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Dec. 4, 2008.

Dear Parents,

Report card time is fast approaching. Teachers are busily organizing student assessments and preparing criteria for the written reports. When you receive the report, you will see the various subjects and under the subject title you will see two or three criteria and beside each criteria there will be a check at the appropriate performance standard (not yet meeting, minimally meeting, meeting, fully meeting or exceeds). There is also an overall assessment for each subject. Each report will have an introductory comment about the student and a section on goals and support. The intermediate reports will also have a sheet with letter grades that correspond to the performance standards. From grades 4 to 7, Language Arts and Math will have comments and grades for each term, but subjects such as Science, Social Studies, and Fine Arts will have a grade but not a comment for each term. A Social Responsibility comment will be part of the report either in the introductory comment or in a separate section under the title of Social Responsibility. If the student is receiving resource support this will be indicated and an attachment will accompany the report.
Reports will be going home on Wednesday, December 17th. This allows a couple of days to respond should you have any concerns or comments. Goal setting interviews for the second term will happen January 21 and 22.
This is the time of year for giving and Laura Secord students are no exception. They have taken on many initiatives such as Change for Change Jar. This is a Student Council initiative. Each classroom has a jar for collecting small change from students. This money will go to Project Love. Project Love supplies equipment for students in countries where students do not have simple items such as pencils and notebooks for their schools. Next week the Student Council will also be collecting socks for those less fortunate in our own city. Students are encouraged to bring in a pair of socks. We also have boxes in the school to collect dry goods for the FOOD BANK. These fundraising ideas are the initiatives of our very active Student Council. Each intermediate class has two representatives on the student council. We applaud them for their efforts in the area of social responsibility to our community and to the global community as well. We thank you, the parents, for your support as well.
Students are also selling cards of Hope in the main foyer. These cards were made by Laura Secord students in their Social Responsibility classes with Mme Mc Dougall. The colourfully artistic cards have very beautiful poems written about hope and many have holiday trees that make them ideal cards for sending to love ones at this holiday time of year. The money collected from these cards will go to support the homeless in our city.
Our Quebec Exchange Grade 7 students are also doing a fundraising for their trip to Quebec this coming February. Letters were sent home on Tuesday of this week about the coffee sales. The coffee is Milano Organic French Roast and is $15 per pound bag. It is available until Monday, Dec. 8th.
We thank our students for displaying such untiring leadership in their school community.
Sincerely,
Marion Broadbent and Christine Rock

Winter Festival - Wednesday, Dec. 17
Several of our classes will be presenting a special winter concert in our big gym at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, Dec. 17. The teachers will be sending information about this event to their students.
Social Responsibility Posters
Students in our school entered our poster contest. On the poster they had to represent our motto of "I take care of myself. I take care of others, and I take care of this place."
If you are in the school, please take a few minutes to look in our display case in the main hallway and on many of our walls for all the incredible posters that students produced. The staff were all very impressed with the quality and detail of all the posters. A job well done!

Volleyball
Volleyball is alive and well in our school. We have several teams of Junior Girls, Boys and Senior Girls and Boys. We congratulate the Junior Boys for winning their zone championships and moving to the City finals. They will be playing this Monday, December 8th at Shaughnessy Elementary. The Senior Girl’s team will be playing in their zone final as well and we wish them all the best. We would like to thank all the teachers that take time out of their busy day to coach and support all of these students. A big thank you to Mr. Green, Ms. Chambers, Mme Deacon, Mr. Breslin, Mr. Craik, M. Carrier, M. Peeters, M. Sans, Mme Calvo, Mme Hunter! We would also like to thank Kristen Nielsen who helped coach during the lunch hour. Our Secord students benefit so greatly from all this expertise and willingness to make our students’ experience a success.

Music Listening Program
This week is Danny Elfman week. Mme. Deacon has prepared 4 days of unnamed Danny Elfman songs and the students in their classes are asked to identify the songs. Day one there were 4 songs and the rest of the days there are 3 songs each day. Once the class figures out the songs titles, they are asked to write them down and give them to Mme. Deacon. On Friday of this week there will be a draw and the winning class will receive homemade cookies baked by Mme. Deacon herself.
Day 1 the songs are made for TV
Day 2 the songs are from Movies of the 80s
Day 3 movies of the 90s
Day 4 movies of the 2000s
Good Luck to our classes!

Divison 16F focus on Friendship
Mme Vose’s class made a delicious friendship soup this past week. The idea behind it was very much to demonstrate that when everyone adds a little something (to soup or to friendships...), it tastes/ feels a whole lot better than if no one added anything.
All of the students brought in ingredients and put them together to produce a delicious soup that was shared amongst the students and there was even enough to share with staff members. That is how we know that it was so very tasty.

Rainy Day procedures.
We have tried out our new rainy day procedures. Rooms 108, 109, and 110 are primary areas and are designated for specific activities such as games, Lego, colouring, and drawing. Room 105A is designated for intermediate students to play checkers or chess. The hallway outside the rooms are also designated for reading or drawing quietly. The west facing basement lunchroom is also designated as an area for students to socialize. Thus far these areas are well attended and students are enjoying having these activities when it is raining very heavily outside at lunch.

Friday Fitness
This coming Friday will be our third Friday Fitness session. If you are in the school from 8:50 to 9:10 you will see every class doing exercises and running around the school while music is piped throughout the school. It is rewarding to see all of our students participating and doing their best to do 20 minutes of continuous physical activity.

Parking Enforcement
We have been forewarned by the parking enforcement people that there will be an officer around the school enforcing the parking regulations this coming week of December 8th. If parents are parked in non-parking area they will receive a ticket in the mail. The enforcement of parking regulations is standard practice around all school areas. Parking regulations around schools is to limit cars in the front of the school to help keep our students safe when coming to and from school and also to allow room for school buses and emergency vehicles to be able to park in front of the school.

Upcoming Dates
Wed., Dec. 17 Winter Festival Concert at 6:30 pm in the big gym
Fri., Dec. 19 last day of school before the holiday break
Mon., Jan. 5 first day of school after Winter break celebrations
Thurs., Jan. 8 New French K Info evening 7:00 pm
Wed., Thurs Early Dismissal at
Mon., Jan. 20 Bottle Drive Fundraising for Quebec Exchange - bring in recyclable bottles from home or take them directly to the recycling depot.
Jan. 21, 22 2:00 pm for Goal Setting Interviews
Tues., Jan. 27 Prof. Dev. Day students do not attend school

Thursday, November 6, 2008


(To view a PDF version of this newsletter please click here.)



Dear Parents,



I wanted to begin by thanking Sandra Carignan for her incredible job with the recent English Book Fair. This book fair would not happen without Sandra’s organizational skills and hard work. All of the staff at Laura Secord thank you. The book fair provides all of the various teachers and support staff with new books for their teaching areas and, of course, the library benefits immensely.
This past week we have had some updates on the seismic project at Secord. Parents and staff met with several representatives from VSB Planning and Facilities this past week to talk about the Ministry’s new initiative centred around "Neighbourhoods of Learning". The four schools currently engaged in the seismic upgrades were asked to provide the Ministry with a list of priority programs, the spaces that they require, and the rationale for the programs. We have provided Planning and Facilities with a list of the many programs currently in existence at Secord that support our students not only during the instructional school day but also before and after school. If you wish to have a look at this list, please contact me and I will gladly share it. The Planning and Facilities department will be presenting our priority list to the Ministry and a decision will be made as to how our schools can maintain spaces that required to maintain these programs.



Sincerely,
Marion Broadbent and Christine Rock
Principal Vice- Principal




Library Hours Before and After School



Our librarian Lauren Smith has asked me to include the hours that the library will be open before school for parents and students to come and take out books. Tuesday to Friday the library will be open from 8:15 to 8:43. Mrs Smith will also be in the library after school on most days unless she has a scheduled meeting. The library will also be open to students on designated rainy days when the rain is very heavy. Mrs. Smith welcomes parents and students to visit the library at these specific times during the week.



Tips on Managing Your Child's Media Consumption

Because of the popularity of video games, completely eliminating them from your child's life might be difficult. But there are a number of suggestions for decreasing the negative impact that they might have on your child. Here are a few tips:

• Know the rating of the video games your child plays.



• Do not install video game equipment in your child's bedroom.



• Set limits on how often and how long your child is allowed to play video games.



• Monitor all of your child's media consumption -- video games, television, movies and Internet.



• Supervise your child's Internet use -- there are now many "video games" available for playing online.



• Take the time to discuss with your children the games they are playing or other media they are watching. Ask your children how they feel about what they observe in these video games, television programs or movies. This is an opportunity to share your feelings and grow closer with your child.



• Share with other parents information about certain games or ideas for helping each other in parenting.
  

Some of the Grade 7 students recently were polled on how many hours of computer and television time that they engaged in during the weekend, specifically Saturday and Sunday. Please take a look at the results below.
The total number of students polled is 24
The columns represent the total number of hours spent in front of the computer and the television from left to right
less than 1 hour, 1-5 hours, 6-10 hours, 11-20 hours and over 20 hours.
The scale is from 0 to 14 in increments of 2; for example, 13 students watched TV for 1 to5 hours and were on the computer for 1 to 5 hours on Sat. and Sun., 4 students were on the computer for 11-20 hours and watching television for between 11-20 hours.

Cirque du Français

Date: Saturday, November 8th

Time: 12-3pm

Location: Lord Selkirk School (1750 East 22nd Ave)

The circus will feature a circus performance by performer Sand Northrup, information about French resources in the city, face painting, arts and crafts, French food and French books from Sophia Books andUsbourne
Admission for CPF members is $2 Admission for non-members is $5 for the circus show only, $6 for the entire circus experienceChildren under 5 years and parents FREEThis event is being organized by the PAC Chair at Lord Selkirk School



Upcoming Dates To Remember

Nov. 7 Remembrance Day Assembly at 11:00 am
Nov. 10 Pro-D day, students do not come to school
Nov. 11 Remembrance Day, school is closed
Nov. 18 Immunizaton Clinic for Kindergartens and Grade 6s
PAC Meeting at 6:30 pm in Room 105A
Nov. 12 -14 Principal will be at an
Educational conference.
Our VP, Ms Rock, will be
in charge.

Thursday, October 16, 2008
(To view a PDF version of this newsletter, please click here.)

Dear Parents,

The first day of our goal setting conferences has passed. It was great to see so many parents in the school last evening. Parents were here to meet with their children’s teachers to talk together about how to help support student success.
We look forward to seeing more parents this evening as well.
The PAC sponsored English Book Fair was well attended and students were helping to sell pizza and drinks. We would like to thank all the parents and students who volunteered to help in these events.
Goal setting conferences are a very important tool in helping teachers connect with home in order to set goals that we can all work on together to improve student learning.
Research tells us that there is a strong connection between student success and parent involvement in schools. We value your input and the time that you spend discussing your child’s progress with him/her and with the teacher
Sincerely,
Marion Broadbent and Christine Rock
Principal Vice- Principal

Scholastic English Book Fair
This was our last day to purchase books from the Book Fair. I would like to thank all the parents who took time out of their busy schedule to help make the book fair successful. Parents who have goal setting interviews this evening will still get a last chance to purchase books.

School Website
We are in the process of updating the information on the website. The most current newsletters are now on the website so you can read the most current one and access the previous newsletters from the menu on the left side of the page. This is a great way to keep up to date on all the numerous events that are happening around Laura Secord School.
Please join the Canadian Parents for French, Vancouver East Chapter at
Cirque du Francais
Date: Saturday, November 8th
Time: 12-3pm
Location: Lord Selkirk School (1750 East 22nd Ave)
The circus will feature a circus performance by performer Sand Northrup, information about French resources in the city, face painting, arts and crafts, French food and French books from Sophia Books and.Usbourne
Admission for CPF members is $2 Admission for non-members is $5 for the circus show only, $6 for the entire circus experienceChildren under 5 years and parents FREEThis event is being organized by the PAC Chair at Lord Selkirk School



Upcoming Dates To Remember
Oct. 20 PAC Meeting at 6:30 pm in Room 105A
Oct. 24 Pro-D day, students do not come to school
Nov. 3 Photo re-takes at 1:00 pm
Nov. 10 Pro-D day, students do not come to school
Nov. 11 Remembrance Day, school is closed
Nov. 18 PAC Meeting at 6:30 pm in Room 105A

September 23, 2008.

To view a PDF version of this newsletter please click here.

Tuesday,Sept. 23, 2008.

Dear Parents,
As you are probably already wondering, the newsletter is a couple of days early. This is due to the fact that Wednesday and Thursday are important days for our students. Wednesday, Sept. 24 is our Meet the Teacher evening followed by our Multicultural dinner organized by our PAC.

Please make a point of coming at 5:30 to an opening assembly in the small gym, followed by visits to your children’s classrooms and then at 6:30 join us in the big gym for the multicultural dinner.

This past week, I was able to spend an afternoon at the grade 7 camp at Evans Lake. Students and staff had probably the best weather ever for their outdoor activities including swimming in the lake. I would like to thank all of the staff and grade 11 students from Van Tech who did an incredible job of organizing the student events, thus providing an educational program as well as leadership training. The students had a chance to make new friends. Students were placed in heterogeneous groups from all three programs. We had three new students that have just started at Laura Secord and chose to start their career at Secord by attending the camp. When I visited the students were participating in an Eco-Challenge. They were challenged in using many varied skills as well as having fun.

This week is a very busy one. It includes a PAC meeting on Tuesday evening, September 23 starting at 6:30 pm.

Meet the Teacher Night is Wednesday, September 24 starting at 5:30 .

Thursday, September 25 is a Professional development day for teachers, students do not attend school.

School routines
It is important to set school routines from the beginning of the year. We are working on making sure that our school is a safe and healthy environment. Supervision by staff begins at 8:25 in the morning and ends fifteen minutes after the 3:00 p.m. bell. Please do not leave your children in the playground unsupervised before 8:25 a.m.
Students are to stay outside until the bell rings in the morning. They also have been instructed to stay outside during the recess and lunch. It is important for children to have time to run and play in the fresh air. The Ministry of Education mandates 30 minutes of physical activity per day and these time periods help to meet this goal. We will be having special rainy day activities in various locations in the school to accommodate student needs on days where it is raining heavily.
We have noticed that some students are still outside waiting long after school is over for the day. We are always concerned for the safety of our students especially when they are waiting on their own outside, therefore we have added a bell at 3:15 and 12:15 (Fridays). The students have been instructed by their teachers that when they hear this second bell, they must come into the school office to call home and wait for their parent or guardian to arrive.

Other reminders:

We promote good nutrition in the school and encourage students to bring good nutritious snacks and lunches.
Please don’t forget about our school fees, $25.00 per student at the grade K-7 levels and $12.50 for Half day Kindergarten.
Please make sure that you call the school at 604-713-4996 if your child is going to be absent.
Parking is very limited around the school, therefore, please read the parking signs carefully as there will be officers
Students are to walk their bikes on school grounds. We ask this due to safety concerns about the number of students on the grounds and the increased possibility of an accident.
Dogs are not to be on school grounds between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm. We need to respect that many of our students are extremely nervous around dogs.

Vancouver School Board Commitment to Learning
Overwhelmingly students, teachers, administrators, parents and community members told the VSB during the district learning inquiries that learning takes place when the following conditions are in place:
L LEARNING - diverse styles of learning are recognized and supported
E ENGAGING, EXPERIENTIAL - engaging experiential learning opportunities within and beyond the classroom are routine
A ACTIVE,PASSIONATE TEACHING - active learning experiences are created by teachers passionate about their work
R RELATIONSHIPS - relationships are respectful, supportive, and purposeful
N NEED FOR FLEXIBILITY AND CHOICE - Flexibility and choice in the classroom, school and system is accommodated
S A safe and supportive environment exits

Monday, October 6 Picture Day
Parents will receive a pose and colour selection flyer to complete and return on or before picture day. Should you not return it a default pose and colour will be chosen. The proof order form will arrive approximately 14 days after picture day. Orders must be returned by the due date and late orders must be sent directly to the Vancouver office of Lifetouch, #2-1610 Ingleton Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5C 5R9.
Picture packages from orders received by the due date will arrive approximately 21 days after the due date. Upon receipt of your proof, if a retake is required, you must check the retake box on the proof order form and return it to the school on retake photo day.
Nay questions regarding proofs or orders should be directed to the Lifetouch Vancouver customer service line at 1-866-443-9650.

BELL SCHEDULE - 2008-2009 with new after school warning bells
(Monday - Thursday)
8:43 Warning Bell
8:45 Half Day Morning Kindergarten begins
8:48 Instruction for KF to grade 7 begins
10:20 - 10:35 Primary Recess
10:35 - 10:50 Intermediate Recess
11:24 Half Day Kindergarten Dismissal
12:00 Half Day Afternoon Kindergarten begins
12:00 - 12:40 Lunch for KF to Grade 7
12:40 Warning Bell
12:45 Instruction Begins
3:00 Dismissal
3:15 Bell alerting students not already picked up to report to the office

Fridays
8:43 Warning Bell
8:45 8:45 Half Day Morning Kindergarten begins
8:48 8:48 Instruction for KF to grade 7 begins
10:20 - 10:35 Primary Recess
10:35 - 10:50 Intermediate Recess
11:24 Half Day Kindergarten Dismissal
12:00 No Half Day Afternoon Kindergarten
12:00 Lunch dismissal for KF to Grade 7
12:15 Bell alerting students not already picked up to report to the office


Upcoming Dates To Remember

Sept. 24 5:30 Meet the Teacher and Multicultural Dinner at 6:30
Oct. 3 Photo Day (see info above)
Oct. 14 - 17 French Immersion Book Fair
Oct. 24 Pro-D day, students do not come to school
Nov. 3 Photo re-takes at 1:00 pm
Nov. 10 Pro-D day, students do not come to school
Nov. 11 Remembrance Day, school is closed

September 5, 2008.

September 5, 2008
(To view a PDF version of this newsletter, please click here)

Dear Parents,

A warm ‘Welcome Back’ to all of our Laura Secord families and a special welcome to all the new families that are joining us! I am excited about being able to introduce you to our new Vice- Principal, Christine Rock. Christine comes to us from Queen Elizabeth Annex where she was the vice-principal. She will be teaching 30% of the time as well. This means that in fact she is only an administrator 70% of the time. Her teaching time will be all day Tuesday as well working with the French Resource teacher a few periods a week. We are looking forward to working with you and your children. It is important for students to start off the school year by being punctual and ready to learn.

Just a few housekeeping notes for this first week:
A newsletter from the school will be sent out every third Thursday. You will recognize it because it will always be on purple (orchid) 81/2 X 14 paper.
We promote good nutrition in the school and encourage students to bring good nutritious snacks and lunches. Kindergartens are on a separate schedule and you should have received all that information in a letter sent home in June.
School Fees are $25.00 per student at the grade 1-7 levels and $12.50 for Kindergarten. There are no family rates. Please make individual cheques for each child addressed to Laura Secord Elementary School.
Student planners for grades 3 to 7 are $8.00. Please make out a separate cheque addressed to Laura Secord Elementary School.
Starting this Friday and every Friday students will be dismissed at 12:00 pm.
Please make sure that you call the school at 604-713-4996 if your child is going to be absent.
Parking is very limited around the school, therefore, please read the parking signs carefully as there will be officers patrolling the area during the first weeks of school.
Setting school routines - important changes
It is important to set school routines from the beginning of the year. We are working on making sure that our school is a safe and healthy environment. Supervision by staff begins at 8:25 in the morning and ends fifteen minutes after the 3:00 p.m. bell. Please do not leave your children in the playground unsupervised before 8:25 a.m.
Students are to stay outside until the bell rings in the morning. They also have been instructed to stay outside during the recess and lunch. It is important for children to have time to run and play in the fresh air. The Ministry of Education mandates 30 minutes of physical activity per day and these time periods help to meet this goal. We will be having special rainy day activities in various locations in the school to accommodate student needs on days where it is raining heavily.
The following is a list of staff members for 2008-09.
DIV GRADE TEACHER ROOM
1 7 Ms. Lesley Chambers 201
2 7 Mr. Phil Green 202
3F 7 Ms. Shelley Deacon 210
4F 7 Ms. Nancy Hawkins 206
5F 6 Mr. Vital Peeters 205
6F 6 Mr. Jean Paul Carrier 174
7 6 Mr. Tom Craik 204
8 5/6 Mr. Brian Breslin 203
9F 5 Mr. Rénald Sans 207
10 4/5 Mrs. Zoi Brown/Ms. Jacy Tilston208
11 4/5 Mrs. Viviana Verhage 209
12 4/5 Mrs. Farzana Kassam 173
13F 4/5 MrFrançois Grenier 069
14F 4 Ms. Patricia Calvo 002
15F 3 Ms. Nadine Marier 176 16F 3 Ms. Susanna Vose 177
17 3 Mrs. Amy Wou 175
18 2/3 Ms. Julie Luciani 107
19F 2 Ms. Linda Cauchon 070
20F 2 Ms. Megan Gelb 066
21 2 Mrs. Sharon Kent 109
22 1/2 Ms. Christy Gibbens 108
23 1 Mrs. Vicky Liakouras 110
24F 1 Mrs. Melania Ross 068
25F 1 Ms. Elizabeth Simpson 067
26 KH/1 Ms Bradleigh Christensen 102
27K Ms. Deborah Hay 104 28F/29FK Ms. Lisa Benckhuysen/ 101
LIBRARY Mrs. Lauren Smith 63
LAC/EMs. Sheri Duckles 009 ELC/LAC/ESL Mrs. Bernice Robinson 213
PRIMARY ESL Mrs. Mary Rickson 001
PRIMARY ESL Mr. Mike Goshko 024
MUSIC PREPMs. Barb McDougall 002A
FRENCH LAC Mrs. Monique Hunter 167 MUSIC PREP Ms. Lisa Benckhuysen 002A
AREA COUNSELLOR Mrs. Linda Hall-Stevenson 168
YOUTH & FAMILY WORKER Ms. Joanne Therrien
SECRETARY Mrs. Shelley McCollum CLERK TYPIST Ms. Wanda Chu FIRST NATIONS WORKER Ms. Amanda White 018
SEA (SSSW) Ms. Elizabeth Dollaga,, Ms. Rosemary Perry, Ms. Rebecca Applegarth, Mr. Jeff Wall, Ms. Manny Reddy, Ms. Leah Hayton, Ms. Anne-Marie Lynch 105B
LUNCH PROGRAM Mrs. Kelly Rakhra, Ms. Amy Chen
SUPERVISION AIDES Ms. Mary Kelly, Mrs. Franca Del-Linz,, Ms. Gery Wentworth, Ms. Rhonda Lindgren, Ms. Sandra Krakoczki
NURSE Ms. Holly Torry ENGINEER/CUSTODIAN Mr. Ju Chen, Mr. K.K. Tong, Mr. Martin Taylor
SPEECH/LANG PATHOLOGIST Ms. Heba Ghobrial