We are grateful, happy, and blessed that our family grew up at ICS

When we chose Immaculate Conception School as the elementary school for our children many years ago I did not realize at the time that we were choosing much more than “where our kids would go to school.”   Having just completed 18 continuous years of attendance, as all six of our children moved from Kindergarten through to Grade 7, I see with great clarity that what we chose back then was the place where our children would grow up. We are grateful, happy, and blessed that our family grew up at ICS.

School life immerses children in a particular environment day after day, from four year olds whose backpacks look half as big as they are right through until they are thirteen year olds taller than their mothers. School life has a great influence on a child’s experience of ‘childhood’.

All schools teach academics, organize educational and enriching activities, and offer team sports: ICS does these things well. But what ICS offers that is unique, difficult to measure but easy to feel, is an atmosphere of faith and of family woven into daily life at school. The school is a community where children are taught daily of God’s infinite love for each one of them, taught of the value of every person’s soul, the beauty of their own personal gifts, and their calling to contribute. In this small school students are taught to care for one another and they learn over their years there what it feels like to belong, to be known well, to have influence, to be significant, to have responsibilities towards others. Students feel comfortable to be themselves and so at the same time to take risks and try things. Then they take all this with them.

In this competitive world, it’s funny that the very attributes that can be too readily overlooked as “soft skills” are in fact the deal-breakers and difference makers in life. It’s true in people and it’s true for schools.

As our children have moved on to high schools and universities of their choice I know they take along with them the solid academic grounding and, arguably more importantly, the faith, confidence and happy memories gained during their simple, beautiful childhood years spent at ICS.

It’s been so good and we are grateful.

Read more testimonials here

Final Days of School 2015

Our final month of school at ICS was filled with learning, fun, and sharing our gifts with others. We also continued with activities and projects that we started earlier in the year. Our Grade Four garden was an incredible success and will continue to be looked after by the families of the Grade Four class over the summer. What bounty we have to share – our garden is a true metaphor for our school community. Read on to discover more about the final days of the 2014-15 school year.

Our Math Club, which met every Wednesday at lunch time and was led by Dr. Van Raamsdonk, had its final meeting and the students received certificates from the Caribou Math Competition in which they competed regularly. The Caribou Math Competition is a world wide online contest that is organized by Brock University. There are six contests throughout the school year and in between the contests, the members of the Math club spent their time working cooperatively to solve creative math problems – these sessions were boisterous and full of laughter and competition. If you love Math, this was the place to be on Wednesdays at 12:15.

The final days in Grade Five were spent learning, learning, learning. The students worked together to design and assemble structures using tinker toys and other creative building materials. They also put together a truly informative and unique history fair, focusing specifically on Chinese immigration in Canada.  Parents, students, and teachers alike learned a great deal when touring the displays.

The final days of school were not all work, as can be seen below in the photos of the Grade Seven field trip to Jericho Beach. Sports Day, held at Memorial Park on Friday, June 19th was a huge success. The Grade Six and Seven students composed cheers and taught them to the members of each of their teams, which was no easy feat!

Over the final weeks of school each class collected a box of unused school supplies to be donated to the Salvation Army back to school charitable program which helps supply elementary school children in need with new school supplies. The drive was organized by one of our parents who also made the delivery of the items to the Salvation Army. Thank you to those who donated goods.

We wish you all a safe and joy filled summer!

Celebrating Aboriginal Day at ICS

“National Aboriginal Day takes place on June 21 each year. It is a special day to celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada” (http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100013718/1100100013719). At Immaculate Conception, we are blessed to have a strong Musqueam heritage including many families who share their cultural wealth with us. Today, in celebration of Aboriginal Day, The Coastal Wolf Pack performed traditional Coastal songs and dances in their full contemporary regalia.

Joseph Paul and the extended family of three students in our school, shared the traditional teachings about each piece of regalia, in addition to the history behind the songs and actions. The children were enraptured by the beauty of the music and dance, and the resonance of the drums brought neighbours out to view the performance! Thank you to the Kenoras-Paul family for giving so generously of their time, love, and respect for their culture.  

Thank you to the Coastal Wolf Pack for celebrating Aboriginal Day 2015 with ICS!

Primary Students Visit the Vancouver International Children’s Festival

On Friday, May 29th the Grades Ones and Twos went to the Vancouver Children’s Festival at Granville Island to listen to Inuit poet, storyteller, and throat singer Taqralik Partridge, who brought lively stories and tales from Canada’s north to this year’s Festival stage.

She recounted an Inuit legend, The Owl and Raven, as well as two of her own stories, The Little Boy and The Giant and There’s a Whale in That Puddle. The stories were about children in the north who found extraordinary treasures in ordinary places. After the show, the classes spent the afternoon exploring the various activities at Sutcliffe Park. It was a fabulous afternoon shared with friends in the warmth of the sun.

Sharing Musqueam Culture

Nora S. spent several weeks teaching Grade Four how to weave in the traditional Musqueam style. She told us about the Musqueam people and how they wove quarter bags. The quarter bags held quarters that would be given to people who helped during ceremonies and Potlatches.  Quarters would be given to people who cooked or sang for the ceremony.  Four chiefs of different tribes promised that they would remember the Potlatch day and would tell their children and grandchildren and anyone who asked. They also were given $ 0.50 –  it was quite an honor to be given that!

Instructions for Weaving a Quarter Bag:
Begin with a base for the quarter bags which has fourteen, one centimeter cuts. Tie a knot and weave down and straight back up and keep repeating the same action. After that weave in the opposite direction.  The yarn is always woven from left to right. When you are done a row you would twist the yarn and keep going until the end.   Next you take the little loops at the top and take them off and slide it off but it will be inside out you just put it right side out then you’re done.

Above Blog Post Written By Grade Four Students

When the quarter bags were all completed, each Grade Four student invited a special person to attend a Sharing Ceremony in which he or she would give the quarter bag to the attendee as per the Musqueam tradition, in which the first of anything one makes is given away. Nora led the Ceremony and we had many wonderful speakers, including Deborah Sparrow, who shared Musqueam history and song with the students. We are so grateful for the opportunity to learn and grown in our knowledge about Musqueam tradition – thank you Nora for leading the way!

All Stars at CISVA track meet

On Wednesday, June 3rd, the ICS track team took part in the annual CISVA Track & Field Meet at Swangard Stadium. After Day 1 of the track meet, ICS is in 11th place out of 36 teams.  We earned two firsts, two thirds, two sixths, one seventh, and one eighth place finish.   We also had one 4×100 relay team and one 100m runner qualify for the finals next week.

Kindergarten Scientist for the Day!

Each week in Kindergarten, two children have the opportunity to be Scientist for the Day! After preparing at home, the children bring their equipment to school, put the lab coat on and share their experiment and research with the class. We have learned so much from our classmates! Some of the experiments that we have enjoyed:

• oil and water fireworks •  float or sink? • density • transfer of energy • erupting volcanoes • Ooblek • jumping pepper
• lava lamps with alka seltzer (seen in photo) • static electricity • circuits • growing our own crystals

Here’s what some of the Kinders have to say about Scientist for the Day:

Spectacular!

They were just like a real Scientist!

Calling up classmates to help was fun!

Awesome!

Spectacular and wonderful!

They were surprising!

At the Bandstand!

Well done ICS! What a great matinee and evening performance of At the Bandstand! – we were all smiling from ear to ear last Wednesday!

When Rockin’ Robin, host of the hit TV show At the Bandstand!, announces an on-air dance-off to join the popular Bandstand Kids, Cindy and her gaggle of girlfriends jump at the chance! But in order to succeed, Cindy will need to out-shine the spoiled daughter of the show’s corporate sponsor…

All grades, from K to 7, participated in this fun musical with familiar ’50s songs, great characters and funny punch lines.   They danced and sang their way through the ’50s hits At the Bandstand!,  Rockin’ Robin, Save the Last Dance for Me, Johnny Angel, Sh-Boom, Splish Splash,  Shake, Rattle and Roll and Great Balls of Fire!  

A big THANK YOU to all who made this production such a success; the cast members, all the students, the staff members and the parents

Track and field season off to a great start

Every child in Grades Three through Seven has the opportunity to participate in Track and Field at ICS.  There are early morning practices twice a week (rain or shine!) for runners and long-jumpers. Those involved in shotput and discus also practice twice a week after school.  Having completed many weeks of practice, the participants go on to compete in a number of events against other CISVA schools at various track meets.

The first “friendly” track meet was held last Thursday on a beautiful sunny day, hosted by St. Joseph’s School at Swangard Stadium.  We competed against six other schools and did really well in many events.  Next week, we have another friendly meet at Vancouver College and then it’s onto the CISVA competitions which are also held at Swangard Stadium.

Good luck to all our sprinters, long distance runners, long-jumpers and throwers!

Honoring Mary ~ Living Rosary

Roman Catholics traditionally give special honor to Mary during the month of May. With that in mind this past Wednesday morning, our whole school prayed the Living Rosary. A Living Rosary is made of students, each representing a bead.  The Grade Seven students lead the scho0l through one decade of the Rosary. It was a truly holy and peaceful way to begin the day.

“The word rosary comes from Latin and means a garland of roses, the rose being one of the flowers used to symbolize the Virgin Mary. If you were to ask what object is most emblematic of Catholics, people would probably say, ‘The rosary, of course.’ . . . The rosary is a devotion in honor of the Virgin Mary. It consists of a set number of specific prayers. First are the introductory prayers: one Apostles’ Creed (Credo), one Our Father (the Pater Noster or the Lord’s Prayer), three Hail Mary’s (Ave’s), one Glory Be (Gloria Patri).” – excerpt from http://www.catholic.com/tracts/the-rosary

For more information about praying the Rosary see http://rcav.org/prayer-and-spirituality-pray-the-rosary/