November 2015

Congratulations!

 

In the past year, four of our staff members have completed graduate studies in Education.  Our congratulations are extended to Ms. Michelle Contant, Mrs. Bonnie Burton, Ms. Leanne Leong and Mrs. Esther Memmott for their achievement.

We are very proud of these teachers and their accomplishments and we are thrilled that they will bring their expertise and knowledge to RCS.  We are blessed indeed!

Mr. Roger Grose
Superintendent

 

Ms. Leong

Ms. Leong teaches sciences at the secondary campus and is involved in coaching the senior girl’s volleyball team.  Ms. Leong recently completed a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration and Leadership.  Her area of study was “Administrator and Student Relationships:  Discipline in a Multicultural Society.”

Ms. Contant

Ms. Contant is the Athletic Director of the secondary campus and teaches physical education, social studies and outdoor education.  Ms. Contant earned a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Leadership.  Her final project was called “School Athletics for Character Development: A Process-Based Approach for Developing Sportsmanship.”

Mrs. Burton

Mrs. Burton serves as vice-principal of the middle campus and also teaches a seventh grade class.  She is actively involved in curriculum develop and is very familiar with the New BC Education Plan.  Mrs. Burton completed her Masters of Education in Curriculum and Leadership:  “Self-Directed Study on the Philosophy of Christian Education.”

Mrs. Memmott

Mrs. Esther Memmott is the librarian at the secondary campus.  Mrs. Memmott recently completed a very intense educational program resulting in the granting of a Diploma of Education in Teacher Librarianship.

Traffic Procedures for a Community of Grace

We all know that traffic around the elementary campus is congested.  Dropping students off at the elementary campus is an exercise in patience and endurance.  And it is causing stress and anxiety for our neighbours who live near the we love our childrencampus.

For the last two weeks I have been the crossing guard on Haddon Drive.   I must say it has been an education.  Did you know that four hundred and thirty-five elementary students (435) arrive for school between 8:10 and 8:30am?   And did you know that there are four shuttle buses that arrive and leave from the elementary campus between 7:30 and 8:30am? This is a recipe for congestion. 

In order for our students to arrive safely at school each morning, here are some things that we could do to help ease the traffic congestion. This includes parents dropping their students off for the shuttle buses to the middle and secondary campuses.

ONE WAY TRAFFIC FLOW (See Map) one way

I would request that all drivers adopt a one-way driving procedure while dropping students off on Haddon Drive behind the elementary campus.  Please proceed in a westward direction along Haddon Drive.  You can enter from either Williams Road or Thomas Drive and proceed westward on Haddon Drive.  This procedure would ease the flow of traffic in tight bottlenecked areas along Haddon Drive.  Please avoid all eastward driving along Haddon Drive.  Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

AVOID ALL U-TURNSu turns

U-turns, although convenient, are a dangerous driving practice in a congested area. Drivers making U-turns hold up traffic and cause extra congestion. Our neighbours have complained about this and called the by-law officers and RCMP in Richmond to have this regulation enforced. I have been informed that people who make U-turns will run the risk of receiving a violation ticket from the RCMP.

RESPECT THE PRIVATE DRIVEWAYS OF OUR NEIGHBOURS

You must not use the private driveways of homeowners as a parking space or block these driveways with your car. It is also unacceptable to use these private driveways as a turnaround point.

RESPECT THE DROP-OFF ZONENo Parking

It is imperative that drivers do not park and leave their cars unattended in the drop-off zones. Again, this severely slows traffic flow and causes extra congestion. Please make your drop-off time as quickly as possible. If each driver takes 1 minute to unload their children and 7 cars can drop off at the same time, it will take more than 1 hour for all the students to get into the school. In other words, the last child would arrive just after 9:30am. We can do better than this.  Drivers should avoid getting out of the car. Please teach your children to retrieve their backpack and exit the car without your assistance.

AVOID PARKING ON HADDON DRIVE

There are approximately 7 places to park on Haddon Drive. These spaces are occupied early in the morning and serve just a small handful of families. If our families did not park along Haddon Drive, traffic would proceed much more easily and efficiently along Haddon Drive.

REDUCE YOUR SPEED

Slow down and take your time. I have observed that as drivers reduced their speed, the actual pace of traffic increased. What an interesting contradiction!

We must work and live together as a Christian community. These instructions are quite simply only requests designed to help create a safe driving environment around our school. Other than U-turns, there is no legal jurisdiction to these requests. But social responsibility and Christian care and concern should be enough motivation for us to adopt these procedures.

Respecting each other’s place on the road and implementing safe driving practices are an authentic part of becoming a community of grace.

Mr. Roger Grose
Superintendent

A PDF version of the above information is available here:  Elementary Campus Traffic Concerns Letter

PLEASE SEE MAPS BELOW FOR TRAFFIC PATTERNS AND PARKING/UNLOADING REQUESTS