May 20, 2016
Victoria Day holiday:
This coming Monday May 23rd is the Victoria Day holiday. There is no school this day. Enjoy your long weekend.
Gr. 8-12 Interim Reports:
Interim Reports for Gr. 8-12 have been sent home with students and some have been mailed. This is a good opportunity to review your youth’s progress with them for this term and the final few weeks of school. If you have any questions regarding these interim reports we welcome you to call specific teachers at the school.
Spring Concert:
The SECS annual Spring Concert is Tuesday May 24th at 7:00 p.m. at the Convention Centre. Come on out and enjoy the show filled with amazing talent. Elementary and High School students will be performing so it proves to be a dynamic show. Donations will be gratefully accepted at the door. Proceeds go towards future band activities and equipment. See you there!
High School Awards / Cap and Gown:
Next Thursday May 26th is our annual High School Awards Ceremony, and the Grad Cap and Gown ceremony at 7:00 p.m. We invite everyone to help celebrate our students’ achievements. See you there!
SECS Forestry Trail Run:
Don’t forget the annual SECS Forestry Trail Run is on Friday May 27th. Students will travel to the Forestry Trail by the school bus. Students – please remember to wear sunscreen and a hat, and bring a bag lunch and a water bottle. You can walk or run, and it’s lots of fun!
Yukon First Nations Grad:
Congratulations to our Grade 12 students who will be participating in the Yukon First Nations Grad on Friday May 27th, 2016. Enjoy your special day!
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St. Elias Community School Graduation Ceremony:
We invite the community to join us in celebrating this very important milestone for our Graduating class of 2016. The ceremony begins at 4:00pm on Thursday June 2nd at the Convention Center.
Elementary Awards Ceremony:
All Parents and community members are cordially invited to attend the St. Elias K4/Kindergarten to Grade 7 Awards Ceremony Tuesday June 14th at 7:00 p.m. in the school gym. It’s time to celebrate the “awesomeness” of our Kg-7 students along with their academic growth and accomplishments. We look forward to seeing you at the Awards Ceremony.
SEC Professional Development Day:
On Monday June 6th SECS Staff will be participating in a Professional Development Day. This is the last School Council approved PD Days for this year. There will be no classes on this day.
High School Final Exams:
Students in Gr. 8 – 12 will be writing final exams from Thursday June 9th to Tuesday June 14th. A schedule of exam times will be sent home in the near future.
BC Provincial Exams:
Grade 10 & 12 students are required to write British Columbia Provincial Exams. These dates are
set by the B.C. Ministry of Education and cannot be changed:
· Grade 10 Science – Wed. June 22 - 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
· Grade 11 Social Studies – Wed. June 22 – 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
· Grade 10 Math – Thur. June 23 – 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
· Grade 12 English – Friday, June 24 – 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
· Grade 12 Communications – Monday, June 27 – 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
The 2016 Grade 6/7 St. Elias Community School and Territorial Heritage Fair results:
This year on Tuesday, April 21st, the eighteen Grade 6/7 students participated in our school Heritage Fair, to showcase and celebrate the completion of their Elder/Ancestor Research Projects. Students researched and wrote informational essays about the life of their chosen ancestor. They also found and wrote a favorite family story and recipe.
The names of the students are as follows: Grade 6s: Annika Eckervogt-Brewster, Alea Griffith, Freya Rowe, Jackson Sheardown, Ethan Thompson, and Willow Oakley, Grade 7: Marius Allenspach, Psalm Clunies-Ross, Tanner Germain, Brodie Graham-Hume, William Graham-Hume, Ecko Kirk, Dalton Moore, Brendon MacKinnon, Mackenzie McDonnell, Jason Symanski, Jonas Schaerig, and Callum Weir.
At school, prior to the fair, some of the tasks students completed for this project At home and on their own time, students were asked to complete their display boards and collect pictures, items, and artifacts for display with their projects at our heritage fair.
At our fair this year, student’s projects and presentations were judged by the following adults: Jolene Billwiller, Cassandra Wheeler, Andy Hall, Julie Bauer, James Booth, Jack and Allie (squirrel camp
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researchers), Paula Pawlovich, Bryce Voogd, and Erika Miller. Miss Allison’s Grade 3/4 students were our junior judges along with Ms Burton’s 5/6s who also peer assessed the participants.
For the adult judges, the judging is always a mixed blessing. It’s a wonderful opportunity for adults, as community members, to support and interact with students as they share what they have learned about their ancestor, about their families, and about their traditions and cultures. Judging is also a challenge because although all of the students learn so much and do such great work on their projects, only six may earn the privilege of attending the Territorial Heritage Fair on May 5th. So our dedicated, caring, and hard-working judges help us with this part of the process. Thank you to this year’s judges for doing such great work.
Before I share the names of the six students who earned the highest scores for their projects and presentations, I want to say that I am very proud of every one of my students who researched and completed Elder/Ancestor Research Projects. Every student learned something new about their chosen ancestor, they made connections and discovered shared interests, and they reflected on how learning about family changed them. Lastly, they monitored, then self-assessed their choices, successes, and challenges having completed such a big project. Job well done 6/7s.
St. Elias Community School Heritage Fair Results:
The results of this year’s school Heritage Fair are:
1st Place Overall in the Gr. 6/7 category (including a $50.00 award from our School Council): Callum Weir and his project on his Grandmother
2nd Place Overall (including a $40.00 award from our School Council): Annika and her project on her Grandmother
3rd/4th / 5th /6th Places were close enough to be tied (including a $30.00 award from our School Council and the Gr. 6/7 class fund): Ethan Thompson and his project on his grandmother/Psalm Clunies-Ross and her project on her Aunt/Brendon MacKinnon and his project on his Grandmother and
Ecko Kirk and her project on her Grandfather.
Acknowledgments:
Thank you to our School Council and our principal, Ms Mann, for their financial support of our heritage fair. Thank you to Shawn Allen, in our school office, for printing many family pictures for students’ displays. Thank you to Marty Ritchie, Marty Samis, Erika Miller, Cindi Cowie, Jenna Peterson, and Gwen Watson for supporting students in so many ways, from editing written work, to scanning photos, to finishing displays. Thank you to Margaret Chiblow for providing support for students to work on their displays at the Youth Centre. Thank you to Sue Knight and Richard Smith, at the Daku Culture Centre, for helping students attractively display their artifacts and family treasures.
Help us Reward Students for their Recycling Efforts!
May 2 - 30, 2016 donate your used Northwestel phonebooks to St. Elias School. You can help students earn cash rewards for special school projects, activities or equipment. The more phonebooks students collect…the more CASH our school can earn!
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Ombrelle Soccer Fest:
Date: May 28th, 2016
Time: 10am to 4pm
Location: St. Elias Community School Field, Haines Junction
Please join us on the field at St. Elias Community School for soccer sessions with a talented bunch of coaches for children from ages 6 to 16.
Please Bring:
· Water bottle
· Snack
· Soccer cleats or good running shoes that won’t fall off
· Shin pads
· Shorts
· T-shirt
John McPhail, head coach of YSA, and Edgar Musonda are running soccer sessions along with U16 boys from Whitehorse. Enjoy sessions in the morning with a Mini World Gup games in the afternoon.
Everyone welcome! There is no cost for players.
There will be a concession on the field to raise funds for an African youth to play soccer in France this summer. Contact Cindi Cowie if you have any questions at
Yukon/Stikine Territorial Heritage Fair Results:
Six Grade 6/7 students represented their families and our school at the May 5th Territorial Heritage Fair at the Transportation Museum and Berengia Centre in Whitehorse. They were Annika Eckervogt-Brewster, Ecko Kirk, Psalm Clunies-Ross, Brendon MacKinnon, and Ethan Thompson. Callum Weir did not attend due to illness so Freya Rowe, next runner-up at our school fair, attended in his place. After our students presented and judges assessed and scored their projects, the placements were as follows:
1st Place Overall in Gr. 5/6 Category (including a $100.00 award): Ethan Thompson
3rd Place Overall in Gr. 7/8/9 Category (including a $50.00 award): Ecko Kirk
Psalm Clunies-Ross won the Oral History Award (including a $50.00 award) for a project that demonstrated exceptional use of oral history.
Freya Rowe won the Research and Writing Award (including a $30.00 award) for a project that demonstrated exceptional research and writing.
Annika Eckervogt-Brewster won the Genealogy Award (including a $50.00 award) for a project on family stories and history.
Parks Canada People’s Choice Award (including prize items) given for a project chosen as a favorite by participants and members of the public who attend the fair: Annika Eckervogt-Brewster and Ethan Thompson tied for this award.
Acknowledgments:Thank you Linda Thompson, Daniel Clunies-Ross, Marilyn Brewster, and Ernie MacKinnon for providing rides for students and their projects to and from the fair in Whitehorse. Thank you to the grandparents, other family members, and friends who attended the fair. Their interest and encouragement meant so much.
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Thank you to all those volunteers who helped organize and facilitate the Territorial Heritage Fair. This group includes the hosts at the Transportation Museum and Berengia Centre as well as Parks Canada and the Department of Education. Thank you to the guest speakers who welcomed and encouraged the students to be proud of their history and heritage. Thank you to the hard-working judges who included many retired teachers and local community leaders. My students and I hope to see them again next year.
Lastly, my biggest thank you goes out to the six students who worked so hard to earn the opportunity to represent our school at the Territorial Heritage Fair. Job well done Ethan, Brendon, Ecko, Psalm, Freya, and Annika. I couldn’t be more proud of each of you.
Ms Leisa Robinson-Collin (Gr. 6/7 teacher)
School Supply Lists for 2016 – 2017:
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St. Elias Community School Calendar for 2016-2017Discovery Day / Monday Aug. 15, 2016
SECS Professional Development Day / Tuesday Aug. 23, 2016
Yukon Ed. Professional Development Days / Wed/Thurs Aug. 24 & 25, 2016
First Day of School for students / Friday August 26, 2016
Labour Day / Monday Sept. 5, 2016
Thanksgiving Day / Monday Oct. 10, 2016
YTA Conference / Thur. / Fri. September 29-30, 2016
Remembrance Day / Friday Nov. 11, 2016
Christmas Break / Monday Dec. 19, 2016 - Monday Jan. 2, 2017
First Day Back after Christmas Break / Tuesday Jan. 3, 2017
Heritage Day / Friday Feb. 24, 2017
Spring Break / Monday Mar. 20, 2017 to Friday Mar. 24, 2017
First Day Back after Spring Break / Monday Mar. 27, 2017
Good Friday / Friday Apr. 14, 2017
Easter Monday / Monday Apr. 17, 2017
Victoria Day / Monday May 22, 2017
Last Day of School / Friday June 9, 2017
Three non-instructional days are allotted each year and approved by School Council.
(2 of 3 days have been set for Aug. 23, 2016; and Sept. 29, 2016; 1 day to be determined.)
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