Palmer News ~ May/June 2015 - RC Palmer Secondary School

Palmer Secondary
8160 St. Albans Rd. Richmond, BC V6Y 2K9
Ph. 604.668.6288
Principal:
Area Superintendent:
Trustee:
Fax 604.668.6488
Ms. Dianne Smith
Ms. Wendy Lim
Mr. Eric Yung
Email: palmer@sd38.bc.ca
Vice Principal:
Ms. Lynette Collins
Counsellors:
Mr. Murray Bamford
Ms. Ursula Pedersen
Palmer News ~ May/June 2015
As we head into the final stretch of the 2014 – 2015 school year we are very busy here at Palmer preparing for the myriad
of year-end events such as Grad 2015, award ceremonies, exams, staffing and the building of the timetable for 2015 –
2016. This is also a time of transition when our Grade 12 students are preparing for life beyond Palmer and our incoming
Grade 7 students are getting ready to make the big jump from elementary to high school.
With all that is happening over the next several weeks it is very important for students to continue their focus on school
work as there are exams, projects, and large assignments to prepare for and complete. Being well organized in this busy
time will help to reduce stress and ensure success!
Please take the time to read the remainder of this newsletter to get a glimpse of all the wonderful things that go on here at
Palmer.
Awards Ceremony
Palmer’s annual awards ceremony is being held in the large gym on June 9th at 7pm. The list of reward recipients will be
posted outside of the office. Any student listed will need to pick up an information letter in the office. Family and friends
are encouraged to attend this ceremony as we celebrate the many accomplishments of our wonderful students.
Two Important Messages from the Office
1. Not Returning to Palmer?
It is that time of year again when we try to get accurate numbers of students that will be attending Palmer this coming
September. Please notify the school if you know that your child will be attending a different school as of September 2015
by sending a note to the office or by phoning us at 604-668-6288.
2. Returning after the first day of school in September?
Parents are reminded that if their child will be returning to school later than 12:00 pm on Wednesday, September 9, 2015
but on or before September 18, 2015 they must complete a “Notice of Late Return” Form to reserve a space for their
son/daughter in the school. Students arriving after September 18 are not guaranteed a space in their catchment school or
previous school of attendance. This form is available in the school office.
DryGrad 2015 Needs Parent Volunteers
Many of our Grads will be celebrating their graduation after the dinner and dance on June 25th in a safe and fun
environment at Palmer’s third annual DryGrad event being held at the school. Parent volunteers for this very special event
are desperately needed.
If you can help us set up decorations or with the clean up please email
rcpalmerdrygrad@hotmail.com. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated. You do not need to be a parent of a grade 12
student to volunteer! If you have a son or daughter in grade 11, this is a great opportunity to see first hand what they will
be participating in next year.
Last Day of Regular Classes and Provincial Exams
Palmer’s last day of classes will be Thursday, June 18th. The school will remain open and available to students on June
19th and June 22-24 for Provincial exams, some school-based final exams and teachers are available for help, extra review,
or to ask questions regarding assignments as determined by each teacher. Students are reminded to check the exam and
teacher availability schedules carefully. We ask that all students writing a provincial exam arrive 30 minutes prior to the
exam start time with textbooks, Go-cards and pencils, pens (and calculators if needed). Report Card and Yearbooks will
be distributed on June 25th at 11:00.
Grad 2015 News
Members of R.C. Palmer’s Graduating Class of 2015 are approaching what promises to be a very busy month of June. In
addition to the demands of completing courses and exams, there are social events that take place to celebrate their Grade
12 year:
The Valedictory Ceremony for Palmer's Graduating Class of 2015 is an opportunity to
celebrate the achievement of the graduates and takes place on Saturday, June 13th at 1:00pm at
the Chan Centre at UBC. All Grads will be receiving two tickets (grads do not need a ticket)
and additional tickets can be purchased for $8.00 from the school office. A limit of two
additional tickets may be purchased from May 25th until May 29th. After that date there will be
no limit on ticket sales. Tickets are limited, so we encourage you to purchase your tickets early.
Grads need to be inside the Chan Centre by 12:15pm, and if you would like to take photos with
other Grads in the UBC Rose Gardens (next to Chan Centre), you should plan to arrive even
earlier. Parking is available at the Rose Garden Parking Lot, which is next to the Chan Centre. Parking is approximately
$10.00. Grads will also be bringing home a formal invitation, map, and information about the Valedictory Ceremony that
they will receive at the Valedictory Rehearsal on June 11th at 12:45pm.
The Grad Dinner and Dance will take place on Thursday, June 25th at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Just a reminder
that parents are welcome to attend this event for the first hour. We would like to encourage parents to come in to the
reception area to take photos of their children and their friends. We also encourage parents to join us for the “First
Dance” with their children. This celebration is a special event for both parents and students. After this, the students will
take their seats for dinner. This event ends at 11:30 when all students will be bussed back to Palmer. Students will then
either participate in our Dry Grad event or be picked up at the school to return home.
A Grad Newsletter was given to all grade 12 students and emailed to all parents in April. It is also attached to our
website.
Griffins that Give
Griffins that Give is a service club held for Palmer students who are interested in giving back to their local community by
volunteering. During the month of March, Griffins that Give members have helped out in the Richmond Multicultural
Community Services talent show. Also, Griffins That Give was part of the RSYVA booth during Education Week at
Aberdeen Centre. The month of April has been a busy month for all the members. During Easter weekend, many students
helped out at Thompson Community Centre, South Arm Community Centre, and Gulf of Georgia Cannery by assisting
with organizing games, crafts, and scavenger hunts for younger students. An ongoing opportunity for the students has
been at the Winter Farmer's Market at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery and as the last market has just ended, students will be
volunteering at the Summer Farmer's Market. Students are still busy preparing for the Vancouver International Children's
Festival, which is coming up at the end of May. This festival inspires and motivates young minds with professional artistic
experiences. Canada Day opportunities are starting to pop up such at Ships to Shore and Salmon Festival. We are pleased
to announce that Griffins that Give members were actively involved in Jeans Day for Children's Hospital. Our students
were able to raise approximately $400 to donate to Children's Hospital. Way to show Palmer Pride! The club meets every
Wednesday at lunch in Mrs. Calaciura's room. New members are always welcome!
Please visit Palmer’s Website (http://palmer.sd38.bc.ca/) to view the following:
Strathcona Camping Trip 2015 | R.C. Palmer Secondary School
SUMMER SCHOOL | R.C. Palmer Secondary School
Griffin Classic Elementary Basketball Tournament 2015 | R.C. Palmer Secondary School
Palmer P.R.I.D.E. Rally | R.C. Palmer Secondary School
Helpful Websites
Richmond School District www.sd38.bc.ca
Career Centre
http://public.sd38.bc.ca/~ccnews/
R.C. Palmer Library
http://public.sd38.bc.ca/~palmerlib/
Ministry of Education
BC Coalition of PACS
R.C. Palmer Email:
www.gov.bc.ca/bced
www.bccpac.bc.ca
palmer@richmond.sd38.bc.ca
Dates to Remember
July & August
September 8
September 9
Rest, relax, read, play, nap, repeat as needed.
First day of school
Regular Classes begin – Day 1 – 1,2,3,4
PALMER MAY/JUNE 2015 CAREER CENTRE NEWSLETTER
USEFUL WEBSITES:
http://public.sd38.bc.ca/~ccnews/ PROVIDES WEEKLY UPDATES and POST SECONDARY, CAREER AND
SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION
www.educationplanner.ca IS AN EDUCATION PLANNING TOOL THAT PROVIDES STUDENTS WITH CLEAR,
RELIABLE AND DETAILED INFORMATION ON BC POST-SECONDARY ISSUES
Visit Ms. Mayer Career Centre Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ms-Mayer-CareerCentre/333673583360594 for recent updates on Scholarships, Bursaries, Volunteer Opportunities, Summer Enrichment
Programs, Post-secondary Information
Grade 12 Students:
May 23 - Destination UBC - Student Orientation Event - Vancouver Campus - This full-day event for admitted UBC
students will answer your questions, and help connect you with the UBC community. Register soon, as session fill
quickly. For information and to register see: https://account.you.ubc.ca/ubc/events/canada.ezc#vancouver
May 31 – Capilano Document Deadline for Priority Registration for Arts & Science & Business programs. Check for
other program areas. Applications that are submitted or finalized (documents submitted) after the Application and
Document Deadline will be processed as time permits, but will not be granted priority registration.
May 31 – Langara Interim Transcript Deadline – Students who have not filled out the PSI on-line form by Apr. 30, must
submit an official paper transcript to Langara by this deadline.
June 1 - UBC's deadline to accept your offer of admission and to pay your acceptance deposit. For offers made after May
15, check your admission letter for deadlines.
June 1 - KPU's deadline to accept your offer of admission and to pay your acceptance deposit. Course registration begins
July 6.
June 1 - SFU's deadline to accept offer of admission and to pay admission deposit - SFU Deadline to Submit a Personal
Profile for Diverse Qualification Applicants
June 1 - On-line application for Government Student Loans Opens- Apply at: www.StudentAidBC.ca
Learn more about student loans, grants, scholarships and the cost of post-secondary education at: www.canlearn.ca
Early to Mid June - UBC, SFU & UVic Registration/enrolment date information sent to students
* Make sure the TOEFL/ LPI/IELTS of the English test results, if required, have been sent to the institutions to which you
have applied.
* Make sure you check the deadline to accept your post-secondary school's offer of admission and pay deposit (found in
your letter of offer, or on your online student account).
* Also be aware of your given post-secondary course registration date, and be prepared to register online with your plan in
hand including back up choices if your first choice classes are already full.
Apply for Scholarships! Listen for the announcements for the in-school scholarship application, and there are also many
out of school scholarships posted on the bulletin board in the Career Centre, Ms. Mayer's facebook page, and on the
Career Centre Website noted above. Deadlines continue into the summer.
Grade 9 -11 Students:
Please check out the many volunteer opportunities available in our community to help make sure that you complete your
volunteer hours required for graduation, and for the experience you need to meet the requirements of post secondary
school applications and for scholarships. Volunteering is a great way to explore career directions and to get an inside
view to see if a certain career is for you.
Volunteer Match - With Volunteer Richmond - Meet with an Advisor at Volunteer Richmond to search for a rewarding
volunteer experience! Phone 604-279-7020 to get started. Also see: City of Richmond Volunteering Opportunities:
https://icanhelp.richmond.ca to see what opportunities await.
*There are now a few scholarships available for students Gr. 10-11. See the Career Centre website above, or the bulletin
boards.
APPRENTICESHIP (ACE IT) PROGRAMS - A Future Without Limits!!
Students currently in grade 10 and 11... note that the application deadline for ACE IT* PROGRAM
(*ACCELERATED CREDIT ENROLMENT IN INDUSTRY TRAINING) is fast approaching (all students interested
in School Based Programs apply in their grade 11 year, with the exception of Hair Design - grade 10). The Richmond
School District and public post-secondary institutions have created a partnership designed to maximize student
achievement in trades and technology programs. Apprenticeship students earn both a secondary graduation certificate and
a Level One Technical Training Certificate in a specific trade from the Industry Training Authority of BC. Some
programs are school based while others require students to attend a college for a portion of their school year. Interested
students please see their counsellor or Career Advisor. In addition *ACE IT Apprenticeship Programs' information
pamphlet is available in the Career Centre.
Richmond School District Continuing Education - SUMMER LEARNING 2015
Registration details for Summer Learning 2015 are available on the following website - www.RichmondCE.ca
Information will also be sent out via the Richmond School District’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. Application dates
vary From May 4 to May 19, depending on the course applied to.
ACADEMIC FULL CREDIT (Grades 10-12, credit courses)
This intensive academic program is for school-age students taking a course for the first time, to improve a mark or satisfy
post-secondary prerequisites.
ACADEMIC REMEDIAL (Grades 8-11, credit courses)
This program is for school-age students who have marginally failed with a 40-49% mark and wish to achieve a passing
mark (max. C-) and are recommended by their schools.
ENRICHMENT PROGRAM (Grades 1-12, non-credit courses)
Enrichment courses are designed to include provincial learning outcomes for Grades 1-12: English, ESL, French, math &
science, drama/dance, concert & jazz band. School-age students will review and preview learning outcomes through
intensive, professionally delivered courses.
SUMMER CAMPS (Ages 6-17, non-credit, fee paying)
Learn or improve your basic skills in music, science, or sport, or enhance your learning style and study skills! These
courses are fee paying and NOT funded by the BC Ministry of Education.
For more information visit Richmond Continuing Education at: www.RichmondCE.ca
For Summer Opportunities see:
http://www2.sd38.bc.ca/~CCNews@sd38.bc.ca/FOV4-0007DFD4/FOV4-0007DFD6/?OpenItemURL=S066587A8
Wishing you all a most interesting and enjoyable summer!
Marika Mayer
Career Information Advisor
mmayer@sd38.bc.ca
Visit me on Facebook Ms. Mayer Career Centre at:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ms-Mayer-CareerCentre/333673583360594
R.C. Palmer Secondary SD 38 (Mon, Thurs, alt. Wed)
8160 St. Albans Road, Richmond, BC V6Y 2K9
Phone: 604-668-6288 (Ext 1415)
A.R. MacNeill Secondary SD38 (Tues, Fri, alt Wed)
6611 No. 4 Road, Richmond, BC V6Y 2T2
Phone: 604-668-6212 (Ext 1415)