Respect
Safety
Success
September 2016
Parent Newsletter
A Message from Principal Kenyon
Welcome back to school. RSS is shaking down into a semblance
of normalcy after our first weeks of classes. Most, if not all, of
our students have had opportunities to change courses where
necessary and we are now set to navigate the adventurous
journey that awaits us this year.
Early Dismissal
There will be an early dismissal at 1:10pm on Wednesday October 13th. There will also be and early dismissal on Thursday
October 14th with Parent-Teacher interviews 7-8:30pm.
RSS Student Well-Being Goal
The Student Well-Being Goal will focus on the social-emotional
and physical health of students. There are three main areas to
promote: social-emotional health, mental health, and physical
A focus of our school this year will be on creating, fostering and health. We will be gathering data on areas like student-school
maintaining a 'growth mindset'. In short a growth mindset is a
connectedness, mental health awareness and education, and
belief that through effort, practice and an understanding that
promoting healthy lifestyles. The school culture is very positive
learning occurs through mistakes students will believe that they already, however, we want to be able to identify areas for imcan improve and better their achievement. This is in direct opprovement for the coming years in these three main areas. We
position to a 'fixed mindset' where people believe that they
look forward to having constructive conversations with the
have skills and abilities that cannot be altered (i.e. "I can't do
school community on these subjects. A healthy school is always
that Math problem."). A growth mindset adds one small word to our goal, and student well-being is at the heart of that goal.
that sentence, "I can't do that Math problem yet." This is how
we want all of our learners to approach their studies and the
Fair Notice
way to approach any challenges they may face.
Our school community is committed to creating and sustaining
I am excited to get back to school, and I am very happy to see school environments in which students, staff, parents and others feel safe. All reported threats and incidences of violence will
everyone this fall. I hope everyone has a great school year at
be investigated.
RSS.
Greg Kenyon
Principal – Revelstoke Secondary School
Absences and Lates – (250) 837-2173
Parents are reminded to call the office or send a note to the
school in the event their son/daughter will be late, absent. or
leaving early for a medical or dental appointment. Students
should get an early dismissal slip from the office for their teacher before heading off to class. Texting your child about
appointments or notifying the teacher of their absence is not
notifying the office. Please make sure the office secretaries are
aware of all appointments and absences. As well, students
MUST sign in at the office when arriving late and sign out
when leaving early. This will avoid unnecessary calls home of
absences from class.
Family Vacations
A vacation form must be filled out if you intend to take your
child out of class for 3 days or more during school time.
Please have your child obtain a vacation form from the office.
Home Work (HW) Club
HW Club started September 20th and will run from 3:15 - 4:30
in the library with Mrs. Carey every Monday, Wednesday &
Thursday (except holidays, early dismissals and exam weeks).
It's the place to go if you need help in any subject, if you need
extra time to work on your assignments in a quieter setting, if
you need to access the computers, if you need to write missing
quizzes or tests, if you need time to get caught up from being
absent or....if you just want to get your HW done before you
leave the building.
Did you know? – Ambulance Services at School
Should we need to call an ambulance for a student, and a family does not have extended health coverage, the ambulance will
be at our expense.
RSS Post-Secondary Visits
Representatives from Colleges, Universities, Trades & Technology Schools and some private post-secondary schools will be
visiting RSS this fall. The students have the opportunity to visit
the booths to collect information and talk with the reps. The BC
presentation is scheduled for October 5, 2016.
RSS Swim Team
The RSS Swim Team is open to Grades 8 to 12 and will be
coached by Ms. Wood. Practices will take place on Friday mornings, starting on October 7th, from 7:00 am to 8:00. Everyone
is welcome – all you need is a swim suit, goggles, and a water
bottle. RSS is hosting the Okanagan Zone Swimming Championships at our Aquatic Centre on Sunday, October 30th. The top 3
swimmers in each event (and top 2 relay teams) will qualify for
the BC Highschool Swimming Championships in Kamloops on
November 18 and 19. See Ms. Wood's blog if you have any
questions.
Orange Shirt Day
Orange Shirt Day is a day to remember the children sent to residential schools. It is an opportunity for First Nations, local
governments, schools and community agencies to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations to
come.
Respect
Safety
Success
Grade 8 Girls Volleyball
Parent Advisory Committee
The Grade 8 Girls Volleyball team practices on Tuesdays at
lunch, Wednesdays from 7:00-8:30 pm, and Friday from 3:305:00. Bring proper gym shoes and a water bottle. Knee pads
are helpful too. We will be travelling on some Monday afternoons starting in late September for League play with other
North Okanagan Grade 8 girls teams. RSS will play in the Grade
8 Last Spike Volleball Tournament here at RSS on Saturday,
October 1st. Mr. Gale will coach the Grade 8 girls this year, and
information can be found on his blog.
Our Parent Group encourages parents to attend their monthly
meeting. This group facilitates informational sessions for
parents during the year, and secures money for specialized
equipment for our students. PAC meetings are the last
Tuesday of each month. The next PAC meeting will be held
Tuesday Sept. 27th at 7pm in the RSS Library.
The RSS Website!
Check out our website at revelstokesecondary.ca. Our home
page has quick links to Teacher Blogs, Counsellors, Athletics,
Student Opportunities and the RSS 2015-16 Calendar, as well as
a scrolling daily events calendar. Students and staff can tweet
@RevelstokeSec. You can also find a digital copy of the RSS
Handbook, RSS newsletter and RSS calendar on line. Should
you wish to obtain a hardcopy of the above please pick one up
from the office. If you wish to have the newsletter sent to you
via email, please email your request to
rssnewsletter@sd19.bc.ca
What’s Going on in Class? Check the Blog!
Many teachers at RSS use daily or weekly blogs as a way to
communicate to parents and students. Visit your teacher’s blog
to get updates on homework, check your marks, and see when
assignments are due. Visit revelstokesecondary.ca and click on
Students & Parents, Teacher Websites for a full list!
Welcome New & Returning Staff!
Welcome back Tessa Davis – Band and English 11; Kristin Demchuk – Resource; and Dana Reaume – Resource & Learning
Assist. Welcome to Jason Ostoforov – Woodwork, STEM 8, &
Info Tech.
Picture Day
Bring your best smile to school on
Wednesday October 19, 2016 for Picture Day. Please note that all students will
be photographed for the yearbook regardless of whether you purchase a package or
not. Please do not send money on Picture Day.
Band Parent Meetings
Band Parent meetings are held every third
Wednesday of the month at 7:00 pm in the
Band Room. The next meeting will be on
Wednesday October 19th. Upcoming RSS
Band Concert will be on November 29 at 7:00
pm in the theatre. Come listen to the bands
and enjoy a wide variety of music. Just a reminder that Jazz
band rehearsals are on Monday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.
Safeteen Violence Prevention Program
This is a skill building workshop for parents and educators focussing on the acquisition of concrete skills to use and pass on
to the teens we live and work with empowering us as adults
and enabling youth to cope with verbal, emotional and physical
threats they are exposed to every single day.
Opportunities to Learn Outside the Classroom
If you would like a more in-depth career exploration, consider
WORK EXPERIENCE 12. It is a 4 credit elective course where
you have the opportunity to develop your employment skills by
working 90 hours in a career area of interest.
Dates to Remember
September 20
September 26
September 27
September 30
October
October
October
October
October
1
5
10
12
13
October
October
October
October
14 & 15
19
21
21 & 22
October 25
Homework Club started
(Mon/Wed/Thur)
Pro-D Day – no classes
Safeteen Presents: Navigating Adolescence from 6–7 PM @ RSS
PAC Meeting 7:00 PM
Orange Shirt Day
Terry Fox Run
Gr 8 Girls Last Spike Volleyball
BC Post Secondary Visits - AM
Thanksgiving – No Classes
Early Dismiss @ 1:10
Early Dismiss @ 1:10
– Parent Teacher Night 7–8:30 PM
Jr Girls Last Spike Volleyball
School Photo Day - AM
Pro-D Day – No Classes
Sr Girls Last Spike Volleyball
PAC Meeting 7 PM