September, 2006

Principal’s Message
I would like to welcome all our students and parents back to Steveston for the 2006-2007 school year - our 50th anniversary! This will be a very special year for our school as we celebrate our golden anniversary at the same time as we look forward to the new and exciting Steveston-London Secondary School set to open next September. Our student population is currently 670 students and it was great to see so many happy faces brighten up our hallways these first few days of school.

As always, our primary purpose is to meet the learning needs of each of our students and continue the tradition of providing them a safe, supportive learning environment in which they can begin to pursue their dreams and participate fully in the Steveston community. Encourage your children to set realistic goals this year and support them in becoming actively engaged and involved in their own learning.

I look forward to meeting you at Meet the Teacher Night on Thursday, September 28.

Welcome to Steveston!
A school organization is only as good as the people who work and learn in it. We are happy to welcome the following staff members onto the “Steveston team”:

Mr. Darren Aun Resource
Mrs. Denise Buckoll Head Secretary
Mr. Dave Dewald Music & Business Ed.
Mr. Paul McBurney Socials, PE, Athletic Director, Resource
Mr. Dave Wallace Resource
Ms. Louise Watanabe Counsellor

Steveston Students Achieve Outstanding 2006 Provincial Exam Results:
Provincial Examinations are written at the end of Grade 10, 11 and 12 courses in English, Math, Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, French, Mandarin, Spanish, Japanese, Social Studies, History, Geography, English Literature and Communications. These important examinations count for either 20% or 40% of students’ final mark in the course and are used by the Ministry of Education to determine scholarship recipients each year.

Steveston’s Provincial Exam results for the 2006 sittings were excellent. Steveston students scored above the Richmond School District average in almost every exam written. Equally impressive was the number of students who achieved “excellent” standing (“A” results) on their examinations - 173 times in February and 226 times in June! Steveston students scored a perfect 100% 12 times on Provincial Exams in the 2005-2006 year (and another 15 students scored an amazing 99%)!

Congratulations to the members of the special 100% Club:

Jessica Huang, Emily Lai and Michelle Siu (Math 12) and Wilson Cheung (Math 10) and on the June exams, Joy Zheng (Biology 12), Dmitry Shkolnik and Allisa Wu (English 12), Amber Rudek and Joyce Wong (Literature 12), Kingsley Cheung, Lauren Kong and Housen Zhou (Math 12).

41 Steveston students received a $1000 scholarship from the Ministry of Education for achieving outstanding results on 3 or more Provincial Exams. This represents 25% of our 2006 graduating class (the provincial average for these scholarships is about 10% of Grade 12s).

Steveston’s 2006 Provincial Scholarship Winners:

Danielle Anderson Sammy Au Kitty Au
Catherine Bennett Timothy Chan Grace Chen
Stephanie Cheng Kingsley Cheung Calvin Ching
Eunice Chow Maggie Chung Michael DiPasquale
Nabil Drissi El-Bouzaidi Tohru Harada Brian Heung
Sophia Hsueh Jessica Huang Rachel Hung
Jordan Ing Larissa Kwong Emily Lai
Julia Lam Arthur Law Demi Lo
Matthew Low Johnny Ng Ignatius Ng
Amber Rudek Dmitry Shkolnik Michelle Siu
Vivian Tang Kelvin Tsui Ray Wang
Akina Wong Ellen Wong Joyce Wong
Stephanie Woo Allisa Wu Gilbert Yang
Christine Yu Housen Zhou

As well, almost 60% of Steveston 2006 graduates achieved “Provincial Honour Standing” by attaining a grade point average of 3.0 or more out of a possible 4.0 in their Grades 11 & 12 courses (B average or higher). Congratulations to:

Danielle Anderson Sammy Au Kitty Au Cathy Bennett
Carly Cannata Kevin Carre Rowena Chan Timothy Chan
George Chan Grace Chen Charmaine Cheng Stephanie Cheng
Kingsley Cheung Calvin Ching Eunice Chow Eva Chow
Maggie Chung Scott Deyell Michael DiPasquale Nabil Drissi El-Bouzaidi
James Ferguson Christopher Foo Mark Furlan Carly Goodman
Tohru Harada Brian Heung Toby Ho Suzanne Ho
Tommy Hsiao Sophia Hseuh Tina Hu Jessica Huang
Rachel Hung Jordan Ing Derek Ip Cameron Jardine
Colin Jochimski Crystal Jung Alvin Ko Cherie Ko
Kristina Kozak Devin Kruchio Cindy Kwok Karen Kwok
Larissa Kwong Emily Lai Vivian Lai Julia Lam
Arthur Law Shawn Lawrence Joey Leung Joyce Leung
Margaret Liang Demi Lo Matthew Low Precstina Luu
Richard Murray Jackie Ng Johnny Ng Ignatius Ng
Sarah Ou Yang Lisa Pai Blythe Pearce Hayley Petersen
Celestine Poon Amber Rudek Greg Sargent Zachary Segal
Forest Shi Dmitry Shkolnik Michelle Siu Andrea Sy
Jason Tam Yvette Tam Vivian Tang Kelvin Tsui
Natalie Verhoeven Allan Wang Ray Wang Akina Wong
Alfred Wong Ellen Wong Jacky Wong Sabina Wong
Sarah Wong Joyce Wong Stephanie Woo Allisa Wu
Gilbert Yang Stanley Yau Christine Yu Tony Yu
Housen Zhou

Steveston Students Excel in Advanced Placement Exams
Advanced Placement or “A.P.” classes are enriched courses where students who write and succeed on AP exams can gain ‘advanced placement’ in certain university courses. A.P. is an internationally recognized program and it is the leading enriched program in high schools across North America. Steveston currently offers AP courses in Calculus, Chemistry and English Literature. Students may also complete and gain credit for “AP” courses without writing the AP final exam. Last year 40 Packer students wrote AP exams and 81% “fully qualified” for university credit. More impressively, Steveston students achieved 33 top scores of 4 or 5 (which most universities will recognize with first year credits). Jessica Huang and Matthew Low scored perfect “5s” on 2 separate AP exams and Emily Lai achieved 5s in Chemistry, Calculus and English! These are outstanding results in very challenging courses and a credit to the dedication of the students and teachers in these areas - Mr. Tovey, Mrs. Shrieves and Mrs. Russell.

Meet the Teacher - Thursday, September 28 at 6:30 pm

An important reminder to all parents and legal guardians that we will be hosting our first semester “Meet the Teacher” evening on Thursday, September 28 at 6:30 pm. This is a great opportunity to travel the school following your child’s timetable, meet the school administration and, most importantly, meet your son or daughter’s teachers. The purpose of this evening is not to discuss individual student progress, but hear an overview of what your child will be learning this semester. Research indicates that students generally achieve better in school when their parents remain actively involved in and supportive of their education - please plan to attend.

Dry After Grad Update
The DAG executive would like to thank all the parents who helped with various jobs throughout the 2005-2006 year and on the night (and morning) of the 2006 Dry After Grad extravaganza. Please know that you were part of a special and memorable event and you helped to keep our children safe. The Packer grads in attendance had an awesome night of good, clean fun! If you were not able to attend the Parent Info Night that was held on September 18th and either have some questions or want to get involved in the 2007 event, please contact parent Gill Doiron at 604-274-0310 or email her at gdoiron@richmond.sd38.bc.ca. Whether your student is in Grade 12 or younger, everyone is welcome and encouraged to get involved or find out what DAG is all about.

Packer Athletics Update
Hey Pack - welcome back to the final exciting year of Packer Athletics! Following the great tradtions of Packer sports, once again this year we have many athletic opportunities for students. Encourage your son/daughter to try out, help as a manager or come out and support one of the many teams offered at our school. This fall, the sports & sponsors that are offered are:

Swimming Mrs. Christie & Ms. Hoffman
Sr. Boys Volleyball Karen Jacob, Jenny Sargent and Sandy Jung
Sr. Girls Volleyball Mr. Miyazaki
Gr. 9/10 Girls Volleyball Ms. Hansen
Gr. 8 Girls Volleyball Mr. McBurney
Jr. Boys Rugby Mr. Wallace
Sr. Boys Soccer Mr. Adrian
Badminton Mr. Chen
Athletic Director Mr. McBurney

Similarly, Intramural games are offered every day at lunch for students to have fun competing in a variety of activities at a recreational level - 4 on 4 “beach volleyball” is on now. Students should see Mr. Bridal to sign up for intramurals - make new friends, keep fit and have fun!

Packer Clothing

Once again, excellent Steveston Packers clothing will soon be on sale for students and families. The special 50th edition of “athletic wear” will include a range of top quality products from Russell, Gildan and Adidas and include items such as sweat pants, hoodies, short sleeve and long sleeve t-shirts and shorts. All clothing must be pre-ordered and students can pick up an order form from the athletic office by the gym or see Mr. McBurney to order clothing! Show your Packer Pride!


Student Safety Reminders

The safety of all who work and learn at Steveston is vitally important to us. Although as parents we tend to worry less as our children get older, it is not completely uncommon to hear or read unsettling reports of attempted abduction or teens being approached by strangers. It is always a good idea to reinforce with your teenage children basic safety strategies. Do not ever give out personal information over the Internet and be cautious in online “chat rooms” - many people are not really who they claim to be online. Always communicate with your teens about where they are going and with whom and what time they are expected. Whenever possible, teens should walk or travel with friends or in a group. Be cautious around strange vehicles, groups or adults you do not know. Phone for a ride if you’re staying/working late (past dark). Report any suspicious vehicles or behaviour to your parents and to the school.


Steveston Library

Welcome Back! The Steveston library staff look forward to helping our new and returning students in the 2006/2007 year.
Library Staff Mrs. MacDonald, Teacher-Librarian
Ms. Brown, Library Technician
Hours 8:00 am - 3:20 pm Monday - Friday
You must have a valid Steveston Go Card to borrow any of the over 24,000 items in our collection. We look forward to seeing you soon!


Post-Secondary Information
Steveston’s “Career Information Advisor”, Ms. Dorothy White, reminds students to check the bulletin board outside the counselling center regularly for updates on scholarships and college and university admission information. Also, some key post-secondary websites are:
HOTSHEET http://public.sd38.bc.ca:8004/~ccnews/hotsheet
SCHOLARSHIPS http://public.sd38.bc.ca:8004/~ccnews/scholarship
PREPARING FOR POST SECONDARY ENTRY http://public.sd38.bc.ca:8004/~ccnews/postsec

STEVESTON to PARTICIPATE IN THE TERRY FOX RUN SEPT. 28
We are proud to honour the 26th anniversary of Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope by participating in the Canada-wide national school run day on Thursday, September 28. Every member of the Packer community will participate in a short run on the morning of Sept. 28 to pay tribute to a true Canadian hero. Terry succumbed to cancer in the middle of his cross-Canada journey at the age of 22 but his legacy lives on in annual runs across the world - our goal is for every member of our school to raise a “Twoonie for Terry” through donations and pledge sheets and all monies will be forwarded to the Terry Fox Foundation for cancer research. Educating and encouraging Packer students to show community involvement and social responsibility is one of our school wide goals at Steveston - and we know that our students will respond with respect, class and enthusiasm.

Combined Grade 8 Camp Awesome!
A group of 20 keen senior students from Steveston and London planned and implemented a very successful Grade 8 retreat September 13-15 at Camp Stillwood near Cultus Lake, B.C. This year we organized a combined camp with London and the event was a great way to welcome our newest Packers to Steveston as well as have them join their future classmates at London in lots of fun activities. Our purpose is to help our newest students grow together as a class and help them make a successful transition to high school. Grade 8 students learned about many things, including "planning for success", "making healthy choices" and “setting goals" and participated in many fun activities during the 3 days at camp. Most importantly, despite the rain, all the Grade 8s really began to come together as a group and there were lots of happy, smiling faces at the end of the camp. A great start for the Steveston-London Secondary School grads of 2011! Congratulations to the following camp leaders who worked hard for weeks planning the 3 day event and provided excellent leadership at camp - Monique Doiron, Imane Drissi El-Bouzaidi, Andrew Fenton, Jeremy Jung, Andrew Kowan, Amber Shikaze, Shahanah Shivji, Brad Soon, Dan Stewart and Vivian Yeung.

Steveston-London Day Early Dismissal
A reminder to all Steveston students and families that the first of 8 Steveston-London days will be Wednesday, October 4. On these days students will attend all 4 classes, without a lunch break, and then be dismissed at 1 pm. At this time, staff from both schools will meet to discuss and plan the new Steveston-London Secondary School (SLSS). We will also host a Grade 11 assembly on this day for the first graduating students of SLSS - the grads of 2008.

Healthy Teens

A lot of media attention has surfaced recently about “junk food” in schools. Nutrition is primarily a family and personal matter that effects everyone in our society, regardless of age. Certainly, convenient, processed or junk foods are available everywhere and fast food franchises exist all over the world. It is important to remember that adolescence is a time of tremendous growth and change. Eating properly, getting enough sleep and exercise are all important aspects of being healthy. While some “fast” foods are available at school, so are fruit juices, bottled water, milk, fresh sandwiches, soups, salads, wraps, fruit and vegetable platters. Like in every area of their lives, teens are faced with choices and we encourage students to make healthy decisions for themselves and use “moderation” as their general rule in eating any food product. Parental modeling and home eating patterns will have the most influence over the diet habits children form. At home, encourage and help your child pack a lunch and try substituting convenient, processed foods and pop with fruits, nuts, raisins, vegetables and juice several times each week. Similarly, get your kids to actually keep track of their exercise routines in a small diary or log book - are they getting enough activity? Finally, insist that your teen gets to bed a little earlier - over time they will become much better rested and have much more energy to face the day. Help your son or daughter by reinforcing good eating, exercise and sleeping habits that will be the foundation for a healthy lifestyle in the years to come.

PINK DAY - A GREAT IDEA!
Congratulations to our hard working Student Council for combining a fun school spirit idea - “Pink Day” with a breast cancer awareness campaign. Students and staff were encouraged to wear pink to school on Friday, September 22 and attend fun activities in the gym at lunch. Information was provided on the seriousness of breast cancer in Canada and students were able to buy pink silicone wrist bands for $3 and all proceeds went to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Judging by the sea of pink in the school on this day, it was a very successful event!