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November 29 2013 www.newwestnewsleader.com
could a chic, geek hair salon be coming to new West? See Page A22
Council keeps Q2Q options open Grant Granger
ggranger@newwestnewsleader.com
mArIo bArTeL/NeWSLeADer
squeaky and bear are important characters in nadejda vassev’s junior kindergarten class at urban academy. she uses her skills as a master puppeteer to tell stories, perform songs and help the kids work out conflicts amongst themselves.
Squeaky and Bear head to Ottawa New West teacher and her puppets win Prime Minister’s Award mario bartel
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Puppets helped Nadejda Vassev channel her childhood interest in performing. They helped get her a university education, then paid her way travelling through Europe. They helped her learn English and land her first job in Canada after emigrating from her native Bulgaria. And now they’ve helped her earn recognition with a certificate of
achievement in the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Early Childhood Education. Vassev has been teaching junior kindergarten at Urban Academy in New Westminster for the past six years. It’s not exactly the career she envisioned when she was studying for her masters in puppeteering in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, but, she says, as her skills and knowledge evolved, it’s the fulfilment of her dream. Puppets play a big role in her classroom for three and four-year olds. She has a small theatre and
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uses puppets every day to tell stories and perform songs. And she employs a pair of special puppets, Squeaky and Bear, to help the kids solve conflicts and disputes amongst themselves. “They teach kids to see things from a different perspective,” says Vassev. “They feel powerful when they can work out their disputes.” Giving kids the tools to develop socially and emotionally makes them better students, says Sonja Kennedy, the director of marketing at Urban Academy.
“By empowering kids, it lets them dream big,” says Kennedy, who calls Vassev one of the school’s “shining stars.” In fact, she’s one of only 21 early childhood educators from across Canada to win this year’s Prime Minister’s Award. Six of them are from British Columbia. Each was invited to Ottawa for a meeting with the Prime Minister, a tour of Parliament Hill and other special events, to go along with a cash prize. twitter.com/newsleaderfotog
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The city should build the Quayside to Queensborough (Q2Q) pedestrian and bike crossing option it already has the funds for, instead of chasing money for a more elaborate one. That’s the opinion of Coun. Chuck Puchmayr, but his view was in the minority when council met on Monday. Puchmayr wants the city to proceed with a Q2Q that would connect with the Southern Railway of B.C. (SRY) swing bridge. The cost estimate is $5 million, which would be easily covered by the approximately $6.3 million expected to be available from casino Development Assistance Compensation (DAC) funds for the project. That money, however, is contingent on the crossing being completed by Dec. 31, 2016. Please see CouNCIL, A3 COMPREHENSIVE EYE EXAMS Single Vision 95 $ Lenses with Frames Bifocal Vision Lenses with Frames
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