September 2013 Mini Gryphon

Volume 5 Issue 1

September 2013

IN THIS ISSUE: From the Headmaster

2

Annual Giving Donors

3

Meadowridge by Moonlight

4

New Family Orientation

6

Meadowridge Parent Socials

7

PYP House Picnic

8

Annual Giving Update

9

Week Without Walls

10

Library Update

15

Spirit Day

THE START OF A SPECTACULAR SCHOOL YEAR The new school year is marked by potential; students, parents and staff arrive on the first day filled with excitement and anticipation for what’s to come. The new school year brings with it the new classes, opportunities, challenges and connections which will shape us in the upcoming year. Meadowridge, likewise, provides many wonderful opportunities. With something to look forward to every day, the possibilities are endless!

Already, we’ve celebrated our first Spirit Day, picnicked with our PYP community, camped out with our MYP and DP community, commenced our extracurricular and sports programmes, and started the year’s learning. Already, our community has been provided with the potential to learn, to connect, to have fun, and to grow.

We hope that everyone has had a wonderful September and we look forward to what’s to come in the 2013-2014 school year!

16

Remembering Terry Fox

17

Student Achievements

18

Parent Guild Update

20

Feast-ival

21

Around Meadowridge

22

Writing Contest

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.

23

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

Page 2 | September 2013

FROM THE HEADMASTER

Actions from the Administrative Team

I thought it might be interesting this year just to let people know what the teachers and staff are doing in the background in order to make sure our school continues to be educationally challenging, fun, safe, and transparent. Here are some items that we considered at our last administration meeting…

1. Anaphylaxis policy: We reviewed and passed a more comprehensive anaphylaxis policy, making certain that we had every possible safeguard in place for children who might get these severe allergic reactions, including individual plans, medication, and identification.

2. Ministry of Education Inspection: We reviewed and completed our preparation for an inspection from the Ministry of Education…the Office of the Inspector of Independent Schools. This happens every seven years, and an inspection team will spend a number of days going over all facets of our school. This is only done with independent schools – public schools have no such checks. It takes some time to get ready, but it helps to ensure the quality of independent schools, so we are very supportive of this process. The Team will be here in mid-October.

3. Risk Management Policies: We revised our Risk Management Policies for all aspects of the school, and are completing an insurance audit to make sure that we follow best practices in all risk areas. This will be brought forward for Board review next month.

4. Administrative team goals: We set our goals for the year, and worked with teachers on their goals… this helps to bring alignment and focus to our work together in the school, and allows for measurement of accomplishment. As we accomplish our goals, we ensure that we are really living our school’s Vision.

5. Child Abuse protocols: We reviewed the Child Abuse protocols from the Ministry of Families, to ensure legal compliance.

6. External examination scores: We discussed the external examination scores from all sources in the past year, and have conducted an item analysis that will guide our ongoing work in ensuring educational excellence.

I would invite any parent who would like to know anything more about any of this to speak directly with me, Mr. Parker, or any of the Directors.

Thank you.

Mr. Hugh Burke, Headmaster

FROM THE DEPUTY HEADMASTER

The Kiss & Go Zone and 96 Steps to Independence...

Poppy is in Kindergarten and takes the bus. Each morning I get to greet her and on some days, walk her to class. It’s a highlight of my day.

Likewise, having the opportunity to meet parents in the “Kiss & Go” Zone, and help students unload and embark on their day, is a pleasure.

Today, we measured and it’s 96 “Poppy-steps” from the curb to the PYP entrance.

I know that as parents it’s important to ensure our children are well supported and have a positive start to their day. I also understand that “today’s child” carries with them more and more equipment and often the child is smaller than the backpack they carry.

However, I’d like to remind all parents that during peak hours, the “Kiss & Go” Zone is for immediate drop off and unloading. This means that you are requested to not leave your vehicle.

I have reminded students that they are actually required to “kiss” (or at least thank) their parents before they hurry off to classes.

If your child is young and/or new to the school, I know that seeing them off can be challenging and it sometimes creates anxiety (sometimes more for the parent than the child).

As we move into October however, I would ask that you contemplate the value of honouring your child’s “96 steps to independence” and allowing them, after sufficient hugs and adjustments to backpacks, to make their own way to the school entrance so that we may honour the spirit of our “Kiss & Go” Zone.

- Mr. Jason Parker, Deputy Headmaster

Page 3 | June 2013

ANNUAL GIVING DONORS Thank You For Contributing!

Our Newest Contributors

Mrs. Hallie Fraser

Mr. & Mrs. Patrick & Barbara Niwa

Mr. & Mrs. Catalin & Florica Alexandru

Drs. Deepu & Reena George

Mr. David Noble

Mr. Tim Coleman & Miss Tessa Bainbridge

Mr. Bob Gill & Mrs. Diana Carwithen

Ms. Danielle NoĂŤl

Mr. & Mrs. Chris & Jodi Barrass

Mr. Kenneth Go & Mrs. Connie Chow-Go

Ms. Angela Pallister

Mr. Mori Favor & Ms. Julie Mantini

Dr. & Mrs. Daniel Gouws & Kimberley Buchanan-Gouws

Mr. Alan Sharda, Ms. Zebeen Panju & Azynah

Mr. Yong Gang Hong & Mrs. Vivian Liu Mr. Federico Lopez & Ms. Claudia Martinez

Mr. & Mrs. Alan & Marlene Graveson

Mr. Jack Ma & Mrs. Helen Shao

Mr. & Mrs. Warwick & Carolyn Green

Mr. Jason Parker & Mrs. Nancy Vertel

Mr. & Mrs. Craig & Natalie Gunning

Mr. Mauricio Penteado & Mrs. Tania Shepelska

Mr. & Mrs. Don & Linda Hincks

Mr. & Mrs. Sheetal & Seema Rawal

Ms. Cindy Hops

Mr. & Mrs. Sylvester & Nirmala Solanki

Mr. Mark Grant & Mrs. Carrie Hughes-Grant

Mr. Leo Verlaan

Dr. Geoffrey Hutchinson & Dr. Sarah Charney

Mr. Shanhai Zhao & Mrs. Li Wan

Mr. John Hwang & Mrs. Catherine Kim

Ongoing Donors

Mr. & Mrs. Ty & Jadina Irving

Mr. Ke Bai & Mrs. Ye Hu

Ms. Lynelle Johns

Mrs. Kristal Bereza

Mr. Kevin Kennedy

Dr. Michael Orser & Ms. Christine Bickle

Drs. Murthy & Anu Korada

Prof. Nicholas Blomley & Ms. Jessie Hill

Mr. Hyeok-Sang Kwon & Mrs. Ji-Yeon Ahn

Mr. Rhys Clarke & Mrs. Julie Bournival

Mr. & Mrs. Al-Karim & Zain Lalji

Mrs. Michelle Brookshaw

Drs. Ockie Lampen & Kathy Robson

Mr. Hugh Burke & Ms. Eva Boyd

Mr. & Mrs. Tom & Rhonda Laurie

Mr. Richard Choi & Mrs. Angie Lee

Mr. Daniel Le Page

Mr. Roy Choi & Mrs. Jeong-Mi Ryu

Mr. & Mrs. Darrell & Kim Lester

Mr. Mark Conaghan

Mr. Jinsong Liu and Ms. Xiaoxue Sun

Mr. & Mrs. Jeff & Katherine Crawford

Ms. Xiao Hong Zhou

Dr. Malcolm Crozier & Mrs. Alicia Osorio Bustos

Drs. Samir & Sangita Malhotra

Mr. Avio Diniz & Ms. Patricia Lapointe

Mr. Gareth Mason & Ms. Carolyn Treger

Mr. Terry Donaldson

Ms. Sherrie Metz

Dr. & Mrs. Bill & Barbara Durno

Mr. & Mrs. Harrison & Christy Mooney

Mr. Jay Fraser

Mr. Michael Nice

Mr. James Marriott

Mr. & Mrs. Terrance & Moira Passley Mr. & Mrs. Philip & Nicola Pitzey Mr. & Mrs. Igor & Katerina Pogrebinsky Mr. George Read & Ms. Fay Kingwill Mrs. Jada Sawatzky Ms. Jennifer Maynes Mr. & Mrs. Justin & Jennifer Simpson Mr. Troy Sobotka & Ms. Andrea Frisby Mr. & Mrs. Dennis & Norma-Jean Spika Mr. & Mrs. Scott & Yoshimi Spurgeon Mr. Kefei Tan & Mrs. May Guo Mr. & Ms. Peter & Alison Thompson Michael & Young Fly Shop (The Tsuyuki Family) Mr. & Mrs. Julian & Marilyn Turner Mr. & Mrs. David & Lyn Tyler Dr. & Mrs. Hanif & Sophie Ukani Ms. Michelle Vally Mr. Leo Verlaan Ms. Tamara Warner Mr. & Mrs. Rick & Susan Waugh Dr. & Mrs. Lawrence & Tracey Welsh Mr. & Mrs. Paul & Kalie Whitaker Ms. Samantha Coates Mr. William Wong & Ms. Tina Lee Mr. Feng Xu & Mrs. Shuo Chen Ms. Gilda Zivec

The above donors are recognized for their gifts to Annual Giving for the current school year and donation processed prior to September 15th, 2013.

Page 4 | September 2013

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

You’re Invited!

One of the greatest things about our school is the community – the gathering together of parents, staff and teachers who join in common cause to provide the best possible education for the children, who get to know each other, who support each other’s children, who stand together during games, who drive our children to events, who gather on the playground, who attend school events together, and who create the reality of a caring community. During the year, we will meet each other in the mornings, at coffee, and at small gatherings (my wife and I will be hosting small parties for each grade group at our house). We will come to a variety of other school events. We will be together as parents and as friends.

The Gala is a celebration of our school and of ourselves as a community. It is our chance to be adults together, to dress up, to eat and drink, dance and chat, raise money and celebrate. It is our chance to join together in a different way, to come to know each other better, and to share in the wellbeing our children feel within our school. It is a celebration of who we are together, and of our shared values. The Gala is joyful fun in support of our school, and all are welcome who join with us in that joy and that support…and that fun.

I hope that all of you will join my wife and myself, our Board, our teachers and staff, and the other parents in this celebration… See you there!

Sincerely, Hugh Burke

A 1920S INSPIRED EVENING IN SUPPORT OF MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL

Page 5 | June 2013

GALA SPONSORSHIP & TICKET FORM SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

 I would like to be a DIAMOND SPONSOR - $10,000 ONLY 2 AVAILABLE! A 1920’S INSPIRED EVENING SCHOOL A 1920S INSPIRED EVENINGININSUPPORT SUPPORTOF OFMEADOWRIDGE MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL

SUBTOTAL: $________

THIS SPONSORSHIP INCLUDES:

• Eight Gala Tickets (includes: Champagne Reception, Gourmet Plated Dinner in the Pacific Ballroom, Dancing, Entertainment and Auction) • Fairmont Gold Accommodations for eight the night of November 23rd, 2013 • Four $100 Spa Gift Certificates for Absolute Spa at The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver • Limousine Service from anywhere in the Lower Mainland to and from the hotel SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES • Diamond Level Sponsorship Recognition Tax Receipt I• would like tofor be$5,500 a DIAMOND SPONSOR - $10,000 ONLY 2 AVAILABLE! SUBTOTAL: $________

GALA Gala SPONSORSHIP TICKET FORM Sponsorship &Information

Diamond Sponsor $10,000 - only 2 available! 

THIS SPONSORSHIP INCLUDES: Eight Gala Champagne Reception, Gourmet Plated Dinner in the Pacific Ballroom, Dancing, Entertainment and Auction)  • I would likeTickets to be(includes: a PLATINUM SPONSOR - $5,000 ONLY 3 AVAILABLE! • Fairmont Gold Accommodations for eight the night of November 23rd, 2013

SUBTOTAL: $________

THIS• SPONSORSHIP INCLUDES: Four $100 Spa Gift Certificates for Absolute Spa at The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

• Limousine Four Gala Service Tickets from (includes: Champagne Reception, Gourmet Plated in the Pacific Ballroom, Dancing, Entertainment and Auction) • anywhere in the Lower Mainland to and fromDinner the hotel • Diamond FairmontLevel GoldSponsorship Accommodations for four the night of November 23rd, 2013 • Recognition • for $5,500 • Tax TwoReceipt $100 Spa Gift Certificates for Absolute Spa at The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

• Limousine Service from anywhere in the Lower Mainland to and from the hotel Platinum Level I• would like to be Sponsorship a PLATINUMRecognition SPONSOR - $5,000 ONLY 3 AVAILABLE! • Tax Receipt for $2,500

Platinum Sponsor $5,000 - only 3 available! 

SUBTOTAL: $________

THIS SPONSORSHIP INCLUDES:

• Four Gala Tickets (includes: Champagne Reception, Gourmet Plated Dinner in the Pacific Ballroom, Dancing, Entertainment and Auction)

Fairmont Gold for four the- night of November 23rd, 2013  • I would like toAccommodations be a GOLD SPONSOR $2,500 ONLY 12 AVAILABLE!

SUBTOTAL: $________

• Two $100 Spa Gift Certificates for Absolute Spa at The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

THIS• SPONSORSHIP INCLUDES: Limousine Service from anywhere in the Lower Mainland to and from the hotel

• Platinum Two GalaLevel Tickets (includes: Champagne • Sponsorship RecognitionReception, Gourmet Plated Dinner in the Pacific Ballroom, Dancing, Entertainment and Auction) • Fairmont Gold Accommodations for two the night of November 23rd, 2013 • Tax Receipt for $2,500

• One $100 Spa Gift Certificate for Absolute Spa at The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver • Overnight Parking at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver I• would be a GOLD Recognition SPONSOR - $2,500 ONLY 12 AVAILABLE! Gold like LeveltoSponsorship THIS • SPONSORSHIP INCLUDES: Tax Receipt for $1,500

Gold Sponsor $2,500 - only 12 available! 

SUBTOTAL: $________

• Two Gala Tickets (includes: Champagne Reception, Gourmet Plated Dinner in the Pacific Ballroom, Dancing, Entertainment and Auction) • Fairmont Gold Accommodations for two the night of November 23rd, 2013 I would likeSpa to Gift be Certificate a SILVERforSPONSOR $1,250 ONLYHotel 24 AVAILABLE! SUBTOTAL: $________ • One $100 Absolute Spa- at The Fairmont Vancouver Overnight Parking at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver THIS• SPONSORSHIP INCLUDES: • Level Tickets Sponsorship Recognition • Gold Two Gala (includes: Champagne Reception, Gourmet Plated Dinner in the Pacific Ballroom, Dancing, Entertainment and Auction) • Tax Receipt for $1,500



• Fairmont Accommodations for two the night of November 23rd, 2013 • Overnight Parking at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver I• would toSponsorship be a SILVERRecognition SPONSOR - $1,250 ONLY 24 AVAILABLE! Silverlike Level Tax Receipt for $550 THIS • SPONSORSHIP INCLUDES:

Silver Sponsor $1,250 - only 24 available! 

SUBTOTAL: $________

• Two Gala Tickets (includes: Champagne Reception, Gourmet Plated Dinner in the Pacific Ballroom, Dancing, Entertainment and Auction) • Fairmont Accommodations for two the night of November 23rd, 2013 I would likeParking to sponsor the GalaHotel with a monetary donation of $_______ • Overnight at the Fairmont Vancouver • Silver Level Sponsorship Recognition All donations over $25 are eligible for a tax receipt and will go directly to the proceeds of the event to help support our children.

• Tax Receipt for $550



 I would likePURCHASE to sponsor the Gala with a monetary donation of $_______ TICKET

GalaI would Ticketlike$250 - only 150ticket(s) available!  to purchase _______ at $250 each

SUBTOTAL: $________

All donations over $25 are eligible for a tax receipt and will go directly to the proceeds of the event to help support our children.

ONLY 150 AVAILABLE!

SUBTOTAL: $________

SUBTOTAL: $________

GALA TICKET INCLUDES: • Champagne Reception TICKET PURCHASE

• Gourmet Plated Dinner in the Pacific Ballroom

 I• would like Entertainment to purchase _______ ticket(s) at $250 each Dancing, and Auction

ONLY 150 AVAILABLE!

GALA• TICKET INCLUDES: Tax Receipt for $65 • • • •

Champagne Reception Gourmet Plated Dinner in the Pacific Ballroom Dancing, Entertainment and Auction Tax Receipt for $65

Visit www.meadowridge.bc.ca/gala for more information.

SUBTOTAL: $________ TOTAL AMOUNT: $________

TOTAL AMOUNT: $________

Page 6 | September 2013

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

NEW FAMILY ORIENTATION New Families, New Friends, New Smiles!

What a wonderful feeling to see our new students and their families, filled with anticipation and curiosity, as they entered Meadowridge for the New Family Orientation Event on August 29th!

All 59 new students and their families (149 people in total!) that had joined us for the New Family Orientation Event were wholeheartedly embraced by the Meadowridge community. The Student Ambassadors and Senior Gryphon Council warmly welcomed the guests and helped to familiarize them with the school through fun and engaging activities for the students and comprehensive school tours for the parents.

The school staff and the school service providers hosted 19 information stations so that our new families could learn about what Meadowridge offers, have their questions clarified, and sign up for clubs and extracurricular programmes, all of which allowed families to get settled in before the first day of school. The teachers met with their new students and made them feel less worried about a new school and new routines and new exciting challenges ahead. Our newest member of the community, SAGE Dining Services, served delicious appetizers and fantastic

kids’ food. And, of course, the highlight of the event for our little ones were… the Meadowridge balloons! Every single child held it tightly while waving “see you soon!” to their new friends and teachers as they headed home.

We are very proud to welcome 79 new families this year, joining our community from Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Iran, South Korea, Taiwan, Ukraine, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and a many Canadian provinces.

We are also hosting three exchange students from France who came as part of OSEF exchange programme* and who will study with us for three months. This is another great indicator that Meadowridge continues to draw families nationally and internationally to our community, living up to our commitment to be a world-class school with world-class standards and expectations for our students and staff. * OSEF is a French student exchange association that promotes linguistic and cultural exchanges between France, Belgium and Spain and all Canadian provinces.

- Mrs. Tania Shepelska, Admissions Coordinator

ADMISSIONS DATES & NUMBERS 2014-2015 Re-Registration Parent Portal opens Monday, February 10, 2014 until Friday, February 21, 2014

86

The number of new students that joined Meadowridge at the beginning of September

2014-2015 Assessment Day Saturday, February 8, 2014

526

2014-2015 Total Number of Students as of September 11

9:00am to 11:00am

The time of our Open House on every Friday that school is in session.

89%

Thank you

to our student ambassadors and the Senior Gryphon Council for welcoming and supporting new families Lachlan N. (Grade10), Dasha P. (Grade 7), Alex N. (Grade 7), Tara T. (Grade 8), Imran K. (Grade 6), Inara K. (Grade 7) and Zain K. (Grade 9).

9

The percentage of students returning from last year

The number of schools in Canada that offer the full continuum of IB programmes (including Meadowridge).

Page 7 | June 2013

Meadowridge School Parent Social Invitations are coming soon!

Look for your invitation in this mailing of the Mini Gryphon to attend a social gathering at the home of Mr. Hugh Burke and Ms. Eva Boyd.

Save the Date GRADES 10 to 12

Thursday, October 17

Junior Kindergarten to GRADE 1 Thursday, December 12

GRADES 2 to 4

Thursday, January 16

GRADES 8 to 9 Thursday, February 13 Ms. Ca

GRADES 5 to 7

Thursday, February 27

Mrs. Nicole Lebrun

Mrs. Katie Carr

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

Page 8 | September 2013

ANNUAL GIVING UPDATE What an amazing start to yet another exciting school year. Seeing how smoothly the first few weeks went solidifies how fortunate we are to work with so many incredible families; and to teach their children who have once again filled the classes and halls with joy, bringing our school back to life. Although the building was a little empty this summer, we were busy, especially our facilities staff who were working hard to put your Annual Giving dollars to use in time for September.

With that, we are nearly finished the entire gym project. Only the final touches await and we are anticipating a December completion date for the themed mural and recognition display. Thanks to your generosity we were able to fund the new floor, two new score clocks and new volleyball nets, equipment and hardware. All of our athletes appreciate your support. Haven’t put your name in our gym yet?

There is still time to support this important project and we will be accepting gifts towards the gym until December 1, 2013. Team sports are starting right away, so come on out and see for yourself what can be made possible through Annual Giving as you cheer your children on. Go Gryphons!

In addition to the gym, we are also adding things outside!

I am pleased to announce that we have finally received approval from the ALC to build the greenhouses which were funded by the 2010/2011 Annual Giving Campaign. The first of the two greenhouses will be built near the MYP area and is anticipated to be finished

by November, while the second will be located near the PYP area and the date of construction remains unknown. Our sincere thanks for your continued support of this project, and for your patience as we worked with the municipality to gain appropriate permissions for these additions. Much appreciated.

Since July, Annual Giving has raised over $50,000 towards the things your kids need most. For those of you who are continually supporting Annual Giving and enhancing the learning environment for every child at Meadowridge, thank you. As you will have noticed, we have recently issued our tax receipts for all gifts received between January 1 and June 30, 2013. For your information, as a regular matter tax receipts are issued twice annually, once in September for the first six months and once in February for the second six months of each calendar year. Tax receipts are addressed to the payee, so if a donation was made by your business, please expect to see those receipts mailed to that address. If there are any issues concerning the receipts you have been mailed recently, feel free to contact me directly and I would be happy to help resolve your concerns.

As always, all gifts greater than $25 are eligible for a charitable tax receipt, whether they are paid personally or through your business. If you would like to discuss making a gift to Annual Giving for the current year, I am available at any time.

Here’s to a great start to another successful year, in big part, thanks to all of you.

- Mr. Daniel Le Page, Advancement

Page 9 | June 2013

PYP HOUSE PICNIC Whonnock Lake

PYP last week. The e was the highlight of the Our trip to Whonnock Lak and fresh air to have such a beautiful day PYP students were so lucky dents were able in the park. The grade 5 stu to enjoy our fun activities ut everyone. ile getting to know more abo to show their leadership wh represented their ether in their houses and First, everyone gathered tog ders taught new house cheers. The PYP lea houses by practicing their tried before. The dents that they have never activities to the younger stu stles. Everyone dca enjoyed was building san main activity that everyone playing with nature r profile. We also enjoyed represented the IB learne enjoyed the nice, was lots of bees, everyone more and although there ir classmates. The played volleyball with the green nature. The leaders students. Tons and re about the PYP teachers new students learned mo pily on the beach students were playing hap of photos were taken, while s were helping, they ile the PYP student leader and on the playground. Wh activities, and that’s h their friends during the got to spend more time wit ch! trip to Whonock Lake so mu why everyone enjoyed the 5 - Ena K. and Keissa T. Grade

Sand Castle Winners Largest Castle-Alouette’s River City Castle Most House Spirit-Kanaka’s Bear and Whonnock’s Dragon (tie) Most Creative-Fraser’s Mickey Mouse Most Detailed-Fraser’s Minion Wonderland

Page 10 | September 2013

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

Meadowridge Week Without Walls

Camp Summit Rockridge Canyon Alouette Lake Voyageur Adventures Loon Lake

Page 11 | June 2013

WEEK WITHOUT WALLS Grade 6 Students | Camp Summit, Squamish, BC

ek Without mish, BC for their We Camp Summit in Squa d ite vis hike, and nts e, de rid stu e 6 e bik Grad ctice archery, d the opportunity to pra ha nts de Stu ! trip lls Wa more!

Page 12 | September 2013

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

WEEK WITHOUT WALLS

Grade 7 & 8 Students | Rockridge Canyon, Princeton, BC

Student Reflections Rockridge was really fun. I enjoyed all the activities and had an extreme amount of fun.

My favourite part of the trip was the BLOB and the zip line. I have been zip lining before and I took this opportunity to go upside down which was totally exhilarating.

I love this trip and the camp. I enjoyed the cam p, and I had lots of fun exciting and cool, it ma . This trip was de me try a lot of thing s that I didn’t like or wa s afraid of.

All the activities at the camp are all very fun.

I enjoyed the zip-line, fast and so tall. I wish because it was so I could go on the zip-lin e every time, wheneve r I want.

I enjoyed the camp an d I love it! Thanks to all the teachers who took car my friends, and thank e of me and s to the school that ga ve us this chance to go to camp.

- Samuel W. (Grade 7)

The dorms were nice and I had tons of fun at night just before we could go to sleep.

My dorm probably had the most fun they've ever had on any other night of their lives.

Rockridge was a wonderful experience for me and kids in the future should really go there.

- Thilashma N. (Grade 8)

I really enjoyed the Rockridge Trip. My favorite part of the trip was the zip line. I've experienced other zip lines, but this one was the longest and one of the most fun ones.

It was a great experience, zipping across the mountains and the ocean with the wind flying in my hair. I also liked the movie nights because it was a great time to spend time with friends watching the movie and eating chips, popcorn and drinks. It was a great way to end the day, and the movies were great. The food at Rockridge Canyon was really good. There were a lot of choices, and they were all delicious and fresh. The pool parties were also a lot of fun. Overall, I really liked the trip and I strongly recommend it to the next grades!

- Stephanie A. (Grade 8)

Page 13 | June 2013

WEEK WITHOUT WALLS Grade 9 Students | Alouette Lake

Grade 9 students visited Alouette Lake for their Week Without Walls trip! Students had the opportunity to challenge both themselves and each other by camping, canoeing, and hiking.

Grade 10 Students | Voyageur Adventures at Rocky Point Park Grade 10 students visited Voageur Adventures at Rocky Point Park for their Week Without Walls trip!

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

Page 14 | September 2013

WEEK WITHOUT WALLS

Grade 11 & 12 Students | Loon Lake

Students in Gra de 11 and 12 vi sited Loon Lake Without Walls for their Week trip. At Loon La ke , students cano enjoyed the gr ed , swam, and eat outdoors!

Page 15 | June 2013

LIBRARY UPDATE PYP Summer Reading Programme The Library was thrilled to celebrate a summer of reading. Over 30 PYP students participated in the Summer Reading Scavenger Hunt to find the 10 Learner Profiles in their reading. We celebrated with Achievement Certificates, a draw for a gift certificate to Black Bond Books and popsicles in the sunshine. Congratulations to Liam B. (Grade 1) winner of the Black Book Books Gift Certificate!

MYP/DP Summer Reading Programme Our annual summer reading programme was another success! We thoroughly enjoyed reading all the reviews our students submitted. We would like to congratulate our winner of the draw for a Black Bond gift card – Evelyn C. (Grade 11)!

Please stop by the library to stock up on more books for reading and we always welcome requests if you know of a great book that should be in the Library.

- Mrs. Heather Nicholson and Mrs. Christal Storgaard

September Book Donations

Bunny Loves to Write

The Day the Crayons Quit

Peter Bently

Drew Daywalt

Once there was a house, a house that was a... Home Alex T. Smith

Generously donated by Dylan C. in Kindergarten

Thank you Dylan!

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

Page 16 | September 2013

SPIRIT DAY

Page 17 | June 2013

TERRY FOX

Grade 4 students remember Terry Fox and the Marathon of Hope The Marathon of Hope Terry Fox lived a normal life in Port Coquitlam. Terry was very determined and loved to play basketball. But one day he went to hospital with pain in his knee. He was diagnosed with cancer in his right knee. He went through chemotherapy but had his leg amputated. After he learned to walk on his artificial leg he started to train. He had an idea to run across Canada to raise money and awareness for cancer research.

The Atlantic was the start of his run. He wanted to run all the way across Canada to the Pacific where he would meet his family at the finish. He planned to raise one million dollars for cancer research.

Terry Fox’s goal was to run forty kilometers a day. His friend followed him in a van which supplied the food, water and extra legs for Terry. At first, no one knew about him but as he ran further more and more people got involved cheering him on.

One day he got invited to a football game. When he walked in the crowd went WILD! After the game he continued: hop, hop, step, hop, hop, step he went. One day he announced he raised ten million dollars. This gave him a boost.

One day he said he had pain in his chest but he tried to ignore it. When he was on a mountain road in Toronto he asked to be taken to the hospital. When the doctor came out of the scan room she said his cancer had returned in his lungs. Terry ran a total of 5373 kilometre in 143 days.

Terry Fox is a Canadian hero. In the end he raised 25 million dollars for cancer research. We will never forget Terry Fox. - Daniel W. (Grade 4) Somewhere the Hurting Must Stop In April 1980, Terry Fox started his own personal marathon: The Marathon of Hope.

At first no one knew about the Marathon of Hope. The Marathon of Hope was supposed to be across Canada but Terry didn’t make it. Terry had the misfortune of having lung and bone cancer. Terry Fox was a very determined caring man.

He was born on July 28th, 1958 and he lived until he was 23. While he was alive he was the middle child. He had an older brother Fred, a younger brother Darrel and his little sister Judith. His parents’ names are Betty and Rolly Fox. When Terry was young he lived in Port Coquitlam.

Terry ended his Marathon of Hope in Ontario. Unfortunately, Terry died. The last Christmas present Terry ever gave to his mother was a pink waste basket.

“Somewhere the hurting must stop,” Terry always said. Today, lots of people still support Terry by holding a Terry Fox Run annually.

- Ella P. (Grade 4) Terry Fox and the Story of Hope Terry Fox was a young boy that played basketball and never gave up. As he got older he got cancer in his right knee. He felt pain and thought he needed to do something.

When he got the results he needed an artificial leg., he started his marathon of hope.

His goal was to run across Canada and raise money for cancer Research. He began near the Atlantic Ocean and started towards the Pacific Ocean. He wanted to run across Canada.

When he started to run across Canada almost no one knew of him. When he reached Ottawa he got tons of money. He was invited into a football arena. When he got there the announcer said ladies and gentlemen and that’s as far as he got and the crowd went wild. Terry made a new goal, 1 dollar per Canadian, $24,000,000 dollars.

One day when he was running, he had a pain in his chest. When he got to the van he asked to be taken to the hospital. At the hospital they told him the cancer has spread to his lungs. [There was no cure for lung cancer.]

People kept raising money. He raised $24,000,000. We still raise money today.

Schools and communities still do the Terry Fox Run each year. So far the Terry Fox Run has raised over $600,000,000 dollars for cancer research.

- Sam D. (Grade 4)

Page 18 | September 2013

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS Summertime Edition

Andy C. Grade 5 and Ryan C. Grade 12 (Summer Swimming Association Provincials) Brothers Andy and Ryan competed in the BC Summer Swimming Association provincial championships over the summer.

Andy was awarded with first and second place in four different races: • First place – 50 Meter Butterfly with a time of 35.92 (ranking him 13th in British Columbia’s History of Division 2 BCSSA boys!)

• First place – 100 Meter Individual Medley with a time of 1:20.49 (ranking him 4th in British Columbia’s History of Division 2 BCSSA boys!)

Andy C. (middle)

• Second place – 50 Meter Breaststroke with a time of 42.64 (ranking him 24th in British Columbia’s History of Division 2 BCSSA boys!)

• Second place – 100 Meter Freestyle with a time of 1:10.49 (ranking him 8th in British Columbia’s History of Division 2 BCSSA boys!)

Ryan secured his first ever individual swim medal earning third place in the 100 Meter Breaststroke with a time of 1:13.04!

Congratulations, Andy and Ryan!

Ryan C. (far right)

U16 Water Polo Club (2013 Provincial Gold Medal Champions)

Imran, Grade 6 (Western Canadian Ball Hockey Championships) Imran. K traveled to Medicine Hat, AB to compete alongside his team, the North Fraser Wolverines, in the Western Canadian Ball Hockey Championships where they won Gold!

Congratulations to Meadowridge students Devyani M. in Grade 9 (top row second from right), Richard L. in grade 9 (bottom row, far left), Sean T. in grade 10 (bottom row, second from the left), Robert R. in grade 10 (bottom row, second from right) who won gold in the U16 Water Polo Provincial Championships.

“Being apart of the Haney Neptune's Gold Medal final, I got to watch these four individuals play to the best of their abilities and lead a team to victory as being the seniors on their team. They are an incredible bunch of kids who have a very bright future ahead of them after putting in so much dedication and commitment to the sport for many years previously, and many years to come.“ - Ms. Bryanne Newbery, Alumni Coach

Congratulations Imran!

Page 19 | June 2013

Julien, Grade 4 (National Motocross Championships) After sweeping the competition at the 22nd Annual Parts Canada Trans Can National Motocross Championship in Walton, Ontario, Meadowridge student Julien was awarded with first place – and a towering trophy!

A reporter recently caught up with Julien and wrote an article about his success at Motocross in the local newspaper!

Noah, Grade 6 and Imran, Grade 6 (Soccer) Meadowridge students Noah. D and Imran. K competed alongside their team, the U12 West Coast United, in a Labour Day soccer tournament.

Not only did their team win Silver, Imran took home the Most Valuable Player award!

Great job Noah and Imran!

Keep up the good work, Julien!

Alinah, Grade 5 and Alyssa, Grade 2 (Donate to Wigs for Kids Vancouver) Two and a half years ago, Alinah witnessed her grandmother lose her hair in her brave battle against cancer. Realizing how difficult it would be to lose her own hair, Alinah pledged to grow out her hair and to donate it to Wigs for Kids Vancouver!

Alyssa, after learning it takes eight ponytails to make one hair transplant, joined her sister and started to grow out her hair too.

Together they hope to help others realize what a great feeling it is to “chop off your hair to help someone else”. Besides, the girls say, “it’s only hair – it’ll grow back!”

Alinah was able to donate her hair this summer and Alyssa is in the processing of growing her hair out with hopes to donate nine inches of hair!

Way to go Alinah and Alyssa!

Visit www.wigsforkids.org to learn how you can help!

Page 20 | September 2013

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

PARENT GUILD UPDATE

We will continue to offer these and other courses, such as the FoodSafe, every year, as they have proved to be a value to our students, parents and community alike.

If anyone missed last year, they can register for this year.

Dates and times TBA. Like us on Facebook and get all the latest updates from the Parent Guild.

This year the introduction of the Food Safe course was in large part in preparation for the Parent Guild’s newest event, Feast-ival.

Feast-ival has been the largest undertaking, to date, by the Parent Guild. The event, held on September 29th, was the culmination of several months of very hard work by a small group of parents; many giving much of their summer to prepare. A special note of thanks is due to Wendy Galati, Masumi Smith, Samantha Coates, Shirley Brunetta, Sherri Jensen, Tracey Welsh, Deanna Farnworth, Kirsti Hardie, Sheila Lamond, Alison Thompson, our administrative liaison, Kalie Whitaker and I, Eileen Karmali.

Feast-ival was an enormous success for both our school and community, as it was open for all to enjoy with the funds raised dispersed back to our students.

The Parent Guild is comprised of all parents with a child enrolled at Meadowridge School.

If you have a child a Meadowridge, you are already a member of the guild.

I would like to extend an invitation to any and all interested parents to attend the monthly meetings. The next meeting is the AGM October 9th at 7:00pm.

The AGM is an important meeting, apart from the typical matters dealt with at an AGM, we will be voting on how to disperse the funds that the Meadowridge Parent Guild raises over the course of the year. Your vote counts!

Guild Meetings are a great starting point to become involved with the school. If you are new or reconnect, there are many opportunities, large or small, to get involved. If you would like to learn more you can email us at guild.volunteers@meadowridge.bc.ca Or check out the sign up link for The Meadowridge Parent Guild volunteers. To sign up, go to: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0D4EAEA628A1FB6-volunteers/11903546 We are looking for another exciting year and we hope you will join us.

Sincerely, Eileen Karmali Chair, Meadowridge Parent Guild

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In April, the Parent Guild became an official Red Cross Training partner which will mean we can now run these programmes directly without hiring a third party.

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In January, the Guild began to offer health and safety courses, which included Red Cross programmes such as babysitting and emergency first aid, to our Meadowridge family and community.

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Feast-ival B ro

Over the past year, the Guild has undergone several exciting changes and improvements.

Firstly, we have expanded our council to include new members with a more diverse portfolio. We also improved our methods of communicating with parents through the introduction of ‘grade rep’ email addresses in which weekly messages are sent out.

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2012 - 2013 proved to be an eventful time for the Meadowridge Parent Guild!

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Page 21 | June 2013

Thank you

Feast-ival Major Sponsors

Family Fun Zone and Traffic Control

Media Sponsor

Print and Adult Patio Sponsor

Feast-ival Prize Sponsors

Kingfisher Restaurant

High Street Accommodations

Coopers Foods

Canadian Tire - The Droulis and Elliott Families

Billy Miner Alehouse

Alma Valle Jewellery

Shoppers Drug Mart

Heather Hills Golf Course

Art Glass Design

The Parent Guild

Maple Ridge Golf Course

Art Studio Tour Group

The Karmali Family

Meadows Golf Centre

Betty’s Doll Clothes

Sherri Jensen Translation - Sherri Jensen

Frogstone Grill Restaurant

Boomba Bath

MineSupply International

Home Restaurant Maple Ridge

Brenda’s Bangles and Baubles

Feast-ival Sponsors

The Dog Gone Grooming Salon and School Maple Ridge

Tortillas

Castle Fun Park - Putting Contest Sponsor Kildare Riding Stables - Pony Rides Little Black Box Photo Booth - Jadina Irving Sage Food Services - Pie Production The Toy Company Mr. Hugh Burke and Evan Boyd

Maple Ridge Paintball Starbucks 240th location Kildare Riding School Maple Ridge Sour Apple Spa Casa Del Pane Bakery Fratelli Bakery

Feast-ival Donors Wendy Gelati

Black and Blue Restaurant Old Spaghetti Factory Little Black Box Photo Booth Jadina Irving

Feast-ival Food Trucks Hunger Management Tacofino Holy Perogy

Feast-ival Vendors

Haney Farmer’s Market Ally’s Bags

Cranberry Meadows Twin Buds Dahlias Dana’s Designs de la Bouche Specialty Foods Gemstone Artwork Haylyx Made Gluten Free Lemonade-by-the-Glass Merle’s Glass Art Nasty Free Naturals Nature and Living Farms Odette’s Pinatas Savon Patrice

Specimen Trees

Blenz Coffee

Spider Lady

Four Seasons Landscaping (Brad Senner and Tanya Cloete)

Blue Moon Organics

Riverside Farms

SKC Engineering (Mathew and Masumi Smith) Expert Electric (Rob and Shirley Brunetta)

Colclough Health Inc o/a Sweetgrass Naturals

Hallmark Turkeys (Dudley and Shumei Brooks)

Creative Lime

Vancouver Pastry School (Marco and Cathy Ropke)

Tap-true Aromatherapy

Steve Jensen

T’s - Once Upon A Tea Leaf

Latin Flavors Fitness

The Create shop

Wildplay Maple Ridge

Epicure Selections

Fitness Unlimited Maple Ridge

The Cupboard shop/Old Candle Factory

Platinum Glow Tanning Salon

Hopcott Premium Meats

Hyak River Rafting

Gracie’s Goodies

Chilliwack River Rafting

Meadowridge Parent Guild

Into Chocolate Candy and Confections

Play-on Hockey Teams Grades 6 through 12 & Staff teams

TAC-The Amy Company

A special thank you...

Thank you to Meadowridge School friends and family for all of their support for our inaugural event

Page 22 | September 2013

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

AROUND MEADOWRIDGE

Grade 12 On the first day of school, the 2013-2014 graduating class received their grad ties.

Congratulations and good luck in the upcoming year!

KICE

The Korean Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE) visited Meadowridge to learn how Canada manages to score highly on the student engagement and self-esteem aspects of international student assessments while also doing well in academics.

They were welcomed by Mr. Burke and Board member Mr. Roy Choi.

Grade 2 As part of their first Unit of Inquiry, Grade 2 classes had the opportunity to tour Meadowridge. With the goal to investigate the people who help support Meadowridge, students visited the Advancement Office, Library, Front Office, Administrative Offices, Cafeteria, and Facilities to hear about each department’s roles at Meadowridge!

Grade 4 On September 19th, students in Mrs. Chow-Go’s Grade 4 class celebrated Moon Festival! Moon Festival is celebrated on August 15th of the Chinese lunar calendar.

Students learned about Moon Festival while enjoying moon cakes, a treat that has the moon shape on both the inside and outside!

Page 23 | June 2013

Are YOU a Jedi Knight?

Can you use the FORCE? Prove it!

Submit an original poem or short story to the Meadowridge Creative Writing Contest Guest Judge: Mrs. Graetz Submission deadline: Oct 25th – to your HLA teacher Poetry or Prose (Short Stories)

Grade categories and prose word limits: • Grades 6 and 7: 800 word limit • Grades 8 and 9: 1000 word limit • Grades 10-12: 1200 word limit

Prizes for winning entries will be awarded!

Page 24 | September 2013

Mea d ow r idge Sch o o l

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23RD A 1920s INSPIRED GALA IN SUPPORT OF MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW! Look for your invitation in the mail!

IT’S GOING TO BE THE BEE’S KNEES!