Oct. 1, 2009.
Dear Parents,
The first Secord PAC meeting was held last week. There were several guest speakers including our own Secord librarian, Lauren Smith. Lauren shared information about our library and also made a request to parent volunteers for help in the library. If you are interested please contact Lauren directly in the library. She would love to hear from you.
Another guest speaker was Joan Carne from the Stream of Dreams project. We will be starting the sessions on Monday, October 19th.Stream of Dreams is an eco-education program that will introduce our whole school to our local watershed and the streams that flow or once flowed through them. We will learn how we can all help take care of water, and the project’s legacy will be a Stream of Dreams fish mural on our school fence. Each student and staff member will paint a fish to contribute to the mural. The program's goal is to help our community learn how to conserve and protect water resources and to inspire behavioral change for environmental protection.
The installation date is October 27th. Parent volunteers are needed throughout the day:
7-8 parents for the first hour and 5-6 parents for each hour during the rest of the day.
If you are able to volunteer please sign up on the 'Stream of Dreams' sheet just outside of
the main office, or e-mail: karenwik@hotmail.com with the time you are available. Thank you to all the parents who have volunteered to cut and paint the fish for this workshop. Your help has been very much appreciated!
There will be a $3.00 charge to cover the cost of the materials. Please fill out the form at the bottom of this newsletter and return it to your child’s classroom teacher with $3.00.
At the PAC meeting I also did a presentation on the seismic plan for the school and shared the architectural drawings with parents. For those of you who were unable to attend, there will be an Open House next Wed., October 7th from 3:30 - 7:00 pm. The design proposal and the construction timeline will be presented by the Vancouver School Board staff and Bingham Hill Architects. Please bring your questions and comments to our experts.
I am sure that you have noticed all the work crews on our back field in preparation for the arrival of the portables. The size of our field has been greatly reduced during this time period until the Winter break. In order to provide extra activities for our students, we have being working with Heidi Benson, our Community Links Coordinator to set up some fun activites for the students at lunch starting this coming Monday, Oct. 5th.. Each day there will be sports activities in the big and small gyms run by our Community Links team members and Frog Hollow as well. There will be sign up sheets for the students to sign up for these activities in advance. There will also be chess club in room 105A for intermediate students each day. We really would like to thank our Heidi and her team for helping us to provide these lunch time activities for our students. In addition we are preparing a plan for January after the move into the portables. There will be a staggered lunchtime for primary and intermediate students and students will likely eat their lunch in their class. The hot lunch program will also be adjusted to reflect the fact that we will not have access to the kitchen facilities. We understand the inconveniences that the seismic mitigation will cause. We are happy that our school structure will be reinforced and made safer in case of an earthquake. We are also looking forward to working in a newly designed school that will not only accommodate our students but will be also inviting to parents, and to programs such as Strong Start for 3 year olds. The school will have space for before and after school daycare, and for community groups to share our school after hours.
Vancouver Coastal Health
I would like to reinforce the advice from our VSB medical advisor on tips to help prevent the spread of H1N1 of which the 3 most important elements are
• Frequent hand washing with soap and water
• proper etiquette for coughing and sneezing
• keeping students at home when they have flu-like symptoms
The school will be encouraging students to follow these practices.
Meet the Teacher and Multicultural Dinner
A huge thank you to all the parents who attended our Meet the Teacher evening and multicultural dinner.
An extra special thank you to all the parents who volunteered to help make the multicultural dinner such a success.
School Newsletter
We are still looking for email addresses in order to further decrease the amount of paper that we use when we send our newsletter home. There will be a table in the foyer at the Goal Setting conferences next week so please remember to stop and give us your email address.
Goal Setting Conferences
The Goal Setting Conferences will take place next week on Wednesday and Thursday starting after early dismissal at 2:00 pm. If you are new to the school, goal setting conferences are a time to sit down with your child and the teacher and identify 1 or 2 key educational goals early in this school year.
A number of schools in Vancouver are doing this; they report that an early conference (around mid-October) with parents where 1 or 2 key educational goals are identified allows both parents & teachers more time to support students in achieving their goals by the end of the school year.
Parents report that they greatly appreciate goal-setting earlier in the school year versus just before Winter Break when 1/3 of the school year has gone by. The 4 weeks we have already been in session have given each teacher time to get to know your child; specifically, some of your child’s strengths as well as areas needing attention and support. Of course, this means there will be no conferences after your child receives her/his report card in December, if, after receiving your child’s 1st report in December, you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher.
English Book Fair
Next week is our English Book Fair in room 105A. It will be open during the Goal Setting Conferences so that families can come and take a look at the books. It is a great time to stock up on books for the Winter break.
Upcoming Dates
Wed., Oct 7 Open House for seismic 3:30 - 7:00 pm
Wed. and Thurs.,
Oct. 7, 8 2 pm. dismissal Goal setting conferences
Mon., Oct. 12 Thanksgiving holiday
Tues., Oct. 13 Individual Photo Day
Fri., Oct. 23 Pro-D day, students do not attend school
Tues., Nov. 10 Pro-D day, students do not attend school
Wed., Nov. 11 Remembrance Day
Wed., Nov. 18 School Immunization K’s and Grade 6's
Sept. 10, 2009.
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 staff members. Nancy Bourque is our Grade 7 Early French Immersion teacher, Monique Thibault and Jessica Rowe are co-teaching the Grade 6 Early Immersion class. Monique Hunter formerly our Learning Assistance teacher will be teaching the Grade 3 Early Immersion class. Our new Learning Assistance teacher is Malena Oliveri who comes to us from Jules Quesnel, a French Immersion centre.
In the English track, Roslyn Mustard is teaching the Grade 3/4 class while Mrs. Verhage is on maternity leave. Mrs Wou has recently transferred schools, she will be dearly missed. We welcome Gary Loong who is taking her place until Sept. 25 when a permanent person will be announced. All of the Laura Secord staff are look 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. Having a good night’s sleep, a good breakfast to begin the day and a healthy lunch are things that we can provide our children in their pursuit of success.
Setting 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.
School Organizations 2009-10
The Vancouver School Board is implementing new deadlines for finalizing school organizations to ensure a smooth start to the 2009-10 school year.
Classes and staffing in Vancouver elementary schools will be set no later than the second working Friday of the school year. For this year, it means classes will not be reorganized after Sept. 18.
The deadline for finalizing staffing and classes at secondary schools will be the third working Friday of the school year. This means classes will generally be set by Sept. 25, but some minor adjustments to student timetables may be necessary after this date.
The changes will eliminate parent concerns about classes being shuffled in late September, after students have settled in.
Should you have any questions, please contact school principal at 604-713-4996.
School Code of Behaviour
You will be receiving a copy of the Laura Secord Code of Behaviour and our three tenets.
I take care of myself
I take care of others
I take care of this place
Teachers will be reviewing the code of behaviour and the specific rules around the school with their students. We are asking that you also take a few minutes to go over the code of behaviour with your child and then return the completed bottom portion of the sheet. Classes that return all of their tear-offs in a timely manner will be receiving a special prize.
A few beginning of the year important reminders:
· Supervision of students by teachers begins at 8:25 in the morning; therefore, students will be unsupervised if they are left on the grounds before 8:25am.
· Students are to stay outside in the morning until the bell rings at which time they may proceed to their classroom.
· Similarly students are to remain outside at recess and at lunch unless the staff have declared it a rainy day. This happens only when it is raining very hard.
· Mme Barros, Mme Simpson and Mme Gelb’s French Immersion classes in the new wing will be having their students line up outside the new wing beside the large gym. This is to help with crowding in the halls of the new wing. At times these halls become very unsafe because of the numbers of parents, younger students, and siblings who are waiting. We ask that you wait outside with your child in the morning and after school your child will be escorted out by the teacher. Parents are always welcome to leave the teacher a note or request a meeting if the need arises. Some of the classes on the second floor of the new wing will also be following the same procedures.
· Fees are $25.00 per student at the grade 1-7 levels as well as full day Kindergarten and $12.50 for half day 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 $7.00. Please make out a separate cheque addressed to Laura Secord Elementary School.
· Don’t forget, 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.
Vancouver Coastal Health
Our school medical officer, Dr. John Carsley has some tips on how to help prevent the spread of H1N1 of which the 3 most important elements are
• Frequent hand washing with soap and water
• proper etiquette for coughing and sneezing
• keeping students at home when they have flu-like symptoms
The school will be encouraging students to follow these practices.
Meet the Teacher and Multicultural Dinner
Next Wednesday evening, Sept. 16 from 5:30 to 6:30, we will be having our Meet the Teacher evening followed by our multicultural dinner at 6:30.
Each of the teachers will be sending home notices about their specific organization of the meet the teacher segment. A notice from PAC will also be arriving to invite you to the dinner and what you need to do in order to participate.
School Newsletter
Last year we attempted to send out the school newsletter electronically to as many parents as possible who volunteered to share their email address. This significantly reduced the amount of paper that we had to buy and that we used. We would like to continue this work on getting more email addresses from our parents. If you are new in the school or have not yet shared your email, please write it down and send it to your child’s classroom teacher. We will also have someone collecting email addresses on our Meet the Teacher evening next Wednesday evening, Sept. 16.
Please take note that the hard copy of the newsletter will be on blue 81/2 X 14 paper and will be sent home every third Thursday.
Professional Day Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009
Our first professional day will be this coming Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009. Students do not attend school that day, teachers will be attending workshops about reading and writing.
French for Fun with your preschooler
Our former French Immersion Kindergarten teacher, Dominique Voisard, will be leading an introduction to the French language through stories, songs and games at the
Roundhouse Community Centre
September 17 to December 3
2-3 yrs. Thursday 9:15 am to 10:00 am
4-5 yrs. Thursday 10:00 am to 10:45 am.
Registration is at www.roundhouse.ca
or for more info call Dominique at
604 762 1929
Seismic update
Our seismic committee has been meeting on a regular basis and the plans are looking very positive. The work for the preparation of the site for the portables will begin next week. We will be sending home a more detailed update next week on Cherry Pink paper and an invitation to an open house on Oct. 7. Please note that all communication about seismic will be the same Cherry Pink paper
Upcoming Dates
Wed., Sept. 16 Meet the Teacher and Multicultural Dinner
Thurs., Sept. 17 Professional Development Day, students do not attend school
Sept. 21 -25 Grade 7 Evans Lake Camp
Wed., Oct 7 Open House for seismic
Wed. and Thurs.,
Oct. 7, 8 2pm dismissal Goal setting conferences
Mon., Oct. 12 Thanksgiving holiday
Fri., Oct. 23 Pro-D day, students do not attend school
Tues., Nov. 10 Pro-D day
Wed., Nov. 11 Remembrance Day
Wed., Nov. 18 School Immunization K’s and Grade 6's