2nd Annual BMS Cookie Bake off

The 2nd annual BMS Cookie Bake-off is on Monday, November 17. Bring in 1 dozen nut free cookies that you baked at home and have your cookies judged at lunch in the foods room by our special guest judges! Want to be a student judge? For $1, enter your name in a draw to be the student judge - you will have to taste every cookie!! Cookies will go on sale on Tuesday to support the United Way.

Winter Camp at Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive

Slide into Winter Camp at Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre December 29, 30 and January 2!

Come and join us for a frosty good time at one or all of our Winter Day Camps. Activities may include snowshoeing, bannock baking, cool crafts, winter games and more. Camp runs daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and costs 24$ for members & 30$ for non-members. Camp is for children ages 6 to 9. For more information or to register a camper please visit: http://www.oakhammockmarsh.ca or call (204) 467-3300.

Remembrance Day Service

Please join us on November 7th at 9 am for our Remembrance Day Service.

Click here to view the November Middle School Parents still make the difference.

Parenting Today K-8 Fun with Math

Dr. Rachel Macnallen  November 18, 2014

All early and middle school parents are invited to attend the "Parenting Today Seminar" focused on supporting children at home in the area of mathematics. This is a special session that has been created to discuss concerns and identify strategies to support students in our division.

Please share the attachment "Parenting Today" with parents/guardians and staff.

Workshops will be held from 6 – 8 p.m. at Educational Support Services – Jameswood School, 1 Braintree Crescent (off Olive & Ness).  Free pizza supper will be offered from 6:00 - 6:30 p.m. and session will take place from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

To register please contact Arlie Williams-Taylor at 885-9555 or email [ mailto:ptregistrations@sjsd.net ]ptregistrations@sjsd.net

Please Note: FREE CHILDCARE IS PROVIDED FOR SESSIONS.  When registering please indicate for how many children and their ages.

FARM TO SCHOOL VEGETABLE PICK UP

The Farm to School vegetables will be delivered on Thursday, November 6. Please ensure you make arrangements to have someone help you bring the vegetables home. Vegetables can be picked up until 4:30 on Thursday. Congratulations on making this a very successful fundraiser this year. We raised $645.00 for Bruce Middle School! Thank you for your support with this initiative.

Halloween JDRF Fundraiser!

Please bring in as much candy by next Wednesday November 5th as you can to support the JDRF! 

All  Candy Can be dropped off at the offices of Athlone School, Bruce Middle School or 

College Sturgeon Heights Collegiate.

See the poster and video for more details!

Band News

The Grade 8 Concert Band is preparing for its first performance of the year at the Remembrance Day Service, Friday, November 7^th at 9:00 am.  Grade 8 Band students are asked to wear their band shirt with black pants or skirt unless they are otherwise in uniform.  Set up for the assembly will take place periods 1 & 2 Thursday, November 6^th and dress rehearsal will be periods 5 & 6.  If your child cannot attend the dress rehearsal please notify Mrs. Johnson at tjohnson@sjsd.net as soon as possible.  

Grade 7 & 8 Band students start planning now for our Band Trip to the International Music Camp (IMC) at the Peace Gardens May 27-29!  It is always a great time filled with wonderful musical experiences.  Students get to go with their friends from Bruce and other middle schools in the division.   They return home with improved musical skills, more confidence, and lasting memories to prepare them for high school.  The cost to attend this world-renowned camp is $200.  Please mark this trip on your calendar and make it a priority.  The first payment of $80 will be due in February.

Important Dates to Remember:

November 7, 2014 - Remembrance Day Ceremony performance (Grade 8 Band)

January 14, 2014 - Winter Concert (All Bands)  **CHANGE OF DATE**

February 24-27, 2015 - Optimist Band Festival (Grade 7 & 8 Band)

March 19, 2015 - Brandon Jazz Festival (Jazz Band)

April 14-17, 2015 - Level One Band Festival (Grade 6 Band)

May 20, 2015 - Spring Concert (All Bands)

May 27-29, 2015 - IMC Band Camp (Grade 7 & 8 Band)

We Day!

The We Day team had a wonderful day at MTS centre to celebrate the International We Day Tour on Wednesday, Oct. 29. This year's theme was Empowerment and students heard from speakers and musicians from across the globe to share in this message. The event inspired and "empowered" the We Day team to carry out various activities throughout this year in the areas of Social Justice and Community.

Band Notes

The Grade 8 Concert Band is preparing for its first performance of the year at the Remembrance Day Service, Friday, November 7^th at 9:00 am.  Grade 8 Band students are asked to wear their band shirt with black pants or skirt unless they are otherwise in uniform.  Set up for the assembly will take place periods 1 & 2 Thursday, November 6^th and dress rehearsal will be periods 5 & 6.  If your child cannot attend the dress rehearsal please notify Mrs. Johnson at tjohnson@sjsd.net as soon as possible.  

Grade 7 & 8 Band students start planning now for our Band Trip to the International Music Camp (IMC) at the Peace Gardens May 27-29!  It is always a great time filled with wonderful musical experiences.  Students get to go with their friends from Bruce and other middle schools in the division.   They return home with improved musical skills, more confidence, and lasting memories to prepare them for high school.  The cost to attend this world-renowned camp is $200.  Please mark this trip on your calendar and make it a priority.  The first payment of $80 will be due in February.

Important Dates to Remember:

November 7, 2014 - Remembrance Day Ceremony performance (Grade 8 Band)

January 14, 2014 - Winter Concert (All Bands)  **CHANGE OF DATE**

February 24-27, 2015 - Optimist Band Festival (Grade 7 & 8 Band)

March 19, 2015 - Brandon Jazz Festival (Jazz Band)

April 14-17, 2015 - Level One Band Festival (Grade 6 Band)

May 20, 2015 - Spring Concert (All Bands)

May 27-29, 2015 - IMC Band Camp (Grade 7 & 8 Band)

Bruce Joins CoCoRAHS Team!

Photo By A. Mukhi

Bruce students have officially joined the CoCoRAHS team! The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, or CoCoRAHS, is a non-profit, community-based network of volunteers working to measure and map precipitation across Canada and the United States.

In mid October, Tiffiny Talyor, Program Coordinator for CoCoRaHS Manitoba, visited Bruce Middle School to introduce the program to Mr. Fisher-Smith’s Grade 8 science classes.  Using chocolate chip cookies as an analogy, Ms. Taylor showed how the chocolate chips are similar to weather stations – the more chocolate chips the better!

Doing their part to support the precipitation monitoring, the BMS Grade 8 students set up their very own precipitation gauge and made their first of many precipitation measurements on October 29, 2014 observing that 0.2 mm of rain had fallen in the previous 24-hour period at station number: CAN-MB-198 (Winnipeg 9.8 W –BruceMdlSchool).

You can follow the school’s precipitation monitoring at http://data.cocorahs.org/cocorahs/maps/?country=can

To join the CoCoRAHS program or for more information please visit http://cocorahs.org/Canada.aspx or email Tiffiny Taylor at tiffiny.taylor@fbcpublishing.com or manitoba@cocorahs.org.

Choral News

Upcoming Choir Performances:

Bruce Middle School Concert Choir will perform on Friday, November 7th at our school's Remembrance Day Service at 9:00 a.m. We will be singing 'Wavin' Flag' and 'Freedom is Coming'. Students are reminded to wear their Bruce music shirt and black pants or skirt.

The Concert Choir will also be performing at Choralfest on Wednesday, November 26th at 10:30 a.m. We will be walking to Sturgeon Creek United Church, leaving the school at 9:00 a.m. We will return to school around 12:00 p.m. Once again, students are reminded to wear their Bruce music shirt and black pants or skirt. Please bring in your field trip forms to Mrs. Neufeld as soon as possible.

Upcoming Vocal Vibe Performance:
Vocal Vibe will be performing at Choralfest on Tuesday, November 25th at 3:30 p.m. at CMU. We will be leaving the school at 1:30 p.m. And will return by 4:45 p.m. I am looking for one parent to assist with driving students to and from this performance. Please let Mrs. Neufeld if you are available to drive.

Singers are asked to wear black shirts and black pants or skirt. I will provide singers with a green scarf or tie. Students are reminded to bring in their field trip forms as soon as possible. Thank you!

WINTER CONCERT DATE CHANGE

Please note the date for the Winter Concert has been changed to January 14th 2015 @ 7:00 p.m.

Lifetouch Picture Retakes

Lifetouch picture retakes will be held on Thursday, October 30th (am)

2015 Low Cost Bike Helmet Program

Once again Manitoba Healthy  Schools will be offering bicycle helmets for only $15.00 including taxes, shipping and handling.  Order forms have been sent home and are to be returned to the school along with payment by November 7th 2014.  Helmets will be delivered to the school by March 2015. 

25 Year of Terry Fox!

This year marks our 25th Anniversary of participation and fundraising for the Terry Fox Run. At our October Assembly, Brenda Kreuger, a representative from the foundation accepted our fundraising cheque and surprised us with a 25 year banner to hang proudly in our school. With our very impressive fundraising total this year of $8, 457.30, Bruce Middle school has now raised over $114,000 towards Cancer research. A huge thank you goes out to all students, parents and community members who have continually supported this cause throughout the years! Great Job Bearcats!

Change in Atomic Volleyball Schedules/Locations

Please be aware that there has been a slight change in Atomic Volleyball Schedules/Locations.

Atomic Tournaments will take place on:

Oct 15th - PM
Oct 29th - PM
Nov 12th - PM

Students will be leaving the school at approx. 12:00 and returning by approx. 3:15.

Locations:
Boys @ Ness
Girls @ Lincoln (Lincoln, Ness and Hedges)
Girls @ George Waters ( Golden Gate, Bruce and George Waters)

We Day Applications!

Farm to School Fundraiser

Forms for the Farm to School fundraiser are going home with students today. Forms and funds are due back on Thursday, October 23. Vegetables are scheduled for delivery on Thursday, Nov. 6th. Proceeds from this fundraiser will go to support the grade 7 winter camp.

Change in Atomic Volleyball Practice Schedule

Atomic Volleyball Practices will take place on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  No Friday practices.  The locations will stay the same for all 3 tournaments on the afternoons of Oct. 15th, Oct. 29th and Nov. 12th.

Boys - Ness
Girls Split between Lincoln and George Waters
Lincoln, Ness and Hedges are playing at Lincoln
Golden Gate, Bruce and George Waters will play at George Waters