BRONCO BROADCAST BRAMALEA SECONDARY SCHOOL

FEBRUARY 2017

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

◊◊◊ by Mr. F. Kidd◊◊◊

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I want to express my gratitude to the entire Bramalea community for being so welcoming as I finish up my first semester as your Principal. I have enjoyed working with all of our students, staff and community members and am proud to be a Bronco. I look forward to my future time being your Principal.

We have a couple of staffing changes occurring for 2nd

semester. I would like to thank Ms. Deodat and Ms. McMillan for being a part of our team this semester. Both staff members were excellent additions and provided support to our students both within and outside of the classroom. We welcome Ms. Del Maestro back for 2

nd semester in Student Success and look forward to Ms. Ahluwalia joining our English depart-

ment.

I would be remiss if I didn’t thank all of our amazing staff members for the dedication that they show our students in activities outside of the classroom. There are few buildings in the Board that offer as many ac-tivities and programs as we do here at BSS. I am always looking for feedback from community members and encourage you to follow or contact me at #BramaleaKidd.

I would like to welcome all parents to join us in the library for our School Council meeting scheduled for February 16, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.

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GUIDANCE NEWS - J. Colton

Post-Secondary Pathways Planning As students make their way through high school, it is important to set post-secondary goals.

There’s no right or wrong answer – only the one that is right for each individual. There are four

main destinations to be considered – apprenticeship, college, university and going directly to the

workplace. Each provides valuable skills and experiences and each have changed drastically in the

last few years. Job markets have changed, post-secondary education has changed and parents need

to stay informed. If parents have questions about pathways, they are welcome to contact their

child’s counsellor to set up a meeting in order to discuss different opportunities. Counsellors have a

wealth of literature related to pathway planning which is readily available to students and parents.

College Panel Presentation for Grade 11 Students

On May 17th five of the top GTA colleges will speak to our Grade 11 students about Applied Degree

programs offered through college/university partnerships. Grade 11 students need to begin think-

ing very seriously about the different pathways available to them and what options exist for post-

secondary education. We highly recommend that Grade 11 students begin their research into post-

secondary pathways early to ensure they have chosen the correct Grade 12 courses for next school

year. Please help your son or daughter research post-secondary options by visiting

www.myblueprint.ca/peel.

Attention All Graduating Students

There are three things you need to remember to do before the end of the May:

1. Complete your 40 hours of volunteer service by May 26th in order to attend the Grad

Breakfast.

2. If you have been involved in school activities, please complete the Bramalea

Secondary School Activity Letter Points sheet in order to be presented with a

prestigious Activity Letter at our annual Commencement Ceremony.

3. If you have chosen courses but ARE NOT returning to Bramalea in the fall,

please come to Guidance and let us know.

This is a stressful time for graduating students as they wait for acceptance letters from colleges

and universities or start to look for a full-time job. Please do not hesitate to come and talk to your

counsellor about school selection, what to do if you do not get an acceptance letter, what conditional

offers mean or if you need help in locating full-time employment.

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GUIDANCE NEWS - continued

Commencement

This year’s commencement will be held on THURSDAY, JUNE 29th at 10:00 a.m. at the Red Rose Convention

Centre. If you are the parent of a graduate, mark this date down on your calendar.

OSAP

This year, Ontario is moving forward with the most ambitious reform of student financial assistance in North Amer-ica. The new Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) will make postsecondary education more affordable for students from low and middle-income families. You can apply for OSAP for the 2017-18 school year when the application opens in spring 2017 however you can get ready now by registering with OSAP at https://osap.gov.on.ca/OSAPSecurityWeb/public/login.xhtml?lang=en. You’ll create your OSAP profile and get your OSAP Access Number. When the application opens, you’ll get a message from OSAP that it’s time to apply.

Course Selection

All students have chosen courses for September and will receive a course verification form with their midterm

report in April. It is important that students review their 2017/2018 course selection and verify that the courses

they have chosen are correct. If changes are needed, students simply need to make an appointment with their

guidance counsellor towards the end of May when next year’s timetable is available All changes need to be

made before the end of June. Please note that Grade 11 students do not qualify for a spare.

Link Crew

Link Crew is doing a fantastic job working with our Grade 9 students this year and just recently finished a Cocoa and Cram session where they helped Grade 9 students prepare for exams by going through old exams over a glass of hot chocolate and cookies.

Link Leader applications will be available in the spring for the 2017/2018 school year. After extensive leadership training, Link Leaders run Grade 9 orientation on the first day of school and work with our junior students through-out the school year through various academic and social events. Applications will go quickly so apply as soon as possible.

Job Board

Many students will be actively searching for summer jobs over the next several months. Be sure to keep watch-

ing the job board, located outside the Counselling office, and at the @BSSGuidance1 twitter account for employ-

ment opportunities and application information. Students should make use of myblueprint.ca/peel to record ex-

periences and export them for school or work by creating their resume and cover letters.

Student Leadership Opportunities in Semester Two

First Aid/CPR

We are pleased to announce that we have booked another session of Standard First Aid and CPR in second se-mester. During this 4 part workshop students will focus on the treatment of head, spinal, facial and chest injuries, dealing with broken or sprained limbs, seizures, diabetic emergencies, poisoning and CPR. We provide this course free to our students which works to significantly increase their employability through certification and skill development .

GUIDANCE NEWS - continued

Smart Serve

Smart Serve Ontario is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and delivering responsible server training to all individuals who work in establishments that serve alcohol in the province of Ontario. We will open up a one night training workshop in semester two which will allow our students to have a distinct advantage when applying for host-ing or serving jobs at restaurants or other establishments.

Brampton Parks and Recreation Certification Courses

Brampton Parks and Recreation will deliver several skills based training classes in second semester including babysitting, cooking and leadership training.

The Effective Babysitting award winning course teaches the skills necessary to care for children from newborn to age 10. It emphasizes safety, dealing with emergencies, and first aid basics. The Cooking Course is designed to educate students on basic kitchen safety as well as learn to prepare basic meals and snacks and the Leadership course is intended to provide intense leadership training to students who intend on applying to any type of camp program as a counsellor.

In each of these workshops, students receive training and official certification which helps them find work or volun-teer opportunities and also connects them to members of the surrounding community.

Counsellors

Each student is assigned a counsellor who they can make an appointment with to access academic or emotional

support. We are ALWAYS available to students. Please know who your child's counsellor is and feel free to call at

any time. Counsellors are assigned by a student's surname:

Surname Counsellor Extension

A – G Ms. Chatha 412

H - Pas Ms. Colton (Head) 407

Pat - Z Ms. McLeod 408

Parents….Follow Us on Twitter!

Keep up to date on workshops, student job and volunteer opportunities, post-secondary news and deadlines, path-

ways planning, scholarships, night/summer school admissions, OSAP, important dates, community links, education-

al articles, current job prospects, school support and live discussions by following us @BSSGuidance1 on twitter.

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FROM THE MODERNS DEPARTMENT - L. Eden

During first semester, the Moderns Department hosted numerous activities to provide students the opportunity to

practice their French language skills and learn about francophone culture. Students in grade 10 and 11 partici-

pated in a cultural excursion to Elora where they took in a French film and experienced the ambiance of a French

creperie. Students in grade 9 French Immersion had the opportunity to travel to the Finlayson field centre to take

part in a geocaching activity. Mme. Andrei also hosted a very successful French language talent show which

showcased our students’ talents with a French flair. It was a great first semester of the school year in the

Moderns Department and students can look forward to many more French language opportunities in semester

two!

BRAMARAMA

Bramarama, Bramalea’s student leadership conference, celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. 158 students

took part in a Muppet themed event where they had the chance to make new friends, take on personal challeng-

es and learn more about themselves. We had great weather for the end of October and students were excited

and enthusiastic for the whole four days. Planning is already underway for next year’s conference!

FROM HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION - N. Pannia

With all the fun and exciting things going on in the gyms this year, it was another great semester to take a Health & Physical Education course! Jam packed with great opportunities to get your heart pumping and muscles work-ing, all our students did their part to get themselves fit and healthy. Whether it was scaling a climbing wall, hu-man curling, dodging arrows at Battle Archery, driving in to the basket, learning pickleball, pumping iron, strap-ping on cleats or moving to the beats in Zumba, our students did it all with a smile on their faces and a little sweat dripping down from their brows. It was amazing to see so many of our students achieve, and sometimes surpass their personal fitness goals throughout the semester.

With that being said, it wouldn't be the end of semester reporting without recognizing the excellent fitness devel-opment of our students. Hats off to our top male and female, junior and senior students who achieved this se-mester’s highest scores on the ever so anticipated “Beep Test”. Congratulations to Samia Khan (PPL20F, 65 beeps, level 7), Christianna Crooks (PAF40F, 82 beeps, level 8), Malik Hedley (PPL20M, 101 beeps, level 10.5)

and Wilfredy Folgar Lemus (PAF40M, 115 beeps, level 11.5). Well done Broncos!

The Health & Physical Education Department is looking forward to an equally exciting and opportunity packed second semester starting with cross country skiing at Albion Hills, rock climbing part II, hiking on the Bruce Trail near Milton, curling at the Chinguacousy Curling Club, outdoor education day at Blue Mountain and many other action packed in-class activities.

As always Bramalea, let’s not forget about looking for different ways to keep active. Consider taking part in this semester’s intramurals or joining Participaction’s 150 Play List Challenge (http://bit.ly/1UEJKAf). Remember, a healthy body equals a healthy mind!

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Athletics - N. Pannia

The year’s fall and winter sport seasons started off with a bang for our Bronco Athletes. Congratulations to all coaches and athletes who participated in Cross Country, Varsity Girls Basketball, Flag Football and Varsity Boys Volleyball teams for the 2016 fall ROPSSAA season. A very special congratulations must be extended to our Girls Basketball team for a strong and exciting season. The girls had their eyes on the prize all season long as they sweated it out for months with Coaches Knight & Williams in preparation for the final dance at the ROPSSAA playoffs. Our lady Broncos finished their regular season with only one loss and ended up as ROPSSAA semi-finalists after a hard fought battle against their opponents.

The winter season is shaping up to bring some hardware into Bramalea as the Junior Girls Volleyball, Curling, Junior and Senior Boys Basketball teams are in a great spot for playoff contention as they close up their regular seasons. We certainly hope to book some fan busses for ROPSSAA Finals so keep that support coming Bramalea! You can follow our progress and check out schedules at http://www.ropssaa.org/.

Let’s not forget that starting up soon will be Bramalea’s largest athletic season with Archery, Baseball, Slowpitch, Rugby, Soccer, Track & Field and Ultimate making a comeback. Listen to announcements for tryout information. Don’t be shy Broncos ... come show us your stuff!

FROM COUNTING ON YOU - M. Bogdanowicz

Counting On You

English – Monday 3:15-4:45

Math Gr.9 - Tuesday-Thursday 3:15-4:45

Math Gr.10 Tuesday-Thursday 3:15-4:45

ESL – Tuesday-Thursday 3:15-4:45

OSSLT Preparation – Wednesday 3:15-4:45

French – Monday/Wednesday 3:15-4:45

Bramalea Secondary School has implemented an innovative program for our community of grade 9 and 10 students, de-signed to improve student learning and to provide students with the necessary skills that will ensure future academic suc-cesses. Counting On You Literacy and Numeracy program runs outside of regular school hours on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3:15 to 4:45 and provides those students enrolled in the program with skill building in the area of literacy, numeracy, French as well as preparation for EQAO provincial assessments.

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COUNTING ON YOU Continued

In the Counting On You program students receive small group, intensive support through tasks that will target and develop literacy and numeracy skills. Program participants also learn key strategies to improve their critical thinking skills – skills that can be used in all subject areas.

Homework assistance with English, French and math is a regular component of the program.

In addition to academic benefits, students also receive a nutritious snack and transportation assistance may be arranged.

Student eligibility for this after school program is based on teacher and/or parent recommendation.

NEW: OSSLT (Gr.10 Literacy Test) Preparation class will start Wednesday February 8, 2017. All students

eligible to write are welcome.

Please take advantage of this great learning opportunity. Should you wish to enrol your child in this program, please contact Mrs. Bogdanowicz at (905) 793-2400 ext. 451.

FROM ESL/ELD DEPARTMENT- M. Bogdanowicz

Good Start Program

What is “Good Start” program?

Peel Good Start Refugee Youth Project, funded by Ontario Ministry of Citizenship & Immigration. The project aims to support refugee youth to build the skills they need in order to succeed in school, build positive relationships with volunteers and other participants and access community resources. The project is delivered through a unique and engaging framework that maximizes youth potential and development.

How it has been helpful for the students?

Since the program started, students have practised their English conversation skills, built positive relationships with their peers and colleagues at school, participated in a couple of field trips so far (Soccer, Art & Craft, Cook-ing Contest) where they met with other youth kids who are part of the program. Students have gained knowledge and experience in terms of course selection and resources out there. Students learn about Canada while developing their leadership skills to become mentors at a later stage of the program.

When did it start and when is it going to end?

The project was launched in October 2016, and it will finish at the end of March 2018.

GRADE 9 – SHOWING KINDNESS

Stefania Boutakis

Hailey Brohm

Alycia Gutierrez Arana

Kristina Gutierrez Arana

Zackery Loretta

Dylan Martin

Erikson Mejia Nunez

Daniel Moore

Cameron Sheppard

Vince Tesoro

Nusrat Zulfiqar

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ESL/ELD Continued

How many students are attending the program so far?

27 students have been attending regularly, 15 of whom are refugees.

Big Brothers / Big Sisters involvement and why?

The Conversation Club Program is the main component of the project implemented in partnership with Big Broth-ers/ Big Sisters of Peel. The program allows refugee youth to practice English conversation and presentation skills, share their immigration and settlement experiences, develop their leadership skills and learn about Canada. The program activities include ice breakers, team building activities, "hot topic" discussions and debates, interactive games for English language practice, cultural sharing, field trips, leadership development activities and life skills training. These activities serve as the platform for relationship development and support.

FROM CHILD YOUTH WORKER - S. WoonFat

New to Bramalea – the Student of the Month Program.

Each month, staff are able to nominate students who deserve recognition for demonstrating positive traits in our school. All winners received a special award from our Principal, Mr. Kidd.

Congratulations to all winners so far!

GRADE 10 – INCLUSION OF OTHERS

Melad Akbarzai

Domonique Allen

Zahara Cinco

Fiona Dilacovo

Desmond Gooden

Desron Gooden

Carla Gray

Seth Mannix

Aisha Maryam

Indigo Notice

Brandon Roberts

Nathaniel Tega

Jaclyn Thompson

STUDENT OF THE MONTH Continued

GRADE 11 – SHOWING DETERMINATION

Nosawaru Amadasun

Sharifa Baklabekova

Taylor Chaitnarine

Naksatra Chandra

Joty Dabb

Pukhraj Gaheer

John Ha

William Hayashi

Christina Hayles

Selena Jagdeo

Adeleide Kissoon

Tashawn McLean

Cathy Nguyen

Anisha Rakkar

Peter Sammut

Nick Seujattan

Joie Shaw

Ahsun Siddiqi

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GRADE 12 – DEMONSTRATING A POSSITIVE ATTITUDE

Prince Aryee

Sana Babakarkhil

Dylon Balkaransingh

Ryan Bassant

Naqeeba Brown

Sydney Chadwick

Irish Dane Consengco

Curtis Doucette

Azam Gul

Maliq Kasmani

Kali Luckhee

Maya Marcus

Kernisha Mingo

Anne Mistry

Avi Patel

Brittany Pollock

Sara Saadati

Peter Sammut

Simran Singh

Jonathan Titterington

Dole Tsan

The Arts Report - A. Shoesmith

Students involved in The Arts at Bramalea are having a very busy year.

In early November, they participated in a variety of performances and displays to recognize Remembrance

week. Later in the month our students displayed their work to the students of Earnscliffe Senior Public School at

the annual Arts Alive presentation and the Drama department participated in the Student Wrights Festival with

two student-directed plays at the Meadowvale Theatre. As we approached the end of first semester our commu-

nity enjoyed a variety of visual art displays and music performances by the concert band, guitar orchestra and

choir at the Art & Music Snow Show.

Looking ahead to February, the Drama Department will be competing in the annual Sears Drama Festival with four student-directed productions. Initially, the plays will be performed and adjudicated as part of the Pre-Festival on the evening of Wednesday, February 15th in Bramalea’s drama theatre with hopes of moving to the next round held in March. Also, on February 23rd the Guitar Orchestra will travel to Ancaster to compete in the Golden Horseshoe Music Festival.

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ARTS DEPARTMENT Continued

In early March, the entire Arts Department will join forces for the March Madness Arts Fair on Thursday, March

9th. There will be performances by our drama students, concert band, choir and guitar orchestra. In addition,

there will be a display of current pieces by the Visual Arts students along with a screening of student films.

After March Break there are many other fantastic Arts events in store including the Coffeehouse (April 27th) and

the Themes Like Spring Art & Music Show (May 18th). Also, for the first time in many years the drama depart-

ment will be presenting a teacher-directed play called Sequence. Performances of this special spring production

will take place during the last week of May.

Finally, on June 2nd, the Arts students will celebrate their many achievements at the 2nd Annual Arts Banquet.

No doubt, Bramalea Secondary School continues to uphold a long-standing tradition of excellence in the Arts.

The ongoing support from the school and community continues to keep the spirit of artistic creation and expres-

sion alive at Bramalea.

FROM TECHNOLOGIAL DEPARTMENT - D. Holseth

The programs in Technological Studies have great experiences and practical learning for Bramalea students.

The grade 12 students in the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) Transportation Automotive and Truck/Coach programs were busy in the first semester visiting a variety of places.

First they visited Toronto Motosports Park in Cayuga to observe the time trials of the Bramalea's Racing team's 1978 Camaro Race Car. Students had the opportunity to witness a fast paced environment that involved optimizing the vehicle's performance.

On another trip, the SHSM students spent a day

touring the transportation facility at Centennial

College. Students met college students and faculty to learn more about the transportation programs offered

at the school.

The SHSM students then participated in a trip to "Mississauga Bus Group" to learn about the bus/

coach side of the transportation industry. Students had the opporunity to meet and observe the personnel in ownership, the trades and the management posi-tions in the company.

The grade 11 Environmental Studies (HVACR) students went to the Liu-na Centre (Labourers International Union for North America) in Oakville.

This training centre focuses it efforts on training its members with health and safety practices for use in the workplace. At this facility they re ceived fall assist training which is a industry recognized certification when working at heights considered dangerous.

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GO

BRONCOS

GO!

COUNSELLORS

Each student is assigned a counsellor who they can make an appointment with to access academic or emotional support. We are AL-WAYS available to students. Please know who your child’s counsellor is and feel free to call at anytime.

Counsellors are Assigned by a Student’s Sur-name:

A—G Ms. Chatha, ext. 412

H—PAS Ms. Colton, ext 407

PAT—Z Ms. McLeod, ext. 408

TECHNOLOGIAL Continued

In the grade 12 Technological Design class, students designed slot

cars using 3D printing technology. Students had to generate a

design using a 3D design software and then they printed out their

design on a 3D printer to bring the product to life.

The technological studies department host-ed the first "Bramalea Grand Prix" at Bramalea S.S. Students from Balmoral SPS have been working on de-signing and constructing race cars for the competition since the be-ginning of January. This event gave the grade 8 students from Balmoral SPS a technological studies experience at a secondary .

Derek Holseth - PEng, OCT, BASc, BEd Curriculum Head of Business and Technological Studies