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CITADEL
MIDDLE SCHOOL
A Special Pl-ace for a Special Age
1265 Citadel Drive, Port Coquitlam, BC V3C 5X6
Mission Statement
Working together, our mission is to
provide a safe, nurturing and
responsive environment that meets
the unique developmental needs of
early adolescents.
Tel: 604-945-6187
Fax: 604-937-8042
http://www.sd43.bc.ca/middle/citadel/Pages/default.aspx
14th, 2015
Dear Parents/Guardians:
Citadel Middle School 1995-2015
It has been my pleasure and privilege to have
served in the role of principal here at Citadel
Middle for the past eight years.
Our school community is a vibrant, caring and
committed one. Through our work together as
families and staff, we have supported the growth
and development of a few thousand “middle
schoolers”. I have enjoyed seeing students learn,
achieve and excel in all areas as they have
completed their middle school journey.
Our PAC and their support of the work of our staff
has been important and appreciated.
Your
generosity, financially, has enabled us to achieve our
school goals. You have provided computers labs,
musical instruments, Math manipulatives and many
other resources.
Our staff and students are
grateful for your ongoing support.
Effective July 1st, I will be assigned to Summit
Middle School, as principal. While I am excited
about accepting this new challenge, I will miss the
people in our school community…past and present. I
leave Citadel Middle with many fond memories.
Over the eight years we have shared happy times
and sad times…we have celebrated, grieved and
supported each other. Thank you for a wonderfully
rewarding eight years.
Our community will welcome Ms. Abby Soh as
principal. She will be joining us from Banting Middle
School. Ms. Jung will remain with us as Vice
Principal. We will provide as many opportunities as
possible for Ms. Soh to spend some time at Citadel
over the upcoming weeks.
Volume #21 Issue #6
As always, please fell welcome to contact me should
you have any questions, ideas or suggestions. This is
a very busy time of year as we are moving towards
year end and planning our organization for the
upcoming school year. We have many activities and
events planned between now and year end. Our
teachers are continuing to keep students focussed
on learning, while enjoying some traditional year-end
activities.
I hope you enjoy a wonderful long May weekend!
Sincerely,
G. Speight
Principal
gspeight@sd43.bc.ca

Important Dates
Monday, May 18
Tuesday, May 19
Monday, June 8
Monday, June 15
Monday, June 22
Tuesday, June 23
Wednesday, June 24
Thursday June 25
Victoria Day – school closed
Pro D Day – no school
PAC Meeting – 7pm Library
All parents welcome!
MACC Parent Information
Evening 7-8pm
Grade 6 For A Morning 9-12
Grade 8 Playland Field Trip
Awards Ceremony 1pm Gym
Grade 8 Leaving Ceremony
10:00-Noon
Gr 6/7 Year End Field Trip
Splashdown Park Water Slides
Report card pickup 10am
Citadel Middle School
Page 2
SCHOOL NEWS
CLASS PLACEMENT FOR SEPTEMBER
There are many considerations that we keep in mind
when organizing classes for the next school year.
Some of the factors considered include class
composition, students’ strengths and needs, gender,
friends and class size.
Parents, at times, also request input regarding their
son/daughter’s placement. If you have a request
regarding placement, we will require your written
request (letter format only, no email please). The
letter outlining your request should be directed to
Mrs. Speight.
Our staff will spend many hours organizing classes
for the fall. It is a very involved process. We will
not be in a position to make changes to classes in
September. Therefore, it is imperative that parent
requests come in early. While we will make every
endeavor to accommodate parental requests for
class placement, please understand that we cannot
guarantee our ability to meet your request. Please
submit your placement request, in writing, by May
15TH, 2014.
PLANNING A MOVE?
As we begin to plan our school organization for next
year, we are looking carefully at the number of
students we anticipate for September. If your
family will be moving over the summer, we would
greatly appreciate a call or a note sent to our
office. This will assist us in our planning for
September.
NUMERACY – MAY
In an effort to support our school-wide numeracy
goal, Citadel’s PAC generously donated funds to pay
for new math supplies (spinners, dice, algebra tiles,
fraction strips, geoboards, and dozens of other,
essential manipulatives). These supplies arrived at
the end of last month, and the numeracy committee
is eagerly sorting, boxing, and labelling the
materials so teachers can bring them into their
classrooms.
On behalf of the staff and students of Citadel, the
numeracy committee would like to express a sincere
thank you to our school community for providing the
funds to purchase these much needed materials!
May 14th, 2015
TEAM AIR
This year, spring has certainly gotten off to a great
start. The beautiful weather has many students
making plans for summer. However, there are still
plenty of projects to complete before summer
holidays.
In Math, Grade 7 students are working through
data analysis by studying mean, median and mode.
Grade 8 students are examining patterns, algebra
and graphing.
In Social Studies, students are continuing a
gameified study of life in the middle ages.
Students are using a simulated experience to more
fully understand the lives of peasants, knights,
nobles and monarchs. In addition, students are
completing a variety of projects to demonstrate
their learning.
Mrs. Elie’s, Mr. Goring’s and Ms. Wiest’s Language
Arts classes are preparing their speaking
assignments. Ms. Jensen’s class is reading historical
fiction novels to enhance their understanding of the
Middle Ages. In addition, humanities classes will
continue to focus on writing effective paragraphs.
Ms. Hughes’s Science classes are culminating their
study of Optics with an inquiry project of the
student’s choice. Ms. Jensen’s and Ms. Hughes
science classes are also looking forward to the cow’s
eyeball dissection.
In French, students are improving their vocabulary
and grammar by speaking and writing in complete
phrases.
TEAM EARTH
Last week saw the 5th annual Citadel Bring Your
Children to School Day. Mrs. Speight invites staff
on
a
yearly
basis
to
bring
their
children/grandchildren/pets to school for the day.
This is an extra special day for our entire
community!
Thank you to Ms. Emmerson for
shopping for and preparing our delicious bbq lunch.
The afternoon Talent Show was a delightful cap to
our day. Thank you, Mr. King, for organizing the
musical talents. Team Earth was well represented
by performers and MCs!
Citadel Middle School
Page 3
Team Earth wishes to say a big THANK YOU to Mr.
Marrello for his dedication and enthusiasm while
Ms. Angst was serving as Administrative Assistant.
Last week, students from room 207 thoughtfully
organized a “Thank You, Mr. Marrello/Welcome
Back, Ms. Angst” celebration. We wish Mr. Marrello
well as he takes over his Grade 6 class on Team
Fire.
We will soon be sending home permission forms for
our school-wide field trip to the Vancouver
International Children’s Festival happening Tuesday,
May 26. This event will be an opportunity to
reinforce French curriculum in a fun atmosphere for
the entire Citadel community.
Mr. King and Ms. Lewis will be completing the
Socials World Religions unit by the end of May in
order to begin studying the Renaissance.
Ms.
Angst’s class is moving into the medieval time.
In Science, Ms. Angst’s class is finishing their
Optics unit and soon moving on to Plate Tectonics.
Mr. Raz’s classes are continuing their work on
Optics.
In Language Arts, Mr. King and Ms. Lewis’s classes
are completing independent reading projects. In
addition, we are learning about persuasive
techniques in preparation for essays and speeches.
In P.E., classes are working on rugby and badminton.
As the weather continues to be lovely, thank you for
your help and support ensuring students are on time
and prepared for class. We will encourage students
to get the rest and replenishing they need as well.
It will be a busy and exciting two months!
TEAM FIRE
The good weather is here and Team Fire is ready
for some fun in the sun! As the weather improves,
Team Fire students will be spending more and more
time outside in their spare time as well as during
class time. Please remind students to dress
appropriately for the weather and to have an extra
sweater or jacket at school, just in case. We love
taking advantage of the sunny weather  We would
also like to take this opportunity to remind students
that there is a dress code that Citadel Middle
School has established. It can be found in the
May 14th, 2015
agenda books that many of us use. Spring is usually
a good time to review it!
May and June promise to be very busy months! We
will be going on our first team field trip on May 15th.
We have organized an adventure at Wild Play
Element Park in Maple Ridge. We are still looking
for a few drivers and parent volunteers to stay at
the park with us. This field trip is always one to
remember as the students are challenged not only
by the course, but also to encourage and build
community with those around them. Students are
reminded to bring weather-appropriate clothing,
running shoes, and a bagged lunch. As a school, we
will also be going on a field trip to the Vancouver
Children’s Festival on May 26th. The whole school
will be travelling down by bus and will be watching
the French Folk Music group, Bon Debarras,
perform. We are very excited to take part in this
awesome cultural experience. Look for more
information to come soon!
We would also like to thank you (parents and
students) for your participation in this year’s Terry
Fox Run. Although the weather was terrible, Team
Fire persevered and made all team teachers proud.
Someone even overheard a student commenting “It
takes more than a little water to put out Team
Fire!” Thank you for supporting such an important
cause.
In the coming month, Team Fire students will turn
their focus in Social Studies to study countries of
the World. Please mark your calendars now as we
will be celebrating our work together in an evening
display on June 9th from 4-6 pm. All parents,
grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc. are invited to come
and view our incredible work!
TEAM WATER
April went past in the blink of an eye and now we
are into May and the last two months of the school
year. Team Water is happy to say that Ms. Jung
has returned and will continue working with some of
Grade 8s for Math and our whole team on Fridays
for LA.
Last month many of our students participated in
track and field, badminton, movie evenings and
other extra-curricular activities which are a great
Citadel Middle School
Page 4
ways to get involved and connect with peers. Many
of our students participated in our school wide
Terry Fox run despite the wet weather. Thank you
to those who supported this important fundraiser.
This month, we are looking forward to many
authentic and engaging learning experiences outside
of school. Ms. McDonnell has put together a trip out
to UBC on May 12th to explore biodiversity through
an Aboriginal lens. Many thanks to Darcy Ellis and
his team of teachers at the Aboriginal Education
Department for supporting such a great learning
experience for our students. As well, we will be
attending the Vancouver Children’s Festival as part
of learning about French Canadian and Metis culture
on May 26th. (We hope that it is not raining when we
go ;)
Our team has been immersed in the Middle Ages
the last few weeks, enjoying dressing up, jousting,
trading goods and stockpiling weapons and money as
they role play life in the Feudal System as part of
Social Studies. Is it better to be a peasant or a
rich noble? Feel free to ask you child the answer.
At this time of year, we notice our Grade 8
students beginning to get anxious about moving on
to secondary school. It is normal for someone to
feel uncertain and worry about such a big transition.
Please talk with your child about any worries they
have and do not hesitate to contact his or her
teacher about any concerns.
We look forward to a great month full of lots of
great learning opportunities.
EXPLORATIONS
Art
This term we had a first nation’s guest, Darcy Ellis,
visit four art classes. During this time he was able
to expose the students to the history and various
types of first nations art work before he taught
them how to draw the unique shapes on the outline
of a killer whale. The guided drawing experience
allowed the students to practice and perfect the
first nation style but, it also allowed the students
to add their own personal designs and colors. Each
student’s killer whale is unique and can be seen
displayed around the school. It was a great
opportunity for everyone.
May 14th, 2015
Computer Exploration
The students in Computer explorations are
currently working on their Dream Vacation
assignment, which focuses on improving both their
research skills, as well as their ability to use
Microsoft Word. The students will be going
through the many steps involved in planning an
actual vacation, with a budget of $4,000. We
learned how to look up actual flights, to locate
information like arrival and departure times, airport
codes, duration of the flight, distance flown and
price. Students learned how to make a table/chart,
how to add and remove rows and columns, as well as
how to merge cells together in order to effectively
and neatly present the information found. The
students are learning how to look up hotels and
tourist attractions, as well as how to read the
reviews about hotels/tourist attractions, to
determine whether it is something they feel is
worthwhile. We will also be learning how to use
Google Maps to determine travel time and distance
between places, as well as how to use “Street View”
to check out what the surrounding area looks like.
There is also a component of planning, as students
are expected to plan out each day of their vacation.
They will be writing a journal for each day of their
vacation, talking about the highlights of the day.
The students are made aware of useful travel
websites, like taxifarefinder.com, to help them
better plan for their vacation. Students will learn
how to put in a cover page, drop caps, headers and
footers, as well as how to insert a picture so that
the words wrap around the picture. In addition, we
will be talking about how to add borders around
pictures, as well as alter the shape of the photo to
make the photos more visually exciting. We will be
working on this assignment for a few weeks.
After this, we will be learning how to use Microsoft
Powerpoint to create a slideshow on a topic of their
choice.
This slideshow will include music,
animations, slide transitions, and will be timed to
run on its own at the appropriate speed.
Citadel Middle School
Page 5
SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
SUMMER LEARNING 2015 ONLINE
Registration Dates (6:00 a.m. Opening)
Middle Skill Building
(Hillcrest, Kway, Scott
Creek, Centennial, Charles
Best): May 28th
Grade 9 & 10 Skill Building
(Charles Best): May 28th
Students must have an
account with our online
system
BEFORE
registering for courses. Please visit our website
and create/update your account now. To create an
account you will need your child’s PEN number,
which is available at your home school.
We are offering courses in Art, Band, Computers, Creative
Writing, Drama, English (LA and for beginners), French L.
Arts (Kway only), Math, Montessori, PE/Leadership,
Science and Tech Ed* (*held at Charles Best and Centennial
for students moving into Gr 7, 8 or 9) and more to come!
Program Dates: July 7 to July 24
Visit www.summerlearningcoquitlam.ca
COMMUNITY NEWS
DUCKS BEACH VOLLEYBALL 2015
Tryout
Information
Location: Town
Center Beach
Volleyball
Courts
Registration:
Online
registration, please visit the Ducks site
Cost: $5 (please pay when registering)
Times: Vary (please see below)
U11/12 (born in 2003) Sunday May 24th, 8:30 –
10:00 am
U13 (born in 2002) Sunday May 24th, 10:00 –
12:00 pm
U14 (born in 2001) Sunday May 24th, 12:00 pm –
2:00 pm
U15 (born in 2000) Wednesday May 27th, 4:00 –
6:00 pm
May 14th, 2015
U16 (born in 1999) Wednesday May 27th, 6:00 –
7:30
U17 (born in 1998) Wednesday May 27th, 6:00 –
7:30 pm
U18 (born in 1997) Wednesday May 27th, 6:00 –
7:30 pm
For more information visit www.coquitlamducks.com
For questions email beach@coquitlamducks.com
COQUITLAM YOUTH ORCHESTRA
AUDITIONS
Friday, June 5, 2015 3:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Evergreen Cultural Centre, Coquitlam
Junior Orchestra - Ages 9-12
Senior Orchestra Ages 13 - 22
Strings, Winds, Brass, Percussion
Go to www.coquitlamyouthorchestra.ca for more
info and to REGISTER FOR THE AUDITION
Youth cricket program
for boys and girls
ages 6-18
Season Starts: May
2015
Practices Monday from
6-730 @ Mackin Park, Coquitlam
No experience necessary – all levels welcome
Coaches and equipment provided, come have fun and
learn an exciting sport. For more information email:
superstrikerscricketcoquitlam@gmail.com
Visit our website: www.windiescricketclub.com
Citadel Middle School
Page 6
May 14th, 2015
SCHOOL DISTRICT #43 COMMUNITY SCHOOL’S
SUMMER DAY CAMPS 2015
Community Schools are pleased to offer Summer Day Camp Programs. Camps will be held
at the following School locations
WHERE:
CENTRAL COMMUNITY SCHOOL:
MINNEKHADA MIDDLE SCHOOL:
2260 Central Avenue, Port Coquitlam
1390 Laurier Avenue, Port Coquitlam
TIMES: 9:00 AM – 2:45 PM (DOORS OPEN 8:45 AM & PICK UP BY 2:45 PM)
AGE OF CAMPERS: 6 YEARS TO 12 YEARS
ONLINE PAYMENTS ACCEPTED: VISA, MASTERCARD OR INTERAC/DEBIT
PAPER REGISTRATIONS: CASH AND CHEQUES
CONTACTS:
Central Camp: Dasha Belskaya - dbelskaya@sd43.bc.ca
Minnekhada Camp: Steve Brown-John - sbrown-john@sd43.bc.ca
Central Camp
- will run 6 weeks: June 29th to August 7th 2015
C-1 Week / Camp 1 Mon. June 29 – Fri. July 03 $80
4 Days
Mon – Fri *No Wednesday
C-2 Week / Camp 2 Mon. July 06 – Fri. July 10
$95
5 Days
Mon - Fri
C-3 Week / Camp 3 Mon. July 13 – Fri. July 17
$95
5 Days
Mon - Fri
C-4 Week / Camp 4 Mon. July 20 – Fri. July 24
$95
5 Days
Mon - Fri
C-5 Week / Camp 5 Mon. July 27 – Fri. July 31
$95
5 Days
Mon - Fri
C-6 Week / Camp 6 Tue. Aug 04 – Fri. Aug 07
$80
4 Days
Tue - Fri
Minnekhada Camp
- will run 6 weeks: June 29th to August 7th 2015
L-1 Week / Camp 1 Mon. June 29 – Fri. July 03 $80
4 Days
Mon – Fri *No Wednesday
L-2 Week / Camp 2 Mon. July 06 – Fri. July 10
$95
5 Days
Mon - Fri
L-3 Week / Camp 3 Mon. July 13 – Fri. July 17
$95
5 Days
Mon - Fri
L-4 Week / Camp 4 Mon. July 20 – Fri. July 24
$95
5 Days
Mon - Fri
L-5 Week / Camp 5 Mon. July 27 – Fri. July 31
$95
5 Days
Mon - Fri
L-6 Week / Camp 6 Tue. Aug 04 – Fri. Aug 07
$80
4 Days
Tue - Fri
Thank you for supporting SD#43’s Summer Camps Program
Citadel Middle School
Page 7
May 14th, 2015
About the Camp
Weekly activity schedules will be available the first day of camp and will vary between the different sites.
The examples of daily/ weekly activities will reflect the following areas:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Recreation and Games, Arts and Crafts, Science Activities
Field Games and outdoor sports - weather permitting/Park Outings
BBQ / fun day
Field trips to local community events and centres (fees apply). Permission Forms will be sent home
each session/week
Weekly big screen movie with popcorn and juice
Possibility of guest leaders with special activities or presentations
Camp participants MUST bring the following items each day, labeled, with your Child’s Name:
•
•
•
Lunch and snacks
Change of clothes
Sun Screen
•
•
•
Water Bottle
Hat
A Smile (no label required)
Please ensure that your children do not bring money (unless requested) or personal items to camp. (Please no cell
phones, iPods, etc.) Community School’s will not be responsible for any lost or stolen items.
Camp hours are: 9:00 AM – 2:45 PM. Drop off at 8:45 AM and pick up by 2:45 PM
Parent, caregivers or legal guardians will be required to sign their child(ren) in and out each day. If your
child(ren) is/are allowed to wait or walk home on their own we must have a written and dated consent. A
child(ren) will not be released until the adult, who has signed in their child(ren) that day, arrives to pick
them up or contact has been made for an alternate arrangement.
Ministry of Children and Families
guidelines will be strictly followed for children who are not picked up on time.
How to Register
Our Community School Summer Day Camp Registration is now online and will accept
payment using Visa; MasterCard or Interac/Debit from most major banks.
You can get instant confirmation of your spots in the summer day camp at the location you
choose. You will require an email address in order to get your confirmation # and print out a
receipt for your payment.
To register online please visit the appropriate school website as listed below then click on
Community Programs, which will lead to the Summer Camp Registration button. Karelo provides
the online registration service.
Central Camp:
www.sd43.bc.ca/central
Minnekhada Camp:
www.sd43.bc.ca/minnekhada
If you do not wish to register online please visit the appropriate School’s website then click on
Community Programs, which will lead to the Summer Camp Registration forms. Please print and
fill out the forms. Return the forms to the school office with payment either cash or cheque made
payable to:
Central Camp: made payable to Central Community School
Minnekhada Camp: made payable to Minnekhada Middle School