June 17, 2009
Results from MusicFest
Congratulations to Ms. Barber Kahro, Ms. Devenish, Mr. Marijanovic, and Mr. Mootrey for all of their efforts on behalf of our wonderful music students. Once again they have returned from compteition with fabulous results.
Bronze
Concert Choir Nationals
Silver
Chamber Strings Nationals
Intermediate Concert Band Nationals
Senior Jazz Band Nationals
Gold
Wind Ensemble Regional and Nationals
Intermediate Concert Band Regionals
Senior Jazz Band Regionals
Senior Concert Band Regionals and Nationals
Grad Update - Hurray for Johnny Canuck
Submitted by Karina P.
Several Woodlands alumnae have been in the process of starting up an independent not-for-profit theatre company. After months and months of hard work and fundraising, we are mounting our very first production!
It's called Hurray for Johnny Canuck, and it's written by Ken Gass (a contemporary Canadian playwright). It takes place this July 10th and 11th. I am acting in it in addition to managing fundraising and costumes. You can visit
www.thepeoplesstudio.ca to read up on our company and our upcoming production, as well as reserve tickets.
June 5, 2009
Good News from Geography
Congratulations to Sukvir S. and Waleed B. , placing 3rd and 5th respectively in the Canadian National Parks poster contest and to their staff sponsor, Ms. Miller.
ECCO Computing Competition
Thanks to go to the staff sponsors Ms Quan and Mr. Heathfield as we report that two teams of Woodlands students tied for second place in Peel.
Team A: Andrew D., Zheng W., and Tian X.
Team B: Ahson K., Alex K., and Ke L.
OFSAA Badminton Championships: Gold and Silver for The Woodlands
Staff Sponsors Ms. Quan, Mr. Tinson and Ms. Yuen
Heartiest congratulations to :
Clayton L. who placed 2nd in the province in Flight A of Men's Singles
Ryan L. and Stephanie L. who placed 1st in in the province Flight A in
Mixed Doubles
Wenzhangzhi G. who placed 5th in the Ladies' Singles at ROPSSAA
Michelle L. has a Stellar Golf Season
Congratulations, Michelle on all of your outstanding accomplishments!
- Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) Mizunao Junior Nationals - 1st place (Barrie)
- Canadian Junior Golf Association Nike National - 3rd place (Oakville)
- Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) Junior Girls Match Play - 1st place (Owen Sound)
- Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) Ontario Junior Girls (provincial Juvenile team) - tied for 7th (Goderich)
- Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) Women's Amateur - tied for 8th (Bay of Quinte)
- OFSAA Women's Golf(Oakville)- Gold Medalist
- Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) Canadian Junior Girls - tied for 13th (Winnipeg)
- Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) CN Futures Links Prairie - 1st place (Saskatoon)
- Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) CN Futures Links Prairie - 1st place (Saskatoon)
June 4, 2009
DOC CAMP - Hot DOCS has just launched a new summer initiative for youth
Submitted by Ms. Alexander
Open to youth aged 14 -18, DOC CAMP is a week long documentary filmmaking day program that will be hosted at the School of Design Campus at George Brown College, August 17 – 22.
The 5 days will be filled with ideas, inspiration and filmmaking. Each day will include guest speakers from the world of documentary filmmaking. No filmmaking experience is necessary. The camp is free for those accepted…maximum number of participants will be 12.
This is going to be a great week and a wonderful opportunity for youth interested in documentary films and filmmaking. Turnaround time for submissions is quite short, June 15, so submit your application ASAP.
http://www.hotdocs.ca/index.php/audience/youth/doc_camp/
The Scribe is Here
If you haven't had a chance to peruse The Scribe, an annual collection of student creative writing, you have missed a real gem. Congratulations to Ms. Andre-Barrett and her team.
Editors-in-Chief: Lauren V., and Forest L.
Managing Editor: Rachel W.
Layout Design: Frankie K., and Debbie K.
Network Support: Cathy T.
Copy Editors: Meghan L., Wendy L., Shivani S., Marjam K., Nirvana S., and
Imbisaught K.
Grade 11 and 12 Ontario Accounting Contest
Congratulations to Ms. Hopwood Jones and the business department and all of the participating business students!
Grade 11 Results: all Woodlands Students score in the top 8%
Tahir Z. – 2nd place
Tiffany L. – tied for 3rd place
Timo S. – tied for 3rd place
Urja M. – tied for 4th place
Palash A. - tied for 4th place
Grade 12 results: all Woodlands Students score in the top 10%
Andrew D. – 3rd place
Zheng W. – 4th place
Ke L. – 5th place
Other top 20 winners: Raghav G., Kate L., Kenny Y., Ken W., and Dantong W.
Notes:
In May, we welcomed next year's grade 9's in our annual intake IPRC process and added many new names to our distribution list. We extend a hearty welcome, if this is your first visit to our Newsflash Page! Should you ever wish to contact the program coordinators, the sidebar has a convenient E-Mail tab.
Exciting results have started to pour in because our students have been making their mark in provincial and national competitions. As we started to report the good news, it became apparent that there was just too much to digest in a single "newsflash". Over the next few weeks, your can expect several more newsflashes with equally impressive results
New Items
- Update from the Math Contests
News from ROPSSAA Championship for Badminton
- The University of Waterloo Sir Isaac Newton Physics Contest
- Ontario Association of Physics Teachers - Grade 11 Physics Contest
- Guelph Science Olympics
Grad Updates
- University of Toronto National Biology Competition
Michael Smith Challenge
- Graduate Update: Gifted Education Comes Full Circle
June 3, 2009
Update from the Math Contests
Our thanks go out to Mr. Heathfield and the math department for the following terrific results from the many Math contests.
University of Waterloo Fryer Math Contest
Zion L. Gold Standard
Andy L Gold Standard
Freid T Gold Standard
University of Waterloo Galois Math Contest
Daniel T. Gold Standard
Mian W. Gold Standard
Gordan Y. Gold Standard
University of Waterloo Hypatia Math Contest
Tian X. Gold Standard
University of Waterloo Pascal Math Contest
Iyer G. Honour Roll
Jonathan M. Honour Roll
University of Waterloo Cayley Math Contest
Joel T. Honour Roll
University of Waterloo Euclid Math Contest
Andrew D. Honour Roll
University of Waterloo Fermat Math Contest
Ryan K. Honour Roll
News from ROPSSAA Championship for Badminton
Our thanks to Ms Yuen and the Junior badminton team for the following impressive results!
Regional Bronze Medal Winners
Helen Z.
Regional Silver Medal Winners
Benjamin H.
Amy X.
Hank X.
Daniel T.
Regional Gold Medal Winners
Kitty C
Victor H.
Michael L.
Janet L.
Special congratulations to Andrew L. for placing in the top 16 in national Competition in Edmonton, advancing to the quarter final round in the provincial championships in Barrie, winning gold in the High performance Circuit in Kitchener and achieving an 6th place ranking in the National Men's under 19 category.
The University of Waterloo Sir Isaac Newton Physics Contest
Great news from Mr. Shaikh:
The Woodlands Physics Team placed 4th nation-wide!
Placing in the top 20%ile: Ke. L., Lun L., and Kurtis. M.
Placing in the top 10%ile:
92.68%ile Alex Y.
94.74%ile Andrew D.
97.08%ile Ragav G.
97.08%ile Nicholas Z.
99.38%ile Will. W.
99.35%ile Tian X.
Ontario Association of Physics Teachers - Grade 11 Physics Contest:
Out of 1116 students writing province- wide, Tian X. placed 7th overall!
Congratulations!
Guelph Science Olympics
On May 28, more than 30 high schools from Ontario competed in a variety of science challenges and The Woodlands brought home 2 gold medals, a silver and a bronze!
Gold Medal - Circuit Sleuths - Adam M., Ahson K., Vishaal P., Raghav G.
Silver Medal - Math Gladiatorials - Ahson K., Ke L. Andrew D., Zheng W.
Bronze Medal- Survivor Biology - Marcus H., Roshan D, Jeremy H., Beini W.
P.S. Congratulations also go to Mr. Rosenblood who came first in the teacher competition!
Grad Updates
2008 Graduate, Thanh N. reports on his summer job after first year at U of T...
I work for Dr. Steven Narod, who is Canada's Breast Cancer Research Chair and the most cited researcher on breast cancer. The lab is at Women's College Hospital in downtown Toronto and is basically a genetics lab. We investigate the mutations that are associated with breast cancer, mainly the BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, and do studies to find the frequency of the mutations in different populations. The lab is more of a genome lab, so unfortunately, we do not investigate ways to overcome the mutation. However, students in the lab learn to extract DNA from blood and saliva samples, use the PCR technique to amplify the DNA, and run gel electrophoresis to get DNA fingerprints. Women with the mutation are heterozygous at the locus of interest. So far, I haven't seen a patient homozygous for the mutation yet. On another note, I noticed that the techniques used in the lab were all taught in the biotechnology unit in Grade 12 biology.
2007 Graduate, Saurabh G. reports on all the importance of international experience...
... oh - you remember that Africa trip?! I've had to say no on that ...
Ah well...I am still going to Dominican next February to work at an Orphanage though! :)
So many times I feel like coming down to the school and just talking about the importance of stretching what they learn out to an international level...it really is an eye-opener. Whether it be living in the jungles of Ecuador or running a medical clinic in villages of Costa Rica or working at an orphanage in Dominican...you soon realize that your education means something.... And so many times when I feel confused and unsure if medicine is what I truly want to do...I look at my pics from Costa Rica, from Ecuador, and soon from Dominican...and I look at the work done by Doctors without Borders...and I realize - of course it is - I wouldn't have it any other way :) Plus...how can one truly learn about International Relations or Health by sitting in the classrooms of a developed nation?! I've made it a goal now - every year - visit someplace and volunteer there...
I wish I could come ..(and make) sure that when they get to Undergrad...they don't just make it about a degree...but about an experience. After all, that is what education should be - not something to be achieved...but an experience to be learned and lived, right?
OH! Also - my Cell Bio professor asked me to work in his lab with him this coming school year. So, I will be helping him do research work in...cell-cell signaling events that pattern the developing central nervous system (CNS) and the model that he uses is the zebrafish (Danio rerio). His specific areas of interest include genes of the protein 4.1 superfamily and G-proteins. I am extremely excited :)
June 1, 2009
University of Toronto National Biology Competition
Once again The Woodlands is in the list of top schools internationally, but with a depth of field that shows the strength of our students and our program. Woodlands Students in the top 20% of 5463 contestants are:
Tina B.
Hao Chun L.
Daniel K.
Hannah M.
Bieni W.
Sally K.
Perry G.
Jungho R.
Joanna X.
In the top 10 % are:
Alex Y. 91.3%ile
Yi Fan L. 92.9%ile
Andrew D. 94.2%ile
Aileen L. 94.8%ile
…and leading the team, having written from the DECA competition in California, in the 95.1%ile, Adam M. Special thanks to the DECA sponsors for hosting a sattelite contest for Woodlands students and students from other schoools as well.
May 21, 2009
Michael Smith Challenge
876 students from across the country wrote this contest.
Cheng Z - 2nd Place in Canada, 1st Place in Ontario
Charlie G. - 2nd Place in Ontario
Claire D. - top 10 %
Jim C. - top 10 %
Dickson W. - top 10 %
Helen S. - top 10 %
Steven L. - top 25 %
Shannon W. - top 25 %
Thanks to Mr. Rosenblood for organizing this opportunity and allowing our students to
highlight their skills.
May 8, 2009
Graduate Update: Gifted Education Comes Full Circle
Tania Lim, a Woodlands graduate has passed along information about the Johns Hopkins
University, Center for Talented Youth summer programs. Tania will be teaching the Zoology course in Rhode Island. http://cty.jhu.edu/summer/catalogs/caa/caascience.html
Tyler Buckingham, another Woodlands graduate, has just completed teachers college with
a specific interest in special education: gifted. He has been volunteering at The Woodlands with Ms. Andre-Barrett, Mr. Miller, and Ms. Payne.
May 5, 2009
THE SPIRIT OF HOPE BENEFIT, SUNDAY MAY 31, 2009
ROY THOMSON HALL - 60 Simcoe Street, Toronto
7:00 PM, doors open 7:30 PM event begins
Dress code - school uniform or business casual
Complimentary tickets (regular price $150 each)
for up to 50 high school students (chaperones must attend with the students)
RSVP to: Susan Kendal, skendal@fswc.ca 416.864.9735 ext. 32
Book your tickets today. Limited availability.
Distinguished speakers will be Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff; the
Honourable John Howard, former P.M. of Australia; Ambassador John Bolton and Rabbi
Marvin Hier, Dean and Founder, Simon Wiesenthal Center.
Issues expected to be discussed include:
The financial crisis
How President Obama will "change"the world and his proposal to dialogue with rogue states
Iran bent on acquiring nuclear weapons
Instability in Pakistan
Possibilities for peace in the Middle East
Strained relations with Russia
China's rise to power
Decline in international standing of western democracies as terrorism threatens their fragility
April 24, 2008
The Woodlands Math Contest
There were 47 students who participated in the 2008 Canadian Open Mathematical
Olympiad. Out of these 47 participants, we had 17 successfully earn an award of
distinction (top 25% of all contest writers)and one student qualify for the Canadian
Mathematical Olympiad. Congratulations to all the participants!
Senior 2009 Canadian Computing Competition
A heart felt congratulations to Zheng W. who placed 15th in Canada and was the
highest ranking student in Peel Region.
Peel Robotics Competition
The Woodlands Junior Robotics Team travelled to Aurora to Robofest. Team 2
captured the "Artistic Drawing" Silver Medal with Sachary L. and Jonathan M.
drawing a very precise and fun loving stick figure which the judges loved for its
precision. Other members of Team 2 were: Bryce W., Vinh K., Nguyen H., Damien P. and
Calvin J.
Team 1 was successful in securing a position in the quarter finals of the "Performance
Challenge" with the programming skills of Steven L., Charlie G. and Hank X. Their
trouble shooting was evident right down to the very end, modifying both hardware and
software. Complementing the team were Brian H., Richard M., John S. on the Artistic
drawings.
The Senior Robotics team competed for the Bronze Medal at the Peel Technological
Skills Competition. Purussoth S. and Chen G. represented our school with theirtennis
ball Connect 4 robot. They were commended for their "Keep It Simple"
design, but due to technical difficulties were unable to secure a place in the Ontario
Skills competition.
Best of Class!
Jason L., one of our grade 9 music students, won a Gold and Best of Class with a mark
of 94 in the Open Piano Romantic Composer Class. He was competing mostly with
university students,some of whom were music majors!
Newsflash Notes
We are not endorsing any specific program, rather we are making information available
as opportunities become known to us.
If you would like your email address removed from the distribution list, just send an
email with your request.
As always, the old newsflashes have been archived in the NEWSFLASH ARCHIVES page.
Please encourage other parents and students in our program to sign on to the
distribution list.