Message from the Principal - Stephen Garland

  Speaking with a colleague earlier last week she remarked that since Spring Break she has noticed that many of her students seem to have shifted into another gear. You yourself may have also noticed a more concerted effort on behalf of your daughter/son of late, as they scurry about, attend to their studies, while at the same time busy themselves with the various co-and-extra-curricular activities both within and outside of the school with which they are involved.

 

Fear not! This is completely normal – it is usually about this time of the year when things begin to gel for the vast majority of our students. If you asked them, they would probably tell you that they have attained this new level of enlightenment on their own accord, having made the conscious decision to become the advocates for their learning. However, should you ask the adults in their life (parents, teachers, and the members of our support staff); the reasons for this epiphany may differ significantly. Whatever the real reasons… I see this as a good thing considering that we are now that are slightly over six weeks of classes remaining before final exams begin.  This shift is further evidence that many of our students are approaching things in a different way – but better yet – it is a true indication that they are indeed maturing as learners!

 

However, to steal a line from Robert Frost’s, Stopping By The Woods On A Snowy Evening , “(we truly) have miles to go before (we) sleep”. It never ceases to amaze me the number of activities and events that we are able to jam into the final next two months of school before we break for the summer. In addition to the usual myriad of classroom activities, assignments, tests/quizzes, and projects that remain… our students, staff, and parents will also be involved in the following during the remaining weeks of this school year:

 

       

While the pace over the next few months will definitely be fast and furious… the journey is truly amazing!!! Like most of my colleagues, I often sit in awe when I think about the progress our students make over the course of a year. These next few short months provide us with amazing opportunities to have them demonstrate their learning to us in a variety of different capacities.

 

Blessings,



Steve Garland

Principal, STMC

Message from the President - Neysa Finnie

This month at STMC we are celebrating all the volunteers who make it possible for STMC to thrive. Thank you for the things we see – the hot lunch team, volunteer coaches, field trip chaperones and the like – and for the quiet, behind the scenes work that only a few people know it is happening. We are also remembering those many people who have come before us sharing their time, talent and treasure in building the community of STMC. We don’t say it often enough so we’re saying it every chance we get this month – THANK YOU! Gracias, Asante, Merci, Salamat, Grazie, Arrigato, Mahalo, Efharisto, Faleminderit, Danke, Obrigado, 谢谢, Deu borem korum, and in the language Blessed Edmund Rice would have understood, Go raibh maith agat.

 

Live, Jesus, in our hearts … forever.

 

Mrs. Neysa Finnie

STMC, President

At STMC, there are many opportunities to make an impact in our own community, which ultimately benefit our young Knights.

The Knights Annual Fund Appeal is one of these opportunities available to our current families, board, and staff who wish to support a transformational learning experience and environment for our Knights. 

As the 2017/18 appeal comes to a close at the end of May, STMC families who have not yet responded to the appeal will receive an email in the next few days as a reminder that they can still make a donation to the Knights Annual Fund. Thank you to everyone who has already given to the Fund and to those who are considering it. You can be assured that regardless of the amount that you are able to give, collectively, it will make a difference.

STMC Knights Annual Fund Video | Knights Annual Fund Website

4: School Dance

7: Summer Dress Code Begins

7-9: Chancellor Music Festival

11: Mother's Day Mass & Luncheon

14-18: Healthy Living Week

18: Grade 8 & 9 Self-assessment | Grad Transitions | Exit interviews (Late start)

21: Victoria Day

22: Blessed Edmund Rice Feast Day (No School)

24: Grad Mass at Our Lady of Mercy Parish (7:00pm)

28-1: Student Council Campaign Week

Atlas Masterclass at UBC TRIUMF Facility

On April 15 ^th , grade 12 students Bruce Eugine and Krystal Go took part in the Atlas Masterclass held at UBC’s cyclotron facility, TRIUMF.  They had an opportunity to analyze data from the Large Hadron Collider and work with research scientists from TRIUMF and CERN (via teleconference).

Kwantlen Polytechnic’s Junior Physics & Engineering Challenge

On Saturday, April 28 ^th , a team of our grade 9s took part in Kwantlen Polytechnic’s Junior Physics & Engineering Challenge.  The team (Alicia Bremer, Marina Gianotti, Isabella Laing, Ayesha Mian, Natalia Sawyer) built a hovercraft and bulldozer to compete in pre-built events and finished third in the mystery event!

Exciting Opportunities for Grade 12 Students in Science Fields

Several of our grade 12 students have secured exciting workshop and research opportunities for the coming months. 

Aaron Field (pictured above) was accepted into the ‘High School Student Science Week’ at St Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver from April 23rd to April 27th. This is quite an accomplishment, as he was 1 of 8 students chosen province wide! He will participate in a scheduled program of lab activities and research. 

Krystal Go and Taia Yuen-Joaquin have both been accepted into BC Children’s Hospital’s Mini Med School Research program.  They will complete six week internships this summer. Krystal will be working with the Vancouver Sleep Lab researching disruptive day and night behaviors and their impact on sleep patterns. Taia’s lab assignment has not yet been finalized.​

No Hot lunch On May 10th, Order Crepe's from a Food Truck En Français!

On May 10th, Mrs. Astorino has organized a specialty crepe food truck visit STMC. Any students who would like a hot lunch that day are encouraged to order a crepe in French (but don't worry you can order in English too!). Cash only, all prices including taxes, are listed below.

La Classique au Sucre et Beurre / Sugar and Butter Classic  $ 3.00

Sucre, Beurre, et Citron / Sugar, Butter, and Lemon  $ 4.00

Confiture / Jam  $ 3.75

Sirop d'Erable / Maple Syrup  $ 4.50

Compote de Pommes / Apple Compote  $ 5.50

Nutella  $ 5.00

Nutella et Chocolat Noir / Nutella and Dark Chocolate $ 5.50

Creme de Marrons / Chestnut  $ 5.00

Chocolat Noir / Dark Chocolate  $ 5.50

Confiture et Chocolat Noir / Jam and Dark Chocolate $ 5.00

Nutella et Banane / Nutella and Banana  $ 5.75

STMC Choir

 

A Look Back at Vancouver Kiwanis

 

Here are the links to videos from Vancouver Kiwanis:

https://youtu.be/wLPOsBSwncU

https://youtu.be/_ED8vn7UlxE

https://youtu.be/QGrclNvu-IM

https://youtu.be/ynz0E55H_zI

 

In Toronto - choir won "Overall High School Concert Choir" at Festivals of Music and earned the only superior ranking among the choirs.

 

Choir Performances

 

STMC Band

Fraser Valley Kiwanis Music Festival:

May 7th - Jazz B - 9:15am & Jazz A - 11:10 am

May 14th- Senior Concert band - 10am

May 15th - Grade 8 Concert band - 9:15am

May 16th - Grade 9 Concert band - 9:50am

All performances occur at Kwantlen College University Auditorium, Langley BC.

In Toronto, the STMC Senior Band was awarded third place, with an excellent rating.

 

Don't Forget these Important Upcoming Celebrations of STMC Music!

See the gallery of images below for a snapshot of some of the fun and exciting activities our students were able to take part in on their music trip to Toronto. It wasn't all play though as both the STMC Band and Choir received excellent and superior ratings respectively. Congratulations Knights!

STUDENT PROJECT SHOWCASE

Earlier this academic year we showed you Mr. Kinal's guitar building students beginning to build their very own guitar. Well, after months of hard work their efforts are coming to fruition. Check out the first few guitars that have been built below. Thanks to Mr. Kinal for his effort and devotion to teaching his students these valuable hands-on skills!

STUDENT HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

May's student highlight of the month is dedicated to Grade 9 Student Carol Gao, who recently won Miss Teenage Burnaby 2018! Congratulations Carol, and check out her write up below for more information on this wonderful achievement.

"The event is Miss Teenage Canada and girls from all over Canada are competing for the title of Miss Teenage Canada. This March, I competed for the title of Miss Teenage BC in the provincial pageant.

In the pageant we competed against other girls from all over BC and I won the title of Miss Teenage Burnaby since I hail form Burnaby. I was crowned at the pageant since my score was high enough to send me to Nationals. I’ll be representing Burnaby in the Miss teenage Canada Pageant in Toronto.

I am fundraising for Free the Children as Miss Teenage Canada organization has teamed up with them to fundraise and help those children who are still facing child labor." - Carol Gao, Grade 9

As always, we love to hear about all the wonderful and exciting things in which our Knights are engaged ! If you have something you would like to share on our social media feeds or in the monthly newsletter send an email to [email protected]

Good luck to our STMC Track and Field team who will be competing in zone finals next Tuesday May 8th and 9th at Swangard Stadium. Athletes are reminded that the bus will leave at 7:45am on the day. See Mr. Mattiazzo for a full schedule of event times.

The Golf season is fully underway, with matches beginning in early April. This month will see even more golf, with 9 various matches, tournaments, and practices listed below.

May Golf Dates:

All players have been provided a full list of dates and tee times, if players or their parents have any questions please email Mr. Thierman by clicking here .

Congratulations to all golfers on completing their first month of matches and tournaments, pictured below is Jack Dickie and Ricky Parsons after winning the 2018 Independent Schools 2 Person Scramble Competition with an 8 under score of 63!

The Ultimate program had a busy month of April with the teams playing league games, competing in the St. George’s Invitational Tournament, the VUL 5 on 5 tournament and the senior team’s annual trip to Burlington, Washington to compete in Spring Reign.  

 

Our brand new grade 8 team played their first games, defeating Stratford Hall at home and losing to Windsor on the road.  The senior team finished league play.  The junior team finished league play with a 5-2 record and the senior team finished first of the AA teams in the Burnaby-New Westminster league and are well positioned for the Zone championships.

 

May promises to be another busy month with the 8s and juniors competing at Pull for Parkinson’s (May 4), zone championships (May 17) and junior provincials (May 26 & 27) and seniors at Nationals (May 5 & 6), Lower Mainland Championships (May 11) and the AA Provincials (May 24 & 25).

Intramural Soccer is Underway!  



Play will continue throughout May. There are eleven teams (just over 90 students) taking part. It's World Cup year, so the teams are based on players' favourite national squads, and this year's schedule includes group play and a "Round of 8" knockout stage. Pizza lunch goes to both teams that make it to the championship final!

Upcoming Meetings



Our next PA Meeting will be on Monday, May 14th at 7:00 pm.

Please note: we will no longer be hosting a Spring Fling this year. We can be contacted at any time at [email protected] or [email protected] .  

Our next Meeting dates are as follows:

June 11

July 23 (tentative)

September 17

We need volunteers!

Please send us an email: [email protected] if you're ready to sign-up or would like more information on all the short-term or longer-term ways you can volunteer. We look forward to working with you and are always able to adapt to your scheduling needs!

May Knight Club Sale

Mark your calendars for the next couple of big Knight Club Sales:

CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS!

We need both PARENT and STUDENT volunteers for the big sale on June 7th, from 3:00-6:00pm. (Students will get service hours for helping out!) Please send us an email at: [email protected] to assist. (Let us know too if you can volunteer at the big Back-To-School Sale on Wednesday, August 29th!)

PLEASE NOTE:  ONLINE ORDER FORMS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED BETWEEN JUNE 1st AND SEPTEMBER 3rd. ANY ORDERS RECEIVED DURING THIS TIME PERIOD WILL BE FILLED WHEN SCHOOL RESUMES IN SEPTEMBER.

 

Used Uniforms Wanted

 

Spring Cleaning time! Do you have any USED UNIFORMS available for donation?

As part of the big Knight Club sale on June 7th, we will also host a Used Uniforms Sale . We would be happy to take any clothing items that your children have now outgrown. We are looking for any type of gently used St Thomas More Collegiate uniforms, including boys’ pants. Please drop off all clothing marked for donation at the front office anytime before May 31st.

 

The used uniform program is also looking for VOLUNTEERS. Jobs include sorting clothes before the sale, assisting with set-up or sales on June 7th, or washing any clothing which cannot be sold, but which may be donated to charity. At the beginning of this school year, we were able to donate more than 100 lbs of clothing to local charities thanks to your generous donations, wow!

 

Please contact Laurie Sheehan for more information on the Used Uniform program: [email protected] 604-612-9124

STMC HOT LUNCH TEAM

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

http://stthomasmorecollegiate.ca/hot-lunch

We still need volunteers for most Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Please contact Carisa [email protected] for more information. Thank you for your support!

MAY HOT LUNCH SCHEDULE

GRAD EVENTS - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

The Class of 2018 is now looking forward to the following graduation events:

Grad Mass (May 24)

Grad Commencement (June 27)

Dry Grad (June 28-29)

Parent volunteers are needed to assist with set-up, food preparation, service and clean-up duties at these events.  If you'd like more information on how you can help or if you’d like to volunteer at a certain event, please send us an email:

[email protected]

Thank you for volunteering so that our graduating class can enjoy this special time of achievement and celebration.

BUSINESS OFFICE UPDATE

A note to our STMC families who pay tuition on a monthly basis … you will have noticed at re-registration that in the next school year tuition fees payments start in July 2018. 

During re-registration in March 2019, there will be no monthly tuition fees payment due. That will give families a break when they are paying the re-registration fees in March 2019. Regular tuition fees payments will resume in April 2019.

SPECIAL EVENTS

A Look Back at Spirit Week

STMC's Student Council had a successful Spirit Week and Greek Olympics event during the week of April 23-27. Students dressed up in specific themed attire and participated in numerous lunch time events in the spirit of building community among our student body!

Congratulations to the Grade 12's who won Greek Olympics on Friday after narrowly beating out the Grade 10's and Grade 11's. It was a triumphant win that was sealed after both the Grade 12 girls and guys were crowned champs in the traditional tug of war battle.

A massive thank you goes out to all the members of Student Council: Carson Wong, Luca Casellato, Kaishaun Carter, Bella Gaspar, Gigi Gaspar, Julianna Pathyil, Yousef Mian, Sofia Napolitano, Ricardo Desjardins, Kayla Hayek, Tessa Long, Julia Spagnuolo and Bronwyn Williams for all their hard work this past week. It wouldn't have happened without you and your leadership within our student body does not go unnoticed!

Spirit Week officially comes to a close with our school dance on Friday May 4th @ 7-10 pm. See you there!"

Knight of Stars - A Volunteer Appreciation Event

On May 1, 2018, the STMC students and staff celebrated and thanked the amazing parents, alumni and friends of STMC , for all the wonderful work they do to make STMC GREAT!

 

We were treated to wonderful music performances by Hongzip Kim and Stephane Ho. Delicious appetizers and desserts were served thanks to the talents at The New Mahattan Caterers. Our lively emcee was Duncan McIntosh Grade 12, and Ricardo Desjardins Grade 12, opened with a prayer and thank you on behalf of the STMC student body.

 

Teacher - Cassie Lauang, Principal -  Steve Garland, and President - Neysa Finnie all conveyed just how integral volunteering is to the fabric of St Thomas More Collegiate, and how appreciative we are as a community to receive such unwavering support from our volunteers. See some photos of the event below!