MacNeill Incentive Outdoor Academy
Formerly called “The Richmond District Incentive Program” (est. 1975)
6611 No. 4 Road, Richmond, B.C. V6Y 2T2
A.R. MacNeill Secondary School
Phone (604) 668-6212 Fax (604) 668-6202 Early Warning (604) 668-6278
E mail: [email protected] Web site: macneill.sd38.bc.ca
Principal: Ms. M. Timmins, Vice Principals: Mr. L. Banta and Mr. L. Leung
Parent Newsletter - August 2015
Dear Parents/Guardians and Students:
We hope everyone is enjoying the last days of the summer holiday. This newsletter is intended to provide some general
information to our students and parents about important details pertaining to the first weeks of school. To those returning,
welcome back and to the new students this year, welcome to our school!
The first day of school is Tuesday, September 8th. Grade 9 and 10 students are to be at school by 10:00 a.m. for the overview of
their courses and activities for the year. Dismissal will be approximately 11:00 a.m. Grade 8 students attend the first day from
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Grade 8 students are to meet in Room 225.
The team of teachers of the Incentive school will be Ms. Joanne Hendrix as Educational Facilitator, Mr. Darren Mathison, Ms.
Claire Gilchrist and joining the team will be Mr. Ron Avery. Parent involvement in supporting the Incentive Outdoor Academy
has been integral to the program and the Incentive team looks forward to continued work with parents.
Parent Group
If you would like to contribute to this group either as a member of the “executive” or simply attending meetings, please contact
Incentive staff at the school. Meetings are normally held on the second Monday of the month. If there is a statutory holiday it
will be the third Monday of the month. The first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 15th from 7:00 – 8:15 p.m. (after the
barbecue) at the school. EVERYONE IS WELCOME.
Incentive Outdoor Academy Icebreaker
An informal barbecue/get together will be held at MacNeill on Tuesday, Sept. 15th from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
We hope that all students and parents will be able to attend. Please feel free to arrive at any time between 5 and
6:00 p.m.
All beef hamburgers, all beef hot dogs and tofu hot dogs will be supplied by the parent group; we would ask you
to bring a dessert, salad or chips to add to the potluck table. Please bring your own plate, cup and cutlery.
The 2014 Grade 8 and 9 Incentive Retreat
The retreat will feature TEAMBUILDING ACTIVITIES, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT and
ADVENTURE PURSUITS. It will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 30th to Friday, Oct. 2nd. Details to
follow; however, we would like to hear from any parent who might be able to attend as chaperone. We
need 4 chaperones both male and female. The location of the retreat will be determined in September.
Get Wet
“Get Wet” testing is scheduled for all students without “Get Wet” on Saturday, Sept 12th, 8a.m.–12p.m. at Minoru pool. New
students need to provide the school with a copy of their “Get Wet” certificate on the first day of school or take the test on Sept
12th. Please do not forget!
MacNeill Band
Incentive students are invited to join the MacNeill band which is a full credit course that meets at 7:30 a.m. on Day 1s. for more
information consult the Student Handbook (to be handed out on the 1st day) or contact Mr. Anderson
-1-
Student Council Elections
The following positions are available on the Incentive Student Council:
President (open to Grade 10 students only)
Vice President
Secretary/Treasurer
Grade 9 Rep (open to Grade 9 students only)
Grade 8 Rep (open to Grade 8 students only)
Social Coordinator
Nominations open Thursday, Sept 10th at 8:30 a.m. Speeches will be held and elections will follow. Questions should be
directed to Ms. Hendrix at the school.
Staff: 2014/2015
Ron Avery – Science, Social Studies, P.E., Electives
Claire Gilchrist – French, Social Studies, P.E., Electives
Joanne Hendrix – English, Social Studies, P.E., Electives
Darren Mathison – Mathematics, Planning 10, P.E., Electives
Office Details
MacNeill office staff includes Ms. Helen Wong, Mrs. Terri Aldridge and Mrs. Tracy Sedola, Administrative Assistants and Mrs.
Yvonne Semotiuk, Business Assistant. They are in the office from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday; the office phone number
is (604)668-6212 and the fax is (604)668-6202.
School Fees
All students are required to pay $51.00 for their share of school supplies: agenda, yearbook (optional cost $23), and student
council fees. If you are not intending to purchase a yearbook, the total cost will be $28.00. Please make cheques payable to
INCENTIVE PROGRAM before FRIDAY, SEPT 11th and label the cheques with “School Fees for (Student’s name)”. Please
do not forget your child’s name in the memo area of the cheque!
Financial Matters
 Please make all payments for events at Incentive by cheque made payable to Incentive Program. We further ask that
you clearly label each cheque with the student’s name (no cash please).
 Refunds are only issued (in the case of absence) when we receive full refunds from the outside organization involved.
Physical Education Fees Monthly Installment
We would like you to pay for the outdoor program through monthly instalments. We would appreciate receiving, by September
27, all 6 cheques post-dated for the appropriate month.
September 18, 2015 - $300
October 30, 2015 - $300
November 26, 2015 - $300
January 29, 2015 - $300
February 26, 2015 - $300
March 31, 2015 - $300
Get Wet/Bronze Medallion
If your child has not earned the Get Wet certificate, we need to be informed because we are
arranging Get Wet programmes for “non-certified” students. The cost will be deducted from the PE
fees. “Get Wet” or Bronze Medallion is necessary for any child who will be participating in boating
activities with the school; we have many of these every year. Please inform us if your child has
Bronze Medallion, when you hand in the enclosed forms on the first day of school, and submit a copy.
Student Insurance Forms
We will be sending home brochures regarding Student Accident Insurance. The Richmond School Board recommends that
parents opt for this low-cost form of insurance. As the students are very active during P.E. periods and around the school
grounds, it is most important that they have some form of insurance coverage. If you are interested, please send the enrolment
form or direct inquiries regarding the various plans directly to the Insurance Company.
“There are only two lasting bequests we could hope
to give our children. One of these is roots; the other is wings.”
Hodding Carter
-2-
Upcoming Events
Sept. 12, 8-12pm
Sept. 15
Sept. 25
Sept. 30 – Oct. 2
Oct. 12
Oct. 19
Oct. 23
Oct. 28
Nov. 4, 2-4pm
Nov. 5, 6-8pm
Dec. 15
Get Wet at Minoru pool
Incentive Icebreaker BBQ (5 – 7:00 pm)
PAC Mtg. 7-8 pm
Non Instructional Day (NO SCHOOL)
Grade 10 Bamfield / Grade 8/9 Retreat
Thanksgiving Day (NO SCHOOL)
Parent Group meeting (7:00-8:15 pm) Rm 225
Provincial Pro-D (NO SCHOOL)
Interims
Parent/Teacher conferences
Parent/Teacher conferences
Term 1 Report Card
Get your pens and pencils out – Forms to bring back to us on the first day:
1. Events Within Community Permissions Form
Apart from longer field trips, for which the school notifies parents and requests consent,
teachers periodically take pupils for physical education activities and educational walks or
cycling off school grounds and into the immediate community. Also, it might be necessary
for students to walk, cycle or bus unsupervised to a resource centre to do research. We do
encourage students to do this in small groups. Rather than approach the home on countless
occasions, we ask that you sign the attached form giving permission for your child to
participate in these school sponsored activities. Rest assured that any major school outings
outside the immediate community will be confirmed with the home first.
2. Volunteer Automobile Drivers
From time to time, we ask for volunteer parent drivers to transport pupils to field studies, sports and other school
sponsored events. Staff and pupils appreciate the fine support we have received in the past from interested parents,
and hope that you are able to assist us again this school year. If you are willing to provide this service when it is
convenient to you, please let us know on the response slip below. The Richmond School Board (SA62) Volunteer
Automobile Driver Authorization Form will be sent home for you to complete.
3. Get Wet Swim Award
We need to keep our records up to date: all students must fill out this form.
4. Guest Speaker/Field Trips
5. E-mail Information
We are finding increasingly that contacting parents and students by e-mail is useful from time to time. There are
times that we may wish to send important notices, make group arrangements or avoid telephone tag. If you have an
e-mail and are willing to share it with us, please fill out this form. Don’t forget to check the box to allow the parent
group to send you inter-parent communications, if you wish. (Please do the same with the Canada Anti-Spam
Legislation (CASL) enclosed.
“Oh, to be only half as wonderful as my child
thought I was when he was small, and only half as stupid
as my teenager now thinks I am.”
Rebecca Richards
-3-
PLEASE DO NOT MAIL (Bring to school on September 8th)
To:
Incentive Outdoor Academy
RE:
AUTOMOBILE DRIVERS AUTHORIZATION
Please send me Richmond School Board Form SA 62 Volunteer Driver Authorization to complete. I offer my
services as a volunteer driver for school programs and confirm that I have a valid driver’s license, and that all
passengers in my vehicle will be provided with a proper seat belt.
______________________________
(Pupil’s Name)
To:
Incentive Outdoor Academy
Re:
GET WET
______________________________________
(Signature of Parent/Guardian)
Yes, has Get Wet (certificate copy attached, grade 8 only).
Yes, has Bronze Medallion (certificate copy attached).
No, but intends to get certified in September with Incentive. Students are encouraged
to take swimming lessons in the summer to help them become proficient.
Please attach a copy of the certification to this form only if you are a new student to Incentive.
I understand that the Richmond School District requires my child to have “Get Wet” to be allowed to participate in
any water (canoe, kayak, sailboat, rowboat…) activities during school sponsored programs.
Parent/Guardian Signature
Date
-4-
PLEASE DO NOT MAIL (Bring to school on September 8th)
To:
Incentive Outdoor Academy
Re:
EVENTS WITHIN COMMUNITY PERMISSIONS FORM
I give my child ___________________________________ permission to participate in educational activities that
involve walking off the school grounds. It may be necessary for cycling or bussing students to go unsupervised to
the library, for example.
Parent/Guardian Signature
Date
Name of Parent: ________________________
Guest Speaker/Field Trips
If you or someone you know would be interested in appearing as a guest speaker, please indicate below. Also, we
welcome all ideas for field trips that could include all or part of our student body.
Guest Speaker Subject:
Field Trip and Contact persons:
E-mail Information
Please check if you allow the school to give your email information to the parent group for
inter-parent communication (very important to receive minutes of parent group meetings and other
important announcements).
Name of Student:
Personal e-mail:
Name of Parent:
E-mail:
Name of Parent:
E-mail:
-5-