By Wayne Elmer and Anne Bonnycastle, WPGA Music Directors

The Senior School Winter Concert will be held this year at the Chan Centre on Monday, Dec. 7th at 7:00 pm.

Register for tickets on the online calendar.

By Wayne Elmer and Anne Bonnycastle, WPGA Music Directors

We are pleased and excited to announce the WPGA Senior School Winter Concert will be held this year at the Chan Centre on the UBC campus on Monday, Dec. 7th at 7:00 pm. (Note the date change from Dec. 8.) 

The WPGA senior choir, jazz choir, strings, jazz and concert bands will present a wonderful program of assorted seasonal, classic and popular repertoire for your enjoyment. This year, the evening will feature a carol sing-along between ensemble presentations, and seasonal refreshments will be provided following the concert in the lobby, where sample works of our senior fine arts students will be on display.

We would like to extend a special invitation to junior school parents to come and hear our senior music students perform, and to witness the results of our students' musical efforts which grow out of the junior school music program.

Please read a special invitation from Mr. Mark Tourigny, WPGA parent and board member:

“Junior school parents! For nine years while our daughters were in the junior school, Mr. Austin would announce to the parents at the junior school concerts "Last night was the senior school concert... it was magnificent... you should have attended... I encourage you to attend next year... " We never did. It was always a busy time of year and, I am embarrassed to admit, we were just a bit skeptical that the senior school concerts could live up to Mr. Austin's exuberance.

Well, the senior school concerts do indeed live up to Mr. Austin's exuberance! They really are magnificent and you really should attend! This is our third year of being treated to the talent and dedication of our senior school musicians and faculty. Come out, enjoy the grandeur of The Chan Centre, and listen to what our senior school musicians can do!”

All are invited to attend our concert, and complimentary tickets can be reserved through registering on the WPGA website - please visit our online calendar and click on the WPGA Senior School Concert link on December 7th to register or click here.

Concert tickets are free of charge; donations to our music programmes will be welcomed at the door. Last year’s concert ‘sold out’ early, so reserve your tickets now and don’t be disappointed. Parking is available at the Rose Garden Parkade (next to the Chan Centre), 6278 North West Marine Drive.

Once again this year, while not mandating student attendance, we are inviting our students to enjoy an evening among friends and faculty at the Chan Centre, celebrating the season through music appreciation. We do expect a full house again in the spirit of our students honouring traditions and supporting all members of our school community. Dress for students is dressy casual.

Attending students will receive a hand-stamp earning them a chance to wear their favourite hoodie or sweater to school on the following day, December 8th.

Performers will meet with their ensemble at the theatre on the day of the event for a 4:00pm dress rehearsal, pizza dinner and warm up. Doors will open at 6:30pm, and we are asking audience members to arrive early to secure seating and to ensure a 7:00pm start.

Students have been working hard in class time and rehearsals to prepare for this engagement. Please join us in celebration of the holiday season and our students’ musical accomplishments in first term.

By Mr. J. Dean, WPGA Parent

Monday, November 30 is the last day to place orders:

• WPGA senior band, choir and strings are busy getting tuned up for their always-superb senior Christmas Concert on December 7, 2009 at the Chan Centre.
• Our musicians are also preparing for their annual spring educational/competition event for which final details are in the process of being completed.
• Kicking off preparations for the 2010 event – and just in time for the holidays – the WPGA Senior Music Department is holding its 3rd annual poinsettia and orchid sale. We have sourced some spectacular plants. Order forms are available by clicking in the Downloads section or at the junior school front office.
• Plants ordered by the deadline of Monday, NOVEMBER 30 will be available for pick up on December 3 & 4 in a location at the school (TBA). Completed order forms and cheque payment can be dropped off at the front desk of the junior or senior schools.

What people are saying…

“These plants are so gorgeous and such a wonderful way to help celebrate the holidays and support our musicians.” Anonymous

“I can’t believe how well the orchids I bought last year have done – they seem to get more beautiful with each set of new blossoms.” - Anonymous

“Red, white, pink, fuchsia – these plants are all sooo beautiful!” – C. Austin

“I just want to shout out loud that your poinsettias and orchids are spectacular!” – W. Lee

“Colourful WPGA Poinsettias and orchids are instrumental to the holidays!” – W. Elmer

“You are certain to hit all the right notes with these lovely plants!” – A. Bonnycastle

Again, order forms are available by clicking in the Downloads section and at the junior school front office.

Make sure that you don’t miss out! Please support our musicians and get something beautiful for yourself at the same time – the WPGA Senior Music groups THANK YOU!

By Ms. T. Ellis, WPGA Parent

Last Friday afternoon, the grade 1 children gave all those in attendance something to smile about. I mean really smile about!

In 45 minutes, the audience had been led around the world via catchy tunes and dance steps only possible by six-year-olds. Everything from a polka to a "swim" in Jamaica; from a rumba to a free dance accompanied by .... Meatloaf? It was pretty awesome. Possibly the highlight of the show was when the children grabbed an audience member as their partner and taught us how to rock n' roll 60s style. We twisted, mash potatoed and hitched a ride to the song "Do you love me?". How could one not smile after that performance!?

A big thank-you to the dance instructor, Mrs. Linda Elliott. I'm not sure how she managed to corral 60 enthusiastic grade 1 students and have them put together a comprehensive display of dance. Everyone who saw the show would agree, we can't wait to see the Scottish Country Dance performance which is scheduled for next term. It's sure to be the hottest ticket in town!

By Ms. H. Thompson, PE Teacher

On Friday, November 20, Ms. Jefferson’s grade 4 class and the Pre-K afternoon class spent some time exercising together in the annex mini-gym and had a wonderful time learning from one another.

Since September, the little buddies have been learning some movement rhymes for their warm up and they showed these to their big buddies:

Small as a mouse, big as a house, take me over the rainbow.

Twist like a snake, tall as a rake, let the rain fall down.

Sit in a chair, climb the stairs, hop around in a circle.

Next the buddies travelled to different stations together, including scarf throwing, bouncy ball catching (they’re tricky!), and yoga poses, including the Pre-K favourite: The LION! Roar!

The grade 4s were helpful in teaching the little buddies how to throw and catch using hand-eye coordination. The little buddies enjoyed the one-on-one time to share all that they have learned thus far in PE with Mrs. Thompson. There was lots of moving, sharing, learning and caring with our buddies.

By Ms. E. Okomoto, WPGA Parent

The Loonie Sale is coming and our holiday workshop is in need of donations to make the sale a merry one for all.

We will put you on the “nice” list if you would please donate ALMOST NEW ITEMS to our sale from the categories below.
From Mom to Grandpa to baby sister, it is our goal to collect gifts for every person on a holiday list.

• books in good condition (art, decor, sports, parenting, current events, newer fiction)
• DVDs / CDs (please no VHS or cassettes)
• jewelry & cufflinks
• games & puzzles (please ensure they are complete)
• ties & scarves
• kitchen gadgets
• toys in good condition (sorry, NO stuffed animals, etc.)
• home decor: candles, picture frames,
• NEW personal care items: bubble bath, fragrance, wrapped soaps
• misc: golf balls, tees, swag, wine gadgets

This annual event is very meaningful to our children as it gives them the opportunity to shop for their family members and loved ones without the prying eyes of parents. To see a child’s eyes light up when he or she has found the “perfect gift” is priceless.

We know the holiday season is fast approaching and free time is scarce, but any near-new donation would be a tremendous contribution to the children’s shopping experience. Items can be brought to the junior school office lobby area or directly outside of the PVG room until Wednesday, December 9th.

Should you like to volunteer your time for this heart-warming event (and grab a friend to take with you), please contact Eileen Okamoto at ejokamoto@shaw.ca or look for sign-up sheets in the junior school lobby this week.

The Loonie Sale will be set up on Wednesday, December 9th and occur on Thursday, December 10th and Friday, December 11th for Grades Pre-K to 5. Proceeds of the Loonie Sale will support the KidsSafe program, so put on those jingle bells and get into the spirit of giving!

By Mr. C. Stroud, Math Teacher

The grade 6 students will be presenting their Interactive Math and Science Fair at two different locations.

On December 3rd, 6DM will be presenting at the Planetarium. In attendance will be students from other schools and UBC Math Education students. On December 12th, 6HN and 6VS will be presenting at the Vancouver Aquarium to the general public, and UBC Math Education Students.

The students who will present at the Planetarium (6DM) have tailored their questions to match the displays in the courtyard where they will be presenting in that area of the Space Centre. The students presenting at the Vancouver Aquarium have tailored their problems to coalesce with the various exhibits around the venue and will be presenting as near as possible to the relevant exhibits.

These interactive and student-driven displays are an innovative approach to learning scientific knowledge and mathematical problem-solving skills in unison. While actively solving mathematical puzzles, students expand their ability to solve math problems skills and engage in a process of scientific discovery.

We invite the school community to attend. If you wish to purchase tickets for the Aquarium for that date in advance, the school will be organizing a group rate of $12.50 for adults and $9.50 for students. Please contact the junior school front desk if you wish to take advantage of this.

By Isabel Mink and Tessa Ladner, Grade 9

Nearly tumbling and sliding over the slick mud of a newly fallen rain, the grade 9 social studies class tore

By Isabel Mink and Tessa Ladner, Grade 9

Nearly tumbling and sliding over the slick mud of a newly fallen rain, the grade 9 social studies class tore over campus in search of valuable items to trade for their beaver pelts.

After several long and strenuous journeys the students returned with many useful European goods such as sewing needles and beaver traps. Unfortunately most of the grade 9 student body was killed by a relentless disease called smallpox which, carried by a vast majority of the traded merchandise, wiped out the innocent traders.

This was a learning activity in which all the grade 9 classes all participated in last week. The objective of the venture was to put oneself in the shoes of a Native Canadian trader, and use stealth and cunning to trade one's beaver pelts for the highest quality and most necessary items. It was a fantastic way to learn about the competitive speed, crafty bartering, and losses and gains of fur trading in Canada and above all it was ridiculously fun!

The fur trade between Europeans and Native Canadians led to the founding of the Hudson’s Bay Company, a large enterprise we now know as ‘the Bay’. It shaped our country, influencing the Natives with European culture, as well as almost wiping out the Native population with the introduction of smallpox. Our lives today would be drastically different if the Natives had not made contact with the Europeans through the fur trade.

The grade 9 Social Studies classes would like to thank the following teachers for acting as the HBC actors and who made the trading such an adventure: Ms. Wittmann, Ms. Breslin, Mr. Webster, Mr. McMullan, Ms. Lee, Ms. Esdaile, Mrs. McGee, Mr. Davidov, Mrs. Hurley and Ms Danieli as well as grade 11 students Stephanie Valdez and Cali McTavish .

By Mr. W. Lee, Drama Teacher

With the first term winding down, there is much excitement in the air. One event at the heart of it all is the grade 7 production of 'A Christmas Classroom’.  The grade 7 drama team has worked diligently to make this modern look at the timeless Dickens tale of Ebenezer Scrooge a fun and entertaining romp for the entire family. Any dramatic work that has ABBA, Michael Jackson and dialogue liberally sprinkled with words like 'lollygaggers' and 'curmudgeon' is bound to be more entertaining than anything on TV.

We would like to extend invitations to both evening performances to the WPGA community. The presentations will take place in the drama studio at 5pm on Tuesday, December 1st and Wednesday, December 2nd. Come be entertained and support the junior school drama program at the same time! I will personally guarantee that anyone who attends will not be haunted by three ghosts as they sleep at night.

See you at the show. No tickets needed. If you have any questions or concerns please email Warren Lee at wlee@wpga.ca.

“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.”

Mother Theresa

“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.”

Mother Theresa

What is compassion?

Compassion is having kind feelings toward someone who may be hurt or troubled. It is caring deeply and wanting to help, even if you don’t know the person. It comes from the ability to take another’s perspective, to imagine what that person may be feeling or thinking.

Why practise it?

When people are hurt or troubled, they often feel isolated and alone. Without compassion the world can be a judgmental and lonely place. Compassion helps us to be understanding of others and ourselves.

How do you practice it?

Compassion begins by noticing when someone seems sad or troubled. Put yourself in their place and ask how you would feel if it were happening to you. Think about how you can help. Take time to listen, and then say kind things like “What are you sad about?” and “How can I help?” Be forgiving when others make mistakes. Be a friend when others need one.

In Action:

What would compassion look like if:

• You see an injured animal on the side of the road?

• There are people in your neighborhood without warm winter clothes?

• Your family knows of someone in need?

• A new student is lonely and feels left out?

• Your brother’s best friend just moved away?

For Reflection at home:

What does compassion feel like inside?

When have you felt compassion for someone you didn’t know?

What does it feel like to be lonely?

Name some organizations whose core principle is compassion.

*C.A.R.E.(Citizenship, Attitude, Respect, Esteem)

is a character education program that uses monthly themes to lead lessons, discussions, and activities that develop pro-social skills and attitudes within the community, highlighting the virtues of citizenship, positive attitudes, respect for self and others, and the fostering of authentic self-esteem. Replacing the traditional approach of “anti-bullying” programs, C.A.R.E. endeavours to help students seek healthy relationships and to develop virtues within themselves that enable them to be good citizens of solid moral character.

Grey Wolves: Charlie Maslechko, Matthew Babbitt, Jarvis Andereson, Matteo Aquilini, Martin Prchal, Eric Lyall, Liam Butler, Adam Schipper, Caius Chew, Edwin Kim, Robert Jinn, Connor Day, Michael Mastracci, Eric Wang

Black Wolves: Spencer Hall, Ethan Ho, Bradley Kwun, Alex Drimaropoulos, Tomas Chen, Dariush Harandi, Noah King, Jay McCauley, Yunsung Kang, Christopher Zhang, Sean Delany, Andrew Xiao,  Zachary Vavasour, Gabriel Schwarz-Dardick, Andrew Johnson

On behalf of the entire team we thank our coaches Mr. Stroud and Mr. Scott for all their hard work and commitment!

By Alice Hu, Stephanie Chang, and Kitty He, Grade 6

On November 12, all of the grade 6 volleyball girls headed to Crofton House for the ISEAs. We won some games but more importantly, we got to practice our skills. This term, all the girls trained hard and were taught skills like setting, serving, and bumping by our enthusiastic coach, Mrs. Murphy. We all loved being part of the volleyball team and had lots of fun. We hope to have a successful season next year. A huge thank you to Mrs. Murphy and all the parents who helped out.

By Ms. H. Thompson & Mr. Scott Carr, PE/Athletics Department

As all of our teachers, coaches and students are

By Ms. H. Thompson & Mr. Scott Carr, PE/Athletics Department

As all of our teachers, coaches and students are shifting gears from term 1 to term 2 sports, basketball is definitely on the brains for many.

There is a contagious energy bubbling into our gyms, and it is coming from the new grade 6 and 7 girls lunch hour 3:3 programme.

WPGA basketball coaches thought it would be helpful to offer a place for the younger girls to practice their basketball skills, in order for them to gain confidence. Starting with only five girls coming down to the gym and shooting hoops, word quickly spread and in only two weeks, the lunch hour tournaments on Mondays and Wednesdays have expanded to using the full gym. Six basketball hoops offering a place for teams of three girls playing half court basketball to music creates a lot of spirit in the gym! As coaches, we couldn’t ask for more energy, enthusiasm and willingness to take a chance from these girls.

Basketball is a great team sport that challenges teamwork, strategy, accuracy and perseverance. Come out and join us!

How are we doing on our torch relay?

By Winnie and Alicia, Grade 6

On Tuesday November 24, the whole junior school gathered in the gym for a phenomenal assembly.

By Winnie and Alicia, Grade 6

On Tuesday November 24, the whole junior school gathered in the gym for a phenomenal assembly.

Everyone was allowed to wear red or white tops with their regular uniform bottoms. During this assembly, Mr. Read and Miss Brymer gave us an update of the WPGA torch relay. Three lucky students won prizes for running. After that, the superb Mr. Lee got us excited about our very own Olympic opening ceremony that will occur on Friday February 10th 2010. Last but not least, two representatives from each class chose the country that they will be representing in the opening ceremony.

Every class will be learning about the culture, food and more. Below are the list of classes and their countries:

Pre-K: China

KJN and KCL: Japan

1LR: USA

1DS: Finland

1KM: France

2DD: Netherlands

2DL: United Kingdom

2JB: Ukraine

3AR: Austria

3TV: Australia

3HN: Czech Republic

4SK: Italy

4DS: Norway

4AJ: Sweden

5AB: Russia Republic

5LE: Poland

5AS: Germany

6VS: Estonia

6HN: Switzerland

6DM: Croatia

Grade 7: South Korea

We are very excited to learn about the culture, background, and traditions of Switzerland and Croatia. With 76 days to go, everyone is very impatient for the Olympics to start. Thank you to Mr. Lee for making this assembly a fabulous one. Go Wolves Go!

By Mrs. T. Tarn, Junior School Art Teacher

Last week, the grade 7 art class had the privilege of participating in a printmaking workshop led by special guest

By Mrs. T. Tarn, Junior School Art Teacher

Last week, the grade 7 art class had the privilege of participating in a printmaking workshop led by special guest artist, Ms. Heather Aston. She is a full-time artist who works out of the Malaspina Printmakers Studio on Granville Island where she produces her monotypes, etchings and relief prints.

The students learned how to use watercolour paints and crayons on Plexiglas plates to create images of a garden. After the paint on the plate was dried, the students ran it through a printmaking press along with dampened specialty paper to form a unique one-of-a-kind print. This process is called “monotype” printmaking, in which all the paint transfers to the paper so it is not possible to make more than one print, hence the prefix “mono”. It was a wonderful way to learn a new method of creating artwork!

By Jacob Kim, Grade 7

This week, the whole junior school had a fun and a loving week. They got to show the teachers how much they loved the teachers. That’s right, it was the house dodgeball! In the primary game, the grade 1s and 2s threw and the teachers rolled their balls back. At the first game, the teachers dominated the grade 1s and 2s. In the second and the third game, Wally the Wolf came out of nowhere and protected the primary kids. At the end, the teachers were exhausted, but not the primary students! The final result was…a student victory! As it was coming to the end of lunch, the grade 1s and 2s finally shook hands with their teachers and the day ended in peace.

By Ms. T. Lee, Debate Coach

The Oxford Union Society's annual schools' competition is the largest British Parliamentary

By Ms. T. Lee, Debate Coach

The Oxford Union Society's annual schools' competition is the largest British Parliamentary schools level competition in the world. Over a thousand schools in the UK, Ireland and Canada are invited to participate every year in qualifying regional tournaments; last year’s finals day had 550 teams competing to attain one of the 88 spots available for Finals day. Canada is eligible to send the top two teams (from different provinces) from North America’s Oxford Cup tournament. This year’s Oxford Cup was hosted by Gray Academy in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The top provincial teams from nine provinces competed in an intense two-day tournament that tested students’ knowledge of international issues and global affairs.

West Point Grey Academy debaters Iqbal Kassam, Jonathan Carson, Ashley Bowron and Sophie Bird stepped up to the challenge of debating diverse topics such as North Korea’s nuclear power, tougher immigration policies, Somalian piracy and foreign aid policies. All rounds were impromptu so teams had 30 minutes to prepare their cases before each round of debate. After the six preliminary rounds, we were thrilled to hear the announcement that both WPGA teams had advanced to the semi-finals. Facing top teams from Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario, our two teams handily advanced from their semi-final rounds to compete in the final round held at the Shaarey Zedek synagogue.

Congratulations to Sophie Bird & Ashley Bowron who took the 2nd and to Oxford Cup champions, Jonathan Carson and Iqbal Kassam who will represent Canada in the 2010 Oxford Finals. Kassam & Carson will be the third West Point Grey senior team to debate at the Oxford Finals.

This week, we feature teachers who have taught in Germany and Great Britain as well as one teacher who is a big Scott Stevens fan.