Have a Wonderful and Safe Holiday! - December 17th 2010

Today was a great day as we celebrated our last day together before the holiday break. Staff and students were certainly in a festive and celebratory mood in anticipation of the holiday season. Our admin team had the pleasure of joining in on the Family Studies' Pancake Breakfast with Ms. Burke and Mrs. Goodwin- Barnes and Mrs. Connor and I took up an invitation to make very "scientific" decorations with the Grade 12 Physics and Chemistry Class, supervised by Mr. Dahlinger and Mr. Oak. Talk about student engagement! What a great activity for all involved! To end off the morning we were treated to an awesome assembly sponsored by our Student Council and were entertained thoroughly by some interactive, spirit-building activities, while also  viewing the traditional pre-break student video. The 30 minute video was really more like a full-feature film with all the bells and whistles and was really well performed and designed by our student cast of characters. The audience certainly appreciated this amazing effort put forward by this talented group. The theme of the video was a funny and creative twist on a  James Bond version of Santa and his Elves.Well done, everyone!It was great!Special thanks to Ms. Olmsted and COMMCO for all of your hard work behind the scenes in ensuring such a successful assembly. It is greatly appreciated. So now, as we begin our holiday, it is my great pleasure to wish everyone the very best for a wonderful and safe holiday season! Please enjoy time with family and friends and all the best in the New Year. We look forward to seeing everyone back safe and sound on January 3rd, 2011!

15th Week Reports

Just a reminder to everyone that our 15th week reports will be mailed home tomorrow - Friday December 17th. Students who are achieving less than 60% in their courses will be receiving these reports. Staff have been encouraged to speak with students prior to the holiday break as to work that should  be completed over the holiday to put them in a successful position upon their return to school in January. The summative period has begun at our school and will become more intense as we return in January. Of course, we also look toward the exam period that follows and wish all students the very best for a successful outcome in all of their courses. Students are encouraged to seek the assistance they need to be successful as our staff and admin team are here to lend advice and support when and where needed. Over the holiday period we hope that our students have time to reflect and refocus their energies so that upon their return clear targets for personal achievement have been established. We encourage our parents and caregivers to assist us in this process and certainly, our doors are open to help in any way we can to ensure that all of our students
succeed!

Holiday Luncheon - Tuesday December 14th

What a great way to celebrate the upcoming holiday with our staff! The Holiday Luncheon is a tradition here at "The Ridge" and is sponsored by our Social Committee and our Parent Engagement Group. This year's
event featured the finest of foods and treats and allowed our staff the opportunity to sit down together for lunch at a very hurried time of the year. Perhaps we should all think about that beyond today...to take pause...as we head into the very hectic, hustle & bustle of the season. I would like to thank everyone who was involved in the preparation and organization of this event. I know that it was greatly appreciated by all of us who attended. A wonderful opportunity together to be thankful for the school community we work in and for. We are fortunate to be spoiled in such a fine manner through the "gift of fine cuisine!"

Ridge Cares - Gift of Giving

We are indeed very fortunate to have such a caring and amazing parent and extended community! Yesterday we wtinessed this first hand as members of our "Ridge Cares" Team spent the day together preparing "Holiday Baskets" for those in need at our school. Special thanks to Kathy Cancilla and  Bonita Kent (Ridge Cares) who put the word out to our community to support the "gift of giving" by providing items that truly are of value and need for our young people. Assisting our "Ridge Cares" Team in the preparation of holiday baskets were Fozia Rehman, Sara Severin, Nancy Anstett and Elaine Fung.This committment to ensure that others who would not otherwise receive such a "gift of giving", indeed will, at this holiday time, is much appreciated and valued by all of us. Thanks so much for this unselfish act of kindness, caring and compassion for others. You are truly special and amazing.

Sounds of the Season

Last Thursday, The Ridge Community was treated to an excellent evening concert, which involved well over 200 of our music students. The list of musical choices was quite extensive, featuring some very sophisticated classical pieces, while also including some contemporary ones. Our students were able to showcase their talents in a variety of ways under the staff leadership and guidance of Kevin McConvey and
Jennifer Cutler. Conductor McConvey also participated by playing some of the instruments and singing himself. Well done, maestro! Truly impressive. Thanks to all who participated in this community event as it was a truly enjoyable night for all who performed and all who attended. It is amazing when we reflect on the amazing talents of our young students. This evening was one in which they can feel very proud of their contributions through their music and certainly the sharing of their music with others was  truly a "gift of giving!" Thanks for a wonderful evening.

Gift of Giving - "Month of December"

December is the month at "The Ridge" where we celebrate the "Gift of Giving." Our students, staff and parent community are involved in various activities and events which are focused around benevolence and the joy of
"giving" on behalf of others. Some of the activities and events include: Disney Movie Night for "The Make-A-Wish Foundation and Family Badminton Night on Wednesday december 8th; Sounds of the Season on Thursday December 9th - a musical showcase to be held in our gym on Thursday December 9th; our staff "Holiday Luncheon" which will take place on Tuesday December 14th and other student council and club activities based on holiday themes. Student activities include: "Ginger Bread Houses in 'The Street" and a December 17th - Holiday Assembly. Our "Ridge Cares" parent group is also involved in putting together "Holiday Packages" for those students and families in need. All of these activities and events are reinforcing a time of year when both reflection and celebration are relevant. Thanks to all involved who continue to demonstrate your committment and dedication to others through your "Ridge Spirit." Thanks to all of you
for "giving" of yourselves to make "The Ridge" and our school community an inclusive one which emphasizes
such kindness and caring toward each other on a daily basis. You are all "one of a kind!"

Luncheon of Champions - Friday December 3rd

What a wonderful way to end a week, with a luncheon honouring our "Ridge Champions." This is one of the highlight events of the semester which is sponsored and organized by our Personal Career Counselling Staff, under the leadership of Mrs. Nancy Anstett. The purpose of the luncheon is to recognize and honour those students who have made significant improvements and positive contributions in their classrooms over the semester. Teachers put forth student nominations and students are invited to attend the recognition luncheon with family members and significant others. Our staff have an opportunity to speak on behalf of each "Champion" and share their accomplishments in a sincere and heartfelt manner. This opportunity to provide such positive feedback to our students has a great impact and meaning for all who attend. For our "Ridge Champions", it is a huge opportunity to receive encouragement from their teacher/mentors instilling the inspiration required  to continue to strive for excellence and student success. Thanks to everyone in PCC for planning and implementing such a meaningful event on behalf of our students and school community.
Your efforts to pay tribute to our students is greatly appreciated.

Wave Tournament - Senior Boys' Hockey - Thursday December 2nd

Fantastic news from Coach Mike Tarantino. Our "Trailblazers" recently competed in  a two day hockey tournament at "The Wave" and came out as champions! With 5 wins and no losses, the highlight was a 3-2
overtinme win over Loyola for the championship. This game was a re-match of last year's Halton Final where Loyola prevailed over our team. Looks like we are off to a good season's start! Congratulations to the team for representing our school in such a fine manner over the two days. We look forward to a very exciting season. "Go Trailblazers."

Medea - Wednesday December 1st

I had the privilege of attending the theatrical performance of the play "Medea" this evening. Our student
performers rose to the occasion on this evening, much to the pleasure of a very appreciative audience.
Congratulations to April Valera and her cast and crew for such a fine show. Medea is a challenging play
which certainly has relevance in today's world, despite being a Greek Tragedy.  Certainly, the play explores a range of human emotions, which were very well acted out by our student performers. The story itself provokes reflection from the audience as we consider how the tale fits into a modern context. I encourage everyone to support this showcase of our student's skills, talents and abilities. Future performances will occur on Thursday December 2nd and Friday December 3rd at 7pm, in our theatre.