On The Trail - November, 2004 (Back to Publication Main Menu)
Index
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
We have had a great start to the school year in many ways. Our grade nines
have adapted well to high school routines and have added much positive energy
to the school. Our new Royal Mentors program has seen our grade nine students
meet regularly with their mentor teachers to help with the transition to high
school. To date, we have had some team building and school orientation activities
and listened to a speaker from Students Against Drinking and Driving. Mentoring
sessions like this will take place two or three times a month for the remainder
of the school year.
On October 13, we recognized the top students from last year with our annual Academic Awards Assembly. Students and parents were recognized for their hard work and dedication to their studies. Congratulations to all award winners and continued good success with your school work.
Our extra-curricular program is well underway. Our fall sports teams are representing our school well. Athletes and coaches should be congratulated for their efforts. Our annual Mustang Volley tournament took place on October 21-23. The tournament was a huge success once again. The Royal Tip Off Classic Basketball Tournament will take place December 2-4. These large undertakings provide excellent learning opportunities for our students. Our annual Dinner Theatre will take place on November 26. This years play is entitled "You the Jury."
Our school system is embarking on some exciting new initiatives this year. Firstly, the entire school division will be focusing on increasing the amount of reading that are students are doing. This initiative is known as Literacy for Life. For us at Mount Royal, we will be encouraging all students and staff to increase the amount of reading they are doing. We will be collecting data and making every effort to improve our reading and expanding our vocabulary through practice.
We are excited about the Mount Royal Community Circles of Renewal Project.
This innovative partnership with the Saskatoon Rotary Club has given us some
more flexibility in dealing with conflict resolution in our school. We are
now into our second year of this project and are proud to be the "leading
edge" in this area. The Rotary Club will be celebrating the first year
of this banquet with a "Celebration Dinner" on Wednesday November
12. We are grateful for the Rotarians support and thank them for their continued
work in our school community.
We will soon have full use of our new Cosmetology lab. While progress has
been slowed through construction Ms. Prafke and her students are now in the
area full time. We are proud to be the first school in Saskatoon to offer
this program and are looking forward to growth in this area in the future.
Our enrolment was 1623 at September 30. We have 255 students at Royal West.
Of the total number, 33% or 528 students are of aboriginal decent. We continue
to work hard to meet the needs of our diverse student population. Teachers
will be involved in professional development activities on November 12 with
a focus on Literacy for life. Teachers are also working hard through teacher
committees (focus groups) to initiate change for the betterment of our school
and our students. We have also initiated monthly student forums to gather
student input on issues that will impact them and their school. The first
such event was held November 1 to discuss our move toward a smoke free campus.
More student input sessions are planned for future months
I encourage parents/guardians to continue to take an active role in your sons'/daughter's
education. Our school start-up has not been without challenges. We thank you
for your continued support and welcome your calls with questions or concerns.
Please do so at any time.
On behalf of the staff,
Basil Hughton
Principal
MUSTANG VOLLEY
Mustang Volley was a big success again this year. On the girls' side, Aden
Bowman failed to repeat for a third year as they dropped a close (20-25; 25-22;
15-13) to St. Joe's, Bedford Road boys mounted a challenge to take the boys'
title, but it fell short as Prince Albert St. Mary won a (25-19; 25-22) victory.
For the Mauraders it was their fifth title overall and first since 2001. The
tournament would not have been a success without the tremendous efforts of
students, staff and a few alumni. A tip of the Mustang Volley hat to the following
student leaders: Gate: Vicky Bridgewater and Amanda Rye; Marketing: Dean Sopher
and Brennan Cattell; Decorations: James Jones; Facilities and Minor Officials:
Tanner Lang, Lindsay Popoff, Josette Bool, Kory Gursky and alumni, Ryan McEachern
and Pat Kurylyk; Results - Kalee Frederickson, Lorelle Campbell, Tyler Covey,
Jared Roth, Ashley Nelson and Alisha Tweidt; Concession - Heather Friesen
and James Jones; Webpage Results: Megan Hein, Rachelle Boyle, Sarah Afseth
and Trent Kulbida. There were also numerous other MRCI students who put in
long hours.
Numerous staff also put in long hours organizing and running the tournament.
Thank you to the following staff: Mrs. L. Farmer and Ms. M. Lukenoff - program;
Ms. L. Reimer, Mr. B. Waldner, Mr. K. McNarland - gate; Mrs. E. Binner - Spike
Contest and historical; Ms. G. Martin - decorations; Ms. P. Rowley and Ms.
S. Gryba - hosting; Mr. D. Isbister and Mr. D. Cardwell - awards; Ms. K. Dahl
- pizza social; Mr. B. Smith, Ms. T. Eckert and Mr. B. Craig - facilities
and minor officials, Mr. T. Myrol and Mr. D. Clarke - results; Mr. J. Wells
- concession; Mrs. R. Breen - supervision; Mr. J. Hoffman - electronic results;
Mr. C. Sikorsky - graphics, and Mr. K. Cote - chairperson, marketing and promotions.
Many other staff were involved in helping committee chairs and supervising.
Thanks to one and all.
l FABRIC SCRAPS AND PIECES
l OLD JEANS
l OLD MAGAZINES (FOODS, FASHION, INTERIOR DESIGN)
l OLD CATALOGUES
l PLASTIC CONTAINERS WITH LIDS
l ICE CREAM PAILS WITH LIDS
Any donations would be greatly appreciated and can be dropped off in the Home Economics Department.
THE TRUMPET
The 2004 ANNUAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER COMPETITION was judged by Cam Hutchinson,
Managing Editor of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix. We are pleased to inform you
that for Category One (high school enrolment of more than 850) Mount Royal's
newspaper, the Trumpet, came in First Place. This is a proud accomplishment
for all those involved. We are striving to maintain our high standards. We
would like to say congratulations to all those who were involved in last year's
Trumpet.
FOLLOWING THE STANGS ….
BILLY SKIDMORE, a former MRCI student, plays for the 96th Highlanders Pipes
and Drums, competed in the Calgary Highland Games, a pipe and drum Band Competition.
Competitors are from Western Canada and the United States. Billy won top all-around
Grade 4 piper for the competition.
Literacy for Life Book Drive
The Saskatoon Public School Division is undertaking a significant initiative
for the next three to six years. It is called Literacy for Life. One of the
goals of this program is to increase the time students spend reading in their
free time. In order to achieve this goal, we are asking the families of the
students of Mount Royal Collegiate to donate to our school any books that
you no longer wish to own. We are aiming to build a mini library in each classroom.
If you have any fiction, non-fiction, reference, etc. books please bring them
to the Main Office.
UNITED NATIONS MODEL ASSEMBLY
The United Nations Model Assembly is an interactive role-playing activity
which involves simulating the United Nations. Students are assigned a United
Nation member country. The students assume the identity of that country and
represent that country in the resolutions which are to be debated.
Students from all over Saskatchewan will gather at Walter Murray Collegiate
on November 19th - 21st.
Mount Royal participants are Ryleigh Carr and Sarah Le representing Ukraine,
and Willy Boldt and Simon Sywanyk representing Ethiopia. Teacher advisor is
May Cummings.
A Special Thank You goes out to the following companies for making the Cheerleading Silent Auction a huge success.
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Most of the school opening dust seems to have settled but counsellors are still busy with helping students settle into their classes/programs.
The Fall is a busy time for career events, such as Experience Us (October 14th), Kelsey Open House (October 27th) See Your Future Career Fair (November 1st), Take Our Kids to Work (November 3rd) Huskie Club (November 5th), Health Careers Conference (November 16th) and Career Expo (November 30th).
It's never too early for students to be on a scholarship search to help finance post-secondary education and Student Services can help.
Credit checks for Grade 11 and Grade 12 students will be occuring during their homeroom in November and December. Students will have the opportunity to check grad status and appropriate classes for their future post-secondary plans
LIFE SKILLS WORK STUDY PROGRAM
Grade 9/10 students in the Life Skills Work Study program volunteer at various
organizations throughout the year. About four times a month the students go
to the Mennonte Church on Avenue O and 29th to help organizers of the Child
Hunger Education Program (CHEP). The students wash out food boxes. They sort,
count and weigh fruit and vegetables that they later load into the boxes.
These boxes are carried onto a truck to be delivered. Anyone can purchase
these boxes . The boxes offer a variety of seasonal fruit and vegetables,
often from local producers, at a reasonable price.
LIFE SKILLS WORK STUDY WORK EDUCATION
We would like to thank the following businesses for their participation in
our program:
· Canadian Tire
· Grand Wist
· Great Canadian Oil Change
· Market Mall
· Nestor's Baker
· Parktown Hotel
· Rona
· Superstore
· Sarcan
· Saskatchewan Abilities
· Saskatoon Fieldhouse
· SMP Motors
· Zellers
These businesses welcome the students and provide valuable work experience.
We appreciate their support.
There is a sample of the 2005 Grad jacket in the display case across from the office. Jackets cost $100.00 and extra embroidery on a sleeve, such as a name, number or sport, costs $5.00 per line. Students will have an opportunity to have individual sizing done in December and January. Jackets must be pre-paid and will be ordered the end of January. They will take 6 - 8 weeks to be manufactured and should be ready early in March. Any questions regarding the jackets may be directed to Mrs. Long at 683-7830.
S.A.D.D. CLUB
It's nice to see another school year of S.A.D.D.
This year we have a few new members and a new S.A.D.D. body. Just recently
we had elections which went very well. We had a speaker, Shane Stoll, who
came to speak with our new grade nines to celebrate the National Day for Students
Against Drinking and Driving. The grade nines enjoyed it and so did we, and
were glad that it was a huge success.
From:
Presidents: Kole Dulle and Chris Macleod.
Secretary: Tricia Cooke
Treasurer : Isaac Marshall
The Visual Art Department was thrilled to take the Visual Art 9 students to an art camp at Brightwater on October 12th. After the long weekend, the weather was not very cooperative so our day started out with wind and rain. This weather did not dampen the spirits of the Grade 9 students who participated in four workshops. The sessions were photography, drawing, painting and an environmental walk. Each student cycled through the sessions and had the opportunity to work with the staff and two guest artists from the Mendel Art Gallery. The two artists, Scott Cumberland and Kelly VanDamme, said they saw a lot of good potential in our students. The students will now use these workshops to produce a painting related to the environment. The students were pleased with the day and offered some suggestions for next year.
MDA 09
Fifty enthusiastic grade 9 MDA students boarded the bus October 13th for an
exciting day of activities at Shekinah. Laughter echoed through the hills
of the South Saskatchewan River as students attempted to wall climb, fly through
the air on the Flying Fox or be challenged by endurance tasks. Thank you to
the interns and Mrs. B. Poncelet who helped Mr. Ferguson and Ms. Kwasnik-Senger
run the show.
On October 27th Shelley Leedahl did a fantastic two-hour writing workshop.
She shared her work and motivated the students to pen their own poems.
Students are very busy fundraising for a trip to Banff in May. They have worked
Parent Orientation Night, Parent Teacher Interviews and held a bake sale.
We have completed a chocolate drive. Presently, students are helping with
the stress of Christmas baking - they are selling cookie dough. Thanks for
all the support!
STUDENT FORUMS
This year, we will be holding regular student forums to get ideas from students
on how to make Mount Royal a better school. The focus of the first student
forum, held on Monday, November 1st, was the issue of smoking and the fact
that Mount Royal will be a smoke-free campus effective September 2005. Forty-one
students attended the forum and made the following comments regarding smoking
issues:
Question 1: How do you think the new smoking legislation will affect our students and our community?
Positives: Healthier environment for people who don't smoke, less cancer, cleaner facility (less litter), no smoke smell in the school, people can get help if they want to quit, daycare area will be safer, people who don't smoke won't be pressured to start smoking, students won't be late because of smoking, positive public image and better reputation for our school.
Negatives: Smokers will move off-campus, smokers might go onto neighbour's or private property, neighbours will complain, the neighbourhood will be dirtier, there will be a need for more supervisors, more absences and more lates, more fighting, students will be angry, students won't come to school, students will have break-downs (be grumpy, irritable, uneasy), people will smoke more because it isn't allowed, there will be more tension between students and teachers.
Question 2: What supports do you think need to be put in place for the "no smoking on school grounds" plan to be successful?
Stop Smoking Program, Nicorette gum and stop smoking patches in vending machines, shorter school day, longer break, more supervision of smokers, stricter rules and consequences, put signs up in the school regarding the new rules, Police Officers to circle the building during breaks, reward system for those who have quit, no smoking for teachers too, shorten or get rid of the lunch hour, more cameras outside.
Students also felt that rules and consequences need to be in place and enforced. Most students suggested a three-strike rule (warning, community service or detention, suspension).
We would like to thank the students who came out to our first student forum of the year.
Our second student forum is scheduled for Friday, December 10th over the
noon hour
The topic of discussion will center on:
Vending machines and the cafeteria - are changes necessary?
MOUNT ROYAL STUDENTS SPRUCE UP THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
This fall, Mount Royal students have been helping to keep the community neat
and clean. Beginning in late September, classes signed up to go into the community
for one hour to pick up garbage. In October, Physical Education/Wellness classes
at both Mount Royal and Royal West Campus offered a free leaf raking service
for community members. Many local residents took advantage of this service
and were very appreciative. Unfortunately, just as the rakes came out, the
snow fell and we realized that a snow removal service was needed! We have
bought shovels and will offer this service when winter formally arrives
OLIVER LODGE PARTNERSHIP
This year, Mount Royal Collegiate has embarked on a new partnership with Oliver
Lodge. Although in its infancy, we already have many exciting activities scheduled:
q Each Tuesday, students in a Wellness 10 class go to Oliver Lodge and help
seniors in the Day Program with circuit training. Each student is responsible
for a different station in the circuit. They help individuals complete tasks
such as stair climbing, cross-overs, arm exercises, stretches, power walking,
and much more;
q Our Graphics Art Department is producing a Volunteer Brochure for Oliver
Lodge. This brochure will help to attract volunteers to their program;
q On December 6th, students in the Visual Arts Program will help put up Christmas
decorations at the Lodge. At the same time, they will interact with seniors
and discuss other arts related activities that could go on throughout the
year;
q Our band and choir groups are making arrangements to give performances at
Oliver Lodge.
We are very pleased with the commitment our staff and students have made to this partnership and look forward to many new activities that benefit not only our students but the residents at Oliver Lodge.
Free Computer Classes Beginning in January 2005
The following computer classes for adults and community members will be offered at Mount Royal Collegiate beginning in January 2005. For more information, or to register, please contact Deb Morris, 664-3944.
1) Computer Basics and Microsoft Word - Maximum 10
Tuesdays, 10 weeks, January 11 - March 22, 2005, 7:00 - 9:00 pm
2) Computer Basics and Microsoft Word - Maximum 5
Wednesdays, 10 weeks, January 12 - March 23, 2005, 1:00 - 3:00 pm
3) Being Connected With the World Wide Web - Maximum 5
Mondays, 10 weeks, January 10 - March 21, 2005, 1:00 - 3:00 pm
4) Being Connected With the World Wide Web - Maximum 10
Thursdays, 10 weeks, January 13 - March 24, 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Come use our C.A.P. Computer Lab During the Day and Hone Your Skills
All community residents are invited to use our Community Access Program (C.A.P.) Computer Lab during each school day. An assistant will be available 20 hours per week to help community residents as needed. Exact hours of assistance will be posted. The CAP Computer Lab is located adjacent to the Student Services Office on the main floor. Please use the main entry on Rusholme Road when coming to use the computers. We hope to see you in our building. If you have any questions, please call Nina at 683-7822.
Mount Royal Collegiate is hosting a gathering for parents, students and community
members to come together, enjoy a light meal, and take part in a discussion
about Mount Royal Collegiate becoming a "smoke free" campus.
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Mount Royal Collegiate Cafeteria
7:00 - 9:00 pm
Menu: chili, buns, dessert and refreshments
Cost: Free
In June 2004, the Saskatoon Public School Division Board of Trustees passed a motion stating that, "…. The Board and its administration implement policies and/or procedures to prohibit smoking and the use of tobacco products on all school properties/sites of the Saskatoon Board of Education during normal operational hours of school days, effective September 1, 2005." This policy will likely have both positive and negative impact on our students and on our community and we need prepare for closure of our smoking section. Please come to our gathering and share your thoughts on the following questions...........
1. How do you think the new smoking legislation will affect our students and our community?
2. What supports do you think need to be put in place for the "no smoking on school grounds" plan to be successful?
3. Are there other wellness / health-related initiatives that you would like to see implemented at Mount Royal Collegiate?
Please Come and help us make a smooth transition to becoming a "smoke
free" collegiate. For more information, contact Nina Henry, Community
School Coordinator, 683-7822 or e-mail henryn@spsd.sk.ca.