Basketball News

The basketball season officially kicked off this week with the season opener for the tier 1 teams. Both the girls and boys teams played the Ness Knights on Wednesday. The tier 1 girls (coached by Mrs. Sproll) dominated the game early, focusing on their communication skills, and various plays to take a big win in the end. The tier 1 boys team (coached by Mr. Dempster & Mr. Sherk) came back from a deficit by working together and sinking some baskets to also win the game. Congratulations to both teams with their big wins to start the season! 

Tier 2 basketball officially starts in January with the girls being coached by Ms. McDonald, and the boys being coached by Mr. Weber and Mr. Fisher-Smith. Atomic basketball will start up in January as well for any student not participating on a tier 1 or tier 2 team.

Holiday practices will run on December 30 from 11-1 (tier 2 girls), 1-2 (open to tier 1 girls and boys), and on January 2 from 1-2 (tier 1 girls). Enjoy your holidays!

Jets Skills Competition!

Thanks to the True North Foundation for sending 35 students and staff to the Jets Skills Competition. The kids had a blast!

Staff Students Volleyball

After getting out to a large lead, the teachers eventually gave up a late game lead to the boys volleyball team. Girls play the teachers tomorrow!

Winter Band Concert

Thank you to all parents and family members who came out to support our arts programming on the evening of December 11th. A special thank you to Ms. Johnson and Ms. Neufeld for the countless hours they've put in working with our students to get them to a superior level which was evident in the performances of the evening.

Jets Open Practice

Friday December 13th, our entire grade 6 class, SIL program and our Special O volunteers spent the morning at a an open Practice with the Winnipeg Jets! Next week our Hockey Academy Kids will get to attend the skills competition.

Band News

Congratulations to the Grade 8 Concert Band who did a fine job at the Remembrance Day ceremony.  Thank you to Grade 8 trumpet players James D. and Connor M. for playing the Last Post and Reveille at both Bruce and Heritage schools.

Information about our upcoming Grade 8 IMC Band Trip May 28-May 31, 2013 will be handed out to students shortly and will also be available on the Band Website.

The Winter Concert on Wednesday, December 11 is almost upon us. Students in the Grade 6, 7, 8 and Jazz Bands will be performing.  All students in the band program are expected to attend and should arrive at 6:40 p.m. dressed in their uniform (music shirt/black pants/socks/shoes).  The concert starts at 7:00 p.m., but there will also be preconcert entertainment provided by the Grade 8 Jazz Band.  Grade 8 Jazz Band members are to be at Bruce by 6:20 p.m.  Out of respect for the performers, all audience members are asked to stay until the end of the concert, approximately 8:15 pm.  A silver collection will be taken at the door with all proceeds going to buy new instruments.

The Winter Concert showcases the incredible progress each Band has made since September.  It is very important that ALL students participate.  Make sure that if you have any Wednesday evening commitments that you inform your coach/instructor/teacher ahead of time that you will be missing to attend this concert.  Also, we are looking for parents willing to supervise students in the warm-up rooms.  If you are available, please let Mrs. Johnson know (tjohnson@sjsd.net).

Would you like to be part of the Provincial Junior Honour Band?  The Junior Honour Band is for highly motivated Grade 7 & 8 Band students from across the province who get together to rehearse and perform in May.  Students interested in auditioning can get information at www.mbband.org.  Click on the Honour Band link on the left.  Audition deadline is March 3.

Calling euphonium and tuba players of all ages and abilities!  It’s the Christmas Tuba Festival at the WSO Saturday, December 14 from 5:45 – 7:45 pm.  For more details and/or to register, go to www.mbband.org and click on the Tuba Christmas Festival link on the left.  Those who register by December 6 will receive a voucher for two complimentary tickets to a WSO concert.

Important Dates to Remember:

December 11, 2012 - Winter Concert (All Bands)

December 14, 2013 – Christmas Tuba Festival (Tuba and Euphonium players)

February 18-21, 2014 - Optimist Band Festival (Grade 7 & 8 Band) – one day TBA

March 20, 2014 - Brandon Jazz Festival (Jazz Band)

April 29-May 2, 2014 - Level One Band Festival (Grade 6 Band) – one day TBA

May 21, 2014 - Spring Concert (All Bands)

May 29-June 1, 2013 - IMC Band Camp (Grade 8 Band)

Congratulations Vocal Vibe

Congratulations to singers in Vocal Vibe for an amazing performance at the St. James-Asiniboia Trustees Christmas Dinner on Thursday, December 5th! You sounded amazing, and everyone enjoyed our holiday songs.

Vocal Vibe students will also be spreading some holiday cheer to residents at the Grace Hospital on Monday, December 16th. We will walk over during the lunch hour, and our performance starts at 12:45. We should be back in time for afternoon classes at 1:25.

A reminder to all choral students about our upcoming Winter Concert here at the school on Wednesday, December 11th. Singers are asked to wear their green Bruce Music shirt and black pants or skirt. Please be at the school by 6:40 p.m. that evening.

 

Protective Cases For iPads

We've just received word that in an effort to reduce incidents of breakage across all middle schools, our division will be issuing each student a military-grade protective case. Cases will be installed by our school technicians when we return from the holiday break as they are three-piece cases that take 3-5 minutes to assemble.

Students will not have the option of using a non-school issued case after this point so that we can ensure maximum protection of all iPads. If you have questions or concerns please contact us at the school.

Actual case may be different than how it appears above :)

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Rock Paper Scissors Finals!

From 75 students down to 5 finalists, the Bruce Rock, Paper Scissors finals were held at our December assembly with our final 5 students advancing to the divisional event on Friday December 6th and College Sturgeon Heights Collegiate. All proceeds from the event including food donations go to support Sam's Christmas.

Hot Dog Day - December 19th

We will hold a fun lunch on THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19th. Forms are being sent home today for hotdogs and a cookie. Forms and money are due back on Thursday, Dec 12. See your blast teacher if you did not get a form.

Drinks will be on sale for $1 from our Green team at the Hotdog lunch.

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Bruce Success Awards - Nominate Someone Today!

Congratulations to all of our December Success Award Winners! If you'd like to nominate someone for an award, please download the nomination form and return to the office. Those completed electronically can be emailed to alister@sjsd.net.

If you Love to read BOOKS

Please plan to attend the John Taylor Family of Schools
Used Book Sale!!

Dates: Tuesday, December 3^rd, 2013
and Wednesday, December 4^th, 2013

Time: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Place: Voyageur School, 37 Voyageur Ave.
Everyone is Welcome!

There will be books available for all ages in a variety of genres.
We look forward to your support of the
Mission to Mexico Literacy Project


 

Grade 7 Winter Camp

If your son or daughter is attending grade 7 winter camp this year make sure to visit Mr. Weber's website for handouts and information.

http://www.sjsd.net/~jweber/

Bus Cancellation

Please be advised that with the cold winter weather upon us, there exists the possibility of school buses being canceled for safety reasons. In the event of extremely cold weather (a wind chill hazard of -45°C or greater) buses will be canceled and students will need alternate transportation.

The School Division will contact all parents to advise them of bus cancellations. The news media is also alerted to cancellations and Division websites are updated to reflect any announcements.
 Please ensure that the school is notified if your phone number changes so that we will be able to contact you.





 

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Jersey Day @ Bruce!

The challenge was issued and our staff and students responded with 100% participation. The best part of the day was that many students and staff brought in extra jerseys to share with those who did not have one. Way to show your spirit Bearcats!

2nd Annual Bruce Middle School White Elephant Sale

Bruce Device Expectations

In the initial two months of iPad in the classroom, there has been some confusion about the expectations of the school with respect to how the device should be used. Based on feedback from students, teachers and parents, we developed a clear set of expectations so that we are all on the same page. We held grade level meetings today to go over the expectations we have for the use of devices at Bruce Middle School and also issued a challenge to students to create videos that show the expectations in a creative manner.

If you have any questions about these expectations, please contact Mr. Lipinski or Mr. Lister at the school.

Bruce Device Expectations

Low-Cost Bike Helmet Program

Manitoba Healthy Living and Seniors are once again selling low-cost bike helmets available to Manitoba children and their families.  This is not a fund-raising project.  It is intended to provide helmets to as many of Manitoba's families as possible at the lowest possible cost. Order forms have been sent home.  Please complete the order form and return along with payment to the school office by Friday, November 29th.   Helmets will be delivered to the school by April 2014. 

Divisional Rock Paper Scissors Tournament!

"Divisional Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament"

We will be be participating in the divisionwide Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament hosted by Sturgeon Heights on Friday, December 6. We will be having our school tourny on Monday, December 2 to determine who our five champions will be to compete against other schools from around the division. In order to compete, students are being asked to bring in food donations or money, which will all be donated to families in our community. For every 2 food donations or $2.00, students will be given a ticket that will be used as a "life" in our school tournament. All students are encouraged to bring a small donation, but do not have to participate in the Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament if they don't want to (but why wouldn't you!!) Food donations should be in by Tuesday, December 3. Let's help make the holidays happy for some families in our community!!

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Grade 7 Vision Screening Program

Grade Seven Vision Screening Program

December 12, 13 16

 

Vision Screening Programs can lead to the identification and prevention of student vision difficulties.  In that regard, our school will be conducting a Vision Screening Program for students in grade seven during the above-noted dates.  Please be aware that this should not be considered a thorough vision examination.

Only parents/guardians of students identified as “at risk” will receive a follow-up letter indicating the area of difficulty and a letter suggesting the need for an appointment with an eye care practitioner.

Students who are currently wearing glasses will not be screened.  If your child  has had a recent vision examination, or if you require further information, please contact our Resource Teacher, Ms Carlson

 

Portfolio Cafe

Thank you to all parents and students who came out to our first-ever Portfolio Cafe on Tuesday, November 19th. It was great to see a very good turnout and it was amazing to see the the high-quality of learning artifacts as shared by students on their iPads. We look forward to seeing how our students have progressed at our spring Portfolio Cafe. See you then!

United Way Cookie Bake-Off

Thank you to all of the students, parents and staff for supporting the BMS Cookie Bake-off. The judges had a very challenging job with so many submissions. All the cookies were sold at the Portfolio Cafe. We raised over $170.00 for the United Way! 

Please pick up your empty containers from the foods' room.

Auditions for OZ!

All students are invited to audition for the school musical "Oz" that will take place this May.  Auditions take place December 9th to 13th.  Join the Showbie group at 5CZZ7 to access songs and dialogue to prepare.  All students who want to participate need to get an audition package from Mrs. Carey. 

Bruce Basketball Begins!

As volleyball season winds down, basketball season will be starting up. Tier 1 girls basketball tryout begin Monday, November 18 at 3:30. Tryouts are open to any girl in grade 6-8, who wishes to play tier 1. Games this year will be on Monday and Wednesday after school for tier 1, and practice times will be announced. If you are interested in trying out for girls basketball, but cannot attend on Monday, please see Mrs. Sproll for more information. The tier 1 boys tryout will begin the week of November 25, as well as girls tier 2 basketball.



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Tier 1 Volleyball Champions & Finalists!

It was an exciting weekend for Bruce Middle School at the Tier 1 Divisional Volleyball Playoffs. Both the boys and girls teams made the finals. The girls team placed second and took home the finalist banner and silver medals, while the boys place first and brought home gold. We are very proud of both teams for playing a great season and demonstrating both skill and sportsmanship. Go Bearcats Go!

Farm to School Fundraiser

Thank you for your support of the Farm to School fundraiser. The amount of vegetables sold was $1230. $615.00 of this goes towards the grade 7 winter camp and individual fundraisers. If anyone is able to assist in organizing the orders on Monday, November 25 for the afternoon please email jmatthewman@sjsd.net.

2014 CANADA DAY CHALLENGE

Participate in the 2014 Canada Day Challenge now!

Proudly presented by the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Canada Day Challenge invites youth between 8 and 18 years old (who live in Canada) to express their pride in being Canadian. by submitting an entry inspired by the theme CANADA: STRONG AND FREE.  

Enter the contest in the following categories:

 

-DRAW IT!

 (submit a poster design)

 

-SNAP IT!

(submit digital photographs)

-WRITE IT!

(submit a piece of creative writing)

Participation can be through schools, clubs, associations, or individual interest!

On the road to Canada’s 150^{th birthday in 2017, the Canada Day Challenge is an excellent opportunity for young people to explore Canada’s history, culture and identity and to celebrate everything that makes Canada the united, strong and free country it is today.}

This year, we also encourage students to learn more about the defining moments that helped to shape our country. For example, in 2014, Canada will mark the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown and Quebec Conferences. These two conferences laid the foundations for Confederation in 1867 and what would eventually become Canada.  

 

Prizes:

Winners from across Canada will be selected for a chance to win great prizes from our partners, including iPad minis and more! Winning entries will also be displayed at the Canadian Museum of Civilization from June to September 2014.

 

Plus, our partner, Parks Canada, will provide all three national winners (one from each category) with an all-expenses paid grand prize trip for two to Ottawa to visit Canada’s national institutions and to celebrate Canada Day 2014 on Parliament Hill, as well as visit exciting Parks Canada sites in the region.

Check out pictures from last year's grand prize trip online! It was an unforgettable time for our national winners. They were given VIP access to exciting places and they got to meet some of Canada's most inspiring personalities, including the Governor General of Canada, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, and singer Marie Mai! On July 1st, they were treated to VIP seating for both the Canada Day Noon Show and the iconic Evening Show and fireworks display.

And, there’s more! One lucky winner

* in the Write It! category will be invited to spend a week in Ottawa with our partner, Encounters with Canada, Canada’s largest youth forum, to learn about Canadian institutions, explore exciting career options, develop their civic leadership skills and live an extraordinary bilingual experience! (*For participants between the ages of 14 and 17 only.)

The Canada Day Challenge is open now and will accept submissions until National Flag Day, February 15, 2014.

Please visit our website at www.challenge.pch.gc.ca to learn more. If you would like to order Canada Day Challenge promotional materials, please send us an email with your mailing address to challenge@pch.gc.ca.

 

Best of luck to all who participate!

The Canada Day Challenge Team

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Portfolio Cafe - November 19th

On Tuesday November 19th, Bruce Middle School will be hosting it's first Portfolio Cafe! The idea is that you can come in to our gym which will be set up as a cafe to enjoy a drink and some light snack while your child leads you through a portfolio collection of their learning. Teachers will be available in the gym to speak with you about your child's learning.

We realize there may be some cases where parents will still need to meet with teachers if there are issues or concerns that need to be discussed in an alternate setting. Please book an interview only if necessary.

We will be following the schedule as outlined below:

4:00 - 5:00 - Teachers will be available in the gym during portfolio time unless booked for an interview.

5:00 - 6:30 - All teachers will be available in the gym to meet with parents as they review student portfolios.

6:30 - 8:00 - Teachers will be available in the gym during portfolio time unless booked for an interview.


We hope that you will find this casual format both inviting and informative, as your child leads you through examples of their learning.

Should there be a reason that you need a private face-to-face conversation with any teacher, you are still able to schedule a meeting in 10-minute time slots. Please book private appointments only if there is a concern that needs to be discussed privately. 

The original letter sent home along with instructions for booking appointments can be found here.

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John Taylor Collegiate 50th Anniversary Celebration

 

John Taylor Collegiate is holding its 50^th Anniversary Celebration from May 16-18, 2014. For further information click here or contact the school at 204-888-8930. Join the celebration. 50 years of Piper Pride.

iPad Protective Cases

We have noticed at the school that some students have replaced their division issued iPad cases with alternate cases. This is acceptable so long as the new case offers a greater degree of protection for the iPad than the standard case we have supplied. 

The following excerpt it taken from the documentation provided in September before the iPad rollout:

• Some parents who wish to have their child bring the iPad home have inquired about replacing the standard-issue Speck Fit Folio case with a case that offers a greater degree of protection... something along the lines of the Otterbox Defender** or the Griffin Survivor*** cases.

• Parents wishing to purchase a more robust case are free to do so at their cost. All we ask is that when the iPad is returned at the end of the school year, it is returned in the original Speck Fit Folio Case.

The purpose of this is to ensure that we offer the best protection against breakage possible. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the school.

** As Outlined Above

*** As Outlined Above

Cookie Bake-off

Our very first cookie bake-off at Bruce will take place on Tuesday, November 19th at 12:25 in the foods room.

Bring in 1 dozen NUT FREE cookies the morning of the 19th to the foods room. After the judges award their decision to the top Bruce Bakers, cookies will be on sale for $1 in support of the United Way.

                                                                                                                                               

Want to be a judge? Enter your name in a draw for $1 to be selected as a judge!! See your blast teacher for an entry ballot.

Teachers and students, bake up a storm this weekend and may the best recipe win!!!

Science News

This year the grade 8 students at Bruce will participate in a Special Science Project that allows a student to further explore an area of science beyond the classroom.

Each student is required to participate individually or with a partner in one of the four options:

1) Science Fair - students can choose a topic to explore, design and perform an experiment or create/design a prototype (innovation). Students choosing this option are encouraged to go green by using Keynote to create a virtual science fair board. Top projects at Bruce will be entered in the Divisional Science Fair where they will compete for a trip to the Canada Wide Science Fair in Windsor, ON.

2) Spaghetti Bridge Building - students will design, create and destroy bridges made only of spaghetti and glue. Students' final bridges will be entered in the annual APEGM Spaghetti Bridge Building Competition.

3) CurioCity's Energy4Travel Action Project - using the resources provided by Let's Talk Science's CurioCity website, students will participate in an data collection project regarding the energy used in travel.

4) Student choice - students are encouraged to find a project of their choice that incorporates science education beyond the classroom. Students wishing to pursue a personal choice project are asked to summarize the project and submit the summary to Mr. Fisher-Smith for approval.

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EMPOWERING INDIGENOUS YOUTH IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

　Empowering Indigenous Youth in Economic Development and

Entrepreneurship

 Time: Tuesdays 3:30 PM—4:30 PM
(time may change due to off-site excursions)

Place: St. James Collegiate— 1900 Portage Ave.

16 sessions starting: Tuesday November 12, 2013
 

All Are Welcome!


Connect with your Elders, the history , the ceremonies, the drum

You will learn:

Hand Drum Teachings
Seasonal Feast
Medicine Picking
Sweat Lodge Ceremony
Traditional Ceremonies
Powwow Dancing, Drumming, and Singing
Historical Understanding of Indigenous People
Traditional Teachings from Elders


Connect with your Elders, the history , the ceremonies, the drum
Contact Jonathan Fleury

Phone:(204)-940-1707 or email: jonathanfleury@ildii.ca

Halloween Day @ BMS!

We Day!

27 students accompanied by 3 teachers from Bruce joined 16000 other students and teachers at the MTS center for We Day. An additional 56 students spent the day in the theatre at Bruce watching the live feed. This event is a jump off point for many social justice initiatives in our school and across the country. For more information visit http://www.weday.com/we-day-events/we-day-cities/manitoba/