HAPPY NEW YEAR

I hope that everyone enjoyed a wonderful break with family and friends. We are all now re-energized for the work of teaching and learning. Traditionally New Year is a time for making resolutions. Every year I and a group of friends get together over dinner and make one to five resolutions for the year after we have reviewed our success (or lack of it) in achieving our resolutions from the previous year. Our penalty for the negative result is a donation to charity. However, this is less motivating than the commitment with friends to try to achieve something in the year. It helps with self-discipline.

Self-discipline is our virtue of the month not by coincidence. It is a good opportunity to encourage students to set some personal goals related to their own lives outside school and also to renew their determination to succeed at goals set at the beginning of the school year. You will have seen on the report card some goals that teachers have suggested, and we hope parents may have taken the opportunity to encourage their children to pursue these goals.

Self discipline is about having self control and making rational choices about what we do, and how we behave. It involves being thoughtful, developing beliefs and opinions about how we want to live our lives, and then having the self control to act according to our beliefs. Self control or self discipline is about being vigilant and honest with ourselves which frees us to live by our highest values. Self discipline is our focus for this month and we hope that parents will support us in this.

APPLICATIONS FOR THE MONTESSORI PROGRAM

Kindergarten

The K-Choice Program Application website will ‘Go Live’  on Friday Jan 10th at 9:00 am and remain open until Jan 31, 2014 at midnight when the application process closes.

Note:

1. Program placement will be determined by a randomized process.

2. Siblings of students who are enrolled in the program for 2014-2015 are given priority but they MUST apply on-line.

3. PEN Numbers (Personal Education Numbers) are required for the application process. These are available from the catchment school where you registered or can be searched for on the  Kindergarten Choice Programs application site.

4. The PEN hotline (604-713-4458) and e-mail account will be available starting on Friday January 10th      vsbkchoiceapply@vsb.bc.ca    from 9 am to 4 pm M-F.

Grades 1 -7

There are a limited number of openings in most grades for September 2014-2015.  Please come to Maple Grove to fill in an application form.

An information session is scheduled for Friday, February 7th in the library at Maple Grove  at 9:15 am. This will focus of grades other than kindergarten.

Upcoming Parent Seminar

Please join PAC in a parent education evening on January 21st at 7pm to discuss a topic that is always tricky….. How to talk to your kids about sex!!!  We have the excellent Saleema Noon joining us to help us educate our children about sex in today’s environment. She has been helping Lower Mainland schools educate their students with her relevant, highly sought after seminars for years.  Below is the link to Saleema’s bio.  Hope to see you all there!

http://www.saleemanoon.com/about/saleema-noon/

Sex talk. No sweat.  

A Workshop for Parents

Not all parents are comfortable talking to their children about sex, but all parents can learn to be comfortable. During this open and informational session, parents will come to terms with sexual health, and understand how it fits into the lives of their children at this stage of life.  Attendees will discover how to easily overcome embarrassment when talking about sexual health, learn words and concepts that are easy to use, and leave well equipped to clearly answer the questions children ask. The workshop is light hearted, but delivers straight and current facts on how parents and children can work together to promote good sexual decisions for a lifetime.

Lunar New Year Celebration at Maple Grove!

*Parent/Family Volunteers Needed*

We are looking to share the rich traditions of the Asian culture and celebrate Lunar New Year through ‘stations’  on Friday Jan 31 2014. This is where students will have an opportunity to watch, participate and experience a wide variety of Asian themed activities.

*Do you have something that you could demonstrate and/or share with our students from your culture? Here are just a few examples of activities that could be shared: origami, calligraphy, art, games, musical instruments, paper cutting, lion or dragon dance, literature, traditional costumes OR anything else you can think of!

We would LOVE to hear from you and have you be a part of our Lunar New Year celebration on Friday Jan 31^st 2014!

For further information please contact:

Elisabeth Chan our SWIS worker at

echan@vsb.bc.ca 604-713-6000 ext 2485

or Ms Zeitz in the office

YEAR OF THE HORSE – ART COMPETITION

Yes, it’s the year of the horse. Not an easy animal to draw but what a challenge to make a poster showing a horse or a group of horses. The picture could include other animals or people but the horse should be the main feature of the composition. We would love to have as many entries as possible to put around the school to celebrate Lunar New Year. The horse(s) do not necessarily have to be realistic but could be done in any style. Entries are due to Mrs. Sellars by January 27th at noon. There will be prizes in various categories such as most creative, most artistic, most original, best poster.  Prizes will be awarded according to Grade level. Categories will depend on the number of entries. The winning entries will be featured in our blog and posted outside the office. Entries can be on any size of paper but they must have a title, the full name of the artist, the grade and the division. They can also include words such as poems or quotes about horses.

SCHOOL CALENDAR FOR 2014-2015

The proposed school calendar is very similar to this years. For details please go to:  http://www.vsb.bc.ca/draft-school-calendar-2014-25-and-key-dates-2015-16. This is a draft calendar. The final version will bee finalized in February. You can email comments to: calendar@vsb.bc.ca

Magee Market Fair

The Magee Music Society would like to invite students and staff of Maple Grove Elementary to attend the Magee Market Fair, on Friday February 7, 2014, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Please set aside the date for this fabulous annual community event, which has something for everyone! Come enjoy the array of foods, entertainment and vendors. Admission is by donation. Our student leaders will be in touch in the new year with more information. Hope to see you there! 

Thanks very much,

Marian Ma & Linda Sum, Co-chairs, Magee Music Society

PERSONAL PASSION PROJECTS

On Monday students who are interested in doing a project on a topic they are enthusiastic about, are invited to a meeting in the library at recess with Ms Roopra and Ms Sellars to sign up to do a Personal Passion Project. This is an opportunity for students to show what they can do independently, or with the help of parents to develop their knowledge and skills in an area they are interested in. We encourage science, research and an attempt to ask and answer critical thinking questions. The projects will be displayed on Monday February 17th. Students who attend the meeting will receive a letter to take home to their parents.

Upcoming Events:

January 21st – Sex Talk. No Sweat. Presentation by Saleema Noon. 7:00pm in Library

January 23rd – Destination Imagination Competition

January 24th – Spelling Bee

January 27 – Camp Read a Lot – Turn off the Screen Week

January 31 – Chinese New Year Celebration

February 7th – Magee Market Fair

February 10 – Family Day Holiday

February 21 – Professional Development Day – No school for students