November 2011 - Mini Gryphon.indd

Transcription

Vo lum e 3 Is s u e 3
Nove m b e r 20 1 1
IN T HIS ISSUE :
BACK TO THE 1950s!
If you didn’t k now it was the 50 th day of school on Thursday, November 17th, you
would have felt like Mar ty McFly in Back to Future, walking through Meadowridge’s
halls.
What began in the Kindergar ten class as a tradition to mark the 50 th day of school
has spread throughout the school with teachers and s tudents reliving the 1950s with
poodle skir ts, rolled up sleeves, leather jackets and some classic hair ribbon. See page
15 for more pictures of the fabulous f ifties at Meadowridge.
From the Headmas ter
2
Annual Giving Update
4
People Making a Dif ference
6
Student Achievements
8
Librar y Update
9
Gr yphon Council Update
10
Around Meadowridge
12
Athletics Update
16
Facilities Update
17
Alumni Update
18
M E A D OW R I D G E S CH O O L
1 2 2 24 - 24 0 t h St r e e t
M a p l e R i d g e , B C V4 R 1 N 1
w w w.meadow r idge.bc.ca
t : 6 0 4 . 4 67 . 4 4 4 4 | f : 6 0 4 . 4 67 . 49 8 9
Meadowr idge Schoo l
Page 2 | NOVEMBER 2011
FROM T HE HE A DM A ST ER
On R isk, Playgrounds and Growing Up to be Capable
Imagine: An adult is hit by a soccer ball
on a playground, and unfor tunately
suf fers a concussion. What would you
do, if you adminis tered a school? An
adminis trator in a public school in Toronto
faced this issue recently, and so banned
the use of inf lated balls in the schoolyard.
In some schools, games of tag and other
chase and elimination games have been
banned, following par ticular complaints of
injur y or the bruising of self-es teem.
Some places have even removed
playgrounds, because there is some fear
that children may hur t themselves.
At our school, we are ver y aware of risk,
and – because of that awareness – we
will not be banning tag, banning balls, or
removing playgrounds. A friend of mine,
Stephen Smith, who teaches and writes at
Simon Fraser University (phenomenology
and Physical Education) notes that risk is
an impor tant component of development
in children. It is through the taking of
risks that children learn to be competent,
to overcome fear, to work with others,
and to measure their own abilities and
learn new ones. When children play
outside, they are often ver y shrewd
judges of their own capabilities; they
will only go so far up the rope climber
unless they are cer tain of their own
capacities. Their sense of their own selfwor th is developed through increasing
their competence, not through avoiding
challenge.
What is ver y interes ting is some
recent evidence and thought regarding
the essential role of risk in childhood
development. From the New York Times:
After obser ving children on playgrounds
in Nor way, England and Aus tralia, Dr.
Sandseter identif ied six categories of
risk y play: exploring heights, experiencing
high speed, handling dangerous tools,
being near dangerous elements (like
water or f ire), rough-and-tumble play
(like wres tling), and wandering alone
away from adult super vision. The mos t
common is climbing heights.
Climbing equipment needs to be high
enough, or else it will be too boring in the
long run,” Dr. Sandseter said. “Children
approach thrills and risks in a progressive
manner, and ver y few children would
tr y to climb to the highes t point for the
f irs t time they climb. The bes t thing is to
let children encounter these challenges
from an early age, and they will then
progressively learn to mas ter them
through their play over the years.”
Sometimes, of course, their mas ter y
fails, and falls are the common form of
playground injur y. But these rarely cause
permanent damage, either physically or
emotionally. While some psychologis ts
— and many parents — have worried
that a child who suf fered a bad fall would
develop a fear of heights, s tudies have
shown the opposite pat tern: A child who
is hur t in a fall before the age of nine is
less likely as a teenager to have a fear of
heights.
By gradually exposing themselves to more
and more dangers on the playground,
children are using the same habituation
techniques developed by therapis ts to
help adults conquer phobias, according to
Dr. Sandseter and a fellow psychologis t,
Leif Kennair, of the Nor wegian University
for Science and Technology.
“Risk y play mirrors ef fective cognitive
behavioral therapy of anxiety,” they write
in the journal Evolutionar y Psychology,
concluding that this “anti-phobic ef fect”
helps explain the evolution of children’s
fondness for thrill-seeking. While a
youthful zes t for exploring heights might
not seem adaptive — why would natural
selection favor children who risk death
before they have a chance to reproduce?
The dangers seemed to be outweighed
by the benef its of conquering fear and
developing a sense of mas ter y.
Las t year you helped us IMAGINE. This year, please help us DESIGN t he nex t 25 year s.
“Paradoxically,” the psychologis ts write,
“we posit that our fear of children being
harmed by mos tly harmless injuries
may result in more fear ful children and
increased levels of psychopathology.”
At our school, too, we ensure that we
teach children how to be inclusive, how
to sor t out the inevitable issues that
arise on the playground, and how to
take measured risks. We think that risk
should be transparent, and also that the
appearance of removing risk is actually
much more dangerous than making sure
that risk is unders tood and managed.
When a playground is perceived by
ever yone to be safe, then actual risk may
increase. Our playground equipment is, or
course, designed with proper fall zones,
appropriate sur faces, and manageable
equipment. But we will never claim to
have removed all risk. It would not be
hones t or educationally sound, and we
want our children to grow to be capable
adults who are able to take reasonable
risks. It is jus t a par t of a healthy life.
Mr. Hugh Burke, Headmas ter
This ar ticle was originally published on
the Headmas ter’s Blog. Read more at:
meadowridgeheadmas ter.wordpress.com
A NNUA L GI V ING D ONOR S
Thank You For Contr ibut ing!
Mr. and Mrs. Rafael and Lisa Acosta
Mr. and Mrs. Don and Linda Hincks
Mr. and Mrs. Paul and Oltita Agaf itei
Ms. Cindy Hops
Mr. and Mrs. Ron and Cathy Antalek
Mrs. Carrie Hughes-Grant
Ms. Rebecca Awram
Mr. and Mrs. Ty and Jadina Ir ving
Mr. and Mrs. Jose and Paula Barbosa
Ms. Lynelle Johns
Mr. and Mrs. John and Terr y Becker
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce and Judy Johnston
Mrs. Kristal Bereza
Mr. Terr y Jung and Ms. Audrey Lum
Ms. Christine Bickle
Mr. Kevin Kennedy
Mr. Michael Biswas and Ms. P. Dawn
Shaw-Biswas
Dr. Seoungjoon Kim and Mrs. Inhwa Sung
Prof. Nicholas Blomley and Ms. Jessie Hill
Mr. Hyeok-Sang Kwon and Mrs. Ji-Yeon Ahn
Mr. Rhys Clarke and Mrs. Julie Bournival
Mr. Oh Hyon Kwon and Mrs. JiSoo Jeon
Mr. Hugh Burke and Ms. Eva Boyd
Mr. and Mrs. Al-Karim and Zain Lalji
Mr. Gang Chen and Ms. Ping Li
Drs. Ockie Lampen and Kathy Robson
Mr. Xiang Jing Chen and Mrs. Xiao Ming Yang
Mr. and Mrs. Tom and Rhonda Laurie
Mr. Richard Choi and Mrs. Angie Lee
Mr. Daniel Le Page
Mr. Roy Choi and Mrs. Jeong-Mi Ryu
Mr. Gye Ju Lee and Mrs. Whal Ran Park
Mr. and Mrs. Shahir and Reeshma Premji
Mr. and Mrs. Jeff and Katherine Craw ford
Mr. Lance Leger and Ms. Sarah Ward
Mr. George Read and Ms. Fay Kingwill
Mr. and Mrs. Jim and Elizabeth Davies
Mr. and Mrs. Darrell and Kim Lester
Mr. Avio Diniz and Ms. Patricia Lapointe
Mr. and Mrs. Matthew and Wendy Dockerty
Dr. Mitra Maharaj and Mrs. Jacqueline
Ainswor th
Mr. David Riddell and Mrs. Karen WilbyRiddell
Mr. Terr y Donaldson
Drs. Samir and Sangita Malhotra
Mrs. Chantal Schutz
Dr. and Mrs. Bill and Barbara Durno
Mr. and Mrs. Riaz and Fairous Mapara
Mr. and Mrs. Justin and Jennifer Simpson
Exper t Electric (The Brunet ta Family)
Mr. James Marriott
Mr. and Mrs. Rajindar and Sheila Singh
Mr. Jay Fraser
Mr. Gareth Mason and Ms. Carolyn Treger
Mr. and Mrs. Dennis and Norma-Jean Spika
Mrs. Hallie Fraser
Ms. Jennifer Maynes
Mr. Scott Spurgeon
Drs. Deepu and Reena George
Ms. Glenda Mensah
Mr. Kevin Sun and Ms. Feng Li
Drs. Joe and Diana Germain
Ms. Sherrie Metz
Mr. Preston Tan
Mr. Bob Gill and Mrs. Diana Car withen
Miss Cori Barker and Jake Barker
Mr. and Mrs. Rick and Susan Waugh
Mr. Kenneth Go and Mrs. Connie Chow-Go
Mrs. Christy Mooney
Mr. Dan tenBrink and Ms. Leah Zeballos
Mr. Mansour Gorji and Mrs. Nastaran Kasravi
Mr. and Mrs. Vassen and Lovana Moothoo
Mr. and Mrs. Julian and Marilyn Turner
Dr. and Mrs. Daniel and Kimberley
Buchanan-Gouws
Mr. Michael Nice and Ms. Danielle Noel
Mr. and Mrs. David and Lyn Tyler
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick and Barbara Niwa
Ms. Michelle Vally
Ms. Maxine Gracey
Mr. David Noble
Ms. Tamara Warner
Mr. and Mrs. Alan and Marlene Graveson
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen and Margot Olah
Mr. and Mrs. Matthew and Jennifer Watt
Mr. and Mrs. War wick and Carolyn Green
Ms. Angela Pallister
Mr. and Mrs. Rick and Susan Waugh
Mr. and Mrs. Craig and Natalie Gunning
Mr. and Mrs. Scott and Lisa Park
Dr. and Mrs. Lawrence and Tracey Welsh
Mr. and Mrs. Carl and Shirly He
Dr. and Mrs. Parin and Bhavna Patel
Mr. and Mrs. Paul and Kalie Whitaker
Mr. and Mrs. Peter and Kelly Fr y
Mr. and Mrs. Philip and Nicola Pitzey
Mr. and Mrs. Dean and Samantha Wiens
Mr. and Mrs. Don and Linda Hincks
Mr. and Mrs. Igor and Katerina Pogrebinsky
Mr. Kyle Jeans and Ms. Krista Zambolin
Drs. Mur thy and Anu Korada
Mr. Michael Schutz
A Test for Parents
true
false
(Please ans wer true of false)
1. You believe in our Mission.
2. You are grateful for your child’s education and want to give back.
3. You want your school to be sus tainable and grow s tronger ever y year.
4. You want to build your community.
5. Your children’s teachers do so much more than they are expected to do.
6. Your children benef it from the gifts of others.
7. You want to make a dif ference in the world.
8. You can make a donation through your MEID.
9. You k now that the school we have today was born out of the charity of
those that came before.
10. You feel good when you give.
11. You are excited by the projects and enhancements giving funds make possible.
12. You enjoy the taxable benef it you receive when you make a gift.
13. You want your children to have a new school bus, a conser vator y, a green
house, or a recording s tudio this year.
14. You want your children’s education enhanced.
15. You want to make it possible for our school to purchase additional land to
secure the future of the school.
16. You want to leave a legacy.
Scoring:
If you answered true to one or more ques tions you are well suited to join our community of Annual
Giving donors by making a contribution today.
PEOPLE M A K ING A DIF FER ENCE
Dr. Danie Gou ws
Be careful the environment you choose for it will
shape you; be careful the friends you choose for
you will become like them.
W. Clement Stone
Once his father’s s tudies were complete,
it was back to South Africa where church
and s tate continued to be inseparable
during school days. He describes his
school as “almos t militaris tic”, a situation
he found oppressive. These experiences
resonate with him and are clearly some
of the reasons why he has chosen a
During Dr. Gouws’ formative years, the
f igures of South African political life, were
Afrikaner Broederbond (Brotherhood)
secular school, run by parents and not
members of the Afrikaner Broederbond.
government, for his own children.
Gouws’ father, on the other hand, was a
Jimi Hendrix was at his height and the
liberal and was vocally anti-Government.
world was an exciting place. Gouws
“The things we accept as ever yday like
described himself as rebellious, with
freedom of speech were not common. It
a twinkle and a smile that I believe
was too hazardous. It was unusual to say
belies the memories of pas t deeds. But
was alive and well in the Transvaal,
exis ting as a secret, exclusively
male organization dedicated to the
advancement of Afrikaner interes ts.
Between 1948 and 1994, many prominent
Meadow r idge School is for tuna te to ha ve a
communi t y of wonder ful individuals w ho help our
school to thr ive through their generosi t y and
subs tantive wor k. We are gra teful to so many for
their ongoing suppor t and contr ibu tions. This year
we would like to showcase some of your fellow
communi t y member s w ho make i t a pr ior i t y to
give back and make a dif ference.
too much.”
rebelliousness aside, he was obligated to
Dr. Danie Gouws grew up
fulf ill his requirement for militar y ser vice.
in an orphanage in Pretoria,
When asked what he took away from
South Africa but not in the
his experiences in South Africa, Danie
sense you may think.
is direct, “You need to make a choice to
“My mother was a social
become your own person. Either you tag
worker and this was where
along with the masses or you decide what
she worked and we lived.”
you want, what you believe in, and then
Surrounded by 50 other
do something about it.”
children along with his
After his militar y ser vice, Danie went on
siblings, he describes it as “an
to Ar t School. His parents were always
interes ting life”.
suppor tive of his education. His reference
His parent’s pursuit of fur ther
framework was always dif ferent, having
education and the political
his parents working at the University of
conditions of the time saw
Cambridge and Har vard, and it was not
them travelling quite a bit.
unusual that he would embrace learning
The family moved to England,
in all its facets. He s tudied Fine Ar ts and
where he learned English
sculpting, but after f inishing his degree he
and then on to the United
decided to move into medicine.
States so his father could
He at tended Medical School at
complete a Pos t Doctorate at
Stellenbosch University. “The medical
the University of Pit tsburgh.
sys tem is dif ferent there in that once
During this time, he at tended
you have graduated you are deemed
Colfax Public School populated
a Medical Of f icer. Your residency is
by primarily Or thodox Jewish
spent working in a hospital moving from
families; an environment rich
depar tment to depar tment so that you
with religious over tones.
are able to gain experience in multiple
areas.” He wor ked in obs tetrics and
didn’t want to miss the
anes thesiology.
oppor tunity.” They f inished
It was 1986 and things were in turmoil
in South Africa. It was time to look at
options. A chance to leave South Africa
presented itself. He was able to move
to New Zealand to practice medicine.
The oppor tunity came with permanent
residence. It was the per fect situation and
the application process in
May jus t as the door closed
in June. “We got in under
the wire. There was a lot
going on at that time. I
thought Kim was going to
kill me.”
he k new that, if need be, he could always
“Maple Ridge was a simple
come home. In New Zealand, he was the
choice. We had jus t sold
only doctor for 3000 people in the area.
our house in Yorkton and
“It was a maternity hospital as well. A
helicopter would come in early hours
of the morning and I would get on, not
k nowing where we were going. There
was a lot of rescue wor k.”
I wondered if he enjoyed f lying. “I’m
actually a pilot.” At this point, not a
lot surprised me about Danie…f lying,
sculpting, delivering babies, emigrating.
Dr. Gouws volunteering at the Welcome Back Fair.
we had what I thought was
a good sum of money to buy a new one.
When we f irs t s tar ted we were taking a
We quickly realized that we were going
wait and see approach. The school was
to be living fur ther out if we wanted to
close to going under. I had experienced
af ford the house we wanted.” When they
that with my daughter’s Montessori. It’s
f irs t arrived in British Columbia, Gouws
a traumatic thing when that happens
wor ked in Kitsilano, Eas t Vancouver and
but the whole concept of community is
Prince George, but this was not what he
that you accept the good with the bad.
wanted. When asked about why he and
Nothing is per fect and I believe that the
his wife chose Meadowridge, the answer
school is bigger than the individuals in it.”
In New Zealand, Danie met his future
comes quickly. “It was about values. I
wife, Kim Buchanan. She was a teacher in
grew up in a paradoxical environment.
a small school. “She could have taught in
Respect was demanded but we were not
Auckland but chose the position for the
given any. As s tudents we were dismissed
adventure.” He felt claus trophobic and
and children were not ack nowledged for
wanted more options. Kim is originally
who they are. I did not want this for my
from Ontario so a move back to Canada
children.”
made sense. Danie insis ts that it was his
idea, though. It was logis tics that brought
them to British Columbia.
“As a new doctor to Canada, you mus t
work on the Prairies to s tar t and you
can only practice for four months in a
calendar year. Then you mus t leave. So
I organized it so that I did the las t four
months of the year and the f irs t four
months of the following year. By the time
I was done, I had been licensed.”
He went on, “I bought a practice in
Yorkton, Saskatchewan. Within 11 months,
we had a new business, a new baby and
a new house.” Then he caught wind
that British Columbia was changing
their regis tration rules for doctors. “I
Meadowridge of fered an open, thought ful
community which s trongly values a
bread th of education within a respect ful
environment. It f it.
“I notice that the dialogue has changed
since my early days. For example, f inances
were not explained to us as new parents.
That has shifted. I think if expectations
are spelled out then you can plan
appropriately. The school should not be
about what is af fordable, it should be
about what is expected.”
Given what Danie is like, what his family
is like, and what his life has been, we
k now that what is expected is…well… a
I asked Danie to comment upon the
lot. Like many parents at Meadowridge,
school, to speak of how he has come to
Danie is himself both a par ticipant and a
be so involved:
leader, and has chosen to spend his time
“I was originally asked to par ticipate
and talent in the ongoing work of building
in Governance. I k new I wanted to be
a community of high expectations, and
involved and have always felt it impor tant
a school of warmth, acceptance, and
to put more in than you expect to get
respect for all our children. He wants
out. Additionally, my work is ver y narrow
our school to do things right, but, more
and specif ic and I f ind it rewarding to
impor tantly, to do the right things.
be surrounded by people that do other
things.”
“The school has changed for the bet ter.
Ms. Chris tine Bickle
Director of Advancement
S T U D EN T ACHIE V EMEN TS
Meado w r id g e St u d e n t P hil a n t h r o py
Meadowridge received a call this month from the BC Children’s Hospital. They wanted to let the school k now that over the years
Meadowridge s tudents have donated over $25,000 to their organization. With this number reached there will now be a plaque at
the BC Children’s Hospital in honour of the donations from Meadowridge s tudents. As wonder ful as this achievement is it is not
surprising, because it is not out of the ordinar y.
Each month we see our s tudents donating and raising money for a variety of causes. In September over $1,480 was collected for the
Terr y Fox Foundation. In October the Halloween Fun Night raised $1,158 for Covenant House. This pas t month, s tudents collected
an amazing 2620 pounds of food and raised over $700 for the Friends in Need Food Bank.
Meadowridge s tudents are among the mos t philanthropic, caring, and ref lective s tudents. This value is integral to our school
community, and our students’ effor ts show that it exists not only in our academics, but also the events they choose to organize. The
effor t with which they raise money and collect food and other items for charitable organizations is inspiring to ever yone around them.
NIMA Grade 6
Congratulations to Nima who will be get ting his black belt in
Taek wondo on November 26th. Nima trains in Pit t Meadows
and has been training for eight years with his sis ter.
Nima has def initely earned his black belt with his busy schedule.
He goes to the s tudio four times during the week, with Friday
being his sparring day, and he even trains on the weekend.
To help with his Taek wondo training Nima runs f ive kilometers
ever y week on the dikes. One of his favourite par ts of
Taek wondo is the grappling and pat terns. Taek wondo has even
taught him how to break boards, which he says is really fun!
Congratulations Nima!
L I B R A R Y U P D AT E
The Librar y is the hear t of the Meadowridge community and our hear t felt thanks go out to our dedicated volunteers.
Since September our team of volunteers has grown to over 20. These volunteers can be seen running the circulation desk, shelving
books, tidying shelves, gathering books for classroom teachers, preparing displays, and sor ting books to donate. In the f irs t two
months of school, our team has accumulated over 100 hours of volunteer time. It is to their credit that the Librar y is running so
smoothly.
If you see any of our dedicated volunteers please be sure to thank them for their commitment to the Librar y!
Our Excellent Librar y Volunteers:
Zahra Dhanani
Inhwa Sung
Anna Zhang
Soo Par k
Kumi Grosspeitch
Ji Young Par k
Kirs ti Hardie
Hyun Kyung Kim
Shawn Dyer
Jung Young Ji
Seema Rawal
Ji Yeon Ahn
Natalie Valentine
Kate Noh
Sue Rumble
Amy Kim
Shannon A ziz
Yung Hwa Cho
Jisoo Jeon
Sophia Kook
Veronica Lee
Hyun Ji Lee
Chr ys Han
STA FF PICK OF T HE MON T H
We are excited here at the librar y as we are beginning our “Staf f Picks” display
highlighting s taf f members’ favourite books.
Each month we will pick a s taf f member to highlight and will display a picture
of them with one of their favourite books. The favourite book can be one from
their childhood or one that they are enjoying right now. All books picked by
s taf f will be available at the librar y.
We are excited to have Junior Kindergar ten teacher, Ms. Johns, as the f irs t
“Staf f Picks”. Ms. Johns has chosen Still Alice by Lisa Genova, as her pick.
A bou t St ill Alice:
Still Alice is a compelling novel about a 50 year-old woman’s sudden descent
into early onset Alzheimer’s disease. This is the debut novel from author Lisa
Genova, who holds a Ph.D in neuroscience from Har vard University
(Summar y from w w w.amazon.ca)
G R Y P H O N CO U N C I L U P D AT E
The pas t month was f illed with many
exciting events at Meadowridge! The
Can Drive f inished and it was incredibly
successful, with the entire Meadowridge
community raising over 2620 pounds of
food and over $700 cash.
All the donations went to the local
Friends in Need Food Bank, and with this
cold winter beginning to set in, they were
ver y thankful.
The f inal point s tandings for the can
drive were Alouet te with 1005 points,
Whonnock with 1128 points, Kanaka with
1138 points, and Fraser wining with 2501
points! Congratulations Fraser!
The annual Halloween cos tume contes t
and the Kiss the Mons ter event had the
Meadowridge community really get ting
into the Halloween spirit a couple weeks
ago. With a variety of ghouls and goblins
walking throughout the halls, there were
some fantas tic cos tumes and several
winners for a variety of categories
including scaries t and bes t teacher!
This year’s BYOB3 (Bring Your Own Big
Banana and Bowl) saw many s tudents
par ticipating with enthusiasm! For
bringing in a BIG banana, reusable bowl
and spoon, s tudents were able to enjoy
a delicious ice-cream sundae on a Friday
afternoon. There were some ver y big
bananas!
UPCOMING EVENTS
The Autumn Har ves t dinner is rapidly
approaching! Seniors from a variety
of seniors homes in Maple Ridge will
come to Meadowridge for an evening of
fantas tic food, per formances and much
more!
Students have been preparing for a while
now, from organizing the per formers
to get ting the decorations ready. The
seniors are sure to have a wonder ful
time!
The f inal house point s tandings are as
follows: Fraser is f irs t with 6295 points,
Alouet te is second with 6197, followed
by Kanaka with 6128, then Whonnock
with 5548. With many Chris tmas events
around the corner, there is lots of
oppor tunity for change!
Tyler Goudal, Media Gr yphon
Page 1 2 | NOVEMBER 2011
A RO UND ME A D OW R ID GE . . .
On Wednesday, November 9th the Dhillon and Sodhi families visited the Grade 4
class in celebration of the bir thday of the Firs t Mas ter in Sikhism. They provided a
delicious lunch as well as explained the impor tance of the celebration.
On Wednesday, November 16th
the Grade 2 class par ticipa ted in a
science wor k shop! The wor k shop
was abou t mak ing science fun,
and did i t ever. The s tudents
lear ned abou t phases of ma t ter
and chemical reac tions. Then they
per for med ex per iments on solids,
liquids and gases.
Las t Tuesday, November 8, 2011, Swaraj’s mother, Mrs. Aravindhan, visited
the Grade 5 classroom to share her immigrant experiences and s tories. Her
professionally created Power Point presentation provided details about her
entire immigration process, her decision making process and the challenges
she faced as a new immigrant to Canada.
As a wrap-up activity, Mrs. Aravindhan put s tudents into smaller groups
to act out “real-life” immigrant scenarios. Each s tudent took on the role
of an immigration of f icer who either accepted or denied various cases for
immigration by following the prerequisites or criteria. Mrs. Aravindhan’s visit
helped answer many ques tions and helped the class to bet ter unders tand
their central idea, “Human Migration Transforms Our World”.
Thank you, Mrs. Aravindhan!
On October 28th, Dr. Diana Germain and Dr. John Kim visited the Kindergar ten
class to speak to the class about the impor tance of taking care of your teeth. Dr.
Germain brought them all the necessar y dentis t masks and gloves and spoke to
s tudents about keeping their teeth clean by brushing and f lossing. Dr. Kim gave
s tudents the chance to model proper brushing on a special s tuf fed animal. Thank
you Dr. Germain and Dr. Kim!
Ms. Yeoh’s class celebrated the
Mexican holiday Día de los Muer tos
(Day of the Dead) by baking pan
de muer tos (bread of the dead) and
decorating skull cookies.
LES T W E FORGE T . . .
T H E FA B U LO U S F I F T I E S !
AT H L E T I C S U P D AT E
Congratulations to our Junior Girls’ Volleyball team on a ver y successful season! Our girls f inished 3rd in the GVISSA Championship
Tournament held at the Harr y Jerome Spor ts Center on November 3rd. The girls brought home a bronze medal and a trophy for
our showcase. Jessica Jacob was named an “All-Star” for the tournament. Congratulations Jessica! Our girls worked hard all season
and really improved their volleyball skills and level of cour t play. We are ver y proud of the girls for the exemplar y manner in which
they represented Meadowridge School.
We thank our coaching team: Mr. Clar ke and Mrs. Brookshaw for a job well done! Go Gr yphons!
Congratulations to our Senior Boys’ Soccer team on f inishing second overall in their league! They played a hard-fought f inal
game that ended with a f inal shoot-out. We are ver y proud of our team for the exemplar y manner in which they represented
Meadowridge School. It has been an outs tanding season. Following the game, Mos t Valuable Player (Alan) and Mos t Spor tsmanlike
Team was awarded to Meadowridge. We thank our coaching team for an outs tanding job: Mr. Spurgeon, Mr. Singh and Mr. Le Page.
FA C I L I T I E S U P D AT E
Traf f ic Flow Not ice
The school periodically reviews the ways
in which we go about our day to tr y and
cons tantly make improvements. One area
that is looked at, but dif f icult to f ix, is
the traf f ic f low. Sometimes parents are
rushed, do not unders tand expectations,
or don’t realize how their actions impact
others, disrupting the traf f ic f low and
generating a sense of frus tration. The
school recently received an email from a
concerned parent.
“Good afternoon Mr. Bur ke,
I am writing this e-mail after an upset ting
incident this morning in the kiss and go
area. This morning, when I arrived, there
was a car par ked in the kiss and go area.
My children exited the car and this other
car was s till par ked; not even running.
I got in my car to leave, was unable to,
because the spot was tight with the car
in front of me. […] I felt I should inform
the parent they were not allowed to
par k in this area. I thought they may be
new, and not k now the rules. I k nocked
on the car’s window and had to ask the
father to open his window as he seemed
reluctant to do so. I asked him “do you
k now that you are not allowed to park
here?” His reply was “yes I k now” and
then he rolled his window up on me. As
I was not prepared to back up to leave
my par king spot (I believe it is dangerous
backing up with kids all around), I waited
behind him till he turned on his car and
moved for ward. When I exited the end
of the Meadowridge driveway, he was
s till par ked there!
with solutions, please do not hesitate
to ask. If you deem it suitable, on my
available mornings, I would like to
volunteer to help guide the parents in the
kiss and go area.
I feel a s trong need to address this
concern that I have had for the
three years our family has been at
Meadowridge. I have mentioned it
before, and I f ind it ver y unfor tunate that
it has not completely changed.
Remember, the school mot to “learning to
live well, with others and for others, in a
jus t community” does not only apply to
the s tudents who at tend our school, but
to the parents as well.
If there is a way I can help to come up
If we, as role models, fail to follow the
rules set out by our school, how do we
expect our children to do so?“
To help address this issue, we will
dis tribute a notice outlining the changes
to the signage and traf f ic f low. Hopefully
these changes will help the morning dropof f and afternoon pickup become more
ef f icient and safer for ever yone.
Mr. Pat Niwa
A LU M N I U P D AT E
What makes Meadow r idge dif ferent?
After a lengthy tour of Lower Canada
College, a Montreal independent school
established in 1904, Mr. Burke and I
exited on to the street intersecting the
campus which spans nearly 4 city blocks.
Immediately he asked me what I thought. I
was impressed by the facilities (including a
new full-size ice rink with a lounge for the
spectators), and my initial response was
one of deep admiration.
The Quebec school’s histor y is written on
plaques on ever y wall in the hallways and
their pride is displayed clearly across each
banner earned throughout the years. As
we walked down the road and chatted
a bit about the tour, conducted by the
Headmaster, I took a deep breath of the
unusually warm November air and with it
gathered a hint of perspective.
As we sat down at a small coffee shop and
continued chatting, my memor y wandered
and revisited not just the tour, but what
had transpired over the two days before
it, and moreover the 25 years before that.
The school –Lower Canada College – was
impressive, but… “A school is a school, is a
school” Mr. Burke said as we shook hands
and par ted ways; this saying stuck in my
mind and replayed itself the entire walk
back to my hotel.
“ In t h e s to r i e s of our
A lu m ni w e f in d w ha t
ma ke s M e a d o w r idge
d i f fe re n t ; fo r u s a
s c h o o l i s a s c h ool, bu t
o u r s c h o o l i s a home.”
Ref lecting on this statement, the trip
thus far and fur thermore the shor t but
successful histor y of our school to date,
I couldn’t help but wonder, what makes
Meadowridge different?
Two days earlier, the
two of us walked up
Toronto’s Younge Street
towards York School,
a Kindergar ten to
grade 12 International
Baccalaureate School
just outside of the city
centre. Similar to LCC,
York school is situated
in a geographically
competitive area
which poses both
benef its and costs
in consideration of
the school and its
community. 60 years
younger than its
Quebec counterpar t,
this school has yet to
see the development
of its Alumni to the
same ex tent and is
conf ined to strict
campus limitations (
which increasing land
costs are not helping).
For example, they have
just spent over ten
million dollars to buy and renovate a small
off ice building, some f ive blocks away, into
a junior school. Never theless they are
beginning to see the success of the PYP
Programmes and are consistently full in the
Upper School. Overall, it was a nice and
insightful visit in respect to many things.
Ref lecting on this experience, evidently
the same saying can be applied: a school
is a school, is a school… Yet they are
different, and each has a unique character.
York School, and Lower Canada, and
Meadowridge are all excellent schools, and
so what makes our school unique?
That evening and the nex t we hosted
two separate, yet similar, Alumni events
in Toronto and Montreal respectively.
Altogether we had the oppor tunity to
reconnect with 18 Alumni and 2 past staff
members over two nights f illed with great
food, a few drinks and an over whelming
amount of conversation.
Considering some of these past students
spor ted their graduation caps less than 6
months earlier, the sheer volume of stories
and accomplishments that were shared
delighted me. I suppose there is a lot to be
excited about, but the level of involvement
and the success of our alumni seemed to
be a natural continuation, as they were
coming from Meadowridge.
Another realization was how highly
acclaimed were the crowd that we had, as
a school, helped to produce. We have long
known that our school holds high academic
standards, but to be surrounded by so
many young people, passionate about the
things they have decided on and set out to
do, not only solidif ied this reputation, but
was truly remarkable.
Represented among the Alum were
many bachelor degrees, multiple masters
midway, a couple of professional degrees
completed, and promising careers
proliferating. The more recent graduates
are working steadily towards their f irst
degree, and by all repor ts were ver y well
prepared for the educational expectations
that they have encountered.
“ We h a v e l o n g k now n
t h a t o u r s c h o ol
h o ld s hi g h a ca demic
s t a n d a r d s , b u t to be
s u r r o u n d e d by so
ma ny y o u n g p eople,
p a s s i o n a t e a b ou t
t h e t hin g s t h ey ha ve
d e cid e d o n a n d set ou t
to d o , n o t o nl y solidif ied
t hi s re p u t a t i o n, bu t was
t r u l y re ma r k a ble.”
The cross generational connection I
saw unfolding was what I found most
rewarding. In many cases, coming from such
a small school in their time, most of the
Alumni knew each other and had shared
experiences as students. Yet, in some
instances, conversations were created
between two complete strangers and
spiralled along as they recounted teachers,
events, and essentially shared experiences.
There was an innate connection which
one could not be asked to expect, but
conversely could not be surprised that it
occurred.
Each of these individuals had been a par t
of something at an inf luential time in their
lives, and even if this experience doesn’t
directly affect their days today, it has
helped shape them for ever y tomorrow.
At this point it was clear that what made
Meadowridge special just as much then as
is true now, are the people: students, staff
and parents alike.
There are schools, good and bad, old and
new, all like one another in some respects
although distinctly different in par ticular
ways. They share cer tain issues, create
common goals and ultimately strive for the
success of their students.
Schools are also communities containing
things that we resonate with. The doors to
Meadowridge have seen several locations
across two different campuses over our
brief but fruitful histor y. Throughout this
time we have witnessed many students
enter these doors and after a period of
years leave through them. The successes
they achieve after wards are not only
common but commendable, and are
signif icant for a school of our age.
We are now seeing the f irst wave of our
illustrious Alumni come back through those
doors, to a place that feels like home,
in a community that has grown but not
changed, despite its differences in construct
and detail. Meadowridge’s progression has
been positive, but the people and principles
that built this place are something we can
be especially proud of.
It is my pleasure to be among them and
to have the oppor tunity to reconnect
this outstanding association of Alumni
to a school that they are proud to have
attended. The school is equally as proud of
having each and ever y one passed through
our doors and go on to greater things.
Our histor y is displayed throughout the
school, but more appropriately through
these achievements and will continually
to be created as they accumulate. In the
stories of our Alumni we f ind what makes
Meadowridge different; for us a school is a
school, but our school is a home.
To the Alumni of our school the doors
are always open, whether from our f irst
graduating class or our last, including
anyone from anywhere in between, we
welcome you back at any time. I look
for ward to seeing you all at the annual
event in June and for those of you back
east, again nex t fall.
Mr. Daniel Le Page
Director of Admissions and
Alumni Relations
At tention Parents: Re-Regis tration Information
December is tradi t ionally the t ime of year w hen we tur n our a t tent ions to re-regis tra t ion and new
admissions for the upcoming school year. Wi th this in mind, we wanted to remind you of the process for
ensur ing tha t your child/ren ha ve secured placement for September, 2012.
A s in previous year s, re-regis tra t ion will be completed online through our Parent Por tal. I t’s easy, ef f icient
and can be completed in the comfor t of your ow n home. This year the por tal will open on Tuesday, Januar y
10 th and will remain so unt il midnight on Tuesday, Januar y 31s t, 2012.
If you are new to Meadow r idge this year, you may ha ve ques t ions abou t this procedure. We encourage you
to give us a call or s top by the Ad vancement Of f ice for more infor ma t ion.
This is also the t ime of year w hen we receive the major i t y of applica t ions for placement, especially in the
PYP grades. If you, or someone you k now, is consider ing the school for another child, do not delay in
sending in the required documenta t ion pr ior to our New Student A ssessment Day on Sa turday, Febr uar y 4,
2012. Our week ly open house held on ever y Fr iday from 9:0 0 am to 11:0 0 am is also a grea t t ime to ga ther
infor ma t ion. Student ambassador s would love to see you.
For more infor ma tion abou t re-regis tra tion, contac t:
Mr. Daniel Le Page | daniel.lepage@meadow r idge.bc.ca | 604.467.4444 ex t. 179
w w w.meadow r idge.bc.ca

November 2011 - Mini Gryphon.indd

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