Home - Peters, Murray

12/14/2009

Farewell

It is with mixed feelings that I say farewell to the Hillcrest Middle School community. Although I am excited about starting a new position as Acting Principal at Harbour View Elementary (effective the beginning of January), I will certainly miss many aspects of Hillcrest Middle. In no particular order, I will miss:

- the energetic, positive, enthusiastic, empathetic, energetic, socially responsible, energetic, and friendly students (oh, did I say they were energetic?!)

- the wonderful secretaries who provide such excellent service to our staff, students, and parents on a day-in, day-out basis

- the support staff (Caretakers, SEAs, TA, Youth Worker, Cafeteria Staff) who work so diligently and competently behind the scenes, often without the recognition they so deserve

- the teachers who put their heart and soul into their craft, making school an engaging, caring, and learning environment for our students

- our Principal, from whom I have learned so much these last couple of years

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I also encourage you to take a moment to be thankful for the terrific role that Hillcrest Middle plays in the lives of our students during these most crucial years of their lives!

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10/12/2009

Hillcrest Parents Give Feedback!

I was pleased that over 40 parents attended our Grade 6 Parent Feedback & Question sessions (morning and afternoon) on Oct. 7th. (Thanks to those of you who took the time to chat over coffee and cookies!).

Rob Foot and I appreciated the positive feedback on everything from the friendly office staff to the supportive care of the teachers to the quick start-up of classes in September. The majority of these sessions was given over to parents' questions about the school. Many of the parents of our Grade 6 students are new to Hillcrest and after a month or so of school had various questions about the school. Here are some of them:

How are students assigned to their classes? Beginning in the spring we collect lots of information about our new students from the elementary schools. We then place students one at a time and strive for a balance between putting our new 6s with some students they know from their elementary school with giving them lots of opportunities to make new friends. We also must observe Bill 33 legislation which limits class size and also the number of special needs students in each class. Out of 500 students this year we only made 4 class changes in September.
Do students spend both their Grade 6 and 7 years with the same teachers? Yes, our core classes are Grade 6/7 blends, which means that with few exceptions our Grade 6 students will remain with their same Core teachers for Grade 7. The main advantages of this arrangement are the opportunities for the 6s to be oriented and welcomed by Grade 7 classmates. Grade 7s really benefit from a second year with teachers with whom they have established good working relationships.
What is the school's attitude toward students using technology? We have several computer labs as well as wireless access throughout the school. Students are taught research skills using technology as well as the use of certain software programs. As for students' cell phones and mp3/iPods, as stated in our student agenda section on school rules, these are to be used only before and after school, and only outside of the building. The exception is when teachers allow the use of these devices for specific learning projects.
How can students call home if not allowed their cell phones? We do encourage students to make calls home from the school office in the even of illness or some emergent situation. Contrary to the rumour that students must pay 75 cents to use the office phone, please note that it is free!
How can I support my child's homework? Many of our teachers now have homework websites, updating them daily with assignment details. Parents are encouraged to contact their child's teachers directly with any questions or concerns, either by placing a call through the school office (604-936-4237) or when okayed by the teacher, by email.

From my perspective this new school year has had a very positive beginning! Our students overwhelmingly demonstrate the skills and attitudes necessary for being a positive citizen and member of the school community. I ask parents to take the time to read our monthly newsletters and regularly visit our website. Please note that an interim report will be sent home to you on Friday Oct 16th. This will give you an overview of how well your child is working and focussing in class, completing homework, and getting along with others at school. Starting Monday Oct 19th, please book a Parent-Teacher Interview for Wed Oct 21st between 2-7 pm. (Note that there will be a dinner break for staff at 4:45-5:30 pm.) Just call the office to book your time!

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6/19/2009

Ode To The Grade 8s

Twas the week before summer and all through the school,

All the Grade 8s were celebrating and looking so cool.

Their 3 years at Hillcrest were now all but finished,

But would their fond memories soon be diminished?

Let’s reflect on their good deeds, what they’ve brought about

Here's a brief list, (I hope none have been left out):

The great participation they’ve shown in Athletics and sports,

I think most of the volleyball and basketball courts

Where our Grade 8 boys won the district championships

Overshadowed only by their great sportsmanship

Our 8s have been great leaders, reliable and eager

Without them our Spirit Squad would have seemed… quite meager

Planning dances and fundraisers, Wednesdays that were Wacky

Even writing on our online discussion board by cracky!

In the classroom our Grade 8s have been eager to please

As noted by our student teachers and our TOCs

Their maturity and respectfulness have been models for others

Especially their Grade 6 and 7 sisters and brothers

The Renaissance, The Outsiders and Math (gulp!) Makes Sense

Mindfulness and dissecting eyeballs in Science

Our Battle of The Books team did proudly earn gold,

The Grade 8s on Yearbook were indispensable I’m told

A good many Grade 8s made one or both honour rolls

Keep up the great work at your secondary schools

And now think back three years , you're that young Grade 6 kid

Grade 8s in the halls and in your locker you hid!

You’ve grown and matured into a fine young lady or gent

I hope the 120 weeks at Hillcrest you spent

Will be full of good memories, full of fun, full of friends,

And remember that your life as a learner never ends.

(presented to Hillcrest's Grade 8s at the Grade 8 Leaving Ceremony on June 18th)

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5/21/2009

Caring Kids

Hillcrest has recently experienced a blizzard, a barrage, of fund-raising initiatives brought about by students. Raffles, cupcake sales, bracelets, and more have been occuring on a daily basis in recent weeks. These efforts by our students have resulted in generous donations to the local Animal Shelter, Kiva (microloan website), and Free The Children. Our O Ambassadors group has taken on the large and ambitious project of operating a Fun Fair (Fri May 22) to raise funds for Free The Children.

All this reminds me of a message I heard recently that describes our current generation of children and young people as representing a shift from the Me Generation to the We Generation. In other words, some observers claim that kids are becoming less known for being self-centred and more known for having a more collective conscience. I suppose I do agree with this when I hear today's kids expressing concerns about the big issues of our time (environmental problems, child poverty and exploitation, a world food shortage) and conveying their desire to make a difference in the world. If a greater awareness and desire to reach beyond their own self interests is indeed true about our children of today, that represents great hope for the future.

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4/30/2009

Let's Get Active!

This past Tuesday, Apr. 28th, was our Harry's Health Blitz and Bike To School Day. What a day it was, full of fun activities organized and led by our staff and some excellent parent volunteers. We had over 90 students bike to school and subsequently enjoy a free breakfast and a ride through Mundy Park at lunchtime. The feedback about the day from our students and staff would all suggest the day ran smoothly and was a lot of fun. (The most commonly stated word on the students' feedback forms was "fun"). A gorgeous sunny day didn't hurt either!

Our school this year has been part of the Healthy Schools Network, meaning we have assessed our school against a number of criteria and focussed on physical activity as our goal. In actuality our students are very strong in terms of being physically active on a daily basis: 95% of our students participate in at least 45 minutes of physical activity each day (the Ministry of Ed standard is 30 min/day). However we have tried to be more intentional this year in building opportunities for physical movement into classtime. A main goal has been to make our students aware of being active and what choices they are making with their free time.

I want to thank the teachers who have formed our Healthy Schools Committee and wish them luck as they present our work and results this Monday May 4th at the Healthy Schools Conference.

Bye for now (and go Canucks!)

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3/27/2009

Super Students

It's great to have Mr. Rob Foot back after his 6 week absence!

He and I were recently reflecting on what for me is the best part of Hillcrest... the students! We truly do have a great student population, a group of middle schoolers that is for the most part responsible, enthusiastic, and respectful. That last word, "respectful", reminds me of a recent activity in which our students were asked to each write 3 or 4 words that most describe Hillcrest for them. The most frequently cited word? Yup, it was "respectful" (See our wordle poster on our home page).

Here are a few firsthand examples just from the last few days of how our students truly respect others:

- a student comes into the office having found another student's wallet. He hands it to me and points out that there is $20 in it.

- a student goes back to the cafeteria cashier to explain that he was given back too much change and gives the excess coinage back to the cashier

- a group of Gr 6 and 7 students present to me their carefully and respectfully written letters in which they offer suggestions and ideas to make our school better (part of their unit on persuasive writing)

Besides "respectful", another word that comes to mind about our students is "responsible". This was shown recently at the end of the second term when 75 (over 14%) of the student body made the honour roll (Academic and/or Super G) for the first time this school year. They joined the dozens of other students who made the honour roll in both the first and second terms. Hillcrest students show a high level of responsibility for their learning. Perhaps this is most vividly demonstrated to me when I speak with TOCs at their end of the day. With few exceptions these teachers comment on how cooperative and responsible Hillcrest students are.

I am proud to be part of the Hillcrest community. The students make every day worthwhile and a joy.

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3/14/2009

February Reflections

My current role as Temporary Principal has given me a renewed appreciation of the professionalism and genuine care for students among our teaching and support staff at Hillcrest. I could fill several newsletters with anecdotes of staff members going the extra mile to support the learning and well-being of our students! But suffice it to say that your child is very fortunate to attend a school where staff hold high expectations for every child but also understand that the middle years are a journey and a time of huge development and life lessons.

I also would like to thank Mr. Craig Geddes for ably and enthusiastically taking the role of Administrative Assistant during Mr. Foot's absence.

(This message was also published in the Feb 2009 Hillcrest Newsletter

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My First Post

This is my first post on my new blog. I intend to use this blog to provide our school community with unique insights into the daily life of a middle school. I hope you find my perspectives interesting and valuable.

Read on if you want to get to know me a bit better....

My own career path has included being an elementary classroom (Gr 2/3) and resource teacher from 1991-1998, a middle school student services teacher (1998-2003), and a district Student Services coordinator of gifted education and also assistive technology (2003-2007). I have been Vice Principal of Hillcrest Middle since July 2007.

I grew up in Vernon BC. My education includes a Diploma in Marketing Management from BCIT (1986), B. Arts (History) and PDP (SFU, 1991), and M. Arts (Education) (SFU, 1998).

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