http://www.lakecrest.ca/?p=news Lakecrest News - Your Up-To-Date Lakecrest Connection en-us http://www.lakecrest.ca/lakecrest.png http://www.lakecrest.ca 100 100 http://www.lakecrest.ca/index.php?p=news&nid=1149 Parent Information Letter #25 May 13, 2012 Lakecrest Strategic Planning Committee Parent Survey Parents are asked to please take a few minutes to complete the on line Lakecrest Parent Survey before the deadline of May 21, 2012. We hope that we will have a good representation of opinions and suggestions. The link to the survey is shown below. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/lakecrestparentsurvey2012 Home and School Association Garage Sale A message from Ms. Betsy Zdroykowski, President of the Home and School Association Orientation sessions for Kindergarten (2011/2012) and Kindergarten (2012/13) Students On Friday, May 18 there will be student orientation sessions for both our new kindergarten 2012/13 class and our current kindergarten 2011/12 class who will be going to grade 1 in September. From 9:00-11:30 our kindergarten (12/13) students will attend an orientation session in the kindergarten classroom and will then have a uniform fitting session from 11:30-1:30 p.m. in the school gymnasium. From 8:45-11:50 our current kindergarten students will be in the grade one classroom with Ms. Hamilton for an orientation to the grade one program. For parents of our current grade kindergarten students there will be no change of schedule. Student drop off and pick up times will not be affected. Our current grade one students will carry on with their regular program in the art room and other school locations for the morning session on Friday. There will be no changes to the drop off and pick up times for grade one students. Academic and Athletic 2013/14 Uniform Fittings on May 17 On Thursday, May 17 from 1:00-6:00 PM Lakecrest will have a uniform fitting for both academic and athletic uniforms for grades kindergarten to eight students. Both uniform fittings will take place in the gymnasium and will be available starting at 1:00 p.m. Parents may at any time after 1:00 p.m. come to the school and bring their child to the gym. Having completed the fitting each student will then return to class for the remainder of the school day. This process should make it possible for parents to obtain and /or make arrangements for ordering both uniforms during the same fitting session. We do encourage those parents who can, to attend the earlier hours of the fitting session. Lakecrest Orchestral Group and Sectionals For the information of parents whose children are involved in the orchestra or sectional practices during the regular school day, we will be concluding these classes for this school year starting in JUNE. Parents of students who have been registered for and attending these sectionals should receive invoices for those classes completed to date in the near future. Please find attached a summary of the sectional and practice dates and times for the next week of May. Our current group of teachers and orchestra conductor will be ready to re-start the program in September when school opens, as Lakecrest will continue the development of the orchestral and sectional groups for beginners through the 2012/13 school year. Again, many thanks to Dr. Gardiner and the other sectional group teachers for their amazing support of this new Lakecrest Orchestra. Orchestral instruments We are approaching the end of the current school year and beginning to consider further development and expansion of the orchestra program. Most of our orchestral sectional students who are at the beginner’s level are renting their instruments and thus incurring a monthly cost. Recently a suggestion was made that possibly some parents may have at home some used instruments which they would be willing to donate to the Lakecrest Orchestral program. This would then make it possible to provide instruments to students from the school rather than requiring a rental agreement with a private company. If any parent/family has unused orchestral instruments which they would be willing to donate to the school program please notify Ms. Gillingham, Ms. Warren or Mr. Pittman. If we do receive any such instruments please be assured that they would be very much appreciated by the students and parents involved. Grade Four (2012/13) As a result of an increasing number of requests for admittance to Lakecrest during this school year and into the future our Board of Directors has approved the expansion of our grade four program for 2012/13. In order to maintain small class size and thus maximize the time that each student interacts with the teacher, there will be two grade four classes in September. While Lakecrest now has waitlists for several grade levels the grade four list was sufficient to support the provision of this extra class. Flowing from this change are decisions which must be made about the grade four classes for 2012/13. There will be a meeting and discussion session for current grade 3 parents at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 23. A Lakecrest Board representative, current grade 3 and 4 teachers, and school administration will be in attendance to discuss the various possibilities for these two classes. As mentioned in an earlier note to grade three parents we encourage parent comments and ideas which will be carefully considered during implementation of the second class. This is a wonderful opportunity for Lakecrest and we look forward to discussions with all stakeholders as we move toward the establishment the second grade 4 class in September. Lakecrest Tuition Many thanks to those parents who have already completed the first 2012/13 tuition installment. Parents are reminded that the first tuition installment due date was May 1st. Thanks for your attention to this request. School Calendar (May 2012) Date Day Event May 14 Monday Gymnastics Presentation 1:00 p.m. Lakecrest gymnasium. All students May 16 Wednesday Lakecrest Volunteer Tea May 17 Thursday Lakecrest Athletic AND Academic uniform fitting 1:00-6:00 p.m. in Lakecrest gymnasium for grades kindergarten to eight May 18 Friday Kindergarten 2011/12 Grade One Orientation (8:45-11:50 a.m.) Kindergarten 2012/13 Orientation (9:00-11:30 a.m.) Kindergarten 2012/13 uniform fitting 11:30-1:00 p.m. Dress Down Day May 21 Monday Victoria Day School Holiday May 23 Wednesday Grade three parent meeting at 7:30 in the school library Topic: 2012/13 Second grade four implementation. May 24 Thursday Provincial Criterion Referenced Tests – Poetic Reading (Grades 3 and 6 only) May 25 Friday Provincial Criterion Referenced Tests – Demand Writing (Grades 3 and 6 only) http://www.lakecrest.ca/index.php?p=news&nid=1147 Parent Information Letter #24 May 6, 2012 RECYCLING REMINDER – TUESDAY, MAY 8 Senior Boys’ Basketball Tournament Report As mentioned in the previous letter, our boys’ basketball team had a very successful year which culminated with a provincial Silver Medal. All team members are to be congratulated for their efforts and success. The following students were recognized during the recent provincial tournament for their performance: MacKenzie Davidson, Dylan Fraser, Thomas Hickman, Ethan Kirby and Ben Rogers, all received player of the game awards. MacKenzie Davidson was named the top three pointer. Ben Jessome was named the most improved player. Ethan Kirby received top defense and most spirited player awards. Other team members Riley Crane, Harshal Deshpande, Andrew Hogan, Scott Hogan, Liam Major and Jonathan Woodford all contributed greatly to the success of the team. Special congratulations to the team and coach, Ms. King, for this Silver Medal success in the Boys’ Provincial Basketball Tournament. Lakecrest Public Speaking Presentations and Competition Many thanks to the parents and friends of Lakecrest who attended the speech presentations and /or acted as judges during the Lakecrest Annual Public Speaking competition on Thursday. As a result of their grade level success, the following students represented their classes during the evening assembly section of the competition: Grade 4 Rashmi Elangage Grade 5 Claudia Walsh Grade 6 Elise Jamieson Grade 7 Chris Connors Grade 8 Josh Murphy Grade 9 Michael Connors Comments from judges indicated that they were most impressed with the depth of understanding provided in the speeches. Congratulations to this excellent group of students as well as all those who participated during the day. Thanks also to Ms. King for organizing the day and all other teachers for their efforts in arranging for judges and working with the students to develop their speeches. Memorial University All Science Challenge This past week seven of our grade 7 and 8 students participated in the Memorial University All Science Challenge. Two teams from Lakecrest were very successful in the science competition, which included tests of creativity and science knowledge. The students who participated were Liam Major, Ameer Farrukh, Josh Veber in team 1 and Ben Jessome, Josh Murphy, Andrew Paul, and Shane Reese in team 2. There were 42 teams from provincial junior high schools. Our Lakecrest Team 1 received the single Gold Medal for the competition and Team 2 was in 9th place. Congratulations to all students who participated. Many thanks to Ms. Dove major for her guidance and support for the teams. Extracurricular Update Please find below an update of the extracurricular activities which are ongoing at this time: Monday 3:15-4:00 Board Games for grade 4, 5 and 6 students. (Ms. Gallagher and Ms. Redfern) Tuesday 3:15-4:30 Track and Field for students from grades 3-9. (Ms. King) Wednesday 3:15-4:00 Brownies (Every second Wednesday) (Ms. Veber) Friday 3:15-4:00 Basketball for grades K, 1, 2 in the gym (Ms. King) Special Guests on Thursday, May 10 On Thursday of this week Lakecrest will host a group of students from York Independent School in Toronto, Ontario. In recent weeks we have had ongoing communication with the York Head of School, grade 7-9 principal and curriculum coordinator. Fifteen grade nine York students and their teachers will be in St. John’s this week and we have been able to arrange for a visit to Lakecrest. We look forward to the further development of our relationship with York which is a fully accredited International Baccalaureate kindergarten to grade nine school. As at Lakecrest, York is accredited by the Canadian Independent Schools Association (CAIS). Many thanks to Ms. Dove Major for her work on this visit. Lakecrest Orchestral Group and Sectionals Orchestra students and /or their parents can find the orchestra and sectional schedule for next week attached to this memo. School Calendar (May 2012) Date Day Event May 8 Tuesday Recycling Day Mat 10 Thursday Special grade 7-9 assembly and presentations for York Independent School students and teachers. May 11 Friday Lakecrest Grade 7-9 Dance (7:00-9:30 p.m.) May 16 Wednesday Lakecrest Volunteer Tea May 17 Thursday Lakecrest Athletic and Academic uniform fitting 1:00-6:00 p.m. (Tentative date/time – to be confirmed this week) May 18 Friday Kindergarten 2012/13 Orientation (9:00-11:30 a.m.) May 21 Monday Victoria Day School Holiday May 24 Thursday Provincial Criterion Referenced Tests – Poetic Reading (Grades 3 and 6 only) May 25 Friday Provincial Criterion Referenced Tests – Demand Writing (Grades 3 and 6 only) http://www.lakecrest.ca/index.php?p=news&nid=1146 Parent Information Letter #23 April 29, 2012 Lakecrest Public Speaking Presentations On Thursday May 3, Lakecrest will hold its annual public speaking competition. Please find attached a letter form Ms. King which outlines the procedures for the day and the evening competitive part. Many thanks to Ms. King and the other teachers who have helped to arrange for the public speaking judges and various other tasks. Lakecrest Book Fair Lakecrest students and parents will again be able to take advantage of the opportunity to purchase Scholastic books at the Lakecrest Book Fair from May 1 to 4. A flyer was previously sent from the Home and School Association announcing this event and providing details regarding the visitation schedules for the various grade levels. This flyer is attached for your convenience. Lakecrest Sign – School Entrance A number of parents have asked about the new “Lakecrest” sign which has been placed in the school entrance area. This sign was presented to the school during a STAR student assembly by Joshua Keyte, a grade one student. Many thanks to Joshua and Ms. Keyte for this very creative Lakecrest sign. Outdoor clothing When the weather is sunny our students go to the playground during lunch recess. Even though the sun can be warm it is still often with wind chill and lower temperatures, quite cold outside. Thus we do encourage parents to continue to provide warm outdoor clothing even on sunny days. Students do enjoy the outdoors during the lunch break and we do utilize our playground as much as possible at this time of year. School Crosswalk We do regularly remind students that we do not have a school crossing guard during student arrival times in the morning. If any parent is aware of anyone who might be interested in the position please do encourage him/her to contact the City traffic department. I have recently again written to the city to request that they continue to make efforts to hire a morning crosswalk guard for Lakecrest. Rotary Festival - Lakecrest Primary and Elementary Choirs Congratulations to the Primary and Elementary choirs for their very successful participation in the Rotary Festival last week. Many thanks also to the parents for their ongoing support. Having attended the clinical sessions on Monday morning, the choirs performed at the choral concert on Tuesday evening. Ms. Warren was informed last week that both choirs had achieved Gold Awards for their performances. These awards indicated that the students had listened carefully during the clinical sessions and thus had significantly improved their performance at the concert. Special thanks to Ms. Warren for her ongoing encouragement and choir direction. The school received recordings of eight songs which the students prepared and sang during the festival. Later this week parents who would like to order a CD of the songs will be provided with an order form. Senior Boys Basketball tournament Special congratulations to the senior boys for their success in the Boys’ Provincial Basketball Tournament. On Sunday afternoon the team won SILVER medals in the championship game at Brother Rice School. The Lakecrest team which consisted of students from grade 7-9 classes competed in this tournament with sportsmanship, and always demonstrated their great spirit which observed by all who watch them. More details about individual student awards and an overall tournament report will be provided in the next information letter. Many thanks to Ms. King for her leadership and dedication to the team. Lakecrest Orchestral Group and Sectionals Orchestra students and /or their parents can find the orchestra and sectional schedule for next week attached to this memo. The number of sectionals continues to grow as we gradually assemble a group of teachers and mentors who will not only provide the opportunity for our students to learn to play instruments but will also help to build a successful Lakecrest Orchestra. School Calendar (May 2012) Date Day Event May 1-4 Lakecrest Book Fair May 1 Tuesday Family Night at the Lakecrest Book Fair (5:00-8:30 p.m.) Library May 3 Thursday Public Speaking at Lakecrest Evening session for grades 4-9 starts at 6:30 p.m. for judges and speeches start at 7:00 p.m. Parents and guests are encouraged to attend. Location: Lakecrest grade level classrooms and gymnasium May 4 Friday Dress Down Day May 8 Tuesday Recycling Day May 11 Friday Lakecrest Grade 7-9 Dance (7:00-9:30 p.m.) May 16 Wednesday Lakecrest Volunteer Tea May 18 Friday Kindergarten 2012/13 Orientation (9:00-11:30 a.m.) May 21 Monday Victoria Day School Holiday http://www.lakecrest.ca/index.php?p=news&nid=1145 Parent Information Letter #25 April 22, 2012 Rotary Music Festival Parents are reminded that grade 1-6 students will participate in the Northwest Rotary Choral Music Festival on Monday and Tuesday. The dates and times are outlined in the school calendar below. It is particularly important that grade 1-6 students arrive at 8:00 a.m. on Monday morning as busses will have to leave for the MUN School of Music at 8:05 a.m. Students are asked to wear their dress uniforms for both Rotary Music Festival sessions. Students will change into their indoor uniform shoes when they arrive at school on Monday morning. Parents and guests may purchase tickets for the Tuesday evening concert at the Holy Heart Theatre box office on Tuesday evening. Parents who would also like to attend the Monday morning session at the MUN School of Music may do so and admission to this part of the festival is free. We wish our grade 1-6 students the best for these presentations and hope that emphasis on the clinical component of this festival will provide useful feedback for all involved. Lakecrest Orchestra Practice Times for April 23-27 Group # students Instructor Practice Time Date (April) Comments Brass sectional 8 Ms. Victoria McNeil vmcneill@gmail.com 9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, 24th The brass group will break into smaller sectionals on Tuesday 24. Clarinet sectional 3 Mr. Paul Bendzsa pbendzsa@mun.ca 9:00-10:00 a.m. Wednesday, 25th All students are asked to have their instruments. Parents are welcome to consult with the instructors regarding any instrument rentals and/or purchases. Orchestral Group 10-12 Dr. Peter Gardiner 11:30-12:30 p.m. Wednesday, 25th Cello sectional 2 Mr. Theo Weber theoweber@nl.rogers.com 1:00-2:00 p.m. Wednesday, 25th For parents and students who are waiting for the start-up of the sectionals for violin and flute, we hope to have some arrangements made for this in the next few days. Also arrangements have been made for the first oboe and bassoon sectional on an individual basis. Lakecrest Public Speaking Presentations On Thursday, May 3, public speaking presentations will take during the day for all grades and also in the evening for grades 4-9. Students will with the help of their teachers and external judges make speeches in their classrooms during the school day. For grade 4-9 students a speak-off will be held in each classroom in the evening starting at 6:30 p.m. The top speeches for each grade will be presented in the school gym following the classroom activities. Parents and guests are encouraged to attend the evening presentations. Youth Oceans Conference and Global Awareness Project Lakecrest grade 7, 8 and 9 students attended the Youth and Oceans conference at the Memorial University Marine Institute on Friday, April 20. This excellent program provided our students with the opportunity to see research in action, participate in the Global Awareness Forum and also contribute to the conference. Many thanks to Ms. Dove Major for her help in making arrangements and encouraging student participation. Please find below a note of thanks from Ms. Dove Major. “Hello Everyone, A huge thanks to the students who attended the Youth and Oceans conference today. The students were engaged, asked great questions, and as usual, they were respectful and mannerly. The students had a chance to visit the aquaculture labs, investigate the sea mapping and ROV programs, learn about some of the interesting programs offered by MI and discuss some of the other research that is ongoing at the Marine Institute and around our coastal community. They also had an opportunity to be part of a global awareness forum with Justin Dearing who introduced them to a number of environmental concerns that plague our ocean environment. Please ask your child about this part of the conference in particular, I am sure that they will have a lot to share. A special thanks to Karen McDonald, Nabil Miri, Joshua Veber, Andrew Paul and Joshua Murphy for submitting creative art and song and subsequently winning prizes for their participation. Lakecrest is now officially a chapter of the Youth and Oceans program and will be involved in a number of initiatives in the future. I am very excited about this opportunity for our students. They are the future. Thank you for all your support, Lisa Dove Major” School Calendar (April / May 2012) Date Day Event April 23 Monday Grade 1-6 students leave Lakecrest for the Rotary Music Festival at 8:05 a.m. Full dress uniform please. Location: D.F. Cook recital hall at MUN School of Music April 24 Tuesday Grade 1-6 students perform at the Rotary Music Festival Concert on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. Students arrive at 6:30 p.m. Location: Holy Heart Theatre April 25 Wednesday Classes for grade 1-6 students will start at 10:05. Grade 1-6 students may arrive at the regular start time and supervision will be provided. Classes for students in grades kindergarten, 7, 8, and 9 start at the regular time. April 27-29 Senior Boys Basketball Tournament May 1-4 Lakecrest Book Fair May 3 Thursday Public Speaking at Lakecrest Evening session for grades 4-9 starts at 6:30 p.m. Parents and guests are encouraged to attend. Location: Lakecrest May 4 Friday Dress Down Day May 8 Tuesday Recycling Day May 16 Wednesday Lakecrest Volunteer Tea May 18 Friday Kindergarten 2012/13 Orientation (9:00-11:30 a.m.) May 21 Monday Victoria Day School Holiday http://www.lakecrest.ca/index.php?p=news&nid=1144 Dear Parents of Grade one to six Students, April 18, 2012 As mentioned in the recent parent information letter our two Lakecrest choirs will be performing at the Northwest Rotary Choral Music Festival. This non-competitive choral festival provides an opportunity for our students to participate with other schools as well as benefit from the feedback provided at the workshops by the clinicians. The workshop part will take place on Monday, April 23 at the DF Cook Recital Hall at the MUN School of Music and the performance part will take place at Holy Heart Theater on Tuesday, April 24. To accommodate this schedule at the Choral Festival we will have the following arrangements for the two Festival days: Monday, April 23 - All grade 1-6 students will board busses at Lakecrest at 8:05 a.m. Busses will then proceed to the MUN Music school to prepare for the workshop which is scheduled to start at 8:30. Students will return to school at approximately 10:30 by bus. Thus all grade 1-6 students will need to be at the school by 8:00 a.m. on Monday as busses will have to leave the school promptly at 8:05a.m. Tuesday, April 24 – This will be a regular school day and all grade 1 to 6 students are asked to be in attendance at the Holy Heart Theater at 6:30 p.m. Lakecrest choirs are scheduled to perform in the early part of the evening’s activities which start at 7:00 p.m. thus it should not be too late for our students. Information regarding ticket purchase is not yet available but will be communicated to parents as soon as possible. Wednesday, April 25 - Classes for grade 1-6 students will start at 10:05 in the morning. Parents who wish to send their child to school at the regular time may do so and supervised activity will be provided. Many thanks to parents for helping with these arrangements. This choral festival has proven in the past to be a very beneficial experience for students and choir directors. Regards, Bob Pittman Head of School http://www.lakecrest.ca/index.php?p=news&nid=1143 Provincial Department of Education Provincial Assessments Testing in English Language Arts and Mathematics will take place in May and June. These tests will reflect the performance of each student. Please see the schedule below: Date Grade Test May 24, 2012 3 and 6 Poetic Reading May 25, 2012 3 and 6 Demand Writing 1 May 28, 2012 3 and 6 Informational Reading May 29, 2012 3 and 6 Demand Writing 2 June 5, 2012 3 and 6 Number Concepts June 6, 2012 3 and 6 Number Operations June 7, 2012 3 and 6 Shape and Space / Mental Math / Patterns and relations June 12, 2012 9 Demand Writing 1 Poetic Reading June 13 9 Demand Writing 2 Informational Reading June 14 9 Mathematics http://www.lakecrest.ca/index.php?p=news&nid=1142 Parent Information Letter #24 April 15, 2012 Eastern NL Regional Science Fair Success Lakecrest students participated in the Eastern NL Regional Science Fair on Friday, March 30. Special thanks to Ms. Dove Major and Mr. Gruchy for the guidance provided as students developed and continuously worked to improve the scientific content of their projects. The significance of the dedication of the students and advice of their teachers resulted in a most successful group of projects from Lakecrest. Awards included 3 honourable mention projects, 1 silver medal project, 4 gold medal projects, and 1 MUN Psychology Department award. All Lakecrest students who participated in the fair were included in the above awards. Please find attached to this letter a detailed list of the student names and awards which were won. Rotary Music Festival The annual St. John’s Northwest Rotary Music Choral Festival is being held from Sunday, April 22 to Wednesday, April 25. Both the primary and elementary choirs are scheduled to participate in this non-competitive festival. This festival focuses on the development of choral singing and thus provides for much instruction and feedback for both students and music directors. Lakecrest students from grades 1-6 are currently scheduled to be involved on both Sunday, April 22 and Monday, April 23. Tomorrow, we will send an e-mail to all grade 1 to 6 parents with detailed information confirming performance times. The festival website is www.rotarymusicfestival.org Lakecrest Recycling Just a reminder that Tuesday is another recycling day for Lakecrest. Hopefully after the vacation there might be a significant number of recycling items that can be brought to the school. Items can be dropped off on Tuesday from 8:00-9:00 a.m. Parents are encouraged to support this important project. Lunch Orders for May and June Students/parents are asked to please pass in lunch order forms for May and June on Monday, April 16th if they have not already done so. This is the last day that orders can be accepted. Please contact Sarah Healey, shealeyn171@gmail.com, if there are any questions. Many thanks! Lakecrest Orchestra Practice times for April 16-20 Group # students Instructor Practice Time Date (March) Comments Brass sectional 8 Ms. Victoria McNeil vmcneill@gmail.com 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, 17th Group may break into smaller sectionals later. Clarinet sectional 3 Mr. Paul Bendzsa pbendzsa@mun.ca 9:00-10:00 a.m. Wednesday, 18th All students are asked to have their instruments. Parents are welcome to consult with the instructors regarding any instrument rentals and/or purchases. Orchestral Group 10-12 Dr. Peter Gardiner 11:30-12:30 p.m. Wednesday, 18th Cello sectional 2 Mr. Theo Weber theoweber@nl.rogers.com 1:00-2:00 p.m. Wednesday, 18th In the next few weeks parents of the above students will receive a note which will indicate the cost of the lessons which are being offered by the instructors. Many thanks to the parents who have arranged to have their children take advantage of these sectionals and the first orchestral group. As mentioned earlier we hope to start sectionals for violins and flutes as soon as we can arrange for instructors. School Calendar (March / April 2012) Date Day Event April 16 Monday Frist day of class after Spring Break April 17 Tuesday Recycling Day!!! April 20 Friday Dress Down Day April 22-23 Rotary Music Festival (Details to be announced) April 26 Thursday Public Speaking at Lakecrest (Details to be announced) April 27-29 Senior Boys Basketball Tournament http://www.lakecrest.ca/index.php?p=news&nid=1141 Parent Information Letter #23 March 26, 2012 Boys Basketball Independent Schools Tournament Please find below a Boys’ Independent Schools Basketball Tournament report from Ms. King. Congratulations to our boys’ team and Ms. King for the great tournament. Our basketball team again demonstrated their sportsmanship and competitive spirit, thus helping to make the whole tournament most successful. Lakecrest Orchestra Practice times for March 26-30 Students are reminded to bring their instruments to school on the day of their orchestra sectional. Sectionals are for those students who are beginning to learn an instrument. The Orchestral Group is for those students who have had previous training and/or are currently under instruction outside of the school. Arrangements for payment for those students currently receiving sectional and orchestral group instruction will be organized in the next week or so. Many thanks to the parents who are supporting the establishment of the Lakecrest School Orchestra. The current model for both the orchestra and sectionals will be maintained throughout the remainder of the school year and into the 2012/13 year. There are no sectional or orchestra practices during the spring break. Please see a summary of the sectional and orchestra time for this week below. Group # students Instructor Practice Time Date (March) Comments Brass sectional 8 Ms. Victoria McNeil 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, 27th This group may break into smaller sectionals after the first two meetings/practices Clarinet sectional 3 Mr. Paul Bendzsa 9:00-10:00 a.m. Wednesday, 28th Orchestral Group 10-12 Dr. Peter Gardiner 11:30-12:30 p.m. Wednesday, 28th Cello sectional 2 Mr. Theo Weber 1:00-2:00 p.m. Wednesday, 28st . Newfoundland Youth Symphony Orchestra Performance Lakecrest students from grades two to nine will be attending a special performance of the Newfoundland Youth Symphony Orchestra at the Arts and Culture Centre on Thursday, 29th March. This special performance will have an instructional component for those students present. Lakecrest students will leave the school by bus at 9:30 and will return to the school at 11:30 a.m. Provincial Department of Education Provincial Assessments On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (26, 27, and 28) grades three and six students will be writing a process piece for the Department of Education. These provincial writing assessments which start at 8:45 are administered during March in all grade 3 and 6 classrooms in the province. Parents are thus asked to please make special efforts to have students on time for these dates as there are specific directions which have to be provided for the whole class before the assessment starts. More testing in English Language Arts and Mathematics will take place later in May and June. These tests will reflect the performance of each student. Please see the schedule below: Date Grade Test May 24, 2012 3 and 6 Poetic Reading May 25, 2012 3 and 6 Demand Writing 1 May 28, 2012 3 and 6 Informational Reading May 29, 2012 3 and 6 Demand Writing 2 June 5, 2012 3 and 6 Number Concepts June 6, 2012 3 and 6 Number Operations June 7, 2012 3 and 6 Shape and Space Mental Math Patterns and relations June 12, 2012 9 Demand Writing 1 Poetic Reading June 13 9 Demand Writing 2 Informational Reading June 14 9 Mathematics Spirit Week Last week Lakecrest concluded a very successful spirit week. Many thanks to the parents and teachers who helped in many ways from finding the appropriate theme costume for each day, to playing basketball with the students and teachers on Friday afternoon. There have also been some excellent suggestions made for the new Lakecrest school song. Many thanks to M.s King, Ms. Dove Major and Mr. Gruchy for their help with the organization of the week. Science Fair Congratulations to grade seven to nine students for their fantastic science fair projects which were on display last week. The standard of the projects in terms of scientific thought, visual presentation, and the skills with which the students explained their experiments was outstanding. Many thanks to Ms. Dove Major for organizing the fair and arranging for the judging of the projects. All the best to those students who will move on to the provincial science fair on Friday. Creative Writing Cancelled for Monday There will be no creative writing tomorrow, March 26. This extracurricular activity will commence on April 23. Lost eye glasses We have in our school office a pair of child’s glasses in a brown case. We have announced on the school PA that the glasses were found at the Hyundai Arena after a skating session. If any parent is aware of the loss of a pair of prescription child’s glasses over the least two weeks please check with the office. School Calendar (March / April 2012) Date Day Event March 26-28 CRT Process writing for grade 3 and 6 students March 29 Thursday NYSO Performance from 10:00-11:00 (Arts and Culture) March 30 Friday Regional Science Fair Last day of class before Spring Break April 16 Monday Frist day of class after Spring Break April 17 Tuesday Recycling Day April 20 Friday Dress Down Day http://www.lakecrest.ca/index.php?p=news&nid=1139 Spirit Week 2012 March 20-23 Date Tuesday, 20 *Favorite character dress up day OR *Twin dress up day Zumba by class for K-7 (11:00-2:50) Wednesday, 21 *Hawaiian dress up day Lakecrest 20th Anniversary Song Activities Thursday, 22 *Sports team dress up day Trivia Contest Guess your teacher photo contest Friday, 23 *Crazy hat / hair / pajama dress up day Karaoke Show (12:35-2:15 gym) Teacher/Parent/Student BB Game (2:30-2:50) http://www.lakecrest.ca/index.php?p=news&nid=1138 Parent Information Letter #22 March 13, 2012 Lakecrest Orchestra Update Parents and students have been contacted individually by e-mail regarding the start date for the Lakecrest orchestra group and the sectional classes. Information regarding instrument rental, purchase and selection has also been e-mailed. There are some remaining sectional classes which are being organized and parents of those students should hear shortly about those arrangements. If your son or daughter has requested any of the instruments/groups listed below and you have not been contacted, please do let us know so that we can adjust the group list as necessary. On practice days instruments may be stored in the office for safety if parents/students wish. Please ensure that the instrument case tag is marked with your child’s name. At this time the following groups will start practices as indicated. Group # students Instructor Practice Time Start Date (March) Comments Clarinets 3 Mr. Paul Bendzsa 9:00-10:00 a.m. Wednesday, 14th Orchestra Group 10-12 Dr. Peter Gardiner 11:45-12:45 p.m. Wednesday, 21st Postponed on the 14th due to illness. Apologies. Cello 2 Mr. Theo Weber 1:00-2:00 p.m. Wednesday, 21st Brass 8 Ms. Victoria McNeil 2:00-3:00 p.m. Friday, 16th This group may break into smaller sectionals after the first two meetings/practices . Lakecrest grade 7-9 Science Fair and “pi” day Many thanks to Ms. Dove Major for organizing the Annual Lakecrest Science Fair and “pi” day. Also thanks to the students who have been developing their science fair projects over the last several weeks and months. A reminder that our school Science Fair will take place on Thursday, March 15th. Parents are invited to attend the fair between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. on the third floor. Science fairs provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate many of the transdisciplinary skills they are learning in their various subject areas. Projects are assessed by the science fair judges based on criteria which include evidence of how well students understand their projects, the validity and interpretation of experimental results, and how the results are reported. We wish all students the best in the school science fair and look forward to this annual event. Pi day will be celebrated at Lakecrest on Wednesday. Pi Day commemorates the mathematical constant π (pi). Pi Day is celebrated on March 14 (or 3/14 in month/day date format), since 3, 1 and 4 are the three most significant digits of π in the decimal form. Pampered Chef Party Parents are reminded that there will be a Pampered Chef Party at Lakecrest on Tuesday, March 20 from 7:30 -9:30 p.m. at the school. This event is a fundraiser for the Lakecrest School Kitchen to provide for some new kitchen tools. Parents are encouraged to come and bring their friends. An information package was distributed to all students on Monday. Visiting Artist Many thanks to Ms. Gallagher for making arrangements for two days of activity at Lakecrest with Mr. Sean Silver who is a dance instructor in the city. He will work with each class of our students for a period to introduce them to some aspects of Irish dancing and culture. Funding for this has been made possible through the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council as outlined in the excerpt below. “In Newfoundland and Labrador, Arts Smarts is delivered through the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council (NLAC). Arts Smarts projects in schools are funded through the Cultural, a unique partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation that seeks to increase the presence of cultural content in the school curriculum and foster links between the arts and school communities. All staffing, travel and administrative costs for Arts Smarts are supported by NLAC. NLAC has been operating Arts Smarts in Newfoundland and Labrador since 1998.” 2012/13 Tuition Deposits Many thanks to the parents who have already made arrangements for the payment of the $1000 tuition deposit for the 2011/12 school year, prior to March 1. This makes it possible for the school to start preliminary planning for the 2011/12 school schedule. For those parents who have not yet contacted the office to make this payment it would be appreciated if this could be completed as soon as possible so that student numbers in the various grade levels can be finalized. Thank you. School Calendar (March / April 2012) Date Day Event March 13/14 Tuesday/ Wednesday Visiting Artist– Mr. Sean Silver will meet students from various grade levels to demonstrate and organize student participation in some Irish dances. March 14 Wednesday “Pi” Day at LakecrestSchool Skating at 3:15 March 15 Thursday Lakecrest Science Fair March 16 Friday Dress Down Day March 19 Monday St. Patrick’s Day school holiday Mar. 20-23 Spirit Week – various activities to be announced March 20 Tuesday Pampered Chef Party from 7:30-9:30 p.m. March 22 Thursday Kindergarten 2012 Parent Orientation session at 7:00 p.m. March 30 Friday Regional Science Fair Last day of class before Spring Break April 16 Monday Frist day of class after Spring Break April 17 Tuesday Recycling Day April 20 Friday Dress Down Day http://www.lakecrest.ca/index.php?p=news&nid=1137 The International Baccalaureate Information Session will go ahead this Wednesday (March 7) at 7:00 p.m. as planned. Parking spaces have been cleared of snow. Regards, Bob Pittman