OCTOBER 19, 2018
STS Express
Weekly Newsletter
CONTENTS MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL ...... 2 HAPPY FRIDAY! ...... 2 IMPORTANT DATES ...... 3 OCTOBER ...... 3 NOVEMBER ...... 3 SCHOOL CALENDARS ...... 3 UPCOMING EVENTS – MARK YOUR CALENDARS ...... 4 R.S.V.P TO YOUR GRADE SOCIAL(S) ...... 4 SAVE THE DATE FOR UPCOMING STUDENT SERVICES COFFEE TALKS ...... 4 FULL SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS ...... 5 ANNUAL GIVING – THIS YEAR WE’VE MADE GIVING EASY AND FUN! ...... 5 HALLOWEEN FUN FOR EVERYONE! ...... 5 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS ...... 7 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ASSEMBLY SCHEDULE 2018-2019 ...... 7 STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES – BOOKING OPENS TODAY ...... 7 MIDDLE AND SENIOR SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS ...... 8 PARENT-TEACHER INTERVIEWS ...... 8 CLASS OF 2019 - BABY PHOTOS NEEDED! ...... 8 SENIOR SCHOOL STUDENTS AND ALUMNI SPEED MENTORING EVENT – REGISTER TODAY! ...... 9 UNIVERSITY PLANNING ...... 9 ON-GOING UNIVERSITY PLANNING OPPORTUNITIES ...... 9 OUT OF PROVINCE UNIVERSITIES FAIR ...... 10 2018-2019 UNIVERSITY PLANNING PARENT INFORMATION NIGHTS ...... 10 UNIVERSITY PLANNING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE COMMUNITY...... 10 WHAT’S HAPPENING ON CAMPUS ...... 11 STS CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE HOSTS IB EDUCATORS FROM ACROSS ALBERTA ...... 11 SPEECH AND DEBATE BEGINS THE YEAR WITH SUCCESS ...... 12 GRADE 9 BOYS VOLLEYBALL HIGHLIGHTS ...... 14
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MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
HAPPY FRIDAY! It has been a very exciting week at STS. On Monday, our school community welcomed over 200 Heads of Schools and Board Chairs from across Canada, Switzerland, and Bermuda. As one of the host schools of the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) Heads and Chairs Conference planning committee, it was a great honour to host these guests. Greeted by our wonderful and smiling Grade 6 ambassadors, our guests were treated to a hearty breakfast in the Black Watch Bistro. With our tummies full, we congregated in the C.A. Smith Arts Centre (theatre) to hear from Christian Long, an internationally renowned School Designer, who was thought provoking and challenged us to think about the future of education. Christian’s engaging talk was followed by tours of the campus by our capable Senior School ambassadors. You can imagine the pride we all felt as the group experienced our amazing campus in all of its beauty. The new addition was certainly impressive, as were all of our incredible facilities. The warm fall weather made walking outside a delight. It was also wonderful to have retired STS Head of School, Dr. Bill Jones, and his wife Barb in attendance to hear and see the excitement. You would have been proud of your children as they graciously interacted with our visitors, spoke about their school and community with joy, and continued to engage in their studies despite the interaction. A healthy school culture is not easily created and while our campus and plants are truly stunning, what our visitors, and myself, were most impressed with were the people who give it life and purpose. Last night, I attended the Donor Appreciation Evening to celebrate and thank many in our community who supported the Inspiring Possibilities fundraising campaign. It was a proud moment for me to be in a room brimming with the generosity of our community. Please enjoy this video that was shared at the event and brought many guests to tears: https://youtu.be/Q4vvmQxOEqQ. This video clearly demonstrates the immense impact of giving to STS. As we now look towards this year’s annual giving appeal, I invite you to join me in supporting our School’s important work with a contribution. The strength and permanence of an independent school depends on the support of families, community members, and alumni. We are all co-creators of the School, and our collective generosity ensures that we maintain our high standards of excellence in all areas, and continuous improvement is sustained. Even more compelling, you and I can ensure we change the world for the better by investing in our children. If you are inspired to join us in this quest, please consider supporting this year’s annual giving appeal by clicking here: https://www.sts.ab.ca/donate. Finally, I have enjoyed meeting so many of you in the gym, in the halls, and at parent socials. Thank you to our grade social host families for giving our community meaningful opportunites to come together. Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Carol Grant-Watt Head of School
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IMPORTANT DATES In addition to the listed dates below, be sure to check for new events throughout the year online – the following calendar can be downloaded in an iCal format
OCTOBER NOVEMBER October 26, 2018 November 9 Grade 7 grade social Student Services Coffee Talk – Helping to October 29, 2018 foster resilience in your child School Photo retakes
October 31, 2018
Halloween – casual dress or Halloween costumes
SCHOOL CALENDARS For more important dates and upcoming events, the following school calendars can be found on the STS website:
2018-2019 School Calendar Upcoming Events Calendar
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UPCOMING EVENTS – MARK YOUR CALENDARS
R.S.V.P TO YOUR GRADE SOCIAL(S) We are pleased to invite all STS parents to your child(ren)’s 2018-2019 grade social where you can socialize with parents and find out how you can be involved with the STS community. Join us for an evening of delightful conversations and cocktails, 7:00 – 9:00 pm. You should receive an e-invitation from your grade’s parent host four to six weeks prior to each grade social. If you have any questions regarding the socials, please contact Caroline Banadar at 403-938-8344, [email protected]
OCTOBER: NOVEMBER: Grade 7 Grade 5 Thursday, October 26 Friday, November 2 Shamila and Alykhan Sunderji Stacey and John Mercury Grade 9 Saturday, November 3
Barbara and Drew MacIntyre
Grade 6 Thursday, November 15 Hayley and Jack Griffin Grade 8 Friday, November 16 Kate and Oliver Halliwell Grades 1 and 2 Thursday, November 22 Lisa and Mike McManes
SAVE THE DATE FOR UPCOMING STUDENT SERVICES COFFEE TALKS We are so fortunate to have two psychologists support our school community. Dr. Brent Macdonald and Ms. Tasha Belix visit STS weekly to support our students and consult with our faculty. Join our two experts for a small, informal conversation at the fireplace in the Black Watch Bistro – coffee and tea provided. Coffee Talk, November 9, 9:00-10:00 am - Helping to foster resilience in your child Assisting your child deal with life’s setbacks and learn how to bounce back stronger and ready for the next challenge. Coffee Talk, January 14, time TBA - Building more effective communication with your child
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Moving beyond the “What did you learn today?”, “Nothing!” conversations.
Coffee Talk, April 12, time TBA – Perfectionism Tips on how to help your child move beyond their need to have everything perfect!
FULL SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS
ANNUAL GIVING – THIS YEAR WE’VE MADE GIVING EASY AND FUN!
This year’s annual giving campaign will support amazing projects, including an outdoor education learning campsite to help prepare students for their backcountry experiences, complete with areas to pitch a tent, and properly store food away from bears. Please click here to see a full list of projects included in this year’s giving appeal. We sincerely hope that you are inspired to join your parent peers and STS employees in giving what you can to one of these ‘uniquely STS’ projects. Together we will continue to build on the strong foundation forged by generations of families before us. Donate online today at https://www.sts.ab.ca/donate.
HALLOWEEN FUN FOR EVERYONE! Pumpkin Carving Contest The Prefects have some very exciting events coming up this month! To get into the Halloween spirit, we will be having a Pumpkin Carving Contest for all three divisions. Pumpkins will be judged and awarded in the categories of: spooky, funny, and, creative for each division. Your amazing creations should be placed on the display tables set up in the Black Watch Bistro and be labelled (name, grade, category) for the contest. You can begin submitting entries on Monday, October 29. Pumpkins will be judged on ______
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Wednesday, October 31. We ask that you please take entries home on Wednesday, October 31after judging has concluded. Halloween Haunted House The Prefects will once again be running a haunted house for all grades. It will be open from 11:45 am to 2:00 pm for students to partake in some haunting entertainment! We encourage all students to come explore room 51 to celebrate this occasion. Elementary School students will enjoy a modified, fun version of the Haunted House. Costumes Please ensure that Halloween dress is school appropriate. We encourage Elementary School students to come to school in their uniform, and change into their costumes after lunch. After they’re all dressed up, there will be an Elementary School costume parade around the school starting at 1:00 pm. Parents are welcome to watch the parade in the rotunda. We look forward to having some spooky fun with everyone on Halloween!
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ASSEMBLY SCHEDULE 2018-2019 Please see the updated dates for our upcoming Elementary School assemblies which will take place in the C.A. Smith Arts Centre (theatre) (unless otherwise indicated) at 2:50 pm. November 16 March 22 November 30 April 12 December 14 - PYPx Assembly April 26 December 21 May 17 January 18 May 31 February 22 June 14 March 8 June 18
STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES – BOOKING OPENS TODAY We are pleased to host Elementary Student-Led Conferences on November 1 from 4:00 until 8:00 pm and November 2 from 9:00 am until 12:00 noon.
New Parent Interview Booking System The booking of conferences in all three divisions is being managed through a new software platform that integrates with Managebac, our Learning Management System – Meet the Teacher.
Elementary School parents: When booking opens today, October 19 at 9:00 am, please navigate to the following URL https://strathconatweedsmuir.parentseveningsystem.co.uk/ where you will be prompted for your first name, surname, email address used for Managebac, student first name, surname and birthdate. These steps validate your parent account without requiring you to know or remember a username or password. For information on Student-Led Conferences, please see the Elementary School section on the website. This letter will explain Student-Led Conferences, as well as provide you with a link that will walk you through logging into the Parents’ Evening System for booking a time for the Student-Led Conference. The letter may be accessed via this link or through the school’s website.
Please contact Alanna Wellwood, [email protected], if you require assistance or have questions about booking a conference.
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MIDDLE AND SENIOR SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS
PARENT-TEACHER INTERVIEWS The Middle and Senior Schools will be hosting Parent-Teacher Interviews on November 6 from 4:00 until 8:00 pm, November 8 from 1:00 until 6:00 pm, and November 13 from 4:00 until 8:00 pm.
New Parent Interview Booking System The booking of interviews in all three divisions is being managed through a new software platform that integrates with Managebac, our Learning Management System – Meet the Teacher. We recommend signing in now to get your account set up before booking opens on October 29. Instructions for signing in are below.
Middle and Senior School parents: When booking opens on October 29 at 9:00 am, please navigate to the following URL https://strathconatweedsmuir.parentseveningsystem.co.uk/ where you will be prompted for your first name, surname, email address used for Managebac, student first name, surname and birthdate. These steps validate your parent account without requiring you to know or remember a username or password. Detailed step by step instructions for how to book appointments are both linked here and also available on Managebac on your child/charge’s class calendar.
Please contact Alanna Wellwood, [email protected], if you require assistance or have questions about booking an interview.
CLASS OF 2019 - BABY PHOTOS NEEDED! In preparation for June’s Grad Breakfast slide show, we are asking parents of Grade 12 students to search their photo albums for two photographs of their graduate - one as a baby and the other in their early school days. Please scan and forward both photos to [email protected]. Please remember to indicate the students name in the subject line and on each photo. Thank you!
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SENIOR SCHOOL STUDENTS AND ALUMNI SPEED MENTORING EVENT – REGISTER TODAY! Senior School Students are invited to attend the 8thAnnual Alumni Speed Mentoring session on November 2, 2018, in the Peter B. Ditchburn Library from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. Alumni from various professional backgrounds will be on campus to talk about what to expect in university and the professional working world that follows. Space is limited. Click here to register today. For further information, please contact Mrs. Brenda Thompson, Alumni Engagement and Events at [email protected] or 403- 938-8318.
UNIVERSITY PLANNING
ON-GOING UNIVERSITY PLANNING OPPORTUNITIES Appointment Requests Parents and students are welcomed and encouraged to book an appointment with Ms. Caines to discuss the university planning process. Parents, please email [email protected] to set up an appointment. Students can book appointments directly through their STS Outlook account by using the “Scheduling Assistant” feature. University Counselling Office The student area of the University Counselling office offers resources about post-secondary planning and program information from around the world. Please feel free to stop by and check it out anytime. University Representatives Visiting STS In the next several weeks, the following universities will have a representative visiting STS. All Senior School students and parents are welcomed and encouraged to attend as many as possible to gain insight into a variety of programs. Unless otherwise announced, these sessions will be held in room 51, across from the University Counselling office.
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Date Time University
Monday, October 29 12:00-12:35 pm University of New Brunswick
Monday, November 5 12:00-12:35 pm University of Calgary
Tuesday, November 6 12:10-12:45 pm University of Saskatchewan
Monday, November 12 12:00-12:35 pm University of British Columbia
Tuesday, November 13 12:10-12:45 pm University of Victoria
OUT OF PROVINCE UNIVERSITIES FAIR Friday, October 26 from 10:00 am – 12:00 noon in the Sandy Heard Sports Hall Representatives from universities across the country will be at STS to share information about their programs. All Senior School students will have a scheduled opportunity to attend this event. Parents are also welcomed to attend.
2018-2019 UNIVERSITY PLANNING PARENT INFORMATION NIGHTS University Planning (for Grade 11 Parents): Tuesday November 20 at 7:00 pm in the Peter B. Ditchburn Library. All Grade 11 parents are encouraged to attend. Academic, Career, and University Planning (for Grade 9 and 10 Parents): Tuesday, January 22 at 7:00 pm in the Peter B. Ditchburn Library.
UNIVERSITY PLANNING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE COMMUNITY Please note, the information below is provided for information only. These are not STS sponsored events and, as such, there will be no STS supervision provided. Study & Go Abroad Fair (Saturday, October 20; 12:00-5:00 pm) - Don’t miss this opportunity to start planning to study abroad. Learn about university and college programs, scholarships, travel and volunteer opportunities in over 100 countries worldwide. For more information, go to: http://www.studyandgoabroad.com/calgary/
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WHAT’S HAPPENING ON CAMPUS STS has a blog! Visit https://www.strathconatweedsmuir.com/blog/ for stories and what is happening on campus. Be sure to bookmark this page! In addition to the blog, here are some highlights this week:
STS CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE HOSTS IB EDUCATORS FROM ACROSS ALBERTA Written by Cheryl Babin, Primary Years Programme Coordinator Last Friday, October 12, we proudly hosted a gathering for the Alberta Association of International Baccalaureate World Schools where nearly 100 teachers, coordinators and administrators from 26 Alberta IB schools came together in our beautiful school for an engaging day of professional learning. The focus of our work was on Approaches to Learning, which is one important aspect of our IB programmes. Incorporated into our unit planning and curricular outcomes, we are intentional about helping our students to develop competencies within the following realms: Thinking Skills Social Skills Communication Skills Self-Management Skills Research Skills Our Primary, Middle and Diploma Programmes support our students to learn and apply skills from all of these categories.
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Our professional learning was facilitated by Kate Hebdon, Assistant Head of Senior & Middle School Academics at Branksome Hall. Kate is an IB workshop content developer, site visitor and workshop leader for Approaches to Teaching and Learning in the Diploma Programme. Her engaging workshop offered a broad spectrum of perspectives and ideas for all of us within our continuum programmes to support learners from kindergarten through graduation. The afternoon portion of our day involved a deeper dive into the MYP & DP related skills, while our PYP colleagues joined our elementary faculty in a “Walk & Talk” collaboration in our new spaces. The focus of our work was on the development of effective learning communities and supporting students to demonstrate agency through intentional integration of the skills listed above. Together, we were immersed in professional dialogue which enabled us to share ideas, explore new resources and strategies while enhancing relationships that strengthen our IB community ties. It is with much appreciation and pride that we recognize the talent and commitment of our incredible team at here STS. Our faculty and staff were gracious hosts who created a welcoming and engaging day for all. We truly demonstrated what it means to be part of this globally-connected network of world-class educators.
SPEECH AND DEBATE BEGINS THE YEAR WITH SUCCESS Speech Highlights To date, Speech students have participated in two tournaments; the first at Diefenbaker High School in Calgary and Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Academy in Canmore. All students represented STS brilliantly and the following are to be congratulated on their performances.
Diefenbaker High School Junior Division 1st in Interpretive Reading of Poetry: Kate Julian ’22
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1st in Solo Acting: Kailee Meckelborg ’22 1st in Duet Acting: Bolu Kasumu ’23 and Raza Sidhu ’23 3rd in Interpretive Reading of Poetry: Inji Hafiz ’22 3rd in Impromptu Speaking: Mika’il Mamdani ’23 Senior Division 1st in Impromptu Speaking: Zaki Lakhani ’20 2nd in Impromptu Speaking: Arbaz Qureshi ’21 2nd in Prose: Carly Black ’20
Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Academy Junior Division 1st in Duet Acting: Drew Nerbus ’23 and Adrian Obrejanu ’23 1st in Interpretive Reading of Poetry: Kendra Mullen ’22 1st in Persuasive Speech: Alayna Qureshi ’24 2nd in Interpretation of Prose: Riviera Steinberg ’23 3nd in Interpretation of Prose: Andy Love ’23 Senior Division 1st in Interpretation of Poetry: Angelina Horta ’21 1st in Impromptu Speaking: Arbaz Qureshi ’21 1st in Persuasive Speaking: Griffin el Baroudi ’21 2nd in Persuasive Speaking: Max Christie ’21
Once again thank you to all of the parents who attended the judge’s briefing and for judging both tournaments. Without parent support, these tournaments cannot take place. A special thank you to our new parents to Speech and we hope you have enjoyed your first experiences of judging! Our next Speech Tournament is on October 26 at Central
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Memorial High School in Calgary. Students are to enter this tournament by logging into either Middle School or Senior School groups. In each division, there is a link to enter the Central Memorial High School Speech tournament and the deadline for registration is today, Friday, October 19. Changes cannot be made after this deadline.
Debate Highlights
Middle School Middle School Debate has had tremendous success with our students winning the Tournament. Congratulations to Lakhshan Amin’20 and Shaheena Shajani’20! The judges determine the winners based upon presentation of the argument, rebuttal and knowledge of the topic. As well, a separate award is given to the student with the strongest speaking skills and is not always awarded to a student from a team that won the debate. We are very proud that Lakhshan Amin’20 also won the Top Speaker at the Tournament. Senior School Senior School students Zaki Lakhani’20 and Chelli Shapiro’19 will represent STS at the first tournament of the year at Western Canada High School in Calgary. The topic of the debate is This House supports treating human disease through genome editing; a topic that these two have gained considerable expertise. The next Senior School tournament takes place in Edmonton on October 27 and is a qualifying tournament for Canadian students to qualify for the Oxford Cup.
GRADE 9 BOYS VOLLEYBALL HIGHLIGHTS Red Deer Tournament The Grade 9 Boys Volleyball team kicked off their 2018 season with a tournament in Red Deer on the weekend of September 28-29. In round robin play, they defeated Leduc (player of the game Parker Van Grieken '22), Red Deer Lake School (player of the game Eric Krawitt '22) and St. Thomas Aquinas (player of the game Connor Perron '22), and suffered two defeats to Lindsay Thurber School (player of the game Azam Ali '22) and Hunting Hills (player of the game Will Schneider '22). Their 3-2 standing helped them to a third place finish in the round robin, and a quarter final match against Leduc. A hard fought match against Leduc (24-26, 31-29, 15-8, player of the game John McLean '22) guaranteed them a spot in the semi-finals against Hunting Hills. Those matches against Leduc had drained the tank however, and despite the best efforts of the team, they were unable to defeat Hunting Hills, despite winning first set 25-6, but losing valiantly the next two 20-25, and 11-15 (player of the game Azam Ali '22). The boys are really beginning to gel as a team, and are looking forward to a busy season of league games and invitational tournaments, as well as twice weekly practices. So far
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they are undefeated in league beating Notre Dame at home (player of the game Azam Ali '22) and St. Francis (player of the game Zayden Rabie '22), and winning our first away league game at Westmount School (player of the game Cameron McNeill '22). They are extremely grateful for the expert coaching of Mrs. Michelle Bartoshyk, whose enthusiasm and encouragement, both on and off the court, inspires the boys to play their best. Thanks for all your help and please let me know if there is any additional information you require.
Bearspaw Tournament The Grade 9 Boys Volleyball team trekked out to Bearspaw Christian School to compete in their Invitational Tournament on Saturday, October 13. An early start to the day had the boys competing against an evenly matched Webber Academy at 9:00 am. The boys struggled with their serving, and lost by a slim margin, 25-22, 25-22 (Spartan of the Game Connor Perron '22). Towards the end of the match, their hitting and 3 touch game play really began to improve. Next up at 10:00 am was a match against Rundle. The boys hit the court hot and ready to play, defeating Rundle handily at 25-11, and 25-20 (Spartan of the Game John McLean '22). Stronger serving , improved court coverage, and lots of hitting action, as well as more middle attacks, swept the boys along to victory. The last match of the round robin was against the home team, Bearspaw Christian, at 2pm. The boys had lost some of their momentum from the morning, and lost the first game 25-23. Not to be deterred however, the boys rallied back with a burst of confidence in the second game to defeat Bearspaw 25-10 (Spartan of the game Keegan McKay '22). This win guaranteed the boys a spot in the semi finals as one of the top 4 out of 8 teams of the tournament. The semi final match against Menno ended with a tough loss, 25-21 and 25-20 (Spartan of the Game Parker Van Grieken '22). The games were close, with lots of long rallies and strong game play on both sides.
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In the Bronze Medal game, the boys faced their morning nemesis, Webber Academy. The Spartans played with grit and tenacity, losing their first game 25-20, but winning the second by the same margin. That set the stage for a real nail biter in the third game, and despite being up 12-9, the boys couldn’t keep the momentum going, and lost a heartbreaking 13-15 (Spartan of the Game Cameron McNeill '22). The boys resume their league play this week against Red Deer Lake, and will have another opportunity to showcase their skills at a Rally Pointe tournament on October 20.
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