We’ve been experiencing a recent cold spell, which is expected to last for another week. So, please send your child to school dressed appropriately for the weather. The school is offering indoor recess but will also continue to offer outdoor activities for those who wish to participate.

Weather reports are changing hourly and the latest snowfall may result in a Snow Days. An email confirming school closure will be sent out by 8:15 am. Our school will always be closed in accordance with public school closures, but reserve the right to close on days when public schools choose to remain open if we believe that road or weather conditions may be hazardous for the transportation of young children and our staff.

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to be a child in our Montessori environments? Join us for a special opportunity to experience Montessori as your children do at our “Silent Journey of Discovery” on Friday, March 1. Stations will be set up with a variety of Montessori activities from different areas of the curriculum. Through your interaction and exploration with the activities, you will discover for yourself what the materials offer to our students. This year, we’ll be highlighting our work in Social Studies and Science in our elementary program. We hope that this experience will help to bring awareness to the thoughtfulness and power of Dr. Montessori’s vision for the optimal development of each child at their respective stages. Spaces are limited to 15 participants and childcare will be available for parents attending the workshop. Please RSVP us by Friday, February 22.

UPCOMING DATES AND NOTICES
Wednesday, February 13 | Elementary and Extended-Day/Kindergarten | Cassie and Friends at School (puppet show for children about ability, difference, and friendship)
Thursday, February 14 | Grades 1 to 7 Students’ Valentine Box See note below.
Monday, February 18 I Family Day Statutory Holiday I NO SCHOOL
Thursday, February 21 | Upper Elementary | Vancouver Aquarium (full day, bring bagged lunch): The grade 4-7 students look forward to the ‘Wetlab: Community’ hands-on program. This program allows students to handle live animals that live in BC waters and is a great way to engage students, inspire curiosity and instill a sense of respect for all ocean life and its environment. Please submit your permissions if you haven’t done so already!
Friday, March 1 | PD Day & Parent Workshop – NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS Note date change!
Tuesday, March 5 | Kindergarten Hearing Screening
Tuesday, March 5 | Upper Elementary | Science World Please submit your permission and payment. Payment will open after Feb 15th.
Friday, March 8 | Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School Concert | Lower Elementary & Extended-Day/Kindergarten All permissions and payments have been received. Thank you!
Monday, March 12 | Extended-Day/Kindergarten and Elementary | Arts Umbrella Apprentice Dance Company School Show at Dance Centre
Friday, March 15 | Grouse Mountain field trip (full-day) | Extended-Day/Kindergarten and Elementary. Permission form due February 4, 2019.
March 18 to 29 I Spring Break NO SCHOOL
Monday, April 1 I First Day Back from Spring Break
Tuesday, April 16 | Upper Elementary | Maplewood Farm. Payment will open after Feb 15th.
Tuesday, April 30 | Upper Elementary | UBC Botanical Garden Please submit your permission and payment. Payment will open after Feb 15th.

ANCHOR POINT VALENTINE GIFT BOX EXCHANGE
February 14 I Grades 1 & Up, 2 PM: Students have already chosen a “secret Valentine” from a random draw and will be responsible for decorating a custom gift box at home to be presented to that peer. (Students may use a cereal box, shoe box, or kleenex box, etc. for this project – see examples below.) They are invited to bring Valentine’s cards for their classmates if they wish, which will be placed in the gift boxes. To ensure inclusion and acceptance, please ensure your child prepares a card for all his/her classmates if they plan to hand out Valentine cards. Kindly refer to the School Directory found on our school website for names of students. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions.

HOT LUNCH We’re pleased to let you know that there will be no items on our hot lunch selection from Choices. Chicken strips are now offered for March, and sushi will be offered in April. There are no cancellations/refunds for your orders after the 25th of any month. All payments will be online by credit card. Pizza Wednesdays from Rocky Mountain Flatbread are a student-led fundraiser. Net proceeds are retained by the Students’ Enrichment Activities Fund and are used to supplement costs for field trips and specialist workshops.

SCHOOL PHOTOS
With thanks to Katie Reynolds (Elementary Art Specialist and mom to Mina), we now have our very own “in-house” school photos page! To view and order your child(ren)’s photos, please go to https://www.redkatcreative. com/photos and enter lgmphotos to log in to order. We’re pleased to offer a special “buy one and get two free” promo for your purchase:
North Creek Preschool and Extended-day/Kindergarten students, use: CHEERS(the Child’s first name) eg. CHEERSAlice
Anchor Point Lower Elementary – SMILES(Child’s first name)  eg. SMILESJane
Anchor Point Upper Elementary – Child’s First Name eg. Mina
Please contact us if you have any questions or trouble logging in!

SCHOOL COMMUNITY FUNDRAISERS
As you can see from our calendar, students are already scheduled to participate in so many events! Our Students’ Enrichment Fund has been set up and is used to help reduce fees for outings and other activities. In particular, Upper Elementary students have enrolled to attend the Model United Nations (MMUN) program in Rome in May, and would appreciate any contributions received from members of our whole school community!

1) PSG Fundraiser: Sunday, March 3rd 2019 – Kids Stuff Only Market at Coal Harbour Community Centre: The PSG has a table at this event in March and is calling out to the community. If you have any children’s toys, clothes, or books you no longer use and are happy to donate them to the PSG to sell at this event, please contact Martes Farrugia (mother to Evelyn at Anchor Point) at martesmt@gmail.com.

2 ) Bottle Return Fundraiser! It’s very simple to contribute to this fundraising project. First, use the transparent recycling bags that are available at almost any grocery, drug store or hardware outlet. Then, go to any Return-It Express location. Print one stick per bag by entering the registered phone number on the screen (our team’s number is 604-790-9320). Place the bag with the sticker attached in the drop-off area and you’re done. Please check out the attached information.

3 ) Check out https://roamtorome.wixsite. com/mysite-1! We love these avenues for support as this allows families to donate while shopping for their usual needs – clothing, restaurants, give gift cards, equipment and even travel! You can even invite friends and family to join our team. With thanks to Mina (5th-year student) and her mom, Katie, you can now learn how to support us by going to just one site!

ANAPHYLAXIS ALERT! Two students in our community have life-threatening allergy (anaphylaxis) reactions. The triggers are tree nuts and all types of glue. The school is following the VCH guidelines, the families are working with the school, and all AM and PM Preschool and Extended Day are learning about it. North Creek is a nut free environment. Teachers and students will be asked to wash their hands vigilantly and regularly, both at North Creek and in the Extended Day classroom at Anchor Point. Please refrain from sending these foods to school. We encourage parents to use this as an opportunity to introduce other foods for snacks and lunches to the school environment as you introduce your child to anaphylaxis awareness. If this is not avoidable, please inform the teachers of the items at the door. It will help us coordinate the classroom to protect all the children. For more information, please visit Food Allergy Canada. Thank you very much for your attention and assistance.

COMMUNITY NOTICES   Wondering what to do on upcoming weekends? Check these out!

Kevin Mooney Fire Hall Concert Series | Grab your helmet and slide on down to your local Vancouver Fire Hall and see Will’s Jams, Bobs & Lolo and Jim Byrnes live in concert! Please bring donations for the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund.

Lunar New Year Festival | This is your guide to discover the abundance of events in Lunar New Year festivities.

ArtStarts Explores | Feb 2, 9 & 16, 11 am to noon | Explore creativity with your family through hands-on investigations and discover a wide variety of materials and artistic mediums. These process-based explorations invite families to experiment together through observing, touching, drawing, moving, assembling and listening to ignite their creative learning.

The Robson Square Ice Rink and Plaza | Dec 1- Feb 28 | The outdoor skating rink is open, so celebrate winter with free skating in the heart of downtown Vancouver. Free if you bring your own skates. They offer skate rentals for $5/pair. Helmets are also available.

FREE Glasses for Kids at Real Canadian Superstores! | Once a year you can take your child into a Real Canadian Superstore optical department and get FREE glasses. Kids must be between the ages of 4 – 10 years. **Please confirm if this is available in your location.**

Math Circles Workshops | Monday evenings starts on Jan 28 | Grades 4 to 7 | This is an enrichment program for students organized by the faculty members of the Department of Mathematics at the University of British Columbia and the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences. The goal of these workshops is to convey to students the importance of mathematics in the real world as well as how much fun mathematics can be. We want to get the students excited about mathematics and to give them a setting that encourages them to become passionate about this subject. Please see info sheet attached.