KUNG HEI FAT CHOI! - Meadowridge School

Vo lum e 3 Is s u e 5
Jan u a r y 20 12
IN T HIS ISSUE :
KUNG HEI FAT CHOI!
This year Meadowridge celebrated Chinese New Year in s tyle! The fes tival featured
amazing activities and demons trations as well as our annual lion dance with the
inclusion of a new dragon. To read more about how we welcomed in the Year of the
Dragon at Meadowridge and see pictures from the event, go to page 8.
Annual Giving Update
2
People Making a Dif ference
4
Athletics Update
6
Librar y Update
7
Chinese New Year Fes tival
8
Gr yphon Council Update
11
Student Achievements
12
Grade 5 Exhibition
15
Around Meadowridge
16
Japan Trip Update
18
2012/2013 School Calendar
19
2013/2014 School Calendar
20
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 | JANUARY 2012
A NNUA L GI V ING D ONOR S
Thank You For Contr ibut ing!
Anonymous (6)
Prof. Nicholas Blomley & Ms. Jessie Hill
Mrs. Hallie Fraser
Mr. & Mrs. Rafael & Lisa Acos ta
Mr. Rhys Clarke & Mrs. Julie Bournival
Mr. Jay Fraser
Adventure Bay Fish Co. (The Larsen
Family)
Mr. Hugh Burke & Ms. Eva Boyd
Drs. Deepu & Reena George
Mr. & Mrs. Dipayan & Samita Chak rabar ti
Drs. Joe & Diana Germain
Mr. & Mrs. Paul & Oltita Agaf itei
Mr. Gang Chen & Ms. Ping Li
Mr. Bob Gill & Mrs. Diana Car withen
Mr. & Mrs. Ron & Cathy Antalek
Mr. Xiang Jing Chen & Mrs. Xiao Ming
Yang
Mr. Kenneth Go & Mrs. Connie Chow-Go
Mr. Raf f i Antepyan & Mrs. Karen
Ruckens tein
Mr. Roy Choi & Mrs. Jeong-Mi Ryu
Mr. Mansour Gorji & Mrs. Nas taran
Kasravi
Ms. Rebecca Awram
Mr. Richard Choi & Mrs. Angie Lee
Dr. & Mrs. Kandasamy & Diviam Gounden
Mr. & Mrs. Osama & Shannon A ziz
Mr. & Mrs. Bill & Laura Clarke
Mr. Frank Qin & Mrs. Jenny Bai
Mr. & Mrs. Jef f & Katherine Craw ford
Dr. Daniel Gouws & Mrs. Kimberley
Buchanan-Gouws
Mr. Patrick Barber & Mrs. Sonia Nieto
Bus tos
Mr. & Mrs. Jim & Elizabeth Davies
Mr. & Mrs. Jose & Paula Barbosa
Mr. & Mrs. Ar thur & Elle Bargen
Mr. & Mrs. Randy & Leslie Bargen
Miss Cori Bar ker & Jake Bar ker
Mr. & Mrs. John & Terr y Becker
Mr. Jonathan Peters & Mrs. Corisa Bell
Mrs. Kris tal Bereza
Mr. Chris Ber toia
Dr. Michael Orser & Ms. Chris tine Bickle
Mr. Michael Biswas & Ms. P. Dawn ShawBiswas
Mr. David Blair & Mrs. Tyese Pat ton-Blair
Dr. & Mrs. Anton & Elna de Klerk
Mr. & Mrs. Clinton & Michelle Denesiuk
Dr. Kalal Derhami & Ms. Shiva Sadighi
Mr. & Mrs. Ninderjit & Lakhvir Dhaliwal
Mrs. Amrita Dhanji
Mr. Avio Diniz & Ms. Patricia Lapointe
Mr. & Mrs. Mat thew & Wendy Docker ty
Mr. Terr y Donaldson
Ms. Allison Esau
Dr. & Mrs. Bill & Barbara Durno
Exper t Electric (The Brunet ta Family)
Mr. Phil Brown & Ms. Ramona Franzen
Ms. Maxine Gracey
Mr. & Mrs. Andy & Cathy Graetz
Mr. & Mrs. Alan & Marlene Graveson
Mr. & Mrs. War wick & Carolyn Green
Mr. Ying Pei Guan & Mrs. Wei Li Zhang
Mr. & Mrs. Craig & Natalie Gunning
Mr. Yanchuan Guo & Ms. Yun Wei
Hagberg Technical (The Hagberg Family)
Mr. & Mrs. Carl & Shirly He
Mr. & Mrs. William & Leona Healy
Mr. and Mrs. Peter & Kelly Fr y
Mr. & Mrs. Don & Linda Hincks
Ms. Cindy Hops
Mr. Kevin Huang
Mrs. Carrie Hughes-Grant
Mr. & Mrs. Ty & Jadina Ir ving
Ms. Lynelle Johns
Mr. & Mrs. Bruce & Judy Johns ton
JP E-Design Ltd. (Peng Family)
Mr. Terr y Jung & Ms. Audrey Lum
Mr. & Mr. Amrit & Kam Kahlon
Mr. Kevin Kennedy
Dr. Seoungjoon Kim & Mrs. Inhwa Sung
Mr. & Mrs. Richard & Nina Ko
Drs. Mur thy & Anu Korada
Mr. Oh Hyon Kwon & Mrs. JiSoo Jeon
Mr. Hyeok-Sang Kwon & Mrs. Ji-Yeon Ahn
Mr. & Mrs. Al-Karim & Zain Lalji
Pictured above are new gym mats purchased through Annual Giving.
Drs. Ockie Lampen & Kathy Robson
Mr. & Mrs. Manuel & Virna Lau
Page 3 | JANUARY 2012
Las t year you helped us IMAGINE. This year, please help us DESIGN t he nex t 25 year s.
ANNUAL GIVING DONORS continued...
Mr. & Mrs. Gurjit & Parneet Sidhu
Mr. & Mrs. Jus tin & Jennifer Simpson
Mr. & Dr. Mangal & Tanbir Sindhar
Mr. & Mrs. Rajindar & Sheila Singh
Mr. & Mrs. Greg & Carrie Skeeles
Mr. Troy Sobotka & Ms. Andrea Frisby
Mr. Manav Sodhi
Mr. & Mrs. Dennis & Norma-Jean Spika
Mr. Scot t Spurgeon
Mr. Kevin Sun & Ms. Feng Li
Mr. & Mrs. Mahmud & Rishma Sunderji
Mr. Pres ton Tan
Mr. & Mrs. Rick & Susan Waugh
Mr. Dan tenBrink & Ms. Leah Zeballos
Ms. Simmi Khanna
Dr. & Mrs. Kur t & Melanie Tsuyuki
Mr. & Mrs. Tom & Rhonda Laurie
Mr. Michael Nice & Ms. Danielle Noël
Mr. Ron Le Boutillier
Mr. & Mrs. Patrick & Barbara Niwa
Mr. Daniel Le Page
Mr. David Noble
Mr. Gye Ju Lee & Mrs. Whal Ran Par k
Mr. & Mrs. Stephen & Margot Olah
Mr. Lance Leger & Ms. Sarah Ward
Ms. Angela Pallis ter
Mr. & Mrs. Darrell & Kim Les ter
Mr. Alan Sharda, Ms. Zebeen Panju &
A zynah
Mr. Jian Liu & Dr. Xiao Jin Wang
Mr. & Mrs. Julian & Marilyn Turner
Mr. & Mrs. David & Lyn Tyler
Ms. Michelle Vally
Drs. Ravi Vanukuru & Rajasree Nadella
Ms. Tamara Warner
Drs. Qasim and Tehmina Was ti
Mr. & Mrs. Mat thew & Jennifer Wat t
Mr. Steven Parew yck & Ms. Anita
Bonnarens
Mr. & Mrs. Rick & Susan Waugh
Mr. & Mrs. Scot t & Lisa Park
Mr. & Mrs. Paul & Kalie Whitaker
Drs. Samir & Sangita Malhotra
Dr. & Mrs. Parin & Bhavna Patel
Mr. & Mrs. Dean & Samantha Wiens
Mr. & Mrs. Riaz & Fairous Mapara
Mr. & Mrs. Philip & Nicola Pitzey
Mr. & Mrs. Steve & Annet te Woloshyn
Mr. & Mrs. Edwin & Sandra Margawang
Mr. & Mrs. Igor & Katerina Pogrebinsk y
Mr. Lixiang Yuan & Mrs. Yuhong Yang
Mr. Luis Marin & Ms. Patricia Res trepo
Mr. & Mrs. Shahir & Reeshma Premji
Mr. Xiaoping Yuan & Ms. Hongli Gong
Mr. James Marriot t
Mr. George Read & Ms. Fay Kingwill
Mr. Eric J. H. Yue & Ms. Maggie Ma
Mr. Gareth Mason & Ms. Carolyn Treger
Mr. Quan Ren & Mrs. Lin Wu
Mr. Kyle Jeans & Ms. Kris ta Zambolin
Mr. & Mrs. Shaun & Leah McPhail
Mr. David Riddell & Mrs. Karen WilbyRiddell
Mr. Dong Zhang & Mrs. Xiao Hua Qi
Ms. Shirley MacDonald
Dr. Mitra Maharaj & Mrs. Jacqueline
Ainswor th
Meadowridge Student Initiatives
Ms. Glenda Mensah
Mrs. Patricia Merr y
Ms. Sherrie Metz
Mr. Yiping Mi & Mrs. Jing Jing Li
Mrs. Chris ty Mooney
Mr. & Mrs. Vassen & Lovana Moothoo
Ron Hof far t Architects Inc.
Mr. Michael Schutz
Mrs. Chantal Schutz
Riley Schutz
Ms. Jennifer Maynes
Dr. & Mrs. Allen & Rosie Shen
Dr. & Mrs. Lawrence & Tracey Welsh
Meadowr idge Schoo l
Page 4 | JANUARY 2012
PEOPLE M A K ING A DIF FER ENCE
Peter Chan and Ly net te Tho
about math! Maybe my son will not be
a doctor; that is not the point. It is the
mind-set that is impor tant. We came
here to Canada and chose Meadowridge
School in Maple Ridge because, out of all
the schools we looked at, this was the one
that connected us with our dreams for
our son.”
Peter went on to talk about the
impor tance of parents in the lives of their
children.
“We are their f irs t teachers; we mus t
take the time to be par t of their lives, to
help them discover beauty in ordinar y
things. Too many people don’t take the
time anymore; they walk right pas t the
f lower growing in the sidewalk, never
Meadow r idge School is for tuna te to ha ve a communi t y of wonder ful
help our school to thr ive through their generosi t y and subs tantive
gra teful to so many for their ongoing suppor t and contr ibu tions. This
like to showcase some of your fellow communi t y member s w ho make
give back and make a dif ference.
individuals w ho
wor k. We are
year we would
i t a pr ior i t y to
discovering its beauty or its triumph over
adversity. They expect the nanny or the
school or the tutor to spend the time to
teach their kids. Spend time with your
children, explore with them, ensure they
are open to learning and then, once you
Of all the places in the world, why
While working there, his father introduced
Meadowridge? I asked this ques tions when
him to the work of Dr. Peter Parker, a
I sat down to speak with Meadowridge
Maritime physician working in Canada,
Parents, Peter Chan and Lynet te Tho.
who in the 18th centur y travelled to China
“There is no reason” he said, “that you
Their answer made me smile, “We love
and worked with the poor.
should exclude yourself from the school.
the mission of the school – with and for
others, that means ever y thing to us.”
“This man was a physician, he was not
trained as a hospital architect, a politician,
have done that, the whole world will be
their teacher.”
Come on in and be par t of the joy of
learning.”
Peter Chan, a new parent to
an explorer, a missionar y, a peace-maker
Peter and Lynet te have done jus t that
Meadowridge, explained why this was
or an ar tis t, all of which he was called on
here at Meadowridge School. They
so. His father was a doctor in the
to be in his life. Imagine being like that,
have, in fact, jumped right in. We all
town of Tong Chung on Lantau Island,
being able to adapt to so many things!
know that the Chinese have one of the
adminis tratively par t of Hong Kong. Peter
When my son was born, I wanted him to
riches t and mos t color ful traditions in the
was for tunate to work as a receptionis t
be jus t like Dr. Parker. I wanted him to
world and one of their mos t anticipated
for his father’s medical practice after
care for others, to build bridges between
celebrations is that of Chinese New Year.
school. He smiled and buried his head
people and to be someone with social
I met with them to discuss the possibility
in his hands as he described the terrible
graces, which would always make them
of expanding our fes tivities here at the
mis takes he made when tr ying to write
welcome. I wanted him to be able to
school. They eagerly volunteered to
up all the symptoms and conditions he
see the beauty in things, to grow and to
help. Soon we were talking about the
was expected to record. “It is a wonder
adapt, to never s top learning, to make
addition of The God of Wealth, the Pearl,
anyone sur vived!”
peace, and to have balance. Life is not
a Buddha and the addition of a large 12-
Page 5 | JANUARY 2012
Las t year you helped us IMAGINE. This year, please help us DESIGN t he nex t 25 year s.
man dragon to our parade. They spoke
hear ted we are. It is true that for some,
it mus t be a mahjong tile. “That’s one
to other parents and before we knew it,
language keeps them from s tepping
of my dad’s MJ tiles”, their six year-old
we had several volunteers to help out
for ward.” He appealed, “Be brave and
son conf irmed. He proceeded to show
with for tune s ticks, the making of New
remember the spirit of community that
me how to play the game. I was quite
Year dumplings, calligraphy, and for tune
runs in you. We are all so proud that our
awes truck by the complexity of it all,
pockets for all the children.
children at tend Meadowridge School, let
even the direction you face when you
“Community is a familiar song for us. It
that be the force which drives you pas t
play af fects the points you can earn and
is not OK to retreat into a Chinatown
your fear.”
the s trategy you should choose, not to
mentality; we mus t integrate and become
He laughed as he recalled how in his
one with the community we have chosen
son’s former school, he worked with the
to join.”
teacher and the children to write a song
I asked what made Peter and Lynet te
about what the children want to be when
Our fes tival, held on Monday, Januar y
seem so quickly at ease here. It is true
they grow up. “My son wanted to be a
23rd, gave our children a glimpse of
that Peter was luck y to grow up on
seahorse; I was ver y impressed that he
Chinese culture and took their knowledge
Lantau Island, which is a multicultural hub
even knew what that was.”
one s tep fur ther too. Children learned
(even more so since the airpor t was built
I think I know where his son gets that
there).
creative spirit from. Peter and Lynet te
“There were less than 30,000 people who
work in publishing here in Canada, f lipping
lived in Tong Chung, but they all had to
between their business in Richmond, and
work together or nothing would get done.
their school and home here in Maple
It was a lot like Maple Ridge, and also
Ridge. Peter has worked as a comedian
ver y safe; although it was an island, so
for Hong Kong Television and in Canada
you couldn’t get away if you did any thing
he also moonlights as a deejay for CJVB
wrong. The community actually had to
radio. “I recently auditioned for a role in
f latten a mountain together, to build Hong
‘Sidekick’ a popular TV series. I got the
Kong International Airpor t. There were
role but was unable to accept it. Imagine
Indians, Malaysians, Europeans, Americans,
me f it ting Hollywood into our crazy
people from Singapore and Japan, and
schedule.”
of course, the British. They had to learn
For mos t of us, Chinese New Year is about
how to get along together, to work hard
welcoming in the new year and being able
together and to be one, like a family.”
to say Kung Hei Fat Choi makes us feel
Lynet te is also from a small town, but in
somewhat accomplished. Meeting Peter
Malaysia. “We have a s trong orientation
and Lynet te has opened my world beyond
towards family and our culture is made up
these traditional niceties.
of a blend of others, it runs in our veins.”
For ins tance, when an event was
Peter described Meadowridge as a s till
recently cancelled due to lack of
pond, “In order to be accepted you have
parent par ticipation, Peter and Lynet te
to sometimes throw a few s tones and
sugges ted, “Why not hos t a mahjong
break the ice, but you can’t sit back
tournament ins tead.” I had never heard
and do nothing. Don’t be content with
of this game before and thought I’d
remaining outside, other wise the pond will
follow up. It jus t so happened that over
freeze over and you will never get to enjoy
Chris tmas I was visiting a family friend
the water.”
when I s tumbled across a lit tle tile on
He said, “Once you know the Chinese
community, you will feel how ver y kind-
the f loor. I picked it up thinking it was
a domino piece, but then noticed the
symbols on it were dif ferent and thought
mention the fact that I felt quite ill-at-ease
knowing that a six-year old could beat me
at any thing!
why houses are decorated with lights and
lanterns and why red is a popular color to
wear when ushering in the Chinese New
Year. Also, hongbao, or red envelopes
that contained chocolate money, were
given to the s tudents as a symbol of
luck and wealth. The fes tival included
demons trations about the ar t of tea,
calligraphy and Chinese Opera, and the
symbolism in food. For ins tance children
now unders tand the cultural signif icance
of making s tick y dumplings; the belief
behind this is that the s tickiness will hold
the family together. As parents, we too,
can consider the symbolism of this for our
community at this time. We are a family of
many, but to be s trong we need to come
together and s tick together.
There were also lots of musical
per formances and a parade; we were
delighted with the addition of a new
dragon to our traditional parade of lions
only. In Chinese culture, the lion wards of f
evil spirits while the dragon is the deity of
water, ensuring that no drought will come.
We hope the addition of the dragon will
symbolize our community coming together
in this New Year, and in Peter’s words
“Enjoying the water in our lit tle pond
called Meadowridge.”
- Ms. Lyn Tyler, Director of Development
Meadowr idge Schoo l
Page 6 | JANUARY 2012
AT HLE T ICS UPDAT E
JUNIOR GIR LS B A SK ET B A LL
Congratulations to our Meadowridge Junior Girls basketball team for their 2nd
place f inish in the ISA Tier 2 Girls Basketball Championship, which was held here
at Meadowridge. The ISA is growing and this year for the f irs t time, a Tier 2
championship was added to have greater parity among the teams that had
regis tered.
In their f irs t game they defeated Collingwood School’s Junior Girls ’A’ team in
front of a crowd of our elementar y Gr yphon suppor ters. Thanks to ever yone
for cheering on our team! In the Saturday morning game two score keeping
volunteers s tepped up to put on a uniform and f ill in on the team until another
regular member of the basketball team showed up to complete the regular 5 on
the f loor. Special thanks to Emma and Charaney for get ting on the cour t for our
Gr yphon Girls with ver y lit tle notice!
The Girls defeated Aberdeen Hall from Kelowna in the Saturday morning game, which put them in the f inal. In the f inal the girls
had a more complete line up of players, but were unable to keep their winning s treak going and fell to a s trong Wes t Point Grey
Academy team. Overall it was a ver y successful weekend, with our girls earning silver medals and some excellent cour t experience.
A big thank you to the Junior Girls coach, Mr. Rinn, for the energy and time he has put into the team. I would also like to thank Mrs.
Richardson and Mr. Jacob for their assis tance at the table in of f iciating the game.
JUNIOR B OYS B A SK ET B A LL
Our Meadowridge Junior Boys basketball team had a ver y exciting ISA Tier 2 Boys Basketball Championship with two of their three
games going into over time. The Grade 9/10 boys won their f irst game on the Friday morning against St. John’s in a drama f illed double
over time game. The second game was a loss to Mulgrave and then in the 3rd and f inal game the boys lost an over time game to
Glenlyon Nor folk School. On another note there is a rumour that one of the Meadowridge Junior Boys has begun dunking the ball and
is also considered one of the best high jumpers in the province in his age categor y. That would be Grade 10 student, Thomas!
- Mr. Scot t Spurgeon, Athletic Director
JOIN T HE ME A D OW R ID GE VA NCOUVER SUN RUN TEAM!
The Vancouver Sun Run is on Sunday, April 15, 2012. If you are interes ted in regis tering through Meadowridge School
you can enter at w w w.sunrun.com. For more information on regis tering contact Mr. Scot t Spurgeon at scot t.spurgeon@
meadowridge.bc.ca
The two big advantages of regis tering through the school are:
1) You save money. If you regis ter on the Meadowridge team before Februar y 24th s tudents pay only $20 and adults $30.
Do it on your own and the price ranges from $40 to $50 depending on the date you enter.
2) The t-shir ts, with Meadowridge School on the back, will be dis tributed at school with the running kit. You do not need to
go downtown or worr y about f ighting crowds and lineups to pick up the kit prior to the race.
Train on your own or with the Meadowridge Running Club. The Running Club meets mos t Mondays
and Thursdays at the f lagpole at 3:45pm. If the weather makes the roads dangerous the runs may be
moved inside. Another option is one of the many f itness club sessions available.
Page 7 | JANUARY 2012
Las t year you helped us IMAGINE. This year, please help us DESIGN t he nex t 25 year s.
L I B R A R Y U P D AT E
Januar y has been a busy month here at
the librar y! Over the pas t few months,
with the suppor t and direc tion of Mr.
Niwa, we have been able to create our
ver y own Meadowridge Librar y website.
It of fer s our s tudents a place to go for
all their research and reading needs.
The website provides link s to our librar y
catalogue to search for book s, DVDs or
magazines.
It also provides link s to the EBSCO
online database, the online Ox ford
English Dic tionar y, tips on academic
hones ty, evaluating Inter net resources
and much more.
Do you have a great book to
recommend? Our elec tronic resource
reques t for m will send your reques t to
us.
We encourage you to visit us at w w w.
meadowridge.bc.ca/librar y to see
for your self the great things your
Meadowridge Librar y website has to
of fer.
- Ms. Heather Nicholson and Ms. Chris tal
Storgaard, Teacher Librarians
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.
Throughout the month we will pick s taf f members 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 Ms. Barker, as one of our lates t Staf f Picks. Ms. Barker
has chosen Shantaram by Gregor y David Rober ts, as her pick.
A bou t Shantaram:
Shantaram, is the f irs t novel from author Gregor y David Rober ts and is par tly
based on his life. Set in the under world of contemporar y Bombay, Shantaram
is narrated by Lin, an escaped convict from Aus tralia with a false passpor t.
Accompanied by his guide and friend, Prabaker, Lin experiences the many sides
of Bombay’s hidden and dark society.
(Summar y from w w w.amazon.ca)
Meadowr idge Schoo l
Page 8 | JANUARY 2012
C H I N E S E N E W Y E A R F E S T I VA L
Year of the Dragon 201 2: Chinese, Korean and Lunar New Year
We would like to wish the Chinese,
Korean and other Asian communities a
Happy New Year. Januar y 23rd mar ked
this signif icant cultural event that took
place on the f irs t day in the f irs t month
of the Lunar Year. Chinese New Year is
a time for families to come together and
wish each other well. Many interes ting
cus toms and traditions are obser ved
in the hopes that they will bring about
wealth, good health, and prosperity.
There are cer tain things that are avoided
on this day because they may bring about
bad luck and misfor tune. For example,
the washing or cut ting of hair is avoided
because good luck may be washed away.
Floors are not swept for fear that good
luck may be swept away as well. People,
especially children, are encouraged to be
careful about what they say because their
words may bring bad luck. Arguing with
others is also avoided so that the New
Year is f illed with harmony and peace.
While there are several things one should
not do at this time, there are also many
things encouraged to help bring about
the bes t in the New Year. Chinese feas ts
have a wide variety of food because they
symbolize and bring about a bountiful
har ves t in many areas of life. People
wear red clothes because this colour is
considered luck y. During a lion dance,
the sounds of f irecrackers and other loud
noises f ill the air to ward of f evil spirits.
The paying of f of debts is encouraged
to s tar t the year of f on the road to
prosperity. To pass on good for tune to
their children, parents and relatives hand
out red envelopes f illed with money.
Las tly, Chinese New Year is a time to
wear new clothes and enjoy the company
of family.
We were for tunate within the
Meadowridge Community this pas t week
to have had such a wonder ful gathering
on New Year’s Day. This was our bigges t
Chinese New Year celebration at the
school to date. Parents, s tudents and
families watched our Meadowridge
s tudents per form a lion dance and take
par t in a dragon parade. We are grateful
for the beautiful handmade dragon that
was created for this special occasion.
Parents organized a Chinese New Year
exhibition that included calligraphy, Kung
Thank You:
PAR ENTS:
Peter Chan, Lynet te Tho, Steve Guo, Iris Li,
Maggie Ma, Shiny Shi, Linda Li, Gang Chen,
Bill Zhang, Lian Zhao, Serena Zhou, Lana
Wu, Bing Li, Yun Wei, Mar y Qi, Jing Jing Li,
Shirly He and Carl He.
STAFF/TEACHERS:
Mr. Burke, Ms. Durno, Ms. Tyler, Ms. Chow,
Ms. Lum, Ms. Metz and Mr. Diniz
PER FOR MERS:
Rosa Cheng (Principal Per former with the
Vancouver Cantonese Opera)
Mas ter Simon and s tudents from Wing Chun
Mar tial Ar ts
Anika (Grade 8 Meadowridge s tudent)
Phoebe (Grade 6 Meadowridge s tudent)
Page 9 | JANUARY 2012
Las t year you helped us IMAGINE. This year, please help us DESIGN t he nex t 25 year s.
CH I N E S E N E W Y E A R F E S T I VA L i n p i c t u r e s . . .
Fu, mah jong, Chinese opera, games of
luck, food sampling, tea making, musical
per formances, and so much more. It is
with great appreciation that we thank
Mr. Peter Chan and Ms. Lynet te Tho
(Giovanni’s parents) for the tremendous
amount of time and ef for t they put into
coordinating this special event.
For those families who are interes ted in
seeing the annual Lion Dance/Dragon
Parade, it takes place this Sunday
(Januar y 29th) in Vancouver’s Chinatown
beginning at noon.
From our family to yours, we wish you
and your family a year f illed with good
health, prosperity and happiness. Kung
Hei Fat Choi!
- Mr. Terr y Jung, Principal
Meadowr idge Schoo l
CH I N E S E N E W Y E A R F E S T I VA L c o n t i n u e d . . .
Page 10 | JANUARY 2012
Page 11 | JANUARY 2012
Las t year you helped us IMAGINE. This year, please help us DESIGN t he nex t 25 year s.
GRY PHON CO UNCIL UPDAT E
Students ready to compete in the Gr yphon Council “Minute to Win It” challenge.
Happy New Year from the Senior
Gr yphon Council! Jus t before the winter
break, we hos ted many holiday events
including dreidel spinning, gingerbread
decorating, and pictures with Santa.
With all these fun events now in the pas t,
this new year brings many new events to
look for ward to.
Matchmaker forms were jus t completed
by the s tudents, so this Valentine’s Day
should be ver y exciting to see who will be
the bes t match!
Dodgeball took place on Januar y 20 th. It
helped s tudents to let go and relax before
many of their mid-year exams.
Floor hockey Intramurals will begin in
Februar y. With the success of basketball
Intramurals in November, f loor hockey
will be a great addition to our spor t
events.
The always popular Café Night is coming
up on Friday, Februar y 3rd. Students will
have the oppor tunity to per form in front
of their peers. Whether you sing, play an
ins trument, per form a play or have any
other talent you wish to share now is a
great time to s tar t practicing!
HOUSE POINTS
(as of Januar y 20)
It will take place after school on the main
s tage and is a great oppor tunity for all
the s tudents to get together and watch
some fantas tic per formances! Make sure
you send in your per formance information
with all your technical and music needs.
6972
The second dance of the year is also
coming up this Februar y. The annual
formal dance will be held on Februar y
24th from 7:00pm to 11:00pm and will
have a Titanic theme!
7323
Ticket prices will be $8 two weeks prior,
$10 the week before, and $12 the week
of and at the door. Students will have the
oppor tunity to have their photos taken
with their friends in their formal clothing,
which is a great memor y for ever yone!
Continue to check your school e-mail for
updates on all of these events.
- Tyler Goudal, Media Gr yphon
720 1
6582
Meadowr idge Schoo l
Page 1 2 | JANUARY 2012
S T U D EN T ACHIE V EMEN TS
DAVID Grade 10
David says the two bes t things for him are Meadowridge and Tae Kwon Do.
David f irs t began Tae Kwon Do when he was 6 years old to help him with his
conf idence. Now in Grade 10, David has gained much more than conf idence.
Not only is he a 3rd degree black belt, he is also a teacher at the Tae Kwon
Do s tudio he trains at.
David says a large par t of Tae Kwon Do is about behaviour and at titude,
learning conf idence, discipline and respect. This is one of the reasons he is
so passionate about teaching. David teaches anyone from small children to
adults. When asked about what it is like to teach someone older than you
David doesn’t waiver in his abilities, but enjoys the oppor tunity to show more
complex and elaborate s tyles as opposed to those shown to the younger
children, although he enjoys teacher younger children jus t as much.
David competes in about four tournaments a year, including the nationals
held in Las Vegas ever y year. In his division (Boys 15 to 17 years old) he has
been Canadian Champion four times.
Besides teaching and training, David is now learning the business side of
things. He helps with some adminis trative duties of the s tudio, manning the
front desk, talking with potential s tudents and completing paper work. This
has given him valuable business and cus tomer ser vice experience.
Way to go David! You have accomplished so much with Tae Kwon Do!
- Ms. Chris ty Mooney, Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Senior Fr e n c h La n g u a g e St u d e n t s | DELF Exams
Congratulations to our Grade 11 and 12 s tudents who successfully passed their DELF exams in December 2011: Grade
11 s tudents Alice, Adrian, Caja, Fabian, Ismail, Janine, Kav ya, Marlena, Omar, Sarah, and Grade 12 s tudent Audrey.
Grade 11 s tudents were able to achieve level B1 which is an equivalent of French 12 Second language, and Audrey
has passed B2 – equivalent of French 12 Immersion program. Having B2 allows s tudents to be recognized as fully
bilingual individuals at their future wor k place, enter French universities without entrance exams and to have lifelong cer tif ication of their language f luency.
W h a t i s t h e DELF?
The DELF (Diplôme d’études en langue française) is the of f icial French-language diploma awarded by France’s
Minis tr y of National Education. It is recognized around the world and is valid for life. As an of f icial cer tif ication
of second-language prof iciency, the DELF tes ts the ability of s tudents to use French in real-life situations. Tes ting
is based on the six reference levels identif ied in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
(CEFR). This framewor k has now become accepted as a way of benchmarking language ability all over the world
W hy t a ke a DELF exam?
Today French is an of f icial language in almos t 50 countries, including Canada. It is spoken by more than 200 million
people on f ive continents. It is also one of the of f icial languages of the United Nations, the Red Cross and many
other international organizations.
- Ms. Katerina Pogrebinsk y
Page 13 | JANUARY 2012
Las t year you helped us IMAGINE. This year, please help us DESIGN t he nex t 25 year s.
NICOL A S Gr a d e 7
Grade 7 s tudent, Nicolas, proudly
accepted an award for high honours from
the Centre for Talented Youth (CTY) of
the Johns Hopkins University. Nicolas
was among some of the highes t scoring
par ticipants in their 2011 academic
year in the categories of International
Mathematics and Verbal Talent.
Nicolas was elected to par ticipate in the
CTY las t year while s till in Grade 6 at
Meadowridge, after his Science teacher at
the time, Ms. Cindy Hops, recommended
the programme. Nicolas successfully
challenged the School and College Ability
Tes t SCAT adminis tered by CTY, where
he obtained a score that put him at the
97th percentile among par ticipants of
all nationalities, including the United
States, Germany, Ireland and Japan. So
far, Nicolas has already par ticipated in
the CTY’s Honours Science course and
has plans to par ticipate in some of their
computer programming, web design
courses as well as their Talented Youth
Summer Camp in Baltimore.
- Ms. Chris ty Mooney, Mar keting and
Communications Coordinator
Ma th D e p a r t m e n t | Ca n a d i a n O pen Ma thema tics Contes t
In November, several of our s tudents elected to write the Senior (Grade
11/12) or Intermediate (Grade 10 or below) mathematics contes t.
We are pleased to announce that three of our s tudents gained
cer tif icates of dis tinction in the Intermediate contes t, which places them
in the top 25% of entrants from across the countr y. These s tudents were
Grade 10 s tudents Emily and Nicholas, and Grade 9 s tudent Jennifer.
Placed within one point of the cut-of f were Grade 9 s tudents Renee,
Benjamin, and Grade 10 s tudent Isaiah. Grade 10 s tudents Natasha, Heidi,
Evan, and Shaquille also par ticipated with impressive results.
In the senior level contes t Grade 12 s tudents Audrey and Somayan came
within one point of reaching the dis tinction level, while Madeline, Alex,
and Oliver also came close.
Success in these contes ts is hard to come by and is highly regarded by
universities. We should all take a moment to congratulate these s tudents
on their accomplishments.
- Mr. Kevin Wells, MYP Teacher
x+y(a/b)=
Great Job!
Meadowr idge Schoo l
Page 14 | JANUARY 2012
S T U D E N T ACH I E V E M E N T S c o n t i n u e d . . .
Mode l U ni t e d N a t i o n s Clu b
I am as tounded at the level of cooperation that emerged when a room full of s trangers
came together for a weekend of debate, problem solving and negotiations in order to
par ticipate in the 2012 Vancouver Model United Nations Conference held from Friday,
Januar y 20 th to Sunday, Januar y 22nd.
Eight s tudents from our school, accompanied by alumnus John Jacob were welcomed by
Jus tin Trudeau as he opened the conference with some ver y profound words. Clearly these
words were heard as the s tudents spent the nex t three days working on resolutions
towards imperatives that rivaled those faced by the current UN.
This conference was produced and moderated completely by high school s tudents for
high school s tudents. I hope that many of the 750 delegates unders tand their potential in
helping to shape a shared future for the bet ter. I am thankful for being able to par ticipate
in a conference that recognizes and values the potential of the world’s young people and
their potential to drive political and social change.
Congratulations to Grade 10 s tudents Mehar, Emily S., Emily H., Shaquille, and Evan,
Grade 11 s tudent Tyler, and Grade 12 s tudents Audrey and Maddy for displaying incredible
diplomacy while engaging in challenging discussions to help fos ter sus tainable resolutions
towards emergent issues.
At the close of the conference Maddy, Tyler (pictured right) and Shaquille (pictured right)
were all recognized for their contributions during the conference and were awarded with
honorable mention as a delegate.
A ver y special thank you to Ms. Boyd for all of her suppor t in helping to facilitate the
details for the s tudents to par ticipate in this conference and in ensuring that they were
well prepared for all of the events that took place over the weekend.
- Ms. Kalie Whitaker, Director of Human Resources and Gr yphon Council Liaison
1. W h a t i s M o d e l U ni t e d N a t i ons (MUN)?
MUN is an academic simulation of the United Nations. Students are assigned to represent a nation in an engaging debate
regarding the pressing morale issues that the global community faces. The dif ferent divisions in MUN cover a diverse
range of topics including global health, environment, security, f inance, economies, human rights, and development. It helps
familiarize s tudents with the UN procedures as well as the variety of global events that occur in the world. In addition,
MUN teaches delegates the impor tance of negotiations and lis tening to others as they work with other nations in hopes of
producing a comprehensive resolution to address the topic of debate. MUN is also an enriching experience as it encourages
s tudents to inves tigate and be considerate of perspectives other than their own.
2. W h a t i s Va n co u v e r M o d e l Uni ted Na tions (VMUN)?
Vancouver Model United Nations is the larges t s tudent-run conference in wes tern Canada. This is the eleventh year that
this pres tigious conference has been held in downtown Vancouver. VMUN takes pride in providing a formal and professional
environment where s tudents may challenge themselves to debate some of the world’s mos t controversial and intriguing
events.
(From w w w.vmun.com)
Page 15 | JANUARY 2012
Las t year you helped us IMAGINE. This year, please help us DESIGN t he nex t 25 year s.
GR A DE 5 E X HIB I T ION
It is hard to believe that our current Grade 5 s tudents are
coming to the end of their PYP years. In the near future,
these s tudents will be engaged in one of their las t PYP
units of inquir y, the Exhibition. One of our traditions here
at Meadowridge is to present a laptop bag to the Grade 5
s tudents to acknowledge their ef for ts as PYP leaders, for
their par ticipation in the Exhibition and for their graduation
to MYP. Mr. Diniz, Ms. Metz and I presented these bags to
the s tudents las t week.
The goals of the PYP Exhibition are to synthesize the
essential elements of the PYP and share them with the
whole school community. As a culminating experience it is
an oppor tunity for s tudents to exhibit the at tributes of the
IB Learner Prof ile that have been developing throughout
their PYP years. The PYP exhibition has a number of key
purposes:
• for s tudents to engage in an in-depth, collaborative inquir y
• to provide s tudents with an oppor tunity to demons trate independence and responsibility for their own learning
• to provide s tudents with an oppor tunity to explore multiple perspectives
• for s tudents to synthesize and apply their learning of previous years and to ref lect upon their journey through the PYP
• to provide an authentic process for assessing s tudent unders tanding
• to demons trate how s tudents can take action as a result of their learning
• to unite the s tudents, teachers, parents and other members of the school community in a collaborative experience that
incorporates the essential elements of the PYP
• to celebrate the transition of learners from primar y to middle/secondar y education.
More information will be for thcoming in the nex t few weeks as the Grade 5 s tudents begin this journey.
- Mr. Terr y Donaldson, Director of Academics
Meadowr idge Schoo l
Page 16 | JANUARY 2012
A RO UND ME A D OW R ID GE
Our Grade 2 and 3 classes have been enjoying Karate ins truction on Tuesdays and Thursday mornings. Mas ter Fraser and Ms. Wolf
have been delivering outs tanding classes for our s tudents. The children are active and engaged. The focus of the class has been
on developing good discipline (lis tening, following ins tructions, and tr ying their bes t!) The s tudents are learning basic self-defence
movements and are demons trating that they are principled, open-minded and are risk-takers! Way to go!
Our Junior Kindergar ten, Kindergar ten, Grade 1 and Grade 4 s tudents have begun their Gymnas tics Unit. The s tudents are learning
and practicing many dif ferent movement skills: locomotion, suppor ts and balances, rotations, springs and landings and routine
building. The focus of the unit is to help our s tudents acquire the fundamental movement skills which are the basis for all spor ts and
physical activities. Our s tudents have been asked to focus on being a Thinker, Inquirer and def initely a Risk Taker!
At the end of the unit, all PYP s tudents will have the oppor tunity to take par t in a f ield trip to Celes tina Popa Gymnas tics Club.
- Ms. Michelle Brookshaw, PYP Teacher
In November, the Grade 10 Visual Ar ts s tudents had the oppor tunity to visit the Vancouver Aquarium and to view the animals within
that environment from a purely ar tis tic viewpoint. Developing good obser vations skills when working from s till life can be dif f icult
enough, but what if the object you are tr ying to draw is moving all over the place?
Students quickly found that new approaches were needed to capture objects in cons tant motion and incorporate the multiple senses
activated during this experience. Some animals were has tily sketched, while others allowed for more detailed obser vation to take
place. Although the trip was only four hours long, it required sus tained intense concentration and engagement of the right side of the
brain. Students were surprised how tired they were by the end of the trip!
Back in the s tudio, s tudents worked from their sketches and photos to develop compositions that conveyed what they found mos t
interes ting about our trip. The ar twork produced clearly shows the inf inite variety of perspectives, possibilities and individual
experiences gathered from life to use as sources of inspiration.
- Ms. Rhonda Laurie, MYP Teacher
Page 17 | JANUARY 2012
Las t year you helped us IMAGINE. This year, please help us DESIGN t he nex t 25 year s.
In nature, cr ys tals are formed naturally from molten rocks (magmas), from hot
aqueous solutions, or from hot gases. Well-formed cr ys tals, frequently encountered in
hydrothermal veins, are spectacular in form and color. Such cr ys tals have always held a
fascination for people. Throughout time, people have collected cr ys tals, treasured them,
s tudied them, and even ascribed magical powers to them.
Mineralogy, the description and s tudy of cr ys tals, is one of the oldes t scientif ic
disciplines. Over the centuries, people have learned how to cut and shape cr ys tals,
generally by trial and error, to enhance their beauty and value, but the actual
unders tanding of cr ys tal s tructures, and classif ication of them, did not occur until the
early twentieth centur y.
The MYP 9 Science class has begun making their ver y own glow in the dark alum
cr ys tals. The s tudents will take care of and grow their cr ys tal for two weeks. The
object is to tr y and grow the larges t cr ys tal.
The f irs t s tep to complete consis ts of creating the environment for the cr ys tals to grow.
This begins with s tudents mixing ink from a f luorescent highlighter pen with hot tap
water.
Students will then slowly s tir in alum, a compound that is used in the pickling of food.
The alum, like sugar, will only dissolve so much, but when it has absorbed as much of
the coloured liquid as it can the cr ys tal grow th can then occur.
Beakers are covered with a clean cof fee f ilter or paper towel and taped to keep dus t
out. Cr ys tals can begin to appear within one day.
When all the cr ys tals have grown and are dried, the Kindergar ten class will judge the
bes t cr ys tal. They are some ver y hard judges, so may the bes t cr ys tal win!
- Mr. Jamie Marriot t, MYP Teacher
On Wednesday, Januar y 25, 2012, the Grade 7s had their f irs t day in the lab with an experiment to learn about yeas t grow th. Yeas ts
are eukar yotic micro-organisms, classif ied as fungi. In other words, yeas ts are ver y tiny fungi. They feed on organic compounds (like
sugar) and conver t it into carbon dioxide. Yeas t is also used in traditional baking, as the yeas t releases carbon dioxide gas the bread
rises. Yeas ts are uni-cellular organisms, and they do not need sunlight to grow and accounts for less than 1% of all fungal species.
The lab was to determine and tes t the limiting factors of yeas t grow th, things that af fect whether the yeas t lives or dies. These
include factors such as the temperature of the water they live in, the type of food they are given, the amount of food they are given,
or the quality of the water. Dif ferent groups developed dif ferent experiments to tes t these limiting factors.
The s tudents learned a lot. One group learned that yeas ts grow bes t in sugar y water, whereas yeas ts living in salty water do not
grow well. Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) has about the same ef fect as salt. Other groups, which tes ted how yeas t grew in
dif ferent liquids, learned that, if fed sugar, yeas t grows bes t in clear water. It doesn’t per form as well in apple juice or soda pop.
- Nicolas, Grade 7 Student
Meadowr idge Schoo l
Page 18 | JANUARY 2012
J A PA N E X T E N D E D F I E L D T R I P
As we approach our depar ture for Japan, the
excitement continues to build among our s tudent
par ticipants. What awaits our s tudents in March
2012 is a gateway to adventure and discover y in
the Land of the Rising Sun. However, before we
leave there is a great deal of preparation involved,
which in itself is a valuable learning experience. To
have a greater appreciation of the Japanese people
and their culture, it is impor tant for our s tudents to
learn more about our friends’ way of life.
Our s tudents will learn basic Japanese phrases
to help them in their interactions with others,
familiarize themselves with Japanese cus toms, and
get to k now a bit about the his tor y and geography
of Japan. In addition, our s tudents will prepare a
presentation that will be per formed at Toei Junior
High in front of our fellow s tudents, school s taf f,
and hos ts to show our appreciation for their
hospitality. For four days, our s tudents will become members of their hos t families as they at tend school and live with them the
Japanese way.
This upcoming trip is a wonder ful experience that our s tudents will always remember, because they will get to see Japan from two
ver y dif ferent perspectives. As gues ts of Toei, our s tudents are in a unique position to experience traditional Japan f irs t-hand.
After leaving this small, rural community of 4200 people, and then f inally arriving at Tok yo, our Meadowridge travelers will feel
the rush and excitement that this ultra-modern, vibrant city of neon lights and wide avenues has to of fer with its millions of people
coming to and from wor k.
Feel free to send me an e-mail or to give me a call should you have any ques tions or sugges tions.
- Mr. Terr y Jung, Principal ([email protected])
20 12 / 20 13 S CH O O L C A L ENDA R
DATE
DAY OF THE WEEK
EVENT
September 4, 2012
Tuesday
Classes Begin
September 19, 2012
Wednesday
Annual General Meeting
October 8, 2012
Monday
Thanksgiving (School Closed)
October 19, 2012
Friday
Province Wide Pro-D (Classes not in session)
November 9, 2012
Friday
Student/Parent/Teacher Inter views (Classes not in session)
November 12, 2012
Monday
Remembrance Day (School Closed)
December 14, 2012
Friday
Las t Day School is in Session before Winter Break
December 15, 2012 to Januar y 7, 2013
Winter Break (Classes not in session)
Januar y 7, 2013
Monday
Pro-D (Classes not in session)
Januar y 8, 2013
Tuesday
Classes Resume
Februar y 7, 2013
Thursday
Student/Parent/Teacher Inter views (Classes not in session)
Februar y 8, 2013
Friday
ISABC Pro-D (Classes not in session)
Februar y 18, 2013
Monday
Family Day (School Closed)
March 15, 2013
Friday
Las t Day School is in Session before Spring Break
March 14, 2013 to April 1, 2013
Spring Break (Classes not in session)
April 2, 2013
Tuesday
Classes Resume
March 29, 2013
Friday
Good Friday (School Closed)
April 1, 2013
Monday
Eas ter Monday (School Closed)
May 20, 2013
Monday
Victoria Day (School Closed)*
June 21, 2013
Friday
Las t Day of School for Students
*DP students may have exams on Victoria Day.
25/01/2012
PD and P/T inter views included.
Meadowridge has recently completed a f ive year calendar process and we are pleased to provide you with the school
calendar for the 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 school years. This calendar ref lects the beginning and end of the school year,
Winter and Spring breaks as well as statutor y holidays. Family Day, a new statutor y holiday has been included beginning in
Februar y 2013.
While the key dates are f irm, there may be some revision on the Februar y Professional Development Day as we await
fur ther information. In the Fall, the nex t two years (2013/2014 and 2014/2015) of the calendar will be reviewed and this will
continue ever y year. Should you have any questions, please direct them to Mr. Steve Olah at [email protected].
20 13 / 20 1 4 S CH O O L C A L ENDA R
DATE
DAY OF THE WEEK
EVENT
September 3, 2013
Tuesday
Classes Begin
September 18, 2013
Wednesday
Annual General Meeting
October 14, 2013
Monday
Thanksgiving (School Closed)
October 18, 2013
Friday
Province Wide Pro-D (Classes not in session)
November 8, 2013
Friday
Student/Parent/Teacher Inter views (Classes not in session)
November 11, 2013
Monday
Remembrance Day (School Closed)
December 13, 2013
Friday
Las t Day School is in Session before Winter Break
December 14, 2013 to Januar y 6, 2014
Winter Break (Classes not in session)
Januar y 6, 2014
Monday
Pro-D (Classes not in session)
Januar y 7, 2014
Tuesday
Classes Resume
Februar y 13, 2014
Thursday
Student/Parent/Teacher Inter views (Classes not in session)
Februar y 14, 2014
Friday
ISABC Pro-D (Classes not in session)
Februar y 17, 2014
Monday
Family Day (School Closed)
March 14, 2014
Friday
Las t Day School is in Session before Spring Break
March 15, 2014 to March 30, 2014
Spring Break (Classes not in session)
March 31, 2014
Monday
Classes Resume
April 18, 2014
Friday
Good Friday (School Closed)
April 21, 2014
Monday
Eas ter Monday (School Closed)
May 1, 2014
Thursday
DP Students of f Timetable
May 19, 2014
Monday
Victoria Day (School Closed)*
June 24, 2014
Tuesday
Las t Day of School for Students
*DP students may have exams on Victoria Day.
25/01/2012
PD and P/T inter views included.
In the fall, the nex t two years (2013/2014 and 2014/2015) of the calendar will be reviewed. Should you have any ques tions,
please direct them to Mr. Steve Olah at s [email protected].