Lord Strathcona Elementary School

592 East Pender Street

Vancouver, B.C. V6A 1V5
Tel: 604-713-4630 Fax: 604-713-4633
webpage www.strathcona.vsb.bc.ca
NEWSLETTER #4- DECEMBER 2015
Director of Instruction: Mr. David Nelson
Principal: Ms. Harjinder Sandhu
Liaison Trustee: Mr. Christopher Richardson
Vice Principal: Mr. Jesse Brown
PAC Chairpersons: Ms. Francesca Benedetti and Mr. David Chen

Strathcona Elders were interviewed by students as part of

a Best B4 Collective community project. Participating
students on this interview assignment are from Annie
Simard and Cristina Fogale's grade 4/5 French Immersion
class. They interviewed George Chow, Hilda Ho, Peggy
Lee, Beverly Nann, Leander Szeto, Joe Wai, Bill
Wong, Bing Wong and Larry Wong.
Telling Storiesa visual art exhibition presents stories by
nine visual artists working in photography, fibre, painting,
sculpture and installation, is an exhibition designed to invite
viewers into the gallery space to tell their own stories.
Strathcona students had the opportunity to explore the
visual stories as well as listen to stories from elders who
grew up in the community presenting the exhibition.
The students interviewing
elders and listening to their stories have woven connections across
generations and cultures. They have heard details about long,
interesting lives that help students learn community history. Most of
the elders attended Strathcona Elementary School, and in their
interviews, students learned about what
has changed and what remains the
same. These interviews will be
published on a future blog and displayed
in the foyer of the Vancouver School
Board in the New Year.
About bestb4collective
BestB4 Collective is a Vancouver-based collaborative artist collective.
The focus of their collaboration is an ongoing inquiry into themes of
the natural and built
environments, the use of public space by the private
individual, contemporary dance as an art form and as
public performance. Artists exhibiting in the forthcoming
exhibition include Jim Friesen, Daphne Harwood, Alison
Keenan, Sophi Liang, Colette Lisoway, Edward Peck,
Phyllis Schwartz, Debra Sloan, and June Yun.
Story courtesy of Bestb4collective. View the original at
http://bestb4collective.blogspot.ca/2015/11/strathconaelders-telling-stories.html
Photos courtesy of the Chinese Cultural Centre of
Greater Vancouver. The Telling Stories Project is
presented by the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater
Vancouver with partial funding from the City of
Vancouver.

Thank you to our friends from Vancouver Opera and the VSB Aboriginal Education Department for
their partnership in Project Opera. The four classes: Divisions 3, 6, 9 and 20 were apart of
something very special indeed. Those of us who were in attendance on November 19th were
wowed by what Rory Cowal and Eva Tavares were able to draw out of our students. We hope that
this is the beginning of a great partnership with the Vancouver Opera that will continue to help
ignite our students creativity. It was wonderful how an aboriginal focus was woven into the
endeavor. It was clear the students worked hard to produce the beautiful songs we heard on this
day. We hope our students are as proud of themselves as we are. Bravo to all involved!

STAFFING CHANGES
This month we have said good-bye to one of our SSAs, Matt Hives. Matt
has been with us for 6 years. We thank him for his contributions to our
learning community and wish him all the best as he joins the Life Skills
team at Gladstone Secondary School.
Also leaving the Strathcona team will be our Director of Instruction, David Nelson. Mr. Nelson has
been seconded to assume the Project Lead role for the Long Range Facility Plan for the Vancouver
School Board. We will miss his leadership but look forward to continuing to work with him in his
new role.

SNOW CLOSURE
Winter is upon us and in the event of unsafe weather conditions (e.g. snow), a
CLEAR ANNOUNCEMENT stating that schools are closed will be provided by 6:00
a.m. to local radio stations.
CKNW (980 AM)

CKWX (NEWS 1130 AM)

CBC RADIO (690 AM, 105.7 FM)

BCTV/Global (cable channel 11)

FAIRCHILD Radio (CJVB AM 1470/CKHG FM 96.1) CITY TV (cable channel 13)

In Addition, Information on snow closures will be available on line at www.vsb.bc.ca.

Fifty students from Grade 5 to 7 were trained by our Enhanced Service Team members Greg
Goodall, Denise Aasen and Tracy Kong over at St. James on Friday, November 20th. These
students help support fellow students by providing additional support during lunch. Peer Helpers are out providing a helping hand, problem solving, initiating play, helping out on the playground equipment, helping with rainy day activities and providing extra monitoring. These students go through not only a full day of training, but they are also screened through an application process. The commitment and dedication required for this volunteer job is great. These students serve everyday from 12:30pm to
1:00pm.

Join us for Winter Melodies & Breakfast

Thursday, December 17th
7:45am - 9:00 am
This year we will be hosting a Pancake Breakfast to celebrate the holiday season. We would be
most pleased if your family would be able to join us on the Thursday for a simple breakfast of
pancakes, hot chocolate and oranges in the lunchroom. Of course there will also be some festive
music! We hope to see many of you at this event.
Additional Events
Courtyard decorating and caroling, sponsored by our PAC on Friday, Dec. 11th at 10:00 with
cookies, cocoa and caroling in the courtyard!
Vancouver Metro Theatre presents Sleeping Beauty a Holiday Musical for Families on Friday,
Dec. 11th. This musical has amazingly loveable characters and throughout the evening the
audience will be part of the show!! We limited free tickets, first come first served, and
transportation will be provided by the Vancouver Sun Adopt a School Program. The buses will
depart to the Theatre at 6:00pm so we ask everyone to come at 5:30pm so we can organize the
participants. The Show will start at 7:00pm and end around 9:00pm. We will be back at
Community Center by 10:00pm. For tickets and further information contact Ron at the
Community Center (604)713-1851.
Winter Carnival on Friday, December 18th after school in the gym. Come for popcorn,
movies, arts & crafts and pictures with Santa. Everyone is welcome to this free event.

Important Information Regarding Kindergarten and Cross Boundary Registration

Kindergarten Registration for Strathcona School Catchment for September 2016:
For those children that are born in 2011, it is time to register for Kindergarten! The first step started on November 2, 2015, and is to
register at your English catchment school, regardless of whether you plan to send your child there. If you are not sure which is
your English catchment school, you can go online http://www.vsb.bc.ca/schools and click on the School Location Search by Street
Number link. It is important that you bring along with you, your childs Birth Certificate (original), Immunization Record, Care Card
and Proof of Residency when you come to the school office to register. If your child was born outside of Canada, you need to head to
the VSB District Reception and Placement Centre (DRPC) located at 1000 East 59th Avenue and complete the initial Kindergarten
application there.

Kindergarten Registrants living within International Village Catchment:

For 2016-17 registration the International Village catchment will be in effect for both incoming kindergarten students and for children
who will be going into grades one and two. Families living in the International Village catchment with a child entering Kindergarten in
September should register for the International Village at Seymour program, at Seymour School.

Note: The International Village catchment is the portion of the current Strathcona catchment WEST of Main Street.

Kindergarten Registrants living within the Strathcona Catchment:

Currently Lord Strathcona School is experiencing an increase in the number of students living within our catchment area. For the
2016-17 school year we may not have space to accommodate all in-catchment Kindergarten students. In the event that we receive
more Kindergarten applications than we can accommodate the process outlined below will be followed.

Kindergarten Registrations Received Between November 2nd and February 1st:

In-catchment Kindergarten registrants who have a sibling currently attending and who will continue to attend their in-catchment
school in 2016-17 will be enrolled first. The names of all other in-catchment registrants will be entered in a random draw,
should one be necessary, for the remaining Kindergarten spaces. Students who cannot be accommodated will be placed on a
waitlist in numbered order.

Kindergarten Registrations Received AFTER February 1st:

All in-catchment Kindergarten registrations received after February 1st will be added to the existing waitlist by date and time of
application. Please Note: There will be no priority given to registrants with siblings already attending Strathcona after Feb. 1st.

When will I be informed as to the status of my childs application?

Families will be contacted by mid-February regarding the status of their childs Kindergarten application. Students who could not be
accommodated will be placed on an ordered waitlist. The district will identify an alternate school placement for all waitlisted students.
Students placed at an alternate school location will be offered a space back at their catchment school, when one becomes available,
based on their numbered order on the waitlist.
Families who could not be accommodated and wish to apply to other schools should note that the cross boundary application process
is open from February 2nd to February 27th. Unlike in previous years, cross boundary applications within equivalent priority
groupings will be accepted by draw not by date and time of application.

Cross Boundary Applications to Strathcona:

Strathcona School may not be able to accept any new cross boundary students for the 2016-17school year. This may include new
cross boundary applications from students with siblings already attending Strathcona School. This is essential to ensure
spaces are available for current and future catchment residents.
We understand this could be disruptive to families with children already attending Strathcona cross boundary, particularly to families
living west of Main Street in the International Village. If this change impacts your family please contact Harjinder Sandhu, Principal,
directly so we can discuss. We will continue, through newsletters, to keep parents informed as to our Kindergarten numbers as the
registration process continues.

Applications for Choice Programs

The district offers a variety of choice programs including French Immersion, Mandarin Immersion, Fine Arts, Aboriginal Focus School,
International Baccalaureate and Montessori. If you are planning to apply for Choice Program(s) you still need to register for kindergarten at your English catchment school first. The online application process opens in mid-January and closes in
early February. http://www.vsb.bc.ca/kchoice
There will be a district supervised draw to select applicants for the available program space.
Offers for program spaces will be made by late February. You will be given a formal offer of a space in a Kindergarten choice program
or an indication of where you sit on the waitlist.

FRENCH IMMERSION ADMISSION PROCEDURES FOR 2016/2017

The most common point of entry for French Immersion is Kindergarten. Students may enter in Grade 1 if space is available. Registration for Kindergarten can be found on the VSB website: http://www.vsb.bc.ca/programs/early-french-immersion
The first step for everyone is to register with your neighbourhood English catchment school - regardless of whether you plan to send
your child there. The application process for the Kindergarten French Immersion Program will be online beginning mid January. To
apply, you will need your childs Personal Education Number (PEN) which you will receive in early January IF you have registered for
kindergarten at your English catchment school. A random computer draw will determine the successful applicants. Applicants will be
notified as to placement in late February. An information session for parents/students interested in District French Immersion program
at Strathcona will be held on Wednesday, January 12th at 7:00pm in our library.

With each new seasonal celebration comes a beautiful new display inside and outside our school
office. A big thank you to custodian Nazim Khan for taking the time each holiday season to brighten
our day. Not only does
the school have the
opportunity to enjoy the
wonderful sense of joy it
brings, but so do many
community members
who often stop to take
photos! Thanks
for making us
smile Nazim !

Thank you to our friends in the Community Centre that organized this fun outing for some of our
classes and other students from neighbouring schools. CIBC Cares sponsored this event which
included a bus ride to Britannia Ice Rink, a one hour skate with Santa and some yummy pizza!

December 9th - PAC Meeting in the library. Dinner @ 6:00pm- Meeting

@ 6:30 pm . Child minding provided.
December 11th - Courtyard Decorating, Caroling and Cocoa @ 10:00
December 11th - Vancouver Metro Theatre presents Sleeping Beauty a Holiday Musical for Families . Free transport to and from the Community Centre from 5:30-10 pm
December 16th - Report Cards go Home
December 17th - Pancake Breakfast @ 8:00am in the Lunchroom
December 18th - Last day of school for 2015 - Happy Holidays
December 18th - Winter Carnival in Gym. Free for all after school.

December 21 January 1 WINTER BREAK

January 04th - School Re-Opens

January 07th - PAC Evening Meeting @ 6:00 pm
January 12th - French Immersion Information Night @ 7:00pm
January 15th - Evening Event for select students at UBC-Im Going to UBC
January 18th to 29th - Project Chef : Divisions 7,9,10,21
January 27th and 28th - Goal Setting Conferences and Early Dismissal @ 2:00pm