Christmas Events at Dr. A. R. Lord

What an exciting Christmassy week for the students at Dr. A. R. Lord! On Tuesday, some of our primary students visited the high school students over at Eastside Alternative School to build gingerbread houses together. There is an article and photos of the event on VSB District News.

Also on Tuesday, just in time for our Christmas singalong and slideshow, it snowed! Many of us came back to the school in the evening for a PJ singalong and hot chocolate.

evening Christmas sing-a-long

On Wednesday, many of the classes were out of the school on field trips, despite the slushy weather.

On Thursday, our friends from DARLAA came by to help students with Christmas crafts and cookie decorating.

The hardworking DARLAA team at a craft table

some of the many, many cookies DARLAA baked for our students

Check out the article and more photos of Thursday's events also on VSB District News.

Thank you so much to Eastside Alternative Program, DARLAA, Mrs. Car and Mrs. Young-Eng, and the many staff and parents who volunteered their time to make these events fun for everyone! Have a wonderfully merry Christmas.

PAC Meeting Minutes November 14, 2012

The minutes from the PAC meeting on November 14, 2012 can now be found online. Please contact the PAC Exec with any questions or clarifications.

REMINDER: PAC Meeting Wednesday, December 12

Date: WEDNESDAY, December 12th

Time: 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Location: School Library

We have a very short agenda for this month's meeting, followed by a potluck social! Please bring a dish to share, and your own plate and eating utensils if possible. As always, all parents are part of the PAC and are welcome to attend.

We will have some special guests at this month's meeting: Tracy from the Eastside Alternate Program will be coming, as well as a visitor from Templeton Pool.

Free childminding will be provided.

For further information please contact the PAC Executive by e-mail or with a letter to the PAC Box in the school's front office.

Canned food drive now on!

Our annual food drive for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society is now on! Until December 18th, please bring donations to your child's classroom, to the Christmas tree in the front lobby, or to the boxes in the hallway downstairs.



According to the Food Bank, these are their most-needed items:

• Canned meat/fish
• Natural peanut/nut butter
• Whole wheat pasta & brown rice
• Pasta sauce
• Canned fruits/vegetables
• 100% fruit juice
• Low-sugar cereal
• Baby food & formula

Please note that the Food Bank cannot accept home-canned food, expired items, items containing alcohol, or open packages.

Café Ético coffee and tea orders due Monday

This is a reminder that Café Ético coffee and tea orders are due on Monday, December 10. Please bring orders with payment to the PAC box in the office.

Café Ético orders will continue monthly in the new year, due on the 10th of each month.

Vancouver Giants Read-To-Succeed Game Friday, January 18, 2013

Please note that the Vancouver Giants hockey game that all students are eligible to attend as a reward for completing the Read-To-Succeed program has been moved to Friday, January 18, 2013. Mark your calendars!

REMINDER: Purdy's forms are due on Friday

Remember, your order forms for Purdy's Chocolate Santa Lollipops are due this Friday, December 7! Please bring forms and payment to the PAC box in the office. The school receives money for each Santa sold.

Hot Lunch Reminder

A reminder to students who have pre-ordered that Friday, December 7th is Hot Lunch Day!  Students who have pre-ordered will receive a slice of pepperoni or cheese pizza, along with milk or water, a fresh fruit or vegetable and a tasty dessert.

Fruit & Vegetable Program

This week the students will receive another delivery from the BC School Fruit & Vegetable Nutritional Program.


MANDARIN ORANGES

Mandarin oranges are grown on small (10 ft high), slender-twigged deciduous trees.

The tree is more drought-tolerant than the fruit. The mandarin is tender, and is damaged easily by cold.

Compared to other citrus fruits, Mandarin oranges have 6 to 7 times the amount of “synephrine”, a naturally occurring decongestant to help with flu season!

For further information, fascinating facts and interesting history on this delicious fruit please read the PDF document on MANDARIN ORANGES.

Students will receive their delivery during class time. This snack is not meant to replace the foods students normally eat at school. Students can make their own decisions on whether to taste the fruits offered.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the PAC via e-mail or contact the school administration at 604-713-4620.

NO SCHOOL Friday, November 30

Please note that Friday, November 30th is a Professional Development Day and there is NO SCHOOL for students on that day. See you on Monday!

Photo retake orders due November 29

For those who have had photo retakes, the orders are due back to your teachers by Thursday, November 29.

Café Ético coffee and tea fundraiser

We will soon start selling Café Ético coffee and tea as a fundraiser for the school. Café Ético is organic and “beyond Fair Trade”. The company buys its coffee directly from producers in Latin America, and 100% of profits go back to CoDevelopment Canada, a non-profit that works for human rights and social justice in Latin America.

Order forms go home today, to be returned with payment to the PAC box in the office by December 10. A number of different roasts are available, and the coffee is sold as whole bean or ground. Organic orange pekoe tea is also available, loose or in bags. Café Ético orders will continue on a monthly basis, due on the 10th of each month.

Future order forms will not be sent home, but will be available here or at the PAC message board by the office.

Purdy's Chocolate Santa fundraiser

Purdy’s Chocolate Santa Lollipop

$2.00 per Lolly

Perfect stocking stuffer or tasty gift!

Premium Belgian Chocolate

No additives or preservatives

Purdy’s is Canadian Owned & Family Operated

Orders must be returned by December 7th

No limit on number of Lollipops ordered

Student with the most orders will receive a $25 gift card for Chapters/Indigo
 
Order forms will be coming home with students today and must be returned to the PAC box in the office with exact change or cheque addressed to "Dr. A. R. Lord PAC".

Additional order forms are available here or from the school office.
 
For more information please contact the PAC executive.

Usborne Book Fair & Partners in Reading talk

This is a reminder that the Usborne Book Fair and Partners in Reading evening talk are coming up! The dates for the book fair are as follows:

 

Monday, November 26 - noon - 4 pm

Tuesday, November 27 - 8:15 am - 4 pm, 6 - 8:30 pm

Wednesday, November 28 - 8:15 - 9:30 am

 

In conjunction with the book fair, we also have the Partners in Reading talk with Linda O'Reilly from 6:30-7:30 pm on Tuesday, November 27. She will speak on how you can be a partner with your child in learning to read and establishing a lifelong love of reading. Although the talks are designed for parents and their children, we have also been able to secure childminding for the event.

 

Linda O’Reilly is passionate about literacy and brings a wealth of knowledge and insights to her workshops. Linda spends her time consulting with schools and teachers who are changing their literacy practices and currently works as a lead consultant for Nelson Literacy BC, a new Language Arts resource. She also helped create the Adolescent Literacy Network in partnership with Simon Fraser University.

 

Hot Lunch Reminder

A reminder to students who have pre-ordered that Friday, November 23th is Hot Lunch Day!  Students who have pre-ordered will receive a package of sushi, along with milk or water, a fresh fruit or vegetable and a tasty dessert.

Vancouver Inspiration Pass

Want to go to the Vancouver Art Gallery, Science World, the Symphony, the Vancouver Aquarium, the Museum of Anthropology, and many other top Vancouver attractions, for free?

The Vancouver Inspiration Pass, launched on October 24, will allow you to do exactly that. With your VPL library card, you can put a hold on this pass and take it out for two weeks, once per year. A pass allows admission for two adults and up to four children at the participating venues. 120 passes are available city-wide.

Find out more here.

Fruit & Vegetable Program

This week the students will receive another delivery from the BC School Fruit & Vegetable Nutritional Program.

PEARS

A pear is a fruit that varies from apple-shaped to teardrop-shaped.

Its skin colour ranges from green and light yellow to red and brown.

If you pull on the stem and it comes out easily, the pear is ripe.

Meet some pear farmers and learn some interesting facts about different varieties of pears in this PDF document on PEARS.

This snack is not meant to replace the foods students normally eat at school. Students can make their own decisions on whether to taste the fruits offered.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the PAC or the school administration at 604-713-4620.

Fall Raffle Winner

Congratulations to Chris Knight, winner of our fall raffle grand prize of four tickets to Disney on Ice. Thank you to everyone who participated in supporting our great school!

Lights, PJs, Snacks with Seasons of Food November 23

this is an upcoming community event perfect for our school-aged kids!

Lights, PJs, Snacks!
with Seasons of Food
Friday, November 23
6:15pm-7:45pm

PLACE:
 Meet in the front lobby of Hastings Community Centre. 



ACTIVITY:
 Walk around the lake at Hastings Park in your pajamas. Bring binoculars or a magnifying glass to look at wildlife. Return to the Hastings Community Centre for healthy snacks and stories provided by Seasons of Food.

COST: FREE!


*All children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

REGISTRATION: Pre-register info@seasonsoffood.com Drop-ins ok, space permitting.

RAIN PLAN: If there’s light rain, wear rain gear. If it’s heavy rain, the walk will be rescheduled.

Sponsored by the Hastings North Community Community Partners Group

Vote for a Non-Profit Music Centre in East Van

If your kids have taken art or music programs at Hastings Community Centre, you have probably met Jennifer Yamazaki. She has launched an Aviva campaign to fund a non-profit music centre right here in East Vancouver! Visit the Aviva website to vote daily between now and November 26. Winning ideas get a $100,000 grant from the Aviva Community Fund.

http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf16381

REMINDER: PAC Meeting Wednesday November 14

Date: WEDNESDAY, November 14th

Time: 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Location: School Library

As a parent of a child at Dr. A. R. Lord, you are part of the PAC! As such, all parents are welcome to attend our upcoming school PAC meeting. We will be discussing Movie Night, fundraisers, special holiday activities and ongoing projects.

Free child minding will be provided.

For further information please contact the PAC Executive by e-mail or with a letter to the PAC Box in the school's front office.

Usborne Book Fair and Partners In Reading evening talk

Our Usborne Book Fair is just a little over a week away. Usborne offers educational and fun books suitable for preschoolers to Grade 7 and beyond. Shop for gifts or yourself!

As the school will be rewarded for the number of books sold, this is also a fundraising opportunity for us. A great selection of Usborne books will be available in the school library on the following days. 

Monday November 26  12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Tuesday November 27  8:15 am - 4:00 pm, 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm 
Wednesday November 28  8:15 am - 9:30 am

The Usborne catalog is available here, so you can choose what you like and pick it up at the fair or order it for quick delivery.

In conjunction with the book fair, we will have a free special guest on Tuesday evening:

PARTNERS IN READING with Linda O'Reilly

Tuesday, November 27 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm 

Encouraging your children to grow up loving reading is the best gift you can give them. You can also have great fun in the process. Join Linda O’Reilly to learn reading tips for parents/guardians to help children become successful readers.

Meaningful Movies - concession proceeds to Dr. A. R. Lord

Did you know that there are free movie screenings taking place in our neighbourhood?

The Hastings North Community Partners Group sponsors free showings of topical documentary films on the third Thursday of every month except December, July and August. These Meaningful Movies take place at St. David's Anglican Church at 2475 Franklin Street.  Doors are at 6:30 and the movie starts at 7 pm, with a moderated discussion afterwards.

The group also offers community groups, like our PAC, a chance to operate the concession at these movies to raise funds. Dr. A. R. Lord PAC will be operating the concession at Meaningful Movies from now until March!

Come to the next movie, Payback, on November 15, or e-mail us if you'd like to volunteer to operate the concession. Please note that these movies will probably be boring or otherwise unsuitable for younger children.

Rental Accomodation Needed

There is a family in our community in immediate need of rental accomodation. They are looking for an affordable four-bedroom suite, preferably close to Dr. A. R. Lord.

If you can help, please call our principal, Susie Car, at (604) 713-4620.

NO SCHOOL on Friday, November 9 and Monday, November 12

Please note that there is NO SCHOOL due to a District Closure Day on Friday November 9, and the Remembrance Day holiday on Monday, November 12. See you on Tuesday!

Wildlife Rescue Association Nature Camps

These nature workshops are available at the Wildlife Rescue Association on Burnaby Lake. Give them a call to register, or visit their website at http://www.wildliferescue.ca/home.shtml.

Remembrance Day Assembly

Thursday, November 8th
11:00am
School Gymnasium

All parents, guardians, caregivers and families are welcome to attend the school's Remembrance Day Assembly where students will be singing "Just One Candle".

Hot Lunch Reminder

A reminder to students who have pre-ordered that Thursday, November 8th is Hot Lunch Day!  Students who have pre-ordered will receive a regular or veggie hot dog, along with milk or water, a fresh fruit or vegetable and a tasty dessert.

Kindergarten registration now on!

Kindergarten registration for children born in 2008 began on November 1, and will continue until January 31, 2013 to start school in September 2013. Information on how and where to register can be found here.

If you know of any families in the neighbourhood with four-year-olds, make sure to tell them about our great school!

Did You Know?

The PAC has recently given a cheque for $1200 to the school for classroom funds. The money will be used by our teachers at their discretion for our children's classrooms. Every division, including our resource and music programs, will receive funding.

Thank you for making this possible by supporting PAC fundraising efforts.

Big Day with the Vancouver Giants

On November 18, the Hastings Sunrise Community Policing Centre and the Hastings North Business Improvement Association will be hosting A Big Day with the Vancouver Giants, along with the Templeton Community School Team and Hastings East Community Programs Society.

Advance tickets for the fund-raiser at the Pacific Coliseum are just $16 – a $30 value – and include hot dogs, pop and chips at the pregame community celebration, starting at 1pm. There will be lots of activities that the whole family will enjoy.

Please note that this is NOT the game connected to the Read to Succeed program - that game will be coming up in December.

Fall Raffle

The Dr. A. R. Lord School PAC is proud to present our fall raffle! The grand prize is four tickets to Disney On Ice, donated by generous members of our school community. The show will be on November 21st at 7:30 pm at the Pacific Coliseum, and is Disney's newest show, Dare to Dream. See characters from Tangled, The Princess and the Frog, and Cinderella, as well as a finale with all your favourite Disney princesses. We also have some great second and third prizes.

Grand Prize – four tickets to Disney On Ice, November 21st at 7:30 pm
Second Prize – $25 Chapters gift card
Third Prize – $10 Laughing Bean gift card

Tickets are $10 each or 3 for $20. Submit your money and your tickets to the PAC box by the office. The draw will be held on Friday, November 16 at Movie Night, and winners will be notified at school or by phone/e-mail.

Encourage your friends and family to support a great cause and win some awesome prizes. More tickets are available from the office.

Penny Drive

Start saving your pennies!

With the Canadian government beginning to phase out the penny, we invite you to empty your penny jar at school. Come bring your pennies to the big water jug in the front office any time, and support the PAC's ongoing fundraising initiatives.

School performances, sports equipment, and field trips are just a few of the things that the PAC helps to fund in a school year.

Dr. A. R. Lord in the News

Our Pumpkin Patch Day was featured in the Vancouver Courier this week! Turn to page A6 in Friday's print edition, or view the article here.

We also have an article on the VSB's District News site, here.

Usborne Books is coming!

We will be bringing Usborne Books to Dr. A. R. Lord on November 26 & 27. Usborne offers a huge variety of educational and fun books suitable for preschoolers to Grade 7 and beyond. This is a great opportunity to shop for Christmas presents, and will also be a fundraiser for our school, as Usborne rewards the school for the number of books sold.  

A representative from Usborne will be set up with a variety of books in the library, and will also be able to order any other books from their catalogue.

More details to come!

 The Usborne catalogue is available here.

 

 

Hot Lunch Dates

Forms for the next three hot lunches went home to students this week. Dates are as follows:

November 8 - hot dogs

November 23 - sushi

December 7 - pizza

Please submit order forms for all hot lunch dates by Monday, November 5. Late order forms are difficult for us to process and sometimes cannot be accomodated at all.

If you are coming to the hot lunches to volunteer, please feel free to order extra lunches for siblings or yourself!

A form to print out can be found here.

D.A.R.L.A.A. brings pumpkin patch to us

Yesterday, the wonderful folks at D.A.R.L.A.A. (Dr. A. R. Lord Alumni Association) brought 160 pumpkins to Lord. Along with some of the students at one of our neighbouring programs, Eastside Alternate School, the D.A.R.L.A.A. members also helped our students carve out their pumpkins! A great day was had by all.  Thank you so much D.A.R.L.A.A.!



Grade 2 and 3 students waiting to collect their pumpkins



Yay D.A.R.L.A.A.!

Dr. A. R. Lord PAC now on Twitter!

If Twitter is more your social media flavour, you can now follow us there!  Look for our blog content as well as relevant retweets from the local community.

http://twitter.com/drarlordpac



Thank you to Discover Books!

We are fortunate to have recently received a very generous donation of books for our library from Discover Books. Discover Books redistributes donated books to literacy-focused, non-profit organizations like schools and libraries in their effort to support their ideal of 'literacy for all'. Since their inception they have donated more than 5.5 million books, saving them from the landfill and supporting children's reading initiatives.

Thank you Discover Books for the 40 huge boxes of books! Thank you also to our wonderful librarian, Ms. Haraga, for getting those books onto the shelves and into our students' hands.

Fruit & Vegetable Program

This week the students will receive another delivery from the BC School Fruit & Vegetable Nutritional Program.

BARTLETT PEARS

A pear is a fruit that varies from apple-shaped to teardrop-shaped.

Its skin colour ranges from green and light yellow to red and brown.

If you pull on the stem and it comes out easily, the pear is ripe.

For further information, fascinating facts and interesting history on this delicious fruit please read the PDF document on BARTLETT PEARS.

This snack is not meant to replace the foods students normally eat at school. Students can make their own decisions on whether to taste the fruits offered.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the PAC or the school administration at 604-713-4620.

Trick-or-Treat on Hastings Street - Saturday October 27

Magazine Subscripti​on Fundraiser

Our new magazine fundraiser is now under way and will help the PAC raise funds that will go directly to our wonderful little school. If you are in the market for a new magazine subscription or need to renew an existing one, please consider this program. We have available to us over 500 different magazines at discounts of up to 85% off the newsstand price.

There is something for every interest and age group and we will receive 37% of the price of the sales for our school - in cash! You simply follow the link below to our schools site, select your magazines to be delivered directly to your home and the school will receive credit.

And again, anyone in Canada can use this program to subscribe and our school will receive credit. So let your friends and family know that they too can receive the discounts and help our school.

Here is the link to our magazine fundraising page:
http://www.magfundraising.ca/GroupPage.aspx?e=1405704

Movie Night - Friday November 16

The Lorax

Rated G. Running time 86 minutes.

Doors Open 6:15 pm
Movie Starts 6:45 pm

ADMISSION FREE
Dr. A. R. Lord School Gym

 

Drinks & Snacks  $0.50-$1.00 each
Popcorn              $1.00 per bag

Family Room - available for younger children and their parents who aren’t able to sit quietly through the movie

Raffle - first prize is 4 tickets to Disney on Ice - proceeds to PAC

For more information contact the PAC via e-mail or with a letter to the PAC box in the school’s Main Office.

Fundraising Meeting Monday October 29

There will be a PAC Fundraising Committee Meeting on Monday, October 29th at 3 pm in the school library. We will be discussing fundraising options available to us as a school PAC, including grant writing, selling of goods (such as Purdy's chocolates) to raise funds, partnering with businesses, and others. Please come by if you want to get involved!

Children are welcome, but there will be no formal childminding.

Did You Know?

Did you know that we have our very own Dr. A. R. Lord PAC facebook page? Go on over to "Like" us and get instant updates whenever there's a new blog post.

https://www.facebook.com/DrARLordPac

Dr. A. R. Lord now part of Chapters/I​ndigo Adopt-A-Sc​hool program

Our school has recently signed up for the Adopt-A-School program to help replenish our school library. This program will help support our school literacy initiatives for many years to come.

There are a few ways you can help us get new books for our library:

1. Simply go onto the Adopt-A-School website and adopt our school for free. For every 100 adoptions we will receive credit for a new book from Chapters for our library.

2. Purchase a $25 electronic gift card on the website, and at no extra cost to you, Chapters will donate a book to our library. You can then give the e-gift card as a gift or use it as payment for books that you order online or purchase in-store. The card can be used within minutes of purchasing it so keep this in mind the next time you want to buy a book.

3. Make a direct donation online toward a book for our library. Every $12 donation buys a book.

And remember, anyone, anywhere can donate to our library using the above methods. So if you have friends, family or work colleagues who love reading and would like to help our school, pass this on to them. Help us fill up our library shelves for our students.

Here is the link to Dr. A. R. Lord on the Adopt-A-School site:

http://adoptaschool.indigo.ca/eng/schools/675

Please note that you may get a "Sorry, but something went wrong" message after you have bought your gift cards. If so, check your e-mail before continuing. We've found that despite this message, the order usually goes through and the gift cards have been successfully e-mailed to you.

Note: this post has been revised from the original.

PAC Meeting Minutes October 10, 2012

The minutes of the PAC meeting from October 10, 2012 can now be found online. Please contact the PAC Exec with any questions or clarifications.

Fruit & Vegetable Program

This week the students will receive another delivery from the BC School Fruit & Vegetable Nutritional Program.

CARROTS

Carrots grow in the ground.

The root is the part we eat, it grows downwards into the soil and swells.

Carrots come in many sizes and shapes: round, cylindrical, fat, very small, long or thin.

Carrots are the second most popular vegetable in the world, next to the potato.

Carrots truly do improve eyesight.

For further information, fascinating facts and interesting history on this crunchy vegetable please read the PDF document on CARROTS.

This snack is not meant to replace the foods students normally eat at school. Students can make their own decisions on whether to taste the vegetables offered.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the PAC via e-mail or contact the school administration at 604-713-4620.

Afterschool programs - registration still open!

Afterschool programs are still accepting new students! The program schedule is as follows:

Monday - Indoor Hockey
Tuesday - Painting
Wednesday - Badminton
Thursday - Piano
Friday - Hip Hop Cheer Squad

 

Please note that Badminton will be pro-rated to $20 for students wishing to join after the cross-country running season ends.

 

You may phone Qua to register at 604-713-5898.

PAC Meeting Minutes September 12, 2012

The minutes of the PAC meeting from September 12, 2012 can now be found online.  Please contact the PAC Exec with any questions or clarifications.

Vancouver Giants Read-to-Succeed program is coming!

We will have an assembly at the school at 10 AM on October 16 to launch the Vancouver Giants Read to Succeed program for this year! Members of the Vancouver Giants hockey team will be at the school to explain how the program works.

Students will be asked to read for at least 15 minutes per day and engage in physical activity for at least 30 minutes per day for a two-week period. Upon completion, each student will receive a ticket to an upcoming Giants home game! Additional tickets will be available at a reduced rate so that the whole family can come.

Let's encourage literacy and fitness as we participate in this great program.

Raffle Items?

Do you have a link to a local business or service that would be willing to donate a raffle item to our school?

Throughout the year the PAC holds a number of fun raffles, with every cent going to support our amazing school. In the past we have had generous donations from companies such as EA, MAC Cosmetics, Biercraft and Rona along with handcrafted pottery and knitwear by local artisans.

Please contact the PAC via e-mail or drop a note in the PAC box if you have any questions or suggestions.

Baby watch

Our former vice-principal, Mrs. Gray, is a proud mama to a new baby boy! Baby Billy, 9 lbs 3 oz, was born on October 4.

Mom, Dad, and big sister are all excited and doing well. Congratulations to them all!

Hot Lunch Reminder

This is a reminder to students that this Friday, October 12 is Hot Lunch Day! On Friday, students who have pre-ordered will receive fried rice or chow mein with a side of home-made spring rolls, along with milk or water, a fresh fruit or vegetable and a tasty dessert.