le Pizza Party

To wrap a french unit on food, students organized a pizza party with Mlle. Sullivan.  Students took orders and interacted en francais.  More details to come….

Evergreen Cultural Centre Workshop

Students had the opportunity to explore the exhibit by BRATSA BONIFACHO called INSIDE HABITAT PIXEL.  Bonifacho is a Vancouver-based artist, who explores tensions in contemporary digital society, politics, memory and art.

 He states, “I communicate and express essentially non-verbal thoughts and emotions abstractly, within the discipline of formalism – through colour and shape, gesture and surface.”

 

 

 

 

10 Great Things to Check Out Over Spring Break

  1. Come one, come all to explore medieval science at Science World. Don’t miss out on the following make-and-take activities: Crazy Catapulting; Create a Crown; Lego: A Castle Adventure; Pocket Full of Posies
    The Society for Creative Anachronism:
    Join a crew of medieval experts as they show off their archery, alchemy and weaving skills. 2nd Floor Atrium, March 17–18, 11am–4pmWondrous Weaving: Did you know that basket weaving has been around since the Middle Ages? Join local artist Sharon Kallis as she works on a basket with a traditional design. Also, chat with her about the Coiled River Project—and check it out!  Tuesday, March 13, 11am–2pm

    BC Mineral Resources: Learn from a geologist about the precious gems and minerals found in British Columbia. Friday, March 23, Search: The Sara Stern Gallery, 11am–3pm

     Knight School: King Arthur and Sir Robin have heard rumours of a dragon headed for Camelot. If that wasn’t bad enough, the rest of the knights have gone missing! Join the most famous knight of them all and his trusty sidekick as they teach you how to become a knight of the Round Table. This high-energy, interactive show will give the audience a hilarious crash course on knightly skills from tax collecting to sword fighting, and put audience volunteers at the centre of the action. Get ready for a new career path! Science Theatre, March 20–23, 11am, 1pm, 3pm

     Sword Science: Don’t miss our special Centre Stage show about the physics of battle with Sword Master Braun McAsh. Afterwards, drop by the Exploration Lab to meet Braun, check out his impressive collection of weapons. Then stick around to learn all about the ins and outs of choreographing fight scenes for live theatre and films. Monday, March 12 to Thursday, March 15, Peter Brown Family Centre Stage 12:20pm Exploration Lab 1pm–4pm (except for Tuesday, March 13, when he will be in the Bits and Bytes Lab)

  2. LEGO Castle Adventure at Science World –   Explore the LEGO Kingdom’s royal castle, sit in their majesties’ LEGO thrones, and admire a LEGO suit of armour. After that, tour the castle grounds and learn about day-to-day castle life. You’ll be able to dress up as princes, princesses, knights or dragons; climb a lookout tower; and don suspender-style horses to “joust” with foam-rubber lances.        At LEGO Castle Adventure, builders of all ages and skill levels will construct castles, learn about real-world fortresses, and discover castle-building secrets. Visitors will have the chance to explore various themes, including:
  • The importance of planning in constructing successful castles
  • Which part of a castle is built for which purpose
  • What it takes to build and run a castle
  • Inspiring real-life castles

3. It’s all about birds at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum this Spring Break, where kids can enjoy hand-on activities, games and bird-themed crafts. 

4. Spring Break Scavenger Hunt at the Burnaby Village Museum. Start the hunt! Marionette, paper bag, and shadow puppets of all sorts! Explore this unique form of theatre art with a scavenger hunt, crafts, and lively performances. Need to take a break – make a craft, enjoy a performance or take a whirl on the carousel. All are included with admission. The Ice Cream Parlour will be open for meals and treats.

5. Family Events at the Vancouver Art Gallery

6. Outdoor Spring Skate at Park Royal – Come join us the first week of Spring Break in the upper level parking area just behind Osaka Supermarket and Staples and try your hand at whizzing around the ice – outdoors! The rink overlooks the Spirit Trail and the gorgeous ocean so come for a unique experience the whole family will love. Our synthetic ice works rain or shine, warm or cold – and it feels just like real ice! Bring your own skates or rent one of our pairs – for a donation. 

7. First Nations Dance Festival – March 8 – 11, 2012
Coastal First Nations Dance Festival. Dancers of Damelahamid, in partnership with the UBC Museum of Anthropology, present the 2012 Coastal First Nations Dance Festival – a week-long celebration of First Nations dance and culture from March 8 to 11 at the UBC Museum of Anthropology. The annual event gathers a diverse array of Aboriginal performance groups from throughout BC, the Yukon, Alaska, and abroad to share a multitude of Indigenous cultures and dance traditions through a series of School Performances, Signature Evening Presentations, and afternoon Festival Stage Performances. Signature Performances take place Mar. 9 & Mar. 10 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $25 for Adults; $20 for Students, Seniors, & MOA Members at TicketsTonight.ca. Festival Stage performances are Mar. 10 & Mar. 11 from 1-4pm and are included with MOA admission. 604-922-5277 

 8. Seed Swap – March 10, 2012
Seeds are the heart of our food systems. Help us protect and support diversity in local gardens; come and check out open-pollinated, untreated seeds that are grown without herbicides or pesticides. Youll find fruit, flower, and veggie varieties. We welcome trades or donations of pesticide-free, non-GMO seeds from your own garden! Sat Mar 10 10:00-2:00pm Food Security Institute FREE. Renfrew Park Community Centre. 604- 257-8388 -Ext 3, cheryl.palidda@vancouver.ca

9. March 12, 13, 19, 20, 21, 2012
Spring Break Pysanky 4 Kids Ukrainian Easter Eggs
Learn to make pysanky Ukrainian Easter eggs using beeswax and dyes with expert and best-selling author Joan Brander of Richmond.  With the proper tools and Joan’s widespread teaching experience, anyone from 6 to 96 can learn to make a beautiufl pysanka the traditional way.  A great activity to do with your family and friends. Includes inspiring video, demonstration, teaching aids, one-on-one attention.  This Spring Break workshop is from 3pm to 5pm on March 12, 13, 19, 20 and 21, 2012.  Moms and Dads have their own evening workshops from 7pm to 9pm on Mar 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21, 2012 with the added opportunity to see one of-a-kind Gallery and Library.  All materials supplied. $25 per person.  Ask for a family rate.  Pre-registration required 604-275-8169. 

10. March 24 – 25, 2012
Exotic Reptile Show
. Drop in to see this reptile show with snakes, lizards and geckos presented by the West Coast Society for the Protection and Conservation of Reptiles. This is a great opportunity to talk with the people who know reptiles best. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Suitable for ages 6+.  Richmond Nature Park.

Have a safe and enjoyable Spring Break!  See you back on Monday, March 26th.

Some more great things to talk about

Well it has been a hectic couple of weeks and I missed posting our list for last week.  This one may be an extended version for the two past weeks.

1. Table Tennis Tournaments – last Friday all MACC classes had the chance to compete in the MACC table tennis tournament.  One of the students will have to post a comment to remind me who won and this week Blue Team (including MACC grade 6/7 classes, Ms. Ngo and Mrs Gallelo’s classes) participated in another touranment.  The top teams fought hard and were extremely serious about the games.  Fun was had by all!

2. On Monday February 27th, Hillcrest held Term 2 “I” Day for students to come in for tutorials, complete in-progress and overdue work and to re-write assignments and assessments.  The day was well attended by MACC students and over 30 student came in for Math tutorial, to complete overdue work, to re-write Math tests, to work on overdue exploration class assignments and to work ahead (if students knew they were taking extended Spring Breaks).

3. 30 students from across all three MACC classes attended a session at Evergreen Cultural Centre on Tuesday February 28th.  A student will be contributing a post shortly about the gallery and studio sessions.  Watch for the post and pictures.

4. Eminent People Dinner Party Project deadlines have been adjusted for grade 6/7’s.  Due to the escalating job action, students are only required to have completed 5 of their bioographies for Thursday March 8th.  The others will now be due after Spring Break (April 5th), so students will have additional library time before the assignment is due.  Students have now selected the 10 people who will be attending their dinner party.  Check in with your son or daughter to see who they are inviting.  If you would like more information about the assignment, see the previous post and ask your son or daughter for the criteria.  The marking criteria was designed through a collaborative process with all the students.

5. While many students are finishing off their portions of the Newpaper Data Analysis Project, we have missed several Friday work blocks.  The due date for this assignment will also be extended until after Spring Break.  New due date is Friday March 30th.

6. We received complimentary passes for the Nordic area at Cypress (cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowtubing) after our Winter Fun Day in January.  Students have each received a child/youth pass for a session between March 1 – April 1, 2012.  If your family, will not be using the pass please return them to school so we can share them with families who will be going to Cypress.

7.  We will not be monitoring Edmodo during the escalating job action and over Spring Break, so all students will have read-only access.  After Spring Break, students will have contributor access again.

8. Highlander Hockey was scheduled for March 8th and is being re-scheduled.  Stay tuned for more information after Spring Break.

9. During the escalating job action days – students are encouraged to continue to work on their math assignments, work on their Eminent People projects, work on their Newspaper Data Analysis projects, read and do something active for at least 30 minutes.

10. Students in grade 6/7 brought home their Term 2 Self Assessments.  Based of other assessment and self-reflection templates, students were asked to review the goals they set in Term 1 and evaluate how successful they were and what strategies in their action plans were effective. Students also completed a in – class write for their final literature circle response.  The students’ responses have been assessed using the BC Ministry of Education Writing Performance Standards and have been included as snapshot of your son or daughter’s writing at this point of the school year. They have also been asked to reflect on their learning over the past term.   The questions for reflection included:

  • What Math units have you completed? Explain one new concept you have learned.
  • Explain how what you have learned about
    empires (social, political and economic) demonstrates a theme of
    sustainability. Please give at least 2 specific examples.
  • List 3 examples of your Literary Term and
    explain how you represented your term on your poster.
  • Share your Final Classic Literature Circle
    response.  List 3 ways your writing has
    improved this term.
  • What are three parallels between “Super
    Size Me,” “The Futur of Food,” the 100 mile diet and the Canada Food Guide?
  • Explain what data you are analyzing for the
    Newspaper Math Project.  What
    observations can you make about the data you collected and the ways you are
    interpreting or representing it?
  • Describe what personal interests you are
    exploring in your passion project.