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June 2011 • Issue 10 • VOL . 8
The Calgary Science School
Principal’s Message I want to begin this message by thanking all of the incredible volunteers who have made many of our successes possible this year. We are hosting our parent volunteer recognition tea on Friday, June 10 to thank those many, many people who gave their time, effort, energy and expertise to help with our school programming. When I think if the number of volunteer hours that are required to support a program such as ours at CSS, I am awed and humbled. We just simply couldn’t do it without you. I am hopeful that all of our volunteers will be available that day to receive a well-deserved “thank you!” from our staff and students.
Our volunteers are integral to us being able to provide a rich outdoor and environmental education program. June will find the grade 8 and 9 students on their Spring overnight trips. The grade eights are heading to Edmonton and then Jasper on their circle tour, and the grade nines will be travelling to Camp Sweet one last time to help bring some closure to their experiences at CSS. One of the biggest priorities for the administrative team in May and June is staffing. There are a number of changes to the staff list for next year, with some teachers leaving us for maternity leaves or to move back home and pursue a career there; we have a number of teachers who will be coming back after leaves of absence; and we will ac-
tually be hiring a couple of teachers to fill some open positions. Rest assured that we will again have an incredible group of teachers and support staff next year. We will not be sharing specific teaching assignments with parents or students until August and, while I understand the desire to want to know who will be teaching what next year, we are not prepared to entertain specific class placement requests based on teaching assignments. My experience is that there are a large number of class placement requests if the teaching assignments become known prior to the start of next year, and only some of those placement requests would be able to be accommodated. I appreciate your understanding in this regard. Darrell Lonsberry
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In This Issue
Principal ’s Message...............................1 Inspire Dance Per formance.....................2 Fine Ar ts Ex travaganza................... .......3 Transpor tation Highlights......................4 Working with Student Exemplars.............5 Calling all Volunteers...........................5 CSS Annual Parent S ur vey.............. .......6 Year End Picnic....................................6 S chool Council News....................... .......7 From the S chool O ffice..........................7 B oard of D irec tors Repor t.............. .......8 G irls’ Leadership..................................11
Congratulations D r. Robinson................11 Counsellor ’s Corner.............................12 CSS Visits Newalta..............................14 Music Notes.......................................16 J ulia at C WSF.....................................17 J r. National D ebate Championships........18 Badminton......................................20 CSS Featured Ar tists............................22 S outhern Alber ta Histor y Tour..............26 G rade 5 For t Steele.............................32 G rade 7 For t Steele.............................36 J une 2011 Calendar.............................38
INSPIRE DANCE PERFORMANCE
On Thursday May 26, more than 100 students participated in our second annual extra curricular dance re cital, entitled Inspire. The event occurred at the University Theatre at the University of Calgar y and has been our most professional dance recital experience to date. The students who attended the field trip were able to tour the drama program facilities, including four theatres; the University Theatre, and the new Matthews Theatre and both the Reeve Secondar y and Primar y Theatres along with their professional prop shops. The students were then walked through a cue to cue and short dress rehearsal process. Our show was a big success, but it wouldn’t have been able to help without the hard work and dedication of the Mr. Bolen, Ms. Emin and the staff of CSS and our dedicated and caring parents! A special thank you to ever yone who contributed to making this show a success; I do believe our goals to provide accurate, meaningful and insightful experiential learning have been reached! Congratulations to all CSS dancers who participated, on another wonderful dance production. I hope we all feel INSPIRED!
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How you get your bus stop at CSS… Even before registration for next year was complete, new Transportation Analyst, Margaret Mills, along with the Transportation Committee, (composed of 11 volunteer Route Coordinators), had been working together to create the revised bus routes for 2011 - 2012. Taking into account 100 grade 9 students leaving, and 100 new grade 4 students joining CSS, the face of individual bus routes may change slightly, or significantly, from year to year. With CSS valuing the diversity and representation that can only come from a city-wide student population, the importance of this job can not be underestimated. Because parents are sometimes left scratching their heads, wondering, “Why was our bus stop placed here?” we are offering this short course called: How you get your bus stop at CSS.” The process of route design involves several steps: Firstly, registered busing students’ names, addresses, and contact information is uploaded to the new Edulog system a new piece of software which will be used by CSS to aid the Transportation Analyst in route design. Since student information is uploaded directly from registration sources, improved accuracy is assured. Previously, all information was manually input, allowing for errors in important contact information. In addition, greater security of student information is now in place, as we have begun using an e-courier program, which ensures that each Route Coordinator sees only their student ridership information. The information must be saved by the Route Coordinator, as it is automatically e-shredded after one week. Initially, a skeletal group of Route Coordinators meet to get a bird’s eye view of how the student addresses for the coming year are arranged in each quadrant of the city. From there, it is determined if major route adjustments need to be made, and tentative groupings of students are formed into routes. For each route, a Google map is designed to identify where every student lives, using color-coding to identify families with 1, 2 or 3+ children taking the bus.
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Next, the line the bus will travel is drawn on each route’s Google map, and the tricky part of choosing the actual stops begins. To do this, the coordinator measures the distance for each student to the chosen neighbourhood stop, attempting to stay within a 1.5 km walking distance. Then, the time between each stop is calculated, and 1 minute is added to allow students to get on, or off, the bus. Finally, the timing for the entire route is calculated, starting at the school, and working towards the opposite end of each route, all with the understanding that the buses must arrive at the school by 8:40 am, and leave the school at 3:35 pm in the afternoon. Coordinators choose stops for each neighbourhood, taking into consideration safety, walking distance, convenience, and other factors. Policy dictates that the bus will follow the main roads in a neighbourhood to one central pick-up spot (disappointing to families who watch the bus drive past their homes). Obviously, this guideline does need to be adjusted under certain circumstances, and factors including difficult left turns, steep hills (that can be problematic in winter conditions), busy school zones, and construction (think LRT) can lead to routes that do not appear to meet our standard guidelines. Finally, the entire bus route plan is submitted to Southland Transportation, to ensure it meets with their strict criteria for safety and efficiency. Even with Edulog, route selection remains an art and a science; a mixture of technology tweaked by intuition and experience. With Southland’s approval, each route is then emailed out to CSS families during the month of June, all with the hope that the committee has met the delicate balance of meeting parent concerns, while still ensuring the busing system remains financially feasible and effective. Occasionally, a family may feel their new bus stop is less desirable than the previous year’s… The committee hopes that parents will understand the routes have been designed with fairness in mind. There will be no test, but should you have any questions, comments or concerns, please contact the transportation committee though their email: transportationatcss@ gmail.com . This email will be checked 2 times per week by volunteers. For urgent matters, please contact Kathy Babiuk in the main office.
New Volunteers are always welcome! The
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Working With
Student Exemplars (Examples of Student Work):
Staff Reflections at the Calgary Science School One of the goals in our AISI Cycle 4 work at the Calgary Science School is that “teachers will find and develop student exemplars (examples of student work) that demonstrate the expectations of the program while considering and then clarifying the standards and scope and sequence of the graded programs” (CSS AISI Report, 2010 at http://www.calgaryscienceschool.com/ publications/default.asp ). However, when we pulled teachers together to work with some homegrown student writing exemplars at a professional development day, with the intention of grading these using a common rubric, some interesting observations came up in conversation (see http://calgaryscienceschool.blogspot. com/2010/11/assessment-discussions-at-css.html ). We determined as a staff that when working with student exemplars, there is a strong need to look at our assignments very carefully in terms of how we set students up to succeed within them, and then in turn, create products that we can in turn hold up as examples for future generations of students doing similar work:
1. What are the curriculum outcomes that these types of assignments will demonstrate?
2. What will be the criteria by which we assess these outcomes?
3. How will we communicate and collaborate with students about the language of the curriculum and representational media/technology (ICT) outcomes (and other integrated curricula)? 4. What varying exemplars (varying standards of success) will we use to help promote students to identify and then attempt to rise higher on their own ladders of academic success? 5. How will we update our exemplars in light of ongoing student collaboration in any given project? We all agreed that using student exemplars is a powerful way of holding up learning targets to assist students to better understand how to represent their understanding in various forms; however, when not thought-through, exemplars have the potential to mislead, and misrepresent how students should best learn their school programs. Therefore, we endeavor, as a teaching staff, to begin harvesting more student exemplars that consider very carefully these fundamental questions about the use of exemplars in our programs. Dr. Shelley Robinson
Calling all Volunteers
Don’t forget to sign-in when you volunteer, you could be next month’s winner of a great prize. Karen Cuthbertson was the winner for March Dina Ammar was the lucky winner for April. There is only one month left to have your name entered in our draw.
Volunteer Recognition TEA June 10th - 11:30 am to 1:15 pm
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RSVP by June 3rd to: volunteers.CSS@gmail.com The
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CSS ANNUAL
PARENT SURVEY It’s that time of year again! …time to watch your inbox for a link to the third annual CSS parent survey and then settle in to share your experiences, opinions and advice with School Council. Last year we had an amazing 73% response rate. Thanks to this tremendous level of participation, when School Council shared your feedback with the CSS Admin and Board, we were confident that we represented the views of most of the families in the CSS community. To encourage a high response rate again this year and to thank for your time and feedback we are again offering incentives:
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One grand prize - reimbursement of one student’s enrichment fees Pizza Party for the class with the highest participation rate 10 randomly drawn smaller prizes (iTunes gift cards)
Why does this survey matter? Your feedback will be used to guide the activities of the School Council, to assess parent volunteering in the CSS community, to plan upcoming parent education activities and events, and to provide feedback to the CSS Board and School Administration regarding various CSS programs and policies.
Specific outcomes from the first two Parent Surveys include:
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Parents provided direct input to setting the priorities for School Council. Council’s 3-year plan is updated each year based on feedback from the most recent Parent Survey. This plan lays out priorities for Council during the current school year and for the next 2 years. Selection of speaker topics for our Parent Conferences and monthly Council meetings. Increased attendance at monthly Council meetings, due in part to: • Inclusion of parent education / student presentation topics at most monthly Council meetings • Provision of free babysitting services for young children of parents attending monthly Council meetings The “fun lunch” program Formation of the Parent Volunteer Committee Establishment of the Calgary Science School Parent Fundraising Society to allow for parent-led, casinobased fundraising Guidance for CSS staff and the Board’s Communications Committee on how best to communicate with educational stakeholders Feedback on the effectiveness of efforts to share key school documents / initiatives (such as the Education Plan, AISI (Alberta Initiative for School Improvement), etc.) with the CSS parent community
YearVolunteers EndNeeded! Picnic We are looking for volunteers to help out with our Year End Picnic. We are holding a meeting on June 7 at 3:30 pm for all those interested in volunteering. If you are able to help out on the actual day or just the meeting (or both) please email Dr. Robinson to confirm your attendance:
shelley.r@calgaryscienceschool.com The
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News from your
SCHOOL COUNCIL Four students from the CSS debate team opened our May meeting with a parliamentary-style debate on the following: “This house supports casino fundraising for programs and activities at CSS.” Not only did the teams showcase their debating skills, they also raised very good points on both sides. Thanks to Cameron B., Joshua H., Swish G. and Calder K. for providing a great foundation for our discussions later in the evening. On June 7th, the CSS Parent Fundraising Society will vote on moving ahead with formal application for a casino license. The annual CSS parent survey process is well underway. In May, the parent survey committee prepared the survey questions, based on input from School Council, CSS Admin, the CSS Board and various committees. In early June, a link to this year’s online survey will be emailed to all CSS parents / guardians. Look elsewhere in this issue of the Spectrum for more details on how past survey results have shaped the school community.
May meeting attendees discussed the preliminary 2011/12 School Council operating budget. A formal vote on next year’s budget will be part of the June 7th meeting agenda. The Parent Volunteer Committee is organizing a Volunteer Appreciation Tea to be held in the IAC on Friday, June 10th. RSVP to volunteers.css@gmail.com no later than June 3. Our next School Council meeting will be held in the Anne Tingle Library, starting at 7 pm on Tuesday, June 7. A detailed agenda for the meeting will be circulated at the beginning of June. As always, if there’s a topic you would like to see addressed, please send an email to council.css@gmail.com. Denise Kitagawa on behalf of your Calgary Science School Council
From the
School OFFICE If your child is leaving school before the end of the school year and you would like their report card mailed to you, please provide the office with a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Please have children take all of their belongings home on their last day of school (shoes, desk contents, etc.) – we don’t have room to store any of these items as the entire school is cleaned over the summer to be ready for the new school year. Also, please let the office know if you are going on vacation before the end of June or if your child will be starting school after August 17, 2011. Thank you. Nola, Kathy and Susan Calgary Science School Office Staff
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Report from the
Board of Directors First off, I would like to thank our Superintendent, Dr. Garry McKinnon for the time he dedicated to interviewing parents, students and staff in respect to the daily learning and teaching practices at the school. The participants in his interviews expressed very strong support for the emphasis on learning through a disposition of inquiry, the appropriate use of technology and providing authentic, engaging learning experiences in the school and beyond through the extensive outdoor education program. Dr. McKinnon’s summary of commendations and suggestions by the participants were published in the May Spectrum and is an excellent source of information for the leadership team and Board of Directors. Thank you Garry—for your commitment and dedication to the school and its staff and students. Second, I would like to thank Neil Stephenson, Professional Collaboration Coordinator, for his presentation to the Board using an IPad, a keynote application and podcasts which provided the Board with a very informative demonstration of a number of innovative projects in which students and staff have been involved. The initiatives highlighted included: developing mathematical thinking (Galileo lesson study); documenting scientific thinking (grade 5 science); Challenge-Based Learning Pilot projects and the use of computer applications such as ePubs, digital text and QR codes. In addition to the examples of the collaborative work he has done with teachers in the school, Mr. Stephenson provided an overview of numerous school tours and professional development activities he has facilitated and presentations he has made sharing exemplary practices developed in the Calgary Science School. He also described his involvement in a number of initiatives to promote partnerships with a variety of organizations and corporations for the enhancement of learning and teaching in the Calgary Science School and beyond. The Board of Directors appreciates the outstanding leadership Mr. Stephenson is providing in the role of Professional Collaboration Coordinator. The Board of Directors approved the Calgary Science School 2011/12 Deficit Budget. With the Alberta government cut backs in funding to Education, the Calgary Science School has a budgeted deficit of $270,000 for its 2011/12 school year. Surplus reserves will be used to cover the deficit for the year.
On May 3, Dr. McKinnon and myself met with other Superintendents and Board members from schools within Alberta for a presentation of the Education Act (Bill 18) by the Minister of Education and the Deputy Minister of Education. This Bill has gone through First and Second Reading. However, it requires Third Reading and Royal Assent to be passed. This third reading is not expected until Fall, 2011 or Spring 2012 (depending on the election). This Education Act, includes Charter Schools specifically within Division 2 of the Act. I think it is important that parents be made aware of the content of the Bill as it relates to Charter Schools. Paragraph 25(1) provides that “The Minister may issue a charter to establish a charter school, in accordance with the regulations, if the Minister is of the opinion that the program to be offered by the charter school • Focuses on a learning style or a teaching style, approach, philosophy or pedagogy that is not already being offered by the board of the school division in which the charter school will be located; • Has the potential to improve student learning outcomes; • Demonstrates collaboration or engagement with a post-secondary institution or a school jurisdiction, and • Has the potential to provide improvements to the education system as a whole and to enhance education research and innovation in Alberta.” The Minister when renewing our charter will require that the Calgary Science School meet all of this criteria assuming this Education Act is passed. Our Board of Directors and Leadership team are working very hard to ensure that all of these criteria are met. To that end, the Board of Directors approved a Strategic Plan on May 17th which the Leadership Team and the Board of Directors have been working very diligently on to ensure we are well positioned in the future. This document in its entirety provides detailed initiatives, Outcomes and Measures in respect to 4 Key Strategies. We see the strategic plan as a living document which will help focus and guide our Board Committees and the Leadership Team in the same direction. An excerpt of the approved Strategic Plan is outlined below: The
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Calgary Science School Strategic Plan
We will achieve this transformation in education by inspiring passion and innovation within an active, inquiry-based learning community by bringing learning to life and life to learning. (Charter)
Lead. Share. Transform.
Our Mission:
Our Vision: We are leaders in teaching and learning and we are committed to meaningfully engaging our students as learners through inquiry and developing our students as leaders of tomorrow who are ethical citizens with an entrepreneurial spirit. We embrace collaboration. We share what we do. We learn from others and others learn from us. We create relationships beyond the walls of our school. We will transform the educational process in order to bring a positive benefit to our students and the broader educational community.
The Calgary Science School will provide its students the opportunity to experience inquiry-based learning within an environment of mutual respect. We will do so by using 1) technology; 2) outdoor education; 3) the sciences; and 4) authentic research experiences for staff and students to enhance learning in the middle school core and extracurricular programs. (Charter)
Our Culture and Values: We value our unique culture which is characterized by a strong sense of caring, teamwork and mutual respect among our students and teachers and we will strive to build on the sense in the Calgary Science School that, “this is a good place to be and we are all in this together” as a school community.
Key Strategies: We have identified four key strategic priorities: A. Cultivate the Calgary Science School (physical and online presence) as a hub for the development and promotion of the science of learning and exemplary teaching practices for the benefit of the students we serve, as well as to impact learning and teaching beyond our school.
Much of the success of CSS has been predicated upon its ability to share all of its learnings – successes and failures. We must continue to share and in order for it to be meaningful, our teaching and learning practices must be outstanding. Ultimately, becoming a hub will directly benefit our students and through our focus on collaboration and authentic professional development and bringing “learning to life and life to learning” allow us to provide leadership in transforming education in Alberta.
B. Foster research initiatives and define research capacity to inform teaching practices for the benefit of students, which is in keeping with Alberta Education’s proposed mandate around research and innovation in charter schools
Alberta Education has clearly identified research and innovation as a priority. Defining and establishing a research competency within the Calgary Science School, in a context that delivers value to our students and teachers, will support our first strategic priority to establish ourselves as a hub, and ensure that our teaching and learning practices continue to evolve.
C. Create sustainable and enriched programming and initiatives within Calgary Science School
CSS’ commitment towards technology and outdoor education as a means to enrich education must be protected. Given the financial realities of our current environment, we must move to ensure that we find ways to supplement our funding, while honouring our role as a school in public education.
D. Create a formal communication strategy to support the promotion of the Calgary Science School as a “Centre of Exemplary Teaching and Learning through Innovation and Research”
Our success of fulfilling our charter school mandate and achieving the goals outlined in this strategic plan is dependent on establishing positive, supportive relationships and active partnerships with key educational stakeholders including the following: Alberta Education, academic institutions, community groups and corporations as well as with our parents and educational community.
This Strategic Plan will be presented by myself and Mr. Lonsberry at a future Parent Council Meeting. The
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The Leadership team, Dr. McKinnon and Neil Stephenson have been very busy over the past few months working to fulfil our Charter mandate of sharing information and creating research initiatives which benefit our students. Specifically, •
We are very pleased to have been selected to participate in an Alberta Education Pilot Research Study of a new approach to individualizing and personalizing learning experiences to ensure that the learning needs of all students are identified and addressed. The pilot involves the use of computer courseware which has been specifically developed with reference to Alberta Education curricular expectations to identify areas of strength, and areas for growth for each student. We see significant potential for enhancing the Calgary Science School Learning Strategies program through this initiative. Alberta Education will provide some funding for the pilot study.
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Dr. McKinnon attended a symposium hosted by Dr. Dennis Sumara, Dean of the University of Calgary, Faculty of Education dealing with the faculty’s plans for promoting research and partnerships with school jurisdictions. The symposium was also attended by the Assistant Deputy Minister Carol McLean and representatives of Calgary area school jurisdictions and University of Calgary partners.
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Alberta Education Workforce Planning Stakeholder Advisory Committee-Attended by Dr. McKinnon as the Association of Alberta Public Charter Schools (TAAPCS) representative-the focus of the meeting was on the new Teaching Quality Standard and School Leadership Competencies draft documents.
Lastly, the Fund Development Committee has been busy reviewing how best to proceed to raise funds required to meet our Strategic Plan objectives. The Calgary Science School Society is in the process of forming the “Calgary Science School Foundation”, a new not for profit society to develop and execute a fund development strategy that will ensure the sustainability of the Calgary Science School programming as defined by our charter and new Strategic Plan. The Committee has recommended to the Board that a consultant be hired to establish a framework regarding the rules of fund development, evaluate the different kinds of fund development and what type of fund development would be appropriate for the Calgary Science School and its strategic objectives. This person would contribute to Board knowledge and assist in developing an overview course of action.
G I R L S LEADERSHIP
The Girls’ Leadership Group is now calling its planning committee The Leading Ladies, and its full group Girl Effect. Most recently, on April 29th, we had a half-day workshop with approximately 75 girls that chose to attend to look at some of the leadership work of the Calgary Girls’ School. Some of the girls from the school, facilitated by Miss Pereverzoff, facilitated some sessions with our girls that were interactive and fun. As well, in the latter part of the afternoon, we had Kay She facilitated by Miss Groeller, talk to the girls about being critically aware of how they view the representation of girls and women in the media. In May, we had two grade eight girls attending the Operation Minerva job shadowing opportunity outlined by this organization: http://www.awsn.com/OperationMinerva/tabid/87/Default.aspx
On May 12, five girls (varying grades) attended the Newalta Women’s Career Fair to showcase some of the job opportunities in the energy field for women. (see page 14) http://www.newalta.com/default.asp?FolderID=23
We are excited about the conversations that we are having around the website Girl Effect: http://www.girleffect.org/question Some of the Leading Ladies are working with Mrs Saadeh to develop lesson plans around this website to incorporate into health lessons for both boys and girls. This will be taking place in May and June. If you have any questions around these initiatives, please email Dr. Robinson at shelley.r@calgaryscienceschool.com
Lori Wilhelm Einsporn Board Chair The
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Congratulations Dr. Shelley Robinson
I am pleased to advise the CSS community of the appointment of Dr. Shelley Robinson to the position of Principal of Westmount Charter School. We congratulate Shelley on this appointment, which recognizes her very special qualities as a teacher and leader. At the same time, we have mixed feelings because we will miss her as a valued member of the Calgary Science School leadership team. Through the years since joining the staff as assistant principal, Shelley has demonstrated a high level of dedication and expertise. We have benefited from her passion for teaching and the wealth of background experiences and expertise which she has brought to the role of assistant principal. I know that you will all join me in congratulating Shelley and wishing her all the best in her new role! Dr. Garry McKinnon Superintendent, Calgary Science School
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community
GARDEN
Unfortunately, the large amount of rain has created a lake where our garden site should be, so the build has been postponed! The committee is excited to start construction and begin realizing months of planning. As a donation to our project, the City has taken up the sod and delivered soil, mulch, and compost for use in the beds and pathways. In addition, students from the Calgary Science School will use their mathematical skills in area and perimeter to stake out each of the garden beds. We are looking for volunteers to help us put together the garden beds for the CSS/ Lakeview Community Garden on June 4 starting at 10 am. We need people willing to rake and level the soil, help assemble the concrete pieces into beds and fill the finished beds with soil. If
you have a wheelbarrow, level, tamper, rake or shovel please bring it along, Any assistance will be greatly appreciated! Drinks and snacks will be provided during the build and a BBQ will follow. If you can’t make the build but would like to help, we are looking for donations of drinks and snacks (such as muffins or fruit). These items can be sent to the Calgary Science School on Friday, June 3. We would also appreciate the loan of wheelbarrows, tampers, levels or shovels. Please contact the committee at lakeviewcommunitygarden@gmail.com to volunteer or donate materials.
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Counsellor’sCorner From the
How do I talk to my teenager about drugs? This month I wanted to provide parents with information in order to talk about an important subject with your teenager. Some of these conversations have started in your child’s classroom with factual information, while other, and more frequent, conversations occur in the hallways, on the phone, online, and amongst peers without always having accurate information relayed. I encourage you to have a conversation with your teenager and open the lines of communication around the touchy, but important topics that your teen faces. If you require further information or support please do not hesitate to contact me at shannon.m@calgaryscienceschool.com or at 403-282-2890 ext. 233. Talking to your teen about alcohol and other drugs can be challenging. It’s hard to know where to start. You might worry that if you raise the topic, it will somehow encourage your child to experiment. You might feel unsure about the subject. Sometimes it seems that teens know more about drugs than you know. It may seem that the whole issue of drugs is beyond your control, especially as your child indicates more and more that their world is with their own friends and associates, and not with you at home. These feelings of doubt and uncertainty are all normal. Raising a teenager can be a challenging time for you. But it can also be very rewarding to see someone you love growing up to become a capable young adult.
as a sign of growing up, and perhaps showing that they don’t care about what others think. Teenagers are more likely to abuse alcohol or other drugs if they lack social skills or confidence. Teens who have a strong sense of their own self-worth aren’t as likely to need drugs in order to escape or to change their personalities.
Your changing role as a parent As your child grows up, your role as a parent also changes. Before, you were concerned with your child’s safety and protection. Today you need to be there mainly as a coach or guide. Your teen still needs your love and support, but they want to be able to make some decisions on their own. It can be hard for you to let go, especially when you know that things could easily go wrong. You have the wisdom that comes with experience, but your child may not want to benefit from your experience. Teenagers need to learn some things for themselves.
Encourage questions
Why do some kids use drugs?
Teenagers have lots of questions, but they are often reluctant to ask questions. They don’t want to appear to be ignorant or unsophisticated. This can lead them into social situations and actions they feel unsure about, but are too embarrassed to avoid. Perhaps they are not sure about the effects of a drug and so they decide to try it. Maybe they are not comfortable with saying “no” to pressure from their friends.
Some kids start using drugs out of curiosity—just to see what it’s like. Some experiment because their friends are using drugs. Others think it proves their maturity or independence. They see drug use
You can help your child by listening to what they have to say, and keeping the lines of communication open. Encourage your teen to ask you quesThe
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tions, and think of ways to open a conversation with them. For example, you could ask what it’s like to be in their social group at school. Questions that require more than a one-word answer may help you to engage in real conversation with your teen, and may give you an opportunity to learn from your teen.
Practise what you preach. Demonstrate responsible decision-making in your own use of drugs, including alcohol, tobacco, prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs.
If your teenager can count on you to respond to questions and concerns in a reasonable and nonjudgmental way, they may get into the habit of talking with you. Once your teen learns to trust you, they’ll be more likely to ask for your opinion on issues related to sexual relationships, and the pressures to use alcohol and other drugs. You may want to think about incidents from your own past that you would like to tell your teen—stories that might in some way be helpful to your child.
Encourage and participate in a variety of activities with your teen. Help them to become independent and to choose challenges that are neither too difficult nor too easy.
If you believe that your child is using drugs, take time to learn a little about the drugs you suspect may already be part of their life. Avoid the temptation to use scare tactics. You can get information from AADAC about different drugs and their effects. By discussing this factual information with your teen, you can be sure that you both have the same understanding of the drugs and their effects.
Some guidelines Communicate. Work on listening to your child. This may turn out to be the most important thing you can do for your child. Educate yourself. Obtain accurate, up-to-date facts about alcohol and the other drugs your child may encounter. Look at life through your child’s eyes. Help your teen try to make sense of the lifestyles they see in advertising and on TV shows. These examples often include the liberal use of alcohol, and attribute too much importance to a person’s looks and sexual relationships. Use examples from the media as openings to talk about drugs and decision-making. Set guidelines for behaviour in discussion with your teenager. Be prepared to renegotiate these guidelines from time to time. Be clear about the consequences of both appropriate and inappropriate behaviour.
Help your kids to feel good about themselves by recognizing their efforts.
Let your child know that it is natural to have problems and to make mistakes. If you suspect an alcohol or other drug problem may exist, stay calm and consider your response. It’s best to intervene early and talk about your suspicions with your teen. If there is a pattern of problems, you may want to seek professional advice. Keep in mind that your child looks up to you. If they see you making healthy decisions about alcohol and other drugs, they will be more likely to make healthy choices themselves.
For more information AADAC staff understands that everyone’s needs are different. Whether you want to prevent your child from using alcohol, tobacco or other drugs, or you want to help your child deal with a drug problem, we can help. From information and prevention programs to group and family counselling, outpatient and residential treatment, and even a wilderness program, AADAC and its Funded Services offer a full range of services to help your child and your family. For more information, contact your local AADAC office or call the AADAC Help Line at 1-866-33AADAC. They are available to give you information and support. This article can be accessed along with others in the Parent Information Series at http://aadac.cha.ab.ca/565_501.asp.
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CSS visits
NEWALTA
On May 12, nine ladies* from the Calgary Science School community were invited to visit the head offices of Newalta. Newalta is a successful Albertan company with a strong initiative focused on corporate success for women. The CSS ladies had an opportunity to visit Newalta’s internal career fair in which each department had a booth that explained their role within the larger company. After the career fair, the CSS contingent was shown many of Newalta’s excellent employee facilities including the state-of-the art child care centre and the fitness gym, as well as the varied workspaces throughout the office. This day was a fantastic opportunity to learn more about a successful corporation that highly values its employees, whether male or female, as whole people. Jaime Groeller *MacKenzie S (grade 4), Danika V (grade 6), Rochelle V (grade 8), Julia C (grade 8), Gabriella M (grade 8), Mrs. Lisette Cameron, Mrs. Judy StarkVincent, Mrs. Cristina Marcil, Miss Jaime Groeller The
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“ I really enjoyed my time at Newalta. There were many things I learned about the company, especially about how environmentally friendly they are. I didn’t know that they recycled oil and lead, making it into new products many times before being thrown out. I also think that Newalta is a great place for women to work. One of my favourite things we did was touring the Newalta building. It was very enjoyable because they had a unique design and the architecture was interesting too. I also liked the features that they had at the building, such as an adjustable chair and screens for privacy. Another thing I loved about the design was there were many meeting rooms and hallways with whiteboards for walls. I thought that was very creative and useful as well. I thought the idea of a kitchen/lounge and restaurant in the building was convenient and helpful as well. I liked the career fair too. I saw many different fields that you could go into just by working at Newalta. You could go into financial work, recycling of oil and lead, taxes, health, design of the website, and much more! I thought it was just an oil & gas company, but really they do much more than that. Overall, it was a fantastic experience I really enjoyed. “ Danika V (6.?)
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MUSIC NOTES
Calgary Youth Hand bell Festival Hey CSS this is the hand bell choir at the Calgary Youth Hand Bell Festival. On April 19, our group met with the host school, St. Sebastian Elementary School along with other schools from around Calgary. So here’s how it worked: St. Sebastian went first and performed “Old McDonald”. The judge Emmy gave them some feedback and suggestions. Afterwards, we performed “Celebration No. 5” from the Easy Celebration Series and Emmy said we were really good. We met with a total of five other schools and heard their performances. Emmy said we all had great technique. One group was short one person so Mr.Bolen stepped in. I think he made them even better. They played a really nice song. The most exciting part of the festival was when we played a mass ringing of all the hand bell choirs. We performed the “Song Of Triumph” at the same time in front of their entire school. It was a great time playing with the other groups and just like that it was the end of the Calgary Youth Hand bell Festival. Annalise 4.4
The CSS Hand bell Choir is directed by Ms. Groeller and Mr. Bolen and will be performing at the Parent Volunteer Appreciation Tea June 10 in the IAC. The
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Provincial Band Festival It was a sunny day heading to Red Deer Tuesday May 17 to perform at the Alberta Provincial Band Festival held at the Red Deer College. The Grade 7-9 Concert Band, which is also made up of students from the grade 6 beginning band performed their music and did a super job. After meeting after school on Tuesday and Thursday for 5 weeks the band was ready to perform. When we arrived that morning we went to the auditorium and listened to some other bands play. This was a great experience for our students to hear what other schools are doing as well as have the opportunity to
watch other conductors. After lunch the band had a tour of the college to check out the programs offered. By the afternoon we had our band uniforms on for the first time and were looking sharp. Our performance was made up of three pieces of music consisting of “Joust”, “Safari” and “Marching Song”. After the band performance the band went into another auditorium for feedback and adjudicator comments. This festival had a sight-reading component where the band received some new music and played without any rehearsals.
Congratulations to the CSS Concert Band for a job well done!
Upcoming events… Thursday, June 9
Fine Arts Extravaganza
Performances by the concert bands & dance ensembles and art showcase
Friday, June 10
Black Light Show
Performances by the 8/9 band electives and dance ensembles
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Julia
at the Canada Wide Science Fair
My name is Julia and I am a grade 8 student. Many of you probably noticed my project, entitled Vivaldi Helped Me Get an A in Math, at the CSS Science Fair. At that fair, I won gold for my grade. This resulted in my attendance to the Calgary Youth Science Fair. I was delighted when they chose me to represent Calgary at the Canada Wide Science Fair in Toronto, Ontario from May 14-21. My week in Toronto was a whirlwind of excitement and activity.
School tours and public viewing came through, and judging lasted a day. Then it was time for awards. The awards ceremony was held on Thursday May 19 at the Roy Thomson Hall in downtown Toronto. It was here that I was awarded a bronze medal, $300, and a $1000 scholarship to the University of Western Ontario. Following the ceremony was an awards banquet and dance. The food was delicious and the dance was lots of fun.
I really enjoyed my experience in Toronto. Thank you Throughout the week we went on a few sightseeing to everyone who helped me get to where I did. Next tours, including the CN tower, the Royal Ontario Muyear’s fair is in P.E.I. I hope to attend! seum, and the Ontario Science Center. Although the The CN tower was completely fogged over, all in all it was Julia C a great experience. Grade 8 18 www.calgaryscienceschool.com
Swish & Josh
at the Jr. National Debate ChampionShips
On May 14th, two of our students, Swarochish (Swish) G (Gr. 8) and Josh H (Gr. 9) participated in the 2011 Jr. National Debate Championships in Estevan, Saskatchewan along with 78 of the best debaters from across Canada. Through the opening 6 rounds of debate they were the only team in the country to go undefeated with a perfect 6 and 0 record. In the semi-finals, they won a decisive victory over a very strong team from Nova Scotia, earning a sport in the National Final. In the final, in front of 125 debaters, coaches, parents and the Leiutentant-Governor of Saskatchewan, they preformed amazingly, but lost a very close, split decision to another gifted team from Saskatchewan, and won 2nd place in Canada!
CSS Debate Team after they debated the topic of casino fundraising at our May School Council meeting: Cameron B., Swish G., Joshua H., Calder K. and Mr. H. The
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BADMINTON h
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Grade 7
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Ethan, Luke, Jada, Nic, Annie, Sarah, Megan, S arah Missing: Sterling, Heidi, Mitchell, Paul
Grade 7’s turned out en masse to be part of the Badminton team. The chosen 12 members of the team practiced three times a week. Once in the morning, and twice at lunch. We worked on footwork, shot making, and strategy. The hard work paid off with a dominating performance at the league tournament.
Megan took home the girls’ singles gold while Nic dominated the boys’ singles divisions. A spirited effort from Ethan and Jada helped CSS claim the silver in mixed doubles. Mr. Fawcett would like to congratulate all Grade 7 players on a great job of representing Calgary Science School.
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Grade 8 The grade 8’s had another successful season this year winning the Charter School League finals. Of note, Swish and Nick won on the boys doubles side while Sheldon and Tintin came in second in the singles division. The team worked really hard this year and we are all proud of what they accomplished.
Paige D., Mikayla R., Nicole K., Tintin Y., Paula N., Swish G., Mr. Scott Cole L., Edward K., Nick B., and Sheldon V. missing: Geoffrey
Grade 9
Gold Medals in Boy’s Singles, Boys’ Doubles, Mixed Doubles, and Girls’ Doubles; also won Grade 9 Champions title with most points
Standing: Mr. Sonico, Zachary L, Andrew L., Peter F., Natalie Y., Eric T., Jasmine W. Sitting: Raveena B., Christine T. Missing: Lyndon B., Kelly H. The
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CSS Featured Artists
Reed Reed was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta. Art was never something that Reed thought was a major part of his life or that he excelled at, however he always enjoyed doing it. As Reed started the first term of grade 9 Art he focused on more sculpture-based work, like his 4-way stop intersection and “Smarties� project. Reed discovered how much he enjoys creating works of art with his hands, like forming clay and constructing areas for the clay to go in. When he went into his second term of Art he chose to start his first ever oil painting of the famous Starship Enterprise from the well-known T.V. series Star Trek. This version of the Enterprise is from the original series as the next generation ship is formed more aerodynamically. Reed has explored many different painting techniques and really developed his artistic skills this year.
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CSS Featured Artists
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CSS Featured Artists
Julia
Julia is a grade 8 student with a passion for art. Painting (both acrylic and watercolour), sculpting, pottery, drawing, jewelry making, and wire sculpture are a few of her favorite mediums. She recently completed a 3 by 5 foot acrylic painting of her favourite dog, the Shetland Sheepdog. This was her first largescale painting. Looking ahead, Julia would like to pursue a career that combines her love of math, science and art. Possible options include architecture, product design, or graphic design.
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CSS Featured Artists
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Southern Alberta
History Tour
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The weather cooperated wonderfully and we had a fantastic time on our Grade 4 Southern Alberta History Tour! The time seemed to fly by while we took part in all sorts of different and busy learning activities: At the Tyrell Museum, students started their historical experience with a fun and educational game called “Ancient Alberta Rocks”, and a guided hike where we discovered the seven wonders of the Badlands. Student groups had some time to explore the galleries, walking among one of the largest and most impressive dinosaur collections in the word. Later, after supper, we took part in a hands-on “Fossil Casting” workshop where everyone was able to make their own cast of an actual Museum fossil, and a “Raptors in Action” program where they investigated some of the science about dinosaurs and birds. Then, it was time to head out for some water fun at the Aquaplex, before coming back to the Museum to set up for a night with the some of the biggest creatures to rule the Cretaceous! A busy and exciting first day.
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After breakfast, we took part in the “Alberta Unearthed” challenge, achieving a ‘Masters Degree’, before leaving for a special program and visit to Reptile World. It was then time to move along on our journey through history - to the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre. After our welcome and orientation, students were taken on a guided hike around the Frank Slide area. It was a refreshing walk and students learned tonnes about the geology of Turtle Mountain. We were also able to watch a movie presentation that provided insight into the history of Frank, the coalmine, and the people affected by the huge slide. Students participated in a raucous game of Pictionary before getting the sleeping areas set up. We finished off the evening with a snack before climbing into our sleeping bags for the night.
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The next morning, after breakfast, we went underground – into the Bellevue Mine. This was a remarkable look into the difficult and harsh life of a coal miner! Back at the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre, we had an opportunity to play a game where we experienced the choices and consequences faced by immigrants that came to this area in the early 1900s. Our last site visit on our Southern Alberta History Tour was the North West Mounted Police Museum in Fort MacLeod. We enjoyed a wonderful play starring some of the key figures involved in Treaty 7; had a Blackfoot guide regale us with some stories about Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump as well as a couple of Blackfoot legends; and, took
part in a hoop game where students learned how young warriors trained for the important buffalo hunt. Our last activity had students participating in a reenactment of the infamous Whiskey Trade. Students pretended to be either whisky traders or NWMP officers, and acted out the capture, arrest, and trial of the whiskey traders. We encourage you to have your child share all these amazing learning experiences with you. A HUGE thanks to all our hard-working parent volunteers! Thank you again for your ongoing support and the generous donation of your time to all our events, trips, and activities. Valerie Barnes The
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GRADE 5 FORTSTEELE
Fort Steele was really fun because we learned a lot through fun activities. We went to different places to see and learn things about Fort Steele’s history, and we got to explore the Fort by ourselves. I had lots of fun there, and I am sure that on all of the schools future trips to Fort Steele, everybody else will too. Amanda (5.4)
Fort Steele was great, because it’s educational and fun at the same time. We learned that blacksmith’s usually started their apprenticeship at age 10,11 and 12. We went to the swim at Cranbrook and Radium Hot springs. At Fort Steele we also slept on hay in the barracks. Jonathan D (5.4)
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Fort Steele is an amazing opportunity to learn more about Sam Steele and most history of Fort Steele. The amazing Grade 9’s were just extraordinary to help out and they were trying to make learning fun. The Parent volunteers were outstanding to all the meals and they were just incredible. Mr. Sweet, Mrs. Stogre, and Mrs. Murray, Mister Mister {Mr. Hawk} Mister second Mister {Gram} and of course we have to thank Mr. Lonsberry for organizing this amazing trip. This trip was amazing because of the teachers, the grade 9’s, Parent volunteers and all the other people involved. Palveen B (5.4)
Fort Steele is super fun and there is lots to see there. Everything there is really fascinating, you can learn a lot about what happened back then and there is a lot of activity to do there. The most amazing things are the buildings, the pump cart and animals. I learned that Sam Steele is the founder of Fort Steele. How they put things and do things are a lot different then what we do now a days. I really enjoyed Fort Steele it is one of the best field trips in Calgary Science School. Carmen C (5.4) The www.calgaryscienceschool.com
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Thank you to all our parent volunteers for making Fort Steele amazing! Takshil J. (5.2)
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“I loved the animal tour. Seeing the big horses was awesome. One was at least two times the size of me.” Ethan B. (5.2)
“I thought the food was really great. It was also scary and funny when Mrs. Leland was teaching at the school house.” Sima T. (5.2)
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GRADE 7 FORTSTEELE
The grade 7’s were very excited to head out to Fort Steele for the second time. Our Fort Steele trip was jam packed with activities and adventures. Students were up early to cook and serve and to bed late with camp fires, cleaning up supper, games, and fire drills. The staff at Fort Steele was amazing and had a variety of programs including: smoking meat, making apple sauce, blacksmith, leather making, and Fort Steele follies, just to name a few. Mr Sweet and Mr. Petronech also took everyone gold panning where everyone was able to find several flakes of gold. Trips like Fort Steele wouldn’t be able to happen without our amazing students, parent volunteers, and staff. Thank-you to everyone that made this trip such a huge success. Mrs. Down
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“When the grade 7’s went to Fort Steele, we went around to all of the building that the tourists couldn’t enter or that they could only see some of, like the barber shop and the Winsor Hotel. One of the fun things about going into the buildings was that in order to not wear on the floor or get the floor dirty, was the blue ‘booties’ that we put over our shoes.” Taylor 7.1 “During our Fort Steele trip , right before our last time to go gold panning, Jada had twisted her ankle. We were all down in the water panning for gold in the pouring rain Jada was wrapped up in every spare jacket under a tree. People were trying to give her spare pieces of gold because she couldn’t gold pan herself, but Jada was just too nice to take any pieces of gold people offered her. We all came together and formed the “Jada tax”, 1 piece of gold per every pan you got 5 or more pieces of gold in. People were more generous than we thought giving 3 or 5 pieces of gold every time. By the end, we had a vial with the most pieces of gold than anyone had. Before we left to go back to Fort Steele, we presented the gold to Jada. At first she didn’t want to take it, but we insisted she have it. It was great to give her gold because what’s Fort Steele without bringing home a vial of gold where people over 100 years were panning?” Leigh 7.1
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JUNE 2011 1
Day 5b
Band Instrument Rental Night 6:30 - 7:30 PM
Grade 8 Circle Tour
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Day 1a
Gr. 9 Celebration dinner 6:00 - 9:00 PM
3 PD Day No Classes
4 Community Garden Build Day
SNACK ATTACK (Booster Juice)
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Day 2a
Grade 9.1/9.2 Boys Camp Sweet
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Day 3a
Grade 9 Girls Camp Sweet School Council Meeting 7:00 - 9:00 PM
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Day 2b
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Day 4a
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CSS Track & Field Day 12:00 -3:00 PM
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Day 3b
PAT Grade 6 Social Studies 9:00 – 10:00 AM
Grade 9.3/9.4 Boys Camp Sweet
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Day 4b
PAT Grade 6 ELA Part B 9:00 – 10:00 AM
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Day 5a
Day 1b
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Summer Band Concert 4:00 - 9:00 PM
Parent Volunteer Recognition Tea 11:00 - 2:00 PM
Fine Arts Extravaganza 7:00 PM
Friday Fun Lunch (Subway)
Day 5B
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Black Light Show 2:00 - 3:00 PM
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PAT Grade 6 Math 9:00 – 10:00 AM
Day1a
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PAT Grade 6 Science 9:00 – 10:00 AM
CSS Track & Field Day 12:00 -3:00 PM
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Day 2a
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DAY 3a
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Band Committee Meeting 8:30 – 9:45 AM
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Day 2b
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PAT Grade 9 Social Studies 9:00 – 10:20 AM
Day 3b
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Grade 9 Final Celebration Assembly 11:30 – 12:30 PM
DAY 4a
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PAT Grade 9 ELA Part B 9:00 – 10:15 AM
DAY 5a
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PAT Grade 9 Science 9:00 – 10:15 AM
Day 1b
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PAT Grade 9 Math 9:00 – 10:15 AM
Grade 6 Outdoor Ed. Hike 9:00 - 3:00 PM
Day 4b
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CSS Final BBQ Picnic 1:00 – 3:00 PM
30 Last Day of Classes Noon Dismissal for students Appeals Afternoon
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