DIV 8-6

Friday, Sept 11th: Today, our first Friday of the school year, we had the block to review key information from the week and wrap up some beginning of the year activities we started this week. Mr. Menzies went over our schedule, school supplies, and provided a to-do list for the block of things to work on. We finished our "All About Me" personal survey to help Mr. Menzies get to know us, our intro to math 8 survey, and also finish our personal surfboards. Early finishers worked on a puzzle booklet Mr. Menzies had on offer. Overall, we used block 1 to wrap up the first week and prepare for our first full week of school. Next week, we will officially get our math, science and PE programs going. In block 2 we were with Ms. Cottier, in block 3 we had our first French class with Ms Leet, and in block 4 we had our first FAAS class. Finally, due to a printing issue in th eoffice, the school form package  will be handed out next week to take home, show parents, fill out and sign, and return to school ASAP. Thus concludes the first week of Grade 8! We are up and running and next week we will begin with a grade wide start up assembly with Mrs. Dennett and Mrs. Warren and also get Math, Science, and PHE up and running! Homework and Reminders:  As we begin academics next week, please make sure you have all of your school supplies collected and ready to go, and also have begun reestablishing home routines such as bedtime and homework. It was great to meet and begin to get to know Division 8-6 this week and I look forward to the year ahead! Have an amazing first weekend of the school year!

Thursday, Sept 10th: Today we had our first full day following our weekly schedule (Click Here). In block 1, we were with Mr. Menzies and after reviewing some reminders from the previous days, we focused on strategies for having a successful Grade 8 year, including organization, attitude, kindness, patience, and work ethic. Mr. Menzies walked us through a slideshow on this topic, discussed, and we looked at some inspirational quotes about an effective, growth mindset approach to learning and watched a video clip. In block 2, we were with Ms. Cottier for the first time, learned about her and her classroom, and did some introductory activities. During Advisory / lunch, we looked over the Saanich Schools student code of conduct and discussed, drawing comparisons to the rights and responsibilities of our class we devised together yesterday. Finally, we also made sure we have our locker all set up with a timetable taped on the inside door, organizing and preparing our binders and school supplies, and making sure we have completed a few other housekeeping tasks. In block 3, we were back with Mr. Menzies and he introduced Math for this year. He showed us an introductory slideshow, and we discussed what math is, how it is like a language to describe the world around us, and why it matters. Mr. Menzies also handed out a his Grade 8 Math course outline (Click Here) and went over the topics/units we will cover in the coming months. He emphasized that we will begin with some review topics to help us reestablish our foundational skills and understandings as he gets to know us and our relationship to Math at this point. Finally, we received a beginning of Math 8 survey (Click Here) to help Mr. Menzies understand where our skills and confidence is with key grade 6 and 7 math concepts, and we also did a few math exercises and puzzles to help us shake the dust off. We had the rest of the block work ont he various activities we have started so far. Homework and Reminders: Please bring the school supplies you have collected so far to school and aim to have everything you need by Monday next week. School forms for parents to sign will be handed out tomorrow (Friday) to be taken home, filled out, and returned to school. Tomorrow we continue our regular schedule, transitioning between classrooms (8-6 Schedule - Click Here) and subjects. Tomorrow, we will be with Ms. Leet for the first time and we have our first block of FAAS as well.

Wednesday, September 9th: Today we continued to build our new class community, go over details for the year, and get to know Mr. Menzies. Throughout the morning Mr. Menzies reviewed procedures, routines, and policies, and oriented us in our new classroom. We also did a few ice breaker/get to know each other games and activities, and generally became acquainted and organized to get the year going. We then learned about the expectations of Division 8-6 and had the opportunity to contribute/offer ideas and we devised a list of rights and responsibilities for Div 8-6. Later in the day, we did a team geography challenge and a creative activity to express our interests and identity by creating our own personalized surfboard designs. We also worked on completing an accompanying questionnaire to tell Mr. Menzies and Ms. Cottier about ourselves today. We will have more time to polish these off tomorrow and Friday. Finally, we were assigned our lockers today and could begin using it as the main place to store our backpacks and school materials. Homework and Reminders: Please bring the school supplies you have collected so far to school and aim to have everything you need by Monday next week. School forms for parents to sign will be handed out tomorrow to be taken home, filled out, and returned to school. Tomorrow we will begin our regular schedule, transitioning between classrooms (8-6 Schedule - Click Here). Tomorrow, we will be with Ms. Cottier for the first time and we have our first block of PE as well. Friday we  will have our first FAAS block of the school year. Introductory notice for parents to read (Click Here) as well as a more specific school supplies list (Click Here)

Tuesday, September 8th: The 2026/2027 school year and our final year at ROMS officially began today! Today we found out who our Grade 8 teachers will be this year as well as who is in our Grade 8 homeroom class. Mr. Menzies introduced us to our homeroom classroom and showed us an introductory slideshow so we know the basics for the coming year. We also did some icebreaker / community-building activities to get to know each other. Mr. Menzies also sent home an introductory notice for parents to read (Click Here) as well as a more specific school supplies list (Click Here). We will be continuing to become familiar and comfortable in our new class and do some fun activities throughout a homeroom-based day. Homework and Reminders: Tomorrow is a home room based day and students are asked to bring their lunch, backpack, and any school supplies that they have acquired so far. Students will get assigned their lockers so please bring a school-approved lock (available for purchase in the school office) and the school supplies you have collected. We will continue an orientation tomorrow, get to know each other with some fun activities, and school forms will be handed out and sent home soon. It was great to meet the new Division 8-6 and begin to get to know our class community today!