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

For nearly 125 years, Crofton House School has focused on providing an educational program developed specifically for girls—one that promotes and celebrates the ideas and impact of girls and women in our community and across the globe. Here at CHS, students are encouraged to be themselves, express their ideas, take risks and aim high. And we are not alone. There are exceptional all-girls’ schools worldwide that are united in a shared purpose of elevating women's leadership by educating and empowering students to be ethical, globally-minded changemakers (National Coalition of Girls' Schools).

The experience of CHS alumnae speaks directly to the strengths of an all-girls’ school. Surveyed this spring, alumnae connect their experiences in a single-gender school to the confidence they feel now as adults. "I think the all-girls environment is a strength and helped me excel academically and in leadership positions. I felt like I could do anything and owe this largely to the gendered dynamic" (Alumnae '11).

As we look to the future, essential questions shape a new strategic plan for CHS. What vital and unique role does CHS play in Vancouver's educational landscape and beyond? How must the School adapt to remain relevant, purposeful and impactful? As we peel back and examine the layers that make up the School—the educational program, the relationships that connect us as a community, and the elements that contribute to the School's culture—some questions challenge our thinking. These are critical questions, and they require a clear response.

One of the more complex topics that have been present in our reflections leading into the strategic planning process is the role of a single-gender school in a more gender-fluid world. We were not surprised to hear comments from stakeholders that echo the explorations taking place in many workplaces and institutions toward greater equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). Although cultural and socioeconomic diversity were cited most often as an area for the School's consideration, the topic of gender diversity was also noted.

The world has shifted many times over the School’s 125 year history; however, the role of an all-girls’ school in promoting and celebrating the place of girls and women in the world continues to be relevant. At no time in history has it been more crucial that we have women stepping up to lead towards a kinder, more sustainable and more equitable world. And for that to happen, we need institutions like ours that continue to centre the voices of young girls and empower students to lift one another up, celebrate their individual identities, and have a positive impact on the world.

Next week, a rainbow flag will fly in the CHS courtyard to celebrate Pride Week, a week of events, celebrations and learning across campus around 2SLGBTQ+. While CHS continues to follow an all-girls’ educational model, we value deeply our diverse community and celebrate every one of our students’ unique identities. Celebrations like Pride Week provide a safe, positive space for our students to highlight, discuss and learn more about equity, diversity and inclusion in our School and in the world around them, and bring to light the citizenship and sense of self that is always encouraged and fostered throughout our community.


2022 CHS Golf Classic

We are very excited to announce that we will be golfing again this year! Join us on Friday, May 27, at the University Golf Club for an exciting tournament supporting the Crofton House School Athletics Program.

Your support will go towards enhancing CHS athletic facilities, including Kent Field, to provide more opportunities for our students and community partners to practice, play and compete.

Online registration will open Wednesday, April 20, at 12:00 pm PST. Should you have any questions, please contact Jill Plotnikoff, Advancement Manager, at jplotnikoff@croftonhouse.ca.

Join us on Campus for a Coffee and Conversation Event

Easing restrictions related to COVID-19 health and safety guidelines mean that we are able to welcome parents and guardians back to campus. Crofton House and the CHS Parents’ Auxiliary have planned a series of Coffee and Conversation events to reconnect parents and guardians during the month of April. Learn more about the events or RSVP to attend.

Save the Date: Whole Girl, Whole World

Crofton House School and the CHS Parents’ Auxiliary invite parents to save the date for the next Whole Girl, Whole World speaker. Vancouver-based Amra Dizdarevic, Youth Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, will join us at an evening event on Thursday, April 28. Watch your inbox for an email inviting parents to register for the event.

Tickets on Sale for the Grade 8/9 Production

The Senior School proudly presents its production of Waiting Girl, taking place on Wednesday, April 13, at 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm in the Susan and Robert Macdonald Family Drama Studio Theatre. A livestream of the event is available for those wishing to view the play off-campus.

Waiting Girl is a performance of two plays by Christian Kiley titled Waiting Room and Chemo Girl. This show, performed in one act, examines the impact of cancer as seen through the eyes of teenagers. Learn more or purchase tickets.

CHS Parents’ Auxiliary (PA) Needs Your Input!

The PA is preparing a slate of activities, events and programs to support their mission of creating an active, engaged and inclusive community. Throughout the pandemic, the PA found ways to adapt events and provide different forums to connect. Now, with the return of in-person gatherings, the PA is interested in hearing your input on the format of events that most appeal to parents and guardians. Your response to this 10-minute survey will help them do just that! Complete the survey in English or Mandarin before Tuesday, April 19.

Coming Soon: Online Orders for Grab & Go

The Grab & Go in Manrell Hall will be open to Senior School students and staff for online orders in the afternoons starting Tuesday, April 19. Grade 8 to 12 students will be able to order items online between 8:00 am and 2:00 pm for same day pick-up starting at 3:15 pm by visiting the order form and logging in with their student number email (e.g. 12345@mychs.ca) and their password. All purchases will be billed to the student account. Please note that there is no in-person ordering. All orders must be processed through the online portal. The link to the order form will be accessible under My CHS on the Community Dining page on Tuesday, April 19.

Pride Week Resources

Pride Week is an opportunity for us to both celebrate 2SLGBTQ+ people and experiences, and to reflect on and learn more about the various aspects of gender identity, sexuality and overall belonging within our community. With this educational component in mind, CHS staff have shared the following resource list regarding gender identity and sexuality.

We encourage you, as we look to Pride Week next week, to review these resources as we continue to expand our community of inclusivity.

Uniform Shop: Appointments and Hours

Parents wishing to visit the shop must make an appointment in advance. Senior School students may drop into the Uniform Shop during store hours, Tuesday and Wednesday from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, and Thursday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. There is no drop-in time for Junior School students at this time. Parents are encouraged to use the online order form when possible. Please log into the My CHS Parent Portal to access online order forms.

Service Together Technology Drive: April 19-25

Do you have a laptop, tablet or mobile phone that you are no longer using? Together, the Ivy Compass Program and the CHS Parents' Auxiliary are holding a technology drive to collect gently used or new laptops, tablets and mobile phones to support refugee families from Afghanistan who have recently arrived in BC.

The drive is student-led with parent and teacher support, and takes place from Tuesday, April 19 to Monday, April 25. Devices for donation can be dropped off in the bins located at the entrance to the Junior School (by the Junior School office), the upper foyer of the Senior School, and outside the Ivy Compass office (next to the Fitness Centre).

Please ensure that the device is in working condition and reset to factory settings, if possible. In addition, please remove all personal photos, emails, notes, music, contacts, documents, etc., and include the device's charger if you have it. Thank you for your support!

Indigenous-Focused Grad Requirement – Public Engagement Launch

A public engagement process for the new Indigenous-focused graduation requirement has now launched on the govTogetherBC website, and will be available until April 22, 2022. Students, families, staff and community partners are encouraged to visit the site and share their thoughts on the proposed approach for the new requirement.

“School Street” Pilot Program at Kerrisdale Annex, May 9 to June 3

A School Street is a car-free block adjacent to a school open to walking, biking and rolling during school pick-up and drop-off times. School Streets has been shown to create a safer environment for children, increase active travel, improve safety and air quality, reduce vehicle congestion and support physical distancing needs.

The City of Vancouver, in partnership with the Vancouver School Board, will be piloting a School Street program adjacent to Kerrisdale Annex (43rd Avenue cul-de-sac off Blenheim Street). During School Street times, no motor vehicles will be permitted to enter or exit the block, but parked vehicles may remain. The School Street will be monitored by parent volunteers who will place barriers at either end of the street to ensure student safety. Details on the Kerrisdale Annex pilot of School Streets are listed below:

  • Date: Monday, May 9, 2022 to Friday, June 3, 2022 (4 weeks), all school days
  • Regular Hours: 8:30 am to 9:20 am and 2:40 pm to 3:30 pm
  • Extended Hours: School Street pick-up time hours will be extended on Tuesdays (2:40 pm to 4:00 pm) to facilitate additional activities on site.

If you have questions about the program please reach out to the City of Vancouver at: SchoolActiveTravel@vancouver.ca and/or visit: vancouver.ca/SchoolStreets.

As Language and Culture Appreciation Week wrapped up on campus today, the Senior School was treated to a trio of performances from students showcasing Bhangra dancing, French singing and Guzheng playing. A huge thank you to everyone who helped make these five days such an enjoyable exploration of the wide array of cultures present at CHS! Check out the photos on our instagram @crofton_house.

Spring is a great time to get into the garden and get planting! Grade 1 students did just that, taking advantage of some dry weather to plant potatoes for harvesting later in the term.

Before Spring Break, Grade 2 and 3 students entertained their classmates with an array of talents including musical instruments, dance performances, and magic acts. Golden buzzers all around!

What does Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) look like in classrooms? Visit our blog for a glimpse at SEL in the Grade 4 classes. They completed ‘30 Days of Mindfulness’ techniques like weather reports and bubble breathing.

The Grade 5 classes worked together to explore the history of Canada from an Indigenous perspective with a Blanket Ceremony. Students were asked to consider and share how they might have felt as various historical events took place, using their ‘feeling wheels’ as a tool.

“Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Crofton House School…” Grade 8 English students have found themselves separated into Capulets and Montagues for the remainder of the term as they begin to explore one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, Romeo & Juliet.

Grade 10 Film students have been making a lot of curious noises in the ideation lab… they have been making Foley, a process of recreating sound effects during the post-production phase of filming.

Homemade paints from vegetables? This is what you get when the creative brains of the Senior School’s Studio 65 meet with the scientific brains of STEM Club—a fabulous and colourful collaboration!

Congratulations to Grade 11 students Katie and Viela for being selected to showcase their art and design work in the 2021 Alberta University of the Arts ShowOff! art competition and virtual exhibition. AUArts offers Grade 10, 11 and 12 students from across Canada the opportunity to showcase their art and design work in the competition and virtual exhibition. Meanwhile, Grade 12 student Isabel was a finalist in the CBC Books Poetry in Voice competition, making a shortlist of 42 Grade 9-12 students from across the country.


Spring sports are back at Crofton House! The last time the Crofton Falcons competed in the spring was in 2019.

This year, almost 200 athletes and 25+ staff coaches, staff sponsors and community coaches have come together to bring badminton, rowing, soccer, tennis and track and field back to campus. Regular leagues, tournaments, meets and regattas, as well as playoffs and BC Provincial Championships, are all set to go ahead!

Good luck to all of our Crofton Falcons this season, and welcome back to spring sports!

Courage, Creativity, Citizenship

The Annual Backpack Drive is here once again and the CHS Parents’ Auxiliary needs your help! Each year generous Crofton House families sponsor new school supplies which are packed into backpacks provided by the PA and delivered to children in need. This important initiative is a simple one but effective in removing one basic obstacle for students K–12 facing daily challenges at schools across the lower mainland.

With restrictions easing, PA volunteers & CHS staff are organizing an in-person event on May 30 in Manrell Hall for students and parents to fill the backpacks. Look for the Sign Up note in your inbox soon (spaces will be limited).

Based on what organizers hear directly from school counselors, the need this year is more urgent than ever. Our goal is to donate 300 backpacks at the low cost of $60 each. The backpacks will be filled by volunteers and then delivered by PA organizers to community liaisons at the following schools and organizations:

  • Thunderbird Elementary
  • Queen Alexandra Elementary
  • Crosstown Elementary
  • Sir Charles Tupper Secondary
  • Killarney Elementary and Secondary Schools
  • Hudson Elementary
  • Britannia Secondary
  • Xpey’ Elementary
  • YWCA Parenting Programs Fraser Valley
  • King George School

Complete the online form by Tuesday, May 24 and your daughter’s student account will be charged.

Together, we can make a difference for children in Vancouver! Thank you for your generous support.

The CHS Parents' Auxiliary

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

Whole School

April 11-14
- Pride Week
April 15
- Good Friday (No Classes)
April 18
- Easter Monday (No Classes)
April 19-25
- Service Together Technology Drive

Junior School

April 14 - PA Coffee & Conversation
April 22
- PA Coffee & Conversation
April 25
- PA Coffee & Conversation

Senior School

April 13
- Grade 8/9 Production: Waiting Girl at 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm
April 13
- PA Coffee & Conversation
April 19
- PA Coffee & Conversation
April 20
- Senior School Coffee House 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
April 21
- PA Coffee & Conversation

           

Crofton House School  •  604 263 3255
Communications Department  •  communications@croftonhouse.ca
IT Department  •  support@croftonhouse.ca



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