Information for VLN Summer School

This information has just been forwarded to me from Vancouver Learning Network (VLN) regarding summer school courses VLN offers.
Registration for VLN summer school will open April 5 at 9:00 a.m. and will close on July 4 at 9:00 a.m. What is extremely important for students to know is that if the course you are registering for is a pre-requisite for a course you are planning to take in September 2011, then the summer school course MUST BE COMPLETED by August 11 at 9:00 a.m. The drop box for assignments will close August 8 at 9:00 a.m..

To illustrate the above with an example: let's say you wish to take social studies 11 in September 2011 at the school, and are signing up to take social studies 10 with VLN during the summer, you must submit all of your assignments to VLN before August 8 at 9:00 a.m., and the course itself must be completed by August 11. Failure to do so would mean you will not be given a report card needed by Templeton that would allow you to be registered for Social Studies 11.

Another important piece of information given to us is that in order to pass a course, every assignment in the course must be attempted and submitted, regardless of what you have gotten in previous assignments. For example, if there are 10 required assignments for a course, and you have received 90% for nine of them, you still must attempt and submit your tenth assignment in order to pass the course. Students who have not attempted all assignments in a course will fail the course.
If you have any questions regarding this, please don't hesitate to come and see me.

For further information, you can also check VLN's website (click here).

Instructional Planning Period

This is a reminder to all students that there is an instructional planning period (IPP) Thursday, March 10. Teachers will be meeting from 8:35 to 10:00. Students are to report to school after 10:00 a.m. You will be reporting to your second period at 10:15.

April's Lunch Envelopes Due

Lunch envelopes for the month of April are due Wednesday, March 9. Please have your completed lunch envelopes ready, and drop them off at the box in the main office.

Late submissions may result in you not having a lunch card when you return from spring break. Please submit your lunch envelopes as soon as possible. Thank you.

Term 2 Ends March 9

This is a reminder that term 2 will officially end tomorrow, March 9. If you have outstanding assignments from teachers, please see them IMMEDIATELY and make the necessary arrangements to have them submitted.

Good luck!

Tribute to Ms. Ho

On International Women's Day, March 8, 2011, the late Ms. Ho will be honoured by the City of Vancouver and the Park Board as one of this year's Remarkable Women. This distinction is awarded to influential community builders, recognizing those that have made major contributions to the dynamic vitality of Vancouver.

The theme of this year's selection of remarkable women is to recognize community builders whose work help build a strong and vibrant city. The recipients of this award are women from diverse backgrounds and abilities, and represent a commitment to improve their communities through volunteerism, hard work, advocacy, and a passionate dedication to change for the good of everyone.

Since 1973, Ms. Ho has worked hard to promote good-will and multiculturalism through the performing arts. The Strathcona Chinese Dance Company Ms. Ho found has grown into a world-renown dance troupe, touring around the world, and performing for many dignitaries. Ms. Ho had also taught mathematics and Mandarin at Templeton for 13 years.

A reception open to the public will be held at Creekside Community Centre from 7 to 9 p.m. to celebrate the achievements of Ms. Ho and 11 other remarkable women.

Course Planning Request Forms

A gentle reminder to all of you that the course planning forms need to be handed in to me no later than Friday, March 4. Once your request forms are in, I need to check your course requests for accuracy. With close to 200 of you, the process would take a significant amount of time.

Course requests need to be entered into the school's student information system before we leave for spring break. Having students' course requests entered correctly and in a timely fashion will help the timetable committee determine properly what courses will/will not run, and how many section(s) for each course needs to be run. Your cooperation in this process is not only appreciated by the school, but it is also of your best interests as well.

If you are having trouble choosing your courses, or if you still have questions to ask me about courses for next year, please do not hesitate to come in to see me as soon as possible. Thanks!

(Let's hope I don't have to get all enraged like the picture above to have all of your forms back... )

Calendar of Events (March, 2011)

As the snow clears, spring is just around the corner, and life is about to kick into a boom. In school, term 2 will be ending soon, and, after the spring break, it will be the home stretch to the finish line. This is a difficult time of the school year in the sense that we are all a little tired but are not close enough to the finish line to tell ourselves "it's almost there." But hang in there, time DOES go by very fast - before you know it, the 2010 - 2011 year will be over.

Below are some important dates for March 2011:

• Mar 1 to 4 (Tue to Fri): Theatre/Film Night
• Mar 4 (Fri): Grade 7 Applications due
• Mar 4 (Fri): Grade 9 Course Request forms due at my office
  
• Mar 8 (Tue): PAC Meeting at 7:00 p.m.
• Mar 9 (Wed): End of Term 2 (for attendance)
• Mar 10 (Thu): Instructional Planning Period - students begin classes at 10:00
• Mar 10 (Thu): Fine Arts 8 Rotation to the 3rd component
• Mar 10 - 11 (Thu - Fri): 30-hour famine
• Mar 11 (Fri): Term 2 Marks due
• Mar 14 - 16 (Mon - Wed): Grade 9 students entering their course requests for grade 10 in the computer lab (I will pull you out of your math class to complete this)
  
• Mar 15 (Tue): Canadian National Math League; First Nations family night (5:00 p.m.)
• Mar 16 (Wed): Grade 10 Health Fair - display tables available for all students during lunch time
• Mar 18 (Fri): Last day of classes before spring break - term 2 report cards issued
• Mar 19 - 27: Spring Break
• Mar 28 - Apr 1 (Mon - Fri): District Closure Days - school not in session