February Newsletter

Dates to Remember

February 2, French Immersion Meeting for incoming Grade 6 parents, 7:00 pm
February 7, Grade 9 Graduation Photo
February 9, Jersey Day
February 13-17, Staff Appreciation Week
February 16, Dance 7:00 – 9:00 pm
February 17, Winter Carnival
February 20, Island Day (No School)
February 23, Birchwood Science Fair
March 8, Parents/Teacher Interviews, 3:30-8:30
March 9, Parents/Teacher Interviews, No School

Birchwood Science Fair

The Birchwood Science Fair will be held on Feb 23. Participation is optional but encouraged for all grade 7, 8 and 9 students. Students are reminded that they will not be given class time to complete their projects and they will be responsible for completing the projects on their own time. However, if students need assistance our Science Teachers will be available after school. Students will be provided with an outline of expectations and timelines for project completion. Good luck to all our participants.

Grade 9 Graduation Photographs

Grade 9 Grad photos will be taken at the school by LifeTouch Studios on Tuesday, February 7.

Parents/Teacher Interviews

Our Parents/Teacher Interviews will be held on Thursday evening, March 8th and Friday, all day March 9th. There will be no school on the 9th for students.

Student Wins BIG!

Congratulations to Grade 8 student A.J. Baldwin, who recently placed 2nd in a video game development competition sponsored by the University of Prince Edward Island. Due to A.J.'s age, he is unable to accept a summer internship; he did, however, win a $500 UPEI or Holland College scholarship and a $200 gift certificate from Future Shop. Students who are interested in participating in this year's Game Force: Video Game Development program are asked to contact Ms. Squire in room 221.

CanSpell Spelling Bee 2012 at Birchwood

Congratulations are extended to Grade 8 student A.J. Baldwin, who will be Birchwood Intermediate's representative at The Guardian Provincial Spelling Bee, which will be held at the W.A. Murphy Student Centre, UPEI, on February 25.

Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser

A Spaghetti Supper, including delicious homemade garlic bread, caesar salad, and a lemon dessert, will be held on Saturday, February 4, from 5:00 to 6:30pm, at Saint Paul's Parish Hall (corner of Prince and Richmond). This event will hosted by the students of Birchwood Intermediate School who are participating in the Asper Foundation Human Rights and Holocaust Studies Program. Tickets are $10 adults and $6 Child and are available at the door or from Program members.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Mr. Brioux on the birth of his new baby daughter, Evelyn Rose. Evelyn is a new sister for big brother Cole. Congratulations to the Brioux family from your Birchwood family!

Winter Carnival

On Feb 17, we will be celebrating our school winter carnival at Birchwood. The morning will start off with our annual pancake breakfast in the cafeteria followed by the Col Gray Leadership Team coming to Birchwood and running a wide variety of games and activities for our students. In the afternoon the Birchwood Leadership students will be organizing and running the Spring Park winter carnival for the elementary classes!

Student Advisory Committee

Student Advisory has met twice this month. In the first session the topic was "Respect." Advisors and students discussed the importance of being respectful and thoughtful at home , in school , playing sports , and when social networking with friends . The second session looked at " Motivation. " Students were asked a number of questions about motivation and focused in on making good choices and being responsible and wanting to succeed . Advisors emphasized that students ' need to motivate themselves and that they are in control of what happens on a daily basis inside and outside of the classroom.

Sports News

Congratulations to the Birchwood "AA" Girls basketball team who recently won the Hernwood Invitational basketball tournament in O'Leary. The girls team went undefeated, with a (4 0) record. Birchwood defeated Summerside, Amherst, and ME Callaghan to capture a spot in the final and go on to beat Hernwood. The Birchwood girls played very well together on the weekend and their success came from a great team effort. The girls are working very hard in practice and it’s great to see all their hard work paying off. Good luck to the boys and girls Basketball Teams who are playing in Tignish, February 3-4(girls) February 10-11(boys) in the ME Callaghan Basketball Tournament. Go Cobras!!

Badminton

Badminton tryouts will be starting in the next few weeks following the Baskeball Season. All students in grade 7,8 and 9 are encouraged and welcome to tryout for the school team. Mr. Lowther continues to work with his early morning badminton club every Wednesday at 7:00 am. There has been great participation in the badminton club every Wednesday and we thank Mr. Lowther for his continued work with these students.

Athletes of the Month

For (AA Basketball) Sarah Peters, Emily Wight, Cameron Hoy and Melvin Sin-Turay
 

Hockey Day in Canada

Several activities will be taking place around the school to celebrate Hockey Day in Canada. We will be having a Jersey day on Feb.9. Stay tuned for more details on other events and activities planned to celebrate Hockey Day!

Honors Band

Come and listen to 12 of our Grade 9 students perform with the PEI Intermediate Honors Band!! These students will be part of a performing group that will include 126 grade 9 musicians from across PEI. This concert will take place at the Confederation Centre at 3 pm on Sunday, February 5. Tickets will be on sale at the box office before the concert. Ticket prices are $5 for students and seniors and $10 for adults. The UPEI Wind Symphony will also be performing the Lord of the Rings Symphony. Come and support our students in this great musical opportunity!

Library News

Scholastic Orders are available every month. Simply pick up an order form from the library, fill it in, and return it, along with the correct amount of payment, to the librarian (if Ms. Poirier is not around, you can put it in her mailbox or leave it with the supervising teacher). All orders are due by the 20th of each month.

Birchwood Student Council

January was a quiet month for Student Council. We had a Pajama Day on the 30th to celebrate the end of exams. Also, on the 30th, teachers read to students to recognize Family Literacy Day (which was actually January 27th, but exams were happening). February is going to be a busy month in comparison! Here are some dates to keep in mind:

February 9, Jersey Day! Wear the jersey (or other clothing) of your favorite hockey team. This will be a Spirit Trophy Challenge!!

February 14, Valentine’s Day! Wear red, white, and pink to school. Students can purchase a valentine and chocolate heart to send to someone in class or just buy one to eat. We will need student volunteers to work the table in front of the office on the 14th.

February 15, Flag Day! Wear your flag to school. Try to find out your ancestors origins and find, or make, a flag and stick it on you. This is a Spirit Trophy Challenge!!

February 16, Dance! $5 at the gym door. Remember the dress code and that you have to remove your shoes before heading into the dance. The dance goes from 7pm to 9pm, please, make sure drives are arranged. We will need student volunteers to run the canteen.

February 24, Lip Sync! Students are encouraged to take part in this Wendy’s Restaurant Lip Sync. Pay attention to announcements about signing up and auditioning.
Community Events

 Variety Show and Silent Auction

There will be a Variety Show and Silent Auction at St. Paul’s Church on Friday, February 24th in support of the students going to Washington, DC with the Asper Foundation Human Rights and Holocaust Program. The time for the Variety Show is at 7-9pm and tickets are $10.