Parents' Auxiliary

Written by Krista Schlosser

This is the first Allocations blog I have written; in fact, this is the first blog I have EVER written! I know some of you ‘techi parents’ may find this strange, but to me, blogging sounds like something I should be doing with a helmet and a signed waiver.   Anyway, here goes…

My name is Krista and I am the First Vice President and Allocations Committee Chair for the PA.  I truly have the best volunteer position on the Auxiliary.  Really, Susan, I do! I, along with my committee, have the wonderful job of handing out money.  That’s right, in my term alone, we have given out over $80,000 to fund staff and parent requests for goods or services that enrich the learning environment of the school. AND, I still have one final opportunity in the spring to give out MORE money! Wow!

It is so exciting to know that all the hard work involved in the PA fundraising activities goes towards so many needed items and activities in the school.  I mean, who knew that all the chairs in the Junior School library were purchased with PA money, or that the PA funded the potters’ wheels in the Senior School art room, and the timpani drums that look so amazing on stage when the Middle School band plays????  What about the projectors mounted to the ceiling in almost every classroom you walk into, or the sports uniforms you find crumpled up in your children’s gym bags, or the microwave oven used everyday in brown hall, the gymnastics mats in the Junior School gym, the television broadcast system in Middle School, transportation to the Provincials for some sports teams, the book carts, computer desks, outdoor play equipment, data projectors, guest speakers…  Okay, okay, I’ll stop.  (I think I’m getting the hang of this blogging!)

Anyway, what I’m basically saying is this – we parents contribute sooooo much to the overall school environment. We support the school when we order pizza lunches for our children, donate used uniforms to the store, attend Quiz Night and every time we are available to volunteer when called.

As we approach the final round of allocations spending this year, I encourage you to get involved in another way – help us determine what we spend the money on. If you know of something that would enhance our children’s educational, athletic, creative or community experience at the school, please fill out an application, (http://www.smus.bc.ca/parents/pa/allocations.html) and get the ball rolling.

Each one of us makes such a difference and together we are shaping a school that I know we can all be proud of!

Signing off,

Krista Schlosser

Submitted by Shelley Austin, photos by Lisa Hopkins

The long circular driveway was clogged with cars at 5pm, Sunday Nov. 7, 2010. Boarders were streaming out of the houses; some clutching bouquets of flowers, others with boxes of chocolates or cookies, tokens of their appreciation for a night out. The day students’ parents searched the faces of the boarders to locate the one or two (or more!) students they had been assigned for the Boarders Without Borders event. They would take them home and feed them a home cooked meal before returning them to SMUS at 8pm.

The 2010 event of Boarders Without Borders was a huge success! There were over 40 families that hosted over 80 students. Most boarders were signed up without knowing which host family they would be paired with – they bravely went to dine with strangers! Others requested to be paired with the family of their day student friends and, in some cases, families requested boarders that they knew from sport teams or other events.

What would the long hours from 5 to 8pm include? Some host families planned every minute. Others simply opened their doors and included the boarding students in a typical Sunday evening. There were board games after dinner, or conversations lingering over the sweet ending to the meal. The boarders impressed their hosts with their ability to eat second helpings, their piano playing or their stories of home. Each home was graced with the presence of polite, fun, and grateful boarders.

How do we rate success? By the comments from the host families who said they would host again, in a flash. One host commented:  “The boys were absolute gentlemen and we would love to have them over again, anytime.” Another said: “The girls enjoyed it. They each had two helpings of dinner and dessert! We enjoyed talking to them and we’re looking forward to hosting again.” The Parents’ Auxiliary is pleased with the participation for this year’s event. Hopefully we will hear of many impromptu dinners happening as a result of this year’s Boarders Without Borders.

Submitted by Susan Ko, photos by Kara Woodward

On October the 23rd, the Parents’ Auxiliary put on a foot-stomping fun Barn Dance at the Junior School. We had over 300 parents, grandparents and children line dancing, eating caramel apples, hamburgers and pizza. The glow sticks and hot chocolate were a big hit, as was the beanbag toss and animal cutouts for great photo opportunities!!

This event raised over $2000 for the PA to distribute back to the school in the Allocations process. Thanks need to go out to the Committee: Jane Potter, Kevin Symstra, and Teresa Zwicky. Many thanks to those who donated to our balloon pop, as well as Kate Campbell and Rick Fabris for the wall paintings and farm cutouts. Also thanks to our wonderful ticket sellers, and the stalwart BBQ crew of Mark Murr, Richard Zwicky, and Nelson Ko. Apologies for any names that have been missed. It was a great time!

[Show as slideshow]

[Show as slideshow]

On Friday, 5th November, parents, staff and friends organized themselves into teams to compete for the title of “Superbrains Champions Fall 2010″ and for the coveted trophies that are awarded to the eight team members who demonstrate their superior knowledge of trivial things.

This year’s fall event saw the rather inappropriately monikered team, Clueless, walk away with the big prize. The team, made up of parents Tony Rossi, Frank Loomer, Linda Graham, Mark and Teresa Dhillon, Rob Janus, Kathy Bakony and, alumnus Michael Loomer, proved through their consistent scores in each category that they, indeed, knew more insignificant facts than anyone else in the room.

The intriguingly named, Ginger Rodent, claimed the second prize trophies, just ahead of Kath Roth’s Senior Moments, who lodged an official complaint about the lack of a third prize trophy. Wee Wisdom, with their focus on fun, earned the fewest points but took home a barrel of monkeys for each player on their team.

The event, first held in October 2008 with eight teams, has outgrown its original location in the Strings Room and, for the first time, had to be held in the single gym in order to accommodate the 19 tables and 150 players! Besides being a great evening of fun and games, participants were also treated to a delicious curry dinner provided by Paula, Melissa and the Sodexho crew. As an added bonus, the event raised more than $4,000 for the Head of Schools Initiatives Fund.

As usual, Jim Williams was an excellent Quiz Master and kept the evening flowing with his charm, wit and booming voice. Head Girl, Sky Richards, organized a team of Grade 11 and 12 students (Paula Weech, Kate Loomer, Ariel Sorley and Shawdy Joobbani) who marked answer sheets and, Grade 9 students Olivia Sorley, Dayna Fitzgerald, Jane Pirie and Hannah Lincoln acted as runners throughout the evening.

Additional thanks go to Doug Park and his crew for their assistance, Samuel, Colin, Bradley and the serving crew, George Floyd for his A/V expertise, Nelson Ko, Sophie Butterfield, Olivia Sorley and their friends in Grade 8 and 9 for their help setting up, Donna Williams for loaning us equipment, Heather Kohler for helping with bar ticket sales, Liz Butterfield for the decor, bar sales, setting up, cleaning up and for being amazing and, to Jim Williams, Ian Butterfield and Robert Sorley for staying behind and helping with the clean up.

The next Quiz Night will be on 29th April, 2011 during the alumni weekend.

I’m tired, it’s 9pm, and I’m just back from the Junior School, having spent two hours helping to decorate the gym for this Saturday’s Barn Dance. However, the chance to write the first ever Parents’ Auxiliary blog is worth staying up for, and is a real treat! Ways of communicating have evolved, and we have decided to evolve with them. The blog will replace our Parent’s Auxiliary newsletter, which used to be published online every 2-3 months. The blog gives us the opportunity to promote and record our activities as they happen, and parents will have a chance to respond – opening up another channel for communications between the school community and the PA. I am looking forward to hearing from you all!

Upcoming PA events to look out for include the Barn Dance I mentioned earlier, at the Junior School, October 23rd, from 6 to 8:30pm. Tickets are available at the Junior school ($25 per family, or $8 per adult and $5 for students. Kids under 5 are free).

Then, there’s the third annual Quiz Night, held this year in the small gym at the Senior School on November 5^th at 6pm. Test your skills against the elite SMUS staff!!! Prizes are awarded to the smartest table but you’ll be guaranteed a fun evening, even if you don’t win. Tickets are $40 per person, and can be booked by emailing the PA (paraux@smus.bc.ca) Hurry, it’s almost sold out!

The next fun event is Boarders without Borders, an opportunity for day students to bring a boarder or two over for dinner in order to build community between day students and boarding students. That event runs 5 to 8pm on Sunday, November 7th. Please email Shelley Austin (shelleya@shaw.ca) if you are interested in taking a boarder home.

Finally, our Christmas Gala will be held on Saturday, November 27^th. Last year we had over 700 people attend, and it was a fabulous time for all, right from kindergarten students, to boarders, to parents and to staff. Great dancing, great silent auction, and a great way to celebrate the holidays!!! Look for more information in the next few weeks and if you’d like to join the committee or help out in any way, contact Liz Butterfield at butterfields@shaw.ca. Sign up early for this event, as it sells out fast.  I hope to see you there.

Our next Parents’ Auxiliary meeting will be held at the Crothall Boardroom on November 18^th at 7pm. Come, and bring a friend. Find out how you can get involved and meet other SMUS parents. See you there!

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