Nose Creek School
135 Covepark Square NE, Calgary, AB T3K 5W9
t|403-817-3360 f|403-265-3742 |[email protected]
Newsletter | November 2013
Important Dates
Wednesday, November 6th
Parent/Teacher Interviews PM
Thursday, November 7th
Photo Re-take Day
Parent/Teacher Interviews PM
Friday, November 8th
No School for Students
Parent/Teacher Interviews AM
Monday, November 11th
Remembrance Day
Thursday, November 14th
Student Admin—Period 5
Friday, November 15th
Health Day
Monday, November 21st
Term 1 Ends
Friday, November 22nd
Professional Learning Day
Monday, November 25th
Term 2 Begins
Monday, December 2nd
School Council
Wow – we are already moving into our third month at school – we have
had a lovely fall and our new playground is a hub of activity each day!
Our congratulations to Madame Hug on the birth of her daughter! We
are still working on finding a new Educational Assistant for our PLP 2 class
but anticipate this being filled shortly.
Our fall sports teams are wrapping up with playoffs and our Wrestling
team is under way with over 50 athletes taking part! Thanks to Leanne Richmond, Andrea Jennings and Gavin Hansen for their dedication to this group
of athletes! We were pleased to host the first NW Quad meet on November
4th – thanks to Chris Dewsbury, Jenny Tymofichuk, Tim Janzen, Donna Logan, Kristen Jurcina and Graeme Finlay for their assistance with the meet!
Thanks to Claire Mahony, Matt Zinken, Julie Herman and Scott
Blenkhorne and their team of students for their inspirational and moving Remembrance day assemblies which took place on the 5th. This is always an
important time for us to reflect on our good fortune to be living in our city and
country.
Our Grade team service work has begun this year – one of our Grade 9
classes was at the Mustard Seed with Sonia Tyhonchuk sorting donations
and our Grade 4’s are busy collecting for Jacket Racket! Thanks to these
students and staff for making a difference in our community.
Our students were fortunate to have Lukas McFarlane come to our
school and speak with them on October 29th. Lukas, a native Calgarian shared his journey as a contemporary
dancer and the SPIRIT of following your dreams and finding your passion in life.
Our KODIAK SPIRIT recognition has begun – be sure to take a look in our front foyer for the diversity of
reasons and actions students have been recognized for!
Nose Creek School
November 2013
At our last School council meeting we reviewed our reporting plans for this year with parents/
guardians and at our conferences in November we will have hard copies of the reporting stems we will be
utilizing this year.
Additionally, we began a dialogue about moving both our school and Coventry Hills Elementary to a
modified calendar for 2014 – 2015. We will be having a parent/guardian meeting to garner input, and answer questions about moving to a modified calendar at a meeting at Nose Creek on December 2nd at
7:00—8:00 in the gymnasium. A letter will be sent home as a reminder and there will be an opportunity for
input, should you not be able to attend. Following this meeting Melody Pelling, Principal of Coventry and I
will collect the feedback and make a final decision in consultation with our Area Director, Susan Church.
This decision will be based on all the stakeholder input. Please see the link on our school website for
the information that was shared about the Modified Calendar at the School Council meeting.
Our Drama group is selling Poinsetta’s later this month to assist with the cost of the Spring Play – order forms will be available in the office and online! Thanks in advance for your support!
Students will be taking part in the first of three Health days on November 15th – Grade teams have invited a variety of guest speakers and have planned activities which tie to our Health outcomes – it should be
a great day!
We are looking forward to meeting with families on November 6th – 8th at our first conferences of the
year. We have added a second evening of time to assist families in attending – we encourage you to bring
your child as their voice and presence at the meetings is important.
November 22nd PD day will see our staff busy with two guest speakers for our Math/Science and Humanities teams. Staff are looking forward to a dedicated Curricular day together.
Sometimes we fear change, yet we forget that life is an adventure, nothing
stays the same, everything changes or we
become stagnant.
Carol Hall,
Principal
http://www.lukasmcfarlane.com/
Follow Us On Twitter – look for regular updates about events,
and the ongoing learning and KODIAK SPIRIT at Nose Creek!!
@nckodiaks
Nose Creek School
November 2013
Grade 4
In Humanities we have been learning about the 6 regions in Alberta: the Canadian Shield, the Boreal Forest, Rocky Mountains, Parkland Foothills and the Grassland. We also have been learning about the 10
provinces and the 3 territories. Students have been learning about parts of grammar like antonyms. We learned about capitals and punctuation. We did personal writing in our journals and we completed our self-portrait projects.
by Julia H. and Jocelyn D.
In Grade 4 Science we have been learning non-biodegradable and biodegradable. We did a banana experiment where we learned that bacteria break down anything that is biodegradable. The banana peel started
to rot. After that the banana peel became mushy and black. We watched videos about the 3 r's which
means reduce, reuse and recycle.
In Grade 4 Math we have been learning place value We have also been doing expanded form and making
equations. Mr. Brewer did a game with us called guess my number and we taped numbers on the back of
our backs and tried to guess the number from using place value. We have written what numbers look like
in different ways and used base ten blocks to make them on the computer and in class.
by Zoha and Shreeya
Nose Creek School
November 2013
Grade 5
In French, we have been learning about our families. We are able to describe the members of our families’
hair colour, length and texture. We are able to describe their eye colour. We also learned how to compare
height. Not only can we describe their physical traits but also their character traits (busy, nice, smiley, intelligent, active, funny). We discussed what we were wearing for Halloween and also vocabulary that goes
along with it. We have also begun learning about the different areas of a house (haunted house!). We learn
our French through playing games, writing, reading books and talking (discussing).
In Math, we learned about patterns and how to write equations using a variable. We are beginning to learn
about place value and different ways to represent a number (place value chart, expanded form, standard
form, and in words). We have been playing Mathletics to help us learn our basic facts and math. Congratulations to Shelby S. who was a top scorer in Canada. Keep playing!
Nose Creek School
November 2013
Grade 6
The month of October has been a fun filled event with many happenings in the Grade 6 end of the hallway.
Our students became extremely civically involved that they not only led many parents in their voting strategies
for this municipal election but they also managed to convince Jim Stevenson from ward 3 to ask if he could
come and speak with them, as so many seemed to reach out over social media to enlist him in conversation.
We focused on a good two paragraph assignment that asked them to consider their mayoral candidate in
depth and there were many great candidates that were written about aside from the most popular and eventual winner, Nenshi. Moving towards the end of October we began a Mysterious Creature project in humanities
and you will see the results of this work if you pass by the hallway on your way into Parent Teacher Interviews. In Math we are working on building basic skills in numeracy in order to move into the world of word
based problem solving.
Nose Creek School
November 2013
Grade 7
So far this year the Grade 7 students have had an amazing first two months. In October they
went on two field trips, one to Frank Slide and another to Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump. On the trip to
Frank Slide they got the experience to go on a hike around the collapsed mountain and learned about
the different types of rocks. After returning from the hike they watched a short clip of the night that Turtle Mountain collapsed and heard the stories of the victims. After boarding the bus they headed of to
Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump. They watched a short film of a re enactment of the Buffalo Jumps purpose, and then headed up to see the sights. They got to hear the story and once up there and hear
about the legends of how it got it’s name. After finishing off there they got to see a teepee and hear
about what the symbols meant.
In Math and Science students have been learning about integers, ratios, fractions, decimals,
percents and ecosystems. 7A and 7B have been working on a Bio Bottle Project, and have been observing the different changes within their bottle. After five weeks they added a variable to the bottle and
have been making observation based on it. In math students began with practicing their multiplication
and reviewing things from last year, and applying it to new criteria. They have been working extra hard
and so far have moved through two units.
-This article was written by Hailey
Nose Creek School
November 2013
Grade 8
Humanities
In Humanities we have been looking at the fall of the Roman/Byzantine Empires. We did a week of research,
mapping and creating our own Byzantine art. Using the Explain Everything App, we then created a presentation focusing on why Rome and Byzantium fell, how our worldviews are similar or different to the Byzantines
and what the fall of Rome can teach leaders today? We will begin to look at the Dark/Middle Ages before
studying the Renaissance and the beginning of the Western Worldview.
Math
In Math, we have been working on adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing integers. We will be moving
onto a new unit mid-November. The new unit we will be looking at is Data Analysis. We will be making many
connections between math, science and humanities during this unit. The final assessment piece for this unit
will involve all three core areas.
Congratulations to those who did so well on the October/Halloween Math Relay! Many of you showed great
perseverance and demonstrated great math reasoning. Keep up the good work!
Science
Students have been working on the Mix and Flow of Matter Unit in Science this month. Lab work and write-ups were much improved as we progressed through the unit! Way to go Grade 8!
We will be starting our Mechanical Systems Unit that will take our students on an interesting and exciting journey of the technological world. It
will begin with an examination of simple machines and how they are
used. The unit ends with the construction and analysis of complex machines and why they cannot be 100% efficient. Keep your eye out for
some creative projects coming soon!
Nose Creek School
November 2013
Grade 9
Written by Emily F. from 9B
Math
In Math we are working on squares and square roots of both rational and irrational numbers. We are also
learning how to solve word problems using rational and irrational numbers. Looking ahead, we will be investigating powers and exponents laws.
Science
In Science we are learning about the Periodic Table of Elements and how to read it, and about each element. We are also investigating physical and chemical properties.
Language Arts
In LA this term we are writing essays on the current problems in Canada. We also just finished our personal novel study project as well.
Social Studies
In Social we are doing current events about problems around the world. We are also working on our essays in Social, just like in Language Arts.
Nose Creek School
November 2013
Mr. MacDonald’s Class
Our field trip to Frank Slide and Head Smashed In was a great day out. Our research project on Native
cultures and the power point presentations turned out to be a great opportunity for the young people in my
room to demonstrate their tech skills.
We’ve started our second novel study this week. Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat. Along the way we
will be examining a food chain and dissecting Owl pellets.
Nose Creek School
November 2013
Learning Commons
The first Scholastic Book Fair has been a great success!
The students and the staff are so excited
Nose Creek School
November 2013
Learning Commons
A great big THANK YOU goes out to all of the
Book Fair volunteers:
Students
Max , Faith, Riley , Lauren, Laila, Zahra, Ashley, Amy, Subha, Salma, Amtul , Glory and Gary
Super Volunteer Grandma
Mrs. Bouchard (Josh’s Grandma) has been volunteering in the L.C. every Friday. She comes to us with
many years of experience as a Library Tech. with the CBE. We are thrilled to have her and her knowledge
here to help us.
Also Mrs. Bouchard has donated over $200 dollars worth of books to our Learning Commons. So if you see
her here on Fridays be sure to thank her!!! We are very lucky to have her.
Super Volunteer Mom’s
Mrs. Baerg, Mrs. Huebert, Mrs. Ehret, Mrs Grinwis, Mrs. Claughton, Mrs. Dozak, Mrs. Russell and Mrs Heilman.
Nose Creek School
November 2013
Nose Creek Physical Education Department
Interschool Sports
Volleyball
Good luck to all the teams as they start playoffs this week. Congratulations to all teams for their successes in
the tournaments during the last two weeks.
Wrestling
Congratulations to all the wrestlers who competed in the first ever Nose Creek wrestling quad meet on Monday, November 4th. We hosted over 150 wrestlers from Nose Creek, Captain Nichola Goddard, Twelve Mile
Coulee, and Branton School.
Gavin Hansen, Ms. Jennings, Ms. Richmond and Ms. Hall will continue to run practices every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 3:00 – 4:00.
PE Classes
The following modules will continue in PE class until the end of November.
Combatives (Wrestling type activities)
Basketball
Table Tennis
Fitness
Basketball
Try outs for Junior and Senior teams will begin during the Month of November.
WE DAY
A number of Nose Creek Leadership students had the opportunity to attend We DAY at the Calgary Saddledome on Oct. 24th. This day kicks off a year long commitment for each school to participate in at least one
local and one global charity. We will be running several fundraisers in the new year with all proceeds going to
Free the Children.
Nose Creek School
November 2013
Nose Creek Physical Education Department Con’t
Halloween Activities
Thanks to all the students for participating in the Halloween activities throughout the afternoon
on Oct. 31st. Money from the dance and face painting will go to Free the Children.
Intramurals
All homerooms competed in the Tug O War Challenge last month which was a huge success.
Thanks for all students and teachers for participating.
Students in grades 4-6 had a great time participating in 7 different Halloween activities in the
gym at lunchtime last week. Thanks to the Leadership students for excellent organization and
planning.
Nose Creek School
November 2013
Art
Nose Creek School
November 2013
Drama
Auditions have been completed for the Grade 7,8 and 9 students and "Wizard's Whisker's War" has been
Cast.Mrs.Mahony will have letters going home this week and the first meeting will occur November 7. The
grade 4,5,6 auditions for "Cinderella" will occur this Thursday at Lunch with Madam Ross Murray. The play
dates are March 12th and 13th at 6:30 and tickets will be $5.00 and available at the office in February.
Term 2 Complimentary Courses
Term 1 courses are being wrapped up and students will be switching to their term 2 complimentary courses.
Here are some important dates to be aware of:
Friday November 15th – Course descriptions for Term 2 complimentary courses for grades 7,8 & 9 will be
posted on the website
Tuesday November 19th and/or Wednesday November 20th - Grade 7, 8 & 9 students will register at school
for their term 2 complimentary courses
Thursday November 21st – Last day term 1 complimentary courses
Monday November 25th – First day of term 2 complimentary courses
Friday November 29th – Last day for students to request a change in complimentary course (students are required to fill out a form and return it to the office)
Nose Creek School
November 2013
School Council
Well winter is starting but parent involvement is still strong! The last couple of months has been a great
turnout at the meetings. Next month’s meeting, December 4th, 2013, will be from 6-7 instead of 6:307:30. If you have any concerns, please contact me at [email protected].
I want to welcome our new CASE Council Chair Shawn G., Co-Chair Nicole H., Treasurer Barbara C. and
Secretary Nancy G.
REPORTING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
We will share more specifics with families at our School Council and during conferences in November,
however wanted to share the following:
We will continue to use the following indicators:
A – excels
B – exceeds
C – meets
D – approaching
(Where the adjectives are in relation to the learning outcomes)
Students will receive comments in all subjects and there will be a comment on each of the Results – Personal Development, Citizenship and Character in January and an indicator for each Result in June.
Children will receive a report card the end of January and the end of June.
Prior to the November and April conferences students will be completing a document where they reflect on
their progress to date, successes and areas they feel they need to focus on. Staff will make comments
and then this will be sent home in advance of conferences and serve as a talking piece about your child’s
achievement.
We will have three sets of student/parent/teacher conferences – early November, at report card time in
January and then again in April.
Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher or Graeme Finlay or Carol Hall should you have any questions.
Nose Creek School
November 2013
Nose Creek School
November 2013
"Therapists from Alberta Health Services may visit your school during the
year. Speech Language Pathologists, Physiotherapists and Occupational
Therapists will work with teachers and school staff to support health and
learning needs of children and youth in your school."
Nose Creek School
November 2013