Middle School Update
October 29, 2020
UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday, October 30: PED day. No classes for students.
Wednesday, November 4: Grade 7&8 Parent Meeting via Zoom at 7-8pm. See details below.
Monday, November 9: Mid-Term Break - School Closed
Thursday, November 12: School Photo Day
Thursday, November 19: Early Dismissal for Middle School at 11:15 a.m.
Thursday, November 19: Parent-Teacher-Student interviews via Zoom from 1:30-8:00 p.m. (more info below)
Friday, November 20: No classes for students.
Friday, November 20: Parent-Teacher-Student interviews via Zoom from 8 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Thursday, November 26: Founder’s Day Virtual Reception at 7:00 p.m. - Hal Hannaford will be honoured with the Speirs Medal - more info to come
Friday, November 27: Founder’s Day Holiday – school is closed. No classes for students.
Need to know
Reminder of arrival time for Grade 7&8 students: Grade 7&8 students are asked to arrive between 8:00-8:10am each morning via the designated entry locations (Lucas Building Front Door and West Door, respectively.) If any student needs to arrive earlier than 8:00 a.m., they may enter through the Lucas Building Front Door and (sign in and) wait in Coristine Hall until 8:00 a.m. when MS classrooms will be opened. There is no access to classrooms before 8:00 a.m.
MS Parent Meeting: Follow this Zoom link to join the meeting for all Grade 7&8 parents on Wednesday, November 4 from 7:00-8:00 p.m. via Zoom. Mr. Downey, Mr. Lajoie, Ms. Montgomery and Ms. Springer will be in attendance. This meeting is to discuss how the year began and what lies ahead until the Winter Break. Parents who wish to submit their questions and concerns in advance can do so via this Google Form.
Phys Ed Classes in November: Parents and students received an email earlier this afternoon from Carl Benoit (Athletics Coordinator). Beginning next Wednesday (Nov 4), students will follow a rotation of activities for their PE classes - some indoor and some outdoor. Students will receive further instruction from their coaches next week. The new schedules are also posted in OnCampus. If the assigned activity is outdoors, students will need to bring extra layers and be prepared to dress for the weather!
School Photo Day on Thursday, November 12: Individual portraits of MS students will be taken between 11:15-12:30 p.m. in the Macaulay gym. In keeping with our current uniform, students may wear Selwyn House phys. ed. clothing or house t-shirt, or may dress in Selwyn House collared shirt, tie and blazer for this one day. Unfortunately, no class photos will be taken.
Parent-Student-Teacher Interviews Nov 19 and 20: Beginning Thursday, Nov 12 at 3:00 p.m., appointments can be made using pickAtime, our online booking software. The instructions for booking appointments will be attached to next week’s mailbag. 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. Also, as pickAtime spaces are limited, you may wish to wait until the November progress reports are emailed to you (Tuesday Nov. 17th is the target) and then arrange appointments accordingly. Students are expected to attend Zoom interviews with their parents.
SHS Athletic Challenge from the Phys. Ed. Department: To encourage students to be active and stay in shape, our coaches have prepared challenges that are fun and motivating. Students and their families can do these workouts together! If you wish to take part click on the workout playlist, also found on our Athletics webpage. Hopefully it will keep you ready for the potential athletic season ahead. Remember "sound mind, sound body".
42nd Annual Montreal Old Boys' Reunion & AGM: On Oct. 22, approximately 144 Selwyn House Old Boys, staff and guests attended the first-ever virtual Montreal Reunion. The 42nd edition united Old Boys from all across Canada and around the world (Japan, Australia, United Arab Emirates, France, Switzerland, USA) to participate in the organization’s annual general meeting, and visit with their classmates and former teachers in breakout rooms. Check out this video from Josh Wisenthal, the current President of the Old Boys’ Association, and our Headmaster, Mike Downey.
THANK YOU & CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to Mr. Bouskill’s 8-2 class who won the "True to Others" Pizza Party for the month of October. They earned this reward by demonstrating:
kindness to each other
mature handling some very difficult subject matter in English
cooperation in class, doing their work well
Halloween Festivities were a fa-boo-lous success! Thank you to parents and students who donated decorations and treats to help us celebrate this day at Selwyn House!
Winners of the costume competition earned timbits for their class and house points.
- Scariest Costume - Marc-Alan Araujo (7-3) and runner up Ryland Phundstein (7-3)
- Most Creative Costume - Pasquale Presti (8-2) and runner up Angelos Lazaris (7-2)
Winners of the door decorating contest earned a pizza party for their class.
- Congratulations class 7-2! The runner up was class 8-3.
Toonie for Treats and Raffle Prizes: Thank you to parents and students for helping us raise over $300 this week! We’ll add this to the collection from Senior and Elementary School with all proceeds going to The Depot Community Food Centre in NDG.
Raffle Prize winners, each receiving a $25 gift card: Jake Bock (7-2), Adam Freedin (8-1), Owen Kugler (8-1), and Elio Mendolia (7-1).
Terry Fox Run: As a school we raised a total of $5655 for the Terry Fox Foundation. Thank you to everyone who contributed and to the students who ran in the rain on October 7! For the Middle and Senior groups, our fundraising winner was class 11-1, with a total of $750 raised; they enjoyed a pizza party earlier this week as their reward. In our PE classes, our dedicated students continue to run in an effort to finish the route that Terry started. Check out the map showing the distance we’ve run so far.
Message From the Director of Academic Innovation and Growth
Reflection: Some parents may remember from the past few years my focus on reflection as a process for improvement. I believe that all growth begins with self-reflection.
It turns out that reflection is critical for learning as well. All learners, from beginners to experts, benefit from deliberation about the knowledge, skill, or performance task they are trying to master. This does not mean just reviewing information; it’s actually considering what you have learned or done, how it fits in with other knowledge or skills, and how you can improve it.
For students, this means considering if their study strategies are effective and how can they modify them if necessary. I often hear students say they spent a lot of time studying, but didn’t achieve the result they expected. Deliberate practice, interweaving, and the Pomodoro technique can be helpful. (I will share more about these techniques next week.)
Reflection doesn’t just happen; it must be intentional. A written reflection causes one’s thinking to slow down as you write. Talking out loud or conversing is also beneficial as you harness your thoughts on the topic.
As parents, we can ask our children to be deliberate about reflection, but also ask leading questions. What did you learn? What does it mean? How does it relate to something else you know? Why do you think this is important? What can you do to help understand this? These habits will be valuable for life-long learning.
Brenda Montgomery ~ montgomeryb@selwyn.ca
reminders
Visit previous Weekly Mailbags for details about the following:
Parent Drop In Sessions via Zoom on Tuesdays from 10-11am with Ms. Carissa Springer
Check MS Announcements slideshow daily for up to date news and information
FOCUS - after-school homework supervision with Peter Kang (kangp@selwyn.ca)
Lockers and Outerwear: Lockers were assigned to each student this past week. They will be used for coats and boots only. School bags, books and supplies will remain in the classrooms. Students should dress for the weather each day as we’ll be offering outdoor recess and phys ed classes in all types of weather!
Birthday Goodies: Under the current circumstances, only store-prepared items can be distributed for birthday treats or other celebrations. Your son needs to bring it into the class on his own. Please remember we do not accept drop-offs at the Front Office. Please make sure the teacher is aware that you will be sending something in. Thank you for your understanding.
Selwyn House School
Website: www.selwyn.ca
Location: 95 Chemin de la Côte-Saint-Antoine, Westmount, QC, Canada
Phone: 514-931-9481
Facebook: facebook.com/selwynhouseschool