BANTING MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL PARENT / GUARDIAN

BANTING MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL
Working together for a
Bright, Mindful, Healthy & Successful Community
Principal J. Shako
Vice-Principals
N. Arnold-Sallows
J. Underhill
B. Millsap
PARENT / GUARDIAN NEWSLETTER
November 2015
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
In my first term at Banting Memorial High School, I have had the pleasure of experiencing the school’s tradition and
commitment to excellence in education. We are very fortunate to have a team of dedicated professionals who all
share a common interest in helping each and every student at Banting achieve success. The efforts of teachers,
educational assistants, custodial staff and office staff make this a place where students can learn in a safe
environment and participate in the many sports and clubs that are offered. To prepare our students for a
post-secondary pathway of choice, key focus areas for the school continue to be on developing strong literacy skills in
all subject areas, and numeracy skills.
We recognize the importance of working as a partnership with parents/guardians and welcome your input on how
we can best help your student achieve success in school. The mid-term report card accompanying this newsletter
offers you a chance to review with your student; the grades on the report card, attendance, number of lates and
teachers’ comments. Student attendance is a strong indicator of student success and while it continues to be a school
focus, we also appreciate your efforts in setting appointments outside of school time and notifying the school of any
absences. Please review the student handbook for January and June exam dates and help support student study
time.
Free Tutoring
Academic support is available during lunch and after school, should you wish to find out more about the programs
available please contact the school.
School Visitors
In the interest of safety, all visitors to the school are required to go directly to the main office to sign in.
Jo Shako
IMPORTANT DATES
Advanced Placement:
Students Can Earn a University Credit
While Still in High School
Grade 11 and 12 students at 12 Simcoe County District School
Board high schools have the option to take Advanced Placement
(AP) cour ses. These cour ses ar e designed to cover the
Ontario Curriculum, while providing accelerated and advanced
level programming to prepare students to write American College
Board examinations. Students can earn a university credit while
still in high school, gain admission to university or both,
depending on the university. For more information on AP
courses available this school year, visit SCDSB’s website at :
www.scdsb.on.ca/Programs/Pages/Advanced-Placement.aspx
or contact your Guidance Department.
The AP exams for the 2015 school year will be administered over
two weeks in May 2016 and fees are due by January.
PA Day
November 13
Grade 9 Community Service Fair November 17
Mid-Term Report Cards
November 19
School Council Meeting
November 19
Blood Donor Clinic
November 26
Holiday Break
December 21- January 1
17th Annual BanSpiel
Alliston Curling Club
Saturday, November 21st
…...
Bus Cancellation Information
From the Arts Department
In Case of
Inclement Weather
Winter is just around the corner in Simcoe
County, and with it comes the possibility of
severe weather, challenging winter driving
conditions and, as a result, possible bus and school event
cancellations. All information regarding cancelled buses in
Simcoe County is posted on the Simcoe County Student
Transportation Consortium’s bus information website at:
www.simcoecountyschoolbus.ca.
Our school is in the South Zone. When buses are cancelled,
please remember that schools are still open (unless otherwise
noted) for student learning.
The Consortium, in conjunction with bus operators, will make
the decision to cancel school buses before 6 a.m. and as such,
will make every effort to post announcements between
6 and 7 a.m. Parents should also note that inclement weather
cancellations are effective for the whole day and buses
cancelled in the morning will not run at the end of the day.
You can also subscribe to receive bus delay notifications
here:
Visual Arts students have also been busy preparing artwork for the
Banting Legacy Art Contest and OSSTF’s Student Achievement
Award in Honour of Marion Drysdale.
Mark Saturday, January 9th (1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.) on your calendar
for the Opening Reception of the art exhibition by graduating Visual
Arts students at the Gibson Centre in Alliston. This year’s show
promises to be outstanding if the calibre of work presently being
produced is any indication. The show runs until February 6th.
EyeSeeEye
Eye See Eye Learn program is offering
free eye exams!
Your child may have a vision problem. Only an
optometrist knows if your child sees to the best
of their ability. Get them a comprehensive eye
exam, which is free for children under 19 years old with their Ontario
Health Card.
Learn more at www.EyeSeeEyeLearn.ca.
https://scstc.ca/Subscriptions
and
you can follow the Consortium on Twitter
@SCSTC_SchoolBus.
Community Involvement at Banting
Join the Ski Team!
All students interested in joining the
Alpine or Cross Country Ski Team
should contact Mrs. Kay or Mrs.
Jackson and sign up on the sheet outside the double gym. The first organizational meeting will be on Tuesday, November 10th during the first part of Periods 3 and 4
(come on your lunch). Permission to participate forms must
be returned by the first practice - Thursday, November 19th .
Alpine skiers must know how to ski and have their own
equipment including a full helmet, but do not have to have
race experience. Anyone new to Cross Country
Skate Skiing may join and learn the sport as
well as learn to
Skate Skiing equipment
can be rented for $80.00 for the season if you
would like to try the sport. Skiing is a great way
to get in shape and to enjoy our Canadian winter.
Once again, it has been a busy fall for Banting’s
Visual Arts students. For the third consecutive
year, Banting’s Visual Arts students were invited
to submit work to the Innisfil Studio Tour
(November 7th and 8th). Not only did all of
Banting’s artwork get accepted into the juried show, but Catherine C.
won the first place prize for Grade 11, and the Grade 12 Visual Arts
class won the first place prize for Grade 12 with their collaborative
painting of self-portraits. Honourable mentions went to Jenna C.,
Nicole R. and Valerie V.
This year Banting will host its 8th Annual Volunteer Fair on Tuesday,
November 17th, 2015. Many local organizations will be on
hand. Our primary focus is to expose our grade 9 students to the
volunteer opportunities in the community. All of our students are
required to complete 40 hours of volunteer service in order to
graduate, the problem is many of them do not know how or where to
get involved. The event will run in Banting’s cafeteria from 9:20 to
10:40am.
If you are an organization in need of volunteers, please contact Karen
Cross at Banting Memorial High School 705-435-6288 ext. 40166 or
kcross@scdsb.on.ca to express your interest, to ask any questions and
most importantly to book your spot! RSVP
would be appreciated no later than November
13th. If leaving a message please include your
name, the name of your organization, if you
will or will not be participating, lastly the
focus/focuses of the volunteer work in question
such as dog walking, sports, working with
children, and working with seniors.
Breakfast Club
Eat Well to Excel
Breakfast Club is up and running this year again at Banting. We fed almost 39,000 students last year, and it appears that we are going to
top that number this school year. In September and October, we had approximately 5,000 students eat a meal before classes began. We
rely on donations of cash and food, such as nut-free cereal bars, juices, cream cheese, Nutella, WOW butter, cheese, yogurt, breads, and
fruit. Students who begin school with a nutritious meal have better attendance and get sick less often.
If anyone wishes to help keep this program going by a cash or food donation, please contact K. Belcourt at 705-435-6288 ext. 40039 or
voice mail 55837.
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GUIDANCE NEWS
Full Disclosure Policy
The “Full Disclosure Policy” which became effective in September 1999, affects all students taking senior (Grade 11 and 12) courses.
a)
If a student withdraws from a Grade 11 or Grade 12 course on or before 5 school days after the mid-semester reports have been
issued, the course will not be recorded on the transcript.
b) If a student withdraws from a Grade 11 or Grade 12 course more than 5 school days after the mid-semester reports have been issued,
the course will be listed on the transcript showing the student’s marks at that time, as well as an indicator that the student withdrew
from the course.
The Full Disclosure date for Semester 1 courses is Friday, November 27th, 2015.
Applications to College and University
The College Information Sessions at Banting were held on Thursday, November 12th, during Periods 1 and 2 in the back of the Library.
Students can apply using the on-line application available on The Ontario College Application Services website: www.ontariocolleges.ca.
College applicants must submit their application by February 1st, 2016 for equal consideration.
University PINs (Personal Identification Numbers) should arrive at Banting during the week of November 16th-20th.The application
information sessions for students will be held on Friday, November 20th during Periods 3 and 4. Students may begin to apply on-line once
they have received their PIN.
University applicants must submit their applications by January 13th, 2016 if their applications are to receive equal consideration with all
other applicants.
It is recommended that College and University applicants apply as early as possible (before the winter break), as the stress on OCAS and
OUAC computer resources increases closer to the deadline date.
Advanced Placement Program
A new program at the SCDSB allows high school students to prepare for university or college courses and evaluations. The Advanced
Placement (AP) program gives students who have in-depth knowledge of particular subject areas the chance to write evaluations covering
over 30 subjects. The evaluations are administered by schools on specific dates in May and students who achieve a score of 4 or 5 can be
considered for advanced placement in post-secondary programs that recognize the AP designation.
Currently, Banting Memorial High Sschool is offering Advanced Placement Programs for Senior Biology, English and Psychology.
Each program will provide 18 hours of intensive study focusing on evaluation content, taught by qualified teachers, using College Board
AP evaluation study material. The fee is $125 for each evaluation written. If interested, please contact the Guidance Office at
705-435-6288 Ext. 40166 for more information.
Grade 8 Information Night
Is your child starting Grade 9 next year? Curriculum Information Nights give an overview of high school curriculum as well as
requirements for graduation. Guidance teachers will be visiting our elementary schools in early January to explain the high school
program. Dates and times for these evenings will be made available to parents by elementary schools at a later date. In addition,
Banting’s Grade 8 Open House will take place on Wednesday, February 10th, 2016, 7:00 -8:30 p.m. at the high school. Please save the
date and accompany your student that evening; it is a valuable experience to see the many opportunities we offer, tour the school, and ask
questions.
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Only
$35.00!
This is the amazing
graphic
that is
on all of
our
sweaters!
Available
in the Pirate pit
during periods 3 and 4
on every Tuesday,
Thursday and Friday
Sweaters are in!
We have 3 different colors and 2 different styles!
They make great gifts for current and past students! If you
are interested in purchasing one or simply have questions
please don’t hesitate to contact Tammy Storms
Her email is: tstorms@scdsb.on.ca
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