1. No category

North Middle School 211 McKnight BLVD NE Calgary AB T2E 5S7 P: 403.253.9257 F: 403.253.1273
Matter of Principal - Reflections on Respect
Respect is an interesting word. As one of our core virtues at FFCA, it is easy to
think that it is something we all agree on. Indeed, when we ask our students,
parents and staff if respect is a good thing, the response is always a yes. However,
when we ask the same people what respect is, we get a wide variety of responses.
This is understandable as respect is not a concrete object, but rather a word
whose use depends largely upon our understanding of its meaning.
For some people , respect is spoken of only as a noun. In reality, it should be
thought of primarily as a verb. It is not something that can be passed around
from one person to another. It is a way of treating other people, animals, objects
and ideas that we interact with in our daily world. Respect can only be shown by
action. Saying “I respect…” means nothing without walking the talk.
Some think of respect as a thing to be earned when it is actually an act of giving.
Respect cannot be demanded. People who feel this way have confused respect
with fear. Someone who fears you does not necessarily respect you. In fact, in
most cases, the exact opposite is true. I offer the thought that people who think
it is their role in the world to get respect have got their priorities mixed up. Our
role in the world is to offer respect to respect our kids, our peers, our parents,
our teachers, our students, our school, our community and our environment.
Some people also think that respect should be conditional. They feel that they
only need to respect those who respect them. There is a problem with this line
of thinking. It is illogical and, if carried to its logical conclusion, would result is
universal disrespect. If everyone waited for someone else to respect them, nobody would respect anybody. This fact proves what is so often discovered to be
true by those most respected. True respect only comes from those who you truly
respect.
Upon giving it due thought, most people I have talked with support the above
views, but it requires us to think first and then consciously act on those thoughts
to make changes in our behaviour and in the world. Respecting others is easiest
when we agree with them. However, it is most important, (and most difficult)
when we disagree. But if we want others to respect us when it is hard for them,
we too must accept the challenge. We need not agree but even in the face of disrespect, we must, unconditionally, respect.
Kurtis Leinweber
Principal Educator
March 2015
What’s Inside
Matter of Principal .............................. .............. 1
Stay up to date at our school .............. .............. 1
Character Corner ................................ .............. 2
2014-15 Cobra Cup ............................. .............. 2
NMS School Council ........................... .............. 3
Hot Lunch Days ................................... .............. 4
Crayola Colorcycle .............................. .............. 4
Internal Transfers ............................... .............. 4
Bus Pass Reminder .............................. .............. 4
Grade 8 Field Trip ............................... .............. 4
Taiko Drumming ................................. .............. 5
COP Ski Trip ....................................... .............. 5
Calgary Food Bank ............................. .............. 5
Alberta Health Services ...................... .............. 6
April Calendar ..................................... .............. 7
Stay up to date on what’s going
on at our school.
Click:
 HERE to view our campus
website,
 HERE to follow NMS on
Twitter,
 HERE to follow FFCA on
Twitter
 HERE to read FFCA’s Cornerstone to Capstone Blog.
Shawna Drummond
Associate Principal
1
NORTH MIDDLE PHOENIX MESSENGER
March 2015
Character Corner
March’s Featured student is:
Arjun P.
Homeroom: 6 Ng
Nominated by: Mr. Pittman
Character Kid Nominations
At the North Middle School, students are becoming publically recognized by their peers and teachers for showing
acts of kindness and conveying strong character traits.
Reason for Nomination:
“Arjun is a very polite young man. He has volunteered to be on the school recycling team and, since joining, has
been a team leader and a role model for other members of the team. He takes great pride in his work and has a positive attitude as well.”
2014-15 Cobra Cup
Anacondas
1810
Rattlers
Copperheads
Vipers
Pythons
1656
1508
1843
1545
2
NORTH MIDDLE PHOENIX MESSENGER
March 2015
NMS School Council
3
NORTH MIDDLE PHOENIX MESSENGER
Hot Lunch Days
Our campus council has been working hard to provide healthier hot lunch items for our students on
hot lunch days. Thank you to all the parents who
support our campus council by participating in our
hot lunch program.
Recently, there has been a large increase in the
number of parents bringing in outside lunches on
these days. If you choose not to participate in the
Healthy Hunger hot lunch options on these days,
we ask that you please send a packed lunch with
your student in the morning.
Please DO NOT drop off hot lunches purchased
elsewhere. These are frequently unhealthy fast
food options including pop-which is not permitted
at NMS. As well, these days are extremely busy at
lunch and the office staff does not have the time to
arrange for each student to come pick up these
items at the office.
Crayola ColorCycle
“Crayola and schools across North America are
banding together to help kids understand the importance of their role in protecting the environment.
That’s why we launched Crayola ColorCycle.
Through this initiative, students in K-12 schools
across the continental United States and parts of
Canada can collect and repurpose used Crayola
markers.”
If you have any markers at home (or near the end of
the school year) that you would like to dispose of, a
box with the above symbol can be found in
Mrs.Vetter’s art room. Crayola ColorCycle will accept all brands of plastic markers not just Crayola
markers. That includes dry erase markers and highlighters! ColorCycle will eliminate placing hundreds
of tons of markers into landfills.
For more information:
http://www.crayola.com/
March 2015
Internal Transfers
Moving?
If you are planning to move in 2015, and your new
home puts you within the boundaries for a different
campus, please email a completed “Request for Internal Transfer” application to
[email protected]. A “Request
for Internal Transfer” application form can be
found on the FFCA website www.ffca-calgary.com
under the “Parent” tab. Internal transfers can only
occur if seats become available in the requested
campus. Internal transfers do not occur mid-year,
so be sure to have your request into Central Office
before April 1st for it to be possible to have your
child start at the designated campus for your community at the beginning of the new school year.
Bus Pass Reminder
Please note at the North Middle School, we do not
issue bus passes for social reasons. Occasionally a
bus pass will be issued for unexpected
emergencies ONLY. Thank you for
understanding.
Grade 8 Field Trip
On Tuesday, April 28, all Grade 8 students will
spend the day at Mount Royal University (MRU) to
take part in the Economics for Success (EFS) program presented by Junior Achievement of Southern
Alberta (JASA). This program takes place annually
at MRU and teaches students the importance of education and how informed choices can jump-start their
future. The sessions will also address saving for post
-secondary education and making smart financial
choices. It is an amazing program that helps students
consider their future in high school and beyond!
Permission slips will be sent home after Spring
Break.
4
NORTH MIDDLE PHOENIX MESSENGER
March 2015
Taiko Drumming
COP Ski Trip
The taiko drumming was a wonderful experience. It
was very cool to see the different songs they played.
I would have never thought that the songs they play
have a meaning. The taiko drumming was used in
battle too. I found that shocking because I thought
they only played them as a hobby. During this assembly, I learned the deeper meaning of this hobby.
Before I watched them, I was expecting something
totally different, but when I got to watch them, it
was way better than what I expected. My favourite
part of this show was when I got the opportunity to
play the drums myself. The drums were super cool,
and I loved playing them! Overall, I loved the performance and hope that I can get to watch them
again!
The ski trip was, by far, one of the best school field
trips we’ve had this year. There were no lineups, no
sitting quietly, or listening to presentations. Instead,
the regular activities at school were replaced by
faceplants, wipeouts, and many laughs. Decked out
in puffy jackets, mismatched gear and oversized
helmets, we were quite the sight.
Kareena K.
It was a great day to spend with friends and an even
better experience for some students who have never
skied or snowboarded before. The instructors challenged us with fun exercises that tested our skills
and our ability to remain vertical. For one whole
day, you didn’t have to worry about upcoming tests
or finishing your homework on time. Besides, who
wouldn't like speeding down the hill behind your
instructor, with the wind in your hair and a smile on
your face? We all had fun and each of us came
away from the hill having learned something new!
Kiva B.
Calgary Food Bank
SO MUCH GENEROSITY
From the Families and Staff of
FOUNDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE CHARTER ACADEMY
Over 3060 pounds of food were donated during our 5 day food bank drive in February. This equated
to 4011 units of food – exceeding the amount collected last year by 344 units!
A heartfelt thank you to those who participated by donating food items, volunteers who assembled
the food bank boxes, counted donated items and coordinated activities on campus to encourage
donations.
YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE TO CALGARIANS IN NEED, THANK YOU!
5
NORTH MIDDLE PHOENIX MESSENGER
March 2015
6
NORTH MIDDLE PHOENIX MESSENGER
March 2015
2015 CALENDAR
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
1
THURSDAY
2
Spring Break –
No School
6
PD Day –
No School
7
Classes Resume
8
20
21
8 Kraushaar
Field Trip
Calgary
Climbing
Centre
Stronghold
22
28
29
8 Burtch Field Trip
Calgary Climbing
Centre Stronghold
8
Thomson
Field Trip
Calgary
Climbing
Centre
27
8 Thomson
Field Trip
Calgary
Climbing Centre
Stronghold
Grade 8
Field Trip
Mount Royal
University
15
BOARD
MEETING
CENTRAL
OFFICE
6PM
8 Moore
Field Trip
Calgary
Climbing
Centre
Stronghold
Spring Break –
No School
10
7 Williamson
Field Trip
Food Bank
14
SCHOOL
COUNCIL
&
SOCIETY
MEETING
6:30PM
Spring Break –
No School
9
13
8 Kraushaar
Field Trip
Calgary
Climbing Centre
Stronghold
FRIDAY
3
Early Dismissal
Buses Leave at 12:10pm
Students being picked up
at school no later than
12:20pm
16
8 Moore Field Trip
Calgary Climbing
Centre Stronghold
17
23
24
Learning Conferences
4:00pm – 8:30pm
High
School
Student
Union
Speeches
Hot
Lunch/
Casual
Day
(Wear
your
favorite
color)
Learning
Conferences
8:00am – 12:00pm
30
7 Williamson
Field Trip
Fish Creek
For the Updated on line calendar please go to: http://campus.ffca-calgary.com/NMS/default.aspx
7