Senior School Updates — December 6, 2024

12/6/2024

2024 Hamper Drive

Thank you for supporting the Hamper Drive Initiatives this week at the Senior School! There’s still time to make a contribution and spread holiday cheer.

Click Here To Donate!

Block Rotations:
December 9–February 7

On Monday, December 9th, it will be Day 1 and the blocks will be E-A-C-D-B. Tuesday, December 10th will be Day 2 and the blocks will be J-F-H-I-G.

Time of day can have a strong impact on learning for some students (and teachers). Rotating blocks enables students to learn different subjects at different times of the day to spread both the opportunities and challenges of specific times of day. The Lunch Blocks (C, D H and I) do not rotate as they carry additional logistics and complexities.

Students, please arrive a few minutes earlier than usual on Monday, December 9th so that you are able to get to your class on time.

Grade 8 & 9 Elective Course Change Requests

Attention Grade 8 and 9 Parents and Guardians,

Most Grade 8 and 9 student electives are Semester courses, meaning they only run for half the school year. Semester 1 courses will finish on Monday, January 27, 2025, and Semester 2 courses begin on Tuesday, January 28, 2025. Starting Monday, December 9th, and ending Friday, December 20th at 4:00 pm, students will have an opportunity to request any changes to their semester-long electives through a Google Form directly distributed to them. If your child is interested in switching his Semester 2 elective, please direct them to the Google Form or the Academics Office for assistance. Please note that Band 8, Band 9, and Latin 9 are full-year courses, and course change requests are subject to space availability in the requested course.

Register Now For The UK Tour (Spring Break 2025)
Deposit Deadline: December 11

The City of Dreaming Spires and home to a centuries-old, world-class university. One of the greatest world capitals — historic, dynamic, ever-stimulating.

Twenty students from Grades 10–12 will have the opportunity to spend a week exploring all that Oxford and London have to offer the curious reader and the intrepid traveller! This is not a pre-packaged tour, but specially arranged by teachers from the St. George’s School’s English Department.

Registration is already underway for this experience, which runs March 23-31, 2025, at a cost of $5600 CAD. Participants must commit to a deposit by Wednesday, December 11th.

Interested students should APPLY NOW through this Google form to secure a spot. For more information, please contact Ms. Stephanie Chan, Head of English, via email at: schan@stgeorges.bc.ca.

Saints Book Club Reads
James By Percival Everett

On Thursday, November 28th, students and teachers gathered for the first Saints Book Club of the year. Our novel of choice was James by Percival Everett. James is a re-telling of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, told through the voice of Huck’s enslaved man, Jim (who later re-names himself James). The novel was also shortlisted for this year’s Man Booker Prize. Students from Grades 8–12 gathered together over pizza and sodas to read key sections and share their impressions of the novel.

You can check out our discussion questions here: James — Book Club Questions

The Saints Book Club meets three times each year and is open to everyone! We always choose novels that have been published in the last two years. Our next book is There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak (author of The Island of Missing Trees), and we are hoping to meet in early February.

To join us, please acquire a copy of the book (we encourage students to shop at local bookstores if possible), and stay tuned for the date announcement. For more information, please contact Ms. Sandra Gin, English Curriculum Coach, via email at: sgin@stgeorges.bc.ca.

Happy Reading!

Term 2 & 3 Meal Program Enrollment Is Now Open

Enrollment for the Term 2 & 3 Meal Program is now open for a limited time! Please note that if you have already enrolled for the Meal Program, you do not need to sign up again.

Click Here To Sign Up For The Meal Program.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact Ms. Julie Matandac, Head of Food Services, via email at: jmatandac@stgeorges.bc.ca.

Athletics Updates

It’s hard to believe that there are only two weeks left before Winter Break, but there is plenty of action remaining in 2024, and many chances to get out and support Saints Athletics! Here is what is on the schedule next week:

Basketball

Varsity

Coming off of a great showing at the Cowichan Tournament last weekend, the Varsity Team is at the Tsumura Basketball Invitational at the Langley Events Centre this weekend. The tournament tipped off on Wednesday, December 4th. Check out the Saints Athletics Instagram for updates. On Tuesday, December 10th, the team will travel down the road to Kitsilano for an 8:00 pm matchup. They will then be competing in the No Regrets Tournament in North Vancouver from December 12th–14th.

2nd Varsity

The 2nd Varsity Team is back from the CAIS National Tournament, which took place last week at Ridley College in St. Catharine’s, Ontario. They will host games next week against Jules Verne on Tuesday, December 10th at 5:00 pm, and King David on Thursday at 5:00 pm. Good Luck, Boys!

Junior Varsity

The JV Team is at Mulgrave this weekend for the Junior Boys ISA Tournament. In round-robin play, they will tip off against St. John’s at 10:45 am on Friday, December 6th and then Southpointe at 5:45 pm. Next week, the team will take on Kitsilano on the road on Tuesday, December 10th at 6:30 pm.

Juvenile

The Grade 9 boys are competing in the Semiahmoo Tournament this weekend. They will get started with a match against Burnaby South on Friday, December 6th at 1:30 pm. Next week, they play Kitsilano on Tuesday, December 10th at 5:00 pm as part of the program’s road series. Then they will head to Tamanawis for their second tournament in as many weeks, which will run on December 13th & 14th.

Keep an eye on the Saints Athletics Instagram for updates

Grade 8A

The Grade 8A Team is co-hosting the Saints Invitational with the 8B Team this weekend on Friday, December 6th and Saturday, December 7th. The 8A boys will play Richmond in the opening round on Friday at 6:00 pm. Next week, they will kick off the Kitsilano Series on the road at 3:30 pm on Tuesday, December 10th.

Grade 8B

The Grade 8B Team will be co-hosting the Saints Invitational this weekend with the 8As. The Grade 8B Team will start their tournament run when they play Van Tech on Friday, December 6th at 3:00 pm. Next week, they host Jules Verne on Tuesday at 3:30 pm, and King David on Thursday at 3:30 pm. Good luck, Grade 8s!

CSSHL Hockey

U15 AAA

Friday, December 6th, the U15 AAA Team is in action when they host Rink Kelowna at Father Bauer Arena at 1:30 pm. They take on BWC Academy and will be on the road on Friday, December 13th at 7:45 pm at Burnaby Winter Club and then host OHA on Sunday, December 15th at 10:45 am at Thunderbird Arena.

U15 Prep

On Sunday, December 8th, the U15 Prep Team will travel to take on Yale at the Summit Centre at 1:00 pm. This is their final game before the Winter Break.

U17 Prep

The U17 Prep Team will host BWC Academy on Saturday, December 14th at Father Bauer Arena at 5:15 pm. Then on Sunday, December 15th, they will travel to BWC for a rematch at 9:30 am.

U18 Prep

The U18 Prep Team will host Rink Kelowna at Father Bauer Arena on Saturday, December 7th at 5:15 pm, and then Yale at Thunderbird Arena on Sunday, December 8th, at 10:45 am. Next weekend, they head to the Summit Centre for the Yale Showcase from December 13-15th. They are set to take on Prarie Hockey Academy on Friday, Calgary International Hockey Academy on Saturday, and Edge School on Sunday.

CSSHL League schedules are available HERE

Curling

Keep an eye out for details on their upcoming competition schedule as the Curling Team continues to prepare to defend their Provincial Title later this Winter. They will be training on Wednesdays after school at the Vancouver Curling Club.

Rowing

Rowers will remain in training throughout the Winter Term, with their next event being the indoor ‘Beat The Beast’ Erg Competition, taking place January 31st–February 1st. Please reach out to Coach Duncan at: bduncan@stgeorges.bc.ca or Coach Davis at: jdavis@stgeorges.bc.ca if you have any questions.

Keep an eye on the Saints Rowing Instagram for updates

Sport Climbing

The Sport Climbing Team is coming off of their first comp of the season ,which took place at the Richmond Oval Climbing Centre on Thursday, December 5th. They will continue to train on Tuesdays at the Hive up until the Winter Break.

Ski and Snowboard

Competitive Ski and Snowboard tryouts are currently set to take place on Thursday, December 12th at Whistler/Blackcomb. Good luck to everyone headed up to the mountain.

Table Tennis

The Table Tennis Team is set for another excellent season. They will be practicing on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Lower Great Hall.

Follow @saintsathletics on Instagram!