Imprint: October 2015 Issue

IMPRINT

OCTOBER 2015

Imprint

IMPRINT Published by Stratford Hall 3000 Commercial Drive Vancouver, B.C. V5N 4E2 Tel. (604) 436-0608 Fax. (604) 436-0616 Email info@stratfordhall.ca www.stratfordhall.ca

In This Issue News and Tidbits 3 From the Head of School 4 What’s New in the Senior School

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Reach In. Reach Up. Reach Out.

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Stratford Hall is Now a CIS Member School!

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Opening Assembly 9

We would love to hear what you think about the Imprint. Comments, questions, suggestions and concerns can be directed to Katie Nation at katie.nation@stratfordhall.ca

MYP Grades 8 to 10 September Retreats

EDITOR Katie Nation

Shape Their Story. Give Today. 14

CONTRIBUTORS Greta Bartsch Susanne Chow Samantha Gayfer Boyd Grealy Gareth Jones Jason McBride Michael McGuire Kirsten Morozov Katie Nation Kyle Nystad Meg Penafiel Sarah Phillips Sarah Riddell Brad Smith Casey Turnpenny Barb Womersley Jennifer Yeung

What’s Been Happening At Stratford Hall?

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The Big Picture 12 PYP Meet The Teacher Night 12 A New Perspective 13 Thank You, Donors 17

PHOTO CREDITS Joie Alvaro Kent Lisa Blachut Ye Chu Néha Dhaliwal Samantha Gayfer Boyd Grealy Gareth Jones Gillian Louie Jenna Manji Katie Nation Bobby Nishi Hayley Oyhenart Sarah Phillips Sarah Scott Carmen Stephen-Patel Angie Yee Jennifer Yeung Erica Yu

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Do You Follow Stratford Hall? 20 Stratford Hall Communications Survey

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Extra Edge 21 The DP Retreat 22 My Taiko Tour 23 Grades 6 & 7 Retreat 24 Why Is My Five-Year-Old Bringing Home Chapter Books?

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The Terry Fox Run 28 SHPA Corner 30 An Evening of International Intrigue

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Growing Our Community 32 Sabres Sports 34

From the Editor Welcome to another new school year at Stratford Hall!

Where did September go? It seems like a week has passed since the opening assembly, when really we are already 15% of the way through the school year! This boils down to the fact that SO much is happening in September at Stratford Hall.

We started off the year with an introduction to our new Head of School, Jason McBride, who has written pieces for us on pages 4 and

8. We held our opening assembly (page 9) and then sent students off to camp straight away, starting with the DP retreat (page 22), and followed by the MYP retreats (pages 10 and 24).

Parents met their children’s teachers (page 12) and helped us run an amazing Terry Fox event (page 28).

As always, you can find pieces in this issue about athletics (page 34), the SHPA (page 30), and community growth (page 32). Enjoy!

Katie Nation

News and Tidbits OCTOBER 2015

ON THE COVER

In the Next Issue of Imprint...

• Details of the Stratford Hall Annual Fund • Parent-Teacher Conferences • The Grade 7s Visit the Writer’s Festival • Fall Athletics in the Junior and Senior Schools • Students Going to Japan Visit Tamagawa

Our cover photo this month was submitted by Grade 10 student Néha D., and pictures her classmates and their guide on the Manning Park OEE retreat. [KN]

UPDATES GUINEA PIGS Once again we have welcomed our very own school pets to Stratford Hall!

Dr. Grob was generous enough to move her guinea pig family – mother Astro and three babies – to the DP Building science lab to help our teachers run some units on observation in science.

The guinea pigs have adjusted well to their new home, and are growing bigger every day! When the baby pigs have grown their elderly father will join us at the school. [KN]

The Middle Building

MANAGEBAC The school has recently adopted a program called ManageBac to streamline our curriculum, classes, assessment, and reporting. ManageBac has replaced Edmodo as the interface through which teachers communicate course resources, assignments, calendars, and grades with students and their families. If you would like more information on how to use ManageBac, you can find many PDF tutorials on a wide range of topics on ManageBac.com. [KN]

Dates for the Calendar Monday, October 12th Thanksgiving Day - School Closed Wednesday, October 14th PYP Parent-Teacher Conferences Thursday, October 15th MYP Parent-Teacher Conferences Wednesday, October 28th DP Parent-Teacher Conferences Friday, October 30th School Photo Retake Day (Individual Shots) Monday, November 2nd Grade 12 English Provincial Exam Thursday, November 5th Information Session for Prospective Parents Friday, November 6th Remembrance Day Assembly Early Dismissal Day Monday, November 9th to Friday, November 13th Midterm Break - School Closed

Thank you to the parents that took the time to participate in our survey regarding the purchase of the ‘Middle Building’ between the DP and PYP Buildings. We appreciate all of the support from the community in helping us explore the foundation of a continuous campus on the Drive.

Monday, November 16th to Friday, November 27th DP Assessment Weeks Thursday, November 19th Parent Information Session Regarding Internet Safety

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Imprint

From the Head of School A balanced view of progress and attainment: what the FSA and DP scores do, and don’t, mean.

Upon my arrival in July, one of my first actions was to write a letter to the families of our Grades 10 to 12 students explaining the DP results and how to interpret their importance. Over the past month in Coffee Mornings with parents, the DP results, as well as the FSA rankings, have been a topic of conversation and I thought we might do well to have a broader percentage of the community know more about the school’s thoughts on the role that external measures can and should play in the larger educational picture.

The letter below is what I wrote in July, reprinted here for the entire community as I believe the message will resonate with families beyond our Diploma Programme: “With the IB Diploma Results now out, and having had time to look at them with Mr. Smith and Mr. Brogan, we wanted to let our outgoing, current and incoming DP families know how our students and program performed. After a little more time in the Head’s seat, updates such as this will include a “what’s next” section so that our families know what we will do as a result of the information we have, but with only two weeks under my belt and nearly the entire team away and enjoying their summer, I would ask for a little more time in that regard!

As I settle into the Headship at Stratford Hall, one of the ways that we will get to know one another and develop trust is through over-communication as I believe it will help you to know our thinking behind decisions, as well as clarifying the values and beliefs driving those decisions. To that end, I would like to share my own thoughts on the role of external

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assessments, including DP exams, so that we begin to get to know one another from an educational philosophy perspective.

I do believe that external examinations, annual tests and summative assessments play an important role in educating a child at nearly any age; however, my personal stance views them as a source of information, not the source, as they are simply a snapshot reflective of a certain time period’s performance on one set of criteria. I do not hold them up as the pinnacle of truth, but do use them to triangulate other data we know from the more important day-to-day, on-going and formative assessment that comes from working with students every day. Both sources of information should inform our decisions in the classroom as we prepare lessons that challenge students with what they need when they need it.

The DP average score and pass rate are often the only two metrics held up around the world as the barometer of a programme’s success. Because the two numbers are easily digestible and offer an apples-to-apples comparison for schools, rightly or wrongly they

are usually in the public sphere and therefore at least somewhat important. More important than the metrics themselves is doing the right things to supports students, but if that is happening, then improved student learning should be mirrored by higher DP scores along the way. Stratford Hall will continue to help students achieve their chosen goals through the support of a Board that backs the faculty and staff in that pursuit.

I am always somewhat reluctant to share DP exam results with the community because they never quite tell the whole story regardless of whether they meet, exceed, or fall below the global norms. To someone reading a statistical bulletin, a student achieving a 40 is likely to be seen as something to be quite proud of, but if their predicted grade was a 43, then that 40 may actually be a little disheartening. Similarly, if a student is predicted on a 22 (a failing DP score) and works incredibly hard and is awarded the Diploma with a 24, they will have earned the praise for a job well done. Numbers may not tell the whole story, but as mentioned above, statistics are a proxy or barometer of overall program

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success and so in that spirit we are pleased to announce the following quantitative story.

We are glad to announce that our pass rate this year has gone up by almost 10.5%, now standing at 71.28%. The global DP pass rate is generally between 77 and 78%, which puts our still fairly young Stratford Hall Diploma Programme very close to world norms. Whether we are below, at, or above next year, I assure you that we will keep pushing for improvement; there will be no resting on past results! More good news is that our average graduating DP score is in the mid-29s, which is statistically on par with the DP global pass rate that always hovers around the mid-to-high 29s. That is something to be proud of and should bolster parental confidence knowing that your child was, or continues to be, in great hands at Stratford Hall.

Having worked in and around the Diploma Programme for the past 14 years, initially as a CAS Coordinator and then most recently as the Head of School with a DP of more than 200 students, I have seen young programs battle to find their footing and determine the best way

to support students in what is the most rigorous academic program on the planet today. The results this year, which include a high score of 39, are good and getting better; our students, parents, teachers and leadership should be proud.

As we strive to fulfill our Mission to educate our young people at the highest global standards, we will not be truly satisfied until the scores and pass rate are higher still, but with the people I have met here so far, coupled with the support and challenge I know I can provide, the future is bright for Stratford Hall’s DP students.�

My stance on the importance, yet concurrent non-importance, on the DP results echoes my feelings about the annual FSAs in Grades 4 and 7. These tests are a data-point that measures a specific set of skills and content deemed appropriate by the BC Ministry of Education, and while the overall numeracy and literacy skills will align with the Stratford Hall program over time, the sequence in which they are taught may not align, leaving us scoring artificially low on this measure. External tests such as the FSAs can give parents a validated sense of relief that they have put their

child in a great school, or they can cause concern if scores are lower than they believe they should be for an independent, fee-paying school. As a father I understand the dilemma; as an educator I would ask you to take the test scores with a grain of salt and instead rely on the breadth of assessments and accompanying reports that keep families (my own included) up to date with the progress of their child.

We will continue to look at the FSA and DP data and ask ourselves the critical questions that improve the student experience and success.

Throughout the year, we will be pushing ourselves to be more publicly accountable by sharing our academic results, graduate destinations, advancement efforts and in the second half of the year, our three to five year strategic plan. If we are to make as much progress as I believe we can, we are going to get there together because we understand where we are, where we want to go and how to get there.

With pride,

Jason McBride Head of School

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Imprint

What’s New in the Senior School?

by Brad Smith, Principal of the Senior School

What a great start! There is such a positive vibe in the school among staff and students as we embark on the 2015-2016 school year. Some exciting changes have taken place at Stratford Hall over the summer: We have three new Programme Coordinators: Casey Turnpenny (PYP), Sarah Phillips (MYP), and Stefania Iacchelli (DP). Certainly in part, the renewed energy at the start of the year can be linked to these three fantastic new Coordinators.

Rick Campanella has been given a new role as Continuum and Student Life Coordinator, where he will be working directly with Principals and Coordinators in all programmes, and ensuring that Stratford Hall students stay connected across the grades through our commitment to the IB continuum.

We welcome back Caitlin Shepard from maternity leave as she takes on the new role of Post-Secondary Advisor to our Senior School students. A large part of her role will be to inform students of the many university information sessions we will host at Stratford Hall, as well as directing students to events at other ISABC schools throughout the year.

Ms. Shepard will be introducing a new program to DP students and students in Connections 8-10 classes called My Blueprint. My Blueprint will allow students to take a variety of skills and interest surveys to help them discover possible career and post-secondary pursuits. Students can then research college and university programs, discover what pre-requisite courses are needed for which faculties and programs, and start planning their future paths.

As many of you have already heard, we are also looking to integrate many of our school systems into more of a “one-stop-shop” system for staff,

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students, and parents. ManageBac is a school information system developed by former IB Diploma graduates which will help us to integrate student attendance, reporting, curriculum development, and planning, and includes a variety of other features that will help to improve communication between the school and our families. Please be patient as we roll this program out, first to students and families in the DP and then to MYP students. The goal is for the school to be completely integrated with ManageBac by September, 2016.

Diploma Programme teachers have already set up a schedule for the new DP Study Centre, and we encourage all students in the DP to take advantage of this opportunity to meet one-on-one with teachers in each subject area, Mondays through Thursdays from 3:45 to 4:45 PM. A similar schedule will be out soon for students in Grades 8 to 10 to get extra support in the areas of math and writing. Senior School students who would like to be a tutor for students in Grades 3 to 6 should speak to Ms. Louie about working at Extra Edge.

We have hired two Resource Teachers in the Senior School: Emily Browning

is an English and French specialist, while Gareth Jones joins us as a history, geography, and English Resource Teacher. We are still seeking a Senior School math and science resource teacher.

Our fall Senior School athletics program is off and running. We have Junior (Grades 8-10) and Senior (Grades 11 and 12) girls’ volleyball, boys’ soccer, swimming, and crosscountry. Our Junior Boys’ soccer team is off to a 2-0 record winning their first two games of the season 6-4 and 6-0. Our girls’ volleyball teams are showing marked improvement over last year with strong results in recent weekend tournaments. In crosscountry, Avery Lee-Pii finished fourth behind two Grade 11 students in the first cross-country meet of the season.

The school play rehearsals are in full swing and will be directed this year

by Mr. Skipper and Mr. Brogan—plan on attending one of the performances in the spring. Clubs and co-curricular activities will be starting in October.

I am looking forward to another amazing year in the Senior School at Stratford Hall!

OCTOBER 2015

Reach In. Reach Up. Reach Out.

by Greta Bartsch, Principal of the Junior School

With September just recently behind us, our 16th year is well underway.

The arrival of Mr. McBride, our new Head of School, marks a milestone in our life as a school and the beginning of a new phase, one in which we will reach in, reach up, and reach out. We’ll use these three simple phrases to focus our direction in the Junior School. Students will see these highlighted in our weekly Monday assemblies, and our teachers will personalize them in their own practice. Really, one could call them a rule for life.

When we reach in we mean to acknowledge that, not only is it acceptable to take good care of ourselves, it’s paramount. We want our students, our children, our teachers to be strong and principled people so that they can grow up to find peace and to make a difference for others. Children need to know that it’s okay to advocate for themselves, to stand up to negative messages that threaten them, and to choose to be around people who strengthen them and with whom they feel a connection. Through practices like mindfulness and restitution, and programs like iGirl/iGuy and iMatter, we teach children to draw on their inner strengths to meet their own needs and stand strong.

Reaching in is also about stretching, reaching deeper inside to find new parts of ourselves that we haven’t discovered yet. It’s about being positive risk-takers and inquirers, about balancing studies and play, athletics and rest. The Learner Profile will continue to be the foundation for self-reflection and self-advocacy.

A strong sense of self allows children to then reach up. When their feet are firmly rooted, their hearts collected and held, they can stretch and extend themselves.

The IB programme provides that stretch. It is an intrinsically challenging and stimulating educational approach that presents the world to students and demands a thoughtful response. It asks students to communicate their thinking in creative ways and to demonstrate their understanding in novel situations. As they move through the PYP, then MYP and DP, students will be exposed to new knowledge and skills and will come up against ideas different from their own. We will ask them to strive for excellence.

An integral part of our school vision and the IB mission is to then reach

out – to take what we’ve received and use it to care for the world.

Having opened their minds to the needs around them, students will be asked to reflect on their responsibility to address those needs and affect positive change in our communities.

At Stratford Hall, we believe that doing for oneself is not enough, but with our own “buckets” filled, we can then reach out to fill someone else’s and care for those around us.

We cannot focus on one of these without leaving something out. They are inextricably linked, and they are for adults too. As teachers and administrators, we too will be reaching in to harness the strong culture that we have already cultivated. We will reach in to further strengthen the way our school operates and ensure our culture and systems are stable.

We will reach up to higher levels of school-wide achievement and student progress. We will consider best measures to ensure we are offering the best educational programme in the world. And we will be reaching out to communicate with our parents with greater efficiency and to serve our community with greater efficacy. We will reach out to invite new families to join the wonderful community that is Stratford Hall.

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Imprint

Stratford Hall is Now a CIS Member School!

by Jason McBride, Head of School

We are proud to announce that Stratford Hall has been granted membership status with the Council of International Schools (CIS) on the strength of our visit last May. CIS is an internationally recognized accreditation body that conducts school visits to determine whether a school is operating according to world-wide best practices with a particular focus on international and intercultural perspectives.

Membership is the first step to that process – one that many schools are not successful in taking. The next step is an in-depth self-study that culminates with a school visit from a team from other CIS accredited schools. I would envision completing this process over the next two years with the goal to have full accreditation ahead of the 2017-18 school year so that our community has yet one more way to know that our school is a great place for children.

During the visit, CIS identified a number of strengths across the Stratford Hall program that included the following commendations: • “It is clear that the school is genuinely committed to the promotion of intercultural

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•

• •

understanding and the development of global citizenship.”

“Consultations with faculty, students and parents confirm strong support for the IB curriculum which is repeatedly cited as a key reason why families enroll at Stratford Hall and typically stay for the K to 12 experience. This curriculum is complemented with a wide variety of activities and experiences to provide a balanced education.”

“The school’s curriculum programs are well-established at all levels.”

“Classroom observations across all sections of the school provided evidence of a good level of student engagement, sound teaching practices and varied assessment strategies.”

Along with commendations, CIS reports must identify areas

for recommended review. The recommendations below are quite standard in nature and pose no “red flags”; they are simply areas in which we are being encouraged to ask ourselves critical questions to help make the school even better.

• Establish a cyclical process to review and assess the Guiding Statements (Mission and Vision) • Completion and implementation of the new draft Strategic Plan in light of the change in school leadership and completion of the earlier plan • Explore further strategies for the development of interculturalism and global citizenship • Further develop all aspects of curriculum planning and documentation Having been through the CIS accreditation twice previously, and being a CIS-trained school visitor myself, I know this process to be a wonderful way to ensure that all aspects of the program are running well from health, safety, and teaching, to finance, facility management and governance. This process is also complementary to our IB authorizations and re-evaluations and as of last year, can now be combined into a single visit saving the school both time and money. We look forward to keeping our school informed about the CIS process ahead once we determine our timeline with the Board, Senior Leaders and teaching faculty. For now, you can find out more by going to http://www.cois.org/page.cfm?p=2044 and reading all about this additional mark of quality and reassurance for our community.

OCTOBER 2015

OPENING

ASSEMBLY

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MYP Grades 8 to 10 September Retreats

by Michael McGuire, OEE Teacher

We started the new school year off just as we had finished the last: at camp. Our camp tradition at Stratford Hall is a way of creating bookends for the school year.

By way of introducing and concluding the year in a camp community, we create a foundation for the learning and growing that ensues. This year, we made a few changes!

First of all, we changed the name from camp to ‘retreat’. This change signals a slight shift in how we view these experiences, as we now put more emphasis on student bonding and connections with their teacher advisors. The advisors used this opportunity to establish a rapport with their advisees and began the informal teaching of school culture and advice to assist in a successful school year. This was an excellent opportunity for new students and teachers to become integrated into the school. For once you establish the emotional connection between friends and teachers, the learning naturally follows.

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Grades 8 & 9 – Fircom Retreat on Gambier Island (Howe Sound) Nestled on the shores of Gambier Island in Howe Sound, still within sight of Horseshoe Bay, lies Camp Fircom. It is a traditional old camp with bunk houses and a cook house, dock, swimming area, play fields, and thousands of acres of forests. Modern additions include washrooms, an archery field, and a new dining facility. It is the ideal place for any Stratford Hall student to let loose and explore, hang out with friends, challenge a group to tug of war, or to push past their comfort zones along the backcountry hike and come back safely to a full plate of camp food, falling asleep in a relatively comfortable bunk.

Grade 10 – Manning Park Hiking Expedition The Grade 10s went on their first of four extended OEE wilderness expeditions. For this expedition, the students hiked and backpacked for three days in Manning Park, just east of Hope, BC. The traditional location for this first expedition is the Stein Valley, but a river ferry under repair forced us to find another location. In Manning, students were introduced to true wilderness camping, outdoor cooking, and meal preparation. This area has stunning alpine country scenery and most students managed the ‘ridge walks’ that are usually seen only on television. A real test of this culminating OEE trip was the cold weather – one group even woke up to snow on their tents. Good thing our students have been learning about these things since Grade 4! I can’t think of a better way for the Grade 10s to begin their final year of OEE. We highly value this experience at Stratford Hall, and are reminded of the importance of these opportunities when the autumn rains set in and the real work begins. I would like to acknowledge our MYP teachers for going to camp; for the most part, they came back smiling. It does set things up for a good year indeed!

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The Big Picture

by Gareth Jones, Photography Teacher

The Photography 9/10 class had the opportunity this past week to visit the Woodward’s Building in Gastown to see ‘Blueprints for Observation’.

Local artist Joel Nicholas Peterson transformed a building, scheduled for demolition in downtown Vancouver, into a giant pinhole camera. The result was a record-breaking achievement.

The projected images were exposed onto large film sheets (14’ x 3’). The results are phenomenal and capture a view of the city no longer available.

Along with viewing the photographs, Joel took time out of his day to meet with our class and further discuss the project. Students were able to ask several questions, which were mainly focused around how both the process and product of our creations express our identity. A truly inspiring field trip!

For more information, check out www.joelnicholas.com to view the artist statement and a 30-minute documentary about the project entitled ‘The Big Picture’.

PYP Meet the Teacher Night

by Casey Turnpenny, PYP Coordinator

The Primary Years Programme Meet the Teacher Night was held on Wednesday, September 16th. It was wonderful seeing so many new and returning faces in the hallways, staircases, and classrooms! Teachers spent time collaboratively planning interactive and informative presentations, and tried very hard to squeeze them in to 30-minute sessions!

Meet the Teacher Night is more than presentations on curriculum and routines; for me, the night is a celebration of everything that makes the PYP such a fantastic place to be! Families and teachers reconnecting after summer break, and specialists and teachers sharing all of their engaging and intentional approaches to learning.

Please do not let this be the last time you connect with us regarding teaching and learning, literacy or numeracy instruction, executive functioning, or social-emotional education in the PYP! Continuing the dialogue is what fuels our community of learners (students and adults alike) at Stratford Hall.

Thank you from your PYP Coordinator!

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OCTOBER 2015

A New Perspective

by Sarah Phillips, MYP Coordinator

As I write, I am enjoying the view from my new office, looking across to the PYP Building. After having spent last year housed in the PYP Building and working with PYP teachers as their Coordinator, I return to the MYP with a whole new perspective. The extent to which my sojourn in the PYP transformed my understanding of the MYP really hit home at the retreat for Grades 6 and 7. I spent most of the retreat with the Grade 6 students, the same group I got to guide through the PYP Exhibition last spring. In one workshop, we discussed some of the similarities and differences between the PYP and MYP. Our conclusion: The programmes are essentially the same, but just like the Grade 6 students are more sophisticated versions of their Grade 5 selves, the differences between the two programmes reflect the evolving needs of students as they mature.

My time in the PYP also taught me to think differently about collaboration amongst teachers. It was such a privilege to work with the PYP teachers in their Program of Inquiry review, a reflective process in which all the PYP teachers work together

to refine each individual unit to ensure it is part of a cohesive whole.

Because the MYP consists of eight distinct subject areas, rather than interdisciplinary units of inquiry, as in the PYP, the process is a bit more complex. Nevertheless, the MYP staff

embarked on that journey during our back-to-school meetings. In a flurry of colour-coded paper, we mapped out the entire program to ensure that students at all grades will enjoy a balanced variety of units and that they will develop their conceptual understanding consistently throughout the five years they spend in the MYP. ‘Student-centred learning’ is a major focus in education these days. While most teachers understand this within their own classroom, I see now that the structure of IB programmes promotes student-centred learning in multiple ways. By promoting collaboration amongst teachers, both the PYP and MYP ensure that a cohesive student experience is the focus of all curriculum planning.

Moreover, the particularities of each programme ensure that the curriculum is delivered in a way that is developmentally appropriate for students as they mature.

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from the Stratford Hall Advancement Office

The Stratford Hall Annual Fund (SHAF) is now entering its second year with the launch expected for shortly after Thanksgiving weekend.

We are incredibly grateful to all the students, staff and parents who participated in helping us raise over $385,000 in our 2014-2015 campaign.

This total, combined with both the SHPA and the gala, allowed us to purchase:

• Wobbly stools; • TVs for the science lab, Grade 5

pavilion and DP reception area;

• New water fountains; • Cooktops for the cooking club; • New tables for Grades 6 & 7; • Two sets of bleachers for the MYP gymnasium;

• 200 new PYP cubbies; • Recycling containers;

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• A new PA system for the Big Top; • The creation of a DP conference space;

• And, by December 2015: 40

new iPads in the Junior school, photography and film equipment for our MYP students, closed cabinets in the PYP classrooms, and additional furniture in each of the three buildings.

All of these items enhance our learning environment in meaningful yet subtle ways, and – YET – there is always more to do.

Your Stratford Hall Story Every child who walks through the hallways of Stratford Hall has a story and each is unique and ready to be written. The question is: ‘What can we do to shape their story?’

Earlier this year, we asked our students what they would do if

Stratford Hall won $1,000,0000. It was a fun and creative exercise based upon a very real desire to understand what our students want to see Stratford Hall evolve. While some answers were wonderfully imaginative – slides and tunnels connecting the school buildings; others were more attainable – more books, more technology, a cover for the PYP rooftop playground; some were more poignant – donate the funds to Kipevu, build a part of the school for children with special needs, and build a nurse’s office to help sick kids feel better.

We encourage you to ask your child what his/her answer was to keep the discussion going, and we will do the same. We want to know how our students see their school in five weeks, five months and five years’ time. With a combination of student, faculty, parent and community input, we will be able to generate a wish list to guide

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the development of our campaign’s financial goals and milestones.

Why an Annual Fund?

As you can see by the Income and Expenditure illustrations included here, tuition covers our daily operations but cannot give us the ‘bells and whistles’ which our students love to see, touch, and feel. From learning about science in a university-grade science lab to sitting on wobbly chairs, to even bigger dreams of a full-sized theatre in a new building; the realization of our students’ dreams for the school depend on the depth of your generosity. Fundraising currently accounts for only 4% of our income as a school. In the 2015-2016 school year we would like to see that number grow significantly. We need your commitment and contributions to make this happen.

How the Annual Fund Works As a non-profit school, Stratford Hall is a registered charity. The fundraising required to continue to improve the school’s program and facilities is raised by the school’s Advancement Office. The cornerstone of the Advancement Office’s fundraising program is the Stratford Hall Annual Fund (SHAF).

Only in its second year, the SHAF is a continuously evolving project. Our focus this year is on streamlining the Fund’s accounting, transparency, communication and goal-setting aspects. This will take some time and so we ask you to bear with us as we collect input from all the various stakeholders who can help us determine what the school needs the Fund to provide.

We have made two notable changes to the Fund already this year. One,

SHAPE

their

STORY.

Give TODAY.

was to change our policy from one of directed giving to unrestricted giving.

This will allow the school to allocate the funds on an equitable basis as well as use a priority system for what our senior leadership team and our advisory boards have deemed most needed. Many independent schools have moved towards unrestricted giving, and with 70% of our families (continued on page 16)

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Imprint (continued from Shape Their Story, page 15)

having chosen this option last year, as illustrated by the diagram below, we feel this is the right direction for the annual fund to take. If you would like a copy of the SHAF expenditures for 2014-2015, please contact Ms. Jennifer Yeung or Ms. Samantha Gayfer.

The second change we have made is to create an Advisory Board comprising of parents, students, faculty and the Board.

The function of the SHAF Advisory Board will be to represent the voice of each of their constituencies, help spread awareness of the fund, and help us make informed decisions on the allocation of SHAF. The Advisory Board’s position for the year will be presented to the Senior Leadership Team who will then finalize the 2015-2016 SHAF wish list. If you are interested in joining the Parent Advisory Committee to Advancement, please let the Advancement Office know and we

will be sure to contact you with further details. Our first SHAF Advisory Board Meeting will take place in late October.

This Year’s Goal Our goal this year is to raise a minimum of $400,000 and to move towards 100% community participation. Shortly after Thanksgiving you will be receiving your SHAF donor package in the mail.

This package includes a letter from our parent volunteers and a booklet outlining the many ways in which you can give back to Stratford Hall. The doors to the Advancement Office (located in the DP Building) are always open, and we truly believe that ‘where there is a will there is a way’. Together, we know that we can find an impactful and long-lasting way to shape our student’s stories.

Once again, we THANK YOU for participating in the 2014-2015 Stratford Hall Annual Fund and we are counting on all of you to make this year’s story and even brighter one.

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OCTOBER 2015

THANK YOU DONORS! We rolled out the red carpet for our 2014-2015 Stratford Hall Annual Fund Donors on Wednesday, September 30th at a special cocktail reception in their honour.

Parents were entertained by their own children’s work, marvelling over the creative answers the students submitted in response to the question: “If Stratford Hall won $1,000,000, what would you want us to spend the money on?” [KN]

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What’s Been Happening at

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OCTOBER 2015

t Stratford Hall?

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Imprint

Do You Follow Stratford Hall?

by Katie Nation, Publications and Web Manager

You’ve probably been to our website (wait... you haven’t? Check it out! www.stratfordhall.ca). You’ve certainly read a copy of Imprint. You are likely receiving weekly emails from the school. All this to say, we’re doing our best to keep you informed about all the amazing things that happen at Stratford Hall. But did you know that there are even more media platforms that we use? Stratford Hall has official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and secondary accounts run by students and staff are becoming increasingly popular. Staff members are well versed in our privacy policy and will only post photos of students whose parents have given us express permission in the enrollment documents; we will never include a student’s name when posting their picture online. Here is our guide to Stratford Hall on social media!

https://facebook.com/StratfordHallSchool There is one spot on Facebook to stay connected to Stratford Hall, and that’s on our official page. If you ‘like’ our page, you’ll be able to view our posts in your News Feed. Our Facebook posts include photos, special announcements, and community events.

https://twitter.com/Stratford_Hall

@stratford_hall

@Fraser_T_Allen

More Stratford Hall community accounts:

@mrsdminichiello @senseigrealy @megpeafiel @miss_dholakia @TLkirsten @garethcgjones @liza_capdecoume @SHcommons @GretaBartsch

The official Stratford Hall Twitter account. On Twitter we keep you connected to people and organizations that are relevant to the school; follow us for retweets from the IBO and more!

Fraser Allen is one of our newest resource teachers, and he’s a pro with social media. Follow his Twitter account for frequent posts about the ins-and-outs of teaching at Stratford Hall.

@MsSPhillips

Sarah Phillips is one of our most active teachers on Twitter, often retweeting other teachers and meditating on teaching strategies. We’re hooked on her Twitter feed!

https://instagram.com/stratford_hall/

@jrsabres

@m1n1sabres

@stratford_hall

@sabresathletics

Controlled by Bobby Nishi, the @jrsabres account includes photos of Junior School athletics, PE classes, and more! This is a great account Mr. Nishi posts frequently!

The official Stratford Hall Instagram account. Follow us for photos of school life and reminders of upcoming events.

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More Stratford Hall community accounts:

Ms. Contant’s Instagram account devoted to photos from PYP Phys.

Ed.! Follow this account for photos of the cutest little athletes learning the ropes.

Mr. Nystad runs this account devoted to our school’s Senior School athletics and PE. This is the BEST place to find photos of our athletics events as they happen!

@sh_earthweek @sh_students @stratfordhallyearbook @smiththeschool

OCTOBER 2015

Stratford Hall Communications Survey from the Stratford Hall Advancement Office

Thank you to all the families who have taken the time to complete the communications survey. The results have been telling, and indicate a desire from the community to better streamline how information is disseminated. There was also an overwhelming response to receiving school information digitally. For this reason, we have decided to distribute Imprint via a digital platform; however, a few paper copies will still be available next week should you prefer a hard copy.

Over the course of the next few months, when all the results have been shared internally, we will work to address the areas of concern and discuss with the faculty and Senior Leadership Team how best to approach improving our communications. If you have not had an opportunity to fill out a survey, please send an email to Samantha Gayfer and we will send you one. We will continue to look at any feedback until the end of October.

Extra Edge

by Katie Nation, Publishing and Web Manager

We are committed to the IB continuum at Stratford Hall, and we take every opportunity to bring students together from different programmes to witness this continuum in action. With only so many classes in a day and differing schedules in the Senior and Junior Schools, our buddy groups don’t get together as often as we’d like. Enter Extra Edge! This amazing club started as a peer tutoring program and has since evolved into our favourite way to build connections across the grades.

Students meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school in the MYP Building and are paired up with a younger or older student: students in Grades 3 to 6 are paired with a counterpart in Grades 7 to 12. The ‘tutors’ may not necessarily be experts in the subject matter and the ‘tutees’ might not necessarily be in need of extra help in school, but the pairings allow for a special kind of learning to happen. The proof of its success is evident on the smiling faces we see every Tuesday and Thursday!

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Imprint

The DP Retreat

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OCTOBER 2015

My Taiko Tour

by Boyd Grealy, Music Teacher

Some of you know I’m about to leave on a music tour in Europe. When I last toured there, social media was in its infancy, the idea of immediately documenting an event like this tour, was not widely accessible. Of course since then everyone and their cat tweets, but I must admit I have not kept up with the times. This tour, I am going to document by tweeting what it’s like and let me tell you, it isn’t always easy.

Uzume Taiko is a small cultural music group. We spent quite a bit of our formative years learning our craft and developing shows that could be used to perform in different markets. Cultural festivals, summer festivals, corporate entertainment, corporate workshops, educational shows, educational workshops, evening shows etc. You name it, I’ve probably done it. With the group I’ve toured everywhere: Europe, the UK, the US, Canada, and ALL over BC. Anyone know where Atlin is? Played it. http://www.discoveratlin.com/ Most know by now that I had a professional music career before arriving at Stratford Hall and in that first year I had committed to a tour in Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, and Germany, which coincidentally was around the same time (October to November) as this one. I didn’t tour after that; deciding to devote my time to teaching, but recently Uzume Taiko

(the taiko group I played with for many years and my friends) asked if I would like to participate in another tour. It’s now 10 years later and I thought: It’s physically demanding, can I still keep up? How many more times will I have an opportunity like this? I should do it, but I wonder if I’ll be able to take time away from work?

helping to make this tour a reality and that is why I feel the need to document the process; if any budding (or closet) artists are interested, they can see what it is like to have a job as a musician. It’s not all fun and games but you do have the opportunity to travel, see the world and get paid for it. Not too bad.

Well no need for me to wonder about going, and this is why I value my place at Stratford Hall, we have such a supportive community, from parents to students to staff. When I asked Dr. McConnell for leave to go on this tour, without hesitating he was completely in support. He understood performing would refresh my teaching with new insight and re-energize my practice. I spoke with Ms. Bartsch and Mr. Smith, as well, they were both supportive and understanding. My colleague Ms. Best offered huge support by offering to teach my classes while I’m gone.

I am grateful to everyone who is

The quote, “it takes a village to raise a child” we all know is true but I believe, “it takes a village to support our dreams” is also true. We need friends and family who believe in us, support our dreams and help us attain them. I’m thankful to my parents who supported me while I banged away on a drumset in the basement, my many teachers and mentors that helped me along the way, my wife (you need a partner who understands) and to everyone at Stratford Hall for giving me the opportunity to live this dream one more time. If you want to hear me, I’m tracking my progress on Twitter @SenseiGrealy.

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Imprint

Grades 6 & 7 Retreat

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OCTOBER 2015

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Imprint

So, Just Why Is My Five-Year-Old Bringing Home Chapter Books from the Stratford Hall Library?

by Meg Peñafiel and Kirsten Morozov, Learning Specialists – Research and Literacy

One of our major goals in the Stratford Hall Learning Commons is to nurture a love of reading and to develop literacy with all forms of media. As part of this mandate, we work to expose students to a wealth of resources such as books, magazines, graphic novels, and digital resources by authors in a variety of genres.

As mentioned in previous Imprint articles, free voluntary reading is key to developing these literacies. Yes, students must be guided by teachers in specific content area literacies, but when children read, and read a lot, for enjoyment, they become more literate and academically successful in all areas of learning.

What does literacy mean? Your definition may depend on who you are – a parent, an educator, or a student. Senora Peñafiel and Ms. Morozov are all three, and our view of literacy has changed and is changing based on our experiences, not only with these roles but also with our learning within our graduate studies.

Literacy is not just the basics of reading and writing out words, but also of comprehension and evaluation.

It also includes the ability to transfer and apply literacy concepts between different modes of communication, be it analog or digital, and between different content areas, such as music or science, which have their own literacies and ways of knowing.

Particularly at the PYP level, many parents have asked why their young children have checked out books from our library that are above their reading level. If our goal is to nurture a love of reading, we want to encourage students to pursue their interests regarding the books they see in front of them. The library’s approach is a holistic one: We do not limit children only to books that are at their reading level, particularly when the child is so young that they can only read a few select words anyway.

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We encourage the freedom of choice in book selection especially for the purposes of free voluntary reading.

There are times, of course, in the classroom and the library where specific skills are being taught that require students to read books either of a certain reading level, content type, or genre in order to support those skills. For instance, the greatest reading skill improvements are gained when at least 95% of the words in a book are recognizable to the learner. Our emphasis in this article, however, is how to support free voluntary reading via engagement in the reading material, which will support the development of holistic lifelong reading skills, benefitting both

academics and the art of living in this world. While matching the reading level of a student to a book may better engage a reader, it is not always the case that a book that is interesting to a child is one that is at their level, especially if they’ve already plowed through every book on, say, dogs at their level available at the library.

Hence, we allow students to make book choices that are not always at the correct reading level. There are additional reasons we allow students to check out such reading materials.

Students: • Get to satisfy their curiosity about a book that looks interesting.

• Usually love the chance to read

more difficult books with their families, or have those books read to them. This is a great way for them to be exposed to much more interesting books than those they are capable of reading, especially if so far they can only read maybe 100 words in total. If you were to always limit them to that range of books, they would be bored of books quite quickly. Young children understand far more than they can read, or for that matter, say.

• May just be looking at the

pictures. They might also be reading the captions, which can be shorter, less intimidating bits of text. The ‘reading’ of images and understanding their place in a text is in itself an important literacy development skill.

• Are developing an appreciation for the artistry of a book.

• Are learning to recognize

different formats and genres of books such as fiction versus nonfiction.

• Get to develop learning

OCTOBER 2015

independence as they start to, initially with teacher/parent guidance, recognize whether a book is in fact suitable for them: They are more than welcome to return the book unread if it’s not to their taste or is too frustrating, and pick out a new one.

• Have a sense of ownership by

taking out a ‘big kid book’ for themselves. They also like to pick out books with older siblings in mind.

• Sometimes like to take out

books that are too easy: it’s in their comfort zone and this can help to build their confidence.

Students also often like to read a seemingly endless number of books from one series or a single genre: again, this is a confidencebuilder as children start to recognize repeated patterns, styles, character development, etc. Eventually, these skills can be transferred to a broader set of literacies, especially with teacher guidance.

• Will make an extra effort to

get through a book that is too challenging for them if they love the subject matter.

• Who already know a lot about

a topic will often be able to recognize the specialized language in that otherwise toohard book they’ve checked out.

• Who check out second language books often cannot read those books, but are still encouraged to gain that exposure. They may begin to recognize, for instance, that in Spanish, punctuation symbols come at the beginning and end of sentences.

Our personal experience as parents is that our own children do choose books that are far too difficult for them, but those who are pre-readers or are just beginning to read will still spend hours looking through books.

We notice that during these times, they start to recognize individual words, features, and patterns. For instance, in comics, they often first recognize the onomatopoeic words –

that is, the fun sound-effect words.

Finally, at a holistic level we do not wish to strictly label kids in terms of who we think they are as readers by their reading level or their genre/ topic of interest. We’re happy to guide them and we often make suggestions, but it is up to the children to choose something that appeals to them for the purposes of free voluntary reading. And, while we don’t find children tend to choose books that are topically inappropriate for their level (and the material in our PYP library, for instance, is chosen specifically for that age group), it makes for a great discussion in the family over your particular values and expectations.

Ultimately, a major key to success in reading for most children is to read, read, and read some more throughout their childhood and into their youth.

Only children who love reading will do it a lot: those who dislike it will find ways to avoid even their assigned readings, as much as possible, and therefore will not grow in ways they otherwise could.

Literacy Corner

by Sarah Riddell, English Teacher

Every month I will highlight a couple great Young Adult reads appropriate for MYP and DP students!

The Magicians by Lev Grossman Age Range: Older MYP and DP Students

Son by Lois Lowry Age Range: Younger MYP Students to Adult!

The first of a trilogy, The Magicians features Quentin, an intelligent but isolated high school senior in upstate New York that, despite his obsession with it, has acknowledged that magic isn’t real. That is, until he finds himself admitted to a very exclusive, secret college of magic. As Quentin dives headfirst into his magical education, he must deal with heartbreak, parties, professors, and the quirky cast of colleagues that accompany him at Brakebills Academy. His studies take him on a dangerous and exciting journey where Quentin must rely on much more than magic to survive. The Magicians, the prequel to the New York Times bestselling book The Magician King and the #1 bestseller The Magician’s Land, is an enthralling coming-of-age tale about magic practiced in the real world, where good and evil aren’t black and white, and power comes at a terrible price. Bonus: If you love this book, you have two more to enjoy!

Ms. Stephen-Patel brought you Lowry’s The Giver, and Lowry’s Son will transport you back to this terrible world of beautiful people. Named “Water Claire”, a woman was found washed up on shore, coming from a society where emotions and colors didn’t exist. Claire had a son, but what became of him? What was his name? Where did he go? Was he ever hers? She knows that she was supposed to forget him, but Claire finds this impossible. Now she will stop at nothing to find out what became of her child, even if it means making an incredible sacrifice.

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Imprint

SO MUCH FUN AT THE ANNUAL

TERRY FOX RUN

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OCTOBER 2015

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Imprint

S HPA Corner

We loved having you at the

WELCOME BACK BBQ!

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GALA 2016

OCTOBER 2015

An Evening of International Intrigue

by Barb Womersley, Gala Committee Chair

The year-end assembly in June saw the launch of Gala 2016 – 007 An Evening of International Intrigue. Since then, the Gala Committee and I have enjoyed overwhelming support and excitement for this year’s Bond theme as well as for the new downtown venue.

When the Gala team picked this theme, my knowledge of Bond was lean so I set myself a project of building my repertoire of Bond filmography this summer. I decided to start with the classic 1962 film Dr. No. which was originally slated to be called: “James Gunn Secret Agent.” Can you imagine saying: Gunn. James, Gunn – this just would not have had the same ring to it! Having never watched any of the Bond movies before, I suddenly realized that this was THE movie that plays host to the iconic white bikini scene with Ursula Andress and has been parodied many times over. I’ve had a lot of fun digging into the Bond film vaults, listening to cheesy one-liners, looking at 70s fashion, and I encourage everyone else to partake in the fun.

For now, the Committee and I ask that you: • Please mark your calendars for April 9, 2016 • Contact Sue Wells (thewells2101@gmail.com) if you have donations that align with the Gala theme, such as get-away adventures, thrilling transportation adventures (i.e. helicopter, cars, motorcycles, etc), fine spirits and dining. We would also be grateful for any other Bond-worthy items and experiences you think will appeal to our attendees and help us achieve our fundraising goals.

• Contact Maegen Leishman (maegen.leishman@gmail.com ) if you have time to volunteer in the following ways: • Phoning for cool prize donations • Previous volunteer with Gala experience (please help us again!)

• Stratford’s Own item support – art, photos or coordinating • Technology experts for databases, online sales applications etc.

• Web Content Contributors • Contact Barb Womersley (bjw275@yahoo.ca) or Gala@stratfordhall.ca for additional ideas or suggestions – especially those Bond aficionados – as clearly I need help since I have often said: M-16 rather than MI-6!

• Watch Bond Movies!

Many thanks goes to past Committee Chairs, SHPA, SH staff and the parent community who have been an ongoing source of support and help. It is going to be a fun night!

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Imprint

Growing Our Community ANNOUNCEMENTS, ARRIVALS, AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Baby Joy

Congratulations, Bryan!

There is a new addition to the Yang family! Brian Yang and Angelique Schnerch welcomed their new baby to the world recently. We’re thrilled to have already met the little one - Angelique is our current SHPA President, and she wouldn’t let a little thing like a newborn stop her from working hard at the Welcome Back BBQ. We hope the new baby inherits Mum’s stamina! [KN]

Congratulations to Bryan Y., who went home with a gold medal on the 100M Fly BCSSA Provincial Championships. Bryan has been perfecting his swimming skills over the years and we are thrilled to watch him grow as an athlete. We can’t wait to see what Bryan will do for the Sabres swim team this year! [KN]

Tyler and Simon’s Sports Camp

Noah Swims Into First Place

Over the summer, brothers Tyler and Simon G. used Tyler’s Canadian Red Cross babysitting certification to start a little business together: their very own Sports Camp! The boys coached other kids aged 6 to 8 in soccer and more, even getting the chance to teach their teacher’s kids. What a great idea, boys! [KN]

On July 7th, Noah K. (centre) swam the 50M Breaststroke race to win gold at Swim BC’s AAA Long Course Provincial Championships.

Noah’s time ranked him first for his age group in British Columbia and third fastest in Canada. He added a silver to his medal tally with a second-place finish in the 100M Breaststroke the following day. All that hard work has really paid off – congratulations, Noah! [KN]

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OCTOBER 2015

A Wedding for Vanessa Tam

Angie’s Army of Angels

Ms. Tam is married! She wed her longtime sweetheart Carl Zheng on June 30th, 2015 at Cecil Green Park House at UBC. The two have known each other since elementary school and have been a couple since their high school days. Imagine: Your child’s classmate could be their future spouse! Congratulations, Ms. Tam! [KN]

On Sunday, October 4th some members of the Stratford Hall community participated in the CIBC Run for the Cure. The Stratford Hall team “Angie’s Army of Angels” raised over $4,300 for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation – great work, team! In addition to this sum there were many Stratford Hall families that raised money for the cause that day – we love how our community gives back! [KN]

The Manjis Visit Our Friends at Kipevu

Ms. Scott’s Baby Boy

Do you recognize the backdrop in this photo of the Manji family?

That’s because they’re at Kipevu Primary School! The Manji family took the time this summer to travel to Kenya and see the school that we have been supporting for many years now at Stratford Hall.

They’re pictured standing in front of the Stratford Hall Library at Kipevu – what a great way to connect our two schools! [KN]

Congratulations to Ms. Scott and her husband J.J., who have welcomed their first child into the world. Benjamin David Burke was born on Sunday, September 13th – on Ms. Scott’s birthday! Benjamin weighed in at a healthy 7 lbs, and it has been reported that the family is adjusting well to its newest member. We can’t wait to meet little Benjamin! [KN]

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Imprint

SABRES

Senior Soccer, Game 1

by Gareth Jones, Senior Soccer Coach

We headed on out to Cariboo Hill; With Sanghera, Dhadli, Kragl, and Gill.

In the Monday sun and on the dry turf, Wilkins, in blue, looked one-part smurf.

With burgundy dawned, on crest and in heart, Klarich, in school socks, still looked the part.

Dig It Volleyball Tournament

by Katie Nation, Publications and Web Manager

Congratulations to our Grade 7 Girls’ Volleyball Team! They attended their first tournament of the year, the St. John’s Dig It Volleyball Tournament, on September 25th and 26th, and finished third place! We’re so proud of our girls for placing so well and bringing home bronze medals this early in the year.

The whistle it blew and then with great earnest We passed to Anisha to lead us with purpose.

Khalid, the sniper, called for the ball While Dilpreet on defense started each wall.

Our new friend Amr was subbed in to play, Despite his bare shins (he said it was ‘okay’!)

At half-time we rested, Coach Jones made a speech, “Remember head, heart, and hustle,” he declared it to each.

Back in the game, yes Bijhan was there; Heading each ball, giving his mother a scare.

Bains at fullback chased down his opponent; Shouldering bodies, like a true hockey proponent.

And then in a flash, McGuire broke through; Dazzling, darting, and scoring – “C’est la but!”

With 1 nil the score and the match near finished; We played more defensively, their chances diminished.

The whistle did sound, a joyous completion; We won our first game, a great start to the season!

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Grade 7 Sabres line up at the starting line of their most recent cross-country race

SPORTS

OCTOBER 2015

MYP Soccer

by Susanne Chow, MYP Soccer Coach

We’re off to a great start to the 2015 season! Despite the hectic schedule with two games in the span of two days, our Sabres battled it out with the St. George’s Saints and St. Patrick’s Celtics to take two wins. The nerves of some of our self-proclaimed “rusty” players didn’t get the best of them and, hopefully, the momentum from these matches will carry on for weeks to come.

As coaches, Ms. Browning and I were lucky to have quickly identified the extraordinary leadership qualities and the experience of a few players on the team, which prompted us to opt for a more student-led approach to coaching.

Although it is early on in the season, we’re optimistic that our players will continue to help each other develop their technical, self-regulation, and communication skills. These students have already demonstrated that they’re capable of playing well cohesively, and their starting line-up cheer hits this point home.

Here’s hoping for a successful season; one that’s not necessarily determined by wins but rather the skill and character development of our student-athletes.

Sports Shorts

by Kyle Nystad, Senior School Athletics Coordinator

Junior Soccer Six seems to be the magical number for the team this season. Their current record is 2 & 2 with the winning team in each game recording 6 goals. With one game left in the season the team has secured a position in the playoffs. The team’s last game versus King David decides if we host a playoff game as the fourth seed or travel for a playoff game as the 5th seed.

Grade 8 Girls’ Volleyball The grade 8 girls’ volleyball team has gotten off to a 1-2 start to begin the season. The team opened the season with a convincing win versus Meadowridge, winning 2 straight sets.

Despite the losing record, the team has been close in both the games they have lost versus Khalsa and Southpointe. The team has a double header on Thursday October 22 versus Ecole Jules Verne at Jules Verne. Let’s go Sabres!

Senior Soccer The team has once again secured a GVISAA playoff berth after a regular season that saw them finish 2-3.

On Tuesday, October 13th the team will play Ecole Jules Verne in round #1 at Oak Meadows at 4:00 PM.

Junior Girls’ Volleyball It has been a busy start to the season for the team, with tournaments on three consecutive weekends. The highlight was a sixth place finish out of 13 teams at the BC Volleyball Volleyfest. The team is also off to a strong start to the GVISAA league season, winning their first three games. Let’s go Sabres!

Swimming After five weeks of training in the pool, the Stratford Hall Sabresharks are chomping at the bit to compete. They will have their chance on Thursday, October 15th when they compete at the ISAA championships at Watermania in Richmond. This year, coach Ana Ver is proud to be taking the largest contingent of swimmers yet, with 13 swimmers competing. Let’s go Sabres!

Cross-Country Running This week saw the team compete in the ISAA championships. Congratulations to Avery Lee-Pii on placing first in the junior girls’ category! Next the team competes at the GVISAA championships on October 14th.

Senior Girls’ Volleyball Only slightly less busy than the junior girls’ team, the senior team opened with a one-day tournament at Stratford Hall, where they placed third overall. A challenging Douglas College tournament would see the team play three teams that qualified for various BC provincial championships at the “AA”, “AAA” and “AAAA” levels. The girls stepped up to the challenge and played some of their best volleyball to date. The team is off to a great start in GVISAA league play winning their first four games with ease and not dropping a single set.

Next up is the prestigious Western Canadian Independent Schools Volleyball Championships, October 14th to 17th, being held at St. Michael’s University School. Let’s go Sabres!

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3000 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, B.C. Canada V5N 4E2 Tel. (604) 436-0608 Fax. (604) 436-0616