Author: Ross Road PAC

See you this evening at the Christmas Market!

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Dear parents,

Looking forward to seeing you all tonight at the Ross Road Christmas Market!

Don’t forget to bring your free door prize ticket that came home on Monday to win some great prizes!

A few more handy reminders…

  • TICKETS: Get ahead of the game and  pre-buy your tickets this morning from 8:20am to 8:50am and after school from 2:45 to 3:15pm.
  • CLASS RAFFLE BASKETS: The amazing class raffle baskets are back!  All your old favourites are there, plus some new ones like 2 tickets to a Canucks game! Click here for the complete list.
  • SILENT AUCTION: Get your Christmas shopping out of the way early this year and bid on some of the items in the Silent Auction.  And remember, if you’re planning on bidding, please bring cash or a cheque as we’re unable to accept credit or debit. Click here for the complete list of auction items.
  • MAP: Want to know where everything is before you go?  Check out the map here.

And once again, some very important thank yous…..

  • A big thank you to you – the parents, students and staff for getting into the spirit of the event and making crafts, volunteering, sending gifts and baking up a storm.
  • A VERY big thank you to the amazing Christmas Market committee for planning the event.  They’ve done an amazing job.
  • And while we’re in the zone, thank you also to the sponsors of the evening, especially local Lynn Valley businesses like Save on Foods, Starbucks, Pinkberry, Thrifty Foods, Creativ Music, Fabricland and Flying Wedge.  Along with the sponsors of the Silent Auction items, these business have generously donated goods and services for free or at special discounts.

See you tonight!

Your PAC Executive

Friday Newsletter: The Christmas Market

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Dear parents,

RR_xmas_banner

This issue of the newsletter is all about next week’s Christmas Market.   Here are some things you should know…
  • Want to avoid spending time in the line-up for tickets on the night?  Get ahead of the game and  pre-buy your tickets next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday after school from 2:45 to 3:15pm.  Tickets will also be available on Friday morning from 8:20am to 8:50am.
  • The amazing class raffle baskets are back!  All your old favourites are there, plus some new ones like 2 tickets to a Canucks game!  Click here for the complete list.
  • Get your Christmas shopping out of the way early this year and bid on some of the items in the Silent Auction.  As always, we’re very grateful to all our sponsors for contributing such amazing items.  And remember, if you’re planning on bidding, please bring cash or a cheque as we’re unable to accept credit or debit.  Click here for the complete list of auction items.
  • Want to know where everything is before you go?  Check out the map here.

And some very important thank yous…..

  • A big thank you to you – the parents, students and staff for getting into the spirit of the event and making crafts, volunteering, sending gifts and baking up a storm.
  • A VERY big thank you to the amazing Christmas Market committee for planning the event.  They’ve done an amazing job.
  • And while we’re in the zone, thank you also to the sponsors of the evening, especially local Lynn Valley businesses like Save on Foods, Starbucks, Pinkberry, Thrifty Foods, Creativ Music, Fabricland and Flying Wedge.  Along with the sponsors of the Silent Auction items, these business have generously donated goods and services for free or at special discounts.

See you all next week!

Your PAC Executive.

Friday Newsletter: Christmas Craft Fair | SnowPass | Young Actor’s Project | Valet Volunteers

/ Ross Road PAC

Dear parents,

  • Christmas Craft Fair:   This year’s Fair is shaping up to be awesome, but organizers still need your help.  Please don’t forget to volunteer your time, as well as making contributions to the class raffle baskets, bake sale, Holiday Show and Wrap Market, and mystery bags.  It may sound like a lot, but the results are worth it.  It’s a wonderful community-building event and a great fundraiser that directly benefits all our kids.  Click here to find out more, and contact the coordinators at rossroadcraftfair@gmail.com, to find out how you can help.
  • SnowPass:  Did you know that if you have a child in Grades 3 or 4, you can buy a pass for $29.95 that lets your child ski or ride three times at participating resorts all over Canada.  Click here for more details.
  • Young Actors Workshop:   Have your kids been talking to you about drama activities, masks and improv lately? If so, this is thanks to the fantastic work that Mike, Jody and Robert from the Young Actors’ Project (YAP) have done with all divisions.  At the AGM in May, the PAC voted to bring the YAP to Ross Road and the program went extremely well, with students  learning hands-on about drama, masks, focus and the power of body language. A big thank you to the instructors from YAP and to the Ross Road teachers who welcomed them into their classrooms!  Click here to find out more about YAP.
  • Valet:   A volunteer is still needed for Thursdays and new volunteers are needed for next year.  If you benefit from this service, perhaps you might consider giving up 25 minutes once a week for one month to help out.  Please contact Nancy Barton at nancybinbc@hotmail.com.

Have a great weekend,

Your PAC executive

Friday Newsletter: Environment Club | Card Project | Christmas Market | Safeteen

/ Ross Road PAC

Dear parents,

  • Environment Club:  Have you seen the incredible mural on the west-facing wall near the edible garden?  With thanks to talented artist and Ross Road parent, Shula Klinger, this Environment Club initiative was paid for by proceeds from a TD Friends of the Environment grant.   Click here for more information about the Environment Club and keep your eye out for more amazing projects happening at the school.
  • Card Project:  Have you ordered yours yet?  You must order by midnight Friday to guarantee delivery in the first week of December.  (cards ordered after this time will be delivered on December 16)  Click here for more details.
  • Christmas Market:  The Market will be held on Friday, December 6 from 5pm to 8pm, and here are some important things to note;
  1. If you want to order dinner, you must do so via the MunchaLunch website by 5pm on Monday, November 18.
  2. The organizers are  in desperate need of men’s ties and glass baby food jars.  If you have any, please leave them under the ‘down’ stairs by the PAC box in the lobby.
  3. As per the notices from the class reps, the Market also needs your time!  Please consider volunteering 45 mins on the evening to help make the event a success.  See the sign-up sheets on your classroom doors or get in touch with your class rep to find out how you can help.
  4. If you have any ‘treasures’ that you can donate to the “Holiday Shop and Wrap Market” please drop them in the box under the “down” stairs in the lobby (not in the AV room as previously mentioned.) These are new items such as that gift you bought for someone and then forgot you had it, or the picture frame you loved and bought, but never found the right wall to hang it on.  There is no need to buy anything, it’s just a chance for you to pass on treasures that you have never had the chance to use.
  • 9781896095998_p0_v1_s260x420Safeteen:  This week, the Safe Teen experts came to Ross Road to hold 3-hour workshops with all the grade 6 and 7 students. The Safe Teen program introduced the students to bullying and harassment prevention strategies and non-violent conflict resolution in a powerful and engaging, gender-separate workshop format.  Many thanks to Family Services of the North Shore, who generously funded the student workshops!  Also many thanks to those parents who came out for the very exciting parent night on Tuesday!  For those of you who are interested in continuing the conversation with their 6th or 7th graders or who want to learn more, Anita Roberts has published a book about the Safe Teen philosophy (available at the Lynn Valley library).

Have a great weekend!

Your PAC Executive

Friday Newsletter: Card Project | Christmas Market | Valet | Library Update

/ Ross Road PAC

Dear parents,

  • Card Project:  Last year, we raised over $1000 from the Card Project!  This year, the sample cards will be sent out on NOVEMBER 8, and ordering will be open for 1 week only from NOVEMBER 8 to NOVEMBER 15.  A standard gift box costs $20 and contains 12 cards and envelopes, and the PAC receives $5 from each order.  Information about ordering will be included with the sample card.  For more information, and to see samples from last year, please click here.
  • Ross Road Christmas Market:  The Christmas Market coordinators are doing an amazing job putting together this very special event.  As well as all your old favourites, this year the team has also put together a Holiday Shop and Wrap Room, a Silent Auction, an Outdoor Cafe and free cookie decorating. For more information, including links to order dinner on the night, please click here.
  • Valet:  The program desperately needs an adult volunteer on Thursday mornings in November. We have one parent on duty and with the rainy weather starting there will be more people driving to school, which means  more traffic in the drop off zone.  If you are available to help on Thursday mornings from 8:25 to 8:45 please contact Nancy Barton at nancybinbc@hotmail.com.
  • Library update:  Did you know you can ‘adopt a shelf’ at the school library?  Or that there’s a student-generated list of recommended books by grade level on the bulletin board?  Or that money YOU raised through fundraising has purchased over 250 new books for the library and helped to provide the library with a digital projector and laptop.  Teacher librarian Mme. McAllister has put together a newsletter highlighting all the wonderful things that are happening at the Ross Road library.  Click here for more.

Finally, if you know of a parent that isn’t getting these emails, but would like to, please tell them that subscribing is as easy as going to the PAC website, and entering their email address on the right hand side.

Enjoy your weekend,

Your PAC

Friday Newsletter: Dates | GM Minutes | Safety at drop-off | District info

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Dear parents,

  • Dates:  The PAC calendar  has been updated with food days, PD days and early dismissal days.  Please be aware though that it may be subject to change!  If you want to import this calendar into your mobile device or another calendar service, here is the feed for  iCal  or, XML, or HTML.
  • GM Minutes:  Minutes from the last PAC GM can be found here
  • Drop-off Safety:  As winter closes in, please be extra-careful around drop-off time.   In particular, please be aware that if you are turning into Kilkenny Road, you need to watch out for bikes!  For bike-riders, please use extra caution near this intersection.  Finally, please spare a thought and be respectful towards the children and parents who volunteer for valet duty.  It’s not always fun standing out in the cold and rain, but they do it because it makes everyone’s morning safer.
  • Finally, a reminder that the school administration no longer sends out emails to parents.  All the information about school activities, staff and programs can be found on the Ross Road Elementary website. 

Have a great weekend.

 

Ross Road Christmas Market: Friday December 6th

/ Ross Road PAC

Mark your calendars! It’s the annual
ROSS ROAD CHRISTMAS MARKET
Friday December 6th, 5pm to 8pm

Our Christmas event has always been about supporting our school, our children and each other, as well as a great chance to get our community together. Although we’ve added some new ideas and a new name this year, the heart and spirit of the event remain the same.

Our Christmas traditions continue with;

  • The fantastic crafts made by our own students
  • The famous class basket raffles
  • Live music and sing-a-long with Ross Road parent and entertainer Michael Wong
  • Photos with Santa
  • Craft Workshops for kids
  • CD recording with Creativ Music
  • Mystery Bags
  • Delicious Dinner with Roast Beef on a bun and Pizza and veggies
  • Bake Sale
  • Drinks and Snacks
  • Coat Room

And there are some exciting new activities;

  • Holiday Shop and Wrap room
  • Neon Christmas Party Room
  • Outdoor café
  • Snowflake Spa
  • Silent Auction
  • Free Cookie Decorating

Here’s where we need your help;

New to this year’s event is the “Holiday Shop and Wrap Market.” It will be a room where your children can come in on their own (with our volunteers to help them) to shop for reasonably priced gifts. We will also help them wrap their gifts for their family. All items will be kept to $5 or less. Our children will get a chance to buy some items on their own and have them wrapped to put under the tree for Christmas morning.

From our parents, we are asking that you take a look around your home for small treasures that you could up-cycle to us for this event. These are new items such as that gift you bought for someone and forgot you had it, or the picture frame you loved and bought, but never found the right wall to hang it on, or Christmas decorations that you had bought on sale and but they have never made it to the mantle! There is no need to buy anything, it’s just a chance for you to pass on treasures that you have never had the chance to use. The children will have a chance to buy a gift on their own in a safe environment at a reasonable price while raising money for their school.

Please consider taking a look at home and bringing in any donations you may find. There will be a collection box set up starting November 8 in the AV room under the “down” stairs in the lobby right across from the office. We will put a sign on the door so it is easy to locate!

Ordering is now open for dinner at the Christmas Market;

Please log onto the Munch a Lunch website (www.munchalunch.com) and click on the Fundraising Open icon to access your meal options. The delicious beef on a bun (served with quinoa salad and veggies) is back by popular demand. And pizza this year is being supplied by Flying Wedge! There will only be very limited pizza for sale on the night, and no extra beef on a bun, so please make sure you order ahead online.

Ordering will remain open until Wednesday, November 20 at 5pm. Payment must also be received by this time or your order will be canceled. Please pay by credit card/Paypal online at the time of ordering if possible. If not, please place a cheque made out to Ross Road PAC in the PAC box located in the school lobby under the “down” stairs by November 18. If you need help, or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Wendy Ross at jwrosshome@gmail.com.

There will be more details to follow in the coming weeks.

Any questions, please contact:
The Christmas Market Coordinators
rossroadcraftfair@gmail.com

Friday Newsletter: Card Project | Emergency Preparedness | Dates to Note

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Dear parents,

  • The Card Project aims to  turn student masterpieces into unique greeting cards, and raise money for the PAC.  The artwork was collected last week, and sample cards will be delivered in early November.  This year, you can also order notebook or sketchbooks with your child’s art on the cover.  If you have any questions, please contact Deborah Clegg.
  • If you have corporate connections to emergency preparedness items (food rations, water, batteries etc) , the Emergency Preparedness Committee would love to hear from you.  The school will be emailing a letter soon with further information and student forms.  To find out more, click here.
  • Do you know that the North Vancouver School District publishes a calendar of important dates, like PD days, vacations and statutory holidays?  Click here for the complete calendar.
  • Also, please note that there is a staff collaboration day on Wednesday, October 30, which means early dismissal.

Friday Newsletter: Christmas Craft Fair | School Directory | CPF & more!

/ Ross Road PAC

Dear parents,

  • Save the Date!  This year’s Christmas Craft Fair will be held on December 6.  Stay tuned for more details.
  • The School Directory is a useful resource for getting in touch with other parents and families.  It hasn’t come out this year yet, as it needs a volunteer to take it on.  This is a job someone could do from home in their spare time.  There’s a template that’s ready to go and the office has all the data ready to input.  If you can help, please get in touch with Sarah Dennis.
  • Ms Vicki Thomas’ English 5/6 class still needs a class rep.  If you have a child in this class, please consider taking on this very important role.
  • “Surviving French Immersion: A Workshop for Parents of Intermediate Students” takes place this Thursday, October 24th at Cleveland Elementary, 7:00pm. Join CPF North Vancouver for this interactive workshop with Susan Owens, a noted French Immersion teacher with the North Vancouver School District. Mme Owens will share her knowledge and provide tips and resources for parents of Intermediate-age French Immersion students. For more info, click here. To register, click here.

Friday Newsletter: Jesse Miller Presentation | Canadian Parents for French update

/ Ross Road PAC

JESSE MILLER Internet Safety/Social Media Awareness Presentation

  • Wednesday October 16th
  • 7:00- 8:00pm in the School Library (parents only)

Join us on Wednesday, October 16th for this FREE, PAC-sponsored presentation with Jesse Miller of Mediated Reality. Jesse Miller is a national speaker who has addressed thousands of participants over the past years.  Presenting and consulting to schools and companies across British Columbia since 2007, Jesse is in high demand as a keynote speaker on the topics of social media awareness, social networking behaviour and online content evaluation.

Jesse’s presentations have received rave reviews from the many parents who have seen his presentations at other schools. The presentation is geared towards parents of Intermediate students but parents of children in younger grades are encouraged to attend. Parents from other schools are also welcome to come to the presentation.

Wednesday evening’s talk will give parents background information on the presentation that Jesse will be sharing with Intermediate students (Grades 4-7) on Thursday, October 17th at school.

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Canadian Parents for French:
North Vancouver Chapter Update

SURVIVING FRENCH IMMERSION: A CPF PARENT WORKSHOP
Supporting your child through their Intermediate years of French Immersion
Join CPF North Vancouver for this interactive workshop with Susan Owens, a noted French Immersion teacher with the North Vancouver School District. Mme Owens will share her knowledge and provide tips and resources for parents of Intermediate-age Early and Late French Immersion students. Click here for more info about the presentation.

Date: Thursday, October 24, 2013
Time: 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Location: Cleveland Elementary Map
Cost: FREE (Registration required)

Seating is limited so register early at:
https://survivingfrenchimmersion.eventbrite.ca

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Click image to view poster in Acrobat

FALL 2013 MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
Renew your membership! Ask others to join! And do it before October 31st because during CPF BC/Yukon’s membership drive you can win wonderful prizes! Remember 80% of your membership fee goes right back to our local chapter. That means more fun events in schools, more resources for parents, teachers and students, and more extra-curricular activities in French for our kids!

  • Renew online now for only $25/year or $60/3 years. Or download/print membership forms here.
  • SPECIAL OFFER! CPF North Vancouver is currently offering an introductory $10 one-year membership for NEW members, click here for more details, tell your friends!
  • Click here to see the list of fantastic prizes! Winners will be announced in December 2013 so don’t delay, the membership drive ends on October 31st!

NEW CPF NORTH VAN WEBSITE
Check out www.cpfnorthvan.ca where you will find information about CPF North Van’s events, meetings and contacts as well as student activities and opportunities, resources, and ways to support your child’s learning in French.

CPF MAGAZINE – INAUGURAL ISSUE
Have a look at the Fall/Winter 2013 issue of “CPF Magazine”, a joint publication from CPF’s Branches and National aimed to promote FSL in Canada. This issue features articles on the benefits of bilingualism, the value of a CPF membership, how social media helped one chapter change the mind of a school district on FSL programs.

Merci from your CPF reps,

Lisa Birrell: info@cpfnorthvan.ca
Annette Arndt: cpfrossroad@gmail.com

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