Our Junior School is certainly a leader when it comes to recycling the long-life containers we DO use.  Thanks in a big way to people like Mr. Workman, Mr. Race, and many helpful volunteer parents, teachers and students, our school recycles:

Glass Bottles
Approximately 40 bottles per day = 5kg of glass (25 kg per week, 1000 kg for the school year)
Things that weigh approximately 1000 kg: a small sedan; thirty Grade 5 students; a black rhino.

Juice Box Cartons
Approx 200 per day = 5 sq m of paper/polyethylene juice carton material per day (1000 square metres for the school year)
Things with an approximate surface area of 1000 sq m: six volleyball courts; fifteen Mulgrave school classrooms

Aluminum Pop Cans
Approximately 50 per day = 250 per week = 10,000 per school year.
Approximately 150,000 g of aluminum metal per school year.
If stacked, the approximate height of the tower of cans we recycle in a year would be 1.2 kg.
Things that are approximately 1.2 km: Twice the height of the CN tower (tower is 553m); 50% higher than Cypress Mountain (mountain is 832 m)

Well done, Team!

I was surprised to find that a Mulgrave Grade 2 assembly was posted on the internet using "youtube", available for the world to see.  My concern is one shared by many parents, especially those parents who are involved in the electronic crime fields, and that concern is that such footage of our children could be inappropriately used by those with the know-how.  I would ask parents to respect the privacy of other families by not posting videos or photographs of our children on the internet without the express permission of all those whose children feature.

Now that the title has grabbed your attention, I hope to start a dialogue in both our school and in your homes about the culture that seems to have developed around lost property.  What is particularly troubling to those of us trying to raise principled young people, is that even those families who are following our recommendations and permanently labelling all articles are now being affected by those who choose not to label.  To quote an email from a parent, "It appears that a culture has developed whereby kids believe that the definition of "Found" pertains to anyone who is in need of, or who may desire, a lost item  as opposed to the actual owner of the "Lost" item.  I think what I find most interesting,  and confusing, about this issue is that, even prior to my kids attending Mulgrave, a parent mentioned that this is what "everyone does".  I have since heard this statement from other parents, the implication being, it seems, that because "everyone" takes items from the lost and found it's okay.  Personally, I know that "everyone" doesn't engage in this behaviour, but it's a great justification for dodgy behaviour!"

Well said!  If this is indeed a culture that has developed, then we all need to do our part to stop it.  It is NOT right, whether you would go so far as to call it stealing or not, to take somebody else's belongings without their permission.  I know of one child who actually found someone else wearing his coat, and when he checked, yes...his name was clearly inside it.  The wearer had 'borrowed' it so he could go outside.

Apart from a few minor changes brought in over time, the uniform rules at Mulgrave have not changed.  Navy blue, hooded coats, for example, have been required for play, when it is raining, for over ten years!  A child who does not remember to have his or her coat at school must learn that in life there are consequences to forgetting, in this case having to stay inside.  Passing those consequences onto someone else by 'borrowing' their coat without their permission is morally wrong, by most anyone's standards.

As re-enrolment is almost upon us, I thought it might be a good time to repeat an article I wrote in the Buzz a year and a half ago - A School Of Choice.  As a school, we have certainly received a lot of good feedback lately, particularly from parents who have done their research and visited many of the independent schools in the Lower Mainland.  Additionally, I have found it personally interesting that some parents, who thought Mulgrave was NOT what they wanted, have been asking us if we have room to take them back!  Here is the repeated article:

As I consider the effort being put in by the teachers, I reflect on why you should send your children to Mulgrave.  Why should you feel proud of your school and willing to defend it when you hear from those with alternate agendas or incomplete information? An independent school is, after all, about choice.  You have chosen this school, one hopes, because you believe in the philosophy and lofty goals we set for our students.  You have chosen us because you believe in the climate created by an administration and teaching staff, who care deeply about the whole child.  You have chosen us because you want an environment of academic rigour that pushes each child to give of his or her best, while recognising that every child has gifts and we do not only want those who excel in a narrow academic strand. 

If you do not believe that in these things, then you have not truly exercised your right of choice.  Mulgrave is not for everyone. There will always be people whose philosophies differ and, as the IB mission statement says, those people may also be right.  We recognise this and wish those families with different goals the very best as they exercise their choice to find a programme more suited to their needs.  Those of us here, though, do believe that we are among the very best schools in this country and, indeed, on this continent.  Those of us who travel and visit many other schools, recognise how lucky we are to be in a school where the children are working so hard to live up to our expectations.  We hear it from outsiders who work with children from many schools across the North Shore…people who can tell a Mulgravian from others and so choose to bring their children here based upon their experiences; people who consult at schools around the country and, once they spend time here, tell us that we are among the best, without a doubt.

While we are not without our weaknesses, we exceed so many of the standards that make for a great school.  Our sporting teams are among the most competitive.  The recent example of a girls’ volleyball team going through an end-of-season tournament undefeated is but one example.  More importantly, to which our parent volunteers who went with our cross-country team to Victoria will attest, our students stand so far above other schools in terms of behaviour and sportsmanship, that one father commented, “I don’t know whether to be proud we’re so good or scared that we may be too nerdy!”  The Fraser Institute has ranked our school as number 1 for the past 5 years…we have never achieved anything less than a perfect ten.  Those of you who read my letter to the editor in the Vancouver Sun last Spring will know that I do not care much for the Fraser Institute’s system of ranking, but it does provide a measure of a small part of our total programme and so is worth mentioning.  As a community, we contribute more to those less fortunate, I believe, than almost any other school (last year, it was over $60,000)…and so we should, as we are among the world’s most fortunate, in many ways.  We recognise that citizenship and service are about a lot more than giving money though, and we give back in many other ways, by offering services to our community.  The PYP is leading our students to even more enduring and purposeful action.  In the arts, you only have to attend a concert or an assembly to get a sense that we are teaching so much more than the standard curriculum.  Guests who attend our assemblies say they feel like they have entered a Harry Potter novel.  Assembly after assembly, I am blown away by the performances our students give and the inspiration the teachers provide through their development of a presentation.  Students are learning about the success than can be felt when they are part of a larger group and more than an individual.

I do not want to sound elitist and so hope I am achieving that.  I believe strongly in public education but I also believe in choice.  One of the things that allows us to give you the best programme is the flexibility we have in getting the best teachers.  It is not always easy to keep them in a school as demanding as this, but the majority of parents and students certainly help us through their support and encouragement.  Our teachers love working with children and derive true pleasure from those ‘ah-ha’ moments when a child learns.  For a true teacher, that means more than anything else.

We have had many new families join us from other schools in the past few years, and I like to talk to those parents who have experienced something else, to find out what they think we are doing best.  The vast majority, like me, are in awe of our teachers, our student’s accomplishments, our incredible facility and our atmosphere as a school.  They are confirming to those of us who have started taking things for granted that we are doing so many things right.  To quote one parent from another North Shore school, who brought two children over to us this year, “You guys are fantastic.  Your teachers are amazing and so dedicated.  Your building is wonderful;  there is something about the feeling in the school that it is hard to put a finger on, but my girls are loving it.” We should feel proud of that and speak out against those who would be negative.  To quote another parent, “We need to have the confidence to avoid comparison and focus on being the best that we can be.”   It is time to shrug off the old feelings of inferiority and stand up for the quality programme we have chosen. We must focus on what is important and ask ourselves, "Are we the best that we can be?"  In matters of education, the answer will always be, "No. We strive for more."

This is a friendly reminder to please help us ensure the effective education of your children by getting your children to school on time.  School begins at 8:15 a.m. This means that students should be with their teacher BEFORE the 8:20 a.m. late bell rings.  If your child arrives just a couple of minutes before to the parking lot, this is not enough time for your child to be on time.  We recommend arriving between 7:50-8:05 a.m. to ensure your child is on time.  Tardiness is disruptive to both your child’s education and to all the other children in the classroom.  Just to give you an idea of how tardiness effects your child’s education, reflect on the following:

A child who is tardy 5 minutes a day misses 25 minutes weekly, 100 minutes monthly, and 15 hours yearly of instructional time.

A child who is tardy 10 minutes a day misses 50 minutes weekly, 3.33 hours monthly, and 30 hours yearly of instructional time.

A child who is tardy 15 minutes a day misses 1 hour 15 minutes weekly, 5 hours monthly, and 45 hours yearly of instructional time.

A child who is tardy 30 minutes a day misses 2 hours 30 minutes weekly, 10 hours monthly, and 90 hours yearly of instructional time.

As you can see, just a few minutes a day really adds up!  I am concerned for many children who arrive late on a daily basis.  Please help us help your children and arrive to school on time. We thank you for your continued support in your children’s success.

A rustle in the lime green grass.
Aware are its twitching ears.
The crunching of moist, fresh dirt
   awakens its wild fears.
Heavy breathing on its neck
   starts the muscles squirming.
A glistening smile on its back,
   sends the dust whirling.
Leaping through the thick undergrowth,
   prancing over soft, old leaves,
   its nose quivers rhythmically.
All is quiet from what I can see.
Then it lets out a bewildered thump,
   and dashes to a nearby tree,
And under the roots' rough bumps,
   its cotton fur is speckled with dirt,
   its left foot is twisted badly,
But inside its quite tender heart,
   mirth and excitement stir,
For the trickiest predator in town,
   is now stuck in the piercing burrs.