Author: scarlson62

Important Dates:

• December 19-January 3 – Winter Holidays
• January 4 – School Re-opens & semester 4/block D begins
• January 8 – Semester 3 Report Cards published
• January 11-15 – Spirit Week (Grads only)
• January 21 – Gr. 12 Scholarship Info Session 3:30-5:00pm – MS Teams
• January 25-27- Grad Photo Retakes
• January 25-29 – Graduation Literacy & Numeracy Assessments

Holiday Wishes

As we prepare to say goodbye to 2020 and look forward to the coming year, we felt it was important to acknowledge many things we have learned and accomplished as a school community during the global pandemic. To begin with, no one ever dreamed back in March that school as we had always known it, would change in a moment of time forcing students, staff, and families to begin our “remote” experience which saw students and teachers shift to online learning to complete the school year. The Graduates of 2020 had their celebrations (Prom & Dry Grad) cancelled, but still made the most of our humble school based Commencement as we welcomed students in groups of 25 to “walk the stage” as we recognized their accomplishments and completion of grade 12. Despite the disappointment, our Grads demonstrated resilience, care and compassion in making the most of what we could. They will never forget those times…

At the end of July we learned we would be returning to school in September but under different guidelines and protocols that had all of wondering how it would look. With the support of our District and the Ministry of Education Belmont, Royal Bay, and Edward Milne embarked on our current journey which has students completing one course at a time. With our 1/8th model, we focused on creating the safest possible opportunity for students and staff. Our students have demonstrated great understanding of the safety protocols and incredible care for each other. Their resilience and commitment is inspiring to say the least! Our Belmont Music Department as well as our Athletics Department continue to create opportunities.

Although our holiday celebrations are different this year, our Leadership class has hosted a Holiday Spirit week this week in addition to a door decorating competition. In addition our Leadership class in conjunction with EMCS & Royal Bay has once again organized and promoted 10,000 Tonight as an annual Food Bank drive is in support of the local Goldstream Foodbank.  This year’s efforts suffered a last minute set back as VIHA updated their protocols which caused us to have to cancel classroom hampers, local door to door collection as well as a planned drive thru drop off.  Our resilient and service minded Leadership students stayed positive and have continued to promote online and cash donations! To date, the 10,000 Tonight Food Drive has raised over $18,000 in cash and online donations.

A special thanks to our awesome custodial team for their efforts in keeping our school clean and safe during these unprecedented times. And lastly, the students and Admin team at Belmont want to thank all of our staff for their amazing dedication, commitment to safety and protocols, and the care for all students demonstrated through the past 9 months.  Thanks to all of you for making Belmont such an amazing place to learn and work in.

To all our students and their families, have a wonderful holiday and all the best for the New Year!

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Transition to Semester 4 in January 2021

Upon our return in the New Year we will transition to Semester 4!

Today, students received copies of their schedule and they reviewed the following links in class in preparation for our January 2021 transition:

Semester 4 Schedules:

Route: Belmont Home Page > Students > Semester 4 Schedules

Web: http://belmont.web.sd62.bc.ca/students/class-schedules-am-vs-pm-cohorts/

School Entrance and Exit Zones:

Route: Belmont Home Page > Students > School Entrance & Exit Zones

Web: http://belmont.web.sd62.bc.ca/students/return-to-school-entrances-exits/

Activating/Accessing MyEd Student Portals:

Route: Belmont Home Page > Students > MyEd Student Portal

Web: http://belmont.web.sd62.bc.ca/students/myed-student-portal-information/

Bell Schedule:

Route: Belmont Home Page > About > Bell Schedule

Web: http://belmont.web.sd62.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/08/Belmont-Class-Schedule-20-21-v2.pdf

School Calendar:

Route: Belmont Home Page > About > School Calendar

Web: http://belmont.web.sd62.bc.ca/about/calendar-2/

All the best for a safe holiday season,

Your Belmont Team!

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Salish Weave Gallery Walk

This week students and staff had the opportunity to participate in the Salish Weave Galley Walk. This was hosted in the Learning Commons and included 27 Coast Salish prints that were gifted to our School District. Students learned how to identify Coast Salish design elements, colors, style, and stories while becoming more familiar with Coast Salish artists like Dylan Thomas, lessLIE, Susan Point, and Chris Paul. Hych’ka to all classes who participated and staff who spent time in the gallery learning about this ancient art style. Hych’ka to Ms. Doyle, Ms. Court, Mrs. Mackenzie, Mrs. Irving, Elder Henry Chipps, and role model Alana Johnson for setup and support!

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Food Studies

Food studies class competed in a cake baking and decorating challenge this week! Please see samples of the amazing work below.

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Door Decorating

Belmont Leadership organized a door decorating contest to get everyone in the festive spirit!  Here are the contenders.

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Drama & Improv Club

Looking for a way to meet new friends and get involved with something at school? Belmont’s very own Drama & Improv club starts on January 15th! EVERYONE is welcome. Fridays 2.15-3.15 in the Theatre D101. Join us for fun on and off the stage. Email Danny on damartin@sd62learns.org or join the Google Classroom code wtzpb3h to find out more or ask questions. Can’t wait to see you!

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City of Langford donates podium!

A huge thanks to the City of Langford for donating a podium from the Council Chambers to Belmont. Below is a picture of Ms. Robertson & Mr. Hill showing off the new podium.

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Capstone 12

As our semester 3 grade 12 Career Life Connections class finished their Capstone presentations this past week, the wonderful painting below done by Jess M. is an awesome example of the projects and learning journeys experienced by our grads. Thanks to Ms. Sandberg for sharing this with us!

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Belmont Music Department’s holiday video

Thanks to Ms. Dawson, Mr. Chan., Mr. Rivollier, and Ms. Spencer for their efforts in helping our students make this awesome video performance.

“Covid Chronicles: Music in the Key of Covid” –

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Gr. 12 Scholarship Info Session

Ms. Hoskins will host a virtual scholarship info session through MS Teams for grade 12 students and parents on January 21st, 2021 at 3:30-5:00pm.  Please feel free to attend, see a short presentation, and ask any questions you may have about the scholarship process.

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NDBlMjVkZDctNmM5My00MTcyLTliODYtMzczOGQ1ZmI3NjNk%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22f7c5b01f-413e-4ee8-9788-ce578108cd30%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22bd76af64-9391-498e-bce8-b179626ee0f3%22%7d

Join conversation teams.microsoft.com

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CUPE 459 Donates $500

A huge thanks to our CUPE Staff of local 459 for their generous $500 donation to the Goldstream Foodbank. Pictured below is Ms. Court, our Library/Learning Commons clerical team member presenting Ida S. from our Leadership class with the cheque for $500.

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Booking a Counselling appointment

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Belmont Volleyball Programs

A big shout out to the Belmont Volleyball programs as they raised over $570 in lieu of food items for the Goldstream Food Bank.  These student-athletes are what makes coaching so rewarding.  Well done team!  

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PACE “At Home for the Holidays” Presentation

Tickets for the show are officially available for purchase. After over 3 decades of selling thousands of tickets per year for a performance at Spencer’s Isabelle Reader Theatre, we’re releasing the show on the internet for families and friends to watch safely from home. Please see attached link to order tickets https://bit.ly/39zXSuh and use one of the attached images for posting on social media or to text to someone you would like to invite to the show. 

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Camosun Updates E-newsletter

Happy holidays from the Recruitment & Admissions team!

While this will likely be a very different holiday season for most of us, we hope it is still filled with virtual holiday hang outs, cookies, stuffing and memories.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT: Certified Medical Laboratory Assistant

What is it?

A fast pace 10 month certificate program that offers guaranteed practicums at local facilities.

What is a Medical Laboratory Assistant?

Not everyone you see in scrubs is a nurse or a doctor.  There are many exciting careers in health care and the medical laboratory assistant is the public face of the laboratory.

What will you learn?

The Certified Medical Laboratory Assistant program prepares you for employment in the health care field. You’ll learn about specimen collection and safety, laboratory procedures and techniques, legal and ethical guidelines, human anatomy and physiology, as well as customer service and patient management with emphasis on the human and cultural diversity encountered in the Canadian Healthcare System.  One of the main specimen collection practices you will learn is phlebotomy, the procedure of collecting blood samples from patients.

What it means to be a Medical Laboratory Assistant?

MLAs are in high demand right now. This 10 month program provides a fast track into an entry level health care position. There are opportunities available in many different fields, patient based labs, hospitals, specimen analysis, microbiology, and more.

Who would like this career?

Do you like people, enjoy customer service, and a fast pace, diverse workplace?  Are you a critical thinker that enjoys a challenge and new and dynamic environments?  Are you looking to enter the work force quickly with minimal patient level care?  Are you able to follow processes and procedures and have an eye for details?  Are you physically able to be on your feet most of the day and have a reasonable level of physical dexterity and special awareness? 

Upcoming Information Sessions

The Victoria Conservatory of Music will be hosting a virtual information session on January 25^th, 2020 to talk about the Music Programs that Camosun College and the VCM offer in partnership.

Did you know that we are offering virtual information sessions for almost all of our programs? It’s a chance for students and their families to learn about the programs we offer and ask questions.

REMINDERS

CamWeek 2021 – Virtual Info

In lieu of our yearly Info Night event, we are pleased to be hosting CamWeek 2021; a series of virtual information sessions on February 23^rd, 24^th and 25^th from 4:00pm-8:00pm. The event will start with a presentation from Admissions followed by Financial Aid. Over the 3-nights there will be presentations from the Centre for Sport & Exercise Education, School of Access, School of Arts & Science, School of Business, School of Health & Human Services and School of Trades & Technology. The schedule will vary each night so that students have the option to attend multiple sessions.

 Provisional admission

Students enrolled in grade 12 in a BC secondary school, and working toward meeting graduation requirements, can qualify for this special admission category from September 15^th to May 15^th. This conditional admission is tied to the student meeting the necessary program admission requirements with their interim and final grades. A few programs may have separate deadlines and processes – check with an Admissions Advisor. The student will need to include their Personal Education Number.

The Recruitment & Admissions Team

We are currently working remotely but can be reached via email and phone (250-370-3550/1-877-554-7555). Our phones are answered Monday – Friday, 9am-4pm, excluding stat holidays. Students can also book virtual appointments and get the direct emails of specific admissions advisors.

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IMPORTANT DATES

• November 23 – December 4 – Grad Photos in Room B217
• December 4 – Registration deadline for Jan 2021 Graduation Assessments
• December 8 – PAC Mtg. 7pm – MS Teams
• December 18 – Semester 3 End
• December 21 – January 1 -Winter Vacation
• January 4 – Semester 4 Start
• January 8 – Semester 3/Block C Report Cards Published via MyEd

It’s hard to believe December is upon us and 2020 is almost in our rear view mirror. This year has truly been one like no other however we continue to be amazed at the efforts of our students and staff. On November 19 students began their third course of the school year and by all accounts the transition into new classes with new teachers went extremely well.

Our smaller class sizes (no more than 15 students) in the am/pm learning groups is really unique to our District and a few others in the province. We are really thankful for this as teachers and students suggest they have more time for “deeper learning” and supportive conversations due to the smaller class sizes and the lengthened periods. In addition to that, the most important factor in our decision to host the 1/8 model was to make school as safe as possible for students and staff.

Although we may not experience the usual holiday events such as the annual Winter Concert, Santa’s Breakfast, and decoration contests, I’m certain the Belmont Music Department will surprise us with virtual performances to help us celebrate the coming holiday.

Our December PAC meeting will take place on December 8 at 7pm via MS teams. If you’d like to join us, please email the school’s general email at Belmont@sd62.bc.ca and leave your name and preferred email address for us to send an invite to you.

10,000 Tonight

Does your family want to help the community this holiday season?  Belmont Leadership class is once again supporting our annual 10 000 TONIGHT FOOD DRIVE in partnership with Royal Bay secondary school from November 30th – December 11th. 

Food insecurities are a big problem in our community. 2020 has been a difficult year for everyone, but especially those in need. All cash donations will go to the Goldstream Food Bank. Belmont Leadership is hoping this event will connect the school to our community in these uncertain times. Together we can make a difference!

Unfortunately due to last minute VIHA direction, we will not be able to participate in our annual activities such as door to door community collections and classrooms contests, but will continue to support the Goldstream Foodbank by supporting and promoting on-line donations.

You can donate through:

• SCHOOL CASH ONLINE – You can also donate through the following link.  Click on the white “donation link” in the image below. Make sure to select “10,000 Tonight Food Drive – Belmont Families”. 

Counselling News

With the intention of being more accessible and providing our students and families with a consistent way of booking appointments, our Counselling team has created a new on-line booking system. You can find the new booking system on our school’s website found under the Resource tab.

Career Life Connections 12 – Capstone Projects

Grade 12s have been busy creating and presenting their Capstone Projects. Below is Hamish B. and the electric bike he built! Also a big thank you to those teachers, and parents that have joined in to watch and support our grade 12 students complete their projects.

Two more groups will be presenting the last week before winter break.

The Careers Team

ATHLETICS

Belmont Girls Volleyball – Return to Play

            On Oct. 7 volleyball practices returned to Belmont, following a carefully put together plan to ensure that the players and coaches would be in a Covid safe environment. There has been an emphasis on keeping the Seniors and more experienced Juniors  together to provide a higher level of instruction, while the remaining Juniors have had the opportunity to receive basic skill development. At all levels there is a great deal of enthusiasm at being back and playing again. It also is clear that if/when Belmont is able to compete against other local schools they will do well as there is a lot of athleticism being displayed in this group! Practices continue on Mondays and Wednesdays after school.

FOOTBALL NEWS

Congratulations to Riley S. as he is the recipient of a Scholarship to the University of British Columbia. Check out the attached link on the newspaper article from the Goldstream News Gazette.

Belmont Bulldog lineman wraps up scholarship

Community News

Important Dates

• November 17 – PAC meeting 7pm via MS Teams
• November 18 – Semester 2/Block B ends
• November 19 – Semester 3/Block C begins
• November 19 – Student/Parent/Teacher interviews via MS Teams 1:30 – 3:30pm
• November 20 – Pro D Day (no classes in session)
• November 23 to December 4 – Grad Photos by Life Touch room B217
• November 25 – Report cards published (MyEd)

Remembrance Day Assembly Virtually

Although this week were not able to host our annual school wide Remembrance Day assembly, Mr. Chan and our student hosts provided classes with a video

Youtube – https://youtu.be/j7MUINdr8es

Student MCs – Kyla K., Steven M., Ida S., &  Aisha A.

Student bugler – Alexa B.

Belmont Concert Choir – with Glynis Dawson directing

Our guest speakers this year are Elder Henry Chipps, Jim Lamond, and Officer Cadet Jeffery Corney (Royal Military College, Belmont Alumnus)

Memorial Window

Post-Secondary Information

1. 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:

• 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/

1. 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 Night is as follows:

• November 22 at 5pm

Gr 12 students and parents are invited to join a virtual information presentation by UVic and Camosun on applying to post-secondary programs, Tuesday, Nov 24, 6:30 – 7:30 with a question and answer period to follow. A link to the Zoom event will be provided closer to the day of the event.

Parent/Teacher Interviews

Interviews will be held on Thursday, November 19^th online from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm

Here is how you book an appointment:

1. Go to: http://belmont.schoolappointments.com/
2. Register under login
3. Follow registration prompts
4. Book the appointment time
5. Click view appointments to access virtual link during meeting time
6. You may have to wait in the virtual lobby

If you are unable to book on-line please call our front office at 250-478-5501 beginning Friday, November 13th, at 10.00 am.

If you are unable to book an appointment with a teacher due to availability, please contact him/her to set an alternate time or book a phone conference. 

http://belmont.web.sd62.bc.ca/parents/teacher-contact-info/

Thank you for taking the time to meet with your son/daughters and their teachers.

Transportation

Next Thursday, November 19 is an early dismissal day across SD62. This means that school will end early for secondary schools, please see schedule below. 
 
If your child takes school bus transportation, please note that pick up and drop off times may be different for that day only. Please see below.

REMINDER: Please follow the current bus schedule which ends on November 20. The new schedule begins Monday, November 23.

Belmont

Morning Cohort	Afternoon Cohort
School 9 – 11 a.m.	11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
AM Pick up as per usual	Pick Up (from stop) 1 hour early
Dismissal and bus home at 11 a.m.	Dismissal and bus home at 1:30 p.m.

For bus pick up times, please see here and adjust accordingly as noted above, particularly for students who attend class in the afternoon.

Questions, please feel free to email our Transportation Department: bussing@sd62.bc.ca

Thank you for your attention to this.

Spanish Classes – Altar de Muertos Competition

Miss Pampin’s Spanish classes have been working on a Day of the Dead project / competition. Congratulations to # 1: In Honor of Dr. Seuss who received the most votes with #3: In Honor of Ant #7 being a close second. Honorable mention goes to the others. Well done students! See photos below.

Students had to build an “Altar de Muertos” (altar for the dead) which is a shrine-like surface in honor of someone that has passed.  An “Altar de Muertos” typically contains decorative elements such as festive tissue paper designs and flowers, as well as symbolic elements that were believed to serve a purpose. These include food, water, salt, candles, a photo of the deceased, and sugar skulls, to name a few. (Did you know that sugar skulls replaced real skulls which is what the Aztecs originally used?). 

Message from Elder Henry Chipps

Dear Students,
It’s an honor for me to be in your class with you. O’Siem Siam. I hope that this 2020 school year you will complete all your work and have a successful time in each class. I hope you excel in all your subjects that you are doing this year.
I am the Elder in Residence for Belmont Secondary which means that I will be here on Mondays throughout the rest of the school year. I will be doing various classroom activities with you and your teachers in certain subject matters and I really enjoy supporting these activities.
A lot of students talk to me in the hallway or in their classrooms. This summer I saw students at various stores and coffee shops in our Community and it is always great when students wave or stop to say hi! Please feel free to say ‘hi’ when you see me out there! It is important because Every Child Does Matter. It really doesn’t matter what culture or ethnicity one is, in the senses that each of you are children of the world and are important. You are in this school and I am too and it is good to open dialogue and talk with each other in a good way.
Always appreciate your teachers when you are in the school. Remember, one time they were students just like you. In fact, in my cultural way teachers are like Elders, they are knowledge keepers. In my culture too they are held in high esteem which means they respected. In old ways nothing was written down, it was all oral communication from one generation to another, now in the 21st century we write things down and your teachers who have studied these things are able to communicate their learning to you!
Sometimes we have special guests and role models in our school and they teach you special skills. I have met a lot of amazing people with unique talents and you can learn something from each person who comes into your life. Last year, for example, a role model showed students in Ms. Rachael’s class how to make roses of cedar bark for hair style accessories. It was quite something. The students really enjoyed it.
When I was young I attended Metchosin Elementary, Dunsmuir Middle School, and Belmont Secondary (in the old building). I graduated grade 12 in 1971. I wouldn’t have graduated without the help of some of the teachers. There was a teacher in my life, his name was Leo Beinder. In fact, he has an award in his name here at Belmont. He knew I was a good student from September to December. From January to the end of June I used to go off the grades! In March, he used to come to me and say “it’s time to pull up your socks”, so that I would be motivated to pass!
In ’71 I went to Kelowna and took pre-op Carpentry, I got my Red Seal, and worked all over Canada. When I came back here in ’87 I moved back to Beecher Bay and was on Council from ’87-2003. I also got into Treaty Negotiations for my Nation. We have been in Treaty
Negotiations 25 years. Soon we will have the Te’mexw Treaty Passed into Legislation by both
the Provincial and Federal Government.
In 1999 I went back to school, to University of Victoria. At the ripe old age of 35…hahaha. I took
Indigenous Governance Degree and Public Administration. I graduated in 2006! I was the first
Graduate of Indigenous Governance. It’s never too late to achieve your goals in life. Take up the
initiative to complete your dreams.
Please feel free to talk to me when you see me! If you would like to talk one-on-one please ask
your school Counselor or Natasha Parrish and they can arrange a meet up! I hope you have a
great year at Belmont Ecole Secondary, I looking forward to spending time with you this year.
Elder Henry
hchipps@sd62.bc.ca

“10,000 Tonight – Food Drive!

Food insecurities are a big problem in our community. 2020 has been a difficult year for everyone, but especially those in need. All food and cash donations will go to the Gold Stream Food Bank. Belmont Leadership is hoping this event will connect the school to our community in these uncertain times. Together we can make a difference!

Does your family want to help the community this holiday season?  Belmont Leadership class is excited to announce that we are holding our annual 10 000 TONIGHT FOOD DRIVE in partnership with Royal Bay and EMCS secondary schools from November 30th – December 11th. 

There are two ways to donate:

1. Classroom Hampers – Each classroom will have a box for non-perishable food donations.* Teachers will have envelopes to collect cash donations. 

There will be PRIZES!  For every item donated, students will receive one prize entry, and multiple entries are encouraged. Prizes will be drawn at the end of the food drive. 

•  – As we are unable to do our normal house-to-house pick up, there will be four DRIVE THROUGH DROP-OFF EVENINGS. Student volunteers will be at Belmont and Royal Bay schools on Tuesday, December 1st and 8th and Thursday, December 3rd and 10th from 4:00 – 7:00 pm. The drop-off process will be fast and contactless! We hope to see you there!   

*All donations will be quarantined at the school before sent to the food bank. All volunteers will be following strict COVID-19 protocols.

Thank you in advance from Belmont Leadership!”

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Safe & Healthy Schools

Program for Parents with preteens: Boys and Girls Club is offering a daytime group for parents with preteens. It will cover topics like Parenting and families, communication, self care, and more. Please share with your families. See attached called PWPS Wednesdays.

November Parent Meeting: Connecting with our Kids when Anxiety Leads to Social Isolation. The Victoria area date is Tuesday, November 24th at 4:00 pm. Please feel free to register for a date that works best for you. Registration Required for all communities: www.familysmart.ca/itk Date for Victoria: Tuesday, November 24 at 4:00 pm  Cost: Free of Charge  

Important Dates:

• November 1 – Clocks “fall back” – don’t forget to change your clocks!
• November 3 to 5 – Graduation Literacy/Numeracy Assessments
• November 10 – Remembrance Day video assembly
• November 11 – Remembrance Day – no classes in session
• November 17 – PAC meeting via MS teams 7pm
• November 18 – Last day of semester 2/block B
• November 19 – First day of semester 3/block C
• November 19 – Student/Parent/Teacher interviews via MS team 1:30-3:30pm

The Belmont leadership team (Mr. Lamond, Mr. Dube, Ms. Horner, Mr. McHugh) is very grateful to our students, staff and families for the all the support you’ve shown during the September start up and through our first 2 months of classes.  As you know, the year has been divided up into eighths.   Each class in your child’s scheduled represents one eighth – A block/semester 1, B block/semester 2 and so on.  Reports for A block were published through the MyEd student/family portal on October 22.  As a school and district we have had to re-plan all of our schedules and daily routines so that we can follow the strictest safety guidelines.  I cannot express enough how proud we are of the students’ understanding of the safety protocols and their  ownership of responsibility in the school. 

By all accounts, A block/semester 1 was very successful.  Like you, we weren’t really sure what to expect, but the results are very encouraging and positive.

Attendance  Through reflecting on attendance data for the months of September and  October, our overall student attendance has been better than ever. This is in comparison to data collected in the same time frame from 2018 & 2019.

Course Completion More than 98% of our students successfully completed their course. After speaking with numerous students, staff and parents/guardians we have compiled some anecdotal information that we would also like to share.

Although students, staff and parents/guardians are feeling many different emotions about school at the moment, below are some of the consistent themes.

Student Feedback

• A sense of great focus with only one class at a time to focus on
• Increased understanding and engagement; increased support from teachers (individual time 1 on 1); greater sense of success
• Easier to stay organized
• Social and educational anxiety is down
• Enjoying smaller classes
• In some cases, increased sense of safety (socially as well as feeling they are in a calm school environment)

Teacher Feedback

• Students have greater focus
• Building relationships with students & families more than they have in the past
• Negative classroom behaviours dramatically decreased
• Experimenting with new forms of assessment
• Sense of satisfaction in being able to assist students 
• Enjoying smaller class sizes

Parent/Guardian Feedback

• Pleased with the smaller classes sizes in terms of safety and H&S measures
• Encouraged by the engagement and focus of their students
• Pleased that extra-curricular activities are coming back line through a clear H&S protocol
• Positive and grateful seeing their students back in school

While we recognize that this certainly isn’t a perfect situation, we are thrilled with how it is progressing.  Having the students back at school and breathing life back into the building has been incredible. 

Please make sure that you stay in close contact with teachers and have an ongoing sense of your student’s strengths, areas for growth, and ways that your student can be supported in their learning.

As we go through the year, we will keep you all updated.  It has been an exceptional year, but we have exceptional students, staff and community to rely on.

Pexsisen Elementary School & Centre Mountain Lellum Middle School

As many of you are aware, our District’s newest schools are currently under construction and will b ready for opening in September of 2022. It is incredible to see the transformation of the WestShores newest community.

Belmont Music Department:

Although our return to school plan has provided many challenges for all teachers, Ms. Dawson, Mr. Chan, and Mr. Rivollier have continued to find ways to offer great learning opportunties for our many talendted Belmont student musicians. In recognizing our teacher’s efforts to maintain our music program aliging with all of the health & safety protocols, they recenlty were featured on the cover of the BC Music Educators Journal.

A definite shout out our teacher’s efforts!

Grad Updates:
Graduation events are an opportunity for students, their families, staff, and the community to come together to celebrate our graduating students’ accomplishments and the transition from K-12 education. We want to recognize and celebrate our graduates in a way that keeps everyone safe. Last year illustrated that we can do this in our current context, as long as we are following the guidelines and are thoughtful in our approach.

In following the current guidelines regarding events and gatherings from our Provincial Health Officer, we will not be able to proceed with a Winter Formal celebration this year. We can, however, think ahead for Commencement and other grad activities and celebrations. We are looking to hear from students about what their hopes and dreams for graduation celebrations are. Graduates are encouraged to watch the Grad Google Classroom for opportunities to share their thinking and to ask questions.

Please contact Ms. Horner, mhorner@sd62.bc.ca, if you have any questions. 

Scholarship News:

Recently we received news from the University of Victoria that last year 27 of graduates received a variety of entrance scholarships totalling $143, 023.00. An incredible testament to the efforts of our graduates from just one post-secondary of many our grads are currently attending. A special shout out to Ms. Davis and Ms. Hoskins for their work supporting last year’s grads with their scholarship applications and awareness!

District News:

Our ThoughtExchange platform for families to contribute feedback is now LIVE! Here’s the link: https://my.thoughtexchange.com/407499254 The survey will remain open for two weeks and close on November 13 at 9 p.m. From there, we will share some of the common thoughts and opinions with families and staff in SD62 (by the end of November). Feedback will be presented to the Board for their consideration at their monthly Board meeting on December 15. All results will be presented to the SD62 community early in the new year.

Complete information about the Catchment proposals can be found on the SD62 website here: https://www.sd62.bc.ca/our-district/district-growth/catchment-review. There is a large list of FAQ as well. This list will inevitably change and grown as we start to see patterns and frequent questions. 

There is also an email address dedicated to the catchment review: catch62@sd62.bc.ca

PAC Meeting Nov. 17th:

Our next PAC meeting is on Nov. 17th at 7pm. If you are interested in attending the meeting on MS Teams please email your name and email address to belmont@sd62.bc.ca.

Yearbook Club:

Athletics:

Congratulations to Belmont grade 12 student and football player Riley Scheffer who commits to UBC!

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.

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.

1. 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/

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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.

Outdoor Education

Outdoor Ed students doing great work learning skills and experiencing the outdoors!

career & College/university fairs

Dream It.Be it

Youth at the booth