January 2020 NewsletterJanuary 2020 Newsletter

Upcoming Ev entsUpcoming Ev ents

January 30: Exam Day 1January 31: Exam Day 2 February 3: PD Day February 4: Term 3 Begins (1/2 day schedule) February 7: Graduation Photo Day; Wild Outside (Foundations) February 14: "For the Love of" Valentine's Day Eco Event February 17: Family Day (no classes)February 19: Blyth Winter Activity Day at Snow ValleyFebruary 20: Parent Film Screening - Screenagers @ 6:30pmFebruary 27: Pink T-Shirt Day (Anti-Bullying)February 27- March 2: Model UN - Ottawa

Message from Student Council Message from Student Council With the new year already underway, we are so happy to students return to their classesand clubs they previously joined! The end of term assembly was a success and it was sointeresting to learn about what different clubs and classes are learning/doing. Our fooddrive donations were given to a local food bank, and the amount of food given wasenormous. They thanked us, and we thank you for contributing to the cause. The StudentCouncil is busy discussing future events and plans for the months of February and March.Starting on February 5th, 2020 and ending on the 13th, Candy Gram slips will be sold fora toonie each, each gram consisting of three lollipops and a bouquet. You can send themto your friend, best friend, etc. They will be delivered on February 14th, Valentines day!Also, don't forget; our Term 3 parent-teacher interviews are on March 5th, and there arestill spots open to volunteer at the bake sale which will run during the interviews! YouWILL get volunteer hours if you participate. Once more, we are so happy that everyone istransitioning back to normal school life after the change in decades, and we wish you luckon exams. ~Blyth ET Student Council

Guidance Corner Guidance Corner

Exam time can be a stressful time for everyone in the family. Here are 15 tips to help your child

with their upcoming exams. Best of luck to everyone,Mrs. Pace

Algonquin Park Leadership Trip

Recently, our Leadership class took a trip to Algonquin Park. Our days were packed withadventure and new learning experiences. We began our trip by taking a bus up north andarriving at lunch time. We put on our snowshoes and went for a hike. We learned aboutdifferent trees, sap and how to start fires. After this we gathered in the meal room for adelicious dinner. At nighttime we settled in our rooms and had a chance to befriend theother students (from the Blyth Lawrence Park campus) on the trip. Day two began with a small hike to walk on the frozen lake and check the safety of it. Wedecided to have a fire and cook hotdogs for lunch. Eventually we gathered for dinner andhad a fire together after as well. For the third day we worked on making quincys which arebasically mounds of hardened snow with a dug out hole to form a shelter. We also madeour own fires in small groups then cooked eggs and bacon on them. Once again we all atedinner then had a fire together. In the morning on our way home, we went to the ice falls which were beautiful to see atthis time of year. Eventually, we all gathered back together on the bus to depart and comehome. At first I was nervous for this trip but I became so much closer with my classmatesand had a chance to escape social pressures for a few days. I would go back in aheartbeat!

~ Nicole S., G12

Blyth ET EcoTeam News:EcoSchools Canada, Logo Contest & Single-Use Plastic Ban EcoSchools Canada: I am thrilled to announce that on Monday, 9 December 2019, BlythAcademy Etobicoke was officially registered with EcoSchools Canada, an award-winning

environmental certification program for K-12 schools in Canada established in 2002. OurEcoTeam, comprised of 20 students across all grade levels, has been meeting weekly since 16December. Members are currently working hard to conduct an initial eco-review of the school,which will be complete by 31 January. Our follow-up eco-review will involve more extensiveresearch and preparation, and will be complete by 24 April. Our team is energized, motivated,and ready to implement the unique ideas that we have discussed thus far. Look out for school-wide eco-events and don't forget to check Blyth ET's Instagram page for updates. I encourage anyone who is interested in getting involved in EcoTeam initiatives to contact meeither via Edsby, e-mail ( a_palumbo@blytheducation.com), or at school. The more people whoare a part of this, the better, and it's never too late. You can make a weekly commitment ordecide to help with certain events only. Thank you to the EcoTeam for your energy and enthusiasm throughout our initial weeks. You arepart of something extremely valuable, and I look forward to the events that will take place for therest of the year. Logo Contenst: Are you an artist willing to share your talent and leave a legacy at Blyth ET?We need you! The EcoTeam requires a logo. It should be creative, unique, and reflect our values.Submissions are due on Friday, 7 February to Ms. Palumbo. The winner will be announced onMonday, 10 February during period 2.

Single-Use Plastic Ban: It's no surprise that we as Canadians are large consumers of plasticproducts. As a country, it was calculated that we generate approximately 4.6 million metrictonnes of plastic waste each year. This staggering figure helped prompt Prime Minister JustinTrudeau to announce in June 2019 his plan to change this: a country-wide ban on single-useplastics and similar disposable items (like styrofoam) by 2021. Recycling plastics comes with itsown challenges, including incorrect disposal, contamination (not cleaning or rinsing containersbefore tossing them into the blue bin), high cost, and energy required throughout this process.Ecosystems and wildlife suffer the consequences of our pollution, which in turn also negativelyimpacts us, as we rely on their health to function as a civilization. Reducing in the first place isalways the better option: less production=less consumption=reduced pollution. At Blyth ET, especially as a school in the process of becoming EcoSchools certified, we mustplay our part. As such, a single-use plastic ban has been put into place at our school. Thismeans plastic water bottles, plastic straws, plastic grocery bags, plastic cutlery, styrofoam, andsimilar items. If you would like to purchase a reusable Blyth water bottle, they are available for atoonie, and all proceeds will help fund our eco initiatives here at the school. If you already haveyour own reusable drink container, please put it to good use. Think also about bringing litterlesslunches: using glassware instead of plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and canvas or cloth bags.Let's all do our part. Remember that small, consistent actions on a daily basis by many peopleare the key to significant change! Every action and every person matters...a LOT. From local toglobal. Let's do this, Blyth ET. Pura vida, Ms. Palumbo

Model UN On Friday, December 6th, the Model UN team traveled to Blyth Lawrence Park for theannual Blyth MUN. Students took on the identity of a nation and its political stance, andwere required to come to a resolution about a specific situation. The topic of the meetingwas a possible coup in Turkey in the year 2020 and how these nations would react anddeal with the situation. The group quickly came to a resolution and agreed that theproposed course of action would be beneficial to all the nations attending the meeting.

Congratulations to all who participated and a special mention goes to the following BlythET students who earned the title of Outstanding Delegate in their committees:

Maia F., United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeKrishan P., InterpolAidan T., United Nations Security Council

The Model UN club convenes every Friday and discusses topics on a wide range of worldissues. If you would like to join this club or try it out, talk to Mr. Jay for details. The Model UN club convenes every Friday and discusses topics on a wide range of worldissues. If you would like to join this club or try it out, talk to Mr. Jay for details. ~ Michael M., G10

Space MissionOur trip to the Science Centre was a trip set up toexpand our knowledge on what we know aboutscience, while at the same time, having fun! I'mhere to tell you all about it! I knew as soon as we entered the OntarioScience Centre that we were going to have a funtime while learning science. The day jump-started with a space workshopplanned for the whole class. As we were toldbefore we arrived at the centre, we were going todo a workshop involving a space take-off andlanding on the moon! Each individual was given atask to do both on the space shuttle and at theground control. As we entered our stations, oursupervisors gave specific instructions on what ourjobs and our mission goals were. Students weresplit into two groups, one group would handleground control, the other group would operate thespace shuttle! Groups would be switched around

so we could all have a look at how space missions are conducted. I stand for all my classmates when I say that the moon-landing simulation was a thrill! As soonas we were finished, we headed out to the rest of the science conventions. There were amazing,interactive science simulations that everyone got to try! We even got to attend a planetariumshow! It displayed mind-blowing stars and constellations that we can see over our city ofToronto! Overall, the trip was a very good way to learn more about what we know in science, andeven learn about new things! I hope that we can share this experience with other students, sothey can see for themselves how much fun we had!

~ Joel O., G9

Important RemindersSchool Hours: Starting next week, Night School at Blyth ET is being held on Mondaysand Wednesdays only. From February 3 - 19 the school will be open those evenings until7:00 pm and from February 24 the school will be open those evenings until 9:30pm. On allother days, the school closes at 4:30pm. The school will continue to open daily at 8:00am with supervision beginning at 8:15 am. Nut-free School: Please remember that our school is a nut-free environment. Thisincludes nut-based milks, such as almond and cashew. Let's work together to keepour environment safe for everybody!

Meet Our Students...Meet Our Students...

Spotlight on...Hello! My Name is Luca, and I'm a grade 12student here at Blyth Academy Etobicoke. Thisis my first year and I'm liking it quite a bit. Atthe beginning of the year, I got involved in manyclubs such as Student Council, NewspaperClub, and Model UN. I especially like StudentCouncil because it gives me an opportunity tomake a difference in my community. Throughthese activities, I was elected Student Counciltreasurer, and was lucky enough to meet mostof my friends here today! In my spare time, Ilike to ride my bike, read, and volunteer at SaintJoseph's Hospital. Next year, I plan on going touniversity and studying chemistry. I hope you're

enjoying school as much as I am, and I look forward to the rest of our year together atBlyth. ~ Luca S., G12

Principal's Note Principal's Note Greetings Blyth ET students and families,

We are very nearly at the end of our second term here at Blyth ET, rapidly approaching thehalfway point of the school year. As you can see from our newsletter, our students and teachershave had some pretty incredible learning experiences this term, and we look forward tocontinuing to offer students these opportunities over the remainder of the year.

Part of what we believe has made the school hum a little bit more this year is our increasedenrollment. While we loved our first year with a small community working together to set theculture and core values of our school, we have equally enjoyed the opportunity for increasedparticipation in student life which our larger population has made possible.

When you were chosen to attend and registered here at Blyth ET, we promised that we wouldprovide that "real high school feel" with trips, events, extra-curriculars, and a school communityoutside of the classroom. You promised to be part of that, and we want to remind you of theimportance of your commitment! Our Director of Student Life, Ms. Palumbo, has updated ourextra-curricular schedule and will be checking in with each of you in Term 3 to find an activity orclub that interests you. We think we've got something for everyone, but we're always keen to addmore!

Often, what students remember most about high school, is not that paper they wrote or the bookthey read, but the trip they took or the club or team they joined - the relationships that they builtand the experiences they had outside of the classroom. Looking forward to Term 3 at Blyth ET!

~ Laurie Foley

Rev iew us on Google! Rev iew us on Google! At Blyth ET, we take pride in providing the best education possible for our students and helpingthem reach their fullest potential.

As part of our school community, we appreciate your support in helping spread the word aboutour campus. One of the best ways to reach families in the community, as you may rememberfrom your own experiences in researching schools, is through online reviews.

We ask that you please take a second to review us on Google - a rating, a comment - either aregreatly appreciated. It's quick and easy, and it will help get the word out about the wonderfulthings happening at Blyth ET.