Newsletter December 2013 Principal s Message:

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1 Alternative High School Street SW Calgary, AB T2T 5A5 t f alternative@cbe.ab.ca Newsletter December 2013 Principal s Message: Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Nelson Mandela I read this morning that it is colder in Calgary than both the North and South Poles. Truthfully, I didn t know whether or not to laugh or cry at this news, but I went with laughter as I was afraid the tears would freeze. With two weeks left before the Winter Break, I can say that we are definitely going to keep your students warm the furnaces are working hard and your students will be as well. When we come back from holidays, there are only two weeks of classes before exams, so please be aware that if your student has fallen behind in their course work, they may want to utilize some time over the break to catch up. Important Dates December 6 = Non- Instructional Day - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS December 19 = Last Day of School December 20 = Non- Instructional Day - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS December 23 to January 6 = Winter Break - NO SCHOOL January 6 = Classes resume Our semester two staffing is complete. First of all, we have a long time family member of Alternative moving on to new adventures. Please join me in thanking Lea Trenholm for her years of service to Alternative. Lea, we wish you much luck as you move to Nexus at the end of January. You have certainly left your mark on Alternative both literally, with the beautiful artwork that adorns our building, but also figuratively, in the heart of what makes Alternative a great place to be. Thank you and good luck. Please welcome Shelly Lawton to the Alternative staff. Shelly will be picking up where Lea left off. Shelly will be working with Lea over the next few weeks to ensure that the transition of the mentorship model and the art program are smooth. Shelly will also be teaching Aboriginal Studies in semester 2. As well, we are happy to welcome Heidi Collinge back to the team. Heidi covered for Jen in the past and we were fortunate to be able to snatch her back for semester two. Heidi will be teaching science, math and e-learn. As well, Brianne Grainger will be joining Alternative for semester 2. Brianne will be teaching Social Studies and ELA and we are thrilled to have her join our team. Welcome, Ladies! We have had three successful events in the past weeks. First of all, thank you to everyone who was involved in organizing our Remembrance Day Ceremony. It was a moving, emotional service and the feedback from staff and students was excellent. As well, thank you to the organizers of our Fall Awards ceremony. This ceremony acknowledges the work of some of our graduating students from the school year. It was wonderful to have so many familiar faces back in the halls of the school. And finally, we held an Open House for administrators, guidance counsellors and resource teachers from CBE Junior, Middle and Senior High Schools. A special thanks to Tracy Robertson and Solange Lalonde, two members of our School Council, who came to share their stories of their journeys to Alternative High School. As well, big thanks to all of the students and staff who assisted in setting up, organizing, and sharing their stories. Tis the season to spend time with loved ones. I wish you all a holiday season filled with love, laughter, friends and family. If you are traveling, please stay safe. If your are cuddling up at home, I hope the weather improved dramatically! Jana Macdonald Principal, Alternative/HERA/AARC

2 Alternative High School December, 2013 PARENTS COUNCIL/ASSOCIATION INVITATION: Our next Parents Council meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, December 3 at 5:00 P.M. DIPLOMA EXAMS SCHEDULE: English Language Arts 30-1/2 - {Part I - A.M.) Social Studies 30-1/2 - (Part I - A.M.) English Language Arts 30-1/2 - (Part II - A.M.) Social Studies 30-1/2 - (Part II - A.M.) Biology - (A.M.) Math 30-1/2 - (A.M.) Science 30 (A.M.) ANNUAL REPORT : If you would like to consult our Annual Report from last year, you may want to access the following link to review our document. ALTERNATIVE HIGH SCHOOL CALENDAR: To look at our Alternative High School Calendar, please consult our Website. 20Nov27.pdf Page 2 2

3 Alternative High School December, 2013 HIGHLIGHTS FROM STUDENTS LEARNING: Social 20 s We are working on the ideas of ultranationalism and Genocide right now! Students found it interesting that although they were aware of the Holocaust, they were unaware of an equally horrific genocide called Holodomor that happened during Stalin s time in power in the former Soviet Union. Ask your student for more details on that event, they were fascinated by their lack of understanding of this event. Students are now working on creating a genocide museum, as part of the program of studies, this is something we need to look at, where students are interested is they struggle to understand how this can keep happening in our connected age, why is it still possible? And why can t we get along? The students have made some very personal connections to this work, one student is interviewing their great grandma as they lived in the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw during World War II. As teachers we are excited by our student s thirst for knowledge and understanding, the connections they are making are awesome! As always, any questions please do not hesitate to contact either Kelly or David. Social 30 s In Social 30 land, we have spent the last couple of weeks examining the Cold War and its impact on the world, from the end of WWII to the early 1990 s. Students have grappled with this ideological conflict. As we move forward to finish the semester we will be examining different electoral systems and the idea if whether it is possible to impose a liberal democracy on another country that does not have those values. It is important at this time that students continue to ask questions and make those connections to the world outside of our school. Students should also be mindful that the turn around after the Christmas break is very short, so should be reviewing course materials on a regular basis to ensure they are ready for the Diploma exams. Any questions please do not hesitate to contact Jennifer or David. Cheers Jennifer & David Special Projects: In Special Projects. students become involved in the selection, planning and organization of their own programs. Students have an opportunity to pursue activities in which they have considerable interest or ability but which are not within the scope of the regular curriculum or the programs being offered in the school. An example of a Special Project might be around studying the ancient ritual of the Japanese Tea ceremony. Students could research the tea ceremony and create some of the objects used such as winter and summer tea bowls and teapots. They could create a media presentation of their study complete with pictures of their own ceremony objects. Each Special Project will be carried out under the supervision of a teacher. Students can talk to Irene if they are interested in creating a Special Project. The project can be worth 1 5 credits! Irene Page 3 3

4 HIGHLIGHTS FROM STUDENT S LEARNING: English 20 and English 30: On Friday, November 29th, the English 20 and English 30 students wrapped up their Shakespeare unit with a wonderful feast, where they were asked to pick a character from the play they were studying (Macbeth for the 20s, Othello for the 30s) and present as that character. The students displayed their enthusiasm by dressing up in Elizabethan clothing, bringing their own dishes to the feast and performing skits between courses. There was plenty of traditional food, such as mashed potatoes, stews, chicken, vegetables and good old-fashioned haggis. While the thought of haggis might have had some stomachs rolling, many students rather enjoyed the taste, It was a good opportunity for them to try something new, and the outcome was fantastic. The feast helped the students understanding of how things actually were back in the Elizabethan era, all while having fun. There weren t any plates, they ate with their hands and drank from goblets. There was ale (iced tea) and wine (Kool-Aid), and they all spoke with accents and tried to match the Elizabethan era. It was obvious they were having a great time with the feast, and they really absorbed (and enjoyed) the culture. Malakai M

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