Principal's Page

Parents should therefore be aware that given the lack of movement towards a resolution to teacher bargaining, formal report cards will not be distributed at the end of semester one on February 3 due to teachers not submitting reporting information to the school office. Please note that all students should have received their final mark from each of their first semester teachers. Parents who wish to discuss their child’s progress in a semester one course are welcome to contact their child’s teacher via phone or email. Please feel free to contact the school office if you are having difficulty getting in touch with one of your child’s teachers and an administrator will be happy to assist you. For Grade 12 students, we will again be producing a Statement of Grades so that students will continue to have the necessary information in order to be able to apply for post-secondary institutions and scholarships. These statements will be available for pick-up in the main school office starting February 10^th. Although teachers are not preparing report cards during job action, they will continue to gather and record assessment and evaluation information relating to your child’s progress at school. Teachers will also continue to communicate student progress to students through individual feedback, marks on assignments and tests, as well as other indications of overall progress. If you have any questions regarding the progress of your child, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s school or teacher. We will continue to keep our community informed regarding any further calendar changes that may be necessary, as well as updates on report cards that may result from continued or escalating job action on the part of the BC Teachers Federation (BCTF). All students received a letter to take home on February 3 that explained this to parents. Click here for a Chinese version of this letter: T31665ChineseTraditional_parent teacher letter sem schools .pdf

All parents and guardians of Grade 7 students planning to attend Steveston-London in September are invited to attend an informational evening session on Thursday, February 9 at 7 pm in the gymnasium. This is a fabulous opportunity to look around the school, meet the principal and other staff and hear more & ask questions about the courses and programs offered at Steveston-London. This evening is one of several activities we have planned to help make the transition from elementary school to high school as smooth and successful as possible for our future "grads of 2017!" Please plan to attend on February 9.

The Ministry of Education is planning significant changes to what & how students learn and how teachers and schools work in British Columbia. As we move into the 21st century, the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for young people to succeed are evolving rapidly. The Ministry is proposing changes that include an emphasis on students' problem solving, critical and creative thinking abilities delivered in a more flexible and personalized plan for each student. To learn more about the plan and ask questions, educators, parents and students are urged to read the "B.C. Education Plan", watch the video and provide their feedback in an online forum. Please take the time to check it out at: http://www.bcedplan.ca/

One of the great traditions at Steveston-London is strong, positive connections between our school and the parent community . We have many opportunities for parents to come to the school to be involved and we encourage those who have not yet volunteered to consider giving back a little to our fabulous school. As many of our current PAC & DAG parents will soon be "graduating" with their teen, we would love to see more parents actively participate. PAC meets on the second Thursday of each month and the next PAC meeting wil be on Thursday, February 9 at 7 pm in the library. Our Dry After Grad (DAG) parents also meet once a month all year to discuss, plan and create the fabulous post-prom event for our graduating students each year. This group is open to all parents, not just Grade 12s, as it is important to sustain the tradition for the years to come. DAG meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 7 pm in the library - please join us on February 15. SLSS parents can email Gina Chan at gtaliman@shaw.ca for more information on our PAC or Sue Eder at eders@telus.net if you would like more information about DAG.

Improving our students’ reading comprehension abilities is one of the school-wide goals in the Steveston-London School Performance Plan. Research indicates that strong readers are more successful in all areas of school. More importantly, reading can open the door to lifelong adventures and opportunities in learning. Students move along a continuum of "learning to read" to "reading to learn" as they progress through school, but many do not have a wide repetoire of skills for more complicated text. Thinking about a piece of text, connecting new information to previous understandings and comprehending and interpreting layers of meanings in more complex written passages are vital for success in most secondary and post-secondary programs. We will concentrate our efforts on our youngest students to strengthen their foundational reading skills but also continue to refine the literacy skills of all our students. All Grade 8s completed a reading assessment in their English/Socials/Humanities classes on September 20 and will complete a second performance assessment later in the year on April 17. Grade 8 teachers use this data to understand our students strengths and target areas in need of support in reading and comprehending both the big ideas and supporting details in a piece of text. PARENTS - establishing a reading environment in your home can go a long way in helping your son or daughter become better readers. All parents are encouraged to read together or read the same material along with their teen - whether it is an article of interest in a newspaper or magazine, a blog or internet site, the latest adventure novel or any one of the great titles available for FREE at our library (or any Richmond public library).

Improving our students’ understanding of what it means to be socially responsibile while building a caring community at our school is one of our ongoing goals. The primary mandate of our school is to foster and support the academic achievement and cognitive development of our students; however, in partnership with parents and families, we are also very interested in their social & character development. Social responsibility can be understood in terms of ethical conduct, good citizenship and sound character. It is based on the personal values, ethical reasoning abilities and habits required to participate responsibly in a democratic and pluralistic Canadian society. Our goal at Steveston-London is to expose students to a varitey of opportunities to participate in 'responsible' activities throughout the year as well as model and teach the attributes of a socially responsible young person. Our themes are CARE and RESPECT - for yourself, for others and for our school and community as well as for the environment. We will regularly engage students in local and global social and environmental awareness and fundraising activities throughout the year (recent examples: Pakistan flood relief, Day of Silence, White Ribbon Day, 30-Hour Famine, Richmond Food Bank drive, Hearts for Haiti - one year later; wear pink anti-bullying day, Eco Week, Earth Hour, International Women's Week, 1000 Crane Festival for Japan, etc.). We worked with our Grade 8s at their 3-day Camp in September and will hold follow-up meetings, facilitated by SLSS Peer Helpers & Camp Leaders, later in the year. Student leaders will also facilitate small group conversations with all Grade 8 and 9 students in the spring, explaining and defining social responsibility through a series of case studies and our Grades 8 and 9 students will complete a self-assessment of their personal level of social responsibility. PARENTS can help at home by modelling and discussing socially responsible behaviour such as teaching peaceful problem solving strategies; discussing respect & diversity in our community; being aware of your teen's friends and peer group and what they are posting on the Internet/Facebook etc.; practicing recycling; voting; volunteering, etc...as well as discussing a variety of local, national and global social issues with their teens.

Our school hosted the third annual Bob Carkner Memorial "Blue and Gold" basketball tournament from January 12-14. Featuring 16 senior girls' and boys' teams, the tournament once again provided fast, exciting high school hoops action. Bob Carkner was an exemplary educator and leader who served as principal in Richmond for over two decades, including at both London and Steveston. Bob was an innovator and he believed in student leadership and broadening the perspective of young people. He initiated student humanitarian trips to Guatemala and Vietnam, created a Pacific Rim studies program, helped create a school salmon hatchery and was a huge supporter of school activities and sports, especially basketball. He is a member of the Order of Canada and was awarded an honourary Doctor of Laws degree from SFU. Bob passed

away in 2009. This years tournament featured the eventual girls' champions and top ranked AAA team in B.C. from Riverside Secondary in Port Coquitlam, a team co-coached by one of Bob's three sons, Dr. Mike Carkner that also included his talented granddaughter Natalie. Our Sharks girls' team came third and the Sharks boys' team lost 76-75 at the buzzer in a thrilling championship game. It was great to see so many students, parents and alumni attend the games and a noisy, sold-out crowd watch the final. An impressive total of $750 was raised for the Bob Carkner scholarship at the school. A huge thank you to senior girls' coach Les Hamaguchi and the SLSS Athletic Leadership class for all their dedicated work during the three day tournament. All participants provided wonderful examples of the best characteristics of high school athletics - skill, athleticism, hard work, commitment, team work, sportsmanship and class.

Our PAC and Student Council worked together to organize the wonderful Steveston-London community building tradition known as Breakfast with Santa. On Friday December 16, many parent volunteers and 40 student leaders began arriving as early as 5:00 am to prepare thousands of pancakes, sausages, hashbrowns, muffins and juice for this annual breakfast. Students and staff began arriving by 6:45 am and the gym was full by 8:00 am. Many students performed a variety of entertaining musical and dance acts on stage and we were treated with a visit from Santa himself. Students lined up to get their photo taken with their friends and the 'jolly old elf'. The event culminated with the staff rendition of "The 12 Days of Christmas" that included hilarious dance acts and our staff band. We also welcomed up to 100 recent SLSS grads back and spread warm holiday wishes to our students, staff, parents and alumni. Breakfast with Santa is a fabulous SLSS tradition!

Each year in Richmond and throughout the Lower Mainland, an increasing number of individuals, working

poor and families access local food banks in order to make ends meet. In December, our Student Council organized a food drive during B block classes and we raised over 7000 items. We encouraged all students and staff to donate nutritious food items and focused our efforts on canned fish & meats, canned milk, peanut butter in smaller sizes, chunky soups, beans and pastas. Food banks needs support all year, and our hope is that SLSS families consider donating regularly to the Richmond Food Bank in 2012. For more information, please check out: http://www.richmondfoodbank.org/

Our Drama Club presented Bertolt Brecht's classic play, "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" from December 6-9. It was a wonderful play with

a great story about the "seductive power of goodness". Audiences followed the adventures of a young peasant girl named Grusha and the noble child she befriends as they trek across the fictional land of Grusinia in the Caucasus Mountains. On their journey, they encounter a rich array of characters, both kind and cruel, including soldiers, merchants, noblemen and peasants. The show was shocking, funny, romantic and profound and Brecht's epic is considered one of the most powerful and creative plays of the 20th century. Our remarkably talented student actors and stage crew hailed from all grades and they really appreciated seeing the large and appreciative audiences at the five matinee and evening shows. Congratulations to Ms. Jean Kosar all the talented members of our drama club!

The annual winter concert was performed on Wednesday, December 7 at 7 pm in the theatre in front of a standing-room only crowd in the

school theatre. Mr. Michael Mikulin's talented Grade 8, senior concert and jazz bands and angelic choir also played an encore performance for students during the day on December 8. Thank you to all our wonderful student musicians and singers for a great celebration of holiday music and cheer. Our music students also represented Steveston-London with distinction as they performed at various elementary schools, local malls and senior centres during December, helping to spread a little joy to our local community.

Our annual school-wide pep rally was held on Tuesday, November 29. All students were packed into the gym where they enthusiastically participated in a variety of fun grade vs. grade competitions to see who really is the most spirited grade this year! As part of our second SPIRIT WEEK of the year, all students were urged to dress in blue and gold on Tuesday and represent their grade & school with pride! The gym was raucous & loud and, once again, the Grade 12s proved they were the leaders of the school as they absolutely rocked the house with their energy! Later on, the basketball season kicked off with our senior girls' team playing at 5:45 pm and our senior boys' at 7:30 pm. The gym was full for our home openers as another standing-room-only crowd of students, parents and recent grads cheered both teams on to victory! The pep rally and home openers are both great Sharks traditions and were spectacular shows of our strong school spirit. Go Sharks!!

We held thoughtful and respectful Remembrance Day ceremonies held at the school on November 10. It is important for young people to take a moment to reflect on the tremendous sacrifices made by many Canadians, past and present, who have gone to war or U.N. peacekeeping missions all over the world, including Afghanistan today, to defend and protect those unable to do so. We distributed poppies in first period and asked that students make a small donation to the Richmond Poppy Fund, if possible. We then hosted consecutive ceremonies at 10 am (Grades 8-10) and 11:30 am (Grades 11-12). A huge thank you our student ushers, volunteers, emcees Michelle Ko and Jonathan Lo, Student Council president Elaine Ho, members of the band, choir (& Mr. Mikulin) and art club and art careers program (& Mr. Akselrod) and to our special guests from the Royal Canadian Navy and the HMCS Algonquin, Trustee Rod Belleza, PAC chair Gina Chan and the members of the Minoru Seniors' Center for making our ceremonies classy and memorable. Lest We Forget.

We hosted an important assembly on Friday, October 28th for all our Grade 11 and 12 students. Presented by Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada, the assembly included a 45-minute video entitled "Damages", a realistic re-enactment of the trial of a young man charged with impaired driving causing death. Several flashback scenes show viewers the night of the collision and reveal how several poor choices by a "regular and decent young guy" had tragic and life altering consequences for friends and family. The film concluded with interviews of real people who have lost loved ones due to drunk drivers. The show was emotionally charged and left a powerful impression on our senior students, many of whom are now driving or learning to drive. We concluded the presentation by reminding our students to be mindful and fully engaged when they drive. While most teens today understand that any impairment due to alcohol, drugs or prescription medications can be deadly, it is just as dangerous to drive while being distracted by your cell phone, texting or interacting with too many friends in the car. A good reminder for all of us to drive carefully and make wise choices!

Congratulations to the student leaders in our Student Council who organized a very successful first dance of the year on the evening of October 25. Over 350 students attended the "Nightmare on Williams" themed dance, many in costume, and everyone had a great time socializing with their friends and classmates. Our

Student Council takes responsibility for organizing every aspect of the dance including booking the DJ, selling tickets and scanning Go Cards at the entrance, setting up and decorating the venue, organizing a coat check, selling water and glow sticks, arranging for staff supervisors and cleaning up afterwards and everything ran very smoothly. Student Council also organized a very popular "haunted house" in a classroom and over 600 students toured the scary house from October 27-31. Students in the International Issues club sold "fair trade" Cadbury chocolate "spooky greetings" that allowed students to send a sweet treat with a message to their friends. On Monday, October 31 hundreds of students and staff came to school dressed in a wide variety of creative costumes and Student Council hosted a fun contest in the gym at lunch. A huge thank you the dedicated student leaders and to the 15 staff members & our U.B.C. student teachers who volunteered to supervise the evening dance. Great school spirit Sharks!!

One of our school goals is to strengthen our students' understanding of what it means to be socially responsible. We want our young people to begin to think (and act) both locally and globally for the greater good. Recent examples included our Interact/Rotary club’s sock drive in support of Covenant House Vancouver. Working to support of homeless youth aged 16 to 24, Covenant House provides shelter, food, clothing and counselling to struggling youth in the Greater Vancouver Area. From October 3 to 7, all students were encouraged to drop off a pair of new or near new clean socks and wear flip flops to school in support of youth who are forced to spend days and nights walking the streets. On a global level, our Me to We (Free the Children) club hosted Toonie Tuesdays in C block classes on October 7 and 11 to raise funds for the famine victims of Africa. Ongoing and devastating drought in the horn of East Africa threatens over 10 million people. We had 30 students and staff Ms. Easton and Ms. Biln attend the inspiring "We Day" conference at Roger's Arena in downtown Vancouver on October 13. In late October, SLSS students and staff were encouraged to donate $1.00 and have their pinky finger painted purple to support the eradication of polio. Since the mid-1980s, almost 2 billion children vaccinated in developing nations worldwide and this disease is 99% eradicated; however, polio still exists in some regions, including India, and if it is not completely eliminated, it could come back stronger than ever. Funds raised will be donated to the Rotary club's End Polio campaign. Thanks to all students and staff who participated in these events.

Over 200 Grade 12 (& 11) parents and students attended the Steveston-London post-secondary transitions info session in our theatre on Wednesday, September 28 from 7 to 9 pm. Hosted by the SLSS Career Information Advisor Ms. Anita Kerr, SLSS counsellor Ms. Louise Watanabe, our principal Mr. Jim Allison and two expert post-secondary consultants and former UBC admissions and recruitment directors Sherisse Sy and Denise Lauritano, the session was very helpful. Parents and students learned about graduation requirements, recent changes to the optional Provincial exams, post-secondary application processes and deadlines as well as a wide array of scholarship information and tips. With most universities now using a "broad based admissions" procedure, the consultants provided 'insider' insight into what students need to know. Parents with questions can always phone Ms. Kerr or their teen's SLSS counsellor at school and make an appointment. Similarly, parents and students may want to check out the services offer by Plan U, a unique post-secondary consultants service run by Ms. Sy and Ms. Lauritano. Check out www.planu.ca to find out more.

All students were encouraged to check out "clubs day" at lunch on Thursday, September 22. Representatives from all the clubs in the school were stationed at tables in the student lounge area near the cafeteria. Hundreds of students browsed the clubs' tables, learned a little about what they are about and discovered when and where they meet. SLSS clubs are open to all and every student is encouraged to get involved in a positive activity at school this year. We have over 30 clubs and offerings include the engineering club, dance club, drama club, anime & media club, yearbook, art club, weight training club, Japanese Exchange, Jaws with a Cause & Shark Ambassadors volunteer clubs, Library monitors, math club, Interact/Rotary, Chess club, Hope Fellowship, Be-a-Grand-Friend club, Intramural games, etc. Students who missed Clubs Day can read the list posted in the office or see their counsellor for info on where & when clubs meet.

Our annual Grade 8 Camp at the beautiful Stillwood Camp & Conference Centre near Cultus Lake, B.C. was a huge success! Our youngest students spent three days (Sept. 14-16) up at camp and they learned many things designed to support them having a successful start in high school such as helpful study tips, goal setting, being part of a legacy, social responsibility and making wise choices. The campers also listened to Canadian Olympic kayaker and inspirational speaker Margaret Langford talk about the importance of hard work and believing in your dreams. More importantly, our youngest students had a lot of fun getting to know one another in a wide variety of games and team building activities. Sponsored by staff members Ms. Easton, Ms. Sharpe, Mr. Ververgaert, Mr. Jarvis, Mr. Fellas, Ms. James, Mr. Allison and our RCMP Liaison officer Cst. Perralta, the camp is mostly led by 30 senior student "camp leaders" who spent many hours planning the 3-day event. It is considered an honour at Steveston-London to be selected as a camp leader. Judging by the tired, happy and excited students who arrived back at the school on Friday afternoon, the camp was a huge success and a wonderful bonding activity for our future grad class of 2016!

The class of 2012 is the first "Sharks-only" graduating class as these Grade 12 students have been at Steveston-London since the school opened when they arrived in Grade 8. We held a welcome assembly on the afternoon of Friday, September 9 where school expectations were explained to our seniors. The grads have a very important role as leaders in our school and carrying on the legacy of excellence established by those that have come before them. Grade 12s were also introduced to the many things they have to accomplish this year (e.g. Grad Transitions, post-secondary deadlines and applications, scholarship applications, etc.) by a variety of teaching and support staff members. The student grad committee also cooked up hundreds of hot dogs and explained the fun grad events planned for the year. There was also a live grad band, musical performers and some fun competitions and events (male vs. female tug-of-war, musical chairs, etc.) and they concluded the day by distributing Grad 2012 t-shirts. The grads of 2012 will be the fifth at SLSS and the 63rd graduating class in the proud history of our school. They also hope to be our best class yet!

The SLSS Alumni Association grew out of a similar organization created at Steveston High in 1987 (by members of the grad class of 1962). The SHS Alumni organization was the first public school alumni association in Canada and worked very hard to support the students, staff and programs at the school for two decades. After the merger of the two schools, the alumni executive met with some London grads and the group was officially renamed the STEVESTON-LONDON ALUMNI ASSOCIATION in 2008. All members of the any of the graduating classes of Steveston, London and SLSS are welcome to join. Check out: http://www.slssalumni.org/

All graduating students must meet requirements for Personal Health (150-minutes per week of moderate to intense physical activity in Grades 10 to 12); Community Connections (30 Hours of work or volunteer experience) and Career and Life (a Graduation Transition Plan). Completion of standards in these 3 areas will earn the students 4 mandatory credits (of the 80 credits needed to graduate). As they do now, all students will continue to complete a separate 4-credit course called Senior Planning and must also achieve "RM" or "Requirements Met" for their personal health, 30 hours of work or volunteer activities and a Grad Transition Plan to graduate. If you need help or more information see Ms. Sullivan in the GT office or room 603 asap.