Why does it seem that the short weeks are the busiest weeks?  Everyone return from the Victoria Day long weekend feeling refreshed and ready for the final stretch.

1. All students have received a calendar for the events and deadlines for the next 5 weeks.  The cut off for writing math tests, deadlines for Model UN and upcoming yearend activities are all listed.
2. This week two students from the Best Secondary Model UN Club came over and talked with us about how Model UN works, their experience participating in other Model UNs.  We’ve been writing position papers for the countries we are representing about either Access to Medicine, Gender and Science, Sustainable Tourism or Internation Migration.
3. We also started our Shakespeare unit!  Ms. Moody gave us an entertaining introduction to William Shakespeare – even including a rap! We got an overview of his life and the context he wrote in.  And now we are looking for quotes.  Ms. Moody and Ms. Abbot have booked Bard in the Classroom for June and we are looking forward to playing with “A Midsummer Nights Dream”.
4. The final trades and calculations are being made as we get our NHL teams under the salary cap for the 2013-14 season.  Lots of data analysizing and graphing underway right now.  Final teams will be unveiled on Monday, when our student GM’s reveal their rosters.
5. We also showed our Yellow Team Spirit on the Mini We Day / Spirit Day this week.  We watched some videos about the diamond conflicts in Africa, about people who have overcome real difficulties and made the impossible possible, and about water around the world.  We played games for Spirit points and then competed in the Finals during the Spirit Assembly.  Yellow Team tied for first in the 6-person skiing event and in the marshmallow challenge.  We also showed EPIC Yellow creativity in our creation of an outfit for Ms. Rogan.

   

   

   
   

   

   

   
   

   

   

   
   

   

   

   
   

   

   

   
   

   

   

   
   

   

   

   
   

   

   

   
   

   

   

   
   

   

   

   
   

   

   

   
   
6. While we were working on our Model UN preparations, we realized it was International Day for Biodiversity and this year they were honoring the year of Water Cooperation.  We checked out some of the resources online about some of the water quality and water security issues around the world.
7. Ms. Abbot’s class listened to the first couple chapters on Alexandra Horowitz’s book “On Looking” and went out to observe our every day surroundings.  We started with a 1 minute walk outside and wrote a paragraph about it.  Then we walked our street and wrote a longer composition about what we saw.   Horowitz takes different experts with her on walks around the block and comments about the different ways that people pay attention to what is important to them.
8. The Rugby Teams were in action again this week.  Guitar Club continues at lunch once a week.  Spirit Squad was busy prepping Spirit Day and getting ready for Crazy Sock Day next week. Band and Choir continue with concerts coming up in June.
9. We are still in Art and Home Ec for our explorations.  And we are still doing Badminton and Football in PE.
10. Some of our students have been out this week for competitions in dance, bagpiping and for Odyssey of the Mind.  We wish you all well in your adventures and look forward to hearing about them when you are back at school.

And to end with our poet du jour –

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date: (Sonnet 18)