UNIVERSITY HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5395 Chancellor Boulevard,
Vancouver, BC V6T 1E2
Telephone: 604-713-5350
Fax: 604-713-5353

Principal: Kathy Pickford; Vice-Principal: Shannon MacDonald;
Co-PAC Chairs: Tim Dow, Hazita Harun
Associate Superintendent: Val Overgaard; School Liaison Trustee: Allan Wong

June 28, 2012

NOTICE OF LATE RETURN

The first day of school for the 2012/13 school year is Tuesday, September 4th. If you are returning to University Hill Elementary School in the fall but will not be here before September 6th , you must complete and return a Notice of Late Return form. These forms are available from the school office or by request from your child’s teacher. If you plan to return after September 30th, the school cannot hold a place for your child.

U-HILL KINDERCLUB

U-Hill Kinderclub has spaces available for children 5-12 years of age for the Summer Program. If anyone is interested, please call Natalia or Jamie at 604-222-0700. Our summer hours will be 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

LUNCH PROGRAM

Please be reminded that the school’s lunch program is now a ‘cost recovery’ program. This means that students may sign up only for a full month of the program at a time, or not at all. Each child who registers for the lunch program will be provided with a ‘pass’ card that must be presented to lunch program staff daily in order to receive a meal. Unfortunately the VBE provides NO subsidies and there will be no opportunity for daily ticket orders.

SEPTEMBER REMINDERS

School begins on Tuesday, September 4th, 2012 at 9:00 am. Students should go to their old classes at the bell. The children will only be in school for about 45 minutes on this day. This year class lists will NOT be posted on the school windows before the first day of classes. Students will return to this year’s classes for attendance. New intermediate students are asked to go to the Multi Purpose Room. New primary students, please go to the library. Class lists for 2012/13 will be posted on the school’s front windows at the end of the day on September 6th. Students will be able to see their new class placements and go to their new classes on the morning of September 7th.

SPECIAL THANKS

To the staff of University Hill School for all of their extra efforts on behalf of the students at the school. These people put in an amazing amount of extra time and effort to work with students in extra curricular service, athletic and academic areas. They provide the school with the wonderful art work and displays that have graced our primary and intermediate hallways over the past year. Their hard work has resulted in huge benefits for our students, a fostering of pride in community, athletics, academics and citizenship not possible in the regular classroom setting, and in the fabulous displays and incredible art work that help to make our school a welcome, inviting place to learn. Many, many thanks to you all.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SUPPLIES FEES

The Vancouver School Board offers the service to parents to purchase basic school supplies in bulk wholesale prices and to pass the cost savings on to families. The request for School Supply Fees for 2012/13 will be sent out in September. In past years it has been $25/student. This fee covers the cost of basic school supplies used for students’ personal use such as paper, writing tools, rulers, scissors, glue sticks, erasers, paint sets and exercise books. Supplies are provided for the full year except where excessive loss and replacement becomes unreasonable. The advantages for families of the Board providing student supplies are: (1) convenience (2) cost saving and (3) standardization of supplies used in the classroom.

Payment for Supplies
As a reminder, the Vancouver School Board will not deny a child access to the school supplies required for his or her educational program because of financial hardship. Parents and Guardians who would like to request to postpone payment of the supplies fee or require the supplies fee to be waived for the current school year, should contact their school Principal directly at the school or in writing.

PAC UPDATE

Our last PAC meeting of the 2011/12 school year was held on Monday, May 16th. At this Annual General Meeting, we presented and approved the school plan and school organization for the upcoming year and held elections for our PAC executive. Our thanks and congratulations go to the new executive:

PAC Co Chairs: Tim Dow and Denise Lauritano

Treasurer: Christine Wang

The PAC Meeting dates have been scheduled for next year as follows:

Monday, October 15th
Monday, November 19th
Monday, January 21st
Monday, February 18th
Monday, April 15th
Monday, May 20th

All meetings will be held at 9:00 am unless otherwise specified.

SO LONG AND BEST WISHES TO…

Jennifer Appleton
Christene Gwynne
Andrea Morgan
Katharine Kan

Our most sincere thanks for all of your efforts on behalf of the children at University Hill. We wish you the very best in all future endeavors.

A very special so long to Shannon MacDonald, who has been at University Hill for 5 years as a Resource Teacher and more recently as Vice Principal. Shannon has been a huge contributor to our school during her time here, and we wish her great success in future. Starting in September, Shannon will be the new Vice Principal at Kerrisdale Annex starting in September.

WELCOME TO UNIVERSITY HILL

We are very pleased to welcome the following new staff to university Hill for September 2011. Ankie Carswell will join us as Vice Principal and Resource Team member, Jorden Covert will be returning to us as a resource team member and Bonnie Dakin’s teaching partner and Clara Lam will be our new Music teacher and Melody Ludski’s teaching partner. We welcome all to their new assignments and look forward to their contributions to our school.

2012 Fair at the PNE to Continue
Free Admission for Children 13 & Under
Due to the overwhelming success of the inaugural year of the expanded program, The Fair at the PNE is thrilled to once again offer FREE gate admission for all children 13 and under* during the Fair’s run from Saturday, August 18 to Monday, September 3, 2012.

For the second year since the 1940’s the PNE won’t be sending a free entrance ticket home in elementary school report cards across the province. Instead, children 13 and under will be admitted free with an adult throughout each day of the Fair at the PNE.

”The expansion of this historic program was an incredible success, allowing families with elementary school aged children to visit the Fair on multiple days and take advantage of the many programs we offer for our youngest Fair fans,” says Michael McDaniel, President & CEO.

The annual Fair at the PNE is BC’s premier summer time event offering a wide range of new and classic family entertainment.

More information: Visit http://www.pne.ca in early July to find out all about the 2012 Fair entertainment program featuring hundreds of free with admission shows, exhibits and attractions for guests of all ages.

*A maximum of five (5) children aged 13 and under will be admitted free per one paying adult.

SPORTS DAY
What a day it was!! The sun was shining – but not too brightly, on Friday, May 25th, just in time for the school’s Sports Day cheers and then for the stations. Primary and intermediate staff each coordinated a morning to remember! After Red, Yellow, Green and Blue teams each participated in a cheer, the classes rotated through a set of fun, athletic stations designed to encourage sportsmanship and enjoyment. Our ‘Beach’ theme was perfect – especially for the weather – and the staff showed incredible creativity in the stations they designed.. Thanks go to all who helped to organize this hugely successful event and to the secondary students who volunteered to help run the stations.
Special thanks go to Hazita Harun, Veronica D’Angelo, Denise Lauritano and all those parents who helped to coordinate and man the concession stands. Also, thanks go to Save On Foods for generously donating a $25.00 Gift Card and to Starbucks Coffee on Agronomy Road for donating coffee. Sports Day is always one of the most anticipated days of the school year. This year’s was no exception and proved to be perhaps the most successful Sport’s Days ever. We hope that this has created special memories that will stay with our children throughout their lives.

2012/2013 BUS PROGRAM
Registration will begin on the 1st day of school (September 4). Forms along with payment will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis, in person, and submitted to one of the parent volunteers outside the school. Bus service will begin on Wednesday September 12. Registrations before the 1st day of school will not be accepted. Information on the 2012/2013 Bus Program will be published on the PAC website (https://uhillpac.wordpress.com) at the end of August. Please remember that availability is limited and there are always more students interested in using the bus than there are seats on the bus. Parents are expected to have alternative transportation arrangements if their child cannot be accommodated on the bus.

STATISTICS ON SUN SAFETY

The Canadian Dermatology Association reports that. . .

Sun exposure in childhood and adolescence is seen to play a critical role in later development of skin cancer.
More than 60 000 Canadians develop skin cancer each year. Children now have a lifetime risk of 1 in 7 for developing this disease.
A study conducted by researchers across Canada points to the time from birth to age 19 as critical for the initiation of the most common type of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma, possibly because young skin is more sensitive than an adult’s.
People who had two or more severe sunburns in childhood have a 4.6 times higher risk of getting basal cell cancer. Those who spent a lot of time outdoors as a child or adolescent have a 2.6 times greater risk of the disease.
Other risk factors include having fair skin, red hair, a tendency to burn rather than tan and a history of severe sunburns in childhood.
The Association expresses the hope that people in general, but particularly those who fall into the high risk categories, will take extra care when exposed to the sun. Most skin cancers are preventable.

SUMMER SAFETY REMINDERS

As we come to t he end of another school year, we would like to wish everyone a very safe, happy and restful summer, and leave you with the following safety reminders:

When riding bicycles, please stay in the designated bicycle traffic lanes as appropriate and remember to wear your helmet at all times. This is equally true for skateboarders and roller-bladers.
When driving with a child or children, please make sure that seatbelts are worn at all times. Remember, too, that children less than 90 pounds should be in the backseat away from airbags and should be riding in a carseat.
Sunscreen is essential for protection from the burning rays of the sun. Please be sure that you and your child(ren) are wearing at least SPF 30 at all times

Free! Fun! VSB Summer School!
Registration for Summer School is now open. Check the summer school flyers
for course options at a school near you. Courses are available for students from
Grades 1 to 7, and sessions will be offered throughout July and August. Academic
courses and ESL courses are free, and you can also choose from a wide range of
arts-oriented and enrichment courses at Maple Grove, Mackenzie and Magee
Summer Centers that are offered for the standard fee. Additionally, we’ll be
running a three-week French Immersion Summer School program at Lord
Tennyson Elementary School.
For course details and registration, visit us on the web at http://www.continuinged.ca or
call 604-713-4550. To register online you will need your child’s PEN number
(available from your school’s office).
VSB Summer School…where your child can learn with a friend

Widen Your World – Welcome a Student
It is becoming a tradition. Each year, hundreds of international students arrive in Vancouver to attend the Vancouver School Board=s high school program. Students usually stay five to ten months. The Langara College Homestay Program is looking for host families who would like to welcome such students into their homes. Hosts are asked to provide a welcoming atmosphere, an English-speaking environment and three meals a day. Reimbursement is provided. Homestay fosters friendship and cultural understanding. For more information about the program, please call 604-323-5696 or e-mail homestay@langara.bc.ca .
From the Staff of University Hill Elementary School . . .

We wish all of you a happy, safe and healthy summer . . . we look forward to another spectacular year in 2012/13.