Thank you to Tennyson Tigers for the incredible support of RBC Race for the Kids on Sunday, June 4.

I am delighted to present your team's thank you certificate.
 
Thanks to the wonderful dedication of participants like you and your team members, we were able to raise $1,000,000 this year for childhood cancer research and treatment areas as well as pediatric mental health initiatives at BC Children’s Hospital. 
 
If you’d like to check out all of the photos from this year’s RBC Race for the Kids, including more team photos, be sure to visit the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation’s Facebook and Flickr pages.
 
We can’t wait to see you and your team out for the 2018 event on June 3, 2018!
 
Best Regards,
 
RBC Race for the Kids Team

We couldn't have asked for nicer weather  for Sports Day 2017! I really think we had the perfect combination of sunshine and slight breeze  to break some school records in the cup-of-water-passing and four corner soccer contests!

The day kicked off with  rousing cheers performed by the Grade 4-7 students.  You can watch highlights here. Then the whole school took part  in a series of fun activities  culminating in the hotly contested tug-o-war on the field.  The competition was tough, the Red team fought hard, but their  two-year winning streak was broken.  

The final standings were:
First place - Team Yellow
Second place - Team Blue
Third place - Team Green
Fourth place - Team Red

Thank you Mme Lorieau, all the Tennyson  staff,  the Grade 7  students and the ex-Tennyson students who  volunteered on the day to help everything run smoothly.  And, we must give a big shout out to Eric Rallison (and his spreadsheet) and all the Grade 5 parents  who manned the grill and served up refreshing freezies and treats.  The awesome barbecue and concession stand added to the carnival atmosphere of the day.

And a HUGE thank you to Tennyson dad Mark Volk from Maple Leaf Foods for donating the all-beef wieners!

How To Raise A Wild Child is an  exclusive speaker event at TELUS World of Science that  ​provides practical tools and tips for how adults can help kids fall in love with nature–enlisting technology as ally, taking advantage of urban nature, and distilling a deep sense of place along the way.

Featured Speaker: Dr. Scott D. Sampson, President & CEO of Science World British Columbia

Wednesday June  21
8:30am–10am
Doors open at 8:30am (general seating), talk starts at 9am followed by Q&A

Science Theatre, TELUS World of Science​​​

Tickets: 
$25/person​​
$20/student (limited  availability)

Complimentary child minding available

Register Now

What a proud Tennyson moment at the Jericho Championship Day on Saturday!
All   5 recipients of the Gerry Kitson Award  were from Tennyson! 

This was definitely a surprise, and the kids were (of course) the ones who first realized  that all 5 award winners were from Tennyson!  Proud kids, proud parents, and proud Tennyson!

The 5 Gerry Kitson Awards are awarded annually to graduating students  that best exemplify the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his/her team.

The 5 winners (all Tennyson students) are Isabella Pavan, Pavo Smith-Manojlovic,   Jonah Lazar, Tyler Javier, and  Jeffrey Lundell . Congratulations!

Tennyson Treasurer Report – AGM June 2017

Fundraising/Income:
Our target from Fundraising was $28,445 – roughly 2/3 from Kickstart and 1/3 from Mathathon.
Actual raised was a little above target - $31,009 – Thank you on behalf of the kids goes to all the parents who contributed.
Our other primary income source is Casino grant – this is not guaranteed & has to be applied for each year.  This year was slightly above previous years at $8940 (it tends to be $20 per student that we receive).
Total Fundraising + Grant:   ~ $39950

We also had a surplus of $15000 from last year. The allocation of these funds was proposed/voted on at the Jan & Feb PAC meetings and is included in the spend below.  The majority was spent on technology, books, science, student speakers.
Finally we had a couple of one off donations – Wholefoods donated their thanksgiving meal proceeds of $1,800 to Tennyson for the second year so please patronize them where possible, and the 2016 Quebec trip received a grant so the surplus fundraising ($10,000) was given to PAC.  These will provide a backup for next year if we were not to receive the Casino grant and/or provide a surplus to be allocated next year.

2016/17 Expenditures/Investments:
Largest investments made this year have been:
Playground Fund - $12,500 (pre-planned amount put aside each year)
New technology purchases – 30 ipads + cables etc. ~ $10200
Teacher funds ($250 for each classroom, librarian, resource teachers, art teacher) - $5,750
Classroom/home reading program for Elementary classes (Books) ~ $4000
Arts programs – School presentations - Power of One, Hoop Dancers, etc. ~$ 3900
Science & Technology – Science equipment/kits/supplies for use in all classes ~ $2300 & UBC Geering Up workshops for all classes ~ $1900
Speakers for Student and Parent groups – Online safety, Saleema Noon. ~ $3100
Sports – playground sports equipment bin for each classroom to use at recess, big flag for events, team pinnies for school teams ~ $2300
Many smaller categories – see budget e.g. Peer tutoring, school greening, spring fling, graduation, roots of empathy, website,  etc.  

All 3 Gr 6/7 classes participated in a Science Experiment Project this year. The students worked alone or in pairs to design and test a science experiment. They then created and displayed project boards describing what their hypothesis was and how they tested it. Wonderful work by all!

Thank you to Mme Megan and Mme Preston and their team for the wonderful Parent Volunteer Tea this afternoon. I will admit that I have attended many of these teas and, at risk of insulting someone from the past, the food at this one was THE BEST! Homemade amazingness with very attentive service from Gr 5 students. And the decor & setting was wonderful (beautiful, colourful banners from each division on the wall). And the entertainment?! Incroyable (look at me using French)! Mme Preston, M Brian, and Mme Janesse's students all sang french songs for the parents in attendance. It was a lovely event for the parents.

Lord Tennyson PAC Chair Annual Report 2016/2017
This was my first year as PAC Chair, and it has been a great experience working with the incredible teachers, administrators, and staff at Lord Tennyson, and of course, the enthusiastic, engaged parents who dedicate countless hours and seemingly endless energy towards enriching the school experience for students.

Due to the generosity and efforts of students and parents, we were fortunate again this year to have exceeded our fundraising goal of $28,445.  These funds were directed towards many things, including:
* Equipment and technology to supplement the school curriculum, such as science apparatus, cooking kits, and iPads.
* Tools to support the diverse learning needs to students, like noise blocking earmuffs and a wooden sand tray.
* Presentations and programs for students, such as the "Power of One: Anti-bullying" session, Two Hoop dance show, other fine arts presentations, and the Roots of Empathy program.
* Speakers for the parent community, on topics such as sexual health, financial literacy for children, and parenting in a digital world.
* Many other miscellaneous items, like a Tennyson flag for our athletic groups, First Nations books, and greening around the school grounds.
 
In addition to our operating budget, we were also fortunate to have a budget surplus from the 2015/2016 year.  This surplus resulted from receiving some unexpected funds -- Whole Foods Thanksgiving Dinner and a large sum from the Quebec 2016 group -- as well as profit from sushi lunches and the Halloween Howl, both of which are not considered fundraisers but more as a community service/event.  Based on a survey that went out to parents and consultation with teachers, we were able to put those funds towards the following:
* More science equipment and supplies ($2000)
* UBC Geering Up science workshops for all grades ($1900)
* On-line safety presentations for intermediate students ($1600)
* Home reading books for primary students ($4000)
* iPads to be used by all grades ($6700)
 
Also, with the help of numerous volunteers, there were many different activities and events throughout the year for students to participate in:
* Noon hour programs
* Both French and English Scholastic book fairs
* Sports clubs (cross-country, track and field, kilometer club)
* Bike to School Week
* Halloween Howl and Spring Fling
* Hot Lunch Programs
 
Thank you to everyone who contributed their time, effort, and energy.  Tennyson really has an amazing community of parents and students.  It is truly a wonderful thing to be a part of.  Finally, I would like to give a big thank you to all of the other executive members for their commitment and for assisting and supporting me in this role.
 
Tam Cummings
Lord Tennyson PAC Chair, 2016-2017