Welcome to the Earl of March Secondary School

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Canadian Computing Competition (CCC)

Congratulations to Grade 12 student Hao Wei who will be one of 4 students representing Canada at the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) July 6-13 in Brisbane Australia.

Hao was selected for this competition by competing in the Canadian Computing Competition (CCC). Hao was one of the top 26 contestants from Stage 1 and was invited to the University of Waterloo for one week to write Stage 2. At the Stage 2 competition, Hao finished in third place and was selected for the Canadian Team.

More information on the International Olympiad in Informatics can be found here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Olympiad_in_Informatics

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Exam Schedule

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OFSAA Girls Doubles Badminton

Congratulations to Jenny Yu and Jennifer Kwok for getting a silver medal at OFSAA in Girls Doubles Badminton, in Chatham Ontario last weekend. This places them second overall in Interscholastic competition in Ontario. Nice work women!!!!

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A unique opportunity to earn 2 credits in one period next year !

Earl of March and Algonquin College will jointly offer MCT4C/MAT8100 in second semester next year (Februrary 2014) at the Earl of March. This is called a Dual Credit.

Who would benefit from this opportunity:
Students in grades 10 and 11 looking to take college technology programs after graduation OR students looking for another pathway to MHF4U (Advanced Functions) rather than MCR3U (Functions)

Pathway for math:
MCF3M followed by MCT4C and if desired the following year MHF4U (Advanced functions) and/or MCV4U calculus and vectors

Benefits:
Students will get two credits in one period: MCT4C on their high school transcript and MAT8100 should they choose to attend college following graduation (this is a FREE course that counts towards a college program!)
Students will get access to joint teaching by Earl of March teaching staff and an Algonquin instructor, exposing them to the culture of post-secondary education with in the comfort of their own school
For many students looking to improve their math skills for grade 12, this is a good stepping stone to MHF4U rather than taking MCR3U. They can take MCT4C immediately following MCF3M.
Students will get the opportunity to visit the college campus and have the occasional lecture in the post secondary setting
For bursary/scholarship applications, students will be able to demonstrate they have already been successful in a post secondary course.

We will only be running one class of this program so space will be limited.

For more information about the program or to sign up, please contact either Mary Saunders or Trish Clark

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Summer School

OCDSB Summer school registration information is now available in student services.
Offerings and locations are listed at www.ocdsb.ca

If a student wishes to register for a summer school course, they can come and see their counsellor.

Registration is open from Tuesday May 1 to Friday June 7 2013.

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Bi-Annual School Climate Survey

All Ontario schools are required to complete a bi-annual school climate survey. The purpose of a school climate survey is to better understand student perceptions about safety at school. This information can help school staff develop strategies to prevent bullying and to promote safe and inclusive schools. We know that when students feel safe and welcomed at school that they are more likely to achieve at high levels.

The school climate survey is called the Tell Them From Me Survey (TTFM) and was developed by The Learning Bar, an organization led by internationally renowned educational researcher Dr. Douglas Willms. Currently this survey tool is used in more than 150 school districts across Canada. More information about the survey and about the Learning Bar is available regarding Tell Them From Me at www.thelearningbar.com.

The survey is completely voluntary. Students can decide whether they wish to complete the survey, but can also choose to skip certain questions. The survey is confidential; it does not include the student name. The survey results will be reported at an aggregate level and NOT at an individual student level. The survey data will not be linked to any other student data. The survey takes approximately thirty minutes to complete.

Earl of March Secondary School will be conducting the survey between May 1st – May 31st. If you do not wish your child to complete the survey, please complete the non-consent form and return it to the main office by April 30.

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Canada’s Battlefields 2013 Study Tour

36 Earl of March students spent 9 days in Europe on a fabulous study tour of remembrance; they conducted themselves wonderfully and the chaperones were very proud of them! Key sites in Berlin, the Netherlands, Belgium and France were on our busy itinerary. Along the way, we visited the Berlin Wall, Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and paid homage at several Canadian WW1 and WW2 cemeteries. The D-Day beaches and remains of the Atlantic Wall were highlights for all of us! We participated in the Last Post Ceremony in Ypres, Belgium where Earl of March laid a custom wreath to honour Canada’s fallen and at the imposing Vimy Ridge monument students were awarded with the Vimy Foundation’s “Vimy Pilgrimage Medal”. We had a short stop in Paris…with just enough time to snap a few photos with the iconic Eiffel Tower as our backdrop. Mrs. Kathy Scheepers is already planning the Battlefields 2015 senior student tour, so please contact her directly if you have any questions about joining us! Enjoy the slide show.

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Course Selection for 2013-2014

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Doubt – A Parable by John Patrick Shanley

On the 16th and 17th of May Earl of March students will present Doubt – A Parable by John Patrick Shanley. The performance on the 16th is a fourth period buyout for the price of admission ($5) and the performance on the 17th is open to the public.

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Semester 2 Update

Dear Parents and Guardians:

On behalf of the Earl of March, I would like to sincerely thank all of our parents and community volunteers who have worked hard as coaches, tutors and supervisors for our students over this past semester.

As a staff, we are saying goodbye to Ms. Nunn, returning to her teaching position in Australia and Mrs. McDougall who is moving to South Carleton High School. We welcome Ms. Carrier – teaching dance and math, Mr. Comeau teaching french and math, Ms. Gil – teaching math and civics, Mr. Prudhomme – teaching english. We are also welcoming back Ms. Cooley to the English department.

As we transition into semester 2, there are some key dates that I would like to bring to your attention:

Wednesday February 13th 7:00 pm – Option Sheet Information Night:
We will be hosting an information session for parents & guardians of our future grade 9 students as well as our returning students. Students currently in grade 8, will receive a paper copy of an option sheet at their feeder schools. Collection of the option sheets will occur at the feeder schools. Students in grade 9 thought 11 will complete an on-line option sheet. A paper verification will be sent home in March.

Thursday April 11th – Administration of the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT): Students in grade 10 and those who have not completed their literacy test requirement for graduation will write the OSSLT on April 11th. We will be starting our OSSLT preparation and support session early in Semester 2.

We are very excited about a number events in the near future such as our semi formal dance on February 22nd and Leadership camp scheduled for April 12th-14th. We are also looking forward to our student production ‘Becoming Juliet’ on February 8th, 9th and 10th.

Sincerely,

Jon Harris
Principal
Earl of March

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Free Math Tutoring Online

Students taking grades 7 through 10 math courses have access to free math tutoring and other resources through the ministry funded program Homework Help. This is an exciting new online resource made available by the Ministry of Education and the Independent Learning Centre.

Homework Help is a website that offers free online math tutoring by Ontario Certified Teachers Sunday through Thursday from 5:30PM to 9:30PM. The site also offers other rich resources available all day every day such as interactive tutorials, a glossary, a calculator, previously recorded best sessions, full lessons, and a locker to save the tutoring sessions that they had completed or watched.

Students and parents/guardians can view this site at http://HomeworkHelp.ilc.org. Parents/guardians are encouraged to register their children at home so that students can start benefiting from the site right away. To register, students must provide their Ontario Education Number (OEN). The OEN can be found on each student’s timetable and report card.

For more information, please go to the Free Online Math Homework Help page posted on the board website, visit the site directly or contact your child’s teacher.

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Grade 12 students can access important information about post secondary education, scholarships and other helpful information on the Student Services link/Newsletter.