Grade 9 Farewell Event Update

The Grade 9 class has voted to go to Calaway Park for their farewell event on June 22, 2015.  The students made the choice between Calaway Park, a day at Lynnwood Ranch and a formal event here at the school.  Additional information will be distributed in the coming months.

New Volunteer Police Clearance Procedure (ePICs)

CBE and Calgary Police Service transition to ePICs

Page Content

The Calgary Police Service (CPS) transitioned to electronic police information check (ePICs) this month. The change from a paper application to an online process impacts the CBE in a two different ways: how we process new employee checks, and how we process volunteer checks. 

New volunteers will still report to the school office for identity verification. Once school administrative staff has verified the prospective volunteer’s identity, they will provide them with a volunteer ePIC letter.

A prospective volunteer can then proceed with their online volunteer check at their convenience, from their own computer. There will continue to be no cost for volunteers to apply for an ePIC, as this is covered by Volunteer Alberta.

Some new hires or volunteers may not have access to the necessary computer equipment at home to complete the online process. CPS has several locations where candidates can obtain PICs in person. Additionally, the Calgary Police Service’s ePIC website has instructional manuals and tutorials to assist candidates through the ePIC process if needed.

Merry Christmas from MidSun Staff

Last day before holidays is December 19, Return Jan 5

December 12, 2014

Our school celebrated Active Living on December 1-3, 2014 and encouraged our students to keep their brains in shape by keeping their bodies in shape!  We enjoyed some fantastic support from our community and would like to extend our sincere thanks to Kelly Saunders for teaching a yoga session (sowingseedsyoga@gmail.com), Bogi, local personal trainer and fitness instructor (http://boglarka3.zumba.com/) for teaching a fun filled Zumba class, Maeghen Cotterill, 6th time world kickboxing and karate champion from www.5elementscalgary.com for leading us in a kick boxing class and fitness instructor, Janay Wilson, for leading an Insanity workout! Our students also enjoyed a Dance-Off TA challenge and a fun time was had by all who came out!

Our Parent Student Teacher Conferences went smoothly and we are continuing to have conversations with our parents about our new assessment and reporting methods.  These were discussed at our School Council meeting on December 11^th and a short question and answer period occurred.  One of our struggles has been finding a way to provide parents mark updates that inform them how their child is doing in a way that is logical and easy to understand.  The current use of Home Logic is much more difficult for teachers to display achievement and very time consuming.  As such, parents agreed that the only mark update that will be provided for the second semester will be on March 13.  This is just prior to the next set of Parent Student Teacher Conferences and will help parents decide which teachers they will want to speak with. Updates scheduled for January 15, May 1 and June 5 are cancelled.  Teacher will continue to inform parents when students are falling behind and will work together with parents to support students.

Several students presented to the school council a proposal for amendments to our dress code.  They had already made a presentation to staff earlier this school year.  Parents and staff agreed to a trial of the proposed changes.  The changes will be announced at a school celebration of learning assembly on January 28, 2015.

Our band held their annual Christmas concert on December 10, 2014.  The Salvation Army Band was on hand to warm up our sold out audience.  The dollar admission was donated to their cause.  All three of our concert bands played as well as our Jazz band.  It was a great way to get us into the Christmas spirit!

Our classrooms have been very active with engaging learning tasks.  I have seen worm dissections, bridges and towers being built, The Great Canadian Mail Race in grade seven, knot tying in ENVOE, kids dancing in physical education, paper bag book report presentations and many more fun ways to learn.

I have received some concerns from parents of Grade 9 students who wish to apply for IB and/or AP applications for high school since the published date for submissions is prior to our report card timeline.  I have been assured by the principals of Centennial and Henry Wise Wood High Schools that they will accept applications from our students for those programs into the first week of February.

As the holidays approach, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all families a wonderful, fun filled, time off.  May there be peace in each home and lots of rest and relaxation for all.

Merry Christmas,

Veronica Saretsky

  

Laker Wrestling Update

LAKER WRESTLING

A big congratulations goes our to those who were entered in the competition on Saturday, Dec. 6 at the Junior Olympics Tournament at the University of Calgary.  We had a good number of our athletes come out and show the Laker spirit, heart and legacy. 

With us were such wrestling greats as Olympic gold medalist Carol Huynh, and   MidSun alumni Temi O.  Temi  has gone on to win gold at last year’s Canadian Championship.  After that she went on to compete in Worlds’ in Croatia.  Temi is now a carded athlete, meaning the Canadian government actually pays her to wrestle!  She is now wrestling as part of Team Canada as well as the U of C Dinos and we at MidSun are so proud of her!  Look for her at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics!  As for our athletes.  We’d like to congratulate the following medal winners!

Novice Girls: 

Madison B – Bronze
America T – Bronze

Novice Boys:

Michael B – Bronze
Isaac B– Bronze
Tyler W– Bronze
Adam N– Bronze
Matias A– Bronze

Senior Boys:

Owen D – Bronze
Nikita G – Bronze
Ian W – Bronze
Cole P – Silver
Andrew M - Gold

Way to go Lakers!

We await the results of our Divisional Tournament and when the ribbons have been received we’ll have our final wrap up pizza party!

 

Buy COBS Christmas Baking and Support MidSun Parent Council

 

As you are hosting friends and family this holiday season, COBS can help you out with baking.  When making a purchase at COBS 130th Ave location, BEFORE you pay say "It's for MidSun" and the school receives 5% cash back

 

Thanks for your support

Basketball Game Schedule

Important Band info for Dec 8-11

Dear Parents!

It’s concert week, here is what you need to know:

Wednesday       -grade 7 students arrive at 6:30, dressed in white top, black from the waist down,                              assemble instruments in red pod

                         -grade 8 & 9 students arrive at 6:45, dressed in black & whites
                             assemble instruments in gold (8) or blue (9) pods.
                        -concert starts at 7, grade 7 band is on first, followed by 8, Sr. Jazz, then 9.
                        -The Salvation Army Brass Band will be performing from 6:30 to 7 in the gym
                        -$1 admission, proceeds donated to Salvation Army
                        -students are expected to attend the remainder of the concert

Thursday- Cookie Dough pickup after school in room 20.

Thank you for your support

Grade 9 Band in Edmonton

 

Our Grade 9 Band, led by Mr. Campbell along with Miss Mellish, Mrs. Shipley and Mr. Woods, travelled to Edmonton on Thursday for an action packed 2 days.  They performed at an elementary school in Edmonton when they arrived, then later in the day they took centre stage at the Alberta Legislative Building to perform several Christmas classics.
The students will be participating in a workshop today, before returning to Calgary this evening.

MidSun Wrestling update

Congratulations to these awesome medal winners at our Senior Phoenix Tournament held last Friday, November 28th  at Niccola Goddard School in the far north.  It was a very scary blustery day to be out driving and lots of our team and their parents were willing to brave the drive to support MidSun Wrestling.  It was a great night for our athletes.  Here are the results

 

Andrew M– 1^st Place
Max K – 2^nd Place
Parker B – 2^nd Place
Joey B-R – 2nd PlaceIan W – 3^rd Place
Drew D – 3^rd Place
Cole P – 4^th Place (impressive, as this weight class had higher numbers, and highly aggressive opponents.)

MIDSUN SCHOOL placed 3^rd overall out of 12 highly competitive teams in attendance!!

We are so proud of you!

Go Lakers!!

 

MidSun Winter Carnival December 17th

CBE Family Fun Night with the Hitmen

The CBE is hosting a Family Night with the Hitmen on Friday January 30, 2015. 

This is another opportunity to do some Christmas Shopping!  Tickets to the game for the sports lover on your list.

$2 from each tickets goes to support the CBE's Fuel for School Breakfast program. 

 

 

 

 

 

Band News

MidSun Christmas Band Concert

Wednesday, December 10^th, 7:00 pm in the MidSun gym

Special Guests: Salvation Army Brass Band from 6:30-7:00

Grade 7 students are to arrive by 6:30, grade 8 and 9 at 6:45

All band students are to wear white dress shirt, black dress pants or skirt, black socks and shoes

$1 admission, proceeds donated to the Salvation Army

 

SUTP Coupon Books

We still have a limited number of SUTP Books remaining for $20 each.  Please contact Jennie in the band office at ext. 2004 or at midsunmusic@gmail.com if you would like to purchase a book.

Parent Teacher Conferences Dec 4 & 5

Parent Teacher Conference Booking Opens December 1!

 Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences

 This is a reminder to go online and book for our upcoming parent student teacher conferences using Conference Manager. These are scheduled for Thursday December 4, from 5:30-8:00 PM, and Friday December 5, 2014 from 9:00 AM-12:00 PM.

 

Teachers have been contacting parents of students that they believe need some extra support and booking appointments this week.

 

The site opens for booking by parents at 6:00 AM on Monday December 1, 2014 and closes at 12:00 PM on Friday December 5, 2014.  Each time slot is 5 minutes. Core teachers recommend booking two consecutive sessions. You may add any comments to let the teacher know if you have a particular concern you would like to talk about. Be sure to put travel time between interviews.

 

You are able to view marks and attendance records on HomeLogic on a consistent basis now. Please check your child’s information prior to your appointment so you can have the most up to date information available to you as you discuss your concerns.  For more information about Home Logic, please go to http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b691/parents.htm and click on HomeLogic introduction for parents. You can log in to HomeLogic by going to https://sirswebapps.cbe.ab.ca/homelogic/  

 

We hope that this will allow our teachers to be prepared for your interviews and make the time more productive for everyone. Please call our office at 403-777-6430 if you have any concerns.

 

Parent-Teacher Conferences- December 4 & 5 2014

The link for the Conference Manager is: https://midsun.schoolsoft.ca   

A Parent Account is required to use the Conference Manager. However, you only need to go through the registration process the first time you use the system. If you have never registered in the Conference Manager use the link above and click the “Register Now” button.

 

Can’t remember your password?

 

If you already have a Parent Account, click on the link above, select “Forgot your password” and enter the email address you used to register in the system. You will then receive an email containing instructions for resetting your password. If you do not receive an email, you might have entered an email address the system does not recognize. Please also add appointments@schoolsoft.ca to your address book in your computer mail. This will override any spam filters that might be blocking the email. If the problem persists, please contact the office and ask them to access your Parent Account, confirm your email address and reset your password.

 

Step 1 - Conference Manager Opens to Parents – 6:00 AM October 20, 2014

 

If you used the Conference Manager in the past, your email and password are still in the system. You can simply access the Conference Manager using the link above.

 

Step 2 – Book your Parent-Teacher Conference

 

Select the teachers with whom you want to book interviews. You will see each teacher’s schedule. Select one session for a 5 minute interview or two consecutive sessions for a ten minute interview. Be sure to leave travel time in between your interviews. After booking your appointments you can print off your schedule. You will also receive an email confirming your bookings. You can log into the system at any time to view your bookings, print, cancel or re-schedule appointments.

If you do not have Internet access, you are welcome to contact the office and we will schedule your conferences on your behalf.

We recommend adding

appointments@schoolsoft.ca
to your address book

Important Dates:

December 1 – Start scheduling your interviews at 6:00 AM

December 4 – 5:30 - 8:00 PM Parent Teacher Interviews
December 5 – 9:00 – 12:00 PM Parent Teacher Interviews

If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to contact the school at 403-777-6430. Please let us know if you like this system! Special thanks to the School Council for purchasing the conference manager!

Health Initiative continues December 1-3

As part of our on going healthy learners initiative we will be focusing on Active Living on December 1-3 with some great support from our community.

In October, we hosted a day to focus on hydration and healthy eating. We gave out water bottles, encouraged students to use our new hydration station and to eat a good breakfast.  More students are now bringing water bottles from home, filling them up and hydrating during class to keep their stress down and their brain activity up!  In December, we turn our thoughts to Active Living.

To help us celebrate the benefits of fitness to learning, we are extending our lunch time by ten minutes on December 1 & 2 and offering some great classes taught by fitness leaders in our community.

Monday Dec 1, 2014 12:30-1:00PM:

Yoga in the Fitness Centre : Bring your yoga mat and get stretching with Kelly Saunders, She has been teaching yoga for about 10 years now ( to children, seniors, at studios, corporate clients and for cancer survivors). She loves to  help others get in tune with their bodies and feel strong and healthy.

Zumba in the Main Gym: Try the Latin dance fitness craze with Bogi, local personal trainer and fitness instructor.  She works for the YMCA, Trico Fitness and offers classes in the community.  Check out her website at:  http://boglarka3.zumba.com/

Tuesday Dec 2, 2014 12:30-1:00PM

Kickboxing in the Main Gym: We are excited to have Maeghen Cotterill, 6th time world kickboxing and karate champion & 4th degree black belt, here to teach a Kickboxing fitness class.  Maeghen is from 5 Elements Martial Arts. Check out their website at: 

www.5elementscalgary.com

Wednesday Dec 3, 2014 12:00- 12:30 PM

Dance party TA Challenge: Ms Hayden-Isaak's TA has challenged the school to show off their dance moves in the main gym!  Get ready to bust a move Lakers!

RTI Dec 3, 2014

INSANITY WORKOUT: Fitness instructor, Janay Wilson, will lead our students in fast paced, fun filled Plyometrics insane workout!  This is sure to keep our brains turned on all day long!

MidSun is grateful for such wonderful community support to help us instill healthy choices values in our youth!
Please encourage your child to participate by sending a water bottle and bag lunch with extra snacks.
Thanks,
Veronica Saretsky 
 

Grade 9 Field Trip Deadline and Info

This is a message for all parents and guardians of Grade 9 students from MidSun to inform you that all Grade 9 students will attend a theatre production of “1949” at Centennial on Tuesday, December 9^th. Students will walk to Centennial so proper footwear and outdoor clothing is needed. The fee for the show is five dollars. The fee and medical form must be filled out and returned to homeroom teachers by Thursday December 4^th. Students will be called out of their fourth morning class and given only fifteen minutes to have their lunch before walking; this is why students are required to bring a cold, ready-to-eat bagged lunch as there will not be enough time to buy or heat-up lunch that day.

 

Thank you!

Ms. Smith

Basketball Tryouts 2014

Mathletics is supporting students in Math

Mathletics
This year we asked our parents to help us offer Mathletics to our students by paying for part of the subscription costs.  Our students have been working on the program and it is helping them improve their math skills. Thanks to all parents and our MSEES for helping us offer this resource to our students!

Visiting the School
When parents need to visit the school to pick up your children, we ask that you report to the office.   MidSun is a closed campus and we have to account for everyone who is in the building.  For the safety and security of all of our students, we ask that parents wait in the office when visiting the school. If parents need to speak with teachers, then we ask that you contact the teacher ahead of time and make an appointment.  Thank you for supporting us!

Need help with school work?
We want to make sure that ALL students at MidSun achieve academic success.  We are pleased to offer extra help Monday to Thursday after school in room 10 for an hour in our completion room.  Ms. Hepburn is there to support students with their work.  We also offer a great program with Centennial High School, where trained high school students come to MidSun to volunteer tutor our students.  It helps the high school students get volunteer credit for their resumes and it supports MidSun students learn. It happens each Wednesday in the Library until December and starts up again in February.


Short Day November 20 & PD Day November 21
Teachers will be meeting in their professional learning groups on Thursday to review results from common formative assessments and plan the next two RTI classes.  They will continue this work on Friday with teachers from Wilma Hansen and Woodman schools. The other schools are joining us on Friday's professional development day to discuss ways to identify and support students' understanding of curricular outcomes. In the afternoon teachers will take classes on google aps for education to learn how it can be used to engage students in upcoming lessons.  We have a culture of learning at MidSun and we are all moving forward!

Curriculum Learning Leaders working on engaging task design
Our four curriculum learning leaders are working with leaders throughout Area V on the Teaching Effectiveness Framework and improving task design.  Ms. Severin, Ms. Hayden-Isaak, Ms. Amirault and Mr. Tailor are all participating in this initiative and working with teachers in their departments to enrich classroom activities.  They will be meeting for six half days throughout the year with experts from the University of Calgary's Education Department to learn new ways to deliver the program of studies to our students. November 26th will be the second instalment of these sessions and we are excited to see how they help our teachers design effective lessons.

Student Advisory Group
Seven students representing grade 7, 8 and 9 met with Principal Saretsky last week to discuss ways to improve our school.  Some of the ideas that surfaced was the desire to participate in The Calgary Science Fair, acquiring another hydration station for upstairs, overcrowding in the locker room, and putting the day's schedule on each slide of our TV's so students didn't have to wait until the schedule slide comes up.  We are working to support these requests and I am happy to say that Ms. Severin and Mr. Stretch are offering RTI sessions to support students for Science Fair, the schedule is now appearing on each slide of our TV's, and we are working with school council on the addition of another hydration station.  The staff had a presentation from a number of students who are wanting some adjustments to the dress code.  Our staff has agreed to a trial run of the changes provided that School Council approves of them.  Please join us for the next School Council meeting on December 11th, when students will present their ideas for your approval.  Kaushik Tailor will also be on hand to discuss complementary subjects and technology. Mark your calendars and plan to be there. Make your voice heard.

Stay warm MidSun!
Veronica Saretsky

MidSun Wrestling Update

Laker Wrestling At Its Finest

Well, the MidSun Wrestling Season is at about the halfway mark.  We’ve had two great quad meets, and last Friday, November 14^th the Novice Team was invited to participate in the Coyote Classic Tournament held at the far away Arbour Lake School in the NW.  MidSun athletes did very well in their matches.  We congratulate those who participated in this tournament including:

 
·         Brad R
·         Dana F
·         Natasha D
·         Tyler W
·         Madison B
·         Bentley C
·         Heath A
·         Carson P
·         Max K
·         Micheal B
·         Ameria T

A special congratulations goes out to these athletes who brought home gold medals in their division:

v  Brad R
v  Heath A
v  Max K

Way to go wrestlers!  We look forward to lots of action next week as we host a quad meet at MidSun and some of our Seniors attend the Phoenix Tournament at Niccola Goddard School.  Go Lakers!

 

November activities

LINKages has started up for another year with 25 MidSun grade 8 and 9 students heading over to McKenzie Towne Care Centre to visit with 12 of the residents.  Our students are making great connections with these seniors and are learning how much we have in common.  More information about this great program is available at: http://www.link-ages.ca/

Our students made us very proud when they participated in our school's Remembrance Day Assembly.  Under the direction of Scott Campbell, our band played moving selections of "Pax" by Catherine McMichael, "Rain" by Brian Balmages and "Tipperary March" Arr. by John Edmondson.  Heart R., Kimberly H. and Claire H. did a fantastic job of playing the last post.  Ms. Smith and her drama students presented an original tableau story entitled "What I'm Fighting For", that reminded us that the life we enjoy today was bought through the efforts of brave men and women who fought on our behalf. 

Tianna R., Kailyn E.,Kydia L., and Camryn. A. read poems and our student emcee's, Jordan H., Jessica A, and Kathryn R. did a wonderful job of telling the story of Remembrance.  Mr. Hornburg, the father of fallen soldier, Nathan Hornburg, shared with us how important it is to thank vetrans when we see them.  He spoke of the recent events in Ottawa and how it has impacted all of us as Canadians.  Lt. Arlen Peterson and our own Captain N. Mellish layed the wreath with Mr. Hornburg at our ceremony.  Over 700 food items were brought in and donated to the Vetran's Food Bank and over $750 was raised for the Poppy Fund.  It was very touching to have many of our parents and family members join with us in our Act of Remembrance.  We are truly lucky to have such strong support and solidarity as we teach our students the importance of Remembrance Day to our Canadian culture.

Only 23 school days until Christmas Holidays!
We are excited to order some new Chromebooks for our students and hope you will consider supporting our Chocolates for Chromebooks Fundraiser. The deadline to order is Monday November 17, 2014. 
Go to: www.purdysgpp.com   
https://www.purdysgpp.com/JoinAGroup.aspx?c=m17147

• ¨     Select Login or Register (upper right corner)
• ¨     Select Returning or New Customer
• ¨     Enter your Contact Information if New Customer
• ¨     Enter Customer# 24054 MidSun will show up below  This links you to MIDSUN Group Order
• ¨     Select JOIN Group
• ¨     Select Go to group home page
• ¨     Place your Order & Submit Payment online
• ¨     All Orders MUST be prepaid

Our volleyball teams had a great season! 

Congratulations to our Junior Boys and Junior Girls Volleyball teams who both won gold in their divisions for volleyball.  The exciting play-off games were played on November 12 and 13, 2014.  Our Senior Girls had a wonderful season and placed forth overall and Senior Boys finished seventh.  Both teams showed amazing growth over the season and by their final season game the Senior Boys were able to beat the team who finished in first place!  

A big thank you goes out to coaches, Mr. Stretch, Ms. Hennebury, Ms. Miles, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Rae, and Ms. Arnold who supported the athletes throughout the season.  Thanks also go out to our grade seven coaches, Ms. Bailey and Mr. Moulton who have continued to run a great development program for our grade seven students. They will be ready to try out for the junior teams next year.

Congratulations MidSun Lakers! You make us proud!

Junior Girls:

Jada A., Sarah B., Sienna B., Jessah C., Sara C., Kaileigh F., Erin G., Anna Lisa G., Sarah M., Marge P., Nicole S., Sarah S.

Coaches: Ms. Hennebury & Ms. Miles

Junior Boys:

Mitchell D., Dean P., Holt T.,Matthew N., Kaiman S., Taylor E., Blaze L., Hes san H., Damon F., Parker B., Isaac M., Cody R.

Coach: Mr. Stretch

Senior Girls:

Carly A., Tavia D., Ashlyn D., Shae E., Madi F., Emma G., Kim H.,Claire H., Natalie H., Shaylene K., Abby R., Brooke T.,Sydney W.

Coaches: Mr. Rae & Ms. Arnold

Senior Boys:

Luke E., Drew D., Kale R., Nathan T., Matt J., Jared M., Carson S., Matthew R., Cody R., Cole P., Ethan O., Sam M., Blake E.

Team Manager: Andrew M.

Coach: Mr. Johnston

 

Tutoring Begins this Wednesday

 

Starting this Wednesday we will be hosting a tutoring session led by Centennial Students in our Library Commons.  Sessions will be held every Wednesday from 3:45-4:45.  The focus will be on Math, however the Centennial students are pretty good with all curriculum and are willing to help where needed. 

These sessions will run until Christmas Break and then will start up again in February.

Please encourage your child to attend if you see an area where they could use the support.

Info for the week of Nov 3-7

November 3-7, MidSun will be collecting food bank donations for the Veterans Food Bank.  Students can bring the non-perishable food items or money donations to their TA during this week for collection and earn TA points at the same time.

On Friday November 7^th at 9:00 am we will be holding a Remembrance Day Assembly in the gym.  We welcome parents to attend.  Please contact the office prior to the date and let us know how many people you will be bringing.  

Donations will also be accepted for the Calgary Poppy Fund.  On Friday, Poppy’s will be handed out to TA’s prior to the assembly.

In a demonstration of our respect and thankfulness to the Veterans we are asking students to wear all black on Friday.

Thank you