GWHS - IB News
December Newsletter
December is officially here!
Remember, this newsletter is prepared by your IB Student Advisory Board (IBSAB)!! Feel free to reach out to any IBSAB members for any comments questions or concerns.
Congratulations to the new IBSAB members!!
- Sualba Alejandro
- Douae Azza
- Paulina Botero Mejia
- Eglis Castaneda
- Gabriela Demeglio
- Anushka Jadubans
- Linna Lu
- Emily Rodriguez
- Estelle Paz
- Raghvi Tailor
- Melissa Talerand
Extended Essay (Class of 2021)
- December 17 - Final Reflection Due - Submit via ManageBac
- See Teams Class of 2021 for details.
IB Grade Level Assignment Calendars
- Class or 2021
- Class of 2022
- Class of 2023
- Class of 2024 - We are still looking for freshmen volunteers who want to help with this project.
IB Exam Registration for Juniors and Seniors
- All exam registrations for all subjects have been submitted through the IB Information System (IBIS).
- Students who are testing for any subject in May must email Ms. Piper to get log-in information for IBIS.
- IBIS is where students will upload work for IB and view their results in July 2021.
Volunteer Opportunities
Location: Seasons Florida Resort, 4736 W. Irlo Bronson Mem. Hwy. ,Kissimmee, FL 34746 (next to Capone's Dinner Theatre)
- Time: Distribution begins at 7:00 am.
- Mandatory mask requirement.
- Click here to access the group's Facebook page.
2. Give Kids the World
- Click here to apply.
- Click here for the GKTW homepage.
- Phone: 407-396-0770
- Email: volunteer@gktw.org
3. Commissioner Viviana Janer's District 1 Holiday Drive Thru Event 2020
- Click here for sign-up details.
4. GWHS Media Center
- See Ms. Nunez in Bldg 7.
- Email: jasmin.nunez@osceolaschools.net
Yearbooks!!!
- Pay at yearbookordercenter.com
Seniors
- Click here to have your senior quote added to the yearbook.
- Submit pictures directly to Ms. Mehit through the eshare app or hjeshare.com. Make sure to use school code is 2139.
- Email: nicole.mehit@osceolaschools.net
GWHS Holiday Food Drive
GWHS Roots and Shoots
Speech and Debate Club
IB English 4 - Books Available for Purchase
- Bundle all three books for $25
- Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - $2
- Master Harold"...and the boys by Athol Fugard - $10
- The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi - $18
- Pay cash in the IB Office, 23-108, or pay through My School Bucks (bundle only) by clicking here.
IB English 3 - Books Available for Purchase
- Bundle all four books for $35
- Waiting by Ha Jin - $10
- Drawing Down a Daughter: A Collection of Poems by Claire Harris -$15
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - $5
- Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende - $15
- Pay cash or check in the IB Office, 23-108.
Holiday Week at GWHS
- Monday (12/14) - Holiday Pajamas
- Tuesday (12/15) - Holiday Socks
- Wednesday (12/16) - Holiday Sweaters (Ugly ones ONLY)
- Thursday (12/17) - Holiday Accessories
- Friday (12/18) - Holiday Facemasks
GLOBAL HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS!
As the end of the year approaches, it is the best time for some people due to the many different celebrations that come with it. Even though some that are mentioned are not exactly during the last month of the year, they are important celebrations for diverse cultures and religions. As IB students, we are inquirers and knowledgeable; we seek for more information every time we can. Thanks to the diversity in Gateway and IB ,it is time to show off some celebrations and traditions from distinct cultures.
Christmas
Christmas is the most common celebration during December. Although it is widely celebrated by Christians, this does not necessarily mean that everyone that celebrates it is from the same religion. Celebrated by millions of people around the world, this festivity represents the birth of Jesus Christ. The most common way to celebrate it is by going to church; for the more popular side of it is giving gifts, decorating Christmas trees, and having meals with friends and family. A symbolic figure for Christmas is Santa Claus, a fictional character who gives gifts. The tradition of believing in Santa is most known by young children, as it brings them joy . Christmas traditions change around the entire world; music and food changes through countries and families. For example, below are some Christmas trees from our IB students and their families.
Anushka's (Junior) Christmas tree!
Sofia (Junior) with her family who came all the way from Venezuela to celebrate Christmas!
Serena (Junior) and her mom!
Hanukkah
Hanukkah is a Jewish celebration which lasts 8 days; it begins on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar which is usually celebrated in November or December. This festivity commemorates redaction during the second century B.C. of the second Temple in Jerusalem, where according to legend, Jews had revolted against their Greek Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt. It is also called the Festival of Lights. One of the main ways it is celebrated is through the lighting of the menorah. One of the traditions is kindling a nine branched menorah. Each night a candle is light up to to 8. The shamsh (“helper”) is used to light the other 8 candles which gives a total of nine candles. During the ritual, blessings are recited and the menorah is displayed in a window. Other customs include exchanging gifts and playing with a dreidel, which is a four-sided spinning top.
A Menorah
Different types of dreidels
Sufganiyot: a traditional Hanukkah dessert
Chinese New Year
The Chinese New Year is based on a legend of the wild beast, Nian. It is said that each year the beast appeared at the end of the year, killing and attacking villagers. The way to scare off the beast was through loud noises and bright lights. From this legend, the Chinese New Year was born. It is celebrated as a 15-day festival full of colors and fireworks displays. Some of the festival’s traditions are: Jie Cai Ceng, welcoming the Gods of Wealth and prosperity. On the 5th day celebration, gods of prosperity come down from heaven and businesses will set off firecrackers because it will bring them prosperity and good fortune. Yuan Xio Jie, Festival of Lanterns, is celebrated on the 15th and last day of the Chinese New Year as it marks the end of all celebrations. Lanterns are lit and poems and riddles are often written for entrainment. Important symbols of this celebration are the color red which means good luck, fortune, happiness and abundance and is incorporated through red envelopes which contain money and are given to young children from older adults or working adults.. Food is also an important part of the celebration, often families will gather for dinner, since it is the most important out of the three meals. The pictures below were provided by Chun Hei (Sophomore)!
Red envelopes where money is giving to young children!
A lantern made out of red envelopes
Picture of Chun wearing a traditional Chinese outfit as a child
Fun Facts of the Month!
- On January 28, 1887, a snowflake 15 inches wide and 8 inches thick fell in Fort Keogh, Montana, making it the largest snowflake ever observed.
- Every winter, at least one septillion (24 zeros after 1) snow crystals fall from the sky.
- The average snowflake falls at about 3 mph.
- A single snowstorm can drop 39 million tons of snow.
- The first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France.
- Around 12% of Earth's land surface is covered in snow and ice.
- The coldest temperature ever recorded was -123° C at Vostok Station in Antarctica in 1983.
- All snowflakes have 6 sides.
- In Frozen (2013), there is a scene where two townsmen debate whether to stack firewood bark up or bark down. This refers to an actual debate in Finland that was sparked in 2013 after a 12-hour TV program on firewood aired.
- The word "solstice" means "sun stands still."
GWHS - May 2021 - IB Examination Schedule
- Here is the link to the IB Global Schedule. Below is our school-specific calendar.
Resources
Article:
https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/hanukkah#section_4
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/chinese-new-year-traditions
https://www.cbc.ca/kidscbc2/the-feed/how-to-play-dreidel
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/g4014/hanukkah-foods/
Fun Facts:
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Written and edited by Amruta Bollineni & Sofia Angeloff-Salerno on behalf of the IBSAB