On Thursday, December 1^st, the classrooms and hallways at Maple Grove will be quieter than usual. A number of our students will be participating in the “Vow of Silence” campaign for “Free the Children”. These students will not be speaking, texting, or e-mailing from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The “Vow of Silence” team will be standing in silent solidarity with children who are being exploited or abused throughout the world. They are going to be silent for child soldiers and for children who are denied their rights to an education, a safe home, or a healthy upbringing. They are standing up for child labourers who have to spend their days working dangerous jobs instead of going to school and playing with their friends. Each participant will be taking a vow of silence for their own individual cause.

We are trying to raise $200 for Free the Children through our Vow of Silence campaign. Please show your support by logging on to our team’s donation page and make a pledge.

http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=3217024&langPref=en-CA

The Vow of Silence is sponsored by the Global Citizenship Club.

Do you like the Muppets? 

If you’d like to see some clips of the Muppets and vote on your favourite, please check out Division 12’s latest blog post.  http://sharonhales.wordpress.com/

Holiday Hamper Drive

Maple Grove School is continuing a school tradition through our participation in the Holiday Hamper Drive to help families in need.

We will once again be helping families from our sister school, most of whom live below the poverty line.  The sponsor teacher at the school expresses deep appreciation for the generous donations from our families.

On behalf of the children from our sister school, we hope that you will be able to contribute several non-perishable food items such as canned soup, pasta, rice, beans, cereal, or anything else that will keep unrefrigerated.  We would also appreciate a donation of $2.00 per child to be used to purchase a gift card for each hamper.

 We would like to have all of the contributions at the school by Friday, December 9th and we will begin collecting immediately.

Thank you for helping to make this season brighter for needy families in our city.

Sincerely,

The Global Citizenship Club and COORDINATORS OF THE HOLIDAY HAMPER PROGRAM:  Debbie Lam, Wendy Wong, and Sarah Adams 

Ideas for Holiday Hampers

Food Items

Juice boxes

Cereal

Pasta/pasta sauce

Canned soup

Rice

Peanut butter

Jam

Crackers

Ketchup, mustard, salad dressing

Beans

Evaporated milk

Sugar

Baking supplies

Cake mix

Canned meat or fish

 

Staples

New bath products (unscented soap and shampoo)

Bus Tickets

Winter Socks

Slippers

Toothbrush/Toothpaste

Laundry Soap

Dish Soap

Wash Cloths

Tea Towels

 

Special Gift Items to Make the Holidays Special

Festive box of chocolates

Hot chocolate

Festive cookies>

Christmas DVD

Picture frame

Photo album

 

Peacefulness 

This month our focus virtue has been peacefulness.

Divisions 7 and 3 have done an excellent job in promoting this virtue through daily questions on the PA about how to be peaceful. The challenge in being peaceful is to be able to promote peace, while still being assertive enough to stand up for what is right, fair and reasonable. Like many things in life this is a fine balance, and for a child, it is difficult to understand. Children know that they do not want to back down in a disagreement, but how to respectfully establish their point of view, respect the rights of others and come to an amicable agreement is a challenge even for adults. Peacefulness is a topic about which it is worth listening to your children. Try to find out what they think it means, how they think is can be achieved, whether they think we should work towards it and what questions they have about it. Once you have listened, let them know your thoughts on peacefulness and what it means to you. 

 

Pajama, Stuffy, and MOVEMBER Day

Children and staff (see photo above) wore their pajamas, carried stuffed animals and wore fake moustaches today. Having fun like this is one way in which student council promotes school spirit.  Movember Day is one way in which Maple Grove works together to give generously. Thank you to Division 3 and Mr. Costello for sponsoring Movember.

 

Student Council

Student council welcomed members of Magee leadership program to a meeting. The Magee students gave a fun workshop about what it means to be a leader. 

 

Maple Grove Band

 On Wednesday evening the Maple Grove Junior and Senior bands performed at a concert at Magee under the direction of Curtis Mathewson, our band teacher. I was very very proud of their performances. They have made considerable progress and are truly making music.  This band program is a very important feature of the Maple Grove program.

 

 

Upcoming Events

Please check our Calendar Page

 

Friday November 25th    Professional Development Day – No School for Students

Thursday, December 1     Vow of Silence Day