EdCom May16

MAY 2016
SD38.BC.CA & RICHMOND-NEWS.COM
@RICHMONDSD38
Art swirls around Quilchena for 40th anniversary
By Christopher Sun
Inspired by visiting some of Vancouver’s Biennale art
projects, Richmond’s Quilchena Elementary school
students have created their own permanently-installed
public art to celebrate the school’s 40th anniversary.
The word ‘biennale’ is an Italian word meaning every
other year and is commonly used to describe a largescale art exhibition. Students from Grades 3 to 7
participated in Vancouver Biennale’s Big Ideas in-
Chairperson’s message............ 3
Art/Superintendent message .. 4
Coding........................................ 5
school program, which provided the school a financial
grant and an artist to help them explore and create
their own art pieces.
“Identity, place and time was the overarching theme,”
explained principal Janet Powell. “The kids started out
by investigating their own families; how over time their
own families came to Richmond. We then turned it to
the school as we are celebrating our 40th anniversary
Science ................................. 6/7
Leadership ................................ 8
Math ........................................... 9
this year.”
After learning and sharing their findings about
their families, students were asked what Quilchena
Elementary school and its school nickname (the
Cyclones) means to them. Their next assignment was
to come up with images, sentences or phrases to show
what they want a visitor to their school to know about
Circle ........................................ 10
News ........................................ 11
cont. on › page 4
E2 MAY 2016
SD38.BC.CAS
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SD38.BC.CA
MAY 2016
Richmond School Board Trustees
Sandra Nixon
Trustee
[email protected]
Jonathan Ho
Trustee
[email protected]
Dr. Eric Yung
Trustee
[email protected]
Mrs. Debbie Tablotney
Chairperson
[email protected]
Ken Hamaguchi
Trustee
[email protected]
Alice Wong
Trustee
[email protected]
Ms. Donna Sargent
Vice Chairperson
[email protected]
Richmond School District No. 38
7811 Granville Avenue
Richmond, BC V6Y 3E3
Phone: 604.668.6000
Fax: 604.233.0150
sd38.bc.ca
EdCom News: The Educate and Communicate Newspaper is published by the Richmond News on behalf of the Communications
Department of the Richmond School District No. 38. EdCom News us intended for the parents of the Richmond School District
students and includes information on upcoming events, district projects and school based activities. EdCom News is produced at no
cost to the Richmond School District. Commercial advertising in the publication does not imply endorsement by the Richmond School
District No. 38.
A Message from
the Chairperson
On behalf of the Richmond Board of Education,
I am excited about this edition of EdCom. It is
an opportunity to highlight the changes to our
current curriculum and learning in the 21st
century for students, parents and community
members.
Classrooms of today have and continue to
change in many positive ways. Gone are
the rows of desks, blackboards, chalk and
brushes, out dated textbooks and the teacher
at the head of the class sharing his or her
knowledge.
Today, classrooms are vibrant hubs of learning
with students discussing and problem
solving collectively while using technology
among other tools to facilitate their learning.
The teacher is actively engaged with the
students, challenging them to seek and
explore information they are curious about,
while encouraging them to think critically and
express themselves creatively.
What a welcome change to the classrooms of
bygone days when students were to hold their
knowledge while raising their hand to give the
answer the teacher was looking for.
We are hoping you enjoy reading this
publication and learning about the ways our
classrooms are transforming to meet the
needs of students in preparing for adulthood in
this rapidly changing world.
For more information, or to provide feedback or article suggestions, contact David Sadler, Communications and Marketing Manager
School District No. 38 at 604.668.6000 x3399 or [email protected]. All stories written by Graeme Wood.
Sincerely,
For information on advertising please contact:
Rob Akimow, Director of Advertising Richmond News 604.249.3340 or [email protected]
Debbie Tablotney
Chairperson, Richmond
Board of Education
200-8211 Ackroyd Road, Richmond BC V6X 3K8
Phone: 604.270.8031 Fax: 604.270.2248
Publisher: Pierre Pelletier —[email protected]
Director of Advertising: Rob Akimow — [email protected]
Editor: Eve Edmonds — [email protected]
E3
E4 MAY 2016
SD38.BC.CAS
‹ from page 1
them and their school. This
then lead to how they can
express that explanation in
art and what it would look
like. This is where their
imaginations went a little
wild, noted Powell.
Shaan. “Our message is
that Quilchena Cyclones are
united as a community that
respects you as a friend.
Grade 6 student Mariam
and her partners created
puzzle pieces as their
design, explaining that like
a puzzle piece, each person
on earth is of a different
shape, size and colour.
“They came up with some
wonderful ideas that would
cost millions of dollars,”
Powell said with laughter.
“The students were then
told it had to be two
dimensional, not three.”
One of the ideas was a 25foot inukshuk, welcoming
all who visit the school.
The students then chose
to express themselves by
creating 60 pavers, with
artwork created by students
collaborating with each
other. The pavers will
be placed near the main
entrance and the inukshuk
will be represented in one
of them.
“We chose the symbol of
two inukshuks holding the
world,” said Grade 5 student
“Each piece, linking with
a distinctive piece, is like
everyone who is part of
our community accepting
others,” Mariam said. “As
our community grows,
the puzzle will seem like
it is almost completed,
but really, it feels as if
this puzzle representing
Quilchena community is
never ending because
whoever comes along on
our journey building the
puzzle is always welcome to
join.”
Having over half the entire
school participate in this
project is an example of
Quilchena Elementary
school’s educators
embracing the new
educational curriculum’s
applied design section,
which includes researching
and creating.
“The process has been
extremely powerful as
students have done
personal reflections and
participated in group
discussions to try to put
into symbols and words
what our school means to
them,” Powell said. “They
drew, sculpted and collaged
to make mock-ups of their
designs. Students have
developed their inquiry,
communication and
problem-solving skills in
order to hone their ideas
and agree on a design and
message.”
Quilchena Elementary
school’s 40th anniversary
celebration will be held on
May 27th, which is when
the pavers will be formally
unveiled.
DRIVING!
COOLANT
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FILTER
both workplaces and communities
of the future, learning needs
to look differently today! As a
district, we will continue to focus
on supporting all learners to be
successful in tomorrow’s world.
As a newcomer to the Richmond
School District, I continue to
be impressed by the variety of
learning experiences that are
made available to our students.
Dedicated staff in our schools are
working to prepare our students
to be “future ready” for a world
that will look very differently from
today.
In order to ensure that our
children can participate
meaningfully as global citizens in
We will continue to move ahead
in the implementation of the
new curriculum and the design
of new ways of teaching and
learning. There are already many
examples of exciting new activities
and lessons occurring across
our district. Our teachers and
administrators are demonstrating
exemplary provincial leadership!
It is an exciting time to be part of
the transformation of education –
we will continue to work together
to ensure that Richmond students
have the skills and experience
they will need to be positive
contributors in a dynamic world!
Sherry Elwood
Superintendent of Schools
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MAY 2016
E5
The next LOGICAL step to LEARNING
By Christopher Sun
Brandon Sekhon and Anthony Irwin
were a little anxious to learn coding
when they started Grades 3 and 4 last
September, but their apprehension
disappeared when they found it to be
child’s play.
commands, such as using the letter ‘L’
to go left and ‘F’ to go forward, the kids
wrote commands on paper and then
physically followed the commands on
the carpet, to see if their coding made
sense.
Last fall, Diefenbaker teacher Margaret
Choinski decided to teach her Grades
3/4 class coding after attending a
professional development day seminar
on the subject. She wanted to find
something challenging to teach her
class that produced tangible results
and coding fit the bill. But first, she had
to put to rest any preconceived notions
regarding what coding is.
“It’s very logical problem solving,”
Choinski said. “It’s connecting real life
math to school.”
“I thought it was going to be difficult,”
Brandon said. “When Mrs. Choinski
said we are going to learn coding, I
thought, ‘Oh my gosh, we are coding a
computer?’”
“When I heard about it, I thought it was
all about ones and zeros,” Anthony
added.
To show what coding is about, Choinski
introduced the class to a grid carpet
with letters, numbers, pictures and
colours. After the students agreed on
The math component became even
more apparent when the lesson went
from the grid carpet to the computer.
Students were introduced to a math
coding game called Turtle Pond, where
the objective is to get the turtle into
the pond, within a set time. Grid marks
can be removed and obstacles can be
added in higher levels, requiring the
use of angles to make the game more
challenging. This introduces students to
geometry and measurement.
Grade 3 student Brandon Sekhon, left, and Grade 4 student Anthony Irwin.
ELL [English Language Learner] kids
were able to quickly understand it and
everybody got good at it.”
Some students found coding challenging
as it takes patience and lots of trial and
error, but others found it easy while
others still enjoyed it so much they
took further courses on coding at the
Richmond Public Library.
The new provincial educational
curriculum puts an emphasis on
applying reading, writing and arithmetic
to the real world, and coding fits into
that perfectly, Choinski added, who has
been teaching for 25 years.
“Everybody loved it,” Choinski said. “The
“There are lots of jobs that are computer
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based,” Choinski said. “Knowing how
they work is useful for everybody.”
And while math is a huge component
in coding, Brandon, who enjoys playing
video games and is interested in
designing them, didn’t even notice it.
“I don’t think there is much math
involved,” Brandon said. “It was just a lot
of fun.”
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E6 MAY 2016
SD38.BC.CAS
Liu goes for triple GOLD, Chan on quest to
CONQUER CANCER
By Graeme Wood
On the top floor of his family’s
townhouse is where Grade
12 Palmer secondary school
student Ray Liu brainstorms
his ideas, amidst a sea of
electronic supplies and tools.
As impressive as his science
fair projects have been over the
past few years, is his equally
impressive mastering of the
tools that help craft those
inventions and innovations.
“I never took electronics. I
kind of grew past that,” said
Liu, who is planning to attend
the Canada-Wide Science
Fair this month in Montreal,
where he hopes to earn a third
consecutive gold medal. He
will be joined by one other
Richmond student.
“It may be a bit messy. All
my parents say is ‘don’t burn
the house down,’” chuckled
Liu, who does, in fact, keep a
fire extinguisher next to his
workbench, or rather his bed.
printers.
Liu has innovated a standard 3D
printer to make it more energy
efficient and potentially easier
to print products.
“Because I use the composite
material, there are no heating
elements,” he said.
His printer uses a composite
material of solvent polymer and
carbon fibre, which is stored as
a liquid in a compartment but
quickly hardens when it comes
out of the nozzle. Standard 3D
printers heat plastic and then
spit out the product.
“My printing process doesn’t
use any heat,” said Liu.
To boot, his products are
stronger than normal 3D
Liu had grown tired of
printing too many things and
overheating his original printer.
One of the problems his new
printer has is a lower resolution
rate than regular printers. Liu
said he’s examining evaporation
rates of the solvent, which
could allow him to reduce the
nozzle size, thus increasing the
resolution of printed products.
Liu has already won eight
regional science fair
competitions on top of his two
national gold medals. Last year
he built a laser-based nonlethal weapon.
Ray Liu with his 2014 and 2015 national science fair medals.
Liu, who professes to be
“pretty good with computers,”
has scored perfect grades in
physics and math classes.
He’s off to engineering school
at the University of B.C. this
September.
Burnett secondary school
teacher Sam Jessa helped
students get to the Greater
Vancouver Regional Science
Fair earlier this year, where Liu
won his all-expenses paid trip
to the national fair in Montreal.
SD38.BC.CA
MAY 2016
The regional science fair was
a perfect opportunity to allow
science-focused students to
explore the new curriculum,
noted Jessa.
Chan also won a trip to the
national fair, joining Liu
as the only two Richmond
students at the exclusive
event.
“With the new curriculum
changing, I had the kids
do their own inquiry,” said
Jessa.
“I was really surprised
because all the projects
around me were excellent,”
said Chan, who was
supervised by Jessa after
being one of her students in
Grade 8.
So, whereas in the past a
teacher may have directed
students in a certain
direction, Jessa allowed the
students to choose their
own projects so long as they
demonstrated learning.
“Students picked a problem
around the world or a topic
that’s of interest. Then they
developed questions around
the subject and found an
innovation that will solve the
problem,” said Jessa.
One of Jessa’s former
students at Burnett was
Grade 11 student Vanessa
Chan, who helped the BC
Cancer Agency recognize
genetic variants of longterm survivors of pancreatic
cancer.
E7
She was able to sequence
hereditary pancreatic
genes by analyzing tumour
samples and comparing
them to normal tissue.
In working on the
project, Chan was able
to demonstrate all of the
critical fundamentals of
senior biology classes,
however she also went
above and beyond what was
expected of her — exactly
what the new curriculum is
designed to do.
Burnett student Vanessa Chan, pictured here at her stand at the national science fair in Montreal in
May, researched genetic variations in pancreatic cancer survivors for her award-winning project.
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E8 MAY 2016
SD38.BC.CAS
Students find their voice with new curriculum
By Graeme Wood
ice-breaker games, a group cha cha
slide, and, of course, a healthy lunch
with cupcakes at the end.
Grade 10 Burnett secondary school
student Kishoore Ramanathan is a
leader among leaders, having helped
organize the first Richmond Student
Voice Conference April 8 at City Centre
Community Centre.
Notably, feedback from the students will
be shared with the Ministry of Education,
the district, administrators, school
employees and teachers so adults can
better understand the needs of students.
“The overall mood was what I loved
there, and there were a lot of positive
feelings,” said Ramanathan.
The conference was a follow-up
workshop to last October’s provincial
B.C. Student Voice Conference, for
which Ramanathan also participated
in, representing her Richmond School
District colleagues.
Conference co-organizer Anne GillrieCarre, a district administrator, said
student-led conferences help empower
youth to envision how they can become
participants in the new curriculum —
designed, in part, to allow students to
focus on their strengths and engage in
learning that also teaches others.
Ramanathan expects to participate
in more conferences in the years to
Information gained will help form future
school policies.
come, to help adult educators better
understand student perspectives.
“You see more students getting
involved. For instance, now I’m involved
in committees. Students want to
know what they’re learning, and they
want to choose what they learn,“ said
Ramanathan.
Richmond’s conference at the new
community centre involved about 130
Grade 10-12 students from across the
district and the Richmond City Centre
Leadership Program. They participated
in fun and engaging leadership activities
and brainstormed how to become
a better role model in the school
community and beyond.
“We’re trying to get student voices
heard,” said Ramanathan.
The day-long conference also featured
“Seeing the change in how student
voices are perceived was positive.
Everyone involved in this youth
leadership process is very determined,”
noted Ramanathan.
Specifically, students also brainstormed
and discussed ideas around how the
district can better prepare students for
post-secondary studies and the work of
work, how the schools and community
can help support students have a healthy
balance in all areas of their personal
“wellness wheels” (financial, physical,
emotional, social, intellectual, spiritual,
environmental, and occupational).
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MAY 2016
E9
Multiple fun strategies employed in new math classes
By Christopher Sun
At least two teachers at DeBeck Elementary School
have thrown out the textbooks when it comes to
teaching math as they embrace a somewhat new way
to teach the often feared subject.
Sara Lai and Cynthia Clarke both teach a Grade 2
and 3 combined class, and in anticipation of the new
education curriculum coming in September, the two
are already teaching math by using real life examples.
“Many math concepts were previously taught through
rote memory and algorithms, but the new curriculum
enables us to explore multiple strategies,” Clarke said.
Lai added, “Instead of always sitting inside our
classroom and completing math work at our desks, we
are going out into alternative learning environments
and applying math principles in different ways.”
Recently, the two classrooms worked on a bottle
drive project with proceeds going towards purchasing
new books. The students collected bottles and cans,
estimated the total, classified and sorted them
according to capacity, figured out how much each can
and bottle was worth, tallied, and represented their
numbers in different ways. The teachers then visited a
recycling depot and netted $44.70. The exercise allowed
the students to learn and practice skip counting,
estimating, problem solving, number operations and
the basics of money, along with financial literacy.
To reassure skeptical parents and show how this
slightly different way of teaching math is effective,
the teachers and staff held a math night and about 50
families attended.
The students then used book catalogues to “spend”
this money. “They learned that buying books in a
package was cheaper than buying books separately,”
“Kids are so excited to do math now, it’s amazing,”
Lai said. “This activity allowed students to think about
the value of the money that we raised and how to spend Clarke said, a teacher of 35 years.
it wisely.”
Another exercise brought the students into the gym
but not for a physical education class. They explored
different math concepts like measurement by figuring
out the size of the gym and various types of equipment,
such as the diameter of a basketball.
“We are finding different ways to introduce math
concepts to the kids so they can understand them
better by relating them to life experiences,” Clarke
said. “The new curriculum places more emphasis on
real world application of what they learn.”
And the students say they are enjoying it.
“My friends and I are excited to learn math in different
ways,” said Vanita. “My friends and I love our new math
curriculum because it is really fun.”
“We all love our new math because it is fun to do,” said
Gabby. “We feel excited and joyful during math.”
Grade 2 students Isaiah and Amira.
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E10 MAY 2016
SD38.BC.CAS
Connecting to the classroom and classmates comes
full circle at Currie
By Graeme Wood
Mr.T’s class at General Currie elementary school
is talking in circles these days. Now that may seem
unproductive so let’s put a little context behind.
As part of focusing on the competencies of the
new curriculum, teacher James Thesiger’s class is
incorporating talking and teaching circles into its
weekly routine. The circles, held indoors or on the
General Currie
elementary
teacher James
Thesiger jots down
all the great ideas
from his students,
including Elise
Charpentier, right.
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grass field, serve as a moment of reflection for the
Grade 6/7 students.
On one sunny day, on a freshly cut patch of grass, the
students were asked by Thesiger to rate how their days
had been going and how they felt. Answers could vary
and if anyone wasn’t willing to speak much, they didn’t
have to. The students passed around a small glass
turtle to symbolize their turn to speak.
“I think that class circle is important because I believe
it helps our classroom community grow and develop
together as we learn all the new wonders of the world
and ourselves. Class circle makes us feel connected
with our peers and it allows us to understand and
support each other with our struggles and successes,”
said Jasmine, one of Thesiger’s students.
After students were done sharing their thoughts,
feelings and/or ideas, they were asked by Thesiger
to brainstorm ideas for preparing for a school play.
Students paired up to discuss what an actor needs to
do to have a good performance. Ideas were shared and
Thesiger wrote them down on a white board.
For instance, student Ale Montoto noted an actor
must memorize lines ahead of time in order to have a
successful play.
Daily public swimming available.
Schedule details at
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or call 604-276-4300.
Thesiger called the circle a “sacred place” whereby
learning occurs in a holistic manner.
The circle assists Thesiger in facilitating student-led
ideas and shows him what issues are on the minds of
students.
“This approach to teaching has been an excellent way
to strengthen our student’s mental well-being and
build social and community health,” said Thesiger.
Helping Thesiger achieve more holistic teaching
methods are various teaching methods that have been
accepted by the new curriculum guidelines, such as
Play is the Way, Mind Up curriculum, Circle Forward
and the First Peoples Principles of Learning.
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“The new curriculum has inspired us to collaborate
and design instruction that includes all of our students
in engaging ways in which they have learned to value
themselves, each other, and the community with which
they are a part of,” said Thesiger.
Aside from facilitating principles of the new
curriculum, “class circle” is also a time for students
to clear their minds and unwind, if needed. “We are all
dealing with a lot of stress, adults and students alike.
We have busy lives and lots going on” said Thesiger.
MAY 2016
SD38.BC.CA
E11
Here are just some of the 2016 NEWSMAKERS for the
Richmond School District
By Graeme Wood
Westwind elementary school students
made the front page of the Richmond
News on Feb. 26 for their Comic-Con
2016 event, which exemplified how
kids were participating in the new
curriculum.
Grade 4 DeBeck elementary school
student Terrence Wang bagged
a pair of first place medals at the
Pacific Northwest Regional Yo-Yo
Championship in Seattle in February.
Leadership students at Cambie
secondary school raised money for the
Richmond Food Bank at a leadership
challenge at the Richmond Olympic Oval
on March 2.
In early March, students from across
the city celebrated Education Week, with
events ranging from school plays, skills
competitions, art displays, Science Jam
and public open houses.
Grade 5 DeBeck elementary school
student Sherry Tian will be representing
the province in the U.S.A.’s most
prestigious girls’ chess tournament, the
13th Annual Susan Polgar Foundation
Girls’ Invitational (SPFGI) in St. Loius
this July after becoming a provincial
champion in March.
It was announced on April 5 that Grade
12 Steveston-London secondary
student Diego San Pedro was off to
Oregon State University to join its golf
team.
Students at Lord Byng elementary
school cut their hair for kids with cancer
on April 11. Richmond-based Wigs for
Kids BC helped organize the event that
also raised over $500.
On April 22, Earth Day, Woodward
elementary school students made the
front page of the Richmond News for
their efforts in building an outdoor
(green) classroom.
On May 5, McMath students made
headlines in the Richmond News,
after hosting a sleepover fundraiser
to raise money for homeless people in
Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
Palmer secondary school students
Emma Lu and Jana Caine created the
Glass Half Full Foundation to raise
awareness about the importance of
public water fountains. Their foundation
was featured in the Richmond News on
May 4.
On May 11 students from Spul’u’kwuks
elementary school raised money and
sent inspirational messages to the
victims of the Fort McMurray wildfire.
The McNair secondary school blood
and bone marrow drive was held at the
school gym on May 12 to find a donor for
Joshua Weekes, a DeBeck student who
has recently fallen ill to a rare form of
leukemia. Students across the district
have raised money and sent letters
of inspiration to Josh since his story
became known.
Sing, Dance, Act, SHINE!
At Lights Up Musical
Theatre Summer Camps
RICHMOND CAMPS
Monday - Friday, July 25-29th and Aug 8-12th
Camps for kids ages 4-14 years
Venue: 4071 Francis Rd. 604-537-3669
[email protected] • www.lightsuptheatre.ca
E12 MAY 2016
SD38.BC.CA
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