r
Associate Superintendent - North Area
Lynn Green - 604 713 4491
Principal: Jacquie Lavoie
Vice Principal: Wanda Salewski
Friday, September 19, 2008
Administrative Assistant: TBA
School Liaison Trustee
Ms Shirley Wong (cell) 604-318-0270
PAC Chair: Kirsten Hunter
NEWSLETTER #2
Dear Parents/Guardians,
We’ve had a very successful start to the school year. Students are well underway with
classroom activities and projects and have been reviewing classroom rules and routines.
On Friday, September 5th, we held our first assembly. At the assembly, our new student
leaders reviewed some of the school rules through the use of skits. Not only did the
student leaders entertain their audience with their skits, they also did a fantastic job
ensuring that all of the students were listening to their important message about being
safe at school.
The role of student leader is an important one at Tennyson as they will serve as role
models and leaders for the entire student body and will help out in many capacities
throughout the school year. School leaders are Grade 7 students and are selected by their
classroom teachers and administration. Our student leaders for 2008-2009 are: Oren
Princz-Lebel, Mackenzie Millward, Amane Asakawa, Drew Maxswell, Sam Rowan and
Justin Simpao.
The staff would like to thank all of the parents for coming out to the Meet the Teacher
evening last Thursday. Also a big thank you to the Quebec 2009/2010 group for
organizing the BBQ prior to Meet the Teacher. It was wonderful to see so many families
gathered on such a beautiful evening. We hope that you found the time with your child’s
teacher productive. Such events are important for community building!
We had a scheduled fire drill on Wednesday, September 17th. Students did a great job
exiting the building quietly and gathering on the playing field for attendance. We will be
having another practice drill this first term, weather permitting. Lord Tennyson has a
comprehensive Emergency plan based on the VSB guidelines for Emergency Evacuation,
Fire, Earthquake and Intruders. Staff have these guidelines and are reviewed on a regular
basis.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with a concern or to share what is working well.
Jacquie Lavoie
Supervision Aides
We are pleased to welcome back Muriel, Tanya and Rita. These three supervision aides
are very important to our school, as they provide supervision at recess, lunch and are used
in the classrooms from recess to lunch to supervise students when teachers need to leave
the classroom for meetings. Supervision Aides are hired and trained by the Vancouver
School Board. They wear bright orange vests when on the playground in order for the
students to be able to spot them. They have been introduced to all of the Grade 1
students who are experiencing recess and lunch for the first time. Should you have any
questions regarding the Supervision Aides or their role, do not hesitate to contact the
office.
Staff Update
Unfortunately, our temporary Administrative Assistant, Selina Liu, is no longer with us,
as she had to return to China due to a family illness. Welcome to Chloe Boteros, our new
temporary Administrative Assistant. Chloe has experience in Vancouver schools and has
easily stepped into the new role. She will be with us until Human Resources hires a
bilingual Administrative Assistant.
Welcome to our new Physical Education teacher, Noah Burdett. Noah will be teaching
the intermediate levels and will be here on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Interestingly, Noah
was a student at Lord Tennyson in the French Immersion program during his elementary
years and graduated from Kitsilano High School’s French Immersion program. What a
testament to the French Immersion program!
Toys for Africa
You may recall that last year, one of the Student Leader initiatives was to collect gently
used toys for AIDS orphans in Africa. This was a huge success and many toys were
shipped to Africa, thanks to funds also donated by Tennyson parents and students. One
of the Student Leaders, Oskar and his mother, were instrumental in making this toy drive
a success, as they had a contact in Africa. We are pleased to share that just last week,
Oskar’s mother dropped off a photo of children with some of our donated toys, taken at
the Kliptown Youth Centre in Soweto, along with the following message, “To all the
students, staff, teachers and parents who helped donate toys to AIDS orphans in South
Africa, Thank You for Caring.” The photo and message are posted on our message board
by the office. Once again, thank you to everyone for your generosity!
Traffic Safety
Parking continues to be a challenge around our school grounds. A reminder that all
parking rules are enforced around the school and you may be ticketed if you do not
adhere to them. We encourage you to have a look at the following website entitled “Park
Smart: Know the Regulations” at
http://www.vancouver.ca/engsvcs/parking/enf/parksmart/unsigned.htm
Also, a reminder that the speed limit around a school is 30 km!
Rainy Days
Unfortunately, the rainy season will soon be upon us. On days when the rain is light, all
students will be asked to go outside. Students wearing appropriate rain gear, such as a
raincoat with a hood, rain boots and/or an umbrella may play out in the rain. Students
without rain gear will be asked to play under the covered areas. On days when the rain is
heavy, an announcement will be made that it is an indoor day. Students wearing rain gear
may play outside under the covered areas. Students without proper clothing will be
supervised downstairs in the eating areas. During an indoor lunch recess, rainy-day
monitors will distribute games for the students to use.
If you wish for your child to play outside on rainy days, please ensure they have the
appropriate rain gear.
Billets Bravo
One of our schools goals this year is to continue finding ways to increase the amount of
French spoken in the school. Like last year, we will use a positive reinforcement system
of handing out orange tickets “billets” when students are caught speaking French. These
tickets can be given to students by any staff member who catches them speaking French.
Once a week, we will have a draw and 5 names will be chosen from the Billet Bravo box
located by the office. Students will have the opportunity to win a small prize.
This week’s winners of the Billet Bravo draw are: Eva of Division 6, Isabel S. of
Division 12, Elizabeth of Division 2, Mika of Division 3 and Ben of Division 14-Bravo!
Students Leaving School Grounds
If you are taking your child out for lunch, need to pick them up during the day for an
appointment, or are taking them home due to an illness, please come to the office and
sign the “Student Sign-in and Out” book located on the counter in the office. It is
important to do so, so that we know where students are at all times.
Terry Fox Run
Please join us for our annual Terry Fox Run on Friday, September 26th at 1:00 pm. We
will begin in the gym with a brief explanation and warm-up and then we will exit the
school to run rain or shine. The primary students will run around the grass field, while
the intermediate students will run around the perimeter of the school grounds along the
sidewalk. The run will last 20 minutes for everyone. All parents are welcome to
participate in the run. During the week of September 22-26, students will be going
around the classrooms collecting donations for the Terry Fox Foundation.
Messages to Students
Unfortunately, the office staff is not able to deliver phone messages from parents to
students during the school day, as they cannot leave the office and they do not wish to
disturb classroom instruction. In cases of emergencies, we will of course get messages to
students. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.
Dogs on School Grounds
For pet owners bringing their dogs onto school grounds, we kindly ask that dogs remain
tied up outside and not be brought into the school, as we have many students and staff
members allergic to dogs. Also, for the safety of children and adults, we request that
dogs be on a leash and kept on a leash when you bring them onto the school grounds.
News from the Library
Hourra!!! It’s open.
It’s been a pleasure to start my new role as a teacher-librarian at Lord Tennyson. During
the first week of September I have been busy preparing cards for the circulation of
reading material at Tennyson. I also spent time learning the new automated borrowing
system.
The library has a large collection of reading material and last Tuesday, students were
happy to come and choose their favorite books. Again this year, I anticipate a large
volume of circulation of reading material from Kindergarten to Grade 7.
I would like to kindly ask each family to help your child be responsible for keeping the
material in good condition, and ensuring that it is returned on time.
Books, magazines, reading and audio-visual materials are available for students, parents
and staff. Parents and caregivers are most welcome to come to the library. Before and
after school hours, ask for suggestions and advice if needed.
If you would like to volunteer in the library, please come and see me. I need help with
many tasks and welcome helping hands.
Book exchange for all, are Monday to Thursday from 8:30 am to 9:15 am, and after
school from 3:00 pm to 3:15 pm Monday to Wednesday.
Parent Education Events District Wide
Barry MacDonald and Boy Smarts, October 1, 2008, 6:30-8:30 pm, Carnarvon
Community School Gym, 3400 Balaclava Street, $8.00 per person
Study Skill Strategies for Succeeding in School, November 13, 2008, 7:00 pm,
Windermere Secondary, 3155 E. 27th Ave.
IMPORTANT DATES
Monday, September 22-Friday, September 26 Grade 7 students at Camp Clan
Tuesday, September 23, Cross Country meet 3:30 pm Camosun Park
Friday, September 26, Terry Fox Fun 1:00pm
Thursday, October 2, Cross Country meet 3:30 pm Vanier Park
Monday, October 6, Quebec 2009-2010 meeting, 7:00 pm school library