Both Jr. and Sr. Bands played Halloween themed sets for a special lunchtime performance |
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Message from the President |
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Reflections on Gratitude
Each year during the Thanksgiving Season we have an opportunity to reflect on what we are grateful for. In my reflections this year I found myself thinking about the multitude of things I am thankful for as a Canadian, in my family life and in my role at STMC.
On Thanksgiving Day, I had a few precious quiet moments before the anticipated arrival of my family. I had just received a note from a former classmate who was wishing a group of us a wonderful Thanksgiving and who expressed her gratitude for the friendships that had endured over our many years since graduation. That prompted each of us to email expressions of our own gratitude. I wrote: "Turkey is in the oven and I am awaiting the arrival of my family and a few of their friends. I find myself reflecting on how lucky we are despite the reality of challenges in our lives. What a privilege we have been given to live in a democratic country and to have bountiful lives of food, shelter and safety; and to be blessed with children, grandchildren or family members...” I then went on to say how much I value their friendship over the years and miles that separate us.
I am thankful for my husband of 36 years, our 3 adult children, their partners and my adorable grandson. As an STMC community we have so much to be thankful for! We take for granted that our sons and daughters can access education, but this is not true for so many around the world. Yet here at STMC it is so much more than just access. Your children are given opportunities to optimize their potential in all aspects of development as illustrated in our Knights Cross with Faith and Faith Development centering the development of Academics, Arts, Athletics and Advocacy.
We are grateful for the presence of our Christian Brothers, Bro. Basset and Bro. Cassidy and our Chaplains Father McGuckin and Father Yoon; the passion and compassion of our staff and faculty; the support of our community of parents, alumni, volunteers and donors; and the achievements of our students.
My hope is that we will remind ourselves everyday of our blessings. Our gratitude can become a catalyst for action; fostering our growth as a faith community, advancing our Mission and Vision and developing our ability to LEARN, LEAD and SERVE.
I leave you with 2 quotes to reflect on:
"We should certainly count our blessings, but we should also make our blessings count." - Neal A. Maxwell
"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them." - John F. Kennedy
Live Jesus in our Hearts... Forever!
Dianne Doyle
President, STMC
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November
8 & 10: Grad Portrait Photo sittings
9: Remembrance Day Mass
11: Remembrance Day (school closed)
12: Term Break (no classes)
17: Staff & Dept. Meeting (late start)
26: Jeans Day
29: Pro-D Sessions (early dismissal)
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The cafeteria's completed look with new furnishings including new study and lounge areas |
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Dear STMC Community,
Did you know that you can contribute to STMC through a donation of securities? Right now is the BEST TIME to consider this option. Markets are at a record high, the year-end is coming, and your favourite charity receives a greater contribution.
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Please contact Brent Christensen to learn about the tax advantages of making a donation of securities. If you already know the benefits, please visit here to set up your transfer.
Contributions to our Emerging Needs or Academics Fund will help support our school’s two top fundraising priorities:
- Minor renovations and equipment purchases for Mr. Bough’s Materials Engineering Course
- Renovations and Expansion of the STMC Learning Assistance Department
Please contact Brent Christensen to learn more about the Development Department’s two main priorities or to make a contribution.
Brent Christensen | Class of ‘89
Director of Development & Community Relations
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Design Engineering
The grade 9 Material Engineering class worked on designing and making a bridge built from spaghetti. The class worked in teams and had a time limit on the product. They had to satisfy a lot of specifications prior to testing.
One bridge even managed to hold over 22lbs.
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CROSS COUNTRY
Congratulations to the STMC Cross Country Team! What an incredible showing at the Zone Qualifying Meet on Thursday, Oct. 21 at Mundy Park. Out of the team of 25 runners, 14 athletes qualified to race at the BC Provincials on Saturday, Nov. 6 at Jericho Park.
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Special Mentions go to:
Sienna Mar
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(Gr. 10) who earned the last individual spot in the Jr. Girls race (15th
- place out of 88 runners)
Daniel Kay
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(Gr. 9) who placed 11th
- out of 137 runners to claim one of the 10 individual spots
Christian Jonasson
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(Gr. 10) who placed 28th out of 137 runners. Unfortunately, the competition was so tough and so few individual spots were available for qualifying that even this placement wasn’t quite enough to earn a Provincial spot.
Cameron DeWith
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(Gr. 12) who placed 13th out of 84 runners
Jr. Boys’ Team (Daniel Kay, Christian Jonasson, Aaiden Melnychuk, Matias Garcia, Jonathan Ysonza, Ryan Lee, Giuseppe Gargiulo, Carlo Pinske, Matteo Caligiuri, Alex Garcia) who fared well, placing 6th place out of the 16 teams vying for only 3 team spots.
Sr. Boys’ Team (Cameron DeWith, Emilio Garcia, Adam Balbino, Michael Grindlay, Raphael Ysonza, Joshua Largo) who tied for the last Team Qualification spot. The tie was broken by the placement of the fourth runner; Michael ran hard to clinch this coveted spot to send the entire STMC Sr. Boys team to Provincials! In the Sr. Boys’ Division, 11 teams were vying for 5 spots.
Sr. Girls’ Team (Sophia Wong, Jenna Bevacqua, Aly Jonasson, Hannah Van Spaendonk, Annette Yu, Laila Mian) who earned the sixth spot to qualify as an entire team for Provincials.
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EXCITING NEW INITIATIVE
Dear STMC community,
Given the urgent prevailing environmental and social challenges facing the planet, all educational institutions are under pressure to engage with and respond to the associated risks and opportunities. Burnaby, New Westminster, Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey and our Canadian federal government have all declared climate emergencies and are working towards specific targets within their respective jurisdictions to move towards carbon neutrality and to achieve IPCC targets. Moreover, climate action is but one of the many intersecting challenges facing our world including a vast array of social issues including racism, indigenous rights and equity.
Our school is preparing to launch an advisory committee that will consider the issues above and provide some direction and strategy to enable STMC to continue to be a leader in our community. We are seeking parents, students, alumni and members of the community to join some staff members with this initiative. We anticipate meeting monthly beginning in January. If environmental sustainability, truth and reconciliation, and/or equity, diversity and inclusion are areas of strength and experience for you or someone you know, we welcome you to send an email to Mr. Johnston (ben.johnston@stmc.bc.ca) with a brief expression of interest and some relevant experience that would benefit our committee.
Please respond by November 21st so that we have time to review the expressions of interest. We would also like to invite those who have relationships with local First Nations groups to reach out, we would be interested in speaking with you. Thanks so much for your consideration and we look forward to sharing our progress as a committee with the wider STMC community.
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OUTDOORS CLUB
From Matthew Nissan of the STMC Outdoor Club:
On October 16th 2021, the St. Thomas More Outdoors Club went to Deer Lake Park for a hiking activity. The hike chosen was the Deer Lake Trail Loop, roughly 4.8km. The group met at a parking lot, near the start of the loop trail. It was raining, but nevertheless the hike still went on.
The trail had incredible views of the lake and included plenty of view point stops which were perfect for taking photos. The trail was also located on the Deer Lake Wetlands, which provided an array of gorgeous views of the rich biodiversity the lake houses. After the hike was complete, the group went to the local Subway restaurant to have lunch and take a break from all that walking. The hike was a great opportunity to experience the beauty of the natural world and stay active after a long year of lockdown.
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TEXTILE CLUB
Hi everyone! Are you an avid crocheter or knitter and have a lot of unused yarn and materials lying around? If so, the Textiles Club would love to receive some donations including yarn and hooks to help kick off some cool projects. Anything will help! Please drop off at the school office. Thank you!
Sincerely,
The Textiles Club
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HALLOWEEN KNIGHT 2021
Our student body came out in full Halloween spirit this Friday! We had some Loki variants, senior citizens, Mystery Machine crews, superheroes, and Squid Game contestants.
This year, the winners of our Student Council costume contest are:
Best Costume AND Homemade: Joshua Yuen '22 as Grapes
Best Group: Caidyn Maver, Ryan Peterson, Lia de los Santos, Kayleigh Pacholko and Olivia Lascu as the Fred, Velma, Scooby, Shaggy, and Daphne.
A huge shoutout to Bro Cassidy for taking photos all day of our students and staff.
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PUMPKIN CARVING COMPETITION
This year marked our first pumpkin display competition! Our Houses took charge of choosing a theme, carving their pumpkin, and decorating their display table.
The themes ranged from showcasing house symbols such as the owl and the rose to spookier themes like a haunted house and boat!
While Waterford took top pumpkin honours for their creative pumpkin carving, Canterbury's display was unanimously voted as the best! They went with a Day of the Dead theme and even honoured the Disney Pixar film "Coco"! Congrats to Waterford and Canterbury!
We hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween!
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STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MONTH |
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Congratulations to Jillian Castillo '22, Gabriel Piano '22, and Kimi Chua '25 for being listed as three of the Burnaby Beacon's 20 Under 20!
Jillian and Gabriel have been recognized for their community work across Burnaby and the Lower Mainland. More specifically, they co-founded a not-for-profit organization called Youth for You (Y4Y) Society to empower youth through leadership and community service.
Kimi was nominated by the staff at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada and her former principal Irene Wihak at SFdS. She is also involved with Y4Y and has participated in several groups and clubs including the Readers are Leaders program.
Congrats to these three Knights for their service to their local community! They are truly examples of Blessed Edmund Rice's spirit in our school.
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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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