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Condolences The first couple weeks of 2020 have been difficult ones for the North Vancouver School District. The North Vancouver community has been deeply impacted by the tragic airplane accident in Tehran, Iran. North Vancouver residents were among the victims of this tragedy, including a Carson Graham student. We would like to thank all of those who have reached out to support the Carson Community. Additionally, we would like to pass along our condolences to all of the victims' families and friends impacted by these losses. Grade 12 Capstone/Exit Interviews We have now confirmed Thursday, May 21st for the Grade 12 Capstone/Exit Interviews. There will be an altered schedule that day to accomodate the interviews that afternoon. Special guests and all Carson staff will participate in this very special day for our grads. Schedule for the Day: Block 2- 8:35-9:25 Block 3- 9:30-10:20 Block 1- 10:35-11:25 Block 4- 11:30-12:15 Exit Interviews- 1:00 - 3:00 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:
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.  Santa's Breakfast On December 20th, Carson staff were in a festive mood as they came into the school at 6am to cook up the annual Santa's Breakfast. The Music Program performed while hundreds of meals were served. All of the proceeds went to the Harvest Project and a donation of $1000 was made in the school's name. Well done Carson!  Upcoming Events January 24 - Semester 1 Ends January 27 - Semester 2 Starts January 28 - Grade 7 Parent Programming Evening January 29 - Staff Collaboration/Late Start 9:55 am February 5 - Grade 8/9 Parent Programming Evening February 6 - Grade 10/11 Parent Programming Evening February 7 - District Wide Professional Development Day February 12 - Staff Collaboration/Late Start 9:55 am February 14 - Valentine's Day February 17 - Family Day (school not in session) February 19 - EPIC Wednesday February 20 - Celebration of IB February 26 - Pink Shirt Day February 28 - End of Term 2
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Dear Carson Graham Community, We have just completed an exciting first term and this blog highlights only a portion of all of the activities happening at Carson Graham. As we slow down to look forward to 2020, we would like to wish you all a wonderful winter break and holiday season. Please enjoy some family time. Reflect, Recharge, and Refresh! I look forward to seeing everybody back on Monday, January 6th, 2020. Happy New Year! Best Regards, Suzette Dohm Santa's Breakfast: Friday, December 20th This event is a long-standing tradition in which staff come in early to prepare a breakfast for students. Students are encouraged and welcome to come to school between 7:30am and 8:25am on Friday, December 20 to enjoy a hearty breakfast while listening to our amazing school music programs. Tickets are $5 in advance or $6 at the door. All proceeds go to the Harvest Project. Adjusted Schedule for Santa's Breakfast: Santa's Breakfast- 7:30am - 8:30am Block 6- 8:35am - 9:40am Block 7- 9:45am - 10:50am Block 5- 10:55am - 12:00pm Block 8- 12:15pm – 1:15pm *Students are dismissed at 1:15pm Carson Meets the VSO Special congratulations to Frank Lee and the Carson Choir who were invited to perform live at the Orpheum Theatre Home Alone's musical score alongside the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra on Wednesday evening. The event was hilarious, heart-warming, delightful, charming and beautiful... all rolled into one! There is one more performance on Friday, December 20th at 7pm. Looks like there are limited seats still available here. Coast Salish Weaving Exhibit On Monday, I had the opportunity to accompany students to the Blue Cabin Floating Artist Residency to attend a Coast Salish weaving exhibit with Angela George. Longtime North Shore residents may recognize this cabin that sat on the waterfront near Cates Park for over 80 years before being relocated. The Blue Cabin Floating Artist Residency is hosting Skeins: Weaving on the Foreshore, the inaugural program of artist residencies, open houses, talks and workshops. Skeins is a celebration of Coast Salish weaving practices that have developed in these territories since time immemorial. If you get a chance, check it out! North Shore Community Christmas Dinner Last Saturday night, Carson Graham hosted the North Shore Community Christmas Dinner, sponsored by a multitude of local organizations. Carson Graham student and staff volunteers helped set-up, decorate, serve and clean-up at this very special event. The event provided a beautiful Christmas dinner for hundreds of community members. Community spirit and Christmas cheer were certainly aplenty!  Professional Development Day- December 6th, 2019 On December 6th, staff participated in a presentation focused on deepening our understanding of how trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) can impact student learning and how school staff can foster student resiliency. Our first speaker was Dr. Marla Buchanan, a Professor in the Counselling Psychology Program in the Faculty of Education at UBC. Her research interests include research in traumatic stress studies with various populations such as veterans, women in prison, journalists, child soldiers, refugees and child and youth trauma. Our second speaker was Rosalynn Record-Lemon, a PhD Candidate in the Counselling Psychology Program in the Faculty of Education at UBC. Her research interests concern school-based trauma-informed practices. She is also a therapist working in private practice and at Child and Youth Mental Health. Covenant House Sleep Out On December 5th, staff and students form CG slept outside so that homeless youth won't have to. We were joined by Trustee Kulvir Mann and Superintendent Mark Pearmain, with a kickoff by Allison from the Covenant House and MLA Bowinn Ma. Dave Sattler from the North Shore Alliance Church also organized an emotional and inspiring panel on homelessness that spoke of breaking the cycle and hope!. Special thanks to teachers Nadya Bowcott and Rob Olson for spearheading the event. So far we have raised over $40,000! Upcoming Events
January 6 - School Re-Opens After Winter Break January 15 - Staff Collaboration/Late Start 9:55 am January 22 - EPIC Wednesday January 22 - PAC Meeting 7:00 pm January 24 - Semester 1 Ends January 27 - Semester 2 Starts January 28 - Grade 7 Parent Programming Evening January 29 - Staff Collaboration/Late Start 9:55 am February 5 - Grade 8/9 Parent Programming Evening February 6 - Grade 10/11 Parent Programming Evening February 7 - District Wide Professional Development Day February 12 - Staff Collaboration/Late Start 9:55 am February 14 - Valentine's Day February 17 - Family Day (school not in session) February 19 - EPIC Wednesday February 20 - Celebration of IB February 26 - Pink Shirt Day February 28 - End of Term 2 Students in the News Special accolades to current grade 12 student, Shana George. She was just awarded the Premier’s Award for Indigenous Youth Excellence in Sport. The sporting and scholastic achievements, character, school citizenship and commitment to culture and ancestry Shana displayed were a fine match to the award requirements and we are so proud of her!  Carson Graham would also like to extend our sincerest congratulations to 2016 Graduate and UBC Thunderbirds rugby player, Lyric Atchison. She was recently honoured as the 2019 winner of the prestigious Tom Longboat Award that recognizes the female Aboriginal athlete of the year from the Aboriginal Sports Circle. More information can be found here. Community Initiatives Covenant House Sleepout (Rob Olson & Nadya Bowcott) It will be dark. It will be tough. But as with so many partnerships, teamwork makes it easier to do hard work well – and we’re in this together. As a leadership team, both Senior and Junior CI students, along with teachers, administration and local politicians will be spending a night in solidarity with homeless youth. And while these young people are safe in their beds at Covenant House, we will head outside with cardboard boxes to look for an unoccupied piece of pavement on the evening of December 5th. We’re sleeping outside for one night, so homeless youth don’t have to. We are fundraising again this year to help an important charity overcome youth homelessness. If you wish to make a donation, please donate here: https://secure3.convio.net/chb/site/TR?team_id=2250&pg=team&fr_id=1270 Student Loan Workshop (Grade 12 Student Romina Mahinpeh) Worried about university tuition? Want to learn about the loans available to grade 12 students for their post-secondary studies? If you or your child answered yes to either of these questions, then have your student come to Carson’s 2019 Student Loan Workshop, taking place on Thursday, December 5 from 3:15-4:15 pm and hosted by Carson Graham’s 2019 graduate, Angelina Sommer. Registration is required. All registered participants will be provided with free pizza. EPIC 9 Community Service Project (Tim Ireland) On November 13th our Grade 9 students took part in a variety of Community Service Projects as part of this year's EPIC 9 Program. The goal of the program is to further deepen our student's understanding of Service as Action and the meaning of community. It also aims to model the stages of a large project and strengthen students' Approaches To Learning skills in preparation for their Personal Project in their Grade 10 year. The groups undertook a number of different projects including planting flower bulbs, an environmental clean-up in a near-by park, school wide community support messaging, and school clean-up projects. One of groups also worked with the Evergreen Project at a local sustainable farm. For the remainder of the year, Grade 9's will be developing and implementing their own service projects in small groups. We are excited to see how their passion impacts both our school and the wider community over the coming months. Eyeglasses Needed! (Interact Club) From now until Winter Break, the Interact Club will be holding an eyeglasses drive. All donated glasses will be redistributed to those who cannot afford vision care. Drop off all your old spectacles: collection boxes are located in the library and the main office. Carson Art Meets Instagram (Gamelle Fitzgibbon) If you are interested in keeping up with the exciting work coming out of the Carson Graham Art Studio, we invite you to follow along on the Instagram account @carsonartstudio that features many of the projects, ideas, and explorations taking place in our art studios with students in Grades 8-12. Keep an eye out for your child's work being featured! District Jazz Festival It all started with a conversation between Carson Band Director Kevin Yang and Argyle Band Director Diana Chan. The two questioned why they were always taking their students to events in other jurisdictions and before they knew it, they were set to host North Vancouver's inaugural District Jazz Festival! Over 130 students from all six North Vancouver high schools descended upon Carson this past weekend and more information can be found at the link below. https://www.nsnews.com/community/north-vancouver-band-students-take-part-in-first-school-district-wide-jazz-festival-1.24017307 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. Tree Chip-Up and Bottle Drive: January 4-5, 2020 Bring your Christmas tree by Carson Secondary for chipping, and drop off your bottles/cans for recycling! By cash donation. All funds raised will support the Senior Girls Rugby Team. Upcoming Music Concerts     A Few More Quick Updates December Reports Cards - First term report cards will be published to the portal by the end of day on Friday, December 13th. we are asking that parents parents ensure that accounts and passwords are updated prior to this. Additional information can be found on the Carson website here. Grad Starry Nights Homecoming Dance - We had an outstanding Grade 12 Homecoming Dance at the Pipe Shop Venue at the Shipyards on October 3rd. The kids were excellent student ambassadors and had a ton of fun. The Grad Class of 2020 have been excellent leaders and role models this year in all aspects of school life. Take Your Kids to Work Day - Launched in 1994, Take Your Kids to Work is the most recognized career readiness program in Canada with more than 200,000 students visiting workplaces every year on Take Your Kids to Work Day. Once again, we had a very high participation rate, making it a huge success again this year at Carson! Many thanks to our counsellors for coordinating the day and to all the parents that hosted their child during the event. Safeteen – Grade 10 - On November 6, Carson Graham was pleased to host Safeteen workshops for its grade 10 students. Safeteen is a skill-based violence prevention program. The program offers gender-specific strategies for managing fear and anger and gives students a way of standing up for themselves without resorting to violence. Grounded in theory on socialization and gender, these workshops address the roots of violence and expose power dynamics as the underlying factor in harassment, bullying, and assault. We look forward to continuing to empower our students to use powerful alternatives to violence. November 4th Curriculum Implementation (CI) Day - The focus of this year's CI Day was Indigenous Education. Our learning was centered on the First Peoples’ Principles of Learning. We started with a focus on the well-being of the self, the family, the community, and the land and then spent the latter half of the morning continuing this theme within Departments. All NVSD then convened at Carson for an afternoon Keynote by Dr. Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair. Stay Connected - Communication Carson Graham Website: http://www.carsongraham.ca Twitter: https://twitter.com/carsonsecondary?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cgseagles/ PAC Corner (Rene Cravioto Chair@carsongrahampac.ca) During the first few months of the 2019-2020 school year, the CGPAC had the opportunity to fund great student initiatives and support many of the extracurricular programs that the school offers to our youth. We have allocated funds almost equivalent to the Gaming Grant that we receive on a yearly basis and we continue to receive funding requests. The CGPAC will only be able to fund these requests to the extent that additional funds can be raised this year. CGPAC Executive members are already exploring a few fundraising ideas, especially those that seek to tap into sources beyond the CG parents. CALL TO ACTION: We would like to invite all parents and students to contribute your ideas, contacts and experiences with the aim of maximizing the return on the effort that parents and students will volunteer towards fundraising activities. Our next meeting is on November 27th! November 27- PAC Meeting 7:00 pm
November 28- Jazz Night 7:00 pm December 3- Band Winter Concert 7:00 pm December 5- Guitar Concert 7:00 pm December 5- Covenant House Sleep Out December 6- School-Based Professional D Day (school not in session) December 9-13- Report Cards Published Week of December 9-13th December 10- Choral Winter Concert 7:00 pm December 11- Late Start 9:55 am December 20- Santa's Breakfast December 20- Early Dismissal December 20- Last Day of Classes Before Winter Break January 6- Classes Resume After Winter Break Wow… September came and went in the blink of an eye but what a month it was! I want to acknowledge the hard work of our staff, student body and parents in ensuring that the transition from summer break to the first few weeks of school went smoothly. There has been a very positive vibe throughout the building and we are all excited as we look ahead to the 2019-2020 school year. Please don’t forget that the first PAC Meeting of the year will take place on October 2nd at 7pm in the library. The purpose of the Carson PAC is to represent parents and guardians by working with administration and staff to support students and build the Carson Graham community. The PAC raises money and oversees the gaming grant to help fund staff requests, to support student initiatives and to help the school with special purchases. PACs strive to represent the diversity within their communities and contribute to the benefit of all students by:
I would like to encourage parents and guardians to attend PAC meetings. There are only five meetings a year and you do not need to attend each one of them. Parents who attend have the chance to vote on various initiatives that have a direct impact on our children. Please note that attending PAC meetings does not obligate you to volunteer for anything. It is simply a good way to keep you and your family informed about what is happening at the school. Please take a few moments to review this blog post. I have used it to highlight all of the amazing activities of Carson staff and students. As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns that you may have. Best Regards, Suzette Dohm School Travel Plan Haste (Hub for Active School Travel) BC has released the results of their transportation study for Carson Graham. Please take a few moments to review this material. School Travel Planning (STP) is a community-based planning process that has been used with success to date in communities across Canada. The goal is to increase the number of families choosing active transportation modes to get to and from school. School Travel Planning uses a collaborative approach, working to involve all relevant stakeholders and enable communities to tackle the root causes of their schools’ transportation challenges. School Travel Planning is overseen and resourced in each community by a Steering Committee comprised of representatives of key school transportation stakeholder groups. At individual schools, the School Travel Planning process is led by an STP Facilitator, who convenes a School Committee, comprised of staff, parents, administration, and other community stakeholders, to outline specific active school travel barriers and solutions, developing the foundation and specifics for each school’s School Travel Plan. 
Club and Team Fair The school hosted a successful Club and Team Fair at the beginning of the year. In addition to long-standing clubs, we were thrilled to see new offerings for this year. Our website has been updated here with contacts and meeting times. It's not too late... students can still sign up! Grade 8 Parent Night and PAC-Sponsored Barbeque Thank you to the PAC for supporting and sponsoring our Grade 8 BBQ. This event was held in advance of the more formal Grade 8 Parent Evening and was a resounding success. The Parent Evening provided an opportunity for parents to connect with their child’s teachers and experience a condensed version of a day in the life of a Carson student! Lunch with a Scientist Club This new Carson club hosted its inaugural event on September 20th and has a full slate of events planned for the year. Be sure to mark your calendars! All grades are welcome.  Buchanan Bowl On Saturday, September 21st, Carson Graham hosted the 33rd annual Buchanan Bowl. Every year, the Carson Graham football team plays their rivals, the Handsworth Royals, in this game. The very first Buchanan Bowl was played in 1987 and it is named after Mr. James Buchanan, a teacher and administrator who worked at both schools and died in 1986. The Junior and Senior Varsity teams played well and were victorious in this North Vancouver tradition. Well done, Eagles!  Terry Fox Run Terry Fox o ften said that it was the youth who would carry forth his efforts and work towards a world without cancer. Millions of students across Canada take part in the Terry Fox School Run every year raising funds for cancer research, making it one of the largest fundraising events in Canadian history and one of the largest displays of solidarity this planet has ever seen! Carson Graham participated this year on September 27th and helped share Terry’s example of courage, strength and hope. The weather cooperated and we started on the field with a warm-up led by Ms. Pross and her Dance students and then headed down Jones Avenue to start the route. Well done, Carson!  Grade 8 Community and Team Building Days On September 26th and 27th, all of our grade 8 students participated in two full days of activities both atop Grouse Mountain and here at the school. The purpose was to promote leadership, team building, environmental awareness and to help students make the connection between the unceded Squamish territory that we occupy and our environment. Students learned the responsibilities and independence of self-governance, the communication and leadership skills necessary for teamwork and the social skills needed for a variety of circumstances. Orange Shirt Day This Monday, we gathered for a school-wide assembly in recognition of Orange Shirt Day. Each year on September 30th, we wear orange shirts and ribbons to recognize Residential School survivors. We honour their experiences, and those of their families. Today, Orange Shirt Day, is an opportunity for Indigenous Peoples, local governments, schools and communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for future generations of children. It is a day to reaffirm that, "every child matters". Special thanks to Stewart Gonzales, Alroy Baker and Carla George for sharing their Residential School experiences. Additionally, thank you to students Shana George and Monica Jacobs who performed the traditional welcome. The event was an opportunity for our students and staff to listen, reflect and take action towards Truth and Reconciliation.  All Candidates Meeting As all are no doubt aware, the Federal Election campaigns are now well under way. We will be having a Student Vote in advance of the election (on October 18th) where all students in grades 10-12 will be eligible to cast a ballot. In support of that, we hosted an all candidates meeting this morning at the school. All of the candidates who have formally declared the candidacy in the North Vancouver federal riding were invited to speak and answer questions from our students. Interact Club This Friday, October 4th, Carson Graham’s Interact Club and Rotary North Vancouver will be hosting the very first screening of the Canada C3 Coast to Coast to Coast documentary in BC, a Canada 150 Signature Project produced by the Students on Ice Foundation! Filmed during the historic Canada C3 expedition, the documentary retraces the 150-day icebreaker journey from Toronto to Vancouver in 2017 and allows the audience to experience the marine adventure exploring Canada’s coastline. The event will take place at Carson Graham Secondary, with doors opening at 6:30 pm and the documentary starting at 7:00 pm. The screening will be followed by a short Q & A with alumnae from the Students on Ice Foundation, with the event ending by 8:30 pm. Tickets are free for children under 12, $5.00 for students, and $10.00 for adults. Tickets can be purchased using the following link: https://canadac3premiere.eventbrite.com All funds will be split between the Students on Ice Foundation and the Polio Eradication Initiative! Teacher Contact and Website Links
We have updated teacher emails and personal websites on our own school website. Please visit the site here. Interims We will be adopting a more formal interim reporting process this year. Interims will be due in the main office mid-October at which point they will be collated and mailed home in advance of Parent Teacher Interview booking. More details to come! Upcoming Events: October 2- PAC Meeting at 7pm in the library October 3- Grade 12 Starry Nights Homecoming Dance October 4- Curriculum Implementation Day (school not in session) October 4- Canada C3 Coast to Coast to Coast Documentary Screening October 8- Western University Visit October 8- Northwest University Visit October 8- Canadian University Event @ Delta Hotels Burnaby Conference Centre October 9- Late Start 9:55 am October 10- DP Parent Night October 14- Thanksgiving Day (school not in session) October 15- SFU: Beedie School of Business Visit October 24- Post-Secondary Visits Day October 25- Province-Wide Professional Day (school not in session) October 28- Dalhousie University Visit 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:
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. Library Lego Resource (Michelle Davis- Teacher Librarian) “The Maker Movement is an innovative way to re-imagine education.” ~ Pepplar and Bender This past year, through the generous donation of our school’s PAC, we were able to add Lego and a Lego wall as library resources. This new resource marked the beginning of our school Library Makerspace at Carson Graham. Makerspaces promote hands-on learning by engaging students with making innovative products to share their understanding. It didn’t take long for teachers to devise creative means to incorporate Lego into their assignments. From representations of literature in English class and historical explorations in Social Studies to DNA models and animated Lego videos in Science classes, Lego was utilized across a number of subject areas this year. Students found these projects highly engaging while teachers valued their interactions with students as they created. As Darren Wong, a Carson teacher attests: “The Maker's Space was a powerful experience because it allowed me to evaluate the process of students creating work instead of simply evaluating the end product. By being present during the process, I could have authentic conversations with students about their understanding as they worked through their projects. This created an organic learning experience where I saw the path their learning was taking and I could shape that journey as I thought necessary." We look forward to further developing our Carson Library Makerspace and Maker programming next year.       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.   French 10... and Food! (Lucas Mann- Teacher) Students in Language Acquisition French 10 participated in an interactive and cultural workshop on crêpe making. At the end of their unit studying food adaptations and food sustainability, students participated in a workshop led by a professional Francophone chef from Les Petits Chef. This interactive workshop not only gave students information about crêpes, it also showed students the proper method by a professional chef trained in France. The authentic experience gave the students an appreciation for an authentic experience using the language skills they have acquired. All students left with a happy tummy and a new understanding of crêpes.  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! Relay for Life (Shannon Van Baalen and Rob Olson- Teachers) Our Community Initiatives classes are in the midst of planning our first ever Relay For Life at Carson on June 7th. We would love for your support by creating a team or making a donation. The event will run from 2 pm until 8 pm. Most teams have a theme and wear costumes or t-shirts as part of the fun. Teams are usually 6 - 10 people each and the fundraising commitment is approximately 100.00 per individual. More information can be found at www.relayforlife.ca/carsongraham.  Upcoming Events and Dates
May 22 - PAC Meeting @ 7 pm May 25 - "One Night Only" Music Department Fundraiser May 29 - Staff Collaboration 9:55 Start 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 7 - Relay for Life June 7- University and College Fair 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 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:
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:
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 Carson Graham Girls Rugby New Zealand and Australia Tour (from the desk of Coach Brad Baker) The girls’ rugby team embarked on an 18-day tour of New Zealand and Australia on March 13th. The air was filled with excitement the day we left with the prospect of playing rugby at its highest level. We landed in Auckland on Friday, March 15th and drove to our first stop in Tauranga. Once we were settled, we soon realized that we landed on the same day as the Christchurch massacre and the country was in shock and mourning. The events of March 15th would play a role in our stay in New Zealand as in each town that we visited and in each of the games versus NZ schools, we honoured the victims with a moment of silence. While we were in Feilding, we participated in the National Day of Mourning and laid flowers at the Cenotaph. Our girls were emotional through this process and became closer. Our rugby games in New Zealand were exciting to watch and our girls played with heart and desire. Our record in New Zealand was 1 win and 2 losses. The overall experience in New Zealand was incredible for the girls and we would like to thank the three schools – Tauranga, Taupo and Feilding for hosting us and making us feel like we were at home. We moved onto Australia on March 24th and began our journey by staying in the forests of Port Stephens. This was a unique stay as we had the entire facility to ourselves and were able to have team building activities throughout our stay. Being in the forest, we were also surrounded by local critters– we regularly had Possums join us for dinner, spiders crawl around us and Kookaburras watch us eat breakfast. After our stay in Port Stephens, we moved to the iconic Bondi Beach for some rest and relaxation before coming home. We had a successful rugby tour in Australia where the girls won both XVs games and went 2 and 2 in the Sydney 7’s Tournament. Overall, the girls’ rugby tour can certainly be viewed as a success for all of those involved!  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. The Senior Boys Rugby Team Tours Italy (from the desk of Teacher Sebastian Cabrera) The Senior Boys’ Rugby Team travelled to Italy over Spring Break to prepare for their upcoming season. In our first few days in Italy, we explored the sights of Rome on a bike tour, watched Italy vs France at Stadio Olímpico, visited the Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel. After some scary, but fun Gladiator Training, the team left Rome and traveled by train to Florence. There, we visited major sites including the third largest Cathedral in the world (The Doumo: Santa Maria del Fiore) and learned a lot of history from the Renaissance to World War II. The team also visited lesser known, but amazing, places such as Cinque Terre, where five hillside towns are connected by walking paths. The towns are on a ragged coastline with steep cliffs. They swam at the beautiful beach below in Monterosso and walked around the town of Vernazza. Next, in Parma, the team did training led by two professional players from the Zebre Rugby Club, one of two Italian teams that are part of the Guinness Pro 14 professional league. Two highlights of the trip were competing on the Italian Go-Kart Grand Prix and ziplining at Jungle Raider Park in Civenna (overlooking Lake Como). The students had a great time racing, exploring, and bonding as a team. They also took a couple of ferries across the lake and walked around Bellagio and Tremezzo. With one awesome experience after another, the team visited the Ferrari museum in Maranello (30 mins outside of Parma), and watched an Italian Serie B rugby match, Piacenza VS Lecco, in Piacenza. The team had the opportunity to practice at different local clubs’ fields and use their facilities during the tour. In Rome, we practiced at SS Lazio Rugby Tor Tre Teste. In Parma, we practiced in the Amatori Rugby Parma club. The team had three exhibition games against local clubs. We played US Primavera in Rome, Colorno in Colorno and and ASD Lecco in Lecco. After the practices and games, the teams had dinner together and enjoyed home-made meals prepared by the hosting club. After every game, the Carson boys spent time with the players from the other team and chatted over a meal. They always found a way to communicate considering the language barriers. We were all impressed with every team’s genuine hospitality after the games. The quality of Rugby and players' skills sets were above average and challenged our Carson team in every game. Overall, the boys had a great tour and the coaches feel the players are ready to pursue their goal of being in the top four in the province. Go Eagles!  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.   SALTS- Sail and Life Training Society (from the desk of Ms. FitzGibbon) Carson is again planning to run the SALTS Trip next fall (September 30 - October 4th). This is a great leadership opportunity for students to learn about themselves, each other and the world around them, all aboard a tall ship! There are still a few female spots available for this fall and interested students can pick up an application form or find out more information from Mr. Wood, Ms. Benko or Ms. FitzGibbon. Road Safety Day On April 9th, we hosted an event that included interactive displays and activities put on by the North Vancouver RCMP, the City of North Vancouver Fire Department, the B.C. Ambulance Service, the North Vancouver RCMP Road Safety Volunteer team and ICBC Road Safety to help highlight the importance of road safety. ICBC is committed to supporting youth in developing strong decision-making skills on the road to help prevent crashes and save lives. Over the past two decades, ICBC’s road safety speakers have been sharing their stories with approximately 50,000 B.C. high school students every year. The morning culminated in a Grade 12 ICBC Road Safety Presentation by Kevin Brooks who knows the horror of one day waking up to a life that has changed forever. From his wheelchair, he told his story as a reminder to think before getting into a vehicle. He shared the consequences of his crash and the deep hurt felt by his loved ones. Audience members laughed, cried and, hopefully, will remember his story moving forward. 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:
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
May
June
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 |
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