PARENT/GUARDIAN NEWSLETTER APRIL 2017

Principal J. Shako Vice-Principals N. Arnold-Sallows B. Millsap M. Wolf

It is difficult to believe, but we are past the three-quarter mark in this school year as we are heading for June at full speed. Projects and assignments are coming due; choices for next year are being finalized and the fair weather brings a final surge of co-curricular activities. Commencement is on June 29th at the New Tecumseth Arena. Our ultimate goal and purpose is to have every student be recognized in our commencement.

Since the last newsletter, there have been many noteworthy events involving Banting staff and students. Including the Canada and the World Department’s international field trip to commemorate Vimy100, the girls hockey team GBSSA win, and students being involved in a UN simulation at the Education Centre, to name a few. Students are also making a difference by being involved in anti-bullying and earth day events.

Thank you for your support as we attempt to have every student be successful. Please take some time to review this report card and discuss the messages on the report card with your son or daughter including the attendance information and learning skills.

My very best wishes for the remainder of this semester!

Jo Shako

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Banting Memorial High School

May 5 Full Disclosure

May 11 Spring Music Recital

May 12 Prom

May 18 Fine Arts Night

May 22 Victoria Day

June 1 School Council

June 2 Grad BBQ

June 14 Athletic Banquet

June 21 Last Day of Classes

June 22-28 Evaluations

June 29 Commencement

June 29/30 P.A. Day

IMPORTANT DATES

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT SERVICES—CAREER CENTRE—SCDSB

Thinking about summer or part-time employment?

Connect with the Career Centre NOW to find out more about

youth employment services. The Youth Job Connection

Summer program provides PAID job readiness training,

followed by a PAID job placement.

For more information on the services available in your

community visit www.focuscdc.on.ca.

This Employment Ontario service is funded by the

Government of Ontario.

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This year marks the 100th anniversary of the

Battle of Vimy Ridge; a defining moment for

Canada, often noted as the ‘birth of a nation.’

Banting took 60 students to Europe to

participate in the official ceremony

commemorating the Battle on April 9th. In

addition to the Vimy ceremony, students spent

time at the Vimy monument, visited a WWI

cemetery, and explored the sights and sounds of

Amsterdam, Ghent and London. We watched

students experience history first hand, explore

new cultures, and grow as individuals. All

returned with a new understanding of what

remembrance means, and about being Canadian

and a global citizen. It was a pleasure travelling

with such great ambassadors of Banting and

Canada.

S. Bowman, K. Cross, R. Howatson, R. Iafrate,

B. Millsap, C. Smith, J. Valentine

VIMY 1917-2017

Gown orders are due in the Office by May 12th.

$25.00/pkg is payable by cash, cheque, or school cash online. If you already have a gown, you may purchase a tassel or vee stole for the cost of $5.00 each in the Office.

COMMENCEMENT 2017

A new selection of summer school credit courses is

available this July through in-person classes and

eLearning. New this year are full credit grade 9 and

10 courses at Bear Creek Secondary School in

Barrie. The in-person courses at Bear Creek will run

July 4 to 28 from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Limited school

bus transportation is provided from all areas of

Simcoe County. Details can be found on the Learning

Centres website: www.thelearningcentres.com.

Students can also get information from the school or

from any of the SCDSB’s Learning Centres. Online

registration for current SCDSB students is available

through the student portal. eLearning registration is

supported through high school Guidance Offices.

Non-SCDSB students can register using the forms on

the website.

Register NOW for

summer school

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Art installations will be on display around Banting in correlation with Mental Health Week May 1-5. These installations will explore a variety of topics including, but not limited to, destroying the stigma surrounding mental illness, the past and present struggles of the indigenous people of Canada, how to achieve mental wellness, and communicating your state of mind in a healthy way. The focal piece will be in the front foyer of the school and will be an interactive paper sculpture for the students to participate in as the week goes on. The culminating event of the week will be a Colour Run put on by Jack.org symbolizing the messages introduced in the foyer and around the school. A variety of different departments are participating and an interactive map will explore and explain the installations set up throughout Banting’s halls. There will be resources available surrounding each of the works hoping to generate a dialogue with the students and put an end to the stigma surrounding mental health issues and support our student’s mental wellness.

MENTAL HEALTH WEEK

@BMHS

On the Completion of Requirements for Graduation Form, you will find indication of the student’s accumulated Community Service hours. Please ensure that the number of hours is accurate. Remember, performing the 40 hours of community service is a diploma requirement. For students intending to graduate this year, the deadline to submit all accumulated Community Service hours is June 9th. Guidance must have evidence, by this date, that a student has completed the 40 hour diploma requirement.

Community Service Hours Shine green for Mental Health Week

May 1 to 7

The Canadian Mental Health Association invites us to

wear green during Mental Health Week. Be sure to

share online with the hashtag #GETLOUD. Going

green for mental health is a simple way for all of us to

recognize that we must make mental health a priority.

Visit www.greenformentalhealth.ca for more

information.

On April 19th, Jeremy Dias visited BMHS and

spoke to grade 9, 10, & 12 students. Jeremy

Dias is the founder of the Canadian Centre

for Gender and Sexual Diversity. The

organization seeks to encourage tolerance in

the classroom and the workplace through

training and encouragement of initiatives,

including the International Day of Pink.

Jeremy Dias shared his personal story

highlighting the bullying he experienced and

identifying how we all experience difference

and struggles but how we all have a role to

play in supporting and lifitng up one another.

There were also 2 workshops offered in the

afternoon; healthy relationships & consent,

activism & LGBTQ history.

The Banting Legacy Project is an opportunity

for graduating students to reflect on their own

resiliency and leave their mark permanently

etched on the schools walls for their peers to

see and remind them that they too have what

it takes to succeed. Each graduating student

is being asked to reflect on the prompt; if I

knew then what I know now; what would I tell

me grade 9 self? We are capturing the

students statements along with their photo

and generating a large scale collage for

display in the school.

BANTING LEGACY

PROJECT

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A Message to Parents on Rabies What is rabies?

Rabies is a viral infection that affects the central nervous systems of humans and other mammals.

Rabies can be spread from wild animals to domestic pets including cats, dogs and ferrets through bites and scratches. Humans are at risk when bitten or scratched by wild animals or infected domestic pets. In Ontario, the rabies virus is mainly found in and spread by: bats, skunks, foxes, raccoons, and coyotes.

Symptoms usually begin with fever, cough, sore throat, headache and general weakness or discomfort. As the disease progresses, more specific symptoms appear and may include: insomnia, anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation, hyper-salivation (increase in saliva), difficulty swallowing, and hydrophobia (fear of water or unable to drink).

Rabies is a viral infection that will be fatal if the vaccine is not given before symptoms appear.

Can you tell if an animal has rabies?

You can’t tell if an animal has rabies by just looking at it. A clue though is if the animal is acting strangely, for example wild animals getting too close to humans. If you come across a wild animal like a bat, skunk or raccoon, do not approach or touch the animal; in case it has rabies.

Some animals may act mad when they have rabies. They will be hostile and may try to bite you or other animals. In movies, animals with rabies look like they are foaming at the mouth. What’s really happening is that the rabies makes them have more saliva and that makes them drool.

Other animals may act timid or shy when they have rabies. This is the most common kind. A wild animal might move slowly or act tame. You might be able to easily get close to it. Since that’s not the way wild animals usually act, you should remember that something could be wrong.

How do you get rabies?

The only way dogs, cats, raccoons, bats, and other animals can give you rabies is if you are bitten or scratched by one that has rabies, or if you have been in direct contact with the saliva of an infected animal.

Where is rabies found?

Rabies is a serious disease and it is found across the world. This year, over 55,000 people around the world will die from rabies. That´s one person every 10 minutes. Half of the people who die from rabies are under the age of 15.

Rabies surveillance has shown that rabies is established in Ontario.

What to do if an animal bites or scratches you?

If you are bitten or scratched, have someone help you wash out the wound for five minutes with soap and water and then take you right away to the doctor. If there’s a chance the animal has rabies, your doctor will want to give you the rabies vaccine to make sure you don’t get rabies, too. Try to get the animal owner information, if possible.

Your doctor will contact Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) at 705-721-7520 or 877-721-7520 and report the bite. A Public Health Inspector from SMDHU will investigate, try to confine the dog or cat or have the animal sent for testing. If the risk of rabies is high, SMDHU will deliver the human vaccine to your doctor.

How to prevent rabies?

Vaccinate your dogs, cats and ferrets against rabies and keep the vaccines up to date.

Keep your pets away from wild or stray animals

Supervise your pets while outside.

Don’t handle, pet or feed wild or stray animals

Do not transport or relocate wild animals.

If you find a bat in your home that you think may have bitten someone, try to confine it to a room, shut the door and call 705-721-7520 or 877-721-7520.

Wash all animal bites or scratches with warm soapy water, and

Report all animal bites or scratches to Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit by calling 705-721-7520 or 877-721-7520.

For Additional Information on Rabies and/or to speak with a Local Public Health Inspector, Please Contact the Environmental Health Public Health Inspector at 705-721-7520 ext. 8811 or 877-721-7520 ext. 8811 or go to http://www.simcoemuskokahealth.org/topics/rabies