Mouat Music Takes Gold!

On Wednesday, Feb. 20th, 2013 Mouat's Junior and Senior Jazz Bands performed at the Kiwanis Jazz Festival, which was being held at Capilano University in North Vancouver.  

Both groups played extremely well!  The Juniors were awarded a silver rating, and our senior group received the much-coveted gold rating.  The judges were particularly pleased by the senior group's ensemble feel, musicianship and attention to detail.  

Our soloists were also much appreciated:  Anna Wozniak on Alto Sax, Prab Ganda on Trumpet, Alec Postlethwaite on Tenor Sax in the Junior group;  Tiana Gartly on trumpet, Danielle and the vocal stylings of Beth Nessim for the seniors.  

A very enjoyable and successful day for our jazz bands!

Character Council Hosts Family of Schools

Yesterday, Mouat’s Character Council hosted a Family of Schools event for the grade four and seven students from our feeder schools. A focus on Mouat’s six character values and on how to be a positive leader introduced future Mouat students to what it means to be a hawk. Students from Howe and Chief Dan middle schools, as well as from Centennial, Ten-Broeck, Roberta Bondar, Margaret Stenersen and Sandy Hill elementary schools attended. Representatives of the Abbotsford Character Council and Abbotsford School District were also present.

The day kicked off at 9:30 with a rally featuring a speech from former NHL player and Abbotsford Heat president Ryan Walter. Attending students were also addressed by Mouat graduates Zack Melhus and Mike Perry about the value of character at Mouat. Energy was high with a lively dance-off and a performance by Mouat’s (almost) legendary rap group, The Triangle.

The grade fours departed at 10:30, while the grade sevens remained to participate in workshops led by Mouat students. Mouat’s six values were broken down in detail and our future hawks were given the opportunity to decide how they personally would use good character to make a difference in their own lives and in the lives of others.

Moving forward, Mouat’s Character Council has promised to aid the classes that attended in bringing to life their own plans to implement character in their schools or community. After all, that’s what it means to be a hawk.

A Message from Chief Dan George Middle's VP

The Mouat Fab Five
The Mouat School of Character is living up to its name. A prime example is a group of 5 Grade 12 students who have volunteered their time to coach the Grade 8 Boys basketball team at Chief Dan George Middle. For all those involved in the world of Basketball you know that this is a huge commitment. Head coach Harman Gill has pulled in 4 assistant coaches: Chris Blake, Jasper Arcigal, Conner Gear, and Kevin Grewal. This group of young men is a well oiled machine. The service they have provided is exceptional and the maturity they have displayed goes well beyond expectations. They do not take the easy road by simply throwing out a ball and letting the boys play. Practices are well planned out and there are systems of play for both offence and defence.

Their contribution however, goes well beyond the game of basketball or the skills being taught. They affect the lives of their players in a positive way. They model a great attitude and a strong work ethic. They model RESPECT; respect for the game, respect for the team, respect for each other, respect for their families, and respect for their school and community.

No words can adequately express the true impact the Mouat Fab Five has had on a group of young basketball players at Chief Dan George Middle. I feel privileged to be able to watch the transformation that is occurring, both in the coaches and in the players. So in closing, all I can do is simply say "Thank you, gentlemen for a job well done. Your time and effort is appreciated and has not gone unnoticed."

Mirjana Jurcic (MJ)
Vice Principal - Chief Dan George
Email Ms. Jurcic

Thanks Doug!

Thanks so much to Doug Sparkes, who went "above and beyond" last Friday to restore the missing contents of a Grade 9 student's binder. We sent the SOS out to custodians late Thursday and Doug found and returned the items the next day.


Doug, you've restored one young man's faith in us!  Well done.

Ruth Merrick
Counsellor

Message From Constable Davidson

Constable Davidson appoints 'Character Police' (2012).

Dear Students & Staff

My last day as your WJM Police school liaison officer is Friday Dec 21^st. My time with you has been the most enjoyable of my career & I will miss you all very much.  

If you see me around I hope that you can come say Hi & goodbye before the Christmas break. Otherwise, keep up the great work at WJM.

Yours proudly - Constable John Davidson

Mouat Basketball Teams Take Home Two Banners at Abbotsford City Police Tournament

WJM Hawk Sebastian Muermann rises to block a shot from a Yale opponent in Saturday's final match

In last weekend’s Abbotsford City Police Tournament, all four Mouat teams showed excellent teamwork and did very well. Both junior and senior girls placed first, senior boys came a close second and junior boys came fifth.

Please read the following summaries of the action by Selyen Singh from the junior girls team and Sebastian Muermann from the senior boys.

The WJM Hawks junior girls team showed their passion on the court this weekend, taking the banner.

In game one, the girls took on the Abby Christian Knights. They played as a team and everyone contributed to the 75-17 win.

In game two, the team faced last year's rival, the MEI Eagles. Once again the Hawks came out victorious with a score 72-24.

In game three, the girls were excited to step on the court to represent Mouat well against the Rick Hansen Hurricanes. The Hawks cruised to a 31-0 run, and then continued to dominate in a 65-17 win over Hansen.

Our Senior Boys Basketball team defeated Abby Senior by a score of 77-56 in the first round of the 4th Annual Abbotsford City Police Basketball Tournament on Thursday, December 6th. Hosted by Abby Senior, the game was consistently led by the Hawks, with all players seeing the court, and contributing to a resounding win. Top scorer was Corey Hauck with fifteen points and six assists, and Corey was selected as Player of the Game.  This win advanced the Hawks to the finals against cross-town rivals, the Number 2 in B.C ranked Yale Secondary Lions. 

On Saturday, Dec 8^th, (more commonly known as Championship Saturday) all final games were played in the afternoon at Columbia Bible College. The Senior Boys played in the last evening game, in front of a huge crowd of Abbotsford Basketball fans. After leading throughout the first half, the senior boys battled hard, started to get into foul trouble and could not defeat the Lions, losing 89-80. Player of the game was Sebastian Muermann, who fouled out in the fourth quarter, but still managed to be top scorer with 22 points and 14 rebounds.

A very special thanks to all organizers of the games, the referees, the MEI Screaming Eagles for the musical entertainment, and the Abbotsford Skipping Sensations for their halftime shows. The WJ Mouat Hawks would also like to give their thanks to the Abbotsford Police Department for putting on the Tournament.

Congratulations to all Mouat teams!

What is $50 worth to you?

For many of us, $50 represents fun things like:  10 coffees (yes, only 10), a dinner out with someone special, a new video game, air time for a smart phone, 50 new apps on the iTunes store, etc....

For one Mouat student, $50 represented an opportunity to do the right thing, or the alternative, an opportunity to lose some personal integrity.

This young man found $50 on the hallway floor today.  He immediately brought it down to the office and let the secretary know which locker it was found in front of.  As a School of Character, we are so proud of the decisions our students make every day to make a positive difference.

Thanks to this student for modelling good character today!!!

PS - We thought about naming the student, but we're guessing that someone committed to doing the right thing in this way probably isn't looking for personal recognition.