Welcome Back: Fall at Pythagoras Academy 

Grade 7/8 students are beginning the year by building their confidence, speaking skills and classroom community through daily sharing circles. Students are learning about the power of a growth mindset to set their goals for the week, as well as for their school year. In social studies and literacy, students have been exploring the life of students in Residential Schools through books and self-guided research.

This year Pythagoras Academy is proud to announce that nine enthusiastic students from Grades 4 to 6 were chosen to participate in the First Lego League Challenge competition for the 2022-23 season. This is our fourth season taking part in FLL Challenge and we are very excited about it! The name of the team is Pythagoras Penguins #57708 and consists of the following students: Winnie, Lanice, Gino, Julie, Merrick, Joy, Paige, Anderson and Anthony. 

The theme of this year is Superpowered. While working with this theme students have an opportunity to immerse themselves in research, problem-solving, coding and engineering. Furthermore, all the activities in preparation for the FLL Challenge are aligned with the BC curriculum. Students will engage in a range of rigorous and relevant learning opportunities, develop an innovative solution to a real-world problem, design, build and code a LEGO® robot to solve the themed challenge missions.

We started to prepare for the Qualifying tournament in January at the beginning of September. 

The start of the school year is a transitional period, leaving behind summer days for the more structured school days. School is not only a place of learning for children, but a place for enjoyment and socializing. While this can bring a sense of anxiety for some students, it also brings excitement and joy to reconnect with old friends and develop new friendships. 

To help with this transition, students at Pythagoras Academy have been engaging in activities that build on community building and exploring ways to handle new challenges: new grades, more homework, new friends and much more. Through a variety of activities, students have been working collaboratively on exploring the community and practicing healthy ways to handle the stress of back to school. 

Here are some valuable tips for a successful back-to-school: https://www.fraserhealth.ca/health-topics-a-to-z/school-health/your-healthy-back-to-school-guide

Mr. Lee: New Band Program 
This is the first year that Pythagoras Academy is facilitating a concert band/ instrumental music program. The program requires extra commitment from students, staff and families inside and outside of the school. As the beginning of the year goes on, classes have been filled with incredibly dedicated musicians, who are getting better and better as an ensemble! We can't wait for the upcoming performances! Thank you Mr. Lee!

Mr. Cope: New Student Committee 
What responsibilities do our newly formed student council members have? They improve the school by ensuring younger students are connected, not lonely and safe. Student Committee members make recommendations towards school improvements, like options within school lunches and snacks. They keep students updated on all events and feature student writing, passion and inspiration in their monthly newsletters. They are always looking for new ways to help the school community! This year's Student Committee includes: Grade 7: Megan & Yvonne, Grade 6: Nora, Emma, Sienna & Halin, Grade 5: Tobias, Christie, Amiera, Jessie and Grade 4: Joy, Zoe, Seolin, Julie! Thank you Mr. Cope!

Ms. Verma: Diwali Festival
On October 24th we celebrated Diwali. It was a wonderful event where we learned about the history behind the celebration, as well as ate the carefully prepared traditional foods, participated in authentic activities and wore bright attire. Ms. Verma graciously led this initiative, with the help of Ms. Mondal, Ms. Dhaliwal, Mr. Kwan, Ms. Bolt, Ms. Vihovska, and Ms. Shudo. Students, staff and families loved incorporating and celebrating this holiday!