Salut tout le monde,
I have added information about several current youth leadership programs to the "Social Justice Opportunities" tab at the top of the page. These opportunities include joining the City of Victoria Youth Council, Toastmasters Youth Leadership, participating in Victoria’s first ever youth film contest about homelessness, joining Greater Victoria Public Library Youth Advisory Council and submitting a comic to Canada’s Good Food Hero Comic Contest.
The emergence of these opportunities is very appropriate, as we've been having some extremely interesting class discussions about societal values and the roles of youth in human interaction as part of our Social Justice film study. I hope the students have been sharing their ideas with their families; it's fascinating to hear their well thought out interpretations of why things are the way they are. We have now finished studying Billy Elliot, and are moving on to Pleasantville.
In science we are about half way through our optics unit. Later this week or early next week, the students will be starting key concepts posters for what we've covered so far in optics, and once we finish the following chapter, we'll do a fun small scale group project to wrap up the unit.
A bientôt,
Mme O
lundi 24 janvier 2011
mercredi 19 janvier 2011
Yearbook, science contest, Ski trip, and a free French class for parents
Hi folks,
I apologize in advance for the choppiness of this post! I've added subtitles to try to tidy it up a bit.
Yearbook:
Just a reminder that tomorrow is the last day to buy yearbooks, so if you want one, this is your last chance! Here's the link to the order form once again: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mwZTblcUMdoMgZAbG70WoadJQLlVAsB4UY9s7TvP42Q/edit?hl=en&authkey=CO_Uqf4J
Science contest:
I've added a new tab at the top of the page for science contests, and have attached the link where you can find out more about the Year of Chemistry Youtube contest I mentioned in class earlier this week. Take a look! :)
Ski trip:
The info meeting for the ski trip took place yesterday, and students received permission forms. Please note that attending the ski trip is dependant on having good academic standing - including no missing assignments, and having regular attendance at school.
French Class:
Parents - if you're interested, Gabe Levesque is offering a free French class for parents of FI students. I've uploaded a simplified version of his poster here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AC0u7ZDBqIqpVSgDomMLNshIs5coCDqaG0jIPW4mXo4/edit?hl=en&authkey=CN-Q7b4N
A la prochaine,
Mme O
I apologize in advance for the choppiness of this post! I've added subtitles to try to tidy it up a bit.
Yearbook:
Just a reminder that tomorrow is the last day to buy yearbooks, so if you want one, this is your last chance! Here's the link to the order form once again: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mwZTblcUMdoMgZAbG70WoadJQLlVAsB4UY9s7TvP42Q/edit?hl=en&authkey=CO_Uqf4J
Science contest:
I've added a new tab at the top of the page for science contests, and have attached the link where you can find out more about the Year of Chemistry Youtube contest I mentioned in class earlier this week. Take a look! :)
Ski trip:
The info meeting for the ski trip took place yesterday, and students received permission forms. Please note that attending the ski trip is dependant on having good academic standing - including no missing assignments, and having regular attendance at school.
French Class:
Parents - if you're interested, Gabe Levesque is offering a free French class for parents of FI students. I've uploaded a simplified version of his poster here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AC0u7ZDBqIqpVSgDomMLNshIs5coCDqaG0jIPW4mXo4/edit?hl=en&authkey=CN-Q7b4N
A la prochaine,
Mme O
lundi 17 janvier 2011
M. Barwin's new website
FYI - M. Barwin has a great new website outlining the socials/science project the kids are currently working on. You can find the updated link below, and in the "Liens pertinents" section on the left of the page.
http://projetsscorpions.wikispaces.com/
Mme O
http://projetsscorpions.wikispaces.com/
Mme O
jeudi 13 janvier 2011
Challenge Program Application Deadline
Just a reminder that the deadline for applying to the District Challenge Program, hosted at Mt. Doug and Esquimalt is Tuesday, January 18.
Applications can be downloaded from the Esquimalt and Mt. Doug websites, or collected from either school.
Mme O
Applications can be downloaded from the Esquimalt and Mt. Doug websites, or collected from either school.
Mme O
dimanche 9 janvier 2011
We survived our first week back!
Chers élèves,
Didn't that feel like a long first week back - despite only being 4 days? Next week is bound to be easier. :)
I went into school for a few hours today to do some marking, and had hoped to update the blog then; however, my classroom computer wouldn't turn on, so hopefully - if you need the following reminder - you check your email before tomorrow.
**Please remember to bring in your permission forms for our social justice film study!**
We will be starting to watch our first movie tomorrow.
Parents - because I'm still missing so many permission forms, I have a back-up G rated film that I can substitute in for the first film, if necessary. It is called "Spirit," and it's an animated film about a horse seeking freedom. I would prefer to show and discuss the films outlined on the permission form, and so I would very much appreciate you reminding your kids to bring those in, so we can have more sophisticated content to discuss.
One parent asked for some clarification of what will happen during this unit of study, and just in case you are also curious, I've copied and pasted my description here:
"In the past, I've found that this unit reaches children in a different way to traditional literature, starting with a media that they are familiar and comfortable with, but encouraging reflection and critical thinking about what is put before them.
... I will be screening the kids from some of the scenes. I'm lucky enough to have an excellent scene by scene guide for each of the movies we'll be seeing, with thought-provoking discussion questions geared towards this age group and the grade 8 curriculum. We'll be pausing the movies every 3-4 scenes for discussions that require students to reflect on what they are seeing, and break down the social justice issues presented in the scenes we just watched. At the end of each film, there will be further activities about character development and other literary terms, as well as the social justice issues that come up in our discussions."
Thanks again for your support, and all of your thoughtful comments on this next English endeavor.
In science, we have just started studying optics, and the students will be/have been introduced to the joint socials/science project we will be undertaking this month and next. Students will have the choice to complete the project as an in-class requirement, take it further and use it as the basis for a science fair project, or complete the in-class project, and do an additional science fair project. Whatever their choice, they will have class time in both science (1 class per week) and socials to work on the project. The remaining science blocks will be used to continue the science curriculum. The project focuses on socials content, but uses the scientific process - a required learning outcome for science. FYI - the Central Science Fair has been scheduled for February 23/24.
One final update: Reece in Div 15 has successfully completed the 2010 Optimist Worlds competition in Malaysia with excellent results: he finished 114th out of 231! This is higher than any Canadian has ever placed in a world competition in Opti sailing, and is an incredible result in his first international event. Congratulations, Reece!
Have a wonderful Sunday night,
Mme O
Didn't that feel like a long first week back - despite only being 4 days? Next week is bound to be easier. :)
I went into school for a few hours today to do some marking, and had hoped to update the blog then; however, my classroom computer wouldn't turn on, so hopefully - if you need the following reminder - you check your email before tomorrow.
**Please remember to bring in your permission forms for our social justice film study!**
We will be starting to watch our first movie tomorrow.
Parents - because I'm still missing so many permission forms, I have a back-up G rated film that I can substitute in for the first film, if necessary. It is called "Spirit," and it's an animated film about a horse seeking freedom. I would prefer to show and discuss the films outlined on the permission form, and so I would very much appreciate you reminding your kids to bring those in, so we can have more sophisticated content to discuss.
One parent asked for some clarification of what will happen during this unit of study, and just in case you are also curious, I've copied and pasted my description here:
"In the past, I've found that this unit reaches children in a different way to traditional literature, starting with a media that they are familiar and comfortable with, but encouraging reflection and critical thinking about what is put before them.
... I will be screening the kids from some of the scenes. I'm lucky enough to have an excellent scene by scene guide for each of the movies we'll be seeing, with thought-provoking discussion questions geared towards this age group and the grade 8 curriculum. We'll be pausing the movies every 3-4 scenes for discussions that require students to reflect on what they are seeing, and break down the social justice issues presented in the scenes we just watched. At the end of each film, there will be further activities about character development and other literary terms, as well as the social justice issues that come up in our discussions."
Thanks again for your support, and all of your thoughtful comments on this next English endeavor.
In science, we have just started studying optics, and the students will be/have been introduced to the joint socials/science project we will be undertaking this month and next. Students will have the choice to complete the project as an in-class requirement, take it further and use it as the basis for a science fair project, or complete the in-class project, and do an additional science fair project. Whatever their choice, they will have class time in both science (1 class per week) and socials to work on the project. The remaining science blocks will be used to continue the science curriculum. The project focuses on socials content, but uses the scientific process - a required learning outcome for science. FYI - the Central Science Fair has been scheduled for February 23/24.
One final update: Reece in Div 15 has successfully completed the 2010 Optimist Worlds competition in Malaysia with excellent results: he finished 114th out of 231! This is higher than any Canadian has ever placed in a world competition in Opti sailing, and is an incredible result in his first international event. Congratulations, Reece!
Have a wonderful Sunday night,
Mme O
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