Glee Singers Put on A Great Show

Last Thursday our Glee singers put on their own version of the new hit show to rave reviews.  Led by our own Mrs. Morris, the singers recreated her class as they were working towards putting on a school show.  The class gets their first ( and only) boy member and the fun begins.  The boy played by Grade 7's Kibe McMillan were in fact acting out Kobe's own story or being the only boy in Glee.

There is the inevitable boy/girl drama, new girl arriving to class from a foreign land called Saskatchewan, girls wars and a teacher who likes to spend too much time at Bed, Bath and Beyond.  It was great fun.  Amanda Peterson showed a real flair during her solo and the ensemble group can really belt out a tune.

Thanks for a great show!

Science Fair Rocks

Sorry about the lack of posts in the last while....it is the busiest time of the year for me.  I would be absolutely remiss if I didn't write about yesterday's Science Fair and what it means to Woodhaven.

Approximately 150 young scientists predominantly from Grades 5 and 6 strutted their stuff yesterday as partners displayed the results of their investigations in our Multi-purpose room.  There was everything from solar powered cars to hovercraft, product testing to tests of acidification.  All were being judged by school trustees, members of the community, Woodhaven science teachers Mr. Teliani and Mrs. Schaber and yours truly.

The result was a huge demonstration of learning!  As I travelled around judging with the two science teachers they kept telling the Grade 6 participants don't forget this, you will see in again in Grade 8 or 9.  The kids didn't set out to study advanced curriculum, but their interests took them there.

Not only were the kids learning science, but because they worked in pairs, they had to cooperate to reach their goals.  They also had to present their work to judges which required an understanding of how to present 20 hours of work in three minutes and do so in a mature fashion.  All of this was done with style and class.

Thanks to Mrs. Dilling and Mrs. Denet who led the way for us.  It was a fantastic day and its great to hear the kids say, "Do we get to do this again next year?"

Cheers

Our Casino Is Coming...Volunteers Still Required

Karen Hudson, our School Counsel's Volunteer Coordinator has contacted me and asked for assistance in getting the word out regarding our upcoming casino.  The casino is the Counsel's most significant fundraiser and is used to help the school upgrade our library and assistive technology.  We have had good response for help for the casino but the following positions remain unfilled.

If you can help, please call the office and ask for Carole Larsen.  We sure could use your help.

Thursday, May 19th 11:00am-7:00pm

General Manager

Alternate General Manager

Countroom Supervisor

Friday, May 20th 11:00am-7:00pm

Alternate General Manager

Banker

Countroom Supervisor

2 Chip Runners 

Friday, May 20th 7:00pm-close

1 Chip Runner

Calf Dissection ... Mr. Smithaniuk's Sure Knows How to Get the Attention of Your Average Grade 8

For the third year in a row Mr. Smithaniuk has dissected a calf to 'clearly' demonstrate to Grade 8 students how body systems work.  Students had just wrapped up their work on human body systems and Mr. Smithaniuk uses this event to help bring the learning together for the group.  OK, enough about book learning... this goes way beyond that.  This is a real life long event that won't be forgotten.  Mrs. Lyster who teaches grade 6 had Mr. Smithaniuk as her Grade 8 teacher when she went to Blueberry.  She says she can recall the calf dissection she saw like it was yesterday.  This years Grade 8's loved it!

Pictures to follow.

Farewell Mrs. Plourde

Valentines Day was a fitting time to say goodbye to our long time secretary Pam Plourde.  People from all walks of life in Spruce Grove came out to wish Pam well at a classy event organized by Pam's colleague and friend Mrs. Chris Ebdon.  The standing room only event was kicked off by Mayor Stuart Houston congratulating Pam on her long service by presenting her a certificate on behalf of the City.  The Mayor reflected on how his children had gone to Woodhaven and his memories of Pam as the caring and welcoming face of the school.

Former Principal of Woodhaven, Neil McDowell followed.  Neil hired Pam 30 years ago.  Wodhaven was a Junior High School of 750 students and the office was understaffed. Neil recalled that the job interview lasted 20 seconds.  It was a phone call with one question, "Do you want a job?"  The rest was, as they say, history.

Logan Gibson, a Grade 9 student took the podium next.  He has been a regular visitor to Mrs. Ploude's desk for the past five years.  When asked if he would speak at this event there was not a second of hesitation.  In fact, his response was, "Why wouldn't I!"  Logan spoke from the heart about how Mrs. Plourde made him feel welcome every time he visited her.  He then presented her 500 cards made by students over the past two weeks.

Our School Counsel Chair, Connie Hendry was next to honour Pam.  She announced that Counsel was sponsoring a new award called the Pam Plourde Award for Altruism.  As we all know Pam is the kind of person who is constantly giving of herself without asking for anything in return.  The Counsel thought it fitting to recognize a Woodhaven student who most reflected those same values.  Pam was truly touched by this gesture.

Finally Pam spoke.  In her most gracious and humble way she looked back over the years and how life at Woodhaven had changed during her 30 years.  Gone were the typewriters, in were the computers.  Gone were the chalkboards, in were the smartboards.  In fact she even commented on how underwear was now outerwear.  It was a reflection on a career well lived.

Yes, it was a great event and Pam will be missed by us all.  The Farewell was attended by all generations who have had a connection with Woodhaven.  There were Grade 5 to 9 students, High School students, current university students, current staff, former staff, two former principals,  Pam's closest friends and of course her husband Mike.  This was a real and respectful tribute to a fantastic person with a world class heart.

Thank you to all who helped make this possible.  It was a real Woodhaven team effort combining assistance from students staff and parents.  Special thanks to Mackenzie Harding who provided the excellent piano music throughout the event.

Hansel and Gretel...another marvelous theatre experience

Yes, it was icy on Friday.  Yes, the busses did not run.  Yes, all 260 students who attended school on Friday were treated to an enthralling performance by our Triple Threat Theatre Company.  Once again Mr. Tokarsky weaved his magic and our students were transformed into a professional theatre troupe who entertained us royally for 90 minutes on Friday morning.

I am in constant awe of how our Fine Arts teachers are able to get our normally shy and reticent adolescents to step up and risk everything to perform at such a high level.  Robert Hendry as Hansel and Jenna Stumber as Gretal were captivating and left us forgetting that we were watching a Grade 7 boy and a Grade 8 girl.  They ROCKED!  The remainder of the cast were excellent as they played off of each other with great timing.  Most importantly, we heard every word!

The supporting tech crew were amazing.  I was particularity captivated by the use of the fog machine run by Jennifer Warholik.  Every cue was hit, there was never too much fog, she knew how to set a mood.

Once again, thanks to all who made the show a raving success!

Say Hi To Kia

Hi its Kia here I am in Miss Lysters class of 5D, we were writing about if we were an iniut child in the past.  We were doing this in our own blog. It was successful.

It's Mr. Foster again. Kia and her class were beginning work on their own blogs.  It is a new project that Miss Lyster has started as she is getting her students to publish their work on the internet.  I happened to be in the class today and watched Miss Lyster work her magic with her crew.  They loved the opportunity to be real writers in the real world!