RICHMOND SECONDARY SCHOOL NEWSLETTER...46th Annual Richmond Secondary School Community Christmas Luncheon on December 10. We may not have been We may not have been able to share a

VOLUME 94, Issue 5 DECEMBER 2020

RICHMOND SECONDARY SCHOOL

NEWSLETTER HOME OF THE COLTS - ESTABLISHED IN 1927

Principal: Ms. Anita Kwon Address: 7171 Minoru Blvd, Richmond, BC, Canada V6Y 1Z3 Vice Principals: Mr. John Blair & Mr. Matt Winograd Phone: 604-668-6400 PAC: 2nd Wednesday at 6:30PM Early Warning: 604-247-2658 Deputy Superintendent: Mr. Rick Ryan Twitter & Instagram: @richmondcolts Trustee Liaison: Mr. Norm Goldstein Website: http://rhs.sd38.bc.ca

Principal’s Message

As we bring closure to an unprecedented and remarkable 2020 year, a huge THANK YOU goes out to our amazing students, staff, and parents for working so hard at staying safe and for creating the very best learning and working environment possible at Richmond Secondary School. The responsible and thoughtful nature of our students, the professionalism and dedication of our staff and the supportive influence of parents and our alumni all combine to make Richmond a very caring school community. This winter holiday season, find new fun and creative ways to connect with your friends and family who you are unable to visit, to express your love and gratitude. We wish our students a well-deserved break and hope that, whatever your faith, you are able to enjoy this festive time of year in Canada. Happy holidays and all the very best in 2021! Anita Kwon

k “Home of the Colts”

GO SHARKS

Quarter 2 Progress Reports Published December 17

Quarter 2 Progress Reports were published electronically on MyEducation BC on Thursday, December 17. These reports provide an early indication of how students are progressing in their classes as well as their attendance record since the start of the quarter. It is recommended that you download and save an electronic copy on your computer. Parents are urged to read the report and discuss it with their teen. Parents with concerns about their child's achievement can book a Parent-Teacher Conference in the new year for January 4-8 using School Appointments On-Line. The ten-minute conferences will take place virtually on MS Teams/Zoom or by telephone.

https://rhs.schoolappointments.com/admin/

RHS NEWSLETTER VOLUME 94, Issue 5 DECEMBER 2020

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“Home of the Colts” GO SHARKS


Colts Care and Give Generously

An impressive number of student organizers from many different classes and clubs contributed to a range of socially responsible endeavours this year. In November, our school raised over $800 for the Richmond Poppy Fund to support veterans and their families. In our recent annual school-wide food drive, we collected over 1600 needed food and toiletry items and an amazing $5510.10. Since 2015, our school community has raised and donated an incredible $25,823.36 for the Richmond Food Bank. Thank you to our Colt Ambassadors and our food drive organizers, Ms. Chung, Ms. Ho, and Ms. Morgan for coordinating our successful food drive – the Richmond Food Bank recognizes our school’s remarkable generosity and has expressed their gratitude to our school. The Create Change Richmond club held a greeting card fundraiser with all proceeds going to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHRC). Our PE 10 Leadership class provided holiday gift bags and donated grocery store gift cards to support families at Thunderbird Elementary School, located near one of the largest social housing projects in BC. Meanwhile, our Learning Services staff in partnership with the RSS Alumni Association thoughtfully put together 11 generous holiday hampers for some of our own families in need of a little help this holiday season. Encouraging our students to show community involvement, be socially responsible and globally-minded are very important at RHS. Thank you to our staff sponsors and to everyone who volunteered, donated, and helped make a difference in the lives of others this past year!


PE 10 Leadership Community Initiatives

Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, the PE 10 Leadership students have re-imagined their community initiatives and continued their partnership with Thunderbird Elementary School, an “in-need school”. In this 11th year of the buddy program, students introduced themselves virtually to their little buddies by sending them a fun and creative introductory video of the class and students, providing a Christmas gift bag to each little buddy and donating $200 in Superstore gift cards to help ease the financial strain some families face over the holidays when breakfast programs are not supplied during the winter break. Leadership students will connect with their little buddies in the new year and will organize fun activities through Zoom. The Leadership class will continue with other community initiatives such as creating personal kits for the homeless and organizing a virtual school-wide Terry Fox Run.


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RHS NEWSLETTER VOLUME 94, Issue 5 DECEMBER 2020 RHS NEWSLETTER VOLUME 93, Issue 9 APRIL 2020



Follow the school on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and subscribe to our Website. All links can be found at https://rhs.sd38.bc.ca.

RHS Festive Traditions Continue

Congratulations to our professional cook students who prepared 170 delicious holiday meals with all the fixings for our 46th Annual Richmond Secondary School Community Christmas Luncheon on December 10. We may not have been able to share a meal in-person with Board of Education Trustees, City Councillors, District leaders and staff, members of the Richmond Fire Department, and current and retired RHS staff and alumni, but our guests picked up and enjoyed individually packaged, hot holiday meals in the safety and comfort of their workplace or home.

Student Council organized a week of holiday celebrations for RHS students and staff which included the annual Door Decorating Contest with a Messages of Kindness theme, and Photos with Santa all week long. We culminated a fun, winter-themed spirit week with an adapted Breakfast with Santa on December 18. Students began arriving by 8:30 AM and received treat bags prepared by Student Council. Students enjoyed a pre-recorded video full of performances including RHS Staff’s reading of “Twas the Week Before Winter Break”, and messages from recent RHS grads. Breakfast with Santa was a very successful community-building event and a wonderful way to share holiday well wishes with friends. Thank you to Student Council and all who helped or performed – it was a fabulous school-wide celebration! Check out photos for all holiday celebrations on our Instagram account @RichmondColts.

Winter Music Concert Fabulous

Our very talented student-musicians hosted a successful winter concert for the RHS community on December 8. This year’s event was virtual with pre-recorded performances premiering on the RICHMONDCOLTS YouTube channel. Watched by over 300 viewers, the concert featured a wide range of classic, pop, and holiday favourites performed by multiple band classes. The school community spent a great amount of time coordinating the video production so that everyone was able to enjoy these performances from the safety and comfort of their home. Congratulations to the many dedicated students involved in the Richmond Secondary School music program and the leadership of our music teacher Mr. Sheppard.

https://www.instagram.com/richmondcolts/?hl=enhttps://rhs.sd38.bc.cahttps://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCAq9WrPtMYtdhXAiwPhJPkQ/videos/upload?filter=%5B%5D&sort=%7B%22columnType%22%3A%22date%22%2C%22sortOrder%22%3A%22DESCENDING%22%7Dhttps://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCAq9WrPtMYtdhXAiwPhJPkQ/videos/upload?filter=%5B%5D&sort=%7B%22columnType%22%3A%22date%22%2C%22sortOrder%22%3A%22DESCENDING%22%7D


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Grade 8 Class Visits & Student Survey

Ms. Kwon, Mr. Blair, and Mr. Winograd visited Grade 8 “B” classes on December 2 and 3 to speak with students about “How is it going so far at high school?”. We spoke about their transition from elementary school and the importance of being resilient, but also asking for help, when needed. Grade 8s were also asked to respond anonymously to twenty statements using a rating scale of (a) Strongly Agree (b) Agree (c) No Opinion (d) Disagree (e) Strongly Disagree. The results are posted below. (Note, results exclude students who said they had “no opinion” about a particular statement.). The full survey results have been shared with Grade 8 teachers and all RHS staff.

% Grade 8s who STRONGLY AGREE or AGREE

Middle Years Development Instrument

The Richmond School District is participating in the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) project. The MDI is a self-report questionnaire for students in grade 8 and asks about how students think and feel about their experiences both inside and outside of school. The MDI questions align with the BC Ministry of Education’s K-12 curriculum which includes a focus on promoting children’s personal and social competencies. The purpose of this project is to better understand aspects of children’s social and emotional development, health, and well-being that contribute to their overall success in school and in life. Grade 8 RHS students will participate in the MDI during the week of January 11-15 in their “A” class. Parents/Guardians should have received an email at the end of November with detailed information on the MDI. Forms need only be returned for parents/guardians who DO NOT want their child to participate. This form must be received by your child’s “A” class teacher no later than Friday, January 8, 2021. Students who opt-out will still attend school and will participate in self-study during the class. To find out more about the MDI, visit earlylearning.ubc.ca/mdi.

District School Transfer News

Richmond students who want to apply for a transfer to a school that is outside of their catchment area MUST APPLY TO TRANSFER. This includes out-of-catchment students with a brother or sister currently at a secondary school and students currently in Grade 7 who attend a feeder school but live in another catchment area. Students who are already attending a secondary school out of their catchment area and want to stay, do not have to reapply. The Round 1 Transfer period will be from February 8-26, 2021 and these applications are for the 2021-2022 school year. Transfer forms must be submitted to the school you are applying to, on or before February 26. Grade 10 students applying to the IB Diploma Programme, do not need to submit a school transfer form, but must complete an IB application by 4 PM on Friday, January 8. Learn more about applying to IB at https://rhsib.wordpress.com/apply/.

https://rhsib.wordpress.com/apply/http://earlylearning.ubc.ca/mdi/


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Governor General’s Academic Bronze Medal

Congratulations to Rachel Wen for being awarded the Governor General’s academic bronze medal as the top student in Richmond Secondary School’s graduating class of 2020. Rachel earned the highest combined grade 11 and 12 scholastic average out of 281 students in the graduating class.

“For more than 125 years, the Governor General’s Academic Medals have recognized the outstanding scholastic achievements of students in Canada. They are awarded to the student graduating with the highest average from a high school, as well as from approved college or university programs. Pierre Trudeau, Tommy Douglas, Kim Campbell, Robert Bourassa, Robert Stanfield and Gabrielle Roy are just some of the more than 50 000 people who have received the Governor General’s Academic Medal as the start of a life of accomplishment.” (SOURCE: Governor General of Canada Website)

Graduation Assessment Days in January

On Monday, January 25 and Tuesday, January 26 we will follow an alternate bell schedule to facilitate the Ministry of Education’s Graduation Numeracy Assessment (GNA) for current Grade 10 students and Grades 11 or 12 students who have not yet written the GNA. Students have been assigned a time to write the GNA for one of two sittings at either 8:30 AM or 12:00 PM and are expected to arrive at least 15 minutes before. The schedule is posted on the bulletin board outside the main office or can be viewed HERE. Grade 8-9 classes will be in-person while grade 10-12 classes will all be remote. On these two days, first class for all students will begin at 8:30 AM. For more information: https://rhs.sd38.bc.ca/students/graduation-assessments-gna-gla

Teens and Digital Citizenship

Adolescents today have grown up with iPads, smart phones and social media, and it is common for teens to do most of their communicating on a digital platform. Developing the skills to communicate, learn, and work in a technological world are important, and it is crucial for young people to understand their digital footprint, their digital citizenship, and to consider the impact of screen time on their lives. If not checking one’s phone every few minutes makes a person antsy, it is a problem. If an image, comment or thread is hurtful, mocking, sexist, racist, homophobic or excluding, it should never be posted, liked or shared, even in a “closed-group”. Our expectations of kindness, care and respect extend to students’ interactions online. Parents are urged to read the school’s expectations for online behaviour and discuss these candidly and honestly with their teen.

https://rhs.sd38.bc.ca/school-information/about-us/digital-citizenship-expectations

https://rhs.sd38.bc.ca/students/graduationassessments-gna-glahttps://rhs.sd38.bc.ca/students/graduation-assessments-gna-glahttps://rhs.sd38.bc.ca/students/graduation-assessments-gna-glahttps://teams.microsoft.com/l/file/146bc4b7-2650-46c1-8223-7cf24cf2b4a1?tenantId=8ff36f9a-72d8-4526-8fce-92719091a6ec&fileType=pdf&objectUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fbcsd38.sharepoint.com%2Fsites%2FRHSSampleClassTeam3%2FShared%20Documents%2FGeneral%2FGrad%20Numeracy%20Assessment%20Package.pdf&baseUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fbcsd38.sharepoint.com%2Fsites%2FRHSSampleClassTeam3&serviceName=teams&threadId=19:[email protected]&messageId=1607971910045&groupId=437fcc9b-618b-4d17-b718-9e70fec35bc6https://rhs.sd38.bc.ca/school-information/about-us/digital-citizenship-expectations


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RHS NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2020


UPCOMING SCHOOL DATES

Dec 21 – Jan 3 Winter Holidays January 26 Grade 9 Program Planning Assembly December 25 Christmas January 27 Grade 10 Program Planning Assembly December 26 Boxing Day January 28 Grade 11 Program Planning Assembly January 1 New Year’s Day – Welcome 2021! February 4 Quarter 3 Begins January 4 School Re-Opens - A2+B1, D February 10 Q2 Final Report Cards Published January 4-8 Q2 Parent-Teacher Conferences her February 10 Grade 7 Parent Info Night Webinar at 6 PM January 12-15 Grade 8 MDI in “A” Class February 11 Q3 Meet the Teacher January 13 PAC Meeting at 6:30 PM on Zoom February 12 Chinese Lunar New Year (Year of the Ox) January 20 Q2 Alert Interims February 12 Pro-D Day January 25-26 Grad Assessment Days (alt schedule) February 14 Valentine’s Day January 25 Grade 8 Program Planning Assembly February 15 Family Day Holiday December 10 RSS Community Christmas Luncheon


Emergency Drills at Richmond Secondary School

Richmond Secondary conducts a total of ten fire, earthquake, and high danger drills each year. We held a “High Danger” drill on Wednesday, November 25. We also communicate with our local RCMP detachment so they can provide valuable feedback and direction. A “High Danger” drill consists of three levels: 1. HOLD & SECURE occurs in the event of a police/emergency incident near but not in the school, or a hazard or gas leak on or near the school grounds, or a medical emergency in the school. 2. LOCK DOWN happens in the event of a police/emergency incident within the school, including intruders or persons who pose an imminent threat to others. 3. ALL CLEAR - to signal that the police/emergency incident has been resolved, upon direction from the RCMP. Please note that in the event of a Hold & Secure or Lock Down alert (or drill), all exterior school doors will be locked and no one can enter or exit the facility during this time. In an actual emergency, parents are advised to follow the directions of the RCMP and to check the school district website for additional information. We recognize that emergency drills can be unsettling; however, please know that our staff explains the context and procedures in detail, and addresses any questions that students may have. Ultimately, it is important that our staff and students are familiar with emergency procedures to ensure the safety of our school community. Emergency situations usually come without notice, so we encourage parents and families to discuss plans for communicating with one another in case of an earthquake or other emergency, at home or when family members are at work, school or away from home. We are committed to keeping our school a very safe place for everyone who attends and works here and we encourage families to have similar discussions and plans.

This Week in Colt Country (TWICC) – Athletics Update

We were pleased to announce that Open Gym for students resumed on December 1. With revised health and safety procedures in place, Ms. Ip and the Athletic Leadership students were confident that they could provide safe and fun opportunities for RHS students once again. New procedures include advanced sign-up (no drop-in’s permitted). Students can sign up for open gym opportunities via the QR Code in the image to the left. Additional protocols in place include mandatory masks, mandatory physical distancing, reduced gym capacity, and no more scrimmaging or games. For the latest in RHS athletics, go to @colts_athletics on Instagram. Check out RSS students taking part in BC School Sports’ Holiday Hustle Challenge, and stay tuned for information on more drop-in dance classes in the new year.

https://www.instagram.com/colts_athletics/?hl=en