Assiniboia Composite High School NEWSLETTER

Box 1300 – 200 Bell Road Assiniboia, SK S0H 0B0 (642-3319)

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“Learning Together” Friday, November 28, 2014

IMPORTANT DATES

December 1 – Driver’s Education – 12:30 – Last Day December 1 – Early Dismissal 2:15 – LIT Meetings December 2 – Speech Arts – All day ELA classes – Library December 5 - Rob Nash Presentation 10am-12pm December 15 - Early Dismissal 2:15 – LIT Meetings December 15-19 - SLC Christmas Activities December 19 – 3:20 Dismissal December 22-Jan 2 – Christmas Break Jan 5 – First Day of Classes after Christmas Break

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

The Christmas season is fast upon us and the students and staff of ACHS are all working busily to ensure courses are at the right point to finish during the last week of January. Christmas activities and the spirit of Christmas seem to abound as we prepare for the big day when students and staff can enjoy time with both family and friends.

With just 6 weeks of classes till final exams, academics are much at the forefront of our thoughts. Our Learning Teams continue to aide our students in the pursuit of reading comprehension through numerous strategies and directed learnings. Our many programs for homework completion and support are giving students an excellent chance to succeed in each and every course. Midterm reports showed just how well our students were achieving and the hopes are that this momentum can kept right through till semester end.

The students and staff have also been busy with a multitude of extracurricular events. The drama club saw a revitalization with numerous students participating in “The Snow Angel”. Thanks to all who supported the work of these budding actresses and actors .Kudos also goes out to alumni director Style Stenberg for his tireless work. Also, after a very successful season on the volleyball floor with both girls and boys programs reaching the regional level and our football team having a very positive year, our attention turns to basketball and curling. Teams are starting to practice and prepare for both tournament and league play. Good luck to all student athletes and coaches as you create lasting memories through sports.   

In closing, I would like to wish each and every family a Merry Christmas  and A Happy New Year in 2014!

Mr. Brent Chadwick

Principal

NEWS FROM THE OFFICE

If you have a child that is going to be absent or late from school, please either telephone the school at 306-642-3319 or email Kim Shaw at shaw.kim@prairiesouth.ca

Please see the upcoming exam schedule below.

JANUARY 2015 FINAL EXAM SCHEDULEGrade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12

MondayJanuary 26

9:00 a.m.50 ELA 20(29) SHIFT 30 (21)

1:00 p.m.35 Accounting 10 (17) Math W/A 20(17) Math W/A 30 – D(1)

TuesdayJanuary 27 9:00 a.m.

79 ELA 9(38) History 20(25)

English 30 B – D(16)

1:00 p.m.53 ELA 10 (30) Math Pre Calc 30(23)

Wednesday January 28

9:00a.m.79 Math 9 (38) Mechanics 10(15) Biology 30-D(26)

1:00 p.m. 64 Math 10 W/A(30) Chemistry 20(29) French 30 (5)

ThursdayJanuary 29

9:00 a.m. 62

Science 9 (38) Math FND 20 (24)

1:00 p.m.

Friday January 30th – Teacher Day – No Classes for Students Monday February 2th – Semester 2 begins NOTE: Exams start at 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. SHARP!!! Departmental Registration at 8:45 AM or 12:45 PM in Library

MUFFINS FOR THE MIND . . .  It is a tradition to have muffins available for students during exam week.   Exams will be Monday January 26 to Thursday January 29.   Please call Sue Waiting @ 263-4626 or email waiting@sasktel.net if you could make a batch to donate. Thank you in advance! School Community Council

SCHOOL COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Brenda Holly, Gayleen Thompson, Annette Kesslering, Patty Mergel, Patti Pomrenke, Sheridan Mergel, Jonie Rasmussen and Suzanne Waiting would like to introduce ourselves to the school community. We are happy to be working with the school administration in support of the learning and development taking place at ACHS!!

Art Club

The ACHS art club is poised and ready to begin a new season with many interesting projects on the go. ACHS typically submits works during the month of May to the Kay Cristo room beside the library. Make sure to pop by and see the brilliant submissions form our talented students at ACHS.If you are community member who would like to share your talents with our club we would love to partner with you to put on workshops for the students. Please call Cheri Cowan at 306-542-3319

QSP

We have finished up with our QSP fundraiser. Thank you to all the students who participated and the many people who supported the school with their contributions. Our top sellers are as follows:

1. Heidi Hepburn2. Christie Fender3. Luke Turner4. Kaitlin Feeley5. Megan Zerie

The winning CLASS with most students participating is Mr. Chadwick’s Pre-Calculus class. Congratulations!!

Library NewsExciting news – we are brainstorming to change the look of the library. Our students have amazing, creative ideas to bring colour into our space. I really appreciate their enthusiasm to help make the library more inviting. More news in the months to come!Book Club – we are cruising through our books, as usual. We simply love to get together and chat about our favourite books.

Wishing you all a relaxing break spent with family and friends. Merry Christmas and all the best in 2015!

Mrs. Feicht

ACHS DRAMA CLUB

If you missed SNOW ANGEL from November 19-22 then you missed the chance to be thrown into the world of Leeville, a small town in Southern Saskatchewan, where after a particularly violent winter blizzard shows up, a young girl by the name of EVA enters the lives of 11 unsuspecting teenagers.   Im happy to report more than 400 people saw the show over the course of the week of production.   It is always said that Film, TV and Theatre creates a world that society often models itself after, so I will take responsibility for the snow.

Im soon catching my jet-plane back to Vancouver (current temperature +12) which has caused me to look back on the last 5 weeks. I have never put together a show in 5 weeks in the 4 years I have been doing this professionally. Producing independent theatre has its challenges, but squishing everything into 5 weeks was particularly challenging. It was only possible by the support network that ACHS has. A huge thanks to all the Staff, Parents and people from the community that banded together to make SNOW ANGEL such a success.

Now that Cheri Cowan and I have let the dust settle we already have a very ambitious plan and schedule for the next 12 months. Even though the curtain has closed on SNOW ANGEL, we have only just cracked open the possibilities here in ACHS. If you are interested in getting involved with the Drama department at ACHS talk to Mrs. Cowan.  

Keep your calendars close as we will be releasing details about future shows. FYI, our next big production will be nothing like you have ever seen before. Its a child hood favorite sure to be a family night out!

THEATRE FUNNIES

CANTEEN MENU  Cheese Pizza                                    $2.00

Pepperoni Stick                                  $3.00

Ham and Eggers                                  $3.00

Veggies and Dip                                                $3.00

1/2 Subs                                                              $4.00                Pizza                HamCalifornia salad                                  $4.00Pepperoni Pizza Slice                     $3.00            (Mondays only)                                 2/$5.00                  Grilled Cheese                                  $2.00                (Fridays only) Menchie’s frozen yogurt      $3.00

Any parents wishing to buy a pre-paid canteen card for their student is encouraged to contact the office.  

SPORTS

2014-2015 CURLING

ACHS curling is off to a rockin start this season. We hope to sweep our way to two provincial championships.

Practices are on Mondays from 3:30 to 5:00pm. The teams are not finalized yet, but we have had sixteen curlers out to practices this year.

ACHS SENIOR FOOTBALL TEAM

This year the Assiniboia Rockets Senior Football team made a switch from nine-man football to six-man. It was a huge change, but the team handled it well. We played teams as far away as Lanigan, Southey, Watrous, Wynyard, and Cupar. Our final game of the season was against the 4-1 Wynyard Bears, and we came out swinging. The Assiniboia Rockets started out strong and kept up the pace, winning the game 30-14. They represented our school and town very well. With this win against Wynyard, and a landslide victory against the Cupar Wildcats, the Rockets finished the season with a 2-4 record. The final game against Wynyard marked the end of 5 senior players’ high school football careers: Carson Bell, Avery Sabourin-Altman, Brandon Fjeldberg, Matthew Fauser, and Taylor R. Wandler. The 19 remaining Rockets players are already looking forward to next season, and have high expectations. This exceptional season sparked new interest around the school and several new players are expressing interest in playing with the Rockets in the upcoming 2015 season.

Our football banquet was a success, with a 100% turnout rate. Awards were handed out as well. The MVP’s of the team were Logan Neff for Defense, and Avery Sabourin-Altman on the Offensive side of the ball. Coaches awards were handed out to Brandon Fjeldberg and Weston Mergel. Rookie of the year went to Riley Moneo. Quayd Fink received the Most Improved award. Carson Bell received two awards, The Rock award and Top Lineman.

This season wouldn’t have been successful without all of the help and volunteering we received from the community. The Rockets players would like to thank the fans, officials, parents, and anyone else who volunteered. A special shout out goes to the coaches of our team, who spent countless hours in some miserable weather and behind the desk planning new ways to improve the team. We couldn’t have done it without all of these contributors. Thank you very much to everyone involved.

And now, to close off, the remaining players are hoping to see all you fans returning next year to cheer on the team! They won’t disappoint.

Matt Fauser & Quayd Fink

SENIOR BOYS VOLLEYBALL

It was great to see the senior boy’s volleyball team start up again. With only grade 10 & 11 boys, we have set up a foundation and expectation for next year.  The boys were Eric, Kohlton, Patrick, Clay, Davis, Justin, Kyle, Cooper, Tyson, Logan, and Brady.  

We played in the rural league, playing our games on Tuesdays.  We travelled to Bengough and Mossbank, as well as two home games. Each Tuesday was set up to play two teams. We attended two away tournaments, Rockglen and Rouleau and hosted our own tournament at the end of October.  Our regional tournament was held in MJ on Nov 21 & 22. We gained a great deal of experience throughout the season and have lots to look forward to next year. Thanks to the lines people, score keepers, and parents for helping and supporting us.  

Coach Laurie Hawkins

35 BIZZARREST CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

1. South Africa - This festive South African delicacy is not for the faint hearted – on Christmas Day, locals dig into the deep-fried caterpillars of the Emperor Moth.

2. Austria - Austrian children live in fear of Krampus – a Christmas devil who is said to beat naughty children with branches! What????

3. Catalonia - Catalonians include the figure of the Caganer in their nativity scenes – a small figure of a defecating man. Catalonians also have the Tio de Nadal, otherwise known as the “pooping log”. Decorated with a face and blanket, on Christmas Eve the log is place halfway into a fire and beaten with sticks.

4. Norway - There’s no cleaning on Christmas Eve in Norway – all brooms are safely hidden away in case they are stolen by witches and evil spirits.

5. Japan - Advertising can be incredibly powerful. Thanks to a campaign in 1974, many Japanese families eat at KFC on Christmas Eve.

6. Venezuela - Venezuelans attend Mass in the run-up to Christmas. However, Caracas residents have developed a strange tradition – journeying to Mass on roller skates.

7. Greenland - Greenland has some unusual Christmas recipes. Matak is a raw whale skin, served with blubber. Kiviak is 500 dead auk birds, stuffed into a seal skin, and left to ferment for 7 months.

8. Germany - Germans hide a pickle in the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve – the first child to discover it in the morning receives a small gift. German children leave a shoe outside the house on December 5th, which is then filled with sweets overnight. Naughty children awake to find a tree branch in the shoe instead.

9. New Zealand - Rather than using the traditional conifer, New Zealanders decorate Pohutukawa trees at Christmas.

10. Portugal - Consida is a traditional Christmas morning feast in Portugal. This is a time for remembering the dead, and families lay places for the souls of their late loved ones.

11. Ukraine - Ukrainians forego tinsel and baubles, instead decorating their Christmas trees with an artificial spider and web.

12. Czech Republic - In the Czech Republic, unmarried women stand by a door and throw a shoe over their shoulder – if the toe is pointing towards the door when it lands, they will get married within the next year.

13. Estonia - On Christmas Eve, Estonian families traditionally head to the sauna together.

14. Wales - Marie Lwyd is performed in some Welsh villages on Christmas Eve. A villager is chosen to parade through the streets, bearing the skull of a mare on the end of a stick.

15. Iceland - The Yule Cat is said to stalk the Icelandic hills. Those who don’t receive new clothes before Christmas Eve are said to be devoured by this mythical beast.

16. Sweden - Since 1966, authorities in Gavle have installed a straw Swedish Yule Goat. However, almost

every other year, vandals have succeeded in burning it down. Another Swedish tradition involves festive rice pudding. A peeled almond is hidden in the desert, and the person who finds it will supposedly be married within a year.

17. Great Britain - An age-old tradition dictates that each member of the family must stir the Christmas pudding mix in a clockwise direction before it’s cooked, making a wish as they do so.

18. Italy - Rather than Santa Claus, Italian children await the arrival of Befana, a friendly witch who delivers sweets and toys on the fifth of January.

19. Ethiopia - Ethiopians celebrate Christmas on January 7th. People wear white clothes, and the men play ganna – a fast paced game with sticks and wooden balls.

20. Latvia - In Latvia, a group of “mummers”, dressed in a variety of costumes, travel from house to house. Each household must give them a treat in return for a blessing.

21. Guatemala - Guatemalans sweep out their houses before Christmas. Each neighborhood will then create a large pile of dirt, before placing an effigy of the devil on top, and burning it.

22. Cuba – Every December, Cuban city Remedios plays host to the Parrandas festival. The city divides into two halves, each building a themed sculpture from light bulbs, in preparation for Christmas Eve.

23. Bavaria – In Bavaria, a noisy Christmas tradition has taken hold. Wearing the national costume of lederhosen, Bavarian Highlanders fire mortars into the air.

24. Greece – The Kallikantzaroi, a race of evil goblins, lurk underground according to Greek legend. During the 12 days of Christmas they supposedly surface, wreaking havoc.

25. Slovakia – In Slovakia, the most senior man of the house takes a spoonful of Loksa pudding and throws it at the ceiling – the more that sticks, the better.

26. Japan – White Christmas cards are sent to friends and family. Red cards, however, are to be avoided – this is traditionally the colour of funeral announcements.

27. Canada – Canada Post recognizes the address Santa Claus, North Pole, Canada, HOHOHO. Any letters received bearing this address are both opened and replied to.

28. Finland – Finnish people traditionally mark Christmas with a touching tribute to the dead. Families light candles at the graves of their departed loved ones, making Finnish graveyards a beautiful sight.

29. Iceland – Icelandic children leave a shoe on their bedroom windowsills during the 12 days of Christmas. Each night, it’s filled with sweets or gifts, ready to be enjoyed in the morning.

30. England – Santa Claus traditionally leaves presents in a child’s stocking on Christmas Eve. However, naughty children may wake up on Christmas morning to find a lump of coal in their stockings.

31. South Africa – South African children are told the story of Danny, a young boy who angered his grandmother by eating the cookies that had been left for Santa. In her rage she killed him, and he is said to haunt homes at Christmas.

32. USA – Americans have created a boozy Christmas tradition called The Running of the Santas. Each event sees scores of people – dressed as Santa – taking part in a large bar crawl.

HMMMMMM, I like the idea of KFC on Christmas Eve