THE CHRONICLE

Tuesday December 10, 2024

¬ GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

12^th Annual Toys for Teens Donation Drive

Our 12th Annual Toys for Teens Donation Drive WEDNESDAY December 4 – WEDNESDAY, December 11. Claremont donates $10 Gift Cards to teens in need in our community in partnership with The Zone 91.3's annual Toy Drive. Gift cards (and cash) are being collected in Block 2 classes. You can also donate at our front office anytime.

The Zone gives our donations to several local organizations that are a part of the "Christmas Giving Network" such as The Mustard Seed, St Vincent De Paul Society, CFAX Santa's Anonymous and Youth Support Organizations.

Ideas for Gift Cards for Teens:

• Food (Grocery stores, Subway, Tim Hortons, Restaurants)
• Various household or personal items (Walmart, London Drugs, Shoppers)
• School supplies (Staples, Dollar Stores)
• Clothing (Retail stores, Mayfair, Uptown, Walmart)
• Sporting Goods (Sport Chek, Kirbys)
• Activities (Movie Passes, Rec Centres)
• BC transit bus passes
• Prepaid VISA cards, Amazon, etc.

If you would like to donate to this great cause, please send your contributions to school with your child by December 11th. They can hand them in to me. Thank you and Happy Holidays!

NEW – Sheds for Sale

Looking for the perfect holiday gift for that special someone? The TEx program has you covered! Give the useful gift of storage!  Our TEx program will begin building sheds at the beginning of next semester, so reserve yours today!  Please see the 2025 Shed Flyer for more info or contact Marla Catherall at mcatherall@saanichschools.ca if you are interested or have any questions.

NEW – Would the following students please see Ms. Waller in the accounts office to pick up their school bus cards: Jiya Bhoondpaul, Daniel Spell and Mohammad Zamzam. 

LOST & FOUND - Come and see if something belongs to you! 

***Monday, December 9 (by the afternoon), until Thursday, December 19***

Items will be on tables in the hallway, near the front entrance of the school.

The NextUpProject

Remember to donate your used sports equipment - things like soccer balls, hockey gear, shoes and more.  It will be donated to organizations supporting underserved youth through the NextUpProject, a community initiative founded by two current UVIC students and former Claremont Alum. They are on a mission to make sports more accessible for all kids in our community. This is an excellent opportunity to give back, promote health and wellness, and help kids stay active.  You can easily drop items off at our donation box right outside the main office!

Europe Trip July 2025

Would you like to travel to Italy, Monaco, France and Spain with us this July?  Please go and see Ms. Wells anytime in Rm. 312 to sign up!  Get a friend to join and you can save money on your own trip!

Boys Lacrosse Fundraiser

Gift your family and friends time spent together and break up the monotony of winter vacation by purchasing Victoria Royals tickets from the Boys Lacrosse program! 

When: Saturday December 28th @ 6:05pm

Where: Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre

Who: Victoria Royals vs Prince George Cougars

At only $20 a ticket, it’s affordable fun for everyone!  To purchase please contact Crystal at: clfulber@gmail.com / 250-507-4586.

Feel free to share this link with your friends and family!  If you have any questions or need to arrange an alternative pick-up time, please contact Tynke Landsmeer at 250-580-2054 or via Slack.  The CSI Rowing Crew thanks you for your support!

Parent Volunteers/Drivers

Reminder that all volunteers for School District 63 are required to complete a Criminal Record Check every three years. Sports and trips will start up quickly, so we encourage parents to be proactive and do this NOW, if you might be interested in driving; the process can take a few weeks at rush time.  The LINK to information can be found on the Claremont Secondary home page, under the Parents tab, Volunteer Information.

If a Student is Absent or Late

Parents are asked to please email your student’s teacher AND the Attendance Line if your student will be absent or late for class. The Link for the Claremont Attendance Line is always quick to find on the Quick Links on the Claremont website’s home page: claremont_attendance@saanichschools.ca  or by phone by calling our main phone line at 250-658-5221 and selecting Option 1 for Attendance.

¬ FINE ARTS

NEW - Choir members performing at Mary Winspear on Friday have a MANDATORY rehearsal WEDNESDAY at LUNCH.

Midsummer/Jersey Drama Play

Tickets for the Claremont Drama play "Midsummer/Jersey" are now on sale daily at lunch outside the Theatre!  Come buy your tickets for this funny play!!

Claremont Drama is excited to present the theatrical comedy Midsummer/Jersey WEDNESDAY, December 11-14 nightly at 7:30pm as well as a 2pm matinee on SATURDAY December 14 in the Ridge Playhouse at Claremont.

This fun play is inspired by William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and is set in 2014 upon the Jersey Shore.  Featuring the 20 students in Drama Company, and supported by the Stagecraft program, this production is sure to put a smile on your face before the winter break.  This production is rated family friendly, and all tickets are $10 at the door.  Doors open at 7:10pm nightly and at 1:40 for the matinee.

Our tradition of supporting the Mustard Seed Food Bank continues with our "donate for a dollar" program.  For each non-perishable item you bring to donate to the food bank on the night of the performance, you can receive  1 off your ticket price to a maximum discount of $5. (although we welcome you donating more than 5 items!).

For more information, please contact Mr. Plant the Director at cplant@saanichschools.ca. 

¬ ATHLETICS

NEW – Sr. Girls Basketball

The Sr. Girls Basketball team had a good weekend of play with some STRONG (played 2 of the top 5 teams in the province) competition. The girls ended with 3 wins and 2 losses.  Thanks to everyone who came out and supported the team!

Boys Lacrosse

Both the Jr. and Sr. Varsity lacrosse teams won tournament titles this weekend in Seattle.  Both teams went 6-0 winning their final games yesterday afternoon. The Jr. team beat Royal Bay 8-4 and the Sr. team took the win with an OT goal by Danny Bishop to win 7-6!

¬ CLUBS

No news today.

¬ INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

No news today.

¬ GRAD 2025

NEW – Grad Wear

Grad wear has arrived and will be handed out THURSDAY at LUNCH in the student lounge.

Grad Portrait Proofs

To access grad photo proofs, please go to the website and put in the code that you received in the last email from Lifetouch Prestige Portraits | Professional Grad Portraits. If you did not get an email or opted out of email communication, you can go to the help menu on the website and use the 1-800 number to call in to get your code.

¬ INDIGENOUS EDUCATION

Please find attached the Indigenous Ed December Bulletin.

¬ FUNDRAISING

No news today.

¬ CAREER CENTRE

For all things CAREERS, come to the Claremont Career Centre (Rm. 217) or check out the SD63 Career Ed website: careered.sd63.bc.ca (linked HERE)!  There are lots of job and volunteer opportunities available - come check it out!

Volunteer Opportunity – Online English Conversation!

One of the parents in our school community is seeking a Grade 11 student volunteer to speak English, conversationally, with a 16-year-old female student who lives in Northern Thailand. This student is a refugee from Myanmar who is part of the ethnic group called the Karenni.  She speaks English pretty well but would like to practice conversation more often.  The time commitment is once a week for one hour, for as long as the students are interested (maybe until the beginning of June).  Opportunities may open up for more students to be involved with more of the refugee students.  Contact Mrs. Watson in the Career Centre (Rm. 217) for more info, or email her at: cwatson@saanichschools.ca

¬ CLAREMONT PAC

December Staff Appreciation

Hello Claremont Families!  CPAC is organizing a Christmas High Tea TOMORROW December 11; to show our appreciation for the amazing staff at Claremont and WE NEED YOUR HELP!  Please take a look at the sign-up sheet https://www.perfectpotluck.com/meals.php?t=YFFQ2270 and enter your information wherever you are able to help!  If you have any questions, please email claremontpacsd63@gmail.com.  Thank you in advance for your support in appreciating our amazing staff.  We couldn’t do it without you!

PAC Fundraiser: Country Grocer Receipts

Here is an easy way to support your PAC year-round. Save your Country Grocer receipts and bring them to the school front office.  We appreciate your participation in this fundraiser, which will benefit our school community with up to $2000 in grocery gift cards.

¬ COMMUNITY NEWS

Peninsula Youth Clinic

The Peninsula Youth Clinic is located at 2379 Bevan Avenue in Sidney and is open every THURSDAY from 5:30-7:30pm for help with any medical concern (physical, mental, and sexual health). Call 250-656-4143 to make an appointment with a physician or counsellor. Services are 100% free, confidential, and explicitly inclusive of all genders and sexualities!

A copy of the announcements is posted on the wall outside of the main office door.