News from our Secondary Principal, Craig Randall
Dear Parents,
Can you believe it, after next week we are half-way through the school year. Related to that, the semester officially ends next Thursday, the 28th of January. Thank you for continuing to ensure your children work hard on this last unit before the semester ends. First semester report cards will be emailed to parents and students on Thursday, the 4th of February after school ends.
In other news, our seniors, who are also our first IB cohort, are in the midst of their first IB Diploma mock exams. One of the traditions of the IB Diploma program is to have students partake in practice exams prior to the real thing in May. The benefits of this are many. Students will feel more relaxed taking the real exams in May having simulated the exam now. They will have gained a real sense of what IB exam questions are like. Students will be able to obtain the results of the mock exams and use this information to help guide their studying in the last months before the actual exams. Good luck seniors.
Craig Randall
Secondary Principal
Can you believe it, after next week we are half-way through the school year. Related to that, the semester officially ends next Thursday, the 28th of January. Thank you for continuing to ensure your children work hard on this last unit before the semester ends. First semester report cards will be emailed to parents and students on Thursday, the 4th of February after school ends.
In other news, our seniors, who are also our first IB cohort, are in the midst of their first IB Diploma mock exams. One of the traditions of the IB Diploma program is to have students partake in practice exams prior to the real thing in May. The benefits of this are many. Students will feel more relaxed taking the real exams in May having simulated the exam now. They will have gained a real sense of what IB exam questions are like. Students will be able to obtain the results of the mock exams and use this information to help guide their studying in the last months before the actual exams. Good luck seniors.
Craig Randall
Secondary Principal
MAP reports
Please join us on Wed. Jan 27 at 12:40 in the auditorium for a 30-minute informational session about the MAP report. We will discuss how to read the report, and overview the purpose of the results. Students in gr.2 – 10 will be bringing their MAP reports home sometime over this next week.
Please join us on Wed. Jan 27 at 12:40 in the auditorium for a 30-minute informational session about the MAP report. We will discuss how to read the report, and overview the purpose of the results. Students in gr.2 – 10 will be bringing their MAP reports home sometime over this next week.
Greetings from the Curriculum Coordinator
Happy New Year! Semester 1 is coming to an end. Exams for 9s-11s were done before the holidays yet many classes in all grades are doing final assessments this last week such as presenting projects or completing a unit test.
A nice variety of instructional styles continue to be used in Secondary classes; I even saw a Pre-Algebra class perform a mathematical Macarena! Music is a good technique to help remember information. (Search “mnemonics” for more tips on memorizing challenging material, or for some examples of educational memorization songs go to:http://blogs.longwood.edu/lamusica/2013/05/01/mnemonics-using-music-to-memorize/)
The middle of the school year is an exciting time: report cards, gr.9s start a new science class, gr.6s will switch into their 3rd Arts class, ….
And students start to register for their courses for 2015/2016. We will be hosting a short parent information session on Thursday, Feb. 4 at 12:40 in the Auditorium to look at the Mathematics and the World Languages programs. Shortly, an updated Program of Studies will be published as well to assist in course selection decision-making. In the meantime, should you have any questions about courses, feel free to contact me.
Warm regards,
Jennifer Parker
Curriculum Coordinator 6-12
Happy New Year! Semester 1 is coming to an end. Exams for 9s-11s were done before the holidays yet many classes in all grades are doing final assessments this last week such as presenting projects or completing a unit test.
A nice variety of instructional styles continue to be used in Secondary classes; I even saw a Pre-Algebra class perform a mathematical Macarena! Music is a good technique to help remember information. (Search “mnemonics” for more tips on memorizing challenging material, or for some examples of educational memorization songs go to:http://blogs.longwood.edu/lamusica/2013/05/01/mnemonics-using-music-to-memorize/)
The middle of the school year is an exciting time: report cards, gr.9s start a new science class, gr.6s will switch into their 3rd Arts class, ….
And students start to register for their courses for 2015/2016. We will be hosting a short parent information session on Thursday, Feb. 4 at 12:40 in the Auditorium to look at the Mathematics and the World Languages programs. Shortly, an updated Program of Studies will be published as well to assist in course selection decision-making. In the meantime, should you have any questions about courses, feel free to contact me.
Warm regards,
Jennifer Parker
Curriculum Coordinator 6-12
Greetings from the outstanding social studies department! As the first semester comes to a close, it is a great opportunity for social studies to begin some amazing new units. We have all seen our students build a lot of skills throughout the semester that will be essential through the remainder of the school year. This is the time when social studies teachers “up the ante” and raise expectations for all students.
In middle school history classes, grade 6 is has begun exploring the ancient Chinese civilization and grade 7 has begun to examine the impact made during in Europe the European Renaissance. Soon, grade 7 students will analyze how the European Renaissance eventually went on to impact around the globe.
Grade 8 geography students have been working on an exciting and innovative project related to creating sustainable cities. They have made a plan for a sustainable city and are currently creating advertisements to show off what they have planned. Mr. Risner informed me that this is the first step towards an “all 8th grade cross-curricular project,” and he is excited to see the depth to which students can take their sustainability knowledge and their critical thinking skills through this opportunity to learn about it from various perspectives.
Grade 9 students are beginning a simulation that puts them in the shoes of world leaders trying to stop World War 1 from occurring. Through this simulation, they will explore how the major global trends of the late 19th and early 20th centuries (such as militarism, imperialism, etc.) contributed to the global tension that led to the First World War. In addition to historical knowledge, students will greatly improve their understanding of geopolitics.
Grade 10 students have just completed an introduction to economics unit; they are ready to begin a unit on political science.
Social Studies teachers have been leading Grade 11 IB students through their “Group 3” classes, which are courses about individuals and societies. These students have spent the semester learning how to approach a new style of learning that aligns with the principles of the International Baccalaureate program. In addition to studying a rigorous amount of subject matter at great depths, students have also learned how to demonstrate their acquisition of both knowledge and skills in an “IB-style manner.” As these skills have developed through the first semester, IB teachers in the social studies department are excited to dig deeper into their courses during the second semester.
Worth noting is that IBDP Business students will be gathering real job descriptions from adults in their lives (be ready to answer some questions, parents!) and IBDP Psychology students will begin exploring psychology from a cognitive perspective (ie: Pavlov’s dog).
Finally, Grade 12 IB students are beginning the rigorous and intimidating IB mock exams. While this is undoubtedly a stressful experience for students, it is crucial to their success in the IB program. Mr. Lyons has done a great job to ensure that the mock exams are as close to the real IB exams as possible. It is the department’s hope that these mock exams will give students a better understanding of what they have done well and what they must improve before they take the IB exams later this year. The whole social studies department is looking forward to seeing the success of GAA’s first IB cohort!
Thank you for keeping up with what is happening in the social studies department. We would like to close this section of the newsletter by reiterating our department’s mission. We truly believe in the value of having an understanding of our world and of the diversity that exists within. We believe in the value of having the skills to work out potential solutions to its problems. The world is a vast and beautiful place with endless opportunities. We aim to challenge students to become active participants of this world.
As we approach the second semester, I would personally like to urge all readers to never stop exploring our world. Thank you again for your interest in the social studies!
Best regards,
-Korey Haugland
In middle school history classes, grade 6 is has begun exploring the ancient Chinese civilization and grade 7 has begun to examine the impact made during in Europe the European Renaissance. Soon, grade 7 students will analyze how the European Renaissance eventually went on to impact around the globe.
Grade 8 geography students have been working on an exciting and innovative project related to creating sustainable cities. They have made a plan for a sustainable city and are currently creating advertisements to show off what they have planned. Mr. Risner informed me that this is the first step towards an “all 8th grade cross-curricular project,” and he is excited to see the depth to which students can take their sustainability knowledge and their critical thinking skills through this opportunity to learn about it from various perspectives.
Grade 9 students are beginning a simulation that puts them in the shoes of world leaders trying to stop World War 1 from occurring. Through this simulation, they will explore how the major global trends of the late 19th and early 20th centuries (such as militarism, imperialism, etc.) contributed to the global tension that led to the First World War. In addition to historical knowledge, students will greatly improve their understanding of geopolitics.
Grade 10 students have just completed an introduction to economics unit; they are ready to begin a unit on political science.
Social Studies teachers have been leading Grade 11 IB students through their “Group 3” classes, which are courses about individuals and societies. These students have spent the semester learning how to approach a new style of learning that aligns with the principles of the International Baccalaureate program. In addition to studying a rigorous amount of subject matter at great depths, students have also learned how to demonstrate their acquisition of both knowledge and skills in an “IB-style manner.” As these skills have developed through the first semester, IB teachers in the social studies department are excited to dig deeper into their courses during the second semester.
Worth noting is that IBDP Business students will be gathering real job descriptions from adults in their lives (be ready to answer some questions, parents!) and IBDP Psychology students will begin exploring psychology from a cognitive perspective (ie: Pavlov’s dog).
Finally, Grade 12 IB students are beginning the rigorous and intimidating IB mock exams. While this is undoubtedly a stressful experience for students, it is crucial to their success in the IB program. Mr. Lyons has done a great job to ensure that the mock exams are as close to the real IB exams as possible. It is the department’s hope that these mock exams will give students a better understanding of what they have done well and what they must improve before they take the IB exams later this year. The whole social studies department is looking forward to seeing the success of GAA’s first IB cohort!
Thank you for keeping up with what is happening in the social studies department. We would like to close this section of the newsletter by reiterating our department’s mission. We truly believe in the value of having an understanding of our world and of the diversity that exists within. We believe in the value of having the skills to work out potential solutions to its problems. The world is a vast and beautiful place with endless opportunities. We aim to challenge students to become active participants of this world.
As we approach the second semester, I would personally like to urge all readers to never stop exploring our world. Thank you again for your interest in the social studies!
Best regards,
-Korey Haugland
Here is our Community and Secondary School Calendar - Scroll through the months to see what's planned for this year at GAA
Please make sure you check this calendar regularly for updates and new events.