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November 5, 2013 

Remembrance DayStudents will attend a somber-

toned assembly on Friday,

 November 8 at 9:15am to mark

and learn about Remembrance

Day. Through student, staff and

class presentations, they will

learn about why we have

Remembrance Day and why we

wear a poppy. Students are

encouraged to bring in a coin

donation this week for the

Poppy Fund. Additionally,

students will be told at theassembly that,

while the

following

Monday is a

holiday from

school, they

should nonetheless take a

moment on Monday at 11 am to

 pause in silent or quiet reflection and think about the

sacrifices of our courageous Canadians. I invite all families

to do likewise.

Reminder:No school for students on:

  Monday, November 11 (Remembrance Day Holiday)

  Friday, November 22 (District Pro-D day)

Catch-up ClubStudents are invited to the library on Monday, Wednesday

and Friday mornings before school (8:15am) for help and

support with homework from our Student and School

Support Team.

2014-15 School RegistrationRegistrations for next year Kindergarten, and applications

for Early French Immersion and Late French Immersion are

now being accepted until January 31, 2014 (and are not

accepted on a first-come, first-served basis). Full

registration details are available on the VSB website at

www.vsb.bc.ca.  Please read the following carefully as there

may be different procedures depending on your situation

and previous procedures may have changed since last year.

Also, please pass this information on to other parents who

may be registering a child for next year.

 Kindergarten:

Parents of children who will turn 5 years old in the 2014 calendaryear are invited to register their child(ren) now until January 31 for

Kindergarten.

 English Program Kindergarten Registration: Children who live in Secord’s English catchment area can be

registered at the office from 9am-3pm. (If you are not sure if youlive within our catchment area, go to www.vsb.bc.ca/schools  tosearch for your neighborhood school by address.) Parents must

 bring with them:

  Proof of address (eg recent property tax statement, home purchase or rental/lease agreement, hydro or cablestatement)

  Child’s original birth certificate 

  Canadian immigration or citizenship documents (if not

 born in Canada)

  Child’s immunization records since birth 

Children not born in Canada should go to the VSB’s DistrictReception and Placement Centre first.

 French Immersion Kindergarten Application: Parents must first register their kindergarten aged child at their

English neighbourhood school (even if you do not intend to

attend there). In early January, you will receive a PersonalEducation Number (PEN) for your child via email. You will needthis PEN to apply on-line for French Immersion from January

10-31, 2014.  If we receive more applicants than we have spaces, a

randomized draw will be held and parents will be notified in earlyto mid-February. Detailed application information is available athttp://www.vsb.bc.ca/french-immersion-registration.  Detailedinformation about Early French Immersion is available athttp://www.vsb.bc.ca/programs/early-french-immersion. 

 French Immersion Kindergarten Application for siblings : If you are registering a child for kindergarten and currently have achild in French Immersion at Secord (who will be at Secord next

year as well), your child receives sibling placement priority.

However, you still must register the child at your in-catchmentEnglish school first  (even though your child would not attendthere).  After you receive your child’s PEN,  you will also have to

apply on-line for French Immersion from January 10-31, 2014.

(Please note, when you apply on-line, you will be asked for thePEN of your older child who currently attends French Immersionat Secord. You can get this from the school office.) Failure to

follow these procedures will likely result in your child losingsibling priority and likely not getting into French Immersion at all. 

Grade One Early French Immersion:

Limited spaces are available for students new to French Immersionwho wish to enter at the grade one level. Parents are encouragedto attend one of the information sessions coming up to learn moreabout the French Immersion program. To apply for grade one

French Immersion, parents need to fill out an application form(http://www.vsb.bc.ca/sites/default/files/Gr1-7-Application2013.pdf ) or come into the school office. If there aremore applicants than spaces available, a supervised draw will be

held and parents will be notified in early February.

Grade 6 Late French Immersion:

Late French Immersion is for students with no French background

or previous experience interested in learning French in animmersive setting who have successfully completed Grade 5.French Immersion is a program that can offer your child:

  a fun, effective and challenging way to learn French at anearly age

  the opportunity to learn the same curriculum as the regularEnglish program, in French

  an opportunity to participate in rich French cultural learningexperiences

  a bilingual futureStudents and parents interested in this program should attend oneof the upcoming French Immersion information sessions. Detailedinformation and application forms are available at

http://www.vsb.bc.ca/programs/late-french-immersion.  Theregistration period for late French Immersion is November 1  –  January 31. It is not a first come, first served basis but allregistrations will be collected along with a written letter by the

student which includes their reasons for wanting to participate in aLate Immersion program. A copy of their first grade 5 report cardcan be sent to the school after December. 

French Immersion Information SessionsThere are two information sessions for parents to learn about

French language program options:

District Information Session:What? Learn generally about all French language program

options in Vancouver (Core French, French

Immersion, and Intensive French) as well as theRegistration/Application process

When? 

Wednesday, November 27, 2013, 7:00 pm

Where?  Tupper Secondary School (419 E. 24th  Ave),Auditorium

2500 Lakewood Dr.Vancouver, BC V5N 4V1

Phone: 604-713-4996Fax: 604-713-4998http://secord.vsb.bc.ca 

Principal Richard Zerbe

Vice-Principal 

Joel Levine

Director of Instruction Rob Schindel

Liaison School Trustee Mike Lombardi

Co-PAC Chairs 

Melissa BruntlettPippa Kouwenhoven

District ParentRepresentative Jen Anderson

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French Immersion at Laura Secord School: Both Early

(K & Gr 1) and Late (Gr 6) ImmersionWhat? Learn about the Early and Late French Immersion

 programs at Lord Secord School

  Meet school staff, students, parents

  “A typical day in French Immersion” 

  Tour the school

When? 

Wednesday, January 15, 2014, 7:00 pm

Where?  Secord School: Sessions will be held separately withrooms tba. Look for signs inside entrance.

Who? Kindergarten/Grade 1: This session is mainly for

 parents. Child care will not be provided.Grade 6 Late French Immersion: This session is forboth  parents and students. You are encouraged to

attend together.

Grade 8 ProgramsIt’s that time when grade 7 students begin applying to the

school and program they wish to attend next year. Go to

http://www.vsb.bc.ca/programs  and click on “Secondary

Students” for a full list of program, school, and mini school

options. Each program hosts an information session for

 parents and students; go to the individual site for dates and

 program information. Following are important dates for

some of the nearby programs:Vancouver Technical Secondary School (Van Tech)

Thu, Nov 14, 7pm FLEX Information Night

Wed, Nov 20, 7pm SUMMIT Information Night

Tue, Dec 10, 7pm French Immersion Info Night

Thu, Jan 9, 6:30pm Grade 7 Information NightWed, Apr 9 Gr 7 students visit Van Tech

For the full Mini School Information Nights Calendar, go tohttp://www.vsb.bc.ca/programs/mini-school-registration. Important Dates:

 Nov 3 On-line registration for Mini School Test opens

 Nov 29 On-line registration for Mini School Test closesDec 10 Cognitive and Writing Test

Dec 20 Applications to program sites due

Feb 14 First Acceptances go out

Code Red DrillStaff and students will be conducting a “Code Red” drill on

Thursday, November 7 where we rehearse what to do in the

unlikely event of a dangerous intruder on the school grounds or

within the school. During a "Code Red", we lockdown the

school: A “Code Red” is announced over the school PA

system, students gather in their classroom (or closest room),

lock the doors, turn out the lights and remain quietly with their

teacher until they are directed that it is safe to come out. Under

advisement of the VPD, in the unlikely event of a real Code

Red lockdown, we will be turning off and collecting cell phones

from students, as using them at such a time poses potential

additional risks. We do not want phones to sound at times when

quiet is essential. Additionally, texting, tweeting, etc risks

sending out inaccurate information that could hamper policeefforts to resolve the incident. Parents are asked not to attempt

to contact the school or their children directly.

Traffic safetyParents and adults are reminded to drive extra safely and

cautiously before and after school and to take special care when

dropping off and picking up kids. Double parking, stopping in

 No Parking zones, U-turns, 3-point turns, and using laneways

and alleys to turn around are particularly dangerous as it is

difficult to see smaller children and cars passing behind or

around you. Parents are reminded to choose safety over

convenience and are encouraged to park farther away from the

school and walk their children in. It’s safer, healthier and gives

you precious quality time with your child.

Norquay School Centennial

To help us plan accordingly, please register by email, mail, fax or walk-i n by Nov. 15th, 2013.John Norquay Elementary, 4710 Slocan St., Vancouver, V5R 2A1.

Ph. 604-713-4666 Fax: 604-713-4668. Email: norquay100@gmail.com 

~ PAC News ~Visit the PAC website often for updates on PAC-run events at Laura

Secord School. www.secordcommunity.org. 

T-shirt/Spirit Wear salesA reminder that House colour t-shirts and school spirit wear

are now available to buy. A sample table is available outside

the office all this week with volunteers present before and

after school to help you and accept orders and payments. If

you are unsure of size, bring a clothing item to compareagainst our samples.

Family English Movie NightFriday night (November 8)

6-8 pm

Bring your pillows and sleeping bags for this fun family

event. There will be a concession with pizza and other food

for purchase.

Purdys Chocolate SaleIt’s that delicious time of year: Laura Secord Purdys

Chocolatier Fundraising Program is starting! To start

fundraising for Laura Secord Christmas Fundraiser

 please go to the following link and register your newmember account: 

https://www.purdysgpp.com/JoinAGroup.aspx?c=26335

Once registered and logged in, you should be directed to the

Laura Secord Christmas Fundraiser Group Home Page.

From there you are able to:

  Invite other members (You can share this with

friends to raise more funds for the Secord PAC!)

  Shop online

  Pay for your orders

ORDER DEADLINE: Thursday, November 28, 2013 

PICK-UP ORDERS AT THE SCHOOL: Friday,

December 5, 2013 

Thank you for supporting the Laura Secord PAC and have asweet shopping experience!

Next PAC MeetingTuesday, November 19, 2013. 6:30-8:00 pm. Child

minding provided.

UPCOMING DATESNovemberNow  – January 31 2014-15 School Registration & ApplicationSun 3 On-line Mini School Registration opensMon 4 - Fri 8 T-Shirt and Spirit Wear sales

Bring in coin donation for Poppy Fund

Thur 7 Kindergarten vision screeningHot LunchCode Red Drill

Fri 8  Remembrance Day AssemblyFamily English Movie Night, 6-8pm, Gym

Mon 11 Remembrance Day – NO SCHOOL11 am – Please observe a moment of silence

Tues 19 PAC General Meeting, 6:30, LibraryThur 21 PAC Hot Lunch

Intermediate Science FairFri 22 Professional Development Day  –  NO

SCHOOL FOR STUDENTSTues 26 Gr 6 Immunization ClinicWed 27 District French Programs Info Night, 7pm,

Tupper SecFri 29 On-line Mini School Registration closes

PLEASE VISIT OUR SCHOOL WEBSITE FOR REGULARLYUPDATED CALENDARhttp://secord.vsb.bc.ca