Parkdale students took time on November 8th to remember those brave men and women who were willing to sacrifice their own lives so that we may enjoy freedom. We were honored to have two veterans attend our assembly. Mr. Wilfred "Bud" Constable and retired Master Corporal Tony Pike shared their message of Remembrance with us. 

Mr. Constable was a bugler and a drummer in the Reconnaisance Band and a Private in the regular forces during the Second World War. Mr. Pike was with the Canadian Army for 22 years. He participated in three overseas tours in Kosovo, Bosnia, and Afghanistan.

The grade 6 class conducted the assembly sharing important information on Remembrance Day. The grade 1 & 2 choir sang "Sing For Peace" while the grade 4 class shared their song "Let There Be Peace On Earth". Among the poems read at the assembly were "Please Wear A Poppy" by the grade 6 class, "Why We Remember" by grade 2, some grade 3 students shared their poems on peace, and a few grade 6 students read "In Flanders Fields". The assembly closed with a terrific rendition of the "Battle Hymn Of The Republic" featuring a drum line. Special thanks to Ms. Mooney for her hard work in preparing the music for our assembly. Click on the cross below to see a slide show of the assembly. If you click on the poppies below, that will take you to the Veterans Affairs Canada website.

This year's Christmas production was entitled "Santa's Stuck In The 50's". Santa discovers old toys from the 50's that are still useful. He decides that children should concentrate more on things they need to be doing well rather than what they are getting for Christmas. 

The musical numbers were a clever twist on some of the great songs the 50's with some classic Christmas tunes. The cast teamed up for "Whole Lotta Cleanin' Goin' On", "Rockin' Down The Chimney Tonight" and "Rock Around The Shop Tonight". Santa and Mrs. Claus paired up for terrific rendition of "Strollin' Through The 50's With You" and the actors playing the children sang "Santa Be Good To Me". Grade One sang All I Want For Christmas" and "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". Grade three sang "Joy To The World" and Jingle Bell Rock". Grade two performed "Frosty The Snowman" and grade four sang "Gifts Come From The Heart".

The Grade 1 & 2 choir sang "What I Like Most About Christmas", "Rudolph The Red- Nosed Reindeer" and "Jingle Bells". The Grade 3-6 choir performed "The Christmas Story", "The Best Gift Of All", and "Deck The Halls".

A special thanks to play director Ms. LeClair for her hard work bringing this production together and also to music director Ms. Mooney for preparing the children so well with the musical selections. Click on Santa below to see some pictures of the dress rehearsal.

We held a February Fun Festival and generated some great school spirit. This festival was launched by an assembly to recognize the birth of our country's flag and to celebrate our great nation. The students were also encouraged to wear red and white on this day.

We also went skating, held Crazy Hair/Pajama Day, went glo-bowling, and had Hat Day.  Special thanks to all classroom teachers for encouraging student participation during our festival!

Check out some pictures on a slide show below of our assembly.

Our Science fair was also held in February and all grade 4, 5, and 6 students should feel proud of their efforts.  Four of projects moved on to the district fair in March.

We would like to thank Mr. Goss, Mr. McQuaid, Mrs. Ellsworth, and Mrs. Corney for encouraging and supporting their students in preparation for the fair. Click on the clip below to see some of the projects!

On May 3rd, the Parkdale School gymnasium transformed into the "Parkdale Coliseum" for a night of historic rock n' roll music. A standing room only crowd witnessed staff and students celebrate the "British Invasion" which was the introduction of British rock and roll artists to North America. The concert focused on music and artists from 1964 to 1968 and was hosted by student actors playing Ed Sullivan and Dick Clark.

The Manfred Mann, The Rolling Stones, Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, Herman's Hermits, The Troggs, and, of course, The Beatles were all represented by mainly grade 6 students and some staff members as they "played" and lip-synced to top hits such as "I'm Into Something Good", "Downtown", "I Want To Hold Your Hand", "Wild Thing", "Do-Wah-Diddy-Diddy", "Son Of A Preacher Man", and "(I Can't Get No ) Satisfaction". The Grade 1/2 choir sung "Yellow Submarine" and the grade 3/6 choir performed a touching rendition of "Let It Be" to a LCD projected slideshow which included pictures of "The Fab Four". We also took time to celebrate today's hip-hop craze having the grade 5 students do a dance/lip-sync to the High School Musical tune "We're All In This Together".

The students benefited from the terrific musical direction and choreography of Ms. Mooney, who was also assisted by Mr. Goss. Each of the acts were splendid as the students and staff provided a fantastic look back in time while resurrecting some wonderful music. A special thanks to "Repeats" clothing and the Parkdale staff who supplied the costumes. Thanks also to Mr. Gallant for his help with directing and lighting, to Mrs. MacDougall-Hambly for her help with lighting, and to Mrs. Dalziel and Mrs. Dillon for the great pictures. Click on Ringo below to see a slide show of our British Invasion!

Parkdale students received a unique opportunity to participate in the Harmony Run. The World Harmony Run is a global relay that seeks to promote international friendship and understanding. As a symbol of harmony, runners carry a flaming torch, passing it from hand to hand travelling through over 80 nations around the globe. The World Harmony Run does not seek to raise money or highlight any political cause, but simply strives to create goodwill among peoples of all nations.

The Canadian portion of the run kicked off from the Victoria Legislature Buildings in Victoria, British Columbia on April 22nd.  The run crosses Canada finishing in St. John, Newfoundland on June 14th. Click on the logo to learn more and then click on the torch to see a few pictures of the visit to our school.