MARCH 1, 2019

STS Express Weekly Newsletter

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CONTENTS

MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL ........................................................................ 2 SAY YES TO STS ................................................................................................................. 3 IMPORTANT DATES ........................................................................................................... 3

MARCH ................................................................................................................................................................ 3

SCHOOL CALENDARS ........................................................................................................................................... 3

UPCOMING EVENTS – MARK YOUR CALENDARS ........................................................... 4 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MUSICAL ........................................................................................................................ 4

BLACK WATCH 2019: GARDEN GALA .................................................................................................................. 4

FULL SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS ................................................................................... 5 LIFESPEAK ACADEMY: PEER CONFLICT – THE PARENT’S ROLE ........................................................................... 5

PERMISSION CLICK Q & A .................................................................................................................................... 5

OPEN ARMS WEEK: MARCH 11 – 15 .................................................................................................................. 6

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS .................................................................... 7 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ASSEMBLY SCHEDULE 2018-2019 .................................................................................. 7

MIDDLE AND SENIOR SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS ....................................................... 7 NEW - INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT YEAR FOR INTERESTED GRADE 9 STUDENTS AND THEIR PARENTS ................................................................................................................................................... 7

OPEN ARMS WEEK: MARCH 11 – 15 .................................................................................................................. 7

UPCOMING GRADUATION EVENTS FOR THE CLASS OF 2019 ............................................................................. 8

WHAT’S HAPPENING ON CAMPUS ................................................................................ 10 STS PRESENTS AT STEM FELLOWSHIP ............................................................................................................... 10

TALES FROM UNDERGRAD YEARS 2019 – INFORMATIVE SESSION .................................................................. 10

REAL SPARTANS DO WEAR PINK! ...................................................................................................................... 12

STUDENT EXCHANGE EXPERIENCE by Lachlan Harris-Fiesel ’20 ....................................................................... 13

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MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL I have a confession to make. I have found myself checking the news more frequently this week trying to get a glimpse at the high profile events involving governments in both Canada and the United States. As a social studies teacher with a passion for history, I am watching the news cycle wondering what the history books will record. While it makes for interesting viewing, I wonder what messages our young people are receiving. How do we filter through the “talking heads” and raised voices and find our own voice?

Each day I have the privilege of working with young people who exemplify in myriad ways the positive traits and values of leadership. I marvel at the character, civility and intelligence of these young people. I am inspired by their engagement, thoughtfulness and integrity as they navigate the journey in complex times. They genuinely care about the future, about doing the right thing and about taking care of the world. I find the moral compass that our youngest students have inspiring. I am humbled by the kindness they show each other. I respect their vulnerability.

When I find myself worrying about the future and loss of civility, honour and truth, I just walk down the hall and put my fears to rest knowing our future is in very capable hands. I think we owe our children a hopeful future. We owe them dignity, respect, civility. We owe them a world where character and integrity matter. I hope some of them will find their way into leadership because I think we need their optimism, vision and courage.

Thank you. Being an educator and working in schools is truly a joy and a privilege. Thank you for sharing your children with us and for trusting STS as a partner in their education.

Enjoy the weekend.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Carol Grant-Watt Head of School

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SAY YES TO STS

We are very pleased to share our brand new “Say Yes to STS” videos. The campaign focuses on five themes/stories – possibilities, belonging, the future, discovery and new adventures – based on what makes STS special and unique.

The videos tell our unique story and will be showcased as part of a large multi-media campaign with digital, print, TV radio and outdoor advertising components. The common theme in all of the campaign is “Say Yes to STS”, complemented with cool animated graphics, power images, etc. They are not your typical school ads that’s for sure!

Please take the time to watch all five videos – each one is very different and you will see a lot of familiar faces. Each story will make you feel so happy and proud to be a part of our STS community.

IMPORTANT DATES

In addition to the listed dates below, be sure to check for new events throughout the year online – the following calendar can be downloaded in an iCal format.

MARCH March 7 Elementary School Musical at 1:00 pm followed by a Grandparent’s Tea Elementary School Musical at 7:00 pm March 11-15 Open Arms Week

March 15-17 OE15 Backcountry Skiing Trip March 19 Elementary School Report cards published on Managebac March 23 – April 8 Spring Break

SCHOOL CALENDARS For more important dates and upcoming events, the following school calendars can be found on the STS website: 2018-2019 School Calendar NEW! 2019-2020 School Calendar Upcoming Events Calendar

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UPCOMING EVENTS – MARK YOUR CALENDARS

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MUSICAL

Mark your calendars for Thursday, March 7 and be prepared to be entertained. From our youngest singers as penguins to our Grade 6 students doing some “California Dreaming”, the Elementary School Musical is not to be missed!

Tickets are available online at: https://www.strathconatweedsmuir.com/student-life/fine-arts/tickets/ for both the matinee and evening performances. We hope to see you there!

BLACK WATCH 2019: GARDEN GALA

Come celebrate spring and our country campus at POSTS' Garden Gala, Friday, April 26 at 7:00 pm at the beautiful Devonian Gardens in downtown Calgary. Funds raised will benefit major projects in the outdoors; an outdoor scoreboard and bleachers for the new athletics field across the ravine, campus teaching campsites and trail guide learning signage. Tickets are on sale now at: Strathcona-Tweedsmuir.com/blog/garde-gala-2019, $175 early bird prices until March 22. A tax receipt will be issued for a portion of the ticket price. See you there!

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FULL SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS

LIFESPEAK ACADEMY: PEER CONFLICT – THE PARENT’S ROLE Because we value the whole person, mental, physical and social wellbeing are important in our community. Don’t forget to log into LifeSpeak our online resource for parenting, nutrition, physical and mental health tips and so much more! Just log onto the MySTS portal (https://www.sts.ab.ca/mysts/lifespeak-academy/welcome-to-lifespeak), scroll

down until you see the LifeSpeak menu and follow the steps to log in. While on the MySTS portal you will find under “Student Life the Student Services” heading that will take you to more valuable resources.

This week at STS, our community came together on Pink Shirt Day to take a stand against bullying. For more tips on how you can provide support to your children in the digital age of cyberbullying, click here.

PERMISSION CLICK Q & A Here are some answers to frequently asked questions:

1. Why don’t we get reminders every day like we did last year? Email reminders were sent every morning last year and it was hugely time-consuming to manage. When we moved to the new company this year, the decision was made to not send daily reminders; however, reminders are normally sent the day before and the morning of the due dates; and the teacher is given a list of students whose parents who have not yet responded for follow-up as well.

2. Once we sign-off and submit a form, it is difficult to get the information that was originally presented in the letter or the attachments. I don’t want to have to dig for information. Once you submit the consent form, you will automatically receive an email from Permission Click confirming that you submitted the consent. Attached to the email is a PDF document that is a collection of the entire consent (letter, how you filled in the fields, and all attachments (driving policy, parent briefing, consent for a minor travelling letter, etc.).

3. I can’t make changes to the consent once I’ve submitted it but I have a change. What do I do? First off, it’s a good thing that changes cannot be made after submission

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If changes need to be made to a consent after it’s been submitted, you can simply call or email Jana (jana.wager@sts.ab.ca or 403-938-8301) and a new consent can be sent to you. If it’s something simple like a bus stop change, or that you’ll be picking up, you can email the teacher in charge of the activity.

OPEN ARMS WEEK: MARCH 11 – 15 Open Arms is a non-profit organization founded by two STS alumni who are currently in university. Scott Wilson ’15 and Myles Chase ’15 noted the level of mental health challenges they observed amongst their

peers at university and decided that they needed to do something to help. Because Scott and Myles had younger siblings in Grade 12 last year, it was a natural extension of their program that is now focused on supporting both high school and university students. Go to their website to learn more about Open Arms’ initiatives: https://open-arms.ca/about-us

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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ASSEMBLY SCHEDULE 2018-2019 Please see the updated dates for our upcoming Elementary School assemblies which will take place in the C.A. Smith Arts Centre (theatre) (unless otherwise indicated) at 2:50 pm

March 8

March 22

April 12

April 26

May 17

May 31

June 14

June 18

MIDDLE AND SENIOR SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS

NEW - INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT YEAR FOR INTERESTED GRADE 9 STUDENTS AND THEIR PARENTS Each year, STS offers the opportunity for up to ten Grade 10 students to participate in an International Exchange. Interested students will be required to complete an application and will be interviewed about their interest in the program. If your child is in Grade 9, and is interested in Round Square exchange next year, please email or see Ms. Caines to collect an application package for the program. The deadline for submitting applications is March 22, 2019.

OPEN ARMS WEEK: MARCH 11 – 15 Open Arms is a non-profit organization founded by two STS alumni who are currently in university. Scott Wilson ’15 and Myles Chase ’15 noted the level of mental health challenges they observed amongst their peers at university and decided that they needed to do something to

help. Because Scott and Myles had younger siblings in Grade12 last year, it was a natural extension of their program that is now focused on supporting both high school and university students. Visit their website to learn more about Open Arms’ initiatives; https://open-arms.ca/about-us

During Open Arms week at STS we are going to host a number of events to raise awareness and reduce the stigma regarding mental health! Look for events such as: a short keynote address from Ms. Tasha Belix, a panel discussion with alumni sharing their stories, puppies (and maybe kittens) for our students and teachers to play with during lunch break, opportunities for students to share feelings that they too often keep hidden and more!

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UPCOMING GRADUATION EVENTS FOR THE CLASS OF 2019

Graduation Dinner and Dance Graduates, parents and other family members are invited to celebrate an important milestone in the lives of our young graduates with a dinner, program, and dance. The program includes various toasts to the graduates, their families, and the staff of STS.

Date: Friday, May 24

Time: 6:15 pm (Class picture). 7:00 pm (Dinner). Dance to follow dinner and program.

Location: Sheraton Suites Eau Claire, Wildrose Ballroom

Ticket order/table reservation forms will be handed out to the students at school on April 11 during their University Planning Class. If students are absent for this class, they can contact Ms. Harrison for a form. The form outlines all of the information needed to purchase tickets. Completed forms and monies should be returned to Ms. Harrison by Friday, May 10.

Invitations for this event will be mailed to all parents/guardians of the graduates to use for information purposes and keepsakes. All questions regarding this event can be directed to Ingrid Harrison either via email (harrisi@sts.ab.ca) or phone (403-938-4431, ext. 226).

STS Alumni Association Graduation Breakfast Every year, STS graduates and their families are welcomed as incoming members of the STS Alumni Association a few weeks before Prizegiving. The STS Alumni Association cordially invite the graduates from the Class of 2019 and their families to the annual Graduation Breakfast:

Date: Thursday, June 6

Time: 8:00 am Location: Black Watch Bistro, STS

The program will begin with a continental breakfast in the Black Watch Bistro followed by a slide show in the C.A. Smith Arts Centre (theatre) featuring our graduates. Be sure to make time for our fun photo booth set up in the Black Watch Bistro to ensure you have a memorable keepsake of your child in uniform. RSVPs are not required. We look forward to seeing you there. For questions regarding this event, please contact Mrs. Brenda Thompson at Brenda.Thompson@sts.ab.ca.

Senior School Prizegiving - The final and formal graduation occurs during the Senior School Prizegiving. Graduates are asked to be in formal uniform and lined up alphabetically in the rotunda by 6:00 pm. There are no tickets for this event, but please keep in mind that there is limited seating; so seating is available on a first come first served basis. For questions regarding this event, please contact Mrs. Jana Wager at Jana.Wager@sts.ab.ca.

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Date: Friday, June 21

Time: 6:00 pm

Location: Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School

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WHAT’S HAPPENING ON CAMPUS STS has a blog! Visit https://www.strathconatweedsmuir.com/blog/ for stories and what is happening on campus. Be sure to bookmark this page! In addition to the blog, here are some highlights this week:

STS PRESENTS AT STEM FELLOWSHIP

Digital citizenship is often understood as staying safe and contributing positively online in digital societies. Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School students were part of a nation wide competition that challenged this narrow understanding of digital citizenship by inviting students to mine space and socioeconomic data to discover environmental and socioeconomic solution for sustainable living.

STS students, Lindy Zhai ’20, Gracia Angeline Soenarjo ’20, Cecilia Liu ’20, Brennan Cowley Adam ’20 investigated the correlation between PM 2.5 emission data and lung cancer frequency as a predictive analysis of industrial impact on human health. They did this using machine learning and analytics, working collaboratively over the better part of the school year. As Calgary finalists, Lindy, Cecilia and Brennan presented their investigation including rationale, methods, findings and potential entrepreneurial opportunities surfacing from their work to a panel of judges from SAS Canada, the National Research Council, RBC and Youth Innovators

TALES FROM UNDERGRAD YEARS 2019 – INFORMATIVE SESSION Twenty-one young alumni shared their stories about the rewards, surprises, and challenges that followed after graduating from STS with our Grade 11 and 12 students at our annual ‘Tales from Undergrad Years’ sessions held on February 20 and 21. In a panel format, our

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alumni spoke about how they chose their university and undergrad program, how they balance academics and social activities, their experiences as a freshmen, or their reason for taking a gap year. Students had the opportunity to ask questions and acquire advice from these alumni.

Thank you to the following alumni that attended these sessions: Lizzy Barron '18, Emily Black '18, Alex Chase '18, Nilin Chougule '18, Carl Chunta '18, Emma Cross '18, Jacob Dowdall '18, Paige Hallman '18, Paulina Hart '18, Spencer Kalnicki '18, Pete Matthews '18, Victoria Maybaum '18, Henry McArdle '18, Braeden Ortt '18, Jyoti Ruparell '18, Ganiyat Sadiq '18, Imaan Sunderji '17, Shayne Tripp ’18, Kevin Tucker '18, Oliver Turski '18, and Julia Wilson '18.

Tales from Undergrad Years, Grade 11 session – February 20, 2019

Tales from Undergrad Years, Grade 12 session – February 21, 2019

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REAL SPARTANS DO WEAR PINK!

I often experience moments when I feel so lucky to be a part of this wonderful school community. Last Wednesday, February 27 was another one of those times! On that day STS joined groups across Canada to take a visible stand against bullying by wearing a pink shirt! Standing in the Rotunda or the Black Watch Bistro on Wednesday I was so thrilled to see that very close to 100% of our students, faculty and staff embrace the day by wearing pink.

Just another great day in a great school community.

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STUDENT EXCHANGE EXPERIENCE by Lachlan Harris-Fiesel ’20

Until Saturday March 9, I am hosting my exchange partner Oliver from Perth, Australia. Oliver came over here from 35-40 degree weather to our winter, and we have been showing him the best of it. So far, I have taken him to a Hitmen and a Flames game, gone skiing over the Family Day long weekend, taken him to a Canadian party, and shown him around downtown. We also have some exciting things planned for my time in Perth, like heading up to the red earth of Kalbarri, cycling around Rottnest with the quokkas, and just chilling out on the beaches. The time Oliver has spent here has been great for him (so he says), and I can’t wait to get to the Australian summer. I would absolutely recommend taking the opportunity to take an exchange if given the chance!