February 04, 2014
For more information, Vancouver Coastal Health has
prepared a brochure entitled “Allergy Aware School and
Childcare
Settings:
Tips
for
Parents:
http://vch.eduhealth.ca/PDFs/FF/FF.405.A55.pdf
Scents Sense
Happy Lunar New Year!
Staffing Updates
Please welcome the following staff who replace those on
maternity leave:
 Mme Julia Henning, who replaces Mme Jessica Rowe
in Division 3, Gr 6/7 French Immersion.
 Mme Danielle Durant, who replaces Mme Angela
Bonilla in Division 25F, Kindergarten French
Immersion.
 Sandy Lowe, who replaces Sandra Kovaltsenko as
school secretary.
Lunchroom Swap
With a view to improving supervision of students and
providing a balance of opportunities for students and
teachers, beginning on Monday the school switched the
lunchtime eating areas for Primary and Intermediate
students.
Primary students who up to now ate in their classrooms are
now eating in the large lunchroom in the basement. They
will come down to the lunchroom with their outside jacket
and will eat together at the same lunch table assigned to their
division each day. Adult supervision aide staff will be
present to supervise the students in the lunchroom. The
older student lunch monitors who have been with the
students up to now eating in their classrooms will remain
with the children in the lunchroom to provide additional
assistance. For the first week, teachers will bring their class
down to the lunchroom to help them transition to their new
eating area. Kindergarten teachers will bring their children
before the lunch bell and remain with them until the bell
rings. Students will be go outside from the lunchroom at
12:25pm but may remain a little while longer if they need
more time to eat.
Intermediate students who up to now ate in the basement
lunchroom are now eating in their classrooms. Supervision
aides are on hand in the hallway and regularly check in on
the students in their rooms. Students wishing or requiring
more time to eat will be asked to bring their lunch
downstairs to the lunchroom to finish, as the upstairs
supervision aides will need to go outside to supervise.
Along a similar line, we ask all families (adults and children)
to be aware that others in the school (staff and students) may
have sensitivities to strong scents and aromas which can
cause them serious reactions. Please be conscious of
perfumes, colognes, or aromatherapy products that you or
your child may wear while in the school.
French Book Fair/Bake Sale
Pour le plaisir de lire…The PAC is running a Book
Fair/Festival du Livre of French books on sale in room 002
(basement) until Thursday, February 6th. Books are on sale
during the following times:
 Before school from 8:30 to 9:30
 At lunch from 12 to 1pm
 After school from 2:40 to 4:30, and until 6:30 on
Wednesday evening!
Baked goods are also available to enjoy a fun treat with your
new book!
February Fire and Code Red Drills
As part of our routine emergency preparations, there will be
both a fire drill and a code red/lockdown drill during the
month of February.
February 14 – Wear a Heart Day
Our next Spirit/House day is Valentine’s Day.
“Wear a Heart” and win a point for your house!
Friendship Bracelets Sale
Division 13F (Mme Vose’s gr 3/4 French Immersion class)
will be selling Friendship pins on Wednesday and Thursday
of this week in the undercover area at both recess breaks.
They are 25¢ each—a perfect gift for Valentine’s Day! All
proceeds will be going to the SPCA and for a special art
project. Merci.
Crosswalk Safety
If you have any concerns related to the change in your
child’s eating area, please contact Mr. Zerbe at the school to
discuss them.
On the theme of safety, everyone is reminded to practice
crosswalk safety. Even though we have a pedestriancontrolled light at Broadway and Lakewood, cars do not
always stop in time, or may come to a stop inside the
crosswalk itself. Make sure you stand well on the curb when
pushing the button to cross. Look both ways and ensure that
cars have come to a complete stop before stepping into the
crosswalk. And when driving, please look out for
pedestrians at intersections whether it is a marked crosswalk
or not. Thank you.
Food allergies
School Support Staff
As we swap primary and intermediate eating areas, it is a
good time to remind parents to be “allergy aware”. Secord
has several students with allergies to seeds (sesame, etc),
nuts and nut products (e.g. peanut butter). In support of
them, we encourage children to avoid bringing lunches and
snacks with these ingredients, and where they must bring
them, that students are aware that such ingredients can be
dangerous to others. Please encourage your children not to
share their food or snacks, and to wash their hands
frequently. Give extra thought to baked goods or treats you
make for special events or bake sales, and include a printed
list of ingredients. Educating all children—both those with
allergies and those without—is our best preventive action
when we cannot guarantee a nut-free environment.
Secord is very fortunate to have a dedicated team of trained
and experienced professionals and para-professionals who
support our students in a myriad of ways. They all engage
with students every day in specific ways to support them.
School & Student Support Workers:
These paraprofessionals are specially trained to support all students
generally, and special needs students specifically. They
work primarily in classes with special needs children, but
often support other classes during class time, and all
students outside in the playground or in small groups before
school (during our “Catch Up Club”), at recess, or at
lunchtime. You might hear your children talk about them
and how they help.
“Boys for Real” (boys) & “Welcome to
My Life” (girls)
Part 3: Capacity Café: Wednesday, April 9
These sessions are sponsored by Van Tech PAC and SACY
(School Aged Children & Youth Prevention Initiative:
Works with families in the area of substance misuse
prevention, including universal parenting strategies to
support parents in the teen years.) For more information or
to reserve a seat, contact Alexandra Wilson
([email protected])
604-713-6000,
ext
2588.
Watch for these special after school programs planned for
grade 7 boys and girls. They will run on Thursdays after
school starting on Feb 27. Students will have a chance to
hear about them on Feb. 5 during an information session.
Upcoming Parent Information Sessions
Pink Shirt Day – Wednesday, Feb. 26
The school whole-heartedly recommends the following
sessions and encourage parents to attend. The first two
pertain particularly to the importance of supporting
children’s social and emotional learning and mental health
and wellbeing. The previously scheduled February 18th
Secord PAC General Meeting has been cancelled to allow
parents to attend one or more of these sessions.
Show you stand up to Bullying. Wear a
pink shirt or anything pink. For the history
of this Canadian student-initiated and
worldwide
event,
go
to
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/bulliedstudent-tickled-pink-by-schoolmates-t-shirt-campaign-1.682221 or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Bullying_Day
“Worries & Woes” – Identifying and
Preventing Anxiety in Children and Youth
School of Groove – A Rockin’ Success
Anxiety is a normal emotion that is essential for human
survival. Children’s anxiety is developmental; they go
through predictable stages of it. Some children, however,
may “miscue” in their interpretation of or response to
normal or common anxiety events or situations, and may
risk developing anxiety disorders. Parents and adults, too,
can unintentionally and unknowingly contribute to this
anxiety.
Dr. Lynn Miller, a leading expert on childhood anxiety,
will be speaking at Lord Nelson School (22235 Kitchener
St) from 6:30 – 8:00pm on Monday 24 February. Q&A
session to follow. Information and strategies for preventing
and coping with anxiety in children will be provided within
the presentation. All participants will receive a take away
package of resources. Attendance is by donation. Limited
childcare
for
Lord
Nelson
children.
RSVP
http://LordNelsonPacLynnMiller.eventbrite.ca.
Our thanks again to Michelle Cormier and her team of
talented musicians and educators for delivering such a great
music experience to our students, and to our PAC for
supporting this initiative. It was a tremendous success!
Social and Emotional Learning: Promoting
Children’s Success in School and in Life
A free evening with Dr. Kimberly Schonert-Reichl
Presented by Secord Grade 7 French Immersion parents
with proceeds supporting the upcoming exchange to
Quebec. Trivia fun, silent auction, 50/50 draw, treats, cash
bar. Ages 19 years and over; babysitting provided. Big
Gym. Doors 6 pm, Trivia fun 6:30-9pm. For tickets, call
604-809-6038 or email [email protected].
~ PAC News ~
Visit the PAC website often for updates on PAC-run events at Laura
Secord School. www.secordcommunity.org.
Please note: The February PAC General Meeting has been
cancelled. Parents instead are encouraged to attend the
session on child anxiety with Dr. Lynn Miller at Lord
Nelson School on Monday, February 21.
Trivia Night – February 27
Monday, February 17
7pm-8:30pm
Vancouver Technical Secondary (2600 E. Broadway)
Refreshments. No RSVP necessary.
Dr. Schonert-Reichl’s presentation explores predictors of
academic success in youth – how social and emotional
wellbeing, life experiences and relationships can have
critical and long lasting effects on adolescent mental health.
Hear what Secord School and other grade 7 students had to
say about themselves during a district-wide student survey
conducted last year; as such, this presentation may be of
most interest to parents of grade 7-10 students.
UPCOMING DATES
February 2014
Mo 3-Th 6
Thur 6
Mon 10
Thur 13
Fri 14
Parenting Your Teen
A 3-part series for Parents of Gr 7 students
Mon 17
Tue 18
Thu 20
Fri 21
Mon 24
Meet other parents, and explore the changes of adolescence.
We’ll discuss practical strategies that encourage responsible
decision-making and increased communication between
parent and youth. We will explore issues that might cause
stress at home and ways to support our teens and ourselves
in handling them.
Part 1: Building Bridges with your Teen: Thursday,
February 6
Part 2: Collaborative Problem-Solving (with Teens):
Tuesday, March 11
Wed 26
Thu 27
French Book Festival – Rm 002
Hot Lunch
Family Day Holiday – NO SCHOOL
Grade 6/7 Dance, 7-8 pm
Valentine’s Day – WEAR A HEART!
Arts Umbrella performance for students
“Social & Emotional Learning” with Dr. Kim SchonertReichl, Van Tech, 7-8:30pm
PAC Meeting - CANCELLED
Hot Lunch
Professional Day – NO SCHOOL
“Worries & Woes” with Dr. Lynn Miller, Lord Nelson
School, 6:30-8pm
“Pink Shirt Day”
Figura Theatre performance for students
Parent Trivia Night, Big Gym, 6-9pm
PLEASE VISIT OUR SCHOOL WEBSITE FOR
REGULARLY UPDATED CALENDAR
http://secord.vsb.bc.ca
Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House
Kensington Community Centre
Trout Lake Community Centre
presents
presents
presents
15 Annual LUNAR NEW
YEAR CELEBRATION
Kensington’s
FAMILY FUN DAY!
Saturday, February 8, 2014
10:00am to 2:00 pm
4065 Victoria Dr.
604-874-4231
Performances and activities for all
ages
Sunday, February 9, 2014
11:00am to 3:00 pm
5175 Dumfries St.
604-718-6201
Free entertainment.
Arts & Crafts, Performances, Kids’
Activities
th
FAMILY DAY
Celebration of Living Community
Monday, February 10, 2014
11:00am to 3:00 pm
3360 Victoria Dr.
604-257-6955
Live music, dance, performances,
family skate, demos, art, pottery,
BBQ, displays, more…