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Dear Parents/Guardians:

Spring Break is coming up very soon, with several exciting activities happening before we go! Our Grade 7s are getting ready for their transition to secondary school, with the course selection process starting on February 19 with a visit to our school by the Argyle Grade 8 Counsellor. Course selection forms are due back on February 26. Our K-7 Student-Led Open House here at the school will be taking place on Thursday, March 5th, in the afternoon from 2:00 to 3:30, and in the evening from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm. All parents of students from kindergarten through Grade 7 are invited to the school to share in the successes and achievements of the second term. With so many exciting activities, projects, units, initiatives and programs on the go, there will be something for everyone. We would ask that parents visiting the Student-Led Open House assist us in a couple of ways:

1. For the evening sessions, teachers will be setting up prior to the official opening time of 6:00 pm, so classes will not be opened until 6:00 pm.

2. A reminder that while the Student-Led Open House is an opportunity to share in the successes of the term, it is not designed to be a forum for discussing individual student progress, achievement or marks. Teachers will be more than happy to book times for this purpose after Spring Break.

3. In addition, with all of our staff being here in the evening, we will need to ask that parents do not use the staff parking lot. Thank you.

Division 8 (Mr. Bowden/Ms. Carruth’s class) will be performing at the NVSD Intermediate Music Festival being held at the Centennial Theatre between 12:15 and 1:30 on Wednesday February 25. The Senior and Junior Band will be performing at the District Band Festival on Thursday, March 5th at Mountainside Secondary School. We’re already coming to the end of the second term! On Friday, March 6, the second term report cards will be sent home. Teachers will be in contact with parents they need to meet with after Spring Break as there are no scheduled conferences this term.

GUNG HEI FAT CHOY!

UPPER LYNN ELEMENTARY NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 19, 2015

The Upper Lynn School Community serves to assist each and every student in realizing their full potential in an atmosphere that promotes healthy, intellectual, emotional, social and physical growth.

Upper Lynn School Goals for 2014 - 2015 Our school goals, established by our School Planning Council last Spring, remain in place. The goals are as follows:

• To increase literacy skills

• To increase students’ knowledge and understanding of Mathematics

• To increase students’ awareness of social responsibility

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National Family Literacy Week: During Upper Lynn’s Family Literacy “15 minutes of fun” week, we had many successful literacy events and special guests, including:

• Guest Speaker: Mr. John Lewis, Superintendent, North Vancouver School District 44 & Intermediate Lunch Bunch

• Gr 1 & Kindergarten Evening Pajama Story Time • Lunchtime bookmark making, followed by a Literacy

Assembly with a surprise Guest Speaker (Mrs. Martins herself!)

• Lunchtime Gr 2 & 3 Teddy Bear Picnic Ms. Ieke would like to thank you all for your support making Upper Lynn’s Family Literacy Week such a success! Team Finn: Pajamas for a Cause On February 18th, staff and students at Upper Lynn Elementary wore pajamas to support Team Finn, and it was suggested that students donate a loonie or a toonie toward this valuable cause. All of the money raised goes toward BC Children’s Hospital Oncology Department for a variety of their ongoing projects. We’re happy to announce that the school collected over $900 toward this wonderful project! Visit the Team Finn website for more information at http://www.teamfinn.com

Heads Up for Volleyball Upper Lynn sponsored seven volleyball teams this season: Grade 6 Girls Team 1 and 2, Grade 6 Boys, Grade 7 Girls Team 1 and 2, and Grade 7 Boys Team 1 and 2. The participating students had an opportunity to improve their volleyball skills and play against other teams from schools in our district. Upper Lynn students have been doing an especially great job of representing Upper Lynn in the community by demonstrating good sports conduct at all times. And most of all, it’s been fun! Many thanks to our volunteer teachers, parents and Argyle Leadership Students who coached teams: Mrs. Alden and Mrs. Fulton; Mrs. Lambie and Mrs. Mealing; Mrs. Tindle and Mrs. Burris and Hayley, McKenzie, Caitlin, Aislynn; Mrs. Mitchell and Mrs. Murray-Driver, and Matthias and Savannah. Also, a big thank you to all the staff members who sponsored the teams at their games. Student Registration/ Transfer Requests 2015 - 2016 School Year Important Dates New Registrations - Grades 1 through 12

The most current registration deadline for priority placement is March 6, 2015.

All registrations require the following documents: Student’s original birth certificate, (if not born in Canada, bring proof of citizenship, passport and Permanent Resident Card) Proof of current residence at the date of application (BC Hydro bill, Purchase agreement, or if Tenancy agreement, to also include a letter from the landlord and a copy of the landlord’s Hydro Bill) A copy of the report card from the previous school is also required.

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Late French Immersion Registrations - Grade 6 Entry Late French Immersion is designed for non-French speaking students. Following two years in Grade 6 and 7 at the elementary level, Late French Immersion students complete their bilingual program with their peers from the Early French Immersion program at a secondary French Immersion school. Registration for Late French Immersion deadline is March 6, 2015. Student Transfer Requests Students requesting a transfer from one North Vancouver school to another North Vancouver school must submit a Transfer Request Form between January 21, 2015 and March 6, 2015 for priority placement. The Transfer Request form will be available at all school offices, the North Vancouver School District 44 website, and Central Registration as of January 2015. All transfer forms must be submitted in person to the Central Registration Office. Please bring proof of new address. Following March 6, 2015, no further transfer requests will be accepted unless the student has moved into the requested catchment area. Continuing Students Students currently attending schools in North Vancouver are not required to apply annually to continue their registration in their current school. Grade 7 to 8 Transfer Requests Grade 7 students who would like to attend a secondary school other than their designated feeder school must complete a transfer form and submit it to the Central Registration office prior to March 6, 2015. Placement will depend on space and facilities availability. To register your child for this year or next year, you can find all the help you need at the North Vancouver District website: http://www.sd44.ca/Schools/StudentRegistration/Pages/default.aspx, or call the Central Registration office at 604-903-3368. Getting greener: organic waste disposal and schools

As you likely know, the Metro-Vancouver-wide effort to keep food scraps out of the landfill is now in full gear. All schools are expected to fully comply with Metro Vancouver's organic waste disposal ban. To do this, we are preparing to roll out new, compartmentalized waste receptacles in all our schools later this spring. “Organics only”, “Waste Only”, “Mixed Recyclables” and “Paper” will each receive a designated bin to simplify sorting.

Located in hallways and high traffic areas, the receptacles will allow for staff, students and even visitors to send waste in the right direction. From apple cores to pizza boxes, by keeping organic waste out of the landfill, Metro Vancouver expects to achieve an overall 70% recycling rate in 2015, and up to 80% by the year 2020. By diverting organics from the landfill, methane, a potent greenhouse gas, will be reduced in the atmosphere (deprived of adequate oxygen to promote the decay process, food waste rotting in landfills produces methane). Even better is the boost to agriculture that will come from this new source of compost.

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Educational materials are being developed to help everyone understand the importance and necessity of this initiative and staff will be advised as soon as they are available. We do recognize that this represents a change in habits and behaviours, but we hope that with everyone’s support, the transition happening all over the Lower Mainland will be straightforward in our schools. As noted above, the Metro Vancouver ban makes it mandatory to keep organics waste out of the landfill, and we want to avoid any possible penalties that could be imposed down the road for non-compliance. Thank you for your support! LINKS: www.sd44.ca/announcements Parent Activities in our Family of Schools

Parent Information Night: Building Resiliency

Date: March 2nd Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm Where: Boundary Elementary Small Gym – 750 East 26th Street Admission: by donation to Boundary’s PAC Please register by emailing boundary.pac.chair@gmail.com We live in a fast paced, dynamic ever-changing world and children today are feeling stress like never before. Resiliency is the key skill that all children need to learn and develop in order to be able to THRIVE not just SURVIVE. Sadly, mental health statistics tell us that some young adults are ill prepared for the challenges that they will face in the world today. Teaching your child resiliency in the face of change and disappointment will help them to be more mentally healthy and successful. On March 2nd, Debbie Pearmain (HBSW, HR Mngmt) will present what resiliency is and why it is important, as well as introduce you to some tools to help you become more resilient as parents. The key to a child’s successful learning of any skill is effective teaching, role modeling and coaching from parents. Debbie has a Human Resources consulting company (One Stop HR) that specializes in Change management, personal development, developing culture and high performing workplace teams. She is a certified Level 2 Master Facilitator. She also works with Global Knowledge, the world's largest training organization, as their Leadership and Business skills facilitator, BCIT as a teacher and organizational consultant, Shepell FGI as a mental health/wellness facilitator/coach and a parenting coach. She is passionate about helping people and organizations reach their full potential both in work and life. Argyle Re-build What: Argyle PAC meeting When: Monday March 2 John Lewis is coming to the Argyle PAC meeting to talk about the latest update re: the potential construction of a new Argyle. Those most affected will probably be students currently in the elementary schools. Parents from the feeder school are most certainly invited. UPPER LYNN GRADE 7 SPRING CLOTHING DRIVE Watch for clothing donation bags coming home soon for our spring Grade 7 Clothing Drive! Maybe over Spring Break have a review of your closets, and put together any gently used clothing items you wish to donate. Drop off won’t be until April 24th – just a heads up if you’re looking for some spring cleaning to do over the break. Thank you for your support,

BC Green Games Project (Science World) One of Ms. Brook’s Kindergarten students has submitted a project to the BC Green Games, and if 'voters go on-line' (see link and info below) the class could win $1000 or a free trip to Science World. You can view the project here: http://www.bcgreengames.ca/entityform/85?token=87d86d559ee53861196470fb09154be5&id=85 Thank you BCGG Team

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North Vancouver School District

Band & Strings Festival

March 4 & 5, 2015Mountainside Secondary

3365 Mahon AvenueNorth Vancouver

Daytime9:00am-3:00pm

Check with your school for specific

performance times.

Evening Performance March 5 at 7:00pm

Guest performance by Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble

Evening Performance proudly sponsored by the North Vancouver Elementary Band & Strings Parent

Association and Tom Lee Music