Upcoming Events at MidSun

News from MidSun Band & School Council

Welcome back

Welcome to the 2016-2017 School Year at MidSun

 

Our team is so excited to welcome over 800 learners to this school year at MidSun.  Our focus for the school start-up will be to ensure all students feel welcomed, supported and included. Classroom, grade and school-wide activities will be designed to ensure all students have a positive start to the school year, feel comfortable with their teachers and make connections with other students. Providing a plethora of opportunities for students and ensuring the tasks we ask students to do are engaging, relevant and curricular focussed, will be paramount as we progress throughout the year. The myriad of extracurricular opportunities, field trips and classroom activities will be communicated to you throughout the year. 

Students will receive their class schedules on the first day of school. Our teachers (and our elementary feeder school teachers) have worked extremely hard to balance our classes for academic, gender, and option selections and therefore classroom changes are not possible. Beginning activities will be designed to ensure all students feel comfortable in as timely a fashion as possible.

Supply lists will be provided by each teacher. For the first day, it is a good idea for students to have something to write with and paper to write on. Students will receive a variety of forms on their first day and we would ask that you please sign and return those forms as soon as possible. Additionally, we ask that all students read the student handbook and return signed, the sheet confirming students have read the handbook and the corresponding Student Code of Conduct.

Busing schedules, route maps, fee information, updated calendar and other important documents are posted on our website and are up to date. These forms are also available in the school office. We are in the process of updating our website, so some of our additional information may not be up to date.

Payment of School Fees 2016-2017:

Information on how to pay fees can be found at http://www.cbe.ab.ca/registration/fees-and-waivers/Pages/default.aspx. If you are new to the CBE, you will need to create a CBE Account at https://webapps.cbe.ab.ca/MyAccount/Account/LogOn.

First Day of School:

We are looking forward to welcoming our new Grade 7 students on September 6, 2016 from 9:00am-12:00pm and returning grade 8 and 9 students the same day from 1:00pm-3:35pm. Busses are running on their regular schedule, so Grade 7’s will need to be picked up and students in grades 8 & 9 will need to be brought to school. More information is available on the Back to School tab.

We look forward to seeing each of you soon!

All the best,

Chris Giffen, Principal

 

 

 

 

Final Message From MidSun

Message from the Principal for June

Dear Parents/Guardians:

The end of the year is in sight and students and staff are beginning to feel the excitement that comes with the impending summer. The remaining four weeks of school will be devoted to ensuring curriculums have been covered and significant material reviewed prior to exam week at the end of the June. Students have had a plethora of opportunities throughout the year to get involved in a variety of activities at the school. The final athletic club – Track and Field – wrapped up with MidSun students demonstrating excellent sportsmanship, work ethic and athletic prowess.  The Grade 8 and 9 school bands have recently attended band camp and all bands are eagerly preparing for their concert on June 1^st.  School clubs are winding up and final field trips for the year are taking place. As well, the Spring Carnival is set for June 1^st. 

It has been a fantastic year, and as principal I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to lead such an amazing community of students and school staff. I very much appreciate all the support provided by the parent community, in particular the devoted group who volunteer their time with our school council. 

I have endeavoured to find succinct and effective ways to communicate with you over the course of my first five months as principal.  The Calgary Board of Education is introducing new communication tools in the coming months, so please expect to see a new look to our website by September. As well, some changes will be made by the Calgary Board of Education to ensure we are compliant with Canada’s new anti-spam legislation. More specifics regarding changes to communication will be provided as we have them. My intent is to continue to provide one page weekly updates, with longer pieces of communication e-mailed to you when required. The best way to stay informed with your child’s school is to join the School Council.  The last meeting of the year is on June 9, 2016 at 7pm. Everyone is welcome, so we hope to see you there.

June can be a stressful time for students as they endeavour to complete their assigned work and prepare for final exams.  You were all sent a detailed itinerary of dates and times for the end of June. Knowing what to expect well in advance can help reduce the stress and anxiety of exams. Also included in the “Year-end Freedom Guide” were strategies and tips to help students prepare for exams.  We expect all students to prepare for exams by completing review material provided by teachers and by studying at home. By putting in the necessary effort, students will be successful and can feel good about their final assessment of the year.  We will report their final exam mark to you, so you are aware of their achievement. When it comes to a mark for Term 2, final exams are used as a final check.  In most cases, the exam mark will be consistent with a student’s Term 2 mark.  Please remember that there is no final mark or average mark between Terms 1 and 2.  The new assessment protocols at the Calgary Board of Education assess work based on consistency with more emphasis on recently completed work. Therefore, a child’s Term 2 mark can be taken as their “final mark”, as it is an assessment of a child’s achievement at the end of June.

Planning for next year is well underway. Instructional groups are being made, students are being enrolled in options, teachers are learning their assignments for next year and communication documents are being prepared. We endeavour to ensure students are placed into instructional groups that take their individual learning needs into consideration. Also, we will do a best to ensure students get the option classes they want for next year as a lot of proactive work has gone in to ensuring this happens. Please do not expect to know your child’s instructional group or options classes until the first day of school. Important dates for next year were included in the Year-end Freedom Guide, will be included in your child’s report card envelope in June and will be posted on our school website.

As always, if you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone at 777-6430 or e-mail at cjgiffen@cbe.ab.ca 

Best Regards,

Chris Giffen

Principal, MidSun School

Gym Strip Ordering Information for 2016-2017

Upcoming LA Part A Exam Information

The grade 9 English Language Arts written PAT and the grade 7 and 8 English Language Arts written exam will take place on Tuesday, May 10^th.  The exam will begin promptly at 9am. The examination is scheduled to be two hours in length; however, students requiring extra time may take an additional half hour to complete their exam.  It is very important that students arrive at school prepared for their exam. We will be telling all students to ensure they have all their necessary supplies, water bottle and have been to the washroom prior to 8:55am.  We will also be asking students to leave their cell phone, I-pod and other personal belongings in their locker.  We want all students to be prepared to do their best. If you have any questions about the exam, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or school administration.

8:40 – 8:45 – Busses arrive

8:50 – Warning bell – Please go to class

8:55 – Attendance

9:00 – Exam begins

11:00 – Exam ends (students needing an extra 30 minutes may continue writing)

11:30 - Official end of exam – Dismissal

11:40 – Busses depart

Authorship 2016

 

MidSun School recently had the opportunity to host a special guest speaker on Tuesday, April 5^th named Adria Laycraft.  Mrs. Laycraft works as a professional writer, and editor and was able to share some of the ins and outs of the publishing world with students who self-identified as budding writers in grades 7, 8, and 9.  The presentation was very informative and students were able to learn how to take their work to the next level and eventually even get paid for it!  We look forward to seeing more MidSun students get themselves published!  Go ahead and write that story, find that market, follow those submission guidelines, and get published, Lakers.  We believe in you!

Book Fair - Coming Soon

Interview Booking Processes for March 2016

March Principal's Message

The 2015-2016 school year is moving along quickly and students are enthusiastically working on a myriad of projects to demonstrate their learning. It is wonderful to see all the engaged faces as I travel from class to class. Our students are so very friendly and more than willing to share their work with me. I continue to be impressed with the high quality of teaching and know that your children are learning the necessary skills to ensure success in high school and beyond.  Many of the accomplishments were on display during our Celebration of Learning in early February.  A big thank you goes out to Mr. Stretch, his team and MidSun students, for pulling all of the wonderful projects and demonstrations of learning together into one celebration. It was great to see how proud our students were of their accomplishments and how supportive their peers were of their successes.

Our school play was a massive success, with students demonstrating their commitment, enthusiasm and talent.  Each of the cast members should be very proud of themselves for presenting a spectacular performance to two sold out audiences.  A special thank you to Ms. Smith and the team of teachers who put in so much time, effort and care to ensure a high quality production.  In addition, a busy basketball season has come to an end with all teams experiencing success, learning valuable skills and having a lot of fun. MidSun players represented their school very well with their work ethic, sportsmanship and skills.  Thank you to coaches Mr. S. Slaughter, Ms. Amirault, Mrs. D. Slaughter, Mr. Woods, Ms. Miles, Ms. Hill, Ms. Hennebury and Mr. Moulton for their commitment and leadership.  Similarly, Mr. Campbell and our bands continue to do MidSun proud each and every time they leave the school to perform. I look forward to hearing more from all of our bands as the year progresses. 

Spring Break is fast approaching and the days are finally getting longer. Students are getting outside at lunch for some fresh air and to burn off some energy. They will be encouraged to go outside on all nice days for the remainder of the school year. There are still many opportunities for your child to become involved in extracurricular activities. Clubs are continuing and badminton season got under way on March 1^st. 

For those who have children moving on to high school, please remember to have your high school registration forms to Ms. Norcross by March 11th. Should you have questions about your child’s transition to high school, please contact Ms. Norcross.  As always, we encourage you and your child to check d2l on a regular basis and for you to ask your child questions about what they are learning in school.  The next set of Parent Teacher Student Conferences will be held on March 17^th and 18^th, but you are welcome to contact the school at any time.

The process of planning for next year has already begun. Option sheets will be coming home in the near future. Please ensure these are returned by the assigned date as we will be using student choice to build the appropriate number of sections of a course. The process of building classes for next year will begin in May.  Should you have specific requests for next year in regards to your child’s class placement, please contact Mr. Giffen, Mrs. Chatani or Ms. Norcross with an e-mail prior to the May long weekend.  If your grade 7 or 8 student will not be attending MidSun next year, please let us know as early possible. We prefer to have next year conversations proactively to ensure your student has the best possible transition to the next grade. I look forward to the rest of the school year and getting to better know your children. Please never hesitate to contact me should you have questions. 

Have a wonderful March,

Chris Giffen, Principal

MidSun Music Parents Society - Purdy's Easter Order

You are invited to participate in MidSun Music Parents Society Easter fundraiser.

Please support this worthy cause by clicking the link below to join the fundraiser.
https://www.purdysgpp.com/join/13169

Once registered and logged in, you should be joined to MidSun Music Parents Society .

From there you are able to:

• Invite other members
• Shop online
• Pay for your orders 
• PLEASE PUT A STUDENT NAME IN THE “ADDITIONAL INFO” LINE

If you would like the funds to go toward a particular band student, please also put that student’s name in the “Additional Info” Line.  All funds raised go toward helping our band students get to camp. 

THE DEADLINE TO ORDER IS THIS FRIDAY, MARCH 4.  

THE PICK UP DATE IS MONDAY, MARCH 14 FROM 3:00 UNTIL 5:30 PM.
PLEASE DIRECT ANY QUESTIONS TO JENNIE SHIPLEY AT MIDSUNMUSIC@GMAIL.COM.

The prices are very similar to in-store prices but you don’t have to go to the mall!  Have a sweet shopping experience! Thank you for your support.

MidSun Music Parents Society

The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet by Peter Bloedel

Don’t miss our upcoming school play! If you are planning to come down and watch our school play, you can use the following link to purchase advanced tickets  and avoid any lineups:

 

The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet by Peter Bloedel. (If the link doesn’t work, you can search “Midsun” at the Eventbrite.com website)

 

The link will allow you to purchase tickets online until 4.30PM before the start of each show.

 

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the Monday showing has been cancelled, so the play will only run on two evenings (Tuesday March 1^st and Wednesday March 2^nd  - 7PM) at the Cardel Theater.

 

There is no reserved seating in the theater, and seats will be allocated on a general admission basis. Limited tickets will also be available at the door by cash payment only.

 

We hope to see you then!

 

 

Don't Miss Our School Play

Upcoming Grade 9 Field Trip Info

Grade 9 students will be visiting Telus Spark on March 1, 2 and 3.  The purpose of this trip is to participate in Spectacular Reactions, a hands on learning session on chemical reactions and view a dome show titled, Our Milky Way.  It is an expectation that all students attend as there will be class work to complete on the day’s session..  Forms will be sent home mid-February, if you have any concerns about the trip or associated costs, please contact your child’s science teacher.
 
To make these trips possible we require parent volunteers!

If you have your security clearance up to date and you are able to volunteer, we would appreciate your time and support! Please contact Mrs. Kaiser at mekaiser@cbe.ab.ca or 403-777-6430 x 3045 to sign up as a volunteer.

Your child will be attending this trip on the date below:

March 1 – 9C, 9F and 9I – (Mr. Johnston’s classes)
March 2 – 9A, 9D and 9G – (Ms. Annand’s classes)
March 3 – 9B, 9E and 9H – (Mrs. Kaiser’s classes)

Thank you for your continued support!

Grade 9 Science Team

Charity Basketball game info.

Charity Basketball Game – next Thursday!!  Jan. 28^th

Tip off is after lunch – 12:40pm

We will be following our Wednesday schedule so lunch will be at 12:00-12:32

 

$2 Tickets will be available at lunch on Monday Jan 25th.  All money raised will go to making improvements to our fitness room.

Mount Royal has been coming to MidSun in this annual charity event for over 10 years. 

It is a highlight school wide event and all students are encouraged to attend and cheer on our Sr. players as they compete against 5 girls and 5 boys from Mount Royal University basketball team J

This game is full of laughter and entertainment as the MRU players demonstrate high flying slam dunks and our volunteer referee hands out made up penalties and yellow cards.  We will also be hosting a half time competition.

 

Inivtation to Fine Arts Night - This Thursday Evening!

Admission will be free to this event. Here are more details of each exhibit:

Discipline	Location	Description	Times
Technology	Atrium	There will be a series of displays involving Photoshop, Google Sketchup, robotics, 3D printing, games, and MineCraft EDU in front of the Cafeteria.	6-8
Art	Atrium	There will be art projects from grade seven grade eight and grade nine classes	6-8
Construction	Atrium	Construction projects on display and photos of projects students have taken home	6:00-8
French	In front of Aux Gym doors	Trifold display and students circulating with ‘chocolat chaud & croissants’; French music when band is not playing	6:30-8
Jazz Band Performance	In between vending machines	Jazz Band Performance	6:30, 7:15
Foods and Fashion	Circulating with Catering Club students with cookies/appetizers (for as long as they last)	A few fashion items on display in front hall display case	6-8
Drama	Drama Room	In the Drama room students will perform their dramatic work from class. Grade 7’s will perform clowning scenes, Grade 8’s will perform Commedia  Dell ‘Arte mask work, and grade 9’s will perform 10 minute plays that they have written.	6-8Most students will perform twice, as time permits.
Film	Outside the Drama Room	A loop of films the students have created will be playing, mastering the dolly-zoom shot	6-8

We hope to see you soon!

MidSun Complementary Team

Principal's Message for the new year

January is moving along quickly as students have settled in nicely after their winter break.  Staff and students are busily getting prepared for the fine arts night on the 21^st of January and basketball and other clubs are in full swing. Please remember that report cards are coming out on the 29^th of January so you are encouraged to visit D2L with your child to review their progress.

I am happy to share that our school will receive extra resources that will directly contribute to student learning and success. As a result, we will be adding two additional full-time teachers to further our school’s goal of improving student achievement as outlined in our School Development Plan.  An area of focus that we have identified in our School Development Plan pertains to providing more intentional literacy and numeracy support for MidSun students. Beginning January 25^th, Ms. Marie Jones will be joining the grade 8 humanities team and Miss Kelsey Bartel will be joining the grade 7 math and science team.  Further staff changes include Ms. Tatiana Ryall who will be beginning her maternity leave on Monday, January 18^th.  Ms. Sonia Kernan will be joining the MidSun staff teaching grade 7, 8 & 9 French and grade 7 & 8 Leadership.  Also, Ms. Jacqueline Paredes will be joining the ACCESS class as an education assistant replacing Ms. Lana Flores who has accepted a job at another CBE school.  We will miss those who have left MidSun, but are also looking forward to everything our new staff members will bring to this wonderful place.

I look forward to meeting all of you in the near future, and in the meantime if you need anything, please do not hesitate to call or e-mail.

Best Regards,

Chris Giffen
Principal

MidSun Messenger

MIDSUN MESSENGER

FOR THE WEEK OF January 4^th, 2016

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday break with the right mix of rest and fun and that you all had an opportunity to do what it is that brings you the greatest joy.

I am very excited about all the great opportunities that 2016 will bring to each student, staff member and family in the MidSun community.  It is an honour to be the principal of such a great school and I am most excited to be returning to a school where I was a teacher, learning leader and acting assistant principal.

I will be hosting a Meet The Principal Evening on Thursday, January 14^th from 6:15pm – 6:45pm in the MidSun School Learning Commons. I will speak briefly about myself, my philosophy and of all the great things that are to come for MidSun.  It will also be an opportunity for me to answer your questions and to hear more of your thoughts and ideas.

I will endeavour to communicate with you on a regular basis through the school website and the MidSun blog (http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b691/).  Additionally, I will also be sending  periodic messageupdates through synervoice with the most pertinent information and important dates.

I wish each of you the best possible 2016.

Regards,

Chris Giffen, Principal

Upcoming:

·         Meet The Principal – Thursday, January 14^th @ 6:15pm

·         School Council – Thursday, January 14^th @ 7pm

·         Thursday, January 21^st – Fine Arts Night 6-8pm

·         Term 2 begins Monday, January 25^th.

·         Report Cards will be sent home with your child on Friday, January 29^th.

 

 

MidSun Basketball Schedule 2016