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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 1. Update from the Math Contests News from ROPSSAA Championship for Badminton 2. The University of Waterloo Sir Isaac Newton Physics Contest 3. Ontario Association of Physics Teachers - Grade 11 Physics Contest 4. Guelph Science Olympics Grad Updates 5. University of Toronto National Biology Competition Michael Smith Challenge 6. 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 Cheng Z. 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! Speaker Series: Money Management for Teens and their Families Thursday, May 14, 2009 - 7:30pm - 9:00pm This engaging and entertaining seminar will feature two presentations geared to the needs of our students and their parents. An informal question and answer session will follow. Discussion Topics Students will be introduced to money management concepts and strategies. A variety of topics will be covered, including: - distinguishing between wants and needs; - budgeting for weekly and special expenses or to track progress toward a goal; - saving for college/university expenses; - the transition from grade 12 to university residency - co-op vs non co-op university programmes - what to look for in a post-secondary institution - making your money work for you - an introduction to Savings Bonds, GICS, Mutual 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! Speaker Series: Money Management for Teens and their Families Thursday, May 14, 2009 - 7:30pm - 9:00pm This engaging and entertaining seminar will feature two presentations geared to the needs of our students and their parents. An informal question and answer session will follow. Discussion Topics Students will be introduced to money management concepts and strategies. A variety of topics will be covered, including: - distinguishing between wants and needs; - budgeting for weekly and special expenses or to track progress toward a goal; - saving for college/university expenses; - the transition from grade 12 to university residency - co-op vs non co-op university programmes - what to look for in a post-secondary institution - making your money work for you - an introduction to Savings Bonds, GICS, Mutual Funds and Stocks and the benefits/risks of each - understanding financial mumbo-jumbo - diversification, risk, liquidity, rates of return, etc. In the parent presentation, we will address: - taking advantage of Registered Educational Savings Plans (RESPs) and the new Tax Free Savings account - the real cost of going to university - filing tax returns for minors / transfer of educational deductions - analysis of the current economic climate and prospects for recovery Speakers: Thomas Gaylor, Neil Gaylor For more information and to sign up http://woodlandscouncil.com/events/2009-05-14/money_management April 23, 2009 Note: The Summer Programs, Enrichment, and Contest Pages Have been updated with new information. Volunteer Opportunity for Community Service Hours Saturday, April 25, 2009, 1- 3 pm Two student volunteers are needed for the following event: Animation and Digital Video Production through ABC Peel and Children's Technology Workshop at the Mississauga Valley Community Centre. If you are interested in this opportunity please contact Barb Cyr at bcyr@abcpeel.org ASAP. April 20, 2009 The Annual Library Book Swap!!! Thursday May 14 at 8:05! Fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks, international language books, dictionaries and children books - any book that is useful is up for Swapping! Each year The Woodlands School Library organizes a Book Swap. Students and staff bring in books or magazines (maximum of 2) they want to swap. For two weeks before the event staff and students turn in their books and are then given Swap Coupons. On Thursday, May 14 at 8:05 the library doors swing open and the rampage of staff and students sweep over the tables, loaded with books, and exchange each of their coupons for a book! The Swap achieves many goals: is fun, staff and students together celebrate their love of reading, students with few resources get their hands on books, and staff and students learn a little more about each other….Mr Miller, Ms Price, Mr Crane, Mr Walker and Ms A-B are still some of the fastest Swappers around! Gold Medal at the Peel Science Fair Geoff E. and Andrew P. won top honours at the Peel Science Fair a gold medal, an invitation to National Competition in Winnipeg in May, an $80 cash prize, as well as a $1000 entrance scholarship to the University of Ottawa in Engineering. Both recipients are hoping to pursue a degree in engineering. Their project, called Quantum Eraser, was set up to demonstrate the working nature of light. It involves shining a laser at a wire to create an interference pattern and using polarizing filters to manipulate it. This experiment demonstrates the ability for photons to pass around the wire in both directions simultaneously, and they will quickly refer you to Schroedinger's cat! Unfortunately, due to a lack of corporate sponsorship, Peel is unable to take them to the National Competition. "My Grade 10 enhanced science class truly amazed me at the Ontario Science Centre" They did the special school program "Quest for Water: Ecological Challenge" where the scenario was that the community needed water and they must accept the challenge of selecting a water supply for human use by testing different water and soil samples for oxygen, salinity, pH, nitrates and phosphorus, and then build a device that will acquire groundwater from a well by a barrier 3 m by 3 m and filter out the impurities in approximately 20 minutes. In 20 minutes, using their "enhanced" inquiry and design skills, we had groups that built a pulley system and the most impressive part, a group that built a funnel that literally mechanically pumped and filtered litres of water. The instructor at the science even commented that out of the 30 years that he has been there, there has never been any group (and this program is usually attended by Grade 12 students) that have built a pump system. Therefore, I thought that we should use this impressive feat to further advertise our gifted program on either our school website or newsletter/brochure. Sincerely, Ms. Lee April 15,2009 Waterloo Unlimited: Grade 10 Program at the University of Waterloo: May 10 - 15 Students will consider the perspectives of scientists, engineers,writers, philosophers and others as they examine the theme of Vision. From eyesight to imagination and fine art to flight, they ar excited about giving students the opportunity to see Vision in a whole new light. Details: http://www.unlimited.uwaterloo.ca/ Provincial German Contest, North Toronto Collegiate Institute. Submitted by Ms. Irvine I'm happy to announce that we had a great day at the Provincial German Contest yesterday. The contest was held at North Toronto Collegiate Institute. We were awarded a Cup for the "Best Beginners' German Programme" by the German Consulate. Of course, all the credit goes to Frau Holl and her first semester's grade 10 German students. Three of them were able to join us for the awards ceremony. Also within the same contest, one of our students came in first for individual prizes and two tied for second (the names for those three students still have to be confirmed) The senior students who competed against all schools from all over Ontario also had fabulous results: 2nd place: Cecilia T., grade 12 4th place: Sarah H., grade 12 5th place: Sally K., grade 12 6th place: Rachel W., grade 12 7th place: Tina X., grade 11 11th place: Ryan K., grade 11 12th place: Jessica Z., grade 11 13th place: Walker H., grade 11 14th place: Eva M., grade 11 16th place: Tiffany M., grade 11 20th place: Roshan D., grade 11 22nd place: Nicholas Z., grade 11 The students worked hard to prepare and they represented our school well. We had a fabulous day and everybody came back with even more enthusiasm for what we do. The representatives from the German consulate including the German Consul, Mr. Raasch, were very interested in finding out what we do at the Woodlands. Get Outside Your World!, Engineers Without Borders Building on Engineers Without Borders' award-winning School Outreach program, EWB, Honda Canada Foundation and Mountain Equipment Co-op are proud to announce Get Outside Your World, a national contest for youth. Get Outside Your World challenges students to do just that - tell us their vision for a better world. They want to know what students, grade 6-12 (including CEGEP), envision for a better world and how we can get there. Submissions can take the form of photo essays, videos and essays. Prizes for winning submissions include a visit from an EWB overseas volunteer, a $1,500 scholarship for post-secondary education, and more. The contest closes on April 30th, 2009 http://www.ewb.ca/en/whatwedo/canada/projects/hso/getoutsideyourworld.html Grade 11 Guest Speaker: Nadja Halilbegovich Nadja Halilbegovich was born on July 29, 1979. She was twelve when the war broke out in her native country Bosnia. Throughout the next three and a half years, she and all the citizens of the capital Sarajevo suffered from continuous shelling and the deprivation of basic needs. In 1992, Nadja was wounded by a bombshell. She still has seven pieces of shrapnel in her legs. During the war, Nadja began sharing her poetry and diary entries on the National Radio. Soon, she had her own radio show called “The Music Box. In 1993, four of her poems were featured in a book Mom, I Don't Want to Go to the Basement. A year later, at fourteen, Nadja's diary Sarajevo Childhood Wounded by War was printed in Bosnia. She became known as the Bosnian Anne Frank, and the National Dutch Television created a documentary about her life. Here are some of the reflections of our students: ... anybody can lead (even children) ... follow your dreams and just keep walking ... even though she had to go through hard times, she found a way of expressing herself ... leadership is about taking initiative and making a difference where you believe one needs to be made ... two points about leadeship 1. Generosity - Nadja's brother brought food to an entire community ... persistence - Nadja's mom attempting to get the permits 4 times ... 2.5 millon bombs were dropped - that is 8 bombs per person! ... I didn't know about this war and people need to think about the children duringwartimes ... I learned about the importance of unity during tough times ... You can emerge from horrific experiences as a better person ... Do what it takes to succeed even if you are nervous or scared ... I neeed to make things happen ... Inspiring others in times of distress means having the courage to stand up and do something productive ... When placed in a position of leadership, I will ensure that the group works well together and everyone's opinions are heard The Dominion Institute: Essay Contest http://www.greatquestions.com/e/bulletin.html The Dominion Institute is challenging young Canadians across the country to express their views on some important issues facing Canadians today. Using the book Great Questions of Canada, students are asked to write an essay on one of the six Great Questions debate topics. The winning entry will receive a $2000 cash prize, have their essay published on the website and win a trip to Ottawa for the award ceremonies in November 2009. Additional prizes will also be awarded for classrooms who participate! Topics 1. Founding Concepts Some commentators have taken to calling Canada a nation of institutions not ideas. Are there a set of principles upon which Canada was founded and Confederation built? How have these principles evolved? Are they relevant to understand and animating today's political culture and values? 2.Identity Revolution In the last century women have been enfranchised, attitudes towards First Nations people have changed and the ethnic composition of Canada has shifted markedly. How have personal and official conceptions of identity changed over time? What political and cultural changes will Canada's identity revolution bring next? 3. After Unity The threat of Quebec separation has dominated Canada's political discourse for the better part of the last half-century. If the unity issue could somehow be brought to a successful resolution, what pre-existing or entirely new national preoccupations would claim Canada's political centre stage? 4. Canada and the World During the cold war, Canada enjoyed considerable influence as a middle power. What are the defining characteristics of the post-cold war would and how do they affect Canadian interests abroad? What steps can Canada take to ensure a prominent voice in world affairs into the next century? 5. Heroes and Symbols Canadians are largely ambivalent about their heroes, particularly when compared to the mythology-rich United States. What are the origins of this predisposition? Has Canada suffered from its unwillingness to create national heroes? Or, is our aversion to celebrating heroes and heroism quintessentially Canadian? 6. Does History Matter? Research abroad and in Canada has questioned the existence of a common public memory. Is this a new trend? Does it matter in an increasingly technologically oriented present? And if something is to be done what dangers and challenges lie in invigorating a common History? March 10, 2009 Teen Poetry Slam: Thursday, April 17, 2009 - 7 p.m. Mississauga Central Library Noel Ryan Auditorium Fee: Free Participants Ages: 13 years to 19 years Signup to participate at: poetry.slam@mississauga.ca 1. Each poem must be maximum 3 minutes. There's a 10-second grace period, after which the poet will suffer a .5 point penalty for every 10 seconds over 3:10. There is no minimum time. 2. No props, costumes, or musical instruments. Otherwise you lose a point. Overtly dramatic use of clothing included. 3. Reading from the page is allowed. So is memorizing. 4. No covers allowed. Each poem must be of the poet's own creation. 5. Respect for others. No swearing, no disrespectful, derogatory language. 6. Judging regime to be announced. All styles are welcome and encouraged: a cappella, hip-hop, theatrical monologues, literary poetry, sound poetry, dub poetry, rants, haikus, power raps, etc. Whatever you like! Remember you'll be judged on delivery as well as content. While competition is a main feature of the slam, remember the points are not the point; the poetry is the point. This is not your ordinary literary reading. Slams are all about energy and the rapport between poet and listener! Audience participation encouraged! February 23, 2009 MusicFest Announcement Intermediate Concert Band - Gold and Invitation to Nationals Senior Concert Band - Gold and Invitation to Nationals Wind Ensemble - Gold and Invitation to Nationals Senior Jazz Band - Gold and Invitation to Nationals Intermediate Jazz Band - Silver Chamber Strings - Gold and Invitation to Nationals Hours of intensive rehearsal and commitment have paid huge dividends for the members of our instrumental ensembles at this year’s MusicFest regional competition held this year in Ancaster, ON. For 2 days the Intermediate and Senior Concert Bands, Wind Ensemble, Intermediate and Senior Jazz Bands and Chamber Strings performed with very successful results. The groups picked up 5 gold standings and a silver standing as well as 5 invitations to perform at the Music Fest Canada’s National Festival to be held in May. For the concert bands special mention goes to the expressive solo playing by Tina B. on piccolo, Amy W. and Calvin Z. on flute, Phoenix Z. on oboe and several outstanding oboe solos by Marcus H., Li L. on clarinet, various trumpet solos by Alex K., Emily L. and Yun Sik H., Ben C. on horn, Omar M. on trombone and Jonathan W. on baritone. The adjudicators also made several comments about the exceptional work of the percussion section of the Senior Concert Band and Wind Ensemble. Stellar solos were performed by various members of the jazz bands including Cheng Z. and Forest L. on alto sax, Meghan L., Rachel W. and Ji Sang H. on tenor sax and a demanding solo on bari sax by Natasha C.. Omar M. played a featured trombone solo and Alex K. on trumpet as well as Lydia X. on piano were noted for their outstanding solo work. The adjudicators also applauded the terrific work of Tappy H. on cello and Megan K. on harp. We are fortunate to be able to celebrate such an outstanding level of musicianship and teamwork here at The Woodlands School and congratulations go to all. New Items 0.4 Engineering Opportunity 0.5 Shadow Day at Waterloo 1. Sears Festival 2. Guelph Wind Eng 3. CAP – Canadian Association of Physicists High School Exam 4. UBC – Michael Smith grade 10 contest 5. OAPT grade 11 Physics Contest 6. The International Summer School for Young Physicists 7. Outstanding DECA results 8. A.S.G. Bursary 9. Marion Drysdale Results 10. Pacific Swimming Championships in Guam 11. Table Tennis Team February 18, 2009 Engineering Opportunity Are you considering engineering as a career? Do you want to help the environment? Have you considered working overseas for a humanitarian organization like engineers without borders? If the answers to these questions is yes, you might enjoy speaking with a former Woodlands graduate. She has recently come back from a volunteer experience in Africa with Engineers without Borders. She will be discussing her transition from high school to engineering, her coop work placements and her experience in Africa to a small group of senior students on February 27. If you are interested, please sign up with Mrs. Quinn in the ELP office today February 17, 2009 Shadow Day at Waterloo Wednesday, March 4, 2009 How would you like to be a university student for a day? Attending REAL lectures, checking out the high-tech equipment that UW has to offer, and getting a taste of university life... Here's your opportunity, because the Engineering Society is once again organizing the High School Shadow Day. Shadow Day is an opportunity for high school students to experience a day at university. Participating students will receive hands-on appreciation of Waterloo Engineering by attending real lectures and spending time with current undergraduate engineers. For more information: http://engsoc.uwaterloo.ca/www/evn_shadowday.php The Woodlands at the Sears Festival We have two Woodlands entries in the Sears Drama Festival this year and two venues. In both cases, tickets for the 7 pm performance cost $5 in advance and $8 at the door. February 19 @ Cawthra Park The Show Can't Go On by Cameron McDowell An absurdest drama dealing with the aftermath of canceled play. February 27@ The Woodlands Asclepius by Sam Forrest The myth of Asclepius describe the endeavors of the Greek god of medicine to grant immortality to humans, although he was eventually stopped and punished he could succeed. This play details teh exploits of a surgeon as he attmpte to save the life of his patient. February 11, 2009 Guelph WindEng The competition task consists of constructing an energy generating wind turbine that uses a DC motor as the generator. Following the design criteria and constraints the competition teams will be required to construct their wind turbine and have it ready to be tested for the date of the competition: Wednesday, April 22, 2009. On this day, competition teams from across the province will arrive at the University of Guelph’s School of Engineering. Harnessing wind energy is an exciting prospect for providing solutions to our province's energy needs. The government’s recent decision to open net metering to the public helps make clean renewable energy more accessible to all. The objective of this competition is to promote interest for environmentally sound alternative energy solutions and foster engineering design skills. Sign up with Mr. Rosenblood on the ELP office door. CAP – Canadian Association of Physicists High School Exam The CAP High School Exam is based upon an internationally recognized syllabus of Physics Curriculum. The CAP Exam examines only sections of the syllabus covering mechanics, Optics and Electricity and Magnetism. Since all provinces in Canada have different curricula and the level of physics taught varies widely, the exam uses a broad based core curriculum, which is widely recognized and used throughout the world. This exam has prizes available to national winner and provincial winners alike. The national winners are chosen to represent Canada at the International Physics Olympiad, which will be held in the Yucatan Peninsula this year. This high level test will challenge all grade 12 students. Sign up with Mr. Rosenblood on the ELP office door. UBC – Michael Smith grade 10 contest The Michael Smith Science Challenge is a national competition written by students in Grade 10 Science or lower. It emphasizes logical thinking, and covers material in the science curriculum common to all provinces. It is named in honour of UBC's Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Michael Smith, and is sponsored by the UBC faculty of Science and NSERC PromoScience. Prizes are awarded to the top students (and their teachers) in each province and nationally. Sign up with Mr. Rosenblood on the ELP office door. OAPT grade 11 Physics Contest The OAPT Grade 11 Physics Contest is drawn from the Ontario SPH3U Grade 11 physics curriculum, plus one question from current events in physics, and one question on the current Nobel Prize in physics, for a total of 30 multiple-choice questions. It is all done on line and prizes are awarded to those who finish in the top 25. Sign up with Mr. Rosenblood on the ELP office door. The International Summer School for Young Physicists The ISSYP is an exciting and challenging two-week program for Canadian and international students with a keen interest in theoretical physics and who intend to pursue a degree in physics at the university level. This is a 2-week summer experience at the prestigious PI Institute in Waterloo ON. Rumour has it, this will be Stephen Hawkins first full summer on staff there. For anyone interested in this opportunity, please see Mr. Rosenblood in the ELP office for an application form. February 9, 2009 Announcement from DECA 97 Woodlands students competed Friday and Saturday at the 2009 provincial DECA conference. The competition was a phenomenal success for our school. 86 medals were earned for top placement in orals, multiple choice, and overall testing. 24 students move on to international competition in Anaheim, California in April. Congratulations to all participants and winners – you performed to your best abilities and we are all proud of your efforts. Special mention must be made of the trophy winners: First place Joanna X. and May Z. Nasheen K. and Anna Z. Second place Siddhant M., Alana C., Andrew D., Adam M. Akbar K. and Zheng W. Timo S. and Parker L. Jessica L. and Cindy W. Third Place Kate L. and Dantong W. Shyam B. and Jinesh D. Feroz Q. and Harsh D. Angela Q. and Jessica W. Fourth Place Jennifer K. Fifth Place Kenny Y. and Varun B. Priscilla M. Ryan K. and Jonathan T. Go DECA. A.S.G. Bursary The Administrative Staff Group, representing technical and mid-management employees within the Board, has established two Bursaries of $1,500.00 each. These bursaries will be awarded to two graduating students in our school system, who have been accepted in a Business/Commerce degree program at a Canadian University. The A.S.G., although a very small group of business professionals, established this generous financial award in 1987 to demonstrate that their commitment to education in Peel went beyond the service and support they provide in their day-to- day responsibilities. A bursary recognizes financial need as well as scholastic achievement. This award that requires a nomination from the school, so if you are interested please inquire at student services. Congratulations to... Tappy for receiving Honourable Mention for her art work entitled "My Home Next Door". Tappy, along with Ms. Whittingham, were on hand to receive this award at the recent Student Achievement Awards in honour of Marion Drysdale held at OSSTF District 19. Bogdan K. for finishing third in mens 4 x 100 freestyle at the Junior Pacific Swimming Championships in Guam. Guam, a U.S. territory, is an island in the western Pacific Ocean Mr. Ghadially and the members of the Table Tennis Team for their Silver Place finish in the Region of Peel Championships New Items January 30th - Update 1. Greenbelt Youth Forum - grades 10 and 11 2. Projects Abroad January 29th - Update 1. Spirit of Mandela Poster contest - due February 20 2. Summer School Education Assistants - grade 12/university students $11.82/hr + vacation pay 3. ylinc.ca - Prizes $300 cash, Square One gift certificates - Immediate Action Required 4. Boyd Archaeological Field School 5. Peel Summer Academy 6. Scientifically Yours January 27th - Update 1. Timetable for Jan. 30 2. New "social entrepreneurship" Leadership Course 3. A Prisoner of Image? Greenbelt Youth Forum. "4-H Ontario and Me to We, a division of Free the Children, are seeking rural and urban high school students in grades 10 and 11 for the second annual Greenbelt Youth Forum. The Forum, to be held at the YMCA Camp Cedar Glen near Bolton from April 16- 20th, brings together rural and urban students from high schools within the Greenbelt. Through facilitated discussions, group work, workshops, guest speakers and tours, the students work together to explore a variety of issues such as environmental stewardship, resource preservation, land use planning, and local food. Applications are available on the 4-H Ontario website at http://www.4- hontario.ca/greenbelt.aspx or by calling (519) 824-0101. Applications are due March 1, 2009. A $75 fee applies and covers costs of rooms, food, resources and bus tours." Projects Abroad from http://www.projects- abroad.org/projects/ "In the early 1990s, some students wanted a break from study - a "gap year," although the term wasn't yet in common use. They approached their geography professor about traveling and working in Eastern Europe. The professor, Dr. Peter Slowe, had difficulty finding any opportunities for this kind of travel combined with work experience, so he set about arranging for his students to go and teach English in Romania where he knew some fellow academics. This was how Projects Abroad began in 1992. Projects Abroad today Until 1997, Projects Abroad was a small organization with just two part time staff sending university students to teach English in Eastern Europe. But with more and more people taking time out on academic and work-related breaks, and with many developing countries in need of self- funded volunteers, our organized volunteer programs started to mushroom around the world. Our volunteers can still teach English in Eastern Europe, but can also do many other types of work in many other places. We now have two North American offices located in New York City and Toronto. With more than 250 trained staff in our destinations, and offering over 100 generic projects, we are one of the leading international volunteer organizations. Projects Abroad in the Global Economy We help to create local employment wherever we send volunteers. We employ many people directly and provide plenty of work indirectly through the services we provide for volunteers. We have also devolved various "Head Office" functions, such as management accountancy, which is done in Mongolia and design work in Mexico. Because we work with local colleagues at all levels, our extensive network of local knowledge enables us to channel the skills of our volunteers to places they are really needed. Cultural exchange and freedom of choice Volunteers learn from their chosen projects and the people they meet -- and vice versa. Mutual learning and respect is what cultural exchange is all about.Now we are taking this theme of "respect" further than ever. We are truly global in our outlook. We welcome approaches from potential partners – schools, orphanages, hospitals and so on – from across the developing world; wherever they are or whatever they do, we will try to meet their needs. And we welcome ideas from potential volunteers too; if a volunteer has an idea for a new program or destination, we will do everything we can to enable them to work in their own way. We will cherish their ideas and meet their requirements. We believe that flexibility on our part is a necessary consequence of our respect for our partners and our respect for volunteers." Spirit of Mandela Poster contest - due February 20 http://www.spiritofmandela.ca/Resource-Center/-Poster-Contest.html The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (Canada) is proud to present our first poster contest. This is an opportunity for students to put their creative talents to work in developing a poster which visualizes the Spirit of Mandela program. The winner of the Spirit of Mandela Poster Contest will be announced at the official launch of the Spirit of Mandela Week. The poster will be the official poster for the Spirit of Mandela Week 2009 and will be distributed in thousands of schools across Canada. The winner will also receive a year’s subscription to Kayak: Canada’s History Magazine for Kids Magazine and a Kayak T-shirt, sponsored by Canada’s National History Society, a T-Shirt of the Spirit of Mandela Program and a copy of the poster will also be sent to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund office in South Africa. You are invited to design a poster that will be used for NMCF (Canada) 2009 Spirit of Mandela Week – Changing the Way Society Treats its Children and Youth using the following themes: South Africa, Social Justice, Human Rights, Nelson Mandela, Children and Youth, and/or the Millennium Development Goals. Summer School Education Assistants $11.82/hr + vacation pay Preferred Candidates would be grade 12 students who excel in English and Mathematics, have experience working with students (coaching, tutoring, etc) and are interested in gaining classroom teaching experience or are interested in working with students in a supportive role. Deadline: Monday, March 2, 2009, 400 p.m. Application forms available from Ms. Haire or Mrs. Quinn Ylinc Newcomer Video Series - Immediate action required! This is an opportunity for grade 11 and 12 students who were not born in Canada. Ylinc is producing a video through the Centre for Education and Training to focus on the achievements, challenges and successes of newcomer youth to serve as an inspiration for others who may be in similar circumstances. Contact ylinc@tcet TODAY if you are interested. Boyd Archaeological Field School http://www.boydfieldschool.org/about.html Over a three week period, students develop and master interdisciplinary knowledge and skills through the exploration of Aboriginal and Euro-Canadian histories. The course includes lectures and hands-on work at an archaeological site under the instruction of certified teachers and archaeologists. The Boyd Archaeological Field School, recipient of the 2005 Peggy Armstrong Public Archaeology Award, is entering its 33rd year of operation under the sponsorship of the Continuing Education Department of the York Region Board of Education with assistance from a number of partners. This summer course includes accommodation for a range of abilities and needs. Students will earn a Grade 12 University Prep Credit in Interdisciplinary Studies (IDC4U). The course instructors include Ontario teachers, licensed archaeologists, Aboriginal educators and respected professionals in a variety of specialties. Course components: an introduction to archaeological theory archaeological excavation field work analysis of artifacts study of past Aboriginal and Euro-Canadian histories introduction to modern Aboriginal philosophies, worldview and contemporary social issues analysis of the environment of the culture flintknapping and other lost arts Have you ever considered attending the 2009 Peel Summer Academy?? www.peelsummeracademy.com Grade 7 & 8: Program 1: University of Toronto at Mississauga This two-week program at the University of Toronto at Mississauga offers students an opportunity to live in residence on the university campus. Our partnership with the University of Toronto was established 25 years ago and thousands of gifted young people have cherished their special time there each year. Grades 9 & 10 - Program 2: Northern Ontario Leadership Experience The Northern Ontario Leadership Experience (NOLE) is for grade 7, 8 and 9 students who enjoy the outdoors and are looking for a challenge. It offers a unique experience where students will spend their time at 3 different locations in Northern Ontario where the students will utilize their leadership skills they learn throughout in a 4-day adventure in Algonquin park. Grade 10 - Program 4: Sir William Grenfell College at Corner Brook This program has become the culmination of Peel Summer Academy for many students. It provides students with a wonderful opportunity to visit a different part of Newfoundland, to experience the special hospitality of our hosts at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College in Corner Brook, and to travel up the west coast to one of Newfoundland's special treasures, Gros Morne National Park. As a bonus, the leadership program provides valuable personal development, particularly for those who might want to become counsellors at PSA in future years. Grades 11 & 12 - Program 5: Far North in Churchill, Manitoba A program for senior high school students, held at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre (CNSC) focused on global climate change. The students will work towards obtaining a "U"-level Interdisciplinary credit (IDC4U) while on their expedition in Northern Manitoba. Mark your calendars for March 8th, 2009 from 1-4pm!! Open House 2009 will be held in the CCT Atrium and Lecture Hall at the University of Toronto at Mississauga, Erindale Campus located at 3359 Mississauga Road North, Mississauga, Ontario. This is a great opportunity for parents and students to visit with some of our instructors, see the courses available for Program One: UTM, and attend a formal presentation pertaining to all 5 of the Peel Summer Academy Programs for 2009. For more information on the program, please feel free to contact Marnie Beaver. Centre for Education & Training 190 Robert Speck Parkway Mississauga, ON. L4Z 3K3 P:905.949.0049 Scientifically Yours: May 5 -6, 2009 This is an opportunity for grade 11 girls who have talent in science and math but are selecting other grade 12 courses without fully exploring their science options. This is an in- school recommendation process, but if your daughter might benefit from a 2 day overnight conference at Brock University, please let me know and I will bring her name forward for consideration. January 27 2009 *** Happy Lunar New Year! *** Welcome to Semester Two!*** Schedule for Friday, January 30 Timetable Distribution 8:20 - 8:30 Semester 1 Home Room (OF1 distributed in the caf) Semester 2 Classes 8:40 - 9:32 Semester 2, Period 1 9:32 - 10:24 Semester 2, Period 2 10:24 - 11:16 Semester 2, Period 3 11:16 - 12:09 Semester 2, Period 4 12:09 - 1:01 Semester 2, Period 5 Semester 1 Exam Review 1:12 - 1:31 Semester 1, Period 1 1:31 - 1:50 Semester 1, Period 1 1:50 - 2:09 Semester 1, Period 1 2:09 - 2:28 Semester 1, Period 1 2:28 - 2:47 Semester 1, Period 1 Leadership GPP 300 If you are in grade 10 or 11 and have had "leadership opportunities" listed in your needs column on your IEP, this new course is being designed with you in mind. The course will run for the first time in 2009 -2010. See Ms. Adzievski for more details. Course Highlights - leadership theories - leadership growth plan - peer tutoring/mentoring/helping - school wide intiatives - social entrepreneurship - community-based activities like Project for Public Spaces - field trips and excursions A Prisoner of Image? from “The Essential Guide to Talking with Gifted Teensâ€, Jean Sunde Peterson, Free Spirit Press, 2008 “Gifted teens often speak negatively of hypocrites. They are quick to judge others as insincere. They are disgusted by fake smiles, and they gossip about others’ status-seeking behavior. … Yet, in spite of their judging they probably wear a façade of some kind themselves. We all do. They might act their way into the right social circle or feign interest in a topic to impress a teacher. A no-worry demeanor might hide anxiety. Smiles and congeniality might hide sadness, anger, and important needs because they know that displaying those feelings would not draw people to them. With a blank, cold negative façade, they may say , “Leave me alone†or “Don’t mess with me.†Regardless of whether he or she is perceived accurately, a teen who is seen as a rebel, risk- taker, joker or member of the popular crowd may feel stuck in the role. A bubbly, energetic student may feel constrained form expressing sadness. A nice guy may be tired of being nice. Learner Aspects of Creativity Grade 11 Leadership Survey Happiness: What is it? The class comedian may yearn to be taken seriously. A bad reputation can be difficult to escape. The “brainy†student may not feel able to ask a “stupid†question. It is possible to be a prisoner of image. Both stellar gifted achievers and rebellious gifted underachievers may be reluctant to take risks with their respective images. Common stereotypes may prevent gifted achievers from being affirmed for their intellect, and stereotypes may also narrow others’ perceptions of high achievers …†Things to think about: What is your social façade? What purpose does it serve? Does it ever cause problems for you or the people around you? Where can you take off your façade? Are people who know the real you more or less respectful than those who don’t? Is there part of your image you would like to erase? What would you put in it’s place? How could you begin to make this change? "Being perfect was hard work, and the hell of it was, the rules of it changed. So that while I arrived at college in 1970 with a trunk full of perfect pleated kilts and perfect monogrammed sweaters, by Christmas vacation I had another perfect uniform: overalls, turtlenecks, Doc Martens, and the perfect New York City Barnard College affect--part hyperintellectual, part ennui. This was very hard work indeed. I had read neither Sartre nor Sappho, and the closest I ever came to being bored and above it all was falling asleep. Finally, it was harder to become perfect because I realized, at Barnard, that I was not the smartest girl in the world. Eventually being perfect day after day, year after year, became like always carrying a backpack filled with bricks on my back. And oh, how I secretly longed to lay my burden down." ... from Anna Quindlen's Commencement Speech Grade Level Seminars Just before the winter break Ms. Ahmad, Mr. Rosenblood and I visited every enhanced section to provide special education support according to the Gifted Plan. The seminars are student-focused with plenty of time for discussion and debate. - M. Quinn Grade 9 A Survey of Personal Study Habits Effective Study Skills The Wisdon of the Crows: Effective Presentation Skills Social and Peer Interaction Managing Your Time Grade 10 Creativity: Campaign Craze and Mobile Perfectionsim and Underachieving Mazlow and Self-Advocacy High Achiever/ Gifted How to Mangage your Boss Trickle-up Leadership Signature Strength Grade 12 Unlocking the secrets of Self-Sabotage Dealing with Bias in Society: Case Study Supporing your own Learning Needs when you get to Post-secondary Education Analyzing Problem-Solving Techniques Bias and Stereotypes December 3 Discover Diversity Program Some of our ELP Students will soon be participating in a Discover Diversity workshop. Its aim is to eliminate bigotry and discrimination by opening hearts and minds. By helping students find common ground and common purpose, by bringing into focus the fascinating stories of each individual, and by educating students about the value of empathy students are encouraged to consider the various perspectives from around the world and the various lived experiences in different cultures and countries. Among many questions that will be addressed are: how is each of us different - and the same? Why do our individual stories matter? And why is it important to understand people from other cultures instead of just existing alongside them? Students will probe the nature of diversity, challenge their own assumptions, and discover more about others - and themselves. - B. Miller December 1 Action Research ELP Library Project begins! In an effort to pack our library with books that ELP students want to read an ELP Student Library Advisory Council is being struck! Tuesday, December 2 before or after school ELP students grade 9-12 who are avid readers are invited to join the Library Advisory Council. The kick off will be brief and purposeful! We will meet to organize and complete a survey and get things rolling. Students will be independently choosing books they want to be purchased for them to read and review! From this point on most of our communication will be conducted via blogging. Our goal is to meet gifted students recreational reading needs! This project will run from December to mid May. - S. Alexander November 27 For Parents: Woodlands Co-operative Education; a winning combination for businesses and students Have you ever considered "hiring" a co-operative education student for your business? Would your child consider participating in a co-operative education program? Co-op students are enthusiastic, hard workers and can make a great impact on a workplace, at no cost to the employer. That's right - they don't get paid, but earn high school credits, valuable experience, and make contacts in the workplace that will assist them upon graduation. The Woodlands co-operative education program is seeking businesses that can offer placements to our high school students. Placements are flexible, and can run part time, full time, during the school year or through the summer. Any workplace is suitable - students are seeking placements in retail, service industries, trades and apprenticeships, office work, nursing and healthcare, research labs... you name it. If you're interested in learning more, take a look at http://www.peelschools.org/student/learning/co-op.htm or contact Janice Farrow at the Woodlands School: 905-279-0575 x310 November 26 Have you ever considered attending the 2009 Peel Summer Academy?? - www.peelsummeracademy.com Grade 7 & 8: Program 1: University of Toronto at Mississauga This two-week program at the University of Toronto at Mississauga offers students an opportunity to live in residence on the university campus. Our partnership with the University of Toronto was established 25 years ago and thousands of gifted young people have cherished their special time there each year. Grades 9 & 10 - Program 2: Northern Ontario Leadership Experience The Northern Ontario Leadership Experience (NOLE) is for grade 7, 8 and 9 students who enjoy the outdoors and are looking for a challenge. It offers a unique experience where students will spend their time at 3 different locations in Northern Ontario where the students will utilize their leadership skills they learn throughout in a 4-day adventure in Algonquin park. Grade 10 - Program 4: Sir William Grenfell College at Corner Brook This program has become the culmination of Peel Summer Academy for many students. It provides students with a wonderful opportunity to visit a different part of Newfoundland, to experience the special hospitality of our hosts at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College in Corner Brook, and to travel up the west coast to one of Newfoundland's special treasures, Gros Morne National Park. As a bonus, the leadership program provides valuable personal development, particularly for those who might want to become counsellors at PSA in future years. Grades 11 & 12 - Program 5: Far North in Churchill, Manitoba A program for senior high school students, held at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre (CNSC) focused on global climate change. The students will work towards obtaining a "U"-level Interdisciplinary credit (IDC4U) while on their expedition in Northern Manitoba. Mark your calendars for March 8th, 2009 from 1-4pm!! Open House 2009 will be held in the CCT Atrium and Lecture Hall at the University of Toronto at Mississauga, Erindale Campus located at 3359 Mississauga Road North, Mississauga, Ontario. This is a great opportunity for parents and students to visit with some of our instructors, see the courses available for Program One: UTM, and attend a formal presentation pertaining to all 5 of the Peel Summer Academy Programs for 2009. For more information on the program, please feel free to contact Marnie Beaver. Centre for Education & Training 190 Robert Speck Parkway Mississauga, ON. L4Z 3K3 P:905.949.0049 UTEK '09: The Koolest Kompetition Ever!, Saturday January 9, 2009 UTEK, the Universtity of Toronto Engineering Kompetitions, is an exciting one day event filled with design challenges, novel ideas, and eloquent presentations. Hosted by the Engineering Society, UTEK is your chance to showcase the brilliant talent of your team. This year's Kompetition takes place on January 17, 2009 at the Bahen Centre for Information Technology. 1st place prize - $100/person 2nd place prize - $50/person 3rd place prize - $25/person See Mr. Rosenblood if you are interested. Grade 9 Grade Level Seminar and Grade 11 Physics Guest Speaker: Phil Ferguson Once a year, at each grade level, The Woodlands ELP brings in a speaker to highlight the grade level goals. Monday's seminar with Dr. Phil Ferguson with the grade nines focused on the goal of positive group work. Dr. Ferguson made it very clear that in his place of work, building micorsattelites, teamwork and collaboration were the norm. The accompanying seminar included a high energy hands-on task that highlighted the errors commonly made in group work as well as an introduction to and discussion of positive group work skills. Dr. Ferguson was then whisked off to a grade 11 physics class to describe some of the ways in which concepts taught in grade 11 physics apply directly to engineering challenges in satellite technology. "Dr. Phil Ferguson's presentation was very informative and really tied into our course material. It taught me a lot about spaceflight and satellites without confusing me too much. In addition, he really appealed to us as he tried not to use too much jargon. Overall his presentation was awesome!" "I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Phil Ferguson's message the other day. At first, I was unclear about how qualified he was, but then he showed us his degrees from MIT. His research regarding the forces that astronauts experience in zero gravity and the "vomit comet" was interesting. He stimulated my interest in aerodynamics when he was describing and explaining the way the parts of the satellite worked and when he walked us through angular momentum." ****************************************************************************** ****************** November 13 2008 Grad Survey Early Results: What I enjoyed most about the Enhanced Learning Program was... Being able to do group projects with other students who were focused on doing well. I enjoyed the opportunities to engage in creative projects with fewer boundaries and less restrictions. I enjoyed being given more freedom when it came to topic selection. I enjoyed the greater focus the teachers seemed to have on letting me work on developing my talents and think my way through problems. In most of the open, academic, etc. classes I was in, the majority of the assignments were very straightforward and had little room for creativity and experimentation, however, this was not the case in most of my enhanced classes and I really enjoyed the opportunity to experiment and discover what I was truly capable of. ... the fact that our teachers understood that we had other commitments than their classes and let us do our jobs. Being placed in a group of students to whom I can relate... an intelligent level of communication. Being able to learn with others just like me. The smart teachers and being around like-minded peers. The fact that I was able to interact with peers who were so focussed on their future and on learning. It was a competitive environment, but it made me want to do my best. The sense of community and seemingly closer connection between the students and even the teachers. It's a friendly place. That, and everyone is strange just like you, so it's easy to just be yourself and make it so that you enjoy learning. Meeting life-long friends *************** Library Action Research Project Funds Granted for Enhanced Learning Program! If your child loves to read, please encourage him/her to get involved in this exciting project! One thousand dollars has been granted by Peel District to create a Library Advisory Group of students who love to read! The Woodlands School Library's Action Research goal is to meet the needs of our ELP students and thereby increase their readership. The Action Research Funds funds will be used to pay for student book selections, support their reviews, and promote their books. "Teens who are selecting and promoting books...attract other teens to reading and library usage. Youth participation perpetuates youth participation" (Tuccillor 2004 ). The Action Research period will run from November until the beginning of May. Ms Alexander and staff committee members will track student reading to determine if reading patterns are improving in eight Semester One ELP home forms: Mr Dewar, Mr Donaghey, Mr Heathfield, Mr Panwar, Ms Price, Ms Raybould, Mr Shaikh, Ms Sajan. The research will continue into Semester 2; classes will be determined based on ELP home forms. ***************** November 12, 2008 Health Research Under the Microscope (HRUM). St. Joseph¡¯s Healthcare Hamilton and McMaster University Thursday, April 2, 2009 - Grade 10 -12 students "Set in a large conference-like atmosphere, participating youth are seated at one of twenty- eight round tables. Each table is directed by a teacher chaperone, who acts as the table facilitator, and by one rotating mentor. Mentors are experts in a specialized field; and as a group, they represent a wide range of science and technology, as well as health-related professional careers. HRUM strives to provide students, as well as teacher chaperones, with invaluable hands-on experience in the fields of science and technology in various specialties. To view the 2008 HRUM Program, Evaluation Summary and Photo Gallery, please visit the HRUM webpage at www.hamiltonhealthsciences.ca/research, then select ¡°Health Research Under the Microscope¡±. If you want to go, please let Mrs. Quinn know immediately. ****************** Dr. Davis Earle, Subury Neutrino Sbservatory Guest Speaker November 7, 2008 submitted by Steven L. On Friday, November 7, 2008, our school received a prestigious guest speaker, nuclear physicist Dr. Davis Earle, from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory in Sudbury, Ontario. The observatory is constructed beneath the infrastructure of a nickel mine, 2 km underground. The reason for its low elevation is that the amount of radiation from various different sources on the Earth's surface will overshadow the radiation that is actually produced by solar neutrinos. The observatory itself consists of a 12 m-in-diameter sphere of acrylic vessel, a type of glass, which allows radiation to pass through. The sphere contains 1000 metric tonnes of heavy water and is surrounded by a complex array of photomultipliers, devices that can detect Lilliputian amounts of radiation based of the photoelectric effect. A cavity of light water surrounding the sphere provides radioactive shielding. In order to understand the method of neutrino detection, we must understand what neutrinos are. Before the discovery of neutrinos, the world was made up of just electrons and quarks, fundamental particles that form neutrons and protons. However, from detailed examination of the beta decay, scientists realized when a neutron decays into a proton and an electron there is a clear difference between the reaction's energy and momentum. Later, an Italian scientist, Fermi, presented a solution to this problem - three particles are produced during beta decay: an electron, a proton, and a neutrino, a particle that is so small that it cannot be detected easily like an electron or a proton. The theory behind neutrino detection is that, when a neutrino impacts the heavy water molecule in the sphere, an electron is produced in the form of Cherenkov radiation, which is a particle that travels faster than the luminal speed of the medium. The electron loses energy in the water and a cone of photons is produced. These photons are detected by the photomultipliers lining on the outside of the sphere. With precise calculation, the direction which each neutrino came from can be determined. This direction of neutrino is crucial because only solar neutrinos are wanted. The purpose of SNO is to solve a physics question. The standard model of the sun states that the sun should produce three times of the amount of electron neutrinos than that was observed. Due to the fact that SNO is the only observatory up until then that was able to detect the other kinds of neutrinos - tau and muon neutrinos, it was ably to prove two facts - the standard model of the sun is correct, and a theory called neutrino oscillation is correct. The theory states that when electron neutrinos are released form the sun, they can oscillate between the three different kinds of neutrinos. When they reach Earth, only electron neutrinos are detected by previous detectors. Only SNO was able to detect all three neutrinos, therefore proving the total number of neutrinos landed on Earth is the same as amount predicted by the model. As Dr. Earle informed us that the project was curiosity-driven, the results have no immediate practical applications. However, they do provide incite on future scientific research and development. The presentation we received was fascinating and enlightening, and I'm sure that all of the students went enjoyed it. ****************************************************************************** ****************** October 28, 2008 This edition has student reflections about various enrichment opportunities. Please do not allow your time at The Woodlands to fly by without taking part of at least some of the opportunities available through this website and others. If you have participated in an event, please submit a reflection, so other students can be inspired to participate as well. Gairdner Lectures Hart House, University of Toronto October 24, 2008 submitted by various students It was a tremendous honour to be able to take one hundred Woodlands biology students were to hear three of the most influential scientists on the planet in the area of biomedical research. One of our recent graduates, Thanh Nguyen, had been invited to attend the Gairdner Gala Award Ceremony and sat with the awardees during the lectures. He met us, tired but beaming, afterwards. - M. Quinn Harald zur Hausen, Chairman and Scientific Director, German Cancer Research Centre 2008 Nobel Laureate for Physiology or Medicine 2008 Gairdner International Awardee "for the discovery of the causative role of papilloma viruses in cancer of the cervix which led to the development of a successful HPV vaccine" Alan Bernstein, Executive Director, Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, New York, N.Y. 2008 Gairdner International Awardee 2008 Wightman Awardee McLaughlin Medal of the Royal Society of Canada Genetics Society of Canada Award of Excellence 2001 Australian Society for Medical Research Medal Order of Canada. "for his outstanding contribution to Canadian health research as a scientist, research institute director and as the inaugural President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research" Samuel Weiss, Professor of Cell Biology & Anatomy and Pharmacology & Therapeutics, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB 2008 Gairdner International Awardee Fondation IPSEN (France) prize in Neuronal Plasticity 2004 Canadian Federation of Biological Societies Presidents' Award in Life Sciences Research. "for his seminal discovery of adult neural stem cells in the mammalian brain and its importance in nerve cell regeneration" " I was inspired by Dr. Weiss' student because here was a graduate student who saw beyond what he had always been taught and dared to break the rules. He spoke up, defending his unlikely hypothesis that brain cells could in fact divide to regenerate any injured part.." " ... I was amazed by the videos that were taken during the lab, which allows the audience visualize themselves at the lab making observations..." "... I was also slightly intimidated by their knowledge and vocabulary and I understand that it comes with years of study... I admired the creativity coupled with theory which led them to their hypotheses and the methods to test them..." "... I am also fascinated by the fact that the motor ability of a rat that suffered from a stroke is restored when the the brain repaired itself after injections of EPO. this research, when applied to humans, can revolutionize the field of medical science and save the suffering of many from post-stroke trauma" "I was inspired by the determination and the perseverance of the scientists who presented. Each was able to isolate and focus on one global issue in order to develop a viable solution to enhance and prolong life. I was not surprised by their humble nature, but was content to know that the rest of the group, who worked on the projects with them, was recognized and acknowledged as well." Student Reflections: IDEA Laurier Dare to think Differently Thursday, October 23, 2008 Submitted by Natasha C. IDEA Laurier was a day filled with discussions, presentations, and lectures about food sustainability. In the morning, the 32 students attending the workshop participated in three academic lectures presented by Dr. Alison Blay-Palmer, Dr. Barry Colbert, and Dr. Ken Maly. Dr. Blay-Palmer focused on geographic and environmental aspects of sustainable food systems while Dr. Colbert's session was about the business and economic effects of food sustainability. Dr. Maly talked about his research in the area of new organic materials. All of these lectures were interesting because they provided us with a better insight into the various aspects of food sustainability and how it affects all facets of life. They entire day was a simulation of what a day at the university would be like so not only was it informational in nature but also a good overview of what to expect once we are in the university environment. After lunch, we were divided into groups of four, and we were given two hours to prepare a presentation based on the lectures as well as additional research. The groups were either for or against bio-fuels and each group presented their arguments in front of a panel of judges. Even though my group was against, it was interesting to hear and appreciate other positions and supporting arguments. I felt that the entire day was beneficial for me because it not only gave me an opportunity to get a sneak preview into the university life but also afforded me a chance to enhance some of the basic skills like presentation development and delivery, working under pressure with a tight deadline and teamwork. I found that this parallel to a real-life university situation helped me not only learn the theory but put what I had learned into practice immediately. With students from all across Ontario attending the workshop, we were able to share our ideas and different perspectives. Student Reflection:ROPES Research Opportunity Program in Engineering and Science Department of Mathematics, Ryerson University Submitted by Tina B. It was orientation day, and the bright, sunlit hall of the George Vari Engineering building teemed with nervous students waiting to begin their first day of work. Upon entering the presentation room, they were lectured on the importance of safety in the workplace. This speech was somewhat intimidating and perhaps even a little frightening to the group of newcomers, yet it roused them to their surrounding environment. Suddenly, everything seemed darker, and much more ominous (if that was possible) until the handsome, florid woman by the name of Frankie Stewart proposed a few ice-breakers to loosen the tense atmosphere. As the students were broken up into groups, they began to share stories and ideas, and a few laughs even foiled the previously silent hall. But, predictably, the brief reprieve was over as quickly as it had come as the students were split up and individually assigned to their coworkers. I was one of those students. Though our nonchalant facade hid our true feelings, none of us had any reason to be afraid. I learned this upon my first conversation with my professor, Dr. Katrin Rohlf. She was an amazing, intelligent, and charming young woman with incredible insight and a helping hand. As I grew more comfortable to my new workplace, she helped me understand the true essence of our project for the next six weeks. I was to research the biological effects of constrictions in blood vessels from a mathematical point of view. Using a particle method, I would write code for the computer in order to perform simulations that reflect the true nature of blood flow in the human body. The next step was to become familiar with my new laboratory. Upon entering the lab, I was blown away by the sophisticated facilities with which I had been provided. I began working with an operating system that I had never before encountered. Fedora, one of the more recent versions of Linux held for me a new experience altogether. It was imperative for me to learn how to work quickly and efficiently with Fedora, since the field of Applied Mathematics concerns various programs that are compatible with the Linux systems. Such programs include FORTRAN, Xfig, Maple, and Gnuplot. My experience as a research assistant can be divided into three parts: reading and understanding journals based on this project; learning to work with FORTRAN code and preparing several programs; and finalizing the overall program, simulations, and the presentation board. A great deal of stress was placed on the final project that we would be presenting on the last day of our journey, known to us as the "Open House." It wasn't a coincidence that students had to stay home from work to catch up on a much needed break during these intense work periods. However, two benevolent, young ladies who coordinated this program provided us with a solution. Ayesha Shaikh and Rameza Bacchus put together a fun-filled schedule for us overworked and jaded 11th- graders. Every Wednesday, we engaged in group activities including robot- building competitions, trips to the museum, and tours of the Ryerson laboratories! It was a really great opportunity to interact with other students in the program and find out about their new experiences at Ryerson University. The big day is coming up, and people are putting the finishing touches on their posters. Despite my own nervousness at presenting, I am very excited to see the projects the other students have been working on up close. I would like to say thank you to all the ROPES supervisors, and especially my professor, Dr. Katrin Rohlf. I feel I speak for everyone when I say we are indebted to these wonderful people who put so much time and energy into making this a memorable summer for us all. In short, the six weeks I spent in the ROPES program were mainly directed at completing my final project and fulfilling my role as a research assistant to my professor, Dr. Katrin Rohlf. She was a very helpful guide throughout the entire learning process ¨C always patient despite my numerous questions and working hard to help me overcome any obstacles. I feel the experience I gained during the ROPES program was a very valuable one since I discovered new software while working with a different operating system (Unix) as well as learning how to write programs using FORTRAN, despite my lack of experience in these areas. It also opened my eyes to the depth of the topic I was researching, which was the flow of particles through a stenosed (constricted) vessel, from a theoretical point of view as I was working in the Applied Mathematics Department. Though I had no graduate student as a supervisor, I was still given full access to any facilities or equipment I required. This program is channelled towards students entering grade 12 after the summer, with particular emphasis on female students interested in engineering, as the coordinators are part of the Women in Engineering department at Ryerson University. In addition to the valuable experience gained from being a professor¡¯s research assistant, students who participate in the ROPES program are regarded as employees of Ryerson University and receive payment for the number of hours they commit. As such, ROPES employees are expected to be present at work every day for at least 7 hours, depending on the department requirements. The coordinators of the ROPES program planned weekly events in order to bring us all closer as a group and share our experiences with another. Some students were working in very hands-on environments where lab safety was an important issue, while others took weekly trips to the hospital to collect data for their projects. Everyone¡¯s experience was very different, and for some it did not look like it would end ¨C I was surprised to find that some students were asked by their professors to continue in their position for a few extra weeks after the ROPES program would end. All in all, the ROPES program was a very enriching experience as I became more aware of the depth to which academic study is pursued in university, as well as the overall environment of a downtown university campus. I feel very lucky to have had such a dedicated professor to lead me in the right direction and teach me so many different things I would not have otherwise learned until perhaps my second or third year in university. I am thankful to Katrin Rohlf, as well as the ROPES coordinators for making it such a memorable summer. ______________________________________________________________________________ ___________________ Top School in Ontario - Most Medals MacMaster Science and Engineering Olympics Gold Medal Team - Physics Paper Triathlon Ragav. G. Keshav. G. Majuratan S. Silver Medal Team - Civil Canada Arm Ragav. G. Keshav. G. Will C. Rick H. Silver Medal Team - Engineering Jeopardy Andrew D. Gorazd T. Ragav. G. Keshav. G. First Place - OFSSAA Women's Golf Cogratulations to grade 10 student Michelle L. ! She placed first out a field of 131 golders at Piper's Heath with a birdie on the 18th with a 74. School of Engineering at the University of Guelph The University of Guelph presents the 3rd annual High School Conference for students created and hosted by Guelph students. It focuses on prospective students entering the field of Engineering in a unique way. Come explore and experience the programs before you tackle the tough task of choosing your undergraduate degree. The weekend includes seminars on all of our engineering disciplines, design challenges, Guelph social life and lots of fun. Details: Open to Canadian students in grade 11 and 12. Limited to 60 students. Date: Thursday, November 6th ¨C Sunday, November 9th, 2008 Cost: $100 per person. Includes accommodations October 6, 2008 Current Items 1. Last week for U of T Mentorship applications: Deadline October 10 2. Sanofi- Aventis Biotalent Challenge 3. Shad Valley 4. Marion Drysdale Competition 5. IEPs 6. Update: ELP Poster Contest 7. Fall Series: Stress Management 8. Supplemental Application and Scholarship Writing Seminars For Grade 12 Students October 14, 15, 16 Sanofi-Aventis Biotalent Challenge (SABC) Why not write a proposal? Students from the Woodlands have been finalists in the past. Their project involved the genetic transfer of a gene which fluoresces into a plasmid with the ultimate goal of producing a "safety grass". Imagine the value of glow-in- the-dark grass as edging for highways at night! Feeling unsure? No need! You will have a biotechnology professional as your mentor and access to their high-tech facilities and expertise. All you need is a creative idea which can be safely achieved that has the prospect of profitability. For more information about how to write a proposal go to: http://sanofibiotalentchallenge.ca/about/ Shad Valley "Shad Valley is a four week summer enrichment program. Students spend a month living in residence at one of our host university campuses across Canada. The program is offered to students currently completing grade 10, 11 or 12, Quebec secondaire IV, V or CEGEP I, or the international equivalent. With a focus that includes the sciences, technology and entrepreneurship, the program provides an academically stimulating, mind expanding adventure for top well-rounded students. Students will also enjoy recreational activities and the opportunity to explore local attractions." Students from The Woodlands often take part in this amazing opportunity. Don't let the price throw you off - bursaries are available! For more information: http://www.shad.ca/shad/myweb.php?hls=10142¡´=1 OSSTF Student Achievement Awards 2009 - In Honour of Marion Drysdale Get your creativity flowing! Last year The Woodlands Students were regional winners - first, second and third place in different categories. The contest for theme for this year has just been announced! BEYOND THE SCREEN We check the morning weather and news on the television before we leave our homes. We are entertained by our MP3 players during our commute to school and work, selecting the appropriate play list to match our moods. We word process and research at the computer, staring intently into the screen. Movies, television, music, and information are presented to us from lit screens. But what is out there - beyond the screen? Interpret the theme in poetry, prose or visual art. Produce a creative ¡° original¡± piece of work that expresses originality - not merely something you see on a screen. Please see Ms. Whittingham for more information. IEPs IEPs are currently being printed and you can expect to see them later this week. We are obligated by law to do a full printing so that you can see that the document is correct and in place for you and your parents. The skeleton of the document will be the same as you have seen in recent years. The gifted plan will appear as printed on the needs form you saw and returned in September. At the end of each semester, we will be printing only the Gifted Plan page with the teachers comments regarding progress with respect to the gifted plan. *** Please sign and return the parent consultation page to your home room teacher next week.*** IEP Poster Contest - For Feeder School Promotions We were looking to develop a glossy poster to advertise our program in the feeder schools. Unfortunately we had no entries for the poster contest and therefore have no recipient for the first $100 ELP Service Scholarship!!! If you had some interest, but didn't get around to doing it, please see Mrs. Quinn soon. Required Components Size: Ledger, 11 x 17 Theme : Create Your Own Future Other Information: The Woodlands School Enhanced Learning Program ELP web address Judging Criterion Inclusion of Required Components Originality Creativity Exciting, Inviting, Eye-Catching For ledger paper and more information, please drop by the IEP office ASAP! Fall Series: Stress Reduction Tips From: The Gifted Kid's Survival Guide: A Teen Handbook, Galbraith and Delisle Eight Stress Reduction Tips 1. Think back to other circumstances when you have successfully coped with a difficult situation, person or event. What did you say? What did you do? You may be able to recycle those winning strategies. 2. Learn to handle stress without alienating the people around you. Don't take it out on your family, friends or teachers even if you (erroneously) believe that they "caused" your stress. 3. Find a sounding board - someone who will listen and, if you want, offer honest respectful, and trustworthy advice. 4. If you don't know how to relax, learn how. Maintaining our physical and mental health requires that we spend at least part of each day slowing down. 5. Develop and maintain your sense of humour. Laughter is a terrific stress reducer. 6. Compile a "library" of stress reduction techniques. If one doesn't work for a particular situation, you can always try another. 7. Don't give up. Handling stress is a learned skill and an on-going endeavour. Few of us are taught it at school; either we learn it on our own or we find "teachers' at various junctions in our lives. 8. Always remember that you don't have to go it alone. Even in your darkest, most stressful hour, there is bound to be someone you can turn to for help. Suggestions: a supportive adult the public library a friendly neighbour a stress management class a teen clinic your favourite friend a crisis intervention centre a counselor an emergency hotline Application and Scholarship Writing Seminars For Grade 12 Students October 14, 15, 16 In these seminars, we will discuss the strategies for preparing a unique and interesting application that will get you noticed. We will discuss do's and don'ts and start getting you prepared for the paperwork ahead. I will be holding 30 minute small-group seminars during the last half of periods 2,3 and 4 in the IEP room next week. Please sign up in the IEP office. When you sign up, you will be given a profile to complete and bring with you to the seminar. Bring your profile, your resume and a pencil to the seminar - M. Quinn ______________________________________________________________________________ __________________ September 23, 2008 Grade Level Speaker Series Grade 10 Creativity and Personal Giftedness Anne-Marie Woods: Adding Creativity to your Lifestyle "The Woodlands ELP proudly presents the first of our guest speaker series - Anne-Marie Woods will be talking with our grade 10 students on creativity and the arts. On Wednesday, October 1, in the library during period 1 all grade 10 enhanced students will have the opportunity to be part of "Adding Creativity to your Lifestyle". This presentation will take up all of period one and then all students will go to their period 2 class. There is no cost for this event. However, there is an added bonus, for the first 30 students who sign up in the ELP office, there is a 90-minute workshop with Anne-Marie afterwards focusing on "Multi- disciplinary settings with improv sessions, storytelling, and acting. Anne-Marie will lead a series of improv exercises and work on different tableau's that deal with creativity". This extra session is capped for the first 30 students who sign up BUT comes at a cost of $10. Current Items: ELP Poster Contest U of T Mentorship Program IDEA Laurier Duke of Edinbourough Awards Mississauga Library News New titles in our library (Library sidebar) Stress reduction Woodland's ELP Did you know? In the Mail This week, my mail included three brochures - U of T Mentorship, EngSci @ UofT and Engineering @ Mac. If you would like to take a peak at them, drop by the IEP office at your convenience. -M. Quinn University of Toronto Mentorship Program: Deadline for Application October 10 *** Students from The Woodlands who have participated in this program have found it "life- changing". All of the research shows that pairing gifted students with a mentor is one of the most valuable experiences. Do not miss this opportunity! ***** "Gifted senior high school students interested in enriching their academic studies assist University of Toronto professors with their research and lab work. Projects opportunities for 2008 - 2009": Aboriginal Education African Studies Astronomy and Astrophysics Biochemistry Biology/Medicine Cell and Systems Biology Christianity and Culture English Dictionary of Old English Environmental Science Envir-Sci: Sustainability Ethics, Law and Society French Health Policy Injury Prevention Italian Pathobiology Linguistics Mathematics Mechanical Engineering Near/Middle Eastern Civilizations Neurogenetics Nutritional Sciences Pathology Pharmacology Philosophy Plastic Surgery Psychiatry Spanish and Portuguese The program manual is available on-line: http://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/prospective/highschoolprograms/enrichment#1 For more information e-mail: fhasan@artsci.utoronto.ca. Duke Of Edinborough Awards : Mr. Cox, Staff Sponsor DofE programmes help young people develop into fully rounded and responsible individuals. Participants will see new talents and skills develop and emotional maturity blossom whilst also building their fitness and initiative. There are so many rewards for young people who do DofE programmes and achieve an Award. Its balanced programme of activities develops the whole person ¨C mind, body and soul, in an environment of social interaction and team working. Furthermore, as doing their DofE involves developing a personal programme of challenging activities, participants enjoy unique experiences and rewards. However, having spoken with Award holders there is general agreement that participation develops: Self-belief Self-confidence A sense of identity Independence of thought and action Respect and understanding of people from different backgrounds, cultures and walks of life A sense of responsibility An awareness of their potential New talents and abilities An understanding of strengths and weaknesses The ability to plan and use time effectively The ability to learn from and give to others in the community New relationships Skills including problem solving, presentation and communication The ability to lead and work as part of a team. The Impact A recent survey of Gold Award holders discovered that : 85% reported increased self-confidence 83% had greater team-working skills 79% felt they had better leadership ability 78% believed their decision-making was much improved. To find out how you can be part of the program, see Mr. Cox ASAP, or visit: http://www.dofe.org/en/content/cms/home/home.aspx Woodlands ELP - Did you know? ¡ last year 41% of the entire Woodlands student body received honours? ¡ statistics show that enhanced classes have a significantly higher class averages than the academic classes? ¡ the Enhanced Learning Program meets the needs of gifted learners so well that in the rare instances when they select the academic class, on average, grades drop significantly? ¡ The Woodlands is the largest Regional Gifted Program in Peel, therefore able to offer the most sections of enhanced classes, the most enhanced options at the senior level and the fewest split-level courses? September 12, 2008 IDEA Laurier Program: Thursday, October 23, 2008, 8:30 am - 7:00 pm Dare to think Differently IDEA LAURIER is a one-day program designed to provide gifted high-school students with an introduction to the university learning experience. Participating students will be divided into small groups to explore a contemporary world issue from a multidisciplinary perspective. Students will take part in a variety of academic sessions including workshops, group discussions, debates, guest lectures and hands-on activities led by Laurier Faculty members! We may only register 2 students from our school. For more information: http://www.wlu.ca/Idea-Laurier or ahahn@wlu.ca If you are interested please Mrs. Quinn and Mr. Rosenblood ASAP. Outreach Connections and the Mississauga Library Systems The Mississauga Library System offers programs introducing high school students to the public library, its services and resources. Programs are professionally prepared, curriculum based and tailored to meet student needs. Do your research 24/7 from home, school, office or laptop! The Library makes research and student assignments easy with quality, accessible articles and information in a variety of electronic databases. Visit the database page on the Library¡¯s web site and browse the selection of online, digital, full text encyclopedias, books, periodical and journal articles, book reviews, magazine articles, newspapers and other news sources. Use your valid library card to access these databases. Librarians are pleased to provide one-on-one support with research questions, assisting in selecting appropriate databases and framing the search. Secondary Schools Outreach Contact: Terry Lee Milligan Email: terry.milligan@mississauga.ca Phone: 905-615-3200 ext. 3668 Fall Series: Stress Reduction Tips From: The Gifted Kid's Survival Guide: A Teen Handbook, Galbraith and Delisle Introduction " The first step towards handling stress in your life consists of identifying the specific things (people, events, circumstances etc.) that you associate with feeling anxious or pressured. Take tike to think seriously about this and make a list of your top 5 -10 stressors. The second step is to take responsibility for the stress you are experiencing. Many of the gifted teens we talk with about stress have difficulty with this step. They seem to think that "someone else" or "something else is causing their stress. ¨C a certain teacher, parents, friends (or lack of friends), school, the multitude of choices available to them, even the world at large. In fact, stress comes from the inside, not the outside. You control your perceptions; you control your feelings. Other people can do or say things that trigger certain feelings within you, but they don't make you feel a certain way. Which leads to the third step: taking positive action. There are at least three alternatives available to you: 1. You can diminish or eliminate the problem you associate with your stress. 2. You can change your attitude towards the problem; or 3. You can lower your stress levels by engaging in one or more of the following stress-reducing activities. ¡ Through patience, willingness, and trial and error, you will discover what works best for you. Other gifted students have shared their favorite stress reducers with us. You might want to try one or more of these: Go to the movies or watch a DVD Take a nap Talk to someone you know and trust Go for a bike ride, a jog, a walk Visit your church, synagogue, mosque, temple ¡ Work on a hobby Do something nice for someone else anonymously" Next time : Eight Stress Reduction Tips. "Life is not a having and a getting, it is a being and a becoming." Matthew Arnold High school is a key time to explore talents and pursue opportunities. Students in the Enhanced Learning Program are encouraged to engage in service to the wider community, to commit to teams and clubs and to develop leadership potential. Our goal is for students develop a passionate internal motivation for excellence and find a healthy balance in their lives. High school is also a key time for intellectual growth that test-based programming cannot support. Student growth is optimized in innovative classrooms, in a wide variety of options, when learners of similar talents are connected in real tasks of lasting significance. Connecting students in meaningful work and responding to the needs of individuals requires a much broader focus and a greater flexibility than other programs can provide. It is our hope that students leaving The Woodlands take with them the creativity to uplift and transform and the willingness to see all of life as both adventure and opportunity - opportunity to touch other lives, to engage in discovery and to hear their calling. "In a time of drastic change, it is the learners who survive; the 'learned' find themselves fully equipped to live in a world that no longer exists." Eric Hoffer ****************************************************************************** ****************** September 9, 2008 More than 100 New Subscribers in the Last Week Welcome to all the new subscribers to our distribution list! This is the place to find out all about the exciting opportunities for gifted students this year! IEP Instructional Needs Forms We are currently preparing this year's IEPs but have only collected forms from about two thirds of the students in the ELP. If you have lost the form, it can be downloaded from the IEP Set-up Page. Completed forms should now be brought directly to the iEP office directly across from room 215. Please take care of this matter as soon as possible. Contest Congratulations! ... to the Business Studies Department and its students for placing so well in the Provincial Accounting Championships sponsored by the Ontario Business Educators Association. In the provincial competition, held last spring, our students had a very strong showing! Grade 11: Zheng W. ¨C 1st place in the province Malathi S. ¨C 3rd place in the province Grade 12 Sandra K. ¨C 3rd place in the province ELP Poster Contest If your poster is selected for use, you will receive an ELP Service Scholarship up to $100 ! Required Components Size: Ledger, 11 x 17 Theme : Create Your Own Future Other Information: The Woodlands School Enhanced Learning Program ELP web address Judging Criterion Inclusion of Required Components Originality Creativity Exciting, Inviting, Eye-Catching Submissions due September 30, 2008. For ledger paper and more information, please drop by the IEP office ASAP! ****************************************************************************** ***************** September 5, 2008 Student Enrichment Review - DEEP River Science Academy (DRSA) For six weeks of this past summer, I had the opportunity to complete a research project called "Cellular Biological Responses to Environmental Stressors". The purpose of this project was to test the response of catfish cells and human cells to varying levels of methylmercury, a common industrial stressor. There was rigorous lab work involved; I learned many new skills and a wealth of new information, and I enjoyed every minute of it. - Beini W. *** if you took part in some enrichment program recently, please submit your review by email *** September 3, 2008 IEP Preparation It is now time to prepare the IEPs and the consultation process has begun. Today your son or daughter will bring home an "IEP Instructional Needs Form". The Gifted Plan matches the various research-based strategies suited to gifted learners to their psychosocial development and their progress towards post secondary education. Teachers of enhanced sections will be sending home specific "Alternative Programming Pages" to clarify how the gifted plan will be accomplished within the different subject areas. Please check with the individual teachers if you do not see this document soon. If your child has misplaced the "IEP Instructional Needs Form", an electronic version is available in the "IEP Set-up" page along with a samples of a Alternative Programming Pages - my SBI 4UE page and Ms. Ahmad's History page. As always please encourage your friends and family to add their email addresses to the distribution list, using the button at the bottom of the page. - M. Quinn Graduates and Parents of Graduates We hope that you are doing well and settling into life without the Woodlands. Please drop us a line to tell us how you are doing. If you no longer wish to recieve the updates, just let us know and we will remove your name from the distribution list. Best wishes for happiness and success. - M. Quinn August 18, 2008 Enhanced Learning Program - Welcome Aboard A hearty welcome to all of the 2008-2009 grade nines and their parents. This is the place for information about our program. Please make sure you are getting regular updates by adding your email address using the button on the bottom of this page. Reminder: "Student Photo-Locker Days" take place from Monday August 25 through Wednesday August 27. Behind the scenes: We are working towards a coordinator model in which all of the departments in the program will be able to bring a voice to the ELP team on a rotating basis. - So, as sad as we were to say goodbye to Ms. Alexander (library) and Ms. Adzievski (special education), this year our hearty welcome also extends to Ms. Ahmad (social science) and Ms. Perugini (English and mathematics) who will joining Mr. Rosenblood (science - physics) and Mrs. Quinn (science - biology) on the ELP team. From the Ms. Alexander: NEW for September! e-Books for Analysing Literature! The Woodlands School Library is pleased announce the purchase 30 e-books to assist students with their literature assignments. The following elements are covered in each entry: Author Biography, Plot Summary, Themes, Historical and Cultural Context, Criticism, Media Adaptations, What to Read Next and much more! The e-books are available to our students 24/7, a perfect match for your teenagers' research regimen! Novels For Students- Volumes 1-27 A wide-reaching database from the classics to more recent publications. Example novels are Animal Farm, Heart of Darkness, The Prince, and Blindness. Literary Newsmakers for Students- Volumes 1 & 2 This collection focuses on books that are currently hot literary reads such as A Thousand Splendid Suns, Kira-Kira, and Kite Runner. Literary Themes for Students- Volume 1 Race & Prejudice. These books focus on one work that exemplifies the theme. Examples are Things Fall Apart, I Have a Dream,Passage to India. Access to these E-books will available in September through the The Woodands School Library website. Have your student mark our library site as favourite! Citation help, Library Catalogue, Books, and Database links are all posted at our site! http://www.teacherweb.com/ON/WoodlandsSchool/Library/ June 24, 2008 Best Wishes for a Terrific Summer Ms. Adzievski, Mrs. Alexander, Mr. Rosenblood, and I extend our best wishes to all of the students in the Enhanced Learning Program and their parents. We hope that all of our students find something interesting and challenging to keep them busy this summer and return ready to learn. :) M. Quinn IEP News - IEPs have been printed and will be distributed with report cards on Thursday. Thursday's Exam Review Schedule - for a Day Two! period 1 8:20 - 8:45 period 2 8:45 - 9:10 period 3 9:10 - 9:35 period 4 9:35 - 10:00 period 5 10:00 - 10:30 University of Waterloo - Sir Isaac Newton Physics Contest Congratulations to our students and their physics teachers, Mr. Ramwa, Mr. Rosenblood and Mr. Shaikh for amazing results in the senior physics contest. Bruce L. 97.6 %ile Raghav G. 95.1 %ile Thanh N. 92.5 %ile Harshil M. 85.9 %ile Chao L. 84.5 %ile Tian X. 84.5 %ile Daoyuan L. 82.4 %ile Mr. Shaikh requests that winners come in on Thursday to pick up any remaining certificates. Habits of Minds Ingenuity, Originality, Insightfulness: Creativity We need people who can read and write. But what we really need is people who can not only read the instructions, but also change them. They need to be able to think outside the lines. Richard Gurin, CEO and President, Binney & Smith, Crayola Products Increasingly we are coming to realize that all human beings have the capacity to generate novel, original, clever or ingenious products, solutions, and techniquesif that capacity is developed. Successful people are creative. They try to examine problem solutions differently, examining alternative possibilities from many angles. They tend to project themselves into different roles using analogies, starting with a vision and working backward, imagining that they are the objects being considered. Creative people take risksthey "live on the edge of their competence," testing their limits. Creative people are open to criticism and hold up their products for others to judge and seek feedback in an ever-increasing effort to refine their technique. They constantly strive for greater fluency, elaboration, novelty, perfection, beauty, harmony, and balance. If you need help to know how to tap your creative potential. Why not try increasing your creativity in terms of fluidity (the raw number of brainstorming items you can name) originality (the number of brainstorming items only you would come up with) elaboration (the detail that you could add to a specific brainstorming item) application (practical uses for your creative idea) some exercises from Dr. Roger Taylor 1. Brainstorming: If you are discussing "sour things" try to find the A to Z of "sour things" eg acid, b____, c_____ etc. 2. Viewpoint: What would a _______________ look to a ______________. eg. "charge" to a knight, banker, electrician, teen? 3. Involvement/Personification : You are a ________________. Describe how it feels eg old jogging shoes, dandelion seed in flight 4. Conscious Self-Deceit: What would happen if _________? eg there were no more schools, if gravity were a repulsion, etc. 5. Forced Association: How is a _______________ like a ____________? eg novel/politician, solar eclipse/ peanut Responding with Wonderment and Awe The most beautiful experience in the world is the experience of the mysterious." Albert Einstein. A Dutch psychologist tried to figure out what separated chess masters and chess grand masters. He subjected groups of each to a battery of tests but found the only difference was that Grand masters simply loved chess more. They had more passion and commitment to it. Successful people find enjoyment, enthusiasm and fascination in their work and world. If you Lack personal involvement in your learning Rarely respond with awe Why not try Finding awesome phenomena, intriguing situations, and jaw-dropping experiences. Surrounding yourself with beautiful scenes, technological marvels and lofty ideals and let your imagination take flight. Trying new things until you find something to inspire passion. Asking others to share their own fascinations. Seeking role models who are enthralled and excited about a problem or discovery and compelled with their work. Watching for any progression in your attitude from "I can do it" to "I enjoy doing it because " Culturing an attitude of lifelong learning, Allowing yourself to respond with positive emotion to simple and profound things. Valuing curiosity and creativity over perfection. Displaying compassion and empathy. Congratulations! Johnathan W. ... who has been awarded the Peel Association for Education through Drama (PAED) 2008 Scholarship. Members of the selection committee were not only very impressed with Jonathans passion for the dramatic arts and commitment to his secondary schools drama program, but also by his academic excellence and desire to give back to the community. The committee wishes him much success with his post secondary studies in the Bachelor of Fine Arts Theatre program at York University in the Fall. ... Jing Ru L. who was awarded the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) University Entrance Scholarship. This award recognizes Cherrys high level of academic achievement, her involvement in school activities and her extensive community service. Her accomplishments certainly maker her an inspiring example for all young women. June 11, 2008 A Thank You Note to Ms. Andre-Barrett Department of Philosophy Ryerson University 350 Victoria St., Toronto, ON M5B 2K3 Canada June 9, 2008 Dear Ms. André-Barrett, I am writing concerning a visit made by Melanie Merglesky and myself, on May 23, to your philosophy class at the Woodlands School. I would like to thank you very much for your generosity and for the resources and insights that we gained through this visit; I regret not being able to write sooner. As the Philosophy Department at Ryerson University undertakes the designing of a new course in Teaching Philosophy, it is extremely helpful for us to witness examples of how philosophy is taught at the high school level, and what high school students are capable of philosophically. Your class provided an inspiring example. The two student- presentations given in your class on that day were both thoughtfully executed and thought- provoking. Each student worked to formulate, explain, and defend her or his own thesis, and to do so on the basis of a comparison of two philosophical positions found in the history of philosophy. This task, which requires individual creative thought while also demanding that students stretch their minds and challenge their familiar ways of thinking through the study of key philosophers is precisely the kind of philosophical work that we hope to cultivate in our students at the university level; we were impressed to find efforts at this already underway in a grade 12 high school class. The exchange of thoughts and questions between presenters and other students in the class was also impressive: it demonstrated a high level of engagement amongst your students, and interesting insights into philosophical ideas from across the history of philosophythe kind of insights that make philosophy matter, rather than being simply an abstract logical exercise. We were also grateful for your numerous and creative ideas for class exercises and assignments, and for your helpful handouts on writing. These will be very helpful to us. We hope that you will come talk with our students in some detail about your teaching methods once our new course is up and running. These days, several articles are appearing in papers like the New York Times and the Guardian about how students with university degrees in philosophy are sought out by employers of all kinds for their abilities to think critically, creatively, with insight and an understanding of ethical responsibility. Philosophy, it would seem, is a great preparation not only for graduate studies in philosophy, but for many and various careersand more importantly, for life. And yet, few students coming to university know what philosophy really means. So, while we are very grateful for the particular resources that you have lent us for the course we are designing, we would also like to express our appreciation of the fact that you are introducing students to philosophy in a way that gives them a good sense of what philosophy is, and will also hopefully inspire them to study more philosophy, whatever their life ambitions might be. Thank you very much for a thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening visit. Sincerely, Kym Maclaren Assistant Professor of Philosophy June 6, 2008 Woodlands at the Stellar Awards, June 4, 2008 H.J.A. Brown Education Centre Their slogan is "Celebrating the success of Peel Students at the provincial, national and international level." We had so much to celebrate we had to rent a bus! Congratulations to all of the following students! Business Annie D. and Jedy W. First, DECA International - Financial Management Decision Making Joanna X. and May Z. First, DECA International - Hospitality Management Decision Making Varun B. and Kenny Y, Second, DECA - Financial Management Decision Making Farhad. B. Second, DECA - Restaurant and Food Services Marketing Andrew D., Karen Lien, Siddhant M. and Jackson T. Third, DECA Quiz Bowl Science, Technology and Design Umair B. and Junaid I. Bronze - Virtual Robotics Matt A. and Deyu W First Place - Search and Rescue Team Jake A. and Calvin J. Second Place - Search and Rescue Team Arts and Creative Writing Senior Jazz Band Gold - MusicFest Canada Gold - Musicfest Ontario Wind Ensemble Gold - MusicFest Canada Gold - MusicFest Ontario Senior Concert Band Gold - MusicFest Ontario Mathematics Xiaokun Y. Gold Standard - Fryer Contest Cheng Z. Gold Standard - Fryer Contest Andrew D. Gold Standard - Perfect Score - Hypatia Contest Xuan H. Gold Standard - Hypatia Contest Hao Chen L. Gold Standard - Hypatia Contest Zheng W. Gold Standard - Hypatia Contest Matthew W. Gold Standard - Perfect Score - Pascal Contest Bruce L. Provincial Medalist - Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge June 5, 2008 Woodlands Chemistry News Congratulations to all of The Woodlands students participating in the University of Waterloo Chemistry exams and to our chemistry teachers Mr. Courtney, Mr. Cox, Mrs. McFarlane and Mr. van Alstine. The results are outstanding and speak for themselves. Chem 13 News This is the senior chemistry exam. 2790 students wrote and our very own Thanh N. ranked 4th overall. His teammates had very impressive scores as well. 100 %ile Thanh N. 91 %ile Michael M. 87 %ile Alex Y. 82 %ile Kurtis M. 81 %ile Raghav G. 79 %ile Benny Z. Avagadro This grade 11 chemistry exam written by 4841 students. Again, Team Woodlands did extremely well. 99% ile Kurtis M. 99 %ile Andrew D. 98 %ile Gorazd T. 98 %ile Raghav G. 95 %ile Adam M. 93 %ile Tina B. 92 %ile David P 91 %ile Siddhant M. 90 %ile Forest L. 84 %ile Sirui Z 81 %ile Joanna X. RobotX Championship! Woodlands Students win First Place at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Engineering http://www.robotx.engineering.utoronto.ca/ Congratulations to Bryce W. and Purussoth S. who, teamed with students from Vancouver, designed built a robot appropriately named "Shredder". The keys to the robot's success were the stability of the design and a unique cutting blade that could both damage and flip the competition. They have both won a free week at DEEP Summer Academy. (The DEEP Summer Academy da Vinci Engineering and Enrichment Program - provides gifted and highly motivated high school students from around the world with the opportunity for advanced study in a variety of engineering, technology, business and science disciplines. Organized by the University of Torontos Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, students explore some of the most innovative topics in science and engineering today taught by some of our Facultys top Ph.D. and Masters students. http://enrichment.uoftengineering.com/deep/) June 2, 2008 OAPT Physics Contest - Fantastic Team Results 1300 students from across Ontario competed in the OAPT contest. The average score was 10 Rank Score Student 20th 22 Raghav G. (missed the prizes by one mark!) 26th 21 Tian X. 54th 19 Zheng W. 105th 17 Sirui Z. Robotics Woodlands Grade 12 Computer Engineering Class swept the Dufferin-Peel, Peel Autonomous Line Following Robot Competition on Friday! Best Performance - Jet Y. and Daoyuan L. with Jet's incredible robot which came first in each of the three challenges. Fastest Robot First Place - Jet Y. and Daoyuan L Third Place - Charlie Y. and Chao L. winning 3rd place with Charlie's robot Fourth Place - Junaid I. and Faris Z. with Junaid's robot. Caddy Race - First Place - Jet Y. the fastest to pick and place a golf ball into the hole. Fourth Place - Charlie Y. and Chao L. Culminating Challenge (was only achieved by two teams) - First Place - Jet Y. Guest Speaker: Blake Poland Blake Poland, Associate Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto spoke on May 9, 2008 to three classes: Grade 11 Enhanced English, Grade 12 World Issues and Grade 12 Enhanced Philosophy as wel as to some members of members of the Environmental Club. His most recent work seeks to apply insights from dialogical traditions from around theworld to the development of reflexive public health practice, using arts-informed approaches. In addition to several funded research projects, Dr Poland is active in a couple training programs to improve the health of marginalized groups through community development. Dr. Poland is also active on local environmental issues, and is running as a candidate in the next federal election. UofT Discovery Health Sciences Day I found the Discovery Day in Health Sciences to be extremely beneficial to me, especially during my final year of high school. The day opened with a keynote lecture "June, July and August: Why the Summer Months are So Important to a Career in Science and Medicine" by Dr. David Malkin which I believed was very applicable to the audience of students included modern biological advancements that were explained using simple terminology. The two workshops that I attended were very limited in content due to the time restraint of 60 minutes, and were only meant to be a sample of the wide range of fields in the health sciences. The tours of the Cellular & Biomedical Research Labs provided a first-hand experience of working in a lab, as each guide allowed the students to use the machinery in the lab and answered any questions the students had. I personally found the career panel session to be the most useful of the entire day, as it allowed students to ask questions to a group of established researchers, physicians, specialists and professors. The emphasis of the entire day was to realise that health sciences is not restricted to becoming a doctor, but also includes a wide range of research fields. Additionally, many of the lecturers stressed the point to live a balanced life of academics, extra-curricular activities, and socialising. In all, the Discovery Day allowed me to explore alternative fields in the health sciences that I was not aware of, and further reinforced my academic goals. - Justin Y. May 29, 2008 Valedictorian Selection Congratulations to Derek C. on being elected Valedictorian of the Class of 2008! Congratulations! Felicitations! The organizing committee of Le Concours U of T French Contest 2008 has awarded to Florence M. the 2nd Prize - Prix d'excellence en francais". Peel's John Fraser Scholarship to Marius M. This scholarship is awarded annually to a graduating student who has displayed exemplary skill in writing and is planning to pursue post-secondary studies in a related field. Congratulations! Help! If you know of an oversight in our good news messages and congratulations, please let me know. We want to celebrate all of our successes stories. May 28, 2008 !The Woodlands is on the U of T Biology Competition Top Schools List! Congratulations to all of the participants in the biocompetition. We had a very strong showing. It is fun to watch this contest become truly international as more students from Europe and the Middle East take part. This year 5985 students in 415 schools wrote the exam with an average score of 9.59 out of 50. The Woodlands yet again landed on the Top Schools List (47th place). Coincidentally, just this week I was contacted by the student recruitment department at the University of Toronto regarding the Gairdner Lectures in the fall. We can now bring 45 of our biology students rather than the previous limit of 15. This is a fabulous opportunity to interact with major players in biomedical research and I am ecstatic they decided to up our limit! Results 11th Thanh N. offer of a $5000 entrance scholarship 99.8%ile National Biology Scholar with Distinction $50 cash prize 182nd 96.6%ile Sandra K. National Biology Scholar 88.6%ile Benny Z. 84.4%ile Benjamin L. 81.8%ile Kai Y. 80.1%ile Florence M. 76.6%ile Aileen L. 75.3%ile Andrew D. 75.3%ile Serena L. 75.3%ile Shreya S. Shad Valley News and Congratulations! Three Woodlands students have been accepted into the Shad Valley program this summer on various campuses. Andrea W. at the University of New Brunswick Yijie ( Joanna) X. at McMaster University May Z. at Dalhousie University Waterloo Unlimited "Thank you so much for posting the opportunity to attend Waterloo unlimited on your website. I very much enjoyed this experience, and found that it enriched my learning. In one of the workshops, I dissected a cow's eye, which I found very fascinating, especially since I would like to become an optometrist when I grow up. This program helped me experience university life, which is great, since I would like to go to Waterloo. - Natasha C." If you have taken part in one of the enrichment opportunities and have feedback to share, please let me know. - M. Quinn May 27, 2008 Educators from England Thank you to all of the teachers so willing to open their classrooms to our visitors from England Andrea Turner, a Secondary School Teacher from King Solomon High School and Kate Bush the Co-ordinator of Gifted and Talented and a teacher of Design and Technology at Wanstead High School each spent half a day observing and asking questions about our program. Dozens of our students were generous with their time and clearly explained the advantages of our program. There are some striking differences. 1. In their borough, gifted and talented are the top 10%. In Ontario, giftedness is determined through psychological testing and students must be in the top 3 %ile to be designated gifted at an IPRC 2. Their teachers select the students they consider gifted. There are suggested guidelines which revolve around high achievement. In Ontario, information processing is key. Gifted students process quicker, and make connections much more fluidly. We acknowledge that not all gifted students are high achievers. 3. Their teachers always have mixed ability classrooms. Teachers are expected to differentiate and struggle with preparing enrichment. At The Woodlands, we offer contained classes in the core subject areas right through grade 12. Our teachers follow the gifted plan to provide differentiation. Teachers, understanding how gifted students learn, present information in a way that elicits higher order thinking skills, and eliminates much of the rote work. This allows students time for open-ended projects and discussion of the interesting aspects of each topic. We communicate with parents through the IEP and the alternative programming pages how the learning needs of students are being met. May 26, 2008 Conflict Resolution Mr. Courtney spent some time with his senior gifted class discussing personality styles and conflict resolution. Below are some student responses. "Learning about the personality styles was interesting and with no doubt, will be very applicable and helpful when we are in the workplace. Even now, it is useful for knowing how to deal with peers who can be identified as one of the four styles. If one has no major personality style and can be seen with qualities of all four, what does it mean?" " The skill to deal with people is one life skill that is crucial for success without which even the most brilliant mind could not succeed. " "I thoroughly enjoyed the last few days where we discussed social styles and conflicts It has made me think about I respond to people when I am angry or annoyed at them The thing I would like to know is how do you solve a conflict when the person is unwilling to admit there is a conflict, even though they are very upset about something?" "The lesson on conflicts gave me a greater sense of why certain relational problems exist and taught me how to fix them. I am looking forward to putting these social theories into practice in the future." Spring Series: Habits of Mind - Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision "True eloquence consists of saying all that should be said, and that only." - Francois de La Rochefoucald Language and thinking are closely entwined. Successful people use specific terminology, refrain from over-generalizing, and support their assumptions with valid data. When you hear vague, fuzzy language, you detect vague, fuzzy thinking. If you use language that is confused and imprecise. describe objects or events with such non-specific words as "weird," "nice," or "O.K." identify objects as "stuff," "junk," and "things." use "ya' know," "er," and "uh." frequently Why not try making a point of clarifying for others. Instead of ... "You NEVER listen to me." - give the pertinent specific example "Everybody has one." - list the people who have one and explain its importance to you "This cereal is better" - identify the pertinent attributes using more descriptive words to distinguish attributes. using more correct names and labels. spontaneously providing criteria for your value judgments speaking in complete sentences voluntarily providing supportive evidence for your ideas. May 24, 2008 A Message from the Woodlands School Council. The Woodlands School Council would like to welcome all new parents. All Woodlands parents are automatically members of the Woodlands School Council, which provides a wonderful opportunity for parents to get involved in their children's education and also meet and talk with other parents. We encourage you to participate in our monthly meetings where you can discuss current issues, receive an update from the Principal and student representative, and hear guest speakers. You can also stay up to date by visiting our website at http://www.woodlandscouncil.com/ We want this to be a place where you can find out more about the School Council, and how you can make a difference. We're also looking forward to celebrating the accomplishments of our students and their diverse interests and talents. May 22, 2008 Shad Valley asks for help Here is the email I received today. It is a delicate topic and I would not feel comfortable sending on your stories without your approval. If you or your child have opted against the Shad Valley experience because of financial circumstances and you would be willing to share this information with Barry, please contact me (or Barry directly). Anything we can do to make this worthwhile experience more accessible would be greatly appreciated. - M. Quinn Dear Monika, Shad Valley is currently working to secure a commitment from a funder whose main interest is making Shad Valley more accessible to high-performing, low income students who might be discouraged from applying due to cost. It would be very helpful if you could share your stories regarding bright, high potential students who havent applied due to the cost; students who you havent approached because you felt the program was beyond their means; and/or students who have applied then dropped out of the competition or declined their offer due to finances. Your stories can be current or years old. Whats important is for Shad to gather some data from you, to show our potential funder that their contribution will make a significant difference to bright young Canadians who are at a financial disadvantage. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Barry Barry G. Bisson, P.Eng., MBA President Shad Valley International 8 Young Street East Waterloo ON N2J 2L3 Tel: 519 884-8844 Ext 227 Email: president@shad.ca URL: http://www.shad.ca May 21, 2008 More Outstanding Accomplishments Cricket Last weekend both Rams cricket teams - junior and senior - won the GTA Cups in their divisions. Go Rams Go! Geography: Great Canadian Geography Challenge School champion, Jerry X., was one of only 42 students from across Canada (only 10 from Ontario) to be invited to participate in the onlike National Finals of the Great Canadian Geography Challenge. Jerry placed an amazing 18th nationally. Fantastic! Philosophy News: The Woodlands as an Educational Model Below you will find excepts from a letter written by a Ryerson University philosophy professor to our philosophy teacher, Ms. Andre-Barrett. "I am very interested in visiting your philosophy class at the Woodlands School. If possible, I would like to bring a research assistant ... The Philosophy Department at Ryerson is currently designing a course in "Teaching Philosophy" for majors in philosophy interested in applying to teachering college, and who would like eventually to teach philosophy at the high school level. ... At a recent conference of the Ontario Philosophy Teacher's Association, in the context of a seminar on how successful high school philosophy courses are at preparing students for university level study, I found your reports of what is studied in your course and the level of student achievement especially interesting: your commitment to using primary texts, in particular, and your experience that students will rise to the challenge presented therein fits very well with pedagogical values and convictions held by our department. For this reason, I thought that it would be very helpful to us to learn in more detail how your course is set up and to see the kind of work that high school students are capable of ... and talking with you further." We are proud of our program, teachers, and the accomplishments of our students and are therefore very pleased to partner with them in this endeavour. The first visit is scheduled for May 23, 2008. Bear in mind that the wonderful things that you learn in your schools are the work of many generations, produced by enthusiastic effort and infinite labour in every country of the world. All this is put into your hands as your inheritance in order that you may receive it, honour it, and add to it, and one day faithfully hand it on to your children. Albert Einstein talking to a group of school children 1934 May 20, 2008 A Warm Welcome to our New Students Last week Mr. Rosenblood and I, along with the team from counseling, were delighted to welcome 100 new students to our school. We gathered the email addresses from all of the visiting parents and this is their first newsflash. Orientation Hints 1. The mailbox icon in the upper right sends an email to me. I am happy to get your comments or answer your questions 2. The schoolhouse links you with the school website. 3. If you want to add an additional email address, scroll to the bottom and enter it there. We encourage all students and parents to sign on. 4. In the sidebar at the left are additional pages with fabulous opportunities. 5. All past newsflashes have been archived. 6. Important reminders scroll across the banner at the top of the page. M. Quinn !!! Late Breaking Reasons to Celebrate accomplishments of Woodlands Students !!! Music Double Gold in Canada The Jazz Band and the Wind Ensemble both received Gold Standings at the national competition in Ottawa. Ontario Association of Physics Teachers Contest Out of 1762 contestants, Raghav G. ranked 16th, Tian X. ranked 22nd, Zheng W.ranked 44th and Sirui Z. ranked 82nd in Ontario. Well done! University of British Columbia's Michael Smith Science Challenge Two Woodlands Students in the top 10 percentile - Matt L. and Tian X. - Congratulations! First Ever Euchre Tournament - Thursday May 22 Students are asked to sign up in the Math Office. The cost is a mere $2. CEMC Seminar Our very own Auroba A. has been selected as one of 72 participants out of 225 students that applied from across Canada to participate in the CEMC Seminar in Computer Science for Young Women. Aerospace Society The Woodlands Aerospace Society plans to launch its 8.5 foot tall scale model of a Black Brant X sounding rocket on Saturday May 24th at a federally sanctioned high-power rocket launch. The rocket will fly on a J210 motor and should reach an altitude between 3000 and 3500' (985 1150m). Archery Congratulations to Mr. Dutton and the members of the Archery Team that competed at the All-Ontarios last week. Special congratulations go to Annie B. who placed second in the province in the compound bow, as well as Adam T. who placed 17th in the province in his category. These are outstanding achievements given the size of the field and the background and experiences of all of the competitors from across Ontario. Cricket Congratulations to Mr. Ghadially, Mr. Vendryes and the members of the Junior and Senior Cricket Teams for capturing the 2008 ROPSSAA championships last week. In both cases, the championship games were fiercely contested with the RAMS finishing out on top! Spring Series: Habits of Mind - Applying Past Knowledge To New Situations "I've never made a mistake. I've only learned from experience." - Thomas A. Edison The ultimate purpose of learning is to learn from experience. When successful people encounter problems, one of the first things they ask themselves is What do I already know about this?, Where have I encountered a problem like this before?' or What strategies helped me in the past that I can apply to this new problem?" If you ... have troubles applying concepts learned in school in practical "out of context" situations.. approach each new task as if it were being approached for the very first time are stumped by "making connections" questions Why not try ... recalling any similar situations to identify strategies which worked thinking about the practical uses of concepts learned in school as you learn and study asking yourself "If you were to design a new............ what would it be like?" "What would it be like if...........?" "Where else would you use this information..........?" "In what other situations could you apply this............?" trying to apply your learning to your future May 9, 2008 Spring Series: Habits of Mind Questioning And Problem Posing "You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions." - Naguib Mahfouz (Nobel Prize Winner) One of the distinguishing characteristics between humans and other forms of life is our inclination and ability to FIND problems to solve. If you depend on others to solve problems, to find answers, and to ask questions for you are reluctant to ask questions for fear of displaying ignorance slow to take the lead in asking questions and finding problems for yourself are not noticing a change of your questions towards more profound and more complex Why not try Taking note of any growth in your pattern of posing questions Increase the number of questions you ask each week Asking yourself what evidence you have and "what-if" questions Predicting the solutions others might offer Suggesting solutions which might be mutually acceptable to all involved May 6, 2008 DECA Team - International Competition - 100% win All eleven of the students from The Woodlands DECA team placed in the top 10 in the international finals in Atlanta!! Niayti M. - top 10 multiple choice George T. - top ten in oral case and a finalist Lily F. - finalist and top 10 in the finals Grace F. - top ten in multiple choice , top 10 in the finals Kenny Y & Varun B. - finalists Farhad B. - top 10 in oral case, finalist Joanna X. - top 10 in oral case, top 10 in the finals May Z.- top 10 in oral case, top 10 in multiple choice, top 10 in the finals Annie D. & Jedy W. - top 10 in oral case, top 10 in multiple choice, winners of the first place tropy in the finals. The Woodlands Badminton - Top School at ROPSSAA! Congratulations to Ms.Shou and the members of the Woodlands Badminton Team who participated in the OFSAA Badminton Championships on Thursday through Saturday at Brock University. The Woodlands finished as the top ROPSSAA school having captured the following results: Ian L. and Jackson T. 5th place in Flight A Andrew L. 3rd place in Flight B Stefanie L. and Ryan L. 2nd in Flight B May 5, 2008 In the next few days you can expect to be visited by Ms. Alexander, Mr. Rosenblood and Mrs. Quinn. With the help of our teacher candidate Mr. Stephen Koziarski we have a full set of 20 new Gifted Plan lessons. This is our time to discuss and work through many of the non- curricular aspects of your education within the Enhanced Learning Program. Lessons include: A Cluttered Life: Use of Organizational Tools Ontario Skills Passport: Work Habits Inventory Linking Multiple Intelligences to Career Planning Controversy: School Vending Machines and Healthy Habits Learning Styles: Optimizing Your Learning Environment Organizing a Mess The Power of Young Minds: Student Ownership Fact in Fiction: Integrating Knowledge Creatively Reading Between the Lines: Puzzle-making PMI (plus, minus, interesting)decision-making Here are some of the student reflections on a lesson entitled "Emotional Intelligence Indicators" "I believe that the social skills are the most important emotional intelligence because first of all, it is something that I am good at. Also I believe that social skills are the basis for being able to express your ideas freely. It requires a lot of confidence in my opinion, but it also boosts your confidence. Almost all jobs require socializing comfortably with others" "I think that motivation is the most important strand of Emotional Intelligence because it is the key to success. If you have no will to succeed, then obviously you will not." " I feel that emotional resilience is the most important because if you can stay on track during emotionally and morally difficult times, you are going to be able to go much further in life." "I believe the most important section of this test is the Self-Awareness section. Knowing the way we affect other people allows us to then improve our social and empathy skills. We may be able to affect people differently once we develop better listening skills and become aware of the way we present ourselves." May 2, 2008 Engineers Without Borders A former Woodlands gifted student has been chosen by Engineers Without Borders to work in Zambia during her current Waterloo Coop work term. Her project involves a survey of the many different agencies working in Zambia to improve water supply. An analysis of this data should provide information about areas still in need and the steps that should be taken to coordinate these efforts to provide a sustainable water supply. She will have limited internet access but will update her blog as often as she can over the summer. http://livinzambia.blogspot.com/ Library Book Swap May 14 at 8:05! Library Resource Centre submitted by Mrs. Alexander Fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks, international language books, dictionaries and children books any book that is useful is up for Swapping! * Each year The Woodlands School Library organizes a Book Swap. Students and staff bring in books or magazines (maximum of 2) they want to swap. * For two weeks before the event staff and students turn in their books and are then given Swap Coupons. * On May 14 at 8:05 the library doors swing open and the rampage of staff and students sweep over the tables, loaded with books, and exchange each of their coupons for a book! The Swap achieves many goals: is fun, staff and students together celebrate their love of reading, students with few resources get their hands on books, and staff and students learn a little more about each other .Mr Miller, Ms Etwell, Mr Walker and Ms A-B are still some of the fastest Swappers around! Best Buddies We have recently received a letter from Caroline Szkolka, the program manager of Best Buddies , which runs 150 chapters involving 2700 volunteers across Canada in many major universities and some high schools. The program pairs up a student with an individual with an intellectual disability and arranges one-to-one and group activities on a regular basis to help encourage social interaction and inclusion. The Best Buddies staff provide support, relying on schools to help recruit " buddies". For more information about how you can become involved - www.bestbuddies.ca April 15, 2008 Midterm Reports will be issued on April 17th! April 11, 2008 Sears Drama Festival Award Winners The Adjudicator's Award for Hosting - The Woodlands' Stage Crew and Front of House Sound and Lighting award of Merit for "Malevolence" - Claire D., Peter W., Hillary C. and Sam F. Playwriting and Directing awards of "Merit for Eggs, Milk, Bread, I Love You" - Karina Palmitesta Playwriting, Directing, Composition awards of Excellence for Malevolence Outstanding New Play Award for Of Bunnies and Rabbits Playwriting Award of Excellence for Of Bunnies and Rabbits - Marius Masalar Habits of Mind: Striving For Accuracy And Precision "You go back to the gym and you just do it again and again until you get it right." Arnold Schwarzenegger Successful people appreciate and strive for correctness, elegance, and fidelity. In contrast, students may be careless when completing work. If you... are anxious to finish so you may go on to other things feel little inclination to reflect upon the accuracy of your work, to contemplate your precision or to take pride in your accomplishments. rank speed of completion higher than your desire for quality. Why not try... making a habit to check all your class work, tests and homework assignments reviewing the rubrics and exemplars you were to follow to confirm that your finished product matches exactly. determining three organizational changes you could make to would significantly improve your work looking to eliminate three more grammatical/technical errors in your work. changing the wording in three places to make the language more precise April 10, 2008 Grade 10 Gifted Plan Workshops: Student Reflections on the presentation by Lesley Andrews I related to the speaker because she spoke about setting small goals and achieving them, then setting new ones which is something I also do. It helps me focus and is a reward when I accomplish them. Also, I have people who discourage me and I want to prove them wrong. Lesley was able to overcome her disability to achieve her goals and I think that I can achieve my goals if I put my mind to it. I have to take responsibility for myself. Once, I actually took a risk and in the end I was glad because it made me feel good about myself and benefited me in the end. Also, even if I failed, I can learn from that failure to improve myself. She likes music and art. I am an Arts student. I don't do drama but I enjoy fine art and music. I have a poor memory and have trouble with my vocabulary, but I'm working towards it just like her. I tend to forget appointments so using a calendar and glancing at it regularly would help. Don't waste time. Make plans and goals and go through with them to the end: something I need to work on. Do things that you enjoy. I recently gave up a hobby I love :( As the speaker said " you can change a person's life in the blink of an eye." If I want to succeed, I must work for it. The speaker talked about how to stay positive, write down your life experiences, plan ahead and work hard. I was never chosen first in sports teams either. I related the message to my own life regarding my unmotivatedness lately and also the part about parents' divorce; let them handle it! I related to Lesley's childhood. I feel that as a child I was quiet and shy and that people underestimated my abilities. April 8, 2008 Student School Trustee Congratulations to Woodlands ELP student, Shambhavi on being elected as Student Trustee for the 2008-2009 school year. In this role, Shambhavi will represent all of the school in the south of Peel as she sits in on all of the regular meetings of the Board of Trustees. April 2, 2008 Robotics Success submitted by Ms. Lawrie Tuesday, Woodlands hosted the Peel Regional Qualifiers for Skills Ontario Virtual Robotics competition. Umair B. and Junaid I. tackled the task of learning Fishertechnique hardware and Microsoft Robotics Studio to design a robot and power it to victory. They will advance to the Provincials May 6th in Kitchener. On Wednesday, the Robotics Team travelled to George Brown College's "Tech in the City, Micromania Competition". This maze solving robotic challenge hosted schools from across the GTA to solve the maze in the least amount of time. Woodlands came away big winners. First place was won by Bruce L. and Josh L. with their robot called Lucky. Rumor has it they will make a TV appearance on CP24. Third place was won by Umair and Junaid with their robot Freddy. April 1, 2008 Canada's Next Top Ad Exec Woodlands Grads in the Top Ten Recently, two Woodlands graduates, J Younan and Pranav Sood represented the University of Western Ontario in a Canada-wide contest called "Canada's Next Top Ad Exec" and were among Top 10 Finalists in Canada. They were the youngest competitors in the entire competition which drew participants from undergraduate and graduate business students from across the country. Congratulations! The website for the competition is www.topadexec.com. Robotics Battlebots:Design Build Battle University of Toronto, May 29 - June 1 Imagine being able to conceptualize a machine from thin air, using only a list of materials and your wits. Imagine building it with your own hands and ingenuity, all while strategizing on how your machine could out-battle a rival robot. Now imagine watching your creation taking out the competition systematically, in the ultimate test of design and engineering. Sound like fun? Consider RobotX an invigorating and fully hands-on initiative within the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto to immerse high school students in a week- long, live-in robotics competition to build the best battlebot. To enrich the entire learning process, each team works closely with an Advisor a mechatronics expert to help you troubleshoot throughout the week. For more information http://www.robotx.engineering.utoronto.ca/about.html Speaker Series Continues: Lesley Andrew Tuesday April 8 All grade 10 enhanced students will be released at the beginning of period 3 to eat lunch (30 minutes) and then join us in the Library Resource Centre for a workshop around the grade level them of dealing with personal giftedness. Enhanced students from across the board have been invited to attend. Again, we have been very fortunate and funding has come from several sources for this impressive (and expensive) speaker. If there is parent interest, we are considering inviting her to return next year, and additionally, provide a workshop for parents - especially those with dually identified gifted children. Please let me know if you might be interested. - M. Quinn Ongoing Data Gathering As many of you already know we have been collecting data from students and graduates for three years. This has given us plenty of opportunity for growth and improvement. We have already seen a dramatic improvement in key areas of need. We are contemplating broadening our data sources to include input from both parents and teachers. You could help by offering feedback about the kinds of questions you might have regarding our program or might like to see on such a survey. Please email me with your thoughts. - M. Quinn Habits of Mind: Thinking About Thinking (Metacognition) "I cannot always control what goes on outside. But I can always control what goes on inside." - Wayne Dyer Successful people are aware of themselves their own thoughts, actions, values and their effects on others. If you are unaware of your own thinking while you are thinking. often lacking a plan of action to solve problems before they begin are unable to determine if a plan is working, or if it should be discarded and another plan employed. seldom reflect on, or evaluate the quality of your thinking. answer reply "I don't know, I just did it." when asked "How did you solve that problem?" Why not try describing what goes on in your head when you think. organizing your thoughts under the following headings: what you know, what you need to know, what information is lacking. outlining your plan of action before you begin to solve a problem. tracing the pathways and blind alleys you took on the road to solution. spending time thinking about and articulating What worked for me? and What would I do differently next time? at the end of each major assignment. DEEP Summer Academy The DEEP Program is offered by the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto. The program provides gifted and highly motivated high school students the opportunity for advanced study in a variety of engineering disciplines. This intense program has been designed exclusively for high school students who excel in science and math and are looking for a true academic challenge. The program will expose students to concepts and topics you will not find in a high school classroom - the courses are challenging, hands-on and give you the opportunity to apply science and math concepts to real-world problems. For more information: http://www.ecf.utoronto.ca/apsc/html/deep/pages/1-overview.html March 19, 2008 Michael Smith Science Challenge - Monday, April 7, 2008 http://www.physics.ubc.ca/outreach/web/smith/en/english.php The Michael Smith Science Challenge is a national competition written by students in Grade 10 Science or lower. It emphasizes logical thinking, and covers material in the science curriculum common to all provinces. It is named in honour of UBC's Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Michael Smith, and is sponsored by the UBC faculty of Science and NSERC PromoScience. Prizes are awarded to the top students (and their teachers) in each province and nationally. Mr. Rosenblood will be taking the lead for the registration. Listen for annoncements or see Mr. Rosenblood ASAP. March 18, 2008 Pfizer Canada Discovery Day in Health Sciences - April 22, 2008 The University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine and the Canadian Medical Association have invited 4 Woodlands students to explore health science careers. This is a no-cost-to you program with lab activity workshops including: The Genetics of Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Isolate, Visualize and Sequence 2 Meters of DNA Pysiological Basis of the Lie Detector Electron Microscopy Occupational Therapy: Making Splints and Face Masks Genetic Counselling Disease Outbreak - How is it monitored? There are many more options in the workshop catalogue. This is an exciting opportunity and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Please see Mrs. Quinn if you are interested in attending. Attending Medical School in Antigua? Have you given this any thought? We have a former Woodlands graduate currently studying there and an invitation to partner with The University of Health Sciences Antigua, School of Medicine. If you would like to look through the literature, please see Mrs. Quinn In the IEP office. Earth Beat 2008: Celebrating Earth Day and showcasing local youth talent. Saturday April 26th Mississauga Central Library Square Youth under 25 who create work such as visual arts, music, drama, poetry and dance, with an environmental message are invited to apply for the Earth Beat showcase. For more information about Ecosource and the Earth Beat 2008 event visit: www.ecosource.ca For submission forms and criteria for the youth talent showcase please visit the Peel Environmental Youth Alliance website at: www.peyalliance.com/earthbeat.html Thinking Flexibly "Soften the rigidities within yourself and the universe will give you strength and vigor." Arabic Proverb Successful people consider alternative points of view. If you often feel your way to solve a problem is the only way often feel that your answer is the only answer are more interested in knowing whether your answer is correct, rather than being challenged to find other answers. avoid ambiguous situations and have a need for certainty rather than tolerating doubt (your) mind is made up resist listening to reasoning that contradicts your beliefs Why not try remembering how you feel when working with others who are not flexible considering another person's point of view or rationale deliberately stating several ways of solving the same problem evaluating the merits and consequences of two or more courses of action changing your mind in light of convincing data, argument or rationale asking adults in your life how thinking flexibly aids their success in the workplace March 1, 2008 Scholarships and Awards: Mr. Cooper, Liaison for Scholarships Scholarship applications arrive throughout the school year. Notices of scholarships are posted on the Scholarships Bulletin Board outside of the Student Services Office. Also, a handbook is available in the office with a list of scholarships, awards and bursaries. The handbook can be accessed by clicking on the following link: http://qps.peel.edu.on.ca/QuickPlace/woodlands/Main.nsf/h_index/D07EE49E517F52 62852573D80 059893A/ ?OpenDocument SCHOLARSHIPS AND BURSARIES HANDBOOK If you have any questions, please consult with your counsellor. Students should consult INFO for specific university scholarships and awards and to find out which are based on admission averages and which require applications. Additional information is available on individual post- secondary institution websites and in calendars and handbooks. Students should note that many scholarship applications require extra- curricular involvement in order for the application to be considered. The Woodlands School scholarships and awards, including Commencement awards, are listed in the Student Agenda. Commencement scholarship applications are available in Student Services. Scholarship opportunities are often available through employers of family members (for children of employees) or through community groups. Students are encouraged to talk with family members and friends to investigate such opportunities. Students are responsible for researching scholarship opportunities and completing application requirements. The following resources will be of assistance in researching scholarships and awards: Links www.scholarshipscanada.com www.canlearn.ca www.studentawards.com www.millenniumscholarships.ca www.peel.edu.on.ca/student/learning/scholarship.htm News from the Music Department The string quartet came in 2nd with a mark of 90% at the Toronto Kiwanis Music Festival. the Intermediate Concert Band and Intermediate Jazz Bands earned silver standings at the Golden Horseshoe Music Festival and the Senior Concert Band, Wind Ensemble and Senior Jazz Band earned gold standings and invitations to attend the Nationals in Ottawa at the National Arts Centre in May. February 27, 2008 Stephen Lewis Tickets A few remaining tickets for Stephen Lewis are being sold to interested parents at a cost of $30. Please contact Ms. Payne or Ms. Climie if you are interested. Saturday Science & Engineering Academy - University of Toronto Saturday Science & Engineering Academy is the University of Toronto's advanced academic program for students to 12 who have a desire to explore science, math and technology in challenging and creative ways. Saturday Science & Engineering Academy exposes students to concepts and topics beyond the regular school curriculum in a fun and hands-on environment. Small class sizes allow students to meet others with the same interests and aspirations. Life Science and Biomedical Engineering: grades 9 and 10 Regenerative Medicine grades 11 and 12 Frontiers of Biotechnology Electrical and Computer Technology: grades 9 and 10 Electrical Senses grades 11 and 12 Frontiers of Biotechnology Applied Science: grades 9 and 10 Regenerative Medicine grades 11 and 12 Physic Phenomena Design and Practice: grades 9 and 10 Power Generation grades 11 and 12 Designing Entrepreneurs Application forms are available at http://www.ecf.utoronto.ca/apsc/html/SSA/ Spring Series - Habits of Mind: Listening To Others With Understanding And Empathy If there is any secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other persons point of view and see things from his angle as well as from your own. - Henry Ford. Successful people spend an inordinate amount of time and energy listening. They empathize with, and strive to understand other peoples points of view. Being able to paraphrase another person's ideas, detecting indicators of their feelings or emotions, accurately expressing another person's concepts, emotions and problemsall are indications of listening behavior. If you Often ridicule, laugh at, or put down the ideas of others. Rarely build upon, consider the merits of, or operate on another person's ideas. Why not try Showing you understand what others say and feel Considering the feelings of others in your decision-making processes Empathizing with another persons idea or feeling by paraphrasing it accurately, building upon it, clarifying Scientifically Yours - An opportunity for grade 11 girls May 5-7, 2008 at Brock University You will learn about career opportunities from professional women who have careers in the sciences including medicine, university research, and industry. You will participate in six of the following sessions: There is a fungus among us! DNA Fingerprinting Health and Human Performance Purely H2O? Flames, Fireworks and Explosions Coffee Cups, DNA, and Slime Graphical Design Adventures in Graphics International Year of Planet Earth CSI Brock Sunprints: Where Science meets Art Physics is too cool! Laser Holography Take a Calcoolus Tour The Yeast Crime An Ant takes a Walk through the 4th Dimension This is designed for female student who might be reluctant to choose science as a career. More information at http://www.brocku.ca/scientificallyyours/registration.html February 26, 2008 Interaction 2008 - University of Guelph: A full day conference for grade 10 and 11 students April 24 or April 25 Designed for university-bound grade 10 and 11 high school students, this conference will introduce university living and learning through informative and interactive sessions led by our faculty and staff. This year we will offer approximately 40 sessions that provide students with an opportunity to learn more about our academic disciplines and student services. From Nanoscience and Nanotechnology: A Glimpse at the Very Small to Wal- Mart's Coming to Smallville - What Will Happen to Retail Space? to Family Secret and the History Detective, we have planned an educational and interactive full day program. The full brochure is available at: https://admission.uoguelph.ca/Resources/UserDefinedPages/UOG/Documents/Interac tionBrochure. pdf February 15, 2008 Opportunities with the Ontario Justice and Education Network : Charter Challenge OJEN is dedicated to promoting understanding, education, and dialogue to support a responsive and inclusive justice system. There are many opportunities for students an information on various events are available at http://www.ojen.ca/eng/programs/ . THE CHARTER CHALLENGE - SPRING 2008 The Charter Challenge is an online simulation for High School students created to help students gain a better understanding of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Charter Challenge involves students in a collaborative, decision making situation based on a real-world scenario. As Ontario's only provincial appellate-level mock hearing, the Charter Challenge has students prepare arguments of Charter issues raised on appeal. While researching their arguments, students have the opportunity to connect online with other students around the province, as well as with lawyer mentors. Their factums are reviewed and finalist teams have the opportunity to argue the issue before a Court of Appeal judge, either in person or through video-conferencing. March 24: Deadline for teachers to register classes March 31 - April 4: Case materials and discussion board passwords distributed April 7 - April 25: Discussion board open April 14 - April 18: Online mentors April 25: Factums due May 5: Finalists announced May 20 - May 23: Finalist teams have the opportunity to argue the issue before a Court of Appeal judge (in-person or via videoconference) February 14, 2008 Happy Valentine's Day Present to all Grade 11's An unexpected sponsor has come forward to fund the leadership seminar with Nadja Halilbegovich. All grade 11 enhanced students will be called out of class next Wednesday during period 1 at approximately 9:00 am. Please arrive promptly at the library. Physics Contests We have 3 contests coming up, listen to announcements for the meeting dates and more information. 1. Guelph WindEng contest. Tuesday, April 22. http://www.soe.uoguelph.ca/windeng/index.html 2. Peel Regional Science Fair. http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/2195.0.html 3. 11 physics contest, Tuesday, May 6, 2008. http://www.oapt.ca/grade_11_contest/index.html University Of Toronto National Biology Competition If you are a biology student in grade 11 or 12, you are invited to take part in the University Of Toronto National Biology Competition. Date: Thursday, May 1, 2008 Time: Period 5 Location: Library Resource Centre Please follow the sign up process posted on the door outside room 123. An opportunity to contribute to your community from "Our Future Mississauga". "Thousands of Ideas - One Vision" City of Mississauga Visioning Symposium What is your dream for the City? How do we get there? Moving forward from the very successful Speakers Series held by the City of Mississauga in the fall, this Visioning Symposium will gather members of the public, youth, special interest groups, City Officials and staff together to review and discuss the vision for the City's future. The "Our Future Mississauga Visioning Symposium" will take place Friday, February 22nd and Saturday February 23rd at the Living Arts Centre. The program is very flexible to suit your busy schedules. Please register now www.conversation21.ca. Habits of Mind: Managing Impulsivity "The sign of intelligent people is their ability to control emotions by the application of reason." - Marya Mannes Successful people have a sense of deliberativeness. They know how to monitor their own impulses and resist jumping to conclusions. If you shout out the answer blurt the first idea that comes to mind take the first suggestion given start to work without fully understanding directions make immediate value judgments about an idea Why not try considering alternatives and consequences of several possible directions see if you can explain rules or parameters before beginning a task talk over a plan for solving a problem explore alternative problem solving strategies consider consequences of actions before beginning February 13, 2008 DECA News Congratulations to all DECA members who represented our school at the provincial competition with pride and dedication. Special recognition goes to the following students who had outstanding results: Teams Qualifying for International Competition in Atlanta First Place Winners: May Z. and Joanna X. Second Place Winners: Farhad B., Kenny Y., and Varun Bhambhani Third Place Winners: Jackson Tian., Karen L., Siddhant M. and Andrew D. Fourth Place Winners: Annie D. and Jedy W. Sixth Place Winnners: George T., Tina B., and Niyanti M. Multiple Medals (top ten in an single and overall in their category) Davik D., Maryan K., Shyam B., and Vaso Z Individual Medals (top ten in a single event) Ke L., Jeff S., Felix L., Tahir Z., Lina L., Joanne K., Pavithra P., Sandra K., Feroz Q., Jennifer W., Sarah K., Thanh N., Anna Z., Nasheen K., Grace F., Lily F., Jinesh D., Liang Z., Malathi S., and Jai G. New Series: Habits of Mind Successful people display common characteristics or dispositions. These patterns of thinking and behaving help them deal with challenges and rapid change. For the next 12 updates I will include excerpts from the article "Developing your child's habits of success in school, life and work" by Arthur L. Costa, Ed. D Professor Emeritus, California State University. Costa recognizes that the list is not exhaustive, but suggests that students look for growth in these areas: persisting, managing impulsivity, listening with understanding and empathy ,thinking flexibly, metacognition, striving for accuracy and precision, questioning and problem posing, applying past knowledge, communicating with clarity, gathering data, creativity, responding with awe, modeling. Persisting "Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all" Dale Carnegie Efficient problem solvers persevere even when the solution to a problem is not readily apparent. They have a wide range of problem-solving strategies. If you give up in despair when the answer to a problem is not immediately known. say "I can't do this," or "It's too hard," just want to get tasks over with as quickly as possible have troubles analyzing a problem, have troubles to developing a system or strategy to approach problems Why not try looking for three ways to solve each problem and then choosing the best one looking for evidence to indicate that your problem-solving strategy is working and making subsequent decisions based on your evidence looking for role models for "persistence' at school, at home or in the media discussing the value of persisting with friends and family February 7, 2008 Quick Items Date change for Parents-Teacher Night Recently, the Department Heads and members of the Administration Team reviewed the school calendar of events for semester 2. It was decided that a new format of Parent - Teacher Night would be adopted whereby the discussions between the parent and the teacher would focus on the program and how the parent may be able to support their son/daughter. As a result, the April 17 Parent - Teacher evening has been rescheduled to Wednesday February 27, 2008. Please mark this change on your calendar. Grade 11 Gifted Plan Workshop - Wednesday February 20, 2008 Nadja Halilbegovich, our keynote speaker, will discuss how she is using life experiences and her talents to be an "architect of peace". Activities are designed to help gifted students explore their leadership potential. These are mandatory workshops. The cost is $5 per student. February 3, 2008 Sears Drama Festival 2008 - Rithu R. It's that time of the year when the Drama Club of The Woodlands School has, for the fourth consecutive year, been chosen to host two of the nights for the Sears Ontario Drama Festival, a provincial wide theatrical event with more than 300 schools involved. You may have seen our submissions of two one-act plays for this competition at Theatre Shorts: Malevolence, written and directed by the Grade 12 student Marius Masalar, and Eggs, Bread, Milk, I Love You by Karina Palmitesta of Grade 11. Come out and support us on the 19th and 22nd at our school. Festival passes are only five dollars if you buy it in the caf, eight dollars at the door. This pass enables you to attend any of the other festival nights at others schools in our district: Iona, Port Credit, Cawthra Park and Clarkson. You can view the dates these schools are hosting at http://www.searsdramafestival.com/ Deep River Science Academy - submitted/suggested by N. Cox "Deep River Science Academy is a private not-for-profit organization founded in 1986. Its mission is to encourage talented high school students to pursue careers in science and engineering. DRSA provides this stimulus to Canadian youth by operating a six-week summer science program that lets high school students "test-drive" a scientific or engineering career by working on research projects that are part of ongoing R&D in leading research laboratories. Each pair of students takes ownership of a particular research project under the mentorship of a Research Assistant and professional researcher. In addition they earn two high school credits by participating. DRSA also provides career development experience for university science undergraduates. The undergraduates act in dual roles as tutors for the high school students and as research assistants at the hosting research laboratories. Not only do students learn from their experience, they make a real contribution to the research itself. The research projects range from chemistry, physics and biology through engineering and technology." For more information visit:http://www.drsa.ca/ Library Book Swap May 14 at 8:05! Library Resource Centre submitted by Mrs. Alexander Fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks, international language books, dictionaries and children books any book that is useful is up for Swapping! * Each year The Woodlands School Library organizes a Book Swap. Students and staff bring in books or magazines (maximum of 2) they want to swap. * For two weeks before the event staff and students turn in their books and are then given Swap Coupons. * On May 14 at 8:05 the library doors swing open and the rampage of staff and students sweep over the tables, loaded with books, and exchange each of their coupons for a book! The Swap achieves many goals: is fun, staff and students together celebrate their love of reading, students with few resources get their hands on books, and staff and students learn a little more about each other .Mr Miller, Ms Etwell, Mr Walker and Ms A-B are still some of the fastest Swappers around! Best Buddies We have recently received a letter from Caroline Szkolka, the program manager of Best Buddies , which runs 150 chapters involving 2700 volunteers across Canada in many major universities and some high schools. The program pairs up a student with an individual with an intellectual disability and arranges one-to-one and group activities on a regular basis to help encourage social interaction and inclusion. The Best Buddies staff provide support, relying on schools to help recruit " buddies". For more information about how you can become involved - www.bestbuddies.ca April 15, 2008 Midterm Reports will be issued on April 17th! April 11, 2008 Sears Drama Festival Award Winners The Adjudicator's Award for Hosting - The Woodlands' Stage Crew and Front of House Sound and Lighting award of Merit for "Malevolence" - Claire D., Peter W., Hillary C. and Sam F. Playwriting and Directing awards of "Merit for Eggs, Milk, Bread, I Love You" - Karina Palmitesta Playwriting, Directing, Composition awards of Excellence for Malevolence Outstanding New Play Award for Of Bunnies and Rabbits Playwriting Award of Excellence for Of Bunnies and Rabbits - Marius Masalar Habits of Mind: Striving For Accuracy And Precision "You go back to the gym and you just do it again and again until you get it right." Arnold Schwarzenegger Successful people appreciate and strive for correctness, elegance, and fidelity. In contrast, students may be careless when completing work. If you... are anxious to finish so you may go on to other things feel little inclination to reflect upon the accuracy of your work, to contemplate your precision or to take pride in your accomplishments. rank speed of completion higher than your desire for quality. Why not try... making a habit to check all your class work, tests and homework assignments reviewing the rubrics and exemplars you were to follow to confirm that your finished product matches exactly. determining three organizational changes you could make to would significantly improve your work looking to eliminate three more grammatical/technical errors in your work. changing the wording in three places to make the language more precise April 10, 2008 Grade 10 Gifted Plan Workshops: Student Reflections on the presentation by Lesley Andrews I related to the speaker because she spoke about setting small goals and achieving them, then setting new ones which is something I also do. It helps me focus and is a reward when I accomplish them. Also, I have people who discourage me and I want to prove them wrong. Lesley was able to overcome her disability to achieve her goals and I think that I can achieve my goals if I put my mind to it. I have to take responsibility for myself. Once, I actually took a risk and in the end I was glad because it made me feel good about myself and benefited me in the end. Also, even if I failed, I can learn from that failure to improve myself. She likes music and art. I am an Arts student. I don't do drama but I enjoy fine art and music. I have a poor memory and have trouble with my vocabulary, but I'm working towards it just like her. I tend to forget appointments so using a calendar and glancing at it regularly would help. Don't waste time. Make plans and goals and go through with them to the end: something I need to work on. Do things that you enjoy. I recently gave up a hobby I love :( As the speaker said " you can change a person's life in the blink of an eye." If I want to succeed, I must work for it. The speaker talked about how to stay positive, write down your life experiences, plan ahead and work hard. I was never chosen first in sports teams either. I related the message to my own life regarding my unmotivatedness lately and also the part about parents' divorce; let them handle it! I related to Lesley's childhood. I feel that as a child I was quiet and shy and that people underestimated my abilities. April 8, 2008 Student School Trustee Congratulations to Woodlands ELP student, Shambhavi on being elected as Student Trustee for the 2008-2009 school year. In this role, Shambhavi will represent all of the school in the south of Peel as she sits in on all of the regular meetings of the Board of Trustees. April 2, 2008 Robotics Success submitted by Ms. Lawrie Tuesday, Woodlands hosted the Peel Regional Qualifiers for Skills Ontario Virtual Robotics competition. Umair B. and Junaid I. tackled the task of learning Fishertechnique hardware and Microsoft Robotics Studio to design a robot and power it to victory. They will advance to the Provincials May 6th in Kitchener. On Wednesday, the Robotics Team travelled to George Brown College's "Tech in the City, Micromania Competition". This maze solving robotic challenge hosted schools from across the GTA to solve the maze in the least amount of time. Woodlands came away big winners. First place was won by Bruce L. and Josh L. with their robot called Lucky. Rumor has it they will make a TV appearance on CP24. Third place was won by Umair and Junaid with their robot Freddy. April 1, 2008 Canada's Next Top Ad Exec Woodlands Grads in the Top Ten Recently, two Woodlands graduates, J Younan and Pranav Sood represented the University of Western Ontario in a Canada-wide contest called "Canada's Next Top Ad Exec" and were among Top 10 Finalists in Canada. They were the youngest competitors in the entire competition which drew participants from undergraduate and graduate business students from across the country. Congratulations! The website for the competition is www.topadexec.com. Robotics Battlebots:Design Build Battle University of Toronto, May 29 - June 1 Imagine being able to conceptualize a machine from thin air, using only a list of materials and your wits. Imagine building it with your own hands and ingenuity, all while strategizing on how your machine could out-battle a rival robot. Now imagine watching your creation taking out the competition systematically, in the ultimate test of design and engineering. Sound like fun? Consider RobotX an invigorating and fully hands-on initiative within the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto to immerse high school students in a week- long, live-in robotics competition to build the best battlebot. To enrich the entire learning process, each team works closely with an Advisor a mechatronics expert to help you troubleshoot throughout the week. For more information http://www.robotx.engineering.utoronto.ca/about.html Speaker Series Continues: Lesley Andrew Tuesday April 8 All grade 10 enhanced students will be released at the beginning of period 3 to eat lunch (30 minutes) and then join us in the Library Resource Centre for a workshop around the grade level them of dealing with personal giftedness. Enhanced students from across the board have been invited to attend. Again, we have been very fortunate and funding has come from several sources for this impressive (and expensive) speaker. If there is parent interest, we are considering inviting her to return next year, and additionally, provide a workshop for parents - especially those with dually identified gifted children. Please let me know if you might be interested. - M. Quinn Ongoing Data Gathering As many of you already know we have been collecting data from students and graduates for three years. This has given us plenty of opportunity for growth and improvement. We have already seen a dramatic improvement in key areas of need. We are contemplating broadening our data sources to include input from both parents and teachers. You could help by offering feedback about the kinds of questions you might have regarding our program or might like to see on such a survey. Please email me with your thoughts. - M. Quinn Habits of Mind: Thinking About Thinking (Metacognition) "I cannot always control what goes on outside. But I can always control what goes on inside." - Wayne Dyer Successful people are aware of themselves their own thoughts, actions, values and their effects on others. If you are unaware of your own thinking while you are thinking. often lacking a plan of action to solve problems before they begin are unable to determine if a plan is working, or if it should be discarded and another plan employed. seldom reflect on, or evaluate the quality of your thinking. answer reply "I don't know, I just did it." when asked "How did you solve that problem?" Why not try describing what goes on in your head when you think. organizing your thoughts under the following headings: what you know, what you need to know, what information is lacking. outlining your plan of action before you begin to solve a problem. tracing the pathways and blind alleys you took on the road to solution. spending time thinking about and articulating What worked for me? and What would I do differently next time? at the end of each major assignment. DEEP Summer Academy The DEEP Program is offered by the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto. The program provides gifted and highly motivated high school students the opportunity for advanced study in a variety of engineering disciplines. This intense program has been designed exclusively for high school students who excel in science and math and are looking for a true academic challenge. The program will expose students to concepts and topics you will not find in a high school classroom - the courses are challenging, hands-on and give you the opportunity to apply science and math concepts to real-world problems. For more information: http://www.ecf.utoronto.ca/apsc/html/deep/pages/1-overview.html March 19, 2008 Michael Smith Science Challenge - Monday, April 7, 2008 http://www.physics.ubc.ca/outreach/web/smith/en/english.php The Michael Smith Science Challenge is a national competition written by students in Grade 10 Science or lower. It emphasizes logical thinking, and covers material in the science curriculum common to all provinces. It is named in honour of UBC's Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Michael Smith, and is sponsored by the UBC faculty of Science and NSERC PromoScience. Prizes are awarded to the top students (and their teachers) in each province and nationally. Mr. Rosenblood will be taking the lead for the registration. Listen for annoncements or see Mr. Rosenblood ASAP. March 18, 2008 Pfizer Canada Discovery Day in Health Sciences - April 22, 2008 The University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine and the Canadian Medical Association have invited 4 Woodlands students to explore health science careers. This is a no-cost-to you program with lab activity workshops including: The Genetics of Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Isolate, Visualize and Sequence 2 Meters of DNA Pysiological Basis of the Lie Detector Electron Microscopy Occupational Therapy: Making Splints and Face Masks Genetic Counselling Disease Outbreak - How is it monitored? There are many more options in the workshop catalogue. This is an exciting opportunity and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Please see Mrs. Quinn if you are interested in attending. Attending Medical School in Antigua? Have you given this any thought? We have a former Woodlands graduate currently studying there and an invitation to partner with The University of Health Sciences Antigua, School of Medicine. If you would like to look through the literature, please see Mrs. Quinn In the IEP office. Earth Beat 2008: Celebrating Earth Day and showcasing local youth talent. Saturday April 26th Mississauga Central Library Square Youth under 25 who create work such as visual arts, music, drama, poetry and dance, with an environmental message are invited to apply for the Earth Beat showcase. For more information about Ecosource and the Earth Beat 2008 event visit: www.ecosource.ca For submission forms and criteria for the youth talent showcase please visit the Peel Environmental Youth Alliance website at: www.peyalliance.com/earthbeat.html Thinking Flexibly "Soften the rigidities within yourself and the universe will give you strength and vigor." Arabic Proverb Successful people consider alternative points of view. If you often feel your way to solve a problem is the only way often feel that your answer is the only answer are more interested in knowing whether your answer is correct, rather than being challenged to find other answers. avoid ambiguous situations and have a need for certainty rather than tolerating doubt (your) mind is made up resist listening to reasoning that contradicts your beliefs Why not try remembering how you feel when working with others who are not flexible considering another person's point of view or rationale deliberately stating several ways of solving the same problem evaluating the merits and consequences of two or more courses of action changing your mind in light of convincing data, argument or rationale asking adults in your life how thinking flexibly aids their success in the workplace March 1, 2008 Scholarships and Awards: Mr. Cooper, Liaison for Scholarships Scholarship applications arrive throughout the school year. Notices of scholarships are posted on the Scholarships Bulletin Board outside of the Student Services Office. Also, a handbook is available in the office with a list of scholarships, awards and bursaries. The handbook can be accessed by clicking on the following link: http://qps.peel.edu.on.ca/QuickPlace/woodlands/Main.nsf/h_index/D07EE49E517F52 62852573D80059893A/ ?OpenDocument SCHOLARSHIPS AND BURSARIES HANDBOOK If you have any questions, please consult with your counsellor. Students should consult INFO for specific university scholarships and awards and to find out which are based on admission averages and which require applications. Additional information is available on individual post- secondary institution websites and in calendars and handbooks. Students should note that many scholarship applications require extra- curricular involvement in order for the application to be considered. The Woodlands School scholarships and awards, including Commencement awards, are listed in the Student Agenda. Commencement scholarship applications are available in Student Services. Scholarship opportunities are often available through employers of family members (for children of employees) or through community groups. Students are encouraged to talk with family members and friends to investigate such opportunities. Students are responsible for researching scholarship opportunities and completing application requirements. The following resources will be of assistance in researching scholarships and awards: Links www.scholarshipscanada.com www.canlearn.ca www.studentawards.com www.millenniumscholarships.ca www.peel.edu.on.ca/student/learning/scholarship.htm News from the Music Department The string quartet came in 2nd with a mark of 90% at the Toronto Kiwanis Music Festival. the Intermediate Concert Band and Intermediate Jazz Bands earned silver standings at the Golden Horseshoe Music Festival and the Senior Concert Band, Wind Ensemble and Senior Jazz Band earned gold standings and invitations to attend the Nationals in Ottawa at the National Arts Centre in May. February 27, 2008 Stephen Lewis Tickets A few remaining tickets for Stephen Lewis are being sold to interested parents at a cost of $30. Please contact Ms. Payne or Ms. Climie if you are interested. Saturday Science & Engineering Academy - University of Toronto Saturday Science & Engineering Academy is the University of Toronto's advanced academic program for students to 12 who have a desire to explore science, math and technology in challenging and creative ways. Saturday Science & Engineering Academy exposes students to concepts and topics beyond the regular school curriculum in a fun and hands-on environment. Small class sizes allow students to meet others with the same interests and aspirations. Life Science and Biomedical Engineering: grades 9 and 10 Regenerative Medicine grades 11 and 12 Frontiers of Biotechnology Electrical and Computer Technology: grades 9 and 10 Electrical Senses grades 11 and 12 Frontiers of Biotechnology Applied Science: grades 9 and 10 Regenerative Medicine grades 11 and 12 Physic Phenomena Design and Practice: grades 9 and 10 Power Generation grades 11 and 12 Designing Entrepreneurs Application forms are available at http://www.ecf.utoronto.ca/apsc/html/SSA/ Spring Series - Habits of Mind: Listening To Others With Understanding And Empathy If there is any secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other persons point of view and see things from his angle as well as from your own. - Henry Ford. Successful people spend an inordinate amount of time and energy listening. They empathize with, and strive to understand other peoples points of view. Being able to paraphrase another person's ideas, detecting indicators of their feelings or emotions, accurately expressing another person's concepts, emotions and problemsall are indications of listening behavior. If you Often ridicule, laugh at, or put down the ideas of others. Rarely build upon, consider the merits of, or operate on another person's ideas. Why not try Showing you understand what others say and feel Considering the feelings of others in your decision-making processes Empathizing with another persons idea or feeling by paraphrasing it accurately, building upon it, clarifying Scientifically Yours - An opportunity for grade 11 girls May 5-7, 2008 at Brock University You will learn about career opportunities from professional women who have careers in the sciences including medicine, university research, and industry. You will participate in six of the following sessions: There is a fungus among us! DNA Fingerprinting Health and Human Performance Purely H2O? Flames, Fireworks and Explosions Coffee Cups, DNA, and Slime Graphical Design Adventures in Graphics International Year of Planet Earth CSI Brock Sunprints: Where Science meets Art Physics is too cool! Laser Holography Take a Calcoolus Tour The Yeast Crime An Ant takes a Walk through the 4th Dimension This is designed for female student who might be reluctant to choose science as a career. More information at http://www.brocku.ca/scientificallyyours/registration.html February 26, 2008 Interaction 2008 - University of Guelph: A full day conference for grade 10 and 11 students April 24 or April 25 Designed for university-bound grade 10 and 11 high school students, this conference will introduce university living and learning through informative and interactive sessions led by our faculty and staff. This year we will offer approximately 40 sessions that provide students with an opportunity to learn more about our academic disciplines and student services. From Nanoscience and Nanotechnology: A Glimpse at the Very Small to Wal- Mart's Coming to Smallville - What Will Happen to Retail Space? to Family Secret and the History Detective, we have planned an educational and interactive full day program. The full brochure is available at: https://admission.uoguelph.ca/Resources/UserDefinedPages/UOG/Documents/Interac tionBrochure.pdf February 15, 2008 Opportunities with the Ontario Justice and Education Network : Charter Challenge OJEN is dedicated to promoting understanding, education, and dialogue to support a responsive and inclusive justice system. There are many opportunities for students an information on various events are available at http://www.ojen.ca/eng/programs/ . THE CHARTER CHALLENGE - SPRING 2008 The Charter Challenge is an online simulation for High School students created to help students gain a better understanding of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Charter Challenge involves students in a collaborative, decision making situation based on a real-world scenario. As Ontario's only provincial appellate-level mock hearing, the Charter Challenge has students prepare arguments of Charter issues raised on appeal. While researching their arguments, students have the opportunity to connect online with other students around the province, as well as with lawyer mentors. Their factums are reviewed and finalist teams have the opportunity to argue the issue before a Court of Appeal judge, either in person or through video-conferencing. March 24: Deadline for teachers to register classes March 31 - April 4: Case materials and discussion board passwords distributed April 7 - April 25: Discussion board open April 14 - April 18: Online mentors April 25: Factums due May 5: Finalists announced May 20 - May 23: Finalist teams have the opportunity to argue the issue before a Court of Appeal judge (in-person or via videoconference) February 14, 2008 Happy Valentine's Day Present to all Grade 11's An unexpected sponsor has come forward to fund the leadership seminar with Nadja Halilbegovich. All grade 11 enhanced students will be called out of class next Wednesday during period 1 at approximately 9:00 am. Please arrive promptly at the library. Physics Contests We have 3 contests coming up, listen to announcements for the meeting dates and more information. 1. Guelph WindEng contest. Tuesday, April 22. http://www.soe.uoguelph.ca/windeng/index.html 2. Peel Regional Science Fair. http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/2195.0.html 3. 11 physics contest, Tuesday, May 6, 2008. http://www.oapt.ca/grade_11_contest/index.html University Of Toronto National Biology Competition If you are a biology student in grade 11 or 12, you are invited to take part in the University Of Toronto National Biology Competition. Date: Thursday, May 1, 2008 Time: Period 5 Location: Library Resource Centre Please follow the sign up process posted on the door outside room 123. An opportunity to contribute to your community from "Our Future Mississauga". "Thousands of Ideas - One Vision" City of Mississauga Visioning Symposium What is your dream for the City? How do we get there? Moving forward from the very successful Speakers Series held by the City of Mississauga in the fall, this Visioning Symposium will gather members of the public, youth, special interest groups, City Officials and staff together to review and discuss the vision for the City's future. The "Our Future Mississauga Visioning Symposium" will take place Friday, February 22nd and Saturday February 23rd at the Living Arts Centre. The program is very flexible to suit your busy schedules. Please register now www.conversation21.ca. Habits of Mind: Managing Impulsivity "The sign of intelligent people is their ability to control emotions by the application of reason." - Marya Mannes Successful people have a sense of deliberativeness. They know how to monitor their own impulses and resist jumping to conclusions. If you shout out the answer blurt the first idea that comes to mind take the first suggestion given start to work without fully understanding directions make immediate value judgments about an idea Why not try considering alternatives and consequences of several possible directions see if you can explain rules or parameters before beginning a task talk over a plan for solving a problem explore alternative problem solving strategies consider consequences of actions before beginning February 13, 2008 DECA News Congratulations to all DECA members who represented our school at the provincial competition with pride and dedication. Special recognition goes to the following students who had outstanding results: Teams Qualifying for International Competition in Atlanta First Place Winners: May Z. and Joanna X. Second Place Winners: Farhad B., Kenny Y., and Varun Bhambhani Third Place Winners: Jackson Tian., Karen L., Siddhant M. and Andrew D. Fourth Place Winners: Annie D. and Jedy W. Sixth Place Winnners: George T., Tina B., and Niyanti M. Multiple Medals (top ten in an single and overall in their category) Davik D., Maryan K., Shyam B., and Vaso Z Individual Medals (top ten in a single event) Ke L., Jeff S., Felix L., Tahir Z., Lina L., Joanne K., Pavithra P., Sandra K., Feroz Q., Jennifer W., Sarah K., Thanh N., Anna Z., Nasheen K., Grace F., Lily F., Jinesh D., Liang Z., Malathi S., and Jai G. New Series: Habits of Mind Successful people display common characteristics or dispositions. These patterns of thinking and behaving help them deal with challenges and rapid change. For the next 12 updates I will include excerpts from the article "Developing your child's habits of success in school, life and work" by Arthur L. Costa, Ed. D Professor Emeritus, California State University. Costa recognizes that the list is not exhaustive, but suggests that students look for growth in these areas: persisting, managing impulsivity, listening with understanding and empathy ,thinking flexibly, metacognition, striving for accuracy and precision, questioning and problem posing, applying past knowledge, communicating with clarity, gathering data, creativity, responding with awe, modeling. Persisting "Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all" Dale Carnegie Efficient problem solvers persevere even when the solution to a problem is not readily apparent. They have a wide range of problem-solving strategies. If you give up in despair when the answer to a problem is not immediately known. say "I can't do this," or "It's too hard," just want to get tasks over with as quickly as possible have troubles analyzing a problem, have troubles to developing a system or strategy to approach problems Why not try looking for three ways to solve each problem and then choosing the best one looking for evidence to indicate that your problem-solving strategy is working and making subsequent decisions based on your evidence looking for role models for "persistence' at school, at home or in the media discussing the value of persisting with friends and family February 7, 2008 Quick Items Date change for Parents-Teacher Night Recently, the Department Heads and members of the Administration Team reviewed the school calendar of events for semester 2. It was decided that a new format of Parent - Teacher Night would be adopted whereby the discussions between the parent and the teacher would focus on the program and how the parent may be able to support their son/daughter. As a result, the April 17 Parent - Teacher evening has been rescheduled to Wednesday February 27, 2008. Please mark this change on your calendar. Grade 11 Gifted Plan Workshop - Wednesday February 20, 2008 Nadja Halilbegovich, our keynote speaker, will discuss how she is using life experiences and her talents to be an "architect of peace". Activities are designed to help gifted students explore their leadership potential. These are mandatory workshops. The cost is $5 per student. February 3, 2008 Sears Drama Festival 2008 - Rithu R. It's that time of the year when the Drama Club of The Woodlands School has, for the fourth consecutive year, been chosen to host two of the nights for the Sears Ontario Drama Festival, a provincial wide theatrical event with more than 300 schools involved. You may have seen our submissions of two one-act plays for this competition at Theatre Shorts: Malevolence, written and directed by the Grade 12 student Marius Masalar, and Eggs, Bread, Milk, I Love You by Karina Palmitesta of Grade 11. Come out and support us on the 19th and 22nd at our school. Festival passes are only five dollars if you buy it in the caf, eight dollars at the door. This pass enables you to attend any of the other festival nights at others schools in our district: Iona, Port Credit, Cawthra Park and Clarkson. You can view the dates these schools are hosting at http://www.searsdramafestival.com/ Deep River Science Academy - submitted/suggested by N. Cox "Deep River Science Academy is a private not-for-profit organization founded in 1986. Its mission is to encourage talented high school students to pursue careers in science and engineering. DRSA provides this stimulus to Canadian youth by operating a six-week summer science program that lets high school students "test-drive" a scientific or engineering career by working on research projects that are part of ongoing R&D in leading research laboratories. Each pair of students takes ownership of a particular research project under the mentorship of a Research Assistant and professional researcher. In addition they earn two high school credits by participating. DRSA also provides career development experience for university science undergraduates. The undergraduates act in dual roles as tutors for the high school students and as research assistants at the hosting research laboratories. Not only do students learn from their experience, they make a real contribution to the research itself. The research projects range from chemistry, physics and biology through engineering and technology." For more information visit:http://www.drsa.ca/ February 1, 2008 Stephen Lewis Visit - J. Climie On Tuesday March 4, 2008 Stephen Lewis will be talking at the Woodlands Schools about the Aids Pandemic in Africa, gender inequality and treatment . His visit will kick of our annual Super Charity Week as our school hopes to raise over $15, 000 in one week for the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Stephen Lewis was the United Nations Special Envoy to the Aids pandemic in Africa and is the chair of the Stephen Lewis Foundation. He is a world renowned speaker, humanitarian and author of Race Against Time. His foundation supports the women, grandmothers, orphans and associations of people living with HIV and AIDS. The day he arrives will be structured around three central ideas. ➢ We want the day to be about a grass-root movement. BOTTOMS- UP. Thus, students will be empowering other students through their presentations at the Pavilion. ➢ The theme to his lectures is EMPOWERMENT. Thus, the day will be premised around the idea of Empowering ourselves through education, awareness and celebration. ➢ In his lecture: Pandemic: My country is on its Knees, Stephen says, "IF only the world were to care, Africa could be brought back to the life it once had." We want to take this idea and create an African Pavilion throughout the school. The Pavilion would reflect the social, economic, political, artistic, musical, poetic, health, geographical aspects of Africa. Students will also have the opportunity to walk through a unique African Pavilion which is run by classes and student groups. Each class/ group will pick an aspect of Africa which they are interested in or relates to the subject and create a presentation, skit, slide show, art work and poetry. As students walk through they will EXPERIENCE the uniqueness of Africa from a social, cultural, political, economic perspective. The Woodlands is looking forward to the day of celebration, education and awareness. January 17, 2008 Moya Teklu, Woodlands Graduate We are always happy to report on former students who are having a lasting, positive impact on our world. Alumnus Moya Teklu was interviewed on CBC's Metro Morning by Andy Barrie today. She was promoting the Black Law Students' Association's Open House "See Yourself Here" at the University of Toronto. At the The Woodlands, Ms. Andre-Barrett still uses Moya's short story anthology "Butterflies are Free" and her philosophy project comparing the work of Jeremy Bentham (a British political activist and legal scholar) and Hammurabi (a Babylonian king to which the oldest surviving code of laws is attributed) as exemplars. No one here is surprised that Moya is studying law and "making a difference." The following excepts are from an article by Nicholas Davis, Toronto Sun, February 14, 2008 containing an interview with Moya: "I am Making a Difference" Moya Teklu, 23, a U of T law student, is the co-chairman of the Black Law Students' Association and one of only six black students in her second-year class. "I was speaking to some people who graduated in 1963 and they told me the percentage of blacks in law school hasn't changed much since then," said Teklu. "I think it's a two-sided problem. First, it's tough to get in. You have to write LSATs (Law School Admission Test). Second is the cost. It's costing me $18,000 a year to attend law school. "So what's happening is a lot of blacks are not applying because they're letting fear get in the way; fear of not getting accepted, and the fear of not being able to afford it." To help ease their fears, this Saturday the Black Law Students' Association at U of T is hosting an open house. Black high school students and black university undergraduate students are being invited to the U of T's Faculty of Law to learn what it takes to get into university, get into law school and succeed as a black professional. See Yourself Here: An Open House will include lectures, panel discussions and informal networking sessions. The open house will also give black youths who want to go to law school the practical information they need to make it a viable option. When Teklu's family came to Canada in 1991 from Eritrea to escape the war in that country, studying law wasn't in her plans. Teklu had dreams of becoming a journalist. She even did volunteer work at the Toronto Sun, but a couple of television shows made Teklu consider law school. "I never knew any lawyers and had never met one," said Teklu, whose father is a janitor and mother is a health-care aide. "But I used to watch Matlock and Law & Order on TV and it made me think about being a lawyer. "Then when I was at York doing my undergraduate degree, I took an American history course and learned how the law was used to mistreat people and keep people down. After I graduated, I wanted to head to the States, become a civil rights lawyer and work on amending the constitution." Instead of going down south, Teklu went to U of T's law school. After finishing her first year, Teklu said she's now not sure what kind of law she wants to pursue. She's also interested in tax, contract and corporate law. But one thing she is certain about is that she wants to be a role model for black youths who want to attend law school. "I know by being a black female law student I am making a difference," said Teklu. "And I hope I can inspire other young black people to consider studying law." The entire article can be found at http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Davis_Nicholas/2008/01/14/4771803- sun.php January 14, 2008 ABC Presents: Aerospace Engineering at Ryerson University Date: Tuesday February 19, 2008 at 7:15 pm Location: Mississauga Room, Peel District School Board, HJA Brown Education Centre 5650 Hurontario St., Mississauga Please RSVP: ABC Peel at 905-230-8281 or support@abcpeel.org Newer. Faster. Better. Aerospace engineers design and develop everything from jets and space exploration vehicles to high-speed cars and hovercraft. Career opportunities are excellent; Canadas aerospace industry is the third largest in the world and the nations leading technology exporter. Ryersons Bachelor of Engineering in Aerospace is one of only two undergraduate degrees of its kind in all of Canada. Please join us to hear Dr. Jason Lassaline, Assistant Professor at Ryerson, give a presentation and answer your questions about this fascinating program. A flyer for this event is available in the IEP office. January 10, 2008 Peel-Wide Events A Cultural View - at The Humberview, April 18, 2008 (an event sponsored by the Enhanced Activity Council at The Humberview) This is the year we are introducing events in which enhanced students from all the regional centres may work together. Two of these will happen at The Woodlands and will involve the speakers highlighted below. The Humberview is offering "A Cultural View" - a cultural conference in which teams of enhanced students are invited to highlight a specific culture by setting up a pavillion. Your group of 5 members will be provided with a table on which you will set up your display (music, artifacts, food, art etc.) Electricity, A-V equipment, and microwaves can be requested. If you are interested in getting a group together for this fair, assemble a group of interested students and see Mrs. Quinn in the IEP room ASAP. Choice of cultures is on a first-request basis. Further information regarding this fair can be obtained from Ms. Henry or Mrs. Muston at eac.humberview@hotmail.com or 905.857.0771x333. December 21, 2007 Leadership Conference The Peel District School Board sponsored a leadership conference on November 28th at the Pearson Convention Centre. The special event afforded approximately 600 students from grades 7 to 10 an opportunity to learn about leadership and global citizenship. Justin Trudeau, a youth advocate and son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, was a keynote speaker at this one-day conference. It was a day filled with inspirational speakers, leadership workshops focused on international and cultural issues. The message of the day was Leadership and Change. According to Justin Trudeau, young people have the power to be change agents and make a difference in the world. He told the students Have an impact where you can have an impact. Everyone everywhere needs help from someone sometime. Thats what binds us. He wanted us, as youth, to spread the word, enlist other students, begin to make small changes, and continue to make bigger and bigger changes. He emphasized the need of becoming true global citizens and leaders. He challenged all of us to become peacekeeping, generous, environmentally- conscious citizens. It was a day filled with hope and vision and we, as students, need to keep that vision and spark alive by creating opportunities and projects to meet the needs of today and tomorrow. - Natasha C December 20, 2007 This is my first update in more than a month. I think that when you read this edition, you will see what I have been doing with my time. There have been a whirlwind of amazing opportunities. I will follow-up in the new year with student contributions regarding Deca Victories, the Leadership Conference featuring Justin Trudeau, Snowshow, and Theatre Shorts. In the meantime, I wish you all the happiest of holidays and all the best in the coming year. Monika Quinn Science Olympics Heartiest congratulations to the students of Ms. Raybould and Mr. Rosenblood's science classes for their outstanding contributions to the Science Olympics held December 4, 2007. This was an opportunity for our students to demonstrate their leadership and creativity and the high-energy, group problem-solving events they produced engaged the competitive spirit and kept our visiting enhanced students cheering. Mr. Walker's grade nine students hosted the teams and are all geared up to carry on the fine tradition of preparing events when they reach grade 10. Invitational Band Workshop The Invitational Band Workshop was second fabulous mentorship opportunity for our students to act as mentors for visiting grade eight students. The vent has grown from a small group of less than 20 to 45 keen participants in the past three years as our feeder schools have begun to appreciate this fantastic opportunity. After a brief introduction to our music program members of our senior band move to different areas of the school to work with the grade eights on a piece of music. Within the hour, all the students return to the stage and perform together. It was heart-warming to see how caring supportive our students were and how proud the grade eights were of their accomplishments. Why Have Gifted Plan Seminars?? If you are wondering why we have prepared the gifted plan seminars, please read the following excerpt. "Brains on Fire: The Multimodality of Gifted Thinkers" "... Because of their combination of enhanced sensitivity and memory, these kids are like "cognitive flypaper" in that they grab and hold onto ideas and information much more avidly than their peers. Too often this facility for acquiring information has been interpreted as a sign that gifted education should consist of "filling up their brains" with vast quantities of information. However, the exact opposite is true. Because gifted students are able with significantly less effort to acquire the standard knowledge base, information acquisition should actually be given less space in the curriculum rather than more. Rather than simply acquiring more facts, these students should use their extra time learning how to think like experts. They are already information wealthy--they do not need a greater largesse of facts. What they need is to learn what to do with what they already have. Finally, we believe that a greater proportion of gifted education be allocated toward learning how to organize and process information. Gifted children have a critical need to: understand the nature of their thinking, understand the quality of their information, and understand the uses of information. By "understanding the nature of thinking" we mean the sort of metacognitive training (or "thinking about thinking") that would allow gifted thinkers more effectively to direct and manage their own thinking. This training would equip them to understand the nature of memory, sensory processing, mental organization and learning styles, and would arm them with knowledge of mnemonic, organizational, interpersonal, and other problem solving strategies. This training would enable them to approach specific problems and learning in general with the greatest possible chance of success. Gifted students need more time for rumination and reflection, moving back toward a classical model of education in which a few resources were studied in depth and reflected on at length, rather immersed in barrage of information whose depths they are never allowed to explore." Brock Eide M.D. M.A. and Fernette Eide M.D. Grade Level Seminars Each enhanced level class is scheduled to use one period a semester reflecting on aspects of the Gifted Plan outlined in the IEP. Ms. Adzievski, Ms. Grandy, Mr. Rosenblood, and Mrs. Quinn have been visiting the classrooms and presenting 20 different lessons related to the grade level goals: Grade 9: Work Habits and Appropriate Interaction The Impact of Poor Social Skills on Group Work Organization, Planning and Memory Survival Kit: Cooperative learning Skills Ebbinghaus Memory Effect Creating an Effective Study Space at Home Grade 10: Creativity and Dealing with Personal Giftedness Marketing your Talents Awareness: How your Classmates View your Talents Self-esteem Mobiles Campaign Craze Posters Aspects of Creativity Grade 11: Leadership and Developing Personal Talents Say/Do Ratio: Examining World Leaders The Body Language of Leaders Leadership Essentials: Communication Leadership Essentials: Integrity Heroes, Celebrities and Leaders: Examining the Differences Lousy People Skills are the Biggest Hurdles for Leaders Grade 12: Ownership and critical thinking skills Cognitive Dissonance Self-esteem vs. Self efficacy Critical Thinking Skills: Horatio Nelson Case Study Critical Thinking Skills: Decision Making and Mazlow's Hierarchy of Needs Critical Thinking Skills: Examining for Bias: The Case of Robert Latimer Please thank Ms. Adzievski for all of the wonderful new lessons which have completed the set we already had in place last year. With 40 different lessons, we can continue to visit the classrooms knowing that there will be no repeated lessons over the years your child is in our program. New Initiative: Speaker Series In the new year, you can expect the roll out of a Speaker Series Program. For the Grade 10s, we have invited Lesley Andrew, a singer-songwriter whose presentation Beating the Odds deals with taking the responsibility for personal change and growth, overcoming obstacles, facing fears and attaining goals. For the grade 11s, Nadja Halibegovich is coming in to talk to about her experiences during the war in Sarajevo. At the age of twelve she started sharing her diary entries over the radio. At 16 Nadja escaped the country through an underground tunnel and fled to the US. She writes, "War taught me that every human being has a dark and bright side. It is our choice to fight the darker side and show our warm and beautiful feelings or to let ourselves be weak and hopeless, bitter and mean. I hope that the warm and brilliant colors of the morning dawn, the radiant light of midnight's stars on the sky of my dreams will always light up my soul with goodness and faith." We are excited to present both of these fabulous workshops to our students hoping to help them reflect on their own growth and development. Grad Survey I have never before reported on the on-going survey process we have in place. We are in our fourth year of data collection and have been using the data to respond in our greatest areas of need and to measure our improvement. I am pleased to announce there has been significant improvement in our program. No Change: 100% of graduates appreciate our program and 60% of them find their appreciation of it increases after they arrive at university Steady Growth: The Enhanced Learning Program has a strong showing or improvement in all areas except developing study habits. Marked Improvement: The Enhanced Learning Program is showing marked improvement in the following previous areas of greatest need. 1) Teachers being perceived as understanding giftedness and 2) Developing leadership potential. Current Area of Greatest Need (but still having a respectable approval rating): 1) developing study habits and 2) developing organizational skills. We proud of our progress to date and are taking this opportunity to devise a plan to address these new issues. We thought you might like a peek at what is going on behind the scenes. M. Quinn November 9, 2007 From Ms. Alexander Finally a reliable version of Wiki! Although it only has 4,000 articles so far it is reliable as its content is locked down and has been checked by experts. It is linked at the library website now. http://www.veropedia.com/ November 2, 2007 Woodlands Student Leads Team to Gold at Shad/RBC Entrepreneurship Cup Congratulations Daivik More than 600 students participated in the 2007 Shad/RBC Entrepreneurship Cup competition, developing a product based on "Zero Waste Technology." Grade 12 student at Woodlands, Daivik D. and his team developed a product to be used in hotels which would eliminate the use of plastic water bottles for shampoo and conditioner. After developing the product at University of British Columbia, the gold winning team also developed a prototype, a marketing plan and a website, www.mist.fx.nu. E=mc2: Enrichment Studies Unit at Queen's University from http://esu.queensu.ca/emc2/ E=mc2 provides students in grades 9-12 the unique opportunity to go to Queens University and study a subject of their choosing at an advanced level for one week. The academic component of the program is designed to allow participants the freedom to interact and learn in an environment sensitive to their level of development. The combination of academics, residence life, and extra curricular activities provides students with a sample of university life. Please visit the website for more information. Advanced Business Practice Songwriting Marketing Maniacs Learning to See with an Artist's Eye Dance Choreography Fine Art: Creative Expression Make Believe:A Scene Study Workshop Introduction to Visual Arts Drama A-Z Photography Makeup Artist Careers Journalism Digital Recording Expressive Writing Learning to Improvise Musically Making Your Voice Heard Say Si to Spanish German Global Perspectives The World through Different Eyes Introduction to Canadian Law Intermediate Canadian Law The Psychology of Criminal Behaviour Pathology and Molecular Medicine Alternative Medicine: Plants that Heal Cancer Today Archaeology - The History Beneath our Feet Introduction to Molecular Biology Aquatic Ecology Life Sciences Mathventure Programming in Java Engineering Robotics Expanding the Universe The Wonders of Solar Energy: Solar Vehicle Biomedical Engineering Nanotechnology Sport Psychology Sport Science Bodies in Motion Psychology: Science of Mind and Behaviour Sociology: The Family in popular Media Social Influence: How to Get What You Want Human Behaviour and Evolution Experimental Psychology October 30, 2007 YOUR GOVERNMENT YOUR VOICE Tuesday December 4, 2007 - Toronto The recent provincial election shows that a female presence in Ontarios legislature is on the rise. Yet, women hold only 26 percent of the overall 107 seats. Did you know despite making up more than half of Canada's population, women are still vastly under represented in political arenas and account for only one-fifth of our MPs? That's fewer than in Ethiopia, Iraq and Afghanistan. (Toronto Star May 10th, 2007) Are you passionate about your career (or volunteer work) in politics or government? Join us to inspire the next generation of young women entering the workforce! Youth in Motion is pleased to be presenting "Your Government...Your Voice!" a Career Learning Day for young women in grades 8 - 12. DATE: Tuesday December 4, 2007 TIME: 9:00 am 2:30 pm LOCATION: 89 Chestnut Street, 2nd Floor Ballroom, Toronto AUDIENCE: Young women in grades 8-12 Please contact Jennifer Basso at 416.962.4192 ext. 3, or jbasso@youth-in- motion.ca October 24, 2007 The Work of The Woodlands' Alumni: Going Green The goal of the Enhanced Learning Program is to provide a rich, stimulating environment in which students develop the courage to actualize potential and the creativity to live healthy, innovative lives producing work of lasting significance to the greater community (adapted from Barbara A. Kerr, Ph.D. author of 'Smart Girls and Smart Boys') When our alumni report on their work, we know whe have met our goal. This morning I received an email from a former Woodlands student, whose first coop project at Waterloo was the implementation of green bins in Missisauga. She has agreed to come in to speak in April about coop opportunities. Please visit the website (http://peelregion.ca/pw/waste/organics1/) and when you use your green bin, remember with pride that students graduating from our program are making a real difference in our community. Supplementary Application/Scholarship Application Workshop This is an opportunity for grade twelves planning to write supplementary applications or scholarship applications to work through the process in a small group. Students will get tips and strategies for completing these applications wisely as they work through a real scholarship application. Students will need to bring: a copy of their resume, post-it notes, and a pencil. The following times are available. Sign up in the IEP room today. Monday, October 29 Period 2 at 10:25 Period 3 at 11:30 Tuesday, October 30 Period 3 at 11:30 Period 4 at 12:45 Wednesday, October 31 Period 4 at 12:45 Period 5 at 2:10 Thursday November 1 Period 2 at 10:25 Period 5 at 2:10 New Club Opportunity: Enhanced Activity Council Staff Sponsors: Mrs. Quinn and Mr. Rosenblood Creative, organized, and enthusiastic enhanced students interested in promoting and bringing innovation to the Enhanced Learning Program are invited fill out an application available on the IEP office door as soon as possible. Duties may include: - special event organization including Enhanced School Tours Science Olympics Music Invitational Event Grade Level Speaker Series Workshops - feedback to the program coordinators - a voice on this website - working in partnership with EACs (Enhanced Activity Councils) at the other regional enhanced centres to organize board-wide opportunities for gifted students. Students from all grade levels are welcome to apply. For more information, please see Mrs. Quinn in the IEP office soon. October 15, 2007 Student Achievement Awards 2008 - sponsored by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation Theme: Necessity A necessity is any vital entity required for survival. Fundamental needs are described as food, shelter, and love. In addition, necessity can refer to abstract thoughts and desires essential to motivation; in fact, necessity drives all human action. How do you view necessity? What does necessity mean to you? Students may submit an entry along with the appropriate entry form to your sponsoring teacher in one of the divisions. Prose and Poetry: typewritten, numbered pages, double-spaced, 1000 words or less each school can only submit ONE entry per category Category 1: Intermediate, 9-10 Academic Category 2: Intermediate, 9-10 Applied/Essential Category 3: Senior, 11-12 University Category 4: College/Workplace Category 5: French Creative Division: All grades and levels. Various requirements Category 1: Visual Arts(painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, digital illustration, 2-D mixed media, sculpture, assemblage, installation) Category 2: English or French video/audio/animation (VHS/cassette/CD or DVD) Please contact Mrs. Andre-Barrett if you are interested in the poetry or prose division or your art teacher if you are interested in the creative division. More information see Mrs. Quinn in the IEP office. October 13, 2007 Some News from Shad Valley The following email arrived today. If there is sufficient interest, I will try to arrange a school visit. Please send me an email if you think you would like to attend an information session for this program. Dear Monika, Were aware that some students are discouraged from applying to Shad Valley due to the program fee of $2,500, so I want to share some important news regarding an expanded Shad Valley scholarship program. Weve just approved an increase in the number of entrance scholarships to 100 from 15. 25 scholarships will cover the full program fee of $2,500 and 75 will have a value of $1,000, and with 620 program places for 2008, students will have a one in six chance of receiving one. All scholarships will be awarded based on the strength of a students Shad Valley program application. In addition, we will continue to provide bursaries for students in financial need, as Shad believes strongly that all qualified students deserve an opportunity to benefit from the Shad Valley experience, regardless of their financial situation. Feedback from teachers and guidance counselors tells us that presentations by Shad alumni or staff are an effective way of bringing awareness to students and teachers about the program, and communicating the benefits of participating. You can request a school visit at http:// www.shad.ca/shad/myweb.php?hls=10235 or contact Melanie Reiffenstein directly at melanie@shad.ca . Well do our best to arrange a visit that fits your needs and schedule. Just a reminder that the preferred date for applications is December 12, 2007 with a second intake January 16, 2008. I hope to welcome some of your wonderful students to Shad Valley 2008. Sincerely, - Barry --- Barry G. Bisson, P.Eng., MBA President Shad Valley International 8 Young Street East Waterloo ON N2J 2L3 Email: president@shad.ca URL: http://www.shad.ca October11, 2007 The Duke of Edinburghs Award Young Canadians Challenge from http://www.dukeofed.org/on/award/requirements.html The Duke of Edinburghs Award Young Canadians Challenge is an exciting self- development Programme available to all young people, equipping them with life skills to make a difference to themselves, their communities and their country. The Award is flexible and can be done by anyone aged 14-25 in their own time: mental or physical ability or social circumstances should never be a barrier. Moreover, the individual chooses what activities to do depending on his/her interests and resources. For more information visit the website above. September 27, 2007 New Look Gifted Plan - Good News Using feedback from a Ministry of Education audit, special education coordinators and program coordinators across Peel, The Woodlands Gifted Plan has been revised. The grade level goals remain intact. Wording was tightened up and additions were made to improve the document. This collaborative process has resulted in the acceptance of our plan by the other regional centres and the potential for greater alignment across the Board in the delivery of programming for gifted students. Please note: this is the wording you may expect on the IEP. Teachers are now working with the new plan and it is our expectation that the specific strategies used in each subject will appear shortly in an Alternative Programming Page designed to accompany each enhanced course outline. Highlights of the strategies used will appear again in the individual comments of teachers at the end of the semester. THE WOODLANDS GIFTED PLAN GRADE NINE: Engaging in Active Learning - to engage in productive interaction with peers of similar ability and consistent application of appropriate work habits LEARNING EXPECTATIONS TEACHING STRATEGIES - to study topics in more depth and breadth - classroom strategies may include: the substitution of more sophisticated content, the elimination of rote work in areas of mastered content or skills, the opportunity for choice - classroom grouping strategies and use of open- ended projects - to demonstrate appropriate social - encouraging involvement in extra-curricular peer interaction opportunities - offering the opportunity to examine and analyse effective group- work strategies - to develop and demonstrate effective - providing time-management and work-habits work habits seminars - encouraging the use of organizational tools GRADE TEN: Personal Reflection and Development - to provide the opportunity to deal with personal giftedness and to recognize and develop creativity LEARNING EXPECTATIONS TEACHING STRATEGIES - to study topics in more depth and breadth - classroom strategies may include: content compacting, alternate pacing, analysis of personal strengths, providing flexibility in assignments to allow for choice and creativity, providing opportunities for exploration of authentic applications - to analyse and pursue areas of strength - encouraging involvement in extra- curricular opportunities and community service - establishing open-ended discussion and assignments - to explore unique, individual ideas and - acknowledging and supporting unique, present creative, alternative answers imaginative or inventive pursuits - providing creativity seminars GRADE ELEVEN: Specialization - to develop personal talents and to recognize and develop leadership potential LEARNING EXPECTATIONS TEACHING STRATEGIES - to study topics in more depth and breadth - classroom strategies may include: adapting curriculum to elicit high levels of performance, providing leadership opportunities to showcase personal talents, tailoring classroom activities to reflect student's specific interest and talents - to pursue an interest in a specialized - offer confidence building activities and area of study utilizing personal talents encouraging involvement in a variety of school activities - to have opportunity to take on various - providing opportunity to work with students leadership roles in group work of similar talents and abilities - offering leadership seminars, providing opportunities to become a mentor, encouraging involvement in the executive councils of school and community groups GRADE TWELVE: Independence, Ownership and Accountability - to participate in the planning of a personal program and to develop and refine critical thinking skills. LEARNING EXPECTATIONS TEACHING STRATEGIES - to study topics in more depth and breadth - classroom strategies may include: reorganizing the curriculum to allow students to develop original ideas and products, including more sophisticated, contemporary and/or abstract content - to actively participate in goal setting - creating opportunities for student and determining final products involvement in the planning process of a major project - encouraging active involvement in enrichment opportunities provided by foundations and universities - to identify, and develop critical - providing critical thinking skills seminars thinking skills including: analogy, and opportunity to apply skills attribution, evaluation and ranking, cause and effect, identifying bias, and cross-classification September 20, 2007 Saturday Science & Engineering Academy from http://www.ecf.utoronto.ca/apsc/html/SSA/ Saturday Science & Engineering Academy is the University of Toronto's advanced academic program for students in Grades 3 to 12 who have a desire to explore science, math and technology in challenging and creative ways. Students are exposed to concepts and topics beyond the regular school curriculum in a fun and hands-on environment. Small class sizes allow students to meet others with the same interests and aspirations. Topics Grades 9 and 10 Grades 11 and 12 Intro to Aviation Space Robotics Video Game Programming Signals and Systems Marvelous Microbiology Pharmaceutical Principles New Age Materials The Micro Challenge Campus Tours http://www.cue.ca/WP/AboutUs.aspx? urlid=cue&aid=cue This is a commercial site which offers tours to different university and college campuses and arranges for buses and campus guides. I would be interested to know if anyone has used this company and was pleased with the service. Canadian Education Exchange Foundation from http://www.ceef.ca/new- site/students/students-idx.html Students from The Woodlands have gone on these exchanges in the past and been very satisfied with this foundation. Brochures and application forms are available in the IEP office. A CEEF Student Exchange is for you if you would like to: - live in a foreign country and be immersed in another culture - expand your ability to communicate in another language - host an exchange partner from that foreign country - experience living as a member of your partner's family for three months Destinations For 2008-2009 CEEF will be offering three-month international student exchanges to six European countries: France, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, Germany and The Netherlands. Also in Europe, a shorter two-month exchange to Belgium (French-speaking region) is available. The exchange program to Mexico is for three-months. In addition, during July and August CEEF organizes one-month exchanges to Spain, France and Switzerland (French-speaking region) September 18, 2007 Waterloo Unlimited: A unique enrichment experience for high school students of exceptional potential. From http://www.unlimited.uwaterloo.ca/ Join a community of scholars! Launched in November 2004 by the University of Waterloo, Waterloo Unlimited is built upon four cornerstones: Transdisciplinarity, Intrinsic Motivation, Community and Self-Enrichment. These values provide a framework for an enrichment experience like no other, bringing together students of exceptional promise from across the country. Unlimited students will live and study in a creative, articulate community of scholars where the students, staff and professors share a common vision: that a University is a place where people of extraordinary ability and accomplishment come together in their pursuit of knowledge, experience, and excellence across the traditional boundaries of academic disciplines. Grade 12 Program The focus of this three day program will be on \"How to read a research paper.\" Students will have the opportunity to interact in small group settings with professors, who will guide them through the reading of one of their research p apers. University student panellists will discuss the availability of research experiences at the undergraduate level; and, in a conference style format, graduate students will display their research with poster presentations and informal one on one dialogues with the high school students. October 17 - 20 or November 21 - 24 Contact: crossman@unlimited.uwaterloo.ca Program fee: $100 For out of town students: shared, supervised hotel accommodation, $50 per night September 14, 2007 Shad Valley (from http://www.shad.ca/shad/myweb.php?hls=10007) Shad Valley is unlike anything you've encountered. It's a program of infinite possibilities a place where you can meet challenges head-on, and learn from the experience. You don't do it aloneyou meet people with the same drive to excel that you have. You forge lifetime friendships, you work together with those friends, and you stretch the limits. Shad has a number of academic cornerstones: science, technology, entrepreneurship, engineering and mathematics. Lectures, labs, and workshops will help you enhance your knowledge and build skills. You'll also have the opportunity to invent a new productor innovate an existing one as a member of a team working on an entrepreneurship project. Bottom line: you're going to be challenged, you're going to learn, and it's going to be fun. You'll be on a leading university campus for four weeks, working hands-on with 50 like-minded individuals, with access to more resources and excellent thinkers than are often found collected in one place. Gairdner Award Lectures Students in SBI 4UE have been invited to the prestigious Gairdner Award Lectures. Only select schools are invited because of their outstanding performance on the University of Toronto Biology Competition and first year biology courses. Last year, for example, one of our graduates was the top first year biology student at The University of Toronto and she was rewarded with a research position, taking her to Churchill Manitoba to study the interactions between the goose and polar bear populations. This year's lectures will include presentations by: Corey Goldman: Senior Lecturer in Biology, Course Coordinator of First Year Biology, Director of the University of Toronto Biology Competition Dr. John Dirks, President of the Gairdner Foundation Dr. Thomas Steitz, Ph.D, Gairdner Award Recipient, Howard Hughes Medical Institute , Yale University "Understanding biological processes from the structures of its macromolecular machines." Dr. Dennis Slamon, MD, Ph.D, Executive Vice Chair for Research, University of California, Los Angeles "The diversity of human breast cancer." University of Toronto 2007-2008 Mentorship Program http://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/prospective/highschoolprograms/enrichment#5 The Mentorship Program is for senior high school students who show considerable academic promise and are interested in enriching their secondary studies by assisting university of Toronto professors in their research. Not all applicants can be accomodated and some of the areas are highly competitive, yet most years, a Woodlands student is accepted. The following projects are being offered this year: Aboriginal Education Aboriginal Student Recruitment African Studies Art History Biochemistry Biology/Medicine Cell& Systems Biology Christianity and Culture English Environmental Science Ethics, Society and Law French German and Diaspora Studies Health Policy, Management & Evaluation History and Classics:Islamic Studies Human Development and Applied Psychology Injury Prevention Italian Studies Jewish Studies Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology Mathematics Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations Neurogenetics Nutritional Sciences Pathology Physiatry Physics Psychology Science Education Sociology Spanish and Portuguese The brochure is available in the IEP office or in Student Services and the deadline for application is Oct 5, 2007. Don't miss this opportunity! Community Service: Have you become involved yet? Yes, helping others make us feel warm and fuzzy, but new research suggest that doing good deed can actually help people live longer, healthier lives An excerpt from "The Science of the Soul" by Siri Agrell Globe and Mail Thursday May 3, 2007 What if your doctor told you to take two steps toward being a better person and call him in the morning? Patients at a California health maintenance organization are being prescribed generous behaviour as part of a program called Rx: volunteer, one of various new research projects described by Stephen Post in his book "Why Good Things Happen to Good People" out next week. Dr. Post Chronicles the link between doing good and leading a longer healthier life. "The science shows that we're hardwired to be giving," he says. "We're talking here about a one- a-day vitamin for the soul" No, being a good person won't necessarily get you a new car or help you to lose 10 pounds, Dr Post says, but there is a karma of the brain, where the body physically rewards acts of kindness and forgiveness. "The remarkable bottom line of science is that giving protects overall health twice as much as aspirin protects against heart disease." he says. MARCH BREAK IN ITALY! - S. Adzievski Dive deep into the culture of the Mediterranean, by looking at one of Europes oldest civilizations, where ancient foundations support such a modern outlook. The allure and intrigue of Italy can be a stellar complement to any classroom curriculum! This school year, our children have the opportunity to expand their knowledge, understanding of other cultures, architecture and history by going out into the real world to see it first hand. This March Break, the students will have the chance to take a guided tour of Italy, supervised by teachers and experienced travel directors. A trip of this kind can really augment a student's education and personal growth. The chance to travel, particularly to Italy is more than just an extension of the curriculum. It is an invaluable educational opportunity that will expose our students to people from other countries and experience a whole new world! Explorica, a leading educational travel company offers high-quality, low-cost travel programs worldwide. They are the leaders in educational travel, helping teachers and students discover the wonders of the world through safe and reliable tour experiences. Also, parents can be involved every step of the way through daily updates and pictures either online or from tour guides. To find out more about this truly is an invaluable educational opportunity, please contact: S. Adzievski 905-279-0575 extension 211 or visit the website: www.explorica.ca and look at how much the tour "ITALIAN HIGHLIGHTS" has to offer! Click "LogIn" Enter Perugini-9281 in the "TourCentreID" field for more info on the Italian Highlights Tour. The trip fees are reduced if we book early. Please contact Ms. Adzievski obefore October 2 for the best price option. The trip offer will close in January and payment options can be arranged. Please visit the website and/or contact S. Adzievski. Welcome to the 2007 2008 School Year! Over the past months, teachers have been working hard to develop courses and activities to meet the needs of our students. We are looking forward to another exciting school year! Important IEP News Gifted students will soon be receiving an Instructional Needs Form containing a copy of the Gifted Plan and an opportunity for input. Please return the completed form as quickly as you can to the home room teacher. The core ideas in the Gifted Plan as outlined on the Instructional Needs Form will remain in place. However, as part of a regular Ministry of Education review, program coordinators across the Region of Peel have been asked to work together to tighten up some of the language. These deliberations will begin this week and I will send out a newsflash as soon as I post the updated Gifted Plan. Thank you for your patience as we continue to review and refine the IEPs. June 26, 2007 Hello Everyone Thanks to Catherine Haire, Head of Student Services, for forwarding the following article. It describes the recent work of Professor Howard Gardner in which he proposes the five types of thinking which will best prepare us for the future. As we say goodbye to our graduates of the Enhanced Learning Program we wish them well knowing we have provided the opportunity to develop all of these ways of thinking. We rejoice in every announcement of the creative, socially-responsible work of our graduates. For example, the work of graduates of the Enhanced Learning Program at The Woodlands currently includes: - post-doctoral work in pre-transplant donor treatment to increase the success of heart transplant surgery - development of a viable "green business" plan at Queen's - a master's degree in digital microscopy in endoscopes for cancer applications - bringing the composting program to the Region of Peel - avian research in the Costa Rican rainforest - undergraduate participation in biochemical research in the of exocytosis of insulin in diabetics - genetic counseling at Mount Sinai Hospital I only have a narrow window on the many creative and important projects of our graduates but it is wide enough to know that, together with our parent group, we are on the right track. As always, we continue to grow and work together to improve the programming for enhanced students at The Woodlands and yet, I was struck by the parallels of our program to this important work. I hope you find it interesting. Wishing everyone a wonderful summer, All the best, M. Quinn From Minding the future, one mind at a time By Harvey Schacter Globe and Mail, May 27, 2007 For several decades, Harvard University psychologist Howard Gardner has researched the human mind and how it is organized. Although you may not be familiar with his name, your are probably familiar with his breakthrough notion that we have multiple intelligences eight or nine of them such as linguistic, spatial, bodily, musical and intrapersonal, rather than just the traditional cognitive capacity measured by IQ tests. Now he is back with a different theory, trying to lay down the minds or types of thinking we will need to operate successfully in the future. He takes his lead in part from the words of Winston Churchill: "The empires of the future will be empires of the mind." Professor Gardner believes we must recognize the ways of thinking required for our emerging era of science, technology and globalization and educating ourselves and our children accordingly. Professor Gardner considered a number of possibilities, discarding candidates such as the technological mind, the digital mind, the democratic mind, the flexible mind, the emotional mind, the strategic mind, and the spiritual mind. The ones he settled on aren't shocking, but perhaps that's to the point. They are logical and contoured to our world and how it is evolving ways of thinking we increasingly find ourselves trying to adopt. THE DISCIPLINED MIND We need to master the body of knowledge and key procedures related to our work, be it law, architecture, engineering, teaching, or management. By that he doesn't mean the specific subject matter, but the distinctive way of thinking about the world that underlies each discipline. Scientists learn how to observe the world, come up with tentative classifications and concepts, design experiments to test their tentative theories, and revise their theories in the light of new findings. In business schools students learn that information is necessarily incomplete but they must. While high schools today focus on teaching subject matter, he feels they should prepare individuals to think in ways that characterize the major disciplines such as science and mathematics, history and at least one art form, such as figure drawing, playing an instrument or writing one act plays. THE SYNTHESIZING MIND Since more and more knowledge lies in the space between disciplines, individuals must learn to synthesize knowledge and how to extend it. He does that in his own writing, bringing together diverse fields. But it's also vital for managers, who must consider the job to be done, the various workers on hand, their current assignments and skills, what is known about the people, and then figure out through a "synthesizing mind" how to best execute the current priority and move on to the next one. THE CREATING MIND Some synthesis will be straightforward while in other situations it will involve a stretch innovative thinking by a "creating mind". This is a much celebrated way of thinking today but Professor Gardner is worried that it is not being nurtured in schools as we turn to uniform curricula, tests and standards. "Parents should make sure their children pursue hobbies or activities that do not feature a single right answer. Teachers ought to illustrate the several ways in which a particular math problem can properly be solved or a literary passage can interpreted; they ought to facilitate classroom visits by charismatic inventors and artists who have gone their own way and achieved success." THE RESPECTFUL MIND We must avoid stereotyping or caricature, but instead try to understand other people on their own terms. We must convey our trust in them, try as far as possible to make common cause with them and be worthy of their trust. That does not mean ignoring your own beliefs, but you must make and effort to understand others who are different from you. THE ETHICAL MIND You must try to take ethical stances, fulfilling your responsibility as a member of your organization, region, nation and the world. What are your obligations to others? What kind of a world would you like to live in? Professor Gardner stresses how you can help to create a world of "good works" work that is excellent, ethical, and engaging. June 20, 2007 Wilfred Laurier University will be hosting IDEA Laurier for gifted students on November 30th 2007. "IDEA LAURIER is a one-day program designed to provide gifted high-school students with an introduction to the university learning experience. Participating students will be divided into small groups to explore a contemporary world issue from a multidisciplinary case study." http://www.wlu.ca/idea-laurier June 15 2007 Enrichment Opportunities The following enrichment programs are available through the University of Waterloo. Participants are selected based on a creative and competitive application. Students may apply now and throughout the summer for best availability. Applications will also be accepted in the fall. Explore the website, www.unlimited.uwaterloo.ca for all the information you need to know. If you need further detail, call our Program Co-ordinator at 519-888-4567 ext. 35176 or email info@unlimited.uwaterloo.ca. Grade 12 Programs: Roadmap to Research (October 17 - 20, 2007 OR November 21 - 24, 2007) - an introduction to the art and science of reading academic papers - an opportunity to explore cutting-edge discoveries with professors from across campus - the chance to engage with real, live undergraduate and graduate student researchers Grade 11 Program: Design Theme (Sunday, March 2 - Friday, March 7, 2008) Spend a week exploring the theme of Design with a community of like-minded peers. From architecture and the environment to science fiction and virtual reality, this program is designed for students who will be in grade 11 during the 2007/2008 school year. Grade 10 Program: Vision Theme (Sunday, May 11 - Friday, May 16, 2008) From eyesight to imagination and fine art to flight, we're excited about giving you the opportunity to see "vision" in a whole new light. We have envisioned this program for students who will be in grade 10 during the 2007/2008 school year. Congratulations Once a year the Peel District Board of Education honours students for outstanding achievement in various areas. Congratulations to all of The Woodlands' students and groups honoured at this year's Stellar Awards. Platinum, School Recognition Award for Quality Daily Physical Education A. Dai and J. Wang S. Khemraj and P. Sood K. Lien, A. Ravi S. Sadagopan and J. Tian K. Wu and J. Younan A. Singh J. Smith R. Chandra and J. Musgrave T. Zaman A. Zhang Sear's Festival: Outstanding Production - "The People's Studio" J. Walls Y. Naguib M. Speare Gold and Invitation to Nationals - Senior Concert Band Silver and Invitation to Nationals - Wind Ensemble J. Antolin L. Xu A. Dhawan E. Liu T. Nguyen May 30, 2007 Physics department here at The Woodlands has been very busy over the last week. Last Thursday and Friday, the SPH3UE classes held their semi-annual Physics Fair and it was a blazing success. There were countless interactive stations about topics ranging from the Aurora Borealis to the mechanics of the human ear to time travel. The students displaying their topic were enthusiastic and motivated to teach all those who came by their display. Well done to both classes. The physics department then extended their classroom all the way up to Vaughn as we took our annual trip to Canada's Wonderland where the students worked on projects based on the roller coasters there. As part of the experiment, the students went on the roller coasters to make sure they got all their readings and data. A fun day was had by all the grade 11 and 12 students who went. May 29, 2007 German Exchange The exchange to Peine, Germany has been opened up to all students currently in The Woodlands Enhanced Learning Program. This exchange includes a visit and the stay of a student from Germany in your home. In exchange, students from The Woodlands will have the opportunity to take part in the family life of a student in Germany. Our trip to Germany will have a broad appeal. We will be staying in a quaint town Peine and walking in the Hartz mountains, visiting the VW plant in Wolfsburg, touring a mediaeval walled town, Hamlin, Bremen, Hannover, Hamburg and finishing our stay in Berlin. There we will be touring and visiting important historical sites like Checkpoint Charlie. This is an opportunity that should not be missed. If you think you would like to join the exchange please see Mrs. Quinn or Frau Holl before the end of the week. May 23, 2007 Sanofi-Aventis Biotech Challenge Grade Eleven Biology Students, Serena L., Alvin P. and Pinky W. who presented their biotech project at the Sanofi-Aventis Biotech Challenge Awards presentation on Thursday, May 10th. These students worked hard all semester on their experiment titled Engineering Bioluminescent Life Forms in which they tried to transplant the gene that enables a firefly to produce light into a grass plant. Imagine your lawn making its own light! Special Thanks to Ms Hallak, their teacher, for suggesting and encouraging this high achieving trio. Provincial German Contest Thanks to Frau Jutta Holl and the Woodlands German Language student contingent that travelled to York University to participate in the recent provincial championships last weekend. Alec H., and Dainis K. placed 2nd, Jenna P. placed 6th and Christy B. placed 7th overall putting 4 Woodlands students in the top ten in Ontario. Congratulations everyone! National Lacrosse League Championships Congratulations to our own Mr. Ryan Greer and the members of the Rochester Knight Hawks who won the National Lacrosse League Championships. Mr. Greer scored the winning goal in an exciting final! Junior and Senior Boys Cricket Congratulations to Mr. Martin Vendryes, Mr. Zain Ghadially and the members of the Junior and Senior Boys' Cricket Teams for winning the 2007 ROPSSAA Championships! Both teams shone and represented The Woodlands with great sportsmanship and skill. May 22, 2008 Hi Everyone. Mr. Rosenblood and I have just finished a week-long blitz of seminars on the grade level alternative programming: work habits, creativity, leadership, ownership and emotional intelligence. We have also completed a series of more than 100 intake IPRCs for next year's grade nines. Very soon we will be able to catch everyone up on all of the fabulous activities around the school. In the mean time, I will pass along a letter from our Principal, Jeanne Gray. M. Quinn May 14, 2007 Dear Parent / Guardian, The Administration at The Woodlands School, in conjunction with The Woodlands School Council, invites you to attend an evening presentation on the topics of: - Computer Use and Internet Safety - Community Resources and Programs available to support Student Success Parents from the Woodlands Family of Schools are invited to attend these presentations which will take place at the Woodlands School from 7 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday May 23, 2007. At the end of the presentations, there will be time for a question and answer session. Guest presenters for these sessions include Betty Dai from the Inter-Cultural Neighbourhood Social Services along with a member from the Peel Regional Police Department. The material covered through these presentations make them suitable for parents of children in grade 7 12. We hope that you will be able to attend to learn more about support agencies in the Woodlands community and the services they provide. Parents will also learn more about how to avoid the dangers that can occur with unsupervised use of the internet along with topics such as Facebook and YouTube. We welcome you to attend these sessions where light refreshments will be served. Language support will be provided by Settlement Workers who will be in attendance. We hope to see you on Wednesday May 23 at 7:00 p.m. in the cafetorium at The Woodlands School. Sincerely yours, Jeanne Gray April 20, 2007 Physics Contests: A Reminder May 1, 2007 Grade 11 OAPT (Ontario Association of Physics Teachers) Physics Contest May 3, 2007 Grade 12 University of Waterloo Sir Isaac Newton Physics Contest Grade 11 and 12 physics students will once again be going to Canada's Wonderland on May 28 to study the physics of the rides. Super Charity Week May 7-9 The Prefects are raising awareness for STAND (Students Take Action now in Darfur). Money will be raised through a Dance-a-thon, Vow of Silence, Bake Sale, Auction, Information Night and Games Day. International Bazaar On Tuesday May 1, The Woodlands celebrates cultural diversity in food, customs, traditional dress, song and dance. This wildly popular event takes place in the Cafetorium at Lunch. Thanks to the hundreds of participants. University of Toronto National Biology Contest This is a reminder about Biology Contest taking place in the Library Resource Centre Thursday, April 26. You will need to bring a good eraser and a HB pencil to the library at 1:15pm. A few of our biology scholars are off on a DECA trip so a few places have opened up. If you missed the deadline, but would like to write the test, see Mrs. Quinn today. Sonofi-Aventis Biotech Challenge and Biotech Initiative Trip: May 2, 2007 Mr. Walker and Mrs. Quinn are taking the grade 12 biology students to Ryerson University for a lecture on Microbial Diversity and a workshop entitled Extracting DNA. Following the workshop we will travel to the display hall for the Sonofi-Aventis Biotech challenge to see the displays of student from the Toronto Area. Among these displays are three entries from The Woodlands School: Luminescent Agrostis palustris, Reactivating telemorase in vegetative plant tissues The prevention of common potato scab. Thanks go to Ms. Hallak for organizing this school's participation in the challenge. Leader of the Pack April 26,27 and 28 The Woodlands Drama Department presents "Leader of the Pack". This high- energy musical features the music of Ellie Greenwich. Don't miss it. All performances start at 7:30pm and tickets are now on sale in the cafeteria. Parents' Night Our Parents' Night will be held on Wednesday, April 25 in the cafetorium, starting at 5:30pm. Appointments with teachers can be made through your child. We look forward to seeing you there. Good Luck to the DECA Team From April 26 to May 3, the DECA Team will be off to Florida to represent our school in International Competition. 21 of our students have earned the right to compete because of our outstanding showing in the provincial competition. Check out these results. First Place Winners: A. Ravi, K. Lien, S. Sadogopan, J. Tian, K. Wu, J. Younan A Dai, J.Wang, S. Khemraj, P. Soud Second Place Winners: A. Singh, J. Smith, Third Place Winners: A. Zhang, T.Zaman, J. Musgrave, R. Chandra Fourth Place Winners: A. Mistry, J. Lau, L. Li, C. Liu, K. Li $2000 Scholarships J. Smith, A. Zhang to the University of Waterloo German Cultural Exchange On Wednesday night after Parents' Night there will be a brief meeting for all parents and students interested in taking part in the cultural exchange to Peine, Germany. In September, student from Germany will visit Canada for two weeks and in the spring we will travel to Germany. At this point, the invitation is only open to current German students and those who have signed up for German next year. April 16, 2007 Parent meeting for the trip to Italy for Grade 8 & 9 enhanced students who are interested in going. The meeting is occuring on Wednesday, May 2 @ 6:30pm. Location TBA. Please RSVP to Daphne Perugini by Monday, April 30 at: daphne.perugini@peelsb.com April 5, 2007 Deep Summer Academy: Application Deadline is Monday April 30, 2007 The DEEP Program is offered by the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto. The program provides gifted and highly motivated high school students the opportunity for advanced study in a variety of engineering disciplines. This intense program has been designed exclusively for high school students who excel in science and math and are looking for a true academic challenge. http://www.ecf.utoronto.ca/apsc/html/deep/pages/1-overview.html Sears Festival 2007 Best wishes to the cast and crew of "The People's Studio" as they perform at the regional competition at Hart House tonight. Tickets are $15 at the door. Performances start at 7:00pm. The following awards will be accepted by our students after tonight's show: District Awards of Merit Morgan S. - Playwriting District Awards of Excellence Youssef N. - Performance Jonathon W. - Performance April 4, 2007 Trip to Italy: March Break Excursion for Enhanced Students As an extension of our Grades 9 and 10 studies in Shakespeare--and, after a highly successful tour of Greece this March Break, Ms. Perugini is leading an independent excursion to ITALY during March Break 2008. We will visit many landmarks, including Juliet's balcony in Verona, the Forum in Rome, and travel through Tuscany--settings for Julius Caesar and Much Ado About Nothing, respectively. This invitation is for current Grade 8 and 9 Enhanced Students only; and, we are limiting our travellers to no more than 24 students. For more information please contact: Daphne Perugini English Department 905.279.0575, ext.524 March 21, 2007 McMaster Fireball Show Thanks to Mr. Shaikh for organizing this engineering show from McMaster University. This lively show inspires everyone who watches to consider the exciting careers available in engineering! Biotrek Canada - 5 day program in Oakville July 23-27, 2007, fee $175 - applications available on line at www.biotrek.ca - application deadline April 27, 2007 "Launched in 1999 by Winnipeg-based educator Dr. Sheppy Coodin, BioTrek is an educational initiative designed to give bright and motivated high school students the opportunity to learn more about the exciting and rapidly-evolving field of biotechnology. Biotechnology involves the manipulation of DNA, proteins and cells for the benefit of humanity. The science is revolutionizing medicine, agriculture, law, genetics and other fields. BioTrek gives participants a fascinating, hands-on experience and insights into career opportunities in the biotech sector. BioTrek also gives students the opportunity to explore and discuss the ethical challenges posed by the growing role of biotechnology in society. Since the programs inception, more than 500 students have purified DNA from cells, turned genes off and on, inserted foreign DNA into E. coli bacteria and more." March 9, 2007 Wunderbar! The 42 very talented German Language students who attended the Ontario Regional High School German Contest held at U of T Mississauga Erindale Campus on Thursday, March 1st. Twelve of them placed in the top 15 for the region, earning The Woodlands the enviable Number "1" Spot, once again!! The Woodlands Conquers the Regional Contest! Alec H. - FIRST Christy B. SECOND Isabelle Lam THIRD, Jenna P. FIFTH, Katherine S. SIXTH, Sandra K. SEVENTH, Sally K. EIGHTH, Ross W. NINTH, Rachel W. TENTH, Cecilia T. ELEVENTH, Kyle T. FOURTEENTH Rebecca V. FIFTEENTH. In the special category for students with past language experiences, such as the three-month exchange, Woodlands ruled the day with the following results. Dainis K.- FIRST Will R.- SECOND Kian S.- THIRD Several of these top students will be invited to compete at the Provincial Finals in May at York University. Provincial Searsfest Performances at Hart House - April 5 Congratulations go to the Drama Department and the cast and crew of "The People's Studio". This comedy about two university students deciding to make an unauthorized art studio in their school was written and directed by our very own Rachel F. and performed by Youssef N. and Jon W. These students are moving on to showcase their talent with the best in the province in April. Listen to the announcement for tickets. March 5, 2007 Woodlands Music - by Antonio L. Two weeks, four trips, seven ensembles, and over 150 music students. Every year, The Woodlands School Music Department participates in a series of regional competitions called the MusicFest and the Kiwanis. Under the direction of Mrs. Barber Kahro, Mr. Mootrey, and Mr. Clark, we have been preparing busily for months to prepare for this occasion. The Woodlands School music ensembles have always performed solidly in public and achieved impressive results at a high level, and we certainly wanted to maintain this tradition. Before and after school each day, one could always hear some kind of music from the music wing, whether it be a rapid jazz solo or the angelic voices of the choir. At these competitions, an ensemble is typically asked to play up to three music pieces in front of a panel of adjudicators, who will then judge the performance and award a grade of gold, silver, or bronze. The first set of performances took place at Le Parc Conference Centre in Thornhill on a Monday night. Dressed in our spiffy black and white band attire, we were excited to finally perform and receive adjudication after months of intense preparation. Despite the late-night performances, both Intermediate and Senior Concert Bands played all their pieces admirably, ranking silver and gold respectively. That was only the beginning. On Wednesday the following week, the Intermediate and Senior Jazz Bands attended the competition at York University where we had the opportunity to hear the widely acclaimed jazz combo Time Warp perform live in concert as well as many other jazz bands from the Greater Toronto Area. In the face of tough adjudication, the jazz bands performed well and each received bronze. The next day, the Wind Ensemble and Brass Quintet travelled to Redeemer University College in Ancaster and performed in a very advanced category. Both proudly ranked silver. Lastly, the following day, the Concert Choir performed twice at the Kiwanis Festival and received bronze and silver for their splendid performances. The festival was a valuable opportunity for the students to listen to other schools performances, perform for their peers, and receive adjudication from professional musicians in the field. As we look forward to performing again in the future, the experiences from these competitions would definitely prove to be invaluable as we continue to improve as an ensemble and as individual musicians. Springfest, here we come! Date Ensemble Ranking Mon. Feb. 12 Intermediate Concert Band Silver Senior Concert Band Gold Wed. Feb. 21 Intermediate Jazz Band Bronze Senior Jazz Band Bronze Thu. Feb. 22 Wind Ensemble Silver Brass Quintet Silver Fri. Feb. 23 Concert Choir Bronze Silver Go Abroad Fair "The Go Abroad Fair showcases opportunities for Canadian youth to "take on the world" through study abroad, work and volunteer opportunities, cultural programs and overseas adventure travel. The fair is widely recognized by young Canadians pursuing opportunities abroad. We are delighted that this success has enabled us to bring the fair to Vancouver in 2007." Dates & Locations Fair Dates and Hours: Toronto Saturday, September 15: 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm Sunday, September 16: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm Vancouver Monday, September 17: 2:30 pm - 7:30 pm Tuesday, September 18: 2:30 pm - 7:30 pm Locations: Toronto The Metro Toronto Convention Centre, North Building, 255 Front Street West, Toronto, Ontario Vancouver The Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre, 999 Canada Place, Vancouver, British Columbia Admission: Free The Go Abroad Fair Will Feature: Study abroad and student exchange programs Universities, Colleges and Technical Institutes from around the world offering full-degree, diploma, professional and short-term programs Eco/adventure and language travel opportunities Internship and volunteer abroad opportunities Work abroad programs for students and youth International job opportunities with an emphasis on teaching English as a foreign language Scholarship and financial aid information, travel deals, housing and cultural information Information seminars on a range of topics to help you choose and get the most out of your international experience Great Visitor Draw Prizes! Website: www.goabroadfair.ca February 27, 2007 2007 Peel Summer Academy A Summer Program for Intellectually Gifted Students - Grades 4 - 10 www.tcet.com/psa Choice One: Grades 4 - 8 This is a two week residential camp at The University of Toronto at Mississauga. Every day students will attend four exploratory courses in topics related to technology, personal development, sciences, games, hobbies, phsychology, philosophy and the arts. Choice Two: Grades 7, 8 and 9 Northern Ontario Leadership Experience includes one week of camping and high ropes at the Finlayson Field Centre in Caledon and a second week of canoeing, hiking and mountain biking at the Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve Centre. Choice Three: Grades 9 and 10 Students will be participating in a Marine Program at Memorial University of Memorial University of Newfoundland. The Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics The Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI) is hosting two 2-week sessions this summer. The cost is FREE for the lucky 50 students who are chosen from across the country. The other 50 spots go to international students. - You will coached by field experts - Tour the world class facility - Meet interesting people with a similar passion for physics For more details, see the link below, http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/en/Outreach/Education/Overview_of_Programs_fo r_High_School_Stude nts/ the posting in Room 106 or email jordan.rosenblood@peelsb.com February 20, 2007 Physics Contests Registration is now on the OAPT grade 11 physics contests to be written on Tuesday, May 1. The cost is $5 to participate and cash prizes are awarded to the top finishers. Registration is now on for the University of Waterloo Sir Isaac Newton Physics Contest to be written on Thursday, May 3. The cost is $7 to participate and there are scholarships awarded to UW and other bursaries for the top finishers. Sign up can be done in the IEP office with Mr. Rosenblood. Deadline is March 1 for both contests. January 31, 2007 1000 Hits I started the counter on the last school day in December and now, at the end of January we have well over 1000 hits. Clearly this has become an effective way to communicate with students and parents! If you are new to the site, please take the time to run through all of the pages with your child. I'd be happy to get feedback. - M. Quinn The Woodlands Library Resource Centre Our Library Resources Centre is expecting a large shipment of new fiction in the near future including: Arthur and George by Julian Barnes The Girls by Lori Lansens Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam Summer of My Amazing Luck by Miriam Toews The Friends of Meager Fortune by David Richard Adams Can You Hear the Nightbird Call? by Anita Bau Badami The View From Castle Rock by Alice Munro Inheritance by Lan Samantha Chang Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata 26a by Dianna Evans Scorpia by Horowitz For One More Day by Mitch Albom Looking for Alaska by John Green Anansi Boys by Nil Gaiman Uglies , Pretties and Specials!! by Scott Westerfeld Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay. Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos The library webside will now contains a massive new data base provided through the Knowledge Ontario Program. Look for the links. The Enhanced Learning Program will benefit greatly because in addition to the fine K-12 sources available an additional database for ACADEMIC JOURNALS is finally available to our students. You can use all of these links from home! January 30, 2007 Ontario Educational Leadership Centre (OELC) The mandate of OELC is "to develop leaders through one of the following media: fine arts, music, athletics, diversity education, student government & environmental advocacy. OELC is a residential educational Centre situated on a 71 hectare site on the east side of Lake Couchiching approximately 150 km north of Toronto, near Orillia. It is operated by a volunteer not-for-profit corporation originally administered and now supported by the Ontario Ministry of Education." "The programs for all courses are designed to develop interpersonal, problem- solving, organizational, communication, team-building and public speaking skills. Responsible attitudes, community awareness and voluntarism are also strong components of every course. Courses are in session during the spring, summer and fall and vary in length from 3 to 7 days." To find out more visit http://www.oelccaso.com/en/index.htm January 29, 2007 Enhanced Learning Program Grade-Level Workshops It was input from our parents that triggered the creation of some alternative programming to complement the grade level goals on the gifted plans. I was able to get into most enhanced classes to roll out the program while teachers were provided with a period to work on the IEPs. I am now in a process of readapting and refining. Mr. Rosenblood will be visiting classes in second semester to continue the work. - M. Quinn These are the workshops in place so far. Grade 9 - How High School is different than Senior Elementary School Work Habits that Work Creating an Efficient Study Space Getting Involved at the Woodlands Grade 10 - Four Aspects of Creativity Moral Development, Dilemmas and Decision - Making Coming to Terms with Personal Strengths and Weaknesses The Paradox of Being Gifted Grade 11 - Surviving Group Work Putting Multiple Intelligences and True Colours to Work for You How the Gifted Brain Learns Are Learning and Healthy Lifestyles Linked? Emotional Intelligence and Supplemental Applications Grade 12 - How the Gifted Brain Learns Critical Thinking Skills: Attribution, Analogy and Evaluation Critical Thinking Skills: Identifying Bias, Comparing and Contrasting, Cross- Classification Critical Thinking Skills: Synthesis and Hypothesis Critical Thinking Skills: Reorganization, Identifying Paradox and Dealing With Discrepancies Making the Transition to Self-Directed and Self-Designed Projects January 26, 2007 Many thanks to all of the students acting as translators and guides for the Educator's Delegation from China. The group of 11 Principals and 1 Regional Director was moved by the pride our students had for our school and the poise and willingness of our students to answer questions. Our gifted program was of particular interest to our visitors. January 19, 2007 The Faculty of Mathematics Entrance Scholarships, University of Waterloo (Look for the poster on the math bulletin board outside the math office.) The Faculty of Mathematics awards 125 entrance scholarships in values of $8,000 over four years $5,000 over four years $2,000 for one year $1,000 for one year You will automatically be considered for an entrance scholarship provided you are currently a high school student you are an applicant to any one of the programs offered in the Faculty of Mathematics(excluding Software Engineering; Computing and Financial Management) you write the Euclid Mathematics Contest on April 17, 2007 you submit an Admission Information Form National Scholarships The University of Waterloo, in conjunction with generous sponsors, is pleased to offer 16 National Scholarships, in values of $14,000 to $25,000 over four years, to exceptional students entering first year in the Faculty of Mathematics. National Scholarships are for applicants to any of the Faculty of Mathematics programs(excluding Software Engineering; Computing and Financial Management). To be considered for a National Scholarship, you must complete the 2007 National Scholarship Application. http://www.math.uwaterloo.ca/navigation/Prospective/entrance.shtml Waterloo Math Contests at The Woodlands: See your math teacher for more details Contest Date Signup Deadline Pascal (gr. 9) Feb 20 Jan 20 Cayley (gr. 10) Feb 20 Jan 20 Fermat (gr. 11) Feb 20 Jan 20 Candian Computing Feb 27 Feb 10 Contest Euclid Contest April 17 March 27 (gr. 12) Fryer (gr. 9) April 17 March 27 Galios (gr. 10) April 17 March 27 Hypatia (gr. 11) April 17 March 27 January 18, 2007 L.E.A.P. - Learning Enrichmnet Advancement Program - McMaster University Engineering Open to currently in grade 10, 11, 12. In 2007 L.E.A.P. will be offering a new program outline and exciting new course options. Students can choose from five course options: Robotics and Mechatronics, Mechanical and Civil Design, Biomedical Engineering, Materials and Metallurgy, and Gaming in a Virtual World. Each course is divided into 2 modules, each with its own focus, giving students a more in-depth study of engineering concepts. Students have the choice of attending the program for either a 2-week or 4-week duration. As well, students can chose to stay in an on-campus residence, and participate in after-class activities such as visiting some of the attractions in Hamilton and the surrounding areas. http://leap.mcmaster.ca January 12, 2007 Tips for Filling out Option Sheets - A Work in Progress 1. Start with the end in mind and work backwards Consider your career goals if you haven't decided, keep your options open for your top choices. Research to find out what post-secondary programs lead to your chosen career(s). Research the mark cut-offs for these programs. Determine the courses required by the post- secondary institutions for those careers. Plan out your grade twelve courses and work backwards to determine your courses in the lower grade levels. 2. Seriously consider CO-OP. What better way to gather career information than on the job while gaining credits? 3. If you are headed for elite programs with high cut-off marks, select options that show you to be a student who can handle the most rigorous courses. Selection committees pour over your transcripts because they give a clearer picture of your strengths than your average. 4. Get the opinion of adults you trust. January 10, 2007 The HELIX Project: An opportunity at U of T for students interested in pursuing Life Sciences The Helix Project is "a five-day residential program that provides secondary school students with the opportunity to attend labs and lectures in a university environment! Conducted by professors and industry professionals, this program will act as a stepping stone and help ease the transition into some of the more difficult post-secondary disciplines." For 2007, the Helix Project will have 2 sessions available on the following dates: Session 1: Monday, May 14 - Friday, May 18 Session 2: Monday, May 21 - Friday, May 25 http://www.utoronto.ca/hsp/helix/index.html An Invitation to Grade 8 Information Night Dear Parents/ Guardians: We would like to invite your son/ daughter to visit The Woodlands School on Thursday, January 18, 2007, for our Grade 8 Information Night. This evening will provide you with an opportunity to meet representatives of various departments, to learn the details of the Grade 9 Program and to have your questions answered. The transition from Grade 8 to Grade 9 is a critical one for your son/ daughter. Important information regarding the Grade 9 curriculum, co-curricular activities and the application process will be presented at this time. 7:15 p.m. Refreshments in Main Foyer 7:30 p.m. Presentations of curriculum in cafeteria by Principal and Head of Student Services 7:50 p.m. Enhanced Learning Program presentation Tours of the school for parents of students in regular program 8:20 p.m. Question and Answer Session for parents of students in the regular program will be held in the Career Centre room 117 Tours for parents of students in the Enhanced Learning Program We hope to see you on January 18th. Our student greeters will meet you at the front door. Sincerely, Jeanne Gray, Principal Catherine Haire, Head of Student Services Monika Quinn, Enhanced Learning Program Coordinator December 22 Mr. Rosenblood Joins the Program We welcome Mr. Rosenblood to our program as a second program coordinator for the new year. We are looking forward to his enthusiasm and input during second semester. December 21 Happy Holidays Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday and all the best in 2007 - M. Quinn DECA News Congratulations goes out to all 71 members of The Woodlands DECA team who travelled to the Mississauga Convention Centre yesterday to compete with 770 other high school students in the Peel Regional DECA Competition. The students left the event with 82 ribbons, medals and trophies. 35 ribbons were won for placing top 10 in an individual event or top 5 in a team event 28 medals were earned for placing top 10 in an individual category or top 5 in a team category 19 trophies were won for placing first, second or third in an event Special mention goes out to the trophy winners: First place standing: Quiz Bowl Aakash R., Karen L., Jackson T., Siyaman S. Sports Marketing Jade W. Sports Marketing team Katie W. and Jacob Y. Business Law and ethics team Suneal K. and Pranav S. Financial Management team Annie D. and Jedy W. Buying and Merchandisinng team Joanna X. and May Z. Second place trophies: Travel Marketing team Maryan K. and Florence M. Hotel and Lodging Tiffany L. Sports Marketing Anish M. Third place trophy: Hospitality Marketing team Rohan C. and Jamie M. December 19 Leadership Enrichment Program Summer Enrichment Program For the Gifted and Talented at the University of Northern Colorado "Each participant will be involved in four classes per day plus evening options. Two of the classes are designed to enhance leadership abilities. In addition, students will assist a teacher in the Summer Enrichment Program (SEP) class of their choice for students ages 10 to 15. The final class of each day will be spent in processing and debriefing the day's activities. In the evenings, the LEP participants will help counselors provide options for SEP students. LEP is an opportunity for students with leadership potential to learn more about leadership skills in an active environment." http://www.unco.edu/sep/ The Dupont Challenge: Science Essay Competition - $20 000.00 in cash and prizes "The Dupont Challenge is in its 21st year and has recognized thousands of winners. Many of these bright, talented teenagers have become or are in the process of becoming our nations scientists, engineers, doctors, or teachers of science and mathematics." The link below will take you to last year's first place essay. Check it out. http://www.glcomm.com/dupont/veronicaEssay.htm Wendy's Classic Achiever Scholarship Awards: Tommorow is the deadline for applications! December 18 Great News: The Woodlands School has been selected as one of the pilot schools to participate in the Teaching with Technology program. As such, we will enter a partnership with the Board where a Technology Coach will be assigned to our school to train teachers in the use of technology for instructional purposes. In return, the board will provide to the school 27 LCD projectors and 27 MDG media-capable computers. More information about this program will be shared in the new year. December 15 Music Invitational Event Many thanks to the staff and students in our music department for their fabulous performances and their role in mentoring the visiting grade eights. Matt K., John A. and Hannah M highlighted our excellent music program and were wonderful ambassadors for the Enhanced Learning Program. Law Day at the Ontario Bar Association If you are considering law as a career? Why not spend some time looking through the LAW DAY offerings at the Ontario Bar Association website? "Law Day is celebrated annually in April and will be held this year on Tuesday, April 17, 2007 with its Week-Long Celebrations taking place from Monday, April 16th, 2007 to Friday, April 20th, 2007. Activities celebrating the law range from the Opening Ceremonies to the Grade 5 Poster Contest, the Photography Contest, the Elementary School Mock Trial competition, the Secondary School Mock Trial competition, The Charter Challenge as well as organized Court Tours, Special Citizenship Court and Phone-A-Lawyer programs. " http://www.oba.org/en/lawday/lawday_en/Debate.aspx December 8 MiniMed School Review - by Sabrina D. A couple of weeks ago I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the MiniMed program at the University of Toronto St. George. As a prospective student looking to go into medicine, I jumped at the opportunity to learn more about this field and get a small taste of medical school. For six weeks on Thursday nights, I traveled downtown and attended the lectures given by a variety of speakers. The classes were about two and a half hours long, with a fifteen/twenty minute break in-between. The organization of the lecturers and volunteers was fantastic, providing each student with a MiniMed pen, binder, and lecture notes. On the third day, before class started, volunteer medical students took us on the Anatomy Tour in the Medical Building. This was personally my favorite part of the entire course. For me, any doubts about becoming a doctor instantly vanished; to see first-hand the intricacies of the human body was mind-blowing. It was also nice to get a feel of how university is going to be, a place where many of us will be in a few months. For those who havent yet participated in MiniMed, I strongly recommend it; its an experience you simply wont forget. There is another one coming up in February, and theres still time to register, something I myself am considering to do again. As for now, Ill admire my certificate of completion and certification as a mini-doctor. Science Olympics and School Tours Thanks to Mrs. Hallak and Mr. Rosenblood and all of their enhanced grade elevens for an action- packed Science Olympics for our visiting grade 8. Thanks also to all of the many dozens of club members who came out to this morning's Grade Eight Tour Breakfast and engaged our guests in meaningful conversations about club and team involvement. The Senior Jazz Band under the direction of Mrs. Barber-Kahro and the Drama Club under the guidance of Mrs. Hindmarch were absolutely fantastic. Sonofi - Aventis Biotechnology Challenge Congratulations to some of our grade eleven biology students for their conditional acceptances for their research proposals. These students are now poised to work on biotechnology projects with leaders in the field, in state-of-the-art research labs in our area. We are the first school in Peel to break into this competion. Good luck to all involved and thanks to Mrs. Hallak bringing the opportunity to our school. November 29, 2006 Congratulations to the DECA Team Nine Woodlands students competed against both high school and University DECA students at competitions held recently at The University of Waterloo. Each and every one of our students placed first in their respective competitions! Three students placed first in the Business Law Case Study. Two students placed first in the e-Commerce Case Study and four students placed first in the Entrepreneurial Simulation. Well Done! First Place and An Honourable Mention at The Marion Drysdale Award Ceremonies! Congratulations to two Woodlands students who won first place and an honourable mention at The Marion Drysdale Award Ceremonies held recently. 17 Schools were in competition at this award ceremony and only 1 first place and 2 honourable mentions were awarded. News from Writer's Craft by Zia F. Grade 12 EWC student On Tuesday, November 28, Eric Walters, the famous author of children's and young adults' books came to present at The Woodlands. During second period, he gave a Grade 12 Writer's Craft (EWC 4UE) class a private, inimate presentation. He spoke of not only books but about morality and the many different charities he is involved in. he brought up prominent social issues with a class that has a lot of interest in current events. He spoke about Rwanda and Darfur, to inspire us to make changes to mainstream culture and to proactively attempt to change society's focus on celebrities to something that is much more important and worthwhile - people's lives. His speech was not only articulate but it was fluid and personal. He wasn't just a famous author, he was a real person, and everyone listening to him knew it. Some Writer's Craft students made comments on his visit: "He was very interactive, humours and informative about the craft of writing." Rebecca V., Grade 12 EWC student "I thought he was very entertaining, but at the same time he had a strong and inspirational message; it was amazing to have such an influential person who has met so many great people in our classroom. His stories are very personal and touching. It was a great but necessary course enhancement as it was motivating and inspirational." Jade W. Grade 12 EWC student Queen's Leadership, Excellence and Development (QLEAD) Conference. QLEAD is a leadership conference designed for highly motivated highschool students in Grades 11-12. The three-day conference, a first of its kind, is geared towards motivated high school students with a keen interest in honing their leadership skills, business skills, and experiencing a taste of Queens Commerce. The conference consists of keynote speakers, workshops, team and leadership building activities, as well as social events. Delegates leave each year feeling inspired and motivated to make a difference in their schools. The dates for this year are February 2nd-4th , 2007 and the deadline for registration is December 15th, 2006. Information is available from Ms. Haire in Student Services. November 27, 2006 It was great to meet so many of our parents at Parents' Night. A few parents commented that I haven't posted much information of interest to the grade nines and tens. True, but I post them as I get them. Here are today's offerings luckily both opportunities for all grades. Scientific Journeys: Pathways to Discovery This essay contest is offering four prizes of $250 each. The winner of the contest will win The June Callwood Essay Award( $250 and an engraved plaque) as well as the opportunity to be a "Scientist for a Day" Paired up with a Canadian Scientist from the University of Toronto. For more details go to http://www.pirweb.org/pir01c_torcon_OFFSEASON.htm or come to the IEP office for details. Enrichment Studies Unit At Queen's This enrichment camp is in its 20th year and provides opportunity for gifted students to explore areas of interest on a university campus. The camps run for one week - May 6-11 or May 13 -18 and on-line registration starts February 7, 2007. Students in grades nine and ten should give this opportunity some thought. Few of our grade 11 or 12's will find missing school at year's end workable. For more information go to esu.queensu.ca . November 8, 2006 Some of the comments collected at Commencement 2006 are posted on the Grad Reflections page. Sometimes the senior students worry about how they will fare in university. Why not see what the grads have to say? November 7, 2006 Have you been visiting the scholarship bulletin board outside counselling regularly? Have you seen the postings for the following awards. The Millennium Excellence Award The Millennium Excellence Award Program distributes two types of scholarships. The first is aimed at students entering post-secondary education for the first time and is called the entrance award. The second is aimed at students in the upper years of their post-secondary undergraduate education who have not already been recognized by a substantial merit scholarship; it is called the in-course award. Both scholarships seek to recognize the leaders of today and tomorrow and emphasize the importance of supporting their contributions to our country's future. Millennium excellence awards are not prizes for benchmarks achieved they are investments in the development of exceptional individuals who will have long, productive careers and whose accomplishments will benefit Canada as a whole. The Foundation distributes up to five per cent of its annual allocation through its Millennium Excellence Award Program. http://www.excellenceaward.ca/ Student Awards Website It is time to start thinking about applying. This site could help. http://studentawards.com/ Featured high school scholarships: Wendys Classic Achiever® Scholarship Awards - 210 student scholarships worth $500 - $2,000 Northern Student Award - $300 awards (3) Felix Morley Journalism Competition - Prizes from $250 - $2,500 More Canadian scholarships, grants and cash awards: Scotiabank Personal Line of Credit for Students Bursaries - Twenty-four (24) bursaries worth $1,000 each The Next Great Prime Minister - Cash awards from $5,000 - $50,000 and paid internships MBNA Canada MasterCard® Scholarship Award - Scholarship worth $2,000 Yahoo! Messenger Student Award Contest - 5 cash awards of $1,000 each Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Awards Program - $12,500 award Everyday Liberties in 21st Century Canada Essay Contest - Prizes from $250 - $1,000 Delacorte Press Contest for a First Young Adult Novel - $9,000 prize Endangered Species Recovery Fund - Award up to $25,000 Montreal International Musical Competition - Prizes from $2,500 - $25,000 (11) ScholarshipsCanada.com You will need to sign up for this free service but they update the scholarship pages regularly. These were updated yesterday. Some senior students have reported that this site can be ureliable, but it is another place to look. Scholarships for Technology Students (2) (11/6/2006 2:21:55 PM EST) National Achievement Award (11/6/2006 2:21:15 PM EST) Fessenden-Trott Awards Program (4) (11/6/2006 2:00:00 PM EST) Frank Knox Memorial Fellowships Program (3) (11/6/2006 1:59:23 PM EST) Public Safety And Emergency Preparedness Canada Research Fellowship Program (8) (11/6/2006 1:58:26 PM EST) Agriventure (11/6/2006 1:53:51 PM EST) Monsanto Canada Opportunity Scholarship(33) (11/6/2006 1:53:03 PM EST) November 2, 2006 Application Seminars I am opening up three more Application Seminars for grade 12 students on Wednesday, November 8, 2006. By popular demand, they will run periods 1, 3 and 5. Sign up on the IEP office whiteboard. Bring your resume and something to write with. SIGN UP TODAY. Start Time period one: 8:30 am period three: 11:20 am period five: 1:45 pm Commencement - Friday November 3 The Woodlands is looking forward to welcoming back all of our graduates. It is a time to celebrate their achievements and catch up on all the news. It is a time to meet with our parents to reminisce and congratulate. This joyous event is only possible due to the hard work of many of our staff and students. Thanks to the whole commencement committee. IEPs IEPs were completed and in the home room teachers' mailboxes on Oct 19. If you don't have yours yet, please come and see me. Marion Drysdale Awards This contest is sponsored by OSSTF to showcase the talents of our students. This year participants will be asked to explore the topic INNOVATION WITH PURPOSE. Entries can be made in prose, poetry, visual arts, video, audio or animation. For more information go to http://www.osstf.on.ca/mariondrysdale October 20, 2006 McMaster Science and Engineering Olympics Congratulations to the students on the Egg-drop Team for bringing home the GOLD Medal! Thanks to all the participants. Seminars: Application for Scholarship and Elite University Programs The due dates for important applications are coming closer! Many students are agonizing over their answers. I may be able to help. I am offering workshops for grade 12 students on Monday, October 30th during all three lunch periods. period 2 @ 10:05 am period 3 @ 11:20 am period 4 @ 12:35 pm Eat your lunch before you arrive. Bring your resume, some paper and a pencil. You will work on a real application and develop a strategy for writing the best application possible. Sign up in the IEP office today! Important Dates Near the bottom of the sidebar on the left, I have added a new page. I have posted some of the major events of the school year. As more events pertinent to this site arise, I will add those dates. As always please, bring errors and ommisions to my attention and I will make the appropriate changes. You can always get in touch with me by clicking the mailbox icon above. October 19, 2006 The IEPs are finished and printed! IEPs will go to the home-room teachers today and be distributed tomorrow. You can expect a much longer document than last year and a letter from Shirley-Ann Teal, Superintendent of Special Education Support Services. Recently, I have had some returns of September's notice. I still plan to make contact with those parents, but the additions are not in the current printing. Please sign and return the consultation page. From now on I should just be printing page 4 as courses come to an end. These updated page 4s should be ready to go home with the end-of semester report cards. As always any questions and concerns about the IEPs can be directed to me. Looking forward to working with people rather than paper in the weeks to come, M. Quinn October 11, 2006 Thanks to Ms. Hallak for inviting a representative from the sonofi-aventis Biotechnology Challenge to speak to our students. The Biotechnology Challenge is an opportunity for our students to be paired up with mentors who are leaders in biotechnology research and work on authentic scientific projects. The final projects are amazing and have been on display at the Ontario Science Centre. Student teams also have the opportunity to apply for funding. No school in Peel has ever participated in this event. Ms. Hallak class is working on proposals. Please note that anyone in the school can submit a proposal. Check out the website. This is terrific opportunity. http://www.biotechchallenge.ca/en/General/FAQ.html October 10 , 2006 On December 05, 2006 in Toronto, Youth in Motion will once again present Your Government Your Voice!, a career learning day for young women. This non-partisan, dynamic and engaging talk show format event will raise awareness about careers in public life and government from the perspective of accomplished and passionate women working in these fields. Our website will be updated as speakers are booked [www.youth-in-motion.ca/WIP.asp] and registration will begin in a few weeks. This opportunity is for any female student. Males are welcome also, but in the past, the audience has been almost 100% female. For more information contact Khanh Tran at info@youth-in-motion.ca October 4, 2006 1. All of September's Newsflashes have been archived in the NEWSFLASH ARCHIVES page. If you are new to our system or our school, you might find the old items helpful. Just click on Newsflash Archives on the sidebar. 2. All enhanced students should have shown their parents and guardians two items regarding IEPs. The first was an Instructional Needs Form that was to be signed and returned. The second was a letter regarding the new IEP software. Please make sure you see both items. I have extras in the IEP office, if any have gone astray. 3. Enhanced Grade 12 Biology students have been invited to the Gairdner Lectures at The University of Toronto. This is a fabulous opportunity to meet and speak to award-winning researchers in the field of biomedical research. I am only able to take 14 students. Please get your forms in ASAP. Agenda: Friday, October 27, 2006 Welcome: Corey Goldman, Senior Lecturer in Biology, Course Coordinator First year Biology, Director of the National Biology Competition Dr. John Dirks, President of the Gairdner Foundation Lectures Professor Joan Seitz, 2006 Gairdner International Awardee Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute TOPIC: The Story of snRNPs Professor Allan Ronald, 2006 Wightman Awardee Infectious Diseases, St. Boniface General Hospital, University of Manitoba TOPIC: Teach us to Care: Lessons Learned from HIV?AIDS Question and Answers September 29, 2006 Please watch for a letter updating our IEP process in the next week. It is not too late to turn in those IEP forms. Just drop them off in the IEP room. Mr. Shaik is offering to sponsor teams for the Master Science and Engineering Olympics. The Woodlands has done very well in the past and we would like to continue this tradition. Mrs. Quinn (that's me) will be helping to prepare the biology teams. Let's keep our Woodlands tradition going. If you are interested in competing, see Mr. Shaik. If you are interested in writing AP exams and would like to some on-line study help Edvantage Press is offering an on-line 30 hour study module. See www.aponline.ca for details. September 25, 2006 Here are some terrific opportunities for senior students. If you are in grade nine or ten, you should still take a look and make plans for your senior years. Brochures are available in the IEP office, student services and on-line. Shad Valley (4 week residential camp, summer 2007) This is an amazing experience. Former Woodlands students have called this opportunity life changing. High achieving senior students are teamed up to develop a new commercial product which addresses a societal need. You will be using state-of-the-art technology and learning from expert researchers and business professionals. http://www.shad.ca/ Adventures Canada (3 week residential camp, summer 2007) Under the guidance of a Peel District School Board Teacher you can earn a senior science credit in a spectacular natural setting. Three sites are available this year: Haliburton Forest Adventure Education: Ecotourism Memorial University of Newfoundland: Global Warming Lester B. Pearson College, British Columbia: Ocean Educations http://www.tcet.com/adventure/ September 15, 2006 University and College Information Booklets have Arrived The new information booklets for university and college have arrived. Grade 12 students should have received their copies on Thursday. However, it is best to be prepared. All enhanced students are encouraged to look through these booklets, explore the possibilities and determine required courses and mark cut-offs. The take home copies are given only to grade 12 students. Examination copies are found in the IEP room and student services. Hints: 1. Students with solid goals are more likely to achieve. 2. Be proactive! If you have selected a program with an extended application process, try to get a copy of that application immediately. See if there are any gaps in your resume and fill them. September 13, 2006 Ivy League Universities Information Sessions Some of the top American universities are holding an information session for our region on Wednesday, September 27, 20006 at the North York Memorial Hall. Representatives from Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Pennsylvania and Yale will be there to answer your questions about pursuing post-secondary education in the States. The topics covered will include: academic programs, admission policies, cost and financial aid and student life. No RSVP is necessary. For more information contact open_house@brown.edu or 401- 863-2378. September 11, 2006 Mentorship Opportunities The University of Toronto is offering mentorship opportunities for students with considerable academic promise. Good mentors have been shown to make a huge difference in the lives of students. It would be a shame to miss out. More information is available from your counsellor or on line. Applications are due on October 6! Contact information can be found on the enrichment page. September 7, 2006 Mini-Med School The Faculty of Medicine at The University of Toronto is offering a series of lectures they are calling Mini-Med School in fall 2006 and spring 2007. Details and links in the Enrichment tab. June 9, 2006 Grade 11 Accounting Contest first and third place in Peel second in Ontario Grade 12 Accounting Contest second in Peel June 8, 2006 Congratulations to our math students and their teachers for some wonderful contest results this year! Canadian National Mathematics League 10th Place Overall Credit Humber Association for Mathematics Promotion (CHAMP) Top Team Grade 11 Canadian Open Mathematics Contest Placed three students in top 5% qualified for Canadian Mathematical Olympiad Waterloo Contests Grade 12 Euclid 45th in Canada 23rd in Ontario 2nd in our region 23 students placed in the top 25% Grade 11 Fermat 30th in Canada 17th in Ontario 2nd in our region Grade 10 Cayley 194 in Canada 88th in Ontario 7th in our region Grade 9 Pascal 10th in Canada 6th in Ontario 1st in our region 38 students placed in the top 25% Fryer, Galois, and Hypatia Contests (more challenging Waterloo contests for Grade 9, 10, 11 respectively) 8 students receiving a Gold Standard award (top 4-5%) 9 students receiving a Silver Standard award (top 12-15%) 12 students receiving a Bronze Standard award (top 25%) Congratulations to our biology students! University of Toronto National Biology Competition Woodlands Top 5: 94%ile,91%ile, 89%ile, 89%ile, 84%ile 2 students higher than 90%ile 9 students 80%ile - 90%ile 6 students 70%ile - 80%ile June 2, 2006 Visits from our Graduates Thanks to Faye Pang and Paul Webster for speaking to our enhanced biology classes. Both of these Woodlands graduates have come back to share their experiences with our students. As always, the work of our graduates is inspirational and exemplary. Faye has just finished her third year of her commerce program and setting up an environmentally friendly tea room on campus. She shared the challenge of making the "green choices". This tea room will be open in September and it is her hope that she will be able to turn it into a viable business and use it as a model for future endeavours. Paul has just finished a degree in engineering physics and is pursuing his masters program; exploring laser imaging technology. He is working at the Princess Margaret Hospital for the summer developing a device which can be used during surgery to help identify the boundaries of tumours, making the wait for the biopsy obsolete! David Suzuki Lecture Thanks to Mr. Sawicki and Mr. Strome for taking the Green Team to Fletcher's Meadow for the lecture. Congratulations! The top student in the MacMaster French Competition is one of our grade 12's! Congratulations also go to our fabulous moderns department. MADD Assembly. Thanks to Ms. Haire for organizing the Mothers Against Drunk Driving assembly for our senior students. We are hoping that all students take the message to heart. Physics Fair Thanks to Mr. Rosenblood and his students for organizing another fabulous physicis fair. The displays were awesome and the enthusiasm for applied physics, palpable. Grad Breakfast Thanks to Mr. Panwar, Ms.Perigini and the SAC for organizing the grad breakfast. It was time to laugh, sing, perform and reminisce. June 2 ********* Great News In Competition ********** Woodlands School Aerospace Society New Record : 900 feet International DECA Business Competition, Texas 3 Woodlands Teams advanced to the finals First Place Overall: Business Law and Ethics Teams Ontario Provincial German Contest Winner: First Place for the Third Consecutive Year Prize: Trip to Germany ************ Literacy Week : Word in the Hall ************ Our students have designed variety of literacy-related activities. Rap, Spoken Work and Dub Poetry Event Reader's Theatre Teacher/Book Match Contest Student Book Reviews Book Swap Storytelling Multicultural Book Display Scrabblemanina Cafe Stanza Word Power Words of Wisdom Cafe Food for Thought March 10 Yesterday the Peel Regional German Contest was held at the University of Toronto - Erindale Campus. The Woodlands is number one in Peel with the following results! Category : no past experience First Place Second Place Third Place Fifth Place Sixth Place Seventh Place Eighth Place Ninth Place Eleventh Place Thirteenth Place Fourteenth Place Category: Previous Language Experience Second Place Third Place Congratulations to our students, the Modern Languages Department, to Frau Holl in particular, and best wishes to all of The Woodlands students as they head out on their exchange trip to Germany! Alles Gute! Peel District School Board : Awards of Distinction J. Dear L. Mott J. Mendoza M. Quinn March 9: Congratulations to our outstanding Drama Department Searfest District Level Award of Merit Writing and Direction of Park Bench Invitation to the Regional Competition at HartHouse, University of Toronto Searfest District Level Award of Merit Ensemble of Tick Tock Searfest District Level Awards of Merit Two members of the cast of Tick Tock Scholarship News: Four new sites have been posted in the scholarships page to help you find the scholarship opportunities suited to your strengths. Thanks to Mrs. Alexander for locating these sites for us. New Summer Opportunity: Boyd Archaeological Field School This residential summer field course (IDC4U)is a university preparatory credit is co-sponsored by York Region District School Board, Rouge Park, the Royal Ontario Museum and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authorities. (416) 667-6295 or ccrinnion@trca.on.ca. The link can be found on the Summer Programs page. New Summer Opportunity: Biotrek Biotrek is an exciting five-day biotechnology program for highly-motivated biology students in grades 10 - 12. Students will perform advanced biotechnology experiments including DNA fingerprinting. Applications are available on-line. The link can be found on the Summer Programs page. Double Gold at Musicfest! The Senior Repertiore Class represented The Woodlands School at the Ontario Band Association Musicfest Regional Competition in Scarborough. The band performed at the 500 level and earned a double gold standing. The adjudicators commented on the fine solo playing on oboe, baritone, trumpet, alto sax, piccolo, horn, flute and clarinet. Congratulations to all. Guest Speaker: 2003 Graduate, Wilson Wan Thanks to Wilson for his presentation about university to our grade 11 and 12 enhanced biology classes. In the last three years, Wilson has been involved in two research projects: summer reseach on a grant in organic chemistry and with his health sciences professors delving into the function of the surface binding proteins for insulin granules in the pancreas. A paper containing Wilson's research is about to be published in the Journal of the American Diabetes Association.
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