SCHOOL NEWS TEACHERS CONVENTION Each year Alberta teachers head back to the classroom themselves to learn new techniques and strategies for working with their students. On February 8th and 9th we will find S.G.S. teachers attending professional development sessions and networking with other educators from the North Central Region. HIGH SCHOOL INFORMATION High School counsellors from Paul Kane High School and Bellerose Composite High School will be at Sir George Simpson on February 12, 2018 to meet with most of our Grade 9 students. At that time, students will receive a registration package for next year. The High School Registration forms can be returned to our school counsellor no later than March 22, 2018. After that date, the forms can be sent directly to the high school of your choice. HIGH SCHOOL OPEN HOUSES All Grade 9 students and their parents are encouraged to attend the open houses at our district high schools. PAUL KANE March 1 st Open House 5:30 8:00 pm French Immersion Information 6:30 pm Advanced Placement Information 7:15 pm March 9 th French Immersion Gr. 9 Student Experience BELLEROSE March 7 th Open House & Bike-A-Thon - 6:30 pm IB Information Session 7:00 pm. Truth & Reconciliation Film Night and Discussion On February 26, 2018 at 6:30 pm, Sir George Simpson School will be screening the documentary Journey Towards Reconciliation as part of St.Albert Public Schools Truth & Reconciliation Parent Series. Deepen your understanding of the current push towards reconciliation through this documentary film. Following the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a group of Indigenous youth and documentary filmmakers explored and documented their own personal journey towards reconciliation. Through the lens of the camera they held, you ll learn about the history of the residential schools and the personal connection tied to their legacy. Beginning with the creation of an Edmonton LRT station mural, the documentarians explore intergenerational trauma and Indigenous resistance and resilience. This deeply moving, honest documentary gives an intimate look into the hearts and minds of Indigenous youth as they prepare for a future they will lead. LATE FRENCH IMMERSION Grade 6 Students and Parents! Join our Late French Immersion program and begin your exciting journey toward bilingualism in Grade 7. This program is designed for students who have little or no knowledge of French but who wish to become fluently bilingual by the time they graduate from high school. St. Albert's only Late French Immersion program is offered at École Sir George Simpson School and bus transportation is available. You are invited to attend the Late French Immersion Information Evening on Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at 7 PM at Sir George Simpson School. To find out more about what Late French Immersion has to offer your child, please contact: Pierre Rousseau at 780-459-4456 or pierre.rousseau@spschools.org. 2
Students can also access their marks (but cannot pay fees) through the Student PowerSchool Portal. If you have any questions or need a Parent Portal letter with your child s Access ID and Password in order to set up an account and link your child to your account, please contact Laurie Roszell at laurie.roszell@spschools.org. or 780-459-4456. SCHOOL FEES Do you know a terrific Social Studies teacher who makes history come to life in the classroom? Consider nominating them for a 2018 Governor General s History Award for Excellence in Teaching! This prestigious program honours teachers for innovative approaches to teaching Canadian history by engaging students through digital initiatives, community partnerships, intergenerational projects or exploring Indigenous perspectives and experiences. Nomination packages are now available at http://www.canadashistory.ca/awards/governor- General-s-History-Awards.The nomination deadline is April 1, 2018. SCHOOL INFORMATION ABSENCES & APPOINTMENTS Please inform the school with a note or a phone call 780-459-4456 or leave a message on our answering machine if your child will be absent for any reason. If your child must leave early or come in late from an appointment, please send a note with your child. Students must sign in and out at the school office. Thanks for your help. PowerSchool Portals The Parent PowerSchool Portal allows you to look on-line at your child s progress, marks, attendance, etc. and to pay your school fees on-line. If you already have an account set up, you can use it to access your child s file and to pay your school fees. (Note, however, that payment of school fees is not available on the mobile app). Your school fees are now updated and they can be paid at school (cash or cheque only) or on-line through the PowerSchool Parent Portal. Effective September 1, 2017, all debit and credit card payments made on-line will be charged a service fee of 2.5%. PLEASE MAKE CHEQUES PAYABLE TO ST. ALBERT PUBLIC SCHOOLS and note your child s name on your cheque It is possible to pay in instalments, if that is more convenient for you. If you have any questions about your school fees, please call Sheila Paul at 780-459-4456 or email: sheilapaul@spschools.org Cell Phones and Personal Electronic Devices Does your son or daughter own a cell phone or any other electronic communication device? It is important for all parents and students to understand our school policy on cell phones: Cell phones (including iphones) are not to be used in the classroom. Two-way electronic communication such as phone conversation, text messaging, downloading of information or transmitting pictures poses a real problem to us all. The disruption caused by accessing cell phones during class time is simply not respectful. Furthermore, these devices have a significant dollar value and too many of them are reported lost. We really appreciate your support on the issue. 3
Healthy Sleep: Is it time Promote Positive Mental Health with Nutrition COUNSELLOR S CORNER Did you know there may be a link between what teens eat and their mental health? Teenagers need nutritious food to grow healthy bodies and healthy brains. Your brain uses natural chemicals called neurotransmitters as signals, affecting how you think, feel and act. The foods teenagers eat can impact the release of neurotransmitters in the brain. To support positive mental health, encourage your teen to eat vegetables and fruit every day, and limit processed foods that are high in sugar, salt and fat. Encourage water when they are thirsty and limit drinks with added sugar and caffeine. There are simple ways you can help your teen eat a healthy diet: Encourage your teenager to eat breakfast and lunch every day and not skip meals: eat regularly for all-day energy! Eat meals together: this allows you to serve nutritious food, role model healthy eating and enjoy social time as a family. At meal times plan a healthy plate by making half of your plate vegetable and fruit. For more ideas, visit http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/nutriton/page1 2598.aspx ATHLETE S CORNER Basketball The basketball season has gotten off to a roaring start. The junior teams performed well at the Morinville tournament, as did the senior teams in the SAPEC tournament. Junior and Senior league play is almost half over. The senior girls have one more home game, while the senior boys have two. Come out and cheer us on during our final push to the playoffs. Cheer loud, cheer proud. Let s Go, Voyageurs! Mr. Parker SCIENCE FAIR The SGS Annual Science Fair will be held on Thursday, February 22nd from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. Public viewing and awards will be from 6:00-7:00 pm. Interested in judging? Please contact Mrs. Jahner at marie.jahner@spschools.org. Mrs. Jahner DRAMA CORNER Can t recall the last time you wore your bell bottom jeans? What about that macrame vest? Or the tie-dye shirt you haven t worn since summer camp, many years ago? The drama department would like to help you clean out your clothing closet! If you have a fashionable clothing item that dates back to the 60 s era, we d be happy to take it off your hands. Simply drop it off at the front office and we ll put it to good use. Peace! Mrs. Aubin MUSIC NOTES On January 11 and 12 th our Grade 7, 8, and 9 students, 85 in all, participated in a two-day Music Camp out at Lake Nakamun. It was a fun two days of skill development, working with excellent clinicians from the Edmonton area. The students came away with an amazing music experience! In the evening, we swam and played cards, pingpong and volleyball, all before our Room to Room Challenge. The competition began with everyone dancing the line dance Cadillac Ranch! Even the parents joined in! We then started in on the event where we learned to tie ties, make card towers, played Right, Left, Center, challenged our memory power, played some basketball, floor hockey, foosball and ping pong, learned to juggle, and new this year, word puzzles and knitting!! A few stitches were lost along the way, but we all had a great time. We finished up with the annual cookie-eating contest, and, I must say, that some are very good at this station! 4
Special thanks to our chaperones Dave James, Don Knutson, Jeff Holm, Nikki Holm, Christina Symonds, Pam Parker and Mrs. Wenschlag for their help and enthusiasm! Things continue to move swiftly in the Music Department as we prepare for the following events. Look for a permission form for the March performances. We will also need supervisors for these events, so please let Mrs. Worthington know if you can help! March Tour of St. Albert dates to be determined April Rotary Music Festival dates to be determined April 19 May 2-4 May 31 SGS Open House evening Band Tour Calgary/Banff Spring Concert at Sturgeon Valley Baptist Church The students are continually improving and are looking forward to all the performance opportunities we have lined up! Watch for our World s Finest Chocolate Almonds sales in support of Music Camp and Band Tour. They will be available throughout the month of March! Mrs. Worthington Last year, we raised more than $1,100. Our goal this year is $1,500. To donate, please go to https://cnoy.org/search?q=sir+george+simpson. Tax receipts will be issued by email for donations of $20 or more. For more information, please contact M. Pagé at simon.page@spschools.org. COMMUNITY NEWS On Saturday, February 24, staff members at Sir George Simpson will help fundraise for the Hope Mission by participating in the Coldest Night of the Year Canadian National Walk for the Homeless. Our Leadership students volunteer at the Hope Mission to serve food at lunchtime on Tuesdays. If you (and your family) are interested in joining us for the walk, you are welcome! We will be walking 10 km. Our team will depart from The Bissell Centre (10527 96 Street) at 5 pm. A youth team (comprised of students from our Leadership program) will be joining us. 5
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST Sunday, April 29, 2018 9:00 am 11:00 pm Shaw Conference Centre, Edmonton Youth Empower will be holding a convention featuring inspirational speakers, musical performances, giveaways, food and a mass concert to conclude the evening. This event is perfect for youth who wish to make a change in their communities and want to connect with like-minded individuals. More information about this event and ticket prices are available at www.youthempower.org/2018empcon.html Dear Parents: We have had yellow lines painted along the curb in the bus lane at our FRONT doors. This area is for buses only! Please do not stop in this zone at all. We prefer you drop off before or after this space even if there are no buses in the lane. This is for the safety of our children. SGS Yearbooks The 2017-2018 Sir George Simpson Yearbook is now available to order for $35! The order form can be found on our school website under Downloads. 6
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 24 February 2018 4 5 7B Jasper 6 Outdoor Ed Trip 7 Early Dismissal Career Fair 8 Teachers No 9 Convention School 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 High School Counsellors visit Gr.9 s Winter Carnival SGS vs A-T 18 19 Family Day No School 20 SGS vs ESG 21 22 Science Fair Sr. Basketball 23 School Assemblies Tournament 25 26 Grade 9 Immunizations Journey Towards Reconciliation Film Night 6:30 PM 27 Basketball Playoffs School Council 7PM 28 Basketball Playoffs 8B Jasper Outdoor Ed Trip
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 3 March 2018 1 Paul Kane Open House 2 Progress Report 8B Jasper 4 5 6 7 Early Dismissal Bellerose Open House 9A Jasper 11 12 13 14 Late French Immersion Information Evening @ 7PM 9B Jasper Outdoor Ed Trip 8 Outdoor Ed Trip 15 Outdoor Ed Trip 9 Gr. 9 French Immersion at Paul Kane 10 16 17 Cheerleading Competition Cheerleading Competition Cheerleading Competition 18 19 20 Parent-Teacher 21 Interviews 22 23 No School 24 25 26 SPRING BREAK 27 28 29 30 31