Students' typography posters with motivational messages
|
|
Message from the Principal
|
|
I have not ridden a bike in years – honestly I cannot tell you the last time I did. Truth be told, I do not even own a bike. That said, for 21 days every July (for the past umpteen years) I have faithfully tuned in each evening to watch the replay of that day’s stage of the
Tour de France. It’s actually quite remarkable! I’m drawn to it like a moth to a light – pulled in and
completely mesmerized in the level of strategizing and stamina required to finish a race each and every day.
What does any of this have to do with where we are currently at in the school year here at STMC you ask? Well, the period immediately following our return from Spring Break actually reminds me a great deal of the final 60 kms of a 185 km stage of the Tour. We are often flying at breakneck speed, but there are typically several mountain climbs that still lay ahead before we can celebrate crossing that finish-line. The next three months – our final term – is chock-full of challenges and causes of celebration both inside and outside of the classroom before we complete our Final Exam Schedule and watch our Grade 12s walk across the stage of the Massey Theatre at Graduation in that last week of June.
The experienced riders in the
Tour de France are deftly nimble and are able to respond to the various demands and challenges of the road (the course). They accelerate when needed, coast when they can in order to conserve their energy, and gear down to simply grind away when they need to climb the mountain rising in front of them. This is not unlike what many of our experienced students do. They too speed things up when the workload of assignments and tests require it, they rest and take a breather between peak periods to ensure that can continue to keep the saw ‘sharp’ and they buckle down and grind it out when they try to juggle the demands of their school, personal, and family life.
Welcome to the final stretch of the last three months in the life of a school year!
Yours in Christ,
Mr. Steve Garland
STMC Principal
|
|
Message from the President
|
|
The Grace of Confession
I recently attended the funeral of a very young girl who had been tragically killed in a farming accident. The church was filled to capacity with people of all ages coming to be with the family to share whatever support we could. The grief was palpable; the tragedy inconceivable. In the priest’s homily, he acknowledged that there was no way to make sense of this great loss. This child of God had been a bright light in the lives of everyone she had met. In her very short life, she had touched many people. Rather than staying in the tragedy of the loss, the priest challenged us to be people of true faith. Before she was born, God knew the number of days of her life on earth. Being so young, we were reminded that this precious one, once she had been baptized, had never been in a state of sin. The destination of her soul was not in question. Our faith assures us her soul immediately returned to God’s Kingdom of heaven. You could feel the change in the heartbreak of the congregation. While we will continue to grieve her mortal loss, we rejoice there is another saint in heaven.
For all of us who have reached the age of reason, we are not so blessed. We often find ourselves with venial, grave or mortal sins on our soul. Our immediate path to heaven is not so clear.
Hope is not lost of course! The weeks leading up to Easter is a wonderful time to make a good confession. We are filled with the certainty that our sins have been forgiven. Staying in a state of sin when God has given us the Sacrament of Reconciliation, with the knowledge that through the sacrament graces are obtained, that would be a tragedy.
May God bless your family with a joy-filled Easter season.
Live, Jesus, in our hearts … forever.
Mrs. Neysa Finnie
STMC President
|
|
April
11:
Parent-Teacher Interviews
19:
Good Friday - SCHOOL CLOSED
22:
Easter Monday - SCHOOL CLOSED
May 3
: Walkathon & Greek Olympics
|
|
The Knights Annual Fund campaign for 2018/2019 school year is well underway. Thank you again to current parents, board, faculty, and staff who have already supported this year’s campaign by making a gift to the Fund. To date, we have raised close to $40,000 in pledges and cash gifts, which will support programs and initiatives that enhance our current Knights’ everyday learning experience. To make a one-time gift or monthly gifts to the Knights Annual Fund, please go to:
STMC Knights Annual Fund
. This annual campaign runs until June 30, 2019.
STMC Advancement Contacts:
Jacqueline Doering
Alice Roder
Thank you for supporting STMC!
|
|
SCIENCES
On March 9th a group of our grade 11 and 12 students competed against 65 other schools at UBC's annual Physics Olympics. The team built a homemade mechanical clock and a Rube-Goldberg machine in their pre-built events and completed challenges relating to fluids and detection of exoplanets. They also contemplated deep questions in the Fermi challenge and put their knowledge to the test in Quizzics. The team enjoyed challenging themselves against other schools, but more importantly realized how many other students across the province share their passion for science.
|
|
STUDENT HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH
|
|
Charlotte Cho
Charlotte Cho, grade 10, is one of STMC’s talented Knights. Very recently, she made it onto the ERCBNA (Edmund Rice Christian Brothers North America) Gallery of Student of Art, a wonderful and well-deserved feature for her artwork.
To take a closer look at Charlotte's artwork, and to also read more about her, visit the ERCBNA website
here
|
|
STUDENT
TEACHER HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH
|
|
Last summer, the Rotary Foundation began their search for 6 educators to go abroad to Kenya in order to share ideas and technology to improve upon the ways school is taught there.
"This past spring break, I had the opportunity to travel with 5 other educators from BC to Kenya to work with 8 Kenyan teachers from four different schools. Our mandate from Rotary International was to work with the teachers there to incorporate technology and the 21st Century skills of Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, and Communication into the way they teach. This is in preparation for the implementation of a new Kenyan-wide curriculum.
During the trip we were able to spend time in the 4 different schools schools to get to know the teachers and students. Our partner in Kenya was an NGO called Kenya Connect, who helped and guide us during much of our stay. We spent long days learning with our Kenya colleagues at Kenya Connect’s Learning Resource Centre learning from each other. Please have a look at our blog for more details of our trip. Asante Sana Kenya"
|
|
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
|
|
Summer Basketball Camp - July 22-26, 2019
St Thomas More Collegiate is hosting our Annual Summer Basketball Camp designed to introduce players to the fundamentals of basketball in a fun and competitive atmosphere. It is open to boys and girls going into grades 3-8. Dates are July 22nd to the 26th, 2019 from 9am until noon. For more info, click on the link below:
|
|
Volunteer Knight
Mark your calendars!
Tuesday April 30
th
6:30 PM
at STMC's Cafeteria
It’s time for STMC’s Annual Volunteer Appreciation Night! Come join us and enjoy food and beverages in a cocktail party fashion. There will be a chance to mix and mingle with the staff and other fantastic volunteers!
It’s all the volunteers that make STMC a great place, and we like to thank you! We hope you can make it!
|
|
Walkathon & Greek Olympics
Walkathon is on
May 3, 2019 this year!
This annual event at St. Thomas More Collegiate is the school’s largest student-led fundraiser and is a much anticipated tradition that showcases STMC’s vibrant school spirit and the school community’s generosity and commitment to living the Essential Elements of an Edmund Rice Christian Brother Education.
An STMC tradition for over 40 years, the Walkathon is a great opportunity for our young people to support their fellow students and their school by reaching out to family, friends and external community to raise funds.
After Walkathon, the Greek Olympics will take place in the afternoon. It will be a fun filled and eventful day!
|
|
It has been half a year since we launched our new STMC website, a major milestone for our school. But when it comes to technology, improvements must constantly be made. As such, we are looking to form a diverse group of volunteers from the STMC community – parents, faculty, and staff - to help. Ideally, this focus group will consist of varying demographics and between 8-12 volunteers. Volunteers must have access to a computer and an hour to spare in the next few weeks.
If you would like to put your name forward and be a part of this small focus group, please email
communications@stmc.bc.ca
with the subject: “Website 2.0”. A set of instructions with directions on navigating the website will be sent to each of the volunteers who are selected for this group. The goal is to see what works well in our new website, and where improvements can be made.
Thank you, in advance, to all volunteers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
