North Vancouver School District #44

Bike to School Week 2013

John Lewis — Fri, 24 May 2013 14:00:17 +0000

This year’s Bike to School Week is May 27 – June 2.

Students and Staff are encouraged to participate! Schools can register on the Bike to School website where you can also find resources, safety information, and educational programs.

Schools who register can track the number of riders commuting to school during Bike to School Week and enter for prizes.

Bike to School Week is a great time to leave the car at home and get some exercise. As always, please be safe when riding!

Sherwood Park presents Aladdin

John Lewis — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:59:39 +0000

On April 23^rd & 24^th L’Ecole Sherwood Park School presented this year’s musical theatre production – Aladdin! For four months most of their intermediate student body were involved with the show and even recruited students from Seycove (all former Sherwood “stars”) as the backstage crew. I am told 120 Sherwood students willingly gave up their lunch hour and before/after school time so they could be a part of the production. I was able to watch an afternoon rehearsal and was amazed by the students’ professionalism and passion for the stage.

So many staff and parent volunteers worked tirelessly to make Aladdin a success – special congratulations to Artistic Directors Pamela McLeod, Gillian Irwin, Bruce Sled and Doug Irwin.

Dorothy Lynas Celebrates Music Monday

John Lewis — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:57:34 +0000

Students and Staff at Dorothy Lynas School “Fill the Skies with Music” on Music Monday

…courtesy of Craig Drew, Dorothy Lynas Music Teacher

On Monday May 6^th, students and staff at Ecole Dorothy Lynas Elementary gathered together in the school gymnasium for the celebration of Music Monday, an annual event sponsored by The Coalition for Music Education. The celebration featured the premiere of this year’s official Music Monday song, “I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing)”. The song was written by Canadian Space Agency Astronaut and musician Chris Hadfield and Barenaked Ladies’ Ed Robertson and commissioned by the Coalition for Music Education and CBC Music in partnership with the Canadian Space Agency to celebrate music education in schools across Canada. Music Monday features a Canadian coast-to-coast-to-coast simultaneous concert celebrating the power of music and giving a national voice to young music makers. However, this year’s event transcended the earth’s atmosphere and literally took place in and out-of-this-world. The song premiered via a CBC Webcast with Chris Hadfield performing on the International Space Station and Ed Robertson and the Barenaked Ladies on Earth. Students at Dorothy Lynas School worked hard before the Webcast in preparation to sing along with Chris and Ed to fill the skies with music. The students staged a brilliant performance. Singing along with Chris Hadfield in the International Space Station made this years’ Music Monday most memorable. Students and staff at the school would like to thank District I.C.T. Services for their assistance in making the viewing of this historic webcast possible.

Videos of Commander Hadfield’s webcast may be viewed at the Music Monday website: http://www.musicmonday.ca/mm-videos/

Concours d’art oratoire 2013

John Lewis — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:33:36 +0000

The Canadian Parents for French Concours d’art oratoire (French public speaking competition) is a long-standing tradition in our school district. On April 16^th 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 4^th 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 1^st 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!

May 2013 In-service Learning Opportunities

John Lewis — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:51:58 +0000

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.

CNV Youth Awards Ceremony 2013

John Lewis — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:45:30 +0000

Monday, May 6^th 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!

VSO/Honour Band & Strings Concert

John Lewis — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:52:44 +0000

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!

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

John Lewis — Wed, 08 May 2013 19:52:12 +0000

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.

Heritage Fair – May 10

John Lewis — Wed, 01 May 2013 19:30:16 +0000

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.

Generous Donation to Support Literacy

John Lewis — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:56:52 +0000

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.