SEPT/OCT 2017

MURDOCH MACKAY STUDENTS “DISPLAY” 3 OF OUR 5 CORE

VALUES:

RESPONSIBILITY, RESPECT, KINDNESS, INTEGRITY, AND

EXCELLENCE.

WELCOME TO A NEW SCHOOL YEAR

MURDOCH MACKAY COLLEGIATE

260 Redonda St.

Winnipeg, MB R2C 1L6

Ph. 204-958-6460 Fax: 204-224-5920

Email: mur@retsd.mb.ca

Principal

Mr. John Muller

Vice-Principals

Mrs. Carol Kovacs

Mr. Don Kupiak

RETSD Board Office

PH: 204-667-7130

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Undergraduate Student Awards Night Review

On September 21, Murdoch celebrated the scholastic achievement of students in the 2016 and 2017 school year.

We were pleased to have in attendance representatives of our school board: Board Trustee Chair Colleen Carswell,

Trustee Jerry Sodomlak, and Assistant Superintendent Greg Daniels.

A Certificate of Distinction and Medal was awarded to former Grade Ten student, Grace Chen, for her outstanding

achievement in mathematics.

Perfect Attendance Awards were presented to: Sydney Curtis, Kosi Hasani, Spencer May, Marie Olayvar, and Jacob

Robertson.

Each year, students are selected as recipients of the Murdoch Staff Award. Individuals selected for these awards are students who demonstrate Murdoch’s Core Values on a daily basis, and who are respected by staff and students. The following students were nominated by staff and awarded this distinction: Grade 9 student, Dani Blumhagen; Grade 10 student, Grace Minsky; Grade 11 students, Blayze Swerid and Keighlynn Veilleux.

Honours Awards are presented each year to Grade 9 to 11 students who have maintained an academic average of 80 per cent or greater in their courses with no mark below 70 per cent.

Fifty-three percent of all Grade 9 students, Forty-two per cent of Grade 10 students, and Twenty-six per cent of Grade 11 students attained honour roll status.

The Peter Kosman Scholarship is awarded in each River East Transcona School Division high school to the Grade 9 student with a high academic achievement in English and who continues to demonstrate a commitment to academic excellence. In addition, the student must exhibit a high level of communication and thinking skills in both scholastic and extra-curricular activites. Congratulations to this year’s recipient, Melody Hutton.

Murdoch MacKay has many students who work hard to apply themselves and reach for high academic marks. We were pleased to award a large number of students from the 2016 and 2017 school year with a High Mark Award. High Average awards were handed out to the following Students: Melody Hutton, Grade 9, a tie for Grace Minsky and Parth Patel of Grade 10, and Keighlynn Veilleux, Grade 11.

Halloween for Hunger - October 31, 2017 Students of Murdoch MacKay’s Youth in Philanthropy group will be in the

neighborhood to collect non-perishable food items!

Why ? We want to help the members of our community by donating food for the

upcoming holiday season.

- Thank you for your support!

If you are not handing out candy, but would still like to donate to our cause, please leave an item in your

mailbox and we will be by to pick it up!

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FLEX: Alternative Education Program

With a very busy start-up in September, the Flex program (previously Off-Campus) is off to a great start. The program is set

up to facilitate a variety of student needs – learning & social/emotional, with students regularly attending class either in the

morning or in the afternoon. There still remain a number of students who get learning packages and study off-campus;

however, the majority of students attend class on campus. As there remains a waiting list for students to enter the new Flex

program, student attendance and engagement is encouraged.

The new year brings new changes and exciting learning opportunities. A number of field trips are in the planning stage –

including a visit to the Winnipeg Art Gallery and the Human Rights Museum. Some students are finishing up modules/

packages from past years and moving into more authentic learning challenges – inquiry based, experiential, and cross-

curricular learning. New this year, students will also have the opportunity to gain Foods/Nutrition credits while we utilize

the kitchen area across from the Flex classroom.

One of the newest changes is an incentive plan that encourages students’ responsibility and accountability. This program,

coined by the students as SMART (Student Managed Accountability & Responsibility Training), has the classroom running

like a business. Students are ‘hired’ for a variety of ‘jobs’ within the class room, like Office Manager, Promotions Manager,

Payroll Clerk, etc and then students are ‘paid’ a wage for their attendance and their work. While students do not actually

get paid real dollars, they can accumulate their virtual pay and use it towards a variety of incentives. Conversely, students’

wages are deducted for arriving late, for taking breaks, for wasting learning time, etc. Part of the rationale for this program is

for students to gain experience with the reality of life and work – we practice budgeting skills, communication skills, and

leadership skills while intertwining curricular outcomes of Life Skills, English Language Arts and Mathematics. Overall,

students are eager to participate in the SMART program and are even more eager to see their bank balances grow!

With many returning Flex students and a number of new students, the Flex program is off to a fantastic start to what looks

to be an exciting year of learning and growth.

Jill Reid-Hodgert, Flex Teacher

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Clansmen Volleyball

2017

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Murdoch MacKay Collegiate Department of Mathematics and

Department of Science

Grade 9 students Michael, Tyler, and Joey present their Atomic Model Song for Justin and Josh.

In the photos above, students were tasked with researching and presenting on a scientist who contributed to our current understanding of the atom. Projects were presented in various formats including a song to the tune of YMCA, several video productions, and other visual formats. To conclude this project, students took part in a Gallery Walk. The Gallery Walk allowed each student to view and learn from each other’s projects. This also allowed them to deepen their understanding of the History of the Atomic Model.

In Grade 9 Math and Science this year, teachers are teaming up and delivering course material in a new and innovative manner. In today’s society, it has become increasingly more important to have skills such as innovation, creativity, and perseverance. Research shows that employers today and in the future will be looking for individuals who are able to work as part of a team and who have resilience when solving problems that may arise. The essentials outcomes in both of these courses are still being met using a more student-centered approach.

The Grade 9 Math teachers have taken these important life skills and are weaving them into the curriculum by having students take part in Project-Based Learning and Inquiry-Learning. This means, students are given a “question” or a “problem” to solve and they are asked to work in teams to accomplish that task. They are given a great deal of freedom and choice in the ways they might present their information. For example, students have created iMovies, SWAY presentations, demonstrations, puppet shows, marker videos, etc.

Grade 9 students Ethan and Phoenix learn more about Neil Bohr’s Atomic Model from their classmates’ project.

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English Teacher Round-Up

There have been some changes in the English Department at Murdoch

MacKay over the past couple of years, so allow us to introduce ourselves!

Name & room number: Deb Hamlin, room 124

Number of years teaching: A LOT

Most often taught course: French

Favourite moment of summer 2017 : Boating

Best book read in 2017: What Do You See When You Walk With Me? by Shannon Dee

All-time favourite book(s): The Glass Castle; A Fine Balance; Mercy Among the Children

Name & room number: Hilary Blahey-hasay

Number of years teaching: 2

Most often taught course: Grade 9 Fashion

Favourite moment of summer 2017 : Discovering a vegan ice cream shop in Montreal

Best book read in 2017: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

All-time favourite book: The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma

Name & room number: Miranda Moore

Number of years teaching: 13

Most often taught course: Grade 10 English or Intro to Applied & PreCal (tie)

Favourite moment of summer 2017 : Seeing Hamilton in Chicago

Best book read in 2017: Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy

All-time favourite book: The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma

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Name & room number: Dana Jansen, room 121

Number of years teaching: 20 ish…

Most often taught course: English

Favourite moment of summer 2017 : Watching local bands at Octo Island near Minaki

Best book read in 2017: Kingdom of Fear by Hunter Thompson

All-time favourite book: Too many to name…

Name & room number: Robyn Grehan, room 121

Number of years teaching: 22

Most often taught course: Grade 9 English and French

Favourite moment of summer 2017 : Celebrating my parents’ 50th wedding

anniversary

Best book read in 2017: The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

All-time favourite book: I don’t have just one!

Name & room number: T J Lange, room 123

Number of years teaching: 7

Most often taught course: Grade 9 and 10 English

Favourite moment of summer 2017 : Watching Game of Thrones...all of it.

Best book read in 2017: Farewell to Arms by Hemmingway

All-time favourite book: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

Name & room number: Julia Barton, room 125

Number of years teaching: One year in Thailand

Most often taught course: Grade 9 ELA

Favourite moment of summer 2017 : Going out to Falcon Lake with my family

Best book read in 2017: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

All-time favourite book(s): Harry Potter; Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell; The Book

Thief by Mark Zusak

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LEARNING TO CODE New to Murdoch MacKay Collegiate is technology teacher Mrs. Ollson, and two technology courses -

Computer Science and Interactive Media/Websites. In these courses students are developing coding skills

that will provide them with opportunities to enter the expanding

industry of computer coding. Students have

already begun to code websites from

scratch, and create games, similar to ‘Pong’,

using block coding. They have developed

foundation knowledge in what computers

are, and how they work through hands-on

activities. As the term progresses students

will develop their coding skills using different

coding languages and applications, and are

excited to create their own custom products!

Students have begun to realize that the

technology that drives our society requires

two main steps. Step one is an innovator having an idea, and step two is a

programmer creating computer instructions that turn the idea into reality.

Without programmers, innovative ideas would never become reality. Look for

Murdoch students to be the programmers of the future driving our society’s

technology innovations!

What is in that magical black box

we call the computer? Students

discover the answer through an

escape-room style activity.

How can 10000010 mean 130?

Students discover the binary system

through a dominos challenge.

Name & room number: Janis Ollson

Number of years teaching: This is my first year at

Murdoch!

Most often taught course: See article Below

Favourite moment of summer 2017 : Watching the

beavers work at the lake

Best book read in 2017: Eleanor and Park

All-time favourite book: Any easy-reading, non-fiction

book with some plot twists and I’m a happy reader

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FROM THE LIBRARY

Welcome back everyone!

Circulation has been brisk as all English classes came through the library for their orientation and book sign out … Our fiction section has been very popular!!

I’m looking forward to a great year with keen readers.

For those students new to Murdoch Mackay, our library has a subscription to the online version of World Book Encyclopedia. The license includes remote access for student use at home as well as school. For use at home students login to www.worldbookonline.com

User ID: rivereast

Password: transcona

All schools in the River East School Division also have access to EBSCOhost a valuable on line research tool. The following EBSCO databases are searchable from school or home with the login information below. Academic Search / Middle Search / Primary Search / Canadian Reference Centre / MasterFILE.

http://search.ebscohost.com

User Id: river

Password: east

Wishing you all a great year!

Ms. B. Sciberras

In the World of

Social Studies:

Murdoch MacKay students celebrating National Tree

Day September 27! Mr. Bell’s and Ms Dudek’s

Geography and Social Studies classes were out and

about walking a portion of the Transcona Trail on this

date celebrating Tree Day. A beautiful fall day was

enjoyed by both classes. Observations were also noted

about the surrounding area and both classes teamed

together to create a list of improvements that will be

sent via letter to the City of Winnipeg and its initiative

Speak Up Winnipeg – a 25-year improvement project.

International Day of Peace was marked by

Murdoch MacKay’s AAA team, Social Studies

students, and guests at Wittier Park on Friday

September 22, 2017 wherein students were shown

Indigenous and western perspectives on the four

elements of earth, water, air, and fire. We

celebrated with students from Winnipeg One

school division as well as other high school

students in River East Transcona. It was a gorgeous

day and the rain held off until we were back at

school. An excellent day of sharing in learning – by

Indigenous and Western methodologies – was had

by all.

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School Spirit Rally

October 2017

A Field Trip to Oak Hammock Marsh

Even though students may have visited Oak

Hammock Marsh previously, Ms. Watson’s

science class got an opportunity to investigate

this important ecosystem through the guided

tour and activities designed for grade 10

ecology students. The Wetland Ecology

program allows students to use binoculars and

field guides to identify plant and animal species

as they complete a walkabout from the

interpretative centre. Afterwards they report

to the chemistry laboratory to complete marsh

water analysis to make sure there are healthy

levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrate,

phosphate and pH. After lunch, they go critter

dipping from the dock using a variety of

collection methods to maximize the

biodiversity of aquatic species for further

examination. Those adventuresome enough to

use the chest waders were able to move in

deeper areas of the marsh to collect those

species not as accessible from the dock. The

day wraps up when the live specimens are

projected onto a screen for a glimpse of their

details under magnification. Students enjoyed

their day out in the fresh air and seemed to

gain an appreciation for the delicate balance of

wetland ecology.

Our grade 9's won the Hungry Hungry Hippo competition

Our grade 10's won the food eating contest

Our grade 11's won the tug of war and bump contest

Our grade 12s won the team mat moving competition

A “great job” to our varsity boys and girls team as they defeated the staff team in a game of volleyball

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Date Event Location

Nov. 2nd (1:15 pm) RRC School visit Library

Nov. 7th (11 am) U of W School Visit Library

Nov. 9th (11 am) U of M School Visit Library

Nov. 16th (Lunch) Military Canteen Hallway

Feb. 20th 2018 RRC Open House Red River College

Feb. 21st 2018 U of W Open House U of W

Feb 22nd 2018 U of M Open House U of M

Counselling Update - October 2017

All interested Grade 12 students attended a Scholarship presentation at lunch on October 11th. This presentation will also be

presented by the Guidance Counsellors on Parent-Teacher Night (November 23rd in the library) for any interested parents.

Manitoba Student Aid will also be doing a presentation that night in the library following the Scholarship presentation.

Listed below are a variety of presentation that will also be taking place here at Murdoch MacKay in the month of November as well

as a few important dates to remember for University and RRC information:

University Evening Presentations:

U of M: Evening Of Excellence: Tuesday, October 24th (6-8:30pm)

U of W: Future Student Night (FSN): Wednesday, November 29th (6:30-9pm)

**All Grade 12 students will complete a credit check with a Guidance Counsellor by early November.

TO ALL MURDOCH STUDENTS: Are you interested in

learning some basic Sign Language?

Starting in November, a Sign Language Club will meet each

Monday and Wednesday between 12:40 and 1:10 PM.

Interested students can contact Ms. Saline Turner for

details.

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From Left to Right: Michael West (vice-chair), Brianne Goertzen, Jerry

Sodomlak, Eva Prysizney, Brian Olynik, Colleen Carswell (chair), Rod

Giesbrecht, John Toews, Peter Kotyk

OCT 2 NO CLASSES

9 Thanksgiving

11 Early Dismissal

11 Grade 12 Scholarship Presentation

20 NO CLASSES

NOV 1 Take Your Kids to Work Day

3 Picture Retakes

10 Remembrance Day

Assembly

13 NO CLASSES

17 Mid-Term Report Cards

22 Early Dismissal

23 Parent/Student/Teacher Interview

Evening

24 NO CLASSES

MEET OUR RETSD BOARD OF TRUSTEES

October and November 2017 calendar