Semiahmoo Secondary December 2019 Tel: 604.536-2131 | Fax: 604.536-4970 1785—148 Street, Surrey, BC V4A 4M6 www.surreyschools.ca/semiahmoo Upcoming In 6 School Re-opens 8 CLC Capstone Fair 14 Grade 7 Parent Night 6:30pm (Large gym) 20 Double block Day P1– lunch - P2 21 Double block Day P3 - lunch - P4 22-24 Gr 10 Numeracy and Literacy Assessments Compleon Days 27 Second Semester Begins (Block order 1234) 29 IB Orientaon night 6:30pm (theatre) 30 Marks posted on-line @ 4pm SemiTime @Semisecondary @Semiahmoosecondary “December, being the last month of the year, cannot help but make us think of what is to come.” - Fennel Hudson The winter break is always a me to celebrate, connect with family, re- flect on what we have accomplished and plan for the year ahead. As is the tradion at Semiahmoo, our students and staff have focused their efforts on ‘giving’ this holiday season. Our leadership class has been working through the month of December to host the Spirit of Semi Christmas Dinner on Sat- urday, Dec. 14. This year we hosted a group of families, and the Semiahmoo school community offered their support through giſt donaons and a won- derful meal prepared by staff. The students transformed the cafeteria into a winter wonderland and the children were invited to receive a special giſt from Santa. The Semiahmoo staff, once again, will gather on the morning of the last day of classes (Friday, December 20) to cook a pancake breakfast for the students. For a small donaon, students will eat pancakes, sing carols, and have the opportunity for a picture with Santa. Later that day, individual clas- ses are invited to the gym for the annual Hoedown. Please note the sched- ule for the last day. On December 5th, over 350 students dressed up to enjoy a fun evening of dancing at our Winterfest formal. The event was orga- nized by Grad Council and supervised by over 20 teachers. Our senior students were extremely well behaved, danced unl the last song, and celebrated the hard work they have put in since September. Another important event celebrang the final stretch of classes is the annual Winter Band Concert. This is a celebraon of the talents of our music students and their directors. As a result of the efforts of everyone involved, the concert performed before a full house at the Bell Centre. Five of our bands were involved and each represented Semiahmoo with pride and style. I encourage all of you to aend one of the upcoming band performances this year; you won’t be disappointed. One of the highlights of the fall sports season, is the provincial volleyball championships. Both our Senior Girls and Boys team qualified for the provincial tournament held at the Langley Events Centre. Both squads had a strong showing and look forward to future success next year. Congratulaons to all student-athletes and coaches for a very successful fall season. Next up is table ten- nis and basketball. This December saw the return of Christmas Showcase One Act Plays in the Semiahmoo theatre. Our drama students performed in five plays to a packed house. Thank you to Ms. Gibbs and Ms. Reed for preparing our students for the very entertaining plays. It never ceases to amaze me, the number of success stories we have at Semiahmoo Secondary; I look forward to the months to come. I hope you take me to reflect on the successes, celebrate with friends and family, and enjoy a resul holiday break. All the Best, James Johnston Principal, Semiahmoo Secondary School
Transcript
Semiahmoo Secondary
December 2019
Tel: 604.536-2131 | Fax: 604.536-4970
1785—148 Street, Surrey, BC V4A 4M6
www.surreyschools.ca/semiahmoo
Upcoming In
6 School Re-opens
8 CLC Capstone Fair
14 Grade 7 Parent Night 6:30pm (Large gym)
20 Double block Day P1– lunch - P2
21 Double block Day P3 - lunch - P4
22-24 Gr 10 Numeracy and Literacy Assessments
Completion Days
27 Second Semester Begins (Block order 1234)
29 IB Orientation night 6:30pm (theatre)
30 Marks posted on-line @ 4pm
SemiTime @Semisecondary @Semiahmoosecondary
“December, being the last month of the year, cannot help but make us think of what is to come.” - Fennel Hudson
The winter break is always a time to celebrate, connect with family, re-flect on what we have accomplished and plan for the year ahead. As is the tradition at Semiahmoo, our students and staff have focused their efforts on ‘giving’ this holiday season. Our leadership class has been working through the month of December to host the Spirit of Semi Christmas Dinner on Sat-urday, Dec. 14. This year we hosted a group of families, and the Semiahmoo school community offered their support through gift donations and a won-derful meal prepared by staff. The students transformed the cafeteria into a winter wonderland and the children were invited to receive a special gift from Santa.
The Semiahmoo staff, once again, will gather on the morning of the last day of classes (Friday, December 20) to cook a pancake breakfast for the students. For a small donation, students will eat pancakes, sing carols, and have the opportunity for a picture with Santa. Later that day, individual clas-ses are invited to the gym for the annual Hoedown. Please note the sched-ule for the last day.
On December 5th, over 350 students dressed up to enjoy a fun evening of dancing at our Winterfest formal. The event was orga-nized by Grad Council and supervised by over 20 teachers. Our senior students were extremely well behaved, danced until the last song, and celebrated the hard work they have put in since September. Another important event celebrating the final stretch of classes is the annual Winter Band Concert. This is a celebration of the talents of our music students and their directors. As a result of the efforts of everyone involved, the concert performed before a full house at the Bell Centre. Five of our bands were involved and each represented Semiahmoo with pride and style. I encourage all of you to attend one of the upcoming band performances this year; you won’t be disappointed.
One of the highlights of the fall sports season, is the provincial volleyball championships. Both our Senior Girls and Boys team qualified for the provincial tournament held at the Langley Events Centre. Both squads had a strong showing and look forward to future success next year. Congratulations to all student-athletes and coaches for a very successful fall season. Next up is table ten-nis and basketball.
This December saw the return of Christmas Showcase One Act Plays in the Semiahmoo theatre. Our drama students performed in five plays to a packed house. Thank you to Ms. Gibbs and Ms. Reed for preparing our students for the very entertaining plays. It never ceases to amaze me, the number of success stories we have at Semiahmoo Secondary; I look forward to the months to come. I hope you take time to reflect on the successes, celebrate with friends and family, and enjoy a restful holiday break.
All the Best,
James Johnston Principal, Semiahmoo Secondary School
For the 2019-2020 school year, as part of the Graduation Programme, the Ministry of Education requires each grade 10 student to complete the following assessments:
~ Grade 10 Literacy Assessment
~ Grade 10 Numeracy Assessment
The assessments are delivered in an on-line format in the school computer labs. This year, the assessments will occur on the following dates:
January 22 (Wed) Sessions: 8:30 & 12:30 Numeracy
January 23 (Thu) Sessions: 8:30 & 12:30 Numeracy / Literacy
January 24 (Fri) Sessions: 8:30 & 12:30 Literacy
Students have been assigned a date and time for each assessment. This information will be posted outside the Main Office on Monday (Dec 16). The assessment schedule has been designed to ensure no student will be writing two assessments on the same day. Due to the limited space in the computer labs and the number of students writing each assessment, we will not be able to accommodate changes with the schedule. If a family is considering an extended weekend, please check the schedule to ensure your child will not miss their assessment. Reminder: the completion of these assessments is a requirement for graduation.
To assist with better understanding the assessments, the Ministry of Education has produced two reference web sites. These sites contain both informational and practice material—see below:
Michael Smith Science Challenge The Michael Smith Science Challenge is a bilingual 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. Prizes are awarded to the
top students (and their teachers) in each province and nationally.
Register to write with Ms Hunter in Room 103 and Monday lunch and participate in tutorials weekly during Monday lunches.
Who can write the exam? Students in Science 10 or 9 this school year. Any student also taking Gr 11 science courses cannot write the exam.
If you as a parent or student would like to hear about university outreach opportunities email Ms Hunter at [email protected] to join a group email to receive info on science fairs, outreach events at universities- workshops and lectures, and other student exams
The competition consisted of five challenges: Jeopardy, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Design, all aimed to inspire stu-
dents to pursue STEM in post-secondary. The first of the five events was Chemistry. Students received thirteen unknown solutions
and were tasked to accurately label each substance through observations and reactions. The team had a great performance and
learnt an important lesson in effective communication. Ultimately, they came first place in this event, winning by a margin of 20%.
As the day continued, the team tackled the Physics and Biology lab components and showed strong performances in both.
Next was the adrenaline filled science jeopardy. Modeled after the popular game show, students raced to buzz in on categories
such as “Name that Force”, “Organic Chemistry”, and “Parabolas”. Semiahmoo held a narrow lead during the first round and capi-
talised on their edge to win the event by over 1000 points.
The last challenge of the day was the engineering design finals. The team’s car, christened “Cybertruck”, was built from toy parts
and Styrofoam as per the rules. The car had to carry three aluminum coke cans a distance of 10 meters in consecutive side-by-side
races, winning the right to advance each round. The final race was narrowly lost in a nail-biting finish, and the team placed 5th
overall in this event.
The science challenge was an exhilarating yet nerve-wracking day for the team. Each participant and volunteer was united by
their passion for science and their excitement for STEM was evident in their stellar performances. The team’s First place finish was
an amazing conclusion to an action-packed and enjoyable day, but the true highlight of the event was the remarkable bonding ex-
perience for all students involved.
Written by: Flora, Ethan & Anunay
Ms. Gill and her group of amazing Chemistry 12 students along with Mr. Pawelchak experienced first hand a university lab. The classes conducted their experiments in the state of the art lab facilities at the surrey campus of Simon Fraser University
Are you interested going on a ski / board trip to Whistler?
WHEN: Sunday, March 8th
COST: $160
includes lift lessons & transportation to Whistler
See Mr Hoven for more
details and to sign up
As we are approaching the end of the year, Christmas is just around the
corner! Student Council has prepared many awesome events and spirit
days for the students to participate and enjoy. We started off the month of
December with First of the Month where hot chocolate was served. Vari-
ous spirit days such as PJ day, Santa Hat day, Twin day and events such as
Christmas karaoke, locker decorating and Santa breakfast have been orga-
nized in our annual 10 Days of Christmas event. Santa breakfast is a highly
anticipated event that includes a professional photo booth, music, and fun
activities while being served delicious pancakes cooked by our own admin.
We look forward to seeing you there and Student Council would like to
wish everyone a happy holiday. Make sure you check out the 10 Days of
Christmas list of all our spirit days and list of other Christmas activities and
events. Listen for the announcements and make sure to check out our In-
stagram @semistuco, for details on all the events.
