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THE DAMASCUS
CRIER
Message from our Principal
Special points of interest:
Principals Message
Expense Information
Page 2
Events coming up
Pages 9-17
Europe Trip details
Page 3
June 2012
Volume 9, 2011/12
Mr Paul Byrne
Dear Students and Parents:
May God give us light to guide us, courage to support us, and love to unite us; and the
blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain
with you always
June is here! It is hard to believe that another school year is coming to an end. I want to thank
our parents for the trust you have in us to be your partners in education for the 2011-2012 school
year. I look forward to welcoming you back in August for the 2012-2013 school year. I extend
best wishes to our students and families who will take a different path next year. This year we
have over one hundred students completing grade 12. This is a very special time in your lives.
You will have many options and challenges as you move forward. I sincerely hope that you
embrace opportunities available to you and pursue your goals diligently.
Final exams are upon us. The effort that our students give over the next three weeks can make a
significant difference in their final grades. I especially want to encourage our students to make
your studies a top priority. If you are writing diploma exams, remember, that extra effort now can
make the difference between a pass or a fail; a 75% or an 85%. Ensure you take every advantage
of the extra support offered by your teachers as you prepare for final exams. Although we do not
endorse any external programs, if you are considering courses such as “Rock the Diploma” –
diploma exam prep courses, I commend you for taking this extra initiative.
There are a few important events taking place in June. Our graduation ceremony happens on
June 8. I look forward to seeing all of our graduates and their families at the ceremony. It truly is
a very special day for all those who attend. We also have a number of picnics taking place; June 1
in Edmonton and June 28 in Okotoks. This is a great way to say good bye to friends and
classmates.
The first day of online classes for students is August 29. Remember, online orientation takes
place on August 29, 30, 31 so if you are returning to us, you do not have to take the orientation
again. Our blended, fully aligned and traditional families are encouraged to meet with their
teachers and facilitators to complete their registration and program plan for the coming year.
Finally, I have heard from a number of parents regarding the changes in funding for the coming
year. I personally want to thank you for contacting us directly with your concerns and suggestions.
I am pleased to announce that the resource fee is being adjusted to $150 per student to a
maximum family amount of $300. This change will require us to prioritize some of our new
initiatives, but parents can expect, at a minimum, the same level of service and activities. One of
our goals is to provide more opportunities for family interaction outside of Calgary and Edmonton.
I wish you all the best for a safe and relaxing summer!
God Bless!
Paul Byrne
Principal
For direct deposit to your bank account
forward a VOID cheque
your email address Expense Claims and original receipts must be received in the office before the 10th of each month. The first cheque run is
in late October. The deadline for your last expense claim is June 30; the final cheque run will be done in August. This allows time to re-
turn textbooks that belong to The Centre for Learning@HOME. If you submit extra expenses, we will hold those receipts and will reimburse you the following year, if you are registered
with us. Cheque runs will be processed in August and March for high school CEU funding which is $25/credit.
Unused funding for the current school year will NOT be carried forward to the next year. Please contact Mary Lynn Schneider should you have any questions on 403 938 4119 x 254
*Criteria for High School CEU funding to be reimbursed:
credits have been earned (Courses completed with a passing mark).
ALL books have been returned
Receipts and Family Expense claim forms have been submitted
Expenses Marilyn Wright
403 938 4119 x 222
Mary Lynn Schneider
403 938 4119 x 254
We DO NOT reimburse for the following; Mileage Travel expenses Fuel Meals Clothing Accommodation
Please make a copy of your
expense claim and receipts
before submitting…….
just in case!
2
Expenses must be received in
the office by the 10th of the
month to receive the pay-
ment at the end of that
month.
Please notify us of any
change of
banking/address/email
changes.
Great Jo
b!
3
The Centre for Learning (CFL) is organizing an April, 2013, Easter break trip to France and
Italy for students in grades 9 to 12 (March 27 to April 5). Students are taken on a first-come
-first-serve-basis. If you are interested in joining us on this school trip please contact Mr.
Allan Brennan at 1-800-659-1945 ext. 291. The next three students that sign up receive a
$99 discount. For trip details click on the Italy and France Trip tab at our CFL web site or
check out check out the following web link:
http://albertahomeeducation.ca/uploads/France-Italy2013Trip.pdf
Coliseum in Rome Leaning Tower of Pisa
Paris and the Eiffel Tower
F F C U SC U S
4
LEAVE NOT ONE HEART BEHIND June, 2012
From your Learning Support Team
SCANNING TIPS... File type jpeg. or pdf
Low resolution (dpi 200)
Grayscale or black & White
(unless colour is requested by your
teacher).
Tech talk
…..
Hello everyone, June is upon us and it is a crazy month with lots of exams, graduation and the summer picnics in Edmonton and Okotoks.
Keep smiling, take a deep breath and prepare yourself for the exams. Studying makes all the difference! Remember to use Exambank to support you. www.exambank.com is an easy to use studying technique. The questions are Alberta Education standards, following the curriculum and helping you to prepare yourself for the exams. If you get a question wrong, the program will give you the correct answer and a short explanation. Keep working hard as we are fast approaching
the end of the year. You can look forward to those long, hot, hazy, summer days just ahead of you! God Bless!
Having
Trouble with
Math?
Here's a math website that is great
for building on math skills. Many of our
students use this site because they
find it very helpful… hopefully you will
too!
5
You can never cross the ocean unless you
have the courage to lose sight of the shore. - Christopher Columbus
Preparing for the New School Year
Plan for Success By Grace Fleming, About.com Guide
To set yourself up for a successful school year, you can establish some standards and
guidelines to follow through the entire year. A great plan may start with a simple conversa-
tion with parents which will lead to clear family communication, and it could include tools
like checklists, which will help you stay on track and prepare for tests and due dates.
A good plan will reduce tension in the home, free up time for extracurricular activities, and ensure that you get
your homework done in time.
1. Identify a Time Management Tool
Great time management requires very little in the way of investment, but the payoff can be priceless! A few simple
tools will keep students on track and on target all year long. A simple wall calendar and a few colored stickers will
do the trick:
Simply place the big wall calendar in a prominent place near your regular study space.
Then come up with a color code for your classes (like green for math and yellow for history).
When you have a big due date or a test date, place the appropriate colored sticker on that date for all to see.
The big wall calendar is just one tool that you can use in your time management tool kit. Find a few tools that are
right for you and you'll see how easy it is to stay on top of your work.
2. Preview the Expectations
It's always a good idea to preview the material that you will cover over the coming months. Take a look at the top-
ics you'll cover in math, science, social science, and language areas--but don't get nervous or overwhelmed by
what you see. The idea is simply to establish a mental framework to follow.
3. Get Organized With Color
If you're already a very organized person, you are one step ahead of many people! But many students (and par-
ents) can use some help when it comes to staying organized. Color coding is one of the best tools for keeping
homework, folders, and school supplies organized.
You may want to start with a pack of colored highlighters, then find folders, notes, and stickers to match them.
Assign a color for every school subject.
Use coordinated colors when highlighting notes, compiling research, and filing in folders.
You'll find that your homework are much easier to track when you stick to the color-coding method.
4. Stop the Madness With Homework Checklists
Are school mornings chaotic in your household? A checklist might cut down on the madness. The school morning
checklist reminds students to finish all tasks, from brushing teeth to packing assignments into the backpack. You
can use a checklist for every assignment to stay on track!
5. Consider a Homework Contract
There are lots of benefits to establishing a clear set of rules. A written contract between students and parents can
clear up any potential confusion when it comes to expectations. A simple document can establish:
Have a great summer every-5
6
COUNSELLOR’S CORNER
Mrs. Chelsey Strilchuk
Guidance Counsellor
Phone: (403) 938-4119 ext. 273
Toll Free Phone: 1-800-659-1945
Fax: (403) 938-8070
E-mail: [email protected]
The Centre for Learning@Home -- St. Paul's Acad-
emy
www.albertahomeeducation.ca
Mrs. Annemarie Barwich
Teacher Consultant
The Centre for Learning@Home
Phone: 403 931-4279
Fax: 403 931-4037
Email: [email protected]
Blended/Traditional High School Guidance Counsellor
Centre for Learning @ Home
1 800 659-1945 403 938-8046 Ext. 272
Ms. Caroline St-Pierre
Student Services
Centre for Learning@Home
Email: [email protected]
(403) 938-4119 ext. 236
1-800-659-1945 ext. 236
Fax 403-938-8070
Greetings from the counselling office,
Congratulations future graduates! Good luck with your Final and Diploma exams.
If you need any assistance with post secondary scholarships or applications -
please do not hesitate to phone me.
Make sure to send in your registration documents as soon as possible! If you are in
High School, please go to the following link to book a phone interview with your
guidance cousellor to program plan for next year. https://cflhome-guidance.schoolsoft.ca This includes discussing credits, scholarships, post-secondary
schools, streams of classes and your diploma requirements. I look forward to
speaking with you!
Have a wonderful summer - take time to relax and recharge your batteries!!
God bless,
Mrs. Strilchuk
7
The Centre for Learning @Home is starting a
Reach for the Top Team!!
Reach for the top is a trivia league in which high school trivia
teams compete against one another.
Most of the trivia competitions are in the Calgary area. If the CFL
team progresses to the provincial competition it will give our team a
shot at the national tournament which will be held in Toronto,
Ontario.
WE NEED STUDENTS TO SIGN UP
Trivia questions are based on all subject areas Students of all
interests are encouraged to represent the Centre for Learning
@Home
For more information contact Ms. Harnish or Ms. Young
[email protected] or 403-938-4119 extension 297
8
Hello Fellow CFL’ers,
Well the count down is on till the end of the school year. It seems that the year flew by
what with all the school work, recreational activities and cultural events that we
participated in.
We managed to pack quite a variety of events into our school year from Clay Classes to
archery lessons, The Christmas Carol to Parkour. I tried to schedule as many of the
events you all requested as possible and know that next year will be filled with many
repeat and new adventures. If there is an activity/event that you are SO EXCITED to
try please don’t hesitate to contact the events coordinator and we can try to make it
happen!
As some of you know I will not be returning next year as I will be on maternity leave
and home with the new addition to the Duret Household. I am so thankful for the
opportunity I have had to share this school year with all of you. I have spent the last
year getting to know some amazing members of the Centre For Learning @ HOME
family. (I am going to TRY to make the year end picnic this year to say goodbye to
everyone!)
With the events winding down for the year I want to remind you that eating right and
staying active is important for your health. So get off the couch, enjoy the sunshine
and most important PLAY SAFE!
Sincerely, your recreation and event coordinator,
Shelley Duret
- June 6—Connector Zoo Day
- June 9—GRADUATION
- June 28—Okotoks Year-End Picnic
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Looking for something new and fun to do this summer? Check out
Geocaching! This fun, walking-intensive activity - essentially a technological
scavenger hunt - is sweeping the nation. All you need to participate is a hand-
held GPS device. Here's how it works: people hide objects almost anywhere you
could imagine (the caches), and list them online only by their latitude and
longitude. Geocachers become members of these online groups and select
caches to find based on general location and difficulty of the search. Caches are
inexpensive, fun and quirky. When you find a cache, you leave something else
for the next person. To learn more, go to www.geocaching.com.
Seven tips for geocaching with kids: Engage kids in every step, from learning
to use the GPS, to selecting and finding caches.
Bring water, bug repellent, and hats on cache hunts.
Let kids find the cache after arriving at the coordinates.
Educate kids on the “take one, leave one” ethic of cache treasures.
Pack out your own trash, or better yet, show the kids a great example by
packing out other trash you may find along the way.
Bring a camera and notepad and pen (to write down numbers of trackable
items).
Integrate science, history, geography, or geology lessons.
If the idea of packing up the family and heading out to the woods gives you the
chills, spend an afternoon camping in the backyard. Tell stories, sing songs and
pretend you're hundreds of miles from civilization. No running inside to answer
the phone or grab a soda from the fridge either!
Squeeze that entrepreneurial spirit out of your kids. Spring is the perfect time to
open a lemonade stand. Your kids don't have to sit in the blazing summer sun
and neighbors seeking fresh air become loyal customers. Get the lemonade
stand ready with Lemonade signs you can print from home. Then help the kids
make a batch of home made lemonade that's a delicious blend of sweet and
sour.
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The Centre for Learning@HOME’s address is;
Box 137. 46 Elma St, Okotoks,
T1S 1J7
Phone (403)938-4119 or 1-800-659-1945
Registration Fax: (403) 938 8563
Main Office Fax: (403) 938 2657
Teacher Fax: (403)938-8070
www.centreforlearning.ca
www.stpaulsacademy.ca
If you would like to advertise in our newsletter please note the following:
Costs are $100 per year
Artwork should be forwarded via email to
Mandie Barker, email address: [email protected] Contact number 403 938 4119 x 250
Classified Ads These are paid advertisements.
The Centre for Learning@HOME is in no way
liable for the companies or their services
