Winter is Coming...

The holiday season is fast approaching and although winter hasn’t officially arrived, Mother Nature has been foreshadowing what is likely to be a very chilly season. With temperatures beginning to go below zero, it is important that your child is prepared every day with warm clothing! With the frequent opening and closing of Senior OSC's door during pick ups, the cold air from outside often rushes in and can make the room quite chilly. The cold weather however reminds many of the joyful time that is just around the corner: the winter holidays! With that in mind, I asked a few of our kids what they like best about winter. Here are some of the responses:

Grayson: I really like decorating the tree and catching snowflakes on my tongue!

Ruby: I like playing in the snow, especially making snowmen.

Ryan: I love having snowball fights against my sister!

Alexa: Making snow angels and drinking hot chocolate!

Kaitlyn: If I’m not playing in the snow, I like to go skiing at Whistler.

Aaron: My favourite part about Winter is opening presents and having a good time with my family.

Those are just some of the great responses I got. For me, I love staying warm in front of the fireplace while watching holiday specials on TV with my family, as well as putting up the lights on my house with my dad. Wishing Everyone a Happy Holidays!

Stay warm out there!

Ryan Murao

Deck the Halls!

Hello parents,

The holidays are coming right around the corner and Senior OSC is preparing hard to decorate the multi-purpose room.  So for crafts and arts, we decided that winter themed activities would fit perfectly.  Fuelled by their festive spirit, the children made snowflakes, snowmen and stockings, transforming the room into a Winter Wonderland.

My name is Jason Lee and I’m the third Jason to join the team. While many of you have met me I want to take this chance to properly introduce myself. I started as a volunteer for West Richmond’s Summer Day Camps and in 2011, started to work at both Junior OSC and Senior OSC as an assistant leader. I discovered my joy of working with kids during my time here, which has pushed me into studying to become a pediatrician.  I currently attend UBC as a first year science student and hope to pursue my career in medical school.

I look forward to meeting and talking to all of you!

Jason Lee

WRCC

Have you met Paul?

Hi to all OSC families and friends,

I hope the past few months of fall have treated you well and that the upcoming season is one full of excitement, relaxation, safety, and winter cheer!

I am fairly new to West Richmond Out of School Care (OSC) program and thought I'd give a quick introduction of myself.

My name is Paul and I am currently a student at Simon Fraser University.  My experience with youth ranges from the ages of kindergarten to late teen years.  I have coached high school basketball for six seasons, worked at an international language school for the past two summers, and have been involved with the Richmond Youth Basketball League for the past two years.  I love working with people and putting a smile on the kids faces that I've been privileged enough to work with throughout my life.  I am excited to meet you as the year progresses, and as it turns a new leaf into 2014!

Cheers,

Paul

Hello Readers!

I hope this coming weekend is kind to everyone! Consider yourself lucky because this post that you are currently reading is my first attempt, ever, at blogging. Witness history everyone, witness it!


Silliness aside, my name is James Ferguson and I’m the new guy to West Richmond’s Childcare programs. Currently, I’m spending my time subbing between Jr. and Sr. care and am thoroughly enjoying getting to know the kids, staff and parents! Over the past 4 years I have worked in other childcare programs including Tomorrow’s Top Kids and UBC Sport Camps and I am extremely fortunate that I have found West Richmond to call home for the time being. Working with this group of kids is inspiring, and every day I find I’m learning more about myself. I’m grateful for that.


If this crazy cold weather wasn’t already enough to get you feeling festive and wintery, this Monday November 25th the Gilmore & Quilchena kids will be heading to the ice rinks to take part in some skating and a friendly game of Hockey. Dress appropriately!


Take care everyone, thanks for reading,

James

What Does The Fox Say?!?

What does the Fox actually say?

Today at Sr. OSC we decided to answer the popular question “What does the fox say?” We asked a lot of the kids what they thought and the majority of them broke into song and dance borrowed from the viral YouTube video “What Does the Fox Say.” The kids decided to look up the real answer and write about it.  Read below to see what Jenna and Noah had to say.

- Carolyn

The official "What Does the Fox Say" Video

Today we wanted to know what noise a fox really makes. Do you know? We looked up “what sound does a fox really make” and we found a great article from Popular Science that told us and showed us what sound a fox really makes. We found out that a fox sounds nothing like the fun video!  

Here is the real sound of the fox!

Turns out foxes don't actually go "RING DING DING DING DINGERINGEDING!" 

Now we know!!!!

- Jenna & Noah

All About Alicia!

Hello Parents,

I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend! It was lovely to see the sun come out after a rainy week.  As some of you might know, Senior OSC and Junior OSC are now going together on weekly mini out-trips every Wednesday. The first out-trip was on Wednesday October 23^rd and was a trip to The Village Garden Pumpkin Patch. Last week was a fun excursion to Garden City Park and this week was a trip to the South Arm Park. Not only does this give the children from both centres new activities but it also gives the juniors a chance to learn from and engage with the seniors and a chance for the seniors to be role models. It is an excellent way to create and strengthen friendships!

Now, on a more personal note. Many of you have probably seen me around both Senior and Junior OSC quite a few times now. However, it has occurred to me that a lot of the parents don’t know much about me. I thought I would take the time to write a little about myself. My name is Alicia Arnsdorf. I’m 17 years old and in grade 12 at Hugh Boyd Secondary. In my spare time I love to draw, listen to music, create scrapbooks and go on bikes rides. I started volunteering at Junior Days Camps the summer of 2011. Volunteering there had a huge impact on me because I realized how much I truly enjoy working with children. I was honoured to be offered the job as an assistant leader the following summer. Now I’m in my second year working as an assistant. I’ve built so many great relationships with the children, which is something that I cherish greatly.

I hope to see and talk to all of you soon,

Alicia