Nicole's Notes: Volume 23 (Feb. 25, 2013)

Music Council Folks at Samuel's

Happy Monday TOSH Parents and Guardians!

We are hoping for a much "steadier" week coming up after all the delays and cancellations from last week. Gotta love our PEI winters!! We managed to fit in a few Winter Carnival events here and there, and we are talking about rescheduling the school dance that had to be cancelled last Thursday for sometime before March Break. We will not be rescheduling the cancelled Meet the Teacher evening, but teachers will be sending course information to parents via e mail next week. If you do not receive my blog reminders via e mail, it means that we don't have your e mail address in SAS! Simply e mail me ASAP if you wish to be added to our mailing list at: nmhaire@edu.pe.ca.

Green and Gold Day Friday!

A HUGE THANK YOU is extended to everyone who brought in food for our staff to enjoy during the Parent Council's potluck event and Bake Sale last Thursday. We very much appreciated the tasty treat along with this show of support for the work we do!

WEAR PINK DAY:  FEB. 27/13 
We are asking all staff and students in our TOSH community to wear pink on Wednesday, Feb. 27 in support of bullying awareness. We will be kicking off our school climate work for Semester 2 that day with the presentation of the documentary entitled, "The Bully Project" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dVX0tWiG2E).  Representatives from the ELSB will be on hand to present our school with the 2012 Tami Martell Award, as well. Please help your son/daughter find something pink to wear on Wednesday and remind him/her to put it on that morning! It's time we all stepped up together to be part of the solution to this very serious societal problem!


Upcoming Dates to Note:

February

26         2013-2014 Course Handbooks distributed to students

27         Wear Pink Day!

March
4          Parent Council Meeting- 6:30 p.m. in the Library

6          Grade 9 Parent Information Night-6:30 p.m.

7          Rescheduled Grade 9 Tours (SIS)

18-22   March Break-No Classes

29        Good Friday- No Classes

2013-2014 COURSE HANDBOOKS COMING THIS MONTH!

Grade 12 parents can stop reading and wait for all the Graduation blog information that will hit them in May and June! :) Grade 10 and 11 parents need to be aware that Course Handbooks will be distributed to students on Tuesday, Feb. 26 with registration for next year's courses taking place in homeroom on March 5. The Counselors in Student Services and Homeroom teachers are always willing and able to offer consultation and advice regarding course selection, so please encourage your son/daughter to access his/her allies over the next couple of weeks as needed!

NEW ELSB BOARD WEBSITE
The English Language School Board recently launched its new website, which can be found at www.gov.pe.ca/edu/elsb. This site has a number of features that may be of particular interest to parents and students.  Images of recent student activities are featured on the Home page.  Storm closures, upcoming parent meetings, recent announcements, and other current news items will appear on the Home page; and these posts can be followed on the ELSB Twitter account(@ELSBPEI).  The site also introduces a translation option. Although the new ELSB website is still under construction, it is being actively developed.  As the website evolves, information and links will continue to be added.  Resources considered of particular interest to parents and students will be highlighted in the Parents & Students area of the site.

HOMESTAY ON THE ISLAND FOR JAPANESE STUDENTS

The non-profit Japanese youth program LABO offers one month language learning and cultural exploration for Japanese students aged 12-16 as well as year long high school exchanges. People interested in becoming a host family can visit their website  (www.labo-exchange.com) or call Michelle (887-3299) or Nola (859-3684) for more information.

PARLIAMENTARY VISITOR!

Mr. Trainor's Political Studies 621 class was pleased to welcome Calgary MP and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment, Michelle Rempel, to Three Oaks on Friday! Ms. Rempel was very approachable and shared many insights into her work and life on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. We appreciate her taking the time to come to TOSH during her Island visit and for helping our students make these important, "real world" connections to their curriculum!

James Brown: Music Council President

KUDOS TO OUR KIDS!

To James Brown (shown above) and the Music Council Executive members for organizing and executing the "Coffee House in a Coffee House" event at Samuel's on Saturday!

To all the performers at the Coffee House on Saturday! You ROCKED!! 

To Nicole Gallant, Millee MacKay, Jesse MacFarlane, and Rebecca Drummond for their work facilitating the event happening on Wednesday!

To Lea Brown for her awesome work helping to organize the Grade 9 Tours!

To the members of the Women's AAA Basketball team for winning their semi-final game on Friday! They head to the provincial, Gold medal final against Colonel Gray on Wednesday of this week at UPEI!

To the members of the AA Men's and AAA Men's and Women's AA Basketball teams for their hard fought semi-final games this weekend. All will go for provincial Bronze this coming week!

Challenge:  Help your son/daughter find a pink shirt before Wednesday!

Quote of the Week:  "Wisdom is knowing what to do next; virtue is doing it."~ David Star Jordan

Have a wonderful week! :-)

Nicole

Nicole's Notes: Volume 22 (Feb. 18, 2013)

Happy Holiday Monday TOSH Parents and Guardians!
I hope you all enjoyed the gift of an extra day spent in the company of those you care most about this weekend. It was certainly a mixed bag of tricks weather-wise. The taste of spring we got here on Saturday made me think there might be an end to the white stuff eventually!

By now, most of you are aware of the "surprise" I got at school on Thursday. I just wanted to extend my thanks to President Pam Montgomery and the TOSH Parent Council for nominating me for this award, and I applaud the fact that they pulled the surprise off with so much pizzazz! You got me...Well done! :-)

STAFF APPRECIATION POT LUCK ON THURSDAY, FEB. 21!
PARENT COUNCIL NEEDS YOUR HELP!
The Parent Council is hosting a pot luck lunch for TOSH staff at noon on Thursday, Feb. 21. They are also having a bake sale that same day to raise funds for the Parent Council Bursary that they award to a deserving Grade 12 student at the graduation in the spring. If you can contribute food items for the pot luck and/or the bake sale, you are asked to contact Pam Montgomery by FB message (Pam Schurman-Montgomery), by phone at 436-4812, or via e mail: jajomapa@mac.com ASAP so organizers will have some idea of what items to expect on Thursday. Thanks in advance for your support!

STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK THANK YOU!

Our staff room was filled with treats and cards last week as various families paid tribute to the work our staff do each and every day on behalf of students. THANK YOU to all who reached out to us! We appreciate your gestures of support, even though I had to walk a few extra laps of the CUP track this weekend to make up for the indulgence! :-)

ENVIROTHON TEAM ACCEPTS DONATION!
A HUGE thank you is extended to the Hon. Janice Sherry, Minister of Environment, Labour and Justice and Attorney General for PEI, who presented our winning provincial Envirothon team from TOSH with a cheque for $1500! The funds will go to support their travel to the international competition in Montana, USA this summer. Much appreciated!

Upcoming Dates to Note:

February

18         Islander Day- No classes

19         PEI Principals' Association  Meeting-Nicole Out

19-21   Grade 9 Student "Talk and Tours"

19-22   Winter Carnival Activity Week!

21         Meet the Teacher Evening- 6:30-8 p.m.

             School Dance 8-11 p.m.

26         2013-2014 Course Handbooks distributed to students

March

6          Grade 9 Parent Information Night-6:30 p.m.

18-22   March Break-No Classes

29        Good Friday- No Classes

SEMESTER 2 "MEET THE TEACHER" EVENING:
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21 6:30-8 P.M.

All Parents and Guardians are invited to attend our "Meet the Teacher" evening scheduled for this Thursday, Feb. 21 beginning at 6:30 p.m. There is a school dance beginning that same evening at 8 p.m., so you will have a guaranteed "exit" time...unless you want to stay and help supervise with us! :-) We look forward to welcoming you that evening. It will be a good chance for you to put a face to your son/daughter's teachers' names and find out about course content and expectations.

TOSH ART DISPLAY AT ROTARY LIBRARY

The ART 501 students currently have their work displayed at the Summerside Rotary Public Library for the remainder of the semester. We encourage people to enjoy these student pieces as they access the library services over the next few months.

Ms DeCoste 

CLOTHING DRIVE A SUCCESS!

The Community Works Council ran a very successful clothing drive during the month of January in aid of the Salvation Army. A huge thank you goes out to everyone who donated the items of clothing that were delivered with a smile last week!

Logan Maddix performs at the CUP

KUDOS TO OUR KIDS!

To Logan Maddix (pictured above) for entertaining folks in the lobby at the Storm basketball game this week!

Peer Helpers Going to Training

To all Semester 2 Peer Helpers who represented TOSH so well at provincial Peer Helper training at the CUP on Thursday!

To the following students who will be representing TOSH at the Provincial Skills competition: 
Dale Johnson and Johnathan Gamble: Carpentry
Brandon MacNevin and Quinten Wedge: Small Powered Equipment
Dylan Johnston and Carter Yeo: Automotive:
Lea Brown: Occupational Health and Safety:
Bloyce Walfield: Welding



To Dakota Oliver for her excellent rendition of O Canada at the Storm game on Thursday!

To Nicole Gallant and Jaime MacLean for their leadership with the February 27 bullying awareness day!

To Kyle Arsenault for brightening my day with a smiley face drawn on my Tim Horton's coffee cup lid this weekend!

To Jessica Campbell for her thoughtfulness via FB on Thursday! Much appreciated!

To DJ Gaudet for returning the lost earring he found last week!

To the TOSH students who will be touring Grade 9 students through the school this coming week!:

Holly Hartlen                                      Sarah Thususka
Jill MacIntyre                                     Breann Hastings
Lea Brown                                           Brye Caissie
Breanna Arsenault                              Daniel Brown
Wyatt Milligan                                    Millie MacKay

Michaella Donovan                            Danielle Gosse

Nicole Gallant                                     Bella Melanson

Torri Dexter                                        Kristen Perry

Brittany Ellsworth                               Megan McNeill

Bailey Drummond                               Sarah Hilvers

Jaime MacLean                                  Julia Richard

Bruce Ramsay                                    Ellen Arsenault

Emma Kennedy                                  Marissa Blacquiere

Storm Game Tutorial :-)

To Colin Arsenault and Jordan Black for helping Paul M. Schurman explain some of the rules of the game of basketball at the Storm game on Thursday! 

Challenge:  Help your son/daughter find a pink shirt to wear to school on February 27 (next Wednesday!!). We would love to see 100% participation from our school community around this important issue of Bullying Awareness! 

Quote of the Week:  "How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours."~Wayne Dyer

Enjoy your week!
Nicole 

Nicole's Notes: Volume 21 (Feb. 11, 2013)

Former Grads come for a visit from Community Connections!

Happy Monday TOSH Parents and Guardians and Welcome to Semester 2!

Thanks again for your understanding last week in allowing me to skip a blog post. It was a pretty quiet week at school anyway with Final Exam assessments underway, and I trust that your son/daughter felt good about their experience. The report cards will be distributed to students in homeroom on Monday morning, so be sure to ask to see your copy of that when your son/daughter returns home after school that day. If it gets lost in transit, you can let me know and I will get you another copy!

TOSH welcomes teacher Mr. Faro Halupa who is filling in for Mrs. Thomson this semester while she is out on leave. Mr. Halupa is teaching Phys Ed 401, ITC 401 and Family Living 621.

A HUGE shout out to Mr. Arsenault, the Women's AAA Basketball team and coaches who put so much effort into planning the Annual Sweetheart Tournament that had to be cancelled due to bad weather this weekend. Apparently, it is impossible to reschedule this with off-Island teams heading into playoffs, etc. Disappointing but a good decision by the Board considering the snowstorm we got this weekend!

Upcoming Dates to Note:

February
11         Parent Council Meeting- 6:30 p.m. in the Library (Rescheduled from last week)
12         Principals' Training and Meeting-Nicole Out
14         Provincial Peer Helper Training-Credit Union Place
18         Islander Day- No classes
19-22   Winter Carnival Activity Week!
19         Principals' Provincial Association Meeting- Nicole Out
21         Meet the Teacher Evening- 6:30-8 p.m. (Note date change!)
             School Dance 8-11 p.m.
26         2013-2014 Course Handbooks distributed to students

SUMMERSIDE STORM TICKETS ON SALE!

Tickets for home games played by the Summerside Storm at Credit Union Place can be purchased through the Phys Ed Office or Main Office at TOSH for $5. All proceeds from these ticket sales goes to TOSH Athletics! The next home games are February 14 (a great date for you and your Valentine!!) at 7 p.m and February 18 (a great way to celebrate Islander Day!) at 2 p.m.

PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN ONLINE 

Protecting Our Children Online is a 90 minute presentation for parents and guardians. Participants will learn the key risks and hazards our children are exposed to, and how to set up proper parental controls that will help keep our children safe. For more information, you can visit their website:
https://www.atendy.com/event/protecting-our-children-online-9761

POSITIVE SCHOOL CLIMATE CREW NOW AT WORK!
I was approached recently by some of our students (from all three grades!) who wanted to consider a way to continue building on the positive school climate work we began at TOSH last year. They have some great ideas that will take us from now until May to implement, but in the short term, we will be having a "Wear Pink" anti-bullying awareness day on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at school. Students and staff will be asked to wear pink that day. If people don't own a pink shirt, Mark's Work Wearhouse is selling pink shirts in aid of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization for $10! Stay tuned for future progress and updates!

SEMESTER 2 COURSE CHANGES ARE NOW FINISHED!
Students were alerted early last week that we would only be accepting course change requests until Friday. As the days progress, it becomes increasingly difficult for students to enter into a class that has already begun the semester's work. If your son/daughter continues to have a situation that requires special consideration, please contact myself or Mr. Jason Gallant (VP) in the Main Office for a chat. It is our expectation that all students will now follow their current schedules and get this semester underway in fine style!

2013-2014 COURSE HANDBOOKS COMING THIS MONTH!
Yes, you read that right! We are like Hallmark cards here at school...always thinking ahead! Grade 12 parents can stop reading and wait for all the Graduation blog information that will hit them in May and June! Grade 10 and 11 parents need to be aware that Course Handbooks will be distributed to students around Feb. 26 with registration for next year's courses taking place in March. Our incoming Grade 9's will be coming for tours of TOSH this month, as well. Time really is flying and students are encouraged to start considering their future course plans as they handle their current course load. The Counsellors in Student Services and Homeroom teachers are always willing and able to offer consultation and advice regarding course selection, so please encourage your son/daughter to access his/her allies as needed!

STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK!
Next week is the "official" Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week. Our TOSH Admin team will be treating staff to lunch on Wednesday of that week but there are other school groups who will be offering gestures of appreciation to our hardworking TOSH staff members during the month of February. If you wish to contribute an item to the potluck being hosted by the Parent Council, please drop me an e mail (nmhaire@edu.pe.ca) and I will forward it to the planning committee members.

Wyatt Milligan

KUDOS TO OUR KIDS!

To Wyatt Milligan (picture above) for representing so well in his Cadet uniform while volunteering at a City function at the CUP last week. The bonus is that he was also earning Leadership 621 volunteer hours!

To the Climate Improvement Crew for their great ideas and commitment to school improvement!

To the members of the Athletic Council for their work planning the Sweetheart Tournament and their professionalism when it had to be cancelled!

To the members of the Summerside Wolf Pack Wrestling Club from TOSH who represented so well Feb. 2 at the Sackville High Invitation Wrestling Tournament:

Emily MacArthur- Under 52 Kg bronze Intermediate

Ligrid Sadiku- Under 52 KG Silver Intermediate

Lucas Donovan- Under 69 KG Silver Intermediate

To Michaella Donovan for representing TOSH at Encounters with Canada last week and for her patience in trying to get back home in snowy weather!

To Trevor Profitt for his work on the new and improved, up to date TOSH website! Check it out at: www.edu.pe.ca/threeoaks!

To Erica Gillis for having her ENG 621 persuasive essay published in the Journal Pioneer on Saturday!

To Noah Richardson for his work as an Active8 Ambassador! Make your pledge to do good for others on Noah's site today and help him earn a $1000 scholarship! http://2013.active8campaign.com/active-8-ambassadors/noah-richarson/

Challenge:  Watch this video...with tissue handy:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olSyCLJU3O0
The message is an important one. Remember, these TOSH years fly quickly so try to enjoy every step of the journey!

Quote of the Week!: "Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." -Saint Francis of Assisi

Have a wonderful week!
Nicole