Code Orange

Humanities 8. All work for Code Orange must be completed by Dec. 14th. Remember to complete part A and B from the independent work. Part C is optional.

For those student going to see the Hobbit, please return permission slips and movie money ASAP.

Charlemagne

Today, students are looking at Charlemagne. Read pages 256-261 in Across the Centuries. Make a list of at least three Pros and three Cons of Charlemagne. From that list, write a paragraph on whether or not you think Charlemagne was a great leader. Also, start a list of key terms from page 256.

Hockey Talk

The Vanier Hockey Academy students successfully completed their coaching sessions for Kid's Sport. Not only was this a great achievement for the student coaches, we were able to raise $500 along the way. Congratulations to everyone for doing such a wonderful job. We would like to thank Pati Creamer for her time and effort organizing this event. Well done!

Student info:

Academy students should be prepared for all weather for the next three weeks leading up to the Christmas break. Round two of on- and off-ice fitness testing is complete. Continue building your aerobic capacity as we stride towards making the 100km club--don't forget to log your kilometres!  Good luck with all of your upcoming games.

Code Orange for Humanities

Humanities 8 students are reading the book Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney. It is a suspenseful and thrilling story about a teenage boy, Mitty, living in New York City. Researching for a school project, Mitty discovers smallpox scabs and thinks he may have inhaled some of the dust from the scabs. In the process, Mitty also starts to attract some unwanted attention from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) and terrorist groups. Does Mitty have smallpox? Will his friends be able to help him? You'll have to read to find out.

For this Novel Unit, students will complete all assigned chapter questions and independent work. Independent work will include four areas of study: Writing, Vocabulary, Character, Listening and Speaking.  Finally, in assigned groups, students will create a movie trailer. 

Academy hits mid point

After a wonderful first term, Vanier's Hockey Academy is in full stride. Next on our agenda is another round of on and off-ice fitness/skills testing. Our Coaching Kids Club is on for this coming Friday at 6:30am. The Comox Fire Training Center is also happy to have us return to learn some valuable skills. We have been working on our focus and Yoga seems to be challenging the kids both physically and mentally.
It was nice to see some games this weekend. I was able to get out and watch some exciting hockey. The Bantam AAA team won a tough battle on Sun. afternoon. Matteo Giomo scored a beauty. Meanwhile, the Midget house teams were working hard and having fun.

Rome under attack!

After visiting Ancient Rome, students will continue with their research and design a poster that warns citizens about impending doom. From Barbarian attacks to food shortages, the end is almost near. With a partner, students will have two days to design an advertisement warning people about the collapse. We will then explore many of Ancient Rome's achievements before preparing for a Unit test.

Humanities 8 looks at current events each Friday. Here is a sample of previous events. Please feel free to add some comments.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/08/23/f-children-technology.html 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/cest-vrai-french-president-promises-to-ban-homework/article4601615/?utm_source=Shared+Article+Sent+to+User&utm_medium=E-mail:+Newsletters+/+E-Blasts+/+etc.&utm_campaign=Shared+Web+Article+Links

http://cbc.sh/csngfWl

The Hockey Academy will be limbering up today with Yoga. The session will run from 1-2 pm upstairs in the Sports Center. I won't stretch this entry out so have a great weekend.

Humanites 8 is currently learning about world religions and the students are preparing themselves for their poster presentations. Ms. Curry is halfway through her final practicum and is doing a fine job. The Fall of Rome will be the focus of our next unit.  

As a unit in their Hockey Skills Academy course, all our students will participate in a coaching clinic that will introduce them to the ins and outs of coaching hockey. Providing an opportunity for these student coaches to receive practical experience, we are inviting players aged 8-11 from the Comox Valley Minor Hockey association to come out and participate in the development practices run by our student coaches. It is important to know that all proceeds from this program will be donated to "KIDSPORT” Comox Valley, a community-run organization that provides financial support to children so that they, too, may participate in organized sport.

Hockey Talk

After a successful and fun day at the fire hall, Hockey Academy students approach the end of the month. On the ice, the focus for the month was skating (forward and backward stride), skills testing, deking and passing.  We will continue with some passing before moving towards pivots and goalie drills. Off-ice sessions will continue to be a mixture of tactical games, dryland training, and skill development. We have a badminton unit to start, as well as yoga booked for the end of the month. I am excited to help students prepare for their mentorship coaching lessons, during which Academy students will lead ice sessions for younger skaters.

Have a great month and be prepared for all weather!

Humanities 8

The geography unit is wrapping up and the Humanities landscape will be shifting towards composition and writing. Our focus will be to create engaging and vivid paragraphs. Current event continue to be the topic of conversation on Fridays, while journal writing starts our week every Monday. So far, our journal topics have included: difficult choices, the power of music, and have you ever gotten in over your head. Here are the links to a couple current events that we have discussed:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/08/23/f-children-technology.html

http://cbc.sh/csngfWl 

Welcome Ms. Curry!

We are excited to have a new student teacher stepping up this month. Ms. Curry is starting her final practicum here and will be taking over the reigns for C Block Humanities 8. She is a Vanier grad and is currently finishing off her studies at SFU. C Block students should hand in all work that was assigned by Mr. Miller.

Enjoy your time here, Ms. Curry

Hockey Academy

Great job Hockey Academy students. Round one of on- and off-ice fitness testing is complete. Also, the 100km challenge is off and running. Remember to keep track of your kilometres and record them on our log sheets, which are located in my classroom. You can all accomplish this goal. Good luck.

Geography Fun

Practice your geography skills with some of these fun games. Click on the link to get started.

http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-games/latitude-longitude-map-game.php

Test

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