December 2016

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Principal’s Message

Upcoming Events

Students’ Union Update

Reconfiguration Update

Bandits Sport Desk

Sr. Boys Basketball Invitational

Student Services Information

Semester One Final Exam Schedule

Seasonal Photography Credits to ESBCHS Students

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

“Giving is not just about making a donation. It is

about making a difference.” Kathy Calvin

(CEO & President of the United Nations Foundation)

The spirit and lessons learned in the value of making a difference is alive and well within our school. Earlier this month, our Student Activists for Peace and Preservation (SAPP) initiated efforts to support the Beaumont Christmas Elves and organized the annual “Keep the Beat” event in support of War Child International. The two efforts focused on making a difference not only on a local level, but also on a global level. On Friday, December 9th, over 150 spectators came to listen to students perform a wide range of musical selections, and listen to a guest speaker from the United Nations, raising global awareness and nearly $1,000 for War Child. The following day, using the funds donated by students and families in our school community, our SAPP members had fun and the warming feeling of spending the money and delivering gifts to the Christmas Elves for over 40 teens. The Christmas Elves organizers were relieved when the gifts showed because they had very few donations for that age group...until the Bandits showed up, that is!

This is one of many things our staff and students do here at ESBCHS on a regular basis

to create and perpetuate real life learning experiences and maintain a safe and caring environment for the members of our school community. In addition to our excellent academics as demonstrated in our 2015-16 Diploma Exam results, school spirit is also on the rise. Attendance at the Musical Theatre production of Guys and Dolls was high, with the first sellout in school history, and enthusiastic crowds have been showing up to sporting events showing school pride and good sportsmanship. I would like to thank our entire school staff for all their efforts this year both in and out of class, all our students for their energy and hard work, and our parents and our School Council for all their support.

Despite all the stress the Christmas season can bring, please keep in mind the important things. Making arrangements to step back and spend quality time with family is never a bad idea and is usually something you wish you would do more often. Now is a good time to plan to spend time with one another on a regular basis throughout the year to build on, mend, improve or simply revel in the relationships you have with the people most important to you. I hope you all have a restful and meaningful holiday this Christmas, and that students return to school refreshed and ready to continue to learn from the many opportunities here at ESBCHS!

Chris Peacocke Principal

CONTACT US

Ecole Secondaire Beaumont

Composite High School

5417 43 Ave

Beaumont, AB T4X 1K1

Phone: 780.929.6282

Website: esbchs.blackgold.ca

Facebook: facebook.com/esbchs/

Twitter: @esbchs @bandits

KEY DATES

Christmas Break

Last day of classes: Friday, Dec 23

First day back: Monday, January 9

Diploma Exams Begin

Wednesday, January 11

Exam Week

Last Day of Classes

High School: Friday, January 20

Grade 9: Monday, January 23

See Exam Schedule: Click Here

BANDITS SPORT DESK

Hoop Season is well underway in Banditland and teams are cruising along. All high school teams have been in a few local tournaments and have represented our school in a positive way. January is a slow month due to exams, but each team will have a few games before exam break. A highlight will be the Jan 13/14 edition of the Bandit Invita-tional, our Sr. Boys annual tourna-ment affectionately know as the “Garbage Eater”. Our Bandits open up the tourney vs Crescent Heights from Medicine Hat. Game time 1:45pm. Games run Friday and all day Saturday.

Merry Christmas and Happy New

Year from the Athletics Dept. and PE

Staff!

STUDENTS’ UNION UPDATE

Students Union is in the holiday spirit. Our big

event before the break is the 5 Days of

Christmas. Everyday for the last week of

school in December will be a theme day.

Students and staff are welcome to

participate: Monday was Winter Hat Day,

Tuesday was Red & Green Day, Wednesday

was Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, Thursday is

Pajama Day and to top it off Touch of Class is

on Friday - come dressed in your best attire.

SU members will be handing our Candy Canes

to those who participate! Student’s Union

meetings will resume after the break on

Wednesdays in room 108. We hope to see

you in the new year! Thank you for a

wonderful start to the school year! We hope

everyone enjoys the break and manages to

get some much needed rest. Remember to

spend time with family and friends over the

holidays. We hope everyone has a fantastic

Christmas break.

SR. BOYS BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL

January 13 & 14 sees the return of the Sr.

Boys Basketball Bandits Invitational, or as we

like to call it around ESBCHS, “The Garbage

Eater”! This will be our 9th year of hosting

this great event.

This years’ schedule includes teams from all

over our province. Attending are our very

own Bandits, McNally Composite (Edmonton),

Spruce Grove Composite, HJ Cody (Sylvan

Lake), West Central (Rocky Mountain House),

Strathmore High, Cold Lake High, and

Crescent Heights (Medicine Hat).

The Bandits will be open up the tournament

Friday, January 13 against the visitors from

Medicine Hat at 1:45. The boys would love to

see some packed houses throughout the

weekend.

GO BANDITS!

RECONGIFURATION UPDATE

Black Gold Regional Division No. 18's

Beaumont Family of Public Schools

Configuration was finalized on December 14,

2016. The Black Gold Regional Division No. 18

(BGRD) Board of Education reviewed and

approved the configuration recommendations

for BGRD's Beaumont of Family Public

Schools. The following Backgrounder and

News Release regarding BGRD's finalization of

it's Beaumont Family of Public Schools

boundary and grade configuration has been

posted to our Division website here.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Requests for Timetable Changes

Examination Accommodations and

Diploma Prep Information

Coping Suggestions for Holiday Stress

Career Services

Scholarships

TIMETABLE CHANGES

Students who need to make changes to

their second semester timetable must

pick up a Course Requests/Changes form

at the Student Services office. You are to

follow your original timetable unless

you see the change reflected in

PowerSchool. Changes are on a “first

come, first serve” basis as some courses

may be full. The deadline to submit for

semester two course changes is January

30, 2017. Grade 9 students wishing to

change an option in January need to

speak with their appropriate

administrator i.e. A-G=Ms. MacArthur,

H-M=Mr. Hancock N-Z=Mr. Johnston.

EXAMINATION ACCOMODATIONS/DIPLOMA PREP

Students who have accommodations, i.e. qui-

et space, extra time, etc. will need to visit

Student Services after the Christmas Break to

find out the date, time and location of their

January exams. Parents should have already

received a form asking if their child would be

accessing his/her accommodations. If you

have not returned this form please do so im-

mediately following the holiday break.

Information on registration for Diploma Prep

Courses can be found in Student Services.

Online Diploma Prep: Rock the Diploma @

www.rockthediploma.com/edmonton or

iPrep more information http://

iprepplus.com/index.cfm or sequelsolu-

tionsinc@gmail.com or 780-863-7826.

Diplomax @ www.primetimelearning.ca or by

phone at: 780-448-0631.

STUDENT SERVICES INFORMATION

HOLIDAY TIPS TO DE-STRESS

Do the holidays not seem so jolly this year?

Are the relatives coming into town and

taking over your room?

Does everyone seem to be in a rush?

Don’t worry…. holiday stress is normal. Stress is a feeling that’s created when we react to particular events. It’s the body’s way of rising to a challenge with focus, strength, stamina and heightened alertness. During the holidays, our routines change and different people are around. You may be worried about upcoming exams Here are a few ways to deal with the stress of the holidays and prepare for the New Year.

1. Practice MANY Random Acts of Kindness. They will not only help those around you, but you will feel better too!

2. Smile (or make a funny face) at yourself in the mirror every morning.

3. When nobody else is home, crank some holiday tunes and sing and dance with reckless abandon.

4. Take time to do something you enjoy. Spend some time really thinking about the things you’re good at, and find ways to do more of those things

5. Exercise and stretch, even if it is only running on the spot. Better yet get outdoors and enjoy nature. Besides physical activities, find other hobbies or activities that bring you joy. That might be listening to music, going to the movies or drawing. Make a point to keep doing these things even when you’re stressed

and busy.

6. Watch a few classic holiday specials.

7. If you are feeling particularly stressed talk to someone you trust. They may be able to help you find new ways to manage stress.

8. Get lots of rest to avoid catching a cold or

flu.

9. Make a point of phrasing everything in a positive light, (for example: rather than saying “Brussel sprouts make me gag!” say, “There are so many great things to choose from that I think I’ll start with my absolute favorites and then think about trying something new.”

10. Use the internet to learn about the winter

celebrations other than your own.

And Finally……..

11. Have regular hours for work and play;

make each day both useful and pleasant,

and prove that you understand the worth of

time by employing it well. (Louisa May

Alcott )

Adapted from teenadviceonline.org and

Psychology Today

CAREER SERVICES

Making career decisions can be

challenging. ALIS has put together some

information to help make your decision

a little easier. Here are a few of the web

sites you may find helpful. Simply CTRL

+ click to follow the link

Calgary Youth Employment Centre

Offers great online resource for youth,

community groups and schools. Links to

Aboriginal web resources, career

information and job workshops.

Career Services Near You

Provides the Alberta career services in

your area for help with career planning,

educational funding, employment

assistance, and more.

Careers: The Next Generation

(industry resource) Works with young

Albertans to build a skilled and

motivated workforce and introduces

them to the benefits of internship and

apprenticeship.

Community Disability Services (CDS)

Provides a comprehensive view of CDS

across Alberta, including career paths,

education advice, regional agency links,

resources and contact information.

WORKink - Alberta

Offers a virtual employment resource for

job seekers with disabilities,

entrepreneurs with disabilities,

Aboriginals with disabilities, employers

and career practitioners.

To make a good decision, you need lots

of information. The process of getting

information is called research and

research is just a matter of asking

questions and getting answers. Use

these resources to help you research the

occupations that interest you:

Video career clips

Occupational Profiles

Certification and Registration

Wages and Salaries Information

Company and Industry

SCHOLARSHIPS

Scholarship Name Amount Deadline Website

CrossLites Essay Contest Up to $4000 December 31,

2016

CrossLites Essay Contest

The Big Dig Scholarship $3000 December 31, The Big Dig Scholarship

Canadian Engineering Me-

morial Foundations Schol-

arships

Up to $5000

for women

entering the

field of engi-

neering

January 16,

2016

Canadian Engineering

Memorial Foundation

Scholarships

Herbert H. Carnigie Future

Aces Foundation Scholar-

ship and Citizenship Award

$1000 January 31,

2016

Herbert H. Carnegie Fu-

ture Aces Foundation

Scholarship and Citizen-

ship Award

Hal Rogers Endowment

Fund Bursary

$1000 any

program

February 1,

2017

http://

www.kincanada.ca/hal-

rogers-endowment-fund

Alberta Cheerleading Asso-

ciation

Varies April 30, 2017 Alberta Cheerleading

Association

A Voice for Animals High

School Essay Contest

Varies March 31,

2017

A Voice for Animals High

School Essay Contest

James Rintoul OH&S Me-

morial Scholarship

$5500 May 31, 2017 James Rintoul OH&S

Memorial Scholarship

Johnson Inc. Scholarship $1000 August 31, Johnson Inc. Scholarship

High School Child Care

Scholarship

$2500 On-going High School Child Care

Career Scholarship

CONTACT US

Mrs. Kim Thomas

Student Services Department Head/Counselor

(H-Z)

780-929-1307

Mrs. Leaha Severson

Counselor (A-G)

780-929-1306

Mr. Brad Umpherville

Learning Support & Off-Campus

780-929-1319

Mrs. Lise Layton

Youth Worker

780-929-1340 Ext. 1432

General Inquiries or to book an appointment

Mrs. Theresa Busenius

780-929-1340