— February—
Message from the Principal - Stephen Garland
When classes resume on Monday morning we will be exactly halfway through our school year, Mid-Term Examinations and Projects will be over, and Term Reports will begin to be readied for distribution in a few short weeks. It will also be that time of the year when, though fully ensconced in the present... we are also keeping an eye towards next year. For our 12s this involves the finishing touches on their applications to post-secondary's both near and far. For our Grade 8s-11, the focus will be on the Course Selection and Re-Registration processes for 2018-2019 that will be happening prior to Spring Break. ​
 
We have done Course Selections online via PowerSchool for some time. But this will be the first year that our Re-Registration process will also be done online by families. Details for both will be coming to you soon. The deadline for Course Selection for next year is Monday, March 5, 2018. Re-Registrations will be finalized by March 7, 2018.
 
In order to assist students and families with Course Selection and to examine how the courses our students will select might influence their Graduation Program and Post-Secondary pathways, we will be hosting two separate information evenings for our STMC parents later this month.
 
Tuesday, February 20 @ 6:30-7:30pm (STMC Cafeteria) - Jr. School Course Selection Meeting This session will be tailored specifically for our current students moving from Grade 8 into 9 and Grade 9 into 10.
 
Thursday, February 22 @ 6:30-7:30pm (STMC Cafeteria) - Sr. School Course Selection Meeting This session will be tailored specifically for our current students moving from Grade 10 into 11 and Grade 11 into 12. Specific focus on the New Graduation Program, as well as the changes to both UBC's & SFU's New Admissions Requirements (effective September 2019). We will try to keep these sessions as concise as possible and to also leave a sufficient amount of time for individual questions.
 
Looking MUCH further ahead... I wanted to take this opportunity to share:
Preliminary calendar dates for 2018-2019 .  Our full calendar for 2018-2019 will not be ready until late May/early June. We will share it with you as soon as it is complete.

God Bless,

Steve Garland
STMC Principal
Message from the President - Neysa Finnie
More than 7.3 billion people share this planet. Never in history have more people been alive on Earth. The Lower Mainland has a vacancy rate of less than 1%. Technology allows people to be connected virtually to even the most remote locales. And yet, more Canadians than ever live alone. The British government created a new high-level government position - Minister of Loneliness. 
 
With the hustle and bustle of the family life, particularly with busy teenagers, it might be difficult to imagine a moment alone let alone being lonely. It is easy to imagine elderly people being lonely – the death of a spouse, adult children who do not live in the same area, limited mobility. However, it is not just elderly people who suffer from loneliness. People who have relocated for work, people who have been separated from their family perhaps for substance abuse reasons or family discourse, people who have escaped a difficult life in a different country or a different community, people who are surrounded by people but who are unrecognized – people of every age are lonely.
 
This year, Ash Wednesday, which signals the beginning of the Lenten season, occurs on February 14 Valentine’s Day – a day when people express their love for each other often through grand gestures. Ash Wednesday has not occurred on February 14 since 1945. Perhaps this Lent instead of “giving something up for Lent”, we might consider with small (or even grand) gestures, reaching out to people in our midst who might be experiencing loneliness through social isolation – a phone call (not a text!), a visit, a coffee, an invitation – genuine human kindness.
 
Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:1-2
 
Live, Jesus, in our hearts … forever.

Neysa Finnie
President
GIVING NEWS
To date, we have 72 STMC families who have already contributed or pledged to the Knights Annual Fund. That’s 11% participation from our current parents, board, and staff. Way to go and thank you very much! It would be wonderful to see the participation rate go up further. A friendly reminder to those who have not yet made their donation that the annual fund campaign for the 2017/18 school year runs from November 2017 till end of May 2018. So there is still time to jump on board and make a tax deductible donation to the Knights Annual Fund.
 
Funds raised will enable STMC to offer new, innovative programs that are not covered by tuition and government grants. Programs such as robotics and applied design skills and technology options . For STMC to be able to offer this program, it would require at least $100,000 just to purchase introductory robotics kits for the junior and senior levels. Imagine the exciting possibilities that we can accomplish together as a community, for the benefit of our students. Your donation, regardless of the amount, really counts and makes a difference in our students’ learning experience as a Knight. Please click on the this link: https://www.knightsannualfund.com/ to make a secure online donation. A cheque payable to STMC Foundation is also most welcome. Or you can make a gift by phone at 604-521-1801 ext. 131 or 133. Please call or email: advancement@stmc.bc.ca if you need assistance or have any questions about the Knights Annual Fund. God reward you and your family for your support!
 

MARK YOUR CALENDAR
8 - 13: French Department Trip To Montreal & Quebec City
12: Family Day
14: Ash Wednesday Mass
15: Monthly Knight Club Sale
15: Grade 8 Registration
16: Grade 9 Immunization
16: Surrey Schools International Jazz Festival for Vocal Jazz, Jazz Band A & B
20: Jr. School Course Selection Meeting
21: "Screenagers" Documentary Showing to all Parents
22: Sr. School Course Selection Meeting
28: ACTION team - Pink Shirt Day
A LOOK BACK AT THE 2018 OPEN HOUSE
Thank you to everyone who came out to the 2018 STMC Open House! It was a wonderful evening filled with engaging demonstrations and activities that ensured everyone got to participate in the fun while learning what it means to be a Knight.

Special thanks to the Parents Association and the Alumni Association, as well as all of the faculty and student volunteers.

If you missed this event, and wanted to see what it's all about, or if you are just interested in getting to know STMC a little better:

Mr. Lui leads the STMC Choir Students in an opening performance
Prospective students check out Mr. Muise's telescope!
Mr. Kinal's guitar class show off their instruments
Mr. Shoemaker and the STMC band perform at the opening ceremony
Mr. Friere, Sajjan Shokar, and Nate Nacario man the athletics table!
Mr. Ashley, Ms. Lauang, and Ms. Lang are ready to answer any questions about STMC athletics
Mr. Toth giving a chemistry demonstration to a captivated classroom
STMC Jazz choir showcasing their talents in the band room
ACADEMICS ROUND UP
UBC Physics Olympics
The school will once again be entering a team in the UBC Physics Olympics, taking place on March 10 th at the Physics and Engineering buildings.  The team will be working on the pre-built challenges on Tuesday afternoons and some weekday mornings.  Any students interested in taking part should see Mr. Muise as soon as possible.
Michael Smith Science Challenge
Any students in grade 10 or younger are invited to take part in the Michael Smith Challenge on Wednesday, February 24 th at 9:00 AM in the library. The contest emphasizes logical thinking, and covers material in the science curriculum common to all provinces.  Anyone interested in writing this contest should register with Mr. Muise by Monday, February 12 th .
Engineers & Geoscientists of BC Popsicle Stick Bridge Building Competition
Any students in grades 8 or 9 are invited to take part in the EGBC Popsicle Stick Bridge Competition.  The competition takes place on Saturday, February 24 th at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (Surrey) and requires students to build a bridge to meet certain criteria.  Any students interested in taking part should see Mr. Muise as soon as possible.
The Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge
The Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge is a 2.5 hour contest sponsored by the Canadian Mathematics Society. It was written in November and is a very difficult exam. We are so proud of our STMC students who chose to take on this challenge. Yuhong Mao is the top STMC student and earns a certificate of distinction for being in the top 25% of all participants. 

Certificate of honours are awarded to Justin Wong, George Wang, and Krystal Go for being in the top 50% of all participants
Students on the Beamlines 2018
The STMC science depart is organizing the next students on the Beamlines trip for the fall of 2018.  This program allows students the opportunity to design an experiment and conduct it using Canada’s national synchrotron facility in Saskatoon, SK. The first group to take part in this program was in 2016, and looked at the presence of period II elements in Okanagan grapes, soil, and wine. 

This year’s project will depend on the areas of interest for the students involved.  There will be a meeting for anyone taking part on Thursday, February 25 th at lunch in room 220. Applications will be due in early March. Students in any grade level are eligible to apply, but priority will be given to students currently in grade 10 and 11.  For further information, see Mr. Muise.
ARTS ROUND UP
Band at 50th Anniversary
Surrey Schools International Jazz Festival

The Vocal Jazz, Jazz Band A, and Jazz Band B will all be competing at the Surrey Schools International Jazz Festival held at the Bell Centre for the Performing Arts on Friday February 16th. There will be a total of 60 students representing STMC on the big stage, good luck!
STMC Mainstage Productions Presents Peter and the Starcatcher
March 8, 9, 10 at 7pm and March 10 and 2pm

This year's production is an imaginative play that tells the story of a boy named Peter, a pirate named Black Stache, and the beginning of a rivalry we all know so well. Directed by alumnus, Jesse Alvarez.
 
Performances are March 8, 9, 10 at 7pm and March 10 and 2pm, at the James Cowan Theatre at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts . Tickets are $15 and will be available later this month online through the Shadbolt and at school through Mrs. Chinnapen.
STUDENT ART SHOWCASE
The piece below is a "Collaborative Zen Tangle" created by our budding grade 8 artists!



Look at some of the amazing Grade 8's collage portraits based on the work by famous Italian painter, Giuseppe Archimboldo.



In this series, grade 9 students painted monochromatic pictures of their pets


For this project, a grade 11 class were tasked with reproducing an area of the school in a comic book / fantasy style: garnering results that are as spooky as they are creative!
STUDENT HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH
This month's student spotlight is on Kristian Arciaga, a very talented dancer in grade 10. Kristian placed third overall out of 80 competitors at the Youth American Grand Prix in Seattle in January 2018 for the senior contemporary dance section.
Kristian trains at NAPA Dance in New Westminster and performs yearly with The Royal City Youth Ballet in the Nutcracker, he just completed 20 shows at Christmas time where he danced the role of “Clara’s Prince”.

Kristian has been dancing since he was three years old and has had many successes including being accepted to The Joffrey in New York on a scholarship, performing the role of Pepe in the cast of Westside Story at TUTS in Stanley park, and many awards at local competitions.

Kristian will be heading to New York in April to compete with an ensemble who qualified for the YAGP finals, good luck Kristian and great job representing STMC at such a competitive level!
As always, we love to hear about all the wonderful and exciting things your children are up to! If you have something you would like to share on our social media feeds or in the monthly newsletter send an email to communications@stmc.bc.ca
ATHLETICS ROUND UP
The Senior Boys Basketball Team is competing hard and battling to get where they want. As the playoffs approach things will turn up a notch for the squad after the exam break. The team will start playoffs in mid February with the chance to make Provincials as the ultimate goal. 

The Senior Girls Basketball Team went undefeated in their league play this year and now begin their independent league playoffs the week of February 5, 2018. STMC is hosting these playoff games. The girls are fresh off their second place finish at the Holy Cross Tournament. They hosted St Pat's Tuesday January 23rd and honored their graduating seniors at this game. After exams they will participate in the very competitive 26th Street Tournament (at York House) and then begin their playoff run. After league playoffs they participate in the Lower Mainland Tournament (also hosted by STM) beginning February 12th. The Provincial Championships are hosted at the LEC the first week of March.

The Junior Girls Basketball Team has been having a successful season thus far! They are currently undefeated in league play, placed third in the Junior Chancellor Tournament and are ranked in the top 10 in the province. Most recently, they won a provincial qualifier tournament at Argyle Secondary School which earned them an early berth in the BC Provincial Championships at Langley Events Centre from Feb 38-March 3! They are now looking forward to representing STMC at the league playoffs and the Lower Mainland Tournament. Go Knights!

The Junior Boys Basketball Team have got off to a promising start to their season with a win against Notre Dame. This afternoon they are taking on St. Patrick's and on February 8th they will be squaring off against Vancouver College, good luck team!
With winter sports season wrapping up soon, the Ultimate teams will be getting their pre-season training and tryouts started later this month. There will be a meeting for anyone interested in playing this year, on Tuesday, February 13th (grade 8 & junior) and Thursday, February 15 th (senior) with tryouts starting the week after.  Both male and female students from grades 8 to 12 are welcome.
PARENTS ASSOCIATION
UPCOMING MEETINGS

Our next PA Meeting will be on Monday, February 19 th at 7:00 pm in the library. We welcome all parents to join us in this open meeting. Our next Meeting dates are as follows:

February 19th (open) | April 9th
May 14th Spring Fling (open) | June 11th
July 23rd (tentative) | September 17th

Please also note that we need a few people to add to our team. We are looking for a Co chair, a student coordinator and a member at large. In quick summary these positions are designed to:

Co-chair: Assist and shadow the Chair to learn the ropes, step in if needed and potentially replace the Chair when their children have moved on from our wonderful community

Student Coordination Leader: Organize and communicate in all student volunteer activities with the PA

Member at Large: general duties as needed and shadow to the secretary position

The positions will be fully defined and posted at our open February meeting and we would love for some new parents to step forward and apply - we will vote on the new members at the Spring Fling (May 14) meeting.  Please contact the Parents Association at ParentAssociation.STMC@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Volunteers in all parts of the community are strongly needed for events as some long term parents are leaving at the end of this school year. We are also running low on parent participation with the day to day tasks needed to supply our lunches to the students. PA exec is considering different parent participation systems to continue to support areas around the school and parents input at the Feb 19th meeting is requested.

Please send us an email: pavolunteers@stmc.bc.ca if you're ready to sign-up or would like more information on all the short-term or longer-term ways you can volunteer. Never be shy to communicate with us how we can facilitate your volunteer time in ways that work with your schedule!

And finally, the PA would love to wish everyone a Valentine's Day! Please enjoy the love within our whole community - we will have decorations up in the Cafeteria to acknowledge this special day.
FEBRUARY KNIGHT CLUB SALE

  Mark your calendars!
Here are the next few sale dates:
February 15 th | March 8 th | April 5 th
(all 2:30 - 4:00pm)
 
ROCK SOME NEW SOCKS FOR THE NEW TERM!
We are now fully “socked” up on all colours and sizes of STMC socks! Get yours at the next sale!

If you’d like to skip the lineup, feel free to fill out the 2017-2018 Knight Club Order Form and drop it off at the front office (with payment or credit card information). We will fill your order and have you paged at the end of the day (on sale day) to pick it up!
The Knight Club is now fully stocked (except for blankets), so it would be a good idea for existing students to stock up now on their uniform supplies before the big June sale for New Students.

Need to see the next hot lunch calendar? Here are three ways you can find it:

Posted outside of the STMC school kitchen
On a sandwich board outside of Mr. Garland’s office

We still need volunteers for most Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Please contact Carisa cdelrio@csdr.ca for more information. Thank you for your support!
GRAD PUB NIGHT

Thank you to all those who attended the Grad Pub Knight Fundraiser!
It was a fun and successful evening and a great chance to reconnect with many Grade 12 parents. A special thank you to all those who donated prizes and those who volunteered their time to ensure the event ran smoothly. We are excited to use these funds raised to help our Graduating 2018 Class!
Sandy Shein & Cheryl Chan
SPECIAL EVENTS
" Screenagers" Documentary Showing, Open to All STMC Parents
February 21st, 6:30 pm

On February 21st, at 6:30pm in the STMC gymnasium, the counseling department has organized a showing of the documentary "Screenagers".


Are you watching kids scroll through life, with their rapid-fire thumbs and a six-second attention span? Physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston saw that with her own kids and learned that the average kid spends 6.5 hours a day looking at screens. She wondered about the impact of all this time and about the friction occurring in homes and schools around negotiating screen time—friction she knew all too well. 

In SCREENAGERS, as with her award-winning documentaries on mental health, Delaney takes a deeply personal approach as she probes into the vulnerable corners of family life, including her own, to explore struggles over social media, video games, academics and internet addiction. Through poignant, and unexpectedly funny stories, along with surprising insights from authors, psychologists, and brain scientists, SCREENAGERS reveals how tech time impacts kids’ development and offers solutions on how adults can empower kids to best navigate the digital world and find balance.


email steve.delazzari@stmc.bc.ca or danielle.lowe@stmc.bc.ca for more information!
Plant a Row-Grow a Row Spring Gardeners' Party 2018
Wednesday, March 28th, 6:00 - 9:00 pm
This year when you plant your vegetable garden, why not plant an extra row to donate to the needy through ‘Plant a Row-Grow a Row’? We’ll take the produce to families in need in our community so they can put healthy fresh food on their tables.
 
Want to learn more? Please join us at our 18 th annual Spring Gardeners' Party on Wednesday, March 28 th , 2018, 6 - 9pm in the school cafeteria Well-known local experts will give you valuable tips on growing fruit and vegetables. There will be coffee, tea, and goodies, as well as door prizes and handouts.

Our spring gardeners’ party kicks off at 6 pm- 9pm, at St. Thomas More Collegiate , (in the school cafeteria), 7450 12 th Ave. Admission is free, and donations and/or non-perishable food items are welcome!

Want more info? Email our STMC representative for this event at john.spanjers@stmc.bc.ca
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