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Klaassen Corner
Klaassen Corner
Last Thursday and Friday all the teachers in the Edmonton area went back to school as Teacher's Convention came back in person. I truly can't express how much I enjoy the opportunity to focus on my growth as an educator and a person during those two days. In reflecting on what I had learned I was reminded of one of my early formative experiences. In the first few years of my career, I had come to the staff room bubbling about the class I had taught. After I'm sure a nauseating recount of the class to those lucky enough to be in the room, a more experienced teacher piped up and said, "Whatever, get back to me in ten years." I was taken aback and I'm sure, in a snotty fashion asked him to explain himself. To this, he responded, "If you are the same teacher as you are right now in ten years, you are doing it wrong!"
I walked away angry that day, but this sentiment has grown to be extremely important for me as a person. All I can ask of myself is to grow every day, and I should ask nothing less as I ask the students around me to do the same. While there are pieces of all of us that are central and will perhaps be unwavering over our lives, there are many areas we will grow and change. I think this is one of the things that draws me to working in a school, the opportunity to see that growth up close and perhaps have a chance to help with that growth. In the end, we all have to choose what to do with our days, but I hope we all choose to continue to grow.
Respectfully,
Justin Klaassen
Post-Secondary Information Session Links
Post-Secondary Information Session Links
What's up, Mrs. H? Reducing Test Anxiety - Think like a P.I.R.A.T.E.
What's up, Mrs. H? Reducing Test Anxiety - Think like a P.I.R.A.T.E.
At convention, I attended a session with the counsellor from Holy Trinity in Edmonton. The presenter and I went to junior high and high school together; neither of us left high school intending to be teachers or counsellors - and yet - here we are.
The session centered around test anxiety and how to reduce it, so I thought I would share as many students express anxiety around testing. What I really appreciated about this approach is that preparing was only one letter of the acronym; the rest of it has to do with what to do during the test. So - think like a pirate folks!
P - Prepare to Succeed
study/review regularly and several days before the test
Get everything ready the night before so you aren't rushed in the morning
Write PIRATE on top of the test
I - Inspect the instructions
highlight what you are supposed to do; ensure to look for keys words such as "choose the best response," or "answer two of the three questions."
R - Read the question
make sure you read the entire question and sources; ask yourself what is it asking and what do you know already?
A - Answer or Abandon
Don't spend more than 30 seconds deciding on an option or response.
Don't know? Star it and move on. Often there may be hints or concepts elsewhere in the test that might jog your memory!
T - Turn Back
Go back to your skipped questions and ensure all questions are answered.
E - Eye it Again
Proof for any careless mistakes.
Super stuck on a question and still don't know? Make a calculated guess. Eliminate as many options as you can and then use what you know to pick an answer.
Athletics
Athletics
Basketball
This year, Thorsby Junior Senior High is hosting the 1A Girls Basketball Zone Championship. The tournament is taking place on March 11 from 9AM - 5 PM.
If you are wanting to watch some competitive basketball or just want to come out and cheer on the Thorsby Senior Girls team, please come to the school and be supportive.
When - Saturday, March 11 (9Am - 5PM)
Where - TJSHS
What - Senior Girls Basketball Zone Championship
Badminton
Badminton season is just around the corner. We will be starting practice right after basketball season is done and those practitces will take place at lunch. Junior High School students can compete in a one day tournament at various venues in Leduc (depending on what their age category is) and the Senior High students have the opportunity to compete in Edmonton at the Saville Center in April. The goal this year is to get as many people wanting to play badminton as possible. If your child is interested, tell them to come and check it out.
The Wellness Beat
The Wellness Beat
Over the course of semester two, we will be looking at different areas of wellness throughout the school. February is Random Acts of Kindness month and so we will feature some ideas around that area. Here at TJSHS, Mrs. Hrytsak is our wellness coordinator and Mr. Feil will be stepping up as wellness lead for semester two. Stay tuned for more wellness features and challenges~
Random Acts of Kindness
This month has been filled with Random acts of kindess at TJSHS. The students and the staff have had the chance to participate in a BINGO challenge. If anyone completes their bingo card by today (Feb 17th), they are entered into a draw for prizes. I know a lot of the junior high students have been really trying to get their cards completed, which is awesome to see.
What is a random act of kindness?
Giving your best self to others without expecting anything in return. You are just being kind to someone without the expectation that they will return the favour one day.
Some examples of an act of random kindness would be..
Bringing a friend or colleague their favourite warm beverage in the morning out of the blue
Pay for the person behind you's coffee in the drive through at Tim Hortons
Shoveling your neighbour's sidewalk
Activities you can try
As a family, collect some rocks that are golf ball to tennis ball size
Paint the rocks in vibrant colours
Put a coat of sealer on the rocks (so the elements can’t get rid of the paint quickly)
Place the rocks in a public park
Placing the rocks around a public park gives others a chance to find them and have a good experience exploring a space. Kids love this and it is awesome to see kids happily running around searching for these beautiful works of art!
Give it a try!
We know today’s day in age is a digital one and people need their phones to function. Sometimes we use our phones for communicating, sometimes we use them for work, and sometimes we use them to get away from our daily lives. However, sometimes phones become a big distraction in our lives and limit the quality time we get to spend with others around us. Try and “unplug” for 24-48 hours and see how you feel afterwards. After 24-28 hours try writing down how that time went for you. Was it a positive experience? Did you feel anxious that you were missing something? Would you do it again? If you want to let us know how the experience went, fill out this form and you may have your story posted in the next Newsletter.
Staff Versus Students Hockey Game
Staff Versus Students Hockey Game
Today the Staff took on the Students in Canada's greatest game. Both teams played their hearts out and the winning time was.the Staff ... This year we had a lot of community members chipping in with a number of parents playing against their children and a few RCMP officers as well. We would like to thank all of those that participated in the game and helped make this game happen.
A big thank you to the Rec Complex for allowing us to play, providing us with jerseys, and for opening up the concession for the attendees!
Trivia Challenge Days
Trivia Challenge Days
The first round of Thorsby's Trivia Challenge has been completed.
This week the students were tasked with getting the most amount of answers correct in an animal trivia challenge. Questions like "what colour is a giraffe's tongue" and "what is the largest mammal" were asked.
We had 2 students tie for first place with a score of 16/20. Kaleb deBoer and Elijah Scheetz.
Congratulations to the two winners!
3 on 3 Basketball Intramural
3 on 3 Basketball Intramural
TJSHS has started a 3 on 3 Basketball Intramural at lunch for the Junior and Senior High kids. We had 5 teams sign up this year and the tournament has gotten off to a good start. Mr. Feil is very excited to compete against the winning team once the finals are concluded.
The teams we have this year are...
The Spicy Cucarachas
The Rizzlers
Los Tiradores
Totem Pole
The reptiles
Games are Mondays and Wednesdays until the tournament has concluded
Winning team will win spirit points for their house and will get to play against the 'Dream team' (the staff team).
Good luck to all 5 teams!
Parent Council
Parent Council
Our Parent Counsil meets monthly at the school. All parents of students enrolled at our school are welcome to attend.! Our next meeting will be held on Monday, March 13 at 7:00 pm.
What's coming up at THS
What's coming up at THS
February 20: Family Day--no classes
February 21: PD Day--no classes
March 13: PD DAy No classes
March 27-31: Spring Break, Schools closed
Learning Commons
Learning Commons
Mrs. Raugust spends her mornings in the Learning Commons. She is continuously adding to the collection and welcomes suggestions for new books. She is your go-to for textbooks and novels. Come on in whenever you'd like, she is even open at lunch.! If you need a book in the afternoon, she will gladly help you out!
The Learning Commons is also open in the afternoon for online classes. It's a nice quiet place to get your work done!
Subway and Hot Lunch
Subway and Hot Lunch
Subway subs are available for $5.50 every Wednesday. Orders must be placed and paid for before 10:00am on Monday. Order forms are on your child's Powerschool.. There will be no Subway order for February 22 because of the short week!
This year, the Elementary has once again invited us to partake in their hot lunch program. Menu items are posted weekly in our weekly news memo. All items are $4.00. We will also accept TES lunch tokens.
Ski Club
Ski Club
We are so excited to have Ski Club up and running again! We will have 6 ski nights and then finish up the season with an overnight trip to Marmot1 All of the forms are up on Power School. Our next ski night is Monday, March 6.
Grad News
Grad News
Check out all of the info you need for Grad 2023 on the website or click this link.
The Grad bottle and battery drive has been extended to February 13.
There will be a Grad Parent Meeting on Thursday February 23 at 6:00 pm at the High School. All parents/guardians of grads and are encouraged to attend.
Bus App
Bus App
Not sure if your child's bus is running? Download the app! Details on how to do this can be found here:
Yearbooks
Yearbooks
2021-2022 yearbooks are available in the Office for $40. These can also be paid for on your child's Powerschool account. You can also preorder the 2022-2023 yearbooks online for $40.
Minute to Win IT--Valentine's Day Edition
Minute to Win IT--Valentine's Day Edition
Miss Angela was out this week to play some Minute to Win it games with our students over lunch. Fun was had by all!
Jr High Shop
Jr High Shop
Semester 2 has begun and the students are learning new things in their shop option.
Community Events
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