Dec. 2, 2016 Marauder J. R. Robson High Newsjrrobson.btps.ca/documents/newsletters/Dec2016newsletter.pdf · hand in your hours and necessary evalua-tions as required. See Miss Felt

Dec. 2, 2016

5102 – 46 St. Vermilion, AB

T9X 1G5

Phone: 780-853-4177 Fax: 780-853-2920

J. R. Robson High

School

In this edition: Principal’s Corner ..................... 1

Around the School ..................... 1

Principal’s Corner Continued .... 2

Christmas Activities .................. 2

Learning Commons ................... 2

Counsellor’s Corner ................. 3

Counsellor’s Corner Continued . 4

What`s the VIBE? ..................... 4

Influenza Clinics ....................... 5

Mentors Wanted ........................ 5

Lifetouch School Portraits ......... 5

First Nations Education Pt. 2 ..... 6

Keeping the Holidays Happy ..... 7

Ron Moses Christmas Dinner .... 8

January Exam Schedule ............. 9

December Calendar ................... 10

December Cafeteria Menu ........ 11

Marauder News

Principal’s Corner

At the November 28th Parent

Advisory Council meeting we reviewed JR Robson’s Annual

Education Results Report for the 2015-16 school year. The presentation is also posted on

our website. In the Report you will find ample evidence that our students are doing

well. Our student’s overall performance on PAT and Di-

ploma exams in many cases matches or exceeds the re-sults of the province and

BTPS. I am very proud of the hard work that our students

and teachers are doing at our school. I think it pays tribute to our inter-related education-

al focus of integrating technol-ogy – intellectual engagement

– literacy into student learn-

ing.

I encourage parents to visit

the webs i t e h t t ps ://education.alberta.ca/writing-

diploma-exams/about-grade-12-diploma-exams/ for tips on helping students study

and prepare for Diploma ex-ams. Just a reminder that

while the Grade 10-12 stu-dents will be writing final ex-ams in January, it is regular

classes for the Grade 7-9 stu-dents. The exam schedule is attached in the newsletter.

Please understand that these dates are set to maximize stu-

dent performance on the final

(Continued on page 2)

Around the School

Website:

jrrobson.btps.ca

Facebook:

facebook.com/jr.robson.39

Twitter:

twitter.com/JRRobsonSchool

JR Rob-son High

School Awards

Night was

held on

Friday, Novem-ber 4.

Have a safe and happy

holiday!

Christmas Activities

Principal’s Corner Continued

exams each student writes. Exams must

be written in the specified time on the ex-

am schedule.

Once again we have received information

about January Diploma prep courses in Edmonton. Students are encouraged to see Mrs. Hart or Mrs. Polishuk for more

information. While we do not personally endorse these companies that run these prep courses, they have been around for

several years and many of our Grade 12’s

have accessed the services.

In November BTPS conducted a survey to gather information about international

field trips. They had over 600 respons-

es. We have been told that the Board of Trustee’s are currently analyzing the

feedback from the survey and will be communicating in the new year what their position is about Board approved

international fieldtrips.

Yes it is hard to believe that we are com-

ing into the Christmas season. We start our break late this year, meaning our

first day back is not until January 9th. For grade 12’s that means Diploma

exam start one week later.

I hope everyone has a joyful and peaceful

holiday season.

The "elves" of Captain Kidd are busy set-

ting up J.R.R's "5 Days of Christmas" event from December 19- December 23

Monday, Dec 19: Snowflake Competition Tuesday, Dec 20: Charlie Brown's Food

Bank Donation Christmas Tree Decorat-ing** Wednesday, Dec 21: Guess a Carol

Thursday, Dec 22: Ugly Sweater day Friday, Dec 23: Community Breakfast,

Jam-Jam day (PJ day) and afternoon whole school activities.

**If you would like to donate to the food

bank please bring your items on or

before Decem-ber 20!

Learning Commons

Students recently had the chance to participate in a hangout session with L e s S t r o u d

(Survivorman) and a videoconference with the Bullock Texas State History Muse-um where they learned about 17th Century French ex-plorer La Salle and his disastrous explo-ration mission.

Counsellor’s Corner

blood pressure

Increases circulation to your brain Visualization

Picturing yourself as accomplishing your goal

Remember a time or place (Happy Place) where they have felt pure joy relax-es them so they are able to focus.

Can be simply remembering people or places that bring you happiness releases

Drawing up positive images Mindfulness

This involves paying attention on pur-pose so you are purposely aware.

Positive Self Talk

Saying or thinking positive and en-couraging things to oneself

Talking yourself through challenges

Reminding yourself of when you have achieved similar success

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Slowly and mechanically “tensing” and “relaxing” muscles the muscles of the body

Consciously moving through each muscle area in your body and relaxing each area

Yoga - Students have been taught how to do yoga in a chair so they can stretch their muscles prior to, during and after the exam to release muscle tension

As counsellors we would like to encourage all parents to monitor your child’s progress on Power School’s parent portal: https://powerschool.btps.ca/parents. Progress Re-ports will be handed out on December 9. If you have any concerns about your child’s progress, please do not hesitate to contact the

classroom teacher..

For Grade 12 Students who are looking for extra resources for preparation on your Di-ploma Exams, Diplomax may be for you. Diplomax involves in-class or online Diploma Preparation Classes for Students in Alberta. Students from Buffalo Trail Public Schools have used these resources in the past and have found them very helpful. This year

(Continued on page 4)

Congratulations to all award winners at Awards Night held on November 4. A very special thank you to Mrs. Wilhelm for all the hours of work she puts into making this evening a success. Unfortunately not all of us can win first prize but as long as you are working hard and doing your best -- that is what counts. Thank you to each student who has contributed to making our athletics, leadership, academic and citizenship pro-grams a success. You Rock!

Thank you to all the Parents and friends who

hosted our Grade 9 Students at “Take Your Kids to Work Day” on November 2. This is a valuable job shadow experience, which is the beginning of your child’s career planning journey.

As of December 1, we only have 27 class days left in this semester and there is still a lot of course material to cover. For Grade 12’s, most of your courses will be completed prior to Christmas Break as Diplomas will occur very quickly after our Christmas vaca-tion.

Mrs. Thompson our VIBE Coach, has offered two Diploma Prep Classes during November. Students always find many useful tips when they attend these courses. Many times after an exam it is common to hear students say: “I studied! I knew the stuff before the exam, but when I got the exam in front of me, my mind just went blank.” As part of the Diplo-ma Prep Courses, students review the skills, taught throughout junior high and CALM, to reduce anxiety. These skills need to be practiced at home and school to become part of your toolkit for managing anxiety. Here are some tips VIBE teaches students so they

can be successful in managing anxiety:

Deep breathing

4 by 4 breathing involves taking a deep breath in for a count of four seconds, holding it for four seconds and then re-leasing it for four seconds. Repeat for 1 minute prior to the exam

Forces focus and brings down your

VIBE DAY plans are coming togeth-

er. This year it will be January 30, right here in J.R. Robson. We have some

amazing sessions planned for the junior high students. Please return permis-sion forms as soon as possible!

VIBE is looking for DONATIONS of BABY JARS WITH LIDS from Food and JUICE

for a VIBE day activity. We need 400 jars! IF you have any you can donate

please send them to school and leave with your VIBE coach. Thanks!

VIBE continues to work in classrooms providing mental health awareness and

prevention through our research based programs. So far, J.R. Robson has run BMW (Being Mentally Well) grade 8, Mark

Sharenbroich grade 9, Internet Safety grade 7, 9, and 10, 7 Habits grade 10, Distracted Driving grade 10, and Healthy

Relationships grade 10. Soon VIBE will be starting Careers in both grade 9 clas-

ses. I feel privileged to work with JR’s amazing students every day and see the positive impact our programs have on

them. Thank you to the J.R. teachers for

Counsellor’s Corner Continued

Diplomax and Iprepplus have combined to form one resource for Alberta students. Check out this website for more details: http://iprepplus.com/

For Grade 12 students, please touch base with Mrs. Polishuk if you need any assistance in career planning, applying for post-secondary or to discuss other career goals. For scholarships, this is a personal jour-ney. Any scholarships we are aware of are located on the J. R. Robson School Website. Follow this link below. You can also go the

the J. R. Robson home page and on the first page there is a red first place ribbon that will

take you to the scholarship link. http://jrrobson.btps.ca/Scholarships.php

Work Experience/RAP/Green Certificate - students enrolled in this program need to hand in your hours and necessary evalua-tions as required. See Miss Felt if you have questions or concerns.

May you enjoy the blessings of the holiday season, spend time with family and friends and have a Merry Christmas and all the Best in 2017.

Mrs. Polishuk and Mrs. Hart

What’s the VIBE?

allowing VIBE to present in your class-

rooms!

2016 Seasonal Influenza Clinics

Family Clinics-By appt only (780)853-5270 Dec 13, Tues (1-7pm): Vermilion Public Health Office

Dec 20, Tues (3-7pm): Vermilion Public Health Office

Jan 10,Tues (3-7pm):Vermilion Public Health Office

Vaccine available to all residents 6 months of age and older

www.albertahealthservices.ca or

Call Health Link Alberta 1-866-408-LINK(5465)

Retake images and data from Picture Day for J R Robson School are now available on

the Lifetouch Portal. To download the images and data: Log in to the Lifetouch Portal.

1. Go to Image & Data Management.

2. Select the retake information you want to view and download.

3. Click the Download button.

If you have questions or need assistance, contact your Lifetouch representative or call the local Lifetouch office. You can also contact Lifetouch Technical Support at 1-800-598-2466 or [email protected].

© 2014 Lifetouch National School Studios Inc. All rights reserved.

Mentors Wanted

JR Robson School parents/guardians:

Join us as a volunteer mentor!

Are you a parent or community member who would be willing to volunteer your time and expertise to help students and

teachers learn about your interests or your field of work? If so, please consider

being a BTPS mentor. Mentorship opportunities can range from

something as simple as sharing stories, to helping critique student projects that are within your field of expertise. Your

mentoring approach could take on a for-

mat that works for you from a classroom

visit, Skyping into a classroom or maybe students can visit you on site. Teachers

work with you to plan the most appropri-ate experience.

We hope you can join our

team and sup-port our youth!

To sign up, please click or copy/paste the

link below: https://goo.gl/VnJkVZ

Part 2 of First Nations Education Series

Treaty 6 Basics Treaties are formal agreements negoti-ated between two or more sovereign Nations.

Treaty 6 was signed on August 23, 1876 at Fort Carlton and at Fort Pitt on Sep-tember 9, 1876. Some First Nations bands were not present at the Treaty negotiations and therefore signed an adhesion to Treaty at later dates. Adhesions had the same effect as Treaty were originally signed.

The main groups of peoples involved in the signing of the Treaty 6 were Plains Cree,

although there were also groups of Woodland Cree, Nakoda (Assiniboine or Stoney), Saulteaux (Plains Ojibwa) and Chipewyan (Dene).

There are 17 First Nations represented within Treaty 6 in present day Alberta. They are: Alexander First Nation, Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, Beaver Lake Cree Nation, Cold Lake First Nation, Enoch Cree Nation, Er-mineskin First Nation, Frog Lake First Na-tion, Goodfish/Whitefish First Nation, Heart Lake First Nation, Kehewin Cree Nation, Lou-is Bull Tribe, Montana First Nation, O’Chiese

First Nation, (Onion Lake First Nation), Paul First Nation, Saddle Lake Cree Nation, Sam-son Cree First Nation, Sunchild First Nation.

Treaties were signed between the above mentioned sovereign nations, and the Do-minion of Canada on behalf of the Queen of Great Britain.

What benefits did First Nations believe they were to receive in signing Treaty Six?

First Nations understood they would receive assistance to the transition of a new lifestyle, maintenance of their cultural and spiritual rights, right to hunt, trap, and fish, educa-tion, medical assistance, reserve land, agri-cultural tools and support, and peaceful co-existence with the newcomers. The text of the Treaty states:

Reserve land in the amount of one square mile per family of five;

An annual cash payment at a rate of $25

per Chief, $15 per headman and $5 for all other band members, and a one time pre-sent of $12 for each member of the band who agreed to the Treaty;

Twine and ammunition at a value of $1500 per year;

For each band and family certain agricul-tural implements such as hoes, spades, livestock, horse, and wagon;

A school once the people settled on a re-serve;

The right to pursue hunting, trapping, and fishing;

A medicine chest to be kept at the house of the Indian agent on each reserve;

Rations were to be given in times of pesti-lence and famine;

During the first three years after Treaty was taken, First nations who had settled on reserves and were farming were to re-ceive $1000 in agricultural provisions.

Medicine Chest (medical care) and;

Relief in times of famine and pestilence. What benefits did the Newcomers receive through Treaty Six?

Newcomers would receive a peaceful co-existence with First Nations people, access to lands for settlement, farming, railways, and future industrial development.

Who are beneficiaries of Treaty 6?

All people living within the treaty territory of Treaty 6 are beneficiaries.

How long do Treaties last?

The spirit, intent, and provisions of the Trea-ties last forever, as long as the sun shines, the grass grows, and the rivers flow.

References:

h t t p : / / w a y b a c k . a r c h i v e -it.org/2217/20101208160655/http://w w w . a l b e r t a s o u r c e . c a / t r e a t y 6 /making_of_treaty6/making_of_treaty_6.html

https ://t reaty6educat ion . l skysd.ca/treaty6basics

Keeping the Holidays Happy Submitted by Kari Thompson VIBE Wellness Coach

There is a long list of wonderful things that the holiday season brings, but for some, the list is not so merry and bright. Adults and children alike can be negatively affected by the holidays. They can be particularly stressful for children and youth who are part of a split or blended family, have had a loved one or pet recently pass, or whose parents are experiencing financial hardship. Children often see an increase in activities and a change in routine over the holidays, which can also be stressful. Here are a few effective strategies that can help you and the children in your life feel more relaxed, calm and happy over the next month. Give the Gift of Peace and Calm: Modern research proves the powerful calming effect of deep breathing. Make a point of stopping a few times a day with your children to deep breath. Breathe in to a count of 3 about 2 inches below the navel, imagining there’s a balloon filling up with air, and out to that same slow count. This will calm the body and brain leaving you feeling jolly and joyous. Offer Loss a Voice: If your child has experienced a recent loss, through family separation or through the death of a loved one or pet, giving them the opportunity to express their feelings in a safe and loving atmosphere is important. Give them a paper and markers and ask them to draw how they feel. Have a conversation about the picture and their feelings. Gratitude Advent Calendar: Showing gratitude is a researched and proven method of increasing happiness! Every day in the month of December, have each member of the family write on a small slip of paper something they are grateful for. Attach each paper to the calendar until you have a whole month’s worth of reminders of the blessings in your life. Holiday Wishes: Once a week, sit down as a family and have each person share what will make this holiday joyful and special for them. This will help children feel listened to, cared for, and included. Merry Moves: Exercise is another researched and proven method for people of all ages to reduce stress. Make it simple and fun: build a snowman, have a snowfight, make snow angels, dance to holiday music, play an activity based video or board game. The possibilities are endless! Healthy Habits: Healthy eating and good sleep are both essential in beating stress. Follow the Canada Food Guide’s nutritional recommendations for children. In terms of sleep, four year-olds require about 11.5 hours of sleep per night, seven-year-olds need at least 11 hours, and the average teenager needs 9.5 to 10 hours of sleep nightly. Spread the Joy: Getting out and helping others is a great way for everyone to feel useful and appreciated: shovel someone’s sidewalk, deliver handmade cards or crafts to seniors or long term care homes, help with community suppers, etc. Any way you can help others will make the season more meaningful and create new positive memories. The VIBE Program is one of the 37 projects involved in this initiative led by Alberta Health Services Addiction and Mental Health in partnership with Alberta Education and funded by Alberta Health and Wellness. If you would like further information on this topic and other wellness related topics please contact your VIBE Wellness Coach, or the Program Coordinator Pat Calyniuk at 780-853-3718 or [email protected].

Senior High Exam Schedule – January 2017

Mon, Jan 16 9:00 – 11:30 AM English 30 – 1/30 – 2 Part A Room 202/204

Tues, Jan 17 9:00 – 11:30 AM Social 30-1/30-2 Part A Room 202/204 Friday, January 20, 2017 is the last day of Semester I classes for Gr. 10-12

Mon, Jan 23 9:00 – 11:30 AM English 30 – 1/30 – 2 Part B Room 217

ELA 10-1/10-2 Room 201 Social 20-1 Room 202

Tues, Jan 24 9:00 – 11:30 AM

Social 30-1/30-2 Part B Room 217 Math 20-1 Room 207 Math 20-2 Room 201 Social 10-1 Room 206

Wed, Jan 25 9:00 – 11:30 AM

Math 30-1/30-2 Diploma Room 217 Biology 20 Room 202 Science 10 Room 167

Science 14/24 Room 206

Thurs, Jan 26 9:00 – 11:30 AM Biology 30 Diploma Room 217

Math 20-3 Room 206 Physics 20 Room 167

Fri, Jan 27 9:00 – 11:30 AM Chemistry 30 Diploma Room 217

Mon, Jan 30 1:00 – 4:00 PM Science 30 Diploma Room 217

December 2016

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 St. Jerome’s Basket-ball Tournament

(some games at JR)

3 St. Jerome’s Basket-ball Tournament

(some games at JR)

4 5 6 7 8 9 Progress Reports

10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 Pancake Breakfast

Pajama Day Afternoon Activities

24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Classes Resume January 9, 2017

Christmas Break—Have a safe and wonderful holiday

Cafeteria Menu—December

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 ‘Fryday’

3

4 5 Perogies

6 Taco in a Bag

7 Potato Wedges

8 Grilled Cheese &

Soup

9 ‘Fryday’

10

11 12 Pizza

13 Spaghetti

14 Hamburger Helper

15 Chicken Caesar

Salad

16 ‘Fryday’

17

18 19 Burgers

20 Mac & Cheese

21 Fajitas

22 ‘Fryday’

23 Pancake Breakfast

No Cafeteria

24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Christmas Break—Have a safe and wonderful holiday