Important Dates: November Nov 2: Term 2 starts Nov 3/4: Jr. VBall Tournament Nov 7: School Council 6:30 Nov 10: Remembrance Day Ceremony Nov 11: Remembrance Day Nov 13: Kindness and mindfulness week Nov 14: ELAA Post-Secondary Event 9:00-11:00 Nov 15: Cultural Literacy Fair Nov 17: PLT Day, No Classes Nov 22: IB Open House 7 pm Nov 27: Food drive starts Nov 28: Fall Music concert Nov 30: Grade 9 tours & Open House, Flex Day For a detailed calendar please visit our website: http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b860 Newsletter | November 2017 Principal’s Message Welcome John G. Diefenbaker Chiefs to the month of November and signs of winter! In our diverse community, we have many students new to Canada and moreover to JGD, who will be experiencing the beauty and “fun” of snow for the first time. These past two months have been amazing for our JDG community! Grade 10s have been successfully transitioning to high school; Grade 11s are blossoming as our future leaders; and our graduating grade 12s of 2018 are preparing for potential post-secondary schools and scholarships. In addition, student leaders have been stepping up to help us strengthen our school community through our variety of clubs, athletics, and leadership opportunities along with numerous activities (Orange Shirt Day, Terry Fox Run and Kindness Week) that help to build a safe and caring school. Student leaders of JGD were honored to be asked to tour the new school board Trustees and provide them with a student perspective and voice. There have been many valuable field trips such as Drumheller’s Tyrell Museum and hiking in Mount Yamnuska, to name only a few. We are proud of the team of teachers and student leaders who volunteered at the CIBC Run for the Cure; this has become an annual event. We also are pleased to announce that our school was able to raise over $1400.00 this year. Staffing Updates – With additional resources we have had the opportunity to welcome new staff to further support student learning: Ms. Yvonne Abusow; Mr. John Dieu, Mr. Adam Yurkiw, Ms. Pat Kover, and Mr. Victor Wong. Also new to JGD is Ms. Leigh Edmonds (Sci. Lab Tech). Each of these individuals brings a wealth of teaching knowledge and expertise. We are pleased to announce that Mrs. Cheryl Sceviour is the new IB Coordinator with Mr. Glenn Finockio as the IB CAS Coordinator and Mr. Preston Huppie as the Indigenous Success Coach. These three teachers have extensive curriculum knowledge, IB experience and proven leadership skills. We have said goodbye to Mr. Olof Sandblom, Ms. Trish Deneau and Ms. Sue MacDonell. We want to express our gratitude for their many years of service to the students and staff of John G. Diefenbaker. Academics – We are very proud of our academic results and will share them at our upcoming School Council meeting on Tuesday Nov. 7, 2017 at 6:30 p.m; all JGD parents are welcome to attend. Congratulations to our Dief Chiefs’ students and staff for our outstanding diploma exam results which in many cases exceeded the provincial averages in the standard of excellence! These results will be posted on our website along with our School Development Plan and Annual Report, in the third week of November. John G. Diefenbaker’s official Exam Schedule for January 2018 will be posted on our website at the end of November. You will notice in your JGD calendar the Alberta Government’s dates and times for diploma exams times have already been published. All exams are administered to Alberta Education Diploma guidelines, meaning students must write final exams and are required to be on time and present. As we progress through the remainder of the Semester One, it is our expectation that ALL students be actively engaged in completing all their assignments, projects and tasks. Each teacher has a set tutorial time to help support their students’ learning as well we have created a Flex Block on Fridays as another means to helping students self-advocate for their academic success. John G. Diefenbaker High School “Freedom, Choice and Responsibility” | Home of the Chiefs! 6620 - 4 Street N.W., Calgary, AB T2K 1C2 t | 403-274-2240 f | 403-777-7669 School Email | [email protected]School Website | http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b860
Transcript
Important Dates: November
Nov 2: Term 2 starts
Nov 3/4: Jr. VBall Tournament
Nov 7: School Council 6:30
Nov 10: Remembrance Day
Ceremony
Nov 11: Remembrance Day
Nov 13: Kindness and
mindfulness week
Nov 14: ELAA Post-Secondary
Event 9:00-11:00
Nov 15: Cultural Literacy Fair
Nov 17: PLT Day, No Classes
Nov 22: IB Open House 7 pm
Nov 27: Food drive starts
Nov 28: Fall Music concert
Nov 30: Grade 9 tours &
Open House, Flex Day
For a detailed calendar please
visit our website:
http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b860
Newsletter | November 2017
Principal’s Message
Welcome John G. Diefenbaker Chiefs to the month of November and signs of winter! In
our diverse community, we have many students new to Canada and moreover to JGD,
who will be experiencing the beauty and “fun” of snow for the first time. These past two
months have been amazing for our JDG community! Grade 10s have been successfully
transitioning to high school; Grade 11s are blossoming as our future leaders; and our
graduating grade 12s of 2018 are preparing for potential post-secondary schools and
scholarships.
In addition, student leaders have been stepping up to help us strengthen our school
community through our variety of clubs, athletics, and leadership opportunities along
with numerous activities (Orange Shirt Day, Terry Fox Run and Kindness Week) that
help to build a safe and caring school. Student leaders of JGD were honored to be
asked to tour the new school board Trustees and provide them with a student
perspective and voice. There have been many valuable field trips such as Drumheller’s
Tyrell Museum and hiking in Mount Yamnuska, to name only a few. We are proud of the
team of teachers and student leaders who volunteered at the CIBC Run for the Cure;
this has become an annual event. We also are pleased to announce that our school
was able to raise over $1400.00 this year.
Staffing Updates – With additional resources we have had the opportunity to welcome
new staff to further support student learning: Ms. Yvonne Abusow; Mr. John Dieu,
Mr. Adam Yurkiw, Ms. Pat Kover, and Mr. Victor Wong. Also new to JGD is Ms. Leigh
Edmonds (Sci. Lab Tech). Each of these individuals brings a wealth of teaching
knowledge and expertise. We are pleased to announce that Mrs. Cheryl Sceviour is the
new IB Coordinator with Mr. Glenn Finockio as the IB CAS Coordinator and Mr. Preston
Huppie as the Indigenous Success Coach. These three teachers have extensive
curriculum knowledge, IB experience and proven leadership skills. We have said
goodbye to Mr. Olof Sandblom, Ms. Trish Deneau and Ms. Sue MacDonell. We want to
express our gratitude for their many years of service to the students and staff of John
G. Diefenbaker.
Academics – We are very proud of our academic results and will share them at our
upcoming School Council meeting on Tuesday Nov. 7, 2017 at 6:30 p.m; all JGD
parents are welcome to attend. Congratulations to our Dief Chiefs’ students and staff
for our outstanding diploma exam results which in many cases exceeded the
provincial averages in the standard of excellence! These results will be posted on
our website along with our School Development Plan and Annual Report, in the third
week of November.
John G. Diefenbaker’s official Exam Schedule for January 2018 will be posted on our
website at the end of November. You will notice in your JGD calendar the Alberta
Government’s dates and times for diploma exams times have already been published.
All exams are administered to Alberta Education Diploma guidelines, meaning students
must write final exams and are required to be on time and present. As we progress
through the remainder of the Semester One, it is our expectation that ALL students be
actively engaged in completing all their assignments, projects and tasks. Each teacher
has a set tutorial time to help support their students’ learning as well we have created a
Flex Block on Fridays as another means to helping students self-advocate for their
academic success.
John G. Diefenbaker High School “Freedom, Choice and Responsibility” | Home of the Chiefs! 6620 - 4 Street N.W., Calgary, AB T2K 1C2 t | 403-274-2240 f | 403-777-7669
School Email | [email protected] School Website | http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b860
November 2nd marks the first day of Term 2 of Semester One. This first week of
November marks our Term Change as some students will be completing 3 credit
classes for term 1 and starting Term 2 courses. Parents and Guardians, we
encourage you to stay up to date with your child’s success thorough Home Logic
which shows current results as well as attendance. We also have begun sending
messages home around attendance and results for those students who are currently
struggling.
Thank you to all of the families who were able to attend our Parent Teacher Interview
Night. We tried a new process of booking conference meeting times for our parents/
guardians and teachers and we felt it helped facilitate more opportunities for parents
to discuss their child in a timely fashion. We invite you to continue to contact school
supports (teachers, Guidance Counsellors and Administration) throughout the
semester. Research shows that working collaboratively together as parents, students
and staff directly impacts student success.
Athletics – So many of our Dief Chiefs have been participating as athletes and/or
fans during our fall athletic season of Cross Country, Soccer, Football and Volleyball,
which are currently entering playoff finals. Congrats to our soccer and cross country
teams for a great season. We are gearing up for winter sports such as basketball,
badminton, wrestling and swim championship on Dec. 6th at Repsol Centre.
Go Chiefs Go!
School Improvements - We are excited to share new upgrades within our building to
accommodate and improve the comfort and learning environment for JGD students:
a new student bathroom has been added to the basement; the gym has been
resurfaced; and the sound / presentation system of the main gym has been
significantly upgraded. Thank you to the students’ voice, parents, alumni, our JGD’s
School Council as well as our CBE Facilities for their generosity of time, resources
and advocacy to achieve this goal.
Safe & Caring Schools – This past month Student Council (STUCCO) organized a
guest speaker to teach JGD about being resilient and to lead with kindness. Guest
speaker Alvin Law spoke to the student body about his resilience after being born
without arms due to his mother having taken thalidomide while pregnant and then
being put up for adoption by his birth parents. Our student body was clearly moved
and inspired by his motivational story.
We are very fortunate to have former Dief. Alumni dropping by and stepping up to
volunteer and share their experiences with our current student population. JGD is a
very vibrant and engaged community and we embrace numerous opportunities to be
involved in activities, speakers and thoughtful actions which help to incorporate
kindness and thoughtfulness in our school culture.
We have our Remembrance Day Ceremonies happening in the morning of
November 10th and we invite our John G. Diefenbaker community to join us.
Have a Great Month Chiefs!
Mike Bester
Principal
John G. Diefenbaker High School November, 2017
Exams
Final Examinations (diploma and non-diploma) are scheduled at the end of each
semester in January and June. They comprise an essential component of the
assessment for all academic courses at Diefenbaker.
Diploma Examinations Alberta Education stipulates that in order for students to
receive a final course mark, they must write the diploma exam. Under the
exceptional circumstance the exam may be waived for medical and emergency
reasons and only when the required documentation is provided by the school.
Non-diploma Examinations include Grade 10 and 11 academic courses with a
scheduled final exam. If your student will be missing a scheduled final exam (s)
for non-emergency reasons (for example: a family holiday) it is necessary for you
to inform the school in advance.
myPass
All students should have a myPass account. myPass is an Alberta Education
secure self-service website for high school students to:
Order high school transcripts
View diploma exam marks
Register to write or rewrite diploma exams (with online payment)
View progress towards a credential (diploma or certificate)
View/update student personal information
Order additional copies of an awarded credential (in English or French)
If you have not yet registered for myPass please book an appointment with your
assistant principal through the main office.
DIPLOMA EXAMINATIONS SCHEDULE – JANUARY 2018 Thursday, January 11 9:00 – 12:00 PM English Language Arts 30-1 - Part A English Language Arts 30-2 - Part A Friday, January 12 9:00 – 12:00 PM Social Studies 30-1 - Part A 9:00 – 11:30 AM Social Studies 30-2 - Part A Tuesday, January 23 9:00 – 12:00 PM English Language Arts 30-1 –Part B English Language Arts 30-2 –Part B Wednesday, January 24 9:00 – 11:30 AM Social Studies 30-1 – Part B Social Studies 30-2 – Part B Thursday, January 25 9:00 – 12:00 PM Mathematics 30-1 / Mathematics 30-2 Friday, January 26 9:00 – 12:00 PM Biology 30 Monday, January 29 9:00 – 12:00 PM Chemistry 30 Tuesday, January 30 9:00 – 12:00 PM Physics 30 1:00 – 4:00 PM Science 30
John G. Diefenbaker High School November, 2017
Graduation
Graduation Requirements
If your student is in grade 12 and is planning to graduate this year, he/she should
ensure graduation requirements have been met. Students who are not enrolled to
earn the appropriate credits required for the Alberta High School Diploma will not
participate in the graduation ceremonies or banquet.
Students should check their myPass account to ensure all your credits have been
properly assigned. Should you discover credits are missing, a mark is
unassigned, or your transcript is otherwise incomplete please book an
appointment with your guidance counsellor in Student Services.
Graduation Ceremonies and Banquet
The planning for Graduation 2018 will be getting in gear this month! This year our
ceremony will take place the morning of Thursday May 24, 2018 with the banquet
celebrations that same evening. Mark your calendars and watch for further
updates!
Graduation Coach, First Nations, Métis and Inuit Learners Hello, My name is Preston Huppie. I am happy to be the new Grad Coach for
Indigenous Learners at John G Diefenbaker. I am a Metis person who is
passionate about teaching and learning. I will be helping our Indigenous
students in any way I can for them to find their way to succeed. We will be
providing opportunities throughout the year to learn more about Indigenous
ways of knowing, being and doing. We will have supports in place for students
who will need them for time to time such as career counseling and student
services. I will be there to guide them to their graduation. The key is to have all
students graduate. Some may need more help than others but we can be there
to help or support them along as well.
Dance During October, Dance 15/25/35 students worked in groups to tell a story
through dance. Students created their own choreography and staging. Members
of our class will be performing at upcoming Halloween Pep Rally and
Remembrance Day Assemblies. On November 22, dance students will be
visiting Decidedly Jazz Danceworks to participate in a workshop in their studios
and view their professional dance show, “Velocity”.
Drama
The Quartet is in the busiest part of the production process- blocking, set design, make-up and tech! Diefenbaker Drama Society in Association with Cowtown Opera are on-stage with The Quartet on December 5th and 6th. There will be a Matinee and Evening Performance each day.
Drama students learn how to mark-up a script and write a cue sheet that Stage Managers will understand during Drama 10 class. Shania Dao, MacBeth Stage Manager, donated her time and energy to mentor the Grade 10’s in the importance of communicating your technical needs with clarity and precision to the techies!
John G. Diefenbaker High School November, 2017
Career Center News
John G. Diefenbaker’s Career Centre offers assistance to students who:
would like to do a self-assessment test to determine their career interests
would like to find out about part time work experience opportunities
would like to find out about post-secondary options
want to write or update your resume and/or cover letter
Please drop by to make an appointment to see Mr. Case in room # 221 Career
Students are in full swing in the construction shop and parents should expect
projects to be coming home soon.
Grade 10s are working on their first or second projects and seem to really enjoy
being “on the tools”.
Most of the Grade 11s have their night/end tables built and are starting to work
on the drawer and door.
There are a variety of projects going on; night tables, trestle tables, ottomans,
step stools, plant stands, sculpture stands, hall tables and many more.
Safety is paramount and students are working safely and getting more confident
in the shop each day.
Students are encouraged to come in for tutorial time (extra shop time) on
Mondays at 8:20 and for flex period on Fridays.
Music Notes from the Choir Corner
The Chamber Choir just had a successful two day retreat/workshop at Rivers Edge Camp. Much learning was done and fun was had by all!
On Friday, November 3rd
, the Chamber Choir will be singing at the Field of Crosses on Memorial Drive at sunrise, and then having breakfast while listening to some military stories at the Kensington Legion.
Both the Concert and Chamber Choirs will be participating in three 40 minute performances for our school Remembrance Day Ceremonies on Friday, November 10 in the Main Gym.
**Please note. All parents are invited to Diefenbaker’s Remembrance Day Ceremonies. The ceremonies will begin at approximately 9:15 a.m., 10:20 a.m. and 11:25 am..
On Thursday, November 16th, the Concert Choir will attend a day of workshops
at Mount Royal University including some percussion and samba lessons.
Be sure to join us as all the choirs will join the bands Tuesday, November 28 for our Fall Concert at Center Street Church, beginning at 7:00 p.m., tickets are $5.00. Hope to see you there!
Band
Wow, how times flies when you are practicing and working hard! I am sure you have found that your sons or daughters have increased their practice time at home this year. Thank you for encouraging them and helping them to be the best performers they can be.
The grade 10 Concert Band just completed a successful Music Retreat from Wednesday, October 25
th to Friday, October 27
th, with the beauty of Banff as our
backdrop. A great deal of learning, personal growth and team building took place with the 50 students that attended the retreat. My thanks to Susan Eng, Tracee Fraser and Robin Galambos for being parent volunteers for our trip and another thanks to Ms. Ratzlaff who provided some youthful energy for the students.
The Grade 11 and 12 Symphonic Band students will have their first performance
out in Canmore this Saturday, November 4th at the extremely early time of 8:00
a.m.. This is part of our trip to the Vic Lewis festival that we participate in yearly. We will be leaving Friday, November 3
rd at noon and return during the
afternoon of Saturday, November 4th. Our new uniforms will be making their
band debut!!
John G. Diefenbaker High School November, 2017
IB News
Our school year began with your Grade 10 IB Orientation, hosted by some of our
amazing grade 11 IB students. The grade 11s did a wonderful job of sharing
their perspectives and advice with our new grade 10 IB students. There were fun
team building activities and challenges, pizza and prizes, and a Q and A with
Dief IB grads, who generously gave their time to come back in the midst of busy
university schedules. Our grade 10s made new connections, and were
welcomed into our Dief IB community.
October means time to register for IB exams. Thank you to all of our families for
taking care of the necessary paperwork and fees in preparation for our May IB
exams for Grade 11s and 12s.
Planning for CAS activities for 2017-18 is also underway. To help our students
with time management in their different courses, an IB Scheduler tab can be
found on the school website (school information→ International Baccalaureate→
IB Scheduler). Students can also find copies of the topics that will be covered in
the upcoming week in their TA classrooms, outside the IB office and outside the
library.
Important IB class activities in October:
Grade 12: French Internal Assessment #2 and English Initial Oral Presentations
Important IB class activities in November:
Grade 12: Social Internal Assessment due last week in November
Grade 11: Group 4 Science Project Presentations Nov. 30
Important IB class activities in December:
Grade 12: French Internal Assessment #3 (first week in December); ELA written
assignment first draft (last week in December); Extended Essay (due Dec. 19)
Please contact Cheryl Sceviour (IB Coordinator) [email protected] 403-274-2240 (ext 2158) or Glenn Finockio (CAS Coordinator) [email protected] if you have any IB related questions.
The Chinese Academy and the IB program at John Diefenbaker
The Chinese Academy (TCA) is the only school in Calgary that works in cooperation with the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) to offer free Chinese IB programs to CBE students since 1997. The three IB courses offered at The Chinese Academy are: 1. Chinese B – Mandarin SL 2. Chinese B – Cantonese SL 3. Mandarin Ab initio SL Students can receive up to 25 language credits for their Alberta High School Diploma. For students who would like more credits for their High School Diplomas, TCA offers Chinese 10, 20, 30 (Mandarin) and Chinese 15, 25, 35 (Cantonese) on Saturdays, as well as Independent Studies courses. Students who take and pass the Chinese IB classes also receive credits for their Alberta High School Diploma. Chinese IB Program Logistics:
TCA works in cooperation with the Calgary Board of Education to offer free Mandarin and Cantonese IB courses for students in John G. Diefenbaker High School.
TCA is a Saturday school and according to Alberta Education, we provide a minimum of 80 hours of instruction per 5-credit course. With the new Chinese IB curriculum which is more intense than the previous one, TCA requires students to take Grade 10 Honours Chinese in their grade 10 year, so the students may be better prepared for the Chinese IB examinations. Students who are considering taking Chinese IB please contact TCA before they start grade 10 so we can place them accordingly.
At TCA, a student pays about $200 tuition fee and about $100 for resource fee per course. Grade 12 students pay an additional graduation fee of $30.
Students register and pay for the Chinese IB exam in their grade 12 year at their home schools. During their grade 12 year, students will take their Chinese IB exam.
For CBE IB students only, upon successful completion of the Chinese IB courses and passing the Chinese IB exam, an amount of up to $200 tuition fee per IB course per year will be refunded to each student (maximum $400). Students will submit their tuition receipts and Chinese IB mark to TCA for refund in the same calendar year as the IB exam. There will be NO refund after that calendar year.
For more information, please contact: The Chinese Academy Email: [email protected] Website: www.chineseacademy.ca Tel:(403)777-7663
John G. Diefenbaker High School November, 2017
Physical Education
We have had a busy and exciting start to the year in Phys-ed here at
Diefenbaker.
Our Phys-ed 10 students have been busy completing modules in Tennis,
Ultimate Frisbee, Football, Softball, and Rugby. Also, some of our classes have
had their first off-site visit of the semester to Princes Island Park and the ever
challenging Crescent Heights stairs. Well done Phys-ed 10 students!
Phys-ed 20 and 30 programs have all been busy in a variety of challenging and
exciting off-site activities as well, including amongst many activities, kayaking,
Bow river canoe trips, and stunning day hikes to Barrier Lake in Kananaskis.
As the weather begins to change from Fall to Winter please ensure that all
Phys-ed students have appropriate clothing for any outdoor activities that they
may be participating in.
Athletics
Football
Junior Football finished with a record of two and four and were within two plays
of finishing four and two, nearly beating a couple of division two teams. The
team finished third in division three and are currently preparing for playoffs. We
appreciate the support of the many James Fowler athletes who make the trek up
to Dief for practice. Our semi final game is November 9 at 7pm on the Hellard
Field of the Shouldice football complex.
Volleyball
Chiefs Volleyball teams are nearing the end of regular season play and looking
forward to City Championship playoffs starting November 13th. After many
weeks of practice and competition, the athletes have learned a lot about the
game and improved all of their skills. Both girls teams are holding their own in
Division 2, and the boys teams are rocking in Division 3. The last few games will
be important for final standings going into playoffs! Check out
www.calgaryhighschoolsports.ca for updated results and schedules.
Our Junior girls and boys teams are also looking forward to hosting our annual
Chiefs Invitational Tournament November 3-4th at Diefenbaker — come cheer
