Vow of Silence

Vow of Silence: We won't stand by while children are subjected to exploitation, poverty and denial of basic rights. Every day, millions of children are silenced by these abuses. Today's "Vow of Silence" represents taking a stand for children everywhere.

Junior Band

Ms. MacInnes is working hard with our junior band to produce sweet music. They are progressing really well and the Christmas tunes are sounding good! Keep up the awesome work!

The We Team / Vow of Silence & Foosball Table

Two members of the "We Team," Karly and Riley, spoke to the student and staff about the "Vow of Silence," which will be happening next Wednesday, November 30th. The "Vow of Silence" is a sign that we are against child labour and exploitation. You may want to ask your child for their thoughts on this. Later in the day I stopped by Mr. Wall's Woodworking class. One of his senior students is working on a Foosball Table-- I am amazed at the interesting and challenging projects that he has his students doing!

Masquerade Dance at PHSS

Thanks to the Student Council for running tonight's Masquerade Dance. The students had a blast. DJ Joel did a great job with the music. Bravo to all who have made this a successful event!

Extracting DNA

Mr. Lewis had his students extracting DNA from fruit and vegetables today. The students were really engaged in this experiment.

Parent Teacher Interviews & a Principals' Meeting

Today has flown by and we are having Parent/Teacher Interviews now. Please make contact with your son/daughter's teachers via e-mail if you are unable to come in and see them in person. I will be attending a Principals' Meeting in Sechelt later this afternoon. Have a good evening. Mr. H

Boys' Basketball

We had our first Boys' Basketball Tryout after school yesterday. Our numbers were not that good, but I hope to continue to provide an opportunity for the development of basketball at PHSS. We will practice most Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:15-4:30pm. We won't have a practice this Thursday, as we have Parent-Teacher Interviews and I also have to attend a meeting in Sechelt.

Art Sculptures

Reusable items made into Art! Thanks to Ms. Sametz Art 7/8 students.

Psychology Experiment, Batteries & Volleyball

The images above are of: Ms. Diamond's Psychology class doing an experiment on Absolute Value, the batteries the WE Group is collecting and our PE 10 class playing volleyball.

PHL

The PHL continued with a hard fought match today at lunch. I have attached a photo of today's action.

Science World Field Trip

Mr. Walls and Ms. Mullins took Grade 10-12 students to Science World yesterday. It sounds like it was an excellent field trip. I have posted a few pictures here. More pictures can be found in the Flickr Photostream.

Art & Santa Baby

I stopped by Mrs. Sametz Grade 7/8Art class and saw some excellent work in progress-- I have posted a few of the pieces here. I then went to the music room where Ms. MacInnes was working with the senior band on, "Santa Baby." They sounded great.

PHL

I had a chance to play a couple of shifts for our team in the PHL today. The PHL is our floor hockey league which runs over lunch hour. It is good fun and there is a high level of participation. Male and female staff participate, as well as boys and girls. I will try to include some pictures of some of our staff and students in action next game. Until later. Mr. H

PAC Meeting Tonight

I just wanted to remind parents that we have a PAC Meeting tonight at 7:00 pm. I look forward to seeing many of you there. Until later. Mr. H

Chemical Reactions

Ms. Mullins Grade 10 Science students were doing an experiment trying to determine if a chemical reaction occurs when adding bromine to lime water, and then CO2. They were successful!

Aboriginal Education Meeting Today

SD 46 Superintendent, Patrick Bocking and District Aboriginal Support Principal, Kerry Mahlman were at PHSS to meet with me to discuss our Aboriginal Education Program. The meeting flew by and they headed to Madeira Park Elementary to see Aboriginal Support Teacher, Tammy Forsyth, in action. We will continue to ensure that the needs of all of our students are met and we will have the support of the Aboriginal education team to provide additional support for our students of First Nations ancestry.

Senior Girls' Volleyball

Our Senior Girls' Volleyball team played Chatelech SS in a spirited match Thursday, after school. The match was cut short when the power went out after 5:00 pm. It was an excellent matched and the girls should be proud of the manner in which they played. They have improved significantly this season. Thanks to Mr. Mochellin for coaching and thank you to the parent volunteers who assisted in keeping score this season.

Remembrance Day Assembly

Our Remembrance Day Assembly today went very well, except for a few technical difficulties with the sound. The Pipe Band was fantastic-- thanks to Dave Gibson and the pipers! Our band was also exceptional, as was our choir, both directed by Ms.Jen MacInnes. I have included a picture of their drummer, Jim, before he left for the elementary school.

Art Field Trip Pictures

Mrs. Sametz sent me some photos from yesterday's field trip to Grouse Mountain. Great pictures Mrs. Sametz--thank you!

Art Field Trip Today

I covered Mrs. Sametz Media Arts class today, as she took students to the Artists for Conservation Festival 2011, which was held at the Grouse Mountain Resort. Students who attended had an opportunity to see Robert Bateman's international exhibit of original nature and wildlife art and participate in art workshops. What a wonderful opportunity for our students. Thanks to Mrs. Sametz and the parent volunteers who attended this event. Tomorrow our school Health & Safety Committee will be attending a District workshop. Mrs. Bev Terry will be in for me in my absence. Hopefully the day will run smoothly. I have started to post some pictures on my blog-- click on my PHSS Principal Pics on the right side of the blog. Hopefully it will give you a chance to see more of the interesting things that our staff and students are doing here at PHSS. Have a good evening everyone. Mr. H

Minister of Education at BCPVPA Chapter Council

BC Minister of Education, George Abbott, was guest speaker at the BCPVPA Chapter Council last night. He spent some time talking about his vision to move BC education from good to great. He is looking at making some changes, via collaboration with various groups, including the BCPVPA (BC Principals and Vice Principals Association). BC Education Plan has five elements: personalized learning for every student; quality teaching and learning; flexibility and choice; high standards;and learning empowered by technology He did talk about the current job action and he doesn't seem to think that there will be a quick resolution to end the current situation. He does want us to let parents know that teachers do have a responsibility to communicate with parents to ensure that they know how their children are doing. He is a politician so he wasn't able to share all of his thoughts with us. Have a great weekend! Mr. H

The PAC Blog is Finally Here and Functioning

I spent some time this afternoon getting the PAC Blog running with pdf documents attached-- this includes the Draft Minutes from the AGM, the PAC Constitution and Bi-Laws, as well as the October Minutes. My thanks go out to Bob Cotter (acting principal at Cedar Grove Elementary School) for assisting me with this. Technology definitely works better when you have adequate support! I am off to a BCPVPA Meeting in Richmond this afternoon. I hope that the good weather continues throughout the weekend. Enjoy your weekend. Mr. H

Superintendent & Secretary Treasurer Visit PHSS

SD 46 Superintendent, Patrick Bocking, and our new Secretary Treasurer, Nic Keswick, stopped by PHSS yesterday for a visit. We met and discussed our school growth plan and other items. I gave them a tour of the school and we went into some classes and observed some classes in action. I also gave them a tour of the pool and fitness centre. Next time Mr. Bocking comes for a visit he wants to get a chance to speak to a cross section of our students, so he can get a better sense of our students and how we can help them fulfill their aspirations.

More Terry Fox Run Pictures

PHSS Terry Fox Run Today

It was a beautiful day to do the Terry Fox Run today. Our staff and students participated in this event which brings awareness to the Terry Fox Foundation and provides an opportunity to participate in a fund raising effort, with all proceeds going to cancer research. I have included some photos of the run.

Play Ball!

It is now time to play ball. Sam has just finished turning the baseball bat in Wood Shop. What a great job!!! Bravo.

Metal Shop

These grade 9 students were working on making metal hooks when I stopped by this morning.