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SIR ALEXANDER MACKENZIE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL960 East 39th Avenue

Vancouver, BC

V5W 1K8

Tel: 604-713-4799 Fax: 604-713-4801

Respect for self, others and the environment

Newsletter #3 Date: December 10th, 2018

Dear Mackenzie families:

As we rush into the Christmas break, Mackenzie students

and staff have been very busy in classrooms and resource

centers, on field trips and with presentations, and on the

playground learning and growing through these many

experiences.

Some key highlights include our annual Remembrance Day

Assembly held on November 8th, which provided an

opportunity for all to pause and acknowledge the many

sacrifices of those who have given so much, and to hope for

peace in the future. Many thanks to Ms. Baker for organizing

and leading with special acknowledgment to all who

participated in the ceremony. Check out Division 7's

thoughts on their participation inside this newsletter.

A shout out to our parents and the PAC Executive for

organizing the first Movie Night of the year on November

16th with “Sherlock Gnomes” greatly enjoyed by all who

attended.

We Day celebrations at Rogers Arena on November 22nd once

again led by Ms. Boardman, provided an opportunity for our

group to come together with other schools to celebrate

positive acts of giving. See photos and article on page 3.

Culminating our week of dance lessons, students in all

divisions presented their individual and group “moves” to a

packed crowd in the gymnasium on Friday, November 30th.

Thanks to Ms. Chu for helping to organize and to all staff for

their efforts practicing with their classes.

Many thanks to Ms. Boardman and our parent volunteers for

hosting a very successful Scholastic Book Fair this past week.

Not only were the children and families excited about many of

the new publications, but classrooms also benefitted with gift

books to each division.

As we have recently completed Parent Teacher meetings in late

November, Report Cards will be sent home on Monday,

December 17th with FSA results for students in grades 4 & 7

who participated, getting their booklets & results also sent

home soon.

Did you receive your green invite to the concert on December

20th? Check your child’s backpack because all staff and

students, led by Ms. DaSilva & Ms. Baker, have been busy

preparing for our Pre-Holiday Concert on Thursday, the 20th at

1:15. Please join us.

A staffing update . . . Mr. Niall Burke who hails from Ireland

has joined our staff as a student support worker. We are glad

to have him! Ms. Ho, Division 16 Kindergarten teacher has gone

off on mat leave. We wish her well! Ms. Alix Moore has filled

that vacancy. Please give her a warm Mackenzie welcome!

With so much activity in the last while there is a real need for

rest, rejuvenation, and time spent with family and friends. So,

on behalf of all our team at Mackenzie we wish you much joy as

this year is coming to an end and future happiness in 2019.

Best regards,

Bruce Murton

Principal

WHO TO CONTACT

Bruce Murton

Principal

604-713-4799

Lorraine Baker

Vice Principal

604-713-4799

Julie Manning

Administrative Assistant

604-713-4799

Richard Zerbe

Director of Instruction

604-713-5097

Janet Fraser

Liaison Trustee

604-713-5000 ext 201098

Tracy Noel & David Smythe

PAC Co-Chairs

mackenziepac@gmail.com

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The Grade 4s in Division 7 wrote about what Remembrance Day means and their

participation in our assembly on November 8th.

On Remembrance Day, my class performed In Flanders Fields. We had to wear a

white top and a dark pants. The poem is about remembering solders from World

War 1. It is a serious poem because it is about a war, and wars are bad.

Remembrance Day is a sad day, but it reminds me that wars solve nothing. – Andrew

On Remembrance Day we had an assembly and we performed a poem called In Flanders

Fields. We had to practice about 2 times a day. At the assembly we heard other classes perform songs

about Remembrance Day. For me, Remembrance Day is a time where we remember soldiers that died and

fought in the war. – Anjelica

Remembrance Day is so serious because all the people were so quiet and no one could clap. We practiced

a poem called In Flanders Fields. We all did well. We also watched other grades perform songs. We all

got a poppy. Remembrance Day is so important. – Germain

For Remembrance Day, my class recited In Flanders Fields. We practiced 2 times a day (sometimes

more). To me, Remembrance Day is about remembering the soldiers that fought and died in the war. In

Flanders Fields is an amazing poem I can't wait to hear it again next year!! – Kahlen

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Rachael Forrester

experienced the

press room and

was interviewed by

an 8 year old

blogger.

Mackenzie Me to We Club

Making Doing Good Doable

We Scare Hunger

During the month of October Mackenzie students brought in non-perishable food items to donate to the

Greater Vancouver Food Bank. We collected just over 300 items! Great job Mackenzie community!

We Day

On Thursday, November 22nd , twenty students from grades 5-7 participated in We Day. We Day is a

celebration of young people who make a difference. It also kickstarts a year of local and global change. This

year Shahreen Chowdhury had the opportunity to stand on the We Day stage and talk about some of the

events at Sir Alexander Mackenzie. The students were inspired by motivational speakers and their stories

of change. With music and cheering the energy was powerful in Rogers Arena. Thank you very much to

A l l i s o n B r e t t f o r

volunteering to come on our

field trip. To learn more

about this event and the WE

Charity click on the links

below.

https://www.we.org

https://www.we.org/we-

day/

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Annual Potluck & Silent Auction: The potluck and silent auction were well attended and all were in

great spirits for this festive family evening. Many thanks go out to all the parents who donated to the

event and to all the helpers and volunteers who made every part of the evening a great success. Our

third annual silent auction raised over $2400. It was good to see the grade 7s fundraise for their

cause too!

We had many wonderful community members donate items to the silent auction. We wish to thank them

for their generosity and acknowledge them here: Abbie’s Sports, Evo Car Share, Mable Elmore, Hive

Bouldering, Straight Outta Brooklyn Pizza, Smoking Lily, Apex Adventure, La Movida Sewing, Terra

Breads, The Happening, Wonder of Learning, Pedalheads, Origins Parkour, Savio Volpe, Stella & Dot

(Nadia Mann), Museum of Anthrology, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Grandview Bowling Lanes, Bard on the

Beach, Kidsbooks, Book Warehouse, Prado Cafe, Fred’s Automotive, and Granville Island Toy Co.

And much gratitude goes out to our generous parents who donated items to the auction:

Frank Bassett (5 EA games)

Kris Hunter (on behalf of Telus: Canucks tickets and Whistler/Blackcomb passes)

Damon Evans (Bee House)

Stavroula Zagorisiou & Emmanouil Grammatikogiannis (Nammos Estiatorio - 2 gift cards)

Mindan Gunther-Moore (Mindan’s Designs: pearl earrings)

Susan Lavitt (Botaniste Floral - wreath and bouquet)

Darnelle Moore (Eastside Fitness - 3 month pass)

Amy Tzse (Starbucks gift basket)

Kai Low (Oddball Workshop - 2 Mackenzie logo blankets)

Shannon Mendes (Rock, Soil & Seed landscape gift certificate)

Leanne McHardy (The Patty Shop -3 gift certificates)

Zaida Calvete Norell (Zaida’s Nu Skin - 3 products)

Krystal Hauser (Soul Tree Art - macrame)

Jasmine Jagpal (Earl’s Kitchen and Bar - 2 gift cards)

We couldn’t do the auction and raise money for our school without you. Thank you! Finally a great big

thanks goes out to our wonderful Parent Advisory Committee, our volunteers and Julie Manning whose

work made the family potluck and silent auction a night to remember and a wonderful success.

We look forward to repeating the same fun next year!

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Not all learning happens in classrooms! Thanks to Mackenzie’s PAC Executive to allocating money for

field trips, we are able to expand students’ learning. These reports about visiting Burnaby Village

Museum are from Division 10.

By Jan

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Kindergarten registration for

children born in 2014 began

on November 1st.

All Kindergarten applicants are required to

submit an application to their English

catchment elementary school. This includes

families who wish to apply for choice

programs (French Immersion, Montessori,

etc.) and/or a cross boundary placement.

The priority registration period for Kindergarten opened on Thursday, November 1st and closes at 4 pm on

Thursday, January 31st. Students who submit an application within this priority period will be accommodated

before late applicants.

Applying for Kindergarten is a 2-Step process:

Step 1: Completion of an online application form.

Step 2: Bringing supporting documentation to your neighbourhood English catchment

school.

Supporting Documents Needed:

Proof of residence in Vancouver (rental/lease agreement, property tax PLUS a utility

bill)

Child’s birth certificate (if your child was not born in Canada, please refer to

registration procedures at http://go.vsb.bc.ca/schools/drpc/Pages/default.aspx)

Immigration documentation (if applicable)

Immunization records

Court Orders/Documents (if applicable)

If you want to apply for a Choice program or cross-boundary, you must first apply to your English catchment

elementary school. Applications for Choice programs and cross boundary placements will begin to be accepted in

early 2019. In the event there are more in-catchment applicants than available space at the school, the following

process will be used to prioritize enrolment:

Kindergarten Applications Received Between November 1st and January 31st

In-catchment Kindergarten applicants with siblings in attendance at the school (and who will be attending next year)

will be placed first.

The names of all other in-catchment registrants will be entered into a random draw for the remaining Kindergarten

spaces.

Students who cannot be accommodated will be placed on a waitlist in the order in which their name was drawn.

Between January 31st and the second Friday in June students on the ordered waitlist will be accommodated as space

becomes available.

Kindergarten Registrations Received AFTER January 31st: In-catchment Kindergarten students who apply after

January 31st will be accommodated if there is space. If there is no space their names will be added to the bottom

of the existing waitlist. Note: There will be no priority given to registrants with siblings if they register after

January 31st. For more information on kindergarten registration visit: http://www.vsb.bc.ca/kindergarten

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UPCOMING EVENTS

DATE Participants EVENT

December 10th Monday Divisions 4 & 6

Whole school

Divisions 14 & 15

Skating field trip to Trout Lake 9:30-12:00

Munch-a-Lunch fundraiser - pizza

Field trip to HR McMillen Space Centre 9:00-2:45

December 11th Tuesday Divisions 3 & 13 JO Winter Concert 10:00-12:00

December 14th Friday Whole school Munch-a-Lunch fundraiser - Subway

December 17th Monday Whole school

Whole school

Munch-a-Lunch fundraiser - Kids’ Favourite

1st term report cards home

December 19th Wednesday Divisions 1 to 9 Multicultural Feast 11:00

December 20th Thursday Divisions 17 & 18

Whole school

Family Breakfast 8:30-10:30 Basement

Holiday Concert 1:15pm, Gym

December 21st Friday Whole school

Everyone

Munch-a-Lunch fundraiser - pizza

Last day of school

Monday, December 24th to

Friday, January 4th

Everyone School closed for winter break

January 7th Monday Everyone

Whole school

School reopens

Gymnastics starts, going until January 18th

January 9th Wednesday Kindie/Gr 6 students

All parents

Immunization Clinic

PAC meeting 6:30pm Library

January 11th Friday Whole school Munch-a-Lunch fundraiser - International

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