Monday 27 June 2011

School Garden

Dr. A.R. Lord now has a school vegetable garden! With the help of a grant from the Vancouver Foundation and many parent volunteers, an active garden exists on the southeast corner of the school property.

Its purpose is to give students the chance to learn how food grows and to plant something in the garden themselves. Many of the crops in the garden will be harvested in the winter, while school is in session, so an emphasis was placed on hardier crops such as leeks, broccoli, carrots, and collard greens.

Groundbreaking was on June 5 at our work bee, where past, present and future A.R. Lord families came out to help. So far, two divisions have come to the garden during class time to plant.


Digging up the grass at the new garden location



Division 7 transplanting leek seedlings

 

Division 5 planting their seedlings



Discussing what we've just planted

Fruit and Vegetable Program Review

The fruit and vegetable program has wrapped up for the year – and what a successful first year it was!

The students learned about healthy eating and the benefits of eating more fruit and vegetables through this new program to our school.

Teachers incorporated the food of the week into their curriculums and taught students about the specific health benefits of each one.

Students ate cucumbers, strawberries, peppers, blueberries, apples and pears to name just a few. Many students sampled foods that they had never tried before – and loved them.

Our program gave each student a full serving of mostly locally-grown, organic produce in a classroom setting (and sometimes even an extra serving at lunch the next day).

What a great new program to have at our school and we are looking forward to continuing it in the 2011/2012 school year.

Saturday 25 June 2011

Vice Principal's Letter

Dear Families,

As we approach summer break, it is time to reflect on a very positive and successful school year at Lord.

Every year, we have some changes to our staffing at school. This year, we will be saying good bye to Mrs. Wong, Mr. Campbell and Cheryl.

Mrs. Wong has been an outstanding intermediate teacher at Lord for many years. Her strengths and personal commitment to providing enriching experiences for her classes are well known – this year was no exception as the students in division one can confirm. Her contribution to the education of hundreds of students is exemplary. We wish Mrs. Wong all the very best as she enters a new phase of her life with her family.

Mr. Campbell has worked with many students over the past 2 years in his various roles – teacher librarian, grade 6/7 teacher and grade ¾ teacher. We have been very fortunate to have had Mr. Campbell at Lord as long as we did. His energy, leadership, and joy of teaching have made a very positive impact on many students. Many students have come to really admire Mr. Campbell. Mr. Campbell will be working at another school in Vancouver and those students are very fortunate.

Cheryl will be working at another Vancouver school in the fall. Cheryl has been working in the office at Lord for 14 years. Cheryl’s friendly, warm nature at the front desk has served all of us well. We will miss you, Cheryl and we wish you the very best at your new school.

We also have a number of students leaving the Lord community, going to new schools in September. I wish you well as you continue to learn and grow over the years ahead. Keep in touch with your good friends from Lord! To our grade 7 students – you will be a wonderful addition to the grade 8 group at Templeton, Burnaby North or whichever school you are planning to go to. You have been an amazing group of students – great role models, infectiously fun and positive. It has been a pleasure working with you this year and I know the teachers all feel the same.

I wish you a wonderful summer – enjoy the warmer weather and spending time as a family. Read books together and do some fun family outings – even a picnic at the park is a way to reconnect and allow yourselves time to relax. All the very best to all of our families and staff!

Sincerely,

Sarah Gray
Vice-Principal

Friday 24 June 2011

September Return

FIRST DAY
Grade 1-7 Students
Tuesday, September 6th, 9-10:00 a.m., previous year's classroom
New Kindergarten Students
Tuesday, September 6th, 1:30-2:00, School Library

FIRST WEEK
Grade 1-7 students return to their 2010-11 classrooms.
New Kindergarten students will be given a schedule on the first day of school.

The school organization for 2011-12 is in draft form, only to become final in the first 2 weeks of September. For the first week, all students return to their 2010-11 classrooms. Division 1 (previous grade 6 students) will join Mrs. Lau for the first week.

On Friday of the first week, we hope to move students into their new divisions during the day. Teachers will facilitate the move, as per previous years. Parents will be informed of their childen's new classroom location.

Do you have summer plans that will mean your child will come back late in September? If so, the school can hold a spot for you – please let the office know as soon as possible. There is a ‘Late Return’ form for you to complete so the school has the information on record.

For questions or further information, please contact the school office 604-713-4620 during regular school hours.

Thursday 23 June 2011

2011-2012 Teachers & Divisions Draft

Division 1 ~ Mrs. Lau, Ms Haraga (Mon.)
Division 2 ~ Mrs. O’Neill
Division 3 ~ Mrs. Burke (Mon.-Thurs.) & Mrs. Gray (Fri.)
Division 4 ~ Ms Watson & Ms Young-Eng (Wed.)
Division 5 ~ Mrs. Bains (Mon.- Wed.) & Ms Ewing (Thurs., Fri.)
Division 6 ~ Ms Andersen
Division 7 ~ Ms Young
Resource ~ Ms Haraga, Ms Poletti, Mrs. Gray
Library ~ Ms Haraga
Prep ~ Ms Young-Eng & Ms Ewing

It is a pleasure to have Mrs. O’Neill working full time next year. We are also looking forward to a few new job share partnerships (as noted above) that will provide a new, dynamic energy in the classrooms. Please keep in mind that this is our draft – changes can happen over the summer and into the fall. When classes and staffing is confirmed, students will move into their new classrooms – we are aiming for Friday of the first week.

Monday 20 June 2011

Year End Assembly

Wednesday, June 22nd
9:45am - noon
School Gymnasium


Families are welcome to attend this week's last Assembly of the year. There will be some amazing performances from our students (singing, dancing, recorder) and special goodbyes. Students will be recognized for the Honour Roll, Principal's List, and other outstanding school activities.

Monday 13 June 2011

Year End Family BBQ

Friday, June 17th
4:00-6:00pm

All parents, guardians, families, teachers, neighbours, friends and supporters are invited to a year-end, Father’s Day potluck BBQ celebration!

Let’s get together and share a meal and a laugh before the summer begins. Bring your beach blankets, soccer balls and bubbles!

MENU
Italian Sausages $3.00
Kids Hot Dogs $1.50
Juice $.50
Bottled Water $1.00
Snacks $.50

Feel free to bring a finger-food or dessert dish to share (enough for 6 ppl. Max).

ACTIVITIES
Raffle – EA Sports & MAC Cosmetics products
50/50 Draw
Rock Creations – a Father’s Day craft

For further information please contact the PAC Executive at arlordpac@gmail.com or with a letter through the Main Office.

This fair weather event will be cancelled if it turns rainy.

Sunday 12 June 2011

PAC Meeting Reminder

POTLUCK SOCIAL
Date: TUESDAY, June 12th
Time: 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Location: School Library

The PAC's next meeting is our last one for this school year! There will be a few minutes of year-end business, and then some fun potluck eating and laughing!

All parents are welcome to come.
Child minding is NOT available for this event, as it is a family-friendly evening.

For further information please contact the PAC Executive or with a letter through the school's Main Office.

Tuesday 7 June 2011

Yale Fundraiser for the Templeton Educational Foundation


Scholarship Fundraiser at The Yale
The Yale Hotel 1300 Granville Street
Sunday, June 19th 5-9pm


The Templeton Secondary School Educational Foundation is hosting a fundraiser on June 19th at The Yale in downtown Vancouver between 5 & 9pm. There will be live music from The Ponderosas, Michael Van Eyes, Nightbus, Deep Seated, Brickhouse and Johnny Ferrera. We have lots of door prizes and great items to raffle.

All proceeds will go to the Templeton Secondary School Educational Foundation. As many of our students go on to Templeton Secondary, the PAC would like to support this event.

Tickets are $20 and are available from Lisa or e-mail arlordpac@gmail.com. Limited tickets at the door.

About the Templeton Secondary Educational Foundation

The Foundation was founded in 1991 by a group of Templeton alumni to provide bursaries and mentoring to Templeton Secondary School graduates attending post-secondary institutions. Recipients are chosen based on financial need, scholastic achievement, community service and their commitment to their plan of studies. The Foundation’s endowment is administered by the Vancouver Foundation. Since 1991 the Foundation has awarded bursaries in excess of $692,000 to over 260 Templeton graduates.

Donations

If you aren’t able to attend, make a donation!
A tax receipt will be provided for all donations exceeding $25.

Please make cheques payable to:
Templeton School Foundation

Donations should be mailed to:
Templeton School Foundation
c/o Gordon K.W. Gee Ltd.
601-325 Howe Street
Vancouver, B.C. V6C 1Z7

Sunday 5 June 2011

Appreciation Tea

A reminder for all parents, families and volunteers!

Tuesday, June 7th
3:15pm
School Library

There is an Appreciation Tea & Social to celebrate, appreciate and have a fun! It's the time when we can thank each other for the hard work, efforts and time we all take to help our kids have a fantastic education and school community.

We hope to see you all there!

Thursday 2 June 2011

Hot Lunch Friday June 10


The last hot lunch of the year is coming up on Friday, June 10th. Students have the opportunity to pay only $3.00 for their choice of a pepperoni or cheese pizza slice, accompanied by fresh fruit, a cup of milk and dessert. Additional pizza slices can be ordered for $1.50 each.

Order form notices were sent home on May 31st. Please contact your teacher or the PAC if you missed the notice and would still like your child to participate. Forms and payment should be returned to your child's teacher by Monday, June 6th.

For further information please contact the PAC Executive at arlordpac@gmail.com or with a letter through the school's Main Office.

Summer Rec & Read

Grade 1 – 4 students are eligible for a four week rec and read program being held at Hastings Elementary School during the month of July, Monday – Thursday, 9:00am-2:45pm each day.

The goal of the program is to give students more time to work on literacy skills. The morning is held in a classroom with a focus on reading. The afternoon session is a variety of sports and physical activities. Registration is first come, first served and space is limited.

Please speak to your child’s teacher if you might be interested.

Thank You DARLAA

The Dr. A. R. Lord Alumni Association, also known as DARLAA, is a group of energetic, positive young adults and some secondary students who are dedicated to supporting our wonderful little school.


Many DARLAA members volunteered at our Sports Day and will help with our Welcome to Kindergarten event.


Also, they recently came to Lord with a basket full of goodies for each classroom. They held a very successful bowling fundraising event a few months ago then asked staff what could be a helpful addition to the classroom supplies. They bought and delivered wrapped presents for each division! Some of the items donated include: soccer balls, sidewalk chalk, tissue paper, basketballs, glitter glue, art supplies…thank you, DARLAA, for your thoughtful and generous donations and your dedication to A. R. Lord!

Wednesday 1 June 2011

School Year Calendar

The school calendar for 2011-2012 will soon be available and will be sent home with students. Our school calendar is consistent with the VSB Calendar and is very similar to the current year. When you get your copy, please keep it in a safe place (e.g., on your fridge) as a reference for next year.

Track and Field

Grade 4-7 students have been running, jumping and throwing for many weeks as part of the track and field team. Mrs. Burke, Mrs. O’Neill, Mrs. Lau and Mrs. Haraga have coached the team in the mornings and taken the students to meets at Britannia after school.

Soon the team will compete at the Finals, being held at Van Tech this year on Tuesday, June 7 from about 12 to 4:30pm. Parent drivers are needed to help get the children to and from the meet. Please let Mrs. O’Neill know if you are available. Good luck everyone!!