On November 11th we will all take a moment to think of those that have made sacrifices and those who continue to do so the world is a better place for all. We remember those that lost their lives so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have today. We will remember how they demonstrated social responsibility and worked to improve the quality of our lives, striving to make the world a more peaceful place. Hopefully, this will also make us think about what we too can do to make this world a better place for all people, no matter where in the world they live. During our Remembrance Day assembly this year, we had our students who currently participate in formal service clubs arrive and enter in uniform. This set the tone for our quiet, reflective and respectful assembly. During this time, and at other gathering, we discussed the contribu-tions of some of our Renfrew community’s families and of the various cultural groups that make up our great country that are often forgotten. Below is one of the poems that was shared. It is written by an Indigenous Carleton University Student named Brittany Amell, which she shared in 2015 at their Remembrance Day Ceremony. The Heart of Bravery by Brittany Amell As we pause together in silence today, let us find some stillness and breath. And within that breath And within that silence Let us listen. - - I have been taught that the greatest weapon of a warrior is not a weapon but a way of being. A way of being kind Noble Compassionate And brave. And I have been taught that The warrior who is brave Is a warrior who practices bravery Not only in grand, sweeping actions But in those small moments that ask us to open our hearts and To stay open in the face of whatever it is That makes us want to close shut. So, in our breath And in our silence, May we take courage. May we take courage from our ancestors’ big and small acts of bravery These acts which remind us to live our own.

NEWSLETTER #4- NOVEMBER 2019

Director of Instruction: Mr. Aaron Davis Principal: Ms. Harjinder Sandhu

Liaison Trustee: Mr. Alan Wong Vice Principal: Ms. Kamala Coughlan

PAC Chairperson: Ms. Maya Toews and Mr. Ross Kukard

如閣下需要翻譯服務，請與校務處聯絡。謝謝！

Two of our Grade 7 Students Edmond and Jakob, along with their chaperone Ms. Coughlan ,were amongst a group of over 100 grade 7 to 9 students from across BC that were invited to participate in this year’s BC Lions Skills 4 Life Summit on the weekend of November 2nd and 3rd. The summit emphasized the importance of teamwork and setting goals. Provided students with hands on experience that can be used towards career planning with a particular emphasis on trades. Students were also taught a variety of strategies/tools to be used to establish healthy relationships and aid them in their school, career and life’s journey. All of this learning took place in a fun, energetic environment created by current BC Lions players Andrew Peirson, Sergio Castillo, Jordan Herman-Reed, Claudell Louis, Justin Renfrow, Mitchell Bennett, and Lions Alumni Travis Lulay and Angus Reid. Along with the great learning activities, students were put up in hotel and got to experience game day in style! Students and chaperones were treated to pre-game on the sidelines so that we could watch the teams get ready for their game. It was amazing to see the athletes up close and watch how they mentally and physically prepared for the game. As VIP guests everyone also received a complimentary hat, Summit T-shirt , hotdog and drink. The evening proved to be exciting as the Lions faced the Calgary Stampeders. Both Edmond and Jakob enjoyed themselves: the game experience, staying in the hotel, making new friends, dragon boating and participating in challenges. Edmond had this to say about his experience, “It was fun. It was my first time meeting players, I didn’t really know who they were. Dragon boating was fun, we won the race. We got to learn a lot, about mental health, construction machines and the trades.” Ms. Coughlan also enjoyed herself and was the lucky winner of an autographed Lion’s Football. Thank you to the BC Lions Organization and their partners for making this all possible. We hope we will be able to have students attend again next year.

StrongStart Centres offer our families with children aged zero to five years old, quality, play-based learning experiences. Our centre

provides a welcoming space for families and care givers to connect and interact with others. Children have access to a rich, high-quality

learning environment. Adults who accompany them learn new ways to support learning both in the home and during the program. Our

qualified early childhood educator, Ruth Sepulveda leads learning activities, including stories, music and art to help children get ready for

success in school by preparing them for kindergarten. If you are interested in learning more about the program, at our Centre, please come

by the Centre and talk to Ruth. Our StrongStart Centre is located in the new wing, Room 167. It is open five days a week, Monday to

Friday from 9:00 am to 12:00pm. There is no cost to families but if you are interested in participating you must register. To register please

bring with you the following documentation: proof of child’s birthdate (i.e. Canadian Birth Certificate) and Proof of Residency (i.e. BC

Driver’s License, showing parent’s name). For more information about StrongStart Centres, please visit the following website:

https://www.vsb.bc.ca/Student_Learning/Early-Learners/StrongStart/Pages/default.aspx

On the morning of Thursday, November 14th many of our intermediate classes got to school early, were dressed to impress and made their way down to the historic Orpheum Theatre. Students were treated to a concert by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO). Each year as a part of the education programs students are treated to a concert designed for them. The VSO concert is a fun, interactive, educational live music experience. This year students watched Principal Percussionist Vern

Griffiths play percussion instruments. He made music playing everything including the kitchen sink! This show brings to light that music can be made everywhere, with anything and be enjoyed anywhere by anyone! We are lucky here at Renfrew that we get to make, enjoy and learn about music with our talented music department of Ms. Linda Kwan and Ms. Tonia Young-Eng. You can catch our music making next at our annual winter concert on Thursday, December 19th @ 1:30 pm in our school gym. May we all continue to enjoy the music!

What is it?

The Girls Who Game is a pilot program that provides an opportunity to young girls as well as educators across Canada with the chance to learn more about gaming and the use of Minecraft as a learning tool while developing their global competencies

Goals of this club:

Increased student engagement in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)

Growth in global competencies such as critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity within a school-based club

Build capacity around Minecraft (computational thinking and coding) and how it can connect and apply to other subjects

Opportunity to communicate and collaborate with students across the country also involved in provincial pilot clubs

The club meets weekly to work on projects that allow them to use their critical thinking, creativity and communication skills. The girls work closely with Ms. Hoang as well as other special guests from Microsoft and Dell.

Meet Constable Mariya Zhalovaga, our school liaison officer from the Vancouver Police Department. She provides service and care for the Windermere Family of Schools. For the past several years Constable Z has been mentoring and skill building with students from Grade 8 to 12 at Windermere Secondary. She dedicates two mornings a week to training and running with these students and then takes them

out into the community to participate in fun runs. This year she decided to expand her reach and add a new component to the Club, us, in order to build stronger community ties between Windermere and Renfrew! Our participation in this Club has so many benefits to our students: helping connect to other Windermere students and building relationships, becoming familiar with the school, meeting high

school staff, being mentored by the older students through conversations during the runs, becoming more physically active and establishing healthy habit, setting goals and feeling like a part of the Windermere community already. Thank you Constable Z and thank you for hooking us up with those snazzy jackets!

So far this term groups of student had the opportunity to interact with and hear the story of four successful Canadian authors. Holman Wang visited our school earlier this year and presented to us his story and his books in an engaging and humourous way. Homan inspired us with his journey in Vancouver schools: from Mac Corkindale to Prince of Wales Mini School, to university, and to the present with his many careers: as lawyer, artist and author! His passion and creativity were apparent when he shared his art and his books with the students. Students enjoyed hearing how his family inspired and were involved in creating some of his books. Ted Sauton, Kevin Sylvester and Richard Scrimger are the authors of the amazing THE ALMOST EPIC SQUAD series, who met with our students at the Renfrew Public Library. All three authors are Canadian. Ted has written over 40 books, starting with the picture book: Puddleman. Ted is trained as a teacher and currently is teaching Writing Children’s Fiction courses at George Brown College. Kevin is writer and cartoonist who has also written several other books. Richard not only writes children’s books, but he has written 3 adult novels as well. Their presentation at the library was interactive and funny. Thank you to the VPL for including us in this opportunity to engage.

Thank you to both authors for sharing their stories and inspiring our young writers and readers.

Do you have a child born in 2015?

Kindergarten registration started on November 1st

------- All Kindergarten applicants are required to submit an online application to their English catchment elementary school. This includes families who wish to apply for choice programs and/or a cross boundary placement. The priority registration period for Kindergarten opened on Friday, November 1st and closes at 4 pm on Friday, January 31

st. Students who submit an application within this priority period will be accommodated

before late applicants. In a few Vancouver schools there may be more in-catchment applicants than the school can accommodate. In this event, applicants who applied within the priority registration period (Nov 1 to Jan 31) will be included in a draw for available spaces. Students with siblings already in attendance at the school (and who will be attending next year) will be given priority ahead of the draw. When registering your child please bring: Proof of residence in Vancouver Child’s birth certificate Immigration documentation (if applicable) Immunization records

For more information on Kindergarten registration please visit:

http://www.vsb.bc.ca/kindergarten

Applications for Choice Programs The district offers a variety of choice programs including French Immersion, Mandarin Immersion, Fine Arts, Aboriginal Focus School, International Baccalaureate and Montessori. If you are planning to apply for Choice Program(s) you still need to register for kindergarten at your Neighbourhood catchment school first. The online application process opens in January 13th, 2020 and closes in February 4, 2020 at 4:00 pm. http://www.vsb.bc.ca/kchoice There will be a district supervised draw to select applicants for the available program space. Offers for program spaces will be made by late February. You will be given a formal offer of a space in a Kindergarten choice program or an indication of where you sit on the waitlist. MONTESSORI ADMISSION PROCEDURES FOR 2020/2021 The most common point of entry for Montessori is Kindergarten. Students may enter in Grade 1 if space is available. Registration for Kindergarten can be found on the VSB website: http://www.vsb.bc.ca/programs/early-french-immersion The first step for everyone is to register with your neighbourhood English catchment school regardless of whether you plan to send your child there or not. The application process for the Kindergarten Montessori Program will be online beginning mid January. To apply, you will need your child’s Personal Education Number (PEN) which you will receive in early January IF you have registered for kindergarten at your Neighbourhood English catchment school. A random computer draw will determine the successful applicants. Applicants will be notified as to placement in late February. An information session for parents interested in District Montessori program at Renfrew will be held on the following two Friday, November 15th and January 10th @ 10:00 am in our Library.

Kindergarten Registrations Received Between November 1st and February1st: In-catchment Kindergarten registrants who have a sibling currently attending and who will continue to attend their in-catchment school in 2020-21 will be enrolled first. The names of all other in-catchment registrants will be entered in a random draw, should one be necessary, for the remaining Kindergarten spaces. Students who cannot be accommodated will be placed on a waitlist in numbered order.

Kindergarten Registrations Received AFTER February 1st: All in-catchment Kindergarten registrations received after February1

st will be added to the

existing waitlist by date and time of application. Please Note: There will be no priority given to

registrants with siblings already attending Renfrew after February 1st.

PARENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE (PAC)

Parents play an important role in the school and we encourage parents to participate as much as they

can. Please come learn about our school goals and initiatives as well as the role of the PAC. We hope

to be able to encourage more of our parents to take an active role. Childcare will be provided. For

more information please email: chair@renfrewpac.com

Our next PAC Meeting will be held on November 26th at 6:30pm in the library.

Child-minding is provided.

Mark Your Calendars!

November 19th to 21st - Scholastic Book Fair in the library

November 20th and 21st - Early Dismissal at 2:00 pm for Goal Setting Conferences

November 21st, 25th, 26th, 28th - Hot Lunch

November 20th - Windermere Parent Meeting for Grads of 2025

November 26th - PAC Meeting @ 6:30 pm in the Libarary

December 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 9th, 10th, 12th, 16th, 17th and 19th - Hot Lunch

December 6th - Breakfast With Santa @ 8am to 9 am in the gym

December 19th - Winter Concert @ 1:30 am in the gym