Pink Shirt Day at PHSS

Our staff and students proudly wore pink today, representing anti-bullying and acceptance of diversity in our society. Today is Pink Shirt Day in Canada. All across the country young people don pink shirts to send a message to stop bullying. Pink Shirt Day began in September 2007 when a grade 9 student was bullied for wearing a pink polo shirt, at Central Kings HS in Cambridge, Nova Scotia. When he was told that if he ever wore pink again he'd pay for it, two grade 12 students, David Shepherd and Travis Price purchased 50 pink shirts and sent out messages inviting as many kids as possible to wear them to school. Almost 300 students showed up dressed in pink, some from head to toe. One of the bullies saw a sea of pink and threw a trash can in protest, but as Shephard would say later, not a peep was heard from the bullies after that day. Today there are schools around the world that hold annual Pink Shirt Days, all because 2 Canadian Grade 12 students decided to step up and take a stand against bullying. Edmund Burke once said,"All that is required for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing." The converse is also true: All that is required to change things is for more of us- parents, teens and bystanders- to step up, speak up, and let our voices be heard. Let's be the agents of positive change and challenge those who aren't treating others respectfully. Make every day and anti-bullying day!

Pink Shirt Day Tomorrow

Staff and students will be wearing pink tomorrow as a commitment to a Bully-Free Life. Everyone is encouraged to wear pink in honour of those who have been bullied.

Fire Drill Today

I was pleased with how efficient our staff and students reacted when we had a fire drill today. The weather was very nice when we had the drill so the students didn't mind going outside. Next month there will be an Earthquake Drill, done in consultation with the other high schools and Saint Mary's Hospital. According the Bill Eisner, this will be an opportunity to practice our Coast-wide response, from a communications perspective, in the event of an earthquake.

Developing Sewing Skills

Our Grade 8 students were developing their sewing skills today in Home Economics. Well done!!!

Reproduction Review: The Pregnancy Game

Mr. Lewis had his students develop a learning tool that would help them learn more about the reproductive system. The end result was several games called, "THe Pregnancy Game." The students enjoyed playing the game, while learning facts about reproduction. Well done!!!!

Governor General Award Recipient

Last year's Governor General Award winner, Rowan van Wersch, stopped by to pick up his award today, as university students are off on their reading week break this week. Ms. Dimond and Ms. McOuat joined us for a photo of Rowan, with his award.

Indoor Soccer

There was a spirited match in intramural indoor soccer today. The yellow team won with some great team play!

Girls' Basketball Team vs Chatelech

Some of our junior girls played against Chatelech SS this afternoon. Chat was the better team on the scoreboard but it was a close game throughout. I heard that the girls won the Pemberton Tournament last weekend-- Bravo ladies!!!!

The Pregnancy Game

Mr. Lewis has his Grade 9 Science students developing games to help them learn about the stages of pregnancy. The students are being very creative with their games, as you can see.

Aprons & Pancakes

Ms. McOuat's Grade 7/8 students were working on making aprons, as well as making pancakes when I stopped by her class this afternoon. I saw students eating pancakes of various colours at the end of the block-- green, brown and pink!

More pictures can be found on the Principal's Flickr Photostream.

Mask

When I came across this mask today, I found out that there is still work to do on the mouth. I thought that it looked interesting, so I decided to post it. Let me know what you think.

What is Your Gambling IQ?

Mrs. Dimond had a guest speaker who presented information about gambling in our society. AT lunch time she had students do surveys on iPads to find out the question,"What is Your Gambling IQ?" The students seemed engaged and learned some valuable information.

Valentine's Day Activity

The Valentine's Day Assembly, run by the PHSS Student Council, went over really well. The Dating Game activity was enjoyed by all. More pics can be seem on the Flickr Photostream. Have a good evening and Happy Valentine's Day! Mr. H

Bill 33 Meetings

I was busy with Bill 33 Meetings today, but I did get a chance to participate with our Indoor Soccer team at lunch time. It is great to get away from the paperwork and to spend time with our students. Soccer was good fun and once it ended it was back to Bill 33 Meetings. FYI Bill 33 Meetings provide an opportunity for principals and teachers to discuss class composition, when there are more than three students designated with IEPs in a class. It gives us an opportunity to discuss the needs of the students and teachers. We discuss strategies that can help enhance the learning environment and we try to provide appropriate SETA time for the various classes. There will be more Bill 33 Meetings tomorrow. Have a good night everyone. Mr. H

Spicy sauce

I was attracted to the aroma of garlic coming from the Ms. McOuat's Foods room and saw that her students were making a spicy pasta sauce. It should make for an awesome meal!

Nice Bench Nick!

Nick is testing the bench that he made in Wood Shop. Great job!

TOC Shortage

There seems to be a TOC shortage today as I am covering classes today. The first block I worked with a French 7 group and we played a game called, "Tic-Tac-Numero." It was an excellent activity which involved students working on their oral and auditory skills of numbers 1 to 90. The students were really cooperative and it gave me a chance to brush up on my French. Mr. Mocellin has taken a large group of students to Cypress Mountain for the day, so the classes I am covering today are small. I will be covering Grade 7 and 8 Science and Math the rest of the day. I do hope that the Skiing and Snowboarding trip goes well today!

Biscuits on the way....

Almost ready!

Biscuits Anyone?

Ms. McOuat's Grade 8 students were making biscuits when I stopped by today. The students really seemed to be enjoying the activity.

Learning Valuable Skills in Foods

Ms. McOuat has been doing a great job setting the tone for her Foods class for Semester 2. As you can see she has all of her students working cooperatively to clean after a baking activity. Well done!!

Celery Experiment

One of our students did a science experiment using celery and food colouring. It is amazing to see the transformation in colour of the celery leaves.

Report Cards Coming Next Week

Week one of Semester 2 is behind us and it is time to relax and have some family time. It has been a busy week, with a variety of issues that surfaced. Please make sure that you contact me if you have any questions or concerns about your child's program or other issues that may come to your attention. We will be distributing report cards next Thursday, February 9th. Grade 12 students should have their marks included on their report cards, as these students may need this information for applications to post-secondary institutions. Because of the current teacher strike action, other students will not have marks included on their report cards. As I have indicated earlier, please make sure that you contact your son's/daughter's teacher if you want to get specific information about their achievement to date. If students have any incomplete marks, it is important that they do the assigned work within the time frame given. If you have questions about this, after speaking with the teacher(s), please do not hesitate to contact me. Have a great weekend. Mr. H

Basketball & Indoor Soccer

The combined PHSS/MPES Boys' Basketball team played a spirited game against KES yesterday after school. It was a very good game and the turnout was excellent. Thanks to Mr. Mocellin, Dany and Jade for helping officiate and running the score table. The indoor soccer league has started and the games have been very competitive. More photos can be found on the Principal's Flickr Photostream.

Anatomy Drawings

Mr. Lewis' Grade 8 Science students were working on their anatomy drawings when I stopped by today. They insisted that I get a picture of the guy with the curly hair! They have done a nice job so far. Well done--Bravo!!!