Monday 27 October 2014

Mid Term is approaching quickly !!!

PARENTS:

Thank you to everyone who came out to our first Parents' Night of the year.  The fall parents' night is always well attended and this year attendance was outstanding.  According to some long time OT families they could not recall a more crowded night than last Thursday.  I know that some people were disappointed that they may not have been able to speak with a staff member and so I encourage anyone to please follow-up with a direct e-mail in order to connect with your child's teacher.

This year we did try a new format for Parents' Night.  Instead of waiting until after mid term reports (usually around late November) we chose to hold our event shortly after 5th Week Reports.  It is our hope that the earlier meeting will help parents, students, and teachers alike as we will all hopefully be on the same page when it comes to expectations, etc. around all courses.

If you have some thoughts on the new format please don't hesitate to share them with me at your convenience.  We are open to revising the timing and the format with a goal of providing all families an opportunity to connect with your child's teachers.

SPORTING NEWS:

As we move through October a number of fall activities are starting to build energy and excitement around the school.  Last Friday afternoon a football doubleheader was very well attended by students and parents.  Our Football teams acquitted themselves very well with the senior game being incredibly exciting.  The game went in to overtime (a real rarity in HS Football) and the game ended in a tie (vs. Aquinas) despite the excellent effort of all players.

In Volleyball action both of our boys teams have been playing very well.  Our Junior squad has become much more competitive and they have notched a couple of recent wins!  The Senior team continues to play well with a series of great wins over the past few weeks.  Both teams are gearing up for a playoff run and we look forward to some more excitement in the coming weeks.

Our Junior and Senior Girls Field Hockey Teams are continuing the excellent tradition of success.  While the Junior Team has struggled a bit of late they are entering the playoffs tomorrow (Tuesday, October 21) with a Quarter Final match at Bronte Field.  The Senior Girls have had a strong season and they are entering the final week of the season with the goal of a playoff run approaching soon.

Mr. Sargant has a group of energetic Cross Country runners tearing up the trails this fall.  We have a few runners who will be making a serious charge for an OFSAA berth when they take to the trails next week in the Regional Finals.


AROUND THE SCHOOL:

I'm continually amazed at the great spirit here at OT.  Our students are engaged in a number of charitable causes all with an eye to helping locally and globally.  These last few weeks we've witnessed our Grade 10 Civics classes raising money for a host of wonderful causes.  Whether it's for a local Women's Shelter or participating in Me to We events many students across the school are contributing their time, energy, and effort to help others.  Well done OT !!!

This past weekend our Robotics Team travelled to Rochester, New York for their first competition of the year.  As we've grown to expect the team captured two awards for their excellent effort.  The Robotics Team is again one of OT's largest groups and I'm looking forward to watching their success as they prepare for future competitions around the province.


UPCOMING EVENTS:
Oct. 30   Halloween Movie Night
Nov. 4    Parent Connections Evening
Nov. 5   Take your kid to work Day
Nov. 13  School Council
Nov. 14  Mid Term Report Cards distributed
Nov. 20  Open Mic Night (in the Theatre)
Nov. 24  Full Disclosure Date
Nov. 27  Grade 8 Parents' Night



Friday 10 October 2014

#4 - ....rolling into Fall

With the Thanksgiving weekend holiday fast approaching it's amazing to think we've already completed one month of a new school year!  Before another week goes by I want to remind all families of a simple slogan that has been used here at school for the past couple of years: "Everybody, every day!"

As busy as we all can get with work load expectations; community activities and club sports; or even with part time jobs, it is amazing to see how absenteeism eats away at student success in high school.  Thank you for your continued efforts to ensure that your child is attending school each and every day......for each and every period.  There will always be times when an absence cannot be avoided and we will continue to work with all students who may be forced to miss a class; a full day; or even a week.  That being said every missed class adds a level of challenge for even the strongest, most motivated student.

Thank you for encouraging your child to continue communicating with their Teacher throughout the semester regarding any difficulty or challenge that may develop.  Open communication will help avoid challenging and stressful situations that could develop around heavy evaluation periods.  Access Teacher websites to stay up to speed with all classroom expectations (especially key dates for assignments, tests. and quizzes).

Our first Parents' Night is quickly approaching.  Thursday, October 16th will provide parents with an opportunity to check in with their child's progress to date.  Although it is early in a semester we really enjoy the opportunity to connect with parents at this point in time - especially if there are concerns emerging.  Parents' Night is held at the end of the first third of a semester so there is an abundance of time to address concerns and remedy any early struggles.

Teachers will have between 5 and 10 minutes to meet with individual families.  If you believe more time is required please don't hesitate to exchange contact information with a Teacher and set up a follow-up appointment at a mutually convenient date and time.  I look forward to meeting many parents on the 16th.





Key Dates in October
  • October 3rd      5th Week Reports - emailed to all Gr.9's + Gr.10's-12's who are experiencing challenges over the first month
  • October 10th    PD Day (no school)
  • October 15th    Post Secondary Information Fair
  • October 16th    Parents' Night (6:30-9:00 pm)