Lord Byng News February 12, 2021

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Contents A Message from the Principal ................................................................................................................................................. 2 School News ............................................................................................................................................................................ 3 Quarterly Schedule ................................................................................................................................................................. 7 SLO Program Review ............................................................................................................................................................... 7 Winter Weather ...................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Literacy 10 Assessment ........................................................................................................................................................... 8 Coffeehouse Sign Up ............................................................................................................................................................... 8 Submit your Photos to S.P.A.C.E. ............................................................................................................................................ 9 “PITCH IT” CASE COMPETITION .............................................................................................................................................. 9 BYN-GO Track and Field .......................................................................................................................................................... 9 Track and Field ........................................................................................................................................................................ 9 Student Workspace Request Form – for Quarter 3 ................................................................................................................ 9 COVID-19 Health and Safety Procedures .............................................................................................................................. 10 Counselling Department ....................................................................................................................................................... 10

Course Selection ............................................................................................................................................................... 10 Microsoft Teams ............................................................................................................................................................... 10

School Fees ........................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Visitors to the Building .......................................................................................................................................................... 11 Lord Byng Library .................................................................................................................................................................. 11 Byng Arts Information ........................................................................................................................................................... 11

New Applicants to Byng Arts ............................................................................................................................................. 11 Byng Arts Course Planning Advice .................................................................................................................................... 11 Byng Arts Passports ........................................................................................................................................................... 11 Byng Arts Student Council Update .................................................................................................................................... 12

PAC News .............................................................................................................................................................................. 12

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A Message from the Principal Dear Lord Byng Parents, Students and Community Members, 敬爱的家长, 同学及社区成员， On behalf of the staff and school we would like to wish all our parents a happy and prosperous Lunar New Year and the start of the Year of the Ox. 一元复始，万象更新，在牛年的开始，我们谨代表教职员及学校诚意向各位家长恭贺新春快乐，富贵幸福，牛年

事事亨通! Special thanks and acknowledgements go to members of our Chinese Parent Community that dropped by the school on Tuesday with gifts of freshly cut spring flowers, cards, and handmade written fortune messages! 特别感谢中国家长们在本周二带着生气朗然的迎春鲜花，心意贺咔及亲手制作的幸运祝福语到学校办公室送上新

年的祝福。 Another major focus of the week was the acknowledgement of Black History Month that staff have been exploring with students throughout the month of February. A school wide assembly was held on Wednesday for all grades with students watching the first part of a two part learning experience that was presented by Leslie McCurdy who wrote and performed in the play the “Things My Fore Sisters Saw”. The production told the story of four Black Canadian women Marie-Joseph Angelique, Rose Fortune, Mary-Ann Shadd and Viola Desmond. 本周另一个焦点仍是黑人历史月。各级的老师及同学在整个二月内都是集中研究该重要的主题。在周三亦举行了

全校的集会，观看话劇"Things My Fore Sisters Saw" 的上集。由Leslie McCurdy演出。该制作是叙述四个加拿大黑

人妇女Marie-Joseph Angelique, Rose Fortune, Mary-Ann Shard 及 Villa Desmond 的故事。 Next week students will be able to attend a question and answer session to debrief this presentation hosted by the artist Leslie McCurdy who wrote and performed in the production. 在下周，同学们将会参与一个有关话剧的答问会，由該话剧作家及演员Leslie McCurdy 解答各项有关的问题。 Wishing you all a very much deserved Family Day Weekend! 祝大家有个愉快的家庭日长周末! Mr. Wilmann

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School News Inclusion and Diversity: Celebrating and Acknowledging Black History Month

The month of February provides a good opportunity to stop and reflect on our collective past as a school community and as a nation and to take the time to reflect on the individual and collective acts of racism that have occurred within our community and the steps that we are taking and will continue to take to ensure that Byng is a “safe and caring school” for all our learners. Special thanks go to Mr. Hartley-Folz and the Byng Arts Team for organizing the all school presentation that took place on Wednesday February 10th with the optional Q & A session with the artist scheduled a week later on Tuesday, February 16th. As a school wide event this is an opportunity to use the Core Competencies of learning (Personal and Social) and to align them with our Four Pillars of Learning, in particular our Social and Emotional Learning and Inclusion and Diversity Pillars. Another opportunity to learn about the contribution and experiences of Black Canadians during Black History Month is through our weekly PA announcements with our Senior History Teacher Mr. Johnston. This week’s announcement focused on William Hall - William Hall was the first Black Canadian and first Nova Scotian to win the Victoria Cross for his role in the Battle of Lucknow in 1857. He joined the Royal Navy when he was just a teenager. William Hall also was decorated for bravery during the Crimean War. Thanks, Mr. Johnston, for all your work on this area of learning about our collective history, we are looking forward to the upcoming broadcasts throughout the rest of the month of February.

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Another rich opportunity for students to take time to learn about Black History took place in Ms. Erwin’s English 9 Class. Here is an update from Ms. Erwin, where students learned about The Danger of A Single Story: “When considering how to address Black History Month in the last couple of days of the grade 9 English course, I had to ask myself why; beyond a token box checking, what is it that is most important to focus on when discussing issues of race? What seemed most important to shine light on was not the “history” part, but the concept of othering. To bring this into the English class, we looked at othering through the lens of poetry, and how it is addressed in poems by Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes. To conclude the course, we watched the very poignant TED talk by Chimamanda Nkozi Adichie, The Danger of a Single Story. Adichie speaks of her experience as an African in America, and how the default position toward her was one of “a kind of patronizing, well-meaning pity”, when people had “a single story of Africa: a single story of catastrophe.” In Adichie’s words, “The consequence of the single story is this: It robs people of dignity. It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult. It emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar.”

Inclusion and Diversity: Celebrating Lunar New Year Lunar New Year celebrations provide another excellent opportunity to celebrate and to acknowledge the Diversity of our community here at Byng. Special thanks for helping to bring these annual festivities here at Byng goes to our 3B Club sponsored by our Multi-Cultural Worker Ms. Chung and to Ms. Whelan the teacher sponsor for the Decorating Club.

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Indigenous Teaching & Learning: Students from Ms. Hughes’s Senior English Class had an opportunity to learn about the legacy faced by Indigenous peoples in Canada because of their Residential School Experiences. Analyzing two graphic novels written and illustrated by David Robertson and Scott B. Henderson the students were able to see through their literary analysis of the texts just how challenging these experiences were for Indigenous Peoples and how the long term effects of these experiences were being felt today with generational trauma having been passed from generation to generation. The first novel: Sugar Falls A Residential School Story was based on the true life experiences of a residential school survivor. The analysis of the text was guided by Andrea Hoff a guest presenter who was able to visit the class to provide the presentation through two video presentations. Andrea is an artist, illustrator, graphic illustrator, and researcher. Her focus with the students was to look at: “How do we tell stories in the future?”

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Students were provided with an opportunity to reflect on their learning experiences by presenting as groups.

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Student Engagement Through Hands on Learning: Using the Core Competencies of Creative thinking and Critical Thinking students have the opportunity in our elective classes to design and to build. One proud young student, Beau Hathaway was able to show a recently completed project that he had been working on in Mr. Erickson’s Senior Carpentry Class. Here is a summary of the project and the process that Beau took to create it by Mr. Marks: “This week, Grade 10 student, Beau Hathaway, completed a table for his Woodworking class. Beau started the project on January 27, 2020. Exactly 365 days later, the table was done. Beau, who had a good time taking his project home via public transit, intends to use his creation as a bedside table.” Quarterly Schedule Your D1(P3) class will be face to face the week of February 16th. Reminder that Monday, February 15th is Family Day in BC and there is no school. See rotation schedule: Student F2F Rotation Calendar (revised January 21, 2021). Students were provided a Fillable Student Schedule for Q3 on TEAMS. Please click here for a copy.

SLO Program Review As part of the School Liaison Program Review Process being undertaken by the Vancouver School District, you may choose to participate in the community engagement process by completing the survey located via QRG code in the flyer. This data will help the district to inform their decision making regarding the program. Additionally, Argyle Communications (the consultant leading the engagement) has added an additional opportunity for secondary students to participate in a focus group next week. Students can register at Eventbrite Registration.

Winter Weather Student safety is the top priority of the Vancouver School District. Vancouver School District wishes to remind families where to find information on schools in the event of severe weather.

All schools will remain open if at all possible during severe weather events.

In the event of severe winter weather, the latest information can be found on the District’s social media channels:

Twitter: @VSB39 Facebook: Vancouver School Board Instagram: @vsb39 Any notice of school closures will appear on the District website and all school websites. The District also shares this information with local media outlets.

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Any District-wide closure will be decided by 6:00 am at the latest.

Please note that no announcement will be made stating that schools are open. Only closures and delayed openings will be announced.

More information on Vancouver School District procedures related to severe weather.

Literacy 10 Assessment Our Literacy 10 Assessments will be taking place during the week of April 12th – 16th for all Grade 10 students as well as some Grade 11 students who have not yet written.

Click here to find the Literacy 10 Assessment Schedule for April 12th – 16th, organized by your face-to-face block 1-3 class.

• Please note the start time. We ask students to arrive 10 minutes before the start of the assessment (ex: 8:20am for morning sessions, 11:50am for afternoon sessions).

• Students will not be permitted to write if they arrive 30 minutes past the scheduled time. • Students must bring the following items to the assessment:

o A face mask o A piece of photo ID o Devices such as smart phones are not permitted.

• We recommend that all students try the sample assessment to become familiar with the assessment format, instructions, and navigation.

o Students can also collaborate with peers using the workbooks and collaborative learning videos. o Students can access the scoring guide and student examples so they can review real examples of student

responses. • All COVID-19 policies and procedures will be followed during the assessment. Masks must be worn and distance

must be maintained. Daily health checks must be completed prior to attending. If anyone is ill, they must stay home. There will be an opportunity during the June session for anyone that needed to stay home.

• The Literacy 10 assessment is a graduation requirement. There will be an opportunity for Grade 11 students to register to write or re-write the Literacy 10 Assessment during the final session on June 14th – 23rd.

Coffeehouse Sign Up The first Coffee House of the year will take place online on February 16th at 4pm! This event is organized by the Byng Arts Student Council but is open to everyone. The event can be joined through the General Byng Student Channel on Teams (click the link to go to Teams).

FAQ What is a coffeehouse: A place for you to showcase your artistic talents in front of a live audience! When: February 16th at 4pm Where: All performances will be done remotely over a Teams call.

Check out @byngartstudentcouncil on Instagram for more info!

Performers:

If you want to perform as part of the event, please fill out this form by Friday. Any type of performance is welcome and all students at Byng can participate!

Sign Up Form: Click This Link

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Have your work in the Yearbook Hey Artists - Call for submissions. Have your work in this year's Annual. Submit your work for consideration by uploading well documented images to byngannuals2021@gmail.com Submit your Photos to S.P.A.C.E. Photographic On-Line Exhibition Opportunity for Adults, Children 5–15 and teens 16–18 Call for photographic submissions from the public as part of the on-line exhibition of S.P.A.C.E.-2020 Project (spirits, people, animals, creatures and echoes) and a large-scale outdoor banner exhibition at McBride Park, Vancouver. Follow this LINK for more information. “PITCH IT” CASE COMPETITION Do you want a chance to create creative and collaborative solutions? Do you want to practice your entrepreneurial skills in real world scenarios? Do you want to challenge yourself in a competitive and high-stakes environment? Introducing Trilogy Hamber Business Group's inaugural case competition, "Pitch It!" On March 6, 2021 Trilogy will be hosting “Pitch It!” online and you have the opportunity to participate. Open to teams of 3-5 students in Grades 10-12. If interested go here: PITCH IT for more info.

BYN-GO Track and Field BYN-GO is a fitness session which takes place in the main gym every Wednesday at 11:35 am. This is excellent training for Track and Field and all individual and team sports, great for general fitness and a lot of fun too! We work on sprinting speed and technique, agility, jumping ability, overall strength, core strength, and cardiovascular fitness. We meet in the main gym at 11:35 am and go for about 45 minutes. Students should arrive 10-15 minutes early if they can. Bring a mask and a water bottle (and a friend if you can). Students should see Mr. Jack or go to the PE office to get a COVID permission form. Contact Mr. Jack at bjack@vsb.bc.ca for more details.

Track and Field We are hopeful that school track and field will happen this year. In the meantime, BYN-GO training is underway (Wednesdays at 11:35 am) and anyone wishing to do track and field this year should attend. With COVID, Track and Field is one of the few sports where training is underway, and pretty much back to normal. Most clubs allow a try-out of one week or three sessions before a commitment is made. If you would like your child to join a track and field club her is some information: Track and Field Clubs: Vancouver Thunderbirds - www.thunderbirdstrack.org Vancouver Olympic Club - https://vancouverolympicclub.ca Richmond- www.kajaks.ca Race Walk - evandunfee@gmail.com Contact Mr. Jack for more information at bjack@vsb.bc.ca

Student Workspace Request Form – for Quarter 3 Students that are requiring a workspace for Quarter 3 must complete this form to reserve a space. Please note that space is limited and only students that are registered for a workspace can occupy a dedicated workspace and must always follow the following health and safety requirements:

1. Always remain 2 meters apart. 2. Hands must be cleaned before sitting. 3. Masks must always be worn.

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4. Food and drink are not allowed in this area. 5. Students must not share equipment. 6. Students must clean off desk after use. 7. Students can only sit in designated seating.

Dedicated locations for these working areas are: 1. The Upper Mezzanine (outside of library) 2. Art Gallery 3. Art Gallery Foyer (Crown Street Entrance)

COVID-19 Health and Safety Procedures Thank you to all students and staff for completing the Daily Health Assessment every day as part of our daily routine before entering our building. Thank you as well for discussing as a family the importance of maximizing physical distance, minimizing physical contact, wearing masks, and practicing proper hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette. All schools in the Vancouver School District have detailed procedures and protocols in place to do so. Thank you again to all students, families, and staff for your ongoing efforts to help keep Lord Byng safe.

Counselling Department Counsellors have been assigned to students by their last name (for all grades): A to Gr Mr. R. Greenshields rgreenshields@vsb.bc.ca Gs to L Ms. J. Radic jradic@vsb.bc.ca M to Te Mr. R. Rymer rrymer@vsb.bc.ca (Ms. Smith is currently away) Tf to Z Ms. Birsan ibirsan@vsb.bc.ca

Course Selection Our course selection presentation for all the students will be happening on Wednesday, February 17 during period Flex A and Flex B. All the students will have an opportunity to hear the presentation and ask questions. Mr. Rymer will be addressing grade 8s, Mr. Greenshields will talk to grade 9s, Ms. Birsan will meet with grade 10s and Ms. Radic will present to grade 11s. Students will be asked to enter their choices into MyEd as well as fill out Microsoft Form by March 1st. All of the course planning material is on our school website Course Planning page: https://www.vsb.bc.ca/schools/lord-byng/Guidance-and-Support/Course-Planning/Pages/default.aspx Microsoft Teams This is just a friendly reminder for students to keep checking their Counselling Team page. We have set up different channels and are posting various information that students may find useful. For Grade 11s and 12s there is a lot of information on various scholarship opportunities as well as post-secondary info.

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School Fees Click here to pay for the 2020-2021 School fees and Supplemental fees. If you haven’t registered to School Cash Online, please follow the instructions below: Step 1: Click here Step 2: Register by selecting the “Get Started Now” and following the steps. Step 3: After you receive the confirmation email, select the “click here” option, login in and add each of your children to your household account.

Visitors to the Building The school building remains closed to the general public. Access by parents is by appointment only, approved directly by the Principal or Vice Principal, and for essential school business or on an emergency basis only. All other communication and business will occur via phone, virtual meeting, or email.

Lord Byng Library The library has had great success in getting books out to students even through these difficult times. Please encourage your child to request books to read through the entire school year as a focus on literacy is integral to learning. It is also important that students take a break from being online all the time and just read a good book. PLEASE READ!!!! Students are encouraged to access lordbynglibrary.weebly.com to browse the catalogue. There is a BOOK REQUEST FORM button that allows students to enter information on how Ms. Rezler can locate them when they are at school in order for the books to be delivered to them during that class. Additionally, there is a BOOK REQUEST FORM on the library door for students to fill out with a red folder for the drop off of the form. Ms. Rezler is happy to help with book recommendations as well as research for assignments. Please email her if your student has any questions or would like some support from the library on their schoolwork. Byng Arts Information New Applicants to Byng Arts Consult our website for the most up to date information: http://byng2.vsb.bc.ca/byngarts/ If you have additional questions, contact Mr. Hartley-Folz at byngarts@vsb.bc.ca.

Byng Arts Course Planning Advice Course planning for next September is beginning this month. Do you know what the required courses for your Byng Arts program are? Here are a couple of things that you can do:

1. Download the Course Planning Guide and review the Byng Arts section (pages 14-17) 2. Review the PowerPoint on the school website (Course Planning PowerPoint) or 3. watch the Byng Arts Course Planning video (https://youtu.be/MVIYpNNx00w) for more information. 4. Contact Mr. Hartley-Folz at jhartley@vsb.bc.ca if you need your Byng Arts questions answered.

Byng Arts Passports PASSPORT SITE (http://passport.lordbyng.net/) The Byng Arts Passport site is designed to encourage participation within the Byng Art program, to record your interactions with the arts outside of school, and to bring us together as a community of artists, actors, musicians, film makers, singers, and writers. Passports will be reviewed on Tuesday, February 16. We want you to have a minimum of five achievements unlocked. Please ensure you submit your evidence before the 16th.

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Byng Arts Student Council Update Meeting summary:

Thursday February 11th: Coffee House Tuesday February 16th @ 4pm on teams Sign up in the general channel by 11:59pm tonight to have your act featured

Official name Coffee Beans and Team Screens

WAT Update Low turnout of participants

Thank you to everyone who contributed their ideas and energy. Sincerely, your council executive, Theo, Megan, Sarah, and Camille.

PAC News The PAC Executive has decided to cancel next week’s PAC meeting as there are no pressing matters to discuss and we have recently hosted the Course Planning Parent Info Nights. Our next scheduled PAC meeting is Wednesday, April 17th after spring break. However, should an additional meeting be required before then we will schedule one. We are also currently looking at a number of speaker options for our final two meetings in April and May. If you have any speaker suggestions or any comments or concerns, please email us at lordbyngschoolpac@gmail.com For any new Chinese Parents a reminder that translated versions of the school newsletter are posted to the PAC website. "中文版罗宾中学每周新闻可在PAC网站上浏览" https://www.lordbyngpac.com/contact-us Wishing everyone a very Happy Lunar New Year!