Nicole's Notes: Volume 13 (Nov. 26)

Brandon Bagnall and Frankie Reeves

Happy Monday TOSH Parents and Guardians!

And another week begins! Happy start to Term 2 of the first semester and I hope that you enjoyed reading the comments from your son/daughter's teachers on the report card that went home with them on Friday. We put a lot of time into those and tried to make them as descriptive as possible. Please note that there is still lots of time for our students to "take care of business" before final marks are entered in January, so let us know if you need any support with that!

I appreciate Brandon Bagnall and Frankie Reeves taking the time to console me on Friday after the students beat the teachers in a game of Dodgeball at noon. (See photo above)  They even brought me a treat! :-)

The provincial government has posted a video on YouTube capturing the spirit of the Official Opening of our Career and Technical Education Centre Oct. 29:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL43AED4EF5801598F&v=s9EL7xY0CXA&feature=player_embedded
Thanks to our staff and students for making us all look so good!

Best wishes to our student nurse, Kayla Perry, who will be finishing her placement with us this Wednesday. Kayla will be running information sessions about drug and alcohol abuse with selected classes on Tuesday in the Lecture Theatre.

Welcome to Ms. Samantha Perry who will be filling in for Kendra MacLaren for the remainder of this school year. Mrs. MacLaren is on secondment with the Department of Education where she is now the Language Arts Curriculum Specialist. All the best to her as she embraces this new professional challenge!

The Parent Council Meeting is next Monday at 6:30 p.m. in the Library and will feature a guest speaker: Superintendent Jane McMillan. This will be one of her final appearance as our Superintendent and we encourage all parents to consider coming out to this event.
Just as follow up: Three parents came to our session on Mental Health last Monday, which was a bit discouraging considering the scope of this issue in our school and society. We will continue to provide opportunities for parents to come into the school for various information sessions throughout the year, and encourage you to make some-or all-of these a priority in your busy schedules. I promise that the topics will always be relevant to student life here at TOSH!

NOTE:  No school on Friday-PD Day!

Dates to Remember:
November:
29       Memorial University Info Night for Parents and Students- 7 - 9 p.m. in Lecture Theatre
30       School Based PD Day- No school

December:
3         Parent Council Meeting- 6:30 p.m.
11       Band Concert- 7 p.m. in the cafeteria
15       Christmas Dance
21       Last Day of Classes

January:
3         First School Day for 2013

LIGHTS FOR LIFE
The annual PCH Lights for Life campaign is well underway and this year Three Oaks will be putting Charity Jar donations toward the purchase of a Snowflake and a Gold Light in memory of Destiny Arsenault.
Last week, we had a "Wear Purple Day" on Wednesday in honour of Destiny on what would have been her birthday. On Thursday, we received a picture taken of  Westisle Composite High School students who had also worn purple that day to show their solidarity with our staff and students.  A heartfelt thank you to Westisle's Leadership teacher, Darcy Harris, for organizing this. We appreciate you!

CBC TURKEY DRIVE 
Our Music Council members will be providing entertainment at the annual CBC Turkey Drive broadcasting from the Salvation Army Thrift Store on Tuesday, December 4 from 6-8:30 p.m. Our students plan to arrive around 7 p.m. and all are welcome to come out and enjoy some great music while you support this important cause! Donations from December Charity Jars will be in support of the Salvation Army.

T Shirts-$18

Raglan shirts-$25

ATHLETIC COUNCIL SHIRT SALES
Our Athletic Council is selling TOSH Athletics T shirts and raglans from now until Christmas in the Phys Ed Office. Sizes are Small to Xtra Large and there are "sizers" that can be tried on in advance of purchase, as well. Please note that we also have lots of other TOSH gear on sale through our Axe Outlet Bookstore every Wednesday at noon (top of the 600's staircase). TOSH gear makes a great Christmas gift for our students! 

STUDENT FEDERAL BUDGET CONSULTATION PROJECT
Our Political Studies classes are involved in this project that has the students of 175 teachers across Canada registered to participate in providing input to the federal Finance Minister, Jim Flaherty on the upcoming federal budget. The consultation will run from November 26th through to December 17th and a two minute video describing the project can be viewed on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/civixcanada

GOOD LUCK AND BREAK A LEG!
All the best to our TOSH students and staff who are involved in the Fandango Production of Beauty and the Beast opening Friday, November 30 at the Jubilee Theatre in Summerside. The show runs until December 8 and tickets are available through the Jubilee Theatre Box Office. Kudos to Ms. Cameron for her direction of this community production.

Katelyn Bridges

WATER FOR CHANGE!

Ever want to get rid of all those pennies you have at your house? We'll take them! Some of our Leadership students and Free the Children group members have joined Free the Children's "Water for Change" initiative. Every penny bag we fill with $25 worth of pennies equals water for LIFE for one person in another part of the world. The campaign runs from now until December 18 and we have accepted a challenge from KISH to see which school raises the most money! Penny donations can be dropped off in the Main Office or your son/daughter can participate in the homeroom challenge here at school. Thanks in advance for your support of this important cause!

Alex Perry, Mrs. DesRoche, and Chris  MacAusland in SCI 701

KUDOS TO OUR KIDS!

To Ryan Gallant (12) for helping Ms. Haire bring in the coffee on Friday morning for the Staff Breakfast!

To the TOSH Band members who represented us so well this past weekend at the PEI Senior High Honours Band!:

Ami O'Brien
Shanae Rogers
Emmalee Dunn
Grace Bowness
Kelsey MacIsaac
Emily Eddie
Dakota Oliver
Julia McIntyre
Marc DesRoches
Tanner Harvey
Kyle Doucette
Robbie Squires
Brohan Brennan
Veronica Sullivan
Zak McLure

To the TOSH members of the Summerside Dolphins Swim Club who competed so well this weekend at the swim meet held at the CUP!

To the hockey players from TOSH who competed in Charlottetown all weekend at the Early Bird tournament!

To Evan Tynski and Torri Dexter who are representing us at Encounters with Canada this week! Safe travels!

To Jaime MacLean for her selfless donation to the Lights for Life campaign! Thanks, also, for writing the thank you card to Westisle!

To the Water for Change student leaders for organizing and facilitating this campaign!:
Katelyn Bridges
Chelsey Bulger
Hannah Hunter
Hailie Melanson
Jill MacIntyre
Megan Doherty

To Becca Gallant for her leadership in getting the Extra-Curricular Council up and running!

To the members of the SADD committee for all the positive sticky notes that were plastered around the school last week! What a great way to make people smile!

To the Activities Council members for organizing and working at the dance Thursday evening. A good time was had by all!

To the 30-40 students who came out to give the teachers a run for their money in the Student vs. Teachers Dodgeball game on Friday!

To Caitlin Carr for filming the video with Mrs. Schurman on Friday!

Challenge:  Encourage your son/daughter to set an academic goal for Term 2 and put it up somewhere he/she can see it everyday. It will help bring some method to the madness on tough days!

Quote of the Week:  "Affirming words from moms and dads are like light switches: Speak a word of affirmation and the right moment in a child's life and it's like lighting up a whole roomful of possibilities."~ Gary Smalley

Have a great week and thanks for partnering with us! We truly care about your/our kids!
Nicole

Nicole's Notes: Volume 12

Happy Monday TOSH Parents and Guardians!

Well, the Annual TOSH Christmas Craft Fair has been over for a week, but I couldn't help but share this awesome picture (above) of "Santa" (aka TOSH teacher, Mike Trainor) shown here with some adoring fans. If you are not in the Christmas spirit just yet, all you need to do is head to the County Fair Mall. Santa will be landing there too eventually, it seems!

This Monday we are going to be having a special, in house, celebration. TOSH Social Studies teacher, David Chisholm, is a 2012 recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal!  David was one of only 4 teachers nominated in Canada for this prestigious award that celebrates an individual's positive contribution to Canadian society. David is being honoured for his work over the past several years planning the EF student tours to Europe to commemorate WWI and WWII battles. The most recent tour was last spring's Vimy Tour to France for the 95th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The Honourable H. Frank Lewis, Lieutenant Governor of PEI, will be on hand Monday to present David with his medal. A CBC radio interview will be aired on Island Morning on Monday at 8:15 a.m. if you would like to listen in! David will be holding a meeting on Monday evening at 7 p.m. in the Library for the parents of students interested in a possible trip to Belgium for Remembrance Day in November 2013. We are just gauging interest at the moment, as this trip still has to be approved by the school board.

Dates to Remember:
November:
19       The Mural Project-Open to parents and community members- 6:30 p.m. (Cafeteria)
           Meeting for possible EF tour trip to Belgium in Nov. 2013- 7 p.m. (Library)
22       School Dance: 8-11 p.m.
23       Report Cards Home (NOTE CHANGE!)
30       School Based PD Day- No school

December:
3         Parent Council Meeting- 6:30 p.m.
15       Christmas Dance
21       Last Day of Classes

NATIONAL BULLYING AWARENESS WEEK
We would argue that EVERY week should be "Bullying Awareness Week"! That being said, we tried to be conscious of the issue this past week and Ms. Haire had the privilege of debriefing a Dateline NBC documentary about this topic with Mrs. Arsenault's Block A WRT 421 class this week.  Alexis Stephens is shown here sporting her pink, Anti-Bullying t-shirt at school on Friday.  The climate work we began last year will likely continue into the new year, as we all could use the constant reminder that everyone has the right to be and everyone has a story worth hearing!

A "STORM" DAY AT TOSH!

On Tuesday, our Athletic Council members hosted the players from the Summerside Storm team for lunch at our school.  "The boys" were awesome guests and mixed and mingled very naturally with our students. All involved shared a meal in the cafeteria before heading out to tour the school. Eventually, they ended up in the gym...go figure?! Posing for a group photo are members of the Storm and our awesome TOSH hosts!

TAKE YOUR MP TO SCHOOL DAY 2012 

It was a big week for important guests! On Wednesday, the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of National Revenue, joined us at Three Oaks for a Q & A session in the Lecture Theatre with our Political Studies students.  Minister Shea shared the story of her journey into political life with our students and then answered questions about her job and challenges as a federal cabinet minister. We thank Minister Shea for taking time out of her busy schedule to bring a real "face" to federal politics.

THE MURAL PROJECT: USING VISUAL ARTS 
TO COMMUNICATE THE EXPERIENCE OF MENTAL HEALTH
We are proud to be hosting The Mural Project this week and next at Three Oaks. We are one of two Island schools who will be hosting The Mural Project for two weeks (November 15-29). The mural is the culmination of the artistic work done by eight adolescents who had experienced mental illness and who worked with an artist to capture their visual perceptions of this. Our students will be interacting with the mural throughout the school days, and we will be opening the school to parents and community members who wish to view the mural on Monday, November 19 beginning at 6:30 p.m. The evening will begin with a half hour session on the topic of mental wellness in the cafeteria. Mark this important session in your calendar! We look forward to seeing you there!

IT'S REPORT CARD TIME! 
Believe it or not, it's that time of the semester already!  I will be reading all report cards early next week, and then we will be sending them home to parents via the students on FRIDAY, NOV. 23!  Feel free to remind your son/daughter to dig theirs out of their backpack so that you will be updated on his/her progress to date! Please remember that the marks indicated on this report card are PROGRESS marks to date! There is still time for students to dig in and complete the work needed to meet curriculum outcomes in their courses. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the teachers or myself via e mail or phone.

GRADE 11 VISITS TO UPEI AND HOLLAND COLLEGE
Only 50% of our Grade 11 class returned their permission forms for the scheduled tours of UPEI and Holland College on Wednesday. That would have seen over 150 students remaining behind at the school that day with no scheduled classes. As a result of this, and a busing mix up, we are cancelling this tour for this year. There will be classes as usual for Grade 11's on Wednesday.

SCHOOL DANCE THURSDAY 
We will be having another school dance on Thursday evening from 8-11 p.m. and admission is $5. Any students wishing to sign in a friend (who is in good standing) from another Island high school must do so in the Main Office by the end of the day on Wednesday.  We have not had any issues that we have discovered yet this year, but it wouldn't hurt to remind your son/daughter that there is a very strict Board policy re: drug and alcohol use during school events.**See page 21 of the Student Handbook (available on our website). "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". We look forward to celebrating the term's halfway point with our kids!

T Shirts-$18

Raglan shirts-$25

ATHLETIC COUNCIL SHIRT SALES
Our Athletic Council is selling TOSH Athletics T shirts and raglans from now until Christmas in the Phys Ed Office. Sizes are Small to Xtra Large and there are "sizers" that can be tried on in advance of purchase, as well. Please note that we also have lots of other TOSH gear on sale through our Axe Outlet Bookstore every Wednesday at noon (top of the 600's staircase). TOSH gear makes a great Christmas gift for our students! 

Jason Hogan in Mr. Ramsay's class 

WELCOME PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS!
We are lucky to have 6 Pre-Service (Student) Teachers working with us over the next few weeks. Some are in their first year of study in their Bachelor of Education degree, while others are in the final year of their program. We know they will be contributors in their time with us and welcome them to our TOSH family! Here are their names and the name of the supervising teacher(s) to whom they are assigned:
Joel Banks (Krista Hickey)
Roslyn Riddington-Abbott (Mario Fiset)
Michelle Morrison (Rochelle Sullivan/Erin Peterson)
Jason Hogan (David Ramsay)
Neil Toombs (Laurie Callbeck)
Nick Cameron (Joel Arsenault)

KUDOS TO OUR KIDS!

To Morgan Boyd (picture above) who has spent the past several weeks in Mozambique, Africa serving others on a mission trip! Safe trip home, Morgan!

To the members of the Athletic Council for making the Summerside Storm players feel so welcome at TOSH!

To the students in Mrs. Evans afternoon Art 421 class for helping with the installation of The Mural Project on Thursday!

To Kennedy Clark for her leadership in her Adopt a Family project!

To the members of Mr. Trainor's POL 621 classes for your thought provoking questions to Minister Shea and for representing our student body so well!

To the CUL 801 students who are ROCKING their PBL "meals on wheels" (my term!) gourmet meals for staff!

To the following students who will be learning at Encounters with Canada this week: Chad Townsend and Kristen Pyke. Have fun and safe travels!

To Justin and Cecilia Campbell for showing awesome care and empathy as swimming instructors to a child with special needs at the CUP last week!

Challenge:  Sit down with your son/daughter next weekend and review his/her progress report. Read the teachers' comments carefully (I have asked them to be sure these offer descriptive feedback about your child's progress) and help your student set some academic goals for Term 2. It's a short hop to final exams and then the year will be halfway over!

Quote of the Week:  "Even as kids reach adolescence, they need more than ever for us to watch over them. Adolescence is not about letting go. It's about hanging on during a sometimes very bumpy ride."-Ron Taffel

Enjoy your week and we hope to see you at school for the mental health information session Monday at 6:30 p.m.!

Nicole

Nicole's Notes: Volume 11

Happy Monday TOSH Parents and Guardians!

Another TOSH Christmas Craft Fair is behind us! Thank you to all who came to shop and to all TOSH staff and students who volunteered their time to make this event such a success. It takes a whole school community to run a Craft Fair, and we appreciate the work of our staff planning committee in leading the way!

Thanks to all of you who came to Parent Teacher interviews last week, as well! There were 1237 interviews conducted on Wednesday and Thursday. If we assume an average of 4 teachers/student (not an exact number), then approximately 309 parents were involved in discussions about their child's progress. No wonder we ran out of cookies Wednesday night! :-)

Thanks, also, to the parents who have become involved with our Parent Council. There are some exciting projects and goals underway and the next meeting is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 3 at 6:30 p.m. New members are always welcome!

Dates to Remember:
November:
12       Remembrance Day Holiday- No classes
15       The Mural Project installed
19       The Mural Project-Open to parents and community members
22       School Dance: 8-11 p.m.
23       Report Cards Home (NOTE CHANGE!)
30       School Based PD Day- No school

December:
3         Parent Council Meeting- 6:30 p.m.
15       Christmas Dance
21       Last Day of Classes

ROTARY YOUTH EXCHANGE INFORMATION SESSION

There will be an information session for the Rotary Youth Exchange program at Three Oaks Senior High on Nov. 13, 2012 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Contact Jim Donovan for more information: jddonovan@edu.pe.ca.

ROGERS' "RAISING THE GRADE" PROGRAM

The Summerside Boys and Girls' Club has been chosen to receive a grant from Rogers Communication so that they can provide assistance to students who wish to explore and establish their pathway to a meaningful career. Students will be paired with trained student mentors and will be expected to attend sessions for one hour/week (Wednesdays) between 4-9 p.m. at the Boys and Girls' Club. There is the possibility of participants earning a $1000 scholarship toward their post-secondary education if they participate in the program for two years. TOSH students who are interested in participating or would like to be mentors and earn Community Service Bursary hours are asked to see Mr. Donovan in Student Services ASAP!

THE MURAL PROJECT: USING VISUAL ARTS TO COMMUNICATE THE EXPERIENCE OF MENTAL HEALTH

We are proud to be one of two Island schools who will be hosting The Mural Project for two weeks (November 15-29). The mural is the culmination of the artistic work done by eight high school students who had experienced mental illness and who worked with an artist to capture their visual perceptions of this. We will be opening the school to parents and community members who wish to view the mural on Monday, November 19 beginning at 6:30 p.m. Mark it in your calendar!

AS WE HEAD TOWARDS WINTER: 

A Note for Parents from the Board

SCHOOL CANCELLATION

All school cancellations will be announced on local radio stations and posted on our websites by 7:00 A.M. If all schools are closed, it will be announced that all English language schools in the province are closed for the day. In some instances it may only be necessary to close an individual school or a >family of schools=.  Partial school closures or delays will be announced by family of schools. The Three Oaks Family of Schools includes:  TOSH, SIS, Athena, Miscouche, Elm Street, Greenfield, and Parkside.

ONE HOUR DELAY

If a decision on cancellation cannot be made by 7:00 A.M., a one hour delay will be announced whereby all schools and buses will operate one hour later than usual.  A further announcement will be broadcast by 8:00 A.M.

LATE BUSES

In some instances, even in fine weather, buses may be delayed.  Parents will be notified via radio broadcast that a bus will be delayed (i.e. Bus #97 is running 30 minutes later).

SCHOOL CLOSURES DURING THE DAY

It may be necessary to close a school or a family of schools part way through a school day.  Detailed announcements will be made on local radio stations and school board websites.

EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS DURING SCHOOL DAY

Should Transportation Infrastructure Renewal and/or the RCMP recommend that school buses remain off Island roads, students may be required to remain at school beyond their normal dismissal time (unless picked up by a parent or designate).  Announcements will be made on local radio stations and school board websites.

 SUGGESTIONS FOR PARENTS:

1.       The final decision to attend school or to travel to school via school bus always rests with the parent. 

2.       Please do not drop children off at school unless you are certain that school is operating that day and that staff are present to supervise the children.

3.    Please listen to the radio and check school board websites frequently between 6:30 and 8:00 A.M. daily to determine if schools are operating.  Every effort will be made to have announcements broadcast by 7:00 A.M.

4.    Please do not call the school, school board office, or the radio stations for information on cancellations or delays.  Such calls tie up telephone lines which may be needed for emergency use.

KUDOS TO OUR KIDS!

To the students involved in the Math 421 PBL "Hole in One" project! Your presentations on Tuesday evening were very impressive!

To our TOSH students who are attending Encounters with Canada this week: Katelyn Bridges, Megan McNeill, and Ben Smith!

To the Presidents of the 8 Councils for an awesome "Presidents' Council" meeting on Tuesday at noon! You are leading your Councils in some pretty exciting directions! Proud of you!

To Noah Richardson, Student Government Council President, for representing Summerside's youth and for speaking so well at the City's Remembrance Day ceremony at the CUP on Sunday! Well done, Noah!

To all TOSH students who were so incredibly respectful at our Remembrance Day assembly on Wednesday! SO proud of you all!

To Brye Caissie, Matthew McNeill, and Grace Bowness for their powerful reflections about their experiences on the Vimy Ridge trip at this year's Remembrance Day assembly!

To Blaire Guptill for her excellent rendition of The Last Post and Reveille at the assembly!

To Danielle Gosse and Jenna DesRoches who stepped up and helped the custodians get chairs ready for the assembly during their lunch hour on Wednesday!

To the students who came in at 7 a.m.(!!) Thursday morning to bake more cookies for the Parent Teacher interview day ahead:  Bruce Ramsay, Holly Hartlen, Ciara Arsenault, Sarah Lo Iacono, and Scott Richard!

To the students from the various extra-curricular groups and Councils in the school who gave so much of their time during the Craft Fair weekend to work the doors, deliver food to vendors, work the Axe Outlet table and babysitting room, set up and tear down, count money, and serve food in the cafeteria! We could not have pulled off this event without you!

To Scott Richard for going above and beyond at the Craft Fair-start to finish!!

Have a wonderful week and we encourage all our students to dig in and focus on the work at hand as we head toward the end of our first reporting term Nov. 16!

Nicole

Nicole's Notes: Volume 10

Happy Monday TOSH Parents and Guardians!

Our new Career and Technical Education Centre (affectionately known here as the "CTEC" building) is officially open! A HUGE shout out to our trades students and staff for hosting such an awesome event. The Premier, Minister of Education, and all in attendance were impressed with your professionalism and passion for what you do each day in this awesome new facility!

There are only three days of classes this week due to Parent Teacher Interviews on Thursday and the provincial PD day on Friday. Please note that there will be no school next Monday, Nov. 12 due to the Remembrance Day holiday.

The next Parent Council meeting is Monday, Nov. 5 in the TOSH Library. All parents/guardians are always welcome! If you were there for the last meeting, remember to bring a friend this time!

VOLLEYBALL PROVINCIALS!

Congratulations to our TOSH Volleyball teams who all won medals during the recent provincial competition:

A Women- Silver Medalists!

AAA Women- Bronze Medalists!

AAA Men- Bronze Medalists!

Dates to Remember:
November:
5           Parent Council Meeting- 6:30 p.m. in TOSH Library
7           Remembrance Day School Assembly- 1 p.m.
             Parent Teacher Interviews (PM)
8           Parent Teacher Interviews- No classes
9           Provincial PD Day- No classes
             TOSH Christmas Craft Fair Begins
10-11    Craft Fair
12         Remembrance Day Holiday- No classes
21         Grade 11 Trip to Tour UPEI and Holland College

ROGERS "RAISING THE GRADE" PROGRAM
The Summerside Boys and Girls' Club has been chosen to receive a grant from Rogers Communication so that they can provide assistance to students who wish to explore and establish their pathway to a meaningful career. Students will be paired with trained student mentors and will be expected to attend sessions for one hour/week (Wednesdays) between 4-9 p.m. at the Boys and Girls' Club. There is the possibility of participants earning a $1000 scholarship toward their post-secondary education if they participate in the program for two years. TOSH students who are interested in participating or would like to be mentors and earn Community Service Bursary hours are asked to see Mr. Donovan in Student Services ASAP!

MATH 421 PBL:  "HOLE IN ONE" (Nov 6th  from 7-9 p.m.)
The Grade 10 Math  "Hole in One"  PBL trade fair night is happening this coming Tuesday from 7- 9 p.m. at the school. Students will need to arrive no later than 6:30 p.m. to get their display booths set up.

Curriculum outcomes this project addresses: Solving problems that involve linear measurement using both the SI (metric) and Imperial systems and converting between these two measurement systems, as well as calculating surface area and volume of three dimensional objects. 21st Century Competencies include: Communication and collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving.

PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS 

Parent Teacher interviews will take place this week on Wednesday, Nov. 7 from 3:45-5 p.m. and 6-9 p.m., as well as Thursday, Nov. 8 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. If your son/daughter has not given you an interview request form to sign, ask him/her for it and send the completed form back to the main office asap. If the form has been lost, simply call the school and request your interview times.

PLEASE NOTE: Interviews are only 10 minutes in duration. If there is an issue you wish to discuss with one or more of your child's teachers in depth, please call or e mail Nicole Haire to request a more intensive meeting about your child's progress: nmhaire@edu.pe.ca.

STUDY SKILLS SESSIONS!

Ms. Peterson and Mr. Higginbotham will be running Study Skills Sessions in the Lecture Theatre on November 5 and 6 for those students interested in learning how to better prepare themselves for assessments like tests and exams. Each session will run from12:00-12:40 p.m. each day and students can choose the date that suits their schedule best!

TOSH CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAIR! 

Believe it or not, it's that time of year again! We welcome everyone to come out to our annual TOSH Christmas Craft Fair here at Three Oaks beginning on Friday November 9, from 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM; Saturday, November 10 from 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM; and Sunday November 11, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM. This is an excellent opportunity to start/finish your Christmas shopping and/or purchase some holiday decorations for your home. There will be more than 100 vendors from PEI, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Admission is $3. Canteen and babysitting service are available. We also have a debit machine in place this year for your shopping convenience! For more information visit: http://www.toshcraftfair.com/. All proceeds from the Craft Fair go to support student programs, activities, and events here at Three Oaks. 

ROTARY YOUTH EXCHANGE INFORMATION SESSION

There will be an information session for the Rotary Youth Exchange program at Three Oaks Senior High on Nov. 13, 2012 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Contact Jim Donovan for more information: jddonovan@edu.pe.ca.

TOSH BAND FUNDRAISER

Please consider supporting our TOSH Band Program Frozen Cookie Dough Fund Raiser! Just in time for holiday baking! This is our biggest fund raiser of the year and will be especially helpful as we prepare to take the Senior Band to Ottawa for a week in the spring.

 3 lb. pail $10 each

-Scoop and bake directly from the pail.
-Tamper proof pails
-Re-freezable
-Each pail makes 48 1oz cookies.
Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, Ginger, Double Chocolate, Rainbow Chip, and Shortbread.

**Orders are due on November 5, and the product will be picked up by each student seller on November 20th. If interested, see any TOSH Band member or e mail: kxcarruthers@edu.pe.ca.**

GET YOUR STORM TICKETS HERE!

Three Oaks Athletics is partnering with the Summerside Storm and will sell $5 tickets for home games this season.  Tickets will be available from basketball players and for sale in both the PE office and the Main Office at TOSH. These tickets can be used for children, seniors or adults.  All money supports school sport at TOSH.

PUMPKIN PATROL THANKS!

We had another successful Pumpkin Patrol event, keeping Summerside's Trick or Treaters safe! Special thanks goes out to the eight Summerside Storm players who joined us on patrol and for celebratory pizza afterwards. We are grateful to the following sponsors for making this event possible!:

Summerside Consolidated Credit Union
Brothers 2 Restaurant

PEI Police Association

Atlantic Superstore Summerside

Transcontinental PEI

Greco

Samuel's Coffee House

Summerside Storm Basketball 

TOSH ROCKS THE PEI ENVIROTHON COMPETITION

...AGAIN! 
The provincial Envirothon competition took place Friday and Saturday of last week. Each team is made up of five students, and this year we had a mixture of students from grades 10, 11, and 12:

Team 1: Rachel Barry, Caitlin Gallant, Zach Phillips, Matt MacNeill, and Damien Paugh.  

Team 2: Andrew Farag, Kristen Pyke, Patrick Steele, Ian Hink and Shobhitha Balasubramaniam. The competition involves tests of knowledge and skills in five areas of study:  Aquatics, Forestry, Soils/Land Use, Wildlife, and Current Issues in Environmental Sciences. They are also presented with a challenge related to the fifth topic and have to prepare and present a solution to the challenge before a panel of judges. The overall winner of the competition was TOSH 2 and this is our school's 9th provincial win in 10 years! The winning team has earned the right to represent PEI at the Canon Envirothon in August 2013 to compete with the winning teams from the other provinces and states.This will take place in Montana, USA this year! Congratulations to all who represented us and to the teacher advisors, Mr. Higginbotham and Dr. Pringle!

GRADE 12 PERSUASIVE ESSAYS TO APPEAR IN JOURNAL PIONEER SOON!

The Grade 12 English 621 students in Mr. Hockin's class have approached our local paper, the Journal Pioneer, about having some of their persuasive essays published in the paper. Stay tuned, as the folks at the Journal have agreed to do this sometime in late November/early December. We'll keep you posted!

UPEI RESEARCH:  ISLAND PARENT SURVEY

Dear Island Parents,

Your roles as caregivers, protectors, and encouragers for your children make for one of the most rewarding, yet challenging jobs ever. At different times and in different ways, parents may need support – but unfortunately, the support some parents need may not be available in the form that makes the most sense and works best for them.

The International Parenting Survey – Canada (IPS-C) is looking into this issue.  The survey is a project which has the potential to enhance services for local parents of children from 2-12 years of age.  The on-line survey will ask you questions about your child’s behavior, how you manage your child’s behavior, the supports that are available to you as parents, and your preferences for how to get support in parenting. In families where two parents are living, we would welcome each parent to complete the survey.

We will develop a local, P.E.I., report on parents’ responses. We will share this report with local policy and practice decision makers.
A few minutes of your time to respond to this survey will be greatly appreciated!
To take part in the survey, visit www.ips-canada.net.
If you have any questions, please contact Elena Buliga (ebuliga@upei.ca) or Dr. Philip Smith (smithp@upei.ca).
Sincerely,
Elena Buliga                     Dr. Philip Smith
BA (Honours) student      Professor of Psychology

THE MURAL PROJECT: 
USING VISUAL ARTS TO COMMUNICATE THE EXPERIENCE OF MENTAL HEALTH
We are proud to be one of two Island schools who will be hosting The Mural Project for two weeks in November. The mural is the culmination of the artistic work done by eight high school students who had experienced mental illness and who worked with an artist to capture their visual perceptions of this. We will be opening the school to parents and community members who wish to view the mural on Monday, November 19 beginning at 6:30 p.m. Mark it in your calendar!

KUDOS TO OUR KIDS!

To Ellen Arsenault, Abbey McQuaid, Becky Clark, Drake Gallant, Lauren Sheidow, and Nathan Stavert for volunteering at the Summerside Storm Slam Dunk game on behalf of Three Oaks Athletics!

To the following Fall athletes who were honoured as Provincial All-Stars in their sport:
A Women's Volleyball- Sarah Thususka and Becca Gallant
AAA Women's Volleyball- Emma Kennedy and Laura O'Neill
AAA Men's Volleyball- James Meek and Alex DesRoches (11)
AAA Men's Soccer- Andrew Richardson and Josh Arsenault
AAA Women's Soccer- Ellen Arsenault and Jill Curley
Field Hockey- Kayla Arsenault and Jaime MacLean

Also invited to attend their respective All-Star games:
A Women's Volleyball- Shelby MacNaught
AAA Men's Volleyball- Tanner Mendoza

To Jordan Black for his excellent volleyball play in provincials during his grade 10 year! Very impressive!

To the members of the Summerside Clippers Football team who are also TOSH students! Excellent semi-final game Friday night! The score was 55-15 when I had to leave with 5 minutes remaining in the game. They advance to the finals this coming Saturday in Charlottetown.

To members of the Pumpkin Patrol and Halloween for Hunger crew who represented us so well while doing such important work on Halloween night!

To the members of the Activities Council for some great Octoberfest activities!

To Millee McKay and Noah Richardson for organizing our "Movember" initiative! Be prepared for some "scary mustache" pictures in the weeks to come! Thanks to all involved for raising money and awareness for prostate cancer.

To our Grade 10 and Senior Concert Bands for their excellent performance with the UPEI Wind Symphony on Sunday afternoon!

To Julia McIntyre for her performances on French Horn with all three ensembles on Sunday!

Challenge:  Make arrangements to come to Parent Teacher interviews, or at least make e mail contact with your child's teachers, to get a sense of his/her progress to date (Staff e mail addresses are available at: www.edu.pe.ca/threeoaks). Your child's success in school depends on a three-way partnership: the School, the Parent, and the Student. Encourage your son/daughter to come along to interviews with you, as it will encourage them to take ownership of their education. Hope to see/hear from you this week!

Quote of the Week:  “Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.”
                                        ~ Dr. Seuss

We are looking forward to hosting you all here on Wednesday and Thursday. Cookies will be provided by our FDS 421 students and those are definitely worth the drive to 10 Ken Moore Ave! :-)

Have a great week!
Nicole