carver courier Thank You! How and Why: That s What It s All About! Principal Paul Tigchelaar, B.Sc., B.Ed., M.Ed. $61,430 CARVER FALL FUND APPEAL 2015

Transcription

1 December Sapperton Avenue. Burnaby BC. How and Why: That s What It s All About! Principal Paul Tigchelaar, B.Sc., B.Ed., M.Ed. Carver opened this September with 41 more students than last year, increasing our student body to 239. Our music department is bursting at the seams; 40% of Carver s high schools student are in one of three bands or choir more than a dozen are in both band and choir! Our annual Evening in December concert social is going to be wonderfully full! We hope you ll join us in celebrating our students efforts and the Christmas season. Carver Christian High School continues to build momentum in the strategic work to transition well into the future. Our students have more opportunities for academic and personal support through our expanded counseling team and 65 parents came out to the first of several Back to Class for Parent evenings. Carver has built toward the future for more than a decade and our program continues to grow and develop to meet the individual needs of our students. This September, we have also added an Honors Wings program for our grade 8 students. We will continue to build our 21 st century program on grounded, integrated, realworld Christian education, and we will support students in their learning to ask Why and How rather than just the What questions. This is the essence of shaping education for a Christian worldview. CARVER FALL FUND APPEAL 2015 Thank You! to our donors for your generous support! Donations as of December 11: $61,430 All funds raised by Carver s Fall Fund Appeal and the Gloria & Gallery Impact Christian education at Carver this year.

2 FRIENDSHIP Sportsmanship TEAMWORK COMPETITION integrity AUTUMN Carver During our Fall Season, students had opportunity to participate in Boys Soccer (where our girls got to play as well because we don't have a girls soccer team) as well as Junior Boys, Senior Boys or Girls Volleyball. Notables of this year s volleyball season were: Sr Boys Volleyball: 2nd Place and Most Sportsmanlike Team GVISAA All Stars - Jonathan Dresselhuis and Nathan Shen Jr Boys volleyball: 1st Place GVISAA All Star - Matthew Chu Sr Girls Volleyball: 4th Place in season play GVISAA & LMISSGVA All Star: Amariah Shair Volleyball at the Provincials Sr Boys advanced to 11th in BC Sr Girls advanced to 12th in BC Throughout the season, our team players demonstrated a great level of skill and Christ-like attitude. Congratulations on a great season!

3 ow gr challenge Lead practice learn Why Christian Education? One Parent s Perspective High school years are important formative years shaping the identity of our children. Years ago when I was deciding on the type of teaching that my child would experience in her high school years, I realized that I wanted investment into education that would set the foundations in shaping her values and worldviews into adulthood. While academics are important, I believe spiritual growth is just as significant in forming my daughter's identity. Over the years, Carver has given my daughter a Christ-centered education that influences, challenges, and calls her to action in the detailed backdrop of her daily living. I am grateful Carver plays this crucial role in developing her identity in Christ. - Carver Parent, Winnie Ma Ng PROJECTS THAT THROW LEARNING INTO THE FUTURE Whenever possible, we try to build excitement and engagement at Carver in our students learning by allowing them student-centred and student-directed projects. At the end of the Nutrient Cycles portion of our biology unit, the Science 10 Honours/Wings students were encouraged to brainstorm as a class and decide on projects to show their learning. All these students explored and engaged in one another s projects for further learning. Material that can be dry turned into something enjoyable, thought provoking and ultimately memorable and that is great learning! - Mr. Wasik, Science & Math

4 News from our Elementary School Partners John Knox Christian High School Building the Future: A New Foundation Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come. Psalm 71: John Knox Christian School is continuing to work towards creating a new Christian high school in New Westminster. Currently, we are negotiating the purchase of a parcel of land. Our prayer is that we finalize the purchase within the next month, and begin construction in December 2016, with a potential opening date of September This fall, teams have been working hard interviewing consultants, working on the design of the building with our architects, and tweaking financial plans. Staff have been planning Christian education that supports Carver s current program as well as the BC Ministry of Education s 21 st Century Learning Plan. Excitement is building at John Knox, and we invite you to visit our lobby for an in-depth look at the architect s plans and concepts. For more information please contact the JKCS office at , or development@johnknoxbc.org. Vancouver Christian School: Update on the Capital Campaign VCS Board and administration are thankful for the strong turnout at our Fall AGM! For Carver parents and extended community members not at that meeting, here are the latest updates: In terms of campaign fundraising, we reached a $1.5 million milestone this summer, and hope to raise the next $2 million by Spring 2016, on our way to the overall goal of $5 million. We have signed a commitment letter with a bank for the financing of this project. We continue to work diligently toward acquiring a temporary school site. We have some options but we want the best scenario for location and costs. All VCS and Carver staff have given input on plans for the interior of the building and our architect is now completing a second round of drawings. We are working on long term strategic planning for program and operations, with consideration for an administrative model for the K-12 school and planning for the overarching Christian perspectives for the K-12 school based on the common mission and vision. We are meeting with a facilitator who will help Carver, VCS and John Knox move into a strong and healthy start as two new high schools. And, finally, we are focusing on this being the last school year in this building, with demolition to begin in July! We ask for your prayers that our temporary location, financing and capital campaign will come together so this plan remains on schedule. (For updates to read or share, visit our website or :

5 ow gr challenge Lead practice learn CARVER COMMUNITY: A TEACHER S PERSPECTIVE... where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. Mt. 18:21 This August, I was welcomed as the newest member of the Carver teaching staff, and already I relish the exceptional life in this place. At Carver, teachers actively critique, encourage, and support each other professionally; we build, pray, and worship together in spiritual unity. This is a place to test ideas, to experiment pedagogically, to re-imagine what shapes education might take. This is a missional community seeking whole life transformation in Christ. I'm proud of Carver's vision and feel honoured to be a part of its future. - Mr. Tim Cavey Christian community is a gift to be cherished!

6 Image-reflectors Creation-caretakers Truth-seekers Community -servers Justice-promoters God-worshippers Where Are All the Graduates Going? Every year, I have the privilege of connecting with a few of Carver s alumni. I am always impressed with their positive attitudes, intelligence and maturity. Seeing them pursue a life of service is truly inspiring. Statistics without their story are a limited way to view the success of anything but they are a measure many appreciate. It is validating to know that over 90% of our alumni have continued on to top universities, colleges or technical institutions like BCIT. In Carver s first ten years as a Christian high school, 380 students graduated from Carver. Some alumni went initially into the workforce, postponing further education but the vast majority proceeded straight into university or college. Those who chose college initially often moved on to university later, able and ready with a stronger sense of direction. About half the students of each Carver gradation class have begun their post-secondary schooling with the help of scholarship funding. Over one million dollars in scholarships have been offered to Carver s grads! Which universities have our alumni gone on to? Most head off to UBC, SFU or TWU. Some went beyond BC to universities in Ontario, Alberta, etc. A dozen or so went abroad to universities in the US, Germany, Ireland, Asia, France, etc. These young men and women are choosing careers as doctors, researchers, engineers, educators, business professionals, artistic professional and more. Many alumni tell us they were well prepared, not only academically but with character, self-awareness and personal identity not common at 18. Most alumni reflect back on their years at Carver with appreciation for the mentoring relationships they had with Carver teachers and the lessons learned in Carver s own Distinctives Christian Studies courses. What matters is not where our alumni go on to for post-secondary schooling or what careers they choose. What matters most is how prepared they are with a biblical foundation that will inform their thinking, their ethics, their hopes and dreams. - Linda Smythe, Development for Carver Carver Class of 2016