CHARLES DICKENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Friday, January 20, 2011 Issue 7

2012-01-23T13:52:00.000-08:00

Friday, January 20, 2011 Issue 7

Friday,January 20, 2012

Issue7

1010 East 17^th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5V OA6

Tel: 604-713-4978

Fax: 604-713- 4980

Safe arrival: 604-879-1199

Website: http://dickens.vsb.bc.ca

PAC Co Chairs: Christy Thomas and Deb Copeland

Principal: Kathy O’Sullivan

Vice Principal: Karl Graham

Annex Vice Principal: Lisa Nucich

School Office: Vivian Omori

Liaison Trustee: Fraser Ballantyne

Director of Instruction: Rod Schindel

Deputy Superintendent: Jordan Tinney

Our Mission is…

Together, as a community, we bring alive our commitment to develop each child’s potential in all domains through our unique philosophy. It is built on mutual respect, continuous progress, cooperative learning and opportunities for leadership within a child-centred multi-age classroom.

Our School Code

Our school community believes that it is important to establish a safe, supportive learning environment. We do this by taking care of each other, taking care of ourselves and taking care of this place. Our School Code is: Be Cooperative, Be Safe and Be Respectful

CALENDAR ATA GLANCE

DATE		GRADE/DIV
Monday	January 23		Lunar New Year Gung Hay Fat Choy!
Tuesday	January 24	No School for Students	Professional Development Day #4
Wednesday	January 25	Division 3,4& 14	Skating Senior Girls Basketball
Thursday	January 26	Division 1,2,5,6 & 8	Skating
Friday	January 27	Division 14,16 & 17	Skating
Friday Monday	February 3 & February 6	No School	District Closure Days

Dear Families,

HappyNew Year! We hope you had a restful, relaxing Winter Break, with family andfriends. The students are eager to be back and get to classroom routines. Teachers and UBC and SFU student teachers areplanning and implementing a variety of curricular lessons for their classes. On Monday, January 23, the students fromDivisions 12 – 18 will gather to celebrate Lunar New Year working on an arrayof activities in the gym. The youngerstudents will be working on celebration activities in their classrooms. Ourgrade seven students are in the process of deciding what high school they willbe attending. Tupper staff and several of our Dickens alumni students will bepresenting information about school life at Tupper in the near future. Please look at the high school websites forfurther information.

SAFE ARRIVAL

SafeArrival is up and running. If you child is late or absent from school pleasecontact Safe Arrival at

604-879-1199.

SCHOOL TIMES

A reminder to familiesthat instructional time begins at 9:00 and ends at 3:01. We have noticed manystudents arriving late to school. This poses a problem for the students whenthe teachers have started instruction and they have missed a very importantpart of the day. Your support isappreciated in helping your child get to school before instruction begins.

REGISTRATION FOR NEXT YEAR

Thisis a reminder that our Kindergarten registration procedures have changed.January is the last month for in-catchment children to register for guaranteedplacement for Kindergarten in 2012 (children born in 2007). Please bring a copyof: your child’s birth certificate, immunization record and proof of residency.

CROSS BOUNDARYAPPLICATIONS

CrossBoundary Applications are being accepted on February 15^th. Each application is numbered and dated.Selection is on a first come first serve basis. The Prinicpal will contactfamilies with Cross Boundary Applications after March 31^st regardingSeptember 2012 placement.

INTENSIVEFRENCH PROGRAM

TheIntensive French Program for Grade 6 and Grade 7 students will be offered atSir Standford Fleming School and Sir John Franklin School in September 2012. Ifyou would like to learn more about this program, there will be an informationmeeting on Tuesday, February 7^th at Fleming School 1401 E. 49^thAvenue in the Open Area and Wednesday, February 8^th at FranklinSchool 250 S. Skeena Street in the Library on the 2^nd floor. Forfurther information you may contact Liz Kloepper, Principal at Fleming (604)713-4862 and Debra Nothstein, Principal at Franklin (604) 713-4709. You canalso check the following website: http://www.vsb.bc.ca/programs/intensive-french-grade-6-and-7

CHESS CLUB –UPDATE

OurChess Club continues to be a popular after school program for some of ourstudents.

Tovolunteer and for more information please contact Ania Jakobs (ania.jakobs@gmail.com) and Karim Devji(karimdevji@shaw.ca).

TRAFFICSAFETY AND PARKING

Weare continuing to see dangerous driving around our school. We are requestingthat all parents and families who drop off and pick uptheir children from Dickens, park at least a block away and walk to and fromthe school to avoid traffic congestion.

Ifyou do not have the time to park and walk your child to the school grounds,please drive to the drop off and pick up zones. If drivers circle the school and SunnysidePark driving clock wise, this will avoid congestion on Windsor and East 18^thwhere school bus zones are. Yourchildren will be able to leave the car safely on the CURB side of the streetand avoid accidents.

DROPOFF AND PICK UP ZONES

· East 17^th – school side just passed theentrance of the building to the playground

· East 18^th – school side between park andGlen Drive

REMEMBERnot to park your car and leave it to go into the school at anytime on the school side of the streets. You will be ticketed.

Driversplease do not park on East 17^th and East 18^th in front ofthe homes across from the school. These residents do not have parking behind theirhomes and need to park in front of their houses.

Ittakes all of us to work together to make our school community safe foreveryone.

SNOW

INTHE EVENT OF A SCHOOL CLOSURE

Informationregarding school closures in the event of snow, or other emergency situations,will be provided to the following radio and television stations by 6:00 a.m. onthe morning of the closure: CKNW (980AM), CKWX (NEWS 1130 AM), and CBC Radio (690 AM, 105.7 FM), FAIRCHILD Radio(CJVB 1470 AM/CHKG 96.1 FM), BCTV/Global (cable channel 11), CITY TV (cablechannel 13). School closure informationis also available online at www.vsb.bc.ca. Please do not call media outlets or the school to determine whetherschools are closed. Television, too, will broadcast closures; BCTV/GlobalChannel 11; CITY TV

(Cable 13).

COLD ANDWET WEATHER

Itis wonderful to see the children active in all kinds of weather. The challengeis having the children warm and dry when they are in their classrooms. It wouldbe helpful if you could send extra clothing that is labelled for your child tokeep at school in their classrooms. This would help to avoid long delays in theoffice for your child while we contact families often at work, to deliver achange of clothing to the school.

PACNEWS

The PAC would like to thank all of our families,the Dickens Community Band participants and audience for the many contributionsand donations to the Hamper Drive in December. Many hampers were delivered tofamilies in need and they too were very appreciative. Your generosity and carefor others makes the Dickens Community a very special place.

YOUR CALENDARS

Thenext PAC meeting will be held at Dickens Annex on Tuesday, February 21^st.There will be a short PAC meeting, time to socialize and see the ScholasticBook Fair. Watch for the posters that will be placed at each school soon. Child Minding will beavailable for both presentations. We look forward to seeing you there.

Thestaff and students of the Main School and Annex wish to thank PAC for theirongoing support of our school programs. We have appreciated the funds dispersedrecently to augment the curricular activities in classrooms.

NEWSLETTERSFOR 2012

Our goal is to find ways to best communicate withyou. Now that we are in the electronicage, we are looking to go Green with our newsletters in the New Year. We want to save on paper and trees. Ournewsletters will be available and accessed on the Dickens School website:

http://dickens.vsb.bc.ca

We will have some hard copies for pick up at theoffice as well as have them posted on our Parent Bulletin Board at the school.We hope to start this in January 2012.

Please do not hesitate to contact the office if youprefer to have the newsletter sent directly by emailor a hard copy sent with your child.

GREENTEAM

The Green Team continues to work hard with theirrecycling program, the school garden and advocacy for Green initiatives withinthe school and school community. Remember our bottle drives on the first Tuesday of the month. Check outschool garden pictures in the front hallway of the Main school.

JANUARYand FEBRUARY CELEBRATIONS

January 1 – New Year’s Day is observed in all countries

January 5 – Guru Gobindh Singh’s Birthday (Sikh) –The last of the ten Gurus

January 6 – Epiphany is celebrated twelve days afterChristmas

January 9-12 – Mahayana (Buddhist) New Year is celebrated

January 14 – New Year – (Russian Orthodox) (Hindu) (Sikh)

January 16 – Martin Luther King Day commemorated the birthof Marin Luther King Jr. best known advocate for non-violent social change

FEBRUARY – BLACKHISTORY MONTH

February 2 – Ground Hog Day

February 3 – Spring Festival (Shinto)

February 8 – Nirvana Day – Buddhist celebration

February 14 – Valentine’s Day

February 20 – President’s Day (USA)

NOVEMBER 4 Newsletter

2011-11-16T14:18:00.001-08:00

Friday, November 4, 2011

Issue 4

Our School Code

Our school community believes that it is important to establish a safe, supportive learning environment. We do this by taking care of each other, taking care of this place.

Our School Code is: Be Cooperative, Be Safe and Be Respectful

CALENDAR AT A GLANCE

DATE		GRADE/DIV
Tuesday	November 8		YWCA Gr. 7’s: Boys for Real and Welcome to My Life Rm 113 and Library 3:15-5:15 pm Special Lunch Day
Wednesday	November 9		Immunization Clinic K’s – 6”s
Thursday	November 10	All Families Welcome	Remembrance Day Assembly – 10:45 am
Friday	November 11	No School	Remembrance Day
Monday	November 14	No School	District Closure Day
Tuesday	November 15		Assembly 9:00 am YWCA Gr. 7’s: Boys for Real and Welcome to My Life Special Lunch Day
Tuesday	November 22		YWCA Gr. 7’s: Boys for Real and Welcome to My Life Special Lunch Day
Friday	November 25	No School for students	Professional Development Day
Monday - Thursday	November 28-December 1		Scholastic Book Fair - Library Parent Volunteers will be running the Scholastic Book Fair before and after school.
Tuesday	November 29		PAC Meeting 7:00 pm YWCA Gr. 7’s: Boys for Real and Welcome to My Life Special Lunch Day
Wednesday - Thursday	November 30 and December 1	All students	*Parent Teacher Conferences are Cancelled Due to Job Action* Students will attend school full day 9:00 – 3:00 pm

Dear Families

October ended with our regular staff and students vanishing in thin air only to be replaced by ghouls, goblins, ghosts, fairy princesses, aliens, wizards, witches, Hollywood stars, book characters and many animated objects. It was a day of excitement filled with reading and writing of Halloween stories, games, pumpkin studies, and delicious treats and dancing. It was reassuring to have our regular staff and students return to begin November with consistency.

Our school has a deep commitment to create and maintain a respectful, welcoming, safe and nurturing environment. We are working with everyone to best utilize our spaces inside and outside, anticipating rainy days ahead. Evidence of Cooperation, Safety and Respect are demonstrated often throughout our school community.

Student leaders continue to foster school spirit and ownership of their school by helping with our weekly bulletins, PA announcements, running of assemblies, helping with open gym time at recess and lunch, planning events for the school, recycling and many other service activities.

SAFETY NEWS

Code Red Alerts

Our emergency and safety plans at school include regular fire drills, earthquake drills, Code Yellow and Code Red Alerts. Fire and earthquake drills are routine.

We also practice Code Yellow and Red Alerts. Code Yellow and Code Red lockdown takes place in the event that there is an intruder in the school or an unsafe situation in the surrounding school community. Staff and students follow procedures to have students go into the nearest classroom (if not their own). Students on the way to the washroom, to the library, gym or wherever, upon hearing a Code Yellow or Code Red over the PA are being instructed to go into the nearest classroom to where they are and stay there until it is safe to return to normal activity.

Students remain quiet in their classrooms, doors are locked, blinds or drapes are pulled and students and staff remain in their rooms until instructed otherwise. If the students are outside at recess or lunch when there is a Code Red, three short rings of the bell indicate to the students that they are to come into the building immediately if it is safe to do so or we pre-designate a space in the park for all to meet.

Students and staff remain in their classrooms until a “Code Green” announcement is made which indicates all is clear and we can go about business as usual.

Should you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. Remember, we do this to ensure the safety and security of everyone in the school during the school day.

TRAFFIC SAFETY AND PARKING

We are requesting that all parents and families who drop off and pick up their children from Dickens, park at least a block away and walk to and from the school to avoid traffic congestion.

If you do not have the time to park and walk your child to the school grounds, please drive to the drop off and pick up zones. If drivers circle the school and Sunnyside Park driving clock wise, this will avoid congestion on Windsor and East 18th where school bus zones are. Your children will be able to leave the car safely on the CURB side of the street and avoid accidents.

DROP OFF AND PICK UP ZONES

· East 17th – school side just past the entrance of the building to the playground

· East 18th – school side between park and Glen Drive

REMEMBER not to park your car on the School side of the streets and leave it to go into the school at anytime. You will be ticketed.

Drivers: please do not park on East 17th and East 18th in front of the homes across from the school. These residents do not have parking behind their homes and need to park in front of their houses.

It takes all of us to work together to make our school community safe for everyone.

HEALTH NEWS

TO PARENTS OF KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS

It is very important that the school and health board have immunization information on all students in case of a communicable disease outbreak. Most parents have handed in copies of their child’s records, but there are still some students that we have no or little information on. If your child has never been immunized, we need to know that. Please indicate on the form sent home and send it back to school.

Consent forms have been sent out for the first immunization clinic at the school on Wednesday, November 9th. Many consents have not been returned yet. They need to be processed ahead of the clinic to ensure that it runs smoothly. Most children are only requiring their K booster (DPTPO). If your child received this shot over the summer or recently at the Doctor’s office or you plan to take your child in soon, please send in the data as soon as possible so that we can keep records up to date.

Please talk to your child to help prepare them if they are getting immunized at school. Make sure they eat a good breakfast and wear a short sleeved top on the day of the clinic.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call me at: 604-872-2511, local 3308. I work Thursdays and Fridays but you can leave me voice mail as well.

Thank you,

Cindy Diett, School Nurse

REGISTRATION FOR NEXT YEAR

Yes, it is that time already! To ensure your child has a spot in their neighbourhood school, for Kindergarteners (children born in 2007) parents should register for kindergarten starting on November 1, 2011 for the September 2012 school year. Parents should bring a copy of: your child’s birth certificate, immunization record and proof of residency. (Property tax statement or rental agreement is needed).

OPTIONS

NOVEMBER 2012 LATE FRENCH IMMERSION REGISTRATION AND INFO NIGHT: If you have a child in Grade 5 and are interested in a Late French Immersion Program, the District will be hosting an information meeting on Tuesday, November 8 from 7:00-8:00pm at Tupper Secondary School. This is a great learning opportunity that promises intellectual challenge and fun learning a new language. Brochures will be coming to your school to give some more information or you can go to the VSB website www.vsb.bc.ca <http://www.vsb.bc.ca/> . Registration will start in November and go until the end of January. It is not a first come, first serve basis but all registrations will be collected along with a written letter by the student which includes their reasons for wanting to participate in a Late French Immersion program and a copy of their last report card.

GRADE 7 TO GRADE 8

Just a reminder for families to check the Options Brochure and the VSB website for the parent meetings that will be held at the high schools from November through January regarding high school program options. www.vsb.bc.ca

SPECIAL LUNCH DAYS

Dickens Main School is offering fundraising Special Lunch Days for our students and staff at the cost of $7 per lunch. A small amount from each order will go towards the purchase of technology items in our school. These special days will take place every Tuesday this term.

New York Foods Ltd. prepares and delivers the meals to our school. Most meals will be made from scratch using quality ingredients without any added preservatives. Local produce and seasonal fruit or veggies will be used whenever possible. The lunch menu meets the criteria of the Canada’s Food Guide and the Guidelines for the Food and Beverage Sales in BC schools. Each meal consists of main entrée, 250 ml carton of 2% or chocolate milk and juice for those who are lactose intolerant and fruits and/or veggie sticks. If you have not had the opportunity to participate and would like to, please pick up the order form from the office. For information on the lunches, call Colleen Uyeda at (604) 251-4188 or email cuyeda@newyourkfoods.ca

PAC MEETING DATE CHANGE

Please note that this month we have changed the PAC meeting date from November 22nd to November 29th

Our third PAC meeting will be on Tuesday, November 29 th. It will begin at 6:30 pm with short reports from PAC. Speaker to be announced. We hope you all can attend. Child minding will be provided.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR

This year our PAC Parent Volunteers will be running the Scholastic Book Fair. It will be held in the Library. We will keep you informed about the times of the book fair being open for sale of books.

CROSS-COUNTRY TEAM

Congratulations to our Cross Country Team for their efforts in all of the Mini Meets and the District Trout Lake Meet. They did an excellent job and showed great individual improvement in their running ability. Thank you to our coaches: Paula, Holly and Laurie. Thank you to our parent, Karim for setting up the equipment needed at the District Meet as well as all the parents and families who came to cheer on our Dickens Team.

RECYCLING EVENT

Thanks from the Green Team for all those parents and staff who dropped off recyclables last week. These recycling drives will take place the FIRST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH –next one being Tuesday, December 6. Please save up your rinsed recyclables: pop cans, liquor bottles, tetra packs, and juice containers and drop them off beginning at 8:00am.

CHESS CLUB

Dickens Chess Club meets every Thursday after school, from 3:15pm to 4:15pm, in room 215.

We welcome players of all levels and abilities. This year the club will host sessions led by tutors from BC Junior Chess.

Don't miss out on a great opportunity to learn from the pros!

For more information and to volunteer contact Ania Jakobs - ania.jakobs@gmail.com

November Celebrations

November 4 – World Community Day (USA

November 5 - Day of Hajj; Guy Fawkes Day (UK)

November 6 – International Day of Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict (UN) Daylight Savings Time Ends (Canada and USA)

November 11 – Remembrance Day (Canada)

Veteran’s Day (USA)

November 13 – International Restorative Justice Week

November 14 – World Diabetes Day (UN)

November 15 - Advent Begins

November 16 – International Day of Tolerance (UN)

Louis Riel Day (Canada)

November 20 – Universal Children’s Day (UN)

Africa Industrialization Day (UN)

World day O Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims and their Families (UN)

National Addictions Awareness Week (Canada)

November 21 – World Television Day (UN)

November 24 – Thanksgiving Day (USA)

November 25 – International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (UN) Solar Eclipse

November 26 - First of Muharram – first month of the Islamic year – celebrates the migration of Muharram and his followers from Mecca to Median where they established the first Islamic community.

November 27 – First Sunday of Advent

November 28 – Advent begins

November 30 – St. Andrew’s Day (UK)

At Dickens, our diverse community celebrates many different events. Please feel free to share with us some of your family traditions.

Newletter #3

2011-10-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday,October 6, 2011 Issue3

1010 East 17^th Street, Vancouver, BC V5V OA6

Tel: 604-713-4978

Fax: 604-713- 4980

Safe arrival: 604-879-1199

PAC Co Chair: Christy Thomas - Main

PAC Co Chair: Deb Copeland - Annex

Website: http://dickens.vsb.bc.ca

Principal: Kathy OíSullivan

Vice Principal: Karl Graham

Annex Vice Principal: Gail Marlow

School Office: Vivian Omori

Liaison Trustee: Alan Wong

Deputy Superintendent: Jordan Tinney

Director of Instruction Field Services: Robert Schindel

Our Mission is

Together, as a community, we bring alive our commitment to develop each childís potential in all domains through our unique philosophy. It is built on mutual respect, continuous progress, cooperative learning and opportunities for leadership within a child-centred multi-age classroom.

Our School Code

Our school community believes that it is important to establish a safe, supportive learning environment. We do this by taking care of each other, taking care of this place.

Our School Code is: Be Cooperative, Be Safe and Be Respectful

CALENDAR AT AGLANCE

DATE		GRADE/DIV
Friday	October 7	No School	District Closure Day
Monday	October 10	Holiday	Thanksgiving
Thursday	October 13	All Classes Welcome to Attend Cross Country Team	- Action Research Project with Artist in Residence and Divisions 12 & 13 from 1:00 – 3:00 - Cross Country Mini Meet Trout Lake – 3:30-4:15pm
Tuesday	October 18	Grade 7	YWCA Gr. 7ís: Boys for Real and Welcome to My Life Rm 113 and Library 3:15 – 5:15 pm
Tuesday	October 18	All parents	PAC Meeting begins 6:30 pm Guest speaker: Carole Fullerton– All About Math- 7:00
Wednesday	October 19	All Students	PHOTO DAY
Thursday	October 20	Cross Country Team	District Cross Country Mini Meet– Trout Lake 12:45 – 3:30pm
Friday	October 21	No School	Provincial Professional Development
Tuesday	October 25	Grade 7	YWCA Gr. 7ís: Boys for Real and Welcome to My Life Rm 113 and Library 3:15-5:15 pm

Dear Families :

We have settled into the routines of thenew school year. Student Council is goingto be up and running soon, the staff Learning Teams have met and begun theirwork in the area of Math, and students are engaged in the many curricularactivities that are being presented.

We also welcome 14 pre-service teachers:eight from the University of British Columbia and six from Simon FraserUniversity who are being mentored by our teachers during their practicumexperiences. Thanks, again to everyone for their ongoing support of initiatives here at Dickens!We have a great school community!!

We also wish you and your families avery Happy Thanksgiving weekend.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES AND FEES, MEDIA CONSENTS and INTERNET USER AGREEMENTS

At the beginning of September, we sent information home about School Fees,Media Consents and Internet User Agreements. If you have not had a chance tosubmit these forms, please read the information on the forms carefully, fill inthe form, add your signature, have your child sign the Internet User Agreementas well and return all completed forms to the office. If you have misplacedthese sheets, please come to the office for a replacement.

The School Supplies Fee is $25 for the 2011-2012 school year. Please see thefirst newsletter for payment options. Submit your money as soon as possible.

SPECIAL LUNCH DAYS

Dueto parent requests, we have been researching alterative lunch programs sincelosing our hot lunch program. DickensMain School is offering fundraising Special Lunch Days for our students andstaff at the cost of $7 per lunch. A small amount from each order will gotowards the purchase of technology items in our school. These special days willtake place every Tuesday this term.

NewYork Foods Ltd. will prepare and deliver the meals to our school. Most mealswill be made from scratch using quality ingredients without any addedpreservatives. Local produce and seasonal fruit or veggies will be used whenever possible. The lunch menu meets the criteria of the Canadaís Food Guide andthe Guidelines for the Food and Beverage Sales in BC schools. Each mealconsists of main entrÈe, 250 ml carton of 2% or chocolate milk and juice forthose who are lactose intolerant. Pleasesee the attachment to this newsletter.If you have any questions, call Colleen Uyedaat (604) 251-4188 or email cuyeda@newyourkfoods.ca

FAMILY PHOTO NIGHT

Thursday,November 3, 2011 is Family Photo Night. It is one night only and space is limited. Grandparents, other family members and yourpet are welcome. You have 3-6 different poses to choose from. The sessions are30-45 minutes. If you wish to reserve a spot for your family, please registerwith Vivian Omori in the office.

PAC

Oursecond PAC meeting will be on Tuesday, October 18^th. It will beginat 6:30 pm with short reports from PAC and then at 7:00 pm we welcome CaroleFullerton who will be speaking about how to support your children in Math. She is an inspiring teacher and speaker. Thisis a new session from last year and we hope you all can attend. Child minding will be provided.

PACMEETING DATES 2011-2012

Tuesday, October 18 - Carole Fullerton,
Tuesday, November 22 -Speaker - TBA
Tuesday, January 17 - Speaker- TBA
Tuesday, February 27 - Speaker - TBA
Tuesday, April 24 - School Planning- Annex Thursday, May 24 - Spring Fling – no meeting
Tuesday, June 19

CROSS-COUNTRYTEAM UPDATE

Our Dickens cross-country teamís next meets are onThursday October 13th - 3:30 pm at TroutLake and the final district meet will be the following Thursday, October 20^th atTrout Lake at 12:45 pm. Come out andcheer on the team.

INTERNATIONALWALK TO SCHOOL WEEK - iWALK

iWalk is October3-7. It is a week long province wide event held everyyear in October that is an exciting opportunity to promote and celebrate themany benefits of walking. We were fortunate to have AnnamayPierse, a Canadian swimmer who resides and trains inVancouver to speak at our assembly.Sheis a breaststroke specialist and the holder of several Canadian records bothlong course and short course. She is also a member of the UBC Dolphins. She encouragedall students, parents, staff and community members to celebrate the manybenefits of walking to school together and to find ways to keep moving andenjoy being fit. With walking, everyone WINS!

Share your story today at, http://healthyfamiliesbcwalkingchallenge.ca

DOGS

Just a reminder that dogs should not be left offleash at school. Recently a lorge dog was left by theback door on Monday morning and this scared some of the younger students,making it difficult for them to enter the school from the playground.

Students have also reported that when playingsoccer on the field, there have been a number of mishaps when they have slippedon the grass and are covered in dog dirt. These students are being proactiveand are in the process of making signs to remind dog owners to pick up aftertheir dogs. Please remember to beresponsible dog owners and help make our school a safe and enjoyable place tobe.

OctoberCelebrations

October2^nd – InternationalDay of Non- Violence

October 3 –World Habitat Day (UN)

October7 - Eve of Yom Kippur

October 8 - Yom Kippur –holiest day and day offasting among Jewish people

October10 -Thanksgiving

October 12 -International Day for Natural DisasterReduction (UN)

October 13 - First Day of Sukkot – Pilgrimage feastand time of thanksgiving among Jewish people

October 15 - International Day of Rural Women (UN)

October16 -WorldFood Day (UN)

October 17 - International Day for the Eradication of Povery (UN)

Ocober 24 – nited Nations Day

October26 -Diwali– Hindu Festival of Lights

October31 - Halloween

At Dickens, our diverse community celebrates manydifferent events. Please feel free to share with us some of your familytraditions.

Newsletter #2

2011-10-02T09:48:00.000-07:00

Friday, September 23, 2011 Issue 2

1010 East 17^th Street, Vancouver, BC V5V OA6

Tel: 604-713-4978

Fax: 604-713- 4980

Safe arrival: 604-879-1199

PAC Co Chair – Christy Thomas - Main

PAC Co Chair - Deb Copeland - Annex

Website:http://dickens.vsb.bc.ca

Principal: Kathy O'Sullivan

Vice Principal: Karl Graham

Annex Vice Principal: Gail Marlow

School Office: Vivian Omori

Liaison Trustee: Alan Wong

Deputy Superintendent: Jordan Tinney

Director of Instruction Field Services – Robert Schindel

Our Mission is

Our School Code

Our school community believes that it is important to establish a safe, supportive learning environment. We do this by taking care of each other, taking care of this place.

Our School Code is: Be Cooperative, Be Safe and Be Respectful

CALENDAR AT AGLANCE

DATE		GRADE/DIV
Monday	September 26	No school for students	Professional Development Day for Staff
Tuesday	September 27		YWCA Gr. 7ís Orientation: Boys for Real and Welcome to My Life Rm 218-219 Cross Country Mini Meet
Friday	September 30		Terry Fox Run Everyone Welcome – Sunnyside Park 2:00 – 3:01 pm
Monday - Friday	October 3-7		International Walk to School Week
Friday	October 7	No School	District Closure Day
Monday	October 10	Holiday	Thanksgiving
Friday	October 21	No School	Provincial Professional Development

Dear Families

A new school year has begun andwe all look forward to a positive year filled with new learning experiences foryour child. Our school organization has been finalized. We would like to officially welcome our newstaff members and those staff members returning to Dickens.

STAFF LIST 2011-2012

ENROLLING TEACHERS	DIV	GRADE	ENROLLING TEACHERS	DIV	GRADE
Wendy Saunders / Jeanne Patryluk	1	K/1/2	Paula Naylor	10	2/3 / 4
Karen Lam/Jennifer Black	2	K/1/2	Peggy MacKinnon/ Kelly Kent	11	4/5
Cathy Sutton / Jeannie Patryluk	3	K/1/2	Miranda Hounsell	12	4/5
Sheila Stouten	4	K/1/2	Jody Polukoshko	13	5/6/7
Maria Morais / Georgina King	5	K/1/2	Karim Bhimani	14	5/6/7
Kim Frehlick / Georgina King	6	K/1/2	Laurie Scholefield	15	5/6/7
David Murphy	7	2/3 / 4	Corrie Broderick	16	5/6/7
Blake Moore	8	2/3 / 4	Tami McDiamid	17	5/6/7
Susan Garber	9	2/3 / 4	TBA / Paul Nicholls	18	ELAC

NON-ENROLLING TEACHERS			NON-ENROLLING TEACHERS

Karl Graham		Resource	Cheriee Weichel		Teacher-Librarian
Jill Barclay		Resource	Georgina King		Resource
Laurie Lee		Resource	Kelly Kent		Fine Arts
Kelly Kent		Fine Arts

SUPPORT STAFF		SUPPORT STAFF
Linda Hall Stevenson	Area Counselor	Gay Pormento	School Support Worker
Joanne Therrien	Youth and Family Worker	Anne Rodriguez	School Support Worker
Albert Cheng	Building Engineer	Holly Vivier	School Support Worker
Evan Qiu	Custodian	Rahel Staeheli	School Support Worker
Cindy Diett	Nurse	Elaine Harder	School Support Worker
Sandhya Hegoda-Gamage	School Support Worker	Godwin Barton	Aboriginial Enhancement Wkr
Vafa Housein-Neijad	School Support Worker	Jack Pereira	Supervision Aide
Debbie Mohabir	School Support Worker	Linda Breadner	Supervision Aide
Mary Lanzinger	School Support Worker	Maria Provenzano	Supervision Aide
Lucy Otoya	School Support Worker	Tammy Frislev	Clerical

VERTIFICATION FORMS, MEDIA CONSENTS, INTERNET USER AGREEMENTS AND SCHOOL SUPPLIES FEES

Verification sheets were sent home on lavender paper, the Internet UserPolicy forms were on green paper and the media release forms were on whitepaper. Families have been veryconscientious in returning these in a timely manner. If you have lost thisinformation or have not had the time to send it back, please pick up new formsat the office and try to return these sheets as soon as possible. It isimportant that the office have the correct medical information, emergencycontact and any other pertinent information which is critical to your child incase of an emergency.

School Supplies and Fees are $25for the 2011-2012 school year. Please seethe first newsletter for payment options. Submit your money as soon as possible.

PARENT TEACHERCONFERENCES

Asyou know, the teachers are currently in Job Action which is limiting the workthat they will perform. One of the things teachers will not do during jobaction is participate in meetings with parents or guardians or meet the teacheractivities unless coverage is provided. Teachers may still have informalconversations with parents as they choose. Regularly, parents visit schools andtalk to teachers informally about their child or children. However, theseconversations are not the formal Meet the Teacher events or Parent/Teacherinterviews.

Onan annual basis, we have early dismissals for the purpose of parent-teacherinterviews and we also have events like Meet the Teacher or Parent Walkabouts.These events likely will be postponed to another time in the school year foryour childís school. This means that these scheduled early dismissals will notbe occurring and the day will be a full instructional day as normal 9:00 AM– 3:01 PM

PAC

Ourfirst PAC meeting was a wonderful success welcoming new parents and families onTuesday, September 20^th. Speakers were members of PAC, administrators, and teachers. Theypresented important information about the school community, current issues andhow to support your child at home. Our second PAC meeting will be held at theDickens Main School on October 18^th at 7:00 pm in the Library. Guestspeaker will be Carole Fullerton. She is an inspiring speaker and her expertiseis teaching Math. Child minded will beprovided.

PAC MEETING DATES2011-2012

Tuesday, October 18 - Carole Fullerton,
Tuesday, November 22 - Speaker - TBA
Tuesday, January 17 Speaker - TBA -
Tuesday, February 27 Speaker - TBA
Tuesday, April 24 School Planning at the Annex
Thursday, May 24 Spring Fling – nomeeting
Tuesday, June 19

CROSS-COUNTRY TEAM UPDATE

Our Dickens cross-country teamís next meets are onTuesday, September 27th, Thursday, October 6, Thursday, October 13th 3:30 pm atTrout Lake and the final district meet will be the following Thursday, October20 stat Trout Lake and will begin at 12:45 pm. Come out and cheer on the team.

INTERNATIONALWALK TO SCHOOL WEEK - iWALK

iWalkis October 3-7. It is a week long province wide event held every year inOctober that is an exciting opportunity to promote and celebrate the manybenefits of walking. It encourages students,parents, staff and community members to celebrate the many benefits of walkingto school together. With walking, everyone WINS!

Share your story today at, http://healthyfamiliesbcwalkingchallenge.ca

SAFETYINSIDE AND OUT

Atthe beginning of the year, we seem to have many challenges with skate boards, strollers,scooters, bicycles, roller blades and shoes with wheels. Students have a hardtime resisting wheeling in our hallways, multipurpose room and on the courtyard.

Weare encouraging students to get off their bikes, scooters, roller blades andskateboards at the sidewalk and walk on to the school grounds to help avoidaccidents and near accidents with small children and adults. Students andadults need to lock bikes on the bike racks in the courtyard. Scooters need tobe folded and carried as well as skate boards when entering the building andgoing into the classrooms.

Weunderstand that parents prefer babies stay in strollers when entering theschool. The challenge is congestion in the main hallways before and afterschool and in a real emergency it will be difficult for everyone to exit. Whenpossible, try to arrange for your child to meet you in the courtyards or on theplayground.

Dates ofCelebrations

September25 - World Rivers Day

September28 – Eve of Rosh Hashanah

September29, 30– Rosh Hashanah

October 2^nd –International Day of Non- Violence

October 3 – World Habitat Day (UN)

October 7 - Eve of Yom Kippur

October 8 - Yom Kippur

October 10 - Thanksgiving

At Dickens, our diverse community celebrates manydifferent events. Please feel free to share with us some of your familytraditions.