Mrs. K Higgins' Blog - W.H. Day: February 2018

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Pink Shirt Day

Schools across the country will be recognizing the importance of standing up against bullying and practicing kindness on February 28, 2018 this year.

Sunday, February 18, 2018

Science Fair

SIMCOE COUNTY REGIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FAIR

This year our school is going to participate in the Simcoe County Regional Science and Technology Fair. The date of the Fair is Friday, April 6 to Saturday April 7. It is being held at Bear Creek Secondary School. The information found below is a quick overview of the Fair; however, more specific information can be found on the website: http://www.simcoecountyrstf.ca/ including rules, getting started, judging criteria and resources.

Students in grade 4 to 8 will participate in the Fair. They will present their projects to their classroom teacher. The classroom teacher will then select a few students from their class to then present their projects in the gym. The judges will then select 10 projects to then practicipate in the Regional Fair.

There are 5 categories that you can participate in:

Computer and Engineering Technology

Concentrates primarily of the development of computing hardware, software or applications.

Earth and Environmental Sciences

This focuses on topics relating to planetary processes, the relationship of organisms to those processes, or the relationship between and among organisms.

Plant and Animal Sciences

Examines some aspect of the lifestyle of a non-human organism
Comparison testing of products is also included in this category.

Human and Health Sciences

Examines some biological and/or clinical aspect of human life or lifestyle and its transition into improved health for humans, or more effective health services and products.

Physical and Mathematical Sciences

Studies abiotic phenomenon to understand the relationship between identified factors, perhaps including a cause and effect relationship, or the use of mathematical models or mathematics to solve theoretical problems.

Exhibits are further classified into four categories based on the grade the student is in.

Grade 4-6 Elementary
Grade 7-8 Junior

A maximum of two students may work together on an exhibit with the approval of their teacher. If the pupils are in different grades, then the exhibit will be judged in the category of the pupil in the higher grade.

Exhibits must be designed and assembled entirely by students, although teachers and others may give advice. Any assistance given by someone else should be noted clearly on the display.

Display Dimensions

1.2 m wide, 0.8 m deep and 2.5 m high measured from the floor.
Display can not project into any aisle
Material needs to be placed neatly on your backdrop and everything should be typed up and organized.

At the school level it doesn’t matter what material you use as your backdrop; however, if you want to continue to the Fair held at Bear Creek there are several restrictions on the type of material you are allowed to use. Please check the website for specific information about this topic.

Safety

You may not use dangerous chemicals in your experiments.
If you require electricity please use it appropriately and you need to inform the Fair, in advance, in order for them to have it available for your use.
All material on your display need to be safe.
Please read the website for more specific information about this topic.

Judging:

Scientific Thought 45 points

Creative Ability 25 points

Skill 10 points

Dramatic Value 10 points

Oral Communication 10 points

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

OTIP Teaching Awards 2018

The Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan (OTIP) and the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF) are proud sponsors of the OTIP Teaching Awards.

For many years, these awards have recognized the excellence of our teachers in publicly funded education. There are three categories of awards: elementary school teacher, secondary school teacher and beginning teacher in the first five years of teaching. A teacher may be nominated by anyone – professional colleagues, students, parents, or the general public.

Nominations are now open for the 2018 awards. The deadline for receipt of nominations is March 31, 2018. Further information is provided on the attached PDF and is also available at www.teachingawards.ca. If you have any questions, please contact Jason Healey at OTF: Jason.healey@otffeo.on.ca.

Form: https://teachingawards.ca/nominate-a-teacher/