Junior School News

Dear Grade 1-5 Parent/Guardian,

On behalf of the Ministry of Education and Child Care, we are sharing the survey information below to help inform the Province’s ChildCareBC initiatives:

We know that many families depend on school-age child care to ensure their children have a quality, affordable, and inclusive place to be during a parent’s full work day. That is why the Province’s ChildCareBC plan is working to expand access to child care for all families that want and need it.

The Ministry of Education and Child Care is conducting a parent survey to better understand the regional and provincial demand for school-age child care.

While we know there is unmet demand for school-aged child care, there is no current provincial or regional data quantifying the demand. Your participation will help the Province plan for future school-aged child care expansions.

This survey is intended for all parents, regardless of the type of child care you currently use or even if you are not using any child care at all.

Who should fill out this survey?

If you have children attending Kindergarten to Grade 7 at a B.C. school, we want to hear from you about your family’s child care needs.

What will this survey be used for?

The survey results will be used to support planning for future initiatives under the ChildCareBC plan. All responses are voluntary and anonymous; you and your child will not be identified as a result of your participation in the survey. Information received will be combined and shared with your school and district as a summary.

How do I complete the survey?

The survey is now available online at: https://www.awinfosys.com/surveyfull3/minofed/main/SchoolAgeParents.asp?SchoolNumber=1177 and is available in 18 languages. The survey will take 10-15 minutes to complete. Please only complete the survey once. The link is intended especially for you. Please do not share the link with anyone else. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at ChildCareBC.Engagement@gov.bc.ca. If you encounter any technical difficulties, please contact the web survey provider (AWIS) at support@awinfosys.com.

We greatly appreciate your input and thank you in advance for your participation. Thank you.

Kind Regards,

Karyn Mitchell

Junior School Principal

It’s Report Card time soon! Junior School Progress Report Cards will be available via the SEQTA portal on Friday, November 24. In keeping with Mulgrave’s values that lifelong learning is built upon curiosity, creativity, agility, and innovative thinking, and our support of students as they strive for balance in their pursuit of personal best, we provide feedback on both academic progress in subjects and Approaches to Learning (AtL) skills.

At the end of the 2022-3 academic year we reviewed our Report Cards, and are grateful to the MVP for representing parent views during this process. One piece of feedback we received was the confusion of different reporting scales for subjects and AtLs. Consequently, these proficiency scales will be aligned and the descriptors we will use for both subjects and skills are Beginning (B), Developing (D), Practising (P) and Expanding (E) as outlined below:

Note that “Practising” is the level that we expect students to be working at by the end of the year. 

The Primary Years Report Card Overview

Each report card provides a detailed summary of your child’s growth throughout the term. The report outlines the progress in each subject area, as well as, growth in the Approaches to Learning (AtL) skills. You will also find a comment from your child’s teacher with suggested ways to support learning at home. 

The Primary Years Programme (PYP) is designed to provide a holistic education experience that nurtures a child's intellectual, personal, social, and emotional growth. It emphasises inquiry-based learning, intercultural understanding, and the development of a global perspective. One of the key principles of the PYP is its progressive nature, which aligns with the idea that education is an ongoing journey. As such, it is essential to understand that your child’s progress may change from term to term as they progress throughout the year.

The PYP aims to assess a wide range of skills and attributes, including conceptual understanding, skills development, and learner profile attributes. The PYP assessment focuses on monitoring, measuring and documenting learning throughout every subject area. Teachers use pre-assessments, formative (during the unit) and summative assessments (end of the unit) to inform teaching and learning. 

We trust this report gives you insight into your child’s performance in each area, as well as, strategies on how to assist their learning at home. Please do not hesitate to contact either of us (mimoore@mulgrave.com or kmitchell@mulgrave.com  ) if you have any questions or comments.

TERM 2 REGISTRATION

Term 2 Registration will open Monday, November 27th (4:00pm) and close on December 11th (4:00pm) through Blackbaud. 

Please note that registration is not accessible until Nov 27th at 4:00 pm. Please do not try to access the system until then. You will need your child's 4-digit student ID to register (found on SEQTA or Blackbaud) and register individually for each child. For registration instructions, click HERE.

Term 2 Clubs start Monday, January 15th after Winter Break. 

ISEA G4-5 Basketball & G3-5 Swim Club         

• ISEA G4-5 Basketball Registration

  • Basketball begins November 15th until February 14th every Monday & Wednesday from 3:45pm - 4:45pm.

  • Please note students MUST attend both practices on Mondays & Wednesdays and all games. 

  • Please contact Ms. Zsu Zsu Straub: zstraub@mulgrave.com or Mr. AJ Matthews: amattews@mulgrave.com if you have any questions. 

  • Registration closes November 3rd.

• ISEA G3-5 Swim Club Registration

  • Swim Club begins November 21st until February 14th every Tuesday morning at 7.30am & Friday at 2:30pm. Please contact Mr. James Gardiner: jgardiner@mulgrave.com if you have any questions. 

  • Tuesday mornings:
    - Students are dropped off by 7:15am.
    - Practice starts at 7:30am until 8:30am.
    - School bus will take students to school.

  • Friday afterschool:
    - Students will depart the school at 2:15pm by school bus.
    - Practice starts at 2:30pm until 3:30pm.
    - Parents will pick up students at the West Van Aquatic Centre at 3:30pm.

  • Registration closes November 3rd. 

Term 1 Clubs

• Last week of Term 1 Clubs - week of Dec 4th

• Please note the last class for Thursday's "G1-2 Science 4 Kids" is Dec 14th (makeup class for Sept 21st)

• The Term 1 Club List is available HERE.

• Musical Theatre (Wednesdays)

  • Students may now register on a per-term basis to participate. Please click here to register. 

  • Click here for more detailed information and to learn about this exciting program. 

JS 2023-2024 Co-Curricular Guide

• To access the click HERE.

• Please note the guide is subject to changes in offerings and dates/times. 

Key things to note: 

• Students are dismissed after school to their registered co-curricular clubs.

• Pick-up for clubs ending at 4:30pm (Mon-Thurs) takes place at the Cedar entrance (JS East entrance) with their instructor at 4:30pm. Students who are not picked up will be taken to After School Care and will be invoiced accordingly. Parents will access After School Care through the Upper JS parking lot. 

• Pick-up for clubs ending at 5:00pm (Mon-Fri) takes place at the Cypress entrance (main entrance) with their instructor.

• Pick-up for Goh Ballet level 1 ending at 5:30pm takes place at the Athletics entrance. 

• Pick-up for Friday clubs takes place at the Cedar entrance (JS East entrance) with their instructor. Students who are not picked up will be taken to After School Care and will be invoiced accordingly. Parents will access After School Care through the Upper JS parking lot. 

• If a club is canceled due to unforeseen circumstances, families will be notified and students will be taken to complimentary After School Care. Located at the JS Rooftop Playground, it is accessible on the 3rd floor from the Fir Entrance.

COFFEE & PYP SESSIONS WITH MS. RAMJI: 

This year, we are excited to host a series of five In-Person Open Door sessions geared toward enhancing your understanding of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP). These interactive sessions will prepare you with effective tools to support your child’s learning in the PYP and provide you with an opportunity to converse with other families. In order to meet your particular needs, the sessions will target specific audiences and will be held in the Junior School foyer from 8:30-9:30.  

Upcoming sessions:

• Session #3: January 24: Why don’t they teach directly anymore? Inquiry and play in the PYP 
  • For: G1-5 families
• Session #4: February 28: Tests, marks, grades-what happened to them? Assessment in the PYP
  • For: G2-5 families (G1 families are welcome if they didn’t attend Session 2)
• Session #5: April 17: Raising skilled caring children who make a difference in the world
  • For: G1-5 families

HOW TO ALLY WORKSHOP SERIES WITH JEN NEWSTED

Jen Newsted is an enthusiastically energetic self-employed consultant who helps entrepreneurs, small businesses and organizations activate transformational work centering anti-racism and reconciliation commitments. Jen embraces curiosity, truth and vulnerability in order to co-create a safe space of learning and sharing to facilitate moving beyond performative actions. 

The workshops will be held in the MCEC from 4:00-5:30 on the following dates:

• Oct 26
• Nov 30
• Jan 25
• Feb 22
• Apr 18
• May 16

Please sign up here. Thank you!

Please ensure all items (clothing, lunchboxes, water bottles, shoes etc...) are properly labeled with the student's FIRST & LAST NAME so that they can be returned to the rightful owner. 

JS Lost & Found is located outside the music room 1072 on the main level.  

Mulgrave Junior School provides licensed After School Care for Kindergarten to Grade 4 students and is run by two qualified teachers. All students who are in Kindergarten to Grade 4 must attend if they are not picked up by their parents/caregivers after dismissal. Located at the JS Rooftop Playground, it is accessible on the 3rd floor from the Fir Entrance.

• COST:  Complimentary until 4:00pm, and a cost of $15/day from 4:05pm to 5:00pm. After 5:00pm, there is an additional cost of $1.00/min. Families are invoiced at the end of every month.
• HOW IT WORKS: Students are signed in with "the time of arrival", and signed out with "the time of pick-up" on the daily log. If you have not registered and require last-minute care, please email your teacher, and they will be sent to After School Care.
• BUS RIDERS:  After School Care is complimentary for students who are taking the bus.
• JS CO-CURRICULAR CLUBS: Students who are not picked up after their Co-Curricular Club ends will automatically be sent to After School Care and parents will be invoiced accordingly.

Regular attendance and punctuality are essential to student achievement. In order to help students develop positive habits for success, it is important to hold them responsible and accountable for their attendance and punctuality.  

We recognise that from time to time, unforeseen circumstances may arise; when this occurs, a parent/guardian should email the classroom teacher directly OR email attendance@mulgrave.com. Please note we no longer accept attendance notifications through our school phone line.  

If a student is leaving early, they must sign out from the Junior School office. Thank you!