Volume 7
March 2017
Lord Kitchener Elementary School 3455 West King Edward Avenue Vancouver, BC V6S 0C7
Tel: 604-713-5454 Fax: 604-713-5457
http://go.vsb.bc.ca/schools/kitchener
The students and staff of Lord Kitchener school acknowledge that we live, learn and work on the
traditional lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Coast Salish peoples.
A Musqueam
Welcome
2017 Basketball Season
Congratulations to the students on all four of our basketball teams for working hard throughout the season to
develop teamwork and basketball skills. We owe a big thanks to our coaches who all did a fabulous job of
developing our athletes. We so appreciate the time and energy that each of the coaches and sponsors volunteered
to support our teams. Thank you to each of our excellent Scorekeepers and Timekeepers.
Many thanks goes to:
Junior Girls—Chris Nelson, Coach and Ms. Steer, Team Sponsor
Junior Boys—Ross Gurney and Cam Nelson, Coaches and Ms. Acs, Ms. Luke & Ms. WH, Team Sponsors
Senior Girls—Ms. Wilson-Haffenden, Coach and Sponsor
Senior Boys—Ms. Wilson-Haffenden and Wendy Epp, Co-Coaches
Jr. Boys Sr. Boys
Jr. Girls Sr. Girls
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February at Lord Kitchener
In Division 6, Grade 4/5s
Solving hands on Math problems Ready, Set, Learn activities
for young children and their parents
Lunar New Year The VSB Flooring Crew
Happy Lunar New Year Announcers: Ryan, Varon, Lucas, Chloe & Ms. Carswell
Crafts with Parents
Message from PAC (Parents Advisory Council)
Time is flying by and Spring break is almost here! Please note there will not be a PAC meeting this month due to the break, but we will look forward to seeing you at our next PAC meeting on April 19th.
PAC is very pleased to bring Saleema Noon to the school - for both parents and students - after the break. Saleema is a renowned sexual health educator, and you can learn more about her and her programs on http://www.saleemanoon.com/. She will be giving a talk for parents on Monday, April 3, at 6:30pm. Please stay tuned for information regarding how to reserve your spot for this important session. Saleema will also be visiting with each grade; these sessions are scheduled between March 28th and April 5th.
PAC is looking for a person (or two!) to take over the Chair position for 2017-18. If you are interested, curious, or know someone who would be great for this position, please email me at [email protected].
Thanks and have a great break! Lisa and Simon
Earth Week
Kitchener’s annual celebration of all things sustainable is just around the corner. The students will be planning fun activities to get everyone thinking about the earth, the environment and how we can do our part. Last year, parent volunteers helped rally the Kitchener community to collect 65 garbage bags full of clothing and textiles - diverting them from landfill and raising funds for Canadian Diabetes. The students also helped to collect and count thousands of plastic bags for the Plastic Bag Grab Challenge. Want to get involved this year? Have a few hours to help out or an idea for a school-wide activity?
We’d love to hear from you - contact Chris Shorthouse [email protected]
Screenagers at Jules Quesnel on Tuesday Mar 7th
Don't Miss this Community Family Event:
École Jules Quesnel is hosting a screening of “Screenagers, Growing up in a Digital Age”
Tuesday March 7th, at 7pm in Lord Byng Auditorium The cost is $12 per person; $7 for students 12 years old and under .Tix available on Eventbrite or at the door Community Friends Welcome!
Outdoor Classroom
WEEKLY OUTDOOR CLASSROOM CLEAN UP
Starting Thursday March 30th, we will be having weekly after school (3pm - 4:30pm) cleanup work parties in the garden. Parents and students are welcome. No gardening experience necessary - just an interest in making the garden beautiful for spring. We have some tools to share but you are welcome to bring your own shovel, trowel, gloves, secatuers.
Clean up is weather dependent and we will send an email to Outdoor Classroom volunteers if the session is cancelled. Email [email protected] if you would like to be added to the list. Drop-ins are welcome!
EARTHBITES SPRING MARKET TUESDAY MARCH 7th
Students will be hosting a Spring Market Tuesday March 7th after school! Bring cash to purchase pins, candles, lip balms, local honey, raspberry and wild rose canes, yummy Bee Bite snacks and a delicious drink.
Pre-orders are being accepted by email. If you haven't received a copy of the form, contact [email protected] for information.
All proceeds from the sale support the operation of the Outdoor Classroom and to purchase supplies for EarthBites' snacks.
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EARTHBITES’ STUDENTS ARE BUSY BEES Prior to the winter break the EarthBites team were busy preserving the harvest and exploring preserved foods we can eat in the fall. Primary students enjoyed apple pie & pizza popcorn & intermediate students helped to make chickpea hummus. Students experimented with extending the growing season by building hoop houses and growing winter veggies. Primary students helped beautify the garden by planting spring bulbs. We also focused on building immunity with ingredients like nettle, ginger, honey & miso. EarthBites current session focuses on pollination, honey & growing seeds. This session runs from February – March 28th. Your RHN (Registered Holistic Nutritionist), Britte Nielsen, is exploring with students & teachers how bees help us grow food & the health benefits of honey created by our honey bees. Primaries will be tasting local honey (clover honey, raspberry honey & wildflower honey + pollen). Intermediate students will be helping to make no bake energy bites using honey, oats & sunflower seeds. Your urban farmer is helping students plant lots of bee friendly flowers, herb & veggies seeds. Students will then care for these seeds in the classroom, observing when & how they germinate. Seedlings will be planted in the garden throughout the Spring season. Stay tuned for our adventures spring & summer gardening.
EARTHBITES VOLUNTEERS WELCOME!
Take advantage of an opportunity to get involved with the EarthBites program while learning about nutrition and growing food. Gardening and nutrition knowledge in not required. Volunteers help by ensuring students are making safe choices (when using tools either in the garden or in the class), helping students carry out instructions (planting seeds, mixing snacks), cleaning up after class and helping to prepare for the next class.
Email Krista at [email protected] for information on how to sign up for a class.
BUSY BEE BITES
Ingredients
¾ cup sunflower seeds
1 tbsp sunflower or olive oil, up to 2 tbsp if needed
2 tbsp honey
¼ cup cranberries, currants, dried apple or apricot pieces, raisins, or other dried fruit ¾ cup rolled oats ¼ tsp cinnamon Pinch sea salt
Directions 1. Place sunflower seeds into a small food processor and process until flour-like, approximately 2 minutes. 2. Add oil and continue to process until mixture sticks together, approximately 2 minutes. Scrape sides down with a spatula. 3. Measure in honey and pulse to blend. 4. Add in dried rolled oats, dried fruit, cinnamon, and salt, and blend 1-2 minutes or until mixed to desired consistency. 5. Scrape mixture from sides of bowl and use hands to form into 1.5” balls. 6. Makes up to 25 2.5cm (1”) balls or 15 3.75cm (1.5”) balls. 7. Enjoy!
Foods in bold depend on bee pollination. Thank you for the yummy snack, bees!
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2017-2018 School Enrolment Projections and Class Placement Process
During the winter and spring terms schools begin the process of gathering information that is used to plan for the upcoming school year. Since November 2016 we have been accepting registrations for new Kindergarten students. In January we sent home a form to parents asking whether their child(ren) will return to the school in September 2017. All of this information is used to predict the number of students who will be attending our school next September. This is called the enrollment projection.
Our enrollment projection for Lord Kitchener School is made up of:
-The new kindergarten registrants
-Students who are new to our neighbourhood
-The number of students who will be returning to school in September (based on parent responses)
-Cross Boundary students who are accepted if there is space in our classes
It is important that our enrolment projections are as accurate as possible since the Vancouver School Board provides staffing (teaching and support staff) based on the number of students who are registered at our school. If the number of students who return to the school in September is lower than our enrolment projection, the Vancouver School Board may require us to reduce the number of staff members at our school.
Once the enrolment projections are made, we will start the process of organizing students into carefully designed classes. A form will be sent home in May 2017, inviting parents to provide input about their child’s learning strengths, areas for growth and friendships that support learning. The staff will use this information to assist in placing each child into classes for September 2017. This is not an invitation to request specific teachers.
Placement of children into classes is a very thorough process that begins in the spring term and continues through the first week of September. The goal of the class placement process is to use the combined knowledge of the staff and parents to place each child into an optimal learning environment with a balance of students in each class. Many of the students at Lord Kitchener School will be placed in combined classes of students (for example, a combination of Grade 4 and 5 students in one class).
David Zhou took the
1st place in Grade 4 section at
2017 BC Chess Challenge Regional Qualifier #2 in Richmond on February 11th.
Please accept our heartiest congratulations David.
EddyZhou in Division 5 had a very successful piano performance at Carnegie Hall in New York .
Thank You
A special thank you goes to the parents and children who
prepared delicious treats for the staff during the recent Goal Setting Conferences in February. The staff would like to express their appreciation to the following
parents and children: Ashley
and Lily Horlock, Julia Asselstine, Caroline Calvert, Debbie Chatzispiros and Sarah Thin.
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Contact Information
Principal: Catherine Feniak 604-713-5454
Vice-Principal: Ankie Carswell 604-713-5454
Administrative Assistant:
Extra Clerical:
Kim Roe
Dawn Lincoln
604-713-5454
604-713-5454
Director of Instruction: Ellen Roberts 604-713-4594
Badminton
Each winter students in grades 6 and 7 have the opportunity to learn how to play Badminton, a racquet game that is very popular at Kitchener.
Over the past few weeks these students have been involved in a badminton tournament which highlights all of the badminton skills, strategies and sportsmanship that they have been learning throughout the season. Congratulations to each of the participants. Here are photos of our tournament champions.
A big thanks goes to Ms. Langmuir and Ms. Wilson-Haffenden for coaching these fine players daily before school and at lunchtime!
Welcome Mr. Robertson
Last week we
welcomed Mr.
Robertson to our
school. He will be co-teaching with Ms. Langmuir, Mr. Bruechert, Ms. Steer/Ms. Akita and Ms. Vaz and providing support to the students of Divisions 1, 2, 3 and 8 each Wednesday and Thursday. Mr. Robertson is currently a teacher of a Grade 5/6/7 class at Charles Dickens Elementary in Vancouver. We are very pleased that Mr. Robertson has joined our staff.
No Parking Zones Around the School
A reminder to parents/guardians who are driving their child to school to follow the City of Vancouver rules when dropping off your children around the perimeter of the school. You can park your car for up to 5 minutes to drop off your child. If you park around the perimeter of the school for longer than 5 minutes. you could be fined.
Section 3: If your vehicle stops, and is not loading or unloading passengers, it is parked, whether it is occupied or not.
Section 17.6A (a): You can stop in a No Parking zone for up to five
minutes to load or unload passengers, or materials.
Exception: Section 17.6A (b): Motorists with a valid parking permit
for people with disabilities - a SPARC placard - can use No Parking
zones for up to 30 minutes for loading and unloading passengers, or
materials.
Ms. WH, Ryan T., Ryan Y., Ms. Langmuir Madeline C and Kieran P Madeline C and Amy M
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Math Club
Many thanks to parent Andrew Woo for coordinating the Math Club and for sharing his love of Math with
Kitchener students for the past 6 years!
“On February 15, Melania, a mathematician from UBC visited the Lord Kitchener Elementary math club and we got to solve some very interesting puzzles. The first puzzle represented the things that a real life mathematician would do. We were given a bunch of wooden cubes and some clues. The clues would guide you to put which blocks together, on top, or other things. This may seem simple, but the challenge was to follow all the clues to add up to one structure in the end that met all the criteria. The second puzzle was about dominoes, where you had to place dominoes on a sheet. There were many possibilities on the page, but you had to keep trying until you fit all the dominoes perfectly into the page. I personally do not think math is very interesting, but this way of doing it made it very fun and challenging at the same time.” By Marcus W., Division 2
Kitchener was in the Pink on February 22nd—Pink Shirt/Anti Bullying Day
On Pink Shirt Day, Wednesday February 22, Lord Kitchener ME to WE club, lead by grade 6/7 teachers Ms. Luke and Ms. Akita, held a bake sale to raise money for the Pink Shirt Day Foundation, an organization that works to raise awareness around bullying. The fundraiser was a great success and together we raised $275! That's a lot of money and it shows how committed everyone who took part in the bake sale is to stopping bullying. By Sophia G.
Math Club in Action
Lunar New Year Celebrations at Lord Kitchener. The Year of the Rooset.
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Destination Imagination
In the Destination Imagination Lower Mainland Regional Tournament on Feb 24th, "DI Productions", with team members Ashlyn, Charlotte, Eva, Alvin, Austin and Theo from grade 4 and 5 representing Lord Kitchener, won Third place in the Scientific Category in both Central and Instant Challenge in the elementary level.
The team created and performed a presentation on a secret mission using the scientific methods of cryptography and steganography. The team is especially excited as they have been preparing for the tournament since September last year and this is their first time competing. From disagreements to working as a team, they had a lot of fun in between.
Best of luck to the team in the Provincial Tournament on April 8th in Surrey!
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APRIL 2017
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
2 3 -PAC Hot Lunch -Saleema Noon Parent Evening 6:30-8pm
4 -Earthbites Div. 13,14,12 -Gr 1,3,5,7 Saleema Noon 9am-12:00pm
5 - Gr K, 2, 4 Saleema Noon 9am-2pm
6 -PAC Hot Lunch
7 PRO D DAY NO SCHOOL
8
9 10 -PAC Hot Lunch
11 -Earthbites Div. 15, 16, 3
12 -Pizza Day
13 -PAC Hot Lunch
14 GOOD FRIDAY
NO SCHOOL
15
16 17 -EASTER
NO SCHOOL
18 -Earthbites Div. 5, 18, 17 -Gymnastics begins through to May 1st
19 -PAC Meeting 7pm in the library
20 21 -Spirit Team Day Dress like your favourite celebrity day
22
23 24 -Gymnastics continues all week
25 -Earthbites Div. 10, 11 9
26 27 28 29
MARCH 2017
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 -Gr 5-7s BC Lions –Vision Screening for Ks 9:15am -Gr 6 Sea to Sky Presentation
2 -PAC Hot Lunch -Div. 17 & 18 Waterfront Theatre
3 -Pizza Day -Div 9 & 10 Scientist in Residence
4
5 6 -PAC Hot Lunch -Gr 1/2 Community
Aquazon
7 -Curling Gr 7s -Earthbites Div. 6,7,2 -Earthbites Market 3pm
8 -Class Photos @ 9:00am -Div. 9 & 10 Scientist in Residence
9 -PAC Hot Lunch –Ks Hearing Screening 9:15am
10 -Report Cards go home -Spirit Team Day “Twin Day”
11
12 Daylight Savings Time Spring forward 1 hour
13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20
21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 -Gr 6s Saleema Noon 9-Recess “Family Life” -Earthbites Div. 3,4,1
29 30 31
1
SPRING BREAK
SPRING BREAK
GR 6 Sea to Sky Outdoor School