October Newsletter

Dates to Remember

October 10, Thanksgiving, No School
October 20 and 21, PEITF Annual Convention, No School
October 25, Re-takes Student Photos
October 27, Dance, 7:00-9:30pm
November 3, Thursday, Parent/Teacher Interviews, 3:30-8:30
November 4, Friday, Parent/Teacher Interviews, No School
November 10, Professional Learning Day, No School
November 11, Remembrance Day, No School

Parent – Teacher Interviews

Our first set of Parent – Teacher Interviews will be held on Thursday evening, November 3rd and Friday, all day (No school on this day) November 4th.

Terry Fox Run / Fall Social

Birchwood’s Annual Terry Fox Run / Walk was held on Friday, September 23rd. on the Confederation Trail. It was a great day and fun was held by all students and staff. A BBQ was held after the run in the school courtyard. Hot dogs and water were served to all participants. The family of the late Andy Judson made a substantial donation in Andy’s memory to the Terry Fox Foundation. Total contributions made from Birchwood amounted to over $7000.00. Many thanks to all who helped to make this event a great success.

Birchwood Fundraiser

We are excited to be hosting a fundraiser here at Birchwood on Sat., Oct. 29. We will be having a take-out/delivery cold-plate dinner. We are asking students to sell two $10.00 tickets which will be going home on Friday, Oct.7, with money being due in by Oct. 24. More information will be sent home soon about this important fundraiser!

Home & School

Our first Parent Council meeting for the 2011-2012 school year will be held on Thursday, October 27th, at 7:15pm, at Birchwood Intermediate. Some of the agenda items will include: school re-zoning issues, provisions for newcomers to Birchwood and support the fundraiser. We'll also be looking at the timing and frequency of future meetings. If there is anything you would like to see added to the agenda for discussion at the meeting, we would be happy to do so. Please contact Jessie Frost-Wicks (tinybauble@gmail.com or telephone - 628-1657) or Laura Lee Howard (lhoward@upei.ca or telephone - 368-2431) and we'll make sure your item is added. Also, if you can't make the meeting(s), but would like to be kept up to date on the Parent Council activities, just let us know and we'll add you to our contact list. Hope to see you on the 27th!

Students Achieve

Your son/daughter was given your log in information which gives you access to Students Achieve. This is an excellent tool parents and students can use to monitor progress, marks and attendance. If you are having difficulty accessing the website or you have not received the Parent Reach-Out letter, please contact either Ms. McDonald or Mrs. Duffy for assistance. They will be happy to help you get the most out of this program.

Music Note

Attendance at all rehearsals is mandatory for all band students. The band rehearsal times by grade are as follows:

• Grade 9- Thursday mornings, beginning at 8 am sharp.
• Grade 8 - Thursdays at lunch, start at 12:15 pm. Students will be given time to eat lunch beforehand in the cafeteria.
• Grade 7 - Wednesdays at lunch, start at 12:15. Students will be given time to eat lunch beforehand in the cafeteria.

Guitar Club

Guitar Club meets Fridays at lunch. It is open to all students at Birchwood. All levels are welcome. We are looking for guitars for students who do not have an instrument. If you have a guitar at home that is not being used, please consider lending it to the school for the remainder of the school year. The guitar will be well cared for and greatly appreciated.

Adventure Group

The Adventure Group After School Program is back. Starting on Wednesday, October 12th in the apartment every Wednesday and Thursday from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm this program is free and open to students in grade 7-9. A snacks will be provided.

Sports Update

• Birchwood Cross Country Unit Championships, October 6th at Charlottetown Rural High School. Provincial Championship October 15th in Mill River
• Soccer Important dates: Zone Meet October 18, Semis October 25, Championships October 28
• Birchwood Volleyball: Playoffs Nov. 7,  Provincials (Semis) Nov.9, and Provincial finals Nov.12
• Intramurals are everyday at lunch. All students in grade 7,8 and 9 are welcome and couraged to participate.
• Athletes for September: Week 1, Blendina Avjida, Girls Soccer;  Week 2, Hunter Mctague, Boys Soccer; Week 3, Amy Frost Wicks, Girls Volleyball
• Athletes of the Month: Boys Soccer, Brandon Hickox; X-Country Team, David McKenna; Girls Soccer, Emma Moore; Girls Volleyball, Amy Frost-Wicks

Congratulations to all OUR athletes and coaches for the beginning of a terrific season! GO COBRAS!

Leadership

We have a great group of students who have signed up for leadership this year. The students represented Birchwood in an excellent manner at the Colonel Gray leadership conference that was held in late September.

Library News

October is the National Library Month for Canada! The theme this year is, “Your Library: A Place Unbound.” As the Canadian Library Association website explains: Libraries have shifted with the times, bringing such innovations as digital and downloadable books, music, movies, magazines, internet access, electronic databases, eReaders, gaming and reaching out to a new generation of library users via social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Today, over 23,000 librarians and library clerks serve in over 22,000 libraries in incredibly diverse communities, from major metropolitan areas to towns and rural over 3,000 Tim Hortons franchises in Canada.) While libraries are evolving to meet the needs of Canadians, they continue to be at the centre of their communities, a place where people learn, engage and connect with each other. From coast to coast, libraries are without boundaries, places of endless opportunity where Canadians have an equal right to access resources, regardless of age, gender, race, religion, social status, language or location. I encourage you to make use of your local library, find out more information about Prince Edward Island libraries at http://www.library.pe.ca/

Birchwood Intermediate School Council (BISC) NEWS

It is time for our student council to get started! We are looking for motivated students who want to challenge themselves with a leadership role in the school. BISC (Birchwood Intermediate Student Council) members will plan and work at events (dances, fundraisers, spirit days, sports events, assemblies, etc). This year, we have decided that a small group of Grade 9 students will be the core BISC leaders. All other interested students will sign up on a list that the Grade 9 leaders will use when they need support. Any Grade 9 students who are interested in leading the way must do the following: Write a letter explaining why they want to be on BISC and what qualities they bring with them to the group; outgoing, leader, organized, motivated, etc. Students will then meet with the teachers who lead BISC (Ms. Poirier, Ms. Gavard, Ms. Betts), after which, a final decision will be made. Students must have their letters into Ms. Poirier, Ms. Gavard, or Ms. Betts by October 7th. Good luck to all those in Grade 9 who submit letters! I hope to see lots of other students’ names on the support list for BISC when we post the sign up sheet outside the office!