Cousteau name graces LV French school

Last month, the The French International School of Vancouver (located in Lynn Valley’s former Fromme Elementary building) honoured the legacy of visionary Jacques-Yves Cousteau — the most celebrated French defender of marine ecology— by renaming itself The French International School Cousteau. The school has pledged to make environmental awareness a significant part of its ethos and curriculum.

The French International School Cousteau became the first French International School in the world to be granted official permission by the Cousteau Society to bear its name. An annex school, named Calypso in memory of Cousteau’s infamous ship, will also open its door in September 2013. Located in the South Granville area, this annex will offer a preschool program.

The French International School Cousteau has pledged to honor Cousteau’s passion for, and committment to, marine ecology through a partnership with the world-renowned Cousteau Society and Vancouver Aquarium, that will make marine ecology a major part of the school’s day-to-day curriculum. The French International School Cousteau will teach students the Cousteau philosophy— “To Know, To Love, To Protect.”

The Science and Environment Director of the Cousteau Society,  Tarik Chekchak, was on hand as an honoured guest at the March 14 inauguration at the Lynn Valley School. For more information about the rededication of the school, read their press release. To learn more about the school, visit its website here, or attend the school’s Open House on Tuesday, April 9, from 10 a.m. to noon.

LynnValleyLife would like to congratulate the French International School Cousteau on its rechristening. We’re glad to have you in the neighbourhood!

Writing fest comes to Lynn Valley Library

Readers of all stripes will find something to look forward to at the 2013 North Shore Writers Festival, which is being hosted this year at Lynn Valley Library on Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20.

Included in the line-up of visiting authors are Helen Humphreys, award-winning Canadian author of novels such as The Reinvention of Love and Coventry, humourist Terry Fallis, Toronto writer Tanis Rideout, and local poet Evelyn Lau. At other times in weekend,  a panel of writers will discuss the publishing process, while another will explore the delectable world of food writing.

New this year is a Friday evening Literary Trivia Night, hosted by author and CBC radio personality Grant Lawrence. Register your own team of six, or come prepared to join an impromptu team on the spot, and engage in a friendly battle with other lit lovers.

Click here for the festival website, and be sure to take advantage of having these interesting events happening right on our doorstep! All activities will take place in the Community Room adjacent to Lynn Valley Library.

Coach Janet’s Top 5 Procrastination-Busters

Procrastination eats away at our ability to achieve the success we want in our business and personal lives. It steals hours, days, months and years, and delays the benefits associated with completing our actions. Practice these five tips to start taking action today!

1.     Find Your Motivation

Think about the goals you are trying to attain. Spend a few moments visualizing what could be achieved and what you could gain if you take action. Then think about the consequences of NOT taking action. What fears could motivate you to take action today? Often the task that has the most negative consequences of NOT doing it is often the MOST important task to complete.

2.     Do The Worst First

Often the biggest, worst thing you need to accomplish will be the thing that causes you to procrastinate on it and everything else on your list. By procrastinating on the least enjoyable, most troublesome, or fearful activity you will only have it waiting there tomorrow, possibly even bigger and messier than it is today. Get the worst thing over with early so you free yourself mentally and emotionally to do other things more effectively.

3.     Start Small

Often just looking at a large task is enough to cause us to look in the other direction. The more apparent complexity there is to a task, the more likely we will procrastinate. Just as you would never try to drive across the country in one stretch, don’t try to take on all of a job from the start.

Sometimes the best way to stop procrastinating and complete a major task is to take a small slice and complete just that piece. In order to do this, you may first need to spend some time breaking down the larger project into smaller individual tasks so that you can see your progress and stay motivated. Completing one task motivates you to complete another. It’s a snowball effect. Commit to doing one thing today and you will find you will accomplish even more.

4.     Become Action-Oriented

Often once you take a step to complete a task, you find the momentum builds and you are able to continue. Get into the habit of not even having to think about getting started; build action into your routine every day so that you begin your day with the momentum needed to complete your tasks.

5.     Remove Distraction

We all have habits we revert to when we don’t want to begin a task: organizing our desks, going out for coffee, cleaning the house. If you know that you get distracted easily then schedule short burst of time, 30 to 60 minutes, to focus on an important task. Remove yourself from environments that pose distraction, shut your door, turn your phone off, turn off the TV/radio and focus for that short period of time.

“A journey of 1,000 leagues begins with a single step.’’ – Confucius

Janet Bonaguro is a Certified Business Coach with FocalPoint Coaching. She works with business owners and executives in order to improve revenue, profitability, productivity and teamwork. For more information please visit her website; for more of her coaching tips see her Merchant Profile
on LynnValleyLife.

LV Optometry employee plans Mexican aid trip

April showers bring May flowers, and for Krista Phillips at Lynn Valley Optometry, May is the month her dreamed-about non-profit endeavour will finally blossom.

Krista is part of a team of young people who are travelling to an impoverished area of Mexico to  work with small communities and help meet some of their needs. Krista is hoping people who are interested in promoting this kind of work will consider donating towards the group’s trip (donations must be collected by April 14). Read on to hear more about the project, in Krista’s words:

 

Tell us about the project!

For two weeks in May, I will be going to the Copper Canyon in Mexico with a team of young people from Coquitlam Alliance Church. While in the canyon, we will be spending time with the Tarahumara Indians and bringing food and supplies to them in their very small, impoverished communities. We will spend some time in the orphanage in Guacayvo, help to build a church, and be hiking into other remote areas of the canyon. We plan to bring food and clothes, and I’m hoping to bring some glasses as well.

What inspired you to get involved?

It broke my heart when I heard that the people had been collectively jumping off the cliffs as families in order to avoid dying from starvation. I really felt called to go do what I could to help, even if it’s only for a short time.

What is your biggest hope for the trip?

That’s a tough one, mostly because I really don’t know what to expect. I know it’s going to be a huge leap out of my comfort zone to be in a completely different country with different culture and way of life, but my hope is that I can make a difference to the people there.

What kind of support are you looking for? Be specific as you can.

Thoughts and prayers are a huge one. Mostly for health and safety while we’re away. I do have to raise funds for my portion of the trip as well, and donations would be immensely appreciated. We can offer tax receipts as well.

What do you do at Lynn Valley Optometry?

I get to be the one who helps people pick out a fabulous pair of frames and match the best type of lens for them to see. I love it. The patients and customers we have are the best I’ve ever worked with, and at Lynn Valley Optometry, we really are a work family, not just co-workers.

Have you been involved in community projects before?

Over the past two years, in the winter months, I’ve collected warm articles of clothing, blankets, socks, etc. for people in need in Vancouver, as well as the Coquitlam area. I am currently trying to get involved with Habitat for Humanity as well, but my schedule hasn’t co-ordinated with their orientations yet. I’d love to find other projects to get involved with though, because I am really discovering my passion for outreach!

 

Thank you, everyone, for your help. The support I’ve already received has been overwhelming!

 

Advent of spring means LV Day coming soon!

Happy Spring, everyone! Snowdrops and crocuses are currently doing their annual warm-up act for the daffs and tulips that will soon be putting on a show.

But they aren’t the only ones busy doing their thing. The organizers of the annual Lynn Valley Days community celebration have already been at work getting the stage set for this popular event, so here’s a heads up of what you need to know!

  • First off, tickets for the Friday night gala dinner dance, set for May 24th, go on sale beginning Sunday, March 24th. This has been a sold-out success for the past two years, and tickets move fast, so get yours now! All details are here.
  • All the world loves a parade, so start planning your entry now. All the parade details and application forms are available in our Lynn Valley Days section, along with contact details for this year’s parade marshal, Gillian Konst.
  • Lynn Valley Days is the North Shore’s longest-running festival, and one of its most popular. And it doesn’t just happen by magic! Please pitch in by becoming a sponsor or volunteer. Neighbours helping neighbours makes the world go ’round

Almost-spring days give cause for celebration

From Lynn O’Malley’s typewriter:

These first sunny days of almost-spring make me realize how cabin-fevered I had become! There are still a few weeks ’til spring officially kicks in, and an even longer haul ’til we get some reliable, lasting warm weather, but in the meantime it feels like some small seasonal celebrations are in order.

So what’s a person to do in Lynn Valley, when the crocuses are crowning and the breezes are beckoning? Well, here’s a list to start with:

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Leave space in the garden for Project Sunflower

Last fall, those of us at LynnValleyLife HQ had a great time reading the nominations for our first-annual Good Neighbour Award, which wrapped up at the end of December. In fact, we had such a good time, we realized we’d need another fun community initiative to keep us busy until the contest kicks off again in November!

So we put our heads together to plan a new neighbourhood undertaking – and we’re calling it Project Sunflower! We’re asking people to jump on board and plant one, two or a whole patch of sunflowers in their front gardens this spring. Wouldn’t it be great to drive (or walk, or bike) through the neighbourhood, and see hundreds of sunflowers brightening our yards and streets as summer progresses?

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