Grade Nine continues to roll on and we continue learning, living and loving. We’ll give you a quick rundown of what we’ve been up to this month. We’ve finished our novel study of A Long Way Gone in ELA and that has opened up many doors for learning in Social Studies. We’ve discussed and studied Sierra Leone, conflict diamonds, child soldiers and explored regions of the world where natural resource wealth is being exploited at the high expense of human rights. Now in ELA, we are looking at the true story of a boy named Chris McCandless who sold his car, gave his college savings to charity, changed his identity and went into the Alaskan wilderness to live…and die. It’s an amazing story with a lot for us to think about. Our paper mache masks are pretty much wrapped up and it goes without saying that our Hat Festival preparations are about to get underway. Health class continues to challenge us, as we are having honest and candid discussions about what it’s like to be a teenager in 2013. It’s not easy, but apparently it never has been. Meiosis is the name of the game in Science class and Math class lives up to its name by serving us with the latest in math and math related ideas. Badminton in Phys Ed, cooking in Home Ec, and small engines in IA fills in the rest. All good stuff.

The annual Grade 9 camping trip is scheduled for June 5, 6 and 7, 2013. We’ll be starting our in-class preparations this week and sending information home. Parents, we need lots of parent help, so please see what you can do about coming on the trip with us. The more the merrier.