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The Urban Academy Times 
In This Issue
JK Structures
Grade 5 Resource Research
Grade 3 Bucket Fillers
Grade 8 & 9 Tessellations

Annual Appeal 2014/2015

'Investing in Our Future' 

The Annual Appeal is a significant event in our school year, as fundraising makes up our third major revenue stream for the school.

Our goal is to raise $30,000 by February 15th, 2015.  About one-third of the funds raised will be used to address immediate classroom needs.  Our wish list includes technology, music and sports equipment, among other items.  

The remaining two-thirds of the funds raised will be put aside to outfit our new school.  Once the building is completed there will be many areas in which to spend the money - the community kitchen, gymnasium equipment, art supplies, furnishings and more.

The Annual Appeal is about the future of your school and ensuring that your children have the equipment, technology and supplies needed to make the most of their academic and creative endeavours at school. All contributions are most welcome-at any level you can support. 

 More information and to donate now, please visit our Appeal Page.

Thank you for your support!
Gala - Tribute to Bollywood

The annual Urban Academy Gala is coming up on February 21st.  The theme this year is a Tribute to Bollywood.

Save the date on your calendar!  Tickets will be available early in January.

Spirit Points!

Spirit

Many of our most competitive parents have learned to love and anticipate the class rivalries that arise with each and every spirit point competition.

Therefore, back by popular demand, is the Urban Academy Parent Spirit Point Competition! 

Each class of parents makes up your team.  In some cases, if you have more than one child, you are fortunate to have two spirit teams, and therefore two chances to win the big prize!

Over the course of the year, there will be activities, events, parent support opportunities etc. that can garner your team spirit points. At the end of the year, the team with the most points wins.

Last year, the Grade 2 Royal Frogs won, and each student received a Menchies gift card.  

We encourage everyone to give them a run for their money this year!

Thank you!
The UA Spirit Committee
2014/2015 Issue: 2December Issue
  

 

We have had wonderful first few months of school, filled with work, learning and community commitment to the future of our school. Our students had an excellent first term of scholastic achievement and teachers can see their growth and development. A significant number of our Senior School students achieved Honour Roll status and many were also named to the Head of School's Honours List.

 

We are actively turning our attention and planning to the 2015-16 school year. January and February are the months when our current families commit to return for the following year and when we are in full registration mode with new families. We have already accepted many new families for next year, particularly at the Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten level.  However, we have had interest and enrollment at every grade level. 


New families that are interested in Urban Academy need to get started with an application as soon as possible in order to be considered for a spot. In January, I will be sharing plans for the 2015-2016 school year when we will find ourselves undertaking the construction project of the school expansion.

 

In the New Year, Urban Academy will proceed with the formal stages of requesting re-zoning in order to begin construction of the new classroom space. We have been working our way steadily through the City of New Westminster's processes and have been making excellent progress. We are also implementing the Community Bond this month so that contributors will have their Bond issued to them early in 2015.

 

Our students have enjoyed a number of field study and extra-curricular sports activities so far this year with many more to come. Staff are preparing the second term of clubs to be offered, Senior Fencing Club continues and we have a ski trip to Whistler planned for our grade 6-12 students. Plans to provide a winter activity day for our grades 3-6 students are also in the works. The Junior School students grades 2-5 enjoyed the Carousel Theatre production of "James and the Giant Peach" right before the holidays. We will also take part in ISABC's spring inter-school sports offerings. Our students very much enjoyed their first adventure into competing with other schools this fall and did very well.


 

We want these additional out of classroom experiences to enhance our students' experiences at UA and to extend the instruction in the classroom. Thank you to our parents for their support with transportation, supervision and preparation of your child to participate in their activities.

 

We look forward to a full and rewarding second term, filled with learning for our students and growth for our school community.

 

Mrs. Cheryle Beaumont

Head of School

JKs Exploring Building and Structures
The JK class kicked off the school year with some projects exploring building and structures.  They began by tearing paper and building and layering different shapes, colours and textures to create pictures.

They also explored construction with play doh and with wooden blocks.  Using these materials as a tool to stimulate discussion and imagination, the class was able to explore many different concepts including: size and scale, modern building materials and methods, materials and methods used to build in antiquity and the purposes of different structures.  They also discussed simple machines like levers, inclined planes, wedges and axles to stimulate creativity when using the wooden blocks.
 
In addition to exploring structures built by people, the JKs also looked at and discussed structures built in nature like birds nests and beehives.  This unit will continue in the New Year.

Mrs. Vassev & Mrs. Burnet
JK Teachers
Grade 5 Resource Research:  Collage Map of Canada

During our Sustainability Unit of Inquiry, Grade 5 students looked at many types of natural resources and where they come from. We took note of our use of these resources in everyday life.

 

Further into our unit, students were assigned a province or territory to research. They researched in depth the specific resources that are available there, what they are made into, and how they are processed.

 

Using creativity and collage skills, students used a blank outline of their province to make a collage. The maps included images that they found of the products made from the resources found in their province.

 

Students then presented their maps and gave some information about:

  • what resources are found in their province
  • how those resources are processed
  • what the natural resources are made in to (and used for)

Individual maps were added to a large visual map of Canada in our classroom:

Ms. Budd
Grade 5 Teacher
Grade 3 "Bucket Fillers"
The Grade 3 class started the year off talking a lot about what it means to be kind and considerate.  They decided to paint ceramic pots using Aboriginal Dot Art as inspiration.  These are our "buckets".  We work at filling each other's buckets everyday with kind words and positive actions.  Have you filled someone's bucket today? 

Ms. Kost
Grade 3 Teacher
 
 
Grade 8 & 9 Tessellations
A tessellation is a pattern made of repeated shapes that covers a surface completely without overlapping or leaving any gaps. 

Students in Mathematics 8 and 9 learned how different transformations (translation, reflection, rotation) can be applied to create tessellations. 

Students each designed their own tessellating unit inspired by a favorite novel or film in math class and further developed an artwork based on this unit in art class. 

Ms. Herman, Math & Science Teahcer & 
Ms. Spencer, Art & French Specialist & Director of Arts Infusion

EventsEvent Update
A big thank you to everyone who has already stepped in to helped plan, set up, or participate in UA events! Please mark your calendars for these upcoming events:
  
December 2013 
9th: Last Day Of Classes
20th - 4th: Winter Break

 

January 2014

5th: School Resumes

12th-16th PAX Clothing & Bottle Drive

13th-Feb 21st: FSA's for Grades 4&7, Please Avoid Making Holiday Plans

16th: PAX Friday Night Movie Night



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