VOLUME89,Issue8MARCH2017

RICHMOND SECONDARY SCHOOL

NEWSLETTER HOMEOFTHECOLTS-ESTABLISHEDIN1927

Principal:Mr.JimAllisonAddress: 7171MinoruBlvd,Richmond,BC,CanadaV6Y1Z3VicePrincipals:Mr.GordonFitt&Ms.SandyHuiPhone: 604-668-6400Fax:604-278-4734PAC:Ms.O.Fedorenko EarlyWarning: 604-247-2658TrusteeLiaison:Ms.D.SargentTwitter:@richmondcolts

Website: http://rhs.sd38.bc.ca

Principal’s Message:The second term report card went home with students on March 9 and we invite parents and students to sit down together and discuss progress to date. Celebrate the successes and speak honestly about areas that may need some improvement before the end of the school year. Based on the feedback provided by the report card, students are encouraged to revisit their learning goals and make plans to adapt, as necessary. Parents can make appointments online to meet with teachers on April 5 or April 6 – please see the link on the school website. As a school, we are always striving to improve the learning experiences of our students to help them develop the knowledge, skills and competencies they will need to continue to succeed and learn in the future. We invite parents to tell us what their expectations and hopes are for their children in high school – please see the short survey link on page 4 of this newsletter. I sincerely hope every member of our school community has a great spring break and I look forward to seeing happy and rejuvenated Richmond Colts again on Monday, March 27 and please note, this is the start of our final block rotation – Day 2 – 3124. Thank you, Mr. A

“Home of the Colts” GO SHARKS

Enjoy Spring Break! We wish all members of our school community a well-deserved Spring Break. We hope everyone is able to use this valuable time to recharge their batteries and take a mental break from the routines of school and the demands of formal learning. Get outside, be active and enjoy the longer days that come with the switch to Daylight Savings Time on March 12. Perhaps read a novel or two, or explore Richmond or Vancouver, as there is so much to see and do in our own backyard as we live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world! If your family is going away on a longer trip – have fun and be safe. The important final three months of the school year are typically very busy for students, so we look forward to seeing everyone ready to go again on Monday, March 27 – Day 2 – 3124.

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“Home of the Colts” GO SHARKS

RSSNEWSLETTERVOLUME89,Issue8MARCH2017

Grade 7 Basketball Fun! We welcomed girls’ and boys’ basketball teams from Brighouse, Cook, Ferris and General Currie elementary schools to Richmond Secondary on March 6-7 to play in the annual Colt Country Classic. This wonderful tradition has been an annual event at our school for over 20 years as we look to strengthen relationships with our future students while also providing opportunities for RSS students to give back and to practice their leadership skills. Judging by all the smiling, happy faces, it was two great days for all of the younger students, especially the Grade 7s who will be members of the RSS Colts graduating class of 2022! A huge thanks to all the teachers, principals and vice principals, coaches and sponsors of the elementary teams and especially to Mr. Winograd and current Colts student-athletes who organized and refereed this excellent event! The next event for all incoming Grade 7s will be our “Grade 7 Hot Dog & Fun Day” on May 12. #GoColts

2017-2018 School Transfer Applications PAUSED Due to provincial changes to class size and composition, the Richmond School District has put a hold on all school transfer requests for 2017-2018. Richmond Superintendent Sherry Elwood has announced that decisions on student transfers for September will be made after Spring Break. Check the SD38 website for more information: http://www.sd38.bc.ca/

RHS Science Teams Rock! On Saturday March 4 and Sunday March 5, over 30membersof theRHS juniorandseniorscience teamscompeted at the UBC Physics Olympics and theRichmond School District’s Popsicle Bridge-Buildingcompetitions.AtUBC, school teamsfromalloverB.C.competedinaseriesofsixeventsandthecompetitorsincluded some very capable scientific thinkers! Ahighlight of the day for the Richmond Secondarysenior teamwasplacing4th out of 70 schools in thechallenging“Quizzics”event!Thenextdaybothteamswere atAberdeen Centre andRHS swept 1st, 2nd and3rd place in the high school bridge buildingcompetition!Thestudentsandstaffhadanenjoyabletwodaysofappliedlearning!ThankstoMr.Chow,Mr.Freeman and Teacher Candidate Mr. Melin for theirsupport.

RHS Japanese Students Shine at UBC Congratulations to five RHS Grade 11 students who were selected to participate in the UBC Japanese Speaking Contest on March 4. Well done to Yoanne Lin, Julie Ma, Amy Shao, Salena Xu and to Amy Wu who placed 2nd in her division! Thanks to Ms. Yasui for her dedication to Japanese language and culture at our school – students interested in travelling to Japan next year on a school trip and urged to see Ms. Yasui in room 102 or parents can contact her to find out more at: lyasui@sd38.bc.ca

2017 Colt Country Classic! Fun!

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“Home of the Colts” GO SHARKS

RSSNEWSLETTERVOLUME89,Issue8MARCH2017

Rave Reviews for The Ash Girl Richmond Secondary School’s RSVP Theatre’s production of The Ash Girl was a smash hit! Large audiences, including a couple of sold-out shows, enjoyed Timberlake Wertenbaker’s contemporary twist on the Cinderella story. The Ash Girl carries a powerful message as the play is about a girl who is abandoned by her father and mistreated by her step-family and is struggling with her identity. She is being seduced by the forces of Sadness and the Seven Deadly Sins. Whether we choose to listen to the dark voices inside our heads, to fall under their spell, is ultimately our choice. Everyone we encounter in life is a mirror; they show us a side of ourselves, either good or bad. Only when she is able to see her own beauty in the mirror, when her passions are awakened by seeing herself reflected in the eyes of love, can Ash Girl be fully recognized. The cast and crew worked very hard for months and created a magical setting. The costumes, lighting, props and set were a perfect background for a cast of very talented student-actors, who did an amazing job of bringing their characters to life. Congratulations to Axel Alitagtag, Jamie Conibear, Abdirahman Dahir, Rick Dossantos, Marco Endique, Jiana Gonzales, Coleen Ladayan, Ellie Madorsky, Bryan Mann, Sali Okundaye, Suki Pan, Abraham Pawlik, Ashton Pawlik, Matty Sawangwit, Nirvana Thiara, Sameeha Wadhwania, Gareth Watt, Angel Yang and Annie Zhang. A sincere appreciation also goes to our dedicated crew – stage managers Rowina Chan, Tatiana Povoroznyuk and Tiffany Lai and Jamie Ello (Lighting), Jeremy Li and Cheyane See (Sound) and our backstage crew of Jackie Crowley, John Lomotan, Donnie Tejani, Benny Tung and Kevin Zhang. We sincerely appreciate the work and talents of all our theatre students and are grateful to our teacher Ivone An and to the support of retired RSS teacher Barb Barker. Next up for the RSVP Theatre will be our One-Act play festival held during the last week of May – please mark your calendars to watch an eclectic and entertaining assortment of scenes and monologues.

The Ash Girl Cast & Crew ~ Bravo!

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“Home of the Colts” GO SHARKS

Enhancing Student Learning – Parent Survey: At RHS, we are continuously striving to engage our students in learning experiences that will develop the knowledge, skills and competencies they will need to continue learning and succeeding in the future. We are also interested in what our parents expect and hope from their child’s high school experiences. We ask RHS parents to take a few minutes to answer this brief online survey before March 31. https://survey.sd38.bc.ca/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=7l0Mnm4

Learning and the Brain Conference: On Saturday, April 1 parents and community members are invited to a FREE morning conference hosted at MacNeill Secondary School. There will be a wide variety of informative sessions and the keynote speaker will be Shelley Moore. Shelley’s work explores the benefits of learning in diverse contexts and embraces the strengths that every student can bring to their classroom community. She is also the author of the recently published book, One Without the Other: Stories of Unity through Diversity and Inclusion. After the keynote, participants are invited to attend one of our informative break-out sessions where educators and other speakers will address a variety of topics relevant to parents. For more information and to register online: http://latb.sd38.bc.ca(link is external) or drop your registration off at the Richmond School Board office at 7811 Granville Avenue on the 3rd floor - registration is open until March 31, 2017.

Grad 2017 News: Grade12smustsubmittheircompletedRSSscholarshipapplicationformtotheofficebeforeApril7.Applicationforms are available in the Counselling Centre andstudents must apply to be eligible! 2017 Grads areurgedtopay theirValedictory,Dinner&DanceandDryGrad fees ASAP as the school is required to confirmnumbers andpaydeposits. If youhave any questions,pleasecontactourBusinessAssistant,Ms.SaraCampos.EveryGrade12student,ortheirparents,mustsubmita30-word write-up that will be read as you cross thestage at our Valedictory ceremony at the UBC ChanCentre on Saturday, June10. Please read thehandoutthatwasincludedattheGrade12assemblyinFebruaryandsubmityouronlineorpaperwrite-upbeforeApril7.If youhaveanyquestions, seeMs.Hui, your counsellororourCareerAdvisor–weareheretohelpyouplanforlifebeyondhighschool!

Earth Hour - 8:30pm on March 25 We encourage all members of our extendedRichmond community to join with millions aroundthe world and turn-off and unplug for an hour inrecognition of Earth Hour at 8:30pm on Saturday,March25.Tochangeclimatechange,humansmustchange. We need to look for ways to adapt andreduce our energy consumption habits. Whilesymbolic, Earth Hour is also a powerful reminderthatwe all need to look for ways to reduce, reuseandrecycle,everyday.Tolearnmore,pleasecheckout:https://www.earthhour.org Important Upcoming Dates:

March 9 Report Cards Home March 9-25 Global Perspectives class in India March 12 Daylight Savings (clocks back 1 hour) March 13-24 Enjoy Spring Break! March 25 Earth Hour – power down at 8:30PM March 27 Block Rotation Begins - 3124 March 27 Welcome Back! Day 2 - 3124 April 1 Learning and the Brain Conference April 5/6 Alternate Bells and Early Dismissals April 5 Parent-Teacher Conferences 2-4pm April 6 Parent-Teacher Conferences 2-4 and 6-8pm April 7 Grade 8 Activity Day (Lunch & 2-4) April 7 RSS Scholarship applications due April 7 30-word Valedictory write-ups due April 13 Happy Vaisakhi April 14 Good Friday (schools closed) April 17 Easter Monday (schools closed) April 20 Spring Music Concert at 7PM April 28-May 19 I.B. Final Exams (check schedule carefully)

Enjoy a relaxing Spring Break! Be Safe! Please connect with RHS on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – see the links on the school website!

RSSNEWSLETTERVOLUME89,Issue8MARCH2017