Lest We Forget . . .

November 11th marks the day World War I ended. Ever since that day we have taken part in Remembrance Day to honour of those soldiers who gave up their lives for our freedom and peace. At ICS, we remembered those soldiers who fought for our country by having a Remembrance Procession and Ceremony as well as presentations by the Grade Four and Five classes on important historical events in Canada’s military past.

We began the ceremony with a video that highlighted the actions of Canada’s military in the past. This was followed by the singing of O Canada and the school motto. Next, the Grade Fours presented poster boards on the many battles that Canada has participated in and the sacrifices made by our soldiers. After that, the Grade Five students gave a presentation about the important contributions that animals have made to the war effort. For example, the United States Sergeant Stubby, a Brindle Bull Terrier mutt that was found and served as the official mascot of the 102nd Infantry Regiment. He served for eighteen months and participated in seventeen battles. There were also many other examples like horses, cats, pigeons, bunnies who played a role in comforting and serving our soldiers.

The ceremony also included many traditions like playing “The Last Post”, laying of a wreath, a moment of silence, and the poem “In Flanders Fields”.

As we acknowledged and recognized in our school, Remembrance Day is a very important day here and around the world. Next year will mark the 100th year since World War I ended and I wonder how Canada will mark this important anniversary?

Written by A Grade 7 Student

Join us at our Old Fashioned Christmas Fair

Saturday, December 2, 2017
8:30 am – 1:00 pm
Immaculate Conception School Gym & Parish Centre

We are counting down the days to our Old Fashioned Christmas Fair.  There is something for everyone:

• Pancake Breakfast and pictures with Santa
• Baking Booth & Cake Walk
• Games Room for Kids
• Handmade Quilts
• Craftmaking for Kids
• Silent Auction
• Wine Raffle
• Toonie Table
• Book Room
• Christmas Wreaths
• Christmas Marketplace (new this year!) 

See all the details here.

Also, like and share our post on Facebook to get the word out. See you Saturday!!! 

Archbishop Carney Speech Arts Festival

There is a wonderful tradition of Speech Arts at ICS. During the month of February, each student chooses and prepares a poem to deliver in a class competition. Students may also choose to prepare a series of pre-selected bible readings, one of which is picked for recitation during the class competition. Several students from each class are chosen to compete in a school-wide Speech Arts competition in one of two categories: Poetry or Bible Reading. This is always a most entertaining day for us as we listen to the beautiful, humorous, and poignant delivery from our competitors.

Our students performed exceptionally well and we are proud of how many Gold Certificates they earned. We are very proud of you!

A Time to Share . . .

On Thursday, February 23rd, ICS held its annual Student-Led Conferences. This is a much celebrated event at our school as our students have the opportunity to share their learning with parents. The students demonstrate their understandings, skills, and knowledge through hands on activities, written work, and reading. This year, each of our students had the opportunity to teach his/her parents about our school “Be-Attitudes” by posting ideas about how to live out the following tenets:

Be safe
Be respectful
Be responsible
Be like Jesus

What do parents have to say about student-led conferences?

“I was happy to see my son present his most excellent work.  This was to be expected. What wasn’t expected was him showing us a piece of his ‘underperforming’ work.  The point was to explain how he has made efforts going forward to make his work better.”

“I learnt that children at ICS immerse themselves profoundly in specific topics and analyze these topics from the perspective of all their different subjects. This in-depth study is done as opposed to gleaning many different topics in each individual subject rather superficially. The intent of this method is that kids will learn how to research and dissect a topic from multiple viewpoints and have a more meaningful understanding in the end. Personally, I can see as a result of this method, my son has a new appreciation for a topic he previously thought very little of. I’m happy he is learning to see things from different points of view- a great life skill!”

“We LOVE the student-led conference.  Our son gets an opportunity to teach and show us what he has learned in the term.   He is always so excited and proud of his accomplishments, and we enjoy listening to him as he walks us through the subjects.  It is just him and us.  This is such an important day for increasing our son’s confidence in himself and his abilities.” 

What do students have to say about student-led conferences?

“Student-led conferences are important because it gives your parents a hands-on experience of what you have been doing in class, such as the enchanted forest, you can describe it but it is better if they can see it for themselves.”

“I think my parents enjoyed observing how many ‘in the field’ projects we really have been doing and how that helps us learn. . .”

“I really like student-led conferences because I love to see how interested and happy my parents are with my school work.”

“I enjoyed seeing my grandma walk around the class and look at everything. It made me feel proud of what I did.”

“I think student-led conferences are important because it’s good for your parent(s) to know what’s going on, what you are learning, and how you're doing in school (plus they won’t nail you with questions at the end of the day!)”

The Annual ICS Christmas Fair

Many of our neighbours and friends joined us for our famous Old Fashioned Christmas Fair this Saturday from 8:30 am to 1 pm, and experienced one of the best attended events in Vancouver.

The Fair started with an amazing pancake breakfast with Santa at 8:30 am, followed by a plant sale, kids games, craft room, bake sale, silent auction and much more…

Thank you to everyone who purchased a ticket(s) for our Christmas Fair Raffle (BC Gaming event licence# 87951) and for supporting our school!  

Spirit Day 2016

On November 5th, 2016,  many members of the Grade 7 class attended Spirit Day, an event organized and hosted by the CISVA to get participants excited about receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, and awaken the Holy Spirit in young and old alike.

This year, the event was held at Pacific Academy in Surrey.  We sat in a huge auditorium and got to listen to some music from WAL, a Catholic pop/rock band. We also got to follow the story of 6 people who ran the Amazing Race. We listened to them teach us how to pray and to love God, and to remember that we have strength in Him, hope in Him, and that we are alive in Him. That was the theme for Spirit Day 2016. During our general sessions, a Catholic comedy duo, Apex Ministries, performed for us.

Their performances were hilarious and taught us about God and how He loves us. We were lucky enough to have Archbishop Michael Miller lead Mass which was attended by a total of 1400 people (Communion took a long time!). After Mass, the participants shared a delicious dinner together and then we had one more general session filled with singing, praising, and jokes. In my opinion, the best part of the day, was Apex Ministries. They had me laughing non-stop, and they taught me that whenever I pray, God is listening.

Written by a Grade Seven Student

Class of 2016 Graduation

On June 28th, the Grade Seven class of 2016 graduated from ICS. At 10:30 am, the school held a graduation assembly for them. The graduating class included 22 students, most of whom have been at ICS since Kindergarten. All of their families were in attendance and had the chance to view a slideshow of the years this class spent at ICS, to hear a bit about the accomplishments of each student from their Grade Seven teacher, and to listen to some speeches from the graduates about their experiences at our little blue school. One of the graduating families had been at ICS for 22 consecutive years, talk about dedication!

A special moment of  the graduation ceremony was when one of our Musqueam families bestowed a blessing upon the graduates and shared words of wisdom as they leave our little blue school. All of the Musqueam students were invited to participate, lending extra voices to the already beautiful chanting and drumming.

Although the graduates have gone to many different schools, their hearts will always be at ICS. Good luck to all of you as you go out into the world! Don’t forget to come back and visit.

Written by a Grade Six Student

Thank You Ms. Ryan!

At the end of our 2015-2016 school year, Ms. Ryan retired after teaching at ICS for over 30 years. Ms. Ryan’s tenure at ICS saw several generations of students and she even taught  children of her former students.

To say thank you to Ms. Ryan, we had a special Ms. Ryan Day on her last Friday. In the morning, we went to church because Ms. Ryan had a very close relationship with God and regularly took her students to Mass every Friday. During lunch period, the whole school was allowed to go out to Chaldecott Park and play on the fields and playground – a testament to Ms. Ryan’s wise philosophy that children are meant to have fun! At the end of the day, we held an assembly to sing a song for her, and present her with two gifts.

The first gift, from primary, was a book called  “101 Things To Do When You Retire” – we are certain she will be able to keep very busy with the variety and number of suggestions she received! The gift from intermediate was a memory book of days spent with Ms. Ryan – art lessons, science lessons, and special activities that Ms. Ryan shared with us. To round off Ms. Ryan Day, there was cake for everyone. Ms. Ryan will always hold a special place in the hearts of the ICS students, staff, and community at large and we wish her all the best.

Written By a Grade Six Student

Vancouver Children’s Festival 2016

On Friday, June 6th the Grade One and Grade Two classes went to the Vancouver Children’s Festival at Granville Island to watch Splash’N Boots live in concert. They had us all singing, dancing and laughing during the fun-filled show. After the show, the students spent the afternoon exploring the various activities at Sutcliffe Park. It was a fabulous afternoon shared with friends in the warmth of the sun.

Parent Appreciation Tea

“Thank You Thank You” Performed by Kindergarten

“Together We Are Canada” A Poem performed by Grade Three

“Hey Jude” . . . Performed by Grade Six

On Wednesday, May 25th, the ICS staff and students held a tea for the parents of our school community. The tea was to show our great appreciation for our parents who contribute so much to our little blue school, we wouldn’t be able to do all the great things we do in our school and parish community without them. The parents were treated with tea, coffee, and yummy pastries baked by the staff and served by the Grade Seven students. Throughout the tea, each grade performed for the group of parents with a song, a poem, or another fun way to show gratitude. There was also a slideshow with pictures of school events and other school privileges that the parents of Immaculate Conception School students make possible. Our school is very grateful for the great contribution that the parents make, we hope that they enjoyed the tea and that they feel appreciated.