We've finally hit the big leagues and have our own school sign. Check it out at the north-west corner of the school grounds.

A huge thank you to Jane Gardiner for all her efforts to purchase and install the sign on school property.

Watch the sign (and www.lordtenyson.ca, of course) for important upcoming events.

Every year in May, the Vancouver Board of Education runs a district-wide Earth Quake drill. This year the drill for all Vancouver schools will be held on Thursday, May 2th at 2:00 pm. At 2:00 pm, all students and staff will begin the practice in their classrooms, by going under their desks and counting to 60 in unison.

After the count, everyone will proceed outside to the grass field, as we do during a Fire Drill. Once outside, we will set up our First Aid Station and Release Station. The Release Station is for coordinating the release of students to parents or guardians. In such an event, adults who are picking up students would check-in at the Release Station and sign-out the child that they are taking off of the school grounds.

The VSB has also implemented a radio communication process which will be used during this practice. Each school is equipped with a radio that can be used to communicate to the VSB Command Post with status information (i.e. injuries, structural damages, etc.) Schools are called one at a time to report their status. We must remain on the field until each school had completed their status reports. Once all schools have completed their status reports, students and staff may return to the building.

The Vancouver United Football Club is now accepting registrations for players interested in playing soccer during the 2013-14 season. The season starts in September 2013 for children ages 4-18 at all levels of play.

This is the league in which most soccer-playing Tennyson kids are registered. Register by May 31st to guarantee placement on a team.

Vancouver United FC was formed in March 2011 with the combining of three long standing west side Vancouver soccer clubs: Dunbar Soccer Association, Kerrisdale Soccer Society, and Point Grey Soccer Association. The new club is one of the largest soccer clubs in Western Canada with 3,700 players ranging in ages from five to eighteen.

Vancouver United is committed to developing physical literacy through a fun, interactive and player-centered environment which contributes to every child's overall development.
 
For more information, visit the VanU website or contact the VanU Club Manager, Jennifer Keith, at clubmanager@vanufc.com or 604-521-7532.

The Tennyson community came together on Friday night to celebrate student talent and enjoy an afternoon with friends. Thank you to the many student performers! We have some amazing talent in the school, and the kids obviously love to perform. Keep up the practicing for next year!

Thanks to the many volunteers who came together to put this important community-building event on - without you, it would never happen.

19 beautiful baskets went were raffled at the Spring Fling.  Thank you to all the people who contributed  to the baskets and all of those who bought tickets. The basket raffle raised $1700 for the school PAC. The winners were as follows:

Div 1 - Movie night basket - Matteo S
Div 2 - Gourment basket - collected, no name recorded
Div 3 - Chocolate basket - M Mackenzie
Div 4 - Money tree - Jenny, Jay, Tatye, Ava
Div 4b - Shoppers gift basket - Stephanie Ross
Div 5 - Plant basket - Samantha Banks
Div 6 - Children"s Books - Emily McConnell
Div 7 - Adult Books - Ian Porter
Div 8 - Wine Basket with glasses -  Maloney
Div 9 - Wine Basket with assortment of goodies - Natasha Chudyk 
Div 10 - Gift Card Basket (Kidsbooks, Indigo,London Drugs, Opus Art Studio) - Ruby Ollivier
Div 11 - Gift Card Basket and Movie tickets - collected, no name recorded
Div 12 - Gift Card Basket (Greens, IGA, Starbucks and plant) - Dave Lowy
Div 13 - Take 5 Cafe Basket - Alain Reiher
Div 13b - Planter basket - Catalina
Div 14 - Pete's BBQ Basket - Brody's Dad
Div 15 - Beach basket - Bob, Hana's Dad
Div 16 - Arts and Craft basket - Nana Yenson
Div 17 - Games Basket - Daniela Mendoza

The Tennyson grade 6 and 7 strings students put on a wonderful show tonight with students from Jules Quesnel, David Lloyd George, and Sexsmith Elementaries, as well as the Magee Secondary String Orchestra.  

The final strings concert of the year will be held in the Tennyson gym on May 15 at 7:00pm featuring all Tennyson strings students (grades 4-7).

Please help the PAC by taking 5 minutes to fill out our 2013-2014 PAC Budget Survey.

Your financial support to our school's PAC helps to support a wide variety of programmes and educational resources for the students of Tennyson each school year. You now have the opportunity to give your opinions on how PAC funds should be spent during the 2013-14 school year by completing the 2013-14 PAC Budget Survey.

Your PAC Executive is required to prepare and present the 2013-14 budget for approval at the June 4, 2013 Annual General Meeting. To facilitate this process, the survey provides each Tennyson parent with the opportunity to provide input and suggestions regarding possible 2013-14 PAC budgetary items.

The deadline for completing this brief survey is May 3. 

Thank you!

Silent Day will be tomorrow, Thursday, April 18th. It's for the whole day, for as long as the kids can stay silent. 

Silent Day is to represent the people in other countries who can't express their opinion. We just want the people in other countries to know that we care and want to stop it and maybe the government will see that other people think its bad and that they could let people have their opinion. There will be older kids passing from class tomorrow to collect the money and give the kids a sticker that says: I am silent. If the kids would like to participate then it will be $2. All the money will go to Free The Children, an organisation that gives money to kids in need. It will help them get clean water and a roof over their head and food to eat.

More information is at: http://www.freethechildren.com/get-involved/campaigns/we-are-silent/

- Submitted by Jasmine Brossard, Grade 6

Ordering Info
Ordering open: April 14 – 22 
Includes lunches from Wednesday, May 1 – Wednesday, June 26
The MunchaLunch link can be found at www.lordtennyson.ca (bottom-left)
 
Important Changes
Pizza
We have a new supplier: Rocky Mountain Flatbread in Kitsilano (you answered the survey, we listened) so the pizzas are different:

• cost to us is more (but the price to you will stay the same this session)
  
• thin-crust, wood-fired oven baked
  
• crusts are organic and include some whole wheat flour (but not too much!)
  
• tomato sauce is organic and includes some veggies (again, not too much!)
  
• pepperoni is nitrate-free beef pepperoni
  
• cheese is Canadian and is rennet-free
  
• Please make sure your children are aware that the pizza supplier is changing! (if not, plan to come in on May 1 at lunch in case they complain!)
  

We’d also like to thank Rocky Mountain Flatbread for sponsoring the Earth Bites Project at Lord Tennyson.
 
Sushi
Sushi will continue to be provided by Sushi Aoki.
Sushi days will be structured Menu 1/Menu 2 (like the Pizza days) in order to save time ordering but still allow for variety.
Like last time, there is no drink ordering for sushi. Water will be provided.
 
Order from BOTH Menus (1 & 2) if you want lunches every week!
Want sushi only once a month?  Leaving on vacation early? You can easily remove any days at the END of ordering (keep going to the end!)
 
This One's for PAC
As a thank you to parents for their support this year and ESPECIALLY to the lunch volunteers (you know who you are – YOU ROCK!), ALL PROCEEDS FROM MAY/JUNE LUNCHES WILL GO TO THE TENNYSON PAC (Hot Lunches are usually a Quebec trip fundraiser)
 
Your questions will always be cheerfully answered… email HotLunches@lordtennyson.ca