Message from the Principal

Transcription

1 February/March 2017 Issue 4 Message from the Principal As a school that enrolls a large percentage of international students it would not be surprising that many people assume that everyone here is very inter-culturally aware. This assumption is dangerous for many reasons but the most predominant reason, in my opinion, is that once people believe that I am or we are or they are something, then growth and awareness immediately ceases. As the globe becomes ever smaller it is important that we all take a hard look at our own beliefs and assumptions when it comes to our relationships with other people from other countries and also other cultures within our own communities. Years ago the conversation in schools was all about multi-culturalism or Food, Fashion, Flags and Festivals as many called it. This was a good starting point for awareness but did not reach to the deeper levels of cross cultural understanding. We then moved on to the term internationalism which was supposed to get at other aspects of our relationships with each other. The problem was there was very little work around helping schools define and understand what internationalism was intended to look like in schools. Many schools stayed stuck in the world of celebrating traditional clothing, food and activities from countries around the world. Important to be sure but certainly not enough to foster deep understanding. The term that is being used now is intercultural understanding or intercultural awareness or sometimes cultural competence. This is a huge step forward as these terms, and the attendant and considerable research, recognize that true understanding of people and cultures requires significant thought and effort and requires the willingness to look at other perspectives. We are very fortunate at THS as we are the only independent school and only 1 of 6 schools piloting the Ministry of Education s Global and Intercultural Skills Program. The following is taken from the program overview: Through developing a self-awareness of their own and other cultures, as well as gaining interpersonal and intercultural communication skills, students will be more readily able to interact and flourish in a globalized world. Ultimately, students will be empowered and encouraged to apply these skills locally and globally, and to act as diversity leaders and global citizens. A lofty vision indeed but a critical one at the same time. As we continue to implement this new program, which is in Year 1 of a 3 year pilot, (more information on pg. 3 of this newsletter) we will be working towards becoming a school known for its intercultural awareness and skill development. The goal is that our students will be global citizens in the truest sense of the word. Inside this issue Scholarships for Post -Secondary 2 Grad 2017 Celebration... 2 Encounters With Canada... 3 This Month in...global and Intercultural Experience Global & Intercultural Skills Program...3 Parent/Student Communication During Class Time... 4 New Teaching Kitchen... 4 December Newsletter Student Readers Winners... 4 RCMP Youth Camp.5 Upcoming Dates..5 Beijing International Education Exchange Summer Camp.6 Off Friday Attendance.6 Art in Nature: Natural History Museum and THS..7 VIU Scholarships Notice..8 1

2 Scholarships for Post-Secondary Institutions also a bank of external awards available for students to apply to. There are literally hundreds of different awards that students can pursue. Applying for scholarships and awards can be a very financially rewarding exercise. At the same time it is also a very, very time consuming and detailed exercise. Students must be prepared to put effort into the applications and not turn their noses up at the small ones of $500- $1000. Lots of little awards add up fast! There have been a number of questions about Scholarships in the last couple of weeks. The world of post -secondary scholarships is both very simple and extremely complex. It is simple because all the information is available on every post-secondary institution s website. For VIU look under Scholarships and Awards. It is extremely complex because not only does each institution offer a vast array of awards but there is On the VIU website students can also find a link to External awards. There they will find 16 pages of awards that they can look at applying to. [ documents/external-categorylistjan24.pdf ] High schools can support students by pointing them in the right direction but the task of finding relevant awards and completing the applications can only be done by the students themselves. Unfortunately, many students don t bother. Fortunately, this means that those who do go to the effort often reap great rewards. See page 8 of this newsletter for more information. Graduation 2017 Celebration Grad 2017 will be taking place on Thursday, June 15th. Plans are well underway for another exciting day and fun evening of celebration. The details are as follows: Graduation Ceremony in the Malaspina Theatre (Building 310) at 1pm Some 2017 Grads working in the Zen Den Dinner/Dance at the Vancouver Island Convention Centre. Doors open at 6pm. Dinner at 6:30 with dancing to following. We are very fortunate to be able to once again book the amazing Par 4 DJ Services who did a fabulous job last year! Please note: There is no limit to the number of guests that grads would like to have attend the Ceremony and Dinner/ Dance. The more the merrier!!!! Dinner/Dance tickets: $50 per person 2 2 Tickets can be bought at the school office (see/ Jennifer Mitchell at Jennifer.mitchell@viu.ca) or through this Event Brite link: THS Grad Dinner/ Dance Tickets

3 Global & Intercultural Skills Program (GISP) The GISP is designed to provide students with opportunities that promote the development of global and intercultural competencies. Students in grades may receive certification in this program by taking 32 credits (8 courses) that significantly contribute to the competencies. The program is broken up into 3 strands: Strand 1: Global & Intercultural Courses 1. Global & Intercultural Awareness 12 course 2. Global & Intercultural Experience 12 course Strand 2: Required Language Courses Students must take 2 language courses at the Grade 10 level or higher. Students who already speak a 2nd language will be given credit for that. Strand 3: Elective or Graduation Courses Students must take 4 courses at the Grade 10 level or higher of cultural ly related courses. (e.g. Law, History, Art, Geography, First Nations Studies, etc.). Work is underway to develop a connection to VIU s Intercultural Awareness Certificate and to establish a recognition by the university of students who have completed the GISP at high school. This Month in...global and Intercultural Experience 12 Students in Mr. Butler s GIE 12 class have been exploring the concept of communicating across cultures and languages. The GIE 12 class has been meeting with Ms. Lynch s ELL class to learn about each other s culture through theme topics. The first topic was food. The conversations culminated in a cooking session where the students shared recipes from their home country. Encounters With Canada Encounters with Canada is a nation-wide program celebrating its 35th year of operation. Students, years old and who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents, are eligible to travel to Ottawa with most expenses paid to engage in a week of learning and activities with other youth from across the country. Last semester, grade 10 student, Ian Proudfoot attended an Encounters with Canada week in the Science and Technology theme and came back raving about the experience. Any student who is interested in attending should speak with Ian for more information. 3 Student pays $675: accommodations and meals Free: return airfare Free: program costs including tours and activities. The themes that are available for students to choose from include: Science and Ecology Sports and Fitness Law and Our Justice System Arts and Culture Medicine and Health And more!!! Encounters With Canada website for more information. 3

4 Parent/Student Communication During Class Time That s a calculator, not a phone :) Now that THS is a 1-1 Chromebook school there is even less reason for students to have access to their phones during class time. In an effort to increase student focus and decrease unnecessary distraction all of the teachers have recommitted to using the phone holders in every class and requiring every student, every time, to place their phones in their allotted pocket. What this means for parent/student communication during the day is that your child will only be able to communicate with you, via phone, during break times. If there is an emergency and you need to get hold of your child right away please call the office at Phone holders in every classroom. New Teaching Kitchen After 21 years, THS has finally got a real teaching kitchen! The kitchen was constructed over the Christmas Break and Mr. Thomson worked hard during the month of January to get it filled with pots, pans and other important items for cooking class. Two sections of Foods 11/12 have been using the kitchen since the beginning of February and turning out some awesome food! December Newsletter Winners The student winners of the December Did you read the newsletter? contest were Tammii, Catherine and Dweeja. They each received a $10 Starbucks card. For this newsletter the contest is all about post-secondary scholarships and awards. A $10 Starbucks card will be given to the first 3 students who find a scholarship that is appropriate for them. The student needs to bring the scholarship information in to Ms. Brazier and be prepared to explain why they think they should apply for it. The scholarship can be for VIU or any other institution or can be an external scholarship. Students who are not planning to attend post-secondary this fall, or are not graduating high school yet, are still welcome to participate by finding a scholarship that would fit them if they were planning to attend a program in September. 4 4

5 RCMP Youth Camp Students who are interested in Canada s criminal justice system and, in particular, the areas of policing and emergency services are invited to apply to attend the Central Island RCMP Youth Camp this summer in Port Alberni, The camp will run from July 3rd to 7th and will host students currently in grades 11 and 12 from the central Vancouver Island region. Students will experience 5 days of Police Skills Training. Up to 48 participants will be chosen based on application, personal interview and basic fitness testing. One spot has been allocated to The High School at VIU. Any interested students should speak to Ms. Brazier by March 17th. The cost for the week is $400 and covers all programming, accommodation and meals. Upcoming Dates March 6-31: Art in Nature show at the Museum of Natural History (Bldg. 370). The show includes work from our Inspired by Nature students. March 9: Pajama Day! Free pizza lunch for pajama wearers. Nonpajama wearers can buy pizza for $2 a slice. Proceeds go towards the Inspired by Nature year-end trip. March 9: Grad photos and retakes March 10: Off Friday. Parents/ Homestay hosts will be notified if students are asked to attend. March 20-31: School closed. Spring Break. April 3: School reopens. 8:30am start time. April 7: Assembly at 12:30pm in Building 250 Room 125. April 14: Good Friday. VIU campus closed. April 17: Easter Monday. VIU campus closed. April 28: Off Friday. Report cards ready for pick up. 5 5

6 Beijing International Education Exchange (BIEE) The BC Council for International Education (BCCIE) has a partnership with BIEE. BIEE is extending an invitation to 22 secondary school students from across British Columbia to participate in the 2017 Beijing International student Summer Camp. The dates for the camp are July 14-23, 2017 in Beijing, China. Two teacher chaperones from the BC K-12 system and one BCCIE representative will accompany the students on the 10 day Summer Camp. Schools may nominate up to 2 secondary students between the ages of 14 to 18 to participate in the program. As these spaces fill up quickly it is important that if any THS students are interested that they let Ms. Brazier know as soon as possible. The deadline for nominations from the school is March 31st but it is a first come, first served system so spaces may be filled before then. Website: Off Friday Attendance One of the many benefits of attending The High School at VIU is full staff attention on student achievement. This attention shows up in a variety of ways but some examples are: Small to very small class sizes allows lots of individual attention Tutoring and catchup sessions before school, after school, lunch break are regularly offered Development of Action Plans to support student progress Flexible scheduling that allows students to drop in to classes that they need extra help in (e.g. Some students in Inspired by Nature have been choosing to attend extra Math classes on the days that they don t have a scheduled Inspired by Nature class.) Voluntary attendance on an Off Friday to work with teachers and/or complete assignments While the teachers at THS provide significant support for students and offer multiple ways of receiving that support there still remain some students who require a system that is even more structured in order to keep up in class and stay accountable to their own learning plan. These are students who tend to have real difficulty completing assignments on time and who, often, engage in wishful thinking around being able to get caught up on their own. These are also students who simply need some extra, structured time in order to keep pace with the coursework. For these students we will be starting a program of Attendance on Off Fridays until they are back on track and up to date with their schoolwork. This attendance is not intended as a punishment but rather as an additional support. Students who are identified by a teacher as needing to come in on an Off Friday will discuss it with the teacher and principal. A message will be sent to parents/homestay hosts to let them know. It is our hope that parents/homestay hosts will support us in our efforts to provide additional assistance to our students. 6

7 Art in Nature: Natural History Museum and THS On Monday, March 6 at 11:30am-3pm the Natural History Museum at VIU opened its newest exhibit entitled Art in Nature. This exhibit will highlight the confluence of art and nature. This exhibit fits beautifully with THS s unique program Inspired by Nature and, in fact, the students and teachers from Inspired by Nature will be part of the exhibit as well as providing activities for the public during the opening. The exhibit will be at the Natural History Museum from March It would be wonderful if THS parents, homestay hosts, friends and family could visit the Museum and see the amazing work of our students on display. This collaboration is another one of THS s projects with various faculty and departments on the VIU campus. Earlier this year, students in Social Studies 11 and Graduation Transitions 12 worked with students from Dr. Netherton s Political Studies course on an applied research project looking at youth involvement in the political process. 7

8 VIU Scholarship Notice: Vancouver Island University distributed more than $1.9 million in scholarships, awards and bursaries to more than 2,100 students last year. Thanks to our generous community donors, this number continues to grow. To apply, students log onto their Student Record, click on the Scholarship, Award and Bursary Profile, answer the questions and upload any supporting info by Friday, March 31. Completed profiles are used to shortlist eligible students and match them to available awards. The VIU Financial Aid Department is offering a financial health budget workshop on Friday, March 24 that includes information on awards, scholarships and bursaries. Workshop is free for VIU students and includes a free lunch, $15 grocery card, free water bottle and the chance to win prizes. Visit the VIU Financial Aid website s Bulletin Board for more information. To register, financialaidinfo@viu.ca. Date: Application deadline is March 31 For more information view your Scholarship, Award and Bursary Profile or visit Financial Aid 8