In four short weeks, the winter break will be upon us. It is hard to believe that my first term at Crofton House is coming to an end. It has been a pleasure starting to get to know parents, students, staff, and the wider CHS community. I have been impressed with the professionalism and dedication of our teachers, the collaborative learning environment, the girls’ zest for learning, and the deep sense of community here - which was on full display last Saturday at the Winter Bazaar! My thank you goes to the CHS Parents’ Auxiliary, the Winter Bazaar Chairs, and all of the parent, student, alumnae, and staff volunteers who made this day possible. 

This term I have also had the opportunity to attend Head of School conferences organized by the Canadian Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) and Independent Schools Association of BC (ISABC). Both provided a forum for me to connect with other Heads from across the province and the country. It was an excellent way to more fully understand the Canadian educational landscape and appreciate the similarities and differences with other contexts I have previously experienced. 

Transit Strike

Escalating strike action is being reported by the media and Translink. A system-wide transit shutdown affecting both Coast Mountain Bus and SeaBus service is currently planned for three days next week: Wednesday, November 27, Thursday, November 28, and Friday, November 29. The shutdown would not affect SkyTrain or Canada Line service, as both are operated independently from the bus system. To stay up-to-date on any transit alert, please visit the Translink Alert Page.

We know this will impact our students and staff who use transit to get to school and we encourage carpooling as an alternative. We also realize this may affect the routines of families who depend on transit to travel to work or who will face increased traffic and other impacts from the strike.

For Senior School students who need to get to school early or stay late, a reminder that the Senior School is open from 7:00 am and the library is open until 5:00 pm; students are welcome to remain at School until 6:00 pm.

In the Junior School, on days where there is a full shutdown of transit service, the School will suspend the cost of before-school care so that students can receive supervision from 7:30 am onwards. Junior School students should go directly to the Learning Commons. ECEC students should go directly to the Junior Kindergarten classroom. After school pick-up routines will remain the same.

Traffic Safety Reminder

Managing traffic safety on the campus and surrounding streets is very important for the Crofton House School community and our neighbours. Local streets can be crowded during peak times and West 41st Avenue is a busy traffic artery. 

A member of the Vancouver Police traffic department recently contacted Crofton House about “concerning parent driving behaviour” and alerted the School that enforcement officers will be monitoring traffic near the school. Please drive carefully and obey all traffic regulations and rules of the road. 

As the days get shorter and darker, we ask that you take extra care when driving and walking around campus. Provident Security, with the support of our facilities team, continue to support safe pedestrian crossing at the Blenheim Street gate, control the traffic entering and exiting the roundabout, and assist at the crosswalks on Balaclava Street and West 41st Avenue.

Admissions and Bursary Application Deadline - Monday, December 2, 2019

The admissions deadline for Grade 6 and Grade 8 intake years and applications for financial assistance for new students entering Grade 8 is Monday, December 2. If you know families who are thinking about applying to Crofton House, please encourage them to visit our website for more information about the application process and financial assistance available.

Winter Concerts

It is winter concert season at Crofton House!  Parents are invited to attend the following: 

• On Tuesday, December 3, CHS will have its annual Band Concert at 7:00 pm featuring performances from each of our ensembles: the Grade 6 Band, the Grade 7-8 Band, the Grade 8-9 Band, and the Grade 10-12 Senior Concert Band. Seating will begin at 6:45 pm. Musical selections will be holiday and winter season songs, and are sure to get us into the spirit! 
• On Wednesday, December 4 the Grade 4-5 Winter Concert will take place at 7:00 pm
• On Thursdsay, December 5 the ECE Winter Concert will take place at 2:30 pm 
• There will be two times for the Grade 1-3 Winter Concert and parents are invited to attend one of the following: Tuesday, December 10 at 2:30 pm or Wednesday, December 11 at 6:30 pm. 
• On Thursday, December 12, the Grade 6-7 Winter Concert will take place at 7:00 pm.  

All concerts will take place in the theatre in the Beedie Fine Arts Centre.

Tickets on Sale for the Grade 8/9 Performance: Hoodie  

Join Grade 8 and 9 students in the The Susan and Robert Macdonald Family Drama Studio Theatre for their annual theatre performance on Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29. Hoodie is a student-driven ensemble vignette play featuring Grade 8 and 9 student actors and designers, with contributions in directing, lighting, and sound from students in Grades 8 to 12. This is sure to be an entertaining and thought-provoking performance!

Warm and Fuzzy Drive

The Social Responsibility Club is collecting gently-used women’s winter clothing for the Downtown Eastside Women's Shelter. Donations can be dropped off in the Senior School upper foyer between Monday, November 18 and Friday, November 29.

BC Training and Education Grant

Senior School Fall Orchestra & Choir Concert

On Wednesday, November 13, the Senior School had its amazing annual Choir and Orchestra Fall Concert featuring performances by the Senior Concert Choir, the Chamber Choir and the Senior Orchestra. Selections ranged from Mendelssohn’s “Herbstlied”, to Franz Schubert’s “Movement 1 from Symphony 8”, to “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay.

Special Assembly with Author Joseph Boyden

The Crofton House Senior School English Department launched its “Living Lit Contemporary Speaker Series” on Thursday, November 15 with a special presentation by author Joseph Boyden to students from Grade 10 to 12. Many of Boyden’s literary works are studied in classes across the CHS curriculum. He is a recipient of the Scotiabank Giller Prize, holds five honorary doctorates and is a member of the Order of Canada.

Writers-in-Residence: Jennifer & Matthew Holm

This week the Junior School hosted Jennifer and Matthew Holm as Writers-in-Residence. They are an American sibling duo who collaborate on children's book series, most notably the 20-book graphic-novel series Babymouse, which has more than 3 million copies in print around the globe. Their other collaborations include Squish, and My First Comics graphic novel series. 

Over three days, CHS students participated in workshops, and got to learn first hand about the art of visual storytelling. 

We sat down for an interview with the author/illustrator duo. Read our blog to find out more about the kinds of activities they engaged students in, their creative process, and some of the themes that drive their creations.

Friendship Week

Junior School students participated in friendship week starting Tuesday, November 12. On “Rainbow Civies” day each Grade from 1 to 7 dressed up in a different colour, while ECE students wore their favorite rainbow designs. This special week is designed to celebrate the importance of friendship.

Live Raptors Visit the ECE

On Thursday, November 14, ECE Students had the chance to view and learn about live raptors. During an educational presentation by the Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society they were introduced to a very tame owl named Cricket and a falcon named Johnny, that had been rescued and rehabilitated after he was hit by a car.

Athletic Highlights

Senior School

The Crofton Falcons Junior Volleyball Team placed 3rd in the Lower Mainland Independent Secondary Schools Girls Association volleyball playoffs on Thursday, November 7. Congratulations!

The Crofton Falcons Varsity Field Hockey Team ended the season with a 5th place finish at the 2019 Provincial Field Hockey Championships in Victoria where they competed from Wednesday, November 6 to Friday, November 8. 

Our Crofton Falcons Varsity Volleyball Team competed in the new Sea to Sky Zone Championships on Friday, November 15. Only the top two teams qualify for the BC Championships and as our Crofton Falcons won silver they are now off to compete on the weekend of Saturday, November 23.

Basketball Season has Started!

Both Senior and Junior Schools have have completed their basketball tryouts and have started practices this week. Crofton Falcons' first basketball games will begin the week of Monday, November 25! Stay tuned!

Thank you!

CHS Parents’ Auxiliary extends a huge thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s Crofton House Winter Bazaar an enormous success. On Saturday, November 16, our school community came together for a day of celebration and to welcome the greater Vancouver community onto our campus. Every single volunteer contribution, small or large, on the day-of and in the weeks and months leading up to it, made a difference. A special thank you goes to our convenors who spent countless hours planning and arranging every detail, and to Margot Jagger and Cathy Borritt, Co-Chairs of the Winter Bazaar, whose leadership and commitment made this event a success.

View photo gallery here.

This year we welcomed over 3,500 visitors to Crofton House to enjoy shopping, games, activities, crafts, food, and to experience firsthand some of our CHS hospitality and spirit. It was a magical day spent with old friends and new, where not even a little rain was able to dampen our spirits. We are proud that all proceeds from the day will go to support KidSafe. We look forward to announcing our donation amount soon.

Congratulations to all!

Log into the My CHS portal to access the full school calendar.

Whole School

Junior School

Senior School