NEWSLETTER T Principal’S Message
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PRINCIPAL: Mrs. Karen Peterson Marion M. Graham Collegiate A VICE PRINCIPAL: Mr. David Earl 602 Lenore Drive SCHOOL TRUSTEE: Ms. Colleen MacPherson U Saskatoon, SK S7K 6A6 Phone: (306) 683-7750 Attendance: (306) 683-7755 G Student Services Office: (306) 683-7756 U MMGCI Web site S http://www.spsd.sk.ca/school/marionmgraham Parent Portal: NEWSLETTER https://portal.spsd.sk.ca/school/mgc T Principal’s Message: A warm summer greeting to each of you! July was a month of rest and rejuvenation for our staff and students after a busy school year. Take some time over the remaining weeks in August to enjoy friends and family. Our caretaking and office staff has been busy preparing MMGCI for the arrival of the 2019- 2020 school year. We are looking forward to seeing staff return on August 26th and students on September 3rd. This past June we said farewell to staff leaving MMGCI. We wish Mr. Carl Smith and Mr. Doug Njaa enjoyment as they both enter retirement. Mr. Evan Cole will be joining Centennial Collegiate, Ms. Linda Caughlin will join Mount Royal Collegiate, Ms. Heidi Neufeld will join the Saskatoon Christian School, Ms. Nicole Reed will join Nutana Collegiate and Mr. Nat Banting has taken a one year position at the University of Saskatchewan. Returning to the sub list will be Ms. Marissa Glanville and Ms. Alexa Specht. We wish all departing staff all the best in their new adventures. We are excited to welcome Mr. David Earl as our vice principal this fall. Mr. Earl joins us from Walter Murray Collegiate. Mrs. Robyn Howey-Bowes will join our science department. Mrs. Howey-Bowes previously taught at Mount Royal Collegiate. Our Full STEAM Ahead grade 9 program will launch this fall with Mr. Kyle Harms, Ms. Kelsey Smith, and Ms. Shannon Welch at the helm. All three staff members have been busy planning meaningful integration opportunities, purchasing cool equipment for our maker space, in addition to contemplating if the group can create a prototype of a MMGCI t-shirt cannon! We are excited to introduce MMGCI students to our Mosaic Extreme School Makeover Space. Some renovations took place over the summer which allowed us to create a community food preparation 2 space complete with a tower garden! We are looking forward to partnering with local culinary experts to bring food, nutrition, and community to MMGCI. In addition, we are excited for the school store that our Entrepreneurship 30 class will be creating in semester one. Falcon Friday’s will be that much 0 easier with the gear our students will create. 1 On a personal note, I am very proud to be appointment the principal of MMGCI. I am excited to continue working with our staff, students, and parents as we work to create meaningful educational opportunities for the youth of today. Please don’t hesitate to contact 9 me if you have questions, concerns, or want to get involved in some of our unique learning opportunities. Together we are stronger! See you this fall. On behalf of the staff and students of Marion Graham, Mrs. Peterson, Principal Upcoming School Year Information NEW STUDENT PRE-REGISTRATION…Any students new to Saskatoon and area, are invited to contact the school at any time during the summer months to receive information, ask questions, and make arrangements to pre-register for the fall. Counsellors will begin seeing new students on Wednesday, August 21, Thursday, August 22 and Friday, August 23. For an appointment, please phone 306-683-7756. Early pre-registration results in a better likelihood of getting desired classes and saves time and inconvenience later. REGISTRATION Registration and classes of all collegiate students will begin on Tuesday, September 3 Schedule as follows: Period 2, 1, 3, 4 and 5 (for this day only) ALL STUDENTS (Grades 9,10, 11 and 12) are asked to report to the Large Gym at 8:45 a.m. If you are not returning to Marion Graham in the fall, please advise Student Services as soon as possible, so that we may update our records. STUDENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT…The Marion M. Graham Collegiate Student Services Office has two full-time counsellors. Ms. Donna Bouchard (Grades 11 and 12), Ms. Geri Stolar (Grades 9 and 10), and secretary, Mrs. Karlie Pellerin. Services are provided in the areas of educational planning, career planning, and personal/social development. LOCKS AND LOCKERS…Grade 9 students registering at Marion M. Graham Collegiate are required to purchase a combination lock from the school at a cost of $5 (included in their basic student fees). As owners of these locks, they will use them for the duration of their stay at MMGCI and will keep them beyond graduation. All students will be assigned new lockers in September of each year. STUDENT HANDBOOKS… Student Handbooks will soon be available electronically to all students and parents via the School Portal (https://portal.spsd.sk.ca/school/mgc). Click on the link for School Documents and then select Student Handbook. A limited number of handbooks are available in print copy for a fee of $5. COURSE CHANGES & TIMETABLES…Students are expected to study the courses originally chosen, because the school is scheduled and staffed on this basis. Every attempt has been made to fulfill their choices. However, please review the following closely: 1. The first priority is to ensure every student has the compulsory credits for their grade. If any compulsory classes are missing, the student must see their grade counsellor. 2. Some requested classes have been cancelled due to low enrollment. If a requested class is missing, the student must see their counsellor. 3. Only grade 11 and 12 students are able to have spares. If the student is in grade 10 next year, and there is a spare on their timetable, they must see their counsellor. 4. Class sizes have been balanced, and it is unlikely that changes can be made. Class changes will not be made unless there is a good reason to do so. Students will only be moved from one section of a class to another, if the enrollment in the class they will join is less than the current class they are in. 5. Online courses are a possible way to get the credits required. See a counsellor for this option. 6. Any classes dropped this year may need to be rescheduled. Please see a counsellor if there are questions. 7. Some classes may still change in the fall due to changes with teacher scheduling. 8. Students that drop courses after September 14 will be charged any associated fees and unable to receive a refund. Students must attend all scheduled courses until a change is officially completed** CHANGE OF ADDRESS…Please inform the school immediately of any student’s change of address, phone number, or emergency contact person. If you have requested email delivery of your newsletters, please inform the school of any change in your email address. APPROPRIATE SCHOOL DRESS…Common sense, good taste, and good manners should dictate what is appropriate dress for school. Some of the T-shirts sold in stores, or at concerts, are not appropriate in a public collegiate environment and students sometimes arrive at school with too much skin showing. Parents/guardians, please help us by ensuring that the clothing your son/s or daughter/s wear to school is suitable for a school setting. Further guidelines are available in the Student Handbook. We appreciate your assistance in this area. MMGCI IS A NON-SMOKING CAMPUS…Smoking will not be allowed in or around the school building or anywhere on school property. This includes e-cigarettes, vapes, and chewing tobacco. SMILE — YOU’RE ON CAMERA… Marion M. Graham Collegiate utilizes a number of surveillance cameras, that have been placed both inside and outside the school. Camera areas include the parking lot, front entry, commons area, and other locales inside and outside the school. Student safety and security remain a priority at MMGCI. THE SERVERY…Beginning on Tuesday, September 3, the Servery will provide nutritious food each regular school day. Whether purchased at the school or brought from home, all food must be eaten in the Student Commons area. STUDENT PHOTOS…Student photographs, for inclusion in the yearbook and development of student cards and souvenir photo packages, will be taken of all students on Tuesday, September 3 throughout the day. Each student will receive two proofs to choose from and a return date will be given at the time that these are handed out. There is a $10.00 late fee if students miss this return date. Families opting to order photos will be able to select from a variety of package options and will pay Lifetouch accordingly. Lifetouch will pick up the payment envelopes from the school. Our retake day is Wednesday, October 15, in the afternoon. Retakes will be done free of charge for those students whose eyes are shut or their mouth open, etc. Should your son/daughter wish to have a retake done, they must have the approval of the office ahead of time. On the day retakes are taken, they are to bring their proofs (and $5.00 if the student chooses to have a retake done for the reason that he/she just does not like the pictures). Students who were absent on the day photos were taken, will have their photo taken at this time at no charge. CALCULATORS FOR MATH CLASSES…Students taking Grade 10 to 12 math courses should have a scientific calculator. Grade 9 students need a calculator with the 4 arithmetic functions and a square root key.