McNews

February 2, 2024

From the Superintendent

Dear Parents/Guardians

What a crazy couple of weeks of weather, we went from a record snowfall

one week to abnormally warm temperatures for this year time of year. I will
gladly take the warmer weather over the snow any day; calling snow days is
rarely an easy task. Thankfully, I do have Jak helping me! 😊

Being from Alberta, I still find it quite amusing how different the decision-making factors for
a snow day are in BC. I remember calling my first snow day as a new Principal in Calgary. I
pulled out the handbook to review all the guidelines for snow day and to call a snow day, 2
of these three factors had to be true:
• Temperature must be below –25 degrees without windchill, or –35 degrees with
windchill
• Snowfall must exceed 18 inches
• Road conditions need to be poor, which could be unplowed roads at the time of the
decision, or due to freezing rain.
• Busses are not able to start or operate safely

When I was in grade 8, I really wanted a snow day, and I knew that when buses could not
run my school would have to cancel. So, a friend of mine and I took matters into our own
hands. We bundled up and braved the –27 degree temperatures and biked to the school,
about 15 minutes away from where I lived.

All of the buses had a block heater and it had to

be plugged in during really cold weather to
ensure the vehicle would start, and they were not
locked in a gated compound. My friend and I
unplugged all the buses, biked home, went to bed
and acted surprised when school was cancelled in
the morning. We almost got away with it, but my
mom was far smarter than I gave her credit, and
she put all the pieces together, called the school
and told them what I had done. That ended up
being the worst snow day ever!

Enjoying a day off from school due to snow can be a joyful and refreshing
experience. It's a time to appreciate the beauty of nature and maybe you
were able to spend time with family or friends. In the book of Psalms, it is
written, "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad
in it" (Psalm 118:24). I pray that you are able to find joy in each and
every day that the Lord has made, even unexpected ones like our two
snow days. Father, we thank you for the beauty we see in creation, for
the unexpected and for the gift of rest and togetherness.

James Sijpheer
Superintendent

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February 2, 2024

Current Grade 8 Parents - Course Selection Evening

for the 2024-25 School Year
Parents and Students of the current Grade 8 class are invited to the
Secondary Campus gym on Monday, February 12, 2024 @ 7pm to learn
about the Secondary Campus program and course selection for next
year. During the evening you will learn about:

• Program Planning
• ADST/Arts electives
• Language options (French, Mandarin, Spanish)
• Accelerated programs
• Information on FAQs and how to fill out Course selection forms

Additionally, more information will be given to explain prerequisites for

courses and how students who have immersion experience (can converse,
read and write) already at least a Grade 9 level in Mandarin may take
the Placement assessment on Wednesday February 21 from 3:15-5:00pm to
fulfill the prerequisites for Mandarin.

Important Reminder: Student-Led Conferences

If you haven’t already, please don’t forget to sign up for a student-led
conference! The sign-up for the conferences can be found in your MSM
Parent Portal. Thank you! (Please see email sent on Thursday, February 1st
for more details.)

RCS NEWS 2
McNews
February 2, 2024

Grade 8 Socials Update!

This term, our grade 8s have been working through an overview of the Middle Ages.
This follows on the heels of the fall of the Roman Empire which we capped off in the
first term. The 'Dark Ages' or medieval times is a very interesting period where
much of Europe seemed to stagnate or even go backwards. So far, we have looked
at:

• the Franks (who tried to revive the glory of the Roman empire),
• the wide-ranging raiding Vikings,
• the Feudal system, which attempted to restore order
• the way religion grew in power and influence in everyday life, which lead to...
• the Crusades, a series of military wars in the name of religion, but often for
much less lofty reasons.

And very recently, we have dipped into two simulations surrounding the Silk Road,
an amazing network of routes that made trade possible from Europe to Asia. The
first simulation was one where students represented six major groups along the Silk
Road and attempted to trade as much as possible. The second simulation had them
try to find their way home in a caravan so they could bring back their hard-won
goods, technologies, and ideas.

Students had a lot of fun engaging with these activities because simulations often
reveal real-life parallels. For example, if you have to rely on a middleman to help
trade your goods, sometimes you might get cheated or have to pay to make it
worth their while. Trading and mixing along the Silk Road also had many dangers,
such as getting disease passed along to you or bandits (who look remarkably like
your child's Socials Studies teacher) that try to attack lone travellers who wander
too far from their caravans.

We look forward to consolidating our learning as we finish off our Middle Ages unit
with the dreaded Black Plague and learning about how urbanization through the
formation of towns affected everyday life. Here are some pictures of traders in their
markets and Silk Road merchants on their journey!

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February 2, 2024

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February 2, 2024

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February 2, 2024

Learning Commons

Scholastic Book Fair

Scholastic Book Fair is quickly approaching- we can’t wait to host it again! The fair
will run from Monday Feb 12th - Friday Feb 16th and will be set up in the MC
Learning Commons. Be sure to drop by and explore the fantastic selection of books!
We'll be open before school, during lunch, and after school, with extended hours
during Student Led Conferences on Thursday evening and Friday.

Don’t miss our Family Event draw! All parents who come by the fair can enter for a
chance to win $25 for their child and $25 for their child's classroom library. It's a
fantastic opportunity to grab some new books for your child and contribute to their
class library. There will also be an opportunity to bless your child’s homeroom
teacher by purchasing a book for their classroom from the teacher wish lists. We
can’t wait to see you there!

Maker Mondays and More!

We’ve had a fun and full month in the Learning Commons packed with all sorts of
making! From crafting macramé wall hangings to building robot cars, exploring
digital art to creating 3D printed designs, it's been a joy to see photos of these
creative endeavors populate our Padlet bulletin board. The MC Learning Commons
welcomed two new 3D printers this month, and we've had lots of fun learning to
design digital models for printing! Check out the photos from this month below.

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February 2, 2024

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February 2, 2024

Important Upcoming Dates

February 12 – 16: Scholastic Book Fair
Tuesday, February 13: Grade 8s Ski/Snowboard Day
February 15: In Person Student-Led Conferences (after school)
February 16: In Person Student-Led Conferences (during school hours) *There will
be no school in session on this day
Monday, February 19: Family Day (NO school)
Tuesday, February 20: Grade 8s Ski/Snowboard Day
Thursday, February 22: Grade 7s Snowshoeing
Tuesday, February 27: Grade 8s Ski/Snowboard Day
Wednesday, February 28: Pink Shirt Day
Tuesday, March 5: Grade 8s Ski/Snowboard Day
Friday, March 8: Term 2 Ends
March 13/14: Breaking Down the Walls
March 15: Last Day before Spring Break: Term 2 Progress Reports Published

Please consult the RCS Calendar, located on our school website, for all important
dates throughout the school year.

2023 Donation and Child Care tax receipts will be

available Feb 16
The Business Office is currently preparing 2023 donation and child care tax
receipts. An email will be sent to you on February 16 when the receipts are
ready. Stay tuned!

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