Dear Graham Bruce Families,

Today, we will have our year-end PAC BBQ at our school from 4:00-7:00pm and we are looking forward to seeing many of you at this event. 

It was so nice to see our parent volunteers at the Parent Volunteer Tea on June 11th at our school. Thanks again for all your collaborative efforts and help. Thanks also to Ms. Learmonth, Ms. LaTosky, Ms. Borden, Ms. Ghislieri and Ms. Ferreira for helping organize this event. Our students did an amazing job with their presentations to acknowledge our parent volunteers.

Ms. Suzanne Holden Is Retiring!

Ms. Holden embarked on her teaching career with the Vancouver School Board in January 1993, following her graduation from the PDP teaching program at SFU in December 1992. After a brief period working as a TOC, Suzanne began her journey at Florence Nightingale School as an all-day Kindergarten teacher, and the following year, she taught a grade 2/3 class. She then moved to Hastings Elementary for a short-term assignment teaching grade 5. The next chapter of her career unfolded at Carleton Elementary, where she spent 20 years teaching K-3, Resource, and Reading Recovery. Leaving the supportive and wonderful Carleton community was a tough decision, but she has maintained many lasting friendships from her time there. After two fulfilling years at McBride Annex teaching K-2, Ms. Holden joined the exceptional teaching staff and students at Graham Bruce in 2017. She feels incredibly fortunate and privileged to conclude her teaching career amidst such a dedicated staff, along with a fantastic group of students and parents. Looking ahead, Ms. Holden is excited to spend more time with her husband and adult sons and plans to travel abroad. She is also eager to dedicate more time to her passions for biking, walking her dogs, hiking, and spending quality time with friends and extended family.

BC Summer Reading Club at Vancouver Public Library!

The Summer Reading Club is a great way for children to practice or improve their reading skills and to continue learning new things over the summer months. The program welcomes K – 7 kids and their families to participate in a variety of free and inclusive activities and programs all summer long! Children can pick up their reading records at the library starting on June 17. At the Collingwood Branch, we have new Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) toys related to coding, creating, and building, plus exciting programs such as a Screen-Free Minecraft Party, STEM Explorers, Get Your Book in the Library and more. The online reading tracker is optional and has additional fun activities, contests, and unique features like noises! You can access the online tracker at bcsrc.ca. Visit any VPL branch or vpl.ca/kids for more information. Sensory-Friendly Summer Reading Club is a distraction-reduced, small-group program available at the Firehall Branch for children with diverse needs, including all those who need additional support to thrive in library programs, and their families or caregivers. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Siblings welcome. Call 604-331-3657 for more information or to register, please check the flyer attached to the school email.

Parents Time Online: Supporting Early Literacy at Home with Learn. Develop. Succeed.

Are you worried about your child falling behind in reading this summer? Learn from the experts at LDS - Learn. Develop. Succeed. who support students with learning differences. This interactive workshop will teach you about reading readiness, including phonemic awareness, letters and sounds, and activities to help your early reader. Bring questions about early screening for learning differences like dyslexia. Learn when and how to get extra support for your child’s literacy challenges. For families with children ages 4-8 with concerns about their child’s reading. Click here for more information.