Someone once said that grade nine was the greatest year of all the school years, and we are beginning to understand what they meant. We love it. We love every minute of it. We get to do so many amazing things and learn so much interesting stuff. We were honored to have Charlotte and Grant bring us all an amazing meal on Monday the 7th. Thank you so much.

On Thursday, October 10th, we had the privilege of attending Student Forum. We heard an inspirational talk from Spencer West and were motivated to get involved in making our world a better place for all. We had an opportunity to talk about ways that we can enhance our classroom experience and take full advantage of the educational opportunities that are available to us as Canadians.

For instance, every day we get to go to Mr. Herman’s math class and learn about numbers. RATIOS!! We thought the Exponents unit was terrific and it looks this whole ratios unit is going to blow it away. In ELA, we are reading a book called The Sunflower. Ask us about it. It’s an incredible story with a really challenging message.

On November 6th, we get to experience a Grade 9 rite of passage, as we participate in the Canada wide “Take Your Kid to Work Day” We will be going to work with our parents, or with somebody else getting a taste of what our teachers refer to as “the real world”. Stay tuned for permission forms.

In Social we have delved deep into our personal histories and learned a great deal about our country, our families and ourselves. We’ve learned about the history of humans, Neanderthal, cro-magnon and other amazing discoveries. There is no shortage of questions and discussion items. This is learning at its best.

There is so much more we could tell you, but we’re out of time. If you want to know more, please track us down and ask us. Oh yes, one more thing….235 days until the canoe trip!

Math – The grade 8’s are currently working on square roots and the Pythogorean Theorem. They will be verifying the theory and practicing their hand at figuring out area and using basic formulas.

ELA – The Giver (8.1) and The Outsiders novel study (8.2)

Art – Sketching and mixed media on canvas

Science – The girls in Science are wrapping up the first unit of study about “Water Systems on Earth”, specifically; the geological forces that create fresh and salt water systems, and the study of tides, currents, and waves. Boys are working on the laws of reflection in a plane mirror

Health – Group 8.1 is studying “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens”. We are now at the point of Habit 2 “Begin With the End in Mind” soon we’ll be onto Habit 3 “Put First Things First”.

Health – Group 8.2 is making brochures “What’s so great about you!?”

PE – Students are busy with Tchoukball, Volleyball, and a variety of other games which include fitness components. We are getting ready for fitness testing that starts right after the Thanksgiving Holiday break. Soon we will start fitness circuits and some workouts in the weight room.

Social – Interdependence of Nations.

Home Ec –  Students are busy baking up a storm in the Baking Basics unit. The room smells and tastes yummy of pancakes, waffles, muffins and various kinds of biscuits. They will be having a cookie exchange party as they learn about the different types of cookies.

I.A. – Grade 8’s have just started their CAD drafting. They were pumped last day to get into the computer lab.

It seems like school just started and already September’s half over! The grade 10’s have gotten over the initial shock of waking up early and kickstarting their neurons and have settled in nicely. The rest of us are a tad UN-settled as they start Driver’s Ed, though. Their newfound freedom will be helped by their investigation of currency exchange rates in Math. In ELA, students are imagining a type of device they’d like to have in the future and writing about it. Wellness has thus far seen a sampling of sporting activities, like football and volleyball. Commercial Cooking is currently planning their first meal while their compatriots in IA are working on cabinet making. And finally, in science, the grade 10’s are exploring ecosystems and the environment.

Take care until next month! (Thanks to Truman for his contributions.)

Energizing. Cheery. Intriguing. Intense. Hilarious. Enlightening. This is just a sampling of the words yelled forth by this year’s Grade Nine squad when asked to describe the year thus far. In ELA, Mr. Kirk has us exploring Human Rights and Freedoms. In Social Studies, we’ve just finished making personal timelines and now we are looking at ancient human history and pre-history. They’ll be on display in our classroom shortly, so swing on in and have a look. (bring chips) Speaking of items on display, we’ve been working on painting the ceiling tiles. It’s a bit like the Sistine Chapel except with a little more Disney and Sports Logos. Do you have any questions about finding the surface area of a Composite Shape? You can ask us now, because that’s what Mr. Herman is teaching us in Math. Can you imagine having Ms. Prakash as a science teacher? It’s a blast. Literally. She sure likes blowing things up. Our leader, Mr. Graham is teaching us about Decision making in Health class and we’re looking at life for teenagers in past decades. It’s crazy. Volleyball, welding and Kitchen Wizardry round out our daily schedules.

All in all, I don’t think we’ve ever been happier.

The grade 8s are in various class combinations this year and getting a variety of topics in their classes. In ELA classes, students are reading The Giver as well as focusing on Poetry and essay writing. Science class has started this year with the topics of the Water Cycle and Light Reflection/Refraction. Study of various cultures, immigration, migration and maps is the focus in Social Studies. The two classes are at the same place in Math, reviewing some work from last year, and learning about exponents. Fitness courses, dodge ball and mat ball as well as throwing skills have been topics in Phys Ed. Lastly, isometric drawings, reviewing how to cook and putting those skills to the test making cookies have been the areas of study in PAA.

Another year has begun and the adventure is upon us! It has been wonderful to see so many familiar faces and to meet new people. Our class this year is made up of 25 amazing students! They are hard working, kind and funny. We are currently exploring sustainability in ELA, whole numbers review and pre-algebra substitution in math, and basic mapping skills in Social Studies.

I am currently planning our first field trip of the year. In early October, the Grade 7s will be venturing to the city to swim and bowl as part of our team building goal for the year. We will be doing some fundraising to help offset the cost of the trip. Please keep your eyes peeled for more information about the trip and fundraising in the weeks to come.

We have an intern working with us this term. Her name is Nicole Andre and she has already been busy

building relationships, coaching, and teaching the Grade 7 ELA. We are both excited about this term and the successes we are sure to see. As always, should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact one of us at the school (306-544-2511). We can also be reached via email: Nicole.Bain@spiritsd.ca or Nicole.Andre@spiritsd.ca.