Hello,

Character Development Launch
Unbelievable! Yesterday Bell HS launched its Character Development initiative “Pride lives here” and the P.R.I.D.E. (perseverance, respect, integrity, diversity, excellence) acronym. Motivational speaker Micah Jacobson from the Boomerang Project addressed staff at our monthly staff breakfast followed by the entire student body in the gymnasium. Micah carefully wove a character message into a very engaging presentation enjoyed by the entire school. He was magical in his message and style. I cannot tell you what a “warm” feeling I had as I watched this day unravel. It was one of the best days in my 20 year career as a teacher; one that I was more than proud to boast about my profession.

The success of this day cannot be underestimated and quite frankly could not have happened without the helping hands of many behind the scenes. Many deserving thanks go out to Mr. Hemstreet and Ms. Collins as co-chairs of Bell’s Character Development Committee. Their persistence with the committee is the reason that yesterday happened. Kudos as well to Mr. Remigio and the capable computer expertise of Matthew Leclair who worked together in shaping our character development signs now adorning the entrances to our hallways. The next time you visit the school be sure to keep your eyes out for these works of art! Ms. Hendrickx graciously provided input through committee meetings and connections with media in the lead-up to the event. Finally, Ms. Hayes masterminded the ice-cream for the sundae’s that students enjoyed after the assembly; thanks Miss.

This committee is “extra” special in that it includes students. A core group of five including Sadia Faqiri, Mitch Cole, Kevin Zhao, Erin O’Higgins, and Audrey Tan were instrumental in their collective contributions to the group. A huge message of thanks to the students who worked the ice-cream tables along with Ms. Hayes and Ms. Medaglia. You were magnificent and deserve to “scoop up” all of the accolades that go with this part of the morning.

Finally, I want to thank Ms. Cathy Seguin my office administrator for her help in organizing this event as well. A member of the committee, Cathy worked closely with all groups as she always does in overseeing the entire project. She was capably assisted by the wonderful Mrs. Verreault who together make an awesome team. One of them always crosses the t’s and the other the i’s. They are a powerful force to be reckoned with when they work together. Success is always the outcome as it was yesterday!

Grad Breakfast
This Monday morning is our annual grad breakfast for potential graduates. All potential graduates are invited to this event in celebration of their accomplishments and impending graduation. Students will be advised of a few logistical things important for them to know at this juncture in the year and will include reminders about not “shutting down” academically, and any outstanding community service hours and/or OSSLT requirements where applicable. Once again a reminder that June 1, 2010 is the absolute deadline for submission of community service hours to be recognized in time for graduation.

Report Cards
Report cards went home this past Wednesday with students. If you have not seen them yet please request them from your children to whom they were given. It is important that you discuss their academic progress with them and where assistance is required please feel free to contact their guidance counselor for information and/or support where needed.

For your planning convenience, please find this weeks edition of Bell This Week attached.

attachment: bell-this-week-may-3-7-2010.doc

Sincerely,
Bruce Whitehead – Principal

Hello,
Report Cards
While you may be asking yourselves where the first half of the semester has gone…we are too! Just a quick note to parents that mid-term report cards will be coming home with all students this Thursday April 29, 2010. Students will return to their period 1 classes at 3:05 p.m. to pick up their report cards from their period 1 teachers. Please request to see your child’s report card as they return home that evening.If your child is graduating and arrives home with an urgent community service hours notice it is because they have yet to complete their mandatory 40 hours of community service hours, a mandatory graduation requirement. Time is quickly running out for students to successfully complete their hours which must be done outside of the school day. For your information, Student Services has a binder chalk full of opportunities. One such opportunity is for Ottawa’s upcoming Race Weekend in May. A significant number of potential hours can be accumulated by helping Bell HS and its staff and students on this wonderful weekend. Sign-up sheets can be found on the bulletin board in the guidance office.

Character Development Launch Day
This Thursday April 29, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Bell HS is proudly launching its character development initiative “Pride lives here.” Built upon the P.R.I.D.E. acronym (perserverance, respect, integrity, diversity, excellence) our school will officially commit ourselves to these five words, this acronym, as our foundational statement in maintaining our school as a safe, caring place for students to learn and well as for members of the school community. Keynote speaker Micah Jacobsen will be speaking to the entire student body in the gymnasium beginning at 10:15 a.m. with an inspirational message revolving completely around our PRIDE acronym and our slogan “Pride lives here.” The morning culminates with ice cream and a hot dog BBQ over the lunch hour. Afternoon classes will carry on as usual. Kudos go out to the Character Development Committee led by co-chairs Mrs. Shannan Collins and Mr. Jeff Hemstreet along with other staff as well as a students Mitch Cole, Kevin Zhao, Audrey Tan, and Sadia Faquiri who have put in countless hours that will make this Thursday the success we are all looking forward to.

Exam Schedule
The June exam schedule is now public and ready for pick-up by students in the main office. Please note that all exams are mandatory and cannot be changed. Travel plans for summer holidays must be made around this schedule. While we understand that flight costs may be less expensive if leaving earlier, requests to write exams earlier as a result simply cannot be accommodated.  All students must write their exams at the scheduled times as per the exam schedule.

For your planning, please find attached this weeks edition of Bell This Week.attachment: bell-this-week-april-26-april-30-2010.doc
Have an awesome week.

Sincerely,
Bruce Whitehead – Principal

Hello,

Bell High School 50th Reunion  Built in 1962, Bell High School is in the throws of planning its 50th Anniversary Reunion. These types of events require a significant amount of volunteer support to be successful. To that end, the reunion committee headed by co-chairs Willy Bagnell and Brian MacMillan are holding a ‘call for volunteers’ night on Wednesday April 21, 2010 from 7 – 9 p.m. in the school cafetorium. Assistance with event planning and execution is being requested. Anyone with a desire to help make this event a success is welcome to attend. This is an excellent opportunity for students attending Bell High School to earn valuable community service hours.

Student ‘Kudos’Congratulations are extended to grade 12 student Tim Xu.  This past week he presented at the Eastern Ontario Biotalent Challenge. His project involved creating a fluorescing protein that can detect food-born bacteria such as E. Coli. So impressive was his presentation that Time earned himself the award for “Most Commercialization Potential”? and took second place overall in the competition. Way to go Tim and thanks as always for showcasing the many talents at Bell High School!

The OCDSB Board of Trustees each year invites two deserving students to join them around the table in making decisions for students and communities that are in the best interest of students. This past year, Wilson Zhang, a grade 12 student from Bell HS eloquently represented his peers around this very important table. It is my pleasure to congratulate Eric Chen, currently a grade 11 student at Bell High School who has been chosen to fill one of two student-trustee chairs again next year. Eric’s leadership skills combined with his critical thinking skills and ability to think outside of the box have earned him this particular role next year. Way to go Eric!

Mid-term Report Cards Report card time is coming again…With term 3 now behind us, teachers are busy entering mid-term marks into our data management system as we prepare to print mid-term report cards.  These reports will be mailed sent home with students on Thursday April 29, 2010. Please be sure to request to see them as your children arrive home from school that day. Very Important Note: If your child arrives home with a brightly coloured sheet in addition to their report card it is our last chance to inform you that they still have not completed their required 40 hours of community service. If your child receives one of these sheets, we are at a critical time and I am requesting your help in ensuring they complete this graduation requirement and submit the required paperwork to the Guidance office prior to June 1, 2010 in order that we can prepare for commencement ceremonies on Friday June 25, 2010. Without completing these hours, an OSSD cannot be earned and your child will not cross the graduation stage with their peers. 

Bell This Week

For your planning, please find attached below this week’s version of Bell This Week.

attachment: bell-this-week-april-19-april-23-2010.doc

Sincerely,
Bruce Whitehead – Principal

Hello,

Congratulations to all students who participated in another successful multicultural show this past Friday. About 200 attendees enjoyed an evening of song and dance put on by our students. Many wonderful acts ranging from piano solo’s to song to dance. The show finished with a tribute to the people of Haiti with K’Naan’s song “Waving Flag.” Special thanks go out to Mrs. Verreault for her outstanding efforts working with students as well as other teacher helpers in Mrs. Murray-Macdonald, Ms. Hendrickx, Ms. Hopper, and Mr. Wright.

Congratulations to this years SEARS festival production Dorian Gray and the cast and crew! The Xanadu team performed this past Saturday evening at Woodroffe High School and the play was amazing. Written and produced by student Dylan On with the help of David Haberl (music), the team put on an amazing performance. Of the 11 plays showcased over the four evening event, Dorian Gray was an “Outstanding Production” and chosen to move on to the regional competition this week in Cornwall. Many thanks to Mr. Perry Van Allen for his tremendous work, creativity, and guidance in directing students.  Thanks are also extended Mr. Ron Young (set design/construction), Mr. Tom Sparks (Technical), Ms. Karen Headley (logistics), and Ms. Alice Jones (costumes) for their painstaking efforts. I would like to wish the team success this week in Cornwall where Dorian Gray will be presented on Thursday evening beginning at 6:15 p.m.

This years graduation breakfast for graduates will be taking place on May 3, 2010. The names of potential graduates who are in line to have completed all graduation requirements by the end of June (30 credits, 40 hours of community service, successful completion of the OSSLT) will find their names on this list as well as be receiving their official grad breakfast invitation. These names are posted in the Students Council showcase in the grad hall. It is important that students not finding their name on this list see their Guidance counselor. In many cases, community service hours will be the culprit. A reminder to graduates of the June 15, 2010 deadline for submitting their CS hour sheets to Guidance.

For your planning, please find attached this weeks edition of Bell This Week.

attachment: bell-this-week-april-12-april-16-2010.doc

Sincerely,
Bruce Whitehead – Principal

Hello,

Trusting you have had a super weekend…wasn’t the weather terrific?A big thank you to all parents who participated in parent-teacher interviews this past Wednesday evening. It was a great success and I hope you found your efforts fruitful. I know as teachers we always appreciate the opportunity for these face-to-face meetings providing an opportunity to discuss student progress.

One final reminder of the importance of this Thursday April 8, 2010. This is a crucial day for all students in grade 10 who will be writing the OSSLT for the first time. They will be joined by any other student who has yet to be successful on this particular journey toward earning their OSSD. We have been busy preparing all students through classrooms as well as through intensive preparation sessions for students where deemed necessary. We are excited by our efforts and know that all students are better prepared than they ever have been as they approach this venture. For your information, the test is being written in the morning. Attendance is mandatory. (ed: those students who miss the exam will write it the following year. There are no “retest” dates.)

This Friday April 9, 2010 Bell HS once again proudly presents its annual Multicultural Show. This years show, entitled “Mosaic” is a compilation of food, dance, music, and most importantly fun as produced and featured by students at Bell. Each year this event ceases to amaze and I would like to invite you to join us this particular evening. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door.

This Saturday April 10, 2010 Bell HS will once again be participating at Woodroffe HS in the SEARS drama festival. This years production is once again student written (play, lyrics) and word on the street has it as one of our best productions in years. You won’t want to miss out on this opportunity to celebrate the efforts of Dylan On (Playwright; Music), David Haberl (Music), and Julia Blakey as they perform together. The evening at Woodroffe High School begins at 7 p.m. in their auditorium on the first floor and tickets may be purchased at the door.

Finally, please see attached below this weeks edition of Bell This Week.

attachment: bell-this-week-april-5-april-9-2010.doc

Sincerely,
Bruce Whitehead – Principal