Mantracker meets Outdoor Ed

This past Thursday, our Outdoor Education class went snowshoeing at Marshall Lake, where they participated in an activity based on the popular TV show "Mantracker".  I was asked to come out and help with the activity as one of the two mantrackers.  Myself and the Outdoor Ed teacher, Ken Deadmarsh, sent the students out in pairs with a task of reaching the Ski Dasha before being caught by one of the two mantrackers.  Each pair was connected by a rope around their wrists to make the travel a bit more difficult and to ensure they worked as a team.  The students were given a 10 minute headstart, a compass, a map, some directions, and then set off to evade the trackers.  The route took us through a wooded area with numerous trails and small lake.

With the trackers in hot pursuit, myself on snowshoes, and Ken on skis, the student teams made their way towards the final destination.  While we managed to capture several teams before they reached the cabin, a few teams evaded us, without being detected.

teams ready to start

Students putting on their snowshoes

Class at the final destination

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall, the activity was fun and great exercise.  With teams covering more than a few km of distance, we all gathered on the bus at the end of class tired and fulfilled.  It was a good opportunity to put some outdoor skills to the test and a chance for students to work together. 
All in all, a good day!  Thanks to Mr. D and his class for allowing me to participate with them...this was a great example of making learning fun.

Resiliency

Last week the Ministry of Education contacted our district to find out what we were doing to show a continued improvement in graduation rates.  When our superintendent called to find out what we thought, I told him that one of our staff's strengths was keeping our struggling students engaged by working through our School Based Team to implement a number of interventions designed to help our kids be successful.  I also indicated it was a reflection of continuing to offer a wide array of choices for students to help them find something and someone to connect them to their school.  For example, providing students with an opportunity for personalized fitness.  Although we received some criticism for moving our library and converting the space to a fitness facility, we are now able to provide students with an opportunity to engage in strength and conditioning activities throughout the day.  While some suggested this was a move that highlighted a focus on athletics, rather than academics, the impact has been to the contrary.  This was highlighted by a suspension meeting I attended last week. At the meeting, one of our students, who had previously struggled with attendance and had been out of school for periods of time, told the superintendent how this year, although he was living on his own, he was able to come to school on a regular basis and maintain good grades as he had one thing to look forward to every day: going to the school weight-room to work out.  In fact, numerous students using the facility are not participating on teams, but rather students that have previously lacked some engagement in school and have now found a common draw to be there on a daily basis.

Two weeks ago, after we attended a Board of Education meeting, we were asked by trustees to show more pictures of our fitness initiative so that people could see how the facility was being used.  To me, the true impact of what we have done is found in the stories such as the one above.

Really, in the end, our students who demonstrate resiliency are the ones who will make it, regardless of their personal struggles.  Our job is to continue to offer kids options and foster positive connections with people in the building, to provide opportunities to grow and develop and, ultimately, to graduate and become successful citizens.  Hopefully, in spite of challenges at school, students can make mistakes and learn to make better choices as they absorb some of life's real lessons.  After all, isn't the real definition of resiliency being able to get up after being knocked down?

If you want to witness a moving example of resiliency, watch the following clip:

Home on the Range

One of the more difficult things to do when faced with declining enrollment is to continue to offer students a wide range of choices, particularly in the elective areas.  This is an aspect that I feel our school has been successful with given our drop in numbers.  Changes to our Strength and Conditioning program have allowed students to progress at their own pace during scheduled and unscheduled times, which has enabled us to continue to offer options that would not have been accessible otherwise.

Students studying in library

New fitness room

Students working out after school

With the movement of the library books to a smaller room, we were able to organize the existing space into a new fitness facility where kids have access all through the day.  The library is now used more as a "Learning Commons" where students access courses through online delivery, complete paper-based coursework, and access books or use the site as a place to read/catch up on work during spare blocks.

Another success story would have to be our Outdoor Education class.  Initially, we looked at offering the course on Fridays where kids could go on expeditions or participate in activities for the entire day.  Unfortunately, due to restrictions on the workweek, we had to look at offering the class in the regular timetable Monday to Thursday.  While this put constraints on the activities we could do, it still enabled us to do extended activities during our double-block over the lunch period.  Our instructor, Mr. Deadmarsh has done a great job of organizing activities around this schedule.  Students have the opportunity to do hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, kayaking, and obstacle courses. Additionally they are working on components of their CORE course which allows them to gain a hunting license upon completion.
Just yesterday, I went with the class to help supervise on the shooting range.  Students were given the opportunity to shoot a variety of rifles in a controlled, safe setting.  With twenty two students in the program, we had three instructors working with the kids to ensure proper gun etiquette, safety procedures, and firing protocol.  The students were keen and, besides some cold temperatures, fun was had by all.  A special thanks to Peter from the Wildlife Hall who came out to help and the Gun Club for access to the range.

Taking aim on the firing range

Thanks goes out to Mrs. Grootjes and her drama and dance classes for organizing the Remembrance Day assembly.  Take a moment tomorrow to stop and remember those who have served their country. I know I will.  Have a good weekend.

Teaching Financial Literacy in Schools?

I was reading an article this morning in the Globe and Mail titled "To teach financial literacy, get 'em while their young" and was thinking about how much sense that makes.  Up until the past year or so with the introduction of Apprenticeship and Workplace Math, there has been limited attention paid to the value of teaching kids about money management.  Basically, these skills have been left to chance, and unless kids are learning it at home, they are moving out into the work world with a limited understanding related to credit, investing, saving, mortgages, etc.  Even with the inclusion of money matters within the AW Math curriculum, only a third of our students are getting exposure to the information.
Given the state of both our local, national and global economics, I believe it is essential that we equip students with a basic understanding of how to manage their own finances once they leave school.  With understanding some basic principles around money management, young adults can quickly create a sound financial plan whereby they can sustain themselves through times of highs and lows, and understand the perils of accessibility to increasing levels of personal debt.
Just this fall, at GFSS, we introduced a fourth component to our Grad Transitions package that outlines some key ideas around finacial literacy. 
In this section, students are expected to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of income to calculate gross and net pay
• Demonstrate an understanding of how to manage a personal budget including the purchase of large assets and managing credit
• Demonstrate an understanding of simple principles of money management

Although these criteria are not included as components in the Grad Transitions curriculum, we felt that it was a very important area for further work to create a greater understanding for our graduating students. 
For those parents who wish to know more about how they can support their child's understanding related to managing their own finances, check out
http://www.moneyexchange.net/library/money-lessons-for-children
for some helpful links.

I have also included a link to the article mentioned above if you wish to read more about the move to increase financial awareness in schools.

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/life/parenting/education/learning/to-teach-financial-literacy-get-em-while-theyre-young/article1869269/?service=mobile#

The New Education Plan

Well, on Friday, the government announced it's new plan for educational change.  BC's Education Plan is "based on the principle that every learner in the province will realize his or her full potential" and consists of five key elements:

• Personalized learning for every student

• Quality teaching and learning

• Flexibility and choice

• High standards

• Learning empowered by technology

To learn more about the plan, I went to www.bcedplan.ca, where you can read the specifics as well as how schools around BC are moving to implement parts of the plan already.

As I look through the plan, many aspects makes sense, but of course like any great idea, the proof is in the pudding.  Personalized learning for every child is a great start but will definitely take some time as we work towards more completely defining the vision.  Reducing curriculum outcomes should allow teachers more flexibility in how they engage students with opportunities for deeper learning.  In many courses currently, the race for curriculum completion often leaves little time for exploring in more detail the questions and interests of students.  I am excited about the move towards greater flexibility and choice, but there needs to be caution in ensuring all students, particularly those in rural areas, have access to similar opportunities as their urban peers.
The other area of the plan where we are already making progress is the move to empower learning through technology.  With wireless access and increasing availability of personalized electronic devices, we need to ensure that technology is used to engage students and increase the variety of ways students can demonstrate their learning.  We also need to keep in mind that technology does not replace good instruction but rather should be used to supplement learning and provide students access to collaborative opportunities with peers both locally and globally.
The other issue of concern around technology is related to access for all learners.  This is an area where the school will hopefully be able to assist in order to ensure that students who lack the resources to obtain their own devices will be able to participate as well.  Just as we have seen with the advent and influx of cell phones, we still have students that do not have one.

To read the entire plan, click on the following link http://www.bcedplan.ca/assets/pdf/bc_edu_plan.pdf

To watch the video, see below

We look forward to further discussions with students and parents as we move forward within the new educational model.

Opportunity for Student Feedback

A few years ago when the Provincial Guidelines for Healthy Eating came into schools, the GFSS lunch program lost its vendor as they were no longer able to sustain their business at the school.  While the school has an active breakfast program and a snack machine, the service at lunch has never really been replaced.  
Lately we have been looking at trying to reinstate a healthy choices lunch program where students could purchase fresh made items along the lines of pizza, wraps, lasagna, etc.  What we are looking for is some feedback from students on what kind of items they might prefer.  I have added a poll link to this blog update that should allow students to text their choices based on the information below.  If you have a moment, please try this system so we can determine what students may want, as well as whether or not this type of survey is an easy, accessible way to get information on issues as they arise.

Replace audience response hardware with Poll Everywhere

Mentoring For Learning

Over the past couple weeks, one of our new teachers, Mrs. Rymer, has been working with Mr. McKinlay's grade 6/7 class from Perley.  The elementary students came over to observe some real life physics as the senior physics class was demonstrating catapult devices they had built.  The goal of the assignment was to design a mechanical, self powered device that could launch a projectile (tomatoes in this case) a great distance but also be able to attain accuracy in hitting a specific target.
Today, the 6/7's came to GFSS and participated with a science 10 class in a chemical reactions lab working alongside a partner from the older class in a learning partnership.  While I didn't get into see the action, the reports were very positive.....kudos to Mrs. Rymer and Mr. McKinlay.

It is great to see these positive opportunities for both the elementary and GFSS students.  The research is clear that one of the more powerful strategies for helping students learn is a mentoring relationship where an older student is paired with a younger student.  Younger students in these partnerships benefit from increased confidence and connectedness with an older peer.  Older students also benefit from the confidence they receive from helping a younger student as well as the learning that takes place in order to be able to teach a skill to someone else.  In addition, sometimes these activities are just plain fun.

I'm looking forward to more opportunities to watch these type of positive interactions!

Following Your Dreams

Each year we say goodbye to a great group of grads and herald in the next crop of grade 8's.  One of the things we emphasize with our incoming students is to get involved in school activities, whether it be music, drama, sports or other school groups.  The research is clear that student achievement is positively affected by participation in school activities. This is due to the connections students make with their peers, teachers, coaches, and sponsors, as well as the collaborative skills they develop through the team work it takes to accomplish a goal as a unit.

One of the highlights for us is often the visits or communication we receive from past students who are out in the real world pursuing their passions.  Not only do we have past students excelling in a variety of careers but we have some students that have gone on to pursue sport at a more elite level.  Just recently, we have received feedback from a few of our recent grads who are now in different corners of the country each pursuing their own athletic dream.

Tanner Kopan, who graduated last year (June 2011), is now attending Westminster College in Utah taking Business Management and playing varsity golf, currently ranked #2 on the team with an average scoring round of 75.

Tanner teeing off on the US College circuit

Tanner felt well prepared heading off to school and is doing well in his classes.  Tanner recognized the support he received from both GFSS and the Christina Lake Golf Club in helping him achieve his goal.  His advice for GFSS graduating students is to pursue schooling and experience the world outside of Grand Forks.

2010 grad Ashley Christman is also living her dream. Ashley, a sophomore, was awarded a full scholarship playing volleyball for the University of Idaho Vandals in NCAA Division 1, with the team currently ranked 3rd in the Western Athletic Conference.

 

(Photos taken by Zach Edwards)

Ashley played volleyball at GFSS from grade 8-12 and also honed her skills while playing for Kelowna's Elite club, Team BC, and the U16 Team Canada Prospects.  Ashley is working towards her science degree which takes a lot of commitment balancing both her academic and athletic endeavors. 

A third former grad who we recently heard from is 2011 grad Maya Wold.  After playing basketball for the Wolves from grade 8-12, Maya is currently a member of the Dalhousie Women's Tigers basketball team as a red-shirt freshman.  Maya is in her first year of sciences at Dal and spending many hours a week going to class and attending practices.  Maya is finding university athletics a jump up in intensity but is loving every minute of it.  Maya is learning a lot and hopes to make the full playing squad next year as a sophomore.

As you can see, even a small town like Grand Forks can produce it's fair share of elite athletes which is a testament not only to their coaches, but their parents who made countless sacrifices to give their children the opportunities to develop their passions and skills.

Hats off to all those who had a part in making these dreams comes true.....Go Wolves Go!

21st Century Literacy Skills

This past week the school received some criticism in the media due to the relocation of our library (and reduction in books) and its subsequent replacement with a fitness facility.  Although there have been discussions surrounding the merits of physical fitness and the move towards personalized learning as one of the key drivers in this move, one of the pieces that warrants further dialogue is the evolving face of literacy.  The way in which our students are accessing information is quickly changing.  I was reminded of this yesterday as I walked through a couple of classrooms that just happened to be engaged in silent reading.  While most of the students were reading softcover novels, some students were engaged with e-books downloaded on their smartphones and ipods.  With the implementation of a school-wide wireless network, students now have access to Google and You Tube at their fingertips.  As students engage in project work and assignments, many are able to access resource information within seconds. 

While reading and comprehending this information  are still key components of what we teach, we also now need to teach our students about the value of critical thinking, which is a necessary skill in  navigating such a wide array of readily available information. 
Along with critical thinking, the Ministry of Education has identified several skills that they have been termed key competencies for being successful as a 21st Century Learner (in addition to the traditional three of numeracy, reading and writing).
These 21st Century Foundational Skills are called the Seven Cs:

• Critical thinking and problem solving

• Creativity and innovation

• Collaboration, teamwork, and leadership

• Cross-cultural understanding

• Communications, computing and ICT literacy

• Career and learning self-reliance

• Caring for personal health and planet earth.

With an increased emphasis on these "new age" skills, students and teachers are increasingly looking towards social media as a means to participate in collaborative learning and to engage students in these key competency areas.  I was reading an article recently that outlined the fact that Facebook has now overtaken all other pursuits as the leading free-time occupation.  According to digitalbuzzblog, "with over 500 million users, Facebook is now used by 1 in every 13 people on earth, with over 250 million of them (over 50%) who log in every day with 48% of 18-34 year olds checking Facebook when they wake up, and 28% doing so before even getting out of bed." 

This is staggering information: it impacts the way businesses recruit new workers, but also how they use social networking to advertise and collect information about the end user.  This is why it is so crucial for our school to not only continue to pursue traditional skills (reading, writing, and math) but to engage our students in activities and technology that allow them to keep up with our changing world, and to support them becoming responsible citizens able to critically evaluate the volume of data hitting them on a daily basis.  As we move forward in this pursuit, not only is the school changing the way it accesses and presents information, but also the way in which we engage outside sources as part of our global learning network.  More to come on the use of technology in the coming weeks.

On a separate note, this week would have seen the first mail out of student progress reports.  With the current job action in place, this will not occur.  We are encouraging parents to contact teachers directly via phone to find out how your son or daughter are doing.  (250-442-8285)
Have a great week and please check in regularly at our website for updated information and announcements.

September is Gone

Well, the month of September is gone.  It's hard to believe that Halloween is just around the corner.  This is also normally a time when we would be looking at our first set of parent interviews, but due to job action, they will be delayed.  Parents who wish to find out how their student is doing, are encouraged to contact teachers directly by phone, as there will be no progress reports going home at this time.

School spirit was in full force last week with the annual grade 8 barbeque put on by the counselling department and peer counsellors.  Grade 8 students were hosted for lunch on Thursday where they were provided hamburgers and hotdogs and given an opportunity to mingle with their friends and some older students.  The Peer Counselling group completed their training session last weekend at Jewel Lake with Mrs. Webster and will now be starting to meet with their grade 8 groups on a regular basis.  Thanks to those who helped with the food preparation!

Also last week, a small team of teachers took on the senior girls volleyball team Wednesday at lunch.  The teachers took the lead early in the match by winning the first game, but the girls came back in the second game led by Paige Kopan's massive block on yours truly.  Word has it we are looking for a re-match with the girls in the next couple weeks.

To end the week, our Educational Assistants and principal/vice-principals attended a session on "Non-Violent Crisis Intervention" all day on Friday.  This training session focused on how to work with students experiencing high levels of anxiety and possible physical/verbal outbursts.  I'm glad to say, that our Student Services team including our teachers, EA's and Child Youth Workers, do a great job on a regular basis of keeping our students in a good place both physically and mentally.  Through their ongoing commitment to maintaining a good learning environment, most of our students are able to cope even when faced with a multitude of challenges both at school and home.

And on a sad note, this coming week will see us say goodbye to our science guru Mr. Behl as he sails (or rides his bike) off into the sunset of retirement. 

Mr. Behl has meant a lot to the students at GFSS and will be missed not only for his expertise, but his lasting commitment to excellence and high standards in the classroom.  Through his Socratic approach to questioning, Mr. Behl has continually challenged his students to think and solve problems for themselves.   We look forward to roasting....I mean, saying goodbye to Mr. Behl on Thursday at his retirement luncheon.  Cheers.

Walk This Way, Talk This Way....

Do you remember those famous words from "Aerosmith"....perhaps if that song had been written today it would read "Walk This Way, Text This Way".  It seems that cellphone use has become so common place that I routinely see students sitting in the hall together, texting on their phones, and not one person talking.  What ever happened to social interaction.  Some of our students are so efficient at texting, they can use their phone while it's still in their pocket. 
Don't get me wrong....I'm not against cell phones, I just think that sometimes we rely too much on electronic communication.  After all, it can be difficult to read emotion into an email or text.  Many people have become so accustomed to using electronic media, they have lost sight of the value of personal communication.  In fact, i'm sure in many homes, the issue of teens hogging the telephone doesn't exist anymore.  Most socialization occurs either through Facebook or by texting.
And that brings me to my next point which is how school has started to shift its thinking in relation to the use of cellphones and other personal electronic devices.  Over the last couple years, the school took the approach that cellphone use was a distraction and not necessary in the classroom.  Now, with the emphasis on the use of technology to improve student engagement, cell phones and smart phones are starting to be used in classrooms as teaching tools.  Just this past Thursday morning, I sat in a teachers class where she started the day by posing some questions to her class as part of a review from the previous days work.  Instead of using paper, she had the students text their answers using a web program called "polleverywhere", which provided the class with real time data related to the class responses.  As the students texted their responses, the percentage of students choosing specific questions came up on the web page projected on the Smartboard.  It was easy to see that not only did students get real time feedback on their learning, they were also engaged in the activity.  Afterwords, almost every student in the class indicated their preference for the use of this type of technology.
Not only are cellphones being used to facilitate learning, but now with the addition of wireless, students are coming to school with other technological tools such as iPads, laptops, iPods, and netbooks.  This not only gives students ready access to information, but is also pushing the school to keep up with trends in the use of social media and other forms of technology to make learning accessible and relevant. 
I have attached a You Tube clip from educator "Sir Ken Robinson" that captures an interesting narrative on how public education is changing given the demands of our global economy and technological change....enjoy!

First Week of School

Well....we managed to get through the first week of school with only a couple minor glitches.  With a number of changes in place, we have all been busy changing student timetables, getting programs started, figuring out the new computer system, meeting with grade groups, all while navigating through the current teacher job action.

Mrs. Webster and Mrs. Argue are meeting with Peer Tutors and Counsellors who are in the process of being trained before they go out into classes.  Graduating students are still waiting for the Moodle server to get up and running so they can start their grad transitions package (I hear the server will be up this morning).  This year, interviews will be booked with myself once students have completed their packages and submitted to one of Mrs. de Wynter, Mrs. Webster or Mrs. Argue.

The Yearbook committee has met and voted on their new editor....congrats to Kaleigh Horne.  The group will soon be starting work on this years edition.  The Grad Executive nominations are still open and being collected at the front office.  Nominations will close in the next couple days and there will be a meeting on Wednesday to vote where necessary for the new leadership team.  The Student Council will be having it's initial planning meeting in the next week or so.

On the sport front, all three girls volleyball teams have begun practices/tryouts as well as the boys soccer team.  Stay tuned for updates as the game schedules heat up. 

For those of you familiar with the GFSS News, the new team under the guidance of Mrs. Grootjes has just published their first version on the GFSS News You Tube channel....excerpt below

  .........I loved the "Godfather" impression.

Undoubtedly we have had many reactions to some of the facility switches, most specifically, the move of the library to the DLC and bringing the Fitness Room upstairs to the old library location.  While several concerns have been noted, many positive comments have come forward from students with many already taking advantage of the open, accessible location. Currently there are over 50 students participating in our personal fitness program where they workout before school or during the day if they have a study block (senior students).  Due to the declining use of hardcopy books, we retained the fiction section along with some other books that were being used, and have created a smaller library where students can still access and sign out books.  With only 20% of the library resources being used prior to the move, we felt that we could better use the space for student learning.  We have also retained three computer labs where students do most of their research.
Check out a quick video of students using our new fitness room in morning class before school....

I also wanted to mention some concerns we have over the Grad Camp Out that seems to have become an ongoing tradition.  The school in no way approves or condones this activity.  As we had to deal with some potential graduating students coming to school on the first morning unfit to be here, it sends the wrong message to our incoming junior students.  Perhaps it is time for next years graduates and parents to support a new tradition.....examples like holding a grad barbeque the first morning of school where all students can mingle and enjoy some burgers and hotdogs before heading home, and grads can use that as their first fundraiser, would certainly add more to supporting a positive culture to begin the year.....just a thought. 

Lastly...don't forget our first PAC meeting is next Tuesday night, Sept 20th at 7pm in the new library location.....hope to see you there.

As always, you can email any comments you may have to gfss@sd51.bc.ca

Sept 2011 Start Up

Welcome back to another school year at GFSS

As you may have heard, we will be beginning the year with teachers implementing "Work to Rule" as part of their job action related to ongoing negotiations with the government.  This means that classes will continue as per usual, however, teachers will not be supervising students outside class time as well as providing written communication to administration regarding regular school tasks and student reporting.  At this time, we do not know how long this situation will last.  We will try and keep parents and students up to date as best we can.

Below we have added some information related to some program changes that are taking place this coming year.

Career Education Information for the 2010-11 School Year

GFSS will continue to implement its Career Programs for our senior students.  This program will consist of supporting any interested students in obtaining job shadowing placements, work experience placements, Secondary School Apprenticeship opportunities, and dual credit courses for some college placement programs. 

As many of our students enter the workforce after graduation, we are looking at developing a more comprehensive program to meet their needs and prepare students with a set of skills necessary to gain employment. 

Job Shadowing – allows students to participate in short term placements where they can work alongside a person in a career field they may be interested in pursuing.  These volunteer hours can also go towards meeting the grad transition requirements.

Work experience – longer term volunteer placements (that could lead to paid employment) where a student completes a minimum 100 hours and earns 4 credits towards graduation.  A student can earn credits through work experience towards their graduation program.  The school can facilitate student placements or a student may find their own placement.

Secondary School Apprenticeship – this program can serve as the beginning of an  apprenticeship in a trade supervised by a certified trades person.  Students are entitled to 16 credits for participation as well as funding provided through the Industry Trade Authority.  It allows students that have a good idea of what they want to do for a career to gain early entry where an appropriate placement is available.  The school will help facilitate placement or a student may find their own placement.

Dual Credit Program – some colleges provide students with an opportunity to take courses while they are still in high school (usually grade 12).  Students that complete these courses will be given credit towards their graduation program as well as credits towards their college program.  These courses are offered through distance learning.  This coming year Thompson Rivers University is offering courses that our students may wish to take as part of the Dual Credit Program.  Students are responsible for paying the University tuition but the District will reimburse students tuition costs upon completion.

Students are encouraged to meet with Mrs. Argue if they are interested in any of these career education opportunities.

Moodle – this is a format that allows our students to take courses online under the guidance of one of our teachers in the DLC room.  Initially students will have access to a number of regular courses that they can take within their schedule or outside the timetable if they wish.  There is no cost for this option as they are still registered as GFSS students.  This will help students that want to take a course but are unable to fit it into their timetable.  Students are able to see the courses available through a link on our school website and should contact Mrs. DeWynter to arrange enrollment in a course.  It is not meant to replace courses that are available in the timetable.

We have also enclosed below a copy of the yearly calendar.  A more detailed copy of our monthly block rotations can be accessed through our website.

Grand Forks Secondary

PROPOSED SCHOOL CALENDAR

2011 - 2012

Month	Day
August	29	District Professional Development Day
	30	District Professional Development Day
September	6	School Opening Day (Dismissal at 11:30 a.m.) (School in session Tuesday to Friday this week)
	9	Friday - School in Session
	27/28	District Shortened Days
October	10	Thanksgiving Day (School in session Tuesday to Friday this week)
	14	Friday - School in Session
	21	Provincial Professional Development Day
November	2	Parent Interviews / Grad Spaghetti Dinner
	11	Remembrance Day (Friday)
December	15	School Closes for Winter Vacation (Last day of classes)
January	3	School Re-Opens after Winter Vacation (School in session Tuesday to Friday this week)
	6	Friday – School in Session
	19-25	School Exams
	30	First Day of Semester 2
March	15	School Closes for Spring Vacation (Last Day of classes)
April	2	School Re-Opens after Spring Vacation
	6	Good Friday
	9	Easter Monday (School in session Tuesday to Friday this week)
	13	Friday – School in Session
	17	District Shortened Day
	18	District Shortened Day / Parent Interviews
May	21	Victoria Day (School in session Tuesday to Friday this week)
	25	Friday - School in Session / Final Deadline for Grad Transition Interviews
	31	First Grad List
	14	Final Grad List
June	12	Lupine Awards Night (Tentative)
	18	Grad Ceremony Appeals Due
	18-21	School Exams
	22/23	Graduation Weekend (Times to be determined)
	29	Administrative Day

Days in Session	163
Number of Days of Instruction	156
Number of Non-Instructional Days	6
Number of Administrative Days	1
Length of School Day (ie:  6 hrs 45 mins)	7 hours and 14 minutes
Minutes of Operation (Office Hours)	7:30am to 4:00pm
Total Instructional Time	340 min/day (Elem)          370 min/day (Sec)
School Commences	8:16am
Lunch (start and end time)	12:12pm to 12:55pm
Dismissal	3:30pm
Minutes in each block (secondary)	71-76 minutes
Minutes between blocks (secondary)	4 minutes

We would also like to introduce our new staff members.  Mrs. Malayna Gross has taken over as our Special Education teacher,  Mrs. Wanda Hecht is now coordinating our GFSS Aboriginal Education program along with our new Aboriginal Support Worker, Mrs. Victoria Runge.  Mr. Garrison will be on leave for the first six weeks with Mr. Mike Fraser taking over his duties in the Bike Shop.  Mrs. Deb Steinbach is also back in the office after having been away for last school year.

In addition to some staff changes, we have also had some building and other program changes over the summer.  The school library is now in the DLC which is also our online learning center for students enrolled in Moodle courses.  The old Ab Ed room next to the counselling area is now the new Grad Study Hall / Career Center where our senior students will be able to access computers and study.  The old library location is now our fitness facility that will be open daily for students to access and will also be supported with Peer Tutors in every block.  The Ab Ed room is now located upstairs where the old teacher preparation room used to be.

These are just a few of the things happening in September.  Have a great start to the year and if you have any questions or suggestions....please email us directly at gfss@sd51.bc.ca 

You can also follow updates through twitter @GrandForksSec as we attempt to use other ways of keeping people informed.

The first Parent Advisory Meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 20th at 7pm in the DLC room.  Hope to see you then.