Our second month of the school year finds our students, staff and parent/caregiver community highly engaged and immersed in all aspects of school life. Students are settled into their academic classes and participating in co-curriculars, representing our school with pride and passion! We recently hosted an Honour Society Reception recognizing over 700 of our students who achieved 80% in their classes in 2012/13. Students spoke at the event representing our present Grade 10, 11, and 12's, each making remarks about what "Excellence" means to them and sharing the rich opportunities that they have available to them to learn, grow and achieve success at our school. Our adult audience was duly impressed by the wisdom shared by these young students who also congratulated their peers on the fine achievement of making it to our Honour Roll. Our speakers included: Sean Condon (as Master of Ceremonies), Kevin Zhou, Alana Losier, Erika Bollinger, Connor MacLean, Harriet Yan and Gaelan Kirby. Great job, folks! Special thanks to members of our Parent Engagement Team for assisting with the presentation of certificates in "The Street" and to Tani and Dawn from Aramark for providing the refreshments and treats enjoyed by all! Of course our office team, led by Mrs. Susan Cutler also contributed to the success of this event ensuring that all went without a hitch! Thanks Susan, Suzanne, Krista, Diane, Georgina, Allison, Andrew and Jim for your hard work behind the scenes. It is greatly appreciated!
As many of you know, October 's focus is on "PINK" Month with a variety of events dedicated to Breast Cancer Awareness and fundraising for Breast Cancer Research. Both our STUDCO Fallfest and our PINK Day were highly successful as hundreds of our students and community members attended to support this cause. On the PINK Day alone, well over $5,200.00 had been generated in support of Breast Cancer Awareness and Research. Students, staff and school community members collaborated together to ensure the success of these events which marked the 9th year in which IRHS has participated for "The PINK", something we are extremely proud of.
Our Collaborative Mornings are off to a great start as we focus on the building of relationships with all of our Grade 9 students via staff and student led "Link Crew" activities. Special thanks to our staff leaders: Nancy Zigrovic, Paul Beck, Karl Dahlinger, Nicole Klokoff, Michelle McCutcheon, Karen Normet, Alexiis Stephen and Allison Tenn-Yuk for your excellent work on behalf of our kids. You are truly making a difference in easing the transition for our freshman as they begin their high school careers! Kudos to you all!
While our Collaborative Mornings are happening, our staff are working on their own professional learning in support of our students and their success. Each of our Program Leaders has devised a plan for Semester 1 dedicated to our students' most urgent learning needs and are following through during these mornings as collaborative teams. We are very fortunate to have this time to dedicate to student learning and know it will have an influence in shaping our students' success, both inside and outside of the classroom.
In the very near future (Thursday October 24th), we will be hosting our Interview Night. This evening is a great opportunity to connect with our teaching staff, support staff and administration and we look forward to welcoming you in support of our students! Please remember that we offer many supports for students who may be struggling in a particular area and are here to help in any way that we can. Whether it be the classroom teacher, Special Education, Student Success, Personal Career Counselling or our admin team, please seek us out for any assistance that is required to ensure student success. As a team we are committed to all of our students at "The Ridge!"
Very soon, the Mid-Term Report will be distributed. Please look for reports to come home on Friday November 8th. This will be an opportunity to receive an evaluation as to student learning skills and achievement to date while also paying attention to teacher comments in regard to student strengths and needs
at the mid-point of our semester. Again, should you need any additional feedback or support about the results achieved, don't hesitate to contact us. We are happy to assist!
So... as October is soon to fall into November...we continue to see great things happening at our school. It is a very busy place to learn and play. Our co-curriculars are in full swing and we invite you to continue to come out and support our students in their endeavours. Our staff leaders and mentors are extremely dedicated to these "out-of-classroom" activities which enrich the lives of our students and further engage them in the life at our school. We are very fortunate to have such a committed staff who serve as wonderful role models that our young people can aspire to!
In signing off...I wish everyone the very best for your continued success at and partnership with Iroquois Ridge. It is a pleasure and honour to serve you and I cherish each day that I am a part of this great, Ridge Family. It truly is a school like no other and I am very fortunate to be a part of such a great, learning organization!
