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December 2010 • Issue 4 • VOL . 8
The Calgary Science School
Principal’s Message December will bring in holiday cheer, anticipation for the two week break, and a couple of staffing changes. Jason Rooks, our Australian exchange teacher who has done a fabulous job in the humanities 6.3/6.4 position, will be returning to his homeland on Friday, December 17th. Mr. Rooks fit in with our staff and our philosophy with ease and provided some new thinking and experiences. I wish him all the best in the future. Mr. McWilliam will be returning after the holiday break. Everyone is excited to have him back and to hear about his experiences teaching overseas. The other staffing change involves Mr. Neufeld taking parenting leave for the remainder of this school year. Of course, parenting is the most important “job” there is, and
so I wish Mr. Neufeld well and hope he enjoys this time with his family. We are presently in the middle of staffing that position. In addition to anticipating the staffing changes mentioned above, we have been busy preparing the two main educational reports we provide to stakeholders. Our Education Plan and the Annual Education Results Report is now available on our website (in the publications section, under the Plans sub-heading). It is a fairly lengthy document, but I encourage parents to peruse it, as it contains a wealth of information about our goals and how well we are doing in working toward those goals. I want to thank Phil Butterfield for managing the process and pulling the document together, and the teachers and parents who contributed to it.
Lastly, I wanted to thank our parents and students who were able to attend student-led conferences. I appreciate that it is sometimes difficult to find the time to attend an event such as student-led conferences, but in walking about the school during the conferences I was struck by the fact that many students and parents relished the opportunity to celebrate learning as a family. I have indicated many times in the past that one of the most important characteristics of an effective school is an involved and engaged parent community and so I wanted to thank everyone who was able to help us celebrate our students’ achievements during the conferences. Darrell Lonsberry
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In this issue...
December 2010 Principal’s Message.....................1 Adjustments to the Timetable for Terms 2 and 3.......2 5.1 Service Learning Project.......3 Board of Directors Highlights....4 Provincial Achievement Test Results....................................5 Logo Re-Design............................5 Transportation Update................6 Volleyball Wrap Up.......................7 Greetings from South Africa.....8 From the Anne Tingle Library..10 Grade 8 Book Reviews............12 B a m f i e l d. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 Grade 6 Robotics Elective.....13 December 2010 Calendar........18 January 2011 Calendar...........19
Last Chance to Purchase Current CSS Logo Clothing
Clothing Samples & Order Forms Coming Soon!
Adjustments to the
Timetable for Terms 2 and 3 Any time a new timetable is introduced to a school there is the likelihood of changes being made along the way. In response to teacher and student feedback, there are a few modifications being implemented in term 2 that will primarily affect the delivery of instruction during elective and learning strategies blocks in grades 6 to 9. Currently, electives and learning strategies classes take place for 45-minute blocks on alternating days through the 5-day cycles of Weeks ‘A’ and ‘B’. For many elective offerings, this simply does not provide enough time to set up materials, engage in activities, and allow for clean up at the end of the period. In response to these concerns, electives and learning strategies will occupy two 90-minute and one 45-minute block of time over the Week ‘A’ and ‘B’ cycles. The total amount of instructional time for core and electives has not changed but is being distributed more efficiently. Students were issued new timetables on Monday November 29th. Please direct any inquiries to Phil Butterfield at phil.b@calgaryscienceschool.com.
Delivery January 2011 The
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5.1 Service Learning Project As our first Service Learning initiative this year, 5.1 chose to participate in Operation Christmas Child. This program sends gift boxes to less fortunate children in Central and South America. These gift boxes are given out based on need, to girls and boys, ages 2 – 14. CSS students from Grades 4 to 6 brought in a huge variety of gift items and 5.1 students organized and packed the items. We were able to send off 39 gift boxes, as well as donate extra ‘filler’ items. A huge “Thank You” to the Me to We elective, who helped organize a bake sale in order to collect the necessary shipping funds. Ms. C. Shaw
Brian H: When we started to pack the boxes, I thought what those types of kids would like. I started to put in some toys like action figures and bouncy balls. I knew we were doing something good for these people because they have probably never received anything like this in their life, so I felt really good about
Daniel S: I hope that all of the kids who get these gifts will like them. I would like to thank everyone who donated money and toys - without you, this would not have happened.
Edna T: I really enjoyed this because I knew I was doing this for a good cause even though I didn’t know whose hand my box would end up in. I didn’t really care who did which gender and age; I knew it would all add up when the child received it. Kaitlin F.: When I was packing the box I felt really proud and happy of what my class and I were doing. Every time I put an item into my box I knew that I was doing the right thing and the kid that got my box was going to love it. I liked the fact that I got to choose what I was going to pack in my box.
what we were doing.
Sammie T: I always imagine giving my gift to someone who never had a gift before, and seeing the humongous smile on their face.
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Board of Directors’ Highlights From the November 23rd Meeting
Board of Directors Chair and Vice Chair
Lori Wilhelm Einsporn was appointed as the new Chair of the Board and Harold Lemieux will continue in the role as Vice Chair. Appreciation was expressed for the excellent leadership of Dave Robinson who has served as Board Chair for the past 3 years.
Board of Directors Committee Chairs
The Board approved the following Chairs of the Board Committees for the 2010/2011 year: Governance - Lori Wilhelm Einsporn; Finance - Cheryl Lemieux; Facilities Tim Edwards; School Operations - Debra Pylypiw; Communications - Tom Short; External Collaboration - Sean McLean; and Fund Development - Catherine Cook.
by the teachers and descriptors of the work of exemplary students, was developed. This document will serve as a frame of reference for continued dialogue among staff, students, parents and other members of the school community and for the implementation of action strategies through teacher growth plans and school improvement initiatives.
Key Initiatives
As is usual here at CSS, there were a myriad of events, activities and opportunities for both students and staff, including: •
Board of Directors Committees
The Board approved the following Board Committee members for the 2010/2011 year: Governance - Dr. Torben Bech-Hansen, Lorraine Chan, Cheryl Lemieux, Harold Lemieux; Finance Committee - Catherine Cook, Dave Robinson; Facilities - Dr. Norm Vaughan; School Operations - Stephanie Davis; Communications - Dave Robinson; External Collaboration - Dr. Torben Bech-Hansen, Stephanie Davis, Dr. Norm Vaughan; and Fund Development - Lorraine Chan, Debra Pylypiw.
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Audited Financial Statements
DCS Chartered Accountants presented the Audited Financial Statements for the Calgary Science School Society for the 2009-2010 fiscal year. Although a deficit of $85,540 had been budgeted to cover special project costs that are not funded by Alberta Education there was an overall surplus of $16,046.
Annual Educational Results Report & Three Year Education Plan
The report on the past school year highlights and accomplishments and the Education Plan which outlines priorities and action strategies for the next three years, was presented to the Board and approved for submission to Alberta Education. Commendations were extended to the committee members and everyone involved in preparing this comprehensive, informative document. The report is available on the Calgary Science School website (www.calgaryscience school.com)
Exemplary Teaching
The major focus for the school year, addressing the question, “what does exemplary teaching in Calgary Science School look like?” was introduced at the staff retreat on August 16. The dialogue from the retreat was continued at the September 7 and October 23 staff meetings and through the process a draft document outlining descriptors of exemplary teaching, which are reflective of the exemplary practices that are in place and ideals valued
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Terry Fox Run Fundraising total – it took a while to pull all the numbers together, but we finally have a total. We raised $11,115.09 as a school community in this year’s run. Challenge Day – our grade nines experienced challenge day on October 20. Challenge Day is a unique experience, where our students as well as the parent volunteers and teachers have an opportunity to discuss and explore issues that are often left unstated, but which have profound impacts on relationships. Fine Arts Networking Day – CSS hosted a number of teachers from other schools on October 22 for a sharing and PD session on fine arts. Teachers shared aspects of their programs, then had an opportunity to sit in teams and plan and discuss possible changes to their programs. Band camp – our intermediate band of grade 7-9 students enjoyed a great 2 day band camp at Camp Chestermere. They joined band members from a CBE school band (Mr. Bolen’s wife is the band director there) for some intensive work with clinicians, sectional work, plus full band practices. Remembrance Day Assembly – our assembly was a solemn affair, with student performances from dance, band and choir all sharing our own CSS perspective on the voices of war. We had a number of invited guests, including Valerie Fortney, who mentioned CSS in her Herald Article on November 11th.
The Association of Alberta Public Charter Schools meeting October 21/22 (TAAPCS)
A major focus of the meeting was on the mandate of charter schools to be research-oriented, centres of innovation and to share exemplary practices with other schools. There was some very good discussion relating to promoting the important role of charter schools and coming to terms with what innovation really looks like in a school setting.
Board of Directors Meeting Dates
December 14, 2010; January 7/8, 2011 (Board retreat); February 15; March 15; April 19; May 21; September 20; October 18; November 22 (AGM). The
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Provincial Achievement Test (PAT) Results Our 2009-2010 provincial achievement test results are in and we have spent some time analyzing them in order to inform our planning and instruction. The results are provided in the tables below. There are no results for math for either of the grade six and nine tests, as there was a new curriculum, and therefore a new PAT (the province does not release results in the first year of a new curriculum).
Grade 6 Meets Acceptable Standard Meets Standard of Excellence
Grade 9 Meets Acceptable Standard Meets Standard of Excellence
(NOTE – provincial percentages in parenthesis)
Science
Language Arts
Social Studies
100% (84.8%) 52.5% (29.2%)
99% (91.8%) 41.4% (20.8%)
99% (78.6%) 40% (18.2%)
Science
Language Arts
Social Studies
100% (81.5%) 50.5% (19.6%)
99% (88.4%) 39.2% (16.7%)
99% (76.4%) 49.5% (20.8%)
percentages are based on the number of students who actually wrote the tests, not the number of stuAll dents who are enrolled in that course.
Logo Re-Design
It is time to re-think our logo. The current logo, with the image of a flower laying on a microscope, has served us well as we grew and evolved. As our program has changed over the years to include less of a pure science focus and more of an inquiry-based philosophy, our logo has remained resolutely static. We want to use this opportunity in re-designing the logo to highlight the evolution of our program. We often have to tell people that we are not a school of 600 young scientists, walking around in lab coats all the time and doing science experiments for hours on end; rather, we are a school of 600 incredibly curious and creative young people who thrive in a program focused on the science of learning, integrating technology, and accessing the natural world as a context for our learning. We need our logo to reflect this. We have begun a design contest and have invited all students to submit either an electronic or a paper version of a logo that they think best represents who we are and what we do at CSS. The deadline for submissions is December 13th . Our art teacher, Ms. Emin, and our communications coordinator, Rheana Fehr (who has excellent graphic design skills), are both available to students as resources for any student (and their parents) who may want more information about logos and design. The
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Transportation Update The school has made communication of bussing information a priority, so have tried to make this information as easily accessible as possible. Many parents are not aware of just how much bussing information is prominently displayed on the CSS website main page.
Want more information on how the bussing works at CSS?
• At a glance you can tell which routes are delayed • If your bus has been delayed, a click on your route
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number will show the estimated time of arrival at your own stop • And with a click on your route number you can review the full schedule for your route anytime
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Bus delays and the Bus Paging System:
• Do you want to receive information about bus de-
lays while you or your students are waiting at the bus stop? Then sign up for the bus paging system. (You can do this from the main page of the school website.) • Whenever a bus is more than 10 minutes late, the drivers are instructed to notify Southland, and this information will be sent to you via a text message. (As well as displaying on the school website.) • That being said, if a blizzard is happening all busses may be delayed because the entire city is delayed. On days like this, Southland’s administration system focuses on the issues of keeping the busses flowing, and the drivers are told to stop notifying dispatch of bus delays so that they can keep the channel available for more critical messages. The result is on very bad weather days, you may not be notified of bus delays. Parents always have the option of contacting Southland dispatch as outlined in our handbook: • So start with the school website, and if the bus is at least 15 minutes overdue and there is no explanation for this, parents may contact Southland at (403)287-1335. The phone line is staffed from 6:30am until all students have been dropped off. Southland will ask for your CSS route and stop number, so have this information on hand.
Click on the Bussing Page Link, also located on the main page. This page provides an overview and will answer many of your questions. Want more detail? A PDF copy of the school’s transportation handbook is available online. Want to see where your bus goes? Look at the 2010 – 2011 Routes displayed near the top of the bussing page. This will take you to a Google map outlining where your route travels. Just keep in mind that although the stops are accurate, the route taken between them is at the discretion of the driver, and may change from day to day depending on traffic and other factors.
Do you have a question or a request that has not been addressed by the information here? •
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For fastest response, click on the bus Route communication link on the main page. This will take you to a form that can be completed, and it includes key email addresses. Or simply email: transportationatCSS@gmail.com
A note related to the winter season
Please, make sure that your students are on the sidewalk and ready to load when the bus arrives. A major goal of our bus system is to minimize the amount of time our students spend on the bus each day. Small delays at each bus stop accumulate to big delays over the length of the route. Don’t make everyone else wait while your student gets out of the car and gets gear organized.
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Congratulations
to the Senior Boys and the Senior Girls Volleyball teams for an excellent season!
Back Row: Josh H., Bogdan F., Alex B. (Captain), Ben H. (Captain), Mrs. Mitchell-Flek, Colin S., Mitchell R., Reed D., Matthew L., Front Row: Ashish K., Wesley P., , Garret B., Nicholas B., Tyler W.
Back row: Kelly H, Mikaela J, Sabrina V, Tara M, Gabriel M, Sonja G Middle Row: Wynette A, Kayla R Front Row: Julia H, Cassie B, Jenny P, Kaitlyn D, Missing: Haley Y, Mrs. Down, Mr. Lonsberry The
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Greetings from
South Africa
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Greetings to all of you at CSS from hot and sunny South Africa. For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Mr. Dittmann and I am usually a Humanities teacher at CSS. I say “usually” because this school year I have taken a leave of absence from my teaching position at CSS in order to serve as a volunteer with an organization called Hands at Work in Africa. I am currently living near a town called White River in the province of Mpumulanga, which is in northeast South Africa, close to the border with Mozambique. Hands at Work (www.handsatwork. org) is a non-governmental (charity) organization that assists communities in eight countries in Africa that have the highest numbers of orphans and vulnerable children and have little or no access to things like hospitals, clinics, and schools. Hands at Work doesn’t deliver any of the services, like food, education, or health care. Rather, people in the community itself get organized to do this and Hands at Work tries to support them and help them to do even more things to help the kids in their community.
Most of my days here are spent helping local Hands at Work volunteers. I try to do whatever I can, like teaching computer skills (not many Macbooks here!), writing proposals and reports about projects that the communities are doing and also writing stories about some of the kids who are getting help in the community. Not many people in the communities own cars or drive so I also spend part of each day driving volunteers around. I enjoy it, although people drive on the opposite side of the road here in comparison to North America, which was a little confusing at first!
Many of the kids in the communities I’m working in face huge challenges in their lives. Many children have lost their parents due to HIV/AIDS. Some of these kids are taken in by relatives, who already have difficulty providing for their families. Other kids end up living on their own. We call these “child headed households”, where the oldest kid becomes the caregiver and head of the family. Some of them are barely teenagers. It’s very difficult for these kids to provide food for themselves. Some are forced to quit school and try to earn money. Safety and security are big issues for these kids living alone.
Even though I’m not at CSS this year, I have had lots of contact with my fellow teachers back home. In fact, we have been busy coming up with some ideas of how you at CSS can connect with what is happening here in Africa. Through technology, we’re looking at ways that CSS teachers and students will be able to see what life is like for some of the kids here and get to know their stories.
There are two households in particular that I’ve been working closely with – and that I’m hoping CSS will support over the next few weeks. These young people are currently living in very unsafe conditions – and it’s my hope to build two secure house for them – at a total cost of $7000. I’ve created a short video with more information about my project here:
Mr.Dittmann ishere ◄
h t t p : / / ca l g a r y s c i e n ce s c h o o l. blogspot.com/2010/11/building-homes-in-south-africa. html I am still working out the details of how to collect funds for these families – but I’m hoping to communicate that to CSS families shortly. The great thing about being here is that I’ll be the project coordinator for buildings – and students at CSS will be able to skype with the families in January as the homes are being built.
Thanks for all the support! Chris Dittman
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From the
Anne Tingle Library And here we are at the end of November, knee deep in snow, and wondering how we managed to get from August to here with such speed! Many students are now gearing up for next February’s Science Fair. In the past few weeks I’ve been working with a number of classes highlighting the benefits of the Online Reference Centre located within Alberta Educations’ Learn Alberta website. This is a valuable and extensive collection of online databases. All science fair projects require a research component, and it’s really important that the report reflects sound and thorough research. By this I mean, sources of information should not only be websites, but also reference sources such as specialized encyclopedias, magazines, academic journals, newspapers, images and videos.
The most valuable database for science fair topics is:
Science in Context Grades: 6 - 12 Use this resource to locate magazine articles, science experiments, encyclopedia entries, images, audio and video clips, illustrations, graphs and Web links related to a wide range of scientific study: earth science, science history, life science, space, physics, math, chemistry, biology, natural science, environmental science, biotechnology and more. *Click anywhere in this box to view the link directly*
The Online Reference Centre (ORC) is a huge collection of online databases - in other words, digital specialized libraries. No Google search will net the variety of information sources such as those mentioned above, nor will the results as a whole be as reliable and authoritative. The resources in the ORC are paid for, and available to everyone in any school in Alberta - a search engine has no access to the resources in this site. Selecting the right database, after reading the summary of its contents, and then using a topic or specific topic search (such as one you’d use in a print index) is the best strategy: questions and or phrases are not appropriate. Students know that by bookmarking the ORC on their laptops, means that no user name/password is required. If your child has forgotten to do this, no problem - here’s the link:
By the time you read this, our annual Scholastic Book Fair- during student-led conference times- will be over. This well-attended event always results in a bounty of new books for our shelves, plus profits, which this year will be used to purchase an updated set of science encyclopedias. Although I usually recommend online resources for most research and inquiry projects, there are times when a print reference source is a good choice. A title will be selected that supplements what is available in the Online Reference Centre, in the Learn Alberta website. Thank you for your continued support, which is consistently generous and enthusiastic.
http://w w w.lea rnalb er ta.ca/OnlineReferenceCentre.aspx?lang=en
Donna Johnson Alden Teacher-Librarian
As always, your feedback and questions are welcome. Please feel free to contact me here at school, by phone or through email.
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Highlights from the
Parents’ Resources in the Library Those of you new to CSS this year may not know that we have books available for parents to borrow. Located within the professional shelves of the school library, the books are categorized into 4 key topics: positive parenting, gender issues and implications, teenage brain development and parenting the adolescent, and social and emotional issues. Parents borrow books from our library by setting up an account with either myself, or the library assistant (Mrs. Lamminen). To view a listing of resources we have in this section, and find more information, please check out the Parent Resources blog entry on the library webpage: http://web.mac.com/css_library/Site/Welcome.html
ance and an abundance of practical advice. Rather than dwelling on “illuminating the plight of boys”, he focuses on solutions. He states that he is optimistic about the future of today’s boys, and that he truly believes that “working together in mindful and respectful ways” will make positive differences for the next generation of boys…. and girls. Donna Johnson Alden Teacher-Librarian
A number of new resources have been recently added to the parenting section of the professional library shelves in our library. One I’d recommend in particular is Barry MacDonald’s new book called Boys on Target: Raising Boys into Men of Courage and Compassion (Vancouver: Mentoring Press, 2010). Gender differences between boys and girls, although on a continuum, often put boys more at odds with adult expectations in school, more so than girls. MacDonald has offered a combination of information and practical advice in this area of parenting and educational psychology for nearly two decades. His first book called Boy Smarts continues to be a relevant and valuable resource, as his online newsletter (subscribe at http://www.mentoringboys.com/boy_ smarts.html). Parents and teachers will find MacDonald’s voice one of compassion and conviction, grounded in both reality and humor. Boys tend to experience different pressures at school, and growing up male has its own set of cultural pressures. The author points out familiar “problem areas”, offers clear explanations so we understand the reasons behind the actions, and then follows through with reassurThe
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Review: Warriors Review:Warriors the Warriors Darkest theHour DarkestHour Hour Review: the Darkest Review: Warriors the Darkest Arash Nourimand Arash Nourimand 8.2 8.2 Hour Arash Nourimand 8.2 Arash Nourimand 8.2
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the darkest Warriors hour the isdarkest darkest a greathour book hourisis for people greatbook book whofor for enjoy people lotswho of who suspense enjoylots lots and battles. suspense It is and filled battles.ItItisisfilled filled Warriors the aagreat people enjoy ofofsuspense and battles. of betrayals, withlots lots murders, ofbetrayals, betrayals, andhour crimes murders, andcrimes crimes against committed the warrior against code the and warrior will code of and Starclan. andthe thewill willofof Starclan. with of murders, and against the warrior code Warriors the darkest is acommitted great book forcommitted people who enjoy lots of the suspense and battles. ItStarclan. is filled acheswith Italso also knowledge teaches how of the knowledge past will help of the to past attain will a help better to future, attain a and better more future, victories. and more it is also victories. also Ithow teaches how knowledge of the past will help to attain a better future, and more victories. ititisisalso lots of betrayals, murders, and crimes committed against the warrior code and the will of Starclan. hat shows book very that well shows how very and well dark how eviland and willdark dark not help assure deeds you willnot not a asafe assure life future, compared youaasafe safeto life ifcompared you compared ifyou you book that shows very well how evil deeds assure you life Itaaalso teaches howevil knowledge ofdeeds the past will to will attain better and more victories.toto it ifis also ure heart have and a pure lots of heart integrity. and lots of integrity. have a pure heart and lots of integrity. a book that shows very well how evil and dark deeds will not assure you a safe life compared to if you have a pure heart and lots of integrity. mend this recommend book for ages: thisbook 10-15 bookfor forages: ages:10-15 10-15 I Irecommend this 4/4 IRating: Rating: 4/4 this book for ages: 10-15 4/4 recommend Rating: 4/4
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Someone like you – Sarah Dessen Grade: 3+ Age group: 12+ Report by Holly M
Halley has always relied on Scarlett for support. She has always been “Scarlett’s friend, Halley”. Now it’s Scarlett who needs Halley’s help. Micheal Sherwood, Scarlett’s boyfriend, is killed in an accident. She soon finds out that she is pregnant, and the father is now dead. Scarlett needs Halley to help her because she can’t do this alone. Then Halley meets Macon. What happens when Macon pushes Halley a little too far for her expectations? Who will end up needing who? Someone Like You was a nice refreshment for proving what is truly important. It shows you what growing up is really about. Dessen creates a realistic story that keeps you hooked. You end up turning the page faster than you can read it! The words flow with a story that makes you hungry for what happens next. Someone Like You shows the reader what kind of damage pressure can easily do.
HIT & RUN Written By Lurlene McDaniel Four characters whose lives are all completely different all change after one accident. Laurie seems to be happy on the
outside, but inside she’s only a girl who wants to be popular no matter what. She decides to use the accident to her
advantage. Quinn, a boy whose father has high expectations of him, is the most gorgeous and popular boy of the school. All the boys want to be him, and all the girls want him.
Everything’s going great until the accident. Analise is the
victim. She is the girl who is involved in many clubs and
groups and seems to have a wonderful future. Lastly, there’s Jeremy who is Analise’s boyfriend. He is a very caring
boyfriend, and the accident leaves a big impact on him. Hit & Run by Lurlene McDaniel is a gripping story that had
me reading it from cover to cover. There was a lot of & RUN Written By Lurlene McDaniel emotion and I liked how the author told the story from the points of view of the characters. I thought it was an Review by Paula 8.3 different amazing story and I recommend it for ages 13 and up. The
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BAMF It would be so easy to lose yourself here. There are so few places where you can gaze such deep green woods and steel blue water. There are even fewer where you can do so after taking a few steps outside a giant scallop. It would be so easy to lose yourself, but the cacophony of a hundred grade 9 students as they line themselves up for dinner can snap anyone back to reality. Time to go to work, but what a great place to do your. I could go on and wax poetic about the symphony of the sea lion rookery or almost extraterrestrial nature of the creatures who live on the docks and pilings, but since the trip is for the students it is probably better to let them tell you. Mr. Kutcher
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A Nostalgic Look Back at
Bamfield It was a trip that left me breathless and ecstatic. It was an experience that never disappointed, and was most definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity. It was Bamfield. Never have I even expected a school fieldtrip to be as exhilarating and staggering as Bamfield, yet still have the educational purposes that a school fieldtrip should provide. From the amazing touch tank with exotic touchable creatures, to the stupefying waterside sunrise exhibited every morning, Bamfield itself was an unforgettable experience. Many times, learning through experience really is the best way to learn. This could not be truer when I think about my time at Bamfield. The immense biodiversity within Bamfield and connections and insights we received from these experiences taught me way more than a textbook ever could, and allowed me to learn from all five senses, which created a lasting impact into what I really learned, and how I remembered and learned those things. Learning at Bamfield allowed us to absorb insightful information from experiences, and to make connections from what was really there, rather than explanations from a textbook, and this evidently allowed us to strengthen the meaning of what we learned, and most importantly, to enjoy what we had learned. Even now, I still remember and recall my experiences at Bamfield, and what I really learned and understood through hands-on experiences, and I am sure those memories will last me a lifetime. Bamfield provided us an environment of peace and serenity in which to work in and relax in, an experience that was utterly stupendous. Realistically speaking, Bamfield was intended to be a school away from school, and served those purposes in terms of educational value, but felt nothing like school. We were proficient and efficient with our learning at Bamfield, but also enjoyed and reminisced each day of Bamfield, as the “school days� there passed on ever so fast. I am forever appreciative and grateful for my time spent in Bamfield, and will forever cherish the memories and insights I have obtained from my once in a lifetime experience in Bamfield! Zoe 9.4 The
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“When I first arrived at Bamfield on the bumpy, tiring bus, I was completely taken away by the view. Standing high up on a cliff, I gazed at the quaint little town stretched before me. The water was beginning to sparkle from the peaking sun, and I could see each wave softly touching everything in it’s path. The mountains in the distance were covered at the tips by misty fog, but I could still see the painting-like scene of darker hills, fading to light the farther they went. The sound of the tour guide’s deep voice became muffled as I focused on the sound of the sea and birds. The best part of Bamfield was whenever we were on a beach, or the Alta. I’ve always loved staring out onto the water, and thinking about everything and nothing all at the same time. On the Alta, it was an amazing experience for me, because I don’t usually like boats but I loved this one. Standing by the rail with my friends, I noticed my 5 senses. I smelt the odor from the salty ocean and creatures lying beneath the surface. I could hear the motor of the Alta, cutting through the water. The sounds of waves slapping the sharp rocks. I could taste the salty sea water on my tongue, as it was also in the air. I could feel the sprays of water hitting my face, every time we bounced on a wave. And I could see the seemingly endless ocean bordered by cliffs at the edges, and the waves tumbling over one another.
“My time spent here has been filled with an endless amount of happy memories. From the rocky ride on the Alta, to the perfect ‘day at the beach’ at Pachena Bay. I can say without hesitation that I am going to miss the salty taste of the Pacific breeze, the foggy haze I woke up to every morning, and the songs of the ocean’s presence all around me. As cliché as it seems, I learned many things here, both about life and the oceanic world. I realize that this confusing time between childhood and adulthood may just be the best period of a persons’ life. I learned of the strange organisms living in our Pacific waters. Learned of the many complex and unique relationships between all of them. And last but not least, I learned that life should be lived to the fullest now, not tomorrow, not when I’m in high school, now. With the amazing people that I see and love everyday. The sun seemed more alive here, even when it wasn’t sunny. I felt that the world was awake here in Bamfield. The sun filled days brought back memories of carelessness and old summer’s past. The rainy days washed away my sanity, highlighting the moments on the ocean rather than the gloom that usually comes with those thick, colourless clouds. And the silence of the night opened my eyes to the starry heavens above. It was here that I saw my first shooting star, never, will I forget these moments.” Lilly 9.4
I honestly was a bit worried about Bamfield because I had never been on a plane without my family before, and I had never been away for so long. But now I see I had nothing to worry about. The plane ride with my friends was the best ride I had ever been on, and I never had time to feel homesick or alone, because I was with people 24/7. By the end of the trip, I didn’t want to leave Bamfield. I’m not a big fan of cities, so it was amazing to be out, living with nature instead of destroying it. I could easily get used to waking up every morning and having the ocean be my front yard to my house and to looking up at the twinkling night sky, seeing every single star making wishes on the ones that shoot across and then vanish within a second. “ Julie 9.4 The
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grade 6
robotics elective
When I heard that we were going to the University of Calgary Robotics lab, I knew it was going to be really cool. In my experience in my regular elective, Lego Robotics Mindstorms, we built robots made of Lego that could move, see, hear, and touch. At the University, we we able to see the real deal, a robotics lab! On the bus, I was really excited about what we were going to see. We were given a tour of three different robotics labs. A really interesting thing we saw was a robot with special wheels that researchers were working on that goes sideways without turning or anything. At least, that was the end goal. Another was a robot arm that took your picture and was able to follow your face. So much work goes into these robots to get them to do their purpose - and I thought my Lego robot was tough! Overall, the Robotics lab was really neat and I’m glad I chose this elective.
The University of Calgary’s Robotics Lab was a very interesting place to visit. We went to three different labs. The labs were unique in their own way. One of the labs focused on search and rescue issues, another on robotic helicopters and there was also a robot that was designed to float on water and rescue people. Another one of the labs had a robot that showed the features of someone’s face. That was really cool. The last lab had a robot, which could go over different obstacles and could remember the stuff that it hit before and try to avoid it the next time it comes across it. This was a really fascinating field trip.
Joel P. (6.2)
Maanasa D. (6.4) The
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Tour of the 'green' Building Extra! Extra! Read all about it! The grade 6 robotics elective class got a tour of the brand new ‘green’ Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary. It has many amazing environmental features such as shutters that move with the sun to supply the right amount of shade, a hose that will run through the floor to supply air conditioning in the summer. They are also going to use ‘grey’ water to flush the toilets which will reduce the amount of drinking water used. Many more great features involved placing shiny materials on the outside of the building so it is shaded in more places, as well as extra thick walls and windows are for more insulation. I personally enjoyed the sun shutter feature. Kirsten C. (6.2)
We all give a big thanks to the University of Calgary for letting us come, especially Dr.Chris Macnab who arranged the tours and Jonathan Greggs who gave us the tour of the new ‘green’ Faculty of Science building which is currently under construction. Comments from Students:
“I like the robotic arm and how the camera followed his face” -Kirsten “I like the giant arm.”-Aidan M (6.3) “I liked the spider robot.” -Rylan C (6.1) Overall the grade 6 Robotics elective field trip was really fun and interesting, it taught us so much stuff that we can use to make our robots better.
Julianna S. (6.1)
The
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December2010 1
Day 2a
Dodgeball Intramurals 12:30 - 1:00 PM
PYJAMA Day!
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Day 4a
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Day 5a
School Council Meeting 7:00 - 9:00 PM
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Tentative Grade 4 Field Trip to Trico Leisure Centre
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Parent Information Session - Student Digital Portfolios 7:00 PM
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CSS Board of Directors Meeting 5:30 PM
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Day 2b
Gr.6 Winter Camp Parent Meeting 6:15 - 7:00 PM Winter Band Concert 7:00 - 8:00 PM
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Subway Fun Lunch
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Peace Festival
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Peace Festival Last day of classes
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HAPPY NEW YEAR
Winter Break The
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CAAA League Wrestling Championship 12:00 - 6:00 PM
Winter Break 27
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PD Day No Classes
(Students arrive no later than 6:30 PM)
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3
Musical Production 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Musical Production 7:00 - 9:00 PM
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25 MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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5.1/5.2 Bowling 9:30 - 11:30 AM
Classes Resume
5.3/5.4 Bowling 11:30 - 1:30 PM
School Council Meeting 7:00 PM
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Winter Camp - 6.1 Winter Camp - 6.1 Winter Camp - 6.1
Sibling Testing
Winter Camp - 6.2 Winter Camp - 6.2 Winter Camp - 6.2 10:00-12:00 PM
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Winter Camp - 6.3 Winter Camp - 6.3 Winter Camp - 6.3 PD Day No Classes
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New Parent Information Session 7:00 - 8:30 PM
The
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