— December 2019 —
Charlotte Cho's (grade 11) latest work of art in the newly remodeled McCarthy Library
Message from the Principal
My home parish – St. Edmund’s in North Vancouver – experienced a bit of a ‘shuffle’ this past summer. Our long standing priest of almost 10 years was reassigned to a parish in Calgary in August and in early in September we welcomed a new pastor, Father Steny. Although I thoroughly enjoyed and miss our former pastor, our new priest’s homilies have really challenged my thinking. Advent, in particular, has taken on a bit of a new meaning for me this year. While I have always considered it to be the harbinger of renewed hope and the expectation of great things to com, it was something that Father Steny said during his homily on the first Sunday of Advent just a few weeks ago that has truly personalized the season for me. 

As a teacher and educator I use the notion of hitting the ‘reset button’ or re-calibrating goals and expectations each and every time we begin a new school year (or a new term). You’ve seen me write this in the past and I will say the very same again in this message to families. It is a very natural way to think for those involved in teaching and learning – to know that we always have the opportunity to do different tomorrow than we did today. Until recently, however, I had never fully considered that the period leading up to Christmas allows us to do similarly from a spiritual perspective. As one liturgical year wraps up and we begin a new one where, hope , peace , joy , and love help prepare us for the celebration of the birth of our Lord. It is also a perfect opportunity for me to re-calibrate my spiritual compass.

For all of those associated with STMC, Advent is a period that serves to reminds all of us of the hope we harbour for our families, friends, and those we encounter in our life. It also reminds us our wish for peace on earth – for a better tomorrow for ourselves and everyone, everywhere. It reminds us of the joy associated with knowing that we can all be a better version of ourselves tomorrow than we are today. And it also serves to reminds us of the real love that we are all able share when we have the courage to stand to stand in solidarity with those marginalized with poverty and injustice, and when we celebrate the value and dignity of each person. 

At the school level, this holy of seasons coincides with the period immediately following our fall Parent-Teacher Interviews and the distribution of our Term 1 Report Cards. It is a time where students and our staff are able to re-calibrate the academic GPS that we have independently set for ourselves before we hit ‘pause’ and head off for our Christmas Holidays. Students that were able to get off to a good start are able to readjust the benchmarks and goals that they established at the beginning of the school year to see where further improvements can be made. Equally important, it also affords those that have not had the start that they had hoped for to be able to wipe the slate off and begin anew.

The impending Christmas Holidays is the tonic that many need at this point in the school year. It is a chance for all of us to reconnect with those people and those things we love most. It also affords us a chance to rest-up and recharge our energies for that long stretch of hard work that we all know awaits from early January through to the middle of March.

On behalf of the STMC staff I would like to wish all of our families a joy-filled and blessed Advent and Christmas. May God keep you and guide you!

Blessings,
Steve Garland
STMC Principal
Message from the President
Hard to believe that a new Decade is just around the corner. 2020 will be an exciting year for STMC as we will be renewing our strategic plan for the next 5 years, and in June will begin celebrating the 60 th anniversary. The success of both these initiatives will rely on the participation of everyone. Please give me any thoughts you have about how you would like to be involved, or ideas you want us to include in our planning.
 
In terms of past achievements, there is so much to celebrate! We have graduated over 5000 students since STMC first opened its doors! We have alumni who have made significant impacts locally and internationally in religious life, in academics, in arts and athletics. During the 60 th we will be seeking ways to profile the achievements and impacts of our Knights. If you know of Knights, or former staff who are no longer connected to STMC, please help us reconnect with them so they can participate in our celebrations.
 
Our strategic planning process will build on the current strategic plan‘s challenge to be bold, daring and imaginative. Together we will look ahead and envision what the next 60 years might look like and how we set a plan for the next 5 years that moves us towards that vision. How will STMC continue to advance the Essential Elements of a Blessed Edmund Rice Christian Bother Education? Will we reaffirm our vision “For Every Knight to Make a Positive Contribution to the Earth and Its People”? How will STMC continue to position itself at the forefront of innovative teaching and learning? How will STMC ensure long term sustainability? These are some of the questions we hope to engage the STMC community in.
 
So one exciting decade is ending, and the second half of the school year lies ahead of us. Please enjoy the Christmas Season, and be ready to bring renewed dreams and energy to the New Year. I wish you and your families Peace and Joy.

Live Jesus in our hearts... forever!

Dianne Doyle - President, STMC
GIVING NEWS
Walkway of Angels plaque in recognition of the generous gift from the Kully Family, in memory of Coach Kully
Did You Know?
 
Giving to St. Thomas More Collegiate has never been easier. In our Support STMC’s Ways to Give page you have the option to sign up as a monthly donor through Canada Helps - STMC’s secure online giving platform provider. Monthly gift donors are vital contributors to the sustainability of St. Thomas More Collegiate. As a monthly donor, you sign up once for pre-authorized payments through credit card or through PayPal and receive a consolidated tax receipt at the end of the calendar year. If you prefer to give monthly through pre-authorized electronic funds transfer (EFT), please contact our Advancement Office for assistance. To set up a monthly online gift: STMC Online Monthly Giving Page

Our online donation page is also set up for memorial or tribute giving - a wonderful way to honour or remember someone and make a difference at STMC at the same time. Celebrate occasions such as birthdays and graduations, or express sympathy or a thank you by making a memorial or tribute gift to STMC. When you make a gift, you may request STMC Advancement to send an electronic or printed card to notify a person that a gift has been made in their honour or in their loved one’s memory. To make a memorial or tribute gift: STMC Memorial/Tribute Giving

In November we launched the 2019/20 Annual Knights’ Fund. This annual giving campaign allows STMC to enhance our students’ learning experience by augmenting the funds received from government and tuition fees. To receive a tax receipt for 2019, please submit your gift  by December 31, 2019 . Currently we have a 4% participation rate by our parents and 24% by staff. The campaign continues until June 2020. Thank you to those that have given generously in the past years. We look forward to your continued generosity. Great things happen at STMC when the whole community joins together in support of our school and our Knights.

STMC Advancement Contacts:

Alice Roder
Advancement Services Officer | 604-521-1801 ext. 133 | advancement@stmc.bc.ca

Thank you for supporting STMC!

IT NEWS
Parent – Student Access and Communication Upgrades
 
Improved access to STMC services such as PowerSchool and the mySTMC portion of the school website have been high on the priority list for the IT Department. A major upgrade to the authentication system is currently being implemented, and will be fully functional following the Christmas Break. The STMC ClassLink system will provide SSO access to all school services and educational portals, along with an easy-to-use password reset service for both Parent Accounts and Student Accounts.
 
Our new system will also serve as an regular communication platform, delivering daily and weekly news and announcement information for students and their families. Look for further information soon in your email inbox!
 
Ken Olson, Director of IT
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
January
6: Back to School (Day 2)
9: Knight Club Uniform Sale
13: STMC Parents Association Meeting
14: Open House
30-1: 23rd Annual Alumni Basketball Tournament
ACADEMICS ROUND UP
SCIENCES
Kwantlen Science Challenge

On November 30th, 13 of our students took part in the Kwantlen Science Challenge. Our team of six grade 9 & 10 students competed in the junior challenge and had to build a boat that would travel down a course as fast as possible, powered by a cross wind.  They also had to complete challenges in physics, geology, math and jeopardy.  

The senior team was made up of one grade 11 student and six grade 12 students.  They had to build a battery powered car for their prebuilt challenge and competed in physics, biology and chemistry challenges in addition to a jeopardy competition. The teams competed against 25 other schools and had a good day, despite not finishing in the medals.
Discovery Day in Health Sciences

On December 9, four of our students attended the BC Children's Hospital Research Institute's Discovery Day in Health Sciences. Josh G., Julian L, Matt M and Eunice T. spend the day attending hands on sessions on medical research and listened to some excellent speakers. All students came away invigorated and inspired regarding possible health science careers.
ATHLETICS ROUND UP
Gr. 3-7 Basketball Camp
St Thomas More Collegiate is hosting a two day Basketball Camp designed to introduce players to the fundamentals of shooting in a fun and competitive atmosphere. It is open to boys and girls currently in grades 3-7. Dates are January 2nd and 3rd, 2020 from 9am-noon. For more info see Brochure and Registration details .

There are still a few spots left in our STMC Holiday Basketball Camp. Hurry before registration closes!
Sr. Girls
Congratulations to the Senior Girls Basketball team for winning the Chancellor tournament this year over the Dec 6-7 weekend. The girls beat #7 provincially ranked Lambrick Park in the final. Well done ladies!

For a recap of the the senior team's progress, you can read more at BurnabyNow.
Special Events
Precious Purses - DTES

What started in the summer as a call to help those most vulnerable in our community became such an amazing day. Taking donated purses and filling the bags with day-to-day items we all take for granted, volunteers from STMC, St. Francis de Sales, and the Good Shephard Ministry provided them to the women of Vancouver's DTES. Over 150 "Precious Purses" was assembled and next weekend, the gifts will be provided to the Women's Shelter in the DTES. A little gift of joy to those who need joy, love, kindness and respect. Thanks to Alice Roder, Linda Noel, and Carrie Sproviero for their huge help!
Knights Christmas Market

Thank you to all the parents for ensuring the Knights Christmas Market was another massive success! There was also an overwhelming response to all the student volunteers from the vendors and many are already booked for the next year.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Kevin Marshall
Kevin Marshall, grad of 2012, is in a 3 year program at The School of Law at Queens University in Belfast. He joined the Alternative Dispute Resolution Society which is a student led body where, with a partner they take up the roles of client and counsel and dispute on a set of case facts with the other party, with the aim of getting to a “yes”, or closer to it, by way of negotiation and mediation. Kevin and his partner won the competition after many weeks of cases (with three in the final week ) and are going to represent their university in Paris Feb 6-12 to compete in the 15th ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition which gathers over 350 Students and coaches in addition to 130 professional mediators and mediator trainers from all over the world. During the competition, students teams representing 66 universities endeavour to resolve international business disputes through mediation, guided by professional mediators pursuant to the ICC Mediation Rules, and judged by leading resolution specialists.

In his undergrad at University of Western Ontario he wrestled for 4 years and played football for 2. With wrestling he competed at the national level and was the Greco ROMAN wrestling national champion. He coaches both kids and adults at a wrestling/ju jitsu club in Belfast. He competed in the Northern Ireland Ju Jitsu championships and placed second in his weight class. In his final year of his undergrad he did an exchange semester in Tokyo Japan where he continued to wrestle.
We'd love to hear about all the wonderful and exciting things in which our Knights are engaged ! If you have something you would like to share on our social media feeds or in the monthly newsletter send an email to communications@stmc.bc.ca
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