The Villanovan A Monthly Publication of Villanova Junior High School Volume 8 Issue 9 www.villanova.k12.nf.ca May 2014 Principal: Mr. Barry Jenkins barryjenkins@esdnl.ca Telephone: 834-3916 Fax: 834-4064 Assistant Principal: Ms. Carolyn Tilley carolyntilley@esdnl.ca Staffing Update Grade 8 Farewell Ms. Shelley Stead returned to her position this week and we welcome her back and wish her all the best. We would also like to offer our thanks to Ms. Mary-Beth Eason for her work, replacing Ms. Stead, these past few months and wish her all the best. The grade 8 farewell will take place on Thursday, May 29th, this is an event for students only. The Farewell will involve a dinner (pizza), fun awards and dance. It will run from 6:30 pm – 10:00 pm. Parents are asked to pick up their children at the dismissal time of 10:00 pm. Please be aware that this is not a formal event and students should not be purchasing expensive clothing for this event. High School graduation Prom style dresses, for example, are not appropriate. A separate memo with more details will be coming home next week. Student Reporting Grade 7 & 8 The next report card for our students will be the final report card in June. We would like to remind you that marks for grade 7 & 8 students can be viewed in PowerSchool through the Parent Portal. You can access the Parent/Student Portal from the main page of our website or through the following link https://pschool.esdnl.ca/public/ It is very important that you check this regularly so you are aware of the progress your child is making. If you have questions regarding your child’s marks please contact their classroom subject teacher. If you do not have your Parent Portal logon information it is available at the main office. If you are unable to get into the office during regular hours please contact Mr. Jenkins to make alternate arrangements. The Parent Portal will be your guide to your child’s grades until the final report card in June. It will help you help your children and their teachers to ensure your children are on task. Final Exams Assessments and Provincial To help with your end of year planning our grade 7 & 8 students will be writing exams from of June 17 - 20. All students MUST write their final exam. The only exceptions will be for medical reasons, with appropriate Doctor’s notes, or family emergencies. JUNE 2014 Jr. High EXAM SCHEDULE Time June 17 June 18 June 19 June 20 9:00 Gr. 7 Gr. 7 Gr. 7 Gr. 8 to English Francais* Math Math 11:30 Gr. 8 Gr. 8 Gr. 8 am Francais* English Science 12:30 to 2:30 pm No Exam No Exam No Exam Gr. 7 Science *French Immersion students only An exam memo and procedures will be sent home later this month. Our grade 6 students will be writing their Provincial Assessment in Mathematics from June 10 – 12. We would also like to inform you that Party Busses are NOT permitted to pick up students from the school or church parking lot at the end of the evening. This happened a couple of years ago and we had no idea or control over where students were going or who they were going with. For safety reasons we CANNOT permit this to occur. We are not able to ensure students are leaving with the correct people, nor can we ensure their safety. If you are planning on organizing a bus you will need to arrange pick up at a home address, NOT on the school or church parking lots. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding with this very important safety concern. We need students picked up at the end of the evening by a parent or guardian. Mini-Enrichment Program Courses have begun and are ongoing. Students involved were given their letter with course information prior to the Easter Break. Please ensure you mark the dates of their course in your calendars to avoid any confusion on the day of your child’s course. Students will need to bring their acceptance letter and waiver on the first day. Teacher PD Day We are having a teacher PD Day on Friday, May 30th, 2014. We will be focusing on our School Development Plan from this year and planning for 2014-2015. As a result of this PD Day there will not be any school for our students on Friday, May 30th, 2014. Please mark this date in your calendars. Breakfast Program April was a very busy month for our Eat and Run Café. On the 8th we welcomed four volunteers from Hydro who treated the students to our usual fare as well as delicious, nutritious smoothies. On the 10th we held our annual apple themed day and students got to enjoy apples, apple sauce and lots of apple muffins. A big thank you to all of the staff, parents and volunteers who contributed to this event. Your continued support is much appreciated. If you would like to donate anything to our breakfast program please contact Ms. Brenda Abbott via email, at brendaabbott@esdnl.ca. UNDER THE TRUSTEESHIP OF THE NL ENGLISH SCHOOL DISTRICT Page 1 Below is a picture of the workers from Hydro serving smoothies. Clara’s Big Ride The first day back after Easter vacation was a fantastic one for students and staff at Villanova Junior High. Thanks to Ms. Tilley and Ms. Brenton who took the lead in planning for weeks, eagerly anticipating the day when Clara’s Big Ride reached Villanova Junior High and this was it!!! Clara arrived at school at 9am to a captive audience who listened to the story of her life and her journey to recognizing, understanding, and accepting depression and how she has worked tirelessly to stop the stigma surrounding mental health. Our students also heard an inspiring message from a member of our community, Mr. Ken Pieroway, whose son’s death by suicide has lead him to reach out to others to help start and keep the conversations around mental health going. A third special guest was here as well, Mr. Seamus O’Regan, native Newfoundlander and member of the CTV news team, who has been accompanying Clara through parts of her St. John’s leg of her journey. Before Clara left, she was treated to a flashmob by our Grade 5 students and some of our Grade 6 students and she was truly touched by the work they put in for her. She even tweeted that she loved it! We would like to thank Bell for the Let’s Talk Program (and for choosing Villanova as the school for Clara’s visit!), Clara Hughes and all of the team on Clara’s Big Ride, Seamus O’Regan, and Ken Pieroway for making this a great event. Please follow Clara’s Big Ride and let’s use social media for a great cause as we tweet, re-tweet, share, and do whatever it takes to keep the conversation going! Good luck Clara on the next 6500kilometres of your ride! We will be following you! Clara is presenting a team jersey for our school to Mr. Jenkins and student Elizabeth Blake. Mr. Ken Pieroway and Seamus O’Regan also participated. School Dress Code With the warmer weather we would like to remind you of the dress code for our school. During the warmer days we find many of our students, particularly girls, who are not dressed appropriately for a school setting. As a quick reminder: clothing which is revealing such as tube tops, low cuts, belly shirts, short skirts/shorts and revealed underwear are NOT acceptable to the educational environment of the school. All shirts/tops are required to cover the shoulders and must not be see through. Yoga pants and leggings are also questionable. These are appropriate when worn with a long top, dress or skirt. Appropriate footwear is also very important as students move through the building up and down stairs, high heels or flip flops can be very dangerous for students. We ask that you discuss the proper dress code with your child. Students not adhering to this code may be asked to call home to get appropriate clothing or asked to wear school provided clothing. Scholastic Champion Challenge 2014 Villanova is very proud to recognize grade eight student, Andrew Hadfield, for his success in the 2014 Canadian Scholastic Challenge. The Scholastic Achievement Challenge is an annual contest designed to “challenge students to demonstrate knowledge and thinking skills, and to recognize and reward excellence.” Andrew was among approximately 9000 grade eight students from various schools across the country and from our province who participated in the challenge. Approximately, 25 grade eight students from Villanova Junior High were involved in the online contest and 11 of these students received scores higher than the national average. Andrew received the highest overall score in our school and will receive an award at Villanova’s grade eight school leaving ceremony in June. Way to go Andrew and all participants in the Scholastic Challenge! Ms. Amy Noftle, our Scholastic Challenge Coordinator is picture with Andrew below. School Council Should you have any questions our concerns regarding our school please contact your parent representatives: Gina Pecore (Chair) 834-2236 or gina@genoadesign.com Lorilynn Rowsell 834-3329 or lrowsell@mun.ca and Shelley Moores 834-2733 or waltersshelley@hotmail.com. The other members on our school council are teacher representatives, Darlene Moulton, Tracy Bowers, UNDER THE TRUSTEESHIP OF THE NL ENGLISH SCHOOL DISTRICT Page 2 and Huberta Lundrigan, community representative Mr. Rick Stanley as well as Principal, Barry Jenkins. Our regular monthly meetings are held on the fourth Thursday of the month beginning at 5:00 pm in the school library. Minutes of our meetings and other information relating to school council are posted on our web site under the School Council button. Curriculum Information Grade 5 News - Ms. Collins Another busy month has flown by in the grade five classes. All grade 5 students are presently working on their persuasive essays. The students have brought in their research and many have chosen very interesting and unique topics. The rough drafts and final copies will be done in class and then they will be presented orally to their classmates. For the French Immersion students, classroom representatives will be selected to participate in the French speak-off on May 13th. For the English Language Arts students, three classroom winners will be chosen from each grade five English class and will go on to represent their classes in the Grade 5 Oratorical Speak-off on May 27. Prior to the Easter break the grade 5 students completed the Division unit in Mathematics. Our students will now move on to Measurement, including topics on conversions, length, area and perimeter. In addition, we will be exploring volume and capacity and solving problems involving measurement. As always we ask that you please continue to review multiplication facts with your son or daughter as they need to be able to readily recall these. We are cluing up our Science unit entitled Bodyworks. Later this month, we will be studying the reproductive system, which is the last system to complete. The grade five teachers will send home a letter notifying all parents when this unit will be taught. We will then begin our final unit entitled ‘Putting it in Motion”. This unit deals with simple machines in our lives, such as levers, gears, inclined planes and pulleys. We will also investigate friction, gravity, potential and kinetic energy and how machines make our lives easier. The grade five students showed amazing school spirit during Clara Hughes visit during her Big Ride Tour. We were all so proud of the students who took part in the “We’re all in this Together” flash mob dance. Finally all grade five students have worked very hard in class on their Heritage Fair projects. We enjoyed seeing all the projects on display for our Heritage evening. Please remind your children that with warmer weather coming there is still two full months of school left and a lot to accomplish. As always, we thank you for your continued support. continuing to also work through novel studies, either “Hatchet” and/or “The Breadwinner”. Another annual event, the Kiwanis Grade 6 Spelling Bee will take place on May 12th at 7pm. Two student representatives from grade six will be selected by May 9th for this competition. In Math, we have completed our Multiplication and Division of Decimals unit and our focus is now on Measurement. Please ensure your child has a protractor, compass and ruler (geometry set) necessary for this unit. Multiplication quizzes and problem solving activities are also ongoing as part of preparing students for their upcoming Math Provincial Assessment from June 10-12th. In French, students are continuing to work through spring, food and music units with an emphasis on communication and hands-on learning. In Français, EFI students are finishing up presentation of their French speeches. In Science, we are continuing with our Space unit. Students are captivated by this topic and there is still much to be learned and discovered as we work through various research and hands-on activities. We feel mixed emotions as we approach our final month working with your wonderful children. As always, we thank you for your continued support! English Language Arts - Ms. Babb First and foremost the Language Arts department would like to congratulate Joel Stead and Sara Gambin for doing an outstanding job representing our school at the Lions Club Speak Out on April 8th. Joel and Sara competed against other grade 7 and 8 students from Frank Roberts and they both presented amazing speeches. Joel was awarded first place and Sara second runner up. Joel and Sara were also given the Lions Club team trophy for the school earning the highest number of points among the Grade Seven and Eight students. Joel will now compete in the Regional Lions Club Speak Out to be held in St.John’s on May 25th, 2014 and we wish him the best of luck. Below is a picture of Sara and Joel receiving the team trophy from the Lions. Grade 6 News - Ms. Stead Grade six students have had yet another busy and successful month! In Language Arts, students have been working on their grammar, word choice and editing skills in preparation for our persuasive writing unit (speeches). All writing of speeches will be completed in school and, once presented, two representatives from each class will have the opportunity to participate in our annual Grade 5/6 Oratorical (English) near the end of May. The French Speak-Off is scheduled for May 13th. The EFI classes are enjoying working through their Poetry unit. In addition, many of us are also Students have remained busy over the last month in Language Arts. In grade 7, we have just finished our final novel study unit for the year, Among the Hidden. The test for this unit took place prior to Easter Break and marks have been given to students. Meanwhile, the grade 8’s have just completed their final process piece, a fairy tale. Students have worked very hard creating original stories that incorporate the elements of a fairy tale and the language arts teachers are thoroughly enjoying reading the final products. Fairy tale UNDER THE TRUSTEESHIP OF THE NL ENGLISH SCHOOL DISTRICT Page 3 process piece grades will be returned as soon as possible. Now that these units are completed, both grades will begin the Drama units. We look forward to these units each year since they involve the chance for students to participate in some reader’s theater and acting. Our final units for the year will be Mysteries/ Fears and Phobias in grade 7 and Chasing a Dream in grade 8. We will start these once June begins and use them as a means to review for the final exams. At that time, students will receive detailed exam study-guides. Math Department – Ms. Janet Andrews The year is flying by! Less than two months left. It’s the perfect time to organize for final exams. Take some time to sort through your materials to ensure they are organized by unit. This will help as you begin your preparation for exams. You will receive a review package right after the long weekend in May. It will include a practice sheet on each unit you have completed this year. Having your work arranged by unit will make it easier to complete the review. In addition to this review, you will also complete a practice exam in early June. Trying your best on both of these things will help you to do well on your final exam. For now, though, it is important to ensure you are prepared for each class. An exercise, graph paper, a ruler, and several pencils are needed every day. Currently in grade 7, we are finishing the equations unit. This unit will not have a traditional test. Instead, there will be a rotating stations activity on May 5th. For the next unit (Data Analysis), graph paper and a ruler are needed. In grade 8, the unit 6 assignment is due May 5th and the test is May 8th or May 9th depending on your class. Check the homework site. The next unit is Data Analysis and Probability. The Monday tutorial sessions continue from 2:45 to 3:45. Students are encouraged to take full advantage of this opportunity to get help with concepts with which they may be having difficulty. French Department - Ms. Howse Core French Grade 7 classes have begun the unit, «Le Grand Voyage. » In this unit of study, students will learn the necessary vocabulary in order to discuss traveling around the world and their own vacations. Students will soon create a travel brochure in which they will present a country of their choosing to their classmates. Grade 8 classes are continuing to work on the unit «Rétro Monde» in which they will soon complete their final project about the 1960s, 1970s or 1980s. Students will present one of the three decades, including at least four of the categories studied throughout the unit. All students are encouraged to work with a partner on this assignment. French Immersion 7/8 Grade 7 LFI classes are now completing the cooperative learning project for Santé. Students will become “teachers” and instruct their classmates through the use of presentations, activities, posters, etc. We cannot wait to see the exciting lessons each group has created. Grade 8 LFI classes have recently presented their persuasive essays. All students did a fantastic job! These groups are also completing the cooperative learning project for Santé. Students have begun their research and are excited to teach their classmates the information they have learned.! Grade 7 EFI classes are now completing the cooperative learning project for Santé. Students will become “teachers” and instruct their classmates through the use of presentations, activities, posters, etc. We cannot wait to see the exciting lessons each group has created. Grade 8 EFI classes are also completing the cooperative learning project for Santé. Students have begun their research and are excited to teach their classmates the information they have learned. Our school-wide «Concours Oratoire» will take place the evening of Tuesday, May 13; beginning at 6:30. Quebec Trip. We will be departing in 18 days. Please ensure you have your child’s Passport or Photo ID from Motor Registration. We will be having a meeting with students and parents prior to our departure date. This meeting will be on Tuesday, May 6, beginning at 7:00 pm in the gym. This meeting is for students and at least one parent or guardian. If you have any questions please contact Mr. Jenkins. Social Studies Department - Ms. Ball Grade 7 In Grade 7 we are still working on Chapter 6: Listening to the People. This chapter deals with the establishment of representative and then responsible government in BNA. The focus in Chapter 6 is on how people in BNA empowered themselves to bring about political change, leading to the democracy which we now enjoy in Canada. At the start of the chapter we also incorporated parts of Chapter 7 through an exploration of the present day federal system of government and the different responsibilities that come about with each level of government. We also explored the voting process in present day Canada. The test for this chapter is scheduled for the week of May 12th – 16th. There was an assignment for this chapter as well on the Virginia Waters bielection. Please refer to your child’s homework/ webpage for due dates and test dates. In Chapter 7: Confederation we will explore the factors which lead to the formation of the country we now know as Canada. In this chapter, students will look at events in Canadian history such as the Quebec Conference and also the reasons that lead each of the colonies to join (or not join in Newfoundland’s case) together in Confederation in the 1800s. Students will have the opportunity to analyze political cartoons and why they were used. We will look at the BNA act of 1867 and the effect of this act on the First Nations people. Details about a test and/or assignment TBA later via email or homework page. Grade 8 In Grade 8 we will be testing Chapter 8 May 1213th. In this chapter, we first explored the Great Depression as a catalyst for WW2. We explored how our province became involved in the war effort and our strategic importance to the Americans and Canadians. We will also examine how WW2 was a much different war than that of WW1 and how it profoundly changed our province. There was a scavenger hunt assignment for this chapter where students had to find items pertaining to WW2. UNDER THE TRUSTEESHIP OF THE NL ENGLISH SCHOOL DISTRICT Page 4 Next chapter, Chapter 9, we will explore Newfoundland and Labrador’s entry into Confederation with Canada in 1949. We will look at the National Convention and its role in our history. We will look at key players in the Confederation such as Lester Burry, Peter Cashin and of course the “Father of Confederation” Joey Smallwood. We will examine the process leading up to the 2 referenda in which our political future was decided by the narrowest of margins. We will finish with a look at the Terms of Union. Test and assignment details TBA later via email or homework page. Grades 7 and 8 Socials: Missed Assignments There is no final exam in Socials so the last few tests and assignments are very important in terms of the overall mark in Socials. It is important students continue to give their best efforts and get work in on time. Zeros can be placed on the final report which may impact students’ final mark compared to previous reports. We want parents and students to be aware of the impact of missed work in case there is a discrepancy between term work and final marks. Hopefully we can all work together towards a successful resolution regarding outstanding work! Regional Heritage Fair We wish the best of luck to our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners from our grade 8 students, Noah Knee, Levi Moulton and Nick Slade and Sam Williams who will represent Villanova at the Regional Heritage Fair on May 2 & 3rd. Science Department - Ms. Lundrigan Curriculum Update Grade 7: Students have just begun work on Unit 4: Rocks and Minerals. This unit will focus on the properties of rocks and minerals, the rock cycle, earthquakes, volcanoes, etc. Each class will begin the unit with an assignment on examining the properties of minerals. Students have a choice of options in how they wish to complete the assignment. Please refer to your child’s teacher’s website and/or the homework page for more details. Grade 7 students are also reminded that a new duo tang and exercise book is recommended to help them organize the material covered in this unit. Grade 8: Students will write their test on Unit 3 – Optics during the week of May 5th to May 9th. Please check the homework page and teacher websites for more details. Students will then move onto Unit 4: Cells, Tissues, Organs, and Body Systems. Students will discover that the cell is the basic building block and functional unit of life. They will expand their existing knowledge of organ systems to understand that they are an integrated whole. Furthermore, they will examine healthy/nonhealthy lifestyle choices, and determine how these choices impact cells, tissues, organs and systems. This will assist students to make informed choices when it comes to their health. Grade 8 students are also reminded that a new duo tang and exercise book is recommended to help them organize the material covered in this unit. The final test for all grade 7 and 8 students will be written for each class in the week of June 9th – June 13th. As a reminder, there will be NO cumulative final exam in science. However, during the final exam week, students will be required to write a scientific literacy assessment, valued at 10% of the year. Scientific Literacy Assessment: Students will write their scientific literacy assessments during the week of June 16th to June 20th. Grade 8s will write on June 19 and Grade 7s will write on June 20. The assessment is one hour in length. While this assessment is not curricular based, students will be required to read an unseen case study(s) and answer questions based on the information provided. As well, students will need to construct a graph and provide analysis based answers about the graph. Teachers have been working on these types of items throughout the school year and will continue practicing these types of items in the weeks leading up to the assessment. Regional Science Fair: April 12 – 13th 2013: The regional science fair was held on April 11 and 12th at Bishop’s College. Our student participants, as always, represented Villanova extremely well. We are very proud of all of our participants!!! We had several students that received awards at the fair. Leah Hewitt (7-5) received an honorable mention in the junior physical sciences category. In the same category, Hilary Oldford (8-1), Noah Knee (8-6) and Nick Corcoran (8-6) won silver medals. In the junior life sciences category, Abbey Sullivan (7-1) and Isobel McMahon (7-1) won a silver medal for their project. In the junior life physical sciences category, Jordon Young (8-3) received a gold medal. Jordon was also the recipient of the best junior physics project at the fair sponsored by Memorial University of Newfoundland. Congrats to everyone – great job!!! Art – Ms. Bowers Grade 5 The Grade 5 students are currently completing an entry for the United Nations Rights of the Child Calendar contest. Our next project will be an artist study of Andy Warhol, in which the students will be creating their own Warhol-inspired art using ipads and computer graphics. Grade 6 The Grade 6 students are currently completing an entry for the United Nations Rights of the Child Calendar contest. Our next project will be an artist study of Andy Warhol, in which the students will be creating their own Warhol-inspired art using ipads and computer graphics. Grade 7: All grade 7 classes are involved in creating their Stop Motion Animation unit. Students have been put into Production teams and all groups should start the shooting process over the next cycle. It’s a busy project, but fun! Students need to continue to pass in their sketches for a total of 10 sketches by the end of the term. I will be sending home emails regarding overdue sketches within the next cycle. All projects up to this point have been graded and marks can be viewed in Powerschool. If you have any questions about a mark, please contact me so we can discuss in more detail. Grade 8: All Grade 8 classes have started our Mask projects. This is a messy project, so students are reminded to consider what they are wearing on Art days. Students need to continue to pass in their sketches for a total of 10 sketches by the end of the term. I UNDER THE TRUSTEESHIP OF THE NL ENGLISH SCHOOL DISTRICT Page 5 th will be sending home emails regarding overdue sketches within the next cycle. All projects up to this point have been graded and marks can be viewed in Powerschool. If you have any questions about a mark, please contact me so we can discuss in more detail. announce the 4 winners (1 per grade level) by May 16 . I have scanned and created a PowerPoint of all entries and students can view the Artwork on our Villanova TV. Thank you again to the students for their overwhelming interest and enthusiasm for Art. Guidance – Ms. Brenton Our club continues to meet every day 3. We are putting the finishing touches on our bulletin board; we discuss Social Justice issues and our Safe and Caring Schools Policy. The goal of the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Education’s Safe and Caring Schools Policy is to “provide a framework for the development and implementation of provincial, district and school level policies and action plans to ensure that learning and teaching can take place in a safe and caring environment”. This pertains directly to the LBGTQ club. Helping your Child Study for Final Exams May is here and June will soon be upon us!! Students should really begin exam preparations at this time of year to ensure they have adequate time for studying when exam time arrives. You can find many excellent test taking tips by following the link http://www.testtakingtips.com/ or you can find tips in the following video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCp3OFRod1g& safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1. As well, there is a Study Tips Guide that you can link to on the bottom of the home page on our school website. Special Services Exam Schedule For the information of parents of students receiving Accommodations (former Pathway 2), we will be offering Accommodations to students during their final exams. Your child’s Service Delivery team teacher (Ms. Campbell, Ms. Corbett, Ms. Coates, or Ms. Saunders) will be contacting you later in May regarding the exam schedule for students with exceptionalities. Final Exams and Provincial Assessments There will likely be some interruptions to IRT support at Junior High from June 10-12 in order to provide the necessary accommodations for the Grade 6 provincial assessment. From June 17 - 20, there will be interruptions to the Elementary IRT support as we provide accommodations for exams in Grade 7 and 8. Extra-curricular / Co-curricular We encourage all our students to become involved in the various activities we offer to them. If you have any questions about getting your child involved please contact our office. For details on the activities offered please check the Extra/cocurricular calendar on the main page of our web site. Cupcake Club / Cake Decorating Ms. Bowers Cupcake Club / Cake Decorating We have now finished another successful year of the Cupcake Club and Cake Decorating. Student interest was high with over 75 students participating in the Cake Decorating and believe it or not- over 170 Cupcakes decorated by students!! Thank you to Ms. Coates, Ms. Campbell and Ms. Lambe for lending me a hand with the clubs again this year- I couldn’t have managed without them! Also, a special thanks to all the students who participated. I couldn’t ask for a better or more enthusiastic group of students! Year End Art Contest 2013-2014 Ms. Bowers I received over 75 student submissions for our annual Year End Art contest. With so many amazing entries, the selection process is taking some time, however I will LBGTQ Club Ms. Gill The code of conduct defined in the Safe and Caring Schools Policy states that it is expected that all members of the school community will promote safe, caring and inclusive practice by doing their best to: effect an orderly, productive work and learning environment free from aggression and disrespectful behaviour; engage in activities and behaviour that promote health and personal well-being; relate to one another in a positive and supportive manner, with dignity and respect; and embrace the diversity of all peoples, regardless of sexual orientation. Please visit www.mygsa.ca for more information. Robotics (Bionic Vipers) Mr. Walsh Grade 7 & 8 students had a busy April as they got closer to the final preparation stages for the MATE ROV Scout competition held on the evening of Thursday, May 1st and the day of Friday, May 2nd at the Marine Institute located at 155 Ridge Rd, St John's. Over the past couple of months the students has been given time to make an ROV with attachments. They have had the opportunity to pilot and fly the ROV while completing several tasks related to this year’s competition theme: Exploring the Great Lakes: Shipwrecks, Sinkholes, and Conservation in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Students have been testing the ROV in the water at the pool owned by Ocean Quest (http://www.oceanquestadventures.com/). The Villanova Bionic Vipers robotics team and the school would like to say a big Thank-You to Mr. Rick Stanley and staff of Ocean Quest for allowing the team time to use their facility to practice using the ROV. To see more about the theme and the competition go to the following link: http://newfoundlandlabrador.marinetech2.org/ Robotics club for the Grade 6 students will continue until the later part of May. Throughout the sessions students have been progressing very well with learning how to program and design their own NXT robot. They have also had opportunity to be using touch and ultra-sonic sensors with the NXT. The next step will be for the students to begin using a First Lego League mission mat allowing them to learn how to program the NXT to complete a task/mission. UNDER THE TRUSTEESHIP OF THE NL ENGLISH SCHOOL DISTRICT Page 6 Hopefully, the sessions have given students the opportunity to build on problem solving skills while learning about science and technology. If students would like to continue with learning about using the NXT then next September they will have a chance to sign up for the grade 7 & 8 group. At this time they could be selected to participate in a FLL competition against other schools. Provincial Skills Challenge 2014 Villanova students have continued success at the Provincial Skills held on April 4th at the College of the North Atlantic. In the 3D Animation category Haley Martin & Keagan Dalley won Gold, Megan Coles won Gold in Workplace Safety, and Leah Hewitt won a Silver medal in the CDBC (The Pitch). Elizabeth Blake who competed in the Public Speaking category did not place, but had a very good showing against a strong group of High School students. The Gold medal winners Haley Martin, Keagan Dalley, and Megan Coles are now off to the 20th Annual Skills Canada National Competition at the International Centre in Toronto, Ontario from Tuesday, June 3rd – Saturday, June 7th. They will be part of Team Newfoundland representing our province. Leah Hewitt has been selected to go as an ambassador for the CDBC pitch category as this event is not a competition event at the Nationals. One of our teachers has also been given the opportunity to attend the National Skills Competition. Darlene Moulton will travel with the Newfoundland contingent as a chaperone. Let’s Talk Science Challenge Twenty students (five teams) participated in the Let’s Talk Science Challenge at Memorial University, on April 29th. The Dream Team which consisted of Joel Lane, Andrew Hadfield, Kyle Peyton and Alex King were awarded the silver medal. A list of all those who participated and pictures from that day can be seen on the school website. It was an amazing day of fun and learning. Band News Mr. Follett Congratulations to the VRB IX on their fine performance on the last day of school before Easter break. The students performed an acoustic version of Serena Ryder’s Stompa in the main lobby as students exited. This is the second year the group has performed on this occasion. A new Villanova tradition! push from all band members will help us pull off a great performance to end our year. Please make an extra effort to attend all rehearsals leading up to the concert as well. Music in May Ms. Gillingham Congratulations to the Grade 6 Choir, Jenna Rideout, Grace Myles, Logan Niblock, Maria McGann, Jenna Legge, Laura Kieley, Jacob Barrett-Brazil, Shea Kieley, Mackenzie Mitchell, Logan Millard and Grace Smith on their wonderful performance at their DARE graduation and Celebration of the Arts on April 10, 2014. The Next Grade 6 performance will be the June Talent Show. Stay tuned for more details!! SPRING CONCERT INFORMATION SAVE THE DATE: May 15, 2014 The Grade 5 Choir and Year One band will be performing the year end demonstration concert on Thursday May 15, 2014. This concert will begin at 6:30 in the school gymnasium and should run approximately 45 minutes. Details and ticket information was sent home on Wednesday April 30. Please read the information, complete the ticket form and return it beginning May 5. SPRING CONCERT INFORMATION SAVE THE DATE: May 15, 2014 Junior High Glee will be performing their year end concert on Thursday, May 15, 2014, combined with the Senior Band. This concert will begin at 7:45 at Villanova Junior High School gymnasium. Details and ticket information was sent home on Wednesday, April 30. Please read the information, complete the ticket for and return it beginning May 5. Media Club – Mr. Follett The members of our media club have been working diligently to complete their news features for the next edition of Viper News. The episode is scheduled to debut before the end of May. The members of our media club will be visiting the CBC studios in St. John’s in early June to get a firsthand look at how a professional newscast is produced. Jr. High Baseball Team Mr. Cameron Tryouts for the Villanova Jr. High baseball team will be taking place in early May. This is for students in grade 7-9. The tryout schedule is not known at this time. Students must listen to the daily announcements for further updates about tryout times and locations. Ultimate Frisbee Ms. Lundrigan All Senior and Year One Band members should be putting in some extra practice in preparation for our spring concert on May 15. The parts are coming along but a little extra Our ultimate team will continue with practices and scrimmage games throughout the month of May. Please listen to the announcements for more details and times. Unfortunately, we could not enter a team in the Jr. High tournament hosted by the NLUA (Newfoundland and Labrador Ultimate Association) which will be held in May in St. John’s. Our team was not able to meet the male to female ratio as required by the association. For additional information, please contact Ms. Lundrigan at hubertalundrigan@esdnl.ca. UNDER THE TRUSTEESHIP OF THE NL ENGLISH SCHOOL DISTRICT Page 7 Volleyball 2013-2014 School Year Book Grade 7 Girls Volleyball Team: The girls won bronze at the Holy Trinity Golden Ball Championship on April 11-12. It was a very competitive tournament, and the team performed very well! It's been a busy and successful year for the team, competing in seven tournaments winning one gold, two silver, and three bronze. The team will continue to practice until early June, when they will compete in their final tournament for the year. Special thanks to coaches Dean Rowsell and Carly Gamberg-Baldwin. Below is a picture of the girls with their medals. Great job girls! Throughout the school year there have been a variety of activities and events that have taken place in our school. All of these memories have been captured on camera and will be compiled into a yearbook. Some of the pages in the yearbook will include pictures of each homeroom, teams, clubs, field trips and candid shots around the school. Purchasing a yearbook will ensure that all the fun we have had this year at Villanova Junior High will be remembered forever. Your child can purchase this 32 page color yearbook for $15.00 from Thursday, May 22nd, to Thursday May 29th. Yearbooks can be paid for by cash or by cheque made payable to Villanova Junior High. Each morning homeroom teachers will collect yearbook orders. A receipt will be given to the student. Please ensure your child keeps this receipt until yearbooks are received next fall. The yearbook is sure to be a reflection of the wonderful year we have had at Villanova Junior High! If you have any questions please e-mail Ms. Corbett (lisacorbett@esdnl.ca) or Ms. Campbell (katherinecampbell@esdnl.ca). Dates to Remember: May 1 & 2: MATE ROV Competition May 2 - 3: Regional Grade 8 Heritage Fair. May 5 - 15: Annual Frank Roberts Hockey Tournament. May 6: Quebec Trip Final Meeting for parents and students. May 9th: Annual School Hockey Game at Robert French Stadium May 12: Kiwanis Gr. 6 Spelling Bee May 13: French Speak-offs May 15: Spring Concerts May 19: Victoria Day Holiday – No School May 20 – 24: Grade 8 Quebec Trip May 22 – 29: Year Book Ordering May 24: Provincial Cheerleading Competitions May 27: Elementary Oratorical May 29: Grade 8 Farewell May 30: Teacher PD Day May 30: Volunteer Breakfast Hockey Mr. Jenkins, Mr. Walsh & Mr. Whelan Our team will be participating in the Annual Frank Roberts Hockey Tournament from May 5 – May 15. There are 12 teams entered in the tournament. We will play St. Kevin’s Jr. High May 5 @ 7:00 pm; On May 7 we will play Leary’s Brook Jr. High @ 6:00 pm. On May 8 we will play St. Paul’s Jr. High @ 7:00 pm. On May 9 we play Frank Roberts @ 12:30 pm. Grade 7 & 8 will have the opportunity to attend this game, a permission slip was sent home after the Easter Break an is due back on Monday May 5th. Our final game in the round robin will be on Monday, May 12 against St. Peter’s Jr. High. Playoffs will start on Wednesday, May 14, the championship game will be on Thursday, May 15. We will announce our placement and game times after the round robin. We wish our team the best of luck for a fun and exciting tournament. Cheerleading Ms. Ball Well it will soon be go-time for the VJH cheerleaders! The event we have practiced all year for is this month! The NLCA Provincials are Saturday, May 24th, at the North East Avalon Arena in Torbay. As of the date of this newsletter, we do not have all the details except that the junior high competition will be in the afternoon and that the spectator fee is $10. Details will be e-mailed to parents and athletes as soon as they are available. There will be a 20 minute run through on the competition floor the Friday before competition. However again we do not have the details as of right now. Attendance is mandatory for all practices times unless under special circumstances. A calendar of practices times leading up to the Provincials will be sent home once extra practice times have been set. Go Vipers!! If you have any questions or concerns relating to any items on this newsletter or any other items please contact, via e-mail: Mr. Jenkins, barryjenkins@esdnl.ca or Ms. Tilley, carolyntilley@esdnl.ca or by telephone at 834-3916. UNDER THE TRUSTEESHIP OF THE NL ENGLISH SCHOOL DISTRICT Page 8 More Pictures from Clara’s Big Ride UNDER THE TRUSTEESHIP OF THE NL ENGLISH SCHOOL DISTRICT Page 9