Churchill High School – Flexible Learning

Hey all,

We have already started our large, integrated project, on which we will be working at least one period a day until Christmas break. The project is called “Our Global Village.” Each group of students (some are working individually, but most are working in groups up to four people) is focusing on a particular country. There are three components to this project:

1. Map with structures – Each group has drawn a large map of their country which will serve as a base for their structures (minimum one per person). These structures can be any architecturally significant buildings or infrastructure that one would find in that particular country (E.g. Eiffel Tower, Petronas Towers, Burj al Dubai, etc). We have even allowed natural landforms to be included if students choose. These structures can be as big or as small as students wish, but we are recommending they be somewhere between 30cm and two metres tall.

2. Research Booklet – Each student will keep all of his/her research, notes, and design work in their binders. When the project is finished, this work will be compiled and handed in, and Tanis and I will include these booklets in their grades.

3. Media Piece – (This is the best part!) Each group will be filming a news clip from their part of the world for our class “World News Report”. We’ve secured a Green Screen from the school division, so students can film themselves against any backdrop they want. For example, a group studying Egypt can be reporting live from street protests or from the base of the Great Pyramid. These clips will be filmed and edited in class.

I will be sending home updates so you will have an idea about where your child should be on the timeline of this very involved project. As of this weekend, your child’s group should be finished their map and compiling supplies for their structure. If any of you are interested in volunteering over the next three weeks, please email me or Tanis and we’ll let you know which days/times work best.

As always, feel free to email us if you have any questions or concerns.

Thanks,

Dave

Grade 7 Math Area Final Assignment

-Design your dream classroom. You can do anything you want! Be creative! The only criteria for your assignment is that your scale is appropriate and you include one of each shape: circle, square, triangle, rectangle, and parallelogram.

-You need a rough copy to practice appropriate scale.

-Your good copy will be on 11” by 17” paper.

-On a separate lined paper, you must find the area and perimeter (circumference for circle) for each shape and show all work in a logical and organized manner.

RUBRIC

Map:

Appropriate Scale – 5

Detail with labels – 5

Effort – 5

Colour – 5

Math Sheet

Four marks for each shape. 1 for correct formula, 2 for organization and work shown, 1 for correct answer with squared units.

Hey everyone!

   Just wanted to say thanks to everyone involved with We Day from the parent drivers to the staff to the extemely well-behaved and helpful students. It was a huge success and an eye-opening experience for our students! We’d also like to thank all the volunteers who helped out Tuesday night and this morning to make St.Vital school (from Saskatchewan) feel welcome and at home. That school was blown away from our hospitality and kindness. Great job PeaceLearners/Flex kids!

-Dave and Tanis

Hey there,

Based on the information that we are receiving from your children, the flex class may be able to arrange for rides for all students to we day. This is potentially great news.

As such, we are treating we day like any other field trip. Drivers will come to the school, we will fill out the appropriate paper work, and we will leave at the same time.

Our goal, as previously stated, is to arrive at the Canada Post building around 8:00 a.m.. As such, we would like to be leaving the school around 7:30 in the morning! Crazy, but true!!

THIS IS WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU
1) To let us know if you are driving and the number of students that you can take.
2) To let us know if you are dropping off and picking up students, or if you are available for the drop off only.
3) For you to know that we are very thankful for your support!

The sooner we hear back from you the better!

All the best!!!

Dear parents,

This is going to be a crazy week (I’m psyching myself up for it already!). Just some reminders about We Day…

-We Day is on Wednesday. Tanis and I will be leaving with the Flex class at 7:15 by bus. All attendees are expected to be at school NO LATER THAN 7:00am. I put that in caps for emphasis, but also because I can’t believe I have to be at school that early! Students who are bussing with us will receive bus tickets. Students will all meet at the Canada Post building at the corner of Donald and Graham before we go to the MTS Centre

-We are encouraging students to get rides to the drop-off spot. If you are interested/willing to drive a group of Flex students, please let us know ASAP.

-Parents may wish to pick up their children from We Day. Again, we will use the Canada Post building as our departure spot. A teacher will stay back at the spot until all students have been picked up or have left with the other adults via bus.

-All attendees need to purchase a t-shirt. This is not just about school spirit; it’s about safety. We need a way to quickly identify our students in an arena full of 16 000 kids. The cost of a t-shirt is $15.00, and we need the money into Mrs. Ediger by Tuesday at the very latest.

-Your child needs to have his/her permission forms in to Tanis by Tuesday at the latest.

If you have any questions about any of this, please email us.

Thanks,

Dave

-As you may or may not know, Churchill High School and PeaceLearners are hosting a group of students from a school in Saskatchewan. They will be arriving Tuesday night, and we have decided to provide a spagetti dinner for them. Then, on Thursday morning, we have offered to prepare a pancake breakfast for our guests from Saskatchewan. We have plenty of student and teacher volunteers for both days, but we could definitely use parent volunteers and, especially, supplies. We need spagetti, spagetti sauce, pancake mix, raw vegetables, ranch dressing, milk, eggs, and coffee. If you are willing to donate any of these items – or just a couple of dollars to the cause – it would be greatly appreciated.

Vacation Project

1. Title page and name
2. Flag
3. Five Fun Facts
4. History (1-2 Slides)
5. Places to see/visit (Landmarks, buildings, etc) (2-4 Slides)
6. Things to do (3-5)
7. Culture (Clothes, music, language food, religion, etc.) (2 Slides)
8. End page

I will be away tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday). However, we are gearing up for a test on Thursday for area. My substitute (Ms. Rollins) has been instructed to hand out some worksheets that have questions very similar to the ones that will be on the test. Students will have time to work on these in class, but I will expect them to be complete by Wednesday so we can review prior to the test. I expect that most students will have homework Tuesday night. The Thursday test will be the last marks for Term 1.

-Dave

“Learning ‘about’ things does not enable students to acquire the abilities and understanding they will need for the twenty-first century. We need new pedagogies of engagement that will turn out the kinds of resourceful, engaged workers and citizens that our world now requires.”

-Russ Egerton

My Dream Island

PART 1: You are going to create an island country. You can base it on any theme you like (Example: Sports, food, resort, etc) or no theme at all. You will draw the island in whatever shape you want on the paper provided. You will be given only one piece of paper for your good copy so make sure your rough copy is well planned.

Requirements For Good Copy:

          -Name for your island

          -Colour

          -Legend with at least 10 symbols

          -Linkages (Roads, rail, rivers, etc.)

          -Latitude, longitude of island

Possible geographic features:

          -Mountains, hills, plateaus, plains, valleys

          -Rivers, lakes, streams

          -Volcanoes, bushes, swamps, marshes

          -Cities, towns, villages

          -Golf courses, parks, trails

          -Bridges, airports, marinas

BE CREATIVE AND USE AS MANY FEATURES AND SYMBOLS AS YOU CAN!!!

PART 2: You will type out a Wikipedia-like booklet on your island country. You need the following information:

-Title page (flag included)

          -History of the island (be creative!)

          -Two other categories of extra information

Possible extra information:

          -Culture, Religion, Environmental Concerns, Language, Government,      Demographics, Economy

(HINT -Type in another island nation (likeMadagascar) into Wikipedia. What information can you add?)

PART 1: MAP            PART 2: INFORMATION         

Effort    /10                                               Appearance  /5

Legend    /15                                            History   /5        

Spelling     /5                                            2 Others   /5

Scale, lat & long  /3                                Spelling/Grammar  /5

Name         /2                                            Title Page and Name  /2

                                                                   2-3 Pages  /3

                  /50                                                                              /25

TOTAL