Queen Elizabeth High
School
Queen Elizabeth High
School
Queen Elizabeth High School
January 2006
From the Desk of the Principal
Exams are just around the corner. This marks the conclusion of first semester and a half-way flag for the year! Our exam
schedule was circulated before the Christmas Holiday. It is available on our website, posted throughout our school and
available by mail on request. This newsletter contains important information about exams, including the procedures to follow in the event of school cancellation. Please make sure to read this thoroughly. As always, encourage your daughter/son
to seek support as soon as possible in preparing for exams.
The month of February is “registration month” for the Halifax Regional School Board. During this month, we work hard to
identify our student population for the following school year. It is important that all students (primary -12) enrolling for
school are registered in the month of February. At QEH, our efforts are concentrated on ensuring students in junior high
schools indicate which high school they will be attending in the fall. We consider all students at QEH who are “not graduating” to be returning students. However, if you know at this time that you are moving or otherwise not returning in the fall,
please let us know as soon as possible. Establishing our enrollment is the foundation to staffing and course offerings for next
school year. (Reminder: Halifax Regional School Board CEO, Carole Olsen, has assured us “that the merging of the two schools will
NOT occur in the 2005-06 school year”. Both QEH and SPHS will continue “status quo” until September 2007.)
The Halifax Regional School Board has closed boundaries; students are expected to attend school in the neighborhood in
which their parents/guardians live. Parents and students interested in “transferring high schools” must follow the guidelines
in the Creating School Populations Policy. This is available on-line at www.hrsb.ns.ca or by contacting the school. The process for submitting an “Out of Area Request” is detailed in this policy and completed applications are received beginning on
April 3 for the fall semester.
As we approach spring, much attention is given to assist students to choose courses for the next school year. This is a very
important process. The choices that students make determine the courses we will offer next year. This, in turn, is used to
determine our staffing needs. It is most important that you participate with students, teachers and guidance counselors to
ensure that students make informed selections. Please join us for our ‘Parent Information Evening’ March 22nd to
learn more about course selection. As well, take the opportunity to sit with your daughter/son’s school counselor to talk
about graduation requirements and career ambitions. Each department at our school is able to assist with questions you
may have about specific courses as well as suggestions they may have based on past performance. Please contact us with any
questions, comments or concerns.
Citadel High School is on schedule to open in September 2007. As you can see, the community college site on Bell Road is
almost cleared. Wondering why there is a section of the former building still on the site?
“The remaining portion of the building is the only one (being more recent) which is suitable to crush and use as
buried fill to top up the basement hole left on site by the other building (whose crushed remains are being separated into different materials and carted elsewhere for disposal). So the older building footprint has to be clear of
debris before we can crush up the new section and then use it for fill.”
The site is scheduled to be cleared by February 15 and ground breaking for the new school is scheduled for April. More
information about our Capital Campaign will be announced this spring.
Should you have any questions, suggestions or concerns, please let us know. “Good luck on exams!”
Elwin LeRoux
QEH Student Council
QEH Student Council has been busy for the past few months. Last month we were
supported several charities including Laing house and Teens Helping Teens. Special
thanks to the students from the Learning Center for their parhelp with our ‘Change
Bandits’ campaign. Our annual “Festivus” event was a huge success. The week included
the winter wonderland dance and a special visit from Santa during lunch hours.
This month we are preparing for our Valentine’s week and the upcoming semiformal
which is being held on February 9th. We are also collecting clothing for Phoenix
house. All donations would be appreciated! If you are interested in ordering QEH
spirit wear, order forms will be available at the end of this month.
Thanks to everyone who has been involved in all of our activities. We look forward to
your continued support over the next few months!
NSCC Open House
The Nova Scotia Community College will
be hosting an Open House on Tuesday,
February 21st, 2006 from 6pm-9pm. The
Akerley Campus will open its doors to the
community to showcase its programs and
services to the public. Community members are welcome to come and meet with
faculty, current students and staff to learn
more about the Akerley Campus programs and the NSCC college experience.
Queen Elizabeth High School
Thursday, February 16th is Curriculum Night
(storm date is Thursday, February 23rd).
Please join us on Thursday, February 16th for Curriculum Night!
Storm date is scheduled as Thursday, February 23rd
Follow you daughter/son’s timetable and meet their teachers.
Staff will review course outlines and assessment plans.
All parents/guardians are invited to attend.
Page 2
Parent and Student Meeting –
Spain Trip
The final meeting for parents/guardians
and students traveling to Spain for March
Break will be on Tuesday, February 7th at
7:00 pm in Room 238 (Drama Room).
We look forward to seeing you there!
6:30 p.m. “First class” begins at 6:45 pm.
Four 15 minute classes.
Congratulations!
Please bring your daughter/son’s timetable – Day 1 schedule!
Semi-Formal February 9th:
Parent Support Please!
On Thursday, February 9th QEH Students’ Council and St. Pat’s Students’ Council are
planning to have a combined Semi-formal Dance. Plans are developing! We need your
support to ensure the success of this event!
The excitement of a semi-formal builds long before students arrive at the dance. From
buying tickets to getting ready to taking pictures, it’s a special event! Unfortunately, a
tradition for many high school students has been to drink or use other drugs at a preparty event. We need your support to ensure that students come to the dance drug
and alcohol free. No amount of alcohol is “OK” when attending a school function. By
policy, there are severe consequences for these choices including suspension and loss of
privileges from co-curricular activities. Our goal is to make this a fun and safe evening
for everyone.
Please support Students’ Council efforts to ensure a “safe-semi”.
Congratulations to former QEH grad Katelyn Townsend who received the prestigious Bell Achievement
Award from Mount Allison University. Way to go
Kate!
Congratulations are extended to Yezin Al-Aaysi and
Ainslee Cassidy, who were honoured as members of
gold medal teams on October 27, 2005 in Waterloo,
Ontario at the eighth annual RBC/Shad Entrepreneurship Cup. Yezin and Ainslee, two QEH students who
participated in Shad Valley 2005, developed a project
which simulated a business start-up.
We are so proud of their achievements!!
If you are able to chaperone the event, please join us!
LIONS HOCKEY
ATHLETICS NEWS
The QEH Lions hockey team is in the middle
of one of their most successful seasons to
date. This year’s edition of the team contains
a balanced mix of grade 10’s, 11’s, and 12’s.
The team currently sits in second place in
league play with a record of 11-1-4. Tournament play has also been favorable for the
Lions this year, as they have won 3 out of 5
tournaments they’ve entered including West
Kings, the Millennium Cup in Antigonish, and
the Gatorade Cup hosted by Halifax West.
The team also helped spread holiday cheer as
they volunteered at the Metro Food Bank
over the holiday season. The biggest news for
the Lions, however, was being selected to
host the NSSAF Division 1 High School
Hockey provincials from March 30-April 2.
With the winning bid, the Lions automatically
earn a birth in the final eight tournament.
Follow the hockey team during their play off
run and march to the provincial title at
www.qeh.goalline.ca
Youth Heath Centre
GIRLS BASKETBALL
CHEERLEADING
The QEH Girls Basketball Team has had
a very successful season so far. Being just
past the half way mark of the season, the
girls are 10-0 in regular season play
which seats them in first place in the
Metro League. The team has attended
numerous tournaments this season, traveling to Charlottetown, Moncton, and
Truro, as well as hosting our own tournament at Mount Saint Vincent University.
The team has high hopes for the remainder of the season, and is also hoping to
finishing first in the Metro League. With a
strong core of returning players and many
talented rookies, the team looks forward
to any competition that comes their way.
Since tryouts in November, we've
come a long way and are ready for the
season to begin. Our first competition
is on February 18 at 1:00 pm at Auburn
Drive High. If you're looking for something closer to home, come to our
home competition on February 23rd.
It's going to be a long season and we
need lots of support so students,
friends and family are all welcome. We
would like to thank our coaches and
spare cheerleaders. Our intense training would have been much harder if we
didn't have their support. Also, a big
thanks to our teacher liaisons. Let's Go
Lions!
Pam Briand, RN, BN, QEH YHC Coordinator /Public Health Nurse—421-3053 [email protected]
The grade 10 immunization clinic will be held on Tuesday, March 7th 2006 at Queen Elizabeth High School. Consent forms were sent home with all grade
ten students in early December. Many have not been returned. Second forms and lists of students who have not yet returned the consent have been provided to the homeroom teachers. Please read the following information and return any forms which are not yet in to the main office or the youth health
centre at QEH. These consents must be returned to school even if the student will not be receiving a vaccine. It is also important for parents to understand
that unless they are judged as unable to understand the information about the vaccines, Grade 10 students can legally give their own consent for immunization
Again this year, two vaccines are recommended within the Grade 10 immunization program: Mengugate, a vaccine against meningococcal C disease and
Adacel, a diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine (booster suggested every ten years throughout the lifespan). This is the second year in which the meningococcal vaccine and the pertussis component have been added to the program. The meningococcal C vaccine will be given in the same arm as Adacel® vaccine in
a second needle. . The Nova Scotia Department of Health has provided funding for all grade tens to receive the Mengugate vaccine for free at the school
immunization clinic. If received at the doctor’s office this vaccine will cost approximately $100
I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to prevent serious infections. Please feel free to contact me at your child’s school if you require
further information.
Queen Elizabeth High School
Page 3
Exam Instructions for Students
1. Each exam is prepared as a 2hour exam and students are permitted 2.5 hours to complete their
exams. Only students with special
considerations recommended by
their teachers and approved by the
administration will be allocated additional time or other modifications.
Please note that the Grade 12
Nova Scotia Exams (NSE) have
their own defined time frames.
Check your timetable.
2. Students are to be on time for all
exams. If a student arrives late
within the first hour s/he will be
permitted to start the exam but
with no additional time allocated at
the end. All students must remain in
the exam room for at least 1 hour
after the start of the exam. Any
student arriving later than 1
hour after the start time will
not be permitted to write and
will receive an exam mark of 0.
There are no make-up examinations.
3. AN EXEMPTION from writing an
exam(s) CAN ONLY BE GRANTED
BY A VICE-PRINCIPAL, and is usually based on illness or bereavement.
If you are unable to write the exam
due to illness, a medical note from a
doctor is necessary and should be
provided to the main office within
24 hours of the scheduled exam.
Likewise, in case of bereavement, a
Vice-Principal needs to be contacted
immediately. (Main Office – 4216804)
End of Semester Instructions for Students
1.
5. While exams are being written
there are to be no students in the
hallway. If you are leaving the building,
please do so as quickly as possible. If
you are staying in the building after
completing your exam, please proceed to the library or cafeteria as
quickly and quietly as possible.
6. Students are to return all textbooks as directed by their subject
teachers before the end of exams.
(See #1 below). Marks will not be
given to students who do not return
books.
7. Students are not permitted to
leave the examination room unless
accompanied by a teacher.
School Cancellation: If for any
reason school is cancelled during the
exam schedule, exams are also cancelled. The entire schedule moves
ahead each day that school is interrupted. For example, if Monday’s
exams were cancelled those exams
would move to Tuesday and Tuesday’s exams would be written on
Wednesday. It is important to realize
that Friday, February 3rd is a nonschool day for all students. Any alteration of the exam schedule happens around this non-school day.
Exams will not be written on Friday,
February 3rd under any circumstances. They will move forward to
Monday, February 6th, 2006.
All textbooks must be returned by 3:30 pm,
Thursday, February 2nd, 2006. No marks will be issued
until all books are returned. Lost or stolen books are
the responsibility of the student and must be replaced.
Costs for textbooks can be obtained from the subject
teachers.
2.
Second semester courses begin on Monday, February 6th. Students are to report to all second semester courses on Monday, February 6th, and continue to
attend those classes until officially notified of a change
by the Student Services office. Course selections were
made in the fall for the entire school year. Changes at
this time will be minimal.
3. Report cards for all students for first semester
will be issued on Wednesday, February 9th. An opportunity for students to review their exam papers will be
provided on Wednesday, February 15th at 2:00 p.m.
If parents or guardians have any concerns regarding their
son or daughter’s overall academic performance in semester one, please do not hesitate to contact either their
vice-principal or guidance counselor to discuss ways in
which we can work together to improve their overall
achievement.
Exam Taking Strategies
•
Put your name on the exam.
•
Read all instructions carefully.
•
Underline important instructions that you want
to make sure you don’t forget.
•
Check the point values for each question and
budget your time wisely
4. If it determined that a student is
officially exempt from an exam, as in
#3 above, the exam mark will be
recorded as No Mark Given.
Other assessment throughout the
semester will be weighted appropriIMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING EXAMS
The following rules and regulations a apply to all QEH examinations:
•
Read the whole question.
•
If you are not sure what to do then ask!
•
Answer what you know first.
Then go back and fill in the parts that you were not
too sure of – you may be more relaxed by now and
you will be able to give some type of answer.
1. Students are not permitted to listen to personal CD players,
MP3 players, radios or electronic devices of any kind during examinations.
2. Cell phones must be turned off and stored at the front of the
examination room before the examination begins. Students are not
permitted to use cell phones for any reason at any time during an
examination.
3. Students will be asked to use school calculators for examinations wherever possible. For examinations that require students to
use their own calculator, the calculator’s memory will be erased by
the invigilating teacher before the exams are distributed.
4. Students are not permitted to use electronic devices such as
electronic dictionaries, PALM Pilots, etc., during their examinations.
5.
Personal belongings such as backpacks, purses, pencil cases,
course materials and electronics must be left at the front of the
classroom during examinations. If an examination requires the use
of textbooks, they must be kept on the floor beside the student’s
desk unless they are being used. Students will not be able to access
their personal belongings once the examination has begun. It is recommended that students leave valuable personal belonging at home
during examinations.
6. Students are encouraged to use the washroom before their examinations begin Escorts to the washroom will be provided in
emergency situations only.
7. Any student caught cheating on an examination will receive a
mark of ‘0’ on that examination and Parents/Guardians will be contacted by administration immediately
Robotics Team
The 2006 QEH Robotics Team continues to plan for the design,
construction, and testing of our Robot to compete in the 10th annual Robotics East Competition, April 6 & 7, 2006 at Dalplex. The
team collects recycables weekly as part of our fundraising efforts.
We have paid our registration fee and purchased a welder. This
year's robot will either be made of steel or aluminum. Approximately
20 students participate on this team. We continue to look for mentors with an engineering background to assist with design, construction, testing , and preparation of the engineering log. Donations are
also gratefully accepted. Tax deductible charitable donation receipts
will be provided. It is our hope to substantially improve our placement this year. QEH Robotics wishes to thank its supporters. We
hope to see you April 6, & 7th at Dalplex!
For additional information, please contact
Graham Brunt- Student Project Manager [email protected]
Wayne Lincoln- Science & Tech Dept Head [email protected]
Bruce MacKay- Technology Education [email protected]
Queen Elizabeth High
School
Student Services News
QEH Contact Information
Main Office
421-6804
Resource
421-2657
Student Services
421-6803
Learning Centre
421-2519
Transcripts
Registrar
421-6803
421-6798
Health Centre
Music Centre
421-3053
421-6700
Attendance
421-6797
Guidance Counselors
Vice Principals
Mrs. Coady (A-K)
421-6893
Mr. Miller (A-K)
Mr. White (L-Z)
421-2753
Mrs. MacLeod (L-Z) 421-2768
421-2669
Phy Ed - 421-6805
Library - 421-6799
Email - [email protected]
QEH Homepage
www..qeh.ednet.ns.ca
Dates to Remember!
Jan. 30 First Day of Exams
Feb. 1 Registration for 2006-2007 Begins
Feb. 2 Last Day of Exams
Feb. 3 Assessment & Evaluation Day - No Classes
Feb. 6 First Day of Term 1, Semester 2
Feb. 8 Semester One, Exams Returned 2:00pm
Feb. 9 School Dance
Feb. 13 Course Outlines/Assessment Information
sent home with Students
Feb. 15 First Semester Report Cards Sent home with
Students.
Feb. 16 Curriculum Night 6:30
(Alternate Storm Date - February 23rd)
Feb. 27 Professional Development Day—No classes
Feb. 28 Registration for 2006-2007 Ends
Mar. 10 Last Day of Classes before March Break
Mar. 13-17
March Break
Mar. 20 School Re-Opens after March Break
Mar. 22 Parent Information Night
Grade 9 - 6:30 pm Grade 10 & 11—7:00pm
Semester 1 has passed quickly for everyone. Prospective
graduates are reminded to make sure that they are meeting graduation requirements as they enter the “home
stretch”, particularly if they have been unsuccessful in any
courses. All students who wish to add an eighth course
can check the list of available courses posted outside student services on February 9th.
Transcripts for graduating students will be sent to the
designated post-secondary institutions in mid February.
Students who have not advised Student Services as to
which post-secondary institution they would like their transcripts sent should do so within the next week. Students
are encouraged to continue to check the scholarship board
and to be proactive in checking the scholarship websites
provided in the fall such as (www.scholarshipscanada.com,
www.studentawards.com, www.schoolfinder.com, etc.).
Several post-secondary institutions will be making return
visits to Q.E.H. over the next couple of months while many
will be hosting tours and open houses, particularly over
March break. Check our school website, that of the postsecondary institutions and postings in student services for
details of these important events.
The guidance counselors have requested that each prospective graduate bring a resume to Student Services.
Although some students have already done so, many have
not. This resume will be used for reference purposes and
for scholarship and awards consideration. At year-end, the
resume will be placed in the student file should the student
need verification of high school activities at some time in
the future.
Registration related visits to feeder junior high schools are
taking place during the week of February 9th. We will be
meeting with junior high guidance counselors on February
1st and are looking forward to meeting our new grade 10
students.
Preliminary course selections for current grade 10 and
11 students will begin in late February and end in late
March. Parent meetings regarding courses, post-secondary
requirements, etc. will be held in the QEH auditorium on
March 22nd beginning at 6:30 p.m. for parents of current
grade 9's and at 7:00 p.m. for parents of current grade 10's
and 11's. Students are welcome to attend. An orientation
will be held at Q.E.H on the afternoon of May 10th for our
new grade 10 students.
There are still spaces available for Encounters With
Canada (for this year or next) for students who are interested in spending a week in Ottawa at the Terry Fox Youth
Centre engaged in a dynamic social/cultural/educational
program designed to be the experience of a lifetime. If
interested check their website at www.encountersrencontres.ca or contact Mr. White in Student Services for
details.
Many of our students have already benefited from Career
Cruising, an interactive career resource designed for people of all ages. To find the right career, explore different
career options, or plan future education and training go to
www.careercruising.com. The Q.E.H. community can insert username ‘Queen’ and password ‘Halifax’ to access the
program.
Wondering how to pay for that education??? Go to
www.canlearn.ca for some tips on planning and paying for
your career training.