Friday March 24

• The Café is open for business! We are serving a variety of delicious mozzarella stuffed meatball subs topped with marinara sauce. We also have a variety of cookies, and beverages for sale. See you in room 100 during the lunch hour. 
• Spirit Days 
• Monday March 27: Crazy Hair Day 
• Tuesday March 28: Tourist Day 
• Wednesday March 29: Senior Citizen Day 
• Thursday March 30: Twin Day 
• Friday March 31: Disney Movie Day 

Thursday, March 23

• The Hidden Valley Café is open for business!  We have a variety of fresh baked cookies, delicious deli sandwiches, and an assortment of beverages.  Come down to room 100 during the lunch hour to purchase a tasty treat.  Tomorrow the café will be selling stuff meatball subs.
• Bravo to all of you who too Mme Sorensen up on the challenge to try something new and who came out at lunch for our Fun French fact of the week yesterday.
• Bravo to all of you who challenged your French knowledge.
  • And, finally, bravo to JC who was the winner of our draw!
  • Also, a reminder to all Grade 12 French students preparing for the DELF exam.  There is a mandatory meeting in room 204 today at lunch to prepare.  Bring your lunch!
• Student Council lets meet in the cafeteria today at noon and talk about spring event.  Time to get planning.
• There is pick-up soccer being organized today in the gym at lunch.  No form is needed, just show up and kick around.  For anyone thinking of playing outdoor soccer this spring, this is a great place to start training.  See you at lunch.

• Today’s focus on our journey to becoming independent learners has us considering how we’ll manage our time and ensure we’ve met the success criteria.

  “Where did that handout go? I know I had one yesterday. I think I can remember what I’m supposed to do?”

  Have you ever been in this position? It’s not a very good spot to be in because you’re basing the outcome of your assignment on a guess.

  Or maybe your teacher explained the expectations of the assignment in class and you were away that day or you missed that part of the class because you were focussed on Snapchat instead. Oof!

  Knowing what you need to include and what the expectations are will greatly affect your success. So don’t guess – highlight the steps for success!

  Make sure you put that handout in your binder, and then circle or highlight the criteria for success. If you have a few days to work on it, manage your time by setting smaller goals for each day. Maybe the first day you’ll work on a proposal or a plan. Maybe the next day your goal will be to gather information and resources now that you’ve thought more about your task.

  If you’re preparing for a test, you’ll need to look over your notes. If your notes have some gaps, meet with a peer or with your teacher.

  John Wooden, legendary basketball coach who created the infamous Pyramid of Success, believed that it is “the effort made for achievement that is most important”.

Wednesday, March 22

• The Hidden Valley Café is open for business!  We are serving homemade potato cheddar pierogies. We also have a variety of fresh baked cookies, and beverages for sale.  Come down to room 100 during the lunch hour to purchase a tasty treat.
• The Paw Print meets Wednesday, March 22 at lunch.  All are welcome.  We will be working away at our 2^nd issue.  If you are interested in submitting to the newspaper, stop by the meeting today.  See you all there.
• Good morning, Valley!  You know what yesterday was, right?  It was the first day of Spring!!  Our Fun French Fact of the week is that the word for “spring” in French is pronounced “prang-tah” and come from a combination of two words meaning first season or new season!

So, for this “new season” what will YOU do that is new?  Why not come on down to room 204 at the beginning of lunch and see if you can match all four seasons in French and some bonus trivia for a draw! All are welcome.

Attention Grads!

• Edge Imaging will be at our school on Friday, March 24 to take graduation photos and help you celebrate this moment!
• Students may bring their own props from home if they wish.
• To book your grad photo session appointment please visit www.bookmygrad.ca. The school Code is VHS.
• If you require more information, visit edgeimaging.ca/graduation.

• The Langton Skating Paint Group meets on Wednesday, March 22 and Thursday, March 23 to work on the mural from 3:00 – 5:00.  See you there!
• Starting Thursday, March 23^rd  and every Thursday after that, there will be pick-up indoor soccer in the gym at lunch.  Join Mrs. Backus and Mrs. Groh on Thursdays as we start thinking about the upcoming soccer season.
• Today’s focus on our journey to becoming independent learners has us thinking about how we can take responsibility for all aspects of our studies, including catching up.
• It happens to everyone; you miss a class or two and you feel behind. What should you do? The best approach is a proactive one. If you know you’re going to be away, let your teachers know. They may not be able to provide work ahead of time if you catch them off guard, but letting them know will allow them to be better prepared for your return.
• If your absence was unexpected, email your teachers if possible, check on Brightspace for any new work if you’re able, and connect with you teachers as soon as you return to create a plan for how you’ll catch up on your assignments.

“Responsibility for learning belongs to the student, regardless of age.”

Tuesday, March 21

• Your school newspaper, The Paw Print, is looking for submissions to our second issue.  If you have a news story that need to be heard, submit it to the library desk, or ask your editors Elizabeth R. & Owen H., for help.  Deadline is April 12^th.
• The Hidden Valley Café is open for business!  We have a variety of fresh baked cookies, delicious deli sandwiches, and an assortment of beverages.  Come down to room 100 during the lunch hour to purchase a tasty treat.
• Attention all badminton players:  seniors will practice Tuesday, March 21 after school and juniors will practice on Thursday, March 23.  See you there!
• The library is closed periods 2, 3, 4 and lunch today.  If you need a tablet, please stop by the office.
• Attention all cheerleaders – practice this week is Thursday, March 23 instead of Friday.
• A reminder to all period 1 classes to complete the police survey, census survey and football jersey vote by the end of this week.
• Attention Germany/Poland travellers!  Please come to an important meeting at the beginning of lunch in Room 207 – we will be discussing fundraising and payment schedules.
• Today’s focus on our journey to becoming independent learners has us looking at our resources. For students, resources can mean a variety of things; it can mean your sources for information and it can mean your sources for support. Everyone needs support from time to time. There is no shame in that.

In fact, productive struggle is a necessary part of your journey toward independence. If you’re really stuck after giving it a proper try, ask for help. Too shy to ask in class? Send your teacher an email. Maybe you want to keep trying and what you need is more time, talk to you teacher about that, too.

Richard Feynman, theoretical physicist and Nobel Prize Winner believed that

“Knowledge is having the right answers.

  Intelligence is asking the right questions.

  Wisdom is knowing when to ask the right questions.”

Monday, March 20

• Attention all badminton players:  seniors will practice Tuesday, March 21 after school and juniors will practice on Thursday, March 23.  See you there!
• Students attending the Van Mar trip Tuesday, March 21 – be sure to wear steel toed boots and meet in the Bear Pit by 9:00 am.
• Track practice will be for throwers only Monday, March 20.  Runners will start next week.  Meet in the gym at 3:00.  Reminder:  you need a signed permission form to participate.
• Quick prom meeting to check in Monday, March 20 at lunch in room 218.
• The Langton Skating paint group will meet on Wednesday and Thursday this week from 3:00 – 5:00.  See you there!
• The library is doing inventory on tablets.  If you have one, please bring it back now so we can account for it.
• Tuesday is the last day to sign up for Maker Monday earring making.  Bring your $4.00 to the library any time.

Independant Learning

Learning independently can be challenging, even for students who are motivated. Like establishing any habit, learning how to learn takes time and the repetition of a few steps.

Those steps include learning how to:

• set your own goals
• identify your own resources take responsibility for all aspects of your studies
• including catching up, monitor and manage your time and progress honestly and effectively
• produce assignments that meet the assessment criteria
• develop a growth mindset and challenge yourself to improve your academic and life skills

You might struggle – and that’s okay!  In fact, productive struggle is a necessary part of your journey toward independence.

Today, let’s talk about setting your own goals. Did you know that goals are SMART? 

• Specific – What exactly do I want to happen?
• Measurable – How will I know when I am reaching my goal?
• Actionable – What actions will I take to achieve my goal?
• Realistic – Why is my goal important and what plan will I follow to reach it?
• Timely – When will I reach my goal?

Here’s my challenge to you for today: set a SMART goal for the week. Write it down and put it somewhere you’ll see it often or put it in your calendar on your phone. Make it specific, and give yourself time to think about how you will achieve that goal.

Tony Robbins, a business strategist and influencer with over 6 million followers says, “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.”