VOLUME89,Issue3OCTOBER2016

RICHMOND SECONDARY SCHOOL

NEWSLETTER HOMEOFTHECOLTS-ESTABLISHEDIN1927

Principal:Mr.JimAllisonAddress: 7171MinoruBlvd,Richmond,BC,CanadaV6Y1Z3VicePrincipals:Mr.GordonFitt&Ms.SandyHuiPhone: 604-668-6400Fax:604-278-4734PAC:Ms.O.Fedorenko EarlyWarning: 604-247-2658TrusteeLiaison:Ms.S.NixonTwitter:@richmondcolts

Website: http://rhs.sd38.bc.ca

Principal’s Message:I hope that the recent Thanksgiving long weekend provided all members of our community with an opportunity to reflect and appreciate everything we have to be thankful for - loving family, friends, good health, nutritious food and warm shelter. Living in Canada, it is important to remember that we are amongst the most fortunate citizens in the world - our communities are modern and safe, we have excellent schools and medical services that are accessible to all and we respect and celebrate differences in a welcoming, multicultural nation. We encourage our students to embrace the incredible opportunity they have at Richmond Secondary School to learn and to pursue any future that interests them, but also to engage and grow as thinkers, problem-solvers and as caring, personally and socially responsible citizens. Parents are reminded that the school will send home Interim Reports on Thursday, October 20 and this document will provide information on how your student is progressing early in the school year. Parents will also be able to book short conference appointments with teachers and these will be held on October 26 and 27. Please book appointments online at: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0449a4ac2ea02-rssparentteacher3 (beginning October 14) or parents may telephone the school if you need help. Thank you, Mr. A

Terry Fox - Richmond Secondary School Celebrates a Canadian Hero: CongratulationstoalltheRSSstudentsandstaffwhoparticipatedinthe2016TerryFoxRunonSeptember29.Thisyear'srunmarkedthe36thanniversaryofTerry'sMarathonofHopeandtheincrediblelegacyofcourage,selflessnessandhopeTerryinspiredinallCanadiansandinmillionsofpeoplearoundtheworld.TheTerryFoxFoundationisstillpassionatelyengagedinfulfillingTerry'slegacyanditssinglemissionremainsto"fundinnovativecancerresearch".In1980,a22-yearTerryFoxwasastudent at SFUandhad just lost his leg to cancerwhenhedecided to raise awarenessby running amarathonaday in ajourneyacrossCanada.HehopedthateachCanadianwoulddonate$1,buthewasalsoclear thatallarewelcome,eveniftheywereunabletodonate.Whilearecurrenceofcancerendedhisjourneyafter143daysand5,373kilometres,hislegacyliveson.Cancerhas touchedmostofourlivesinsomewayand,onawarmandsunny fallday36yearslater,ourstudentshadachoiceofrunning,joggingorwalkingovertwodifferentroutesaroundMinoruParkandmorethan1200studentsandstaffwere involved. Ahuge thankyou toeveryonewhoparticipated,donatedorsupportedourannualTerry FoxRunandespecially toMs. Kippan and the P.E. Leadership class for organizing every aspect of this wonderful community-buildingevent.Ourschoolraisedanddonated$1405totheTerryFoxFoundation.ThankyouTerryandwelldoneColts!

“Home of the Colts” GO SHARKS

2

“Home of the Colts” GO SHARKS

Kindness,careandrespect~todayandeveryday.

RSSNEWSLETTERVOLUME89,Issue3OCTOBER2016FirstRHSGrade8Mini-CampandSleep-OveraHugeSuccess!We welcomed our youngest students to the "Colts family" at a very successful Grade 8 Mini-Camp & Sleep-Over on September 23-24. This was our first ever Grade 8 Camp and over 175 Grade 8s and senior camp leaders were joined by RHS staff and shared a full day and night of informative and active sessions including: being organized, goal-setting and tips for success in high school, team building, personal and social responsibility, leaving a legacy and they learned what "kindness, care and respect" really means at Richmond Secondary. The Grade 8s also went ice skating, played active games, performed in a hilarious talent show and had a lot of fun. Most importantly, they formed some new friendships and began to come together as a class - our grads of 2021! A sincere thank you to our 33 very dedicated Grade 11 and 12 student-leaders who organized and led all aspects of the camp and served as fabulous role models for our youngest students: Nikki Braun, Michael Cabrera, Samantha Chan, Lily Chen, Minaho Chiew, Brandon Dayao-Maas, Rick Dossantos, David Duan, Owen Fan, Ryan Feng, Stephen Gonzales, Alexandra Hernandez, William Hou, Jorielle Krawchuk, Lyon Laddaran, Allyson Lara, Halliwell Li, Ryan Liu, Julia Ma, Julia Pascual, Chelsea Ramos, Ysabelle Santa Ana, Tamara Solnyshkina, Tegan Syho, Jeffrey Tam, Ysabella Tabuena, Sameeha Wadhwania, Lily Wang, Kenji Wong, Angel Yang, Monica Yao, Jocelyn Yu and Jason Zhou. Our gratitude also goes to the staff members who led the event: Mr. Winograd, Ms. Chan and Ms. Yasui and the many staff who supervised at the camp including Mr. McCracken, Mr. Freeman, Mr. Lin, Ms. Seminutin, Ms. Gramm, Mr. Furugori, Ms. Alison, Ms. Ryan, Ms. Diggens, Mr. Fitt, Ms. Hui and Mr. Allison. A sincere thank you also to 2010 RHS grad Imran Sumar, now a 2nd year UBC Medical School student who spoke to our students on Saturday morning about getting involved and pursuing your passions. It was a very successful event and a positive and welcoming beginning to high school. Well done Camp Leaders and Grade 8s! A great start for the RHS Grads of 2021!

CreatingaSafe,CaringandRespectfulSchool:Thesafetyofallwholearnandworkinschoolsisanimportanttopicinallschoolcommunities.BullyingisatermthatiscommoninthemediaandallaspectsofsocietytodayandtheMinistryofEducationhasdevelopedathoughtfulstrategyforschoolscalledERASE–ExpectRespect,andaSafeEducationandeachyearwepublishourERASEstrategiesontheschoolwebsite.However,thesearenotnewideasatRichmondSecondaryandwecontinuetoemphasize,developandsustain an ethos of KINDNESS, CARE and RESPECT at our school. We remind all students that they are expecteddemonstratekindness,careandrespectatalltimes–forthemselves,forallothers(includingthosewhoappeardifferentthanyou),forourschool,ourcommunityandideally,fortheglobalvillage.Asaschool,wediscusstheseexpectationsregularly and RSS teachers and support staff are also awareof theneed to reach out and get to know eachof theirstudentsas individualsandtoaddressconcerningbehaviours inaproactive,positiveway. Werevisitedourthemesofkindness, careand respectwithour youngest studentsatGrade8 Campandwill reinforce theseexpectationswithallstudents throughout the year. We believe that the best way to prevent a culture of bullying is to celebrate andstrengthenthepositiveconnectionsbetweenstudentsandstaff.Webelievethatstudentswhobelongtoaclub,team,groupor regular activity oftendevelop a deeper sense of caring for each other and for the school. Positive, caringconnectionswithotherstudentsandwithstaffgreatlydiminishthelikelihoodofinappropriatebehaviours.Parentsneedto remain involved in their teens’ lives andbe awareof their friends and social connections, includingwhat they aredoingonline.Anytimeparentshaveconcernsorarenoticingchangesintheirchild,theyareencouragedtospeakwiththeirteenandreachouttoanRSScounsellororadministratorifnecessary.Notallconflictisbullyingandtheremaybesomeconflictinhighschool,asinlife,andwealsowanttohelpstudentsberesilient.However,anyongoingpatternofunwelcome or aggressive behavior is a serious concern and will never be acceptable at our school. When in doubt,contact the school. There are also great online resources on what bullying is and is not, why people bully and howparentscanhelp.www.erasebullying.cawww.needhelpnow.ca,www.deal.org,www.bullying.orgwww.cyberbullying.ca

3

“Home of the Colts” GO SHARKS

GraduationTransitionsRequiredforGrade12All current Grade 12 students must complete all therequirements of the 4-credit Graduation Transitions tograduate this year. Once complete, students receive agradeofRMforRequirementsMetontheirreportcardand Ministry Transcript. An updated resume with acoversheetwasdueonSeptember30;theHealthyLivingPlanisdueinOctober,followedbyacompleted30-HourWork/Volunteer form. Forms are available from Mr.Thomasandallcompletedtaskscanbesubmittedtohiminroom209.Gradsof2017areremindedthattheymustcompleteGTtograduate–pleaseseeMr.Thomasifyouhaveanyquestionsorneedhelp.

NewCurriculumandChangesToReportingHopefully parents are aware that changes arehappening to curriculumandreporting inall schoolsin British Columbia. At RHS, the changes arehappening thisyear inGrades8 and9 andwillbe inplacenextyearforGrades10-12andourteachersarecommitted to studying, discussing and implementingthe changes, in steady, thoughtful steps. Parents arewelcome to read and learn more about the changesonline:https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/TheRichmondSchoolDistrictwillalsobeholdingtwodedicated parent info sessions on October 26 andNovember15at6:30pmatMacNeillSecondarySchoolto explain the changes and allow parentsopportunities toaskquestions. Pleasesee theposteron the last page of this newsletter for moreinformation. Finally, the Ministry is consideringchanges to report cards and how schools informparents on their child’s progress. All parents areinvited to participate in an online survey to provideinput:http://engage.gov.bc.ca/yourkidsprogress/

StudentsGettingConnectedinPositiveWaysStudent reps from more than 35 school clubs andactivitieshostedinformationandsign-uptablesinthegym at lunchtimeon September 30 andhundreds ofstudents learned about the exciting opportunitiesavailable at Richmond Secondary. Student leaders(withstaffsponsors)offerawidevarietyofclubsanda few examples include the art club, SPCA club,Japanese Manga, Dragon boat, garden club, ModelU.N., games club, robotics, eSports, First Respondersandmanymore. It isourhope thatallstudentsgetconnectedby joiningaclub,teamorbyattendinganevent or activity at school. These experiences oftendeepen the sense of connection students have withone another and the school,make time spent at RHSmore memorable and enjoyable and often helpstudents grow into more well-rounded people. Avarietyofvolunteerandserviceexperiencesalsohelpgreatly with scholarship, post-secondary and jobapplications. See your counsellor to find out moreabouthowtojoinaclub!Thecurrentclubsarelistedonourschoolwebsite:http://rhs.sd38.bc.ca/extracurricular-life/clubs-and-activities

RSSNEWSLETTERVOLUME89,Issue3OCTOBER2016

Grade12Reminders:WehostedaGrade12ParentInfonightonOctober6an reminded everyone that Grade 12s should bechecking our RSS post-secondary website regularly:https://msjonescareercentre.wordpress.com/aswellasMs.Jones’Facebookpage:https://www.facebook.com/Ms-Jones-Career-Centre-News-118346451579144/Grade 12s (and Grade 11s) should also attend thepost-secondaryvisitscomingtoRHS.Oct.11- EmilyCarratlunchOct.19- JohnsHopkinsUniversityatlunchOct.20- Westernat3pmOct.25- MCPHS(Boston)atlunchNov.14- McGillat3pmNov.16– SFUatlunchNov.16– UofAlbertaat3pmNov.17- Post-SecondaryFair2:45-4pmNov.21- UBCat3pmNov.25- UofCalgaryatlunchOther reminders include Langara, Douglas, VCC andother colleges have already opened their applicationportals – apply early. For UBC, up-to-date admissioninfo can be read at this UBC admissions blog:http://blog.students.ubc.ca/admissions/

BardontheBeachOn September 22, a group of students from Ms. Ng'sEnglish 9 class were selected to attend a matinee of‘Romeo and Juliet’; one of the four performances at the27th annual Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival inVancouver.Ourstudentswereveryfortunatetoattendthematinee and have the opportunity to see and hearShakespeare’sclassictragedycometolifeanddeepentheirappreciationforthepowerfulinfluenceofliterature.

4

“Home of the Colts” GO SHARKS

RSSNEWSLETTERVOLUME89,Issue3OCTOBER2016PublicForumonFentanylonNovember16The media has been reporting the shockingnews of overdose deaths involving youngpeople and the increasing prevalence of so-called“partydrugs”areveryconcerningtoallmembers of the community. The RichmondSchoolDistrict, inpartnershipwiththeRCMPandVancouverCommunityHealthwillhostaPublic Forum on Fentanyl at RichmondSecondary School on Wednesday, November16 at 7pm in the Multipurpose Theatre. Allparents andmembers of the community arewelcome to attend to learn more, askquestionsandgetbetterinformed.

TeenagersonHalloween?Halloweenisanopportunityforpeopleofallagesto dress up and have some fun. Young childrenoftenlookforwardtocreatingjack-o-lanternsandtrickortreatingwiththeirparents.Unfortunately,the days leading up to Halloween and the actualnightofOctober31canalsobemarredbyactsofvandalism.Thesightoflargegroupsofteenagersandyoungadults, ignitingfireworksandroamingstreets, parks and schoolyards is not uncommononHalloween. Theresultingcarnagecan includebroken windows, small fires and otherunnecessary acts of vandalism. New this year isthe “creepyclown”phenomena that has spread intheU.S., Canadaand theU.K.due tosocialmedia,andinvolvesyoungadultsdressedinscaryclownmasksterrorizingotherpeople.PleaseknowthattheRCMPwillbeoutinforceonthisnightandtheschools hire extra security. We stronglyencourage parents to speak with their teenagechildren - find out what their plans are forHalloween-encourageandinsistthattheybehaveresponsiblyorsimplystayhomeandstaysafe.

CareerEducationforGrades8,9and10sWe will host a variety of career-focused learning activities for our junior students this year, with a half-day dedicated on Wednesday, November 2. This is the annual Canada-wide Take Our Kids to Work for Grade 9 students. Grade 9s are to accompany a parent/guardian/family/friend to their place of work for the day to job shadow and get a glimpse into the world of work. On this same day we will also host volunteers from local businesses, financial institutions and the Junior Achievement organization to present financial literacy sessions for our Grades 8 and 10 students. For more information, please contact Mr. Thomas at the school.

UpcomingRHSDates:Oct.20–InterimReportsHomeOct.21–Pro-DDayOct.26/27–EarlyDismissalDays–12:55pmOct.26–Parent-TeacherConferences*2-4pm&6-8pmOct.27–Parent-TeacherConferences*2-4pm*Parentsbookconferencesonline(seePrincipal’sMessagep.1)Oct.31–Halloween–besafe!Nov.2–TakeGrade9stoWorkDayNov.2–Gr.8&10sCareers&FinancialLiteracy(morning)Nov.5-8–I.B.BamfieldTripNov.6–DaylightSavingsEnds–setclocksbackonehourNov.10–RHSRemembranceCeremoniesNov.11–RemembranceDayLestWeForgetNov.16–PublicForumonFentanylat7pmNov.17–Post-SecondaryFair2:45-4:00pmNov.18–Pro-DDay(NewCurriculumImplementation)Nov.21–UBCat3pmNov.22–GlobalPerspectivesFundraisingDinnerat5pm

ParentsWantedforPAC&DAG:OurParentAdvisoryCouncil(PAC)meetsonthe2ndWednesdayofeachmonthat6:30pmin the libraryandallparentsarewelcome!TojoinPACorreceivePAC emails, please contact Olga at:olgfedrn@gmail.comSimilarly,theschoolreliesonparents to organize every aspect of our Dry AfterGrad(DAG) celebration for our graduating studentseachyearandtosustainthiswonderfultradition,weneed parents to donate, help and to volunteer. WewelcomeGrade12parents,butalsoneedparentsofallothergradestoensureDAGcontinuesintheyearsahead!! Please contact Lynn Braun at:lynn.braun@hotmail.com

5

“Home of the Colts” GO SHARKS

RSSNEWSLETTERVOLUME89,Issue2SEPTEMBER2016RSSNEWSLETTERVOLUME89,Issue3OCTOBER2016

Do you have questions about the new curriculum? Join us for Parent Information Evenings.6:30-8:00pm at MacNeill Secondary

!

October 26, 2016 Join us for an introduction to the redesigned BC curriculum. Learn about the core competencies, big ideas and other key features of the new curriculum to support your child’s learning.

November 15, 2016 BC’s new curriculum is preparing children for success in a changing world. How we communicate student learning is changing as well, as we look to new and enhanced means of sharing learning with students and their families. We want to hear from parents their questions, thoughts and input as to current and future methods of communicating student learning.

RSVP to Lisa Urata with number of people, lurata@sd38.bc.caChinese Interpreters available

RSSNEWSLETTERVOLUME89,Issue3OCTOBER2016