Welcome to Semester 2!

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Welcome back!

I hope that your first day of Semester 2 classes has gone well. Should you need to make a course change, please see me in Room 104 ASAP during Periods 2, 4 or 5.

There are a lot of exciting things happening at Barrie North this semester. Please see below and also check out the BNC Google Calendar for other activities.

PARENTS

Support Barrie North students and have a delicious dinner at the same time!
pastadinner

Barrie Secondary School Attendance Area Review Information Meeting on February 5th

The Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) is hosting an information session regarding the attendance area review for Barrie secondary schools for interested students, parents and community members. The proposed changes include the attendance areas for Barrie North Collegiate Institute and Innisdale Secondary School. The regular attendance areas and elementary feeder schools for Eastview and Bear Creek secondary schools are not expected to be impacted by the review.

This meeting will provide an opportunity for parents and students to learn more about the proposed plan and to share their thoughts on the attendance area review.

What:    Barrie Secondary Schools Attendance Area Review Information Meeting

When:   Thursday, February 5, 7 p.m.

Where:  Barrie North Collegiate Institute, 110 Grove Street East, Barrie

Make the difference in math with a growth mindset    

Speaker: SCDSB Program and Innovation TeamWe become what we believe—that’s the idea behind the research related to growth mindsets in mathematics. Adults have a role to play in helping children develop positive attitudes about math. Saying things like “I was never good at math” can have a negative impact on our children’s perceptions of themselves as mathematicians—and that can impact their learning.The session will provide an overview of how technology can be used to boost math skills, and will help parents and educators develop a common, positive language about math. Doors open half an hour before the workshop begins.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015​  7:30 p.m.​ Education Centre, 1170 Highway 26, Midhurst ​

STUDENTS

Need Community Service Hours?

High school students are required to complete 40 hours of community service in order to receive their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) and Springwater has a way for students to earn those hours, improve emergency access to fire hydrants, and keep fit with physical activity.

Building on the success of Springwater’s 2014 program, students can earn hours by clearing a path from snow to and from a local fire hydrant in their neighbourhood; students subsequently send a tweet to @springwatertwp with a photo of the fire hydrant along with the location and the hashtag #GoodNeighbours to receive .5 community service hours per hydrant.

In order to qualify, snow must be cleared from all sides of the hydrant and a path to the roadway must be created to facilitate fire crew access carrying hoses and other fire suppression tools. Students can maintain the same fire hydrant through the winter as snow accumulation or ploughing can cover or restrict access to a fire hydrant after each snowfall event, and continually earn credits.

“This is the second year that the Township is running this program,” says Tony Van Dam, Director of Fire & Emergency Services. “Last year we had almost 50 hydrants cleared in the Township, one of those could have been responsible for saving a life. Blocked hydrants mean a slower response to extinguishing fires which can result in catastrophic consequences if firefighters have to spend time locating a buried hydrant and clearing snow.”

To earn community service hours, students should:

  1. Completely clear snow around a fire hydrant in Springwater, and create a path to the road
  2. Take a picture of the fire hydrant and path after it has been cleared
  3. Send a tweet to @springwatertwp with a picture of the cleared hydrant, the location and add the hashtag #GoodNeighbour
  4. Log the hours you have completed
  5. Come into the Administration Centre at 2231 Nursery Road to have the Township of Springwater sign off on your community service hours

**Please note that each hydrant cleared is equal to .5 community service hours, and there is no limit to the number of hydrants a student can clear for community service hours**

Last Minute Course Option

Are you in Grade 9 or 10? Do you have exceptionally strong skills in French? Consider adjusting your timetable in Semester 2 to take one of the following courses online via the Ottawa District School Board:

CHV2O (Civics) (during Term 1…the first half of Sem 2)

GLC2O (Careers) (during Term 2…the second half of Sem 2)

Please see Mrs. Tufts or Mr. Ritchie in Guidance ASAP if you are interested.

Free Language (Credit!) Courses

Have you ever wanted to learn German, Japanese, Mandarin or Spanish? Sign up for the Simcoe County District School Board’s FREE (!!!!) language classes.

Starting on February 10th, on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, these courses are offered to any secondary school student or Grade 8 student (with principal’s approval) who would like to learn another language.

Semester 2 courses from the 10th of February to June 2nd, excluding March Break and April 2nd. Available Semester 2 are: German (Level 2), Mandarin (Level 2), Spanish (Level 2) and Japanese (Level 1).

Registration for the program is completed through your school’s Guidance department. If you successfully complete the program you will receive a credit towards your high school diploma.

If you have a younger brother or sister, please let them know that elementary school students can take a non-credit bearing FREE language course in Farsi, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tamil and Urdu. Elementary students in Grades 1 to 8 can register for that program by visiting www.thelearningcentre.com

Call 705-725-8360 x 45151 or 45160 for more info.

BNC Ladies: Are you interested in a STEM-based career?

If so, check out the Perimeter Institute’s second Inspiring Future Women in Science conference on Friday March 6, 2015 from 9:00 am – noon. In Waterloo, ON, the conference is aimed at bringing together like-minded young women currently in high school with a strong interest in pursuing science as a career path.

The conference is tailored to giving female high school students an opportunity to interact with STEM professionals through keynotes, panel discussions and group mentoring.   It looks pretty amazing!

Ontario Schools:  Participate in the 2015 Canada Day Challenge

Proudly presented by the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Canada Day Challenge invites youth between 8 and 18 years old who live in Canada to express their pride in being Canadian by submitting an entry inspired by the theme STRONG. PROUD. FREE.

Enter the contest in the following categories:

  • DRAW IT! (submit a poster design)
  • SNAP IT!  (submit digital photographs)
  • WRITE IT! (submit a piece of creative writing)

Participation can be through schools, clubs, associations, or individual interest!

Youth are encouraged to learn more about the defining moments that helped to shape our country.  For example, February 15, 2015, will mark the 50th anniversary of the National Flag of Canada.  This special Flag Day is the perfect opportunity to learn more about how our flag was created and what it means to us.

Prizes:

Winners from across Canada will be selected for a chance to win great prizes from our partners.  Winning entries will also be displayed at the Canadian Museum of History from June to September 2015.

Nine national finalists (three from each category) will win an all-expenses paid grand prize trip for two to Ottawa to visit Canada’s national institutions and to celebrate Canada Day 2015 on Parliament Hill, as well as visit exciting sites in the National Capital region.

One lucky winnerin the Write It! category will be invited to spend a week in Ottawa with Encounters with Canada, Canada’s largest youth forum, to learn about Canadian institutions, explore exciting career options, develop their civic leadership skills and live an extraordinary bilingual experience!  (*For participants between the ages of 14 and 17 only.)

The Canada Day Challenge is open now and will accept submissions until March 20, 2015.

Please visit their website at www.challenge.pch.gc.ca to learn more.  If you would like to order Canada Day Challenge promotional materials, please send email including your mailing address tochallenge@pch.gc.ca.

Are you a member of the Gifted-Enriched Program at Barrie North?

If so, check your school e-mail for a link to the INSPIRE Google Classroom, where you can find information about activities and field trips. Please log in with your SCDSB Google Account. If you have not yet used your SCDSB Google Account this school year, click here or please see me in Room 104 to set it up.

Scholarship for Youth with Diabetes – 2015 Sir Frederick Banting Legacy Foundation (SFBLF)

The SFBLF has expanded their programs to include support for a scholarship for youth with diabetes who are planning to move on to post-secondary education.

They are doing this as a sponsor for one scholarship within the very successful and long-standing program run by the Diabetes Hope Foundation.

Please bring this opportunity to the attention of any youth with diabetes that you may know and who are in their final year of secondary education.

Potential candidates should visit www.dhfscholarship.com for eligibility criteria, or to download an application.

Applications must be received by March 9, 2015!  Questions may be directed toheather@diabeteshopefoundation.com.

EVERYONE

SCDSB Mental Health Resource

The SCDSB has a webpage dedicated to information to support student mental health. Please click here to access these resources.

L3 Writer’s Conference

Barrie North Collegiate’s iDeology program and the 8th annual L3: Writers’ Conference once again welcomes world-renowned authors, poets, novelists, journalist and activists to Barrie.

This year’s conference will focus on an environmental theme and offer specialized writing seminars for students during the day and evening public readings and book signings. Headlining the evening event is Margaret Atwood, one of Canada’s premiere authors.

What:     Barrie North CI’s L3: Writers’ Conference
When:    Thursday, April 23
Student conference: 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Evening readings: 7 p.m.
Where:   Barrie North Collegiate
110 Grove St. E., Barrie

This year’s conference features the following:

  • Alan Mallory, author of The Family that Conquered Everest…and the Secrets to their Success
  • Greg Frankson, a.k.a. Ritallin, spoken word artist and international youth mental health advocate
  • Maya Burhanpurkar, Barrie North student, two-time grand prize winner at Canada’s National Science Fair and recipient of Canada’s Top 20 Under 20 (2013)

For additional information about these writers and others who will be speaking at the conference, visitwww.l3writers.ca/author-profiles.

The public is invited to attend the evening readings. Tickets will be sold at in advance at Rivendell Books (Wellington Plaza, 165 Wellington Street, Barrie) for $25 per adult and $20 for students. For a detailed schedule of the day and evening events, as well as school registration information, visit www.l3writers.ca.

The L3: Writers’ Conference is Ontario’s largest high school literary event, encouraging students to read and write by bringing them together with professional authors, journalists and activists in an all-day conference with main stage and small group workshop presentations.

Information:
Brian Adduono, Teacher, Barrie North Collegiate
705-726-6541
badduono@scdsb.on.ca

Website: www.l3writers.ca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/L3-Writers-Conference/131384798122
Twitter:  @l3writers

 OPERATIONS APPRECIATION DAY – FEBRUARY 11, 2015

This appreciation day will provide staff, students, and school communities with the opportunity to express appreciation to our operations team, including custodians and regional operations maintenance employees, for the safe and healthy learning and working environments that they help to provide on a regular basis.

Be sure to thank our BNC custodial team for all of the amazing things they do to support Barrie North staff and students.

SimColab

I have not heard back from SimColab about a tour, but you should still check out this amazing maker space in Barrie. They have events coming up soon, such as Intro to Pure Data, Learn to Solder, and Intro to Programming Arduino. Log on to Chrome with your Google School Account (or any Google account for that matter) and check out the SimCoLab Google+ Community.

IMPORTANT DATES

February 5 – Stu Saunders Assembly (Period 2)

February 1o – School Council Meeting

February 11 – Semester 1 Final Report Cards sent home

February 12th – Barrie North Course Fair (Period 2)

March 3 – Progress Reports

March 5 – Parent Teacher Night

March 26 – Literacy Test

April 3 – Good Friday

April 6 – Easter Monday

April 21 – School Council Meeting

App 22 – EduTravel Summer School Trip Info Night for Students and Parents (@ BNC – 7pm)

April 23 – L3 Writer’s Conference

April 30 – Mid-Term Report Cards sent home

 

mrsreesor

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