NSS NEWS January 2015 Nakusp Secondary School Newsletter Principal’s January Message Another year and another set of New Year’s resolutions made and not yet broken?! As we look ahead and wonder what the year will bring we should recognize that our goals and resolutions are more likely to be successful if we share them with others – we then have a team behind us to fall back on when times are tough and we need some support in achieving our goal. Take the resolution to ‘give up chocolate’ - so much easier if a friend nags you as you reach for the bar in the cupboard; or perhaps the resolution, ‘ to run three times a week’ - much more likely to happen if a friend invites you out for a run. For students then, support from home or friends is crucial… ‘to do my homework on time’ - so much easier if someone at home helps set time out for them to do this in or, ‘to ask for help more often’ - easier to do if the teacher reminds students to ask for this help. May 2015 be a year in which we all support each other in our goals. Wifi Update Over the school holidays the IT manager for SD10 was able to work on our bandwidth speed and has been able to increase our potential to 20MB and therefore the student wifi will be operational for students. Students should however remember that wifi use is firstly for teaching and learning and that when in class teachers will direct students to put their devices away if they are using them for social reasons. In This Issue  Planning Ahead  Contact us  Important dates  Honour roll term 1  Staffing news  NSS ski day  Cougar Snacks 2015-2016 The Ministry of Education requires school districts to report projected enrollment numbers for schools in February. Please let the school know by the end of January if you already know your child will not be attending NSS next school year. Planning Ahead, Planning Together School dates Jan 5 - School starts Jan 16 – Pro D day Jan 28 –Ski Day Feb 6 – End of term 2/ semester 1/ Turn around day Feb 9 — Family Day Feb 16 — Report card 2 Feb 20 – Pro D Feb 23 — Recognition assembly 2 Mar 11 – Spring Concert Mar 16 – Mar 27 Spring Break April 3 – 6 Easter weekend April 24 — End of Term 3 May 15 - Pro D May 18 — Victoria Day June 12 &13 – Grad Weekend Between January and March a small team of staff, parents and students will meet on five occasions to look together at what is happening in other schools in the province, examine our school’s climate and culture, set goals for next year and consider what aspects of course offerings and timetabling have been a success this year and what systems need tweaking. We will be looking for up to five parents and five students to join staff after school (alternating Thursdays from 3.15-4.45pm) to ‘Plan Ahead, Plan Together .’ Please contact Ms Miles or Ms Kobayashi if your are interested in being part of this team. We have one parent so far who has expressed and interest so there is space for more! Our first meeting will be on Thursday, January 15th at 3.15pm. Cougar Snacks—have you ordered your hot lunches and soup for January on the pre-order form? You can download it from our website: http://nss.sd10.bc.ca/cougar-snacks-order-form-january-2015ready/ A Breakfast Program is available upon request at 8:40-8:50am and 11:01-11:07 for those students experiencing an emergent morning where they did not have a chance to eat breakfast. If you are stuck without a lunch, please see Mrs Barisoff at the start of lunch, as we have either homemade or canned foods available. June 18 – Provincials start June 25 – Last day of school for students PAC News The next meeting is on Monday January 26th 2015 at 5.15pm. Thanks to the student council who organised and hosted a great ‘Winter Formal Dance’ at the end of December 2014. There was a good student turn out, the gym looked wonderful, over $550 was raised for student council funds and food was donated to the food bank. Honour Roll Term 1 Gold (86% to 100%) Mikala Lewis-Morrison Maya Watson Alexandra McGuigan Kiley Waterfield Lazlo de Courcy Lilia Cunningham Maija Larder Taylor Moody Tasha Bjarnason Devyn Huss Jordan Katchen Garrett Waterfield Andrew Kang Renee Goodman Ashley Friedenberger Kalen Jones Broden McLean Brianna McCoy Hailey Herridge Brianna McKay Cameron Olson Pato Morfin Abby Boswell Katira Niquidet Skye Cunningham Kolton Stubbs Sam Zerrath Oliver Kang Eclipse Galloway Taylor Aichele Brier McLean Dakota Simon Devin Fisher Silver (80% to 85%) Bronze (73% to 79%) Timothy Barisoff Ethan Smith-Garnett Larissa Kessler Adam Volansky Piper Cunningham Andrew Harper Cameron Mackintosh Lauren Foss Tanaya Weimer Bryce Friedenberger Gracie Pedersen Holly Cameron Indica Phillipson Dugan McInnes Mackenzie Carter Eric Vieira School Closure / Bus cancellation Emma Orr Maia Smith-Garnett If the weather or power outages cause either schools to Sydney Bone Brody Herridge be closed or buses to be cancelled at the start of the Kennedy Pazurik day please check: Darla Shular Jaycee Gustafson SD10 website after 7am Jackson Herridge Pheonna Gingras Listen to CBC radio Rhys McLeod Rowan Moody NSS website after 7am Dylan Ewings Wolfgang Kostuch Ivy Tourand NSS Facebook after 7am Cailan McQuair Angus Jackson NSS PAC Facebook after 7am Cyrus Galloway Taryn Watson Nakusp Communicator Facebook Jesse Katchen Adriel Goodman Check for email from PAC chairs. Kira Streliev It is very unusual to close schools. Only the superintendent makes this decision. If the power goes out during the school day classes will continue as students cannot be sent home to empty homes. Staffing News Mr. Patrick MacGibbon will be on parenthood leave for four weeks from January 12th. Applicants for this position will be interviewed the week beginning January 5th. We are very excited to welcome Mr Rick. Lingard to join our staff to cover this leave. Mr Lingard is a highly recommended, experienced and master teacher who taught at Mt Sentinel from 1985-2013. Noon hour supervisors are needed! If you are able to work a few lunchtimes a week from 12 through to1pm please contact the school office. The rate for general supervision is $11.38 an hour and for working with one of our students with special needs is $17.38 an hour. If you are able to work just one or two days a week this works for us too! Contact Us Regular school office hours: 7.30am to 3.30pm 250 265 3638 ext. 2. Ms. Miles - Principal [email protected] Ms. Kobayashi - Vice Principal [email protected] Mrs. McKee –Secretary [email protected] Keep in the loop on the our Facebook page. Website: www.nss.sd10.bc.ca Postal address: Box 249 Nakusp, BC V0G 1R0 Ski Day –Wednesday January 28th 2015 NSS students will have the opportunity to ski and board together at Summit Lake Ski Hill on Wednesday January 28th. Consent forms from the school and from the ski hill go home on January 5th and need to be returned to school by Mon., Jan. 12th. Students should either pay for their lift pass and equipment rental or bring their own pass and gear. Students who do not wish to take part should come to school and their studies will be supervised although their will not be lessons. Students who do not participate in the ski hill or come to school must have their absence excused.