“Success, Community, Tradition” A s we all enjoy the first few glimmers of spring, there is a fresh new air of optimism and enthusiasm, hope and excitement moving through the halls of Bayridge!! With spring sports kicking off the season, Environmental initiatives in full swing, Student Council elections and activities underway, play rehearsals and set construction occurring for the upcoming production of ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ Skilled Trades preparation for Provincials, Math and Writing Contests occurring, to name a few….the school is buzzing with a positive and productive energy!!! As always, we are extremely proud of our Blazers and the many things they accomplish, each and every day! support charities, community projects, environmental change or global responsibilities. This unique and highly regarded Bayridge focus on supporting others, both locally and globally, has resulted in all students making a commitment to their roles in helping others while enhancing a positive school culture. This past week, in particular, has highlighted this focus with the completion of another successful ‘One Earth, One Chance’ summit challenging Environmental clubs across the district, both elementary and secondary, to be actively involved. I am extremely proud of all of the achievements of our staff and students and the impressive learning environment they have created – the powerful potenAs we enter the final quarter of the year, it is tial and influence of the combined efforts of rewarding to reflect on all that we have our Blazers is inspiring! achieved and to draw on this inspiration to tackle the busy months of April, May and The enclosed midterm report card outlines June. Our students have excelled, academi- your son/daughter’s academic achievements cally and athletically, in all areas - highlights and progress in learning skills so far this seof some of these accomplishments are outmester – please take the time to review this lined in the articles of this newsletter. information and discuss next steps to reach personal and academic goals. Please do not Whether looking at the impressive Universi- hesitate to contact any of the teaching staff, ty/College acceptances and scholarships be- student service counselors or administration ing offered to our senior students or taking if you have any questions, concerns or renote of some of the local awards our students quests for support. We look forward to have been recognized with, it is clear that our working with you as we complete another students are committed to using the skills and busy and successful year at Bayridge! encouragement gained at Bayridge to take full advantage of the opportunities provided. In addition to these individual achievements, our students continue to work collectively, enriching the fine Blazer reputation, by organizing and participating in activities which Proud to be a Blazer, Caroline Worthy Principal PAGE 2 BAYRIDGE NEWSLETTER APRIL 2015 News from Student Services ATTENTION GRADUATES!! ourse selections wrapped up before March Break, and the timetable for the 2015-2016 school year is in the process of being created based on these selections. Students are encouraged to continue to make appointments with their respective Grade Counsellor should they have any questions regarding their course selections. Students may also visit Student Services for information regarding post secondary opportunities, Dual Credit opportunities with St. Lawrence College, Summer Session registration, Specialist High Skills Major or Focus Programs. A meeting for all potential 2015 graduates will occur on Tuesday, May 5, 2015, at 10:30 a.m. in the main Bear Pit. At this meeting, students will receive a grad package that includes very important information, including details about the graduation ceremony, graduation fees, major awards, grad breakfast, and more. It is essential that all graduates attend this meeting. If, for any reason, a potential graduate is unable to attend this meeting, information will be available from Ms. Leonard or Ms. Moore in Student Services after the meeting. C Chris Bertrim Student Services Secretary 334 Carrie Moore Head of Student Services, Grade 10 Counselor Grade 9 Counselor, e-Learning 319 339 Greg Cusson Grade 11 Counselor, International Students Grade 12 Counselor, Specialist High Skills Major, OYAP Cooperative Education Heather Stewart Lead Student Success Teacher 329 Nancy O’Brien Adolescent Care Worker (ACW) 363 Geoff Stewart Claudine Elvidge Stephanie Leonard 327 330 317 If students are looking for information regarding post secondary opportunities, there are books and resources available to borrow from Student Services. Students may also find a great deal of information using the “Career Planner” tool in their respective myBlueprint accounts. Forgot your username or password? See Ms. Moore for help in resetting your account details. International Week Bayridge Secondary School is looking forward to celebrating International Week - occurring May 4 - 8, 2015. Students are organizing international and cultural activities for all Blazers to enjoy, as well as house challenges, and a wonderful hot lunch. The International Hot Lunch in Semester 1 was a deliciously popular event – this lunch is sure to be the same! Volunteer Hours Students are reminded that 40 hours of community service are required for graduation. Community Service Reporting Forms are available in Student Services and may be handed in to Chris as hours are completed. Many organizations in the community are continuously looking for volunteers. If you are looking for ways to earn volunteer hours, please visit the Volunteer Board outside of Student Services, listen to daily morning announcements, speak to a Guidance Counsellor, or contact Nancy O’Brien at extension 363. If any potential graduates have questions regarding graduation requirements, they are encouraged to see Ms. Leonard in Student Services as soon as possible. While the Student Services department is tracking all student progress closely, all potential graduates are also encouraged to confirm their total community service hours earned to date, to ensure that this aspect of graduation requirements is complete. Bayridge Robotics Club Receives LLF Grant T he Bayridge Robotics Club would like to thank the Limestone Learning Foundation for their support. The club was awarded a grant of $938 to be used for a portable 3D scanner, some rangefinders and some wearable electronics projects. These materials will be used for students who attend the club to do technology projects that involve the broader student population and demonstrate some of the creative fun that can be had with electronics. BAYRIDGE NEWSLETTER APRIL 2015 PAGE 3 News from the Social Sciences Department T he Social Sciences Department welcomed back Mr. Stephen Gambicourt and Ms. Elizabeth Convery to the team to teach in the Grade 9 and 10 programs. We also had several teacher candidates working in the Geography and History areas: Ms. Lesley Baird taught two Grade 9 Geography classes while Ms. Chantel Martin and Ms. Hanna GrunowHarsta taught the Grade 10 History classes. Thank you to these individuals who brought excellent and creative ideas to each of their classrooms. Also thank you to Ms. Brenda Scarlett, Mr. Dave Dwane and Ms. Elizabeth Convery for volunteering to be associate teachers. One upcoming field trip is the Grade 10 History trip; always a popular excursion for the students who will travel to Ottawa and Carp in late May. The students will visit the Museum of Civilization, the War Museum and the Diefenbunker. Thank you to Ms. Alida French for planning this trip and offering this opportunity to our History students. Other upcoming field trips will be the Grade 11 History of Civilizations Archaeological Dig, the Grade 9 Ecological Footprint Workshop at Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area and a possible Ottawa or Toronto field trip for Grade 9 Geography students. All are in the planning stages at present. Hsu spoke to the five Civics/Careers classes in the afternoon of February 10. In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Canadian Flag, MP Hsu spoke to the classes and gave out beautiful posters regarding the History of the Canadian Flag; wonderful resources for the school which teachers have been using in their classrooms. MP Hsu also spoke of his role in the federal government and responded to questions from Bayridge students. Thank you to Ms. Brenda Scarlett and Ms. Alida French for setting up this opportunity for the Grade 10 classes. Mr. Gerald McCaffrey from the YMCA spoke to the Grade 10 Civics/Careers classes on March 24. The students learned about the Entrepreneurship and Youth Programs occurring through YMCA. He spoke about various opportunities on offer and students were receptive to his presentation. Thank you to the Careers/Civics teachers for setting up this opportunity: Ms. French, Ms. Craft, Mr. Gambicourt and Ms. Sparrow. The Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI), has made for a busy time for both Careers and Civics students in Grade 10. The objective of the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative is to increase student awareness of the social issues in their communities and to encourage them to assist where they can. StuOver 30 students from Grades 9 to 12 attended the dents research local, grassroots, social service chariYouth Forum on Global Development at Queen’s Uni- ties and explain the positive role each organization versity on February 26. It was offered by Queen’s Pro- plays in the community, as wells as how the charity ject on International Development (QPID). A confer- would benefit from a donation of $5,000.00. The ence filled with engaging workshops on current devel- finalists will present at a major presentation to be opment issues thoroughly made the day a memorable made on Thursday, May 22. For second semester, one for the students. Thank you to Ms. Brenda Scar- the finalist groups will be determined by the end of lett for organizing this opportunity for the Bayridge April. The group of students with the best presentastudents. tion for the school will win $5,000.00 for the charity they researched. This program is funded through the Four students, Ashlee Redmond, Quinton Bradshaw, Toskan-Casale Foundation and TD Financial Group. Alyssa Kingston, Mikaela Reavie and Catherine Noble participated in KCVI’s Model United Nations In Grade 9 Geography, Youth Mentoring Youth Conference from April 8 - 10. Also a popular confer- from Queen’s University spoke to the period one ence, students enjoy the opportunity to attempt to dis- Geography classes on March 23. The workshop encuss, debate and hopefully solve the issues of today. titled Local Food Systems was an excellent overview Thank you to Ms. Brenda Scarlett and Ms. Alida for the students on agricultural systems. This issue French who promoted and organized the event for will be further addressed in the Liveable CommuniBayridge students. ties unit. Thank you to Ms. Kate Sparrow for organizing this opportunity. Guest speakers have visited many classes. MP Ted Continued on Page 5 BAYRIDGE NEWSLETTER APRIL 2015 PAGE 4 News from the Communication Department I n the final quarter of the 2014 - 2015 academic year, teachers and students are assessing what has been done and what still remains to be accomplished to bring the year to a successful conclusion. While the OSSLT results have not yet been determined, our Grade 10 students have expressed self-assurance with their performance, confident that the intensive preparatory work undertaken in the months prior to the test imparted a good understanding of format, terminology, time management strategies and expectations. Our thanks go out to the Grade 10 teachers for working so diligently to ensure our students’ comfort and success. Communication Department staff is currently involved in a number of initiatives designed to improve curriculum delivery, student performance, and the learning environment. One such endeavor is a number of crosscurricular collaborative inquiry projects, each centered on an exploration of the relationship between skill acquisition and performance objectives. In planning for next year, the Communication Department is pleased to announce the addition of two new courses. Presentation and Speaking Skills is designed to enhance students’ comfort and effectiveness in their delivery of oral presentations to both small and large audiences. This open-level course emphasizes the knowledge and skills required to plan and make effective presentations and to speak effectively in both formal and informal contexts, using such forms as reports, speeches, debates, panel discussions, storytelling, recitations, interviews and multimedia presentations. The development of oral communication skills forms a significant part of the Ontario Secondary School Curriculum. Also new next year is the F.U.E.L. program, a junior level 2-credit program designed to strengthen both the mind and the body of the student by combining personal fitness and weight training with a concentrated focus on developing literacy skills and achievement in reading and writing. We are also pleased to see the return of Writer’s Craft, a senior creative writing course open to both university and college-bound students, in which students will have the opportunity to engage in handson activities that focus on the writing process in areas such as personal memoir, fictional narrative, informational report, opinion piece, procedural writing and poetry. Kingston WritersFest -- So Y ou Think Y ou Can Write Contest enjoys a r etur n engagement at BSS. A set of five words to be incorporated into the writing is provided to the student participants. Original poetry, short story, memoir and essays are all eligible genres for the contest. The deadline for submissions is April 17. Entr ants’ wor k will be judged and finalists contacted by June 12. Winner s will be announced at the Kingston WritersFest International Marquee event on September 24, 2015. For more information, contact Ms. Kirby or Ms. Campbell. Continued on Page 5 BSS Is Now On TWITTER!! Keep connected with BSS by following us on TWITTER! Information about academics, athletics, clubs, arts events, Student Council initiatives and many other school activities will be posted on TWITTER regularly. This is a great opportunity for students, parents/ guardians, and the entire community to stay updated about the latest BSS news! #BSSRocks! Follow BSS on TWITTER at BayridgeSS_LDSB BAYRIDGE NEWSLETTER APRIL 2015 Social Sciences News PAGE 5 Communication News Continued from Page 3 Continued from Page 4 Queen’s Project on International Development (QPID), also did a workshop: Mapping Our Closet, on March 26 for the Periods 1 and 3 classes. This simulation was engaging and the students were able to use the concepts learned to connect to the Changing Populations unit and clearly apply it to their action project this semester: Water Well in India. Vibrant discussion occurred with all students enthusiastically participating. On May 28, Mr. Keene and Ms. Craft will be escorting French students to Montreal to visit Old Montreal and Arbraska Adventure Park. The trip is open to all French students. As it will likely fill up quickly please, see Mr. Keene or Ms. Craft for additional details and permission forms. Finally, the Geography classes have been actively fundraising for Water Well #8 in India. The class decided to continue the tradition after learning about India and the role Bayridge has played in helping people help themStudents participating in the Cake Walk for India selves in this reWater Well at Parent/Guardian Night: March 26: gion of the world. Maria Stakheiko, Keirsten Miller and Becky Stewart The Grade 9 Geography classes orgath nized the 7 Annual Cake Walk on Thursday, March 26. Promotion for the event occurred on Wednesday, March 25, when students sold cupcakes at lunch hour. Over 14 cakes and dozens of cupcakes were made by Geography students, and other dedicated students at Bayridge, and we are ecstatic to report that over $300.00 was raised. Another unique fundraiser for this development project began on Thursday, April 2 when the Geography classes planted seeds to grow vegetable plants to sell in late May. Students are learning about local foods and the simplicity of growing gardens within their own backyard as well as giving back to their global community. Thank you to Ms. Brenda Scarlett and Mr. Stephen Gambicourt for organizing and providing these opportunities for their students. Finally, the Canadian Geographic Giant Traveling Map will be at Bayridge in late April. Students will be exploring Arctic Canada! More news on this awesome and unique event in the June newsletter. Exciting opportunities are occurring in the Social Sciences! Students are asked to check out the Social Sciences bulletin boards for future contests, volunteer opportunities and upcoming events. If you have any questions or would like to become involved, please contact Ms. Brenda Scarlett at the school. A group of junior and senior BSS students will travel to Toronto on May 11 to attend a performance of Romeo and Juliet delivered by the Classical Theatre Project. This young company specializes in student-oriented productions inclusive of interactive workshops and post-performance talk -back. A limited number of tickets are still available for purchase. Please contact Ms. Campbell for information. Such enrichment excursions are becoming increasingly accessible, and we are pleased to be able to offer our students these opportunities. Should you like more information about any upcoming events or to discuss your child’s experience in the BSS Communication classroom, please do not hesitate to contact departmental members through our general number or check our website. If your child will be late or absent, please remember to leave a message (in advance) on the 24-Hr Attendance Line 613-389-8932 or e-mail [email protected] PAGE 6 BAYRIDGE NEWSLETTER APRIL 2015 News from the Environmental Club E nvironmental Club has had a great start to Semester 2! We have been working to plan activities for Earth Week (which will be April 20 - 24 this year) including our Earth Summit, which will be held on Thursday of that week, as well as other initiatives around the school! Bottle Day/Wear Blue Day on Monday, Pitch in Day on Tuesday, Green T-shirt day on Wednesday, a Walk-to-School day Thursday and a House Challenge Friday!! The One Earth One Chance Environmental Summit will be held on April 22 this year, and we are all very excited! We will have awesome guest speakers, food, and it’s a great learning opporBack in October and November, Bayridge hosted tunity! Thanks to all the staff and students who have the ‘Recycle My Cell’ program, whetr we collected helped organize, will be presenting or volunteering, old or broken cell phones to send to a facility where and to those who will be attending the summit! It’s they could be recycled. We have recently received a going to be a great day! recognition certificate on behalf of the company for participating in the challenge. It will soon be put up Environmental Club has continued to track recycling, next to our Ecoschools plaque and other awards on composting and garbage throughout the school. Blazthe wall by the cafeteria! ers have been doing a terrific job at sorting their waste, and have been helping to make Bayridge an On Friday, March 27, we participated in the board- even more environmentally friendly school! wide Earth Hour initiative. Bayridge turned off lights from 11:10 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. on Friday and Thanks to everyone who helped get Semester 2 off to saved 35-kilowatt hours! That much energy could a great start this year, and we hope that the rest of the power 2692 CFLs (13watt) light bulbs for one hour, year will be just as successful! save 11 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions, or power a laptop for 778 hours. Combined LDSB “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, schools saved approximately 833-kilowatt hours! it's the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead Way to go Blazers!! Thank you so much to the staff members who worked hard during our lunch period Isabelle Burns to turn off all of the lights and make this possible. Student Council We have been busy planning our activities and spirit Minister of Environment days for Earth Week - all five days we will have something different going on. Watch out for Water News from the Arts Council A rts Council is jazzed about all the groovy opportunities we've been able to provide Blazers with thus far into the second semester. We started up the semester with a funked up coffee house, the best way we know how. For Valentine's Day 2015, in partnership with Bayridge's own acapella "Singsations," we sold singing telegrams and offered the students of Bayridge the chance to have their friends serenaded with beautiful melodies. We are delighted to once again be orchestrating a Student Art Auction, in conjunction with the upcoming musical, May 12 - 15. This is your chance to buy fabulous original student artwork and support Bayridge student artists! Bidding will be done silent auction style and will be open before the play and during intermission each evening. Lastly, we would like to extend an open invitation to our Evening of the Arts night, on Thursday, May 21, to celebrate the arts and culture in Bayridge with one At our Wednesday meetings we've been hard at work planning new designs for the Paw Shop, locat- last hurrah. Ashlee Redmond ed in the front foyer, and are excited to get to work Co-President at putting them in motion. BAYRIDGE NEWSLETTER APRIL 2015 PAGE 7 News from Interact Club I nteract Club was very fortunate to have several senior members attend “The Poverty Challenge” at Rotary is sponsoring two students to attend the RYLA leadership camp at Paul Smith’s College on Lake Queen’s University on Monday, March 30. Through Placid this summer. This leadership camp is held role playing, this challenge introduced students to the from June 26 - 28 and is a great way for students to local issue of poverty in Kingston. It was an eyestart off their summer, improve their leadership skills opening experience that taught about the determina- and meet new people. If your son or daughter is intion and resilience of people living in poverty. terested in applying for this great opportunity - they can pick up a form in the Main Office and drop it off Interact Club and interested Bayridge students partic- in the drop box in the Main Office by April 24. ipated in the Vow of Silence on Thursday, April 16. This is a Free the Children Campaign that was creat- Finally the Interact Club members are looking into ed to stand up for others who cannot stand up for giving back to our community by volunteering at a themselves. In essence this event required you to; “go local charity that provides food services. Second sesilent for those who are silenced.” mester is going great thanks to our dedicated members and the support of the Bayridge staff, students Throughout April, Interact Club will also be raising and community. Thank you for your continual supawareness about cancer in Canada through the “Who port as Interact Club endeavours to make a difference are You Fighting For?” campaign. Daffodil pins will in our local and global community. be provided to students for a small donation and all donations will go to the Cancer Society. Students “When you come together, you can truly create change” can also fill out a poster about who they are personal– Craig Keilburger ly fighting for - whether it is a family member, friend or relative. By doing this, we will show our support for people who have won, lost and/or are currently Alyssa Burrows battling cancer as we work towards better cures for Interact Club President the disease. BAYRIDGE NEWSLETTER PAGE 8 APRIL 2015 News from Environmental Leadership T he Environmental Leadership Program focuses on environmental issues and is filled with outdoor adventures! E.L has had a very successful semester thus far. Throughout our hard work and determination we have accomplished many things such as winter camping and hiking along with earning our Wilderness First Aid Certification. In February, E.L tackled our 4 day winter camping trip in Gateau where we learnt how to cross country ski and survived sleeping in quinzhees that we built ourselves! Throughout March we prepared for our hiking trip in Frontenac Provincial Park that took place in April. We were all pushed to our limits both mentally and physically and had some amazing experiences. Environmental Leadership is playing a key role in Bayridge’s annual One Earth One Chance Summit this April. Furthermore, this semester we will be planting over 6,000 trees to raise money for our upcoming trip to Palmer Rapids and our 7-day canoe trip on the French River and Georgian Bay. In addition to our personal contribution by tree planting, we are selling both spring bulbs and organic coffee, tea and hot chocolate. You can place an order with an E.L student or teacher if you wish to contribute to the Environmental Leadership Focus Program and the Bayridge Outdoor Gardens. Amanda van Steijn and Jazmine Wykes Important Upcoming Dates May 15 May 18 May 22 June 3 June 10&11 June 15-17 June 18-24 June 25 Bayridge Secondary School presents Grad Fees Due Victoria Day - No Classes P.A. Day - No Classes Athletic Banquet EQAO Days Review/Sum./Eval. Days Exam Days Exam Return Day Graduation (4:00 p.m.) A Note about Final Exams... Our students will receive their exam schedule with their midterm reports. The following date range for exams is set by the Ministry. Under our exam policies, we are not able to change exams for vacations, student work, etc. Should there be an emergency (e.g. illness), a doctor’s note will be required. If you have any questions, please call me at (613) 389-8932, extension 364. Thank you! Kristin Stevens, Vice-Principal (Grades 9 & 11) & Exams Supervisor. May 12, 13, 14 & 15, 2015 at 7:00—9:30 p.m. Tickets: Adults $12 Students $10 BAYRIDGE NEWSLETTER News from Student Council APRIL 2015 PAGE 9 has been organizing for the event to make it the best one yet. W The Assembly Team continues to impress Bayridge with fun and exciting assemblies, with the next recognition assembly being in a few weeks time. New this year, Student Council created a Student Council Carousel, which occurred on April 10. The carousel was set up at lunch and gave students the opportunity to speak to each ministry with whatever questions they may have. The objective was to educate those who were interested on what Council does through out the Throughout the year, Student Council has been contin- school as well as to encourage students to join Council uing our “ Student Council Cares” initiative, which for 2015 - 2016. involves kind acts such as giving back to our fellow peers at Bayridge. This semester, Student Council pro- Student Council has worked extremely hard this year vided free chocolate to those who were interested in and is continuing to do so! We plan on bringing more light of celebrating Valentine’s Day. We also created a events and opportunities to our school as much as possmall scavenger hunt before the Easter weekend. Stu- sible. We would like to thank all those who not only dent Council plans to continue this campaign and show support us but also continue to make Bayridge a better place to be. the students that we care. ith warmer weather coming our way, Student Council was very excited to start second semester. So far, it has been action packed with tons of fun events for the students to enjoy! We have an amazing team that works well together and strives to continue to make Bayridge an amazing school. From night-time events, spirit days and assemblies to helping out the community, these leaders have definitely kept busy. On March 6, Student Council hosted a Starlight Semiformal night-time event. The event was beyond successful with over 200 students attending, including sign in students from other schools. The evening consisted of a delicious meal including lasagna, caesar salad and garlic bread as well as fun music and beautiful decorations. A huge thank you to Ms. Cameron, Mr. Alexander as well as the Culinary Arts program for providing the meal. Another big “thank you” to all the staff that took the time out of their Friday night to help make this event as successful as possible; we could not have done it with out you! Also, a special thank you to Ms. French who stepped up and contributed her time when we needed help, we appreciate everything you’ve done for us! Student Council was extremely proud of how the event went and is hoping for more successful night-time events in the future. So far this semester, Student Council has had many accomplishments. The communications team has organized a life bus, which gave students 17 or older the opportunity to donate blood and save three lives. Most recently, they have helped organize the elections for next year’s Co-presidents. Congratulations to Alyssa Burrows and Faith Nichol, the 2015-2016 CoPresidents. The Spirit Events Team has upcoming spirit days as well as house challenges throughout the year and Celebrating being a Blazer Day is coming up very quickly in May. For several weeks, Student Council Kendal Fyke Co-President BAYRIDGE SCHOOL COUNCIL O ur chair, Mr. Chris Ecclestone, extends a warm invitation to the Bayridge Secondary School (Parent) Council. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 20. Meetings occur in Conference Room 100 (right inside the main doors) and agenda items include student and department presentations, chair and principal’s reports, planning for school improvement and renovations, reviewing provincial assessments, updates on school events and activities, input on parent information evenings, school policies and topics relevant to the well-being and success of your son/daughter at Bayridge. We hope that you can join us! For more information, or to leave your e-mail address to be included in the ‘virtual school council,’ call (613) 389-8932 or visit our website at http://bayridgess.limestone.on.ca/ PAGE 10 BAYRIDGE NEWSLETTER APRIL 2015 News from Math, Business & Computer Department What’s going on in Math, Business, and Computers? Destination Imagination Congratulations to BSS Destination Imagination (DI) Team: Ben Banfield, Bethany Delve, Sydney Fiset, Elizabeth Hiscock, Jack Pouliot, and Sydney Stewart who are their way to Globals in Knoxville Tennessee in May! The team qualified for Globals by earning first place in their team challenge category “Fine Arts: Fairy Tales” in both Arnprior (Regionals) and Pickering (Provincials). Planning meetings combined with an Instant Challenge activity have been taking place once a week since the fall to help the team reach the “performing” stage of team develop- Senior Mathletes attend the Euclid Problem Solving Day Over 70 BSS Mathletes Write the Pascal, Cayley, and Fermat Contests ment. The goal of the DI is for students to use their planning, creativity, and teamwork to create innovative and completely independent solutions to challenges and to learn that it’s okay to try something and have it not work out; it’s about how they get around problems to create new solutions. The parents, students, and the team manager (Ms. Allmendinger), all had to sign a Non Interference waiver promising that all parts of the solution and performance will be entirely the team’s conception. Our team, “The Dingivators”, has created an original humorous fairy tale about a heroine’s fear of sharks and how she overcomes it. The Instant Challenge is the second part of the scored components that makes up 25% of their mark at competitions where the team has to creatively and collaboratively solve a problem on the spot. All performances are live. DI is available for students of all ages and skills with five other types of challenges available, including science and technology aspects. Business Classes Giving Back to the Community Ms. Allmendinger’s Grade 11 Entrepreneurial Studies Students participated in the $10 Challenge where they were tasked to turn the $10 start up capital into profits to be donated to charities of each team’s choice. “We are donating $250 to Kingston Youth Shelter. We raised the money by selling duct tape flower pens. Our business name was The Write Expressions and our group members include: Holly Ryan, Amber Sarazin, Dean Thompson, Izaaq Verk, Rachel McKeown, Edison Law and Jennifer Neary.” Well done “The Write Expressions!” Mathletes In Action It has been busy start to the second semester for the Mathematics Department as math contest season gears into full swing. In February, over 70 of our Grades 9, 10 and 11 students wrote the Pascal, Cayley, and Fermat Contests run by the University of Waterloo. Our students performed extremely well and their accomplishments will be celebrated at the Academic Awards in October. Many of our Mathletes earned “Top 25%” certificates on the contest this year. Ms. Eccles took several of our senior students to the Euclid Problem Solving Day at LCVI on April 9, where they spent the day working on math problems with professors from the University of Waterloo. We also had ten of our students write the Euclid Mathematics Competition earlier this month and we look forward to finding out their results soon. A special thank you to Maria Stakheiko, Harriet Burns, Keirsten Miller, John Minor, Continued on Page 12 BAYRIDGE NEWSLETTER APRIL 2015 PAGE 11 News from the Science Department B ayridge Science students have had a great start to the semester. Students are working hard to achieve their credits. Teachers are always available to provide that extra support. This is also the time of year where wise choices need to be considered when choosing next years options. If there are any questions please see your teacher for advice. Also this semester many Science contests are offered: Chemistry – Avogadro Exam, Chem 13 News Exam – early May Biology – University of Toronto Biology Exam – April Physics – University of Waterloo SIN contest – May 7 These contests are a great way for students to challenge themselves and could potentially lead to cash prizes. Bayridge has had tremendous success in the past as several students have achieved in the top five percent of participants across Canada and the World. As well, our Biology results have been the highest in the Limestone District for several years running. Please see your teacher if interested. The Earth and Space Science (SES) class will be visiting Miller Hall at Queen’s University on Thursday, April 23. The class will be learning about Mineral Identification and Meteorites as well as experiencing the Miller Museum. Students will have the opportunity to see various types of rocks and minerals on display as well as learn from the interactive displays about the Geological History of Kingston. Mr. Mark Badham, Museum Curator, will lead the sessions which are always popular within the program. Queen’s University’s Ellis Observatory, which is always a popular field trip for the class, is not able to book in outside groups this year which is a huge loss to the local community. We hope that this resource will again be available in the future. The SES class is also organizing a field trip to various rock outcrops in the Kingston region in late May. This was run for the first time last year through Mr. Mark Badham and was an incredible experiential opportunity for the Bayridge students This is also an awesome Reach Ahead activity for those students who are enrolled in the Environmental Specialist High Skills Major Program. Thank you to Ms. Scarlett for organizing. Students on the 2014 SES Field Trip to Rock Outcrops in Kingston BAYRIDGE NEWSLETTER News from Phys. Ed. O ur Physical and Health Education classes have been busy in the gymnasium as well as the health room during the colder weather. We have recently gone on a field trip to Prost Bowling Alley as well as had Dan Coles from Shaku Martial Arts work with our groups with selfdefense in mind. All of our classes look forward to hitting the driving range as well as 9 holes of golf for o ur senior classes later in the semester. As the weather continues to improve, we will move our fitness endeavours outside! APRIL 2015 PAGE 12 Math, Business and Computers Continued from Page 10 Daniel Howells, and Carlee Rogers, who represented Bayridge at the QSMLA Math Challenge that took place on April 16 at LCVI. Finally, the Junior Mathletes will begin preparing soon for the Junior Math League Competition that will be taking place in May. It is not too late for any Grade 9 or Grade 10 students who want to participate to join in – please see Ms. Swaine or Ms. Eccles for more information. EQAO Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics We would like to remind all students taking Grade 9 Academic and Applied Math this semester that the EQAO Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics exam is quickly appr oaching. The students will be writing the EQAO exam in their It’s not too late to ensure that you have committed math classes on June 11 and 12. We strongly encourage to a healthy lifestyle for the 2015-2016 school students to start preparing for the exams now by visiting the year. If you did not sign up for a regular gym EQAO (www.eqao.com) website and working through the class or Powerfit for next year but are thinking practice materials. that perhaps you should be active for your physical and mental health next year, book an appointMath Help ment with Student Services to get signed up for Finally, we would like to remind parents and students that our PE. Math Help Room continues to be a place where students can go for extra support. We would like to thank our teacher candidates, Amarya Durling and Carrie Sun, for volunteering their time to help support our students in Math Help. Students are welcome to drop by Room 206 anytime between 11:20 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays to ask questions or simply have a quiet place to do their work. Eat well, sleep well and stay active BSS! Athletics Council T he Athletics Council has been busy organizing Intramurals on Thursdays this year. We will continue to offer this lunch activity for the remainder of the school year. We are also preparing to organize the Bayridge Road Races on Friday, May 1 and the Annual Athletic Banquet on Wednesday, June 3. BSS Destination Imagination Team Wins Provincials and is Headed to Globals!
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