Due to inclement weather this past Friday, Friday exams will be written today and Monday exams tomorrow (Tuesday). Semester 2 still begins Wednesday February 1, 2012.

School Council meets tonight in the staff lounge beginning at 7:00 p.m. All parents are welcome!

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

attachment: 12-01-30 Bell this Week

Sincerely,

Bruce Whitehead – Principal

Exams

Exams begin this coming Wednesday January 25, 2012. As was done last year, exams will be written in the same classrooms students had their courses all year and on the same day. What this means is that period 1 exams will be written on Wednesday, period 2 on Thursday, period 3 on Friday, and period 4 next Monday January 30,2o12. ALL exams begin @ 9:30 a.m. in the morning and no students will be writing more than one exam in a day. ALL students will have time and one-half to complete their exams in the spirit of eliminating time as a barrier, especially for students who find this time very anxiety ridden.

A gentle reminder that semester 2 classes start on Wednesday February 1, 2012.

School Council

Our next school council meeting will take place on Monday January 30, 2012. The meeting will begin @ 7:00 p.m. in the staff lounge and all parents are invited to attend.

Fire Alarms @ Bell

Bell HS staff and students worked very nicely through two fire alarms this past week. There was no active fire in either instance nor were pullstations pulled by students or staff. The source of the alarms were mechanical in nature which has been addressed by District personnel. In each case it was very cold outside and in such instances students are evacuated to Bell Arena and portables. Each alarm lasted for approximately 15 minutes from start to finish. In cases where students were writing summatives, accommodations were made for those requiring extra time through classroom teachers.

BTW

Please find attached this week’s edition of Bell This Week.

attachment: 12_01_23 Bell this Week

Have an awesome week!

Sincerely,

Bruce Whitehead – Principal

Please see the message below from Superintendent Paxton’s office re: special education program consultation for the 2012-2013 school year.

On behalf of Dawn Paxton, the following link provides information on a Consultation that will be taking place at Confederation Education Centre on Thursday, January 19, 2012 regarding Special Education Classes, Programs and
Services for 2012-2013.

The link includes an email address for interested stakeholders to provide input as well as a copy of the report that was presented to the Education Committee on 13 December 2011.

http://www.ocdsb.ca/Pages/FeedbackNews_ConsultationonSpecialEducationClasses,ProgramsandServicesfor2012-2013.aspx

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call 613-596-8254.

Lorraine Smith-Champagne

Administrative Assistant to
Superintendent Dawn Paxton of Learning Support Services

613 596-8254

Thanks to everyone who partook in our annual Open House this past Wednesday night. Three hundred parents and students attended and we are hoping you found what you were looking for in our presentation and displays.

Congratulations to Passport draw winner Evan Holland. You may pick up your prize from Mrs. Cathy Seguin in the main office as early as Monday January 16, 2012 and anytime thereafter. Thanks for playing!

For your planning purposes, please see this weeks edition of Bell This Week.

attachment: 12_01_16 Bell this Week.doc

Have an awesome week.

Sincerely,

Bruce Whitehead – Principal

It is with a heavy heart that I communicate to you the sudden loss of our Chief custodian, Mr. Steven Squirrell due to a sudden illness.

Steven had been with us at Bell HS for the past two years and during that time he easily endeared himself to the entire staff. Steve was very much a people person. His kind, gracious manner made him very approachable, a quality very much respected by all of us. His tireless work ethic and attention to detail resulted in relationships with staff and students that are already being missed.  

Students were informed of this sad news this morning by teachers in their first period classes. Students who had spares were met by Mr. Kicul and Mrs. McNamara in the staff lounge. With their well-being our first priority, students experiencing difficulty as a result of the news had access to District personnel from our Tragic Event Response Team if they felt the need to discuss their feelings.  

A school letter will be coming home with your children tonight (also attached). We are stressing the importance of leaning on and supporting one another as we all move through this difficult time together. I would encourage you if you feel comfortable to perhaps discuss this with your children if the opportunity arises.

Our school flag is at half-mast in respect of Steve. We mourn as an entire school community and I hope you will join me in keeping Steve’s family in your thoughts for the next while as they grieve his tragic loss.

attachment: Steven Squirrell parent letter

Sincerely,

Bruce Whitehead – Principal

Please see the attached for an interesting opportunity for students with wonderful awards attached.

attachment: Gulen Essay p1

attachment: Gulen Essay p2

Sincerely,

Bruce Whitehead – Principal

Sens Foundation Skate – Jan 27, 2012

The event is happening at night and every participant will be given a headlamp and toque. We think it’s going to be a fantastic visual watching 2,000+ skaters go down the canal wearing lights.  The event will give everyone the opportunity to be part of something special, something that’s never been done before and most importantly they will be part of All-Star weekend, something that happens only once every 30 years.

For more information, please see the attachment below.

attachment: ENS_mediakit

Sincerely,

Bruce Whitehead – Principal

Kudos again this year to Mr. Stanutz and Mrs. Ward for their wonderful Christmas Concert last week @ Bell HS. In excess of 250 guests took in the festivities that featured outstanding musical performances by each of Bell’s choirs and bands. Full complements of each boast 80 participants; what a sight it was! Thanks to each of these very special people who devote so much time to the Fine Arts program @ Bell HS!

I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a very safe and happy holiday season. It has been an exciting semester to date and while hard to believe it is almost over, please know what an honour it is to work with you as partners in educating your children, our leaders of tomorrow.

Please see attached this weeks edition of Bell This Week.

attachment: 11_12_19 Bell this Week.doc

Sincerely,

Bruce Whitehead – Principal

Free Information Series for Parents

Adult High School, 300 Rochester Street @ Gladstone

Attendance and parking are free

For more information or to pre-register, please visit www.cheo.on.ca/CHEOconnects

There is an overwhelming amount of information out there for parents. The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) is working to help parents sort through the volume and complexity of information as well as learn about the key physical and mental health issues that impact their kids.

CHEO Connects is a free information series for parents — providing trusted information and access to local experts. Six evening events will be rolled out over the 2011/2012 school year – each covering both physical and mental health topics for a specific age group.

CHEO experts will be on hand to answer questions.

attachment: CHEO connects poster Feb 6 FINAL

attachemnt: CHEO connects poster April 16 FINAL

Silvia Wettstein

Partnerships and Advocacy

Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO)

401 Smyth Road  Ottawa, ON  K1H 8L1

Tel: 613 737 7600 x 4106  |  Fax: 613 738 4866  |  swettstein@cheo.on.ca

cheo.on.ca

Making a difference in the lives of children, youth and families

Bell HS Musical – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat

Congratualtions to Mr. Perry Van Allen and his entire cast and crew for their wonderful Musical this year, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. Mr. Van Allen and his students have just completed four fine evenings of performances in a production that will be talked about for many weeks to come. Once again Bell HS and its students and staff have stepped well forward in presenting a musical filled with song, dance, and humour. Mr. Stanutz and his “pit band” also outdid themselves in each and every number where students played to perfection without a missed step. Audiences for the presentations averaged 300 per evening and I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to attend. Warmest thoughts are also extended to those staff who helped out behind the scenes including Ms. Jennifer Ellis, Ms. Julia Lockie, Mr. Mike Murphy, Ms. Lorna Bradley, Ms. Amanda Watson, and Ms. Rachel Pernica. Finally, the technical crew led by none other than Jeff Mogadhem also outdid themselves in perfectly carrying out their duties and contributing to these memorable performances.

January 2012 Exams

With just two weeks left until the Christmas Holidays it is timely that we turn our attention to exams. These summative tasks will take place as outline below. It is very important to note that in support of all students there is no flexibility with these mandatory tasks; alternate write times are not possible. Family holidays and/or excursions as well as community sporting events such as tournaments must be planned outside of the dates listed below.

Exams at Bell HS this year will begin on Wednesday January 25, 2011 and end on Tuesday January 31, 2011. Again this year, students are going to be writing their exams in the same order in which they attend their regular classes (period 1, 2, 3 & 4) on a day 1 as follows:

Wednesday January 25 – period 1 exams

Thursday January 26 - period 2 exams

Friday January 27 - period 3 exams

Monday January 30 - period 4 exams

Tuesday January 31 -  Credit Rescue (9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.); Rewrites where students have missed exams for medical reasons.

All exams begin promptly @ 9:30 a.m. While exams are written for students to comfortably complete well within their allotted time limit (1.5 hours; 2 hours), all students will be provided with time and one-half (2.25 hours;3 hours) as per District policy and procedure to eliminate time as a potential barrier for students. Students with IEP’s and accommodations as such will be offered smaller group settings provided they took advantage of this during the regular semester.

Collection of learning materials is a critical part of the exam writing process. Once again this year, book returns will be done to the actual classroom teacher during their exams. This time and cost saving measure begun last year was a resounding success as we did receive back a greater percentage of learning materials.

BTW

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

attachment: 11_12_12 Bell this Week.doc

Have a super week!

Sincerely,
Bruce Whitehead – Principal