Newsletter for Students, Parents and the Community

March 2016 Issue #3

TABLE TENNIS

Britannia Girls Table Tennis Team are City Champions again for the second year in a row! The Boys and Girls Table Tennis teams completed their season at the Provincial Champi-onships March 4th weekend. Rose Huang led the Girls to a fine 4th place finish in the Team event and capped off the Tournament with a Bronze Medal in the singles, her second medal in two years! Frank Liao earned a Silver Medal in the Boys singles event, his third podium finish in the last three years! The Boys Team, won the Consolation Division, after almost escaping the “group of death” in the round robin playoffs which included the number 1 and number 4 seeded teams. Congratulations to a great season! Mr. David Low

JR. GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM — CITY CHAMPIONS!

Our Lady Bruins finished with a perfect record of 10 straight wins in our Vancouver Junior Girls Tier II league. With the veteran experience of our Grade 10s and the enthusiasm play of our Grade 9s, we star ted the season strong with several tournament wins. The addition of our Grade 8 bantam team was a great combination as the girls defeated Gladstone 47-26 in the City Finals to capture our second Junior banner in two straight years! Devon Herrin and Kara Huang represented Br itannia in the Junior City All-Star Game in March! (results of All-Star game not available as of press time of this newsletter)

Back Row: Luk Pham (Manager), Margaret Dixon, Tamia Edgar, Devon Herrin, Surprise Munie, Tianna Sacco, Laura Kirton, Annie Le, Ms. Mitra Tshan (Coach) Front Row: Shemaiah Abatayo, Sabrina Wong, Kara Huang, Chloe Gray, Perla Galvan, Iftu Taju Missing: Jane Liu (Manager)

Back Row (L to R): Frank Liao (Captain/Coach), Henry Lun, Samuel To, James Lee, Kenji Lai, Ken Lin, Kezmen Chen, Johnny Lau Front Row (L to R): John Pham (Manager), Esther Fong (Manager), Rose Huang, Tiffany Chen, Madgen Liao, Mr. D. Low (Sponsor) Missing: Ivy Liao

 

         

 

 

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Message from the Principal It is fantastic to be back at Britannia, and to be welcomed back by students, families, and staff after 14 months on

the West-side. What an honor to take over from Geoff Taylor! While I miss his fr iendship and mentorship, I have gained a new friend and colleague in an incredible

Vice Principal, Ms. Coflin, and am able to renew the collaborative and professional relationships I have with Britannia teachers.

Returning to Britannia I see important changes - the morn-ing Tutorial time allows students the opportunity to catch up with missed homework, or to check in with teachers for

additional support. Our Learning Support program has been redesigned allowing more differentiated instruction for all students. This, together with excellent teaching has enabled almost half the school to be on Honor Roll in our first term - a huge achievement!

I also feel an interesting energy in the corridors - a sense of positive, playful aggressiveness; an understanding that,

as the Streetfront students say, “It’s not about where you come from … it’s where you’re going!” So over the next

few years I want to deepen our understanding of First Nations peoples exper ience and have the school seen as a site of Reconciliation - a place of safety and learning for

all. The Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish Coast Salish peoples on whose unceded land we live lay a foundation for our work: their knowledge must be re-spectfully brought into our school. In addition, we are en-riching our technology programs - bringing in robotics and a world class wood-shop facility; an exciting (after

school) partnership with the St. James Music Academy is emerging to expand our music program and opportunities for neighborhood students; a staff committee is exploring opening a fully-fledged resource center/learning com-

mons; we will explore STEM/STEAM (Science, Technol-ogy, Engineering, Art, Math) possibilities, project based learning and expanded work experience placements aligned with the courses we offer in our school.

I intend to continue Britannia’s tradition of learning and athletic excellence and innovation; I want to take this out to the community through partnerships and recognition of our ancestry; and I want our school to become the magnet school in the district. Quite doable when I look at our ex-cellent teachers and remarkable kids. Andrew Schofield Principal

Governor General’s Bronze Medal Winner

Alex Nguyen — Grad 2015

Congratulations Alex! Alex has sent us an email with an update on what is happening in

his life since he graduated from Britannia in June 2015.

 

“I'm studying at Minerva Schools, located in San Francisco, USA. It is an innovative liberal arts program so I am taking corner-

stone courses and have not yet declared my major. I am thinking of majoring in physics and computer science. In the next years, I

hope to travel the world and see the wonders it has to offer.”

Britannia Japan Exchange Club students stand in front of the 44 foot tall Kamakura Daibutsu during their sister school visit to Yokohama in November . New students are welcome to club

meetings on Thursdays at lunch in Mr. Yuen's room!

Britannia Japan Exchange Club

Science Fair 2016

Britannia Science Fair Gold Medal Champions!

On Thursday, February 11th, 2016 over 65 Britannia Secondary Students competed in the annual Britannia Science Fair and we are proud to announce the Champions of the Fair and Honourable Mentions. Congratulations to ALL of our Britannia students as they worked extremely hard during the last three months completing their projects. This year's science fair competition was by far, the best we have ever had! Special thanks also go to the Let's Talk Science pro-gram for suppor ting us through the UBC Science Mentorship Program.

Grade 8 Champions (in no particular order)

Helena Zhou Anti-fog Goggles

Simone Tecson What the face?

Jimme Zhao & Stephen Huang Press Start: Testing Reaction Time

Honourable Mention

Louise Igmen Crystal Clear

Lisa Tran Is elevated CO2 beneficial for plant life?

Grade 9 Champions (in no particular order)

Helen Su & Ivy Liao Pill it Dissolve?

Steven Ta & Billy Grayer Powerplant V2

Airr Xue & James Lee Wind Turbine Efficiency

Honourable Mention

Jacy To & David Fan Saltine Plants

Myriam Dykstra & Nushaiba Nanjiba What a mess!!!

Grade 10 Champions (in no particular order)

Lucy Guan & Eero Gaffney FUNgi? Not so fun

Kezmen Chen Do You C what I C?

Ishmum Ataur Tumor-Specific TCR-pMHC Database

Jade Van Velzen & Janet Ou Mic-grow-waves

Honourable Mention

Benjamin Chung INK is green

 

These students competed in the Vancouver District Fair on Friday, March 4th, 2016 where they went up against the top scientific minds in the district. They will also compete at the Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair, April 7-9, 2016. Good luck to all our Britannia competitors!

Stephen Huang & Jimme Zhao Press Start: Testing Reaction Times

Myriam Dykstra & Nushaiba Nanjiba What a Mess!

Jade Van Velzen & Janet Ou Mic-grow-waves!

Benjamin Chung Ink is Green

Helen Su & Ivy Liao Pill It Dissolve?

Ishmum Ataur Tumor-Specific TCR-pMHC Database

Kezmen Chen Do You C What I C

Eero Gaffney FUNgi? Not So Fun

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8J9J has had some great events over the winter !

Foremost, we are the grateful participants in a Leadership Resiliency Program (LRP), brought to us by SACY and Vancouver Coastal Health: http://sacylrp.vch.ca/about-lrp/

This program has had our students snowshoeing, celebrating an epic Winter Feast, Hoop Dancing and preparing a puppet show presented through UNYA. We love the diverse opportunities this partnership brings us!

Pacific Assisting Dog Society (PADS) assigned a black lab named Sumac to our program in December. Unfortunately, the VSB declined to allow him to become part of our school. We are hopeful that we can appeal to the VSB again in six months and get the green light. The PADS people have been very sup-portive in keeping our dream alive. We are keeping our hearts open!

Sarah McLachlan School of Music (SOM) is leading us in prepar ing for our Winter Concert and Vancouver Alternative Schools Arts Fair at the end of April. We are doing a Queen classic and a very soulful Beyonce song. In addi-tion, several students are preparing solo and small group pieces. More students are accessing SOM lessons after school and growing their talents.

We have soil and bordering rocks ordered for our First Nations Garden. This commences this month. We should have 25-30 native plants fronting our porta-ble that will reflect the garden surrounding our Carving Pavilion. Students are getting ready to put some serious mileage on our wheelbarrows.

Jess Bennett, a North Vancouver teacher at SD44 continues to br ing us an intense Digital Media program. Students have been preparing a “Stop Motion” project to bring to grade seven students anxious about their upcoming high school entry. With their great humour and monster-cool special effects, these projects should make them feel more relaxed about moving to grade 8! JESS RULES OK!

On February 17, Mrs. Margaret Harris, also know as Grandma Harris, visited our class and spent an afternoon teaching us about Indigenous healing plants.

She shared four traditional songs of the Gitxsan and Cree. Students held wolf and mountain goat skins and an owl wing. They learned about buckskin, cedar and blanket attire. Grandma Harris swept us through her childhood in far north-ern Manitoba and her married life near Prince Rupert. She brought 84 years of her Indigenous knowledge and culture!

The WHOLE 8J9J portable is a dynamic gallery of student art. Each week more work gets mounted and the quality is excellent. Please come by and take a look at the art our students are producing!

Britannia School Garden

Each year as spring arrives, we welcome a new crop of veggies and fruit in the Britannia School gardens. And each year we see the gardens grow more abundant, adding beauty to the school grounds and providing unique opportunities for students to get their hands dirty and learn to grow food.

With this year’s support from the Society Promoting Environ-mental Conservation and the Environmental Youth Alliance, we have been working with 8J9J, Streetfront and the Bio 12 class in the gardens learning about seed saving, indoor seedlings, soil health, food growing and more. The gardens are a true living lab and unique classroom setting helping to reconnect students to nature, food growing and healthy eating.

We are also excited to see the creation of the new First Nations food and medicinal plant garden at the Carving Pavilion. This garden will highlight the importance of these plants to First Na-tion peoples, while providing interesting opportunities to teach and learn about pre-colonization and contemporary First Na-tion’s food systems in the Vancouver area.

We have been working hard to build up the soil at the Carving Pavilion, which has meant excavating out the old gravel till and bringing in several large dump trucks of new soil. With help from the students, we have also been piling on leaf and pine nee-dle mulch to also help build up the soil fertility in preparation for planting this spring.

Close by, the 8J9J garden will also see a new indigenous plant garden integrated into the carving pavilion space. As part of this garden space, 8J9J students will be researching indigenous plants and their cultural uses.

We welcome visitors. Come check out the garden space and en-joy their beauty.

Ian Marcuse

Garden Coordinator, Grandview Woodland Food Connection

Foods and Culinary Arts

The Foods 10, 11, & 12 classes have been busy learning about shopping, preparing, and cooking a variety of menus based on Canada’s Food Guide. Presently, the Senior food classes are learning about yeast bread techniques and the Junior food classes are learning to prepare basic meals and desserts.

Culinary Arts students work in a commercial kitchen and help to prepare lunch every day. Over 200 sandwiches and hot meals are made in the Britannia cafeteria daily. Professional baking skills are also part of the program.

Britannia is a part of BC Agriculture in the Classroom. Every six weeks, local produced fruit and vegetables, dairy, and meat products are delivered to the school. These products are featured in the cafeteria’s menus and food labs. Our school garden also grows food that is used in cafeteria and food labs.

All students in the Culinary Arts program and Senior Food clas-ses were taught and received their Food Safe Level 1.

 

 

 

 

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Students piling on leaf mulch at the Carving Pavilion garden

Culinary Arts student, Irwin Sargent, working

with Chef Neeraj making delicious soup for the lunch

program.

Culinary Arts student, Megan Pakkala making sandwiches for the lunch

program.

Culinary student, Irwin Sargent, baking up a

storm with Britannia's Baking Instructor, Edwin Chiu.

Technology Education Department: Life in the Shops 

Britannia’s Tech Ed Department would like to welcome UBC student teacher Mr. Warren Lloyd who will be doing his practicum until April. He will be teaching Power Tech 10, Auto 11/12 and Senior Lead-ership on day 1, and on day 2 he will be in the Woodshop teaching Grade 8 to 12 Woodworking.

Britannia’s ACE IT Automotive Service Technician Level I students once again represented Vancouver School Board at the 2016 Skills Re-gional Competition at VCC on March 2nd. The winner from the re-gional will advance to the Skills Provincial at TRADEX in April.

Here are some pictures from ACE IT students work experience….enjoy. Kim Or, Tech Ed Department

Following paragraphs by UBC Student Teacher Mr. Warren Lloyd...

The Britannia Tech Ed. Department added another monkey to its ranks. Mr. Lloyd is a student teacher from UBC and will be working with Mr. Or and Mr. Louie during his ten-week practicum. He has accidently

offered to build a Trojan horse for the Brit Drama department and has been a great contributor/writer to our newsletter. (what??)

Power Tech 10

The Jr. Power Tech Crew has started with some basic shop skills and machine use: cutting, grinding, drill press, sand-blasting, wire wheel, shaping and forming steel, which has led us now to the disassembling, cleaning and reassembling of a 4-stroke lawnmower engine. In addition to the small engine component, the class is looking at alternative power sources and worked on an Engineering Car challenge in March. Some students have begun welding (MIG welder) and others have started auto-motive skills labs such as: plugging tires, tire rotation and oil changes. Knuckles are being scraped and head gaskets are being blown!

Sr. Auto Tech/Mechanics

The Senior Auto class has been tearing down V8 motors and working on valve and timing, spring adjustment, valve lapping and head cleaning. In addition to automotive skills labs: tire Re/Re machine, wheel alignment and brake removal. Some senior students have started Joinery (MIG welding and Acetylene braising). Individual projects are always wel-

come: oil changes, air filter, tire rotation and wheel alignment. Brit’s Sr. Auto class is always up for the challenge!

Sr. Leadership

The Leadership group has been a huge support in the Britannia cafeteria and has been a great presence in the school.

Their help has been greatly appreciated during our Science Fair and Parent Teacher Nights. Currently the Leadership Class is working on a

bench for the School Liaison Officer, “Rusty.” Despite the Leadership Students’ diligent attempt to provide the bench with a smooth comforta-ble surface, I must admit, it’s full of splinters. Sorry Rusty. Perhaps once they have finished the bench, they will help with the Trojan Horse!

On the Wood side of the Shop…

Gr. 8 Wood

A little green to the wood scene, Brit’s Gr. 8 class has been shaking hands with the different equipment in the Wood Shop: scroll saw, band saw, disk and orbital sander, chisels and tape measure, as well the plain-er and other hand tools. Projects that will be coming home include: the classic gum ball machine, band saw piggy bank, and there should be a note holder hanging somewhere.

Jr. Wood Workers

The Junior Wood Team has several projects on the go: a small shelving unit, jewelry box (may be ready for Mother’s Day), and a band saw box are in production. Students are working daily with the table saw, band saw, compound miter saw, routers and other power tools. Focus is placed on finer wood finishing and joining skills, finger joint, mortar and tendon, and biscuit jointing have been taught. Students who have progressed through the initial projects are now working on side tables.

Sr. Wood

Our Senior Wood class has been hard at individual projects ranging from a desk (any CEO would be proud of) to theatrical prop sword from the Dragon Ball Z character.

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Jack Tregidgo works on a Rolls Royce! Nice Ride!

Jason Ortiz and Benny Ma working at the Kal Tire Arbutus location!

Samuel Lebel mentored by former Brit

ACE-It student Ian Villalon at

Kal Tire!

 

 

 

COMMUNITY INFORMATION:

GRADUATION STRATEGY EVENT—April 4, 2016 - 3:30 TO 6:30PM - Ray-Cam Community Centre: Join us in honour ing the children and families committed to creating a culture of success in Strathcona. In keeping with the longhouse tradition of the Coast Salish Peoples, our community event will introduce you to the work of community members, children and families who are part of the Graduation Strategy. Your support and participation is important as we work together, to build positive futures for Vancouver’s Inner City children. DPAC is the Vancouver District Parent Advisory Committee. They represent the Parent Advisory Councils (PACs) of the Vancouver School Board (VSB). Subscr ibe to the DPAC mailing lists: http://www.vancouverdpac.org/subscr ibe- -pac-executive-mailing-list-.html Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VSBDPAC/ Twitter: https://twitter .com/search?q=% 40vandpac&src=typd VSB LONG RANGE FACILITIES PLAN: VSB has launched a new channel for sharing information on the ways the public can get involved. You can find them at: www.vsb.bc.ca/VSBengagement and @vsbengagement

BRITANNIA SECONDARY SCHOOL

1001 COTTON DRIVE

VANCOUVER, BC V5L 3T4

TELEPHONE: 604-713-8266 FAX: 604-713-8265

WEBSITE: http://britannia.vsb.bc.ca

PRINCIPAL: DR. ANDREW SCHOFIELD

DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTION

Ms. Ellen Roberts — 604-713-5994

SCHOOL LIAISON TRUSTEE: PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL CHAIRPERSON:

Event

Date

Term 2 Report Cards Issued Monday, April 4

NEW - Non-Instructional Friday, April 15

Non-Instructional Monday April 18 Non-Instructional

Monday,

District Closure Friday, May 20

Monday, May

Academic Awards Ceremony, 3:30-5:00pm, Cafeteria Tuesday, May 31

School Leaving Ceremony, 5:30pm, Italian Cultural Centre Tuesday, June 14

Last Day of Classes Tuesday, June 21

Grad Banquet, 6:00pm-Midnight, Diamond Ballroom, 1495 W. 8th Ave., Vancouver Tuesday, June 21

Provincial Exams Begin Wednesday, June 22

Last Day of Pupil June

Final Report Cards June

June