April 2014 Mini Gryphon

Page 1 | January 2014

Volume 5 Issue 7

April 2014

IN THIS ISSUE: From the Headmaster

2

ELT Update

4

Model United Nations

5

Deputy Headmaster Blog

6

Extended Field Trips

7

Annual Fund Update

NORTHWEST WILDLIFE PRESERVATION SOCIETY VISITS JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN During the month of April, the Junior Kindergarten class enjoyed a visit with Darren from the Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society, a nonprofit society dedicated to inspiring and educating both children and adults to connect, respect and take responsibility for the local wildlife and their environments.

Darren brought along many objects with him for the students to observe, hold and feel, many of which the students wouldn’t normally get a chance to see! He brought along a bear pelt, a wolf pelt; the skulls of a grizzly bear, brown bear, eagle, cougar and beaver; and moose antlers. Darren also showed the children a beautiful slideshow of the special creatures we can see in our own backyards here in Maple Ridge, even a slow-motion video of a bald eagle swooping down to catch a salmon that weighed more than the eagle – amazing!

With Darren’s great passion and enthusiasm for protecting and preserving our local wildlife and their habitats, he easily engaged and inspired the students, who were very keen to share their own thoughts and knowledge with him about what they could do to take steps towards protecting the special creatures they share the planet with. We hope that there was a lot of conversations on the drive home, or at the dinner table, about what they learned from the Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society.

- Ms. Lynelle Johns, PYP Teacher To learn more about the environmental initiatives at Meadowridge, please see page 16.

8

FSA Results

10

April CWOW

12

Drive Fore the Future

14

Green Pages

16

Student Achievements

19

Parent Guild Update

22

Youth Open Fencing

24

Around Meadowridge

25

Library Update

26

Grade 5 Exhibition

27

MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL 12224-240th Street Maple Ridge, BC V4R 1N1 www.meadowridge.bc.ca t: 604.467.4444 | f: 604.467.4989 The Meadowridge Mini Gryphon is printed in-house to reduce costs.

Meadowridge School is proud to be an accredited International Baccalaureate Continuum World School.

Page 2 | April 2014

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

FROM THE HEADMASTER

Headmaster Occasional Letter: About International Students and the Nature of Our School Community Some parents have approached me with a concern about international students at our school, and have shared their perception that we have significantly increasing numbers of international students, notably from Asia. I actually got a call from a local journalist to ask me some questions about this, which had been told to him by a few people as though it were news. We do not keep any numbers by ethnicity normally – we care about ability and character. But I found this interesting, so I decided to investigate.

First, I found the countries where our current students were born. Here are the numbers: Of the 527 students currently enrolled…

Country Australia

1

0.19%

Belgium

2

0.38%

Brazil

2

0.38%

Canada

360

68.31%

China

56

10.63%

Columbia

1

0.19%

Germany

2

0.38%

Honduras

2

0.38%

India

7

1.33%

Iran

1

0.19%

Isle of Man

1

0.19%

Japan

1

0.19%

Korea

13

2.47%

Mexico

4

0.76%

New Zealand

1

0.19%

Peru

1

0.19%

Philippines

1

0.19%

Poland

1

0.19%

Republic of Georgia

1

0.19%

Romania

3

0.57%

South Africa

12

2.28%

Ukraine

1

0.19%

United Arab Emirates

1

0.19%

United Kingdom

32

6.07%

United States

19

3.61%

Total

527

As seems clear, most of our students were born in Canada, and we draw the rest from around the world. We do have a very multicultural school, but populated by Canadians from around the world. As an IB World School, we should perhaps have an even more multicultural blend, but we are still one of the most multicultural schools outside of Vancouver. But we are lagging behind in attracting international students, and we may need to work harder at it.

On investigating, I found that we only have 15 actual international students – students here on an international visa, which represents 2.8% of our student population. This is too low by most measures. When we look at the Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows school district, in which we are located, the numbers are a bit different. Of the roughly 15,000 students in the district, 564 are on international visas, or about 3.7%. That is, there are more international students by percentage in the local school district than in our school. And the District wants more….

Meadowridge

2.8% International students

School District 42

3.7% International students

Page 3 | April 2014

FROM THE HEADMASTER

(Continued)

In an article on December 5, 2013 in the Maple Ridge News, the headline read, “District competing for international students”. In the article, Michael Polan, the District Manager for International Education, states that every single school district is trying to attract international students, using staff and resources to make sure that they are successful. The students enrich the local district financially, and strengthen the education in the schools. As Mike Murray, the Chair of School District 42 told the international students, “Please know, you enrich our school system by being here”. The fact is that international students bring resources to the community and bring high achievement and an international orientation to our schools.

When we consider the Lower Mainland, we have many fewer international students than we should have, in part because of the location of our school in Maple Ridge. Fortunately, we do have a rich ethnic mix. We are behind the local school district in attracting international students, perhaps because we do not actively recruit from so many countries. As a result, we may be missing the financial and educational opportunities that we might otherwise have. Also, we will not lower our entry standards, which can be very challenging for new international students. We do have a pilot programme to assist outstanding students who are a bit challenged by English (but would not be considered ESL by local districts), and need help for one year or less, and the results so far have been that these students are achieving very well, and will not need further help in most cases. The programme pays for itself because we charge an additional fee for it. As well, international students pay significantly higher tuition in order to cover various costs, and so represent a net gain for our school finances. Fortunately, our school is still one of the lowest-cost premier international schools in Canada for international applicants.

At the moment, we are receiving many applications from all over the world. The last two acceptances have been from Japan and from the United Kingdom. We will continue to insist on high standards, and committed families. Frankly, we do not care about their ethnicity; great families come from all over the world, and Canada has been built by such great families. We do know that we are lagging in recruiting international students.

The final question is whether or not our numbers of international students is significantly higher than in the past, and what effect this has on the community sense. Well, ten years ago we had nearly 40 international students in a population of about 440, so the percentage has decreased over time – a worrying trend for an International Baccalaureate World School. As well, we have a lower percentage of kids who take the bus, so people seem to be moving closer to the school than we had in the past, and may be forming a geographically closer community. I want to invite parents to visit the school at about 5:00pm from Monday to Thursday, just to witness the many, many students who linger after school, play sports, take clubs, and so on. In fact, we now have more sports teams and more clubs than we have ever had; the indications are that our kids and families are participating more fully than ever.

So, the bottom line seems to be that we are low in our numbers of international students on any comparative basis, but that one result has been an even closer community. As our school becomes better known worldwide, we will continue to attract outstanding international students, and we will continue to ensure that all new students and their families are woven fully into the fabric of our school community.

With any luck, we will increase the number of international students who can meet our standards, and who want to come to our International Baccalaureate Continuum World School in Maple Ridge.

- Mr. Hugh Burke, Headmaster

OUR FIRST DP GRADUATION COHORT It seems like just yesterday that I was writing a Mini Gryphon article to announce that we had received our authorization to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at Meadowridge. Now we are less than a month from celebrating the convocation of our first DP cohort. The Grade 12s have finished their curriculum and are currently entering into a month of examinations.

It has been an absolute privilege to be involved with such a wonderful group of students. They have truly embraced the philosophy of becoming well-rounded lifelong learners. One of my favourite activities of the day has been to wander upstairs to the Becker Lounge at lunch time and visit with the Grade 12s. They continually amaze me with the thoughtfulness and inquisitiveness that they bring to their conversations. I encourage anyone who has not spoken to one of our grads lately to enter into a conversation with them and ask them about their experiences in the Diploma Programme. The education that they received over the past two years (and in fact throughout their time at Meadowridge) has fully prepared them for university and I cannot wait to hear about their success stories. They are incredibly well educated but more importantly they encapsulate our mission of “Learning to live well, with others and for others, in a just community.”

To this year’s graduates…I encourage you to pass on the lessons you have learned to next year’s grad class. You did not have the luxury of having a class go before you…in many ways you were the trailblazers. A legacy that you can leave is the vast wealth of experience and advice that you can pass on.

Congratulations Grade 12s and to the Grade 11s….you have officially been passed the torch.

- Mrs. Kristal Bereza, Director of DP

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

Page 4 | April 2014

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP TEAM (ELT) UPDATE Hello Friends & Families of Meadowridge School, I’m happy to report that spring is in full bloom and following our break, staff and students are back into the swing of things as we head into the 3rd reporting period. Some important news regarding your school, includes: DP Graduates Our first group of graduates is about to write their final exams. This is a hallmark event for the school. Both students and teachers have worked diligently over the past two years and we are expecting positive results on their assessments. Convocation is May 30th from 10:00am to 1:00pm and we invite the entire community to come and celebrate our senior students’ successes.

Spring Tune Ups At our all school assembly, I spoke to staff and students reminding them of the local practices and routines that make our school exemplary. You may read the complete message in this copy of the Mini Gryphon. I asked that we all remind ourselves and recommit to “doing our best” both academically and in terms of our interactions with others. At staff meetings, teachers have discussed those priorities we wish to highlight in the coming weeks. As a parent, you can assist our efforts, by emphasizing to your child the importance of arriving on time to school, coming in appropriate uniform and having the necessary materials required to be successful in class. As the end of the year approaches, it is important that we continue to expect the best from our students.

Remembering Our Humble Beginnings Mrs. Nicholson is working with others to restore, digitalize and display our all school photos dating back to 1985. These photos are iconic. If you see them in succession they provide a visual representation of the school’s enrolment growth overtime. Look closely and you will see the youthful faces of staff who have been with us since our “humble beginnings”. Thanks to Mrs. Nicholson’s efforts we were able to restore some photos that had been damaged and reframe the entire collection. We will have digital copies available for viewing on our hallway monitors soon.

IBO Command Terms Teachers across all programmes recently spent an afternoon to familiarize themselves with and share current uses of the IBO Command Terms. The command terms are a series of instructional terms that indicate the level of thinking or type of performance that is required of students. Some examples of these action words are: define, list, apply, analyze, discuss and evaluate. You will find these terms expressed in their assessments, marking rubrics, report cards and embedded in conversations about learning. By ensuring we use the same command terms in the same ways across PYP/MYP/DP we establish a common language for learning across the entire school. This provides continuity amongst our grade levels and programme instructional efforts. It should further prepare students for academic success and ease their transitions between programmes. For a list of the IBO Command Terms and how they might inform a DP course, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g88IA57xu8.

Keeping Kids Safe & Supporting Student Wellness Recently we met with Constable Dunlop, our School Liaison Officer, to discuss our procedures for responding to critical incidents, involving reports of self-harm or threats of violence toward others. Although such reports are rare, good schools plan proactively for critical incidents before they happen in order to be well-prepared. If you ever have any concerns, please contact myself or a member of the administration. Our Threat/Risk Assessment protocols follow Ministry standards and align with best practice across both independent and public school districts. During this meeting we were able to expand and update our list of community support contacts for students requiring extraordinary support.

- Mr. Jason Parker, Deputy Headmaster

Page 5 | April 2014

MODEL UNITED NATIONS

Eleven Students Participate in the Canadian High School Model UN Conference During the first weekend of April, eleven members of our Model United Nations club participated in the Canadian High School Model UN Conference at the Sheraton Wall Centre in downtown Vancouver. This international conference was comprised of nearly 600 delegates, and I’m pleased to say that our students did very well. Students served on committees that discussed and debated issues ranging from “Access to Mental Health Resources in Developing Countries” to the “Growing Movement for Palestinian Independence.” Our students endeavoured to accurately represent their assigned countries and build consensus with other countries to arrive at tangible and effective resolutions.

Two of our students received awards for their efforts: Hazhar A. (Grade 12) received an Honourable Mention Award for his efforts in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Shaquille D. (Grade 12) received an Outstanding Delegate Award for his role in the Advanced Crisis Committee.

This year over 20 of our students participated in three different Model UN conferences and won a total of five awards. Whether they won an award or not, all Model UN students are to be commended for their interest in engaging issues of global importance, and their sincere desire to make relevant contributions to meaningful dialogue and debate. Speaking publicly, debating issues, sharing opinions and seeking consensus in large forums means students need to be knowledgeable, open-minded thinkers, strong communicators and risk-takers. This year they represented Meadowridge very well, and I was proud to work with them.

- Mr. Kevin Kennedy, MYP Teacher

Q & A With Model UN Member, David G. (Grade 12) What was your favourite part of this year’s conferences?

The Washington Conference was definitely a highlight for me. DC was an incredible city, and we were able to take advantage of the history present in the monuments and museums. Whether it was at the delegate dance or the conference itself, our group had an awesome time together, and the trip was a very memorable part of my final year of high school.

Over the course of your time in MUN, how have you improved or changed?

Participating in model UN has had a big impact on my ability to work with others effectively. Most conferences have involved a combination of formal debate, and informal discussion periods, where delegates are free to work with others; forming groups based off of political and geographical blocs. In these informal situations, it is very easy to be overshadowed by other delegates, so I had to adapt quickly; learning how to construct more convincing arguments, and knowing when to assume leadership roles or to take a step back.

How would you summarize your experiences at this year’s conferences?

My experience with MUN has been overwhelmingly positive, and I feel very fortunate to have been given the opportunity of participating: both in the club and the conferences I attended. Outside of the politics and debate, I have made a lot of new friends through MUN and I would highly recommend the club to anyone with an interest in global affairs.

Page 6 | April 2014

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

DEPUTY HEADMASTER BLOG

Doing Our Best

Every morning I enjoy meeting your families at the curb and welcoming you to school. It is interesting to observe the different rituals that make up each family’s routine for beginning the day. Each morning I tell my own child to be a good friend and listen to his teacher. Mr. Sunderji sees his girls out of the car with a smile and offers a simple blessing to guide them through the day. “Do your best!” he reminds them.

Although he is unaware, Mr. Sunderji’s reminder has been a source of inspiration for me on those days when I myself required a reminder for setting my purpose. I offer to you now the same advice as we move together into the final months of school.

Doing our best entails reminding ourselves of those little details that have a big impact on the school and its overall tone and recommitting to their practice.

For students, it means not quitting before the year actually ends and ensuring you commit your best efforts to your studies. Come on time, have your supplies, do the homework and engage in each class. Carry yourself with pride and wear our crest with pride. Dress as if you are attending a special event because you are. Each day is an opportunity to live your purpose in the world.

As teachers we set the tone in the classroom through professional dress, and preparing lessons that both challenge and engage learners. We meet students at the door, begin promptly, check uniforms and model polite interaction.

For all of us, doing our best means remembering to care for our surroundings. Keep the Grade 12 Lounge “homey”, but not ‘homely”.

If you take your dishes to the Atrium bring them back to the Cafeteria.

For that matter, if you see other people’s dishes, pick them up and show that you respect your school by keeping it clean. The days of littering the environment are over, pick up garbage and ensure that our school is a place that reflects the love we have for it.

Doing our best, means remembering the importance of caring for others. Be a good friend, include others on the playground, use kind words and when you have difficulties you can’t work out on your own, appeal to a caring adult for assistance.

Be welcoming to guests and to each other. Hold open doors, look people in the eye, say “hello”, shake a hand with confidence and purpose, ask people how they are doing and actually care about their response.

In hallways and common areas be self-aware and aware of those around you. Don’t block entrance ways, transit the hallways quietly and orderly, knowing that others are engaged in learning and appreciate not being interrupted.

Know the names of others and if you don’t know or have forgotten introduce yourself. “Please” is appreciated and required when you make requests of others. You never lose by being grateful, so use “thank you” whenever you can. Remember to be patient when you want others’ attention, wait your turn and don’t interrupt. Likewise, remember that reasonable requests of all staff are to be followed by you. This includes our office and non-instructional staff. We expect them to model courtesy and we expect you to do the same by following instructions.

In the coming months there will be opportunities in your classes, labs, on the stage, in the art room, on courts and fields, on the playground, in our gardens and our forest, and in the community to “do your best”.

As I speak to you, I speak to myself, I encourage us all to “do our best”.

An exemplary community like ours, requires exemplary efforts. Let us strive together thoughtfully, with kindness and commitment.

- Mr. Jason Parker, Deputy Headmaster

Page 7 | April 2014

EXTENDED FIELD TRIPS

Pictures from Japan and France Japan

France Over spring break, students in Grades 10 and 11 had the chance to spend three weeks in France. One week was spent in Paris, visiting the most popular tourist destinations; the Eiffel tower, the Arc de Triumphe, the Seine and Montmartre. The second and third weeks were spent in the South of the country, in Montpellier, visiting the sites there. The students had the chance to experience the country’s culture through classes, excursions and time spent with the home stay families.

- Hannah J. (Grade 11)

Page 8 | April 2014

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

Mr. & Mrs. Tom & Rhonda Laurie Mr. Daniel Le Page Mr. Lance Leger & Ms. Sarah Ward Mr. & Mrs. Darrell & Kim Lester Mr. & Mrs. Sean & Kara Lisik Dr. Jun Liu & Mrs. Xiao Wei Zhan Mr. & Mrs. Yang & Xiaoping Liu Mr. Daofeng Liu & Ms. Quming Chen Anonymous Anonymous

Dr. Kavyan Ashnaei & Mrs. Maryam Heydariarabloo

Mr. Ke Bai & Mrs. Ye Hu

Mr. Kenneth Go & Mrs. Connie Chow-Go

Mr. Tim Coleman & Miss Tessa Bainbridge

Mr. Steve Guo & Mrs. Yun Wei

Mr. Hai Qing Liu & Mrs. Lie Jing Gu Mr. Federico Lopez & Ms. Claudia Martinez Ms. Xiao Hong Zhou Mr. Wenping Luo & Mrs. Juana Zhu

The Barber Family

Dr. Daniel Gouws & Mrs. Kimberley Buchanan Gouws

Mr. & Mrs. Randy & Leslie Bargen

Mr. & Mrs. Alan & Marlene Graveson

Drs. Samir & Sangita Malhotra

Mr. & Mrs. Chris & Jodi Barrass

Mr. & Mrs. Warwick & Carolyn Green

Mr. & Mrs. Robert & Shirley Brunetta

Mrs. Kristal Bereza

Mr. & Mrs. Craig & Natalie Gunning

Mr. Jamie Marriott

Dr. Michael Orser & Ms. Christine Bickle

Mr. Xiu Kang & Mrs. Baowei Yue

Mr. Gareth Mason & Ms. Carolyn Treger

Prof. Nicholas Blomley & Ms. Jessie Hill

Halpern’s Limited

Mr. John McLaughlin & Ms. Cheryl David

Mr. Rhys Clarke & Mrs. Julie Bournival

Mr. & Mrs. Richard & Tammy Haywood

Ms. Sherrie Metz

The Brookshaw Family

Mr. & Mrs. William & Leona Healy

Ms. Christy Mooney

Mr. Hugh Burke & Ms. Eva Boyd

Mr. & Mrs. Don & Linda Hincks

Ampersand Advisory Group

Mr. Antonio de Oliveira Jr. & Mrs. Amanda Casanova

Mr. Patrick Ho & Ms. Dawn Feng

Mr. & Mrs. Skigh & Vanessa Murray

Mr. & Mrs. Paul & Christine Holtved

Ms. Danielle Noël

Ms. Cindy Hops

Mr. & Mrs. Patrick & Barbara Niwa

Mr. Wayne Huang & Mrs. May Yan

Mr. David Noble

Mr. Mark Grant & Mrs. Carrie HughesGrant

Ms. Toni Perretta

Mr. Richard Choi & Mrs. Angie Lee Mr. Roy Choi & Mrs. Jeong-Mi Ryu

Mr. Richard Hui & Ms. Stephanie Lee

Mr. Jason Parker & Mrs. Nancy Vertel

Mr. Mark Conaghan

Dr. Geoffrey Hutchinson & Dr. Sarah Charney

Mr. & Mrs. Terrance & Moira Passley

Mr. & Mrs. Cherokee & Joyce Chamorro Mr. Jun Chen & Mrs. Zhe Zhou Mr. Gang Chen & Ms. Linda Li

Mr. & Mrs. Jeff & Katherine Crawford Dr. Malcolm Crozier & Mrs. Alicia Osorio Bustos

Mr. John Hwang & Mrs. Catherine Kim Mr. & Mrs. Ty & Jadina Irving

Mr. Jack Ma & Mrs. Helen Shao

Ms. Angela Pallister

Mr. & Mrs. Philip & Nicola Pitzey Mr. & Mrs. Igor & Katerina Pogrebinsky Mr. Han Qian & Ms. Sha Tao

Mr. Clinton & Mrs. Michelle Denesiuk

Drs. Sriram & Mahalaxmi Iyer

Mr. Avio Diniz & Ms. Patricia Lapointe

Mr. Zhihu Jia & Mrs. Xiaosheng Wang

Mr. & Mrs. Matthew & Wendy Dockerty

Mr. Peng Han & Ms. Guo Hua Luan

Mr. Terry Donaldson

Mr. Jingquan Lin & Ms. Lu Li Lee

Dr. & Mrs. Arash & Sanaz Soufi

Mr. Jingsong Niu & Mrs. Jing Wen

Dr. & Mrs. Bill & Barbara Durno

Ms. Lynelle Johns

Mr. Bradley Senner & Ms. Tanya Cloete

Mr. & Mrs. Bruce & Judy Johnston

Jay Fraser

Mr. & Mrs. Kevin & Tracey Kennedy

Mrs. Hallie Fraser

Dr. Seoung Joon Kim & Mrs. Inhwa Sung

Mr. & Mrs. Sam & Yamini Gandesha

Drs. Murthy & Anu Korada

Mr. & Mrs. Aaron & Pamela SchultzLessing

Drs. Joe & Diana Germain

Mr. & Mrs. Al-Karim & Zain Lalji

Mr. & Mrs. Michael & Chantal Schutz

Drs. Deepu & Reena George

Drs. Ockie Lampen & Kathy Robson

Ms. Jennifer Maynes

Mr. Bob Gill & Mrs. Diana Carwithen

Mr. & Mrs. Manuel & Virna Lau

Dr. & Mrs. Allen & Rosie Shen

Mr. Raymond Qu & Mrs. Hui Huang Mr. & Mrs. Sheetal & Seema Rawal Mr. George Read & Ms. Fay Kingwill Mr. Quan Ren & Mrs. Lin Wu Dr. John Reynolds & Dr. Isabelle Côté Mr. & Mrs. Shawn & Jada Sawatzky Mr. Karsten Scharf & Mrs. Oksana Novakovska

Page 9 | April 2014

Mr. & Mrs. Gurjit & Parneet Sidhu

Dr. & Mrs. Lawrence & Tracey Welsh

Mr. & Mrs. Justin & Jennifer Simpson

Mr. & Mrs. William & Kimberley Weselowski

Dr. & Mrs. Matthew & Masumi Smith Mr. Troy Sobotka & Ms. Andrea Frisby Mr. & Mrs. Dennis & Norma-Jean Spika Mr. & Mrs. Scott & Yoshimi Spurgeon Mr. Kevin Sun & Ms. Feng Li Mr. Kefei Tan & Mrs. May Guo Mr. & Ms. Peter & Alison Thompson Dr. Amrik Tung Mr. & Mrs. Julian & Marilyn Turner Mr. & Mrs. David & Lyn Tyler Dr. & Mrs. Hanif & Sophie Ukani Mr. Steven Jang & Mrs. Nikki Lee

Ms. Samantha Coates Mr. William Wong & Ms. Tina Lee Mr. Yongmin Wu & Mrs. Lily Huang Mr. Zhao Bo Xin & Mrs. Wen Wen Wang Mr. Feng Xu & Mrs. Shuo Chen Mr. Patrick Xue & Ms. Lucy Qiu Mr. Zitao Ye & Mrs. Jenny Lu Mr. Bing Yin Tam & Mrs. Rui Lan Wu Mrs. Hwa Youn Cho Mr. Xiaoping Yuan & Ms. Hongli Gong Mrs. You Ying Zeng

Ms. Michelle Vally

Mr. James Zhang & Mrs. Yvonne Wei

Mr. Xuesong Wang & Mrs. Mingxia Zhang

Mr. Yong Zhang & Mrs. Wenqing Chen Mr. Shanhai Zhao & Mrs. Li Wan

Ms. Tamara Warner

Mr. Peng Fan and Ms. Ning Zhao

Mr. & Mrs. Matthew & Jennifer Watt

Ms. Gilda Zivec

Mr. & Mrs. Rick & Susan Waugh

Mr. Li Zuo & Mrs. Ann Yi He

annualfund@meadowridge.bc.ca

ANNUAL FUND UPDATE Thank you to all of the Annual Fund supporters listed above. If you have yet to contribute this year, it is not too late to make a difference.

Please keep an eye out for our upcoming spring appeal and a list of unfunded items that our teachers, coaches and students are in need of. Every dollar donated is applied to immediate, impactful educational enhancements. If you were able to join us for the Youth Fencing Open you would have seen examples of excellence in action. Our Athletics programme is very proud to have received significant support throughout this year and last. The Sciences have also recently been augmented thanks to your generosity. The last of the materials for the PYP labs are arriving now and set to hit classes soon. We encourage you to come on in and see our children explore nature with their new equipment. As the garden begins to grow you will also witness your dollars at work with the many tools and accessories provided by Annual Fund gifts over the years. If there is an area in the school or a programme that you are particularly passionate about, please come in to speak with me and I would love to put you in touch with the teacher or administrator responsible to see where they might need support.

- Mr. Daniel Le Page, Director of Development

Page 10 | April 2014

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

Foundation Skills Assessment Results What is the Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA)?

The Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) is a set of BC Ministry of Education tests for children in Grade 4 and Grade 7 that measure reading, writing and numeracy skills. The FSAs provide a snapshot of your child’s performance in relation to other children across the province of British Columbia and can provide valuable feedback amongst other pieces of internal student achievement data.

Students answer multiple choice questions on the computer and do their written work in a booklet. The FSA does not count toward student grades.

At Meadowridge we believe that this external assessment in context with other indicators allows us to make observations about the relative effectiveness of our instructional efforts. Typically, all students participate in these assessments. This year, one student was unable to participate due to illness.

More Than the FSAs

Your child’s development as both a learner and an individual goes beyond their performance on any one standardized test.

The FSA is a single marker amongst many when it comes to reviewing their efforts. We ask that parents take into account other indicators to develop a well-rounded idea on how their child is performing in school.

Their report card, involvement in co-curriculars, quality of relationships with peers and teachers, personal development, how closely they associate with the IB Learner Profile and lived experiences (do they enjoy coming to school?) should all be taken into account.

FSA Preparation

Mr. Burke asked that the school commit to excellence on all internal and external metrics, which includes the FSA. As such, this year we undertook the following actions to ensure our students were well prepared for the FSA: • Grade 4s and Grade 7s participated in field testing to help create future assessments. This allowed them to practice the types of questions that appear on the assessment and become familiar with the format.

• In November, Mr. Banack and Mr. Donaldson reviewed the disaggregated results from last year and shared the trends with the teachers. This allowed our teachers to be aware of learning gaps and/or possible learning difficulties well before the exams.

• Classes took practice exams four weeks before they wrote the assessments.

• Grade 7s wrote their assessments outside of their regular classroom in the Theatre and were invigilated by an administrator.

• Grade 4 had both Mr. Donaldson and the teachers coinvigilated the assessments.

100% of Meadowridge students are exceeding or meeting expectation in reading, writing and numeracy in both Grade 4 and Grade 7.

Page 11 | April 2014

Our Results: Improved Performance

Although our results are traditionally amongst the best in the province, we have not been completely satisfied with previous years results.

Accordingly we worked to analyze results of previous exams with the purpose of making further improvements.

We are happy to report that the projected 2014 results indicate that 100% of Meadowridge students who participated are exceeding or meeting expectation in reading, writing and numeracy in both Grade 4 and Grade 7.

Please note: The results included in the letter home to Grade 4 and 7 families included internal 2013 results that were not the final BC Ministry results. The correct 2013 results are included here as obtained from the BC Ministry of Education website at www.bced.gov.bc.ca/assessment/fsa/.

2014

Reading

Writing

Numeracy

Exceeding Expectations

51%

48%

94%

Meeting Expectations

49%

52%

6%

0%

0%

0%

Not Yet Meeting Expectations

Grade 4 Trends (2013 to 2014) Reading • 18% more students are exceeding expectation.

• The number of students that are not yet meeting expectation went down to 0% from the 5% in previous years.

Writing • 15% more students are exceeding expectation.

2013

Reading

Writing

Numeracy

Exceeding Expectations

33%

33%

46%

Meeting Expectations

62%

67%

54%

5%

0%

0%

Reading

Writing

Numeracy

Exceeding Expectations

24%

38%

27%

Meeting Expectations

76%

62%

73%

0%

0%

0%

Not Yet Meeting Expectations

• 100% of students are meeting or exceeding expectation for the last three years.

Numeracy • 48% more students are exceeding expectation.

• 100% of students are meeting or exceeding expectation for the last three years.

* Projected Results

2014

Not Yet Meeting Expectations

2013

Reading

Writing

Numeracy

Exceeding Expectations

24%

29%

25%

Meeting Expectations

69%

71%

67%

Not Yet Meeting Expectations

Grade 7 Trends (2013 to 2014) Reading • 100% of students are meeting or exceeding expectation, compared to 95% from last year.

Writing • 9% more students are exceeding expectation.

• 100% of students are meeting or exceeding expectation for the last three years.

Numeracy • 100% of students are meeting or exceeding expectation.

• The number of students not yet meeting expectations went down 7% from last year.

• 2% more students are exceeding expectation.

5%

0%

7%

* Projected Results If you have any questions about the FSA please contact our Deputy Headmaster Mr. Jason Parker at jason.parker@meadowridge.bc.ca.

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

Page 12 | April 2014

CLASSROOMS WITHOUT WALLS (CWOW) Learning Beyond the Classroom Walls Grade 11 Learns to Cook Columbian Dishes

During our first CWOW of April, our Grade 11 Spanish students learned how to cook some typical Colombian dishes. Their teacher, a visiting Colombian citizen, Mrs. Juliana Guerrero happily shared her culture with our students. She had them involved in making Empanadas, meatand-potato stuffed corn flour pockets; Sancocho, a chicken soup with plantain, yucca, and potatoes, among other things; and Cocadas, dessert patties made from coconut and condensed milk. To drink, she introduced them to Agua de Panela, a drink made from cane sugar. In addition to the cooking, she imparted various “tricks of the trade� such as wiping the knife blade with vinegar to avoid tears when cutting onions, or breaking, not cutting, plantain to avoid it turning brown when cooked. The students had to listen to directions, speak, and ask questions in Spanish, a feat which they bravely took on and mostly accomplished. Mrs. Guerrero was impressed with the level of respect afforded her, and the willingness of the students to roll up their sleeves and participate. Our students had a great time cooking and the results were delicious!

- Mrs. Danielle Donovan, MYP Teacher

Grade 10 Studies the Ecosystem at Boundary Bay Regional Park The Grade 10 students visited Boundary Bay Regional Park to study different ecosystems as part of their Ecology unit in science. They had a chance to explore and compare marine, sand dune and grass land ecosystems in comparison to the forest ecosystem that they studied in the North Forest. The students were able to conduct transect studies and appreciate the biodiversity. Hopefully the trip motivated and empowered them to protect biodiversity in our region.

- Mrs. Deepti Rajeev, MYP Teacher

Page 13 | April 2014

CLASSROOMS WITHOUT WALLS

(Continued)

Grade 8 Visits Canada’s “Highway to Heaven” The Grade 8 Humanities classes have finished reading Life of Pi and, to continue their unit of Comparative Religions, the classes visited Number 5 Road in Richmond – Canada’s “Highway to Heaven” for their last CWOW. This street has beautiful buildings of many different faiths represented, and some of them were available to give our students an inside look at unfamiliar religions and cultures. Here is what the students had to say: My favourite part of the trip was going to the Sikh temple and eating their vegetarian meal. I ate EVERYTHING and was proud of myself. I learned that Muslim services are on Thursday and Friday, and that once Sikhs are baptized they never cut their hair. – Cléa C. I really enjoyed walking to the Buddhist temple, and I also really liked it when the imam was praying in Arabic because it is a beautiful language. I learned the most about the Sikh religion because I didn’t know much about it going into the trip. – Emily M. The best part of the trip was visiting the Sikh temple and seeing the decoration, symbols, and meaningful words everywhere. I learned that Islamic people pray five times a day and they believe God is everywhere and does not take place in an object or form. I learned from the Sikh temple that all people are equal, and you get free food there. – Nicky J. I learned that there are two different types of Muslims – Shia and Sunni. I also learned that there are quite a few similarities between the Muslim religion and the Hindu religion, such as separate sides for men and women. Also, I learned that Muslims don’t worship a statue or picture. – Shivani G. I think the best part of the whole trip was when we were allowed to walk on our own around the street so we could see for ourselves the monastery, the church, and the Islamic, Hindu, and Sikh temples. It was fun to learn about the different religions. We also got to taste traditional Sikh food which was a very interesting experience. – Derek S. I was very proud to be a Meadowridge teacher that day. The students more than impressed me with their respectful attitudes and their curious, sensitive, and insightful questions. Thank you to everyone who helped make this trip possible. A special thank you to the Az-Zahaara Islamic Centre and the Nanaksar Gurdwara Gurusikh Temple for your fascinating and welcoming tours.

- Ms. Marie Payne, MYP Teacher

Grade 9 Explores Victoria During our first CWOW of April, our Grade 9 class left campus at sunrise for a Science and Humanities field trip to beautiful Victoria. The students completed a hydro engineering challenge at the University of Victoria before touring the First Peoples, Modern and Natural History galleries at the BC Royal Museum. Afterwards, Students toured the downtown and harbour area and enjoyed a dinner out with their friends before watching an IMAX film called Adrenaline Rush. Early Friday morning, the learning continued, with a historical tour of the Ross Bay Cemetery, visiting grave sites of Emily Carr, Billy Barker, Sir James Douglas, Amor de Cosmos, Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie, and the Dunsmuirs. Lunch was a quick stop at the University of Victoria before a science lab and a campus tour led by our own alumnus, David Nicmans (’13). Students had dinner on the ferry and were back home by that evening. Overall the trip was well planned and lots of fun, the students were well-behaved and the weather was beautiful!

A huge thank you to Mrs. Deepti Rajeev for all of her hard work putting the trip together!

- Mrs. Michelle Flintermann, MYP Teacher

Page 14 | April 2014

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

13th Annual

DRIVE FORE THE FUTURE

TOURNAMENT Presented by Alouette Animal Hospital (The Bickle/Orser Family)

SATURDAY REGISTRATION 9:00AM

Swan-e-Set Bay Resort & Country Club 16651 Rannie Road, Pitt Meadows, BC

BRUNCH 10:00AM

For more information visit: www.meadowridge.bc.ca/golf or the front office.

Meadowridge is a not-for-profit organization. Charitable Registration No. 10768 5745 RR0001.

Page 15 | April 2014

TICKETS & SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE NOW! Thank you to our current sponsors!

Presenting Sponsor

Alouette Animal Hospital (The Bickle/Orser Family) Tee Sponsors

Key Tracer Systems (The French Family)

Maple Ridge Dentistry for Kids (The Parker/Vertel Family)

Johnston Meier Insurance (The Johnston Family)

Link Development (The Gandesha Family)

Martini Sponsor The Noël Family

Hole-In-One Sponsor The Burke/Boyd Family

Champagne Sponsor SAGE Dining Services

Men’s Longest Drive The Barber Family

Food Sponsor Black Sheep Pub & Liquor Store (The Wong Family)

Men’s Closest to the Pin KNV Chartered Accountants (The Batty Family)

Putting Green Expert Electric (The Brunetta Family)

Join the Meadowridge community for a day of brunch and golf!

This year’s tournament will take place on Saturday, June 7th at Swan-e-Set Bay Resort & Country Club. Socialize with families outside of school, meet some new friends and enjoy the game of golf in one great day! If golf isn’t your thing come for brunch before the golfing begins.

We are looking forward to another fun-filled day in support of our school. Throughout the past four years nearly $200,000 has been raised at this event; money which has funded Gym C, our school bus and a portion of the gym floor. This year’s tournament will fund the MYP Junior Science Lab! The MYP Junior Science Lab will be designed and outfitted to the specific needs of the Grade 6 and 7 science students. Not only will this provide a space for these grades to enhance their science education with specific tools and equipment, it will free up the other science labs for use by the older MYP and DP students.

www.meadowridge.bc.ca/golf

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

Page 16 | April 2014

THE MEADOWRIDGE GREEN PAGES

Thank You to the Brar Family for the Seedlings!

The first plants to be nursed in the new MYP Greenhouse came from a very gracious donation from the Brar family. On the day of the PYP Student-Led Conferences, I had the privilege of showing Mr. and Mrs. Brar and their son Ty, the newly constructed MYP Greenhouse. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Brar’s have commercial greenhouses themselves and were interested in supporting the school’s new initiative. In the middle of April, trays of cabbage, tomato, banana pepper, cauliflower and onion seedlings were delivered by Mr. Brar with the hopes that the students would be able to plant them in the PYP garden this Spring. Seeds were also donated by the Brar’s to be used in the PYP garden as well as the MYP greenhouse. Just like last year, all of the PYP students are involved in tending the vegetable garden and because we are able to grow from seedlings instead of seeds this year, students will be able to harvest more vegetables prior to the end of the school year. With a growing disconnect between people and food sources, it is paramount that students are given opportunities to participate in the food growing process so they can better understand what their responsibility is toward food. In an essay published by the Center for Ecoliteracy, A. G. Kawamura expresses that: A garden teaches a child about the delicate balance between living and surviving, through a hands-on relationship with another living organism. It teaches the child about the consequences of negligence. It provides a living laboratory where life's lessons are experienced and learned. It is a step toward understanding an educational process that most of the agrarian world practices on a daily basis. The forgotten lessons that a garden provides can set the stage for new paradigms in teaching, school lunch programs, community food security outreach, agricultural literacy, and community service learning.

The support of parent volunteers and donations have made the PYP garden a powerful learning environment through which students can further their growth in becoming leaders in our community and beyond.

- Mr. James Willms, PYP Teacher

Page 17 | April 2014

THE MEADOWRIDGE GREEN PAGES

(Continued)

Action Grows like a Tree in PYP! There is a new display by the PYP entrance doors to celebrate the everyday actions of our PYP students. Students who find ways to help our environment, help a friend, or simply do something nice for someone can take a leaf from our Action board, write or draw a picture of their action then add their leaf on a branch of our tree. When you walk by our Action Board you can see how action grows!

Grade 2 have also made “Ordinary Extraordinary Action” cards to pass on. The intention of these cards is to recognize and celebrate when we are taking action and helping others. Even small actions can have big results! If you receive one of these cards, please do something nice for someone else and give the card to that person so that they can pay it forward. We hope that these cards will spread through everyone in the school.

Thank you for helping us make our school a happier community!

- Mrs. Tricia Liversidge, PYP Teachers

Junior Kindergarten Helps Save the Environment Students in Junior Kindergarten have been working diligently, learning about their responsibility to protect animals and their natural environment, namely forest animals. Through some of students’ discussions about what their responsibilities are, and what they can do to take part in providing a safe and healthy environment for animals, the students realized littering was a very big concern of theirs.

The students began noticing that the playground they play on daily frequently has litter scattered all over it after recess and lunch hours. The students were great thinkers and came up with solutions and actions that they could do to help solve the problem, finally deciding that they wanted to help teach the “big kids” to take responsibility for their own garbage. When we asked the Junior Kindergarten class how we could do this, they decided that they wanted to write a letter to send to the teachers and students: “We need to write a letter and say, can you please know that when we are resting, please don’t litter on our playground. Please leave your garbage inside the school or put it in the garbage can. If you leave garbage on the playground the animals will get sick. They can’t get to a Veterinarian to get better.”

Another action piece they thought hard about as a group was to make signs to put up around the school to remind people to keep their school environment clean, healthy and safe for everyone, even our animal friends who live in our forests! If you see the signs please take some time to look and read their drawings.

- The Junior Kindergarten Class

Page 18 | April 2014

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

THE MEADOWRIDGE GREEN PAGES

(Continued)

The Making of an Art Gallery: Grade 3 presents Art Under the Microscope Grade 3 Art students had the opportunity to experience site sketching within the North Forest and observed the forest environment through “artist's eyes” by capturing several organic textures, shapes and lines in their series of sketches. We extended this learning experience further by learning how to use microscopes borrowed from the Science department and explored microscopic, enlarged views of objects from the forest, such as bark, leaves, evergreen needles and twigs. This unique and new perspective opened up a discussion about how these microscopic viewpoints enabled the students to explore their own ideas of abstraction through their use of shape, colour, line and texture.

- Mrs. Katie Neibergall, PYP Teacher

Art Under the Microscope Monday, May 5 - Friday, May 16

The transdisciplinary theme for the third Unit of Inquiry for Grade 3 this year was ‘How We Express Ourselves’. The students inquired about how physical landscape influences how people express themselves and they explored the diverse physical attributes of Canadian eco-climates. A connection was then established between the characteristics of the Canadian eco-climates and the influence they have had on First Nations people and more specifically, how they have expressed their cultures through art.

After viewing the numerous professional and student pieces of art in the Meadowridge hallways, the grade 3 students concluded that they have a responsibility to respect the expressions of other cultures and to inquire about the meaning behind the artistic expressions. Nature is composed of many different voices, some of those voices were heard by the Grade 3 students, who have beautifully expressed these conversations through art and prose.

- Mr. James Willms, PYP Teacher

Page 19 | April 2014

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS Students Score in the Pascal, Cayley and Fermat Mathematic Contests Please join us in congratulating the following students for scoring in the top 25% of the country in the Pascal, Cayley, or Fermat mathematics contests. These contests are run by the University of Waterloo and the students receive a certificate of distinction to mark their effort. In addition, the top scoring students receive a medal and these students were Jack Z. (Grade 11), Mark C. (Grade 10), and Ryan Z. (Grade 9).

Grade 8 students should particularly take a moment to congratulate Nathan S. (Grade 8) who received a certificate of distinction in the Grade 9 contest, as well as Lucy G. (Grade 8) and Thilashma N. (Grade 8) who were just two points short of reaching the level of distinction. In addition, Charleen L. (Grade 9) was just one point off reaching the score required, while Nikhil V. (Grade 9) fell just 3 points short.

- Mr. Kevin Wells, DP Teacher

Pascal

Cayley

Fermat

Ryan Z. (Grade 9)

Mark C. (Grade 10)

Jack Z. (Grade 11)

Bill W. (Grade 9)

Brandon J. (Grade 10)

Jennifer A. (Grade 11)

Eric H. (Grade 9)

Jasmine C. (Grade 10)

Douglas Z. (Grade 11)

Alfred Z. (Grade 9)

Eleanor M. (Grade 10)

Nathan S. (Grade 8)

Chloe Y. (Grade 10)

Lucy G. (Grade 8)

Bob C. (Grade 10)

Olivia M. (Grade 9)

Mehima K. (Grade 10)

Alexander Y. (Grade 9)

Johnny Z. (Grade 10)

Devyani M. (Grade 9)

Michael Smith Science Challenge Results The Michael Smith Science Challenge is a national competition written by students in Grade 10 Science and lower. It emphasizes logical thinking and covers materials in the science curriculum common to all provinces. It is named in honour of UBC’s Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Michael Smith.

We had several Grade 10 students write this contest and I am proud to announce that Colin G. (Grade 10) is among the top 10% of the students who wrote the Science challenge! We also had five students place among the top 25% in Canada: Joseph B. (Grade 10), Joanna P. (Grade 10), Mark C. (Grade 10), Mehima K. (Grade 10) and Chloe Y. (Grade 10). Congratulations and well done!

- Mrs. Deepti Rajeev, MYP Teacher

Page 20 | April 2014

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

(Continued)

Grade 4 and 5 ISABC Public Speaking Competition 2014 Congratulations to Alinah P., Kayla M. and Jack D. from Grade 5 for representing Meadowridge School at the Grade 4 and 5 ISABC Public Speaking Competition 2014. This event was held at Aspengrove School on Vancouver Island and our students did incredibly well. The topic for their grade level was “How I can improve World Health with an invention”.

Alinah’s invention speech was an innovative “Heart Replicator Machine” that can assist people who need a heart transplant without waiting on a donor list. Kayla’s invention was how to eradicate obesity with her “Chewy Pill”. Jack’s speech was about a “H7N3 vaccine” to eradicate a deadly sub-type strand of influenza virus. Both our students and parents who attend were amazed at the caliber and finesse of all the young speakers in the room. Well done Grade 5 public speakers!

- Mr. Avio Diniz, PYP Teacher

Students Earn Top Marks at the Canadian High School Model UN Conference At the recent High School Model UN Conference, Shaquille D. (Grade 12) was awarded with Outstanding Delegate, which he explains as “the unofficial second place in a committee, and represents advanced rhetoric and debate skills, ability to co-operate with other delegates and the ability to advance an argument in council.” Hazhar A. (Grade 12) was also awarded with an Honourable Mention Award for his efforts in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Page 21 | April 2014

TEACHER ACHIEVEMENTS Miss Payne Donates her Hair I’ve been donating my hair every three years since I was about 20. This time I cut off 15 inches… my fourth “foot” of hair – that’s taller than some of the PYP students! Of course, it always grows back.

I know that some of our students at the school donate their hair for children who have lost theirs due to illness or burns, and I think it is a lovely way to show caring for others. In past years I have also gone with our older students to donate blood. So many people in our community show how much they care for each other by donating their time, and many of the families donate hard-earned money or equipment to the school. It feels good to be part of such a giving community.

I’ve had family members and friends lose their hair from chemotherapy, and I watched as they struggled with poor choices of hats and scarves to cover their heads. I send my donations to Angel Hair for Kids – a Canadian organization that makes wigs for children and provides them to families at no charge.

- Miss Marie Payne, MYP Teacher

GRADE 10 PERSONAL PROJECTS Each year, as a culminating project to their MYP education, our Grade 10 students at Meadowridge host a showcase afternoon to highlight their projects and learning. This year, we are proud to share their work on May 7th, from 1:30pm to 3:30pm in the Meadowridge gym. This is an open event that all parents are welcome and encouraged to attend.

- Mr. Scott Banack, Director of MYP

Take a look at some of this year’s projects!

Colour Tones of Photography Bob C.

Perceptions of My World Robert R.

Electronic Music Cullen J.

Henna Mehima K.

Page 22 | April 2014

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

PARENT GUILD UPDATE Volunteer With the Meadowridge Parent Guild Volunteering with the Parent guild is a great way to get connected to other parents, help promote positive school spirit, foster a sense of community and fundraise to enhance the school experience for all Meadowridge students. From The Grade Rep communications, Feastival, Annual Pie Sales, Flower Baskets and intermission treats for the drama productions, the Parent Guild relies on volunteers.

Volunteerism is key to sustaining a vibrant school community and through the work of our dedicated volunteers we all grow; the students, our school and even ourselves.

If you are a parent at Meadowridge, you are a member of the Parent Guild. It is the parents that provide the strength of the Parent Guild. At Meadowridge we are so fortunate to have many wonderful parents that give their time so freely. If you are looking to help with a small role, or if you are ready for a larger position, there is something for everyone.

If you would like to be involved for the 2014/15 school year, here is a list of the possible roles. To express your interest or for further details Please email Eileen Karmali at parentguild@meadowridge.bc.ca

Meadowridge Parent Guild Council and Support Volunteers 2014-2015 Elected Positions October 2014 Annual General Meeting Guild Chair Guild Vice Chair Guild Treasurer Guild Secretary

Hospitality - Greeting cards September to June

Spring flower basket Support Volunteers May

Health and Safety Instructor

Chinese Liaison September to June

Health and Safety Administrator September to June Volunteer Coordinator September to June

Support Volunteers

Fundraising Coordinator September to June

Grade Reps (Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12) September to June

Communications Director September to June

Alumni Rep (one to two reps required) Ongoing rep required

Feastival Committee & Support Volunteers Dates TBA

New Family Liaisons (two to three required) June 2014 to June 2015

Apple Pie Sales – Manager & Support Volunteers September to October

Hospitality Events Coordinator September to June

Spring Flower Baskets/Flats Manager February to May

Korean Liaison September to June Mabel's Labels September to June Social Media Manager September to June (some updates in the summer) Facebook Manager September to June (some updates in the summer) Gryphon’s Emporium - Manager September to June & Annual Sale in August Support Volunteers September to June & Annual Sale in August

Interested in a role on the Meadowridge Parent Guild?

The Parent Guild is looking forward to the next school year and there are a number of ways to get involved! If you are interested in helping build a strong Parent Guild, please email Eileen Karmali at parentguild@meadowridge.bc.ca

Page 23 | April 2014

PARENT GUILD UPDATE

(Continued)

Post Production Thank You! Last month, I had the pleasure of experiencing our DP Drama team present The Sparrow. As always, the students did an amazing job. Of course, a special thank you to the teachers for their tireless support and to our students for their technical ‘behind the scenes” achievements.

These productions could not happen without you!

Every year, the end of our drama productions are bitter sweet, as it seems to be end to an era, but every year the younger students carry on the tradition. I’m looking forward to next year's DP Drama production already!

To see our stars of tomorrow, come out in early May to watch the MYP students who are presenting two plays, Pressure and Split, and the PYP students who are presenting everyone’s classic favourite The Jungle Book.

What wasn't bitter at all was the intermission fare for The Sparrow! The Parent Guild was pleased to be able to support the play by providing the intermission refreshments and delicious sweets made by Sheila Lamond. Sheila, you worked very hard to present a collection of delectable treats and did a fantastic job! Everything was beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. Please join me in a round of applause for all the Parent Guild members that helped Sheila for all four days of the play. Thank you to everyone for their support!

The Flower baskets were a tremendous hit once again. We nearly matched our orders from last year. Fundraisers like the Flower Basket Sale are how the Parent Guild can offer things like those amazing intermission treats at the drama productions.

FoodSafe and the second Babysitting courses were offered in April. The Parent Guild will continue to bring these important and popular programmes. Next year we are exploring other possible courses and hope to expand to include a few exciting new courses for our younger students and parents. Details to follow.

- Eileen Karmali, Meadowridge Parent Guild Chair

MYP PRESENTS: SPLIT AND PRESSURE Split by Bradley Howard | Wednesday, May 21st | 5:30pm NEW DATE & TIME Runtime: 35 minutes Children of divorce are united through humour in this honest and theatrical look at the day to day reality of growing up in a family that's been torn apart. As these teenagers navigate a winding road that includes new bedrooms, new siblings and new responsibilities, they begin to put the pieces of their broken homes back together.

Pressure by Lindsay Price | Friday, May 9th | 7:00pm Runtime: 45mins This play is a candid and uncompromising look at the pressures youth face, with no easy answers or neat and tidy endings. Alex is a refugee.

Tera is faced with an unpopular decision when all she wants to be is popular. Penny is getting up at five in the morning just so she can accomplish all she has to do in a day. And Kyle can't live up to his parents' expectations. It is the week before the prom and for these four characters, everything is coming to a head.

PYP PRESENTS: THE JUNGLE BOOK Gather your family together to come and see the all-time Disney favourite The Jungle Book as presented by talented PYP students. Performances will take place Wednesday, May 14th and Thursday, May 15th at 6:30pm in the Meadowridge Theatre. Admission is $5.00 per person and seats need to be booked in advance of the shows. Please note that there will be no tickets sold at the door and seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Reservations and payments can be made to Ms. Barker at the front reception desk or by e-mailing Ms. Barker at Cori.Barker@ meadowridge.bc.ca.

- Mrs. Barbara Durno, PYP Teacher

Page 24 | April 2014

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

YOUTH OPEN FENCING TOURNAMENT Meadowridge Fencers’ Results Y10 Epee

Y12 Sabre

2nd Place Pawel P. (Grade 5)

1st Place Nathan G. (Grade 7)

8th Place Noah W. (Grade 5)

5th Place Nicholas Z. (Grade 6) 6th Place Frances H. (Grade 5)

Y10 Foil 1st Place Sunny Y. (Grade 5)

Y14th Epee

2nd Place Joe G. (Grade 4)

6th Place Emily M. (Grade 8)

3rd Place Charlie R. (Grade 4)

8th Place Nathan G. (Grade 7)

4th Place Garrett H. (Grade 4)

19th Place Charlotte B. (Grade 6)

5th Place Derek L. (Grade 4) 7th Place Ronin M. (Grade 4) 8th Place Kevin C. (Grade 4) Y10 Sabre

Y14 Foil Nicole S. (Grade 6) 12th Place Bronte S. (Grade 8) 13th Place Ryan T. (Grade 6)

1st Place Brandon Q. (Grade 5) 2nd Place Kevin L. (Grade 5) 3rd Place Adesh K. (Grade 5)

Y14 Sabre 1st Place Tim L. (Grade 8)

4th Place Andy C. (Grade 5)

Cadet Foil

5th Place Frances H. (Grade 5)

5th Place Eleanor M. (Grade 8) 6th Place Nathan H. (Grade 10)

Y12 Epee 7th Place Noah W. (Grade 5) 9th Place Nathan G. (Grade 7)

Bob C. (Grade 10) 9th Place Bronte S. (Grade 8)

11th Place Emily L. (Grade 6)

Cadet Epee

12th Place Pawel P. (Grade 5)

8th Place Colin G. (Grade 10)

13th Place Claudia M. (Grade 6)

11th Place Bob C. (Grade 10)

14th Place David G. (Grade 6)

Cadet Sabre

15th Place Christopher L. (Grade 6)

2nd Place Matheson G. (Grade 9)

16th Place Nancy Z. (Grade 6)

3rd Place Matheson G. (Grade 9)

17th Place Charlotte B. (Grade 6)

4th Place Tim L. (Grade 8)

Y12 Foil

6th Place Robert R. (Grade 10)

5th Place Mitchell H. (Grade 6)

7th Place Bob C. (Grade 10)

6th Place Nicole S. (Grade 6)

Cadet Epee

8th Place David G. (Grade 6)

4th Place Emily M. (Grade 8)

9th Place Ryan T. (Grade 6)

5th Place Eleanor M. (Grade 10)

10th Place Christopher L. (Grade 6)

6th Place Joanna P. (Grade 10)

12th Place Emily S. (Grade 6) 13th Place Joe G. (Grade 4) 14th Place Charlie R. (Grade 4) 15th Place Claudia M. (Grade 6) 16th Place Mariana P. (Grade 6) 17th Place Sunny Y. (Grade 5) 18th Place Jageur M. (Grade 6)

Athletics at Meadowridge

29

In order to maintain a healthy balance, Meadowridge has 19 athletic teams and 10 athletic clubs available for students. That’s 29 total athletic opportunities for students.

Page 25 | April 2014

AROUND MEADOWRIDGE Grade 10 French Students Conjugating Verbs The Grade 10 French students were practicing their verb conjugations and the use of depuis quand and depuis combien de temps.

Depending on the question I asked, the students had to choose the correct response off of the other students’ information and begin to respond before the ball was thrown at them.

- Ms. Cathy Holder, MYP Teacher

Grade 7 French Fashion Show The Grade 7 French students culminated their unit on fashion and clothing with a fashion show. Students took turns walking the runway while others introduced them and described the various outfits, all while speaking French!

- Ms. Cathy Holder, MYP Teacher

Page 26 | April 2014

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

LIBRARY UPDATE Coming Soon: The Scholastic Book Fair The Scholastic Book Fair will be arriving soon, and we’re excited about sharing the joy of reading with our students. We invite you to come to the book fair from Monday, May 12th to Wednesday, May 14th. What better way to promote reading to our students than by supporting this important literary event!

We invite your entire family to participate by purchasing the latest and greatest in children’s books. Did you know that for every $10 you spend at the Fair up to $6 comes directly back to our school? Your support of this vital literary event is key in helping us obtain new books and resources for our library and classrooms.

We are building a team of volunteers to help with Scholastic Book Fair. Being part of something special is easier than you think. We have volunteer positions available in sales as listed below: •

Morning Shifts: May 12, 13 and 14 from 8:30am to 11:45am

•

Afternoon Shifts: May 12, 13, 14 from 2:30pm to 4:30pm

If you are interested in volunteering or learning more about our Scholastic Book Fair, please contact the Meadowridge Library.

Don’t forget to mark the Book Fair dates on your calendar! We look forward to seeing you and thank you, in advance, for supporting this great literary fundraiser. Mostly, thank you for believing in books and the importance reading has on your child’s future.

- Mrs. Christal Stogaard and Mrs. Heather Nicholson, Teacher-Librarians

Meadowridge Library by the Numbers

650

18

Our MYP and DP students have checked out over 650 Young Adult books during the school year so far.

The Meadowridge Library has a yearly subscription to 18 University level databases, in a variety of subject areas, to support our DP students and their research.

With Thanks for the Kind Donation of New Books!

3690 In this month alone, the Meadowridge Library circulated over 3690 Picture books.

20

Our Library has over 20 dedicated parent volunteers.

Milas S.

Wenqing Chen

Aaqeel K.

Just Critters Who Care & Snowball Soup

My Country, My People & Moment in Peking

I Love Ugali and Sukuma Wiki

Page 27 | April 2014

READ-A-THON! Read-a-thon! What comes to your mind immediately when you hear the words read-a-thon? It may be books, reading, or maybe enjoying a good story with a nice cool glass of lemonade. Well, in Grade 6, we are starting a read–a-thon so we can raise money to help build a school in Haiti. Our school has already raised around $9,000! We are hoping that this read–a–thon will be able to build the school in Haiti. Our goal is to raise $1,700.

Students will receive a reading log and a sponsor sheet from their homeroom teacher. They just need sponsors and a good book. The sponsors can be anyone: parents, friends, or relatives. The sponsor will be giving money to the student for every page they read. For example, a sponsor says that they will give the child 10 cents for every page they read. Then, if the child reads 100 pages, the sponsor will give the student $10.00. The read-a–thon will start on May 5th, and will end on May 16th, two weeks later. They will give the money and reading log back to their homeroom teacher who will give it to us. The parents are also able to pledge to donate a certain amount of money if they don’t want to sponsor their child. We are looking for companies, which would willingly match the funds raised by us. We are really excited and we hope that your donation will let us build a school in Haiti!

- The Grade 6 Class

GRADE 5 PYP EXHIBITION Exhibitions Ocean Acidification Kayla M., Aiden R., Merdeka M., Odelle S. 3D Printing Alinah P., Ruochen Y., Evan N., Eric X. Martial Arts Charlotte L., Alessia V., Neo Z. Roller Coasters Sasha P., Brandon Q., Dennis Z. Nuclear Science Andries G., Pawel P., Frances H., Sunny Y. Candy Making Briana Z., Jayden B., Bianka K., Gunita T. Processed Foods Emily B., Ethan H., Brianna T., Noah W. Plastic Islands Kyaahn S., Hunter M., Jack D., Syni S. Nano Technology Adesh K., Kevin L., Andy C., Rabin M. Music Keissa T., Tina Q., Ena K., Natalie C.

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

2014/2015 SCHOOL CALENDAR DATE

DAY OF THE WEEK

EVENT

August 25, 2014

Monday

Grade 12 Students Only - Classes Begin

September 1, 2014

Monday

Labour Day (School Closed)

September 2, 2014

Tuesday

Classes Begin

October 13, 2014

Monday

Thanksgiving (School Closed)

October 23, 2014

Thursday

Student/Parent/Teacher Interviews (Classes not in session)

October 24, 2014

Friday

Province Wide Pro-D (Classes not in session)

November 7, 2014

Friday

Pro-D (Classes not in session)

November 10, 2014

Monday

School Closed (Classes not in session)

November 11, 2014

Tuesday

Remembrance Day (School Closed)

December 12, 2014

Friday

Last Day School is in Session before Winter Break

December 15, 2014 to January 4, 2015

Winter Break (Classes not in session)

January 5, 2015

Monday

Classes Resume

February 5, 2015

Thursday

Student/Parent/Teacher Interviews (Classes not in session)

February 6, 2015

Friday

ISABC Pro-D (Classes not in session)

February 9, 2015

Monday

Family Day (School Closed)

March 6, 2015

Friday

Last Day School is in Session before Spring Break

March 9, 2015 to March 20, 2015

Spring Break (Classes not in session)

March 23, 2015

Monday

Classes Resume

April 3, 2015

Friday

Good Friday (School Closed)

April 6, 2015

Monday

Easter Monday (School Closed)

May 15, 2015

Friday

Pro-D (Classes not in session)

May 18, 2015

Monday

Victoria Day (School Closed)

June 23, 2015

Tuesday

Last Day of School for Students Last updated March 6, 2014