Today, albeit a day early, we wear orange shirts for National Truth & Reconciliation Day. We honour the innocent children who never returned home,  the survivors of the many Residential Schools and their families. #everychildmatters

Although not part of our immediate ELA curriculum, I felt it was important to pause our regular programming to study some media texts pertaining to these atrocious events that happened not so long ago.

Grade 6 & 7s read When I was Eight, a short story about a young girl who desperately wanted to learn how to read.

Grade 8s took a deep dive into Gord Downie’s Secret Path. Downie began “Secret Path as ten poems incited by the story of Chanie Wenjack, a twelve year-old boy who died fifty years ago on October 22, 1966, in flight from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School near Kenora, Ontario, walking home to the family he was taken from over 400 miles away.”

Special thanks to Mme Marie Jose, of the Metis people for her support and contributions.

We need to be organized! This year, there will be a heavy focus across the Middle School on organization. This week, many students received paper agendas, a tool, I personally use to stay organized. Other students chose the more “on trend” approach by going digital. These students received a crash course on Google Calendar, Google Keep and more. Bonus marks will be given to students who show how using their agenda (throughout the year) has attributed to their success.

I Read Canadian Day is a new nationwide initiative that celebrates the richness, diversity and breadth of Canadian literature. Taking place for the third year on November 2, 2022, this celebration will empower families, schools, libraries, bookstores and organizations to host activities and events by reading Canadian books for just fifteen minutes. For more information, visit ireadcanadian.ca/day and sign up for free to participate. Help get the word out on social media by following @IReadCanadian and using the hashtag #IReadCanadian.

Hi Middle Schoolers!

Reading Buddies are back! Reading Buddies is a great program that allows our senior students, like you, to be paired with younger students to build relationships, be positive role models, and engage in activities such as reading books around a particular theme, learning about a holiday together, and support our North Star that ‘we learn better together’.  The Grade 8s teamed up with the Grade 3s yesterday morning for our very first session. It was a lovely and heart warming way to start the week!

Good morning Middle School! Here is a link to the daily morning announcements. These announcements will be shared with you every day during period 1 and will be updated daily. If you are absent or late, this is a great way to check up on what’s going on at OJCS!

Shana Tova to you and your families. Wishing you all nothing but a sweet and happy new year.

Happy Thursday Grade 7! Tomorrow is the Terry Fox Run. I wish I could be running alongside you. Let’s remind ourselves why we are running tomorrow with this little mini research assignment. I look forward to reading why YOU think Terry is a HERO!

Don’t forget to sign and bring back your permission slips for our MS Retreat! We leave Wednesday.