
Superintendent of Schools/CEO

Catchment Boundaries for Edgewood Elementary or Douglas Elementary

We sent home notices yesterday informing the families who will become part of the Edgewood or Douglas Elementary community in the coming school year.

On Tuesday, April 7th there will be a Parent Information Evening at the Hall’s Prairie Elementary School gym from 6 – 7:30 pm. On Tuesday, April 20th there will be a Parent Information Evening at the Sunnyside Elementary School gym from 6 – 7:30 pm. At these sessions we will be sharing information regarding Edgewood and Douglas Elementary, and the transition for next fall. We will also provide an overview of some of the work happening this spring and next fall to get ready for the school.

Click here for the Edgewood Elementary School blog and click here for the Douglas Elementary School blog. Both blogs include an area to ask questions. In order to help us plan for the evening, we are that you please forward any questions you may have so we can include answers to these questions in our presentation, or do our best to answer these questions during the evening.

March 2, 2020

March 3, 2020 / chohandiv7 / Leave a comment

Upcoming Events

March 5 Reading Link Challenge (am)
March 9 CSL reports to go home this week
March 11 Early Dismissal 1:27 pm Led Conferences
March 12 Theme Day: Jersey Day
March 13 Last day of classes before Spring Break
March 30 First Day back after Spring Break
March 30 Portable Classes move into new wing!
April 3 New Addition Open House 8 – 8:45 am
April 8 PAC meeting 6 pm
April 9 Class and Panorama pictures
April 10 Good Friday holiday – classes not in session
April 13 Easter Monday holiday – classes not in session
April 20 Book Fair this week
April 22 Grade 6 immunizations
May 1 Pro D – classes not in session
May 4 Variety Show Auditions this week at lunch
May 18 Victoria Day holiday – classes not in session
May 21 Variety Show at 12:45 pm for parent audience
May 25 Pro D – classes not in session

Coronavirus Update:

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As you are aware, the COVID-19 outbreak has continued to impact countries around the world with a rising number of confirmed cases. Given this evolving situation, we wanted to send an update to parents and staff on the current situation, including how it could potentially impact the many families who are looking forward to travelling this spring break.Understandably, there is a good deal of concern with respect to international travel,
including international field trips and personal vacations. Regarding out-of-province travel, public health officials are advising the public to reference Government of Canada travel health notices to inform decision making regarding upcoming travel. Situations are changing quickly in some regions, so please check the Government of Canada travel advisory site frequently for updates.

With respect to international field trips, we have received a number of inquiries from parents. Please be assured that the safety of our students and staff is always our first priority. There are a number of trips planned across the district and we have been carefully considering every trip on a case by case basis. We understand the concerns parents have, and we are not only coordinating our messaging with health experts, but we are also in regular communication with other school districts across the province. We are aware that there is an updated warning to avoid non-essential travel to Iran, Northern Italy and some areas in South Korea, we are aware of school closures in Japan, as well as restrictions on public gatherings in France. We are also very concerned about the situation just next door in Washington state where King County has been declared to be in a state of emergency.

We will continue to work closely and take direction from our provincial health experts at the Ministry of Health and Fraser Health to ensure the continued safety and well-being of students and staff. If there are trip cancellations by the district, we will work directly with those schools. For more information on COVID-19, including ways to reduce your risk of infection, please refer to the following resources:

Novel Coronavirus Q&A from HealthLinkBC: Click here
BC Centre for Disease Control: Click here
Government of Canada Travel Health Notices: click here

If you have any questions or concerns please contact your school directly.

Sincerely,

Jordan Tinney
Superintendent of Schools

Basketball Season

A big congratulations to our both our boys and girls basketball team! Both teams had a successful season as they developed their skills and learned about teamwork. A big thank you to our coaches – Mr. Henderson (boys team), Ms. Champion (girls team), Ms. Chong (parent coach for the girls team).

Our boys team won their Play Day in a thriller of a game against Sunnyside in the finals. Pacific Heights was down by one point with 3 seconds left, and Ethan Morphy put up one last final shot that hit the front of the rim, then it hit the backboard, and sank beautifully into the net. All the boys played a pivotal part towards the victory and should be proud of themselves. This will will surely go down as one of the best comebacks in Pacific Heights history.

The Girls Basketball team had an exciting season. There were 15 girls who signed up to learn the sport, develop their skills, and display positive sportsmanship. Some of the girls had never played basketball before and worked hard to learn the skills and rules of the game. Each week, they had shown improvements and more confidence. Our girls ended the season earning a solid second place. They all played with heart and determination. Our two Grade 7 girls, Kaelynn and Kianna, provided the team with leadership and support. Both Kul Chong and Ms. Champion, team coaches, were very proud of this team. They represented Pacific Heights well. Go Phoenix go!!

girl bball team

Student Leadership

Our Grade 7 Student Leadership Team has done an amazing job this term with paying it forward. We started our January with a sock drive – our goal was to collect 250 pairs of socks. We exceeded that goal and collected over 600 pairs! A shout out to Molly G. – this was her idea and she was so passionate about helping the homeless in Surrey during these cold months.

cupcake In the month of February our Leadership Team participated in WE Bake for Change (we baked cupcakes). The students had fun as they iced the cupcakes and sold them. We raised $800. All proceeds from our cupcake sales go to India in supporting clean water initiatives through the ME to We organization. Below is a short movie Charlie Z. (division 1) made to promote our bake sale.

New Addition

We are all excited for the addition to be completed – only 3 more weeks to go and we are in! Our teachers that are out in portables will be settling into the building on the first day back from Spring Break. The plan is to have 7 portables removed from our school site during Spring Break. The only remaining portables left on our school site will be the two modulars, Ms. Chamberlayne’s portable, and the two portables that are on the grass field.

We will have an open house on Friday, April 3rd from 8:00 am to 8:45 am for any parents who would like to see the new addition.

Paving Trucks in Roundabout

February 27, 2020 / chohandiv7 / Leave a comment

February 27, 2020

download Please be aware that the roundabout will be busy today with large trucks that are required for paving. This means that there will be longer wait times and more congestion in our roundabout today.

We suggest you park down the street and walk to the school to pick up your child.

Thank you,

Ms. Chohan

Novel Coronavirus Update

February 24, 2020 / chohandiv7 / Leave a comment

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February 21, 2020

Novel Coronavirus Update

We are writing to give you updated information on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), a new virus causing respiratory illness. Yesterday, Health Minister Dix and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced the first presumptive case of novel coronavirus in Fraser Health, the 6th in British Columbia. Fraser Health Public Health is currently monitoring the patient, following up directly with all contacts of the case, and advising self-isolation.

Contacts of this case may have attended school in the region and are currently isolated. These contacts were not showing any signs or symptoms of illness while attending school, and remain well. There is no public health risk at schools in the region. There is also no evidence that novel coronavirus is circulating in the community.

At this time, we are not recommending testing or assessment for anyone who may have been in contact with this (or any) asymptomatic individual, regardless of travel or contact history. The risk to British Columbians remains low.

In the meantime, we are reminding everyone to follow proper respiratory hygiene etiquette during the cold and flu season. This includes:

Proper hand washing for at least 20 seconds using soap and water.
Alcohol-based hand rubs to clean hands if they are not visibly soiled.
Do not touch your face/eyes/mouth with unwashed hands.
Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough with a disposable tissue or the crease of your elbow.
Stay at home when you are sick
At this time, the recommendations from the Ministry of Health for assessment and testing of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have not changed, although our knowledge of this virus continues to grow, and we are using new information to adjust our public health recommendations.

• Students or staff, who have been in close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 should consider staying home for 14 days after their last encounter. Individuals should monitor themselves daily for symptoms like fever and cough.

Students or staff returning from Hubei Province, China consider staying home for 14 days after they left Hubei. They should monitor themselves daily for symptoms like fever or cough. Parents should assist children as needed.
Students or staff who have been in other parts of China (outside Hubei Province) should monitor themselves daily for symptoms like fever or cough for 14 days.
Those who develop symptoms should stay home and call their health-care provider or 8-1-1 to discuss any need for testing and follow up.

For more information on Coronavirus, please click here. Anyone concerned about respiratory systems should stay home and call their health-care provider or 8-1-1 to discuss any need for testing and follow up.

Yours Truly,

Dr. Shovita Padhi, Medical Health Officer, Medical Director

Important Boundary Consultation Update

February 13, 2020February 13, 2020 / chohandiv7 / Leave a comment

February 13, 2020

Dear Parents or Guardians,

Important Boundary Consultation Update

The South Surrey-White Rock area of the school district continues to experience rapid growth predominantly due to new building developments and Neighbourhood Concept Plan (NCP) approvals.

As such, the district has worked with the Ministry of Education to secure two new elementary schools that are under construction (Site 180, 17325 2nd Ave., and Site 206, 16666 23rd Ave.), and an additional elementary school (Site 207, 1960 164A St.) is expected to have Ministry approval soon.

To prepare for the opening of the new schools, new catchment boundaries need to be established for the region and include the existing catchments of East Kensington, Hall’s Prairie, Morgan, Pacific Heights, Rosemary Heights and Sunnyside Elementary schools.

The district’s Programming and Facilities Planning Committee (PFP) reviewed and refined five boundary and program location options and presented the options during a community engagement process in the fall of 2019. More than 150 parents, students and staff participated in this consultation. Thank you to all those who came out to the public forums, completed the survey, sent emails to the District and shared their opinions. We appreciate your feedback which has helped shape our direction.

To manage anticipated growth across the region, consideration must be given to capitalizing on the existing and projected space to balance enrolment primarily on the east side of Highway 99. The options considered the magnitude of the growth and overcrowding in the region. During the consultation process, there were many opposing community desires that were identified in the community forums, online surveys and emails. Staff considered community feedback, and, will be implementing the following changes:

Effective January 2021 (or upon inception of instruction of Site 180):

Existing Hall’s Prairie students will move to Site 180 in January 2021 or earlier, if construction timelines are advanced. Students that currently attend Hall’s Prairie that are out of catchment will have the option of continuing to Site 180 or returning to their neighbourhood catchment schools.

The Montessori Program, currently at Sunnyside Elementary will move to Site 180 in January 2021 or earlier, if construction timelines are advanced. Students in the Montessori program that are out of catchment will have the option of continuing to Site 180 or returning to their neighbourhood catchment schools. Only students in the Montessori program that are also residents in the newly defined Sunnyside catchment area will have the option of remaining at Sunnyside.

East Kensington will continue to host the environmental theme-based EKOLogy program and will expand, starting with grade 5 next year.
Students who reside in the current East Kensington catchment will be redistributed to Pacific Heights, Site 206 or Site 180 dependent on address. The catchment for the EKOLogy program will be district-wide.

Hall’s Prairie will continue to host education programing, and staff will work with the Board to determine optimal programming supporting the district and community.

Effective September 2021 (or upon inception of instruction of Site 206):

A phased transition will occur for boundary realignments for Rosemary Heights, Morgan and the northern portion of Sunnyside and will impact all new students residing in these areas, effective September 2021.

All students currently in the Pacific Heights and Sunnyside catchment that are captured in the new Site 206 catchment will report to their new school. This will be an immediate move for all students K – 7 (if September 2021) or K – 6 (if Spring 2021).

The Surrey Board of Education received staff’s report at the Public Board Meeting on Feb 12th and have had many opportunities for input and guidance as we have proceeded consistent with the Board’s direction for the district.

We wish to extend our thanks to the community and stakeholders for your input and participation in these consultations and we look forward to opening new schools and to supporting our programs in South Surrey/White Rock. We also look forward to continuing to plan for further expansion in Dart’s Hill and Redwood Heights in our long range planning.

More details regarding the catchment boundary options, public consultation, and the Report to the Board of Education can be found at bit.ly/sd36consultations.

Click on the link below for the map of boundary changes:

Doc22.jpg

Sincerely,

Lynda Reeve
Assistant Superintendent of Schools

Surrey Schools – Superintendent’s Department 14033 92nd Avenue, Surrey, B.C. V3V 0B7 Tel: (604) 595-6308 Fax: (604) 595-6309 http://www.surreyschools.ca

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February 11, 2020

February 11, 2020 / chohandiv7 / Leave a comment

Important Dates

February 17 Family Day Holiday (classes not in session)
February 18 WE Bake for Change
February 19 Canadathon Game Show
February 20 Theme Day: Twin Day
February 21 Pro D (classes not in session)
February 26 Pink Shirt Day
March 5 Reading Link Challenge (am)
March 9 CSL reports to go home this week
March 9 Variety Show Auditions
March 11 Early Dismissal 1:27 pm Student Led Conferences
March 12 Theme Day (TBD)
March 13 Last day of classes before Spring Break

Catchment Boundary Consultations for the South Surrey White Rock Region

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback and participated in the catchment boundary consultations for Site 180, East Kensington, Hall’s Prairie, Morgan, Pacific Heights, Rosemary Heights, and Sunnyside.

We had approximately 150 people respond from the region and the district is ready to present the feedback and the final report to the board. As such, the Catchment Boundary Report is on the agenda for the Surrey Board of Education Public Meeting on February 12th, 2020. Following that meeting , information regarding catchment boundary decisions will be shared with the school community.

Coronavirus

The Ministry of Education has circulated updated information in response to the coronavirus. Please click here to read the public document from the Provincial Health officer.

Fostering Mathematics at Home

Last evening, many families enjoyed participating in our first ever, Pacific Heights Family Math evening. It was a wonderful to see so much enthusiasm for math.

We began in the gym, engaging in a couple Number Routines. A favourite is “Which One Doesn’t Belong?” Take a look at the images below with your child. Consider the question, “Which One Doesn’t Belong?” There is no one correct answer. Instead, listen to your child’s ability to reason and explain their thinking.

Beyond the games shared last evening, there are many ways parents can support their child(s) mathematical learning, as well as foster a positive disposition towards the subject. These could include:

Indoors you can:

Play cards, dice or board games.
Complete dot-to-dot puzzles
Complete puzzles
Use playdough to build and make shapes
Estimate quantities of items in your house
Bake and discuss the different measurements involved
Sort laundry together by matching pairs of socks and/or folding towels in halves.
Go on a treasure hunt. Draw a map. Use directional clues such as over, under, above, below, next to and beside.
Talk about patterns in songs
Visit the library and ask the librarian to point you towards some children’s literature that is math related

Outdoors, you can:

Play sports and discuss timing and positioning
Measure the distance you can kick a soccer ball, throw a baseball, toss a Frisbee.
Count how many times you can skip a rope.
Estimate how many steps to your neighbours house, the park, or the school.
Draw shapes on the sidewalk.
Run a lemonade stand.
Look for shapes in clouds.
Estimate how many scoops of sand, leaves, or rocks will fill a container.

Additionally, some great Numeracy Websites with resources include:
https://www.mathanywhere.org/
This site has many ideas to support and build positive math experiences outside of school.

https://www.youcubed.org/resource/parent-resources/
This site is based out of Stanford Graduate School of Education. It provides several articles/podcasts for parents with suggestions on how to support Mathematical learning at home.

www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/LearnPtnrs/math.html
This website is called “Learning Partners – Let’s Do Math” and is full of games and activities to do at home within everyday activities.

www.mathbrain.com
Includes games such as Math Baseball. This site allows you to select a game by age level.

https://talkingmathwithkids.com/
This website is written by a teacher and curriculum developer. He shares practical ways for families to engage in math talk with children.

WE Bake for Change

Every year our school supports a foundation called ME to WE. The WE foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1995 that is set to make places better in a variety of ways. They come together and tackle major problems in undeveloped countries, trying, bit by bit to make the world a better place. They focus on 5 different pillars which are water, food, health, opportunity and education. This year our leadership team is focussing on pillar of water to raise money for India.

Up to date our Student Leaders have participated in the following:
We Scare Hunger – to help our local food bank feed families in need
Sock Drive – to help keep the homeless warm during these cold months

Our next two fundraisers will be:
We Bake for Change – to raise awareness and money for water in undeveloped countries
WE Walk for Water – to raise money and awareness for water in undeveloped countries

On Tuesday, February 18th we will be selling cupcakes for $2. All proceeds will go to the ME to WE foundation towards providing better water supply in India. Children in countries like India, cannot go to school because they need to fetch water for the family from a water source that is far from home (sometimes more than 10 km away) and most times the water source is contaminated.

January 19, 2020

January 19, 2020January 19, 2020 / chohandiv7 / Leave a comment

Important Dates

January 20 Maker Faire Intermediate (making day)
January 21 Maker Faire viewing for parents 1:30-2:27
January 22 PAC meeting at 6 pm
January 23 Crazy Hat & Sock Day
January 27 Maker Faire Primary (making day)
January 28 Maker Faire Primary (viewing day)
February 3-7 Canadathon Testing Week
February 17 Family Day Holiday
February 19 Canadathon Game Show
February 20 Theme Day
February 21 Pro D
February 26 Pink Shirt Day

Warm Socks and Happy Hearts

Our Grade 7 Leadership Team has decided to do a sock drive for the homeless in Surrey. You might be wondering, why socks? Well people in a homeless shelter don’t usually have enough warm socks. In these cold winter months, a person who does not have a warm shelter will very quickly have very cold feet.

Homelessness is a very large problem in Surrey. In 2017 the Metro Vancouver homeless count identified 602 homeless individual in Surrey. Of these, 399 were sheltered. The percentage of homeless people in Surrey rises every year. Why or how does homelessness happen – for a variety of reasons:

A single mom who loses a job
Facing the loss of a rental home to development pressures
A senior living on a limited pension after the loss of a spouce
A citizen who suffers a work accident and can no longer work
Chronic medical issues and disabilities limiting the work an individual can do
Brain injuries
Refugees fleeing violence
Addiction

Click here for more facts.

We will accept only new socks that are adult size. Grey and white crew socks would be the best type and colour. Our school goal is to collect 250 pairs of warm socks for the homeless shelter. Let’s pay it forward as we start 2020 – please donate.

download

Written by Kaelyn Bassi and Ms. Chohan

Maker Faire

One of the most fun and exciting events is our Maker Faire. Maker Faire features innovation and experimentation across the spectrum of science, engineering, art, performance and craft. All of these “makers” come to Maker Faire to show what they have made and share what they have learned. It’s a chance for students to show others an area they are really interested in. It can be anything from making robots, exploding volcanoes to doll dresses. If you can make it with your hands and it’s something original, then it fits in Maker Faire.

Intermediate Maker Faire – TOMORROW JANUARY 20
Monday, January 20: students will be given the opportunity to create their project. Please ensure your child has the supplies he/she needs to build his/her project.
Tuesday, January 21: students will be displaying their work in the gym. Parent viewing will be from 1:30 – 2:27 pm. Students will start cleaning up at 2:15 pm.

Primary Maker Faire
Monday, January 27: Students will be creating their projects. Please ensure your child has the supplies he/she needs to build his/her project.
Tuesday, January 28: Parent viewing from 1:30 – 2:27 pm. Please pick up your child from his/her classroom between 1:30 – 2:27 pm (use the outside door) to take him/her to the gym to view projects.

Canadathon:

Every year we have our Canadathon fundraiser in the month of January. Money raised goes towards classroom supplies such as books and field studies. Students are given a study sheet that outlines the questions they are to “study” according to the grade the student is in. Students collect pledges from parents and family members. Once the Canadathon test is marked, the students collect the pledge money they are owed. The intermediate students have more pop culture type of questions compared to the primary students.

Our Canadathon game show was a big success last year so we will be doing it again. A very fun addition has been added to the Canadathon – we will be having a game show with top scorers from the intermediate classes.

How do you become a contestant?
The top scorers from each intermediate class will be writing a final quiz (10-15 questions) in the week of February 10th. There will be 6-8 teams with 4 players on each team – a student from each grade level from grades 4-7 will be on each team. The game show format used will be Kahoot. Ms. Chohan and Ms. Barker will work with the teams on how to study for the Canadathon test.

Who is in the audience?
Only intermediate students will be allowed to the watch game show as primary students will quickly become bored with the questions and they will not be able to read the questions on the screen. The tickets to watch the game show are $2 each. Students will purchase tickets from their classroom teacher in the week of February 10th.

The plan is that in each grade group one teacher will go to the Canadathon with the students who paid and the other teacher will stay in the classroom with the students who did not pay.