Senior School Updates — October 11, 2024

10/11/2024

Senior School Photo Retake Day — Wednesday, October 16

Your son will be bringing home a package of his individual photos by the end of this week. If he requires a photo retake, please return the complete photo package to the photographer on Wednesday, October 16th.

Please note that photo retakes cannot be taken by the photographer without the return of the complete original package. There will be no exceptions.

If your son missed the initial photo session in September, he must attend this Retake Session. Please note that students are required to wear their full #1 School Uniform for their photos.

Uniform Matters

The St. George’s School Uniform supports a shared community experience founded on respect, personal pride, and a formal approach to the educational experience. As weather conditions begin to change during this time of the year, we adjust our school standards of dress from “Summer attire” to our regular uniform expectations.

Starting Tuesday, October 15, 2024, and continuing through to March 14, 2025, we require all students to be dressed in accordance with our school standards, as outlined below. Prior to the return from Spring Break on March 31st, the school administration will announce when students may observe a more relaxed and practical summer dress uniform.

The following information outlines our regular student dress code:

Full # 1 School Uniforms — including white dress shirt, school tie, black belt, grey dress pants, grey socks, and black dress shoes (polishable).
Blazers are expected for ALL school assemblies.
No hoodies or sweatshirts are allowed to be worn in the school.
School-purchased sweaters are permissible.
Dress shoes must be worn: black runners or tennis shoes are not permitted.
Students should not wear athletic attire at the Senior School campus unless permission is granted.
Hair should be neatly trimmed and away from the face.
Facial hair is only permitted if kept tidy.
The dress code is in effect during school hours and throughout all school-sponsored activities, unless otherwise specified.

As we continue to have high expectations for our students, we ask that you support our efforts in keeping our Dress Code Standards and Personal Presentation at a high level. We will continue to engage students in conversations about how they present themselves, and the pride taken in wearing their St. George's’ School Uniforms.

October Progress Reports &
Fall Parent-Teacher Learning Conferences

On Tuesday, October 22nd by 4:00 pm, we will post our first Progress Reports of the academic year. Parents will be notified via email as soon as the Progress Reports have been posted to the School Portal.

These are Progress Reports that contain early feedback and observations on student learning.

All Grades 8s will receive a comment from each teacher and a rating on four work habits. No grades will be posted.
All Grade 9s and 10s will receive a rating on four work habits from each teacher. Select students will receive comments (students who are new to St. George’s School, students in Harker Hall, and students who have two or more “requires improvement” work habit ratings). No grades will be posted.
All Grade 11s and 12s will receive a rating on four work habits from each teacher, and a percentage grade from each teacher. Select students will receive comments (students who are new to St. George’s School, students in Harker Hall, and students who have two or more “requires improvement” work habit ratings).

Our fall Parent–Teacher Learning Conferences will be held virtually on Tuesday, October 29th from 4:00–8:00 pm and Monday, November 4th from 4:00-8:00 pm. Registration will open at 6:00 pm on October 23rd and closes at 6:00 pm on October 27th. Further details on how to register will be communicated on Tuesday, October 22nd with the email notifying families and students that the progress reports were posted.

The next Report Cards will be posted before Winter Break and will have grades and comments for all courses as well as comments from Advisory Groups, Co-Curriculars, Head of Grade, and Harker Hall Advisors.

Flex Day Recap — October 10

The second Flex Day of the year proved to be a busy one, bristling with excitement and activity!

The Grade 8s engaged in an artistic morning, participating in a band and visual arts activity. In the afternoon they focused on career education, exploring who they are as individuals through some in-class activities and discussion.

The Grade 9s kicked off the day with an ADST activity. In the afternoon, they ventured on a community engagement activity where groups spent the afternoon outdoors at various locations including the Stanley Park Ecology Society, the UBC Botanical Gardens, the Camosun Bog, and more, to delve deeper into topics explored on the previous Flex Day.

The Grade 10s had an exciting morning with a variety of Wing Games and activities, and the competition was fierce. They rotated between an escape room, a ‘Get To Know Your Wing’ game, darts, and the hilarious Viking race. Then they enjoyed a calm afternoon with a Grade-Wide Career Life Education Session.

The Grade 11s began the day with community placement training and then continued on to their CLC class. In the afternoon, they headed over to West Point Grey Academy to partake in a University Fair.

Last but not least, the Grade 12s promptly began their day with a University Counselling Session, followed by their CLC class. Their afternoon was spent learning about nutrition and mental health education.

World Mental Health Day is this October 10th. To commemorate this day, the Personal Counselling Department ran interactive workshops on Flex Day focusing on Mental Health for the Grade 10s and Grade 12s. Their workshops covered an introduction to mental health, what impacts our mental health, how to support ourselves and others as well as space for dialogue and questions about social media and other concerns in our students' lives.

Grade 10 Work Shadowing Program At St. George's School

The Career Life Education Team is seeking to create an opportunity for our Grade 10 students to gain invaluable insights into the world of employment. This program will support the learning outcomes for the Career Life Education CLE 10 Ministry Course, which includes:

Engaging in real conversations about potential careers.
Learning about the workplace environment.
Connecting with personal and professional mentors.
Demonstrating and understanding workplace safety skills.
Expanding knowledge of diverse career pathways to inform choices.

Our students tell us that one of the most important things they need is connections to people with expertise outside of the classroom. They want to engage in conversations with people who have already been on their career journey, and observe and connect people in career fields they are considering, or may not have thought about yet. We have many students in Grade 10 who have no idea what their path will be. This opportunity for the students to visit and talk with people will help them feel more confident about their next steps.

Can You Help Us?

Vision For The Student Visits

During our Flex Days on Thursdays, we are hoping to send out the whole Grade 10 class for two days of work shadowing with a local employer. We are reaching out to our parent and alumni communities, our neighbours, and local organizations. Ideally, we would like to place a group of students in the same location, where possible.

We are seeking spaces for approximately 160 students on the following days:

Thursday, March 6, 2025
Thursday, April 10, 2025

Visiting Students Will Be Looking To:

Experience what a typical workday looks and feels like.
Connect with employees to discuss the company, industry, and career pathways.
Learn about the education and career-life journey of employees.
Understand workplace safety skills, emergency procedures as well as workplace rights and responsibilities.

Students will be tasked with questions to find answers to as they complete related assignments associated with their Career Life Education 10 Ministry Program.

All employers supporting this program will be invited to a Virtual Orientation and will have support from St. George’s teachers throughout the process.

If you are interested, please complete this Grade 10 Work Shadow Expression of Interest Form.

For any additional questions, please contact the Career Life Education Team via email at: careerlife@stgeorges.bc.ca.

Science 8: Exploring Snow & Slush

Last week In Science 8, the students investigated how much water could be added to 15mls of instant snow before it became "slush". They collated the class’s results and then drew some pretty graphs and tables.

Highlights From The Grade 9 Explorer Trip

Please enjoy these photos courtesy of Mr. Steve Allen, Head of Outdoor Education, of the Grade 9 boys hiking the Sunshine Coast Trail.

Athletics Updates

Individual and team accolades continue to roll in this fall across the Athletics Program. Here is what is coming up this week in Saints Athletics!

CSSHL Hockey

U15 AAA

On Saturday, October 12th, the U15 AAA Team will host North Shore at 5:15 pm at Father Bauer Arena. Next weekend on Saturday, October 19th, the boys will travel to Delta Planet Ice to take on Delta Black at 12:15 pm. The following day they will host Delta White at 4:30 pm at Father Bauer Arena.

U15 Prep

The U15 Prep Team is set for a busy couple of weekends ahead. From October 11th–14th, the boys will be in Abbotsford for the Bauer Elite Invitational. They are scheduled to play the Okanagan Rockets at 11:30 am on Friday, Star Academy on Saturday at 7:30 am, and the Anaheim Jr. Ducks at 5:30 pm. Playoffs will follow on Sunday and Monday. The following weekend the team will travel to Winnipeg for the Winnipeg Showcase. They will play Edge School on Friday, October 18th, NAX on Saturday, October 19th, and OHA Edmonton on Sunday, October 20th.

U17 Prep

The U17 Prep Team travels to North Shore Winter Club to play North Shore on Monday, October 14th at 1:30 pm. On Saturday, October 19th, the team will travel to Wenatchee to take on the Wenatchee Wild at 3:00 pm at the Toyota Centre. They will rematch the next morning at 9:30 am.

U18 Prep

On October 11th, the U18 Prep Team takes on Burnaby Winter Club in Burnaby at 7:45 pm. They will host Delta on Saturday, October 19th at 5:15 pm at Father Bauer Arena.

CSSHL League schedules are available HERE.

Cross Country Running

The Cross Country Team has completed their third League Meet of the season this week. They are setting their sights now on the Sea to Sky Zone Championships, which will take place on Wednesday, October 23rd at Jericho Beach Park.

Rowing

This past week, the Rowing Team competed at the ‘Tail of the Lake’ Regatta in Seattle, WA. The development team looks forward to upcoming races in False Creek on October 27th. The rest of the team will be competing once again on November 2nd and 3rd at the ‘Head of the Lake’ back in Seattle. Good luck, Rowers! Please reach out to Coach Duncan at: bduncan@stgeorges.bc.ca or Coach Jess at: jdavis@stgeorges.bc.ca if you have any questions.

Rugby — Grade 8 & 9

The Grade 8s have an exciting week ahead. The team will travel to Whistler for a matchup with Whistler Secondary School on Wednesday, October 16th. The next day, they will head over to Vancouver Island to take on Shawnigan Lake School. The Grade 9s will be on Garcia Field on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.

Soccer

1st XI

The 1st XI side is headed to St. Andrew’s College in Aurora, Ontario, for the CAIS Senior Boys Championships next week from Monday, October 14th–Saturday, October 19th.

Keep an eye on the Saints Athletics Instagram for the Draw and details.

2nd XI

The 2nd XIs will be training on Wednesday and Thursday this coming week on Mortensen Field.

Grade 10s

The Grade 10 boys host École Gabrielle Roy at 3:45 pm on Tuesday, October 15th on Mortenson Field.

Swimming

Last Thursday, 60 swimmers attended the WPGA Friendly at UBC with four other teams. There was some great early season racing and seed times were created for ISA Champs at Watermania. Yesterday, Saints hosted those ISA Champs, which included 20 teams and close to 400 swimmers. Check out the highlights on Instagram @SaintsAquatics with more updates coming next week.

Thank you to all of the volunteers for your support of the program yesterday. It was greatly appreciated. Additionally, captains have been named for this season. Congratulations to Raymond F ‘25, Keven P ‘25i, Ivan S ‘25, and Kris Y ‘25. One final note: A huge shout out and congratulations goes to Matthew C ‘28 who has been selected to Canada’s National ID team.

Volleyball

Seniors

The Senior Team travels to Vancouver College on Thursday, October 17th looking to get a big win in rival territory! They will play two games at home on Monday, October 21st at 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm.

Juniors

The Junior Team will be on the road next, as they travel to École Jules Verne on Monday, October 21st. They will host two games in Dixon Gym on Thursday, October 24th at 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm.

Follow @saintsathletics on Instagram!