Principal’s
Message
Welcome back to a new school year! We are entering into our sixth
year as a middle school and are projecting 615 students, about the same
number as last year. The staff has spent numerous hours during the
summer preparing classrooms and materials for the new school
year. We have a number of talented new staff joining the “team” this
year. In the office we have Ms. Kathy Fladager taking over the
Vice-Principal duties from Ms. Collier. To our teaching staff we have
added Mr. Dimitri Apostolopoulos, Mrs. Crystal Banks and Mr. Bruce
Glum. We welcome back Mme Françoise Kang and Ms. Leanne
Sookachoff from maternity leave. To our Resource Program we welcome Ms.
Linda Chezick.
Vice-Principal’s
Message
I am very excited to be a member of the Chief Dan George Middle School
Team! I have heard many wonderful things about the students, parents
and staff of this school. The mix of educational and extra-curricular
offerings at Chief Dan make it a truly vibrant place to be. I look
forward to working with both you and your child this school year.
Thank you/Merci Kathy Fladager
Attendance
One area that assists the school in maintaining a safe and secure
environment involves our attendance policy. It is essential that
students and parents work with school staff to ensure that we have
accurate data regarding student attendance. Parents are asked to
call the school office in the morning to report the absence of their
child. Students who are late to school must check in at the school
office and have their school planner stamped. The stamped planner
is needed to gain entry into class. We are a closed campus. Students
who are required to leave the school during school hours must bring a
note from home and wait in the school office until they are
picked up by an adult family member or friend. That adult must sign the
child out of the school. Please assist us in ensuring that we maintain
an accurate attendance tracking program.
School Goal
The School’s Planning Council has carried over last year’s reading
goal. This goal is formally stated as “To maintain and/or improve
reading comprehension in the language of instruction for English, Early
French, Late French and French Immersion by June 30, 2007” and is
supported by numerous strategies that staff will undertake through the
school year. Such an important goal requires that our students receive
support at home to reinforce the work that is being done at
school. Your assistance plays a critical role in your child’s
development and success. We look forward to working with you to
support your child.
Extracurricular
Athletics
Thanks to the good work of many teachers and parent volunteers, the
school has supported a large number of athletic extracurricular
opportunities over the last five years. With each new season of
play we will be seeking parent involvement in supporting our
extracurricular program. The first season of play will involve
cross country running, swimming and volleyball. We are blessed
with a number of teachers who will coach these teams. Mr.
Richards, Mr. McTaggart and Mrs. Bunbury will oversee cross
country. Mlle Janzen will oversee our swim program. Volleyball
coaches will include Mr. Schmor, M. Constant, Mlle Longpré, Mr.
Dudzik and others. We will, however, require additional support from
the parent community in working with some volleyball teams. If
you are able to assist with volleyball or another sport, please contact
P.E. Coordinator and Athletic Director Mr. Colin McTaggart.
Code of Conduct
The school and school district have adopted a formal code of
conduct. Behavioral expectations are outlined in each student
planner. Please spend time with your child in the first week of
school familiarizing yourself with the information found in the first
few pages and sign page 8 to indicate that this has been done.
Dress Code
With the new school year starting it is necessary for all students to
familiarize themselves with our school dress code. Although the
school does not have a formal uniform policy we do expect that students
are dressed appropriately for a middle school learning
environment. Please take some time to review the dress code
standards that are listed in the front of the student planner.
Open House
You are invited to a BBQ and Open House at Chief Dan George Middle
School on Thursday, September 14th. The school will be open from
5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Classroom visits, to meet the teachers and talk
about the year’s activities, are scheduled as follows:
Grade 6: 5:00 - 5:45 p.m.
Grade 7: 5:45 - 6:30 p.m.
Grade 8: 6:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Of course you will then be free to use the rest of the time to eat and
socialize with other parents, students and teachers. Dinner
consists of a hot dog, chips and a drink for your eating pleasure
(by donation) served up by Mr. Lilly, our Home Arts
teacher, and members of our Student Leadership Team. We
would appreciate a donation of $3.00 per person if possible, or $10 per
family (immediate family only please) to cover the cost of food and
beverage. We hope that you can take the time to visit the school and
make new connections or renew previously developed connections with the
staff.
Fund raising
opportunities
Various groups have established regular fundraising activities
throughout the school year. We will endeavor to keep fundraising
to a minimum, however we recognize that some groups rely heavily on
such initiatives to assist in supplementing the costs associated with
special opportunities. The student leadership team is “kicking
off the year” with a chocolate almond fundraiser. Teacher Mr.
Lilly is spearheading this event and you will receive information about
the sale in the next few days. Some upcoming fundraisers that you
can look for include a school band chicken fundraiser and a
P.A.C. sponsored Christmas items sale through QSP.
Spirit Day,
Friday, September 8th - Wear School Colors
We want to encourage all students and staff to wear school colors or
school athletic wear this Friday. School colors are maroon, navy and
silver.
Bus Passes
As in previous years we will be selling City of Abbotsford Bus Passes
in the school office. The cost this year is $28.00 per month per pass.
A bundle of four passes (for September, October, November and December)
is also available this month only. Cost for the 4 months is $85.00
(which works out to $21.25 per month). If you wish to purchase the
bundle package please come into the office and purchase prior to
September 12th. We cannot accept orders after this date. Thank you.
Help Needed
We need parent helpers for our sewing classes every Thursday (no
experience necessary!). If you can volunteer for the morning (8:15 -
11:00 am.) or afternoon (12:40 - 2:30 p.m.) or both, please call or see
Mr. Lilly at the school. We also need parent helpers in the Library. If
you can donate any time it would be very much appreciated. Please
leave a message for Mr. Lilly. Thank you!
Calendar for
September and School Newsletters
A calendar of events for September is printed below. Please keep this
as a reference for various events and activities. We will provide
you with monthly calendars throughout the school year. With the
exception of the first week of school, we will send out newsletters
from the school office twice per month (i.e. every second
Friday). If you are not receiving newsletters please consult with
your child. They will be issued by homeroom teachers during the
afternoon homeroom. Newsletters are also available on our web site and
we can also e-mail to you. If you would like them e-mailed, please send
your address to donna_hollanti@sd34.bc.ca. Calendars and newsletters
are also available at the office counter in the event that you do not
receive one. For more information about Chief Dan George Middle School
events and activities visit our website at cdgms.com
Food Service
As in previous years students will have the opportunity to purchase
food items from two sources, the Pit Stop and the Den. The Pit Stop is
the school store that sells a variety of single items during nutrition
break and lunch such as soup, hotdogs, bagels, etc. The Den is a full
hot lunch meal opportunity that runs out of our Home Arts Room. Lunches
can be pre-purchased at $3.00 per lunch which includes salad and milk,
or $4.00 at the door (full details to come home soon). The Pit Stop
will open on Monday, September 11th. The Den opening date is yet to be
announced.
School Meal
Program
The primary purpose of the School Meal Program is to provide meals to
students who come to school hungry. The program is intended to
help feed children from homes where parents are struggling to provide
food for their families (i.e., Social Assistance recipients, low income
earners, families who are experiencing financial hardship due to work
shortage, medical reasons, etc). The School Meal Program is
funded by the Ministry of Children and Family Development and through
contributions from parents. While we rely on parent contributions
to keep the program running, no needy student will be turned away
because of an inability to contribute. Students receive a
nutritious cold lunch consisting of milk or juice, a sandwich or
similar entrée and fruit or dessert. Our meals are
monitored regularly and approved by the Ministry of Health. If you feel
that your child/ren qualify to be placed on the School Meal Program,
please contact your school office or the School Meal Program
Coordinator, Helen Duval, S.B.O., 859-4891, Local 251.
Locker Use
The Abbotsford School District has adopted more formal expectations
around locker rental and use in its schools. This year parents and
students must sign a waiver and return it to the school to be eligible
to use our school lockers. The locker use form is attached to the
registration form which you will receive this week. Please return to
the office as soon as possible. Thank you.
Traffic
Congestion
Having two choice programs available at this school (i.e. Early French
Immersion and Late French Immersion) increases the number of students
who are driven to and from our school in private vehicles. Traffic flow
can be an issue on some days. We would ask that you exercise patience
and understanding during the busy periods that exist 15 minutes
before and after school. Also, unless your child is directly involved
in extra-curriculars, we would appreciate it if you could pick up your
child by 3:00 p.m. daily. Thank you.
Just a reminder ... if your child is absent or late,
please call the school and advise the office staff at 604-852-9616.
Dates to Note
Sept 18-Band Rental Night-7:00 pm in MPR
Sept 18-PAC Meeting-7:00 pm in Library
Sept 21-Picture Day
Sept 22-Non-Instructional Day (NO SCHOOL)
September 22
Pro-D Day
The first Non-Instructional Day of the year will take place on Friday,
September 22nd. This day will be District wide as staff will be engaged
in a variety of professional development activities. No classes will be
held on that day.
Staffing
We are pleased to announce that Ms. Laura Stevens will join the Grade 8
English track team for the balance of this school year. Ms. Stevens
joined that same team last year after the first month of the year on a
temporary contract. This position now places her on a continuing
contract with the District and she will once again teach Science and
Mathematics to the 90 students in that program. Ms. Stevens
started
the year on a temporary contract in the Grade 6 English track. She will
be replaced by Mr. Tyler Baruta, who began working with the Grade 6
English track students today. Mr. Baruta provided great service
to our
Grade 7 English track team at the end of last year.
Please use Main
Entrance
Just a reminder that for safety reasons anyone visiting our school
site, dropping items off for children, or picking their child up early
are to please use the main entrance to our school, and to check in with
one of our two secretaries, Ms. McMillan or Mrs. Hollanti.
Extra-Curriculars
Our extracurricular sports program is starting very strong. 2006 is the
year of the largest cross country team ever with 107 runners. Our
cross country team coached by Mr. Richards, Mr. McTaggart, Mlle
McIntyre and Mrs. Bunbury will kick off the competition at Clearbrook
Park, Wednesday, September 20th. Swim coaches Mlle Janzen and M Bowley
will start practices next week at the Centennial Pool complex.
Over 30
students showed up for the first organizational meeting. Our
volleyball program has started at the Grade 7 and 8 level and will
begin soon at the Grade 6 level. Coaching for us this year are:
Grade 6: Ms. Stevens, Mr. Amazonas, and Mr. McTaggart
Grade 7: Mr. Schmor, M Constant and Mme Bonneau
Grade 8: M. Buki and Mlle Janzen
We have, and continue to be, blessed with teachers and teaching
assistants who give freely of their time to allow our students to
develop athletic skills, make new friends and represent the
school.
Your P.A.C.
needs your support
Monday evening, September 18th, the first P.A.C. meeting of the year
will be held in the school's library starting at 7:00 p.m. All
schools
rely on a strong and supportive Parent Advisory Council each
year. We
have been fortunate to have great support at Chief Dan George from our
parent community and hope that this year's parents and guardians will
continue with that tradition. Although some of the P.A.C.
Executive is
in place there are some positions that still require filling. We
urge
parents and guardians, particularly those who are new to the school, to
attend the September 18th P.A.C. meeting.
Help the
Homeless
Help the homeless starts next week. Please bring in good quality
used clothing.
Picture Day
Josten's will have two photographers at the school next Thursday,
September 21st to take individual pictures of all students and staff.
All of our students will receive a student card with their picture so
it is important that students are present that day. The
individual
pictures will also be used in our school's yearbook, available for
purchase in the latter part of the school year. Families
also will
have the option to take advantage of various picture packages made
available by Josten's. Attached to this newsletter is an order
form.
If you wish to take advantage of the picture package opportunity please
complete the form and have your child bring it to the school on
Thursday, September 21st with a cheque made out to JOSTEN'S. If
you do
not prepay, you will not receive a photo package (but your child will
still receive the ID card).
Trip to
Quebec-May 12-18, 2007
We are in the process of planning our Grade 8 French Immersion Trip to
Quebec. Last year 70 students signed up for this wonderful
cultural
and linguistic experience. To date, we have submitted an approval form
to the board office. We are waiting for the approval of the trip before
sending any information at home. As soon as we have that approval we
will announce our first parent Quebec meeting.
Band Rental
Night
September 18th @ 7:00 pm in the MPR with King’s Music. Students with
last names beginning with A-M will start at 7:00 pm; students with last
names N-Z will start
at 7:45 pm.
Drag Racing
Over the summer we purchased a second junior dragster. There are two
dates left in this year's racing season, the 15th and the 29th of
September. As of this date, we are undefeated and we are hoping to take
the provincial title again as we did the last time we ran an entire
season at Mission Raceway Park. The next race season starts in
April
and we are hoping to add to our team. We will hold an information
meeting sometime in March for those students interested in joining the
drag racing team. It is open to students from all grades.
Sponsors needed.
Guess the
Number of Bandaids
Each school year we go through a tremendous amount of bandaids.
We
will be having a contest 3 times this year where
students will
guess the amount of bandaids used. The student who guesses
closest to
the amount used will win free lunch for a week. The
1st contest
will be from September - December; 2nd: January-March; 3rd:
April-June. The winner will be announced at the end of each month.
Safety Reminder
Just a reminder to all students that for safety reasons, heelies should
be left at home. As well, the wheels in the bottom of these
specialized running shoes can mark up our hallways, and create more
work for our custodians. Also, roller blades, scooters and
skateboards
are not to be used on school property.
Noon Hour
Supervisors Required
We are in need of several parents who are willing to help out with our
noon hour supervision. Our lunch period runs from 11:45 am to 12:45
pm. We have openings for full-time supervisors, part-time, and
for
on-call supervisors. This is a wonderful opportunity for parents
to
get to know both our school and our students better. Please contact our
Vice Principal, Mrs. Kathy Fladager, if you are interested at
604-852-9616.
Carpool
Help
Sandy Hill area student requires after-school (only) transportation
from CDGMS to Sandy Hill Elem.). Will assist with travel costs.
Please
contact Roger or Jennifer @ 604-854-6090 or 604-308-2955.
Just a reminder if your child is absent or late, please call the school
and advise the office staff at 604-852-9616. You may also fax us at
604-850-7653 or email joanne_mcMillan@sd34.bc.ca or
donna_hollanti@sd34.bc.ca
Upcoming Dates
to Note
Oct 9 - Thanksgiving Day (NO SCHOOL)
Oct 16 - PAC Meeting - 7:00 pm
Oct 20 - Non-Instructional Day (NO SCHOOL)
Oct 27 - Photo Retakes - 1:00 pm
Oct 27 - Interims Issued
Staffing Update
We are very pleased to announce that Ms. Cheryl Frank has joined the
Grade 6 English track team for the balance of this school year.
Ms. Frank is assuming the duties of teacher Mrs. Tracy Finch, who has
gone on early maternity leave. As of last Monday, September
18th, the Finch family have added a bouncing baby boy, Ryland, to
their "team". Ryland was so eager to meet his older sisters that he
arrived five weeks early. Mother and child are doing very
well. Ms. Frank is a product of the Abbotsford school system,
having attended John MacLure Elementary and W.J. Mouat Secondary. She
received her undergraduate degree from UCFV and her Bachelor of
Education from UBC last spring.
Extracurriculars
Hundreds of students are already representing the school in
extracurricular activities. Close to one hundred cross country runners
have already participated in two of the four Grand Prix races held at
Clearbrook Park on Wednesday afternoons. Our Grade 8 boys opened their
volleyball season on Wednesday against Abbotsford Middle winning in
three straight games. Our Grade 6 and 7 boys and girls
teams are practicing two or three times per week and will participate
in some interschool play soon. Our swim team is practicing twice
weekly at the Clearbrook Pool with competitions to follow in mid
October. In addition, we have eight boys playing football for
Abbotsford Middle. Our Dragster program is wrapping up the fall
season with the second of two September experiences at Mission
raceways. Our last drag race event will be this Friday at Mission
Raceway Park. Next season will begin in April of 2007. We will be
looking for new team members. Please stay tuned and visit our web page
at http://cdgms.com/wolf_racing.htm.We are very fortunate to have such
fabulous support from our teachers and teaching assistants for these
important programs.
The CDG Cross Country team is off to a great start this year. Our Grade
7 Boys and Girls are both in first place in the district. You can check
individual and team results on the bulletin board by Mr. Richards’
room, or follow the link from the cross country website at cdgms.com
Breakfast
Program Returns
Once again this year we have three local churches that will be
sponsoring our Breakfast Program one morning per week. They will be
providing a free hot breakfast to any student who wishes to take
advantage of the offer. Our three benefactors this year are the
same three that supported our school last year. Many thanks to
the volunteers and members of the Gladwin Heights United Church, New
Life Church and Northview Community Church for supporting our students
in this way. The program starts this Friday morning, September
29th, with breakfast being served in our multi-purpose room on Monday,
Thursday and Friday mornings at 7:30 am.
Wolf Den Opens!
Our "Den" opens Monday, October 2nd, at lunch. This program, will
run until the beginning of Term 4 in our Home Ec Room. It is
separate from the "Pit Stop" Canteen which continues to offer a variety
of lunch options in the MPR. The Den serves a hot, nutritious
lunch each school day at an affordable price. Students may pay cash ($4
for each lunch) or purchase a "prepaid" card at $3 for each lunch. If
you wish to prepay a card, please send a cheque or cash to Mrs.
Hollanti in the office and a card will be made up. We will set up
cards for a minimum of 5 prepaid lunches (i.e. $15 minimum). Please
note that your child cannot use these cards to buy lunch for a friend
(unless we have a written note from you); cards are kept in the office
(not given to the child); and if all prepaid lunches are not used
during the school year, money will be refunded.
Here is our menu for this year:
Monday - Pasta
with meatballs, fresh baby carrots and milk
Tuesday
- Chicken strips, Caesar salad and
milk
Wednesday - BBQ
ribs on a hoagie, Caesar salad and milk
Thursday
- Chicken strips, Caesar salad and milk
Friday
-
Chicken Souvlaki, rice, sliced cucumber and milk
If you have any questions about the program please call Mr. Lilly or
Mrs. Hollanti at the school.
Help the
Homeless
Our Help The Homeless program is getting national attention as Tara
Nelson and Global News will be at the school during the week of
Remembrance Day to do a story on it. Please go through your closets,
find all of the good quality, used clothing you have and will no longer
use, and deliver it to the school. We want to have a large pile of
clothes as a visual for the news story that Global News will be doing.
World Teacher's
Day
Wednesday, October 4th is designated World Teacher's Day. We are
thankful for the efforts and support our teachers provide our next
generation of productive citizens and leaders. With so many
teachers poised to retire in the next few years we also want to
encourage our present students to consider teaching as a profession.
Terry Fox Run
To date we have raised close to $500 for the Terry Fox
Foundation. Tomorrow, Friday, September 29th the entire school
will assemble in the gym after lunch for a rally and then participate
in a 4.5. km, run/walk in support of the Terry Fox Foundation. If your
child/family has not yet made a donation please consider making one
tomorrow, the day of the run. Our school goal is to raise $1000
for this worthy cause.
PAC Meeting
At the first PAC meeting of the year we were fortunate to round out our
Executive for the upcoming year. New PAC
president is Mrs. Lee Ann Hamel. She will be ably supported by
Treasurer - Carol Logan, DPAC rep - Mrs. Paula Kask, Key
Communicator rep - Mrs. Marcelle Williams, Quebec Trip 2008 coordinator
- Mrs. Dianne Brusse, fundraising coordinator - Mrs. Cindy
Williams, French Advisory Council rep - Mrs. Susan Asaph and Canadian
Parents for French rep - Mrs. Donna Maud. However, there is still
the need to add one more parent to the School Planning Council.
Presently, Mrs. Joanne Craven and Mrs. Janet Weston are parent
reps on the Council. Please contact either Mrs. Hamel
or Principal Barry Dudzik and leave a message at the school if you are
interested in providing support for this Ministry of Education mandated
organization. PAC fundraising coordinator Mrs. Williams indicates
that there will only be one fundraiser this year. It will be
the QSP Christmas items sale. Last Monday, Mrs. Williams
was assisted by parents Mrs. Susan Gibson and Mrs. Joan Brake as they
put together 600 information packages and order forms that will go home
with students next Tuesday, October 3rd. The PAC will be adding
some additional incentive prizes to the Q.S.P. incentive sales
program. Orders must be completed and returned to school 10
days after they go home in order to ensure that purchased items are
sent to the school well before the Christmas break. Please consider
supporting this one and the only PAC fundraiser of this
year. The next PAC meeting will be October 16th at 7:00 pm.
Discussion will take place around supporting school initiatives with
PAC funds.
Virtual School
The Abbotsford Virtual School will provide education to any adults who
would like to
complete grade 10 to grade 12 at NO COST! There are two options
available to adult
students:
1) REGULAR DOGWOOD CERTIFICATE
This requires the completion of all courses that would apply to any
high school student.
These courses can be completed online at no cost but, depending on the
courses required,
may take several years.
2) ADULT DOGWOOD CERTIFICATE
The Adult Dogwood (Grade 12 equivalency) requires the completion of
only 20 credits and involves the completion of only three courses:
Math 11 (or Accounting)
English 12 (or Writing or Communication)
Three other Grade 12 courses OR Social Studies 11
plus two Grade 12 courses
A tutor is also available several afternoons a week from 1:00 pm. -
3:00 pm to assist parents.
If you are interested, please call Don Martyn or Brad Hutchinson at
Abbotsford Virtual School @ 604-859-9803.
Noon Hour
Supervisors Required
We are in need of several parents who are willing to help out with our
noon hour supervision. Extra help is especially needed for
Monday and Wednesday. Our lunch period runs from 11:45 am to
12:45 pm. We have openings for full-time supervisors, part-time,
and for on-call supervisors. This is a wonderful opportunity for
parents to get to know both our school and our students better. Please
contact our Vice Principal, Mrs. Kathy Fladager, if you are interested
at 604-852-9616.
Carpool
Carpool needed for afterschool only for 2 children.
Broadway/Peardonville area. Will assist with travel costs.
Please contact Wanda @ 604-859-0362.
Volleyball
Grade 8 boys volleyball team is off to a great start, winning their
first game versus
Abby Middle in three games straight. Coaches Mlle. Janzen
and Mlle. Longpré are looking forward to a successful season.
Traffic and
Safety
We are pleased to see that traffic activity before and after school has
been running smoothly. We continue to seek your assistance in
maintaining your vigilance of foot and road traffic as you approach and
leave the school. The traffic on Gladwin Road has continued to
increase each year and we continue to be challenged in maintaining an
orderly traffic flow and a safe environment for the students as they
travel to and from school. Your support and understanding is
appreciated.
Just a reminder if your child is absent or late, please call the school
and advise the office staff at 604-852-9616. You may also fax us at
604-850-7653 or email Joanne_McMillan@sd34.bc.ca or
Donna_Hollanti@sd34.bc.ca
Important Dates
to Note
Oct 16 - PAC Meeting - 7:00 pm - Library
Oct 20 - Non-Instructional Day (NO SCHOOL)
Oct 27 - Photo Retakes - 1:00 pm
Oct 27 - Interims Issued
No School
Non Instructional Day, Friday, October 20. On Friday, October 20th
staff will be engaged in a variety of professional training
activities. No classes will be held on that day.
Band
Band uniform shirt orders and money are due by Tuesday, October 17th.
Grade 7 Boys
Volleyball
The boys began the season with a 6 games to 2 victory over Fraser
Middle. The team was led by the terrific serving of Clayton
Loiselle, the power spiking of Mitchell Flann and the defensive prowess
of Alex Benedict. Next up for the boys is a game vs Clayburn
Middle.
Extracurricular
News
All of our school teams are performing exceedingly well this first
season of play. We have ten boys playing on the Abbotsford Middle
football team. In their most recent outing the squad defeated
Howe Middle (20-8), with Howe being one of the top programs in the
province. The players from Chief Dan George are all making a
strong contribution to the team with outstanding performances coming
from Jon Watson, Luke Friesen, Jordan Mayes and the three Mikes (i.e.
Browdoski, Bridge and Kurath). Our Grade 8 boys and girls
volleyball teams are very competitive and all signs are that they will
be tough to beat in playoff competition at the end of the month.
Ravneek Randhawa, Nicolette Seimens and Jaslyen Singh continue strong
attacking play for the girls while Matthew Teichmann, Lukas Thiessen
and Kurtis Beaumont show strong defensive play for the
boys. Our Grade 7 boys and girls volleyball teams
both sport winning records. Our cross country team, of 100 strong
students, won the Grade 7 boys and girls divisions and the Grade 8
girls division in the Grand Prix race circuit. Our grade 8 boys team
finished second. Top 15 performances were delivered by Grade 6
girls, Emily Enns and Tasha Ellis; Grade 6 boys, Tyler
Wakita; Grade 7 girls, Chantel Desch, Francesca Jackman and Emilia
Amiama; Grade 7 boys, Brady Lawlor and Zorawa Randhawa;
Grade 8 girls, Victoria Thomas, Jaslyen Singh and Michelle Earl and
Grade 8 boys, Colton O’Neill, Nick Denis and Robert Stanley. Our
swim team continues to work hard in preparing for their meet next
week.
School Goal
Information
Last week our School Planning Council presented our school goal package
to Superintendent Dr. Des McKay. Present were the school's two
administrators and parent representatives Mrs. Joanne Craven and Mrs.
Janet Weston. Our focus remains literacy with specific emphasis
on reading comprehension in the language of instruction. Next
week all students will participate in an English reading comprehension
assessment using a computer software packaged called
S.T.A.R. In addition, all students will complete an
attitudinal survey related to reading. This data, along with F.S.A.
results and other reading comprehension assessments, will be used to
guide our practice through the coming months.
Wolf Racing News
Our drag race team won the Provincial title in the BCSSMA (British
Columbia Secondary School Motorsport Association) Junior Dragster
Division for the 2006 race season. We are undefeated in the two full
seasons we have been to Mission Raceway Park. For more info and
updates, please visit cdgms.com/wolf_racing.htm. The2007 race
season begins in April and we will be recruiting new members in early
to mid March. Because of our success, there is talk that Mouat
Secondary might run a junior dragster program so students from
our school can continue with racing until they are old enough (grade
12) to drive full size cars at the track. For those people who showed
interest in sponsoring our junior dragster program for next year,
please contact either Mrs. Hollanti or Mr. Lilly. We would like to put
together a plan for next year. Decals and advertising opportunities
need to be in place before we start to put the dragsters back together
again in the next few weeks.
Again, congratulations to the team for a superb and prosperous season
of racing.
RETAKE PICTURE
DAY - OCTOBER 27 @1:00 PM
Bring those smiles!!! The following are the criteria for students who
are wishing to be photographed:
1. Students who were absent during the first
photo day;
2. If on a prepay program, students who would
now like to purchase a photo package;
3. Students who had a photo taken on the first
photo day but did not receive a photo package or proof;
4. Students whose photographs are unsatisfactory due
to closed eyes, poor expression, off centre or
technical problems. WE CANNOT BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR DISSATISFACTION WITH PHOTOGRAPHS DUE TO CLOTHING SELECTION, CHANGES
IN HAIR STYLE OR BACKGROUND CHOICE.
BEFORE AN INDIVIDUAL RECEIVES A RETAKE THEY MUST RETURN THE ORIGINAL
PHOTO PACKAGE OR PROOF TO THE PHOTOGRAPHER
French
Immersion 8 Québec Trip
Once again, our French Immersion 8 students will be travelling to
Québec City and Montréal for a week's worth of cultural
activities and experiences with their language skills in a true
French-speaking environment. We are really excited about this year's
trip and already have over 50 students that have put their deposit down
to go. Just a reminder to parents that the $150 deposit has to be
received by October 25th to reserve your child's place on the trip.
We have changed the dates of the trip to allow ourselves another full
day in Montréal and will now be returning on Saturday, May 19th,
instead of Friday, May 18th. We will still be leaving on Saturday, May
12th and are excited to announce that we will be departing from and
returning to the Abbotsford airport, rather than Vancouver. An
information package was sent home with students and given out at
Tuesday evening's parent meeting, but more copies are available at the
school. This package outlines the goals of the trip and also has a
sample itinerary of what your children will experience during the trip.
Please contact your son's/daughter's homeroom teacher if you have any
questions regarding the information in the package or the trip. For
up-to-date information regarding the trip, you can also go online to:
http:abbynet.sd34.bc.ca/~tanner_cervo/quebec
September's
Kiwanis Grade 8 Student of the Month
We are pleased to retain the support of the Abbotsford Kiwanis Club in
sponsoring our Grade 8 Student of the Month program. September's
recipient is Michelle Earl. Michelle is an outstanding academic student
and an elite athlete. Thus far this year she has represented the
school in cross country running and volleyball. Michelle has also taken
on the additional challenge of editor of the school yearbook.
Michelle will be honored for her contributions at an evening dinner
meeting of the local Kiwanis chapter.
Band Fundraising
Neufeld Farm Fundraiser is back. Enjoy appetizers, meat products,
pies, cookies and more. All band students are
participating. Orders are due by Friday, October 27th!
Help the
Homeless
Global TV will be here, Nov. 9th and 10th to do a national
story on our program. If students could bring in good quality used
clothing and 1 can of food from each household that would be great.
School
Musical
Disney's Aladdin Jr. is our musical for this year.
Performances will be held at the Abbey Arts Centre on April 4th
and 5th. Aladdin audition material is available from Miss Norton
and auditions will be held from 2:30 - 4:00 pm in the
music room from October 23rd-27th. Sign up for
auditions will be Monday, October 16th at 12:15 pm and 2:30 pm in the
library. Any questions, contact Miss Norton or Mr. Lilly.
PAC Meeting
Monday, October 16th is the next PAC
meeting @ 7:00 pm in the library. We will
be making decisions on where we will be
spending the monies for the year. The one and only
P.A.C. fundraiser will wrap up early next week. Please consider
supporting the Q.S.P. Christmas items sale and magazine subscription
sale. We are also still looking for one more parent who may be
interested in being our PAC secretary. It is a great position for
someone who would like to be involved with their child's school that
isn't able during the day. All you need to do is take the minutes
of the meetings that happen on the third Monday of every month at 7:00
pm. If you are interested please leave a message at the office for
Lee-Ann Hamel.
Bottle Drive
A big THANK YOU to all the
wonderful students and parents
who supported Division
22's September bottle drive. The top divisions for their
grades were Div. 12,13 & 20. The overall winner was Ms.
Longpré's Division 4. We collected over 10,000 containers. This
puts us in number 2 in the province for recyling. Look for our next
bottle drive in November.
Congratulations!
In the previous newsletter we announced the birth of teacher, Tracy
Finch's baby. This time we offer congratulations and best wishes
to teaching assistant, Mrs. Michelle Kask. The Kask family have
added a bouncing baby boy to their roster. He was born on
September 29th at 6:01 pm, weighed in at 7.7 lbs and was given the name
Jordan Lindell.
Just a reminder if your child is absent or late, please call the school
and advise the office staff at 604-852-9616. You may also fax us at
604-850-7653 or email Joanne_McMillan@sd34.bc.ca or
Donna_Hollanti@sd34.bc.ca
Important Dates
to Note
Oct 27 Photo Retakes - 1:00 pm
Oct 27 Interims Issued
Nov 1 Key Communicators Mtg - 9:30 am @ School
Board Office
Nov 10 Non-Instructional Day (NO SCHOOL)
Nov 13 Remembrance Day (NO SCHOOL)
Nov 28 Report Cards Sent Home
RETAKE PICTURE
DAY - OCTOBER 27 @1:00 PM.
Bring those smiles!!!
Wolf Racing News
The students and teachers of Wolf Racing would like to proudly announce
our latest sponsor, New World Technologies, makers of the RAD Torque
System. Owner and President, Dan Provost, is himself an NHRA drag
racer. His full size dragster, which runs in the Top Comp category, is
an amazing piece of machinery. At our last track event, we had the
opportunity to sit in the RAD dragster. A 1150+ HP monster that dials
in at 7.3 seconds in the quarter mile. Unbelievable is all one can say.
Mr. Provost has agreed to have his race team/pit crew look after our
cars and get them in top working condition for next season. Because of
his personal involvement in the racing scene, Mr. Provost is fully
aware of the challenges involved and we are truly fortunate to find
such a perfect sponsor to form a partnership with. Not only that, Mr.
Provost is a local resident and has a child enrolled in our school. As
with all of our sponsors, we encourage you to support them. Their
website can be found at: http://www.radtorque.com/index.html
At present, the students from our own race team are working on taking
the dragsters apart so that we can have the RAD Torque Systems Race
Team work on them over the winter. Competition for next year will
definitely get tougher and with the added support from our new sponsor,
we have full confidence in remaining undefeated in the secondary school
junior dragster division.
Interim Reports
On Friday, October 27th students will receive an interim report for the
first reporting period. The first full formal report will be issued on
Tuesday, November 28th. The following two days are designated Early
Dismissal Days with students being dismissed one hour early (i.e. 1:22
pm) to allow for parent/teacher interviews. There will also be an
evening opportunity available for parents to meet with their child's
teacher on November 30th. The following day, December 1st, is
designated as a non-instructional day and staff will be working with
the School Planning Council around our reading comprehension school
goal.
Remembrance Day
Assembly
We will be holding our annual Remembrance Day Assembly in our
gymnasium on the morning of Thursday, November 9th. A committee of
teachers has put a program together that involves our students honoring
our armed forces, past and present. Once again local members of
the Royal Canadian Legion will be on hand with their color party to
assist us with our program.
Changes to
School Calendar
To balance the school year for high school students, the School
Trustees put together a calendar that inserted most of the
non-instructional days in the first half of the school year. This
allowed us to maintain the two week Spring Break that has been part of
the calendar for a few years. However, one change has been made
and the January 19th date has been moved to April 20 ,
2007. This is to facilitate goal setting at the
elementary schools and participation in the annual Middle Years
conference at the middle school level. Please make that change on
your yearly calendar.
Noon Hour
Supervisors
We are in need of a person to work both our Wednesday and Thursday noon
hour supervision shifts (from 11:45 am to 12:40 pm) beginning in
November and continuing throughout the school year. This is a
paid position ($12/hour) and it's an excellent opportunity to spend
time with our wonderful Chief Dan George student body. Please
contact Ms. Kathy Fladager if you are interested.
Grade 6 Writing
Results
All of the Grade 6 students in Abbotsford participated in a writing
assessment last May. Individual and collective results have been
received at the school and passed on to the teachers of the children
involved. From a school point of the view the results are
impressive.
Here is a brief summary:
Early French 6 students writing the French version of the Grade 6
write. We had 66 students participate in this assessment. Since
we are the only provider of Early French 6 our students were the only
students in the District that wrote this assessment.
All but one of the 66 students that wrote were deemed to have at
least minimally meet the standard. This works out to 98.5 % of
the students. In the two previous years the "success rate" was 91%.
Within the 98.5 % range, 16 students minimally met (i.e. 24%),.
39 students fully met (i.e. 59%) and 10 students exceeded (i.e. 15%).
English track Grade 6 students and Early French 6 students who wrote
the English Grade 6 write. 148 students from our school wrote and
a total of 1,366 Grade 6 students in the district wrote.
Of the 148 students who wrote 98% either minimally met, fully met
or exceeded the standard. The district average was 93%.
Within the 98 % range we had 35 % minimally meet (District
average was 40%), 60 % fully meet (District average was 48%) and 4%
exceed (the District average was 6%)
Of the 65 Early French students that wrote the English Grade 6
write 79% fully met and 8% exceeded. All the rest minimally met.
Our ESL, Aboriginal and SPED students all either minimally met or
fully met.
As you can see the results overall are very good. Our Grade 6
English track and Early French teachers did a wonderful job of
preparing their students.
Games/Puzzles
for Rainy Days
If you have any games in good to great shape or puzzles (with ALL of
the pieces intact) and you would like to donate them to our school, we
can really use these items. The games/puzzles should be
age-appropriate (something Grades 6, 7 and 8 would like to play). Our
plan is to have these out for student use in the multipurpose room
during rainy, inside days. Please send the donated item with your
child to give to Mrs. Fladager.
Help the
Homeless
Help the homeless initiative makes one last big push. The Student
Leadership Team under the direction of teacher, Mr. Ray Goerke is
making one last big push to collect used clothing items and canned food
for our Help the Homeless program. On Thursday, November 9th and
Friday, November 10th, student representatives will be packing and
delivering collected items to the Downtown East side of Vancouver. The
local Salvation Army has agreed to provide a truck to transport all of
the goods collected. Global TV has asked to be at the
school on those days to interview students with regards to the
initiative. If you have not yet made a donation we would ask that
you consider doing so in the next week or so.
Origami Club
News
The Origami club meets on Mondays at lunch in Mrs. Mitchell’s room.
Students can bring their lunch and relax with other students in a calm
and quiet atmosphere. This year, Origami club president, Jacquie
T., welcomes her new assistant, Raeanne M. Together they will
look after the books and supplies. All students are welcome to drop by
and try their hand at origami, the ancient Japanese art of paper
folding.
Being Prepared
for the Weather
Oh, the weather outside is frightful,
And warmer clothing would be delightful!
We would appreciate it if all parents/guardians could please remind
their children to dress warmly for the cooler weather that we are
beginning to experience. Students do need to take an outside
break during the day and enjoy the fresh air - they will then be able
to concentrate even more so on their school work for the rest of the
day. Please remind them to bring a jacket with a hood to school
each day.
ICT Club News
Mr. Sakai is looking for students to join the ICT Club. There will be
an informational meeting on Wednesday, November 1st at lunch (after
eating period). The job of the ICT Club members is to monitor the ICT
Lab during lunch hours and to help individuals who are struggling with
their ICT projects. Members will also be relied upon to help teachers
set up TV’s, VCR’s, etc. This year, because of the musical, some ICT
Club members will be asked to be part of the technical crew (lighting
and sound). Applicants must have experience with computers and have
interest in consumer electronics. Open to all grade levels.
Band Fundraiser
The Neufeld Farms Fundraiser order forms for band students are due
tomorrow, Friday, October 27th. The pick-up date will be Tuesday,
November 7th after school. All students who sold items MUST pick
up their orders that day. Please make alternate arrangements for
those who cannot make it.
Talent Show
There will be a quick meeting at lunch on November 6th regarding this
year’s 2006/2007 Talent Show. If you have a talent, singing,
dancing, juggling, skits etc....please come out to the the first
meeting in Room #119 at 12:04...after the eating period on Monday,
November 6th. This will be an informational meeting only.
The auditions will take place in the week of December 11-15th.
The Talent Show will be on January 19, 2007. If you have any
questions please drop by Room #119.
Lost and Found
Items
Our Lost and Found bin (located in our multipurpose room) is very
full. Last week, we displayed all of our Lost & Found items
and each teacher walked their class through to look at the displayed
items. There are still many unclaimed belongings! We will
be displaying these materials once again next week (the week of October
30th) for the students to look at, and then we will be bagging up any
unclaimed items and donating them to a charity. Please remind
your child to check the Lost & Found bin for any missing items.
Halloween
Safety and firecrackers/fireworks
With Halloween quickly approaching we wish to remind families of the
need to be extra vigilant around safety at this time of year.
Although the sale of firecrackers and fireworks are illegal in
Abbotsford they can be purchased in other jurisdictions and brought
into the community. Students are not to bring
firecrackers or fireworks to the school either during the day or after
hours. Further, we would ask that families
take time to reinforce expectations around safety if children will be
participating in "trick or treating" on the evening of October 31st.
Just a reminder if your child is absent or late, please call the school
and advise the office staff at 604-852-9616. You may also fax us at
604-850-7653 or email Joanne_McMillan@sd34.bc.ca or
Donna_Hollanti@sd34.bc.ca
Nov 10 Non-Instructional Day (NO SCHOOL)
Nov 13 Remembrance Day (NO SCHOOL)
Nov 25 Referendum Vote in Gym
Nov 27 Book Fair Starts
Nov 28 Report Cards Sent Home
Nov 29-30 Early Dismissal Days - 1:25 pm
Dec 1 Non-Instructional Day
(NO SCHOOL)
Non-instructional
Day #3 - November 10th
Most of the schools in the Abbotsford School District, including ours
will hold a Non-Instructional day on Friday, November 10th. No classes
will be held on that day. Most of our staff will be at the school
receiving training from District Technology teacher Mr. Gary Toews.
"Wolves
Athletics News"
We have had an incredible volleyball season this year. An amazing
144 students have participated in extracurricular volleyball. The
Gr. 8 Boys and Girls Playoffs are scheduled for next week at Clayburn
and MEI. The Gr. 8 Girls are positioned well for a good run at
the championship. Led by Ravneek R, Michelle E, Nicolette S and
Jaslyen S, the girls will give any team some tough sets. Good
Luck!! The Gr. 8 Boys have been coming on lately. Strong
play by Teo Song, Kurtis B, Matt T and Luke T will help to make our
boys hard to beat.
Gr. 7 Boys and Girls teams will play in Middle School Championship
Tournaments here at CDGMS and at Clayburn over the next few
weeks. The Boys are led by Mitchell F, James R, Kami G and Matt
K. They have been very steady in league play and look forward to
a good set of finals. The Girls are led by Emilia A, Ashley S,
Chantel D and Sabrina B. They dominated at Clayburn last week and
hope to carry that momentum into the finals.
The Gr. 6 Girls and Boys finished their tournament schedule this week
with some great results. Carly P, Kelsey H, Marissa W and Kris D
led the Girls with some outstanding serving and defence while Steven S,
Josh A, Steven B and Noman M showed the way for the Boys with some
amazing service returns.
Wolves Basketball will start next week with Gr. 8 Boys and Girls team
tryouts. League play usually starts the last week of
November. Gr. 6 and 7 basketball teams will start training in
December for league and tournament play starting in January. Stay
tuned for start times.
Our School
Goal: Improving Students' Reading Comprehension
We are working hard this year on helping all of our students to improve
in the area of reading comprehension. Having the ability to understand
what we have read truly helps all of us to succeed in today's
world. Our staff are working together to accomplish several tasks
related to this goal:
1) We are assessing our students' reading levels/abilities. All
of our students are in the process of completing the STAR assessment on
our school's computers, and our Grade 6 English and Early French
divisions have recently completed a comprehension assessment based upon
our Ministry's Performance Standards for Reading. Our classroom
teachers use various comprehension activities/assessments within their
rooms. These assessments are meant to help us make
decisions as to what our students require in terms of reading
instruction.
2) All of our students are in the process of completing an on-line
Reading Attitudinal Survey. We hope to find out how our students
feel about reading, and to pull some ideas from this survey as to how
to help even more of our students to find reading both enjoyable and
fulfilling.
3) We are planning to hold some whole school literacy events to further
engage our young readers, and our staff are, as always, working with
their particular team to help all of our students achieve success this
year.
School Planning
Council
Members of the School Planning Council met last week to study data that
we have recently received around student performance, particularly in
our goal area related to reading comprehension. The school has
set various benchmarks this year around student performance in
provincial, district and school based assessments. Below is information
regarding the collective performance of our present Grade 8 students
(i.e. last year's Grade 7 students) in the annual May Foundation Skills
Assessments in areas of reading comprehension, writing and numeracy.
Collective May 2006 F.S.A. results for Grade 7 (this year's Grade 8
students)
Percentage of CDG students meeting or exceeding
District Average (%)
Provincial (%)
Reading Comprehension
75
75
72
Writing
86
91
87
Numeracy
87
88
83
Global TV
visits - Story will be aired at the end of November
Among the areas that our school supports from a charitable perspective
is with the homeless. Teacher Mr. Ray Goerke, students from his
homeroom class, and Student Leadership students run a clothing, blanket
and food drive over a period of many months each year. This year
our school community has donated in large amounts since the beginning
of the school year. Mr. Georke has sponsored a Help the Homeless
program at the schools that he has worked at for over a decade.
The good work of his students has gained media attention over the
years. Last year The Province newspaper published a significant article
just prior to the Christmas break. This year Global TV requested an
opportunity to run a story. Last Friday, two members of the
Global staff filmed students "in action" collecting items as well as
sorting and bagging them up for distribution. On Friday, November
10th a representative group of students will be filmed
distributing food and thousands of kilograms of clothes and
blankets in the Downtown East Side of Vancouver. We have been
informed that the story will air nationally at the end of November on
Global TV and will be hosted by recent Gemini Award winning host, Mr.
Kevin Newman.
First formal
report issued on November 28th
We will issue our first formal report to students on Tuesday, November
28th. Parents will then have an opportunity to meet with their
child's teachers over the following two days. Wednesday, November
29th and Thursday, November 30th are designated Early Dismissal Days
with students being dismissed one hour earlier than normal (i.e. 1:25
pm ). Teachers will be available for interviews in the afternoon
of November 29th and available in the afternoon and evening on November
30th. More information will follow next week.
French 8 Trip
to Québec
The plans for the trip are moving ahead at a wonderful pace and Mme
Bonneau has spent countless hours making adjustments and bookings to
ensure that this year's trip is the best to date. We have 87 students
that have reserved their place on the trip, the most that we've ever
had, and will be meeting with them shortly to begin preparing them for
the experience. Thus far, the flights and tours have been booked and an
itinerary will be provided in the near future. We appreciate all of the
work that has been done to this point and all of the support from our
students and their parents.
Remembrance Day
Ceremony
A team of teachers including Ms. M. Norton, Mr. T. Cervo, Mr. R. Goerke
and Mr. M. Richards worked with staff to organize a very powerful and
moving Remembrance Day assembly on the morning of Thursday, November
9th. The school hosted close to twenty seniors in the community
as well as School Board Trustee, Mr. George Peary. Our Grade 8 band and
school choir participated as well as students from the homeroom classes
of M Cervo, Mlle Janzen and Mr. B. Glum. Mr. Lilly’s Wolf
Catering Club provided lunch for our guests.
Performance Here
Art Starts first presentation will take place at our school on November
27th. Our school provides students with an opportunity to view
three high quality fine arts presentations each year. The first
of these will take place on the afternoon of Monday, November 27th.
“Move--The Company” will display their many talents to our students and
staff on that afternoon.
Grade 6 School Immunizations
The Meningococcal and the 1st dose of Hepatitis B vaccines for the
Grade 6 students are now complete. For any student who
missed us at the
school, we urge them to telephone the Health Unit @ 864-3400 to book an
appointment at our immunization clinics. It is imperative that she/he
gets these vaccines before the end of November as we will be
doing the second dose of hepatitis B in April.
Plan A referendum November 25th
CDG gym will be a polling station for the upcoming referendum regarding
the building of new public facilities in our community. Our
school gym will be used as a polling station on November 25th. Please
exercise your democratic right and cast your vote.
Nov 25 Referendum Vote in Gym-8:00 am-8:00pm
Nov 28 Book Fair Starts
Nov 28 Report Cards Sent Home
Nov 29 Early Dismissal Day - 1:25 pm
Nov 30 Early Dismissal Day - 1:25 pm
Dec 1 Non-Instructional Day
(NO SCHOOL)
Dec 19 Band Concert @ Central Heights Church @ 7:00
pm
Dec 25 Jan 5 - Xmas Break
A reminder that Friday, December 1st in a non-instructional day in
Abbotsford public schools. Our staff will be working with our School
Planning Council on our school goal and other topics related to student
achievement.
Wolves Athletic
News
What a great fall season we have had. Our X-Country Team won a
record two first place age category ribbons for grade 7 and two second
place for grade 8. Our football players who play with the Abby
Middle Program won the Abby Cup and our swim team entered a strong team
in local meets. Our volleyball teams worked with a record 144
students on four age group teams. The grade 7 teams both won the
districts while the grade 8 teams made it to the second round of the
playoffs before bowing out. Our grade 6 volleyball teams played
in Monday tournaments where all had a great time. Way to go
Wolves!!!
Wolf Racing
Wolf Racing would like to welcome our newest sponsor, Rapid Tire
Repair. They have generously donated funds for us to purchase much
needed tires and wheels. The rear wheels of our first dragster were
worn down to just above the steel belts and needed replacing
immediately. We will also be upgrading the front tires to much lighter
ones that all our competitors already use. The students were very
excited that they were given the opportunity to pick their favorite
wheel design. Thanks also goes out to Mrs. Webber who arranged our new
partnership with Rapid Tire Repair.
Rapid Tire Repair is based out of Surrey and specializes in mobile tire
repair on industrial vehicles. Rapid Tire Repair can be reached at
604-302-6278.
As with all of our sponsors, we encourage everybody to support the
businesses that support us. Again, welcome Rapid Tire Repair - a proud
partner of a winning team.
Term One Report
Card Issue
A reminder that students will receive their first term report card on
Tuesday, November 28th. Opportunities for parents and guardians
to meet with teachers will take place in the following days.
Early
Dismissal/Parent Teacher interviews
A reminder that next Wednesday November 29th and Thursday, November
30th are designated Early Dismissal Days in the Abbotsford School
District. Students will be dismissed one hour earlier on those
days. Drop in parent teacher interviews are available from 1:30
until 2:30 pm on Wednesday, November 29th and scheduled interviews are
available on Thursday, November 30th from 2:00 until 4:30 pm and
then again from 5:30 until 8:00 pm. Forms were sent home at the
beginning of the week with all students around booking a scheduled time
on Thursday, November 30th.
Grade 6 English Mask Project (Divisions 1, 2, and 3). Masks were made
out of Gypsona, the same material used to make casts on arms and legs,
and were moulded to fit the students' face. We used petroleum jelly to
ensure eyelashes, brows, and facial hairs would not adhere to the
plaster.
October Student
of the Month - Sunny D.
Sunny is a GREAT student who is not only very dedicated academically,
but he has such an inspiring soul. Our English 8 team has
some students with learning challenges. Sunny is always seen including
and assisting these students and making sure that they are being "taken
care of". He is a great aid to his teachers and peers alike."
School Dance on
Friday Afternoon - December 22nd
Our school has provided opportunities each year for students to
experience a school dance during scheduled classes. Our Student
Leadership Team and sponsor teachers will be hosting interested
students on the afternoon of Friday, December 22nd. We will
have a program in the gym before lunch that brings the entire school
together to enjoy some activities related to the Christmas
season. After lunch, students will be provided an
opportunity to experience a dance in our school gym from 1:00 until
2:20 pm. We will be requesting a Food Bank donation or a modest
monetary donation for the Food Bank as an entrance to the dance.
However, students who do not donate and wish to attend will still be
granted access. Those that do not wish to participate in the
dance will have other options in the school that will include our
computer labs, library and classrooms where activities will be provided
and supervised by members of our staff.
Christmas Band
Concert
Our band and choir students will present their first major
evening concert of the year on Tuesday evening, December 19th at
Central Heights Church in Abbotsford. The program will begin at 7:00
pm. Our school has over 300 students in a band program which is
served by a specialist and scheduled during the school day. From
these points of view alone we have one of the more impressive
band programs in the province. We would ask that all families of
children in the band program clear their calendar and attend the
event. We promise you an evening of entertainment, joy and
fellowship. All of our students are excited about presenting to a
large audience, particularly our Grade 6 students, who have made
incredible strides in recent weeks.
Help the
Homeless
The story on the Help The Homeless program run at Chief Dan George
Middle School is scheduled to be featured on Global
National News on Friday December 8th in the Everyday Heros segment
(near the end of the news).
Thank you to
our PAC
Mr. Lilly and our students would like to thank the PAC for purchasing a
commercial convection oven for the Den Hot Lunch Program. We would also
like to thank the PAC for their decision to provide our sewing program
with 8 more sewing machines to complete a class set - every student
will soon have their own machine during class! Also a big thank
you for supplying funds to purchase library books.
School Fees
A School District task force will be making a presentation to the
School Board in early December regarding school fees. Since the Supreme
Court ruling in late September all districts have been examining their
practices and confirming fees that schools are eligible to
collect. We are looking to provide you with a specific list and
clarification around this issue before the Christmas Break.
Poinsettia
Orders
The Poinsettia fundraiser for band students ended this week and
the pick-up date for the flowers is Tuesday, November 28th from 2:30 to
5:00 pm in the Multi-Purpose room. Please mark your calendar!
Book Fair
In our Library, November 28, 29, 30th. The Fair will open during
Parent/Teacher interviews on Wednesday (after school) and Thursday
(after school and evening). Anyone interested in volunteering,
please contact Mr. Lilly.
Plan A
Referendum
Referendum votes traditionally have only 15% voter turnout.
Please exercise your democratic right and vote between 8:00 a.m. and
8:00 p.m. at one of the polling sites available in Abbotsford on
Saturday, November 25th. Our school's gym will be used as a polling
site on that day.
Bottles - Cans
- Drink Containers
We want them all! Division 22 December bottle drive runs from Dec 4 -
8th. START SAVING THEM UP! Your support changes lives.
Gang
Information Forum
Abbotsford Police Department “Protecting with Pride” Gang Information
Forum. The forum helps to raise awareness of gang activity in our
region and provide strategies for preventing youth involvement in gangs.
WHEN: Tuesday, November 28, 2006
WHERE: Abbey Arts Centre, 2329 Crescent Way
TIME: 7:00 - 9:30 pm
Everyone is welcome. For more information contact Cst. Rob Joiner
@ 604-864-4825
PAC Information
The November PAC meeting was held on Monday evening, November
20th. Various reports were filed and monetary support provided to
enhance various programs at the school. The next meeting is scheduled
for the middle of January.
Upcoming Dates
to Note
Dec 19 Band Concert @ Central
Heights Church - 7:00 pm
Dec 25 Jan 5 - Xmas Break
Jan 15 CPF
Chapter Meeting - 7:30 pm @ Sandy Hill
Jan 22-Mar 12 French for Parents Workshop-(Beginners
1)@Sandy Hill
Jan 23-Mar 13 French for Parents Workshop-(Beginners
2)@Centennial
Wolves Athletic
News
Basketball has begun at CDG. Grade 8 teams begin league play this
week with games at Abby Middle on Thursdays. Grade 8 Boys are
coached by Mr. Klim and Ms. Janzen while the Grade 8 Girls are led by
Ms. Schafer and Mr. Cervo. Mr. Dugdale and Mr. McTaggart are
coaching the Grade 7 Boys and Girls teams in league play that starts in
January. Grade 6 Boys and Girls teams are coached by Mr. Godden,
Mr. Glum and Ms. Frank. Game days are scheduled for Mondays
and/or Fridays in January and February. We will have about 130
kids playing extracurricular basketball this year. Game schedules
are posted on the Athletics Board in the Multipurpose Room.
Practice schedules are subject to change each week as gym availability
is managed.
Several of our football players who joined the Abby Middle Football
program were recognized with awards this week. They helped Abby Middle
to a very successful 6 - 2 season. Co-coach Goerke
presented the following awards:
Best Defensive Back:
Luke F.
Best Linebacker:
Mike B.
Best Receiver:
Marc G.
Best Offensive Lineman:
Mike W.
Best Offensive Back:
Jordan M.
2 Year Husky Award:
Walker B.
MVP:
Jon W.
Students
waiting for rides after school
For whatever reasons we are seeing an increase in the number of
students waiting to be picked up at the end of the day well after
classes have been dismissed. In some cases, students who are not
involved in an afterschool activity are waiting for an hour or
more. Although we understand that circumstances arise and this
can occur upon occasion we would ask that families make every effort to
ensure that their child is picked up within a reasonable time frame at
the end of the school day. The school is only able to provide formal
supervision up to 2:45 pm each day.
Grade 7 volcano projects
Congratulations
Kylee!
Grade 6 student Kylee H. submitted artwork to the School District
Aboriginal Center who was conducting a contest to select items for an
Early Literacy Calendar that they are creating for
aboriginal students entering grade one. This will be a parent and
child activity calendar filled with resources for families.
Artwork was submitted from students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Ten
judges assisted in the selection process and Kylee's work was singled
out for publication. Kylee received a gift certificate to Coles
Books and a letter of congratulations.
Guess the
Number of Bandaids Used
Can you guess the number of bandaids that students have used since
September 5th until Dec 15th. If you guess an amount closest to
the ACTUAL amount used, you will win
FREE lunch at the DEN for a week. Homeroom
teachers will hand out one
(1) entry form per student during the week of November
18th. Drop the entry form off to the office by afterschool on
December 20th. The winner will be notified on
Friday, December 22nd.
Help the
Homeless on Global TV-Friday, December 8th
In our previous newsletter we mentioned the good work of students at
this school with regards to our Help the Homeless program. We
also mentioned that Global TV was doing a story about the school
communities support of this charitable undertaking. Initially, we
were informed that the story would air at 5:45 pm on Friday, December
1st. An adjustment was made and viewers nationally will be able
to see the story on Friday, December 8th at 5:45 pm.
Kiwanis Student
of the Month for November
We are pleased to announce that our Kiwanis Grade 8 Student of the
Month is Matthew Teichmann. Matthew is described by his teachers as
being very kind and respectful of his peers and school staff. He
is a very strong academic student who has represented the school in
extracurricular athletes this fall, assists others without being asked,
and is viewed as a quiet leader in his classroom. Matthew was
also selected as one of three students to act as a master of ceremonies
at this year's Remembrance Day Assembly.
Division 19
won the clothing collection contest and received their
pizza party Wednesday, December 7th. They brought in 750 kg of
clothes. A close second place went to Mr. Klim's, and Mrs.
Banks classes. Mr. Constants’ class did a great job as
well. We will continue to collect clothing throughout the year.
Student Talent
Show
One of the highlights of our school year is a student talent
show. This year the event will take place in the middle of
January. This is a very popular event and over one hundred
children seek to the opportunityto be involved.
Unfortunately we are only able to accommodate a dozen or so
presentations each year. All interested students will be given an equal
opportunity to audition for the event. Auditions are planned for
next week.
AD/HD Parent
Support Group
When: Thursday, December 14th, 2006.
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Place: Fraser Valley Child Development Centre
Address: 102-32885 Ventura Avenue, Abbotsford
Guest Speaker: Jane Gladman, Family Support Worker
Topic: Effective Ways to Advocate for Children with AD/HD
Parents, caregivers, and all others who care for children/youth with
AD/HD are welcome to attend.
Coffee, tea and refreshments are served.
Please contact Leona Fountain at 604-852-2686 ext 246 or
lfountain@fvcdc.org if you require more information.
Christmas School dance will take place on December 22nd in the
afternoon. Admission is by donation so bring 1 can of food for
the food bank.
CPF CHAPTER
MEETING
Canadian Parents for French (CPF) - Abbotsford Chapter will be
holding a chapter meeting on Monday, January. 15, 2007 from
7:30-8:30pm at Sandy Hill Elementary School. All parents,
guardians and educators of students in French Immersion (FI) or
those interested in French Second Language (FSL) opportunities,
including Core French, in our schools are welcome and encouraged to
attend the CPF
chapter meetings.
** Meetings are in English and there will be refreshments and door
prizes, so be sure to check your school newsletter
for future meeting times and dates. **
Beginner 1: Monday January 22nd to March 12th (7:00 - 9:30 pm @
Sandy Hill Elementary)
Objectives: to accumulate some basic notions such as introducing
yourself, asking questions, using common verbs and
fundamental vocabulary. For the students without previous training
Beginner 2: Tuesday January 23rd to March 13th (7:00 - 9:30 pm @
Centennial Park Elementary)
Objectives: to ask and answer simple questions, to talk about yourself,
to use daily life vocabulary and time notions. For students with a few
basic notions in French.
Please register by January 18, 2007. Cost $85 per person + $15
for workbook. For information and registration: (hours:9:00 am -
9:00 pm) call 1-800-747-4825 or 604-708-5100 or
frenchforparents@educacentre.com or visit the website at:
www.educacentre.com
ABBOTSFORD
YOUTH COMMISSION DANCE - GRADE 7 & 8 ONLY
WHEN: Friday, December 8th
WHERE: Air Cadet Building
TIME: 7:00 - 10:00 pm
COST: $6.00 PLUS a can of food for
the food bank
For more information call 604-854-8785 or www.abbyyouth.com
Dates to Note
Dec 25 - Jan 5 Xmas Break
Jan 8 School
Re-opens after Xmas Break
Jan 15 CPF Chapter Meeting
- 7:30 pm @ Sandy Hill
Jan 22-Mar 12 French for Parents Workshop-(Beginners
1)@Sandy Hill
Jan 23-Mar 13 French for Parents Workshop-(Beginners
2)@Centennial
The New Year
Schedule
Best wishes to all members of the Chief Dan George School community for
a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year. Remember that
classes resume on Monday, January 8th. Also, remember that
Friday, January 19th will be a day in session. The original
calendar provided at the beginning of the school year has been altered
slightly. That calendar had January 19th as a non- instructional
day. That non-instructional day has been moved to May. Again,
JANUARY 19TH WILL BE A SCHOOL DAY IN SESSION.
Wolves Athletic
News
Basketball season is well underway. The Grade 8 Boys played a
strong game at Clayburn on Tuesday winning 60 - 29. Adam P. and
Jonathan W. kept the offensive pressure on while Tanner H. and
Nick H. provided a very stingy defense. The Grade 8 Girls also
came out winners at Clayburn with a 40 - 35 victory. Jaslyen S.
and Yanieska V. gave strong performances on offense with Jacquie T. and
Michelle E. shutting down many fast breaks. Grade 6 and 7
basketball teams are into their third week of practice preparing
for January league play. Practice schedules are posted on the
Athletics Board in the Multi-Purpose Room.
GRADE 8
BOYS BASKETBALL
The grade 8 boys team is in full swing with their season and have been
working hard every practice and game. Coach Klim has been very
pleased with the determination and attitude of his players on and off
the court. So far the boys have played 3 games, with 2 more
before the Christmas break. Their record to date is 2 wins and 1
loss. Coach Klim has been very impressed with the caliber of play
from the boys and is looking forward to a very fun season. Coaching
along side Mr. Klim is Ms. Janzen, who has been sick, and we look
forward to seeing her on the bench this week. Greg V. is our Team
Stats Manager and he has been doing a great job every
game. GO WOLVES GO!!!!!!!!
DECEMBER
STUDENT OF THE MONTH - JASLYEN S.
Jaslyen was nominated because of her very strong academic performance,
her exemplary citizenship and her high level of play and leadership in
our extra-curricular sports program. Congratulations Jaslyen!
BUS PASSES
January bus passes are now available in the school office and will be
for sale tomorrow and again after we return in January. A bundle
of four passes (for January, February, March and April) is also
available this month only. Cost for the 4 months is $85.00 (which
works out to $21.25 per month). If you wish to purchase the bundle
package please come into the office and purchase prior to January 15th.
We cannot accept orders after this date.
GYM SHOES
Starting January 8th, we will be asking all students to have a pair of
inside running shoes at school that are only used in the gym. The
dust and dirt levels on the gym floor are causing rapid wear of the gym
floor surface. Some of the lines are fading due to the grinding
action of dust and dirt. Also, as dust levels increase, airborne
debris can present a health concern. Clean shoes will help us
maintain a space that all can enjoy.
Christmas Band
Concert
Last Tuesday evening, Central Heights Church hosted our school
community for its annual music Christmas concert. The beautiful
venue combined with the great performances made for a wonderful and
memorable evening for all concerned. Many thanks to music teacher
Ms. Norton and her support teachers Mr. Sakai and Mlle Janzen for
preparing the students so well and organizing all those details that go
into such a large event.
Friday's get
together and the dance
We will be offering an opportunity for students to attend an afternoon
dance on Friday, December 22nd. This opportunity will be made available
during scheduled class time (ie: 1:00-2:15 pm). A professional
deejay will provide the music. A request for a donation to the
food bank will be asked for at the door, but no student that wishes to
attend will be turned away. Those that do not wish to attend the
dance will have other supervised options available to them in the
school.
Math challenge
for Grade 8 students
A number of Grade 8 students have been participating in a series of
challenge assessments this week. The top ten performers will be
given the unique opportunity to receive credit for Mathematics 8 at the
end of January and then register as an online student at Mouat
Secondary in Mathematics 9 for second half of the school year.
Abbotsford high schools operate on a semester system so these 10
students will be on the Mouat roster in Mathematics 9 for semester
two. Semester two in high school starts in the first week of
February.
Talent Show
We would like to thank all of the students who came out to audition for
the annual Talent Show last week. There were 100 students who came
out. The Talent Show is scheduled for Friday January 19,
2007 in Blocks 5 and 6. There will be a dress
rehearsal on Thursday, January 18, 2007 at 2:30-4:30 pm only for
those students who have been selected for the show.
Bottle Drive
Start saving your bottles! Division 22's next bottle drive will
begin February 5, 2007. We will be giving 100% of the proceeds of
the bottle drive to the Children's Hospital.
SWIM CLUB NEWS
On December 17th, the Chief Dan George swim team had their first
meet. Placing second in the Christmas Classic. Big thanks
from Mrs. Baye to Elizabeth J., Ashley D., Mikayla F., Jacey G. and
Shaylene H. for their awesome job swimming.
CPF CHAPTER
MEETING
Canadian Parents for French (CPF) - Abbotsford Chapter will be
holding a chapter meeting on Monday, January. 15, 2007 from
7:30-8:30pm at Sandy Hill Elementary School. All parents,
guardians and educators of students in French Immersion (FI) or
those interested in French Second Language (FSL) opportunities,
including Core French, in our schools are welcome and encouraged to
attend the CPF chapter meetings.
** Meetings are in English and there will be refreshments and door
prizes, so be sure to check your school newsletter
for future meeting times and dates. **
CPF is a network of volunteers, composed of individuals and families,
which values French as an integral part of Canada and which is
dedicated to the promotion and creation of FSL learning opportunities
for young Canadians. In our schools and in our communities, CPF works
to enhance the quality of FI and Core French/FSL educational programs.
CPF provides fun activities, support, information and resources
for parents with children in the FI or FSL/Core French programs. For
more information, please contact your school's CPF Rep or contact the
Chapter President, Donna Maud at [ mailto:dmaud@shaw.ca ]dmaud@shaw.ca
or 604-852-9133. We hope to see you all there!
FRENCH FOR
PARENTS WORKSHOP
Once again, Educacentre is hosting it's popular French for Parents
workshops. These workshops are for Anglophone parents whose children
attend a French Immersion program, but are also great for any one
wanting help with French or with a child in Core French. The
workshops are designed to help parents learn French so they can help
their children with French homework and activities. The instructor will
help parents with grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, and give them
opportunities to practice French and be corrected when necessary.
As well, in every class, homework, book and activities brought into
class by the parents will be reviewed. Look for a brochure coming home
soon! There are 2 levels being offered:
Beginner 1: Monday January 22nd to March 12th (7:00 - 9:30 pm @
Sandy Hill Elementary)
Objectives: to accumulate some basic notions such as introducing
yourself, asking questions, using common verbs and
fundamental vocabulary. For the students without previous training
Beginner 2: Tuesday January 23rd to March 13th (7:00 - 9:30 pm @
Centennial Park Elementary)
Objectives: to ask and answer simple questions, to talk about yourself,
to use daily life vocabulary and time notions. For students with a few
basic notions in French.
Please register by January 18, 2007. Cost $85 per person + $15
for workbook. For information and registration: (hours: 9:00 am -
9:00 pm) call 1-800-747-4825 or 604-708-5100 or
frenchforparents@educacentre.com or visit the website at:
www.educacentre.com
RICK HANSEN
SCHOOL PROGRAM
May 22, 2007 marks the 20th Anniversary of the day Rick Hansen and his
team arrived in Vancouver completing the epic two year, two month and
two day schedule of wheeling around the world during the Man In Motion
World Tour. The Rick Hansen Foundation is celebrating this
milestone by inviting schools to participate in the Rick Hansen School
Program.
The Rick Hansen School Program was developed in response to parents and
teachers who were exposed to Rick’s story and wanted
to be able to share it with a new generation of school-aged
youth. The goal of the program is to encourage and support youth
through programs which foster a sense of social responsibility and by
offering tools to develop life skills which help young people to strive
to be the best they can be.
The Program was designed specifically to be easy to use and fun for
both students and teachers alike. It consists of an Awards
Program designed to recognize young people for their outstanding
qualities and contributions; Schools In Motion events to celebrate the
spirit of the Rick Hansen Man In Motion World Tour and to give students
a role in making their community more accessible and inclusive; and
teacher resources that tell Rick’s story, including lesson plans,
age-appropriate books and online learning tools. The Foundation
gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Province of
British Columbia and its Ministry of Education for the support of this
program.
“Let’s help youth understand what their strengths are and what makes
them unique among billions of people. Let’s help them acquire the
attitude that helps them succeed by using their individual strengths in
positive, constructive ways. Let’s show them how to live side by side
with their fellow human beings despite their differences. Let’s show
them how to reach their full potential and encourage them to never give
up on their dreams”. Rick Hansen
To learn more and get involved, visit www.rickhansen.com, or
contact Nathalie Earley at nearley@rickhansen.com 604-709-6313 or toll
free 1-800-213-2131.
Grade 7 volcano projects