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The Vancouver Extracurricular Music Society (VEMS) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to bring more music to more kids — including right here at Tennyson!
Last year, 14% of VEMS families needed financial assistance, and fundraising helps make that possible. Funds raised support bursaries, instructor wages, rent for school spaces, and music supplies — all of which help keep VEMS programs accessible and affordable for families. This year’s fundraiser is both fun and delicious — VEMS has partnered with Purdy’s Chocolates (a Canadian company), and up to 25% of all sales will go directly to supporting VEMS ensembles. 🍫 Order your chocolates here: Use your regular email, choose “Online Shopping,” and you’re set! 📦 Orders will be delivered at the last rehearsal (on or after December 4). 🎯 Fundraising Target: $500 — enough to cover bursaries for your musical group. If you prefer to donate directly (and receive a tax receipt for donations over $10), you can use your ensemble’s Direct Donation Link instead. 💡 Bonus: The first three people across all VEMS fundraising teams to order or donate $60 or more will receive $20 in lotto scratch tickets! Thank you for helping VEMS continue its mission of making music accessible for all children in Vancouver. This is a reminder that the online parenting workshop with educator and author Hannah Beach on kids and cell phone use is coming up soon on Tuesday, November 19. Hannah will explore how cell phones and social media are impacting children’s relationships, attention, and emotional well-being, and offer practical ideas for supporting healthy communication at home. 💻 Location: Online (Zoom) 🔗 Zoom link and registration information: Available in Principal Sonja Rondestvedt’s “Week at a Glance”—please check your inboxes for details. You can revisit the original post here.  Early Bird Registration is now open for the Vancouver Eagles Basketball Winter 2026 Season!
Practices will be held at six excellent indoor gyms across the city—including Tennyson Elementary on Mondays—with sessions available Monday through Friday. The program is improving its coach-to-player ratio from 1:10 to 1:5–7 this season, providing more individualized attention and skill development. Each practice is capped at 20 players to ensure a quality experience for all participants. 🏀 Register early to secure your spot and take advantage of Early Bird Preferred Pricing at vancouvereagles.com/registration. Tennyson students are invited to take part in the 2026 BC Chess Challenge: Regional Qualifier #2, happening on Sunday, November 9, 2025, at UBC’s Ponderosa Ballroom. This event is part of a province-wide tournament series and offers an excellent opportunity for students to represent Tennyson, build strategic thinking skills, and enjoy friendly competition. In addition to individual awards, team trophies will be presented to the top three performing elementary and secondary schools, based on the combined results of their top four players. 📍 Details and Registration Parents are encouraged to share this opportunity with students who play chess and may be interested in representing Tennyson.  Families are invited to a special French concert with Juno-nominated musician and former Tennyson music teacher Will Stroet of Will’s Jams. The event takes place on Sunday, November 9 from 2:00–3:00 pm at St. James Community Square (Mel Lehan Hall) in Kitsilano. This family-friendly concert is presented by the Canadian Parents for French (CPF) Vancouver Chapter and celebrates French language learning through music and fun. Tickets:
 Well… we did it! The ghosts have gone back to their lockers, the bats have been rehomed, the roof of the haunted house is now a rain shelter for our kids, and the last traces of Jell-O have almost been scrubbed from the classroom floor — which can only mean one thing: the 2025 Tennyson Halloween Howl was a screaming success! A huge thank you to every single parent, volunteer, baker, Jell-O maker, decorator, haunted house actor, balloon blower upper, ticket taker, and clean-up crew hero who made this event happen. The Howl is truly one of those nights that shows how incredible our school community is — equal parts spooky and spectacular. The costumes were amazing and so were all the carved pumpkins. Every volunteer's time and efforts were an important part in making this night so much fun and it is greatly appreciated. On that note we are looking for volunteers for NEXT year's Howl (just kidding.... kind of...). We hope everyone had a fantastic time dancing, gaming, guessing, howling, chatting, loitering, mingling, and celebrating together. Events like this remind us how lucky we are to have such a warm and involved community. Special thanks to the Halloween Howl Committee who has been planning this event for many many months (some since Halloween Howl 2024)! Thank you to Sarah, Margaux, Carmen, Darren, Janice, Jenny, Trevor, Sandra, Kylie, Jeremy, Linda, Natasha, Tricia, Erin, and Trish, who did a superb job planning and organizing the event. [These are in no particular order except for Sarah being #1 for obvious reasons] Finally, thank you Mme Rondestvedt and all the Tennyson staff for supporting this event and the Tennyson community. We appreciate you all so much. The Halloween Howl Committee 🎃👻🕷️  Now, what you’ve all been waiting for…the contest winners. Pumpkin Contest Winners 🎃 Primary Students
 🎃 Intermediate Students
 Costume Contest Winners This was hard to choose with so many creative characters and creatures filling the halls of Tennyson last night! After some tough deliberating, the judges have awarded the bragging rights, and a prize to be picked up in the office, of “Best Costume (in respective category) at the 2025 Howl” to the following:
  If you made it this far I am impressed. Thank you again to everyone and hope you had a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
🎃👻🕷️ The Halloween Howl Committee 🎃👻🕷️ This November, FamilySmart is offering several free events for parents and caregivers who want to better support children and youth facing mental health or substance-use challenges. Each In the Know event features a recorded conversation with an expert, followed by a facilitated discussion with other parents and caregivers. Upcoming FamilySmart sessions Substance Use and the Power of Support Connection and relationship can make a difference in substance use and addiction. Guy Felicella, a renowned advocate and international speaker who has overcome a two-decade substance use disorder, passionately promotes harm reduction, trauma therapy, and faster access to treatment using his story of resilience and recovery. Learn how we can show care not just for our kids, but for the broader community impacted by substance use disorder. November 6 | 12:00–1:30 PM | Register Now What? Supporting Families When Kids Begin Experimenting with Substances These discussions help families navigate early substance-use experiences with understanding and support. November 4 | 6:30–8:00 PM | Register November 13 | 6:30–8:00 PM | Register November 26 | 6:30–8:00 PM | Register Other events & programs offered in the community November 5 – ADHD Education Day (Sponsored by BC Children’s Hospital) A free virtual day of learning and discussion focused on understanding and supporting children with ADHD. November 5 | 9:00 AM–3:30 PM | Registration details available on the event poster below. To learn more about these opportunities and register, visit the FamilySmart website.  Families are invited to join FamilySmart for an in-person event in Coquitlam exploring ways to support children with ADHD.
Event: Raising Children with ADHD: Finding Calm in Unpredictability Date: Tuesday, November 18, 2025 Time: 6:30–8:00 PM Location: Executive Plaza & Suites, 405 North Road, Coquitlam - Aspen Room While strategies for managing challenging behaviour, whatever our child’s neurotype, can be helpful, they’re difficult to use when you’re burnt out, overwhelmed, or caught up in your child’s emotional state. Even though you can’t control it, you’re not powerless. In this session, we’ll explore how shifting your own responses during difficult moments can ease tension and help you feel calmer and more confident as a parent or caregiver. Join FamilySmart and Rebecca Van Der Hijde, a Family Therapist and a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst. She has over 15 years of experience working with families raising children with autism, ADHD, and/or developmental disabilities. Her work has spanned a variety of roles in helping families navigate complex emotional and behavioural challenges with compassion and evidence-based care. With a focus on calm, connection, and empowerment, Rebecca is passionate about helping caregivers understand their child’s behaviour (and their own behaviour too!). Registration for this event is limited. Register here About FamilySmart FamilySmart is a non-profit organization that supports parents and caregivers of children and youth facing mental health challenges. They offer free events, 1:1 support, and community presentations across BC. For more information or to connect directly with FamilySmart, visit their website. This event combines two events in the same place at the same time. For details and a list of accepted and not accepted items for each event, please refer to the webpages linked below. Pop-up Recycling Event Bring your unwanted electronics, small appliances, clothing and more to our FREE pop-up recycling event. Learn more Halloween Free Swap Tent There are three ways to participate in the Halloween free swap tent:
General guidelines: Items will be accepted from 10am-12:30pm. Size – each item will fit in a regular size reusable bag – think grocery bag. Condition - in clean, good working order. Quantity - bring 1-2 items, take as many as you like. What to do when you arrive: Step 1 - If you have them, check-in your donated items with the event organizers. Step 2 - Browse the swap tables and select items you can use. Step 3 - Check-out your selected items with event organizers. Learn more Location Kitsilano Secondary School 2706 Trafalgar St Vancouver, BC V6K 2J6, Canada   We’re thrilled to share that several of our Tennyson graduates are part of the TREK Outdoor Education Program this year and they’re hosting an incredible community event! Join us for the TREK VIMFF Fundraiser, a night of inspiring outdoor adventure films presented by the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival. There will be a prize draw, concession, and silent auction. All proceeds support the TREK Program, an outstanding Grade 10 outdoor education experience that promotes leadership, teamwork, and a love for nature. 🎟️ Get your tickets and come out for an amazing evening in support of our students! Date: Thursday, November 13, 2025 Location: Prince of Wales School Auditorium Doors at 6pm Show starts at 7pm Tickets available in advance for $20 online from School Cash Online. Also sold at the door for $25 debit, cash, or credit. Learn more  |
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