One of the more enjoyable hours of my week was covering for Mrs. Chapman in a Foods 10 class. Students task for the day was to make Ginger Snap cookies. This is your annual reminder that Christmas is a good time of year to bake. If you haven't planned any baking yet, might be a good time to look at your December calendar.
I'm always impressed when I go into classrooms where students are engaged in their learning. Throughout the 75 minutes students knew exactly what the task was they had to do, there was tons of teamwork on display (who was the head chef, who was the sous, who was in charge of cleanup). The best part about foods is the pride students take in their final product. No one wanted to eat bitter, crunchy ginger snaps. The conversations about what temperature to bake them at, how long to leave them in, what size to make the dough balls, and many more led to soft, delicious cookies.
We often talk about authentic tasks in school and this is an example of one. It would make no sense to have a foods class where students learned about how to make ginger snap cookies, researched the history of the cookie, wrote a paper on how ginger snap cookies came to be, but never actually made the cookies. What I'm thinking about this week is how do we take that type of authentic learning with a very real audience (their peers tasted the product at the end) and bring it into every classroom at some point? The kids took a ton of ownership of their station and were hardly every off task.
Thanks to Mrs. Chapman for letting me take over the for the class and to the students for being great in the kitchen.
Have a great weekend,
Ryan
This past Tuesday saw our school host its annual Focus on Careers day. Over 30 community members joined us during Flex to talk about their career journey. With a job market that is changing faster than ever, it is great to have people other than staff members and parents talk to students about how they ended where they did. Thanks to all the volunteers for taking time to visit our students and to Mrs. Smith for her wonderful job organizing the event.
Students and staff are enjoying the new cosmetology space in the school. Hands on, practical learning allowing students to learn more about a field they may want to pursue after high school. Thanks for the share Mrs. Dix!
A huge congratulations to our JV Boys volleyball team for snagging the first banner in the sport in a long time. The boys won zones this past weekend, defeating a difficult Olds High School team all while not dropping a set. Coach Ferguson and the boys had a great season and we're proud of them. Well done!
There are so many ways for students to get involved in extra curricular at Bert Church. Our curling team was hard at work practicing their hurry hards this week. Thanks to Mr. Verhees for his work with our kids outside of school time!
"Don't be sad because its over, be happy because it happened"
Dr. Suess
The magical run our 2019 Chargers football team was on came to an end in the provincial semi final at the hands of the Holy Trinity Knights, the top ranked Tier II team in the entire country. The game was a back and forth affair which is documented wonderfully by local reporter Scott Strasser, whose coverage of Bert Church athletics this year has been awesome. Thanks to all the coaches, parents, fans, and players for a memorable run. To the graduating players, thanks for making an impact on our school community through your leadership on the field. On to 2020!
The show is just 2 weeks away! If you don't have your Little Mermaid tickets yet, go to the following website. Our kids are hard at work, perfecting their moves, learning their lines, and working together to make it a great show!
This week's task in Photography was a photoshop assignment on Photo combinations. Each photo is a combination of at least 4 stock photos combined to create a surrealist image. Very cool!
We love it when students use creative problem solving skills to get to a solution. Josh & Luke will always leave their mark in our mechanics shop after creating a tool to remove a fuel cap from a car. Rather than spend the $75 dollars, wait for the tool to arrive, and then remove the cap, the boys created their own tool. Well done and thanks for the share Mr. Sweetapple!
Our Science students were keeping busy with more hands on learning this week as students in Science 14 dissected worms and grasshoppers, while Science 20 students had fun with potential and kinetic energy. They built helmets for their eggs prior to seeing the same eggs smash against the wall. Looks like fun!
Airdrie is hosting the 2020 Alberta Winter Games from Feb 14 - 17, 2020. Michelle Carr, the volunteer coordinator for the games, presented to our school council last night and they are in need of volunteers. We are asking our community to spread the word as Bert Church is the largest host site for the games. If you or anyone you know is interested in helping out please contact Michelle at volunteers@airdrie2020.com.
Career Centre News November 22, 2019
Time to Choose – now online
Time to Choose your PostSecondary Education. Time to Choose was a magazine and the 2018-2019 version is available in the Career Centre. Time to Choose is a great tool for finding your best fit at Post Secondary and is now online at the ALIS website.
This is a great resource for brainstorming for post-secondary options.
Alberta Post Secondary Event (APSE) at Bert Church HS on November 27 from 6:30 – 8 pm
The following Alberta Post Secondary Institutions will be in the BCHS Learning Commons on November 27 from 6:30 – 8 pm.
MacEwan University
Mount Royal University
Alberta University of the Arts
Bow Valley College
Concordia University of Edmonton
Medicine Hat College
Olds College
Prairie College
Red Deer College
SAIT
St. Mary's University
The King's University
University of Lethbridge
University of Calgary
Answer 10 questions every day.It doesn’t take long, and you will learn a lot about the plethora of Post Secondary Education choices available to you.There are 10 new questions every day.There are prizes to be won and contests that run during the year to encourage you to visit ChatterHigh frequently.
My Blueprint
All students in Rocky View Schools have access to MyBlueprint both while they are a student RVSchools and after they graduate.
Career planning helps you make decisions throughout your career, whether you are just starting or planning retirement. Follow these 4 steps to plan your career.
Start your Career planning at MyBlueprint by getting to know yourself. See Mrs. Smith in Careers if you are having any problem getting set up.
SAIT – Information Sessions
Information sessions help you prepare for a strong start in your chosen program or give you the details you need to make a decision about your future.Program-specific information sessions are open to anyone interested and include:
An overview of the type of work and careers available
An introduction to the program and are of study
Admission requirements
Information on the earning potential and graduate employment rates
A tour of leading labs (if applicable to your program)
You really want to attend an information session if you will have an interview as part of the application process for your program.
Info sessions coming up:
Tuesday November 19: Autobody and Rail Conductor
Wednesday November 20: School of Hospitality and Tourism Information Sessions
Thursday November 21: IT Fast Track Programs
Tuesday November 26: Information Technologies Programs Media and Communications Programs
University of Calgary – Prospective Students Events
The time for each of these events is at 6:30 pm on U of C main campus.
Events for All Students
Faculty specific
Undergrad Application Workshop:Dec 5
Haskayne School of Business:Nov 19
Faculty of Science:Jan 30
University of Calgary has sent out the First Round of Admission Offers!
What do you do next if you recently received an offer of admission to U of C
If you need help with scholarship application, attend the Undergrad Awards session on November 21
23% of admission offers are issued before December 1st. The vast majority of students will receive offers of admission once first term results are released in the middle of February.
Open Houses and Career Events in November – The Goal is to Find your Best Fit
While everyone hopes to reap financial benefits, there are other, maybe more important reasons to invest in Education after High School. Time to Choose is an online resource with great information to help students Find the Best Fit for themselves at a post-secondary institution. If students don’t know what they want to do, Time to Choose contains an excellent list of occupations that directs you to the post secondary institutions in Alberta that offer related programs.
Do some research by reading viewbooks (available in the Career Centre) or online.
Follow up by coming to the Alberta Post Secondary Event at Bert Church on November 27 from 6:30 – 8 pm. Parents, guardians and students are all welcome to attend.
Scholarships
Don’t Hope for a Scholarship ~ Plan for a Scholarship November Scholarship Tip:
Consider Scholarships that you have better odds of winning. More Work=Fewer Applicants=Better Chances
With this in mind, remember that the next big $$ scholarship you can apply for has a deadline of November 15- the TD Canada Trust Scholarship. The next larger scholarship is the Terry Fox Scholarship
Bachelor of Humanities High School Essay Contest – Carleton University, Ottawa
You could win $500 by writing an essay on the following question: What is Literature For? Deadline: March 1, 2020
Schulich Leader Scholarship
Every high school in Canada may nominate 1 student per academic year.
The student nominee will be determined in the second week of January.
The nominee will be determined based on the nomination requirements in the Bert Church HS Scholarship Information pamphlet.
There are 25 $100,000 scholarships for Engineering. There are 25 scholarships for $80,000 for science, technology or mathematics.
Students planning a career as a medical practitioner or researcher are excluded from this competition. This scholarship is for entrepreneurial-minded innovators outside of the medical community.
More information on the Bert Church plone site and at the Schulich Leader website
Terry Fox Humanitarian Award
Terry Fox Scholars are ‘doers’ with the ability to inspire and make a positive impact on the lives of others.
Suitable candidates are those demonstrate the ideals of Terry Fox – True Humanitarians, individuals who are compassionate and altruistic in their intention to improve the lives of others and human welfare overall.
Serious consideration will be given to those candidates who have experienced and overcome what others might consider an insurmountable obstacle, yet are determined and dedicated to helping others.
To apply, you must submit a project proposal based on any environmental topic, such as climate change, water, air, waste and recycling, soil transportation, food, energy, etc
Must be between 6 and 18 yrs of age and you can submit as a group or as an individual.
Deadline to apply: Dec 6, 2019 Financial award of $750
