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As a faith filled community, we would like to welcome you to our Parent Orientation for Our Lady of Peace. Please take a moment to pray:

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen…

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Welcome to all the students and families that will be joining us at Our Lady of Peace Next Year. We hope that you learn a little about what to expect from OLP and junior high through this presentation.

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Hello parents.

Thank you very much for taking the time to explore our school. We are looking forward to you joining our school community in the fall of 2020.

The question most often asked of us is… “What type of school is Our lady of Peace? Is it a faith filled school? An academic school? A school focused on technology? A sports school, or a Fine Arts school?”

The simple answer to those question is yes, O.L.P. is all of those and so much more.

Our entire program is rooted in the values of Christ and the teachings of our Church where our faith permeates every activity. We are proud to be part of the St. Patrick’s parish family of schools.

We are a school with a strong culture of academic excellence. Our grade nine students consistently score well above provincial standards. Our junior high honour roll is celebrated twice a year, recognizing our amazing academic success.

O.L.P. is a school where the latest technology is used to enhance learning.

We are a fully wireless campus and our students use Google Chrome books, Chrome boxes, iPads and personally owned devices daily in their studies.

We offer technology options in grade 7, 8 and 9, have a dedicated computer lab and 5 Chrome book carts for student use class in class.

We are also a sports school. We have an amazing athletics program and superb athletes at Our Lady of Peace. All junior high students are enrolled in physical education classes and we offer recreational leadership option for grade 7, 8 and 9

Our athletes compete in division I athletics, with teams in every sport available, including: cross country, badminton, track, flag football, basketball and volleyball. We are the current Division I city champs in wresting.

Finally, we are also very much a school where the fine arts thrive. We offer a variety of arts programs, including traditional art, concert band, dance, drama and musical theatre.

Simply put, we think Our Lady of Peace is the best junior high around. It truly is a fun school and a great place to be.

See you all in the fall.

Mr. Coumont

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Teachers that Care

At OLP we are proud to have so many wonderful teachers; each willing to go above and beyond for their students. In junior high your child will have opportunities to build relationships not just with their homeroom teacher but also with many more.

Our Catholic Community of Caring is very active in the school. We regularly participate in school wide activities such as the Pass it On clothing drive, our Lent and Advent food drives, as well as many other faith based and social justice activities.

In junior high it is also expected that your child abides by our student dress code. All clothing worn must be in good repair and appropriate for school including gym strip. More information on appropriate dress can be found in the student handbook.

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In junior high each student is still expected to complete the compulsory courses: Religion, Science, Social Studies, Language Arts, Math, Health, Phys Ed, French (grade 7) and Career and Technology Foundations (grade 8/9). Our CTF classes are held at other CSSD schools in which students are bused to, and from these classes.

In the academic core subjects, final exams take place during the final weeks of June. Career and Technology Foundations consists of Industrial Arts and Foods and Fashion. Students take each for half the year. CTF is located at other Calgary Catholic schools in which your child will be bused to – this year students attended CTF at Holy Child, St. Cyril, or St. Bonaventure.

One exciting new thing that changes in junior high is every year we offer new and interesting Option classes. For the upcoming year, students will have a choice to pick both an option A and an option B class. Each class will be offered 3 times per day 6 cycle and may be either a full year (for example Band) or a half year. These option classes may change due to student interest. These are some examples of Options that may be offered for next year.

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There are also some new things to expect in junior high:

Lockers – every student is assigned a locker. You have the choice to purchase a lock from the school or to bring your own. We spend a lot of time at the beginning of the year practicing getting into our lockers and getting familiar with opening combination locks. This causes some stress for students but with time and practice most students are able to figure it out.

Gym Strip - Every junior high student is required to change into appropriate athletic wear for each Physical Education class. This includes a t-shirt and either athletic shorts or pants. OLP also offers school wear and will be available for purchase at the beginning of the school year.

Digital Citizenship - Digital Citizenship becomes quite an important and frequently discussed topic in junior high. Just as it is our responsibility to support the development of upstanding citizens in our community, so too is our responsibility of helping our students become responsible digital citizens.

Our personally owned devices policy for 2019-2020 asks students to keep devices in their lockers unless given permission from their teacher to use for research. By

doing this we are further encouraging students to be “present” in their studies and spend more time collaborating with their classroom peers. Students will still be able to use their devices during non-instructional times such as before and after school as well as during nutrition break and lunch time.

Volunteering - Many of the activities that we perform at OLP require help from our junior high students. Some of the important volunteer tasks that are available to students are: Helping in the Husky Hut, school mascot, tech crew (during events), greeters, or help during school athletic tournaments.

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More Teachers – your child will have a few more teachers then they did in elementary school. In junior high, most students will have between 5 and 7 teachers.

Homeroom Teacher – In junior high, homeroom (TA) teachers complete attendance twice a day. These teachers are your child’s champions – they’re there to build a strong relationship with your child.

TA Challenges - Several times a year we come together for different TA challenges and Minute to Win it competitions. These challenges give homeroom students a chance to bond with their classmates and homeroom teacher.

Responsibility and Expectations - Once the students are in Grade 7, they are now in Junior High School, and as such are at the beginning of their preparation for “High School”. As such, they are given a bit more freedom. But, as we all know, with more freedom comes more responsibility. For the most part, our students rise to the occasion and we are continually in awe of what amazing and outstanding young men and women they become through their years at OLP. We have high expectations for our students in they continually rise to the challenge.

Counsellor - Another Champion of our students. Supports all students at our school – students are welcome to visit her at any time – to discuss the pressures of school, friendships, etc. Helps support the home and school connection – parents are also

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welcome to call her at anytime to help with accessing supports.

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Calgary Catholic junior high and high school students use Brightspace as their learning management system. This system allows students to receive assignments, grades, and communicate between school and home. Through various online tools, teachers can post classroom activities for students to access at their convenience. Parents are asked to obtain their child’s login information to access Brightspace and keep informed of your child’s assignments and grades.

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Here is a screenshot of a Brightspace classroom. There are many tools listed on the top of the page that students and parents can access.

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The Fine Arts program at Our Lady of Peace is very robust. We are proud to have a grade 7, 8, and 9 band and drama program. As well with the Fine Arts program, a school play is produced annually that allows students to practice and perform for their classmates as well as families later in the year.

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In junior high, your child will also get a chance to participate in junior high athletics. There are senior and junior teams for many of the team sports as well as grade 7, 8, and 9 activities for others. Our athletic teams allow for students to further pursue team and individual activities beyond Phys Ed classes.

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Finally, please enjoy a virtual tour of our school. The following slides will show some pictures of the different classrooms we have in our junior high and enjoy a preview of what to expect for junior high. Please note, the locations of some of these rooms may change from year to year as our school needs change.

If you have any questions on any items in this presentation, please do not hesitate to contact the school administrative team at 403-500-2097.

God Bless

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