Bonne année!

Happy New Year! We are back at it after the holidays and right into the new term. Over the break I got to play in the snow, do some reading, spend lots of time with my daughters, and celebrate my parents' 50th anniversary with them and my entire family in Cuba. It wasn't my usual type of holiday in the mountains or on a wild west coast beach, but being back here in the rain I am missing the sun and warm sea!

We have begun working on the Rite of Passage Research Project (details, dates and criteria for each component can be found at huitpas.wikispaces.com/telecharger). As of Friday students will have written a draft Resumé (Abstract) describing their research focus, rationale, methodology and hypotheses. Over the next two months they will be submitting a section every few weeks. The project will culminate in our Congrès d'apprentissage conference just before Spring Break, where students will present their research. Mark your calendars to join us!

In Social Studies we will be finishing up our civilizations game and then focusing on the Muslim world, both in the past and the present. The term will end learning about the Middle Ages in Europe.

In French we have started out Lit Circles. Students will be reading a novel and completing comprehension assignments every week, due on Wednesdays. Mid February they will be starting a second novel. We will also continue to work on grammar, verb conjugation, oral French and creative writing.

With Mme Brault the class is working on Volleyball skills, finishing up their percentage unit and then will jump into the wonderful world of Algebra. In English, Mme Balabuch is focusing on Poetry appreciation, analysis and composition.

Keep my blog and calendar bookmarked to help your son/daughter keep track of upcoming assignments and due dates, and please email or call if there is any confusion. I will try to post criteria and downloadable pdf or word files on the class wiki.

A big focus for all the grade 8s this term is the transition to high school. All schools are having Open Houses this month and I encourage you to attend as many as possible. Every school has its strengths and weaknesses.  Going to an Open House, talking to current students, visiting the school during the day - all these will give you and your son/daughter a sense of the schools and which one feels right and offers the classes and programs that meet his/her needs (music, sports, academics, leadership, etc.) The District offers a range of specialty programs, from Soccer to Flex to Challenge to Tech Studies. Visit the schools' websites  and look over the brochure that came in the mail to find out more.

As noted in today's school newsletter, the School District assumes that Central students are attending Vic High, our (unless they attended immersion at Margaret Jenkins, in which case their designated school is Oak Bay SS). For all those who do not wish to go to their designated school, you must complete the Transfer Process. The exception to this is if they are applying to a District Program such as Challenge, Soccer, Flex, Baseball, etc.

There is also lots of music going on this term. Mme O'Connor and Mme Balabuch are directing a school musical, "Dig This," to be performed in the spring. Next week Band and Strings students will be visiting feeder schools. We have our Musical Desserts night February 8th, Bandfest at the beginning of March, and the Rite of Spring Concert early in April.

It is going to be a full term, but one that I hope will be rewarding for the class!

Camel-riding in Cuba