NO SCHOOL ON MONDAY, TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY.

Teachers have voted for strike action and will not be at work on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, March 5, 6th and 7th. Maple Grove will therefore be closed. Please find alternative arrangements for your children. The school cannot ensure their safety without teachers.  Please scroll down to read a letter from Steve Cardwell, our Superintendent of Schools.

PINK DAY FLASHMOB

Almost all of our students wore pink on Wednesday in a symbolic stand for tolerance, kindness and acceptance of difference. It was a stand against racism, against bullying, against sexism, and all other forms of negative discrimination.

Genevieve Wright-Smith lead her Diamond Voices in a delightful presentation including a song by Taylor Swift called Mean. 

We all danced together even though it was raining. This Maple Grove Flashmob was organized by Mr. Malin and Mrs. Bartlett. Thank you students of Maple Grove for making it clear what you believe in.

Here is a stop-motion animation video that Ms Bartlett’s class did at the Museum of Vancouver on Wednesday. It presents the history of the Gold Rush, including hungry miners eating skunk and horse meat, prospectors braving unknown river routes, Chinese immigrant labourers facing racism, and ultimately the failure to strike it rich!

LETTER FROM STEVE CARDWELL

March 1, 2012

Dear Parents / Guardians:

Teachers have chosen to escalate the job action that has been in place since September. A recent ruling by the Labour Relations Board (LRB) allows teachers to withdraw services for up to three days in the first week of the strike, provided that they give two school days’ notice before striking. Since that ruling, the BC Teachers‘ Federation (BCTF) has given notice that it intends to strike for three days starting on Monday next week.

Given that teachers will be on strike, there will not be sufficient staff available to provide adequate supervision for our students. Instruction will not be available. Since the safety and security of our students is always paramount, we ask parents to make alternative child-care arrangements for their children during the strike. We anticipate classes resuming on Thursday of next week, but please stay tuned to the media. At this time we don’t expect there to be pickets around the schools or childcare sites on school property. Parents may access the sites without having to cross any picket lines.

During this challenging time, we will endeavor to keep you up-to-date as much as possible. We recommend that you stay tuned to media stations for current information as it develops. You can also check our website and social media channels, which we will be constantly updating with new information as we receive it. You can find the latest information surrounding job action on our website at: www.vsb.bc.ca/district-news/job-action-information-and-updates.

Teachers are participating in a legal job action. We are hopeful that this strike will come to a resolution quickly so that we can get back to supporting teaching and learning. Thank you for your patience.

Sincerely, Steve Cardwell

Superintendent of Schools/CEO

c: Trustees

2012年3月1日

親愛的家長/監護人： 最近教師選擇了提升自九月份以來的第一階段罷工行動。因勞資關係委員在近日通過一項裁决，允許教師在罷工前兩天發出通知後可於一個星期內罷工三天。此時卑詩教師聯合會已發出通知，將在下周罷工三天。 鑒于教師罷工的關係，學校將不會有足夠的工作人員為學生提供適當的管理與照顧。教學也將無法進行。學生的安全一直是我們最高的考量，因此我們請求家長為子女在罷工期間安排替代的托兒服務。我們預計學校將會在下星期四恢復上課，但請您繼續關注媒體報導以得知最新消息。目前我們

幷不期待會有工會的糾察綫在學校或學校的托兒中心前設立。家長可以無需穿越任何糾綫察進入學校或學校的托兒中心。 在這個充滿挑戰的時代，我們將盡力與你保持溝通，讓你盡可能得知最新消息。我們建議您關注媒體報導以得知事件的最新發展。您還可以查看我們的網站和社會媒體網，我們將不斷更新其中信息。你也可上我們的網站找到有關罷工的最新消息：

http://www.vsb.bc.ca/district-news/job-action-information-and-updates 。

教師的罷工是合法行動。我們希望這次罷工會很快得到圓滿的結果，所以我們可以專注於教學和學習的工作。我們感謝您的耐心與瞭解。

真誠的，

史蒂夫卡德威爾

溫哥華教育局總督察

副本：溫哥華教育局校董

Letter to Parent March 1, 2012 – Chinese Traditional

Changes at Maple Grove as a result of Job Action

1. Please note the change in dates for the Science Celebration. Teachers expected that students would have three more days to work on their projects.  Students will also miss the important practice of presenting their work orally which fits so nicely with our school goal. The Science Celebration will therefore take place on the first Thursday after Spring Break, March 29th. In the meantime, we encourage students to continue with their projects and research. We hope many parents will plan to come on the day to support both their own children and other students by showing an interest in their projects.

2. There will be no report card conferences and therefore no early dismissal days next week.

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