A huge Thank You to all who helped with the Holiday Hampers.

This year Maple Grove put together hampers for 12 families from our sister school, Nightingale Elementary.  The hampers were stuffed with non perishable foods, treats and gifts.  Each family also received gift certificates from Buy-Low Foods – due to our toonie fundraising. The generosity of Maple Grove families and staff means that these 12 families will have a very merry Christmas season.   We received a big thank you from Nightingale when they came with a van to pick up the hampers.  They actually needed to take out the car seats to fit everything in!

Special Thank You’s to:

Dave Jordan, Store Manger at Buy-Low Foods

Patricia Lowe for organizing gift cards or gifts from:

Safeway – Jim McKay, Store Manager
IGA – John Gendron, Store Owner
London Drugs, Kerri McGonigle, Store Manager
Choices Market – Salim Mitha, Store Manager
Save-On-Foods – Adam Rondquist, Store Manager
Viju Eswaran – Purdy’s gifts
Shopper’s Drug Mart – Serena Lam, Store Owner/Pharmacist
McDonald’s Restaurant – Jacqueline Billings, Manager

Elsie Chan for shopping and delivering the hamper bins to the school.

Global Citizen Club for decorating boxes, making signs and announcements .

Kristie Ruf and all the Class Parents for making sure all the right things got in the hampers – and for encouraging each student to bring a toonie.

Mr. Naipaul’s class for doing the very hard work of carrying the boxes from classrooms to the first floor and then  to the Nightingale van.

And of course to the Holiday Hamper Team, Ms Adams, Ms Garrod, Ms Watkins and Ms Peters.

 

Division 8

Division 17 – Celebration of Learning

 

 

Dear Maple Grove Parents,

Thank-you in advance for your time to read this post during such a busy, holiday time.

Attached you will find a letter that as Maple Grove parents, Douglas Guest and myself Paula Temrick, have co-written.  

17-12-19 Request for MG SCHOOL STAGE In Replacement School

The letter advocates for a school stage to be designed and built into our new seismic replacement school building.  Currently in the schematic design, presented to our PAC by the architects and VSB project team in October, a school stage was eliminated from the new school building.

If you are in agreement with our letter that the VSB reconsider their decision to eliminate the school stage PLEASE REPLY TO THIS LETTER stating your NAME and E-MAIL ADDRESS along with a BRIEF STATEMENT OF SUPPORT no later than WEDNESDAY JANUARY 10, 2018   Please to this e-mail address: paulatemrick@gmail.com.

In brief, both myself and Douglas have serious educational and school community concerns with the elimination of a school stage.

Our letter describes how having a stage alongside a large space (gym or multi-purpose room):

• – supports and fosters Arts Education and Celebration – music, visual and the performing arts, all of which have been significantly cutback
• – can be multi-functional and used for other classroom and meeting space needs
• – creates a focal point for community engagement – inclusive of students, staff, parents and potentially the local neighbourhood
• – supports larger scale school fundraising efforts e.g. our Lunar New Year Festival
• – maintains a more formal environment for whole school assemblies throughout the school year (e.g. Remembrance Day, Winter Concert, Awards and Grade 7 Graduation Ceremonies)

We invite you to read the attached letter for more specific detail and information.  Also attached is a concept design created by another one of our parents as an example only of what could be a flexible and cost effective staging area.

Once support has been collected we will forward the letter, concept design example and your replies onto the appropriate parties.

With Well Wishes To All For The Holiday Season Ahead,

Paula Temrick

PAC Member

School Planning Council Representative

Douglas Guest

PAC Member