Parent E-News June 2010

1. Thank you to staff who are leaving K.S.S.
2. Congratulations to . . .
3. Provincial Exams
4. On-line PSI selection form (grade 12s going to post-secondary only)
5. Passport to Education
6. Summer School
7. Transcripts and demographics
8. Graduation Dogwood Certificates
9. Looking ahead to 2010/11
   

Parents you can subscribe to a personal e-mail by connecting to a new address (http://app.sd23.bc.ca/subscribers/index.php?sc1=KSS)

1. Thank you to staff who are leaving K.S.S.

I cannot express how fortunate I have been to be able to complete my career in education at Kelowna Secondary School. To have been able to work with so many wonderful students, dedicated staff and supportive parents has been a true honour. A 2010 retirement date seemed like a long way off for so many years, yet the time has passed so quickly – as it does when you are having fun and love what you do! I know that Kelowna Secondary School will continue to flourish, and I look forward to reading about all the outstanding events and results throughout the years to come. I wish the graduates of the Class of 2010 all the best with their future endeavours, be it post-secondary schooling, work, or travel. I am proud to say that I too am ‘graduating’ with such an impressive group of young people. And, best wishes to our grade 10 and 11 students as they continue on at K.S.S. – be proud of yourselves and focus on your goals with purpose and a strong sense of work ethic.


Many thanks again . . . it has been a true pleasure!

Susannah Brown

Think because you dare to,
Feel because you care to,
Do because you are prepared to,
Grow just because you are you.

THANK YOU TO OUR STAFF WHO ARE RETIRING /LEAVING K.S.S.: Many thanks go out to our staff members who will be retiring from Kelowna Secondary School this year. Each individual has contributed so much to our students and to what makes K.S.S. such a special school. We wish everyone the best with their future plans! Our retirees this year are:

Garry Otke (teacher)              Gail Otke (Accounting)
Wendy Cowley (teacher)        John Gobolos (teacher)
Joan Isik (teacher)                   Sophie Mordy (CEA)
Rob Melle (vice principal)      Susannah Brown (principal)

Thanks also goes to our temporary teachers and certified education assistants who will be moving onto other assignments and locations, with the hopes that some might be able to stay at K.S.S.  These teachers have played a significant role at our school, continuing to make it a great place to be as well!  They are:

Brenda Appel	Kyla Ayers	Wendy Blancher
Janine Collinson	Parker Joliffe	Amanda Kehler
Liam Kelliher	Nicole Kraubner	Crystal Lawrie
Scott Parker	Christel Stone	Neb Wrbaskic
Rochelle Youngberg	Ben Mcauley	Rene Jardine
Kim Zdrill

We also thank Mr. Scott Parker for his role as vice principal over the past 3 years and wish him all the best as he moves into a principalship at Helen Gorman Elementary.  They are one lucky school to have such a fine administrator.

2. CONGRATULATIONS TO . . .:

The Grad Class of 2010! 

What a great year, with so many accomplishments at K.S.S. and in the community.  We wish you nothing but success as you move onto your future plans!

Thank you to all of our staff and parents who participated in the wide range of grad events over the course of the year – it was truly a team effort.  Your time and enthusiasm were sincerely appreciated

The Dragon’s Den participants and winners:
Twenty-three SD23 secondary school teams started task one (business concept design) at the beginning of February. Eight teams were eliminated after task one, leaving 15 teams competing in task two (financial analysis of business idea). Nine more teams were eliminated after task two, leaving the final six teams competing in task three (marketing plan for business idea). The final six teams and local dignitaries attended the 2010 Dragon's Den Awards at the Capri Hotel on in May, with KSS winning all of the secondary school category awards:

First Place (including a cash prize of $2500) went to: Kayleigh Zinger-Harris, Kassia Vinci, Kristen Valnicek, and Allie Lemoine. Their business idea was a tourism-based iPhone application called "iTour Kelowna".

Second Place went to: Kelsey Marinov, Hilary Regnier, and Brett Rothenburger. Their business idea was "OK Beach Rentals" - a beach accessory rental company. This team also won the $500 Innovation Award.

Third Place went to: Josh Rampone, Ashton Miller, Sabrine Waitkus, and Courtney Verwold. Their business was "Ogoyogo", a mobile fresh yogurt and snacks company.

Track and Field Provincials
A very successful provincial meet for the Owls capped off another terrific season.
• Sasha Schoch: 6th in 1500m, 11th in 3000m
• Keefer Joyce: 4th in 100m (missed third by 1/100th of a second),5th in 200m, 13th in 400m
• James Turner: 2nd in Decathlon, 5th in Long Jump, 12th in 400m, 12th in Javelin
• Taylor Hagon: 22nd in triple jump Thank you to Mr. Carlson for his continuous coaching and support of our team.

Senior Boys Rugby:
The senior boys’ rugby team had an exemplary season and entered the play-offs to provincials with a win to place them in 8th place in the province. They went on to finish 6th in the province at provincials – an incredible showing for such a fine group of young men and awesome coach, Mr. Marfleet.

Tennis
Ms. Steunenberg led the tennis team to the provincials that were hosted by Kelowna in Burnaby. The team placed 11th in the tournament, having a great season leading to the finals! Congratulations and a huge thanks to Ms. Steunenberg for sharing her expertise on the courts.

Golf
A strong team went through the provincials showing the coast teams how to play golf, and finishing first in our hearts. A true team of gentlemen and excellent sportsmen, who handled a difficult situation with class and integrity. We are proud of you!

3. PROVINCIAL EXAMS::

A Provincial Exam Bulletin has been posted to the Exams website under “Popular Topics”: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/exams/.  This bulletin is designed to answer the questions most commonly asked by students regarding provincial exams results, transcripts, August exams, Provincial Scholarships, etc.

There is also a link provided to this bulletin on the Student Secure Web “Welcome” page where students go to access their exam results, unofficial transcripts and the Online PSI Selections Form: https://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/exams/tsw/tsw/student/

AUGUST PROVINCIAL EXAMS

Summer August Provincial exams will be held at the Hollywood Road Educational Center at 1040 Hollywood Road on August 9 – 13.
The link to register for the August Provincial Exams is now LIVE!  It is on the SD No. 23 web page at www.sd23.bc.ca, top right corner.  The Exams are only available for OUR School district students.

The key contact for the August exams is:
Fran Stewart
Transcripts/Resources CRC and Room Bookings
School District # 23
250  860-9729 ex  6584   or 250-469-6452
fax 250-870-5086
fstewart@sd23.bc.ca

4. ONLINE PSI SELECTIONS FORM

Grade 12 students who are applying to a post-secondary institution need to complete the on-line PSI Selections Form by June 30 if they have not already done so.  Admission offers may be delayed or denied if students do not authorize the release of their transcript data via the PSI Selections Form.
• Students may access the PSI Selections Form via the Student Secure Web:   https://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/exams/tsw/tsw/student/
• Further instructions are available at:  http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/exams/trx_updates/pdf/psi_selections_form.pdf

If you have questions, please contact TRAX:
Phone: 250.356.7270
Email: TRAX.Data@gov.bc.ca

5. PASSPORT TO EDUCATION PROGRAM:

Based on a Ministry of Education formula, KSS is allotted a certain number of passport stamps (usually around 100) per grade.  Students must have carried the minimum number of courses in each grade throughout the entire year in order to qualify for the Passport to Education.

Minimum course load:                                       The stamp is worth:
Grade 10 – 8 for this year                                  Grade 10 - $250
Grade 11 – 7 courses                                          Grade 11 - $250
Grade 12 – 6 courses                                          Grade 12 - $500

The stamps are awarded to students with the top Grade Point Average in their best 5 courses.  Ties are broken using the actual percentages received in the top five courses.
Passports can be picked up by grade 12s only at the end of August.  Grade 10s and 11s have their passports held at the school until they graduate.

6. SUMMER SCHOOL

There is no summer school being offered through SD#23 this year.

7. TRANSCRIPTS AND UPDATED DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION FOR GRADE 12S:

The Ministry of Education will mail student transcripts in late July to the address on record at K.S.S.  If your demographics have changed, please let the front office know at mlepold@sd23.bc.ca immediately, so that you will receive your transcript.

8. GRADUATION DOGWOOD CERTIFICATES:

A grade 12 student will be able to pick up their Dogwood certificates from the main office at K.S.S. beginning August 30th. 

9. Looking ahead to 2010/11

1. COURSE CHANGES FOR 2010/11:

Student timetables for next year are attached to report cards.  Students have had two distinct opportunities to complete course changes for their timetable for next year, along with some additional ones throughout the spring.  The timetable is very full and is restricted to the number of changes possible.

Course change dates have been scheduled for:  

August 31 9:00 to 3:00
September 1 9:00 to 3:00
Septermber 2 9:00 to 12:00

AT K.S.S. IN THE MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM IN   THE MAIN FOYER OF THE SCHOOL.

 Please note:

• Students must come in person or have a responsible adult come in to make changes.  Changes cannot be accommodated through phone calls and/or e-mails.
• Timetable changes will be made for students who are missing required courses or who do not have a complete timetable.
• Changes cannot be made for teacher requests, to be with friends, to re-organize spares, etc. 
• As the timetable is very full, it may be impossible for a student to take all the electives they have selected.
• Students trying to make changes on any of the three days have just as much of a chance of successfully making the changes, whether it is on August 31st or September 1st or 2nd, as each change made creates a new opening in a course.  Therefore, it is not necessary to stand in line on the first day.
• New registrations will take priority.
• Students/parents who are in line at 3:00 will receive a number for placement at the front of the line the next day.
• Change requests can only be made once, as many opportunities have already been offered and the timetable was built based on these requests and changes. 

 

2. WHAT HAPPENS IN WEEK ONE?

Tuesday September 7  9:00 to 12:00      
First day of school for GRADE 10S ONLY!
Bus pick up at 12:00
Wednesday  September  8 9:00 to 3:15
All students in attendance for 8 blocks to walk through their timetable and have an introduction to their courses.
Homeroom at 9:00
Bus pick up at 3:15 
Thursday  September  10 9:00 to 3:15
Day 1, blocks 1, 2, 3, & 4 for all students, 9:00 to 3:15

*Parking passes available to grade 12s only on September 8th and 9th at 8:30 in the MPR
*Grade 12s must present a valid driver’s license, insurance and license plate number in order to pick up a parking pass on September 8th or 9th.

AM I A GRADE 12 NEXT YEAR?

In order to be considered enrolled in grade 12 for next year, a grade 11 student must have met the following criteria:

• Passed all required grade 10 courses
• Earned a minimum of 56 credits to date in grade 11/12 courses
• Must have passed English 11 or Communications 11

Students will be re-assigned to grade 11 until the above criteria have been met.  Students may also be moved from grade 12 to grade 11 if they are not being successful in their grade 12 year.

TO ENSURE A STUDENT HAS ALL THE REQUIRED CREDITS AND COURSES NECESSARY TO MEET GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS, PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR COUNSELLOR IN SEPTEMBER.

• Grade 10  Ms. S. McRoberts  A to Z
• Grade 11/12  Mrs. D. Demug A to K         
• Grade  11/12 Mrs. S. Corrado  L to Z         
  
  
  GRAD 2011 DATES:                                                                                    

A number of graduation activities will be organized by the Grad Council for 2011 over the course of the year.  The main events have been scheduled for:

Commencement Ceremonies             June 13, 2011              5:00 to 11:00               Trinity Baptist
Grand Banquet and Dance                June 29, 2011              6:00 to 11:00               Delta Grand
Dry Grad                                          June 30, 2011              12:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.    TBA

“The growth of the human mind is still high adventure, in many ways the highest adventure on earth.”    Norman Cousins