Newmarket Times

Focusing on Student Success

Newmarket High School 505 Pickering Crescent Newmarket, Ontario, L3Y 8H2 Phone: 905.895-5159, Fax: 905.895-5726

A message from our principal….

Congratulations on completing the first semester of the 2014-15 school year! Our semester newsletter provides another opportunity to highlight some of the great experiences at our school which you might have missed in our regular e-bulletins.

This newsletter coincides with the review and delivery of just under 1300 report cards for first semester. We have an opportunity as an administrative team (Ms. Parris, Mme Richard, Mr. Bredin) to sign each report card and like you, as parents and guardians, we are proud of your child’s success, and thankful for the fantastic support which you provide. To the teachers and support staff, thank you for putting students first, and for your continued efforts throughout this semester.

Each semester brings new opportunities and experiences, both within the classroom, and beyond. Each new class brings new friends, new opportunities, and each day brings the excitement of learning, the challenge of change, the cele-bration of success, and the desire to improve. I’d like to congratulate the 670 students who achieved honours this past semester. Best of luck to all who are working hard towards honours this next semester. As a school this semester, we will continue to focus on developing our students’ critical thinking skills. Throughout the school, students will begin to hear, see and experience more focused and intentional learning intended to develop these skills.

NHS has a thriving student leadership group which supports a multitude of extracurricular events providing opportuni-ties to gather socially, meet new people and develop new friendships. We look forward to the wonderful events planned for semester two, and look fondly on our past successes in the arts, athletics and academics.

Sincerely,

Shawn Bredin

drawing, photography, visual arts

Art Gallery

Anastasiya R. Grade 12

Mathematics... What is AP? “Advanced Placement” refers to a set of courses that are geared towards gifted and/or very highly motivated students who are often finished the regular material and are looking for something more interesting and challenging. Typical AP students are high achievers, curious, motivated, driven to excel and interested in breadth of study. The course content includes topics often taught in University as an extension to present high school curriculum. More information on AP can be found at the two web sites: http://apcentral.collegeboard.com (this is the home site of AP) and http://www.ap.ca. NHS currently offers AP courses in History (European History), Mathematics (Calculus and Statistics), and Science (Biology, Chemis-try and Physics). Students in the French Immersion program can write the AP French exam without taking a specific AP course, as the excellent preparation in their current courses is more than sufficient for them to be successful. As the end of semester 1 approaches, many of our grade 11 and 12 students will continue to work on their present courses into next semester. They will be preparing for their Advanced Placement (AP) Exams – to be written in the first two weeks of May. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the AP subject teachers at NHS.

Newmarket Times Focusing on Student Success

AP Program News and Results from 2013-2014

AP at Newmarket High School is now in its 12th year and continued outstanding results have once again been released. Students and teachers are excited about the program and look forward to a rewarding year of learning. In 2013-2014, 57 of our students wrote 75 exams. Scores on an AP exam are graded on a 1 through 5 scale, 5 being the top grade. When our results are compared with those of the rest of the province, and with all of the students globally who wrote the exam, the true excellence of our students shines brightly. When comparing students who earned scores of 3 or greater, globally, 60% of all students achieve this standard. In Ontario, 78% achieved this standard; at Newmarket High School, an incredible 96% of students achieved this standard. Congratulations are ex-tended to all students and teachers for these impressive results. Highlights of last year’s results include:

In AP Calculus BC and AP European History, all of our students earned level 5

In AP Calculus AB, all of our students earned level 4 or 5 In AP Statistics, 91% of our students earned level 4 or 5 Our graduates tell us that many are able to use the AP credits earned as University credits; have been extremely well prepared for the programs which they have entered; and have recorded excellent results in their programs. Many indicate that the work they did in high school is being rewarded in their University experience . See https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/exploreap/the-rewards for more information on the rewards.

Newmarket Times Focusing on Student Success

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English…

THE PLAY’S THE THING…

NHS students had a wonderful opportunity this past semester to attend a live performance at the Winter Garden Theatre to see Mac-

beth and Hamlet. To complement and extend their learning of the play Macbeth, Grade 11 students enjoyed the production directed

by Charles Roy who examined the play “through the lens of modern military regimes.” Grade 12 students were equally thrilled by

Director Charles Roy’s interpretation of Hamlet. The bus ride home was filled with lively discussion about what the students had seen

on stage in comparison to what they had studied in class. Thank you to all Newmarket High students who were terrific ambassadors

for our school. A special thank you also goes out to Mrs. Lunney for organizing the two trips.

drawing, photography, visual arts

Art Gallery

Erin O. Grade 12

Devanjith G. Grade 12

Stephanie D, Natalie C, Erin O, Devanjith G.

Grade 12

Thanks to Crime Stoppers, Cst. Gary Harvey and YRP’s Det. Cst. Malcolm MacPherson for involving our students in the Crime Stoppers anti-graffiti initia-tive, whereby NHS students had the opportunity to create Crime Stoppers post-ers for the school and the greater community at large. Upon completion of the project, Police Constables Harvey and MacPherson returned for a classroom visit to give our students crime reporting tips, feedback from the poster judging contest and celebrated the students’ efforts with a pizza party. Grade 10 Media Arts student Jessica G.’s poster was selected to be printed and distributed throughout the community, and she was awarded with a $250 cheque from Crime Stoppers. Thanks again to Crime Stoppers and York Regional Police for their strong part-nership and their continued efforts to involve our youth in important crime fight-ing initiatives to keep our community safe.

Visual Arts… See a crime? Have a tip?

It’s Anonymous!

Call 1-800-222-TIPS

Receive a cash award!

Newmarket Times Focusing on Student Success

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Computer Studies...

It has been an exciting first semester in Computer Studies, full of firsts and suc-cesses. On the curricular side, we’ve piloted some new programs to innovate the Department this year. First, we introduced some interfacing – where students were able to program autono-mous robots or control multiple slot cars. Second, we modernized our offerings – allowing students options to create apps for their phones, create 2D and 3D animations, and use in-dustry-level programming tools. Finally, we’ve worked to build 21st century skills into our programming, explicitly incorporating digital literacy, critical thinking and problem solving into our programs to support student success in ALL areas of their lives. On the extra-curricular side, we’ve had two firsts. We participated in the Beaver Computing Challenge again this year, and one of

our students won top honours with a perfect score. This contest tests one of the key areas of Computer Science – critical thinking and problem solving. Second, our students started Newmarket High’s first Robotics Team and they navigated that team to great success at the UOIT Robotics Competition in November. The Spring proves to be just as exciting as they gear up for two additional competitions. A reminder to our grade 9 parents that the first course in Com-puter Studies is in grade 10 – ICS2O. It’s an exciting introduc-tion that will have students taking apart computers/phones to see how they work, programming robots/cars, and learning how to make applications and games. It’s the first step to under-standing our digital world, and is open to all. Thanks to students, staff and parents who all contributed to the changes and success of the Department this year. If you have any questions, or comments, or have an idea to enrich the program, please contact me.

Michael Roy-DiClemente michael.roy-diclemente@yrdsb.ca

Department Head, Computer Studies

Library Learning Commons…

Please take advantage of our online learning resources. This year we are using Gale Research databases and Encyclopedia Britan-nica. You can access these online databases through the school website – www.yrdsb.ca/schools/newmarket.hs - click on Library along the top. Click on Databases on the left sidebar. When using these from home, you will need to use passwords and a user-name. For Gale: Password is york For EB: Username is dsbyork, Password is dsby7692 These are excellent resources for many school projects and essays. Please note also that online encyclopedias will also give suggestions for credible websites and related online articles.

Newmarket Times Focusing on Student Success

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Guidance News... Individual Pathway Planner and Course Selection This past November, all NHS students were given an opportunity to explore their Individual Pathway Planner (IPP) in their career cruising account. The IPP is an internet-based career exploration and education planning tool which helps students plan for their initial post-secondary destination. There are many post-secondary education options and opportunities available after secondary school. Students can apply directly to the workplace, become an apprentice, apply to various diploma programs at college, and/or degree programs at both college and university. With course selection for the 2015/2016 school year just around the corner, students are encouraged to re-visit their IPP with their parents. The course selection presentations, along with pathway planning tips, have been posted on the Guidance page of the NHS website. Guidance counsellors are available to assist students with their research. The timeline is listed below: Monday, February 9th – Monday, February 23rd

LOCK-IN WINDOW: period of time during which students “submit” online course selections through Career Cruising (note: once submitted, course selection can only be changed by your Guidance counsellor); Print the ‘FINAL COPY’ (not draft copy) of your course selection and have it signed by your parent/guardian; Submit your signed copy to the Guidance Office no later than 3:00 PM on MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd FINAL DAY TO SUBMIT COURSE SELECTIONS THROUGH CAREER CRUISING IS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd

IMPORTANT NOTE: After Monday, February 23rd course request paper copies with parent signatures will be date stamped as they are received in Guidance. If a requested course is full, students who submit their information late may be put on a Course Wait List, according to the date submitted. Grade 9 Exam Preparation On Thursday, January 8th, the Guidance Department offered a lunch session for Grade 9 students on "How to Study for Exams". The session lasted approximately 30 minutes, and 48 students attended. We discussed how, when and where to study, as well as looking at reducing stress and anxiety before an exam. Sample exam questions were displayed in a Powerpoint presentation, and students were given a "Study Tips" guide and two different blank calendars to help them schedule their studying time. Extra copies of the "Study Tips" guide and calendars are available in the Guidance office. Another session will run in June to support Grade 9 students with their second semester exams. We hope to see new faces then!

Newmarket Times Focusing on Student Success

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Congratulations to our

Junior Leaders in Community Involvement!

The NHS Guidance Department would like to give a big ‘shout out’ to the following Grade 9 and Grade 10 students who have already completed and submitted their 40 Hours of Community Involvement! These super students include:

Grade 9 Sheby D, Megan E, Kate E, Michelle F, Daniel F, Journee F, Sonia G, Nelson M, Natasha M, Sophia P, Lucas P, Jen S, Matteo T, Brendan W, Matthew W, Jade W, Hasti Z. Grade 10 Justin A, Erica A, Farah A, Andrew A, Arusah A, Julia A., Lucy B, Jamie B, Lindsay B, Gabrielle B, Ossinia B, Hailey C, Melissa C, Leah C, Sydney C, Travis C, Liam C, Meili C, Evan D, Shea E, Carleigh F, Vivian G, Amy G, Jessa G, Raymond G, Krymson H, Kasia H, Kaylee H, Rigel K, Zachary K, Jirek K, Kira K, Taylor C, Allie K, Gloria K, Calista L, Ryan L, Jordan M, Madeline M, Christorpher M, Andrew M, Mia M, Erika M, Sibilen N, Julia P, Kamil P, Connor P, Allie P-T, Emily R, Julianne R, Gregory R, Cameron R, Stephanie R, Victoria R, Douglas R, Emily R, Neil S, Brandon S, Gillian S, Victoria S, Riley T, Stephanie T, Max W, Heather W, Brady W. To each of you on this list, we are so very proud of your exceptional leadership, initiative, and wide range of contributions to commu-nity-minded endeavours in the greater Newmarket area! We hope you continue to find ways to volunteer your time, and thereby, make an ever more significant and positive impact on the lives of those around you! We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Winston Churchill Post Secondary Pathways Money, money, money…… How are you planning to fund your education? Have you thought about scholarships, due dates, criteria etc? Guidance is here to help! There are different opportunities available: School – nominated scholarships are available for the Western University National, the Queens University Chancellors, the Schu-lich Scholarship, the UofT Book Award, and the Loran National Scholarship. Grade 12 graduating students are welcome to apply for these opportunities in the fall of their graduating year, and will be reviewed by NHS’ scholarship committee. This year, we are pleased to announce that Daniel D. was selected to the regional interviews for the Loran. Congratulations, Daniel! Direct admissions scholarships are available through post-secondary institutions and are normally automatic, based on the admis-sions average. In addition, every post-secondary school has its own award/bursary/scholarship section; remember to check out all the opportunities which might be available to you. Other scholarship opportunities are posted on the board outside the Guidance office for all students to see, and this information is also on the Guidance page of the NHS website (parents- this is for you!) http://www.yrdsb.ca/schools/newmarket.hs/guidance/Pages/Scholarships.aspx Grade 12 students, you are encouraged to continually check their career cruising email, as scholarship information is emailed to you regularly! Remember, continue to research information on-line and see your Guidance counsellor for assistance!

Cooperative Education News….

Career exploration, industry-specific employability skills development, acquisition of contacts and references for the future, and perhaps even procurement of a part-time or full-time job; these are all possible through Cooperative Education. This semester was no exception. Students this semester have achieved much more than they expected as they spent over four months working in a variety of fields such as: Accounting, Auto Service, Baking, Business Administration, Carpentry, Dentistry, Early Childhood Education, Hairstyling, Market-ing, Midwifery, Physiotherapy, Pool Service & Installation, Sports Business Management, Teaching, Veterinary Medicine. The Community Based Education Department would like to congratulate our students for a job well done! We would also like to thank this semester’s valued community partners for their commitment to student learning: 404 Emergency Vet Referral Centre, Davis Drive Animal Hospital, Dr. Shawky Dental, Glenwoods Rehab & Physiotherapy Clinic, Habitat for Humanity York Region, Heart & Stroke Foundation, Mazo de la Roche P.S., National Training Rinks, Pfaff Motors Inc.-Volkswagen, Piranha Pools Inc., Royal Oak Railing & Stair, Touch of Elegance by Elise, Vince’s Market Bakery, York Region Midwives. If you have a child or children in grade ten or eleven, consider a Cooperative Education Program next year to further enhance their skills relevant to their career of interest. Or, if you work locally, or own a personal business, please feel free to contact the Community Based Education Department @ 905 895-5159, extension 205. We would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have and explain how to estab-lish a mutually beneficial partnership through co-op. Investing in our future workforce really does pay!

Newmarket Times Focusing on Student Success

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Special Education... February is the time that IPRC paperwork will be completed in preparation for the next school year, 2015-2016. If your child is returning to NHS in the fall, please expect an individualized notice to come home soon.

The OSSLT is coming at the end of March for grade 10 students and previously unsuccessful students. If your child is expecting to use his or her accommodations for the test, please ensure that the office and the Special Education Resource Teacher (SERT) are aware of your decision. If your son or daughter has an IEP, please feel free to contact their Special Education Resource Teacher (SERT) at any time.

Steve King, Special Education, Newmarket High School

905.895.5159 ext. 529

steve.king@yrdsb.ca

Newmarket Times Focusing on Student Success

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Music... Hitting the High Notes at NHS! The music department at NHS has had a very exciting and successful semester! Things started out with our Grade Nine Social, organized by the music council under the leadership of Roya Abedi and Kyra Buchanan. Our grade nine vocal and instrumental students had an evening of pizza and the movie “FOOTLOOSE” as a way of music stu-dents getting a chance to know each other better. The event was a big success. Thanks to the music council! In November, the grade nine instrumental students and members of the Community Class travelled to Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto to hear a performance of the Toronto Symphony with special guests Torq, a spectacular percussion ensemble. The perform-ance was an entertaining and inspiring experience for all.

Our ever popular Coffee House, once again featured “unplugged” performances of students from across the NHS student body in a very enter-taining showcase of talent. Thanks again to the music council for their role in audition-ing performers and organizing the event. Everything went very smoothly! In December, the “Musical Winterlude” took place in the Newmarket Theatre. This concert featured the many bands and choirs of our school in a wonderful evening of entertainment. Thanks to parents and friends who made this a “sold out” event! This year’s production of a full-length Broadway musical featured “FOOTLOOSE”. The show was very well received and played multiple performances again, at the fabulous Newmarket Theatre. The students rehearsed from Septem-ber on, often treating the NHS students to ‘previews” while rehearsing song and dance numbers in the school atrium. The students worked hard and it showed in the final results! There are many up-coming events of note, including the Music Retreat Weekend in Muskoka for grade nine students in February, Music Alive band competitions in March, a Washington Performance Tour for grades 10, 11 and 12 in May, Springtime Serenade, featuring the bands and choirs of NHS on May 13, and the Music Banquet on June 4, 2015. In closing, a big “thank you” to all parents and staff who continue to support music at NHS!

Footloose Cast—2014/15

Newmarket Times Focusing on Student Success

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Athletic News...

Field Hockey……

It was a very exciting year for the field hockey program at NHS. We had over 60 girls at tryouts for the two teams. The tier 2 team had its most successful season ever - with three wins, two ties and one loss. They ended up in a tie for 2nd place but got bumped out of playoffs on goals for/against ratio. The tier 1 team had an outstanding season. They opened with a 5 game tournament win record, then proceeded to win all season games and defeat BCSS in sudden death overtime 2 -1 to win the York Region Championship. The team travelled to Burlington for the OFSAA championship, where they finished their pool play with one tie and two tough losses. This was the third trip in four years to OFSAA for the NHS team.

Just a note for parents of athletes and HPA students at NHS. Mrs. Cathie Croucher is retiring on January 30th after 26 years at NHS (and 33 years in YRDSB) . We thank her dedication to education through sport and wish her all the best! Ms. Laurie

Johnson will be the acting head of HPE for second semester as well as the Coordinator for the HPA program. All new applications for HPA must be directed to Ms. Johnson.

History Department... In December 2014, many of the Grade ten History classes went to the Holocaust Education Centre. At the Centre, the students had the opportunity to meet a Holocaust survivor. The Holocaust survivor shared their experiences pre-war, during the war and rebuilding their lives after the war. The students also had an opportunity to ask questions to the Holocaust survivor. This was an extremely valuable learning experience for all that attended. We will be visiting the Holocaust Education Centre again in Spring 2015. This April, the History Department will be taking students on a World War II and Cold War trip. We will visit four cities – Warsaw, Kra-kow, Berlin and Munich. While in Poland we will see Schindler’s Factory, Auschwitz-Birkenau; the Wieliczka Salt Mine; the Museum of the History of Polish Jews (Warsaw ghetto). Once in Germany, students and staff will have the opportunity to see the Berlin Wall Me-morial, Museum Haus at Checkpoint Charlie and other historical sites that forever changed the face of human history. We are really looking forward to the trip and very excited for this learning opportunity.

Field trip at ROM - By Cham Alhallak – Grade 11 History student At the end of November 2014, Ms. Tanner’s grade 12 World History class and Mrs. Matthews’ World History class went to the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Ontario. At the ROM, we had a tour guide who showed us the exhibits of Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and Ancient China. I learned a lot of things, including that the cultures of Greece and Rome used similar mythological creatures that people from Mesopotamia and Egypt used. In the ancient China section, I found out that a lot of things that we use today come from that civilization. For example, the stirrups on horses were made by the Chinese which improved in long distance traveling and warfare. After the tour was done, we were free to wander the museum; I went to the Byzantine section and learned a lot of stuff about Emperor Constantine, the Haiga Sophia, and how Byzantine people were Christians, but classified themselves as Romans, and celebrated pagan holidays. Overall, the museum was a lot of fun and you learn a lot from it, and I recom-mend that people go next year in history.

Newmarket Times Focusing on Student Success

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Important Dates for Semester 2

Tuesday, February 3 Semester 2 begins

Friday, February 6 Semester 1 Report Cards issued

Friday, February 6 Student Council Vice-President elections

Monday, February 9 Safe Schools assemblies

Wednesday, February 11 New Registrations Photo Day

Thursday, February 12 Semi Formal

Monday, February 16 Family Day

Wednesday, February 18 Canadian Computing Competition

Thursday, February 19 Lunar New Year

Tuesday, February 24 Math Competition (Pascal, Cayley, Fermat)

Monday, March 2 Grade 10 Assembly – OSSLT, Per 3

Thursday, March 12 Interim Reports Issued

Friday, March 13 Professional Training Day– no classes

March 16 - 20 Mid-Winter Break

Thursday, March 26 OSSLT - Grade 10 students

Thursday, March 26 Interview Night

Friday, April 3 Good Friday/ Holy Friday (Eastern)

Monday, April 6 Easter Monday

Friday, April 10 Spring Activities – Modified Schedule

Tuesday, April 14 Vaisakhi

Wednesday, April 15 Euclid Math Contest for Grade 12 students

Thursday, April 16 Math Competition (Fryer, Galois, Hypatia)

Thursday, April 16 2nd Half of Semester begins

Tuesday, April 21 Ridvan begins

Wednesday, April 22 Earth Day

Thursday, April 23 Spring Coffee House

Friday, April 24 Mid-semester reports issued

Wednesday, April 29 Relay for Life Assembly

May 4 – 15 AP Exams

Friday, May 8 PA Day - no classes

Wednesday, May 13 Music Night

Monday, May 18 Victoria Day

Thursday, May 21 Relay for Life

Tuesday, May 26 Athletic Banquet

Thursday, May 28 Prom

Wednesday, June 3 Spring Carnival – Modified schedule

Thursday, June 4 Music Celebration Banquet

Friday, June 5 Student Council Vice-President Elections

Monday, June 8 EQAO Math information session - Gr. 9, Per. 4

June 11/12 EQAO Math Exams - Grade 9 in-class

June 17 - 23 Semester 2 Final examinations

Wednesday, June 24 Exam Review Day

Thursday, June 25 Graduation

June 25/26 PA Day – no classes