February Newsletter
Tisdale Middle & Secondary School
Principal's Message
January certainly found TMSS staff and students hindered from attending school thanks to Covid-19. The Ministry of Education, as well as the NESD, has shifted the pandemic response goal from preventing C-19 transmission in schools to slowing transmission to prevent staffing shortages and student absences. Our goal at TMSS is to remain open to provide face-to-face learning because we recognize the importance attending school in-person is for our community – not just for children’s academics, but also overall family wellbeing.
To meet this goal requires cooperation by all stakeholders. Making sure students and staff can pass the daily screening is essential. No one should be coming to school ill. We will continue to wear masks throughout our building and follow basic hygiene practices. Extra-curricular activities that involve inter-community travel will start up again in semester two if the NESD is confident that it won’t affect our in-person learning.
The months of December and January have found some students working remotely for various amounts of time and for a variety of reasons. No matter what the reason, teachers have accommodated students and their families as best we can while continuing to provide our traditional services in the school’s classrooms. I hope families are appreciating all the extra work that teachers are doing.
I especially want to provide a shout-out to our entire TMSS staff. Teachers, educational assistants, our outreach worker, librarians, administrative assistants, and custodians have all been showing up for work daily. Winter weather doesn’t stop us nor does the number of close contact letters we personally receive daily. We work with the students that are at school but also stay in contact with families with children working remotely. All the while, trying to balance our personal and family lives. Not even a pandemic can slow down Tornado staff. I am very proud to be a part of this amazing team!
Per usual, Covid reared its ugly head at an inconvenient time – high school final exam week. Not everyone was able to complete final assessments during our original schedule and we had to replan. This postponement may affect marks in Edsby for the Thursday, February 3rd report card release. If your child receives an “IE” as a final course mark, that stands for “Insufficient Evidence” and should tell you that your child hasn’t completed the course outcomes. We are expecting all high school students unable to attend school January 26-28th to attend school as soon as they can to finish those assessments allowing teachers to evaluate your child’s progress, enter the marks into Edsby, so we can forward grades to the Ministry for credit attainment. This is an essential part of high school academics to stay on track for Graduation. January represented an unprecedent time (again) for schools so feel free to reach out to me if you have questions or concerns about this process for your child.
With new provincial guidelines for contact tracing, our admin team will no longer be emailing families about Covid cases in classrooms. We are expecting students and staff to continue to self-monitor and use the rapid testing kits that can be acquired at the school if your child asks at the office. Our community is doing a good job thus far at avoiding outbreaks.
Thank you TMSS families for all your support,
Carmen Messer
Thank you to Sydney Hockey for donating her Grad Dress!
Looking For Donations
Driver's Education
If a student has completed classroom hours but still needs driving hours, they should stop by the office at TMSS and let us know. If they are going driving with Ivy, they should stop by the office to let us know they will not be in class, so we can excuse the absence.
This month’s GRIT award winner for Grade 6 is Reid Duncan. Reid has demonstrated Togetherness in a variety of ways. He is always willing to help his peers in class and take charge in any classroom job that is needed to be done. Reid is also very passionate about learning and will often take charge in a learning experience or project that extends his learning. Last month, there was a fruit fly issue in the grade 6 wing. Reid took it upon himself to research and build fruit fly traps to get rid of the problem. Keep up the great work Reid!
This month's GRIT winner for grade 7 is Kael Casavant! This past month the grade 7 end has had a couple new students down in our area. Kael has shown Togetherness by taking it upon himself to build relationships with them and help them feel more comfortable in their new school. Kael has also exhibited Integrity by ensuring that he caught up in all his courses after being away for a few days. Great work Kael! Keep it up!
This month’s Grade 8 GRIT awards goes to Christian Huvenaars. Christian is a person who demonstrates GRIT on a daily basis. He is a persistent student who consistently attempts every challenge placed before him. His resiliency is evident as he adapts and incorporates new learning techniques into his daily life. Christian is a demonstrates perseverance who, quietly and continually, attempts to improve himself. He displays a willingness to attempt academic challenges and works with well with others when working towards a team goal. For his continued efforts, Christian this GRIT Award is for you. Way to go Christian.
Grade 9 GRIT award goes to Ruger LaClare! He has been so diligent with his work these days, and contributes to classroom conversation all the time. He shows strong morals through the choices that he makes and always makes sure to catch up if he misses school. He knows when to have fun, and when to be mature. Keep it up Ruger!
The Grade 10 GRIT award is dedicated to Jervy Santos. Jervy always tries his best as a student at TMSS. He is also a super kind individual and has been an important member of the TMSS SRC since grade 7. Mrs. Janzen and I have always been able to count on Jervy to help with various SRC initiatives and Spirit Days and we appreciate his contributions so much. Thank you Jervy!
Tyson Lutz is this month’s Grade 11 GRIT Winner. Congratulations Tyson. You exhibit all parts of GRIT. For extra-curricular activities, Tyson participates in football and basketball.
T: Tyson demonstrates togetherness as he is very friendly to all.
Y : Year long learner
S: Sincere
O: On-task when there is work to be done
N: Nature expert
This month's Grade 12 Grit Award recipient is Jiho Hur. Throughout this semester, Jiho has shown growth and maturity in his academics. He always has a positive attitude, gets his work done on time, and with careful attention to detail. He is never afraid to ask questions or help out others when needed. Jiho rarely misses class, and when he does we all miss his humorous outlook. Keep up the good work, Jiho!!
Better Together T-Shirt Day
SRC Popcorn Sale!
Telemiracle Cookie Sale!
Mrs. Lee's Career Corner
Grade 10 & 11 Academic Meeting
This meeting is for parents and students. Please be sure someone from your household logs in on Wednesday, February 16th at 7pm.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/95100460016?pwd=L211amd1QzhlQVNobVBwQUk2VzJHZz09
Meeting ID: 951 0046 0016
Passcode: 9Ebp4G
Are you interested in becoming a Heavy Equipment Technician??
Check out this Finning Program!!
Posting link i: https://finning.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/External/job/Grande-Prairie-AB-CA/ThinkBig-Apprentice-HET-Student_R-2022-328
Short video about the ThinkBIG program. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpAtyZZadmc
The ThinkBIG (Heavy Equipment) Service Technician program is the result of a unique partnership between GPRC, Caterpillar Inc., world leader in the manufacture of heavy equipment, and Finning, Caterpillar’s largest dealership worldwide. GPRC is the only post-secondary institution in Canada to offer this globally recognized training, which is custom formulated to meet Alberta Apprenticeship examination requirements.
The ThinkBIG program is a two-year diploma program (80 weeks in length) located at the GPRC Campus in Fairview, Alberta. Students gain advanced technical knowledge and hands-on skills directly related to Caterpillar equipment and upon graduation are ready to work anywhere Finning has opportunities – more than 40 locations across Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan, NWT and the Yukon. Graduates are in exceptionally high demand.
This program consists of five 16-week blocks divided into 8 weeks of classroom theory and labs on campus, followed by a paid 8-week work practicum at a Finning location.
The applicant should have a genuine interest in mechanical systems and a desire to understand the underlying theoretical principles that govern machine operation and design. The work often involves analytical troubleshooting and problem solving in an active and physical work environment. Those who are considering this program should enjoy the challenge of working on some of the largest, most technologically advanced equipment in use today. Students must be Canadian residents and able to work in a physically demanding environment.
Finning will pay the tuition for this program for successful applicants, and, upon commencement of the program, students will become employees of Finning. As employees of Finning, students will receive benefits as per Finning’s benefits plan after completion of a three-month waiting period. Each successful applicant will receive coveralls, books, apprenticeship exam fees, and personal protective equipment at no cost. Students must provide their own CSA approved footwear and basic set of tools.
At the end of the program, employment is not guaranteed with Finning, but every effort will be made to accommodate successful students.
To be considered for the program, you also must apply directly to the college and meet the entrance requirements. Here is a link with more information for you:
https://www.gprc.ab.ca/programs/thinkbig-service-technician.html
If you have further questions, please contact the college administrator directly or email apprenticeship@finning.com or you may contact me at any time.
TMSS Tornados V. L.P. Miller Bears
On Friday, February 4th, TMSS will be rallying in Tornado Alley dressed in school colors! We have a challenge going on with Nipawin's L.P. Miller Bears...
Who's got better SCHOOL SPIRIT? We will find out!
Show your support for our TMSS Tornados by wearing our colors to school. The Bears will be doing the same. Based on participation that day, the 'losing' school's Admin team will be forced to wear the winning school's colors for an entire day. Show your TMSS Spirit!