Friday 11 May 2012

Principal's May Newsletter

To the Proud Parents of our Sullivan Heights STARS,

It’s May and the sun is finally shining.  The days are getting longer and the heat feels good on our face!  Summer is just around the corner.

If you haven’t already done so, now is definitely the time to check in on your children and ask them how they’re doing at school.  If you have a child that responds with the usual grunt or comment that “all is fine”, I encourage you to dig deeper and ask more open-ended questions to suss out what is really going on.  Research tells us that parents who actively engage and get involved in their child’s education, are more apt to have children that succeed in school.

Our most recent update at Sullivan Heights is that we have finally made the decision to move to a flexible schedule for next year. Our new schedule involves implementing a five period day to accommodate our increased population. The intricacies of what the bell schedule will look like are still being decided. What you can expect to see is a day that starts at or very near to 8:00 am, has five periods, a lunch and a nutrition break, and finishes at approximately 3:45.  The day will be structured so that our grade 8, 9 and 10 students attend school from periods 1 – 4 and our seniors attend from periods 1 – 5.  Overall, our staff is quite enthusiastic about the change and we are all looking forward to helping our students and school community make the adjustment.

Our Grad 2012 update is that our Commencement, Grad Dinner Dance and Dry Grad Event will not be affected by the current BCTF withdrawal of volunteer activities.  Through the support of our district Safe School Liaisons, the school administration and our volunteer parents, grad activities will still take place.  We are looking forward to Commencement on June 6th and the Grad Dinner Dance and Dry Grad on June 8th. If your child is in grade 12, please ask them to check the Grad Bulletin board in the school to ensure they have completed all the necessary checks to be able to attend these activities.

We are continuing to work on our mechanisms to communicate with our parents. The best way to keep abreast of what is happening at Sullivan Heights is to follow this link by adding your email in the Follow by Email box. As well, if you haven’t already done so, now is the time to check out our very own Sullivan Heights Twitter hashtag at #1000awesomethingsaboutsulli or follow our account @sullivanHeights.  Note that you must have a Twitter account to view the hashtag. This hashtag started in the first semester and has allowed many students and staff to post instant messages about how great it is to be a STAR at Sullivan Heights.

Here are a few Sullivan Heights highlights from the past few months include:

Advance Placement English and Psychology  (update by Ms Garr)
• Our AP students began the year with an excursion to Bard on the Beach, viewing a lively performance of the comedy “As You Like It”. Their first foray into live Shakespearean theatre was an eye opening and enlightening experience. It allowed our students to bond as a group, and was a great kick off to the year. Psychology students were also able to sit in on a 1st year lecture at SFU and participated in the Connecting Minds Conference. Technology also figured largely into the AP program with students benefitting from our new ipads and iclickers to supplement and enhance classroom instruction.

• Another highlight of the AP English Literature experience this year was our Victorian Christmas party to complement our study of Victorian Era literature. Students made period appropriate ornaments, while snacking on various delicacies and listening to the gentle music of The Nutcracker Suite.  Our students were also treated to a heart-felt rendition of Clement Moore's  “T'was the Night Before Christmas” read to them by by our principal Mr Hayes.

• April 23rd was William Shakespeare's birthday, and on that theme, several Sullivan Heights English classes were fortunate to participate in amazing Bard on the Beach Shakespearean workshops. Activities ranged from hurling Shakespearean insults, to acting out scenes from plays such as Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, to discussing the historical context of the Bard's plays. The workshops allowed students (and teachers!) to view Shakespeare's plays in a new light, as theatrical dramas with intricate and expressive language, rather than simply a dry and boring text to be read in class. A big thank you to the PAC for funding these inspiring workshops!

Athletics
• Our very own Sullivan Junior Girls Basketball Team won the Surrey Tier 2 Championship


Bhangra Dance Team
• Our beloved Bhangra Dance Team won first place overall and most entertaining team at the BC High School Bhangra Championships.


Physical Education (update by Mr. Brown)
• We are all very thankful to PAC for helping fund and support our new Weight Room re-design and installation of our new treadmill.


Art (update by Mr. Pelech)
• Our Grade 12 student Thomas Nelles won the City of Surrey, "Creative Achievement Award," as part of the Annual Youth Recognition Awards ceremony, held last weekend.  The award is given out to the "top" student engaged in school & community fine arts.


As you see Sullivan Heights is a vibrant and exciting place to be. As a final note, I want to thank the many parents who volunteer their time in support of our school.  Your committed support and dedication is what makes our Sullivan Community a family.

Just like stars have gravitational pull, our STARS have gravitational pull from the positive relationships that form at Sullivan Heights!

Rex Hayes
Principal





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