1 class done, 7 to go!

Important Dates

Oct 15 – Great BC Shakeout @ 10:18am
Oct 16 – Semester 2 Starts (B Block)
Oct 21 – Photo Retakes
Oct 22 – Report Cards Published
Oct 23 – Pro-D Provincial

Good afternoon Belmont students and families. Wow the year has certainly flown by so far as we have just completed the 1st course. Today we began our 2nd semester/blk. B course as we welcomed students into their next class. By all accounts today’s transition to the next class went extremely well as students demonstrated an awareness of where their next class was located and the “zone” entrance they need to use in order to enter and exit safely using our face mask and hand sanitizing protocols. We’re incredibly impressed with our students’ abilities to support our health & safety protocols.

Yesterday we also participated in the Great BC Shakeout along with hundreds of thousands of Canadians across the country. At 10:15am and 1:15pm we stopped, dropped, and took cover for 60 seconds as we practiced what to do in the case of en earthquake.

A reminder to families that the 1st semester/blk A class report card will be published electronically via the MyEd family portal. Please ask your son or daughter to share it with you through the student portal if you have any difficulties accessing the family one.

Today we also an opportunity for Mr. Rivollier’s Drumline to perform during the transition time between the AM & PM classes. Although a little “misty” out, the rainbows made up for the fall weather.

Our awesome Drumline performs during the transition between AM & PM classes.

UVIC & VIU TEACHER CANDIDATES

Belmont is proud to host Teacher Candidates from UVic and VIU in different stages of their journeys in becoming a practicing teacher!

For the fall, we are home to a UVic Field Experience course where 20 Teacher Candidates come to our school all day to observe classes and then stay for an after school seminar course co-taught by Lauren Frodsham and Melissa Horner. This course is a wonderful opportunity for Teacher Candidates to become part of a classroom and help support students while learning from experienced Belmont teachers.

This fall, we are also proud to provide practicum experiences for seven Teacher Candidates; five from UVic and two from VIU. This is a time for candidates to experience planning and teaching, all while being supported by their Belmont teachers and University supervisors.

In the spring, we will provide a space for three long practicum Teacher Candidates to immerse themselves in the practice and teach up to 100% of a course.

Supporting our early career teachers is a practice that Belmont school is deeply committed to, and our teachers truly enjoy. We look forward to welcoming them all back one day as an experienced educator!

Athletics News

XC News – The Belmont Bulldogs got out to a speedy start this year as students participated in a friendly & safe cross-country 3km run around the community Thursday morning and afternoon. In the morning, Mr. Allen, Julianne S. and Hailey S. led the runners with a quick pace. The afternoon race was fast with Evan W., Abbey B. and Naomi M. leading the way. Special mention to the morning and afternoon basketball classes who displayed some impressive results. Thank you Mr. Lowe, Ms. Sandberg, Mrs. Robertson, Mr. Allen, Mr. Toakley and the leadership students for making this happen! Way to go Bulldogs!!

Football, Volleyball, Basketball – As approved by our District’s Health & Safety protocols and supported by BC School Sport’s return to play plan, some of our students and coaches have begun to practice/train after school. In addition to yesterday’s XC race, our Football, Volleyball, and Basketball programs have all started to train with the hopes that inter-school competition will resume when safe to do so. Although things are not the same as they were pre-COVID, it is fantastic that our volunteer coaches have begun to provide training sessions for our student athletes.

Stay up to date through our Athletics Website

Spirit Week

Belmont Leadership is hosting a Spirit Week from October 26-October 30th! More information to come and yes there will be prizes! Reminder to students that masks (other than our PPE) are prohibited in Secondary Schools on Halloween.

Monday – PJ Day
Tuesday – Belmont Wear Day
Wednesday – Denim Day
Thursday – 80s Day
Friday – Halloween Costume Day (a reminder no masks except for PPE:)

Gr. 9 Immunizations

Watch for immunization consent packages for grade 9 students that will be sent home early in the fall. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students in Grade 9 will be offered immunizations through a booked appointment at the health unit. Please review the consent packages, fill out the consent forms and return to the school. Please then contact the Westshore Health Unit at 250-519-3490 to book your appointment. If you have any questions please ask to speak with a School Health Nurse.

A grade 9 student can make an informed decision about immunization regardless of their parent/guardian/representative decision to consent or refuse immunization. For more information visit HealthLinkBC: The Infants Act, Mature Minor Consent and Immunization.

Graduation Assessments

Graduation Assessments: Monday 2^nd – Friday 6^th November 2020

Please see our website for the latest information regarding the upcoming November Assessments:

http://belmont.web.sd62.bc.ca/students/graduation-assessments/.

The Wellness Centre at Belmont… is open!

Students wishing to book an appointment at the Wellness Centre at Belmont, please call 250-519-3580.

Grad 2021 news

Last week, information was given to the class of 2021 regarding a number of items including grad status, Scholarships, Commencement Ceremonies, Prom, etc. Please see attached video we shared with the grade 12’s.

https://soapbox.wistia.com/videos/XEybLhjrJi

PSI (Post Secondary Info) 2020 Updates

Hi everyone, here is a recap of upcoming events at UVic. Some are specific for gr. 12’s, other opportunities may be of interest to the AVID groups as well. Stephanie Parker from UVic is also available for virtual classroom presentations. I am also trying to schedule a live evening presentation with both UVic and Camosun in late November for students and parents. Stay tuned. Love all the opportunities they are providing for students and parents alike.

Post-Secondary BC (PSBC) events are happening, regionally, for students throughout the fall, and UVic will be offering four virtual presentations at each of these events. The upcoming PSBC events are as follows:

General Event (open to students from all regions): October 21 and November 14 (3-7pm)
Victoria and South Island: November 16 (2-6pm) and November 17 (3-7pm)
North/Mid-Island and the Sunshine Coast: November 18 (2-6pm) and November 19 (3-7pm)

Registration is available, here: https://postsecondarybcvirtualfair.easyvirtualfair.com/prefair/

Student Experience Panels will feature current students who will speak about student life at UVic and be available to answer questions. The upcoming Student Experience Panels are as follows:

October 17 at 10am
October 28 at 6:30pm
November 7 at 10am
November 18 at 8:30pm (for international students)

Registration is available, here: https://www.uvic.ca/undergraduate/tours-events/events/#ipn-student-experience-panels

Parent Nights will provide parents/guardians/supporters the opportunity to learn more about UVic. Attendees will enjoy a presentation by the amazing Dr. Lisa Surridge, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, with some helpful tips on being successful in post-secondary studies. The focus of the talk is helping parents (and students) navigate the transition from high school to university. The upcoming Parent Nights are as follows:

October 18 at 5pm
November 8 at 5pm
November 22 at 5pm

Registration is available, here: https://www.uvic.ca/undergraduate/tours-events/events/#ipn-parent-nights

Sample Lectures will be delivered by expert guest speakers from across the UVic community on a wide array of topics from modern marketing to sociology in the age of Covid-19.

Students can register and find a complete list of upcoming sample lectures on our website, here: https://www.uvic.ca/undergraduate/tours-events/events/index.php#ipn-lectures-seminars

Faculty-specific events will allow attendees to explore our faculties and the unique experiences they offer for UVic students.

Students can register and find a complete list of upcoming faculty-specific events on our website, here: https://www.uvic.ca/undergraduate/tours-events/events/index.php#ipn-faculty-events

Fine Arts

Belmont Music Fundraising

The Music Department is carrying on with fundraising this year, but everything is done ONLINE!

As usual, we are selling Hilltop Nursery Poinsettias (as local as you can get – their nursery is at the Saanich/View Royal border!) and Purdy’s Chocolates (a Canadian Favourite!)

If you go to our website – http://belmontmusic.weebly.com/fundraising.html all of the order information & how-to videos are posted there.

If you do plan on ordering, here are the important dates;

Poinsettias Orders Deadline – Monday November 2^nd.
Purdy’s Order Deadline – Tuesday November 24^th
Pick-Up Date for ALL orders – Thursday December 2^nd.

All fundraised money goes towards individual student accounts to help offset future travel/trip costs. If you have a student that you would like to support, please indicate that in your online order forms (the instructions are listed). If not, we can pool towards a student in need.