North Vancouver School District #44

Notes from the desk of John Lewis, Superintendent of Schools

North Vancouver School District #44

Concours d’art oratoire 2013

Posted by  on Friday, May 17th 2013     

The Canadian Parents for French Concours d’art oratoire (French public speaking competition) is a long-standing tradition in our school district.  On April 16th 2013, 37 French Immersion (FI), Late French Immersion (LFI) and Francophone students from across North Vancouver participated in the North Vancouver School District Concours d’art oratoire final.  It was a beautiful day and students came with great enthusiasm to present a wide variety of well-prepared and entertaining speeches.

2013 District Finals, Elementary Concours Winners from left to right:
Mia Vosburgh (LFI 7e Braemar), Genevieve Naidoo (Francophone 6e Cleveland), Arthur Akbulatov (LFI 6e Boundary), Kaya Brossard (FI 7e Sherwood Park), and Spencer Haslam (FI 6e Dorothy Lynas)

 

2013 District Finals – Secondary Finalists
Secondary Concours Winners:
Kelsey Truran (FI 8e Argyle), Juliette Sachet (Francophone 8e Handsworth), Austyn Jasper (FI 9e Windsor),    Alicia Schmitt (Francophone 9e Handsworth), Stephanie Grondin (FI 10e Handsworth), Catherine Maguire (Francophone 10e Argyle), HarnieshTakhar (FI 11e Handsworth), and
Irene Carrasco (FI 12e Handsworth)

Winners from the district competition then went on to compete with students from across BC in the Provincial Concours d’art oratoire held at SFU Surrey Campus on Saturday May 4th 2013.

Austyn Jasper and Irene Carrasco at the district finals.

Huge congratulations to both Austyn Jasper (Immersion 9e – Windsor) and Irene Carrasco (Immersion 12e – Handsworth) who placed 1st in their respective categories at the provincial competition!  As Irene Carrasco is in grade 12, she has been offered a $2,000 entrance scholarship to the University of Ottawa and she now has the opportunity to go on to travel to the national Concours in Ottawa to compete for a $20,000 scholarship to the University of Ottawa, among other prizes!

This year’s Concours d’art oratoire was a very successful event.  We are proud of the effort and dedication of all students who competed in both the district and provincial competitions.   The speeches were well written and well presented to an audience of their peers, teachers and parents.

For more information about Concours d’art oratoire, please visit the Canadian Parents for French website (www.cpf.bc.ca).

Félicitations à tous!

category: Program Diversity, Sharing & Celebrating Success

May 2013 In-service Learning Opportunities

Posted by  on Wednesday, May 15th 2013     

There are plenty of in-service learning opportunities happening for our staff in May!  I am pleased to share with you some of the workshops that our staff attend to continue to enhance their instructional practice.

Printmaking Workshop – creating etchings with master print maker Peter Braune

Tribes – The Importance of a Safe and Caring Culture, focuses on developing a positive school culture that promotes human growth and learning.

Tiered Instruction for English Language Learners – Teachers differentiate lessons using vocabulary and questioning techniques.

Social Media – Training of selected secondary students to work with elementary students in the area of social media

Changing Results for Young Readers – Ministry of Education initiative designed to support Kindergarten through Grade 3 readers.

Also in May…

Primary Days of Music – Features vocal performances by students in grades K – 3

Collegial Conference Sharing – School teams who participated in Collegial Conference projects this year are invited to attend this session to celebrate and share their work with others.

category: Instructional Practice

CNV Youth Awards Ceremony 2013

Posted by  on Monday, May 13th 2013     

Monday, May 6th I was pleased to attend the CNV Youth Awards Ceremony. Awards were given in six categories: Youth Recognition, Youth Community Enhancement, Outstanding Youth Teams, Random Act of Kindness, Outstanding Supporter of Youth, and Youth Centennial Scholarship. In the Outstanding Youth Team category, two Carson Graham teams (Africa Water Bank Ambassadors and Senior Improv Team) and two Sutherland teams (Cancer Awareness Club and Mosaic Multicultural Club) were recognized. Photos of this event have been posted at www.cnv.org. Congratulations to all the awards recipients and to all the nominees!

category: Integrated Communities

VSO/Honour Band & Strings Concert

Posted by  on Friday, May 10th 2013     

On April 22, 2013 I was pleased to attend the VSO/Honour Band & Strings Concert at Centennial Theatre. This annual concert featured our District Honour Band and District Honour Strings groups performing alongside the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. I was most impressed by the quality of the music and how enthusiastic the students were in their performances.

This concert would not be possible without the dedication and commitment of our District music teachers. Special thanks to David Bradshaw, Lasse Leslie and Janet Murray, whose significant contribution to the District music program is greatly appreciated.  We are most grateful as well for the continued partnership with the VSO to enable this unique experience for our students!

category: Program Diversity

May 5 – 11, 2013 is Emergency Preparedness Week in Canada

Posted by  on Wednesday, May 8th 2013     

May 7, 2013

The first full week in May is traditionally Emergency Preparedness Week in Canada. Throughout the week, national, provincial and territorial agencies promote three simple steps to help Canadians become better prepared to face a range of emergencies:

  • know the risks
  • make a plan
  • get an emergency kit

Not sure where to begin? This straightforward presentation from Public Safety Canada can help you to create an emergency preparedness plan for yourself and your family.

Visit GetPrepared.ca for more information.

category: Communications

Heritage Fair – May 10

Posted by  on Wednesday, May 1st 2013     

 

This year’s Sea to Sky Regional Heritage Fair will be held at the Lynn Valley Main Library on Friday, May 10th. The Regional Fair brings together 50 student history projects showcasing research into a wide variety of local, provincial or national topics. The projects, created by students in Grades 4 through 10, were selected from individual school heritage fairs as exemplifying thorough research into a topic of historical significance. Our friends at the North Vancouver Museum & Archives tell us that this year’s projects will include profiles of prominent Canadians and events, including the flooding of the Fraser River in 1948 and Canadian participation in the rescue of passengers of the Titanic.

Everyone is welcome to tour the displays and enjoy the Fair’s music, dance and historical activities this Friday from 6 – 8:30 pm.

category: Community Connections

Generous Donation to Support Literacy

Posted by  on Friday, April 26th 2013     

Early April, we were made aware that North Vancouver School District was soon to be the recipient of a wonderful gift.  I would like to acknowledge this very generous donation of $60,000 from the Estate of Sophia Lucyk. Through further communication with the Executor, it was determined that the funds were to be targeted towards three areas:

  • Library based supports for students
  • Support for the continued growth of learners particularly in the area of reading fluency
  • Literacy and reading support for students of aboriginal ancestry

We have been made aware it was Ms. Lucyk’s wish to support students’ love of reading, especially in the library where she believed is at the core of each school. Targeting funds towards literacy programs, reading fluency interventions, and resources for students of aboriginal ancestry will certainly have a tremendous impact!

It is with sincere thanks we accept this donation and contribution to North Vancouver School District.

category: Community Connections, Sharing & Celebrating Success

April …the month of Idélire.

Posted by  on Wednesday, April 24th 2013     

… courtesy of Stephanie Weller, French Immersion and French Second Language Facilitator

Idélire is an annual event that promotes French Canadian children and youth literature to French Immersion students.  This year we were pleased to welcome author Sylvain Dodier and illustrators Gabrielle Grimard and Josée Bisaillon, all from Québec, into our schools to conduct writing workshops and presentations for our students.

Sylvain’s poetry writing workshops were extremely successful. All the students were captivated by his passion for poetry and were all fully engaged in writing their own powerful poetry as Sylvain guided the creative process.

Sylvain Dodier leading a poetry writing workshop with the grade 9 students at Windsor Secondary.

The illustrators’ presentations were all very well received.  Both students and teachers found the explanation of the creative process from the beginning, an idea, to the end, something published in a book, newspaper or magazine, very interesting. Everyone left feeling inspired for future art endeavours.

Josée Bisaillon explaining her illustration process to grade 6 & 7 students at Larson Elementary.

For more information about Idélire, the authors and the illustrators, please visit www.idelire.ca.

category: Instructional Practice, Program Diversity

Green Fair 2013

Posted by  on Monday, April 22nd 2013     

… our Earth Day feature for 2013 is our Green Fair!

The third annual School District-wide Green Fair brought together local partners in sustainability with students representing the elementary and secondary environmental clubs and projects they are championing at their schools.

Months of planning went into Green Fair 2013, which exceeded all previous attendance and participation records. Students proudly shared their experiences and enthusiasm for school gardens, recycling, saving energy and promoting alternate modes of transportation. Our partners’ displays showcased many of the ongoing sustainability projects we have that are helping to reduce our operating costs and promote healthy school environments. The solar panels and refillable water bottle station at the new Carson Graham Secondary are just two of the many innovative initiatives in the spotlight at this year’s Fair.

We were fortunate that this year’s Fair coincided with the visit of acclaimed education consultant Claire Warden from Scotland. Ms. Warden, a passionate advocate of outdoor learning and environmental education, called Green Fair “a great example of a dynamic community in action.”

My congratulations to the staff and student members of the NVSD Sustainability Committee for organizing this successful event.

category: Community Connections, Program Diversity

Founder of Nature Kindergartens to visit the North Vancouver School District

Posted by  on Wednesday, April 17th 2013     

Claire Warden

 

I’m pleased to announce that Claire Warden, an internationally recognized education consultant, author and founder of Nature Kindergartens in Scotland, will be visiting the North Vancouver School District on Thursday, April 18th. For part of her visit, Claire will meet with staff and students at several of our schools and tour Outdoor School. In the evening, Claire will deliver a presentation at the Education Services Centre on experiential learning in early childhood education, and the motivational opportunities that can be drawn from nature.

Claire’s presentation is geared towards Kindergarten and Grade 1 teachers, StrongStart Facilitators, ELF providers, and early learning assistants and community partners.

http://www.claire-warden.com

category: Instructional Practice
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