B l e s s e d O s c a r R o m e o Welcome to Blessed Oscar Romero High School Welcome back to all our returning students! I hope you had a fantastic summer; I am looking forward to spending a great school year together. I would also like to welcome all of our new students and families. I am very excited to get to know you and hope that you are looking forward to a wonderful year. I would like to introduce myself and the programs offered to support our Aboriginal students. My name is Lynn Cornell, I am the First Nation, Metis and Inuit Graduation Coach at Blessed Oscar Romero. Look for me in the Room. I provide the following free supports in the Braided Journeys Room: Cultural Ceremonies: We Smudge on Tuesday every week at lunch and there are various ceremonies held throughout the year. Guest Speakers: Hear stories and more from Elders and other role models. Leadership: Mentor a Little Buddy at a local Elementary school; helping them learn to read and play. Dance & Drumming: Learn to dance and drum with Rainbow Spirit Dance Troupe and the Rainbow Spirit Drum Group. Helpful Information for Parents Personal Career Counselling: Investigate careers, tour post secondary schools and explore scholarship opportunities. Leadership: Give back to your community! Become a mentor, volunteer at school or community events. Academic Weekly Tutoring: Enjoy a healthy snack with a tutor. Study Room: Students can work in the room during their spares. Feel free to stop in to say hello, join in our programs and seek assistance with any challenge you may be facing on your journey to success! Contact Information Please feel free to contact Lynn for further information Blessed Oscar Romero: (780) 428 2705 Fall 2017 Lynn Cornell Email: Lynn.Cornell@ecsd.net Do you have access to PowerSchool? If you have access to the internet I recommend accessing PowerSchool. It is a great tool that allows you to look at your child s attendance, grades, assignment completion etc. If you do not have access yet, you will need to request your ID and password from the secretary at Blessed Oscar Romero. Please call (780) 428 2705. If you do not have access to the internet please feel free to contact Lynn for an update. Identifying as First Nation, Metis or Inuit: Please help your child know how to identify as a FNMI person. If you are not sure yourself that s okay! It can be very confusing navigating all the definitions out there. Some people define themselves by what their family states, some by community, or if they have membership through a Metis, Inuit organization or First Nation Band. Why is this Important? As a Grad Coach I would like to help your child find career and post secondary opportunities. Some opportunities are FNMI specific which means your child will need to know how to identify. Thank you to our Funders Their generous support allows us to provide the variety of programs and supports for our students. Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada Canadian Native Friendship Centre
2 Activities: Coming soon to the Oscar Romero Braided Journeys Room... Indigenous Hand Games Join us over the course of 3 Mondays at lunch to receive teachings about hand games. Build and play a game with your friends! CAREERS: Next Generation Get tips and tricks to start or fine tune your resume and cover letter. Learn about paid summer internship opportunities. Pawâkan Macbeth A Cree Tragedy by Reneltta Arluk presented by Akpik Theatre & Theatre Prospero. Field trip to the production at the Arts Barns. See Lynn for more information. Upcoming Events Post Secondary Tours: Touring a Post Secondary Institution allows students to broaden their horizon, develop relationships with instructors and staff; learn about the programs offered and the supports available for aboriginal students. Please visit Lynn in the Braided Journeys room for upcoming field trip forms for post-secondary tours. All Grade 12 Students Throughout the year you will have an opportunity for small group visits to your post secondary institution of choice. This will allow you to increase your familiarity with the campus, find out information regarding supports for aboriginal students and discuss specific details regarding your program/s of choice with teaching staff and advisors. Please visit Lynn to discuss your post secondary plans so that we can schedule additional postsecondary visits. Words of Wisdom Knowledge is like the wind...once obtaining it you can go anywhere Yellow Horse February 2nd Patricia Campus Tour March 16th Souch Campus Tour October 21st U of A Open House November 4th MacEwan Open House
3 Why should I volunteer? CAREER it helps to build your resume; you develop important work and life based skills; develops your port-folio for scholarship applications COMMUNITY you are able to make a positive contribution to your community ESTEEM helping others increases self-esteem. Feeling needed relieves you of loneliness and makes you feel good about yourself VALUES allows you to live out your personal and cultural values. Choose volunteering opportunities that are close to your heart. BELONGING it helps you feel like you are part of a community AWARENESS it increases your understanding of yourself and also the issues that people in society face. There are many opportunities to volunteer through the Braided Journeys Program, please see Lynn for more information. Leadership Team Go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope. Barak Obama Interested in making a difference in your community? Join the Leadership Team to help local causes as well as raise awareness about challenges faced by FNMI communities. The Blanket Exercise Upcoming Events: Literacy Mentorship with an Elementary buddy (During FLEX on Fridays). Be trained to deliver The Blanket Exercise (Wednesdays after school). We are looking for volunteers to be trained to deliver the Blanket Exercise. What is the Blanket Exercise? It is an interactive exercise developed by KAIROS. It explores the relationship between the Crown and Indigenous peoples in Canada, from the settlers arrival to modern times. Participants are guided through the impact of colonization of a nation including gradual appropriation, relocation and removal of Indigenous peoples and territories. The exercise begins with blankets spread across the floor, which represent land occupied by Indigenous populations. The exercise begins with blankets spread across the floor, which represent land occupied by Indigenous populations. As participants are guided through centuries of negotiations, treaties, decrees, and other interactions with European settlers, the blankets on which they stand are slowly removed, until only a few participants remain on a small area representing what little remains of Indigenous territory today. The exercise engages hearts and minds in understanding the current relationship between Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples and how we can take action to work together today.
4 Weekly Schedule for Semester One: Mondays: * Tutoring: After school, get some extra help or work on homework in a quiet study space with a tutor. * Math 10-3 Study Group: After school, get additional support with Math 10-3 concepts and homework help. Tuesdays: * Smudge: At lunch, join our knowledge keeper for smudge; Lunch provided. Enter to win door prizes too! *English Diploma Prep: Join us after school to get prepared to write the English diploma exam. Wednesdays: * Leadership Blanket Exercise: Learn how to facilitate the KAIROS Blanket Exercise. Thursdays: * Rainbow Spirit Dance Troupe * Rainbow Spirit Drum Group Join the Rainbow Spirit Dance Troupe or Drum Group Thursdays 12pm 230pm Beginners Are Welcome Regalia & Drums Can Be Provided Lunch @ 12pm
5 Honouring Ceremony: Class of 2017 One of the happiest days of the year has to be the First Nation, Metis and Inuit Honoring Ceremony. This year Romero students demonstrated that they truly are leaders in their community. Congratulations to all of you, you worked hard and stayed focused on your education goals. Two Oscar Romero students were awarded the Robert Steele Bursary Congratulations to Jayda Potts and Aden Ayah you are both deserving applicants! Also, thanks to Sean Gray for delivering the Treaty Acknowledgement! Way to go Romero; you are all inspirational leaders!
6 Romero Information We plant the seeds that one day will grow Blessed Oscar Romero Rotating Schedule and Bell Times New! At Romero there are two new blocks this year: *Teacher Advisor Time: Teacher Advisors will get to know students. Help will be provided to review FLEX session choices and assist students in the selection and registration for FLEX. Teachers will share information for upcoming school events and any other information that is important for students to know. *Flex time: Students will register in a Flex session of their choosing through PowerSchool. There will be opportunities for extra academic help, student services presentations, and some fun stuff too! Register early each week to avoid disappointment! Day 1 Day 2 Blocks Blocks 1 4 3 2 5 8 7 6 Mondays TA Tuesdays Wednesdays All Thursdays Flex Fridays 1 st Bell 8:25 1 st Bell 8:25 1 st Bell 8:25 1 st Bell 8:25 1 st Bell 8:25 8:30 9:58 8:30 9:48 8:30 9:58 8:30 9:21 8:30 9:38 10:01 11:27 TA Time 9:50 10:30 10:01 11:27 9:24 10:14 Flex Time 9:40 10:54 Lunch 11:27 12:05 10:32 11:48 Lunch 11:27 12:05 10:17 11:07 10:56 12:04 12:09 1:35 Lunch 11:48 12:25 12:09 1:35 11:10 12:00 Lunch 12:04 12:41 1:38 3:04 12:29 1:45 1:38 3:04 12:45 1:53 1:48 3:04 1:56 3:04 Opportunities to get involved at Romero At Romero we encourage all students to get involved in extra-curricular activities. It is a way of making new friends and developing connections to our school community. Here are some ways you can become a Raven: Athletics offers the following sports: Badminton Basketball Cheer Cross-country Curling Football Golf Soccer Swimming Track and field Volleyball Other Clubs Include: Leadership Student Council The Running Club The Travel Club The Environment Club The Book Club The Improv Team Romero Choir Yearbook Drama Club Social Justice League The Culinary Team SKILL Alberta Team Tech Team Broadcast Team Girls Fitness Club Stage Band/Jazz Band Professional Development Days (No classes) September 22 nd, December 1 st, April 20th