March 2013

JUNIOR HIGH OPTIONS

Term 2 Options starts on February 5th. If you haven’t already done so, please pay for those options that have a fee attached to them:

Foods ($25.00), Active Living($50.00), Scrapbooking($25.00) and Industrial Arts($25.00).

ALBERTA EDUCATION ACCOUNTABILITY SURVEY

Alberta Education is conducting the annual Accountability Pillar Surveys from January to the end of February. Parents of students in grades 4 & 7 will receive a survey mailed to their homes direct-ly from Alberta Education. In addition to English and French the survey will be available in Man-darin/Cantonese, Punjabi, Arabic, Blackfoot, Cree, Korean, Spanish and Tagalog. Parents wishing to have surveys in a language other than English or French can contact me at the school. In February, students in grades 4 & 7 and all teachers will be completing their surveys online through the schools. All surveys are anonymous and no reports will be issued if the number of respondents is fewer than six to further protect the privacy of respondents. Respondents are expected to answer the questions based upon the experiences they have had at their school. Responses for parents of students who have moved during the current school year will be attached to the school in which the student was reg-istered on September 30, 2012. We strongly encourage your participation as the results help us identify our school and jurisdiction’s strengths and weaknesses. Survey results will be available to jurisdictions by the start of May 2013, and will be reported publicly by jurisdictions as part of the Annual Education Results Reports in the fall of 2013.

CPF Travel Club The CPF travel club is currently selling English Bay

pre-portioned cookie dough. A table will be set up

during parent teacher interviews for anyone

interested in purchasing some.

Springtime in Paris French Cuisine Dinner - May 10,

2013

Come and support the CPF Travel Club in raising

funds for Grade 9 students to experience French

culture in Quebec, Montreal and Ottawa. Event will

be held at St. Joseph's Tranquille Hall with cocktails

starting at 6:30pm. Tickets are $65.00 per person or

a table of 8 is $475.00. Tickets will be available at

the parent teacher interviews."

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JUNIOR HIGH SKATING SCHEDULE

Date Time Grade

March 5 9:30AM to 11:30AM 7

March 11 1:15PM to 2:45PM 8

March 12 9:30AM to 11:30AM 8

March 14 9:30AM to 11:30AM 9

March 18 1:15PM to 2:45PM 9

March 19 9:30AM to 11:30AM 9

** All students must wear a helmet (mandatory), to be able to be on the ice for the skating unit.

Thank you very much for your understanding.

Special Hockey Game - March 21 St Gerard School faculty and parents will be playing their annual special hockey game against

the Jr. High students (& M Scott - the coach) on March 21st from 9h30-11h30. It’s open to

grades 4 to 9 and we would like to extend an invitation to parents of grades 4 to 9 to join us

and play for the St Gerard faculty team. We will also need supervision of our students (in the

stands for grades 4 to 9) while the game takes place on the ice. Please advise your child’s

homeroom teacher if you are interested in playing in the game or supervising in the stands dur-

ing this exciting event. If you have any further questions, please call M. Daniel Dumont at

532 5398.

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Page 4

Shelby Bartsh and Danielle Downey helped to bring their U 14 girls wolves soccer team to a Gold Medal finish last weekend in the Edmonton Slush cup tournament. Congratulations!!

These girls have come such a long way in a short time. They left it all on the court and played

their little hearts out today!!! Bravo to you and all of your encouragement and time spent!! :)

JH Students having fun fun!!! Congratulations to A Boys Basket-

ball Team for winning the Grande

Prairie Catholic League

Championship!

Page 5

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat

24

25

School Re-conciliation BBall A Girls practice 3:20-5:00 PM

26 -BBall A Boys practice 3:20-5:00 PM -BBall B Boys practice 5:00-6:30 PM

27

Anti-Bullying

Day– Wear

your Pink Shirt -BBall B Girls prac-tice 3:20-5:00 PM -BBall A Boys prac-tice 5:00 –6:30 PM

28 BBall A Teams Game vs. St. Joe’s @ 4:00 PM

1 -BBall B Girls practice 3:20-5:00 PM

Gr. 8 Delf Re-gistration due

2

3 4 Kindergar-

ten Open

House

Early Dismis-

sal @ 2:30 PM

& Teacher

Meeting

5 Kindergarten

Open House

-A Boys BBall

practice 3:20-

5:00 PM

-A Boys parent

game 5:00 PM

6

7 Teacher’s

Convention

No School

8 Teacher’s

Convention

No School

9

10 Daylight

savings

Time. Be-

gins . Turn

your clock

forward one

hour.

11

12 CPF mtg @

7:30

13 Kindergarten

Registration @

4:15 PM and

Information

Night @ 7:00

PM

14 Pi Day

15

16

17

St. Patrick

Day

18

Hot Lunch-No Canteen

19

20 School

Council mtg @

7:00 PM

21

JH vs.

Teachers

and parents

-hockey

game

22 Report

Cards go

home

23

24

Palm Sun-

day

25 Parents/

Teachers Interviews

@ 5:00-8:00

PM

26 Parents/

Teachers

Interviews

@ 5:00-8:00

PM

27

Holy

Thursday

celebration

@ 10:00 AM

28

In lieu of

PTI– No

School

Holy

Thursday

29

Good Fri-

day—No

School

30

31

Easter

Sunday

1 2 3 4 5 6

A BBall Tournament in Sexsmith

Page 6

In Our Classrooms

Science - 7-8-9 – Daniel Doiron

Well, spring has sprung and the following month of April, finds science classes doing the following:

Grade 7: We are currently in the middle of our Structures and Forces unit. We are discovering the intricacies

of what goes into making a particular structure for a particular function. Once this unit is completed our last

Unit is Earth. The nuts and bolts of our planet. What is it composed of? How has it changed? What have we

learned from its history?

Grade 8: We are currently smack dab in the middle of our Simple Machines unit, where pullies, levers, gears,

winches, forces, pressure are all being investigated. Then we will start our last unit which is Fresh and Salt

Water Systems. What are the characteristics of water systems? How do water systems interact with the

atmosphere and with the Earth?, and How do water systems interact with human activities?

Grade 9: We are about to finish up our Electricity unit and head straight for our final unit on the “Final

Frontier”, Space. What are some technologies that have been developed in the past in order to observe space?,

How have space technologies, been converted to terrestrial applications?, What does the future how for

continued exploration into the great beyond?

Once again, if you wish to contact me, please feel free to email me on the St. Gerard’s website.

Math & Science- 7 – Alicia Burdess

Math 7A and 7C

We will be spending the next month or so on fractions. We will be focusing on understanding, problem

solving, and using fractions in everyday life. This unit includes fractions, decimals, and percents. Please

remind your child that I still offer math help every Tuesday after school and I am also available during lunch

hour. Please note that I am only available Monday, March 25th for Parent Teacher Interviews. Please email me

if this does not work for you and we can arrange another time to meet.

Science 7A

We will be starting our unit on Structures and Forces this week. The students will be building, experimenting,

and continuing to learn how scientific inquiry works. They will be hypothesizing, observing, and drawing

conclusions. Please remind your child that I still offer help every Tuesday after school and I also available

during lunch hour. Please note that I am only available Monday, March 25th for Parent Teacher Interviews.

Please email me if this does not work for you and we can arrange another time to meet.

Social Studies - 7 – Dena Boucher

Our country is founded on immigration, this month we will explore immigration and its impact on our country

and its people. All topics will reflect the French Canadian, the English Canadian, the Métis and the Native

American perspectives.

For more detailed information on each unit, as well as exam dates and homework assignments please refer to

the following site: www.denaboucher.weebly.com

French Language Art - 7 – Dena Boucher

Let’s dive into fantasy. Through fairy tales, theater and personification we will create and discuss imaginary

and real scenarios.

English Language Arts - 9 – Joanne Bardak ELA 9 – Students in ELA 9 have completed their novel studies this month and did a super job. We are looking

forward to more time for independent reading and reader’s response. March is a very short instructional

month with Teachers’ Convention (March 07 and 08) and Easter Break (March 28 to April 07). In addition to

focusing on responding in more complex ways to reading and enjoying some short stories and short video clips

to enhance our understanding of narrative, we will be writing short narratives as well. We will look at writing

effective setting, authentic dialogue, developing character and writing a narrative to communicate a particular

issue or theme. Narrative poems and songs that communicate a narrative will be included in this exploration.

Grade 7: We just finished the unit comparing decimal numbers, whole numbers, fractions and percentages.

The test will be March 11th. We will start the unit on algebra. It’s a brand new concept in grade 7. We will

solve linear equations, introduce graphs and table values. It’s the longer unit in grade 7. On March 6th, it’s

world math day. The students will have the opportunity to participate in a friendly competition versus other

student in the same groups of age from different countries all around the world like: USA, Australia, France,

United Kingdom, China and so many more.

Grade 8: We have just finished the chapter on fractions. The test will be March 11th. We will start the unit in

the concept of volume. We will study 3-D shapes like: cubes, rectangular prisms, triangular prism and

cylinders. On March 6th, it’s world math day. The students will have the opportunity to participate in a friendly

competition versus other student in the same groups of age from different countries all around the world like:

USA, Australia, France, United Kingdom, China and so many more.

Grade 9: We just finished the linear equation and the linear inequalities to solve problems. The test will be

March 13th. We will use this new knowledge to learn how to graph a linear relation, analyze the graph and

interpolate or extrapolate graphs to solve problem. It will be a short chapter but I’ll make sure everyone

understand because this concept is very frequent on provincial achievement test in science and social studies.

This knowledge is important to have a better understanding of graphing in a scientific review, be able to

critique and identify conclusions in a review that are inconsistent with given data or graph and explain the

misinterpretation. On March 6th, it’s world math day. The students will have the opportunity to participate in a

friendly competition versus other student in the same groups of age from different countries all around the

world like: USA, Australia, France, United Kingdom, China and so many more.

A calculator is very important for math and science class. Please make sure your child has one.

Math - 7, 8 & 9 – Jonathan Scott

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During the month of March, the grade seven classes will continue working through their novel study on The

Boy in the Striped Pajamas. During and after each chapter, the students participate in discussions and work

through various vocabulary words that pertain to the story. They are challenged to find evidence within the

text to support their opinions and verify the vocabulary. We will explore major themes such as, the essence of

friendship, prejudice and discrimination. There will be an open-book written final exam as well as a project to

conclude the unit.

English Language Arts - 7 – Bailey Reid

Social Studies - 7 - Gaetan Lamontagne

This month we will be starting our unit on the formation of Canada which includes the rebellion of the 13 colo-

nies, the war of 1812, as well as rebellion and the government.

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French Language Arts– 8 – Gaetan Lamontagne

We have recently finished our unit on comic strips. Next week we will begin our unit on debates and writing

letters of opinion. This will include learning the key components of an effective debate and also the important

elements that must be included in a letter of opinion.

English Language Arts– 8 – Wendy Fraser

Literature Circles - Students have been working in reading groups on small group novel studies. Each group

should now have completed their first 2 sections and 2 reading responses. Students should remember to keep

track of vocabulary words as they are reading, so that they have a bank of words from which to choose for the

vocabulary assignment connected to their novel. We will continue to work in these groups on a regular basis in

the coming months.

Research Project - We are beginning our research projects this week. Students will be asked to choose a

person, living or dead, who had a great positive impact on many people. The topic of their research should be

someone whose contribution to society has been above and beyond that of others, and who could perhaps be a

role model for how we should try to live our lives. Students may choose from humanitarians, peacekeepers,

athletes, musicians, artists, actors, etc. I am excited to find out who the students choose to research as having

made a difference in the lives of many. Research projects will be finished, hopefully, by the end of March.

Social Studies - 8 – Daniel Dumont

The students will be focusing their energy on completing the unit on Japan. We will be finishing our unit on

Japan by learning about the Meiji area (Chap. 5 & 6) and starting our unit on the Aztec by creating a calendar

and drinking authentic cocoa. Also, the students will be viewing different videos and working on a variety of

assignments concerning Aztec civilization and history. We will continue to have class discussion on a variety

of topics concerning Japan and the Aztec.

Social Studies - 9 – Sarah-Lynn Hunziker

This month we will be looking at Canadian immigration policies throughout history. We will be analyzing the

procedures and regulations for entrance into our country and how these laws have changed. Students will be

assessing the way that government policy influences who may gain entry and who cannot. Students will

evaluate their own knowledge of Canada by taking the exam used to access particular candidates for

citizenship. This chapter also provides a perfect opportunity to evaluate current events as the procedures for

immigration are currently being reviewed by our present government.

French Language Arts - 9 – Joanne Buss

Students have just finished all of their project components that went with their novel study, and we are also

finishing up our unit on advertising (persuasive language), with the completion of their TV commercial pro-

ject. We will be focusing more on reading comprehension in the next few months. We will also be starting to

work on the essay component of the grade 9 final exam, focusing mostly on letter writing, persuasive/opinion

texts, as well as the organization of our paragraphs and use of proper facts & evidence to effectively persuade.