This past week, the second drama production for the Senior School took to the stage in Almost, Maine. As always, there is a buzz leading up to the performances, and each audience leaves the theatre in awe of the actors' talent, the productions' professional quality, and the innovative stagecraft. Congratulations to everyone involved, and my thanks to our community for their enthusiastic support of the Arts, as evidenced by the appreciative audience at every event.
The time, effort, and resources required for programs like the Arts or Athletics in a school that prides itself on offering a diverse curriculum are carefully considered annually. How can we maintain a diverse program while ensuring it meets the high-quality standards expected by our community? Similarly, we acknowledge the importance of monitoring the demands placed on our students, who often juggle multiple commitments. I ponder these two things as I reflect on the pride I feel being part of a School that prioritizes the Arts and recognizes the positive impact of creative expression.
Student commitment to co-curricular activities is a topic of discussion that I want to explore with parents/guardians in the coming months. Today, I want to pay tribute to what goes on behind the scenes of drama and music performances. The hours and hours invested in fine-tuning every detail speak volumes about how much every person connected to a production is willing to give. And, even more amazingly, those involved are doing this voluntarily. Like all co-curricular endeavours, the motivation is intrinsic, and that alone is worth celebrating even before the curtain goes up.
Looking forward, spring is when our School calendar is populated with many events that allow the community to come and enjoy the Arts. I invite parents/guardians to join us as much as possible. There are formal productions, drama and music, and informal performances, such as the Senior School Coffee House on April 11 when we return from the March break.
I hope everyone has a restful and restorative break. I look forward to seeing you in April and wish the Senior School Choir the best of luck in their upcoming Carnegie Hall performance in New York.
CHS Communications Focus Groups - Invitation to Participate
This year's parent/guardian survey asked for feedback on how effectively the School communicates. Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond and provide your comments.
The next step in our communications review is to conduct focus groups with parents and guardians. An independent external consultant will facilitate these sessions, who will help explore the feedback and themes that emerged through the survey and report back to CHS leadership with findings and recommendations. These focus group findings and the survey results will help us improve our communications.
The focus groups will take place at the dates and times below. We appreciate your time and contributions. We look forward to seeing you in one of the sessions and to sharing the results and planned communication changes with you later this school year.
Please sign up to participate in one of the sessions below (10-12 participants per session):
- Tuesday, April 23, 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm, Heritage Dining Room, Old Residence
- Wednesday, April 24, 8:30 am to 9:30 am, Heritage Dining Room, Old Residence
- Wednesday, April 24, 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm, Heritage Dining Room, Old Residence (Mandarin translation available at this session)
CHS Golf Classic: Save-the-Date and Special Discount for Lessons
We are excited to announce our 26th Annual Golf Classic scheduled for Friday, May 31, 2024 at the University Golf Course. Are you looking to improve your golfing skills? This year, the University Golf Club is offering discounted membership cards to all members of the Crofton House community for the driving range and group lessons at a special price. More information on these promotions will be available after the March break. Take advantage of this great opportunity!
The Journey to Post-Secondary - An Overview for Parents/Guardians
Returning from the March break, the School is hosting two sessions for parents/guardians to provide a general overview of the “Journey to Post-Secondary”. Jennifer Cheong, Department Head, Career Education and Post-Secondary Counselling, will present both sessions. These sessions complement those provided to Senior School parents/guardians earlier in the year.
- Wednesday, April 3, from 9:00 am to 10:30 am - Mandarin presentation hosted by Lily Crowe for JK to Grade 12 parents/guardians. This will be Session 6 of the Mandarin Informational Series.
- Thursday, April 4, from 9:00 am to 10:00 am - English presentation for JK to Grade 7 parents/guardians.
Register to attend by Tuesday, April 2. The location for each session will depend on the number of RSVPs and will be communicated to participants before the sessions.
Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3: Register for Grandparent’s Day
Grandparents and significant elders are invited to join Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3 students at Grandparents’ Day, hosted by Crofton House School and CHS Parents’ Auxiliary. The event takes place on campus on Friday, April 26 at 1:30 pm. Parents are asked to RSVP by April 5. The day’s schedule can be found in the RSVP form.
Join Us for the Spring Used Uniform Sale
The CHS Parents’ Auxiliary Used Uniform Sale will take place on Friday, April 19, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in the Heritage Dining Room of the Old Residence. You will find everything from the highly coveted Crofton House blazers to gym uniform pieces and CHS hoodies. Payment is accepted by student account number only and all sales are final; please bring your own shopping bags. Used uniform collection is ongoing – clean and gently-used uniform pieces with the current school logo can be donated to the receiving entrance off Balaclava Street over March break.
126th Birthday Celebration
On Friday, March 8, the School celebrated its annual birthday. More than 100 alumnae joined us on campus. The day started with a whole school assembly, followed by opportunities to meet Junior and Senior School students, a lunch in the Heritage Dining Room, tours of the campus and an evening reception. View a recording of the assembly and see photos of the day in the photo gallery below.
Save the Date: Whole Girl, Whole World Speaker Series (Online)
We are excited to welcome Jennifer Wallace as the next Whole Girl, Whole World speaker. On Tuesday, April 30 at 12:00 pm PST, the award-winning journalist and author will join the CHS community online to speak about her book, Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic - and What We Can Do About It. A New York Times bestseller, it is described as “the definitive book on the rise of ‘toxic achievement culture’ overtaking our kids’ and parents’ lives, and a new framework for fighting back”. Information on how to register will be sent after March break.
Crofton House School Merchandise Now Available Online
You can now purchase some of the fun and beautiful CHS merchandise available in the School Store online. Check out the selection including mugs, pyjamas, bucket hats and more! Uniform items are not available online.
This issue brings you excitement across campus, with special celebrations to mark the School’s 126th birthday and Senior Kindergarten students’ 100th day of school, magical moments from the Grade 10-12 production, Almost, Maine, exuberant energy from the Junior School Family Dance, exciting moments from the Junior School and Senior School Staff vs Students Basketball Games, inspiring Ivy Compass days and more! Check out this issue’s highlights gallery here.
Junior School Athletics
The Junior School CHS Badminton Classic 2024 was held on March 8. A total of 42 students from Grade 6 and Grade 7 participated in the doubles tournament. Congratulations to Selena and Amy (Grade 7) who won the tournament!
Senior School Athletics
Our Crofton Falcons are excited to spring into our spring sports!
Over the past few weeks, we had just under 300 students tryout for a sports team! All teams have been selected, schedules are being confirmed, and we will jump right into it after spring break.
Thank you to all of our teachers and coaches for supporting these teams.
Follow the Crofton Falcons on Instagram for more updates and information.
Go Falcons Go!
Junior School Family Dance Rewinds to 1989!
Parents and students were transported back to the 80’s and 90’s at the Junior School Family Dance this week, in an electric evening filled with impressive dance moves, throwback tunes, and a touch of Taylor Swift. A big thank you to everyone who volunteered, attended and contributed to the success of the event, and special thanks to event chairs, Janice Mack and Cara Yu, for their dedication and hard work in making this evening a resounding success!
CHS Community Book Club: April Meeting
Join us at the next Book Club meeting on Wednesday, April 10, at 9:30 am. The group will be discussing Harry's Trees by Jon Cohen, an uplifting tale about love, loss, friendship, and redemption. This meeting will take place in the Heritage Dining Room of the Old Residence. All parents and alumnae are welcome, no registration needed.
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