Middle School Update
November 7, 2019
Upcoming Events
Friday, November 8: Remembrance Day Assembly at 10 a.m. in Coristine Hall. Parents are welcome to attend.
NEW - Friday, November 8: EARLY DISMISSAL FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL at 12:30pm (after eating lunch - more info below)
Friday, November 8: Last Day of Trimester 1
Monday, November 11: Mid-Term Break - School Closed
Tuesday, November 12: Grade 8 Author Visit - Mr. John Wilson - at 10:10 a.m. in Wanstall Library (more info below)
Tuesday, November 12: Grade 8 Science Olympics at 12:30 p.m. in Rossy Agora
CANCELLED - Wednesday, November 13: Middle School Play at 7 p.m. in Rossy Agora - New dates in spring 2020 TBA
CANCELLED - Thursday, November 14: Middle School Play at 1:45 p.m. in Rossy Agora - New dates in spring 2020 TBA
Tuesday, November 19-Wednesday, November 20: Annual 24 Hours for the Homeless event. (more info below).
Tuesday, November 19: QAIS Parents' Speaker Series: Hal and Susan speak on Illness, Wellness, Resilience and Survival at 7pm at The Study. RSVP Now!
Thursday, November 21: Grade 8 play Persephone Bound from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Concordia University
Thursday, November 21: Early Dismissal for Middle School at 12:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 21: Parent-Teacher-Student interviews from 12:30-8:30 p.m. (more info below)
Friday, November 22: No classes for Middle School
Friday, November 22: Parent-Teacher-Student interviews from 8 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (more info below)
Sunday, November 24: Christ Church Cathedral volunteering
Thursday, November 28: Founder’s Day Assembly at 9:30 a.m. in Macaulay Gym
Thursday, November 28: Founder’s Day Reception - 6:00 p.m. in Coristine Hall - Minna Shulman will be honoured with the Speirs Medal - more info to come
Friday, November 29: Founder’s Day Holiday – SCHOOL IS CLOSED
Need to Know
Grade 7&8 Parent Meeting Summaries are linked here: Grade 7 parent meeting and the Grade 8 parent meeting.
As trimester 1 comes to an end, this is a timely opportunity to remind our students of the Ten Tips for Success in Middle School.
Early Dismissal Friday, November 8: There are no fall Phys. Ed. classes tomorrow. Winter phys ed hockey practices/games and basketball tryouts are scheduled. Consult the Athletic Calendar for details. Students who do not have a schedule practice/game/tryout will be dismissed at 12:30 p.m. after eating lunch. Students in Midget Basketball tryouts and Bantam Hockey practice are expected to attend study hall in classroom MS-1 from 1:30-2:45 p.m. Please let me know if your son will attend the study hall instead of having an early dismissal. I will take attendance to ensure his presence that afternoon.
Remembrance Day Assembly: Will be held on Friday, November 8 in Coristine Hall beginning at 10:00 a.m. Parents are welcome to attend. Please note that all students are required to be in full uniform (including blazers), and must wear a poppy. Poppies will be distributed during first period that day, and a suggested donation of $2.00 is requested.
Thursday Afternoon Interest Courses begin November 28: These classes are held on Thursday afternoons from 1:30-2:45 p.m. throughout the term. Students will be sent a Google Form via email tomorrow and asked to complete their course selection by Wednesday, November 13.
You may wish to discuss the following course options with your son tonight and encourage him to take advantage of a new experience: Glee Club, Coding, Model Building, Intro to Woodworking/Laser Printing, Robotics (competition), Génies en herbe, Explore Science (fun experiments), Boardgames/Kahoot, DJ Club, Crocheting, Vegetarian Cooking, Debating, and Improv.
Students may also choose to volunteer at one of three off-site locations: Vista Senior’s Residence, The Priory Elementary School, and The Depot: Community Food Centre in NDG. Consent forms will be emailed to parents whose son commits to volunteering off-site each Thursday afternoon.
Parent-Student-Teacher Interviews: Appointments can be made using pickAtime, our online system for booking parent-student-teacher interviews. pickAtime will be available to parents starting Thursday, November 14 at 3:00 p.m. and will close on Wednesday, November 20 at 2:00 p.m. The instructions for booking appointments are attached. Please note that interviews are not mandatory and you have the option to contact a teacher to arrange a phone call or alternate meeting time if that is preferable. Students are expected to attend interviews with their parents. They should be in uniform.
If you are unable to arrange Parent-Student-Teacher interviews for whatever reason, you may contact the teachers you would like to meet with and arrange a meeting or telephone call. You might wish to wait until report cards are emailed to you (Tuesday Nov. 19th is the target) and then arrange appointments accordingly.
Family Visits - Thursday, November 21 at 8:30 am
Selwyn House is hosting another series of family tours on Thursday, November 21, at 8:30 am. If you would like to introduce the school to a friend, please contact the Admissions Office at (514) 931-2775 or warmuthm@selwyn.ca to book a tour with a student ambassador. We look forward to seeing you then.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is a global program with the goal of challenging, empowering and recognizing young people between the ages of 14 and 24. If you have recently turned 14 and would like to know more about the program, click here for the Duke of Edinburgh website. You can also come and see Ms. Cazabon or Mrs. Powers in the Student Life Centre in Macaulay to register.
REMINDERS
Visit previous Weekly Mailbags for details about the following:
QAIS Parents' Speaker Series on November 19 at The Study with Susan Doherty and Hal Hannaford
Friday Night Ski Club - Reserve now
Study Skills and Strategies lunchtime workshops for students
Author Visit November 12: Award-winning BC children's author, John Wilson, will be speaking to Grade 8 students as part of "A Century of Remembrance (his school tour to mark 100 years since the first Remembrance Day). Students will have the opportunity to purchase one of his books and have it signed. Please find his list of published works attached and send your son with money on November 12 if this is of interest to you. Visit johnwilsonauthor.com to learn more about the writer and his work.
Study Skills and Strategies
Friday Night Ski Club
QAIS Parents' Speaker Series with Hal and Susan
SAVE THE DATE
Friday, May 1: Please join us for the “Known and Loved” Gala in honour of the Hannafords. More info to come.
Parent Workshops 2019-20: Ms. Montgomery, Ms. Rath, and Dr. Sinacore have organized a set of parent workshops on the theme of "Supporting Your Student". Please join us throughout the year for various workshops for parents. Please RSVP if possible, but all parents are welcome to attend.
Upcoming parent education opportunities:
Monday, November 11: ADHD Through the Life Span with Dr. Lily Hechtman
Tuesday, November 12: Angst: Raising Awareness about Anxiety - film documentary on anxiety and Q&A with Dr. Nadia Gagnier
Sunday, December 1: Dr. Sehfali Tsabary will be in Montreal at the Leonardo DaVinci Center. Her focus is on parenting and how to guide a well-adapted, capable and confident child. For ticket information, see the link below: http://www.drshefali.com/montreal
Wednesday, February 19 in the evening, Dr. Lynn Lyons will be offering a free parent workshop at Loyola High School for QAIS parents. This is a collaborative initiative with Selwyn House, Loyola, Sacred Heart, The Study, Trafalgar,and ECS. More details to come.
Known & Loved Gala - May 1
Parent Workshops - Next One Nov 27
Conscious Parenting with Dr. Shefali - Dec 1
Community engagement
Don't forget to visit the Community Engagement webpage for valuable information on volunteer opportunities for our students.
Grade 8 Parents: Every year, each Grade 8 student (with one parent) is asked to serve at one lunch for the homeless and others who are less fortunate. Click here for dates, details and to sign up with Ms. Beech. We would like every Grade 8 family (student and one parent) to participate in one Sunday lunch.
Bake Sale for VETS CANADA on November 8, 2019. Please click here for more information.
"24 Hours for the Homeless" campaign, supporting Dans La Rue and creating awareness and support for homeless and at-risk youth in Montreal, will take place on November 19-20, 2019. Your son can participate by donating socks and mini mitts and/or by participating in the 24 hour event. Click HERE for all the details.
“Fish & Funds” Food Drive: Middle School students will participate in a community food drive profiting The Depot Community Food Centre during the week of December 2-6. Students, teachers and parents will collaborate in this effort on the afternoon of Thursday, December 5. For details on how to participate, click HERE.
The Shoebox Project needs your help to prepare for this year's Holiday Drive. Please click here for more information.
Selwyn House School
Email: info@selwyn.ca
Website: www.selwyn.ca
Location: 95 Chemin Cote St Antoine, Westmount, QC, Canada
Phone: 5149319481
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SelwynHouseSchool/