ICS Old Fashioned Christmas Fair

Each year, the ICS community comes together to prepare and run an old fashioned Christmas fair that is attended by many in the Dunbar area. The day starts with a pancake breakfast and includes everything from a craft room, sales of handmade wreaths, baking, books, and a silent auction with items carefully created by the students of ICS and donated by ICS families. Our day would not be complete without a visit from Santa Claus or the ICS choir singing carols. For many, this day has become the kick-off for Christmas!

Final Months of 2019 at our Little Blue School

Gymnastics

Each year, our Parent Support Group sponsors experiences that are unique to most of our student body and which enrich their daily school experience. This year, we were lucky enough to have a gymnastics coach come in to work with the students.

Popular Lunch Hour Clubs at ICS

Chess Club

Reach for the Top:

ICS’s version of the Canadian academic quiz competition.

Volleyball

We had an amazing volleyball season with our Grade 7 Girls and Grade 5 Boys finishing in the Final 8 of the CISVA Championships! Congratulations to all of our teams on wonderful seasons! 

Grade 7 Takes On the Staff In Grueling Game to End the ICS Season!

Remembrance Service

Grade 6 students led the school community in a commemoration of Canada’s fallen soldiers with the recitation of “Why Wear A Poppy” by Don Crawford and a beautiful musical rendition of the poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae. A special addition to our remembrance this year was the planting by each grade of the Liberation Day tulips in our school yard to commemorate the 75th anniversary of one of Canada’s most important contributions to the war effort: helping to liberate the Netherlands from Nazi occupation. To this day, the people of the Netherlands are grateful to Canadians for our ancestor’s sacrifices in this campaign. Each year, Netherlands sends Canada tens of thousands of tulip bulbs to plant across our country as a symbol of this sacrifice, their gratitude, and our continuing friendship.

Extraordinary October

An ICS Halloween . . . Picnics, Parades, and Playfulness

Grade 7 Spent a Week at Camp Summit in Squamish

Grade 7 students and staff made their annual journey to Camp Summit where they were able to try their hands at mountain biking, archery, rock climbing, hiking, and other outdoor skills. Despite the inclement weather, this crew had a blast and came home with smiles and tales of adventure to share!

Grade 6 Visit to the Vancouver Art Gallery

To supplement their studies about art history, art movements, and artists, the Grade 6 class visited Views of the Collection: The Street where they were inspired to consider the work of a variety of artists and genres, the variety of ways artists are inspired by the landscape of the street, and to explore individual artworks in terms of ideas, materials, techniques and inspiration by creating their own streetscape art.

Grades 3 and 5 Make Wrist Rosaries with the Support of Prison Ministry Volunteers and Donate Proceeds to Operation Smile

Grade Five students at Immaculate Conception School have been studying the concept of human dignity as part of our religion curriculum over the past couple of months. To help us understand more, we heard a presentation from the leader of the Prison Ministry Service with Catholic Charities. He told us how he leads prisoners in our area in Bible Studies and prayer, and tries to remind each of them that they have human dignity and are beloved children of God, no matter what they have done. He also brought us each a wrist rosary that a prisoner had made for us and we prayed a decade of the rosary for the prisoners together. Then he taught us how to make wrist rosaries ourselves. We sold these wrist rosaries to Immaculate Conception parishioners to raise money for Operation Smile, which is an organization that helps children in poorer countries who are born with a cleft palate. One cleft palate correction surgery costs about $240 and we were able to raise enough to fund three surgeries. In class, we have learned that all people are made in the image and likeness of God. We are reaching out to both those in prison and those overseas to help share our belief that all people’s lives have value.

ExtraOridanry October at ICS

ICS Cross Country All Stars

The All-Stars had an amazing Cross Country season with over 50 students from Grades 2-7 participating on the team! The athletes did an amazing job representing our school at the CISVA Cross Country Championships finishing in 12th place out of 35 Catholic schools! Amazing job, All-Stars!

October, Month of the Rosary

The month of October each year is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. This is primarily due to the fact that the liturgical feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated annually on October 7. It was instituted to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary in gratitude for the protection that she gives the Church in answer to the praying of the Rosary by the faithful.

~ https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/o/october-month-of-the-rosary.php ~

The Grade 7 class leads students, staff, and parents in a Living Rosary.

Student Vote at ICS

On October 21, 2019, we held a Student Vote connected with Canada’s Federal Election so that we could learn more about democracy and our system of government. The election was held by the Grade 5 class and participated in by all the classes in Grades 5 through 7. Before the election, all intermediate classes used the Student Vote website to study the different candidates and political parties. We had to compare and contrast the different parties and their ideas. After the election, we found that the top three most popular parties at ICS were the Liberals, the Green Party, and Conservatives. In first place was the Conservative Party with 22 votes. In second place was the Green Party with 20 votes. In third place with 17 votes was the Liberals. It was cool to learn about our democracy and have a chance to (student) vote this year!

~ Written by a Grade 5 Student ~

Welcome to the 2019-20 School Year!

Welcome to the 2019-20 school year! We are excited about all that the next eight months holds in store for us. Scroll down to see what our school community has been up to for the past two months.

GARDEN BUDDIES

With the arrival of Fall it has been a perfect time for our Grade 4 class to embark upon their adventure into the Garden Buddy world - and what could be a better fall introduction than marvelling at the great diversity and beauty of seeds! God’s creative imagination and attention to detail are truly mind blowing, and we are left in awe seeing how a small acorn can grow into a mighty oak that lasts for hundreds of years.

GRADE 5 VISITS THE UBC BOTANICAL GARDENS

The Grade 5 class took the scenic route to the UBC Botanical Gardens . . . a walk through Pacific Spirit Park to explore and study the native plants of southern British Columbia and a picnic lunch was enjoyed by all!

Walkathon

Each year, the students, staff, and parents of ICS walk 10 kilometres from ICS to Locarno Beach and back again to raise money for our sister schools in Vietnam and Haiti. It is a fun-filled day of community building for new families and returning families.

Rounding Out the 2018-19 School Year at ICS!

The end of the school year is always a busy time . . . scroll down to find out how the ICS community spent the final few months of the 2018-19 school year.

Kindergarten was busy planting a spring garden, trying their hand at Science experiments, and releasing butterflies they watched develop through their many stages!

The Immaculate Conception Hockey League (ICHL) completed its season with the Las Vegas Knights defeating the California Golden Seals to win the Immaculate Conception Holy Grail!

Grade Two Celebrated the Sacrament of First Holy Communion

The ICS Track & Field Team finished 13th out of 39 schools and 7th out of 22 schools with student bodies less than 250.

• the Grade 7 Girls 4x100 relay team finished in first place!

• we won 5 gold medals, 3 silver medals, and 3 bronze medals for a total of 11 medals!

Staff Uniform Day: The students of ICS delight in the opportunity to see staff adherence to full uniform (in most cases)!

Grade Five spent a well deserved day at the beach after a year of hard work …

Grade Six students tried their hands at self portraits after studying about artists, art history, and art movements for several months . . .

The Intermediate students took on the staff in a game of floor hockey . . . a large student cheering section shared in the excitement!

Grade 7 Received the sacrament of Confirmation in May and celebrated with family and friends afterwards…

We wish our Grade 7 students good luck as they leave our Little Blue School to begin a new adventure!

A Bounty from the ICS Gardens . . .

With the warm weather we’ve been receiving lately, our radishes were literally bursting at the seams.  Some were as big as beets!  Students were delighted to see that radishes are not always red.  Easter Egg radishes come in white, red, pink and purple, and French Breakfast radishes are long and red with a white tip.  Both are juicy, crunchy and sweet in the spring with only the smallest hint of spiciness.

We also did some research on an herb, writing down it’s Latin name and common names, magical uses, medical uses, how and where it grows, folklore, and other unique facts about the herb.  

Once students had acquired some basic herbal knowledge, they were sent out to the school grounds to see if they could find a snippet of a herb and bring it back for the group to see.  Students were successful in their search, coming up with herbs such as mint, lemon balm, chives, rosemary, dill, cilantro, thyme, sage, and parsley.  Students then chose herbs to harvest for our cooking session as well as herbs to add to our salad greens. Cooking for the day included making a giant garden salad, herb butter and herb hummus.  Each group created their own uniquely flavoured butter to spread on crackers.  The herb hummus was enjoyed with chips, carrots and celery.

April Activities . . .

What Do You Want Of Me Lord?

On Thursday, April 18, our school community shared in answering the call, what do you want of me Lord? Our students, staff, and parents took part in supporting the needs of a variety of charities, ministries, and community groups by donating, sorting, making, creating, singing, and serving those in our midst who are in need and who we wish to acknowledge for their love and support of us. Some of the organizations we worked with side by side included St. Vincent de Paul, The Door Is Open, Covenant House, Catholic Street Ministries, and Prison Ministry. We also worked on a kindness project which extended to the Dunbar community, hosted a tea for grandparents and the senior parishioners of Immaculate Conception, and took part in a shared art experience about Musqueam culture which is featured in our main hallway, titled “We are one”.

Grade One Released Salmon at Spanish Banks

On Tuesday, April 23, we released our salmon.  It was a sunny day. We went to Spanish Banks creek. The water in the creek was cold, clean, shallow, shady and clear. There were birds that could eat the fry, and trees to keep the water cool. When I released my salmon, I was very excited! I named my salmon “Silly.” When I released the fry, it swam upstream and then it started to hide because it was not use to its new habitat. We released fifty fry.  I was very happy!

Written By A Grade One Student

All-Stars Badminton Team Brought Home Medals

The ICS All-Stars had a remarkable 2019 Badminton season. It was highlighted by an excellent work ethic, sportsmanship, and teamwork.  The All- Stars finished 3rd overall in aggregate points in the CISVA Championship! With such amazing team success, we had many athletes enjoy individual and team success. The athletes qualified through tournament play to reach the finals. Despite the tough competition we had many teams qualify for the Championships, and further, had both singles and doubles players win medals! We had a Bronze Medalists in Grade 7 Boys Singles and Grade 6 Mixed Doubles. Silver Medalists in Grade 7 Mix Doubles. Finally, we had Grade 6 Boys and Grade 7 Girls Gold medal winners.

 Congratulations All-Stars on an amazing season!

Garden Buddies Are Germinating!

Garden Buddies is germinating in every sense of the word - in our understanding of garden concepts; in our application of garden techniques; in our ability to problem solve; in our ability to work together; and most importantly in our little plants growing!

Grade Six Visited the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre to Supplement Studies About Japanese Canadian History

As part of a unit of study about World War II, and specifically, the internment of Japanese Canadian citizens in British Columbia, Grade Six took their studies afield to learn about some Japanese culture and to witness through pictures, artifacts, and testimony, the experiences of the Japanese Canadian people during World War II.

Busy Times at ICS . . .

Student Led Conferences

Students proudly share their learning with their parents during Student-Led Conferences in February.

Grade 5 Visits Historic Chinatown

Our trip to Chinatown was really fun and exciting. Our knowledgeable guides taught us many interesting facts about Vancouver’s Chinatown. For instance, we learned that it is one of the oldest and most populated in Canada. We also learned that the restaurant itself which we were sitting in, was the oldest restaurant in Vancouver’s Chinatown! We explored the different Chinese Clan Associations and their buildings. In one building, we saw four Chinese elders playing Mahjong. Some of the students in our Grade Five class found it really interesting and amazing to see the narrowest building in Canada and perhaps in the world! I personally really enjoyed seeing different meeting rooms in the Clan Association buildings. According to our guide, all of the Chinese people who first founded Vancouver’s Chinatown spoke Cantonese, which surprised most of the class, for we all thought that they spoke Mandarin. After the tour, we went to eat lunch at “Jade Dynasty,” which was super delicious. We had fried rice, dim sum, and jasmine tea. The servers had noticed how hungry we were, so they gave us more fried rice, which ended up being MORE than we paid for!

Written By a Grade Five Student

Hitting the Trails in Early Spring

Our intermediate classes hit the trails at Cypress Mountain’s Nordic Area in early March for some cross country skiing lessons and and afternoon of practicing new skills, exploring, and sharing lots of laughs!

Senior Girls Basketball

ICS had an amazing 2019 basketball season! We are so proud of the accomplishments of our teams. Our Grade 5-7 boys’ teams finished with 22 wins and 15 losses overall. We would like to highlight two teams in particular that had exceptional seasons. The Grade 6 Girls went undefeated in the regular season and finished in the Top 8 in the CISVA. Additionally, our Grade Seven Girls went undefeated in the regular season and finished 4th place in the CISVA out of 34 schools! Thank you to all the parent and teacher sponsors and coaches who put in all the hours with our athletes!

Writer-in-Residence, Ellen Schwartz,

Visits Grades 4-7

Our Intermediate classes have had the great opportunity to learn about the craft of writing from local and prolific author, Ellen Schwartz these past months. She visits each class three times to share her research, writing process, collaboration with her editors, and great joy upon the publishing of a book. She delivers engaging instruction, and comes back to conference individually with each student about his or her writing. We feel so lucky to have this opportunity and welcome Ellen back to ICS each year!

Speech Arts Competition

The spoken word forms a significant component of the learning experience at ICS, both in the classroom and as an extra-curricular activity. All grades participate in our school and regional Speech Arts festivals. Everyone is encouraged to participate in Bible Reading, Poetry Recitation or Storytelling. The ability to feel comfortable speaking in a public forum is a skill that cannot be undervalued. At ICS we not only address the Ministry of Education requirement that listening and speaking comprise one third of the Language Arts Curriculum, we enrich it profoundly for every child walking through our doors. We are proud to note that all of the ICS students who participated in the Archbishop Carney Speech Arts Festival received gold medals.

Term One Highlights from Our Little Blue School

As the first term comes to an end, we would like to share some of our memories …

Grade Six visited the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre to supplement their studies on the solar system . . .

Kindergarten and Grade Four Buddies Celebrated Halloween at Chaldecott Park

The Annual Hallowe’en Costume Parade Entertained All!

Grade Six Visited the Orpheum to hear the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Celebrate its 100th Season

Immaculate Conception Students Remembered Canada’s War Veterans . . .

And had a visit from an Immaculate Conception Parishioner who shared her uncle’s World War I Silver Cross Medal…

Grades Three and Four Took Gym Class on the Road With a Visit to the UBC Thunderbird Ice Arena

Kindergarten Lead Our School Outreach to Support the St. Alban’s Shower Program

Our Whole Community Shared in the Celebration of our 2018 Christmas Fair . . .

And finally . . . we celebrated our feast day with a “Jazzology” performance from Tiny Islands

A Blessed Advent Season and Merry Christmas to Our ICS Family!