Can you figure out which description matches which counsellor?
 
A fourth generation immigrant whose parents were interned by the Canadian government during WW II, I've lived on three continents: North America, Africa and Europe. Schooled in French through my primary grades, sadly, the only language I speak now is English. In my 40’s, I ran 10 half marathons.
 
A proud descendant from Metis heritage, I was born and raised in East Vancouver and love to spend weekends biking and hiking on the North Shore.  This past summer I hiked the Cape Scott Trail with my family.  I ran my first marathon in Idaho during my first-year teaching in Grand Forks.  I have worked in four school districts as a teacher, elementary and secondary counsellor, slowly working my way west.  I am an avid sports fan and cheerleader on the sidelines watching my two sons play a variety of sports.
 
A Maritimer of both Celt and Acadian heritage, I am fluent in the unique dialect Chiac. My pre-educator life included working as a bouncer, an actor and a magician’s assistant. I’m a published playwright and won BC’s Opt Sexual Health Educator of the Year award in 2017.  I’ve run four half marathons and I love zombie films.
 
Born and bred in North Vancouver, I’m passionate about the outdoors, gardening, yoga and travel. In my earlier days I ran the Vancouver Marathon and a 3-day Trans-Rockies Run through the beautiful Colorado Mountains.  My Covid superpower is that I learned how to make sourdough and grow my own veggies. Oh, and one last thing: I love to scuba dive even though I am scared of fish!
 
I was adopted as an infant and lived in Newfoundland till I was 10. My favourite places in the world are Ruby Lake and Eleuthera, located in the outer islands of the Bahamas. I’ve been aspiring to be a long distance runner since I graduated from high school and hope that my life goal to complete a half marathon will one day soon be realized. I am the only one in our department blessed with a daughter!

Gordon Dick Visits the Squamish Language Class (hover over photo for artist's name)

On behalf of the Carson Graham staff, I want to thank you all for a fantastic year! Although it certainly didn’t end the way any of us anticipated, the students should be commended for their engagement and enthusiasm. They represented Carson Graham proudly in all aspects of school life including academics, music, athletics, visual and performing arts and service. Well done!

I also want to give a special shout out to the graduating class of 2020. It is unfortunate that the pandemic altered their high school graduation plans. This does not, however, take away from how monumental this occasion is in their lives. The grads need to be commended for the perseverance, strength, and the determination that they all showed.

I wish our entire Carson Community a great summer break. Enjoy a restful July and August and we look forward to connecting again in September! Be sure to check your emails at the end of August to find out details about what our return to school will look like!

Best Regards,
Suzette Dohm

Psychology 12 Classes Investigate Mental Health Amid COVID 19

With a lot changing and left uncertain in our lives, Ms. Hornstein had her Psychology 12 classes set out to better understand mental health, mental illness and what it means to be a mental health advocate.  In addition to the learning done to understand the mental illnesses that impact youth, students completed online class discussions on the topic of labels and the harm that can come from them, looked at art work to deepen their understanding of different mental illnesses, and tried out different mindfulness practices to strengthen their own mental health. 

As the main goal of this unit was to give students an opportunity to learn about and become a mental health advocate, students were challenged with the following: create a product that helps decrease the stigma around mental illness and promotes others in the Carson Graham community to become advocates for mental health. 

The following album is a selection of their submitted work. Many students took advantage of online learning to develop their skills in creating infographics using a web based platform. Others chose to create original artwork, create videos, and plan future school clubs! We hope you enjoy.

A BIG thank you to Jack.org and Foundry for their amazing online resources. 

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/gp/188802851@N08/jv2sE8

Youth Writing Contest

English teacher Ms. Kat Thomson immediately recognized the way in which this contest connected to what students had been studied post-Spring Break and shared the info with her class. Congratulations to our own Rylen Bordeau who took third place in this contest. He wrote a great piece focused on the First Peoples Principles of Learning. Well done!

Colour Wheel: The Home Version

Art Teacher, Ms. Brumec, needed to figure out a way to teach colour to her Grade 8 class.  She developed a "no-art-materials-needed" approach that the kids had fun with!

Brain Cap

Anatomy and Physiology 12 teacher, Ms. Sauve, approaches her online MS Teams lesson on the nervous system in her "brain cap."

Proposed 2020-2021 Calendar

The Board of Education invites your feedback on the PROPOSED 2020/21 North Vancouver School District School Calendar.

The School Act and the School Calendar Regulation require that proposed school calendars be made available for public comment before being considered for adoption.

While school districts may develop school calendars for up to 3 years, only 2020/21 is being considered at this time. However, the proposed Winter and Spring Break dates for the next four years have been identified and can be viewed below.

Key proposed dates for the 2020/21 District Calendar are:

• First day of school: Tuesday, September 8, 2020
• Winter Break: two weeks, December 21, 2020 to January 1, 2021, inclusive (aligned with known break dates for other Metro Vancouver area school districts)
• Spring Break: two weeks, March 15, 2021 to March 26, 2021, inclusive (aligned with known break dates for other Metro Vancouver area school districts)
• Four (4) Staff Collaboration Dates throughout the year (shortened days for students)
• Last day of attendance for students:  Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Feedback can be provided through the online engagement tool Thoughtexchange, which can be accessed HERE. The opportunity to provide comment and feedback begins Wednesday, January 22, 2020 and ends Friday, February 21, 2020.

A summary of feedback received through the Thoughtexchange tool will be shared with the Board of Education their Public Board Meeting scheduled for March 10, 2020 when the Board will finalize and approve a 2020/21 School Calendar.

Quantum Leaps Conference (Grade 12 Student Romina Mahinpei)

On Friday, November 22nd, Carson was host to the Quantum Leaps Conference which was open to all females in grades 10-12 with a passion for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). The conference aimed to encourage young females to pursue an education and a career in a STEM field and learn about the numerous STEM scholarships and opportunities available to them. The conference included a university open house, a presentation by science undergraduates from UBC Young Women for Science, keynote speakers from UBC and SFU, as well as a presentation on available STEM scholarships and opportunities.

Dear Carson Graham Community,

On behalf of the Carson Graham staff, I want to thank you all for a fantastic year! The students should be commended for their engagement and enthusiasm all year long. They represented Carson Graham proudly in all aspects of school life including academics, music, athletics, visual and performing arts, service and end of year assessments. Well done!

I also want to give a special shout out to the graduating class of 2019. They have led by example and have demonstrated great school spirit, service, pride and maturity. In short, they have represented the school incredibly well. I wish our graduates the best in all of their future endeavours. 

I wish our entire Carson Community a great summer break. Enjoy a restful July and August and see you in September!

Best Regards,
Suzette Dohm

French 12

Back by popular demand! The Modern Languages department is "très heureux"  to announce the relaunch of French 12 and a redesigned senior language course for the 2019-2020 school year. Students enrolled in French 12 will not only continue growing their language skills, but they will also be studying the francophone world through film. Each unit will be focusing on different French speaking areas of the world and look at a variety of cultures and issues while growing their communication skills in the French language. Limited spots still available. Don't miss out!

Graduation Ceremony 2019

Congratulations to the Graduating Class of 2019 who had their commencement ceremony on June 20th. We had a packed house at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and honoured 244 graduates. We started the evening off with the students singing Chief Dan George's Coast Salish Anthem. Video is available here. Thank you to MLA Bowinn Ma for this video and your continued support of Carson Graham. In addition to the post-secondary entrance scholarships that many of our grade 12 students received, we were able to recognize and distribute over $212,000 in financial awards. Special thanks to all who contributed to the success of this evening including our award donors, special guests and presenters, the organizing committee and the 2020 Grad Council. We couldn't have done it without you!

Awards Reception 2019

Congratulations to all of our students who were recognized on June 17th for their outstanding contributions to the Carson Community. We took over the top floor of the Education Services Centre on Lonsdale Avenue and had a packed house. Full details about our awards can be found here.

Global Initiatives Service Trip (Rob Olson)

There will be a meeting on September 12 at 7:00PM at Carson Graham for those families interested in having their child participate in the Dominican Republic Global Initiatives Service Trip.  We will be travelling next year from April 10th - 19th, 2020 to a location that we have been working in over the past ten years. We will work along side community leaders to build adequate housing for those living in need.  This life changing experience is open to our senior students in grade 11 and 12, and 10, if numbers allow.

This is an exceptional service learning opportunity for our school community to once again be a part of. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Rob Olson at Rolson@sd44.ca

ATL Self-Assessments (Tim Ireland)

This year, Carson Graham Students have assessed themselves in regards to the following Approaches to Learning (ATL) Skills: self-management, communication, thinking, social and research.  Carson students in grades 10 and 12 have addressed their Self-Assessment through Distributed Learning Courses (Planning/Careers 10 and Graduation Transitions/Planning 12). Students in grades 8, 9 and 11 addressed the Self-Assessment through their classes at Carson.  

We encourage parents to have a conversation with their student about the ATL Self-Assessment.  We have created a series of question prompts on the ATLs that can be accessed using the following link:
https://www.sd44.ca/school/carson/Students/ATL%20Self-Assessment/Documents/Approaches%20to%20Learning%20Conversation%20Starters.pdf

Students can access their self-assessment using the following link:
https://www.sd44.ca/school/carson/Students/Documents/ATL%20Self%20Assessment%20Instructions%202019.pdf

Please contact me at tireland@sd44.ca with any questions.

Report Cards (Suzette Dohm)

Report Cards will be published later this week to the MyEd Parent Portal at https://www.myeducation.gov.bc.ca/aspen/logon.do. Please login and reset your password, as passwords are reset every three months, as per Provincial FOIPPA legislation.

HELPFUL HINTS:

• You have a limited number of attempts per day to log in unsuccessfully before your account will become disabled.
• You CANNOT copy and paste the ID and Password (it must be typed in).
• You must use a laptop or desktop computer. Some work computers may have a server firewall or popup blockers that prevent access to the website and it is not reliable on mobile devices like phones or iPads.
• When you log in, you must follow all instructions to reset your password for your account and set up your security question. Passwords must be reset every 90 days for security purposes.
• Please PRINT A COPY of your student's Report card. (Report cards are removed from MyEd at the end of July.)

More information can be found on our website here.

Year-at-a-Glance Calendar 2019-2020

The year-at-a-glance calendar has been posted on our website here. Our subscribable iCal calendar, as well as a detailed month-to-month calendar, will be updated soon. Please be sure to check our website on a regular basis for updates and other important information.

PAC Corner (outgoing PAC Chair Cheryl D. Mitchell)

What a busy year-end for your PAC! We had a great annual general meeting on May 22nd, with the election of a new executive for the upcoming new year! As of July 1st, the new PAC executive will be Chair Rene Cravioto, Treasurer John Taylor, Communications Sarah Sykes, Secretary Lucy Cayuela and myself as Immediate Past Chair, with four brand new members at large: Adea Chang, Genevieve Lauzon, Trish Scott and Pamela Westerman. The position of Vice Chair and one extra spot as a member at large will hopefully be filled in the fall.  Please mark your calendars now for the 5 PAC meetings in the new school year - even if you can just attend one out of 5, that will go a long way to ensuring a healthy and vibrant PAC at Carson to assist our students: October 2, November 27, January 22, April 15 and May 20.

We were glad to support the students in their university and college fair on June 7th with the purchase of a banner and stand, as well as to support the fine arts department as a sponsor of their production, Little Shop of Horrors, at Presentation House in mid-June.

The PAC scholarships were handed out by our current Vice Chair Mark Glazier at the June 20th grad ceremony and were much appreciated by the recipients. 5 academic scholarships were handed out, along with two school spirit awards and one inspiration award in honour of former counsellor Rob Watson.

The PAC will be up and running again come the opening of the school, with the first big event being its Welcome Grade 8 BBQ on September 12.

Have a wonderful summer everyone! Feel free to email any questions or ideas for meetings or funding projects to chair@carsongrahampac.ca.

Upcoming Events and Dates

September 3- School Opens (partial day for students)
September 11- Late Start 9:55 am (IB Staff Collaboration)
September 12- Grade 8 Welcome BBQ and Parent Evening
September 23- School-Based Professional Day (school not in session)
September 25- Late Start 9:55 am (District Staff Collaboration)
September 27- Terry Fox Run
October 2- PAC Meeting 7:00 pm
October 4- Curriculum Implementation Day (school not in session)
October 9- Late Start 9:55 am (IB Staff Collaboration)
October 14- Thanksgiving Day (school not in session)
October 25- Province-Wide Professional Day (school not in session)

Dear Carson Graham Community,

Wow! It's almost the end of May and it's difficult to believe that there is a little over a month left in the school year. It has been a busy Spring and this blog not only highlights a little of what has been going on at Carson Graham but also serves to provide information about some important issues. For regular updates, be sure to follow us on Twitter @suzette_dohm and @carsonsecondary.

I encourage you to discuss with your child the idea of finishing the year on a positive note. It is essential that students are able to balance their time between school, sleep and all of their other activities. One topic that consistently arises in these discussions is that of screen time. Many parents, staff and, for that matter, students have told me of the desire to instill in teens a balanced digital media lifestyle. I came across the following website that you might find interesting. It includes tips on navigating social media and screen time: https://screenstrong.com.

As mentioned in my recent letter, I would like to encourage you to attend the upcoming PAC meeting on Wednesday, May 22nd at 7pm in the school library. The PAC works with administration and staff to support students and build the Carson community. It raises money, oversees the gaming grant and votes on various funding initiatives that have a direct impact on our children. Some of these items include budget spending for field trips and workshops, special performances at the school and grounds and classroom enhancements.

Please note that the potential dissolution of the Carson Graham PAC will be an agenda item at Wednesday's PAC Meeting. You see, the PAC has barely made quorum at the last two meetings. The PAC receives about $30,000 a year of gaming funds but, without quorum, the money cannot be used. We only need a minimum of 7 parents to attend each PAC meeting so that quorum is reached but obviously want many more to attend. It is a good way to keep you and your family informed about what is happening at the school. 

Sincerely,
Suzette Dohm

Vaping (Suzette Dohm- Principal)

Many have described teenage vaping as an epidemic and it is an issue that Carson Graham, the North Vancouver School District and Canada as a whole are dealing with. What started as a product meant to help adults quit smoking is increasingly finding its way into the hands of high school students, who may know little about the long-term effects and harm it can cause. Vaping is now the vice of choice for teens.
 
The rate of high-school students who use vaping products has gone up significantly in Canada over the past several years. According to Health Canada’s 2016-17 Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, one in three students in grades 10 to 12 had tried an e-cigarette. The concern is that many of the students who do not smoke are picking up vaping and may become dependent long-term users with very likely negative long-term health effects.
 
I would like to draw your attention specifically to the liquid “juice” that is poured into the “vape”, heated and inhaled. In simple terms, there are 3 different types of “juice”. The first is a straight glycerol blend that is generally considered the least harmful to inhale. The second (and most common from what students have told me) includes the addition of different levels of nicotine. The third includes the addition of different levels of THC (the chemical compound in marijuana). All of these items can be found in many specialty stores on Lonsdale Avenue and across the lower mainland and ordered online. A vape can be purchased anywhere from $40 to $400, and the juice from $7 to $70.
 
Consistent with provincial and federal legislation, the Carson Graham and North Vancouver School District Codes of Conduct classify vaping products in the same category as smoking products. This means that vaping is not allowed on school grounds or in any school buildings and that students caught vaping will face consequences. Please note that some students are choosing to vape in the bathrooms but it is becoming increasingly difficult to know when students are vaping. Earlier models that produced large clouds of white vapour have now been replaced with versions that emit short puffs that quickly dissipate.
 
Earlier this Spring, the School District hosted Key Note Speaker: Dr. Milan Khara for a Community Conversation on Youth & Vaping. The evening event was led by Dr. Khara and included a panel discussion with students, parents and North Vancouver School District Administration. To view the video, please go to this Vimeo Link. Additionally, as mentioned in my last blog, Health Canada’s Consider the Consequences vaping awareness tour will be visiting our school on May 24th and will be educating many students with an engaging maze activity. We encourage you to have conversations with your child in advance and after the event. To learn more, and for more information and resources, please click here.
 
I hope that you find this information helpful. I would ask that you have a conversation with your child and encourage them to choose healthy options and behaviours. Vaping is a growing trend among adolescents and we must all take a part in educating our teens about this issue.

Graduation Numeracy Assessment (GNA) for all Grade 10 Students (Suzette Dohm- Principal)
 
Part of the New BC Graduation Program requires ALL students to write the new Provincial Numeracy Assessment prior to graduation. The assessment will include numeracy tasks embedded in real world situations. While the previous Grade 10 Mathematics examinations focused only on the content within the Grade 10 Mathematics curriculum, the new Numeracy Assessment focuses more on students applying mathematical reasoning, understanding and insight across areas of learning. 

The numeracy assessment is a graduation requirement for all students and may be used by students after graduation as evidence of their numeracy skills. It provides system-level information on performance in the area of numeracy and helps inform decision-making at all levels of the school system (school, district, student, province). 

The numeracy assessment measures numeracy skills developed over the course of a student's K-10 education. The assessments will ask critical-thinking and problem-solving questions within relevant contexts and scenarios.

The numeracy assessments have been developed by practicing educators from across the province and are informed by post-secondary experts. The Carson Graham teachers are well versed and are preparing students to be successful in all aspects of this assessment and in the New BC Curriculum.

A student’s overall result will be reported on a four-category proficiency scale on their transcript and their performance will not affect their final Math 10 or 11 mark. Each category on the proficiency scale will have a corresponding description indicating what skills the student has demonstrated to attain at that level.  Student results on the numeracy assessments will appear as a stand-alone item on their transcript. Assessment results are one piece of evidence of a student’s achievement for use in a post-secondary or employment setting.

Students will be able to rewrite the numeracy assessment.

All Carson Graham Grade 10 students will write the numeracy assessment on June 24 and 25th. This is an online assessment and students will be scheduled for assessment sittings.

For more information about the Numeracy Assessment, please see https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/assessment/numeracy-assessment.

International Baccalaureate (IB) Continuum Conference (Suzette Dohm- Principal)

On April 26th and 27th, I had the opportunity to present at the IB Global Continuum Conference, co-hosted by the North Vancouver School District, the West Vancouver School District and the Independent Mulgrave School. Although this unique union is nothing new as we were first recognized in 2016 by the BC Ministry of Education for our collaboration and innovation around the International Baccalaureate (IB) approaches to learning skills, exposing ourselves at a global level was a different story.

The IB Coordinators (Liz Thornhill and Jennifer Tieche) and I had the opportunity to host almost 30 educators at Carson on the Friday afternoon. We started with a presentation outlining how we implement both the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP) at Carson. We were then able to tour the group around the school and into classrooms. People were amazed at how well our teachers and students were deconstructing, teaching, learning and assessing all aspects of the IB curriculum within their subject areas. In fact, we have received many follow-up requests to continue the Carson conversation with educators across the world. I am so proud of our school!

The Secret Path Film Presentation (Steph Maki- Indigenous Support Teacher)

On April 29, 2019, the NVSD Indigenous Education Team hosted a community screening of the film, The Secret Path, at Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver. The Downie Wenjack Legacy Schools Project is a program that provides “opportunity for classrooms/schools to lead the movement in awareness of the history and impact of the Residential School System on Indigenous Peoples” (downiewenjack.ca). The North Vancouver School District was honoured and greatly humbled that Mike Downie, from the Downie Wenjack Legacy Foundation was in attendance for this special evening.  The NVSD Indigenous Education team believes that through three pathways of education: students, staff and community, that a greater understanding of the truth and the shared responsibility towards reconciliation.

The evening event was well attended with 576 in the audience, including many Carson staff, students and community members. The evening began with opening remarks from many District staff who all shared about professional and personal growth and understandings of Indigenous history and the impacts of residential schools.
 
Throughout the evening, students and community members also shared personal stories and song. Sempulyan, Stewart Gonzales, Squamish Nation, an Indian Residential School Survivor, shared his personal experiences of attending both Indian Day School and Indian Residential School. Stewart’s words were powerful, impactful and deeply moving. The Carson Graham Choir shared the Coast Salish Anthem and Oh Canada, while Mountainside student, Emma Jeffrey, sang two original songs. The Windsor Choir sang the Tragically Hip song, Ahead by A Century and The Secret Path.

Mike Downie, from the Downie Wenjack Legacy Project also shared his thoughts and personal experiences with The Secret Path and moving forward with his brother Gord Downie’s vision for a better community and country who understand and acknowledge the history and impacts of residential schools and are taking action.

There are currently six schools participating in the Downie Wenjack Legacy Project. École Windsor Secondary, Norgate-Xwemélch’stn, Ns7e’yxnitm la Tel:’wet Westview, Carisbrooke, École Sherwood Park and Ridgeway Elementary.  Carson has been invited to join this group for next year.

The Importance of Holocaust Education (Lauren Fishman- Grade 10 Student)

When it came around the time to pick a topic for the Personal Project, I wanted to find a topic that I would be personally interested in. After visiting my grandfather, an escapee of Nazi Germany and being given old war documents and records, I decided that doing a project on his life would be worthwhile and fun. I decided to create a historical documentary about his personal experience during the war. I only knew a small amount of information on the Holocaust and how Jews were persecuted before the project and my grandfather was never that open about it with my cousins and me. Luckily, he was very involved with public speaking and giving interviews about the Holocaust, so by using those materials, I was able to complete my project and research. Many people, including myself, looked at the Holocaust as more of a big picture event in history. Seeing my grandfather’s personal story showed me that every small detail of the war could affect a person’s life. My grandfather escaped from Germany to England when he was young without his parents and stayed with a foster family until the end of the war. He reunited with his family 5 years later after they survived a concentration camp in the Czech Republic. Looking closely at the events that occurred in his life, I didn’t realize that he went through his formative years without his parents who he was barely in contact with and didn’t know were safe or not. My perspective completely changed from looking at the Holocaust as an event in history to an event that changed the course of a person’s life.
 
On April 24, the grade elevens and grade tens including myself invited to attend a Holocaust Symposium hosted by Carson Graham and the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre which also had a speaker who was a witness of the genocide. The presentations gave information of the genocide of the Holocaust along with a timeline of that period in history. I already knew the basics of the history. However, I learned new insights. The historian who presented, Dr Lauren Faulkner Rossi, taught about the beginnings of anti-Semitic actions in Europe along with propaganda. These were parts of the Holocaust I did not know about before. Since I studied the events surrounding my grandfather’s story to a large extent, I did not look at the other parts of the Holocaust so having a clear presentation opened my eyes to the other parts of genocide I was not aware of. This was a unique experience because many witnesses and survivors of the Holocaust are no longer living or have memory, so we were lucky to hear his story firsthand. The second presenter, Serge Haber, was a witness to the massacres that took place in Eastern Europe. His story that followed him escaping Europe to finally ending up in Montreal and then Vancouver also was something that my peers and I found interesting. He also talked about his struggle with Communism in Romania which was intriguing. My grandfather also had to leave his home and ended up in Montreal so that part of his story I felt a connection to. The presentation was educational for my classmates and me and exposed a part of history that is important to learn about.

Work Experience: The Year in Review (Work Experience Facilitator- Holly Castle)

With the school year fast approaching, there are so many accomplishments worthy of significant praise that highlight the hard work, dedication, and ambition of our Carson students enrolled in Work Experience, a Grade 12 elective course, available to students in Grade 10, 11, and Grade 12. I congratulate all our Work Experience students on their placements, and am pleased to share the following success stories:

RCMP Academy:
The NVSD has a long-standing partnership with the RCMP, and has a vigorous academy dedicated to youth, whom aspire to a career in law enforcement.  This year, Carson was represented by work experience student, Adam Frost - a grade 12 student with incredible commitment at obtaining his goal as being a future RCMP.

The Academy was a gruelling 8 day undertaking, not for the faint of heart.  4:00am morning drills; late evening squad drills, and classroom time in-between rounded out the experience that provides the students with hands-off, real-life scenarios, and prepares them for a life of crime prevention; community partnerships, and life-long friendships with like-minded youth.

Upon returning to school, Adam expressed to me that “attending the Academy was the BEST experience of his life”! I look forward to seeing Adam achieve his post-secondary goals after completing schooling in Law Enforcement, and continuing on towards becoming a RCMP.  Way to go, Adam!

Synthesis Design Inc.:
A passion to create, design, and implement ideas to “pen & paper” are just a few ways to describe the motivation & drive that fuels Work Experience students, Pablo Esquivel (grade 12), and Rodrigo Ortiz Ochoa (grade 11), and their ambitions of becoming Architects. Enter Synthesis Design - - a talented and dedicated design team, with North Shore roots, whose collaborative nature, fast-paced and edgy approach to the design world has earned them top-billing in their industry. After speaking with Synthesis Design Founder & Design Principal, Curtis Krahn, I was able to arrange for Pablo and Rodrigo to interview for an internship placement.  The original concept was to select only 1 candidate for the role, but after giving convincing interviews, both Pablo and Rodrigo were successful in obtaining 6 month internships; providing them with university level experience and learning from the expertise of a team grounded in giving back to the next generation of artists, designers, and acclaimed architects. The student’s internship concluded with a final presentation of their design concepts, presented to the Synthesis Design team, myself, and the North Shore News.
 
Since completion of their placements, grade 12 student, Pablo Esquivel has confirmed his acceptance into the prestigious Emily Carr Institute of Design, where he will continue to challenge himself as an Artist, and work towards his goal of being an Architect. Grade 11 student, Rodrigo Ortiz Ochoa will be returning to his home town of Cancun, Mexico at the end of this school year, and will look forward to graduating high school next year with the powerful knowledge he gained from his placement, which will no doubt, be instrumental in his career path in the field of Architecture.

An online article was published by the North Shore News, highlighting the students' final presentation: https://www.nsnews.com/community/carson-students-design-dream-homes-at-synthesis-1.23810439

The PAC Corner (PAC Chair- Cheryl D. Mitchell)

On behalf of our school’s Parents Advisory Council (PAC), of which you are members as parents/guardians of Carson Graham students, I attended the BC Confederation of PACs Conference (BCCPAC) on May 3rd.  The Minister of Education listened to parental concerns and there were informative workshops, such as a PAC 101 Treasurer Bootcamp. The keynote speaker was Dr Shimi Kang, the author of the book, “The Dolphin Parent: A Guide to Raising Healthy, Happy Motivated Kids”.

Eight PAC scholarships will be awarded at the upcoming June 20th graduation ceremony to assist students in their post-secondary education. Recipients are selected by the school’s Scholarship Committee. Please consider donating to this worthy cause (and receiving a charitable tax receipt ) by clicking on the school district link in our website at www.carsongrahampac.ca. Donations help free up more PAC money to be used on other worthy causes.

Lastly, as you will have seen from Principal Dohm’s message above, the PAC faces potential dissolution due to poor attendance at some of its five meetings a year. We cannot spend money without quorum and are not permitted to function without at least 3 executive members. Please attend our May 22 meeting at 7 pm to ensure the PAC’s continuation and to vote on important matters, such as the election of a new executive (Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Communications, Secretary, District PAC representative, Members at Large). If you are interested in running for any position, please feel free to email me at chair@carsongrahampac.ca for more information.  

It has been an honour to have been your PAC Chair these past two years. I look forward to advising and assisting the PAC this upcoming school year as its Immediate Past Chair.

University and College Fair (Romina Mahinpei- Student)

Want a head start with your post-secondary application? Then come to the CG University & College Fair on Friday, June 7th, from 3:15-4:30! This free event will take place in the Agora and will feature over 15 local institutions, including UBC, SFU, Capilano, Emily Carr, and many more! No registration is required. Drop by and have local representatives answer your post-secondary questions!

Following the CG University & College Fair, there will be Carson Alumni Presentations from 4:45-5:30. This free event will take place in the library classroom and will feature six of Carson’s alumni who attend UBC, UVIC, McGill, and Capilano University. As a part of the event, free pizza will be provided, and all participants will also enter a draw to win a gift card. Registration is limited, so make sure to sign up using the link below:

https://forms.gle/LK8aFMVjybkdsakC7
 
We encourage all students to drop by and take advantage of these opportunities!

Dear Carson Community,

It's hard to believe that it is already the second week of April! I hope that you all had a chance to enjoy a wonderful Spring Break with your families and friends and that you were able to take some time to relax, refresh and recharge as we enter the busy last three months of the school year.

As mentioned last month, we do have a few Staffing Updates to keep you apprised of:

1. Ian Kennedy has left Carson to take on a Director of Instruction position with the West Vancouver School District. I want to thank Ian for his leadership and commitment to Carson over the past two years and wish him success in his new adventure.
2. I have taken on the position of Principal and am thrilled to have moved into this new role at Carson. The staff, students and community as a whole are truly exceptional and I am delighted to be able to remain a part of this diverse and vibrant learning community. Many thanks to those who have reached out to me already and I encourage you all to do the same. Questions and feedback are always welcomed!
3. I would like to welcome Justin Wong to Carson Graham to take on the role of Vice Principal alongside Tim Ireland. Justin is excited to be joining the Carson family after five years as a Vice Principal at Handsworth. The move to Carson is a bit of a homecoming for him as he was an Eagle in grade 8 and also did his teaching practicum at the school.

In keeping with past practice, my intent is that this blog will be a great place to find out about all things Carson. It is designed to communicate information, find out about upcoming events, highlight some of the amazing that are happening at the school and to keep you informed about future events. Please bookmark the blog and refer to it as needed.

Sincerely,
Suzette Dohm


​June Calendar

The calendar for June 2019 has now been published on our school website here. Please note that all students are expected to be in classes until Friday, June 21st. Additionally, we would like to highlight the following important year-end details:

1. June 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 17th, 18th and 19th will contain two extended blocks per day. June 20th and 21st will be regular rotations. All students are expected to be in attendance for all classes. 
2. Review, Completion and Enrichment classes will occur on June 24th, 25th, and 26th. Students with outstanding assignments or who are at risk of failing will be requested by  teachers to attend Review, Completion and Enrichment Classes. 
3. Please note that Provincial Exams and Numeracy Assessments will also occur on June 24th-26th. A detailed schedule will be published later this month. 
4. There will be increased time for tutorials, alternate programs and lunch. Teachers will be asked to communicate when they are available for support/tutorials during the lunch break. More details to follow.
5. Report cards will be published to the Parent Portal on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 26th.

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School Fees (from the desk of Administrative Assistant Carol Oswald)

On Monday, April 15th, we will have a homeroom and those students with outstanding school fees will receive notice of this (along with their Course Verification Form). School Fees for the 2018-2019 school year were available to pay on October 12, 2018.  Individual course fees are levied for materials or activities that are supplementary to what is required to sufficiently meet the Province’s general requirements for graduation.  Specifics on what is covered by the course fee can be obtained from the teacher of that class. 
 
School fees can be paid conveniently online by credit card or direct debit via School Cash Online. Please login to your School Cash Online account to pay school fees. In order for teachers to plan and purchase supplies it is helpful if fees could be paid as soon as possible. You can access your School Cash Online account here: https://sd44.schoolcashonline.com/
 
If you do not yet have a School Cash Online account, signing-up is quick and easy. You will need your child’s student number to register for an account. Student numbers are available on student school fees invoices, on student ID cards and on student schedules. Detailed instructions on how to register for a School Cash Online account are available here: http://www.sd44.ca/District/SchoolCashOnline/Documents/SchoolCashOnlineStepByStepRegistration.pdf
 
If you need any assistance with fees, please contact Carol Oswald, Administrative Assistant at coswald@sd44.ca or 604-903-3679. 
​

​Psychology Exhibition (from the desk of Psychology Teacher, Danielle Hornstein)

Before spring break, Psychology 11 & 12 students hosted an exhibition to showcase the work they completed for our unit on mental health. In our project based learning unit, students were challenged to answer the following question: How can you design a product or service that will help educate the youth at Carson Graham about mental health or a specific mental illness?

Students rose to the challenge to create memorable and impactful projects. Their work aimed to inform youth about different mental illnesses, promoted good mental health, offered coping mechanisms, and worked to erase the stigma around mental illness. The products created included art pieces, comic strips, video game design, poetry, play writing and short stories, videography, websites, song lyrics and recordings, and event design. The exhibition was visited by students from all grades and was a great success! A big thank you to all students for their hard work and for those that came to support us.

Examples of student work (hover over photos for caption):

Zumeria Habibula & Samin Salahi created a website exploring the benefit of therapy animals https://menalhealthhelp.weebly.com

Costa Rica Trip (from the desk of Teacher Sponsor Peter Bond)

This March, 24 lucky students and 4 staff members headed off for a Spring Break trip to beautiful Costa Rica.  The trip was organized by the Carson Graham science department with Stephanie Strandt and Peter Bond heading the team.  Students were delighted to enjoy some summer weather and experienced the many different Biomes of Costa Rica.  We travelled by ocean-going canoe to secluded beaches and enjoyed some snorkeling on the Pacific coast of the country.  Next we headed inland and got up close and very personal with 14 foot crocodiles.  In the highlands of the country we toured the cloud forests and saw many intriguing animals like sloths, snakes, tarantulas, howler monkeys and scorpions.  We could have seen many more forest creatures but at some points we were travelling far too quickly on zip-lines and the backs of horses!  Volcanoes cover the central spine of Costa Rica and the tour took us through some amazing volcanic landscapes.  Students experienced a hike to a natural hot-spring and relaxed in a beautiful pool on the edge of a volcanic peak.  The tour wrapped up with visit to the town of Tortuguero, which is only accessible by boat, on Costa Rica’s east coast.  There we experienced a canal tour of the mangroves and dipped our toes in the Atlantic Ocean.  After a couple of amazing meals and dance lessons from some of the locals the group headed back to our starting point of San Jose.  Students and staff had a spectacular trip and returned with an increased appreciation of the splendour of Costa Rica.

​Vimy Pilgrimage Award Winner Brooke Glazier

The Vimy Foundation created the Vimy Pilgrimage Award to recognize the actions of young people who demonstrate an outstanding commitment to volunteer work through positive contributions, notable deeds, or bravery that benefits their peers, school, community, province, or country.
 
We are proud to announce Brooke Glazier as one of the winners of the prestigious award that consists of a fully funded week-long educational program in Belgium and France to study Canada’s tremendous First World War effort. The program features daily visits to important First World War sites including museums, cemeteries, and historic battlefields. A total of 20 students were selected for the 2019 program.

Please click here to read the North Shore News article that highlights Brooke's accomplishment.


Something in My Eye (from the desk of Photography Teacher Shannon Van Baalen)

Chester Fields is the Polygon Gallery’s teen outreach program. Every year, the gallery invites teens from across the Lower Mainland to create an original work of photographic art in response to a unique theme. Inspired by the current exhibition a Handful of Dust, this year's theme Something In My Eye, challenges artists to think close to the camera’s lens and to experiment with ways of interrupting or changing the lens’s ability to view and capture its photographic subject.

Two of our students, Victoria Jackson and Pablo Esquivel submitted work into the youth competition. The work of both students was selected and Pablo also recieved top prize and $300.

The finalists of the 2019 Chester Fields Program are featured in an exhibition at The Polygon Gallery from April 6-21.​

​Health Canada’s Consider the Consequences of Vaping Tour

Health Canada’s Consider the Consequences vaping awareness tour will be visiting our school on May 24th and they will be educating students on the following topics with an engaging maze activity:

• If you don’t smoke, don’t vape
• Vaping can lead to nicotine addiction
• Vaping can cause lung damage
• The long-term health impacts of vaping are unknown

We encourage you to have conversations with your child in advance and after the event. To learn more, and for more information and resources, please visit https://www.canada.ca/en/services/health/publications/healthy-living/talking-teen-vaping-tip-sheet-parents.html?utm_source=xm-agency&utm_medium=email-en&utm_content=march&utm_campaign=vaping-19


Save the Date (from The desk of Music Teacher, Mr. Lo)

Below is an overview of upcoming dates for the Music Department:

April

•  Wed-Sun, April 10 – 14th         Canadian Rocky Mountain Festival (Banff)
• Thursday April 18th                   Chamber Choir Gord Downie Foundation Pilot Project
• Thursday April 25th                   Chamber Choir @ BC CASE Conference 

May

•  Thu-Sun, May 2 – 5th               Whistler Con Brio Music Festival
•  Saturday, May 25th                  "One Night Only" Music Department Fundraiser
• Thursday May 30th                   Year-End Choir Concert

June

•  Tuesday, June 4th                    Year-End Band Concert
•  Thursday, June 6th                   Year-End Guitar concert
•  Saturday, June 8th & 15th       Car Wash Fundraisers

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​The PAC Corner (from the desk of PAC Chair Cheryl D. Mitchell)

Your Parent Advisory Council (PAC ) is really looking forward to the PAC meeting tonight in the Library at 7 pm. A program adviser from BCIT will explain post-secondary options and the school nurse from Vancouver Coastal Health will let us know what services are available for our students. We are also looking forward to hearing from our new vice-principal, Justin Wong, and from our new Principal, Suzette Dohm.

Any questions or comments, please email me at chair@carsongrahampac.ca. Remember, all Carson parents and guardians are automatically members of PAC.


Upcoming Events and Dates
​
April 10 - PAC Meeting - 7:00pm
April 11 - Parent Teacher Interviews - 1:15pm Dismissal 
April 12 - Early Dismissal - 1:15pm
April 15- Homeroom - 12:45 pm- Course Verification and School Fees Forms Distributed
April 17 - Staff Collaboration - Late Start 9:55am
April 19 - Good Friday - School Closed
​April 22 - Easter Monday - School Closed
April 22 - Earth Day 
April 24 - Holocaust Symposium @ Carson

May 1 - Grade 12 Exit Interviews (12:15pm Dismissal)
May 6 - District Pro-D Day (no classes)
May 15 - EPIC Wednesday - 8:35am Start
​May 20 - Victoria Day - School Closed
May 22 - Staff Collaboration - Late Start 9:55am
May 22- PAC Meeting 7:00 pm
May 25 - "One Night Only" Music Dept Fundraiser
May 29 - Staff Collaboration
May 30 - Year-End Choir Concert

June 4 - Year-End Band Concert
June 5 - EPIC Wednesday - 8:35am Start
June 6 - Year-End Guitar Concert
June 8 & 15 - Music Department Car Wash Fundraisers
​June 17 - Carson Awards Evening
June 20 - Grad Ceremony at Queen Elizabeth Theatre @7pm
June 21 - Last Day of Classes
June 24 - English 12 Provincial Exam @ 9am
June 24-25 - Numeracy Assessments
June 26 - Communications 12 Provincial Exam @9am
June 27 - Grad Banquet at Westin Bayshore