CHS: Inspiring girls to discover and pursue their personal exellence.

Welcome to our first edition of 1898 for the 2018/19 academic year. It has been an exciting start to the school year with many alumnae events held on campus. We hope you enjoy reading about your fellow alumnae and we hope you will mark your calendars for upcoming alumnae events!

This is the 121st year that Crofton House School welcomes extraordinary girls through its doors - although not always these same doors! It is also the beginning of my 19th, and final year, as Head of Crofton House School.

I am committed to making it one of, if not my best, year yet. I am equally committed to working with the Board and the entire Senior Leadership team to ensure a smooth transition for the next Head of Crofton House, Ena Harrop, who will officially start in August 2019.

CHS is in a strong place for Ena to carry forward as the ninth Head of School. Last spring’s parent survey showed that more than 90% of parents would recommend the School to friends and colleagues. There is no better testament to the strength of CHS than referrals from our alumnae, parents, students and teachers.

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The Gala is Back – Save the Date!

This academic year is Dr. Pat Dawson’s final year as Head of School. What better way to celebrate the 19 years that she has given Crofton House School than with a celebratory Gala! Mark the date in your calendars – March 2nd 2019. The event will take place at the new and highly acclaimed Parq, Vancouver’s newest international entertainment destination, located in downtown Vancouver. If you are interested in coming to the event please contact Kathryn Drew at kdrew@croftonhouse.ca.

Jam Packaging Evening – Join in the Fun!

Each year, our Alumnae open up their Country Kitchen Booth at the Crofton House Winter Bazaar and sell their homemade jams. With the jam now all made, packaging the jars with a touch of Gordon tartan is the next step. Be part of this fun-filled evening on Tuesday, November 14 from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Make sure to RSVP by emailing alumnae@croftonhouse.ca.

Crofton House Winter Bazaar

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, November 17 at the annual Winter Bazaar. Once again the alumnae have made delicious jams and preserves that will be sold at the Country Kitchen Booth. Come and get your hostess gifts for the upcoming holiday season!

Winter Bazaar Alumnae Tea Room Reservations

The Winter Bazaar will again have an exclusive opportunity for Alumnae to come and enjoy a relaxing and delicious high tea in a private room in the Old Residence. Alumnae can reserve a sitting in the private room for themselves with up to five friends. Each sitting is one hour long and costs $75 for tea and high tea treats for you and your guests. Only 5 reservations are available so book your spot so you don’t miss out! Reserve your Tea Room seating »

Carol Service – Change of Location Due to Renovations

Due to renovations taking place at St. Andrew’s Wesley United Church, the 2018 Crofton House School Carol Service will be held at The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC on Friday, December 21 at 11:30 am. The Alumnae Seasonal Social will be held at Cecil Green Park House, main floor, from 10:00 am to 11:15 am. We look forward to once again seeing our entire community come together before the winter holidays. The invitation will go out in early December.

Jennifer (Connell) Fotheringham ’84 – Getting to know the Alumnae Association President

Jennifer (Connell) Fotheringham ’84 began her term as President of the Alumnae Association in March 2018. The busy mum of three sat down with us to share why she loves being involved at Crofton House, what she would like to bring to the Alumnae Association, plus a few fun facts!

  1. Jennifer has a multi-faceted history with Crofton House.
    Jennifer has a strong family history with Crofton House. Her mum was a ‘lifer’ attending from Grade 1-12. Jennifer and her sister followed in their mother’s footsteps, coming to CHS in Grade 7 and staying to graduation. Jennifer’s mother-in-law was a Croftie and Jennifer’s two daughters, Lauren Fotheringham ’19 and Quinn Fotheringham ’17, both attended CHS.

    BUT Jennifer has another connection to CHS; she was a teacher here! Jennifer taught Social Studies, History and Comparative Civilization in the Senior School for four years. She was pregnant with Quinn while teaching here and has now seen her graduate from CHS.

  2. Teaching was not Jennifer’s first career.
    Jennifer also lived and worked in Japan. Prior to getting her teaching degree, she went to UBC and took Asian Studies and Japanese language – then moving to Japan to work and study. Upon returning to Vancouver, she worked for the provincial government as the liaison to their overseas office in Tokyo.

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We are pleased to announce that we will be launching a new alumnae database in early 2019.

Crofton Connects will allow alumnae to easily connect with each other and the School while providing a powerful tool for professional engagement and networking. Our current database will remain active through the remainder of this academic year but will be deactivated over the summer. 

Registration details for this exciting new platform will be sent out in December.

Welcome to the year of L19htening McQueen!

As the class of 2019 embarks on their final year at Crofton House Head Girl, Angelina Zhang '19 shared with the School her thoughts on the value of approaching this momentous year with the lessons learnt through a speedy little Pixar racecar!

Good morning Dr. Dawson, Members of the Platform Party, Students, Teachers, Special Guests, and of course, the Graduating Class of 2019. Before I begin my speech, I want each of you to think back to the first time you saw your favourite movie. Think back to that feeling when the main character first came on screen, that feeling of wonder over what their journey would be like. Over the next few months, each of us will embark on our own journey, but today, I am here to share ours. This year marks a huge milestone in Crofton House School history. Not only is this the first time we’ve had a grad class named after an animated car, but it’s the first time we’ve had a class that was bold and clever enough to do so. I present to you, Grad L19HTNING MCQUEEN!

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Inspiring girls to discover and pursue their personal excellence.

Karen Carmichael’s Jai Style comes to the Winter Bazaar

In 2011 Karen (St. John) Carmichael ’77 returned to Vancouver after living, and raising two daughters, in cities throughout Asia for more than 16 years. While trying to decide what would come next, she received many inquiries about the stone and silver amulet jewelry she was wearing. Having designed it herself, Karen began to wonder if there was a business idea there.

Since 2014, Karen has successfully established Jai Design, handmaking jewelry with silver and stones that she sources from Asia. Jai is a profound concept in Thai language and culture and represents the connection between heart and mind. Karen tries to embody the spirit of jai in all her designs. “This is such a departure from my previous career in the hospitality industry, where I did market feasibility studies, financial appraisals and operational reviews of hotels. I loved that work but I so appreciate how creative this allows me to be.”

Looking back at her time at CHS, Karen recognizes that many of the lessons learnt have helped her in both life and in business. “Crofton House really taught me the importance of being super organized and being able to balance my time – both of which are so crucial when running your own business.”

When she returned to Vancouver in 2011, Karen enrolled her younger daughter, Sophie, at CHS. While Sophie graduated in 2013, Karen jumped at the opportunity to become involved with this year’s Winter Bazaar.

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While the sun has been shining, fall is clearly here in all of its colourful glory!  The School Store & Uniform Shop now has fleece blankets to keep you warm as you enjoy the last sunny days of fall on your porch or as you cozy up for a weekend of binge-watching your favorite show.

The School Store & Uniform Shop will be open during the Winter Bazaar on November 17 and will be stocked with all the new giftware – key chains, scarfs, and more – perfect stocking stuffers!

 

We had an exciting start to the school year with a number of well-attended alumnae events.

Alum Mum Breakfast 2018

The community of Alum Mums at Crofton House continues to grow – we now have 37 alumnae who have their daughters attending Crofton House School with a total of 51 daughters!  The busy mums all got together to kick the school year off – what a terrific group!

Teddy Bears on campus!

October 13th brought little girls, teddy bears  and their mothers to the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Centre. It was a busy and educational morning with over 26 girls and teddy bears enjoying special activities and a teddy bear picnic, while the 25 mums heard a special presentation from Junior School Director, Susan Hutchison, Nurture Her Imagination: Tap Into Your Daughter’s Potential.  It was a wonderful morning of learning, playing, seeing old friends and making new ones!

Whole Girl, Whole World

Crofton house was delighted to welcome Jessica Lahey, teacher and New York Times best-selling author and columnist, as this year’s Whole Girl, Whole World speaker. Jessica spoke with passion and conviction about the positive impact that experiencing and owning failure has on the healthy development of children through to young adults. We were delighted to welcome many alumnae who came to hear Jessica speak and, of course, enjoy each other’s company over dinner before the presentation.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Sajida Shroff ’86 on her recent election as President of Harvard GlobalWE – a Shared Interest Group dedicated to the empowerment of women through education, dialogue and connection among individuals working for women's rights and freedoms worldwide.


 

 

 

 

   

Reunions

This coming year we will be celebrating the reunion years ending in 4 and 9 (e.g. 1984 or 1999.) We are more than happy to help in your reunion planning and delighted to welcome all classes back to campus!  For more information on our new reunion packages, please contact Lydia (McNeill) Vandenberg ’85 at lvandenberg@croftonhouse.ca.

Calling the Class of ’79 to Save the Date!

March 8, 2019 marks the school birthday and the established date of our 40th reunion. We are graciously invited back to the elegant home of Anne (Wolrige) Rowland, in Vancouver, for a sumptuous dinner and lots of catching up with one another! Details will be provided by email invitation at a later date.

Class of 2008 10 Year Reunion

Reconnect with your classmates on December 15 during a campus tour or on December 23 over brunch at Prospect Point Restaurant. Full details will be shared via email so watch your inbox!

Authors in our Midst!

Congratulations to our alumnae, Jane Mortifee ‘71 and Priscilla (Spankie) Stanbury ‘63 on their recent publications!

In Out of the Fire, author Jane Mortifee tells the story of a quest for forgiveness and healing from the ravages of vengeance, bitterness and hate.   With attention to detail, the author evokes everyday life in the village and reveals how pain and loss can be transformed through the power of tribal earth and mystical spirit connections.

Congratulations Priscilla! Her new book Warriors and Heroes of a Different Kind: Battling Kidney Failure has been selected as an award finalist in the non-fiction category of The Canadian Book Club Awards, 2018.

 

Class Notes
Read about the accomplishments, marriage and birth announcements, and education or career successes of your
fellow alum.
  Alumnae E-Directory
The E-Directory is a great way to stay connected with your classmates, other alumnae, and the school. Register and update your profile, volunteer as a mentor or search for a fellow alumnae by profession, geography or class year.
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Alumnae Events

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