Let the Games Begin!

On Thursday, May 12th, the ICS track team took part in a track meet at Swangard Stadium hosted by St. Joseph’s School. We participated in a number of events: the 800 metre, 100 metre, girls, boys and mixed 4×100 metre relays, long jump and shotput.

There was also 60 metre race for grades 3, 4 and 5, as well as a 200 metre, 400 metre and medley relay for grades 6 and 7. We did very well, especially in the 800 metre race. It was lots of fun and a chance to be outside, running, jumping and throwing. I know everyone looks forward to our next track meet on Thursday, May 19th at Vancouver College.

Written by a Grade Seven Student

Grade Four School Gardeners!

Last week, we harvested our lettuce to make salad. We shared our salads with the school. We harvested arugula, head lettuce, carrots, kale, basil, pea shoots, and kohlrabi for our salads. The classes thought our salad was amazing!

Many students asked for seconds and one student asked for our dressing recipe. One girl said she didn’t like salad before she tried ours, but now she does now.

We also learned about bolting. Bolting is when the plant gets too hot or too dry and it thinks it might die, so it makes seeds. Sometimes bolting makes the vegetable taste different.

We had a fun time in the garden and making salads. We are really grateful to our garden buddies who volunteer to garden with us.

Written by Grade Four Students

Grade Five Field Trip to Westminster Abbey

In April we traveled to see the Benedictine Monks at Westminster Abbey. We learned that monks teach the high school kids how to train to become monks as well as seminarians. We also learned that Benedictine monks were the only order of monks that existed in the Middle Ages. Our class also took part in the prayer service. At the prayer service, we listened to a very spiritual hymn. Inside the church were beautiful stained glass windows, which our class drew. Afterwards, to stretch our legs out, we took a walk through the forest, which led to a sunny field where we could look down and see the Fraser River. We started to walk back, and saw a statue of our Immaculate Mary. We also walked to the church to see the old graveyard. Our class picked flowers and laid them on the gravestones. Our class had a wonderful time at Westminster Abbey.

Written by a Grade Five Student

Visitors come to ICS to celebrate science

Several weeks ago, at ICS, visitors from Science World and the Planetarium came to teach us a little bit about science and astronomy.

For the first part of the Science World show, there was a demonstration with a little box which had a long tube connected to it. The Science World scientists lit a match, then they asked for a volunteer to blow into the tube. And when the volunteer did, the little flame became a huge, orange, fireball for a brief moment! This taught us how fire needed oxygen to work.

Another favourite part of the show was when the scientists showed us a small metal pole with a globe  attached to the top, also made out of metal. Next, one of the scientists brought out a metal rod and put it close to the sphere; we could hear the static electricity buzzing! The scientists told us that the static electricity was trying to escape the metal globe.

The scientists  asked for six volunteers to link hands with one on the end holding a metal pole. Then they asked for one more to put his hand on the sphere. While the person’s hand was on it, you could see her hair sticking up in all sorts of directions!

Next the scientist asked the person on the end of the chain to link hands with the person holding the metal globe. What we saw then was very cool! The static electricity started traveling through all six people to escape the person holding the metal globe because there was another metal pole the static wanted to escape.

We walked into the gym… The first thing we saw was a black dome sitting in the middle of the room. Stephan, from the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, had come to talk to us about space and constellations. We then entered the dark dome, we looked up saw the night sky in Vancouver! Then, he should us a star called Polaris, also known as the North Star.

After that, he also showed us how to find different constellations after finding Polaris. He also told us that even though the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper are well known constellations, they aren’t official constellations because they are part of two bigger constellations the Big Bear and the Little Bear. He then put up pictures of planets in the inner Solar System, those planets were Mercury, Mars, Earth and Venus. After taking a good look at the different planets we took our spaceship ride back to Earth.

For more information on Science World and the  H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, you can visit their web sites:  www.scienceworld.ca, www.spacecentre.ca.

Written by a Grade Six Student

First Holy Communion

After many months of preparation, the Grade Two class received their First Holy Communion on Sunday May 1st. Everyone was excited about receiving this special gift from Jesus. Here’s what a few students had to say about their Holy day.

“I felt very happy on my first Communion Day. The church was full of peace.”

“I felt really joyful on my first Communion Day.”

“I liked setting the table with Alexander, Samantha and Nadia. I felt special”

“I enjoyed being a reader at Mass. It was fun.” “It was a lovely day. I got to receive the Body of Christ and I felt grateful.”

“It was very nice to have my first Holy Communion. I felt special because Jesus was inside me for the first time”

Springtime Visit to the Botanical Gardens

Written By Grade Two Students

We went to the UBC Botanical Garden. Our guides were Tamara and Joanna. I saw a lot of rhododendrons and I learned how the canopy cables hug the tree without the use of nails to build the walkways. I had fun walking through a tree. My favourite part was going on the canopy walkway. I walked through a tunnel too.

On our field trip we went on the canopy walkway. On the base of the walkway we saw a red cedar tree. We also, saw a 600 year old tree, and saw a bee hive. We also saw a lot of hemlock trees. We went and took a picture at the look out. We walked through a tree and saw a rock from the ice age.

On our field trip we went to the Botanical Garden at UBC. When I got there I heard the legend of the Douglas Fir. I really liked going on the canopy walkway with our guide, Joanna. I saw an eagle. When we were in the garden our guide was Tamara. She showed us the rhododendrons. They were really pretty. We also walked through a tree that someone carved.

Today, I will grow in knowledge, love of God, and service to others.