Wednesday 30 September 2015

Terry Fox Run 2015

The sun was shining on Wednesday September 30th for the A.R. Lord Terry Fox Run which is part of the 35th National School Run Day.  This year it was held across the way at Hastings Park.  Teachers and students were joined by family and friends who donned their sneakers and ran along side!

A special guest Mr. Darrell Fox, the younger brother of Terry Fox was also present on site. In 1980 at the age of 17, he joined Terry on part of the Marathon of Hope. He now serves as a Board Director and Senior Advisor for the Terry Fox Research Institute. It was an honour for all to hear directly from a family member of Terry Fox and the importance to continue to support and fund the research that is leading to improve the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of Cancer.
Everyone got into the spirt of the event and learned about Terry Fox and his legacy!

Monday 28 September 2015

The 7 minute Workout!

The Plank is a great exercise to strengthen the core and improve posture!  
Well these grade 1 and 2 students from Ms. Phongmany's class take a break from studies and do a 7 minute work out to get the bodies moving (and have some fun)!

Saturday 26 September 2015

Meet the Teachers Night


Thursday night was a chance for parents and guardians to come and meet all the teaching staff, do a fun passport tour of the school, and get to know other families.  The event was topped off with delicious apples provided by the PAC.

Friday 25 September 2015

A.R. Lord Elementary + Indigo = Child Literacy

"I love the library and reading new books" - Gr 1 Student
A.R. Lord Elementary loves reading! It is a collective effort and creates an environment that fosters imagination, literacy, and sharing. 

"The library is the heart of our school and one of the key ways the librarian  turns children into lifelong readers is by connecting every one of our students with a "just right" book. The support from Chapters/Indigo means that we can get more books into the hands of our students and inspire them to love books and reading and learning." - Ms. Burke - Resource/Reading Recovery Teacher 

Literacy activities within our school have included the creation of a community bookshare, hosting parent workshops on how to support literacy in the home, providing support to new readers with the One-to-One Literacy program, book exchanges and the Indigo A.R. Lord Flipgive campaign.
Now for a limited time until October 10th, the Indigo Adopt as School event will bring together school teachers, students, families, and supporters along side Indigo staff, customers and the community.  It provides us a chance to win $10,000 in books for the school library.  The Indigo store in Lougheed Mall, Coquitlam is our generous sponsor store!  Adopt us online and help support literacy:


Click to Adopt A.R. Lord

Thursday 24 September 2015

National Tree Day at A.R. Lord



Wednesday September 23rd was National Tree Day and our school held a tree planting ceremony, activities, and presentations.  The students learned about the importance of trees in our ecosystem. 

Meet the Teacher Tonight at 6:00pm

An apple a day.... 
Come and share an apple, visit the school and meet the teachers and staff at 6:00pm.  
Thursday Sept 24th.

Wednesday 23 September 2015

Dr. A.R. Lord - Organics Collection and Diversion Program

Did you know that organics make up over 1/2 of all waste collected regularly for Vancouver School Board?  Dr. A.R. Lord now has an organic waste collection bin and has adopted the districts organics diversion program.  All students and staff will segregate this waste for compliance with Metro Vancouver's ban on organics from landfills.

http://www.vsb.bc.ca/district-news/new-school-year-new-waste-bins

Tuesday 22 September 2015

Activities - Hastings Community Centre - Register for Fall Programs Now

There is still time to sign up and participate in the many wonderful programs for children, adults, and seniors at the Hastings Community Centre which is located next door to A.R. Lord Elementary.  Preteen Youth Night, Capoeira Kids, Glee Club, Pro-D Day camps, Strength conditioning bootcamp, Basketball, African Drumming ... just to name a few!
Link to Program Guide

Monday 21 September 2015

National Tree Day Weds Sept 23

Parents and guardians, we hope that you can join in on the ceremonial tree planting with students, staff and Tree Canada https://treecanada.ca/en/ on National Tree Day!  Opening remarks in the gym  will commence at 11:30am and then all will head over to the neighbouring Hastings Garden.

Saturday 19 September 2015

A.R. Lord Elementary Recipient of Whole Foods Grant

The Whole Foods Grocery Store on Cambie had a great display of the schools that were recipients of the Whole Kids Garden Grants over the last few years!

Thank you Whole Foods Foundation for your support:  https://www.wholekidsfoundation.org/index.php/schools/school-garden-grant-program

The Parent Advisory Council is seeking someone from our school community to take on the volunteer position of Grant Coordinator.  This position is a great way to help, even if you are not able to spend much time at the school.  We received various community grants and been able to enhance our school resources, provide field trips for kids, build gardens, and celebrate with fun community building events.  Tasks would include searching and applying for grants online and completing occasional grant status reports.  email:  arlordpac@gmail.com if you are interested! 

Friday 18 September 2015

ADOPT A.R. Lord online with the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation

Between Sept 20th to Oct 10th, 2015, Dr. A.R. Lord will be participating in the Indigo ADOPT A SCHOOL program.  Our sponsor store is the Lougheed Mall location and this campaign unites Coles, Chapters, Indigo employees, customers and their communities in raising money to rejuvenate elementary-school libraries across Canada.   
"Adopt us" online (every day during the campaign if you can...it is FREE) and/or make a donation to help support the purchase of books for our library.  We will be participating for $10,000 worth of books!
Adopt now:  Link to A.R. Lord Adopt a School Site

Wednesday 16 September 2015

A.R. Lord Participates in the BC School Fruit and Vegetable Program - Here come Tomatoes

Dr. A.R. Lord Students can look forward to participating in the BC School Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition Program again this year.  Kindergarten to Grade 2 students will also be receiving cow's milk or a fortified soy beverage as part of the +Milk program.


See link for details on the program:  http://www.sfvnp.ca/bc-sfvnp.html

Tuesday 15 September 2015

Save the Date: September PAC Meeting

We will be hosting our first Parent Advisory Council meeting on Tuesday September 22nd in the school library.  6:30pm-8:00pm.  All parents/guardians are welcome to attend.  We will be discussing upcoming events and initiatives, and are always looking for ideas, volunteers, and ways to support the school, our teachers, staff and community.  Child minding will be available.  If you have any specific agenda items for consideration, please forward them to arlordpac@gmail.com

Monday 14 September 2015

"Puzzle of the Week"


The first Puzzle of the Week has started and runs until Friday September 18th for all students.  They must match the image to the popular children's book!  Entry forms are posted in the downstairs hallway.

Saturday 12 September 2015

Update from A.R. Lord - Class Assignments

Dear Parents and Guardians:

Thank you for your patience as we work through the school start up and transitioning into our new classes for the 2015-2016 year.  The good news is that we were given an extra division this year!  We now have 7 divisions and lots of room to grow!
The staff have been meeting and working diligently on a new organization putting the usual great care into every placement decision.  Class lists are being finalized and we will be switching classes on Monday.  Please note that you may need to pick up your child at a different classroom on Monday!  For the older and returning students, please arrange to meet your child outside afterschool, either out front or at the back under the covered play area; these areas are supervised until 3:15.  This would be greatly appreciated as the hallways are becoming very congested during drop off and pick up times, especially as we welcome all the young, new kindergarten children.
The new class organization:
  • Div 1 Gr. 7 - Room 205  Ms. O'Neill
  • Div 2 Gr. 5/6 - Room 203 Teacher On Call- until a new permanent teacher is hired
  • Div 3 Gr. 4/5 - Room 201 Ms. Wise and teaching partner (currently Ms. Kennedy)
  • Div 4  Gr. 3/4 - Room 108  Ms. Watson/Ms. Mitchell
  • Div 5 Gr. 1/2 - Room 110 Ms. Phongmany
  • Div 6 K/1 - Room 206 Ms. Bains/Ms Mitchell
  • Div 7 K/1 - Room 202 Ms. Young
Ms. Susie Car, Principal  - Dr. A.R. Lord Elementary

Friday 11 September 2015

Cross Country Team - Gr 1-7

Signup to participate on the A.R. Lord Elementary Cross Country Team.                     Practices are held on site and mini-meets are held nearby in neighbouring East Van outdoor spaces.  A great way to have fun, get some exercise and enjoy a supportive and inclusive team environment with schoolmates!  

A signup sheet is posted in the upstairs hallway! 

Thursday 10 September 2015

Interested in a Parent Session on Children's Mental Health Literacy?

A.R. Lord Families, we are evaluating participation with other schools to coordinate a parent session on Children's Mental Health Literacy Issues such as anxiety, depression, self-harm etc.  A tentative date would be on November 27th at a Vancouver school (location TBD).  There may be a small fee to attend.  Let us know if you would be interested attending this event by clicking on our poll:
Children's Mental Health Literacy Poll
(one vote per person please so that we can gage interest)

Welcome Back to School A.R Lord Elementary


Welcome to a new school year!  It is great to see the school yard, hallways and classrooms filled once again with eager learners, supportive families and guardians, along side smiling teaching staff!

Tuesday 8 September 2015

Vancouver School Board - Combined Split Classrooms

A.R. Lord elementary school has a few split classrooms this year.  According to the VSB website:

What is a combined class?
A combined or split class refers to a class that is made up of students from two or more grades. Combined classes occur most frequently in elementary schools and are the combination of students in two different grades with one teacher teaching both curricula.
For example, a school might have a grade 2/grade 3 class combination. It is important to know that students in combined classes are not held back to the level of the younger children nor are the children in the lower grade expected to do work beyond their abilities. 

Why do Schools create combined classes?
When school staff look to organize their students, that is to place the students in their classes with teachers, they have to balance the educational needs of their students with the staffing they receive from Human Resources as well as with legislated contractual considerations.
A school calculates enrolment. This is then verified by the Human Resources division of the Vancouver Board of Education. Based on this figure, teaching staff (both enrolling and nonenrolling) is allocated. The Principal, working with the Staff Committee of the school, then constructs classes based on these factors and the educational interests of each student.

How do Schools decide which students to place in combined classes?
For both combined and non-combined classrooms they strive to ensure all students are placed in appropriately balanced classrooms, school staff (teachers, and Principals use such criteria as age, range of ability, special learning needs, gender, social groupings, and support staff recommendation.

Will the teacher teach the entire curriculum to both grades?
The School Act, which governs British Columbia schools, stipulates that all teachers, including teachers of split classes, must teach the prescribed curriculum. Therefore the teacher is obligated to teach the entire curriculum to both grades. Teaching strategies that address diversity, meet individual needs, and satisfy Ministry requirements with respect to content and processes of learning work well in both combined and single grade classrooms.

How can I support my child in a combined class?
Parents can support their children in the same ways they would if they were in a single grade class. Staying interested and concerned about school work and activities, monitoring a child’s homework and keeping in touch with the teacher and attending the school whenever possible are ways the parents can support the child’s learning. If you have concerns about your child’s learning, you should speak to the classroom teacher. A survey of literature on combined classes, published in 2001 and available on the internet (ERIC Identifier ED 448935) states:
“Advantages for multi-age students have been shown to increase the longer students remain in multi-age classrooms. Students in multi-age classrooms demonstrate more positive attitudes toward school, greater leadership skills, greater self-esteem, and increased pro-social and fewer aggressive behaviours, compared to peers in traditional graded classrooms.
Statistical analysis demonstrated that students from multi-age classrooms achieved greater academic outcomes in relation to their abilities and demonstrated greater increases in academic achievement than students of the same and higher abilities from singleage classrooms when all classrooms employed developmentally appropriate teaching practices.”
http://www.vsb.bc.ca/combined-split-classes

Friday 4 September 2015

Gradual Entry Schedule for Kindergarten at A.R. Lord Elementary

Tuesday, Sept 8 1:30-2:00 Families are asked to meet in the library. Both parents & Children should attend.  Parents will signup for an interview time with Kindergarten teacher.
Wednesday Sept 9 to Friday Sept 11 11:00am -12:00pm. Room 202 (+ alternate room  TBA if necessary)
Monday Sept 14 9:00-11:00
Tuesday Sept 15 9:00-1:10
Weds Sept 16 onward - Full day school 9:00-3:00
Note: 
  • Some children will need more time to adjust to the new expectations.  If you find your child is tired and finding this gradual entry schedule is not working well, please speak to the teacher to individualize a gradual entry schedule
  • Regular recess break is 10:40-11:00.  Please send a healthy snack with your child.
  • Lunch break is 12:10-12:57.  Please send a full, nutritious lunch with your child.  Some parents choose to bring lunch for their child at lunchtime.  You are more than welcome to meet your child at 12:10 in the lunchroom/gym and spend some time together.

School Schedule First Week

All Students in Grades 1-7 attend from 9:00-10:00am on Tuesday Sept 8th  (Please be sure that you have planned/arranged for the short day and be sure to pick up your child at 10:00am).  Students should go to their last year (June) teacher's classrooms.
For the remainder of the week onward, it is regular hours (9:00-3:00pm).

For new Kindergarten students:  Please attend with parent/guardian for a brief meeting in the school library at 1:30pm on Tuesday.  The remainder of the week's schedule (gradual entry) will also be given.

Please be patient during the transition back to school.  Our wonderful teachers and school staff are busy reorganizing classrooms, assigning students, and setting up the school to create a wonderful experience for all school children for the year.  Giving them the support and space to carry out these tasks is greatly appreciated. 

Wednesday 2 September 2015

New Educational Curriculum for Grades K-9

A new curriculum has just been released by the BC Ministry of Education.  https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca
This curriculum was developed jointly with the BC Teachers Federation in 2013 for grade K-9.  Areas covered include Arts Education, English Language Arts, French, Math, Physical and Helath Education and Social Studies. Also included are elements of Aboriginal perspectives, history of the residential school system, new content on South and East Asian immigrants, and emphasis on environmental sciences.
https://www.bctf.ca/IssuesInEducation.aspx?id=5646
It will be phased in over three years:

2015-16: Teachers have the option of using new curriculum in kindergarten to Grade 9 classes.
2016-17: All classes will use new curriculum for kindergarten to Grade 9.
2017-18: Entire K-12 curriculum will be "phased in by areas and grade levels.