The Urban Academy Times

In This Issue

Back to School Time

New Faces at UA

Fun with Mandarin Returns

UA Bus Service

VolunteerSpot

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2015/2016 Issue: 1

September Issue

Welcome back to a new school year! I hope you enjoyed the time with your children and the amazing weather have had this summer. Please join us for the Back to School Barbeque on September 2nd to re-connect with friend and to meet our new families.

Our students' June exam results are in and they are excellent. Every UA Student in every provincially examinable course scored at the "A" or "B" level. We are very proud of their work and I am pleased at how well-prepared they were by teachers going into exams.

A curricular focus for us this year is the application of technology in the classroom. As a result of the generous giving from the parent community at the school Gala and Annual Appeal, we have made a significant investment in ipads in the Junior School and MacBook Airs and Pros for the Senior School. Our staff are undertaking professional development this year in this area as well as the use of technology in delivering an arts-infused program.

We are looking forward to a wonderful year filled with learning. It is a pleasure for both my staff and myself to work with you in the education of your children. Welcome Back!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Cheryle Beaumont
Head of School

Back to School Barbeque

Wednesday, September 2nd is our annual Back to School BBQ at Robson Manor from 5 - 8pm. We have plenty of activities planned for the afternoon to help our new and returning families transition back to school. Please look through the list and take note of the ones that are relevant to you:

Our Uptown campus will be open from 3 - 4pm for students in Grades 5-12 and their parents to visit their classrooms and get orientated with the layout.
The Buddy Family Meet and Greet for new families and their buddy families at Robson from 4-5pm. This is a wonderful opportunity for our new families to get acquainted with their buddy family.
From 5-5:30pm, Robson Manor will be open for all families to explore the school, find their classrooms and meet the teachers. While students and parents are exploring Robson Manor, the BBQ staff will be working hard over the hot grill to kick things off at 5:30pm.
BBQ from 5:30-7:00pm

The PAX will also run a Uniform Sale during the BBQ. We look forward to seeing our UA community on Wednesday to get the new school year started.

Introducing Our New Staff Members

The start of every new school year brings with it some changes, and an expanding staff group to support a growing UA! This year we are excited to introduce some new faces that you will see around both campuses. Joining the staff at Robson Manor will be Ms. Elyse Cochrane, Ms. Marlee Hershfield and Ms. Nyah Tomson.

Ms. Cochrane has teaching, tutoring and mentoring experiences in multiple grade levels; spanning from Kindergarten to Grade 8 and is passionate about using technology in the classroom.

Ms. Hershfield is passionate about working with primary grades and believes whole heartedly in a strong environment where language and learning are intertwined.

Ms. Nyah Thomson joins the Junior Kindergarten team and comes to us with a strong background and experience in Early Childhood Education, as well as an interest in Reggio Emilia instructional strategies.

At Uptown, Ms. Tricia Reston and Ms. Matlin Macdonald have come on board as full time members of the teaching team.

Ms. Reston's goal is to create and maintain a welcoming and safe classroom community where students are motivated to continually learn from their surroundings and strive to achieve their individual goals and potential.

Ms. Macdonald endeavours to pass on her love of learning through a positive attitude and by creating a classroom environment where students feel safe to explore.

Our new specialist drama teacher is Mrs. Patricia Brooke. Mrs. Brooke believes that drama class should be a fun and educational experience. Since 2010, she has worked as a drama teacher for the city of Burnaby, where she continues to teach classes for ages three through adult.

Ms. Zoe Kramer is our first associate teacher. Associate teachers are new teachers who spend a year with a school learning their profession and working to support teachers and students in any and all areas of the school.

Please take the time to meet the newest members of our team and make them feel welcome to the Urban Academy community.

Crocodile Mandarin Returns to UA

Crocodile Mandarin is back at Urban Academy for another term of Fun with Mandarin this Fall. This is our third year working with Crocodile Mandarin, who have over five years of experience offering Mandarin as a second language to children aged 2 - 10. Their approach is to make learning fun using songs, dance, videos, crafts and games. Their online Student Centre allows students to review what they learned in class at home.

Beginner classes, which are open to Grades K - 1, start on Wednesday, September 16th from 3:30-4:30pm in the Opening Circle Room and run until December 9th. This 12 week (no class on November 11) costs $200 per student.

Advanced classes are open to anyone who has taken Mandarin before and begins on Thursday, September 17th running until December 10th. This 13 week course costs $352 per student. In this class, students will be introduced to Mandarin character writing skills and will build upon the language knowledge they have previously learned.

Spaces are limited so please apply soon to avoid disappointment. Registration forms for both beginner and advanced classes are available on our website.

All Aboard the UA Bus

On Tuesday, September 8 (first day of school) we launch our morning pick up bus service from Burnaby to both our Uptown and Robson campuses.The service is available to Urban Academy students in Grades K - 12.

The bus route is:

7:37 - Alpha Secondary School, 4600 Parker St, Burnaby

7:43 - Wesburn Park on Moscrop, 4781 Parkwood Ave, Burnaby

7:50 - Burnaby Village Museum, 6501 Deer Lake Ave, Burnaby

8:03 - Taylor Park Elementary, 7590 Mission Avenue, Burnaby

8:15 - Uptown

8:30 - Robson

The cost is $850 per student, and $300 for additional siblings. Registered students will get their own bus pass to attach to their backpack for the year. School bus rules and the registration form are available online. Spaces on the bus are limited so sign up soon if you are interested!

Volunteering the UA Way

We are excited to introduce a new software program and app called VolunteerSpot to help parents keep track of their volunteer hours and have easy access to all the volunteer opportunities at Urban Academy. This will be a much more efficient way of keeping track of the required 50 parent volunteer hours (no more dreaded binder :))

Over the next several weeks we will be formally introducing VolunteerSpot to the UA community.

We ask that all families download the VolunteerSpot app onto their cell phone or tablets in preparation for the official launch of the program. You can download the app from the App Store.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please contact Miranda at admin@urbanacademy.ca or Sarah Cepeliauskas, Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@urbanacademy.ca

Event Update

A new school year means new school events. Once again we have lots planned throughout the year, so now is a good time to sign up and start clocking those Parent Volunteer Hours. Please mark your calendars for these upcoming events:

September 2015

September 2: Back to School BBQ
September 8: First day of school
September 9: New family reception and orientation
September 16: School wide assembly - Olivet Church
September 18: Terry Fox Run, K-G12
September 23: Cops for Cancer Bike Tour
September 25: Pro D Day
September 30: Picture Day (formal)
Sept 30 - Oct 2: 'Can'-paign

October 2015

October 12: Thanksgiving
October 23: Pro D Day
October 24: Halloween Party (for parents)
October 26-30: PAX Fundraisers
October 30: Student Hallo "Green" Party