I was the Principal-for-the-Day!

 Yesterday was a special day at South Lincoln High School.  It was the day that four grade 8 students from our community spent the day at the high school learning how to principal a school.  These four students entered a contest with the following question in mind, "If I were principal of South Lincoln High School, this is what I would do!"  The winners patrolled the hallways, corrected student behaviour, participated in a school spirit activity, marched through the hallways in the school mascot costume and helped in the creation of a school video.  

This is what the students learned:

"I learned that you have to deal with a lot of students' attitude problems."

"I learned that the school has a lot of good actors."

"I learned about all of the great things a principal does."

"I learned that there are a lot of fun things to do at high school when you are in grade nine."

  This is what the students loved!

"I liked running around and wearing the mascot."

"I loved all of the school spirit at South Lincoln High School."

"My favourite thing was participating in the grade nine Olympics activity."

"Today, I really liked making some new friends that I will see next year."

Thanks to our wonderful grade 8 students who participated in this year's contest!  We had a lot of fun.  Spread the word and look for our "Be the Principal for a day Contest" next year.

Tee of with Us!!!! Support South Lincoln's Eco-club on Saturday, June 4

South Lincoln's Environment Club would like to invite you to our upcoming golf tournament being held on Saturday, June 4, 2011. 

Tickets will be sold for $55.00 (includes lunch and a cart) or $40.00 (with lunch but no cart).  This exciting day is for all SLHS students, parents, friends and community members.  Everyone is welcome! 

For more information and to purhase tickets, please feel free to contact the school at 905-957-3359.  All proceeds from the golf tournament will go to support South Lincoln's Eco-Club initiatives.

We hope to see you all there !!!!

 

SLHS Eco-Club Presidents

The DSBNi team is off to Vietnam

DSBNi Team Takes Shape 
 
The term global citizenship will soon take on new meaning for nine secondary students at the District School Board of Niagara. In late July, the group of adventurous high school students will be travelling thousands of miles to take part in the annual DSBN international (DSBNi) home build. The build, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Global Village, will take place in Vietnam. This is the second build to take place in Vietnam.


Students who have been a part of previous international builds have called the experience "life changing."Carrie Thwaites, DSBNi Team Leader and a Coordinator in the DSBN's Technology and Experiential Learning Department, agrees. "While overseas, students have witnessed the effects that poverty and substandard housing have on people in the developing world. It is truly an eye-opening experience to witness these conditions first-hand," says Thwaites.


"By participating in the home build and working to support others, students learn a great deal about leadership and responsibility. It is a very powerful feeling to know that you have made a meaningful difference in someone's life. Students also get the added benefit of immersing themselves in a different culture and experiencing the unique customs, cuisines and lifestyles of another community," adds Thwaites.
In addition to gaining tremendous life experience, students will earn one cooperative education credit for participating in the build. Before leaving for Vietnam, students will have spent several evenings and weekends learning more about the host country, the basics of masonry, brick laying, mortar mixing and some basic Vietnamese. Students will also participate in general safety training and receive First-Aid certification.
Students and leaders are responsible for covering the costs of their participation in the international home build and will be participating in many fundraising activities leading up to their trip. To keep up with the team and support their participation in this endeavour, members of the public can visit the DSBNi blog. 
As evidence of the trip's lasting effect on students, many of those who have participated in the DSBNi program have gone on to pursue post secondary goals in areas such as global development, teaching, medicine, political science and construction contracting.

DSBN new release.

Here at South Lincoln we are very proud to announce that one of our students is participating in this year's DSBNi home build in Vietnam.  Kevin Koudys will be travelling with the group which will depart for Vietnam in July 2011.  We are very proud of Kevin for his commitment to this project and all of his hard work in organizing many fundraising activities.  Kevin is currently selling DSBNi t-shirts.  They are $20 each and a portion of the fee goes to helping Kevin participate in DSBNi Vietnam.  If you would like to purchase a t-shirt,  contact us at 905-957-3359.

To follow this wonderful adventure, click on the following link:

http://dsbni2011-vietnam.blogspot.com/

Get Ready, Set, Go!!!!

The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) will be administered in all Ontario secondary schools on Thursday, March 31, 2011.  At South Lincoln High School, all grade ten students are required to write the OSSLT.  Grade nine students will complete a practice literacy test to prepare for next year's OSSLT. The practice test will also take place on Thursday, March 31, 2011.

The schedule for the administration of the OSSLT is as follows:

 

8:30-8:55	Morning Nutrition Break in the cafeteria
8:55-9:15	Distribution of test materials in assigned classrooms
9:15-10:30	Session A (75 minutes)
10:30-10:45	Nutrition Break (15 minutes)
10:45-12:00	Session B (75 minutes)
12:00-12:20	Questionnaire
12:20-1:05	LUNCH (45 minutes)
1:05-2:20	Afternoon Activities (school-based)

 Our staff, in conjunction with our Literacy Committee, is committed to helping our students prepare for the OSSLT. Over the past several weeks, grade ten students as well as students who have not yet written the test, have completed a pre-assessment in preparation for the upcoming OSSLT. In order to provide optimum writing conditions for the Grade 10 students, we have wherever possible, arranged to have students write in groups of approximately 20 to 25, and even smaller groupings for those students in need of special accommodation.

For parents who would like to help their son/daughter prepare for the OSSLT, you may visit the EQAO website at www.EQAO.com to access information on practice activities.

Senior students (Grades 11 and 12) who are not writing the OSSLT will work independently at home on regular work assigned by their teachers.

If you would like more information or some helpful resources to assist your child, please follow this link:

http://www.eqao.com/Parents/Secondary/10/10.aspx?Lang=E&gr=10

THE FIVE TOP REASONS TO ATTEND SOUTH LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL.

The second reason to attend South Lincoln High School is the wonderful academic support that we provide to our students.  Our students do well in terms of credit accumulation, on the provincial literacy test (OSSLT) as well as the EQAO math assessment in grade nine.  It is no accident!  Our teachers and student success team work very hard with our students ensuring that they learn the skills and knowledge needed for each grade level and post secondary education. 

Attention All Parents, Attention All Parents. Progress Reports are on their Way Home.

Heads up to parents and guardians.  Student progress reports will be released today in all classes.  Your son or daughter should be coming home today with a progress report from each course they are taking. 

These reports are an early indication about how well your child is progressing in each course.  For the most part, the majority of the marks are garnered from formative assessments rather than summative assessments  as it is still quite early in the semester.

This brings up an interesting question:
What is the difference between formative assessments and summative assessments? 

Formative assessment occurs when a teach gathers, from a variety of sources, information and evidence that reflects how well a student is achieving the curriculum expectations in a subject area or course.  This evidence allows a teacher to plan accordingly and meet the needs of each individual student. Assessment also allows a teacher to provide students with descriptive feedback and coaching for improvement.  Examples of assessment include student conferences, practice quizzes, peer feedback, rough drafts for assignments or homework.  Generally, formative assessments are not included on midterm and final report cards.

Summmative assessment occurs at the end of important segments of student learning.  It is used to assess how well a student has met the curriculum expectations.  Some examples of summative assessments include final unit tests, exams, observations, student demonstrations, or oral presentations.  The summative assessments make up a student's final grade in a course or subject area.

If you would like more information about the Ontario Ministry of Education's policy on assessment and evaluation, a good resource document is "Growing Success, 2010".  This publication can be found @

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca

If you have any questions about your child's progress reports, do not hestitate to contact the subject teacher for clarification.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR.....TODAY IS THE DAY.

Mark your calendar for Wednesday, March 2, 2011

and hang onto your seats. 

Our drama department is preparing a spectacular production and performance of the play "Moments of Love."  Our drama teacher and her students have been working slavishly to prepare for this evening and it looks like it is going to be an award winning performance by South Lincoln High School students.

Our students will be performing at the annual Sears Drama Festival.  The drama festival takes place at Welland Centennial Secondary School located at 240 Thorold Road West in Welland. 

South Lincoln hits the stage at 7:00 pm SHARP!

Come out and support our students and staff

and treat yourself to a spectacular show.

Winners at South Lincoln!!!

We have had an extremely busy couple of weeks. Our sports teams have done very well and they were all successful in making it to playoff rounds.Our teams always play with determination, sheer grit but most importantly, they always play with heart. Our boys' senior basketball team made it once again to the semifinal round of play as did our curling teams.  For the first time ever, our boys' curling team made it to the semifinals.  The boys played magnificently and had a lot of fun learning a relatively new sport.

In a secondary school, the importance of sport cannot be under valued.  Sport gives students an opportunity to be part of something bigger than themselves, it helps students set goals and most importantly, it engages them at school.  If academics isn't their cup of tea, sports may just be the ticket to get a young person out of bed in the morning!!!

Play on South Lincoln....a rural school with a lot of heart. 

South Lincoln is the type of school where students have the

opportunity to try new sports, play old favourites and be presented with lots

of opportunities to get involved in school life.

GAME ON!!!!

Welcome to The "Bear" Facts...nothing but the facts.

I would like to take a moment to introduce you to our new comic strip entitled The "Bear"Facts. 

This strip is a chronicle of the life and times at South Lincoln High School. 

The first series looks at the top five reasons South Lincoln High School is the best high school in our region to attend!  Welcome to Bear country.

Semester Two is Well on Its Way!!

Well semester two is off to a terrific start as we head into the second week.  This is also the season of intention sheets in preparation for the staffing of our schools which will begin in early April.  At South Lincoln, we will be completing our student intention sheets a little differently this year.  Everything will be done electronically with the use of a program called career cruising.  This program is also used in the grade ten guidance course so most students are quite aware of this useful tool.  Here is the link so you can take a look.
http://www.careercruising.com/ 
Career cruising is also a great program to look at your child's high school program over four years or to research specific occupations or professions.

Over the past couple of days, each student has been given an information sheet with log in information.  Please take some time to discuss program choices for next year with your son or daughter. These program choices will determine the courses that are run at South Lincoln next year.  Mrs.Walton,  our guidance counsellor,  will be available in computer lab # 7 throughout the week to assist and counsel our students.  If you have questions regarding the intention sheet process or about your child's academic program next year, please don't hesitate to call the school at 905-957-3359.

Furthermore, we are accepting new students for semester two as well as September 2011.  Give us a call, set up a school tour and take some time to visit the best kept secret in the Niagara peninsula!! We can be reached at 905-957-3359.

Semester One Final Examinations On The Go!

We are now in the thick of January and well into our final examination period.  Formal exams will run until Wednesday, January 26, 2011. 

Student promotion meetings will be held on Friday, January 28 as we prepare for semester 2.  The first day of school in the new semester will be Tuesday, February 1 at 8:10 am sharp.  Students will be given a new copy of their semester 2 timetable and a new locker will be assigned.

Parents and students: we plan to distribute semester one final report cards on Friday, February 4.  

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hestiate to contact us at 905-957-3359.

 

Welcome to our new Principal's Blog!!

The first thing on the books for this new year is our Grade 8 Open House.

On Tuesday, January 18, 2011 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, we will be hosting our grade eight open house.   All grade 8 students living in our community and their families, are warmly invited to gather in the gymnasium at 7:00 pm.  Come and check out our wonderful school, our students and our staff.  Stroll through the school at your leisure or take advantage of a guided tour with a member of our student council.  Chat with our dedicated staff, ask questions, visit our extra-curricular activity fair in the cafeteria or try out some wonderful new technologies in our classrooms. 

See you at SLHS on Tuesday! J. Provost