Grad 2017 - L.A. Matheson Secondary School

Principal’s Message 

This is a very exciting and somewhat anxious time for our Grade 12 students. They are busy making decisions about post-secondary plans that include education, careers and vocations. In addition, they are concentrating on successfully completing grade 12, applying for scholarships and participating in graduation activities such as Commencement, the Grad Banquet and Dry Grad. This newsletter includes important information to help both parents and students plan these significant events. Please read this newsletter carefully so that you do not miss essential information.

Important events to keep in mind are:

Commencement Ceremony

Tuesday June 6 at 7:00 pm

Bell Centre for Performing Arts

All guests must have a ticket to enter the ceremony

Parent Tea

Tuesday June 27 from 3:30 - 4:30 pm

L.A. Matheson Court Yard

Enjoy the splendor and take pictures

Graduation Banquet    

Tuesday, June 27 from 5:30 pm – 12:00 am

Tsawwassen Springs Golf and Country Club

Dry Grad celebration     

Wednesday, June 28 from 12:00 am to 5:30 am

L. A. Matheson Cafeteria

Starts right after the Graduation Banquet

Buses Reminder: All grads will be bussed to the Graduation Banquet after the Parent Tea, and will return in buses back to the school for the Dry Grad celebration!  Students will be bussed based on their table selections for the Grad Banquet!  Student are not permitted to drive themselves.

I hope that all grade 12 students will be able to fully participate in these events as graduation from high school is a once in a lifetime experience. At the same time, I want our students not to lose sight of the real goal: successfully completing grade 12!  In spite of upcoming celebrations, it is important to remain focused on schoolwork; there are still many assignments, tests and provincial exams in the immediate future!  Like I told them in our last assembly: they are still grade 12 students; they are not yet Grads!

My wish for our grade 12 students is a successful year in partnership with safe, fun and memorable graduation events. I look forward to seeing all of you and your parents at these activities in June.

Mr. R. Hayes

Principal

Be the Helper we all need right now!

At L.A. Matheson we decided to turn the current world crisis into a teachable moment. This morning our teachers will all be reading this script and then engaging their classes in a dialogue about social emotion understanding and how it relates to intolerance, racism and bigotry.

Teacher’s Script – a response to our world crisis

At L.A. Matheson, we want you all to know that we care for each and every one of you and want you to know that we stand with you as we all struggle to understand the global issues playing out on our world stage.

At our school we are very proud of our students and all the communities they come from.  At LAM we welcome everyone with open hearts and are profoundly glad that together we are all Canadian!  

Right now, we are seeing our American neighbours struggle with extreme political unrest and at the same time, as Canadians, we are dealing with our own devastating tragedy at a mosque in Quebec.  We are all struggling to understand the magnitude of the loss suffered by the families, their friends, and the community - a senseless loss driven by hatred.

The massacre that happened in Quebec City cannot be separated from the attacks on the fundamental rights of the Muslim community happening now in the United States. The underlying issue playing out on our global stage is the unfair treatment of humans based on their religion. As a society, we know that this is not only illegal but is also very morally wrong. No one should be denied rights based on their religion, race or country of origin.

At LAM we ask you to not focus on the negativity, but rather seek to educate yourself to stand up against what can seem like the present dark realities in our world.

Mr. Rogers, a famous child education personality, once said that

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping. To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world."

As an LAM student, we ask you… Can you be a “HELPER” in the fight against racism?  

Can you…

·      Listen to people's stories and share in the experiences of our refugees, immigrants, and minorities?

·      Hear the stories and find the commonalities that bring us together?

·      Show your support by sharing what you know to help spread the message of everyone's common humanity?

At LAM, we want you to know that we will stand with you in your right to safety - your right to practice your faith, and your right to join together as a community without fear of violence.  Only together can we will build a stronger community and a united school, - united in love and compassion.

Be the Helper we all need right now!

Sana Fatima – A Passionate, Caring, Visionary School President

I recently had the opportunity to have breakfast with our school President Sana Fatima.   Over the course of an hour or so Sana outlined for me her vision of leadership and gave me a glimpse into who she is as a person.  Sana is a very passionate, caring soul who clearly has everyone's best interest at heart.

Sana brings with her a strong work ethic and clear vision of her future.  She is the eldest in a family of three children who all live at home with both parents.  Sana very proudly proclaims that both her parents have been very supportive in guiding and caring for her growth.  She attributes her work ethic to the values instilled in her by her mother and father and extended family.  She made specific reference to her cousin who just finished a law degree at the University of Nottingham in England.  Sana sees her cousin as her role model because of her passionate and humble determination. In our brief conversation, I found Sana as having these very traits.  She is very kind, humble and sincere in her description of her family and work ethic.  

As an honour roll student of Sullivan Heights, Sana does very well in all her academic studies. It is evident that she takes her education very seriously.  Her future plans are to attend UBC, do an undergrad degree in sciences then go into medicine specializing in paediatrics.  She envisions herself being a force of change in the world with a special interest in global issues and humanitarianism.  Her plan is to one day work as a pediatrician for Doctors Without Borders. Sana views her life as an adventure in self-discovery.  She is an avid writer and values every opportunity to get out and meet new people. As I sat and listened to her outline her vision for success, I was thoroughly impressed by her infectious charismatic charm.

Sana’s mission for her presidency is to collectively raise the social awareness and sense of caring at Sullivan Heights.  Her vision is based on the belief that we all share the common investment of school being a stepping-stone for our future.  She explained that if we collectively make it more enjoyable and engaging, then the whole school experience will be richer and more meaningful for everyone. It is clear that Sana values empathy and caring and is dialed into the social emotional pulse of the school.  Her vision to achieve this includes role modeling a sense of fairness and trust, spreading positive energy, getting to know as many students as she can and continually working to make school enjoyable, comfortable and safe for everyone.

One aspect of Sana's vision of leadership that particularly struck my attention was her desire to help build greater capacity with the younger student council members.  This is significant because it speaks to her understanding that time is limited and that an effective leader always seeks to leave a lasting legacy of improvement.  Very inspirational!

As we concluded our conversation, I asked Sana what legacy she wants to leave behind at Sullivan Heights.  With wisdom beyond her years, Sana told me that…

“A legacy is something that is evident when you look at the people you’ve worked with and the impact you’ve had on them. As Student Council President, and even just a regular student at Sullivan Heights, I want to make a small change that will eventually build up to something greater. I wish to instill in my peers the desire to be a leader. I want to help them realize their own potential and help them gain the confidence to step up in their own lives and create change. Sometimes this means setting a good example and sometimes it means encouraging others to get involved. If I've learned one thing as I am growing up, it is that it only takes one brave individual to make a difference."

It is clear that Sana has the passionate caring determination needed to be successful leader. With great anticipation and excitement, we all look forward to working with Sana and her council as they strive to make Sullivan Heights a better place for everyone.

Great Start Sullivan Heights!

As an icebreaker at our first staff meeting, I posed these two questions for table talk discussion with our teachers.

They had some great things to say.

We’re all looking forward to a great year!

What are your plans for implementing something new into your teaching this semester?

• Focus more on mastery-based learning
• Work at connecting history with real life
• Use district account for e-books (can highlight/make notes)
• Get students blogging for PE – get kids taking videos/make use of their technology (i.e. phones)
• More focus on using technology appropriately and to benefit learning
• Implement self-regulation practices for students
• Seek out Pro-D on classroom management
• Integrate iPad technology
• Implement “Expert” on a pressing issue into class discussions
• Use Inquiry based learning through iPads
• Tell students that it’s not good enough to just get by – if less than 70%
• Utilize exit and mid-term interviews (exit interviews) for Planning 10
• Develop more web based handouts
• Implement Genius hour with parent participation
• Use e-portfolios
• Use more Traditional & Digital art mixed media
• Develop better Interaction between students on blogs & parents
• Less “testing”
• Develop better strategies for teaching a split class
• Use more field trip experiences
• Implement inquiry learning in Science…Discovery Labs
• Move away from textbooks
• Try lit circles with English 10 and narrative writing…less novel studies
• Integrate rubrics into lab assessment
• Get band students out into community (e.g. long term care homes, etc.)
• Be more efficient
• Use more project-based learning
• Pace myself so I have more to give students at end of term
• Utilize student assistants in Science labs
• Give more emphasis on social-emotional component of learning
• More collaboration with departmental colleagues
• Blog and have more organized parent contact plan, e.g. More frequent phone calls with positive comments
• Immerse students in a French culture and using 100% French for questions and instructions in FSL classes for teacher and students
• Utilize more student involvement in assessment and interviews with blogging
• Accept more electronic submissions …use dropbox for example
• Implement more strategies from summer reading by better supporting students with special needs
• Have an arts share day – promote feeder schools and inspire students
• Use exit interviews rather than final exams
• Incorporate iTunes U into lessons
• Utilize Garage Band and apps into music 8 and 9
• Try using stop motion videos and technology
• Work on developing an LST student specific approach

  

How do you plan to help set a positive school tone?

• Take time to stop and get to know the students; make the extra effort to make connections.
• Conduct a mini unit to start the year in Socials where students bring in artifacts from their lives, learn how to ask purposeful questions and get to know their peers on a more personal level
• Circulating during student work time to interact with kids
• Smile
• Greet students at the door
• Have clear expectations
• Model appropriate behavior
• Smile and be pleasant… Be enthusiastic
• Model how to be a master teacher - Zach Good
• Create a community of kindness and respect and empower students to do the same
• Have students complete “academic recovery” plan – (Math)
• Promote a tone of high achievement and support for students.
• Be more present in the hallways before class – greetings and goodbyes
• Open doors, open ears, open hearts
• Utilize hallway helpers, especially for grade 8’s
• Implement more frequent assessment - early feedback and often
• Lots of smiles
• Model it (positive behavior)
• Promote a business-like environment
• Get to know as many students as I can
• Outline expectations, policies and boundaries
• Be positive, smile, say hello, greet kids at the door
• Be in the hall!
• Focus less on content and focus more on building relationships
• Get involvement in extra-curricular
• Implement strategies to reduce tardiness
• Have a sense of humor
• Use games and activities with students
• Treat students firmly and fairly
• Be patient rather than abrupt
• Have clear expectations
• Have more positive parent contact
• Invest time to learn names early to help build rapport
• Making sure gr 8’s are comfortable
• Be a greater presence in the hallway
• Reward positive behaviors both inside and outside the classroom
• Address unacceptable behaviors right away (swearing in hallways, inappropriate behavior, etc)
• Get to know students, create positive tone and relationships
• Clearly communicate structures and routines
• Model pleasant behavior to students and staff
• Promote Global Issues Club
• Work on team building within department
• Build relationships with new students and staff
• Saying ‘hello’ and make eye contact
• Leave doors open… encourage visitors
• Maintain high profile in the halls