COVID-19 Vaccine Resources
The BCCDC and the provincial government have released resources related to vaccines for those aged 12 to 17. The following have been added to the COVID-19 Resources section of the My CHS Community Portal:
Keeping Your Daughter’s Immunizations Up-to-Date
The Vaccination Status Reporting Regulation supports the collection of immunization records of school-age children by Public Health so that all records are stored in one place, the provincial immunization registry. Parents are responsible for ensuring their K-12 children’s records are up-to-date and the “Vaccine Status Indicator” is a convenient tool to check your daughter’s vaccination status.
This year, the School was unable to host Vancouver Public Health vaccination clinics on campus and this may mean that some students missed a routine immunization. Parents are encouraged to speak to their family physician or to monitor health authority websites for news of “catch-up clinics”. See ImmunizationBC for details on clinics, routine immunizations, and details on vaccinations for school-aged children.
Reminder: Register for the Year End Family Event
Registration for the Year End Family Event on Friday, June 11 at 5:30 pm is open until Tuesday, June 8. Families are invited to a virtual cooking class from Nourish Cooking School to celebrate the School's year-end! Special guests Ena Harrop, Head of School, Michelle Douglas, Director, Senior School and Wendy Macken, Director, Junior School, will be joining us as Nourish demonstrates how to put together a Middle Eastern inspired sharing plate. The menu can be modified to be plant-based or gluten-free. There will be an opportunity to enjoy prepared meals together and connect with other families from your grade over Zoom after the cooking
session.
Summaries of Surveys (Student and Parent)
The summaries of the recent surveys (regarding health and safety measures) for students and parents are available to families as communicated in the June 3, 2021 email. Thank you to those who participated. This information is important as we review the past year and look ahead.
Used Uniform Sale Donations
The CHS Parents’ Auxiliary is collecting used uniform donations until Friday, June 11. Students can drop donations off in the bins outside the Uniform Shop and the Junior School office. Parents can drop donations off at a bin outside the receiving area off Balaclava Street from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Please donate clean, gently used items. We accept everything from blazers, tunics, kilts, blouses, sweaters, and the PE uniform. All donations are greatly appreciated. Families will be invited to the Used Uniform Sale prior to the start of school in September (date TBD). The sale benefits the Winter Bazaar and our community partner KidSafe.
Uniform Shop Orders
Parents are asked to make Uniform Shop purchases through the online order form by Thursday, June 10 so orders can be ready for pick-up by Tuesday, June 15. Uniform Shop orders placed after June 10 will be ready for pick-up in late August. If you have any questions, please contact uniforms@croftonhouse.ca.
Census 2021 Reminder
The federal government census team has shared this message with school communities:
You may have heard that the 2021 Census is underway. It has been a challenging year for families, and the census might seem like another thing on your busy to-do list. However, I would like to encourage you to complete your census, if you haven’t already done so. Census data helps governments at all levels plan for schools, transportation, community centres, libraries and recreational activities. Data from the 2021 Census will be even more crucial, because it will help to evaluate the impact of the pandemic and to better plan for the future. You can quickly and easily complete your census questionnaire at www.census.gc.ca using the
access code you received in the mail. If you need assistance, or would like to have a paper (or alternate format) questionnaire, please call the Census Help Line at 1-855-340-2021. Thank you for doing your part to help plan for a better future for all Canadians.
Congratulations to the Class of 2021! This week marks the start of a series of events, including outdoor education and special assemblies, to celebrate and recognize this unique graduating class. Thank you to our grads for their resilience and grace, and to all staff and committee members who are bringing together students as a class, connecting with families, and celebrating in meaningful ways.
Grads enjoyed their final Outdoor Education adventures in Vancouver and Squamish, with as much tradition as we could pack in, including bonding and memory making over two glorious sunny days of relaxing, socializing and...white water rafting! Check out the Vidigami gallery. Note: Students, staff and guides followed the COVID-19 safety protocols and procedures, including wearing masks where safe, for Canadian Outback Rafting in Squamish BC.
The Grad Committee captains Sheyda, Sydney, and Nancy, Grade 12, presented a cheque to the Cinderella Project Society for their fundraising efforts over the school year. The students raised more than $1500 to support this charity that breaks cycles of poverty by encouraging vulnerable youth to stay in school and complete their high school education. They work to encourage and recognize outstanding young people from across the Lower Mainland who reach the milestone of graduation despite overwhelming adversity.
Want to learn a new musical instrument? Grade 11 Physics students went a step further and built their very own, including strings, winds, and a set of bagpipes!
The Crofton House Junior School presented an original musical review, Backstage Drama—written and directed by Junior School teachers Ms Taylor and Ms Hare—to much delight and toe-tapping. Congratulations to all of the Grade 7 student performers and supporters as well as the backstage crew from the Senior School. Learn more about how drama is “backstage” in the Junior School curriculum and check out photos from the production on Vidigami.
After the tragic news about the undocumented remains of 215 Indigenous children discovered at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, students spent time honouring those who suffered trauma and harm at residential schools, their families and the communities who are in mourning. An ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds 1000 origami cranes will be granted a wish. An important figure within First Nations cultures, Raven is known for teaching lessons through his trickster ways and bringing light to a world of darkness. Grade 6 students have been hanging garlands of ravens in the courtyard, including 215 orange ravens, along with messages of empathy and wishes for reconciliation.
In the absence of regular track meets this year, the Junior School hosted the Falcon Festival, a track and field event for Grade 3 to 7 students. With events from high jump to hurdles, and shot put to sprints, there was plenty of action and even more smiles. Check out the highlight gallery on Vidigami.
Our 2021 Writer in Residence, poet Georgia Heard, has spent some time with Grade 6 and 7 students coaching them to use figurative, expressive language to share “Heart Maps” and poetry. “Our job as writers is to polish things that people might see as ordinary,” said Ms Heard. “It’s our job as writers to make them extraordinary.”
Athlete Profile: Natalie, Deputy Head Girl, Grade 12 – Basketball, Field Hockey, Cross Country, Track & Field
For our final athlete profile of this school year, we’re sharing graduating student Natalie’s thoughts and experiences as a CHS athlete. The theme of this series has been about what sport gives us besides competition (in a year without competition), and on that note, we’re excited to share Natalie’s athleticism, mindset, and community involvement with you.
We asked what she loves most about sport:
“I first joined as a way to burn energy but since then I found it’s a really great place to spend time with friends—I’ve met my closest friends through playing sports and I like that it’s a nice outlet at the end of the school day. It’s time to decompress a bit.”
Natalie also used sport in a unique way towards completing her Grade 12 Capstone Project:
“At the beginning of quarantine last year, I went on daily runs, and my runs kept getting longer. I started with 10Ks and that turned into the occasional 15k or 16k here and there. And then that turned into averaging 80km/week of running and I really loved it. So when Ms Hannigan asked us to look at a Capstone project, I chose that as my passion project. I got my friend Molly on board, and we came up with a goal and how we would achieve it, and then we did it. We’d done half marathons before but never anything this big. We followed the Boston Marathon training plan and we set a goal time for ourselves: 3h30. We did 3h22! We trained for 15 weeks and on May 1, we ran our marathon. Teachers and classmates came to cheer us on and it was so unexpected and exciting!
“On the side, we did a shoe drive to get footwear to kids who need it. We collected shoes from the Junior School and Senior School, and even called around different shoe stores and we ended up finding 400 pairs of shoes to donate. I didn’t expect any of this at the beginning of quarantine. We met our goals, and had a really fun time.”
And we wanted to know what was the most challenging:
“Time management can be really challenging; not over-committing myself. It got to a point where some of my coaches were saying, ‘you have to learn how to take rest days, cut back, not do things.’ I hadn’t clued in that taking rest days was good for your muscles. That’s how you improve. But I felt that if I missed out on practice time, I wouldn’t be as good and I’d miss out on playing time.”
Any advice for students coming up behind you?
“Don’t worry about what other people think. Go to the try out. At the end of the day, what’s the worst thing that could happen? It probably won’t happen. So just put yourself out there and you’ll end up having a lot more fun and you never know what doors will open. There’s nothing stopping you, really.”
#BringItHome |