Visitors come to ICS to celebrate science

Several weeks ago, at ICS, visitors from Science World and the Planetarium came to teach us a little bit about science and astronomy.

For the first part of the Science World show, there was a demonstration with a little box which had a long tube connected to it. The Science World scientists lit a match, then they asked for a volunteer to blow into the tube. And when the volunteer did, the little flame became a huge, orange, fireball for a brief moment! This taught us how fire needed oxygen to work.

Another favourite part of the show was when the scientists showed us a small metal pole with a globe  attached to the top, also made out of metal. Next, one of the scientists brought out a metal rod and put it close to the sphere; we could hear the static electricity buzzing! The scientists told us that the static electricity was trying to escape the metal globe.

The scientists  asked for six volunteers to link hands with one on the end holding a metal pole. Then they asked for one more to put his hand on the sphere. While the person’s hand was on it, you could see her hair sticking up in all sorts of directions!

Next the scientist asked the person on the end of the chain to link hands with the person holding the metal globe. What we saw then was very cool! The static electricity started traveling through all six people to escape the person holding the metal globe because there was another metal pole the static wanted to escape.

We walked into the gym… The first thing we saw was a black dome sitting in the middle of the room. Stephan, from the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, had come to talk to us about space and constellations. We then entered the dark dome, we looked up saw the night sky in Vancouver! Then, he should us a star called Polaris, also known as the North Star.

After that, he also showed us how to find different constellations after finding Polaris. He also told us that even though the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper are well known constellations, they aren’t official constellations because they are part of two bigger constellations the Big Bear and the Little Bear. He then put up pictures of planets in the inner Solar System, those planets were Mercury, Mars, Earth and Venus. After taking a good look at the different planets we took our spaceship ride back to Earth.

For more information on Science World and the  H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, you can visit their web sites:  www.scienceworld.ca, www.spacecentre.ca.

Written by a Grade Six Student

Springtime Visit to the Botanical Gardens

Written By Grade Two Students

We went to the UBC Botanical Garden. Our guides were Tamara and Joanna. I saw a lot of rhododendrons and I learned how the canopy cables hug the tree without the use of nails to build the walkways. I had fun walking through a tree. My favourite part was going on the canopy walkway. I walked through a tunnel too.

On our field trip we went on the canopy walkway. On the base of the walkway we saw a red cedar tree. We also, saw a 600 year old tree, and saw a bee hive. We also saw a lot of hemlock trees. We went and took a picture at the look out. We walked through a tree and saw a rock from the ice age.

On our field trip we went to the Botanical Garden at UBC. When I got there I heard the legend of the Douglas Fir. I really liked going on the canopy walkway with our guide, Joanna. I saw an eagle. When we were in the garden our guide was Tamara. She showed us the rhododendrons. They were really pretty. We also walked through a tree that someone carved.

Today, I will grow in knowledge, love of God, and service to others.

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!

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!

Grade Four Garden Buddies

The Grade Four students have taken on the great responsibility of planting and tending to the ICS gardens over the course of this school year. Several times a month they meet with a group of Master Gardeners and gardening enthusiasts to learn about the fine art of planning, planting, tending to, and harvesting vegetables and flowers.  It has been a wonderful experience in which they have involved the rest of the school community in the areas of composting and taste testing. They have harvested and tasted many micro-greens and the most recent and deliciously crunchy harvest was radish. Thank you Grade Four for your dedication and hard work with our gardens!

The following excerpts were written by two Grade Four students:

Garden buddies are people that come to work with us when we garden.  They help us plant seeds in the garden.  The garden is in the back of the school.  Our buddies come every other Tuesday.  I feel happy and excited to work with our Garden Buddies.

This picture is about a group of students building a trellis to support the peas they’re about to plant. They’re going to plant Arugula. I chose this because they used teamwork to build the trellis. Each student is trying to do his or her best. I really like my garden buddy because she’s really nice and she tries to help when we need help.

Speech Arts at our Little Blue School

UPDATE:  Congratulations to the ten students who represented ICS at the Archbishop Carney Speech Arts Festival in April. Gold and silver medals were achieved by all ten of our participants – we are so proud of you!

Originally posted April 15, 2015

On Friday, April 10th, we held our Speech Arts Competition to determine which students will be attending the Archbishop Carney Speech Arts Festival later this month at St. Joseph’s School. What a talented group of orators we have at ICS! There were two categories for the intermediate students: prepared Bible reading and poetry recitation. The poems ranged from the engaging verse of Shel Silverstein and Roald Dahl to the pensive and contemplative verse of Mary Oliver, Robert Frost, and Matthew Arnold. Bravo to all of our competitors! The decision was not arrived at easily; one Grade Four student and one Grade Five student will be advancing in this category. In addition, we have two students representing ICS in the prepared Bible reading category. Best of luck to you all!     

The primary students shared equally fun poems with the audience and also included some Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky gems. One student from Grade Two and one student from Grade Three will be advancing in this category. Theprepared Bible reading is always challenging, as our students must prepare three of the readings but do not know which one they will read on the day of the competition . . . congratulations to our Grade One and Grade Two winners! Finally, the primary students also take part in Prose Recitation and the selections this year were most challenging, ranging from Mercy Watson by Kate diCamillo to Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling.  Kudos to our Grade Two and Grade Three students who have advanced to the Archbishop Carney Speech Arts Festival in this category. 

We wish all of our contestants the best of luck and we will be thinking of you on April 22nd!

Gardeners and Artists

Our talented Grade One students recently tried their hands at a combined gardening and art project which has culminated with the creation of beautiful self portrait pots in which are growing micro-greens. The project began with a read aloud of Eric Carle’s story, The Tiny Seed. Under the expert guidance of the parent leaders, the students observed some newly germinated seeds which included broccoli, red radish, alfalfa, and mesculin mix. Next, they tasted each micro-green and determined what to plant. The flavours were all popular and, amazingly, the children wanted to try each one and many asked for seconds!

Once the taste test was competed, the children planted their seeds and now comes the waiting, and waiting, and waiting . . .