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PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Dear MCHS Parents,

Happy spring? I imagine that you are a little weary of this weather and are looking

for some sunshine too. You can be proud of your kids. Even after this seemingly

endless winter, they are not going too stir crazy and things are still going well at

school.

Last month I wrote extensively about vaping and thought I should give you an update.

While students vaping inside the school has not completely disappeared, it has

reduced to almost nothing. Thank you for following up with your kids if you did. The

Assistant Principals went around sharing the message of the changes. Between some

additional adult intervention and some warmer weather, the problem has moved out

of the school. Please do keep an eye on your kids though. It’s not a healthy habit.

We’ve got news to share as we will be bidding a fond farewell to Mr. Shaw at the end

of this school year. Memorial’s loss is Woodhaven’s gain as we congratulate him on

his appointment as Principal. In his short time at MCHS, Mr. Shaw has contributed

much and helped many students and staff alike. We wish him well in his new role!

We are into the last two months of the school year if you can believe it! The

preliminary grad list will be out shortly. Teachers are deep into their courses and

posted updated marks and comments last week so you can check PowerSchool for

current progress. Keep encouraging your kids to stay on top of their work as the year

draws to a close.

This newsletter is a monthly dose of happiness for me. You send us great kids and

our staff provides some amazing opportunities for them. This month’s newsletter is

brimming with good news stories of Memorial students, their accomplishments and

experiences.

Mrs. Jensen, Principal

PowerSchool

This is our parent’s primary

way to check in on their child’s

marks/assignments, update

contact information, and to pay

fees too. Contact the school for

your username and access ID

at mchs@psd70.ab.ca

Activate and sign into your

account on the MCHS website

in the Parents tab. Please

contact Mrs. Harper or Mrs.

Campbell at the office if you

need assistance setting up

your account.

School Fees Are Due

Please logon to your Parent

PowerSchool account or come

into the school to pay your

high school fees. If you have

any questions, please contact

Ms. Miller at the office.

Reporting an Absence?

Please email (780) 963-2255

anytime to leave a message.

Please leave your

son/daughter’s full name,

grade, and details of the

absence.

The Memorial Memo April 30, 2019

Diploma Exam Computer Inservices May 27 & 29 English 11:30 p.m.

May 28 & 30 Social Studies 11:30 p.m. Students MUST attend one of these sessions to write the

Part A Diploma exam using a computer.

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Memorial Moments

April Happenings 01 - Green & Gold Executive Meeting - 7pm 02 - Marketing Field Trip - Freson Bros. 05 - Wellness 20 Firefighter Fitness Training Center Field Trip 05 - Course Drop Deadline - Semester Two 5-8 - Business Case Competition - Surrey & SFU 07 - Green Shirt Day - Logan Boulet Organ Donation 08 & 09 - Cantando Music Festival - Edmonton 10 - Wellness 20 Boxing Field Trip 10 - Drama Production - Value Village Costume Building Trip 10 - K & E Parent Meeting 11 - Wellness & Outreach Royal Alberta Museum Field Trip 11 - Grad Assembly - Block 2 11 - School Council Teacher Appreciation 11-23 - MCHS Exchange to Eppendorf, Germany 15 - Student Vote - Alberta Provincial Election (Social Studies) 15 - School Council Meeting - 7pm 18 - Allied Arts Council Art Show 24 - MCHS Choir Encore Performance for the Rose Bowl 24-26 - One Act Play Festival (Westlock) 26 - Anime Movie Night 29 - Wellness 20 Rock Jungle Climbing Wall Field Trip 30 - Interact Pancake Breakfast - Parkland Food Bank

May Key Dates 01 – Hats on for Mental Health 1-4 - Business Case Competition - U of Regina 2-4 - Badminton Provincials (Calgary) 06 - Green & Gold Executive Meeting - 7pm 07 - Wellness 20 Cross Fit Armoury Field Trip 09 - GETT (Girls Entering Trades & Technology) Conference 11 - Anime Memfest 16 - Marketing Field Trip - HOT 107 & The Red Agency 17 - Staff Planning & Development Day 20 - Victoria Day 21-4 - German Exchange from Eppendorf, Germany 23 - Eagle Feather & Metis Sash Teachings for Grads - 5:30 23-24 - Business Finance Competition - U of Lethbridge 24 – PowerSchool Marks Update 24 - Instrumental Band Performance 25 - PSD School Bus Roadeo - MCHS hosting 28-30 - PE 30 Camping Trip 27 - School Council Meeting - 7pm 27 & 29 - Eng 30-1 & 30-2 Diploma Computer Inservice - 11:30 28 & 30 - Soc 30-1 & 30-2 Diploma Computer Inservice - 11:30 30 & 31 - Advanced Creative Music Performance

The Counsellors have completed the time table process with future grade 11 and 12 students for the 2019-2020 school year. Students should receive their time tables in June. The Counsellors will be visiting grade 12 classes at the end of April to discuss Scholarships offered through MCHS and Community partners. Here is the link that grade 12 students can use to apply for scholarships. This link will can also be found on the MCHS site. In addition, students can explore information on scholarships offered by clicking on the ALIS site (Alberta learning, career and information site)

If you need assistance with post secondary options, career ideas, scholarships and/or personal matters please do not hesitate to make an appointment with

Mrs. Porter or Ms. Mohammed.

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CONGRATULATIONS!

For the second consecutive year, the MCHS Torchlight Players have won the zone One Act Festival. This year’s production, My Love Lies Frozen in the Ice, was awarded Outstanding Production. They will be moving on to provincials shortly. Well done Mr. Tokarsky and cast!

Applications for several Alberta post-secondary schools

begins as early as

October 1

Go to the website to check out dates for your schools,

admission requirements, etc. You’ll need a myPass account

to forward your transcripts.

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MCHS Students Travel to Germany

Students from Spruce and Memorial returned to Canada from Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany on April 23. The group of 23

students spent 11 days living with a German family, attending classes and being immersed in German culture and language.

Canadian students are looking forward to the second part of the Exchange, May 21 - June 4, when their German students will be

coming to Spruce Grove and Stony Plain. A big "Danke Schoen" to Eppendorf Gymnasium, and the German families for their

friendship and hospitality. Bis Bald! (See you soon) Thank you Frau McAllister for undertaking this trip!

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MCHS STUDENT VOTE 2019

Memorial student body participated in Student Vote Alberta 2019 on Monday, April 15. Social Studies 30

students set up the polling stations and acted in the roles of poll clerks and deputy returning officers for the entire

day. There was a 60% voter turnout with the UCP gaining 39% of the vote and the Alberta Party in second with

24% of the popular vote for the constituency of Stony Plain - Spruce Grove. Our results were submitted to be

added to the provincial student total as seen in the chart.

To prepare for the election students worked through the Voter Compass online to explore issues, platforms and

candidates. Post Student Vote, Social 30 students cross referenced voters lists with ballots cast then calculated

the data based on First-Past-the-Post simple plurality as well as Proportional Representation. Students used the

data to create hypothesis on electoral systems and electoral reform. The Student Vote was then followed up with

analysis and discussion of data from the official vote. The student body was highly engaged in the process and

many of our grade 12’s were motivated to get out and vote in their first authentic election on April 16.

Thank you to Ms. Guillaume and the Social Studies department for providing the authentic learning experience

for our students.

PSD Transportation

Necessary changes are being made to Parkland School Division’s Regional Transportation System that will affect some students and families more than others. These adjustments will allow our existing transportation system to better adapt to the current funding model for bus transportation in the province given the addition of the two new schools Parkland School Division so desperately needed in Spruce Grove. Our school will experience minimal changes, but if you’d like to read more on the topic, check out the news article on our school website.

If there are any changes to our schedule for the fall, those will be posted on our Bell Schedule page in the near future.

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MCHS Indigenous Education

On April 11, Wellness 10 and Outreach students

visited the Royal Alberta Museum to enhance

their knowledge and understanding of the

Aboriginal Studies 10 course content.

On Tuesday April 23rd, Elder Phillip

Campiou visited MCHS to share his

knowledge and teachings of the tipi

and Indigenous ways of knowing. He

shared with a Wellness class, two English

classes and a Social Studies class.

On Tuesday April 16th, Paul First Nation families

and community members attended a Easter

Bingo Community Dinner. This event involved

students, teachers and administrators and was

aimed at building relationships, celebrating the

school community and having fun!

U of Alberta Indigenous Student Discovery Day – May 15 – Click here for more info.

Submitted by

Mrs. Traverse

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The Construction class is requesting custom shed

orders from parents and friends. A great opportunity to receive a shed at cost of materials and provide

learning activities for carpentry students. The floor sizes include 4X6, 4X8, 6X8, 8X8.

aclarke@psd70.ab.ca

Contact Mr. Clarke for details

Count down to Memorial’s Class of 2019 Graduation on Friday, June 28 has begun!

Memorial’s Graduation Event is a special gala evening. Admission tickets cover the overall costs of hosting this event. Tickets may be purchased online from June 4 (9:00 am) until June 19, 2019 at

Ticket Prices

Banquet/Exercises/Dance Ticket: $80.00* Exercises Only Ticket: $30.00* (Does not include Dance)

*An online convenience fee (4.5% plus $2.78 per guest) will be added to your purchase total at time of payment.

Check Memorial’s web site or the Graduation Handbook for more detailed information on Graduation events.

Preparations for are in full swing and the following are some important dates to remember!

Valedictorian Applications – Deadline May 3 – Application forms are available from and submitted to Mrs.

Sorenson in Student Services.

Grad Speech meeting for students interested in Class Historian, Tribute to Families, Tribute to Staff and

Grace (Traditional & Indigenous) – May 10 in the Conference Room at 11:30 am.

Grad Ceremony Music Auditions – Deadline May 17 – Sign-up sheet in Student Services

Preliminary Grad List – May 10

Final Grad List – May 31

Students are responsible for ensuring they meet the Alberta High School Diploma/KAE Certificate requirements to graduate and must be on the Grad list to participate in the Graduation Exercises. Any student concerned about their eligibility to graduate, must see Mr. Strangway or a Counsellor in Student Services. More detailed Graduation information can be found in the Graduation Handbook which is posted on our website on the Graduation Page or in the copy your child received at Grad Assembly in October.

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Do You Want to Be a Student Tutor?

If you would like to tutor students in your best/favorite subject, come to Student Services to fill out a Tutor Application. It looks great on

a resume and is a good way to earn some extra money!

MCHS Business Update

Memorial's Business Competition

Team is traveling to Regina, SK to compete in the Saskatchewan

Business Teachers Association (SBTA) Annual Case Competition on May 2 and 3. Team One is composed of Jadyn Moisan, Taylor Beilman, Julia Kuchmak, and Shay MacDougall.

Team Two is made up of Connor Gilroyed, Ryan Engelhardt, Tyson Strowbridge, and Nate Kohut. Edwards School of Business at the

University of Saskatchewan is offering $2,000 for winners of the competition, $1,500 for second place and $1,000 for participants of the event. All awards are renewable for a maximum of three years!

The Hill School of Business at the

University of Regina is also offering a $1,000 entry scholarship to all competition winners.

Exploring

Aviation

Connections for Learning and the students in

the Y(our) program kindly invited several

students from MCHS to attend a week long

exploration into careers in the aviation

industry in February.

Check out the video above for some

highlights from their week.

We thank our partners at Elevate Aviation

and the Edmonton International Airport for

their support in creating the amazing

opportunity for our students and to Mr. Weisenberger for looking after our kids.

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MCHS Students Travel to Quebec

Over Spring Break, Mr. Salter travelled with several of his French students to Quebec. They had a great trip! Thank you for organizing and taking this trip. Here are some excerpts from Mr. Salter’s travel diary: Day 1 - We made it to Montréal and the students are having a blast! They have been trying out their French and we have already seen quite a few awesome sights including Mount Royal and oratory, the Formula 1 race track (our bus drove us on the track!), Bell Centre and the largest cemetery in Canada. We had a pleasant dinner and an exciting game of Laser Quest before heading to the hotel. Day 3 - We went to the planetarium and Olympic stadium today, then travelled to Quebec City. We took a guided walking tour and it was spectacular. We’ve settled nicely into our second hotel and the kids are being absolute angels. Day 4 - We had a wonderful time in Quebec City and topped it all off with a visit to Montmorency falls and a Cabane à Sucre (sugar shack). The kids all had such a fun evening, they didn’t want it to end. Day 5 - Travelling from Quebec City to Gatineau was comfortable and we had a nice stop at a farmer’s market in Montreal. We then toured the Canadian history museum in Gatineau and went for dinner. Just another really nice day. Students continue to be angels. Day 7 - Today we toured Ottawa and parliament hill. Everyone is tired, but having fun. Yesterday we saw the war museum and the art gallery, both were exceptional. We went bowling last night and had a blast.

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Because

I Love You

The Because I Love You (BILY) Parent & Youth Support Society meets every Thursday

from 7:00-9:30 at the Hope Christian Reformed Church. The group is non-faith based and meetings are free of charge.

Check their website for more info.

Reaching Your Child during the School Day

Cell phones can be a distraction and a disruption to classroom learning. Our teachers and your kids have worked hard together to come up with routines so that cellphones are not disrupting class. Here are some things for parents to know about communicating with their kids while they are at school.

During class time, your child has most likely turned off the phone and put it in a pouch on the classroom wall. He/she may not be able to respond immediately.

If you call the main office, secretaries will not interrupt class to pass along non-emergency messages.

Students will be called to the office to receive messages at lunchtime or the end of the school day.

On Mon, Tues, Wed, and Fri, contact your child as follows:

o Breaks – 9:59-10:06 or 1:54-2:01 o Lunch – 11:30-12:30

On Thursdays, contact your child as follows: o Breaks – 9:49 – 9:55 or 1:24-1:30 o Lunch – 11:10 – 12:10

We appreciate your support in reaching your child directly to minimize disruption to classroom instruction. Of course, we are happy to assist in an emergency.

The Twelve Classics Club

The staff at MCHS have taken an interest in the literacy needs of our students, both those who are in need of support and those

who are excellent readers. We are challenging our voracious readers to join the 12 by 12 Club. The goal is to read twelve classic

books by the end of your grade 12 year. Below is a list of the classics our teachers are recommending. Just approach a teacher

for the book and when finished return it to that teacher to have a book chat. Your name will be recorded and students

completing 12 classic novels by their grade 12 year will receive a certificate.

Title Author Date Teacher Title Author Date Teacher

The Inferno Dante 1300 Mr. Breckenridge The Old Man and the Sea Ernest Hemingway

1952 Mr. Hymanyk

Emma Jane Austen 1815 Mrs. Porter Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe 1958 Mrs. McPherson

Frankenstein Mary Shelley 1823 Ms. Mohammed Catch 22 Joseph Heller 1961 Mr. Tollestrup

20000 Leagues Under the Sea

Jules Verne 1870 Mr. McGann One Hundred Years of Solitude

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

1967 Mr. Bridgeman

Metamorphosis Franz Kafka 1915 Mrs. McAllister The Alchemist Paulo Coelho 1988 Mrs. Wendel

Brave New World Aldous Huxley

1932 Ms. Guillaume The Book of Negroes Lawrence Hill 2007 Mrs. Harrison

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Congratulations Shay! Shay McDougall placed 2nd in the Friesen’s Yearbook Northern Alberta competition for the cover she created. Thanks for the guidance provided by Miss Oshiki!

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Badminton Provincials Congratulations to Evan Sawchuk who will be attending the ASAA provincial tournament in Calgary this weekend competing in

Intermediate Singles. Good luck!!

Spring Sports Are Underway The rugby, soccer and track & field rosters have been set. Practices have been started. We just need the weather to cooperate to get

out on the fields! Tournaments, games, and meets will be starting in May.

Rugby Girls Are Hardcore! These girls are not going to let a little snow get in the way of their practice time!

Marauder Athletes of the Month

Congratulations!

Former MCHS athlete, Shayla Sklaruk, was named Red Deer College Athlete of the Week in March. Click here to read more.

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Did Your Child Miss an Exam?

We’ve got your back! Missed exams can be

written in the Academic Achievement

Center (AAC) without missing any

additional class time.

Monday to Friday – Lunch Time

11:30 – 12:30

Wednesday – After School

3:30 – 5:00

Thursday – Collaboration Time

2:45 – 4:00

We hope you enjoyed this month’s newsletter.

If there are any topics that would like to see in future

newsletters to assist you as a parent in your family

conversations about education and helping your high

school child(ren) navigate the world growing up, please

drop Mrs. Jensen an email at cjensen@psd70.ab.ca.

Our target is to have the newsletter go out on the 1st

Friday of each month, so please send your email by

the third week of the month to give us time to prepare.

See you next month!

The Green Book Click this link for the 2017-2019 FCSS Directory of Stony Plain,

Spruce Grove and Parkland County Community Support

Services

MCHS Grade Administrators

Grade 10 – Mr. Shaw Grade 11 – Mrs. Wendel

Grade 12 – Mr. Strangway

myPass is the self-service website for the

education documentation of Alberta

students. Click here for a set of

instructions to set up an account.

Remember your MCHS student ID number

is also your Alberta Student Number.

Also, use a personal email address as

your PSD account will be deactivated

when you graduate.

Have you set up

your account yet?

MCHS Contact Info

(780) 963-2255 mchs@psd70.ab.ca

www.mchs.psd70.ab.ca

@MemorialComp

Memorial Composite High School

@MemorialComposite

#MemorialComp

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Memorial Memories

April 2019

French Quebec Trip Women’s Rugby

Student Vote

Choir Music Festivals

Grad Assembly