Penticton Secondary School

Mr. Alan Stel, Principal

E-mail: astel@summer.com

Ms. Andrea DeVito, Vice-Principal

E-mail: adevito@summer.com

Ms. Donna Moroz, Vice Principal

E-mail: dmoroz@summer.com

December 2016
Telephone: 250-770-7750
Fax: 250-770-7750
Website: www.pen-high.com

Penticton Secondary School Core Values

To create the very best learning environment, members of our learning community will consistently strive to act with
integrity, respect, compassion and commitment.
Integrity practice exemplary behavior and take responsibility for what we say and do
Respect respect all others no matter their differences
Compassion demonstrate kindness and patience with others and graciousness when receiving assistance
Commitment engage in meaningful learning and teaching that contributes to the development of self and others

Principals Message

Report Cards Online!

So much of life is about reading and interpreting the

energy we feel in the many experiences and
interactions of our daily lives. As educators we try to
prepare students to recognize and trust this feedback
when they receive it. Being deliberate about this
instruction is the key to their social, emotional, and
intellectual development. It is also the key to their
safety. We are all reminded of moments when we have
misread the energy in a certain situation and made a
mistake or social blunder. I was recently emceeing a
party where I extended an open mic invitation to the
audience. One of the party goers took me up on the
offer and sang a homemade song. She had a beautiful
voice, but the sentiment was off colour. You could
sense the energy in the room tighten up and a collective
sucking in of breath.
continued on page 8

Our first electronic report cards are available online via

the MyEd Parent Portal. Any parents who are not able
to access the Portal can email the school office at
brigby@summer.com .

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Payments for School Fees

We now accept E-transfers for student fees, field trips,
team fees, etc.
1. Send the E-transfer to pss-epay@summer.com
2. Send a separate email that contains the answer
to the security question. Include a memo with
regards to what is being paid.
3. Once the payment is processed the accounting
department will forward a receipt.
Please contact the Accounting Department at 250-7707750 ext. 6622 should you have any questions.

Contact Information
Please remember to keep the school office informed
with ALL changes to demographics for your student
throughout the school year, from phone numbers to
mailing addresses. This
helps us keep the flow of
information running smoothly.
Any questions please contact
Mrs. Rigby at
brigby@summer.com or
250-770-7750 ext. 6276.

Cross City Champions!

The Senior Girls and Senior Boys volleyball teams were
both victorious in the Cross City Volleyball
Championship held at Princess Margaret on November
15. The girls team won 24-26, 25-15, 15-9, while the
boys team won 25-8 and 25-18. Thank you to all the
fans that made their way over to Maggie to support the
teams. This match marked the last games in Penticton
for Grade 12 students Cali Anderson, Shelby Sturko,
Emily Hoffman, Jade Coopper, Tianna Apps, Alex
Neenan, Nicholas Everton, Josh Gowe and Jacob
Stokker. Congratulations on a great high school
volleyball career to all!

Farewell Students
Four of our Japanese Kun-Ei students will be leaving us
December 3 after being here for a year. It has been
such a pleasure having you at Pen-High Risa Miyamoto,
Remi Seiryu, Mizuho Tanigawa
and Haruka Takagishi! Thank
you for being a part of the
Pen-High community and we
wish you all the best!

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Swim Team Champions!

Cross Country

Congratulations to our Pen High Swim Team who

managed to upset St. Georges as the provincial swim
champions November 19 in Kamloops! St. Georges
reluctantly relinquished the title after owning it for the
last 16 years. In addition to a considerable number of
individual personal pool records, our girls also ranked
first in the province! A great weekend for purple and
gold! Way to go Lakers!

On November 5 the Pen High Cross Country Running

Team competed at the Provincial Championships in
West Kelowna. The senior boys team was led by an
outstanding performance by Sam Matthew, who placed
38th out of 222 competitors, in a time of 27:19 for
6.7 km. As a team the boys finished 21st out of 28
teams. On the girls side, Mackenzie Wallich placed
112th out of 223 athletes in a time of 23:11 for 4.5 km.
To finish in the top 50% of the field is quite an
accomplishment. Another strong performance was put
forth by Hailey Berrisford, who placed 165th in a time of
24:22. As a team the senior girls placed 22nd out of 26
teams. The future is bright for our team as we have lots
of juniors coming up! Way to go athletes!

Junior Boys Volleyball

The Junior boys team had a successful season of
winning and growth. They finished fifth overall at the
KSS tournament and third at the UBCO tournament.
This was followed by winning our way to first place in
the South Zone. We also attended the Valley
championships in Revelstoke and the provincials in
West Kelowna. The boys showed that they knew how
to win and displayed lots of growth through the season.
Way to go boys!

Basketball Season
Basketball season is starting up with the Junior and
Grade 9 seasons beginning December 1 and the Seniors
with their first league game December 6 at Mount
Boucherie. Go Lakers!

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Pen High Lacrosse Team

Bake Sale

The inaugural season of the interiors only high school

lacrosse team has been very busy so far. Under the
leadership of Coach Tony Ramsay, a team of 28 players
from around the district, Grades 9 11, has been
gathered. Thanks to a generous sponsor, our practices
are held at Adidasplex Soccer Centre twice a week. The
team travelled to Victoria recently to participate in a
Spartan Shootout. The team was up against some wellestablished teams and finished their very successful
weekend with a record of 1-2-1. Best of luck to the
team as they head to provincials in February!

Make this season sparkle! Ms. Collins Grade 10 English

class is having a bake sale in the common area Monday,
December 5, and Tuesday, December 6. The
fundraising from the bake sale is going towards gifts for
children that will be spending this holiday season in the
local Penticton hospital. We will be accepting donations
as well. Please come out and support and eat as much
as you can! If you have any questions or would like to
get involved, please see Ms. Collins for more
information.

Senior Visual Art

Grade 11 and 12 students will be exhibiting paintings at
the SOEC from November 30 to December 4. They have
been inspired by Cirque Musica Spectacular which
showcases the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra. Take a
few minutes to stop by the SOEC to see the students
work.

Christmas Sweater Day

Be stylish and cozy Friday, December 9, in your holiday
bling sweater! There will be a raffle for all participants
and prizes for the best bling! Dig out that special
sweater!

Jazz Concert
The Pen High Jazz band will be performing Saturday,
January 21, at 7:30 pm in the Shatford Centre. This will
be a music department fundraiser and will feature the
Senior Jazz Ensemble, the Community Jazz Band, and
Thursday Night Jazz Band.
Tickets are $20 and available
from any music student. Come
on out for a wonderful night of
jazz music!

Education and Career Fair

Registration is open for the 2016 Education and Career
Fair at Prospera Place in Kelowna Monday, December 5,
from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Included in the fair is:
Learning Lounge get tips on networking, resume
writing, college applications, career advice and more
from industry experts.
Interactive Gallery get a hands-on experience of
what it takes to be an interior designer, computer
graphics artist and other design related jobs.
Plan Your Trip find out which exhibitors to speak to
based on your career interests by taking a quiz on the
ECF website www.educationcareerfairs.com.
Free tickets are available by clicking on this link:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/20th-education-careerfairs-kelowna-tickets-27448100006

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Pen High Observatory

Encounters With Canada

One of the best kept secrets of Pen High is our schools

observatory and telescope. At the observatory students
can choose which objects in the night sky to observe.
Our telescope setup allows students to both visually
observe and to photograph everything from stars and
planets to galaxies and nebula. The astronomy group is
getting started for the fall and we usually have the
observatory open once every few weekends as long as
the weather cooperates. Interested students should
see either Mr. Gowe in Room 220 or Mme. Fiechter in
Room 219 for more information and to have their
names and emails added to this years contact list.
Clear Skies!

Encounters With Canada is a unique opportunity for

Canadian teens to meet other young people from across
the country. Spend an adventure-filled week in your
nations capital! Check out future career options,
discover your country, share your hopes and dreams.
Please take the time to look at the website
www.ewc-rdc.ca in order to find out more. Anyone
interested in taking part in this wonderful opportunity
should drop by to talk to Mr. Delisle in Room 201.

Fresh BC Talent Quest

Fresh BC Talent Quest Season 5 online registration runs
from October to December 31, 2016, for local
music/stage performers aged 9 to 18 years. All
interested performers can register at
www.cmeliveproductions.com or contact
250-460-2221. All acts and skill levels welcomed.

Good day everyone! This years yearbook is shaping up

to be one of the best books published in recent years.
The last two years the yearbook was sold-out so make
sure you are not one of those who were unable to
purchase one. You may purchase a book from Ms.
Boothman in the Accounting Office for $55. Dont miss
out on this opportunity!!!

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Grad Meeting
There will be a Grad Meeting for all grads Monday,
December 12, at 12:20 pm.

Grade 12 Students and Parents

All Grade 12 students and their parents should like
our Pen High Scholarship Facebook page for important
updates about all things post-secondary: scholarships,
bursaries, application deadlines and information, postsecondary institution bulletins and updates, etc. Find us
on Facebook: PEN HIGH SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION.

Dry Grad Meeting

10,000 Tonight Food Drive

Our 10,000 Tonight Food Drive was a great success,
bringing 17,500 non-perishable food items! A big thank
you to Princess Margaret Secondary, Skaha Lake Middle
School, and KVR Middle School for the shared effort, to
students and staff at Pen High, and to our Penticton
community for their generosity!

The next Dry Grad meeting will be held Wednesday,

December 7, at 7:00 pm, in the Pen High library. All
parents of grads are welcome to attend. If you are
unable to make the meeting please contact Lee
Planiden, leedunleyowen@gmail.com, to be an oncall volunteer for one or more events or the Dry Grad
evening.

Bursary/Scholarship Info
There are many bursaries/scholarships available for our
grads. Please check out our website
www.pen-high.com and click on the Bulletin for more
info.
Attention Pen-High Grad Class!!!
Please get your YEARBOOK write up
in to Mr. Belbin as soon as possible.
Due: January 16th, 2017 (If you do
not get it in by this date you may not
be able to get a write up in the
yearbook this year!)
Please note: The Yearbook write up and the Grad
Ceremony Write Up are not the same. You are required
to complete them both.
You can find more information on the school website
www.Pen-Hi.com Grad 2017. If you have any questions
please contact Mr. Belbin at pbelbin@summer.com or
see him in Room 208.

safeTALK
safeTALK is a suicide alertness training opportunity for
individuals over the age of 16. It provides training
about the warning signs of suicide risk. The workshop
emphasizes the importance of recognizing the signs,
communicating with the person at risk, and getting help
or resources for the person at risk. A safeTALK session
will be held December 7 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at
the Shatford Centre. The cost is $40 per person. To
register call Jessica Lutz at 236-422-2284 or email her at
vm.cmha@shaw.ca.

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OSEF Linguistic and

Cultural Exchange 17/18
Do you have a son or daughter in Grade 9 or 10 who
would like to go on a three month exchange to France,
Belgium or Spain next school year? This exchange is for
students who are interested in improving their language
skills and at the same time learning about another
culture. European students (from France, Belgium and
Spain) stay in Canada from around mid-August until
the beginning of November. All stay with their
exchange partners family and attend school. The
Canadian students go to Europe from February to the
end of April/beginning of May the following year. They
also have to attend their exchange partners school and
will have time to explore and travel with their host
family during the holidays while in Europe. Candidates
and their parents complete an application form then a
family file which will help identify the best exchange
partner according to age, character traits, interests etc.
If you would like more information about this wonderful
experience, please go to www.osef.ca or contact Mrs.
Everton either by email aeverton@summer.com or
phone 250-770-7750 (6030).

Okanagan Skaha
Early Years Centre
The Okanagan Skaha Early Years Centre is a place for
families to access the early years services they need.
Early Years Centres across the province of BC have been
established to provide families and communities access
to resources such as referrals to programs for early child
development, health and dental concerns, early literacy,
early learning opportunities, developmental screening
and much more.
The Okanagan Skaha Early Years Centre (OSEYC) was
developed through a strong partnership between
School District 67-Okanagan Skaha and Penticton &
District Community Resources Society (PDCRS). The
Centre is hosted by PDCRS and is offered in Parkway
Elementary, Queens Park Elementary, Naramata
Elementary, Kaleden Elementary and Summerland Food
Bank & Hub.
For more information about the OSEYC contact the
PDCRS at 250-492-5814. To contact Eileen Muzzin, the
OSEYC Facilitator, call 250-488-1788 or email
oksearlyyears@pdcrs.com.

Australia/New Zealand 2017

Go to beautiful Australia and New Zealand for the trip
of a lifetime! We will be visiting such incredible sights
as the North Island of New Zealand, along with the East
coast of Australia. We will be visiting amazing Bondi
Beach, Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef! We will be
seeing kangaroos and wallabies and all things
Australian! If you are interested in going to Australia
and New Zealand for 12 days during Spring break 2017,
see Mr. Zablotney in the library by December 12!

Backpacks Needed
Do you have old backpacks at home? If so, please bring
them to the barrel in the foyer at Pen High. Care
packages are being put together for our local homeless
and backpacks would be greatly appreciated!

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Homestay Families Needed

School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha)
REQUIRES HOMESTAY FAMILIES FOR SEPTEMBER 2017
FAMILIES COMPENSATED $800 / MONTH
School District No. 67 is looking for prospective
homestay families in Penticton and Summerland to
host international students for one year, one
semester, three months, and/or on a short term
(respite) basis. Placements are needed for both
male and female students from Germany, Mexico,
Spain, Japan, China and Korea who will be attending
one of our local secondary or middle schools. Host
families must be English-speaking and have a desire
to welcome the student into their home as part of
the family. Close proximity to a secondary or middle
school is an asset.
Host families are expected to provide:
o
a fully furnished private bedroom for each
student;
o
a clean, safe, caring environment conducive to
student studies;
o
meals;
o
the opportunity to participate in Canadian
family life; and
o
a completed criminal record search for all adult
members residing in the home.
School District No. 67 will provide:
o
support and guidance by a homestay
coordinator
who
will
monitor
the
student/homestay experience;
o
monthly compensation of up to $800; and
o
temporary placement/respite homes for host
families, if required, for holidays and
emergencies.
If you are interested in this great opportunity to
exchange cultural experiences with an international
student, please pick up an application form at the
School Board Office, 425 Jermyn Avenue in
Penticton, download the form from the District
website at www.sd67.bc.ca, or contact either of our
Homestay Coordinators Ms. Brenda Kotzian,
bkotzian@summer.com or Ms. Gina Rogers,
grogers@summer.com .

Europe Trip
Mr. Delisle is organizing an educational tour for the
100th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April
2017. This event will attract student groups from across
the world as well as many of the worlds leaders. The
trip is open to any Grade 9 12 student and the cost is
about $4500 depending on the total number of
travelers. The trip cost includes flights,
accommodations, breakfasts, dinners, tours,
attractions, tipping, travel insurance and taxes. Only
lunches will not be covered.

In order to take a look at the tour online, please go to

www.explorica.ca. You then click on the student tab
and look for sign up for a tour (Normandy
Tour). Then you will need to input the Tour Centre ID
which is DelisleLavoie-8329. Once on the tour site you
can browse the information and look at various
payment plans. At that point, if you are interested in
joining, simply continue the signing up process and he
will automatically receive a confirmation email from the
company. If you have any questions about the tour,
please feel free to email Mr. Delisle at
sdelisle@summer.com.

Principals Message Continued

Even some of the notoriously edgy people in the crowd
were taken aback. Fortunately, people in party mode
are a forgiving lot and the memory of the faux pas got
lost in the melee of the mood that night. Curiously, the
interesting part is not so much about what was said in
this case but her reaction. Instinctively she realized she
had gone too far. This was evidenced in many of the
private conversations she had after the fact. She
Page | 8

explained how the song was a tradition from her

familys culture.
Saying things we regret is one thing, but as teachers we
want to intentionally set the mood for learning so that
we can maximize the instruction. The New Curriculum
that is rolling out over the next year and half in BC (see
the attached Letter in this edition from the Minster of
Education, Mike Bernier) encourages teachers to
produce positive energy in their classrooms by creating
safe learning environments that foster and encourage
curiosity, risk-taking, creativity, and problem solving.
At the risk of sounding new agey (if thats even a word)
we intuitively know when the mood or atmosphere in a
place is right. Uncertainty and anxiety are borne out of
a desire to escape from instances where the energy is
unpredictable and negative. Your senses alert you long
before the thoughts are even formed. The better we
get at interpreting what our senses are communicating
to us the more responsive and proactive we can be.
Our kids need to know this about themselves.
Over the last two weeks there have been three school
events that clearly illustrate the energy that I am
referring to.
On November 19th the Pen High Swim team became the
2016 BC High School Provincial champions after handily
unseating St. Georges private school who had held the
title for the last sixteen years. Our swimmers knew they
had a chance at it and you could feel the anticipation
for this event growing throughout the week. The
students were vibrating with excitement. The feeling
was palpable. The team was energized. We even had
other public school teams rooting for us. Our individual
swims and relays were record setting. You could feel
the synergy and the victory was sweet.

arrived with a grin on their faces and left with an even

bigger grin wanting more. This annual event signifies
the beginning of the festive season for us as we build
toward our annual turkey dinner and pep rally on the
last day of school before winter break.
On November 30th Princess Margaret Secondary School
and Pen High invited students from Skaha Middle
School and KVR Middle School to participate in 10,000
Tonight. Working in partnership with the Penticton
Salvation Army, students from across the city generated
over 17,500 non-perishable food items for the Food
Bank. Once again, as with the above examples, the
energy in the Pen High Common Area was electric. This
festive mood was ignited by a collective sense of
purpose and enhanced by live musical performances.
There are so many more instances that occur every day
at Pen High in classrooms and on the court where
teachers and coaches deliberately construct an
environment conducive to appreciating and identifying
the nuances of mood and atmosphere in a wide variety
of spaces and forums. Sometimes despite the very best
of intentions and thorough planning the energy is
unpredictable and uncertain, however, even in these
instances students can potentially learn from an issue or
incident if it is properly and carefully deconstructed.
Finally, if you are not convinced that we are an
energetic bunch here at Pen High, check out the forest
of solar panels recently installed this month on the
school rooftop of our Humanities wing intended to
offset our annual energy needs (photo attached). Pen
High is Going Green in a big way this month! Stay
tuned for an update in a future edition.

On November 24th we hosted the Pen High Winter

Formal for all of our senior students. Tickets were sold
out. Everyone danced. The decorations were provided
by the Gowe family. The fabulous food was prepared
by our very own Red Seal Chef, Chris Garvey. Our
students were all dressed formally in evening gowns,
suits and ties. There were even a few tuxedos. Over
three hundred students were in attendance. Students
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Nov 30 Dec 4
Saturday, Dec 3
Mon/Tues Dec 5, 6
Wednesday, Dec 7

Friday, Dec 9
Monday, Dec 12
Friday, Dec 16

Tuesday, Jan 3
Monday, Jan 16
Saturday, Jan 21
Friday, Jan 27
Monday, Jan 30
Friday, Feb 17
Thursday, Apr 13
Wednesday Apr 19
Thursday, Apr 20
Monday, May 15
Friday, June 2
Thursday, June 29

- Art show at SOEC

- Grad fundraiser test drive at
Murray GM
- Bake sale in Common Area
- safeTALK 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
at the Shatford Centre
- 7:00 pm Dry Grad meeting
- Christmas Sweater Day
- Grad meeting 12:20
- School Wide Turkey Dinner and
Pep Rally
- Last day of classes before break
- Classes resume Day 3
- Yearbook write-ups due
- Jazz concert 7:30 pm at the
Shatford Centre
- Term 2 ends
- Term 3 begins
- Pro D Day (No School)
- Pro D Day (No School)
- Term 3 ends
- Term 4 begins
- Pro D Day (No School)
- Graduation Ceremony 7:00 pm at
South Okanagan Events Centre
- Term 4 ends
- Graduation parade 5:30 pm meet
at Pen High parking lot
- Grad Prom 7:00 at Penticton
Lakeside Resort
- Dry Grad at Pen High following
Prom

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Merry Christmas
from all of us
at
Penticton
Secondary
School!

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Update on B.C.s New Curriculum from Education Minister Mike Bernier

November 29, 2016
Dear Parent,
The world is changing and B.C.s new curriculum is critical in making sure your child is connected with the skills he or she
needs to succeed in this changing world. We have just announced important updates on B.C.s new curriculum on how it will
be implemented in grades 10-12, and on the Foundation Skills Assessments (FSA) written in grades 4 and 7.
Grade 10-12 curriculum implementation
Teachers, principals and trustees asked for more time to work hands-on with the redesigned draft curriculum in grades 10-12
and we agree. The extra time means teachers can try out the draft curriculum and provide feedback before it is fully
implemented in the 2018/19 school year. The new curriculum is already fully in place in the earlier grades.
The extra year makes sense because the graduation years are more complex than the K-9 years. They are tied to provincial
exams. They are connected to post-secondary choices. We are making sure that we get the Grade 10-12 redesigned
curriculum right for students, ensuring their future success in post-secondary and the workforce.
When it comes to provincial exams, we have mapped out which old exams and new exams will be written and when. The most
important thing is that new or old, our standards remain high, testing remains rigorous, and combined with in-class exams we
will be thoroughly testing student knowledge. Detailed exam information can be found at:
https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/graduation-info
Foundation Skills Assessments
Along with our new curriculum, we are enhancing our Foundation Skills Assessment that students in Grades 4 and 7 are
required to write under B.C.s School Act. The FSA measures reading, writing and math problem-solving skills that students
have gained over several years of learning and provides critical information for parents, for teachers, and for the education
system.
Starting next year, students in grades 4 and 7 will complete their FSAs in the fall instead of the spring. This means you and
your childs teacher will get results earlier and that means any necessary actions can be taken sooner. More information on
the new FSA can be found at: https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/assessment-reporting/new-foundation-skills-assessment
Additionally, we will be giving parents like you a snapshot of the FSA results in broader school reports. You deserve to know
how your childs school is succeeding on a variety of fronts and we will include that information to provide a complete
picture.
Together with teachers, our new curriculum is making sure that your child learns the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic,
while also engaging the collaboration, critical thinking and communications skills they'll need to succeed in college, university,
and the workforce.
Thank you,
Mike Bernier
Minister of Education

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