Make-up Provincial Exams

Students who wish to write a make-up provincial exam may do so on January 25 (Wednesday) and January 26 (Thursday) in the school library.

The exams available to be written include:

• Apprenticeship and Workplace Math 10
• Foundations and Math and Pre-Calculus 10
• English 10
• Science 10
• Social Studies 11
• English 12
• Communications 12

You must register with Ms. Coulter from the office first in order to write these exams. Some exams have a specific start time. They include:

• English 10: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on January 25 (Wednesday)
• Social Studies 11: 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. on January 25 (Wednesday)
• English 12: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on January 26 (Thursday)
• Science 10 and Communications 12: 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. on January 26 (Thursday)

Exams for the two math 10 courses can be written at one of the above times. Please see Ms. Coulter for details.

For students who have taken a summer school course this past summer, or were in Science and/or math challenge last year, but did not write the provincial exam either in June or August, it is CRUCIAL that you register to have these exams written in January. If you have any questions, please come to see me ASAP.

Calendar of Events: January 2012

Happy new year! I hope all of you have had a restful break. It's the beginning of another calendar year - may this be a time for you to set some new goals for a successful remainder of the school year.

Below are some key dates to jot down for the month of January:

• Jan 3 (Tuesday): School re-opens. It is a Day 1, by the way.
• Jan 3 (Tuesday): January bus-pass pick up - please see me for your bus pass
• Jan 12 (Thursday): Instructional Planning Period. Students start at 10:00 a.m.
• Jan 23 (Monday): Block rotation to B-A-D-C (2-1-4-3).
  
• Jan 24 (Tuesday): Block rotation to F-E-H-G (2-1-4-3).
  
• Jan 23 to 27 (Monday to Friday): Provincial Exam make-up session (see separate entry for details)

It is not a month with a lot of events, but it is certainly a good time to re-focus, and to start nicely for term 2. Please don't hesitate to come and see me if you need any assistance!

January Lunch Passes

Just a reminder to all of you that the due date for submitting money for the January lunch passes is tomorrow, December 16. Please have your lunch envelopes ready, and submit them to the office before the end of the school day. Late submission may result in you not having your lunch pass when you come back from the break.

Student Christmas Lunch

Tickets for the student Christmas lunch will be on sale for $5 each starting today. The ticket's price is for students who are currently NOT on the lunch program. Students who are currently on the lunch program will get the meal free.

Tickets can be purchased from the office during break and lunch.

This year's Christmas lunch features turkey, the trimmings, and all other goodies. Be sure to purchase your ticket so you can join others in the celebration Thursday at lunch!

(disclaimer: the actual Christmas lunch may not look as shown in this picture...)

UBC TechTrek Saturday workshops

Are you interested in computer science? Technology? Robotics? UBC's department of computer science is offering free Saturday workshops for students in grades 8 to 12. For students in grades 11 and 12, you will hear presentations from the faculty and industry leaders, followed by lab demos and hands-on experiences. For students in grades 8 to 10, you will spend the morning with computer science experts; then, you will have a chance to practise your skills with games, robots, challenges, and more.

Guest speakers include experts from Electronic Arts, Pixar, Google, Microsoft, and so on. There will also be prizes giveaways: netbooks, video game consoles, i-Pods, and more!

Tech Trek is offering three Saturday workshops on January 21, March 3, and March 31. For registration, go to Tech Trek's website (click here). You can also e-mail Tech Trek at techtrek-info@cs.ubc.ca or call 604-822-9176. You can also like them on Facebook (click here).
If you like to learn about computer programming, or if you like building robots or designing games, TechTrek is can offer you some very interesting workshops! Register early - last year's seats were filled up FAST!

Annual Canned Food Drive

This year's annual canned food drive, called "The Canley Cup," will go from Monday, November 28 to Friday, December 13. Donated items have the following value:

• cans up to 245g or mL - 1
• cans up to 355g or mL - 2
• cans up to 461g or mL - 3
• cans up to 843g or mL - 4
• cans over 843g or mL - 5
• instant formula (g or mL) - as per above, but points are doubled
• instant noodle (package or bowl) - half each
• 1 diaper - half each
• $1 cash donation - 3

Please give generously. This is a time where a lot of families struggle for their basic needs and necessities. Your generous donation can ensure that some of these families can at least have a respectable meal during the holiday seasons. Give not because you can win something, or because others are telling you to, but because it is the right thing to do.

Calendar of Events: December 2011

It is that time of the year, that season of sharing and giving. With just twelve days of school, a lot is happening. Here's a brief break-down of the important events this month:

• Monday, Nov 28: The annual canned food drive begins (ends December 9)
  
• Friday, Dec 2: Library is closed after school for decorating
• Wednesday, Dec 7: Mini school winter celebration
• Monday, Dec 12: The gingerbread house competition begins in the library
• Tuesday, Dec 13: Reports sent home
  
• Wednesday, Dec 14: Staff Christmas luncheon
• Thursday, Dec 15 morning: Grad Christmas breakfast
• Thursday, Dec 15 lunch: Student lunch
• Friday, Dec 16: Christmas carnival; last day of classes for 2011
• Friday, Dec 16: Lunch envelopes for January 2012 due today
  
• Monday, Dec 19 to Friday, Dec 30: Winter Break
• Sunday, Dec 25: Christmas Day!

Please be reminded that school will re-open on Tuesday, January 3, 2012.