mini school registration student conferences
TRANSCRIPT
École Laura Secord Elementary Newsletter
Tuesday, October 8th Performance
Tuesday, October 8th X-Country Mini Meet
Monday, October 14th Thanksgiving – Students do not
attend school this day
Thursday, October 17th Pizza Lunch
Thursday, October 17th X-Country District Meet
Monday, October 21st Federal Election Votes Here
Friday, October 25th Pro D Day – Students do not
attend school this day
Monday, October 28th Picture Day
Tuesday, October 29th Pumpkin Patch Set Up
Thursday, October 31st Halloween
Dates to Remember in October
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :
Walking is good for your
health, and the environment
too. But before you head out
there are some safety tips to
remember. See page 4 …
Safety Corner 1
Dates to Remember 1
Mini School Registration 1
Student Conferences Soon 1
Picture Day Coming 1
No School 1
Terry Fox Run 2
Grade 7 Camp 2
Emergency Preparedness 2
Traffic & Parking Safety 3
Get to Know Us 3
Federal Election 3
Safety Awareness Corner 4
Allergies 4
Love our Trees Please 4
Walk & Roll 4
We Wore Orange 4
Are you a Newcomer Parent 5
Reporting Student Absences 5
Reminder: No Plastic Cutlery 5
Secord House Teams 5
Student Sign Out Policy 5
VSB Dog Code 6
Safety Protocol 6
Our 1st Performance 7
Hot Lunch 7
PAC Meeting 7
Hallowe’en Safety 7
PAC Social 8
Pumpkin Patch 8
Helpful Links 8
Principal: Janis Myers
Acting Vice Principal: Joanne Dale
Volume II, October 2019
Reminder….
NO SCHOOL FOR
STUDENTS ON:
Monday, October 14th
(Thanksgiving) &
Friday, October 25th
(Provincial Pro D Day)
S A F E T Y C O R N E R
Grade 7s, are you looking for something different? High school next year and all of
a sudden you have options, options, options! If you’re interested in any of the Mini
School options, please click here for everything you’ll need to know, including the
Information Night schedule.
Good luck all!
Mini School Registration
On Monday, October 28th, we will be having our individual photos taken by Mountain
West.
Don’t forget to rock your best smile, and get your picture duds on!
Picture Day is Coming!
Parents are reminded of our upcoming
student conferences on Wednesday,
November 6th and Thursday, November 7th.
Please note, students are dismissed early
on these days at 2 pm. You will be receiving
more information in the coming weeks from
your child’s teacher about the conferences.
If you do not, feel free to contact your child’s
teacher at the school.
Student Conferences
NOVEMBER 6TH & 7TH
Secord News Page 2
Emergency Preparedness
On October 17 at 10:17 a.m.,
millions of people worldwide
(including us here at Laura Secord)
will practice how to “Drop, Cover and
Hold On” during Great ShakeOut
Earthquake Drills.
Over the course of the school year we will hold several fire drills and emergency
evacuation practices. In our drills, students and staff practice “drop and cover”
procedures (taking cover under tables, etc. and holding for 1 full minute), safely
evacuating the building and gathering on the grass field. The goal during an
earthquake evacuation is to evacuate the building safely and quietly, not
necessarily quickly. In an emergency, various specially-trained staff emergency
response teams, including district radio communication, execute their own
procedures. We have adequate materials and supplies to properly care for
students until they can be safely released to their families.
In case of a real emergency, we can anticipate that children and parents both will
be worried about their family members’ health and safety. The school has specific
student release procedures in place to ensure that families are re-united as quickly
and safely as possible, and to ensure accountability and tracking of each student’s
safe release.
To this end, we must ask for parents’ cooperation during a real emergency:
• Students and parents will likely be quite excited and anxious to be together.
Parents MUST follow the directions of school staff.
• Parents arriving to pick up their child(ren) should report to the station, set up
on 10th Avenue. Please DO NOT simply take your child with you without
reporting to the teacher first. Please explain to your child that, even if they see
you, they are not to run to you—you’ll be reunited soon enough.
• Please ensure you keep your “emergency contact” information current. This
includes people who have your permission to take your child in the case of an
emergency as we cannot release children to adults for whom we do not have
prior consent. Also, please keep your eyes open for yellow reunification forms
coming home shortly.
Should there ever be a need for an off-site evacuation, we will meet at Trout
Lake.
Well, another year is here, and another grade 7 class got the opportunity to spend
a week at Evans Lake for their camp. If you have a grade 7 child, I’m sure you’ve
heard all about the fabulous things they did!
If your child is not yet in grade 7, wait for it: this is something special that the
kids talk about for weeks afterward. Thanks to all the staff and parents who
Grade 7 Camp
F
Terry Fox Run On Friday September 20th, during our Fitness Friday time, we had our annual
Terry Fox run and we had record-breaking fund raising of over $1,200!! We
did it a little different this year, each day children brought in a different coin
denomination. What a great week! The students loved it, and the Terry Fox
Foundation will too. Thanks everyone 😊
chaperoned, organized and just generally made this
whole week happen. It’s a lot of work, but you’ve
only to look at the students’ faces to see how worth
it this all is.
Thanks to you all!
Page 3 Secord News
Without a doubt students and
parents know our staff at Laura
Secord. But do you know us as
well as you think you do?
Each month we’ll tell you a new
tidbit about a staff member.
You may be surprised ☺
This month we’re profiling Mrs
Christina Tehennepe who is
currently off on maternity leave.
On June 3rd at 4:45pm Dorothy
Anne Tehennepe was born a
health 8.5 lbs! Both mom and
daughter are healthy and
happy.
Glad to hear that Mrs
Tehennepe! What a beautiful
baby
VSB/VPD Traffic & Parking Safety
Federal Election Voting at Secord, Oct 21st
As discussed in last month’s newsletter, there a many, many pedestrians, cars,
cyclists, scooters etc making their way to and from Secord. Please familiarize yourself
with the parking/traffic signs around our community and the corresponding bylaws and
rules. Let’s keep our children safe.
For more safety tips and information, please see our Safety Awareness Corner on
the next page and the city of Vancouver’s website re School Active Travel Planning.
The 2019 Canadian federal election is scheduled to take place on October 21st,
2019, to elect members of the House of Commons to the 43rd Canadian Parliament.
If you notice more foot traffic than normal around the school, voting booths will be
here in the Big Gym.
Page 4 Secord News
École Laura Secord Elementary is allergy-aware! Please note that parents are
asked to avoid sending foods containing nut or peanut products to school with
their children due to severe allergies to these particular foods. This includes all
types of nuts including pistachios, cashews, walnuts etc.
As peanut/nut butter tends to stick to surfaces, please wash your child’s hands if
you give them these foods for breakfast before school.
We are also a scent-free school as we have a number of people in the building
who are severely allergic or have respiratory illnesses. Please refrain from using
strongly scented colognes, hand creams or soaps.
If there are questions or concerns, please contact Mrs. Myers for further
information. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Walking, cycling, driving….there
are a lot of people on the roads
and now that the darker weather
is coming, take note of these
safety tips.
• Leave word. Tell somebody
or leave a note at home
about where you plan to go
and how long you plan to be
out.
• Identify yourself. Walk with
proper ID.
• Use the sidewalk. If a
sidewalk is available, walk
on the sidewalk.
• Face traffic. It's easier to
see, and react to oncoming
cars. And cars will see you
more clearly too.
• Be seen. Wear high-
visibility, brightly colored
clothing. When out near or
after sunset, reflective
materials are a must.
• Watch the hills. When they
crest hills, drivers' vision can
suddenly be impaired by
factors like sun glare or
backdrops.
Allergies
Awareness without action is worthless.
Walk & Roll? Nope, Just Walk WALK, DON'T ROLL
For safety reasons, please note that no wheels are allowed on school
grounds from 8:40 am – 3:20 pm. What does that mean? Before reaching
school grounds, you must stop using your bike, scooter, skateboard, unicycle,
heelies – ANYTHING THAT HAS WHEELS, and safely walk your mode of
transportation onto school grounds. If a skateboard or scooter is your child’s
transportation to school, it must be carried to the
classroom. There it will remain, until carried off school grounds at the end of the
day.
We have lost six trees on our school
grounds recently so we need to keep our
remaining ones as healthy as possible. We
have noticed students swinging from the
lower branches and breaking off branches of
some of the healthy trees on our grounds.
Please admire our trees but don't hurt them!
We Wore Orange on October 1st
September 30th has been declared Orange Shirt Day annually, in recognition of the
harm the residential school system did to children’s sense of self-esteem and
wellbeing, and as an affirmation of our commitment to ensure that everyone around
us matters. The date was chosen because it is the time of year in which children
were taken from their homes to residential schools, and because it is an opportunity
to set the stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for the coming school year.
It also gives teachers time to plan events that will include children, as we want to
ensure that we are passing the story and learning on to the next generations.
Orange Shirt Day is also an opportunity for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people,
local governments, schools and communities to come together in the spirit of
reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come.
Since September 30th was our Pro-D day, Secord acknowledged Orange Shirt Day
on October 1st, and what a beautifully orange day it was! Thank you to all staff and
students who shone in their orange shirts.
Love our Trees Please
Page 5
Secord News
Are you a Newcomer Parent?
Are you new to VSB, Vancouver, or even Canada? Vancouver School Board has a
department you may be interested in: The Newcomer Welcome Centre. You may not
be aware of how many resources are available to you. For example our SWIS team
(Settlement Workers in Schools) and Multicultural Liaison Workers are presenting free
workshops! Take a look and even wander the website. We think you’ll be pleasantly
surprised 😉
To Report Your Child’s
Absence – Please Call (604)
713-5159 ext 74 prior to 9 am
on the first day of the absence.
As you probably know, we here at Secord have House Teams and everyone has
a colour and mascot. Not only that, but we have House Events in which we can
earn points for our teams!
Stay tuned to find out which team your child is on. Everyone will know by
October 29th which is, coincidentally, our House Team Colour Day!
Secord House Teams
Did you know that in 2016 Secord
Students used over 2,400 disposable forks
from the lunchroom? That’s 2,400 pieces
of plastic in the landfill!
This is a reminder that to improve our
environmental record, extra cutlery is no
longer available at school. Please make
sure your child brings all the reusable
cutlery they need. Thank you!
No More Plastic Cutlery Reminder
Student Sign Out Policy
Once the children arrive at school, they remain under the care of the school staff until
the end of the day. Please be advised that students need to be signed out by an adult
at the office if they need to leave the school during the school day.
Secord News
Page 6
VSB Dog Code As adorable as this picture is dogs can be very intimidating to children and adults
alike, as well as triggering allergies.
Do not bring your dog onto school grounds during school hours and if you’re
walking them, ensure they are leashed at all times. Thanks for your attention.
Safety Protocol
All visitors are to report to
the school office.
We are always very
concerned about our
students' safety. You may
be approached on the
playground to identify
yourself by one of our staff
members if they do not
recognize you. This is
standard safety protocol at
all schools to ensure
unauthorized people are
not on the school grounds.
Thank you for your
understanding.
Page 7
Secord News
New Canadian Kid: Our 1st Performance
Pizza Lunch
Thursday, October 17th
Please email
you’d like to volunteer.
AGM PAC
Meeting
Tuesday, October 16th @
6:30pm - We will be
presenting the Budget and
voting for our PAC
executive positions for the
year. Email if you are
interested in becoming an
Exec Member.
As always babysitting will
be available from 6:25-
7:45pm in the Small Gym.
BUT maybe get a sitter so
you can go to the PAC
Social Night right after!
On October 8th we will have our first performance of the year: New Canadian Kid by
the Green Thumb Theatre.
Meet Nick. Nick has just arrived in Canada from the imaginary country of Homeland.
In Canada, Nick has to learn a new language, new customs, and how to navigate
fitting in at a new school and new country, while remaining true to who he is.
This critically acclaimed, multi-award winning piece explores the challenges faced by
young people in the midst of making Canada their new home. The play employs an
innovating theatrical device to invite English speaking children into the world of
English Language Learners. Nick and his mother speak English in the play, and the
Canadian characters Mog and Mencha speak a made-up gibberish language.
As Canada sees its highest refugee claim rate in over 30 years, and global migration
continues to increase, it is more important than ever for young people to learn to
celebrate each other’s differences, and welcome students who have come to
Canada from other countries and cultures.
Curriculum Connections: multiculturalism, discrimination, bullying, friendship.
Did you know that the Vancouver Board of Education spends over $500,000 a year
repairing damage done to schools by vandalism? With your help the dollars saved go
towards providing a better educational environment for our children.
So, what can you do this Hallowe’en?
CALL 911
If you see persons acting suspiciously around your school, for example:
• on the roof of a school
• throwing objects at windows or doors
• shooting weapons of any kind
• partying
• destroying shrubbery or playground equipment
• lighting fires
• painting or marking school buildings with graffiti
• committing any other suspicious acts
When you call 911 you need not give your name. Give the name of the school,
location, and tell them what is happening. School officials will assist police in
prosecuting and seeking restitution. Help us make better use of your education
dollars.
And this is what the Vancouver Board of Education does:
• encourages residents living near schools to report to police any vandalism or
suspicious activities at schools
• provides exterior security lighting and permanent electronic devices to monitor
intrusion and fires in schools
• identifies graffiti and provides photographs and evidence to police
• provides information leading to conviction of vandals
• cooperates with the police, courts, and other agencies for security patrols and
court actions
• seeks restitution for the costs of vandalism
Hallowe’en Safety
FUEL Catering
weekly hot lunch
service
Separate from the pizza
fundraiser lunch PAC also
offers a weekly hot lunch
service which is not a
fundraiser but a convenience
for all parents.
Fuel lunches are delivered
Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursdays.
If you have any questions
please contact Carolin at
These combined efforts have
significantly reduced school
vandalism; however, more
progress may be made with
your help.
Page 8
Laura Secord Elementary 2500 Lakewood Dr Vancouver, BC V5N 4V1
Phone 604-713-4996
We’re on the Web!
http://secord.vsb.bc.ca
Editor: Susan Pazdzior
Director of
Instruction:
Julie Pearce (acting)
Liaison School
Trustee:
Fraser Ballantyne
PAC Chairs:
Jennifer Wilshire,
Jennifer Korba-Gill &
Shahira Sakiyama
Secord News
PAC is on Twitter!
@SecordPAC
PAC Social Night!
After the AGM meeting is over on the 16th, come celebrate and meet some of
your peers! Stay tuned for more info from your PAC directly.
PAC
School Calendar
Vancouver School
Board
Pumpkin Patch – Volunteers Needed
Tuesday, October 29 - All morning
Volunteers Needed
Sign up here
Come out and join in the fun on Tuesday, October 29 where we will transform our
field into a pumpkin patch. Once transformed every classroom goes out and each
child gets to pick their own pumpkin to take home for free. We also need plastic
bags for carrying the pumpkins home (some kids forget to bring their own) - if
you are looking to get rid of any, now is your chance!
And Stay Tuned….
For those of you who have been around a while, you will know these popular PAC
events all scheduled for November. So stay tuned for more information!
• Scholastic English Book Fair
• Secord Spirit Wear Clothing Sales
• Purdy’s Chocolate Fundraiser
• The “Winter Warmer”