Woodland Watch - Woodland Christian High School

1058 Spitzig Road, R. R. #1
Breslau, Ontario N0B 1M0
(phone) 519-648-2114
(fax) 519-648-3402
[email protected]
www.woodland.on.ca
January 15, 2015
In this
Issue…
Calendar
Exams
Exam Schedule
Flood Tour
Grade Eleven Leadership Retreat
Parent Information Evening
2015-2016 Registration
Service Trips
Sports Update
Winter Dance
WCHS is a CAPS School:
free, anonymous,
confidential, professional
counselling support
for students through
Shalem Mental
Health Network
1-866-347-0041
Exams
2015-2016 Registration
The January exam
schedule is
included at the
end of this
edition of the
“Watch.” Please ensure that you read
the notes that follow the schedule. Also,
please review the attached document
from the guidance department on
preparing for exams. There are a
number of helpful suggestions for
parents, as well as for students, to allow
for a good exam experience. Buses will
run their normal routes in the morning
but please note afternoon departure
times as listed on the schedule.
Students are welcome to stay for the
afternoons or find their own rides home
after morning exams.
The process of registration for the 2015-2016
school year has begun. Registration forms
for current students will be mailed this
week. Please note that your registration
and course selections are together on a
one-page document. You must return this
form as soon as possible. Some course
selections are on a first-come-first-served
basis, but you will not be considered
reregistered until this form is returned with
both sides completed. Please fill in, sign,
and submit a form for each student in your
family. Return them to the office by March
1st.
Course selection worksheets have been
distributed to students by the guidance
department. All students will meet with Mr.
Johnson (current gr. 9) and Mr. Goossen
(current gr. 10 & 11) to assist in this process
throughout February. Use the Guidance
worksheets and advice from guidance to
complete the official form.
Registration forms for new Grade 9 students
and course calendars were mailed at the
beginning of the year. We encourage all
families with students who will be joining us
in grade 9 next year to also return
the enrolment forms before March 1.
If you know of a student in Grade 8 please
encourage their parents to check out
Woodland Christian High School and
register early. Families applying for
financial assistance should still submit a
completed registration form and course
selection sheet while waiting to hear from
the Financial Assistance Department.
If you have any questions about the
registration/reregistration process please
contact the main office or Paul Branan in
the Advancement Office.
Winter Dance
Jan.15
Jan. 19-22
Jan. 21-28
Jan. 21-23
Jan. 26
Jan. 27
Jan 30 –
Feb 9
Feb. 3-7
Feb. 3-5
Feb. 6
Feb. 13
Feb. 16
Feb. 20
Mar. 12-20
Mar. 13-20
Mar. 26
Parent Info Evening
Exams
DR Service Trip
Gr. 11 Leadership
Retreat
PA Day (no classes)
Semester Two begins
Haiti Service Trip
Woodland will be having its SemiFormal "Winter Wonderland" Dance on
Friday February 20th. The dance will be
held in the auditorium from 7-10 pm.
Tickets will cost $15 and will be sold a
few weeks prior the dance. Proceeds
from this dance will go towards Special
Emphasis Week.
Grade 11 Leadership Retreat
The Grade 11 Leadership Retreat is
only one week away (Jan 21-23). Time
to gather up your warm clothes... boots,
Special Emphasis Week jackets, good mitts, and a warm winter
Grad Photos
hat are a must. A packing list can be
Report cards distributed
Project Day (no classes) found on Mr. Johnson's website. Be
Family Day (no classes) prepared to spend 8-10 hours a day in
Winter Dance
the brisk winter air. Email Mr. Johnson
Europe Trip
Winter Break (no classes) with any questions
Gr. 10 Literacy Test
([email protected]).
Woodland Watch
January 15, 2015
Page One
Parent Information Evening
Service Trips
An Information Evening for parents of
Grade Eight students is scheduled
for tonight, Thursday, January 15,
2015 from 7:30 – 9:30pm at the
school. If you are aware of parents
who would be interested in this
evening, please let them know. If you think they should
be added to our mailing list, please contact the school
office.
In the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday,
January 21, 18 grade 12 students and 2 teachers will
leave Woodland for the Buffalo airport as they depart for
a week long service and learning trip to the Dominican
Republic. Our trip is almost here and we are so
excited! As we get ready to go, please pray for our safety
and well being. We will share many stories when we
return; thank you in advance to all of you who made this
trip possible for us!
FLOOD Tour
A different group of nine Gr. 12 students and three
chaperons will travel to Port au Prince, Haiti at the end
of the month for an exciting mission opportunity. Our
"Bricks and Mortar" Team will spend ten days working
alongside Haitian tradesmen helping to build a new
mission center that will help to further the work of
World Missions in that area. SKC Construction, the
company that built the expansion at Woodland, will be
supervising the building efforts. The team will also have
opportunity to learn more about Haiti, its culture and
challenges by participating in guided tours, local
worship, and other learning opportunities.
We will be leaving on January 30th and returning on
February 9th. The team is "pumped" and ready to work!
We are very thankful for the financial support we have
received for this trip, and we covet your prayers as we
embark on this exciting mission opportunity.
Highlights from the recent tour of FLOOD to Chatham
and Ancaster include the following:
- hearing the stories just gush forth from our audience
members after all three well-attended shows.
- realizing there were some Flood of '53 survivors and
members of Dutch Underground sitting right in the
centre of a couple of hundred students for the matinee.
During the Q & A following the show, they shared
some incredible stories.
- feeling the prayers from Waterloo Region and
Chatham as we drove though constantly changing
weather conditions Friday morning.
- really working together as a team when we arrived in
Ancaster to do three hours worth of set-up in 90
minutes because we were seriously delayed by a
vehicle repair...and again feeling prayers answered as
we had what was in many ways our best show.
- finding a couple of people from my parent's hometown
who offered new stories about my parent's families!
- listening to the Drama teacher from Toronto District
Christian High try to "headhunt" Chantal Bruinsma
and others to their school.
- noticing some of our GQ cast fail at their resolve to get
phone numbers of young ladies from the Chatham
school.
- realizing that Kurtis Lammer is superhuman and can
set up and master an entire lighting system
successfully in one hour, even though the first thing
that happened was a smoking fuse!
- listening to three beautiful voices "making holy" our
awkward transitions.
- hitting the pillow with a big smile a couple hours after
seeing all
the
parents
more than
willing to
help the
cast
unload the
trailer.
Sports Update
The Senior Girls Volleyball team is continuing to have a
successful season. Many players have had to adapt to
new positions and have done an outstanding job. The
team is currently tied for 2nd place in District 8 after a
big win over St. David. The team also had a good
showing against a couple of WCSSAA teams in
exhibition play, splitting with Grand River and winning
two straight over Bluevale.
Woodland's Senior Boys Basketball team has hit the
exciting time of their season as they play all close games
against good competition from here on. We are looking
forward to making a push to qualify for the CWOSSA
championships and also look forward to the upcoming
Christian Schools tournament taking place in February.
Woodland Watch
December 11, 2014
Page Two
January 2015 EXAM SCHEDULE
Friday
Jan 16
Grade 9
Geography
Grade 10
Science
Grade 11
Grade 12
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Monday
Jan 19
Study
Day
English
English
Tuesday
Jan 20
Wednesday
Jan 21
Thursday
Jan 22
Science
History
(AM) History
(PM) Math
Biology
Accounting
French
English
Math
Retreat
Math
History
During our second week back after the holidays, January 12-16, there will be no unit tests or homework
assignments. Outside of class time, students will be working on cumulative activities and exam preparation
only.
All term work and assignment should be submitted by the end of the first week back at the very latest
(Friday, Jan 9th).
Please note all exams will be written in the morning (with the exception of Grade 11’s – on Tuesday only and
those going to DR)
All morning exams will start at 9:30 am. The afternoon exam on Tuesday will start at 12:30 pm
First dismissal from exams will be at the 1.5 hour mark and at subsequent 15 minute intervals. Exams will be
1.5 hours for grades 9 and 10, and 2 hours for grade 11. Grade 12 students will be writing 2 hour exams with
a maximum of 2.5 hours to complete their work.
There will be no early start to exams this year. Students should be able to complete exams in the time
allotted. If you have concerns about this, please speak with your teacher or a guidance counselor ASAP.
Students who have an IEP or are in the ELL program will be given the appropriate accommodations.
Buses will run each day with the following arrangements:
Morning runs as normal.
Afternoon departure time 3:15 except:
-Monday, Wednesday and Thursday north buses W2, W12 will leave at 1:00 pm
-Monday K/W buses W3, W5, W7 will leave at 1:00 pm
-Wednesday and Thursday K/W W5, W7 buses will leave at 2:45 pm
Students are welcome to stay for the afternoons and take the bus home or find their own rides home
after morning exam.
Friday January 23 and Monday January 26 are marking days for staff; there will be no school those days.
Semester II classes resume on TUESDAY, JAN. 27th.
How can I help my children prepare for their Exams?
Advice for Parents
1. Setting the stage:
a. One of the easiest and most effective ways that you can help students study and prepare for exams is to
give them an appropriate space to study. They will be writing exams in a quiet room, and it is best to
closely duplicate that atmosphere. Studying in a room that has many distractions
such as television and other conversations will rob their focus from their course
material. Keeping distractions to a minimum will help them solidify their
knowledge and recall of course material.
b. Protecting some dedicated study time on the days leading up to exams will also help.
By making sure that students do not have other obligations such as chores around
home, they can be expected to clear their schedule of obligations (social and other) as well. Teachers are
on duty and available at the school or by phone (call the school to contact them) if there are any
questions relating to their exams or courses.
2. Encouraging and supporting:
Exams can be stressful for some students, while not at all for others. A healthy level of stress motivating
students to study is helpful. Encourage your children through whichever level of stress they are
experiencing. A high level of stress may require support and down-playing of the situation.
A low level of stress may require encouragement to see the negative consequences of not doing well on
exams.
3. Taking care of physiological needs:
In times of different schedules and changed routines, some forget to or neglect their physical needs.
Taking care to eat and sleep properly will help students a great deal during exams. A tired and
under-fed brain does not work well under pressure. A well-rested and nourished body and brain
will cope well with pressure and be able to better perform on exams.
Preparing for Exams:
Advice for Students
1. Reviewing your notes and class materials:
a. Before you begin formally studying for an exam, go through your notes and class materials
with a classmate or two. Note what you may have missed and clear up any missing
materials.
b. Going back through your notes on a regular basis is the most proven way to commit
information to memory. Simply having a quick read through your notes from the day
before, or the week before as you sit down to do your homework will make studying easier
later.
c. If other people were responsible for information during a course (e.g. Group work that was split up
among several people), make sure you have that information to study from.
d. Your teacher should provide you with an overview of concepts and topics that you will need to
know for the exam. If you haven’t received this, ask your teacher for a guideline and perhaps some
practice work for courses like math.
2. Reviewing your tests and evaluations:
a. One of your better resources for studying for exams are past tests. Teachers often take
questions from past tests and paste them into their exams, changing them a little. Having a
test to study from (a corrected test is even better!!) is a little like looking at the exam itself!!
b. Review information that was required of you in your in-class evaluations (like
presentations and projects). You will get hints here to what the teacher thinks is important
and valuable. They will be a good ‘overall’ picture of the units you have studied.
c.
3. Getting the big picture:
a. Studying small details may be important, but an exam is a good time to ‘step back’ to try to see how all
of your units and lessons fit together. Before starting to study, try to write an outline of
what you’ve covered in each unit (maybe one point per class or two). This will allow you to
see where you’ve come from and where you are going in the course.
b. When going through your courses’ information, attempt to condense your notes into
smaller sets of summarized notes. You might be able to get a whole term into a page or
two to go along with your outline. These also make excellent study pages. Writing the information down
a second time will help to get it stuck in your head and prepares you to write it once more on an exam.
4. Setting the mood:
a. You will be writing in a quiet room free from distraction. It’s best to try to copy this
setting when you are studying. Find a spot at home that is away from things
that compete for your attention. (TV, games, phones, computers) You may work
well with music, but try to avoid music that demands a lot of your attention – make
it passive music that allows you to focus on your course material.
b. Take frequent short breaks according to a timeline and treat them as rewards.
For example – when I finish making study notes from the next 5 pages of my class
notes, I get to leave for 5 minutes to get a drink/ walk the dog/ do something active.
Try to avoid things that will make a short break longer (e.g. TV shows).
5. The night before:
a. There’s nothing worse than trying to stay awake during an exam. Your brain works best when it
has had a good rest. Plan to study, but also plan to get to bed on time. Use sleep as a reward for
studying.
b. Eat well. Your brain needs food too!
6. The day of:
a. Relax! Review your study notes and
b. information to commit those last few things
c. to memory. Your hard work at studying should be done by now.
d. Talk it over! Talk to a few classmates about what you will be writing.
Find out if there are missing parts to your studying that you can look over.
Resources:
For exam accommodations (extra time, a different room to write your exam in, etc), talk to Mrs. Pasma
in the ASP area and your course teacher(s).
For exam preparation, study habits, and advice, speak to your course teachers,
and/or the guidance department (Mr. Johnson, Mrs. Guetter, and Mr. Goossen).