It’s that time of year again when we are looking forward to running our “Skill-based” Exploratory (or mini courses) for all of our Middle School students. Middle School students are at an age when they are exploring who they are in relation to God, themselves, and to their peers. Providing a good selection of exploratories in many different areas will give our students a unique opportunity to begin to recognize and identify their likes and dislikes, their gifts, talents, and abilities. Exploratories are the kind of learning that many of us, as life-long learners, typically pursue outside of school. Others have taken a cooking course to learn how to be competent in preparing some of your favorite ethnic foods. It is this kind of learning outside of school that we own, that we care so deeply about, that we see as an integral part of ourselves. This learning has a personal connection to who we are – our interests, our culture, our life experiences, and curiosities.

There are many benefits of exploratory time being set aside for Middle School students. In the long run, exploratory time helps students care about their learning – and caring changes a person’s attitude about learning. Let me give you a few more benefits that other schools have noted from their incorporation of exploratory time into their regular curriculum.

1. It nurtures a love for learning.
2. It encourages meaningful learning through intrinsic motivation.
3. It creates true communities of life-long learners.
4. It develops self-esteem and celebrates uniqueness.
5. It uses real-world resources.
6. It allows students to choose what they wish to learn.
7. It teaches relevant life skills.

Submitted by Bonnie Burton, MC Principal

When will we run Exploratories and for how long?

Exploratories will be held four Wednesdays:

• Wednesday, May 23th
• Wednesday, May 30th
• Wednesday, June 6th
• Wednesday, June 13th

Time: 1:10PM – 2:45PM

Grade 7 Concert Band

submitted by Mr. Reimer

Grade 8 Track and Field

The Grade 8 Track team had beautiful weather this season! With such lovely days to run, jump and throw the team made a lot of personal bests during their preliminary meets at Minoru. The whole team made it through to Richmond District championships! Many more qualified for Zones, where the best athletes in Richmond, Burnaby and New West compete to move on to Provincials. As the team coach, it was a proud moment to witness students I have taught in grade 6 develop into committed gr 8 athletes that compete for God’s glory.

submitted by Mrs. Lim