January to August of 2010




January 13, 2010

Upcoming Dates to Note
Jan 15    Pro-D (NO SCHOOL)
Jan 28    Late French Immersion Info Mtg-6:30 pm
Jan 29    Rice Raiser
Feb 1        Babysitting Course Starts
Feb 19    Pro-D (NO SCHOOL)
Mar 1-12    Spring Break

Friday, January 15th - District Wide Professional Development Day
Friday, January 15th is designated a District wide Professional Development Day for staff. Our teachers and support staff will be engaged in a variety of training sessions on that day. No classes will be held.

PAC Meeting -Thursday, January 21st
Our school's first PAC meeting of 2010 will take place on Thursday evening, January 21st at 7:00 pm in our school library. The PAC Executive has decided to move the meetings to a Thursday evening starting in January with the hope that this might be more convenient for more members of the parent community.  Please consider attending this first meeting of 2010.

Wolves Sports
In sporting news, our grade 8 boys team is still running an undefeated season. With only 6 games to go until the regular season of play is complete, the boys appear to be unstoppable. Coaches Klim and Cervo have been very excited about how the season has been shaping up. After winning the City tourney in December the boys entered a grade 9 round-robin tourney this past weekend at Mouat Secondary. The team managed to win one of its three games and gained valuable experience by playing “up”.  The boys will participate in a major Grade 8 tournament at Howe Middle this weekend.  As for the girls, currently they are at .500 for their season. They give their all in every game and coach Singh could not be happier. They continue to improve on a regular basis. If the team remains on this track, anticipate them to go deep into post-season play. With the grade 7 boys and girls teams, their season is only one week old. The boys lost their season opener to a very strong squad from Abbotsford Middle while the girls claimed their first victory against Abby. Well-done to all who continue to represent CDMGS this year!

FSA's (Foundation Skills Assessments)
Each year students in both Grades 4 and 7, across the province, write the Foundation Skills Assessments (FSA's).  This year the assessment will take place from January 18 through February 26, 2010.  The FSA's consist of two online components (Numeracy and Reading) and four written components (Reading Comprehension, Short Write, Long Write, and Numeracy).  The primary purpose of FSA is to help schools, school planning councils, school districts and the province evaluate how foundations skills are being addressed and make plans for improvement.  The secondary purpose is to provide individual student information.  FSA is only one measure of student learning.  It complements regular classroom assessment by teachers.  In the upcoming weeks, teachers and students at CDGMS will be working hard preparing for and completing the FSA's.  Sample FSA questions can be viewed at: www.bced.gov.bc.ca/assessment/fsa/sample_tests.htm

December Kiwanis Grade 8 Student of the Month
Through continued support from the Abbotsford Kiwanis Club we are pleased to announce Tam L. as our Grade 8 Student of the Month. Tam has contributed to our school's culture in a number of ways over the last year. She was involved in our school musical last spring. She is a three year member of our band program. Tam assumed a leadership role in the fall in assisting to spearhead our shoe box drive to obtain gifts for needy children at Christmas. Tam is a strong academic student and her teachers and peers know her to be a very kind and supportive student. Congratulations Tam!

User Pay Bussing
Forms for Pre-Registration for User Pay Bussing for the 2010-11 school year are available at the office (must be completed by May 15, 2010) and seats are assigned on a first come, first served basis. Please note that even if you are on the program this year, you must re-register for next year. 

Rice Raiser
Did you know that almost half of the people in the world live on less than $2 per day? Did you know that someone dies from a hunger related disease every 3 seconds? What are we doing about it? At Chief Dan George, the Student Leadership team is heading up a project called the Rice Raiser, in an effort to raise awareness about global hunger. During the month of January students & teachers are invited to bring in donations of rice and money. The rice will be donated to the Abbotsford Food Bank to alleviate hunger locally, and the money will be sent around the world to develop food security for needy families. Last year we raised over 1,000 kilograms of rice and over $1,000. Our goal for this year is to bring in at least 2,000 kilograms of rice and $2,000, so bring in your rice and donations. The Grade 8’s are invited to finish the campaign with a famine. A special day of activities and guest speakers is being planned for January 29th, followed with a special dinner by Mr. Lilly.   
*Donations over $10 are tax deductible. Cheques payable to: Rice Raiser.*Rice must be brought in their original, unopened bags.
Chief Dan George let's see what we can do!

Red Cross Babysitting Course Starting Soon
Course focus is: Child care skills with special emphasis on child safety. A Canadian Red Cross certificate will be issued upon completion of the course. This course is designed for students 10-15 years of age. It teaches the basics of babysitting, rights and responsibilities, getting along with participants, holding, diapering, feeding, bedtime, toys and activities, accident prevention and handling emergencies. This  four week program is  taught by Petersen’s First Aid Training at our school on the following dates: February 1, 8, 15 and 22 from 2:40 - 4:40 pm. in Mr. Klim's classroom (#141). The cost is  $40.00 per participant. If you are interested in having your child take this program we have registration forms at the office. The class maximum size is 24 and space is first come, first served - please note that the course fills up very quickly!

Abbotsford  Youth Commission Activities
The Abbotsford Youth Commission has their Winter 2010 “Whatz Up” brochure available to all students.  You can view  the activities on the website at www.abbyyouth.com, call 604-854-8785 or visit the office at 32315 South Fraser Way.

Health and Nutrition Center
Feed Your Brain and Make Sure it Gets a Nap
By Diane Strandberg - The Tri-City News - August 28, 2008
Guess what? We’re not hard-wired to study textbooks and pages of barely legible class notes for long periods of time. And memorizing math facts, French verbs and the definition of osmosis is, well, like doing the splits on a balance beam.  It’s unnatural. It’s hard. And you wouldn’t do it unless you had a reason.  The brain has a more urgent task at hand — staying alive.  “That’s the brain’s number one job,” says popular speaker and study skills expert Terry Small (www.terrysmall.com).
To emphasize his point, Small turned towards the double doors in the Montgomery Learning Centre gym and asked the families attending his study skills class last week what they would do if the doors suddenly burst open. “You’d all turn to look to see if it was a sabre tooth tiger or the Domino pizza guy — an opportunity or a threat.”
It’s not that the brain is a slacker focused on nothing but junk food and excitement; rather, the brain is a powerful tool that is, sadly, mostly underemployed.
Think of an Einstein stuck in Homer Simpson’s body, a potential genius trapped inside a beer-guzzling, doughnut-stuffing under-achiever.
It takes work to get your brain functioning at its highest level, and if Small’s techniques are any example, you could say your brain is as temperamental as a three-year-old and needs to be pandered to, fed and encouraged for it to hum along with any sort of efficiency.
For example, the human brain is easily distracted. Every 3.5 seconds or so, our attention is drawn away from the task at hand. We also need a brain break every 11 to 20 minutes depending on our age.
(Small’s tip: To determine how long you should go between brain breaks, take your age and add two, up until the age of 18. The time between breaks doesn’t change with adulthood).
As a sensitive yet demanding machine, your brain also needs much TLC as a high-performance car. You can tune it up with exercise. Small recommends short brain breaks and a cross-lateral movement where you touch the opposite foot, elbow, knee, etc. a couple of times to stimulate both sides of the brain.
Sleep is important, too, especially for teens. Without it, you’ll forget everything you learned during last night’s cram session.
Don’t skip breakfast, either, as it’s the brain’s big meal and, if you can, forget the Snickers bar at snack time and crunch on five walnuts instead — apparently, they are the perfect brain snack.
The brain also likes visual cues such as colour, so colour-code those notes.
And music will get brain dancing on the alpha waves it produces. (Sorry metal-heads, it has to be Baroque, and only mildly stimulating classics with 50 to 70 beats per minute will work.).
STUDY TIPS
Here are a few. For the rest, check out one of his workshops, which are available periodically through Coquitlam Continuing Education:
• Set a goal: Write your desired grade, percentage or score and post it around your house, your locker and in your binder so you see it often. Your brain needs a reason to function and responds well to positive reinforcement.
• Write it down: Note-takers get 50% higher marks than those who try to remember what was said. Your brain learns best when it’s firing on all three tracks; audio, visual, kinetic — and writing uses all three.
• Think like a teacher: Turn classroom notes into a quiz for easy studying. Divide a page, keep the left hand page blank and write notes on the right hand page. Listen for cues such as “this is important” and mark that material with coloured ink. Go back and write potential questions to the notes on the left-hand page and you have a practice test. Coloured inks and thinking about questions will keep your brain alert and focused.
• Study like a pro: Use recipe cards — answers on one side, questions on the other — to quiz yourself. Pat yourself on the back for every one you get right since your brain likes the pressure of competition and thrives on rewards.

CDG 2010 Olympic Update Corner
Before the Winter Holidays, a contest was held to determine our Olympic Mascots, Emblem and Torch.  Here are the results:
Grade 6 Mascot winner:  Liene Barkley (Div 4 - France)
    Grade 7 Mascot Winner: Cassidy Luteijn (Div 13 - Brazil)             
    Grade 8 Mascot Winner: Kiran Brar (Div 19 - Norway)           
    Emblem Contest Winner: Max Kim (Div 16 - Switzerland)           
    Torch Contest Winner: Selyen Singh (Div 18 - Russia)               
The following is a list of countries that will be represented:
Canada:          Div 22 (Ms. Germain                   
Brazil:                 Div 13 (M. Constant)                       
England:         Div 6 (M. Klim)               
Netherlands:      Div 17 (Mme Bonneau)
France:               Div 5 & 7 (Mme Piper &  Mme Sawatzky)       
Norway:                Div 19, 20 & 21 (Mr. Goerke, Mr. McTaggart, Mrs. Spindlove)
Germany:          Div 1 & 10 (Mrs. Finch & Mr. Baruta)       
Russia:             Div 18 (Mlle Klassen)
Greece:              Div 14 (M. Bowley)               
Switzerland:      Div 16 (Mme Perron)
Italy:                   Div 8 & 9 (Mr. Richards & Mrs. Baruta)       
Togo:                       Div 15 (M. Cervo)
Jamaica:             Div 11 & 12 (M. Hazlewood & Mme Longpré)   
Ukraine:            Office Staff
Japan:                 Div 4 (M. Marshall)               
Korea:        Div 2 & 3 (Mrs. Reimer, Mrs. Sookachoff, Mr.Schmor)
Liechtenstein:     Learning Services Team
Olympic Corner:  Ms. Jurcic

Teachers would greatly appreciate parents sending in any artifacts, brochures, pictures, posters, flags, etc. that represent the "adopted" countries of the Olympics.  This would help in putting together displays in the classrooms for the World Fair.  Please be sure to label clearly, with a name, any items that are sent in.                 
Students who want to sign up for the Olympic Chess Tournament, please see Mr. Glum.

Abbotsford Heat Tickets
Once again, due to the generosity of Vedder Transport, we have one set of 4 tickets up for draw.  One lucky student will be able to treat him/herself and their family/friends to the January 22, 2010 game.  Please fill out the bottom portion and return to the office no later than the morning of Tuesday, January 19th..  Winning tickets will be announced at lunch on January 19th.

Student Name: _______________________________________        Div: _________





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January 28, 2010



Upcoming Dates to Note
Jan 28    Late French Immersion Info Mtg-6:30 pm
Jan 29    Rice Raiser
Feb 1        Babysitting Course Starts
Feb 19    Pro-D (NO SCHOOL)
Mar 1-12    Spring Break

Student Attendance
Just a reminder to call the office at 604-852-9616 or email Joanne_McMillan@sd34.bc.ca or Donna_Hollanti@sd34.bc.ca if your child is absent or late.  Also, remind your child to sign in at the office when arriving late.  These practices will prevent unnecessary phone calls home and to the teachers during class time.

Late French Immersion Information Evening Tonight
This evening one of our major programs at this school will be highlighted through an information meeting for prospective new students in September.  Late French Immersion staff will host students presently in Grade 5 and their parents starting at 6:30 pm tonight (i.e. Thursday, January 28th) to inform them about the program, answer questions and accept registrations.  Late French Immersion was introduced to the Abbotsford School District almost 20 years ago and has provided hundreds of students the opportunity to gain fluency in French language.  Having facility in our country's second official language has opened many doors for these students and provided them with numerous unique opportunities.       

Wolves Athletics
With only two regular season games remaining the grade 8 boys basketball team still remains undefeated.  At this point it looks as though they should complete their season with a perfect record of 11-0.  As long as the boys don’t get too nonchalant they should be able to sweep the league this year in both regular and post season play. If they are able to do so they will be able to represent our community in an invitational Provincial championships to be held at Pitt Meadows Secondary in early March. As for the Grade 8 girls, they remain 1 game above .500 with only two games remaining as well. Their improved performance and competitive play have made them an increasingly tough opponent. In grade 7 basketball, the boys continue to receive much needed play either in their league or during exhibition games against other clubs that Mr. Dudzik and Mr. Klammer have set up. The Grade 7 girls, coached by Mr. Bidal,  are doing very well! Their record stands at an impressive 3 -1 with their only loss coming at the hands of Howe Middle. All indications are that they will be a team to be reckoned with in post season play.  At this point we are looking for grade 6 boys and girls basketball coaches to run the teams after spring break (for 4-6 weeks). If you are interested in this, please contact Mr. Baruta at CDGMS.

Spaghetti Bridge Building Competition Results
All Abbotsford middle schools were represented at the competition. A total of 16 teams were at Abbey Arts. This was the 4th year the event has been held. The inaugural title belongs to Abby Virtual, with the next two years belonging to Abby Middle. This year, Abby Middle was favoured to win again, as their representatives created an engineering marvel - not one, but two gorgeous bridges. All teams were given 900 grams of spaghetti, a hot melt glue gun, and two sticks of glue. The bridges had to have a minimum deck span of 500 mm, a width of 50 mm, and a height of 10 mm. The bridges must be able to hold a load of 1 kg for 60 seconds in order to qualify. All bridges that qualify, then get placed in order of their total mass. In other words, the winner of the event is the team with the lightest bridge that can hold a load of 1 kg for 60 seconds.
                       
Our two teams had bridges that were a little on the heavy side. The lightest bridges in the competition weighed in at the 70 to 80 grams range, while the heaviest were in the high 200's (almost 300 in one case). Our two bridges weighed in at around 160 to 180 grams. Needless to say, all the heavier bridges held the weight with no problems. One of the heavier bridges was so strong, it could have held up a small elephant. Just to give you an idea as to how delicate the light bridges are, 20 spaghetti strands     weigh in at 16 grams! And the glue isn't light, either.
                       
The organizers weigh all the bridges first and then start the load test with the heaviest bridges first. When it came to our grade 6 team, all looked well. 25 or so seconds into the load test, the bridge  collapsed. Our hearts stopped for a moment and our jaws dropped, as there was no sign of bending or creaking sounds. It just flat out broke. So disappointing too, as the design was totally awesome. The bridge could have held twice the required weight.   The biggest mistake the 6'ers made was they built the main section about 1/2 an inch too short. The whole structure was held up by end pieces that were too weak.

Our grade 8 team built a bridge that wasn't all too pretty or symmetrical. It looked like it would snap in an instant. As soon as the load was applied, the bridge bent right away and it looked like it was all over. Well, the bridge gods were kind to them as it made it past the required 60 seconds. A few more seconds and it would have definitely snapped. At this point, we were in 3rd place with 5 bridges to go. We knew it was over, because two of the lightest bridges left in the competition were built by the two time champions from Abby Middle. Well, to keep an already long story short, the remaining bridges all broke. Chief Danners came in third place! We received our bronze medals, a plaque, and bragging rights. Next year, we are going to "rock the competition," according to the grade 6's. One of them told me they will be working on a better design for the next 364-1/4 days to ensure a gold medal victory in next year's competition.

Chief Dan George 2010 Olympic Games
In 14 days Chief Dan will be hosting its own Olympic Opening Ceremony to kick off what will be an exciting 2 week Olympic Theme.  This is a reminder that parents and guests are invited to the following activities:
Opening Ceremony: Friday, February 12, 1010 @ 1:15 pm in the Gymnasium
World Fair: Friday, February 26, 2010 between 10:15 am and 11:45 am throughout the school
Closing Ceremony: Friday, February 26, 2010 @ 1:30 pm

Student of the Month
Congratulations to Wendy T. for being named our Kiwanis Grade 8 Student of the Month for January.  Wendy is an outstanding academic student who has a fabulous work ethic and achieves at a high level.  She frequently volunteers to assist other students and her teachers during class, at lunch and after school.  Wendy is a top performing member of our school band and is viewed by her peers and the staff as kind and considerate.  Wendy is also one of 12 top mathematics students in our Grade 8 program who successfully challenged Mathematics 8 and has the opportunity to obtain credit in Mathematics 9 through an on line course from Mouat Secondary for the second half of this school year.  Well done Wendy!

Did you know?  10 facts about healthy living …
  1. Only about 10 percent of the fossil fuel energy used in the world's food system is used in production; the other 90 percent goes into packaging, transporting and marketing. Buying local food is good for our local economy and our environment.
  2. Fruits and vegetables are great sources of potassium which helps regulate fluids and helps to maintain normal blood pressure. Include bananas, sweet potatoes, avocados and cantaloupes in your diet.
  3. Chocolate is good for you. It contains antioxidants that may help prevent cholesterol from sticking to artery walls and flavonoids that may provide disease-preventing benefits. However, it also contains fat and calories so enjoy in moderation.
  4. Food preparation is a great family activity. In addition to learning an important skill, family members can learn about healthy eating, different cultures, cooperation and the importance of proper sanitation.
  5. Recent studies show that the older a child gets, the less likely he is to get the recommended amounts of physical activity necessary for good health. Help children and youth of all ages engage in fun physical activities.
  6. Skim milk has the same nutritional value that whole milk has, with less fat.
  7. Many children are watching television while eating their evening meal. Studies have shown that overweight children eat more meals in front of the TV, compared with normal-weight children.
  8. Physical activity boosts mental performance by increasing the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the brain.
  9. Children who eat breakfast are less likely to miss class, be tardy or report that they are sick than those who miss the morning meal.
  10. Be aware of portion sizes. If you eat out, share large portions with friends and family. It makes sense health-wise and saves money.
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/successful family/Nutrition%20&%20Wellness/nwdidukw.htm

Youth Care Worker News
The Abbotsford Youth Commission (AYC) will be returning to Chief Dan to run their Just 4 Girls and Guys Alive program. Just 4 Girls and Guys Alive is a free program for grade 6,7, or 8's 1 lunch hour a week for 10 weeks at our school. Just 4 Girls is a program for girls helping them navigate the rocky road through adolescence while maintaining their self esteem. Guys Alive is a fun and interactive program for boys, designed to help them develop the skills for a healthy and active lifestyle. Both of these groups are filled with fun and exciting activities, with a pizza party at the end. If you would like to join please see Jennifer Schlese in room 116A for forms. The groups will be starting February  9th and 11th. The AYC will be here on Thursday , February  4th  at lunch in the MPR promoting the program.

Aboriginal News
 We kick started the year off with making delicious Bannock again.  Thank you to Cyndi Orth from the Aboriginal Centre for coming in and presenting to the students.  It was delicious!! Our next Cultural Presentation will be on February 22nd and 23rd where we will be making Dreamcatchers. Sign up in Jennifer's room if you are interested. Information was sent home regarding the Family Gathering on February 4th and the Pow Wow in April.  Check out the link on the website for more information on these and  upcoming events. www.cdgms.com

Rice Raiser
For a few weeks, since the return from Christmas break, the school has been raising rice and money for the poorer people of different communities. With a goal for $2000 and 2000 kg of rice, we've encouraged students to bring rice and money in whenever they decide. We're halfway to our goal, with around 1000 from each category.
As well as raising money and rice, the grade 8 classes are participating in a 22.5 hour famine. From 6:00 pm on Thursday, January 28th until 4:30 pm on Friday, January 29th. The grade 8s participating in the famine are asked not to eat anything. They may drink water or juice, but should not eat unless it causes them to feel faint or unwell.   Help support the Rice Raiser. Aidez nous à donner au differentes personnes du monde, donner la joie et la nourriture!

Babysitting Course
We have a few seats left for the babysitting course which starts next Monday. Registration forms are in the office.

Jazz Band
On Tuesday, February 16th,  the grade 7 and 8 jazz bands along with the school choir will be performing a concert at 12:30 pm at ARC, the Olympic Site Venue for Abbotsford.  Everyone is welcome to come along and support the groups.  We are also going to be watching the Russian Figure Skaters practice on the the ice before our concert.

Chess
Ten students represented Chief Dan George at the Scholastic Chess tournament in New Westminster this past weekend. We had the biggest team in the tournament and three of our student won medals. Bryce D. won silver, Merrick P. won Silver and Kevin W. won Gold. Others who participated were Logan W., Reuben N., Jacob W., Taylor S., Maysah W.,  and James C. Congratulations to the whole team for their fine showing. WELL DONE BOYS!!!!
See Mr. Glum about signing up now for the coming CDG Olympic chess tournament beginning Monday, February 15th.

Abbotsford Heat Tickets
Once again, due to the generosity of Vedder Transport, we have one set of 4 tickets up for draw.  One lucky student will be able to treat him/herself and their family/friends to the February 5, 2010 game.  Please fill out the bottom portion and return to the office no later than the morning of Tuesday, February 2nd.  Winning tickets will be announced at lunch on February 2nd.


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February 11, 2010

Upcoming Dates to Note
Feb 19 - Pro-D (NO SCHOOL)
Feb 22-26 - Gr. 7 FSA’s
Mar 1-12 - Spring Break
Mar 19 - Term 2 Report Cards Issued
Mar 23 - Gr. 8’s to Mouat for Orientation

District Pro D - NO SCHOOL
Next Friday, February 19th will be a District Wide Professional Development Day.  Most staff will be attending the annual Shared Learning Conference sponsored by the District and held at Rick Hansen Secondary and Eugene Reimer Middle School.  No classes will be held on that day.

Grade 8 Students Begin Transition Activities in Mid March
We will begin formal transition activities for our Grade 8 students soon after we return from Spring Break.  On Tuesday afternoon, March 23rd our Grade 8 students will spend the afternoon at Mouat Secondary School receiving an orientation from Mouat counsellors and receiving a tour of the school from Mouat Leadership students. On the following Tuesday, March 30th Mouat counsellors will come to our school and assist our Grade 8 students with September course selection. This year course selection will be done online in our library computer lab.

Term Two Reporting
Spring Break is taking place early this year.  Term 2 assessing will close at the end of February.  Term two reports will be issued on the Friday of the first week back from Spring Break (i.e. March 19th).

CDG Olympic Opening Ceremony
Friday, February 12, 2010 @ 12:45 pm
A group of special guest performers will be at the Opening Ceremony which has been changed to 12:45 pm.  Parents and other guests should be in their seats by 12:45 pm so that we can then start our Parade of Nations.  Please join us in celebrating the beginning of our own School Wide Olympic Theme.

CDG Students in National Anti-Racism Video Competition Finals
2 groups of French 8 students find themselves in the finals for the "Racism. Stop It!" National Video Competition, with the winning group heading to Ottawa as VIPs during the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21st. You can help these groups win by logging on to YouTube and giving their videos a 5-star rating. The 2 finalists' videos are entitled "Diversity is Delicious" and "We're all in this together". Follow this link: www.youtube.com/user/march21mars
and vote as often as possible for these two groups because the voting ends Sunday, February 14th.

Jazz Band Performance
On Tuesday, February 16th,  the grade 7 and 8 jazz bands along with the school choir will be performing a concert at 12:30 pm at ARC, the Olympic Site Venue for Abbotsford.  Everyone is welcome to come along and support the groups.  We are also going to be watching the Russian Figure Skaters practice on the the ice before our concert.

Rice Raiser 2010 Campaign
"I choose to be part of a generation that changes hunger because I don't want to belong to one that did nothing while millions of people died of hunger."
- comment by Chief Dan Middle School Student

Chief Dan George just finished it's third Rice Raiser campaign and the results are staggering. As a school we raised over 1000 kilograms of rice for the Abbotsford Foodbank, and $2,563 dollars for our overseas projects in India, Uganda, Burundi, Guatemala, and Haiti. Most of the projects were matched $3-1 by the Canadian Government. What an amazing impact we can have in so many lives!  Thank you for your generosity!
On January 28th, the grade 8's participated in a famine in attempt to raise awareness for global hunger. Thanks to the special guests and teachers who made this day possible! A special thanks to Paul Lilly for cooking a delicious dinner after the famine for our hungry grade 8's! What an excellent Rice Raiser campaign!

Wolves Athletics
The grade 8 basketball season has come to an end for the girls. After advancing past the first round on Monday afternoon with an impressive victory over MEI, the girls played the best game of their season against Howe. Unfortunately, the girls were unable to defeat them and due to a single knock out tournament had their season end. Congratulations to all the girls who represented CDGMS this season. We would also like to thank volunteer parent coach, Mr. Jasbir Singh for his time and experience in developing the team. As for the boys, they are headed to the Semi-finals Wednesday afternoon. After having a BYE in the first round they easily defeated Clayburn on Tuesday. If the boys advance after Wednesday, they will be playing in the final on Saturday morning at Howe! Good luck to them!  The grade 7 boys and girls will wrap up league play next week and will have their District tournament at the end of February.

Annual Talent Show
One of the many long standing traditions at Chief Dan George Middle School is our annual Talent Show.  Each year over one hundred students audition for the opportunity to present their talents in the area of fine arts.  Between 30 and 40 students are then selected to present to students and staff at an afternoon assembly. Next week auditions for selection will take place.  This year's Talent Show will take place on Friday afternoon, April 9th.

Art Starts
Each year the school provides students with high level fine arts performances in our school gymnasium through the Abbotsford Art Starts program.  On Wednesday afternoon, March 24th we will be treated to a performance from INFINITUS a group of talented musicians.

Nutrition
Your child's nutrition is important to his/her overall health. Proper nutrition can also prevent many medical problems, including becoming overweight, developing weak bones, and developing diabetes. It will also ensure that your child physically grows to their full potential.
The best nutrition advice to keep your adolescent healthy includes encouraging them to:
    - Eat a variety of foods and balance the food they eat with physical activity
    - Choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables and fruits
    - Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol
    - Choose a diet moderate in sugars and salt
    - Choose a diet that provides enough calcium and iron to meet their growing body's requirements.
You can also help promote good nutrition by setting a good example. Healthy eating habits and regular exercise should be a regular part of your family's life. It is much easier if everyone in the house follows these guidelines, than if your child has to do it alone. You should also buy low-calorie and low fat meals, snacks and desserts, low fat or skim milk and diet drinks. Avoid buying high calorie desserts or snacks, such as snack chips, regular soft drinks or regular ice cream.
The Canadian Food Guide was designed to inform Canadians of daily nutritional requirements. The main emphasis of the Food Guide is on the five major food groups, all of which are required for good health. It also emphasizes that foods that include a lot of fats, oils and sweets should be used very sparingly.
The Food Guide shows a range of servings for each food group. How much you actually eat depends on your age and activity level. School age boys and girls require about 1600 to 2400 calories each day, depending on their age and activity level. Once they hit their growth spurt, girls require an additional 200 calories and boys 500 calories. School age children will therefore require between the low and middle range of servings. Children who are overweight and dieting should at least eat the lowest range of servings.
We know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and that good nutrition is the foundation of a healthy body - you really are what you eat.  Food is more than just nutrition: its fun!  Playing in the kitchen is one of the best ways to fall in love with food.  Encourage your children to be curious, to ask questions and to experiment in the kitchen creating both nutritional and delicious meals that are personal to your own families food preferences. 
Below is a tasty recipe to help your child begin their culinary search for nutritional but tasty dishes.  This is a snap to prepare and a delight to devour!  Serve it warm over basmati rice or with pita bread and plain yogurt on the side.  Nutritionally this dish is high in protein, fiber and low in fats.

Mediterranean Chickpea Stew - Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 Medium Leeks
Zest of 1 organic lemon and 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Coriander, ground
1 tsp Cumin Ground
1 tsp Fennel Seed ground
1  tsp Sea Salt
1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 - 15 oz can Organic Diced Tomatoes with their juices
1 - 14 oz can Organic Garbanzo Beans (chickpeas) rinsed and drained
12 Kalamata Olives pitted and chopped
Pita Bread or Hot Cooked Organic Millet or Basmati Rice
1 - 2 oz Feta Cheese broken into small pieces

Origami Club News
The Origami Club started last week. It is a very informal gathering of those students who are interested in the ancient art of Japanese paper folding. Gatherings are held every Monday at lunch. Students bring their lunch and spend time being one with the paper. Paper and books with instructions are provided. Everyone is welcome. Come once or come weekly. There's no strict rules for being in the club. Good behaviour and calm is expected. Peace and tranquility is required, as paper cannot be folded properly any other way.

Gardening Club
Starting up in March.  Students, parents and staff, if you have a green thumb or just enjoy planting flowers, this is your opportunity to make our school a more beautiful place to learn. Contact Mr. Glum for more information.

Lost
One of our students has misplaced her clarinet and is offering a financial reward for its safe return.
     Jupiter 631 NMT
    Serial #G72576
The case is rectangular and black with her name on the case in big black letters (Stephanie B___). Please contact our school office if you have seen this item. Thank you.

Abbotsford Heat Tickets - Final Draw
Once again, due to the generosity of Vedder Transport, we have two sets of 4 tickets up for draw.  Two lucky students will be able to treat him/herself and their family/friends to the March 5th and March 12th , 2010 game.  Please fill out the bottom portion and return to the office no later than the morning of Tuesday, March 2nd.  Winning tickets will be announced at lunch on March 2nd.


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February 26, 2009

Upcoming Dates to Note
Feb 22-26 - Gr. 7 FSA’s
Mar 1-12 - Spring Break
Mar 19 - Term 2 Report Cards Issued
Mar 23 - Gr. 8’s to Mouat for Orientation

PAC Meeting
The next PAC meeting  will take place tonight, February 25th at 7:00 pm  in our school library.

Second Term Report Card Issue
Second term reports will be issued at the end of the first week back from Spring Break. Students will receive their report card from their homeroom teacher prior to dismissal on Friday, March 19th.

Wolves Athletics
Grade 8 Boys Basketball - Fraser Valley Champions!
After an undefeated season and an Abbotsford/Mission league championship victory, our Grade 8 boys basketball team went into the Fraser Valley championship tournament as the #1 seed. They defeated Delview in the first game 79-33 to move into the quarterfinals against MEI where our boys were victorious 67-27. The win against MEI took our boys into the semifinal game where they defeated Walnut Grove by a score of 65-50. The semifinal win vaulted our boys into the championship final, Monday evening, against the #2 seed from Delta. The game was fast-paced and high-scoring and our boys played an intense, up-tempo game coming out on the winning end of a 74-56 score. Corey H. was named tournament MVP, while 1st team All-Star awards went to Tristan E. and Arshdeep G. Next up for our boys is the Grade 8 Provincial tournament in Pitt Meadows from March 4 - 6, 2010.

Grade 8 High School Transition
On the first day back after Spring Break (i.e. Monday, March 15th) Grade 8 students will receive an information/permission letter to attend an afternoon orientation meeting at W.J. Mouat Secondary on Tuesday, March 23rd.  Students will meet with Mouat counselling staff and receive a tour of the school from the Student Leadership Team. The following Tuesday, March 30th our Grade 8 students attending Mouat next September will then do on line course selection in our Library computer lab.

Picking Up Students
Just a quick reminder that if you need to pick up your child early during the school day due to illness or for an appointment or other reason, you must come into the office to sign him/her out. At that point we will locate the student and call down to the office. For safety/security reasons we wish to discourage non staff members from being in the halls or interrupting classes. Thank you.

Maple Man Comes to Chief Dan George Middle
Our school will be hosting a cultural event on the first day back after Spring Break. On Monday, March 15th The Maple Man will present to many of our students through the day. The presentation concludes with an opportunity for students participating to enjoy an authentic maple syrup treat.

Den Closure
Please note that Thursday, April 1st  is the last day our Den lunch program (in the Home Ec Room) will be in operation for this school year. Due to scheduling conflicts, Mr. Lilly will have a class in the room during Block 4 when the lunches are normally prepared, we have no choice but to close until next year.  Our Canteen (in the MPR) will remain open.  If your child has a credit or credits still left on his/her Den Card  after closing day a refund cheque will be mailed to you.  Thank you for your participation in this program.

Presale - School Yearbooks
Our Yearbook Club is in the process of producing a fabulous permanent record of this year's experience at Chief Dan George Middle School.  It will be a hard-cover, full color production of extremely high quality and can be purchased for $25. Pre-sale of yearbooks will commence after Spring Break - see Mrs. Hollanti in the office if you're interested. The Yearbooks will arrive in the school for handing out towards the middle of June.

Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA)
All grade 7 students have completed the Ministry of Education 2010 Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA).  Once the written results have been submitted to the Ministry of Education, the school will be able to print results for individual students.  Our hope is to be able to send FSA results home with the Second Term Report cards.

YCW News   
The Abbotsford Youth Commission is now running their Just 4 Girls and Guys  Alive program at Chief Dan.  There are still spots available for those students wishing to join.  Just 4 Girls is held every Tuesday in the library Classroom and Guys Alive is held every Thursday in Mr. Baruta's Class at lunch. This program is open to all students.  Anyone wishing for more information can see Jennifer in Room 116A.

Drag Racing News
Chief Dan George Middle School's drag racing team will be looking to recruit 5 grade six students for the upcoming racing season. We will hold an informational meeting at lunch on the first Wednesday back from Spring Break.
Our drag racing team over the years has been very successful, winning championship titles in each year we have competed at Mission Raceway Park with the BCSSMA (BC Secondary School Motorsports Association). All students interested in joining will be asked to fill in an aptitude test. Home room teachers will also be consulted as part of the process. Please note that we are not looking for any grade seven or eight students, as those positions have been filled.

February Kiwanis - Student of the Month
Congratulations to Alexa Reimer for being named our Kiwanis Grade 8 Student of the Month for February.  Alexa is heavily involved in the culture of the school. She played a significant leadership role in our recent Student Leadership Rice Raiser.  Alexa is a very talented musician and dancer.  She has an outstanding work ethic, a fabulous disposition and is an excellent citizen of the school.  Further, Alexa is an outstanding student receiving  straight "A" standing in her courses.  Well done Alexa!

Sodium & Kids
Most kids eat more sodium (salt) than they need.  Consuming too much sodium is linked to health problems such as increased blood pressure.  This condition is typically diagnosed in adults but many doctors are starting to see high blood pressure in children.  Eating too much salt can also increase a child's thirst, leading to increased cravings for sweet drinks which are often high in calories.
The majority of salt we eat is hidden in processed foods such as canned goods, salty snack foods, fast foods and cured deli meats. Hot dogs and pizza, the favourites of many children, are high sodium culprits. To increase your awareness on sodium intake pay attention to labels on packaged foods and choose those lower in sodium. Adults are recommended to have no more than 2300mg per day and for children aged 6 -13 years, 1900-2200mg per day is maximum.  Getting into the habit of tasting food before reaching for the salt shaker helps to reduce the amount of salt added to cooking or at the table.  Alternatives such as herbs, spices and lemon add wonderful flavour without the sodium.
Think “fresh, fresh, fresh!”  One of the best ways to minimize the sodium content is to prepare fresh foods at home as much as possible.

Talent Show 2010 Update
Thanks to all of the 115 students who came out to audition for the Talent Show last week. The final list has now been posted outside room 117.
For the students that have been selected there will be a very important dress rehearsal on Thursday, April 8th right after school in the gym. All of the selected students must attend. The Talent Show will be on Friday, April 9, 2010. Please stay posted for time. I am looking forward to another great Talent Show. I am so fortunate to work with such talented students here at Chief Dan George.  Mlle Perron

Aboriginal News
This week we had Cheryl Havens come in and teach the grade 6, 7 and 8 First Nations students about the history of the dream catcher.  Each student who participated was able to create their own unique dream catcher.  A big thank you to Cheryl for coming in and presenting to our students.  Another big thank you to the Aboriginal Educational Centre for opening their doors and giving some of our Aboriginal students an opportunity to participate in the Healthy Living Program.  This month they featured Harley Chappell, a mentor and instructor in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Students received a cultural presentation on the drum and made pins representing the 4 directions and then had an opportunity to try Brazilian jiu jitsu. Stay tuned for more information on next months Healthy Living Day! Mark your calendars for March 26, 2010 - our next adventure is to the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Cleveland Dam. Field trip forms went home this week and parent volunteers are always welcome, please contact Jennifer for more information or check out our website at www.cdgms.com. 

The Reach's Discovery Run/Walk - April 25
The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford has launched a new event for Spring  2010– The Reach Discovery Run.  This 5k run/walk or 10k run takes advantage of the beautiful City of Abbotsford Discovery Trail to help raise funds to support The Reach’s exhibitions, archives and programming.  Set for Sunday, April 25th at 9:00 am, runners, walkers, families and arts and heritage supporters can come out and take part in this new event to support the cultural centre of Abbotsford.   
Register online at runningroom.com or register in person at any Running Room location or The Reach.  All participants will receive a t-shirt, refreshments and be entered for great prizes.   As well, age category winners will receive Running Room and Spaghetti Factory gift certificates. 

Origami
Origami club will be on Tuesdays at lunch from now on. There was a conflict with choir rehearsals on Mondays.

CDG 2010 Olympics
It has been an exciting two weeks at Chief Dan George celebrating our very own School Wide Olympic Games.  We started off with  exciting Opening Ceremonies and then continued the following two weeks with a variety of Olympic Events in which students represented their Adopted Countries in a effort to win Olympic medals.  The end is now approaching and we are in the final stages of our Olympic Celebration.  We will bring the CDG 2010 Olympic Games to a close on Friday, February 26, 2010 with two special events.  The first will be a World Fair in which students, staff and parents will get to travel the world by viewing the different displays set up in classrooms.  With them they will carry their own Olympic Passport and collect stamps from each country.  The World Fair will be held from 10:30 - 11:30 am.  Finally, we will bring the Games an end with a Closing Ceremonies from 12:45 - 2:00 pm.  Parents, siblings and other guests are welcome to join us for both the World Fair and the Closing Ceremonies.


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March 18, 2010


Upcoming Dates to Note
Mar 19 - Term 2 Report Cards Issued
Mar 23 - Gr. 8’s to Mouat for Orientation
Apr 1 - Last day for DEN
Apr 2 - Good Friday  (NO SCHOOL)
Apr 5 - Easter Monday (NO SCHOOL)
Apr 6 - Nights of Music - 7:00 pm @ Abbey Arts
Apr 23 - PRO-D (NO SCHOOL)

Term two report card issued on Friday, March 19
Homeroom teachers will issue second term report cards to students on Friday afternoon March 19.  There are no formal interviews scheduled for this reporting period. However, parents are welcome to contact their child's teachers regarding concerns.

Grade 8 transition begins next Tuesday, March 23rd
At the beginning of the week all Grade 8 students were provided with an information/permission letter regarding a visitation to Mouat Secondary next Tuesday afternoon, March 23rd.  Our Grade 8 students will receive an orientation from Mouat's counseling staff that will include information about course selection for the next school year.  Student leadership students at Mouat will also provide our students with a tour of their school.  We would ask that you ensure that the permission portion of the letter that was sent home is signed and returned to the school by next Tuesday morning, March 23rd so that we are in a position to transport your child to and from Mouat on that afternoon.

Significant Achievement in Extracurricular Sports
Just before and during Spring Break our Grade 8 boys basketball team accomplished something that no other team in the nine year history of this school has ever done.  This group of talented athletes won the Grade 8 boys Fraser Valley Championships and then competed at the provincial level finishing fifth out the sixteen teams that were entered.  The Fraser Valley zone encompasses Surrey, Delta, Langley, Abbotsford and Chilliwack where over 60 teams compete at this level.  Congratulations to all the members of the team and to coaches M Klim and M Cervo, who did a masterful job in supporting our boys this year. Special congratulations to three players. Corey H. was named M.V.P. of the Fraser Valley tournament and second team all star at the provincial tournament.  Tristan E. was named first team all star at both the Fraser Valley tournament and the provincial tournament.  Arshdeep G. was named first team all star at the Fraser Valley tournament.

CPF/PAC Fundraiser
There will be NO PAC meeting this month. Our next PAC meeting is slated for Thursday, April 15th  at 7:00  pm.
Canadian Parents for French (CPF) has their next meeting at Margaret Stenersen Elementary on Wednesday, March 23rd at 7:00 pm.   CPF, a national volunteer organization, supports french language instruction at all levels in our public school system. All parents of students are welcome to join us.
Canadian Parents for French Abbotsford Chapter is fund-raising for the current school year and have offered all Abbotsford French Immersion school PAC's an opportunity to join them. CPF and school PAC's volunteer their time and effort to support our children throughout their school lives and this fund-raiser is an opportunity to support both groups for our children. This year the CPF and our CDG PAC are offering a customizable notepad fund-raiser. CPF will benefit from sales coming from French Immersion classes and our school PAC will benefit from sales coming from the English track classes.
Beginning next week on March 22nd we will be sending out forms for parents and students to design notepads in French or English for personal use or as gifts for friends and family. Lots of opportunities for upcoming Mother's day and Father's day gift-giving. Notepads will be available for distribution just before the Easter holiday.   Greg Nutchey, Chief Dan George PAC President, Cell: 604-614-2751

Reminder - Yearbook Pre-Sale
Yearbooks are currently on sale in the office - $25.00 each. Please note that yearbooks will arrive and be distributed at end of June.

Chess Success
Kevin W., Tiger Z, James C. and Dominic B represented Chief Dan George at the Fraser Valley Chess Tournament. The team won third place. They were led by Tiger who had 3.5 points and Kevin with 3 points. Well done boys!

Den Closing
Just a reminder that Thursday, April 1st  is the last day our Den lunch program (in the Home Ec Room) will be in operation for this school year.  Please encourage your child to take advantage of the last few weeks left.  If your child has credits still left on his/her Den Card  after closing day a refund cheque will be mailed to you.  If you wish to know how many credits are left on the card, please contact Mrs. Hollanti, in the office.

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April 1, 2010

Upcoming Dates to Note
Apr 2 - Good Friday  (NO SCHOOL)
Apr 5 - Easter Monday (NO SCHOOL)
Apr 6 - Nights of Music - 7:00 pm @ Abbey Arts
Apr 23 - PRO-D (NO SCHOOL)

Happy Easter!
Best wishes from the staff at Chief Dan George Middle School for a restful and joyful Easter long weekend.

Wolves Athletics
As of last week, rugby season officially began for middle schools in Abbotsford. CDGMS was able to enter a girls team into the league this year under the coaching of parent volunteer Mr. Vaughn Krilow.  Mr. Krilow brings 19 years of experience to the table and it has already shown in the first game of the season. Last week, the CDGMS Wolves easily defeated the Clayburn Cougars at Clayburn with a score of 15-5. Hailey G. scored 3 Tries to aid in the defeat. What is even more impressive about this is that Clayburn has been practicing for over a month and the wolves have had only 5 practices. This has been a very impressive start to what appears to be an exciting rugby season. Congratulations to all the girls who joined the team. In other athletics news, the grade 6 basketball season also begins this week. The boys team is coached by Mr. Ken Marshall, while the girls are being co-coached by teachers Mr. Bruce Schmor and Mrs. Jennifer Baruta. All three coaches are impressed by the eagerness and numbers of the players that attend all practices.  Game days are every Wednesday from 3:00-4:00 pm. Finally, track season is around the corner. Our annual school track meet is schedule for Friday, May 14th. Regular track and field practices will commence in the early weeks of April. Stay tuned for a complete schedule!

District Public Speaking Competitions
Each spring the School District sponsors a public speaking competition for both French Immersion and English students.  This year our French Immersion students will be competing on Thursday, April 1st at the Matsqui Auditorium.  Late French 6 and 7 school finalists, along will Early French 6 school finalists, will compete in the afternoon on April 1st. The District's Modern Languages Department is covering the busing costs to allow the students in these programs and grades an opportunity to see the finalists in action. The evening of April 1st will be devoted to a competition with the Early French 7 and the French 8 students.  In the English track there will regional competitions taking place for school finalists on Monday, April 12th for Grade 6 and 7 and Tuesday, April 13th for Grade 8.

April PAC Meeting
The next PAC meeting is scheduled for the evening of Thursday, April 15th  at 7:00 pm.   PAC President Mr. Greg Nutchey is encouraging parents to attend.  Mr. Nutchey will be passing the reigns of leadership on to others at the end of this school year and would like to begin that process as we get closer to the end of June.

Late French Immersion Registration Filling Up
Did you notice the amount of French used in the Winter Olympics? Do you value multi-culturalism and world languages? If you have a child currently in a Grade 5 regular English track class, we may have a program for him/her.  It is not too late to have him/her gain a fluency in French - by way of the Late French Immersion program.  This two-year intensive French Immersion program (for grades 6 and 7)  takes students with little to no knowledge of French to being able to join with the regular French Immersion students in just two years.  We currently have space for a handful more students who might be up for this challenge.  Register soon as spaces are filling up.  We look forward to answering any questions you may have about Late French Immersion.

Fraser Valley Regional Science Fair 2010
This years Science Fair was held at the UFV campus in Abbotsford, and was again a great success!  We had 7 students from Mr. Klim’s, Mme. Piper and Madame Sawatzky’s class competing in this year’s Fair.  We are very proud of each of their accomplishments and happy to report that each student that participated came home with an award.  Congratulations to all the Grade 6 students for an excellent job and for the tremendous job of representing our school!   Mr. Klim wants to especially thank those students for all their hard work and for their conduct while at the Science Fair.  He would also like to thank the parents that came out and supported their children and for their help with supervision.  We hope that you continue developing your talents in Science!
*  Erika S. and Una T. -  $50  Abacus Dental Award   
*  Evan H. and Merrick P.M. - $50 FVRSF Innovators Award
*  Carson S. and  Zach T. - $75 Abbotsford Administrators Award
*  Janae G. - $50 Canadian Parents for French Award

Congratulations to Tary J. for being named our Kiwanis Grade 8 Student of the Month for March. Tary has been nominated by her teachers because of her contributions to the school, her fabulous work ethic and great attitude.  She has been heavily involved in the Student Leadership Public Relations Team and was a key figure in our annual Rice Raiser charity drive.  Tary is goal driven, kind, and a wonderful ambassador of our school.  Well done Tary!

Wolves Racing News
Our season officially begins next Friday, April 9th. Thank you to all 13 grade 6 applicants who came out to try out for the team two weeks ago and congratulations to Riley W., Merrick P., Mariessa P., and Noah M. who have been selected to join the team. Although our racing team remains undefeated, we will again be going head to head with out biggest competitor, Mouat Secondary, which has purchased yet another new dragster. We are going to have to train even harder to stay ahead this year because all of Mouat's drivers are former drivers from CDGMS. We need to perfect a method of teaching our drivers the "tricks of the trade" and have them forget them once they leave our programme. Our main sponsor, Mr. Dan Provost, of New World Technologies, has agreed to train our drivers on how to launch the dragsters properly and will be holding regular clinics (Drag Racing Logistics) at our school. He will even be bringing a full size starting tree to our school to practice with.
For more info on the team and what the programme is all about, please visit our website at:

http://cdgms.com/wolf_racing.htm.

Nights of Music
April 6, 7, &  8, 2009 @ Abbey Arts Theatre @ 7:00 pm
Nights of Music is a wonderful time for schools to share their music with each other and the community.  This an exciting event put on by The Abbotsford Music Educator’s Association and supported by Abbotsford School District.  Not only do students have an opportunity to perform, but they also have the chance to see what other schools are doing.  Each evening features a wonderful variety of groups; recorders, classroom/school choirs, jazz ensembles, handbells, ORFF instruments and  bands . These evenings give the students, parents, and teachers an ideal opportunity to find out what’s happening in their area, as well as help students see what is in store for them once they reach middle and secondary school. 
The $2 audience admission fees supports the AMEA Music Scholarship Fund for Abbotsford Students.  Last year’s recipient was David Hicks of Yale Secondary.  Our congratulations and best wishes go to David, as he pursues his studies in the areas of Music and Education.

Paint-4-Cancer Fundraiser
Our BC Children's Hospital Fundraiser is approaching the halfway point so I would like to take this opportunity to thank you again for your constant support each time our leadership students attempt some new endeavor.  This particular fundraiser is proving to be a valuable teaching tool as our students are learning about larger issues outside of their immediate sphere such as: creating an awareness of the suffering of others, helping others in need, contributing to the community, working without thought of remuneration, and developing ideas around the issues of fear and hope.  This fundraiser benefits our students in so many ways and I hope that you will take advantage of the many teachable moments it offers and have important and meaningful discussions with your kids regarding what we as a school are trying to accomplish.        
This fundraiser will not be as effective if most of the tickets are returned at the end of our allotted time.  Please ask your child if they received tickets and if so, please help them find donors, possibly friends and relatives spending this holiday weekend with you, who are willing to donate to the BC Children's Hospital by purchasing tickets.   We still have three more weeks in which to reach our goal and I am positive with your help and support, we will meet it.    Anyone who wishes to make a donation over twenty dollars, and does not purchase raffle tickets, will receive a tax deduction receipt.  If you plan on using this option, please make your cheque payable to BC Children's Hospital and post date it to April 19th when the fundraiser ends.  The cheques will then be sent in to BCCH, along with a BCCH form, and a tax receipt will be mailed to you.  If you have any further questions regarding this form of donation, please call Donna Hollanti at 604-852-9616.  Thank you for your support.

Annual Talent Show
One of the highlights of our school calendar each year is our annual Talent Show.  Once again this year close to 100 students auditioned for the opportunity to present their skills to the staff and students of CDGMS.  The event will take place on the afternoon of Friday, April 9th with over 40 very talented students singing, dancing or playing instruments.

Origami Club
Because of conflicts with choir practices, we have had to move origami club meetings to Tuesdays at lunch in Mrs. Mitchell's room. Everyone from novices to professionals is welcome to come and have fun folding paper. This is a drop-in club, as students can come and go as they please. Sometimes, the meeting is full and at other times just one or two students attend. Members just have to put up with Mr. Sakai's corny jokes.

8th Annual CDGMS Chess Tournament
Chief Dan George Middle School hosts a rather large chess tournament every year. As the title suggests, this is our 8th. The tournament hosts an average of 200+ players of all ages, from Kindergarten to Grade 12 and is the largest of its kind in the Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley. Tournament participants will be students from schools throughout the province, both public and private, and there will be a lot of parents at our school as well. As with any large event, volunteers are needed to make it a success. If any students are interested in helping out, please see Ms. Jurcic. Volunteers do not have to know anything about playing chess but we do want you to be courteous and friendly. The event is planned for Saturday, May 29th. Mr. Glum, our school chess coach assures us that our school team will do very well at this year's tournament.  For more info, please visit our website at:

http://cdgms.com/chess2010.htm.

School District No. 34-Career and Technical (CTC) Program Open House/Information Meeting
DATE:    Open House Thursday, April 8 @ 6:30 - 8:00 pm
PLACE:  Abbey Arts Addition, 2329 Crescent Way, Abbotsford
Registration opens April 1st - Seats Limited.  For more information contact 604-850-8672
Trades Programs: Automotive Service Technician (UFV), Carpentry (UFV), Culinary (Cascade Culinary School), Electrical (UFV),
Hair Stylist (AC), Heavy Equipment Operator, Horticulture (Kwantlen), Welding (UFV)
Technology Programs: Applied Business Technology - Office Procedures (UFV), Architectural Drafting (UFV)
University Prep: Health Science & Human Services (UFV)

Abbotsford Children's Theatre - Wizard of  Wonderland  by Joseph Robinette
DATE:    April 9th @ 7:00 pm  and April 10th @ 1:00 pm
PLACE:    Matsqui Centennial Threatre, 32315 South Fraser Way, Abbotsford
PRICE:    $10.00 or $11.00 (at the door).  which includes juice and cookies from our Mad Hatter’s Tea Party at intermission. 
Tickets can be purchased at House of Fine Art, United Optical, Tourism Abbotsford, Parks, Recreation & Culture  and The Reach.

Looking for Basement Suite
A parent of a child who will be attending school at CDG in September is looking to rent a basement suite in our area. She needs two bedrooms, bathroom and separate laundry and hopes the rent would be $800 including all utilities. If you have a suite to rent, or know someone in this area who does, please call Helen, 778-982-0571 or 604-756-0571.

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April 15, 2010

Upcoming Dates to Note
Apr 15 - PAC Meeting - 7:00 pm
Apr 23 - Pro-D (NO SCHOOL)
Apr 21-24 - Band trip to Edmonton
May 3 - Middle School Band Night (Band 7 only)
May 10 - Feeder Schools Visit
May 10 -Kiwanis Music Festival (Gr. 8 Jazz Band only)
May 12 - Class Pictures
May 14 - School Wide Track Meet
May  15-22 - Quebec Trip
May 24 - Victoria Day (NO SCHOOL)
May 26 - District Track Meet
May 27 - Gr. 5 Open House
May 31 - June 4 - Camp Zajac
June 21 & 22 - Early Dismissal at 1:22
June 29 - Last day of School/Report Cards Issued

District Pro-D - Friday, April 23
Schools in Abbotsford will not be in session next Friday, April 23rd as this day is a declared District Professional Development Day.  Staff at this school will be involved in a variety of activities that focus on the areas of technology as well as present and future school goals.

April PAC Meeting Tonight, Thursday, April 15th
There is another important meeting tonight, Thursday, April 15th, of the school's PAC.  With some members not returning in September because their child is transitioning to high school it is critical that other parents draw in to support this group’s work.   If you have been thinking about joining this group, now is the time to act.  Every school needs a strong PAC to support its students and staff.  We hope to see you at Thursday evening's meeting.  It is a 7:00 pm start.

School Planning Council Report
Every school in the province is mandated to have a School Planning Council assist in providing input and direction into the school's goals. In recent weeks our S.P.C. has spent time analyzing data, received training in the development of a School Plan and had dialogue about the goal(s) focus for next year.  Our School Plan is required to be filed at the District Office by the middle of May.  Once that has been completed we will use this newsletter to communicate the goal(s) and plans for the school year 2010 - 2011.

Wolves Athletics
A few notes of congratulations to athletes representing CDGMS in the past week. Firstly, our girls rugby team remains undefeated this season with their latest win coming against Howe (in a 26-5 score). Notable players were Gabrielle K. with her strong defensive play, Emma B. with her excellent kicking ability and finally Katie C. with two Tries! Two weeks ago the girls played powerhouse Heritage Park and finished with a 12-12 tie.  This is huge for CDGMS as Heritage Park very rarely loses or even has a close game. Secondly, new to CDGMS this year is a joint training program with Mouat Secondary for a select few of our top Track and Field athletes. Although the athletes train with Mouat they still compete under the Chief Banner. Last Thursday afternoon was the first of three Track and Field Meets. Our athletes must  attend two of the three to qualify for the Upper Fraser Valley's. Should they do well there, they will qualify for the BC High School Track and Field Championships in Burnaby (June 6th). Representing CDGMS this year are Herman Gill, Manveer Dhillon, Sarya Ross, and Hailey Gibson. All four finished first in their events. Well done to all! Finally, grade 6 basketball is in full swing with much hard work and dedication by players on the both the girls and boys teams. Game days for them are every Wednesday  from 3:00-4:00 pm.

Band Trip to Edmonton
Next Wednesday, April 21st, 48 grade 8 band students and six chaperones including Mrs. Spindlove and Mrs. Mills, will be heading to Edmonton, Alberta for their four day trip.  The students will be playing two concerts, one at an elementary school and the other inside of West Edmonton Mall.  They will have time to enjoy the fun activities at the mall including the amusement park or the waterpark and will be going bowling and to see an Imax film.  They will have a great time!  They have worked hard for three full years of band to deserve this trip.  They have prepared 5 concert band pieces and 3 jazz band pieces for their concerts.

Middle School Band Night
On Monday, May 3rd, the grade 7 concert band will be performing at the Middle School Band Night at Abby Arts Centre.  Parents and students are welcome to attend.  This will be an adjudicated event and will help prepare the students for the Kiwanis Music Festival for the end of May. 

Paint-4-Cancer Fundraiser
Our cancer fundraiser is coming to a close and we want to remind you to please have your child return any money/ticket stubs or unsold raffle tickets to us no later than Monday morning, April 19th as our draw will be held that day.   Thank you all so much for your support of this worthwhile project. 

Wolves Racing
April 12, 2010 (April 9th track date)
All week, the weather had been miserable. We even had snow a couple of days ago and high winds of up to 80 km/hr. Forecast for race day was cloudy with some sunny periods and a 40% chance of rain. Temperatures were hovering at the 0 to 3 degrees Celsius mark. It was not looking great on race day, with dark clouds hovering overhead and not much in the way of wind to move them away from the mountains. When we got to the track, it started to snow and hail. It wasn't sticking, but the temperatures were pretty low and the track officials were contemplating calling it off. Cold temperatures are actually great for cars as the air is more dense which translates into faster times, but too cold and traction would become a big issue - no grip and most importantly very dangerous. The sun peaked out a few times and clear skies could be seen in the distance. By 1:00 pm, we thought of going home. We usually stay till about 4 pm. Would two or so hours of racing be worthwhile? We would get a "rain" check (such an appropriate term) for next track date, but having spent the time loading up and looking forward to the first drag racing date, we decided to wait just a bit longer. Good thing, too, as the track officials decided to open up the track. Altogether, there were only three or four school owned cars at the track with a smattering of student owned cars. On the Test and Tune side of things, there weren't a whole lot of cars, either. Because of this, we actually got in quite a few runs for the short period of time we had left. As usual, Molly, our flagship dragster did well. "Chilli", our other dragster, had some carburetor problems. The float bowl kept overflowing, causing fuel to leak all over the motor. By the third round, it was fixed temporarily and it limped through the eighth in a fairly decent time. It was painful to hear the dragster go down the track sputtering like it did. We will definitely be working on getting the problem fixed over the next two weeks. The good news on "Chilli" is that the axle upgrade we did over the winter helped with reducing the vibration problems we had last season. Our Friends from Mouat were nowhere to be seen. The weather was so bad all week that they decided to cut their losses and not come out. That was fine with us, as we got more runs in. Next track date is Friday, April 23rd. At this time, we would like to welcome our latest sponsors to Wolves Racing. Jason Moss and Bike Brewery (mountain bike company) who are joining our long term sponsors, Dan Provost (New World Technologies) and Lordco Auto Parts.We are looking forward to a great partnership with these new sponsors.

Aboriginal News
The Aboriginal Program had a fantastic day at the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Cleveland Dam.  A big thank you to Peggy Janicki, District Teacher from the Ab Ed Centre and our Parent Volunteers who came on the trip.  Also, a big thank you to Philip Gladue,  Metis Elder who came in and did a cultural presentation on Tipi's for the grade 8 Aboriginal Students.  Another thank you goes out to Brittany Smith and Chris Kelly from Bakerview Centre for Learning who came into two grade 7 classes and did a cultural presentation on Button Blankets.  Many creative minds have been at work and some amazing artistic abilities have been illuminated!!  We look forward to our Grouse Mountain Field trip in May and our last few presentations of the year.   A reminder to all students and families about the next Family Gathering -  The First Salmon Ceremony - being held at the Aboriginal Education Centre on April 22, 2010 at 6:00 pm.  Everyone is welcome to attend at no charge. For more details about the program and upcoming events please check out our website at www.cdgms.com under classes, aboriginal program or contact Jennifer Schlese at the school.

Youth Care Worker News
We would like to thank the Abbotsford Youth Commission (AYC) for running their Just 4 Girls and Guys Alive Program at Chief Dan George.  Many students from  grade 6-8 enjoyed the 10 week interactive program at our school.  Stay tuned for more events coming up in May during Youth Week May 3-7.  For more information please feel free to contact Youth Care Worker, Jennifer Schlese at the school.


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April 29, 2010

Upcoming Dates to Note
May 3 - Middle School Band Night (Band 7 only)
May 10 - Feeder Schools Visit
May 10 -Kiwanis Music Festival (Gr. 8 Jazz Band only)
May 12 - Class Pictures
May 14 - School Wide Track Meet
May  15-22 - Quebec Trip
May 17, 18, 19 - Camp Zajac for Div. 11 and 13
May 19, 20, 21 - Camp Zajac for Div. 12, 14 and 18
May 24 - Victoria Day (NO SCHOOL)
May 26 - District Track Meet
May 27 - Gr. 5 Open House - 6:30-7:30 pm
May 31-June 2 - Gr. 8 English Camp
June 21 & 22 - Early Dismissal at 1:22
June 29 - Last day of School/Report Cards Issued

May will be an extremely busy month at CDGMS
Although it is always busy at our middle school the month of May is stacking up as the busiest of the year. There are numerous field trips planned, some for just the day and others for up to one week.  Our annual traditional Quebec Trip experience will involve over sixty students in our French 8 program and will occur in the third week of May. Also during that week we will have students in our Early French and Late French 7 program attend a two and one half day outdoor education experience at Camp Zajac in Mission.  Our English 8 students begin a three day camp experience staring Monday, May 31st.  These events have also become a tradition at the school. Members of our band program will be performing at the Middle School band night at Abby Arts on May 3rd and will compete in Langley in the following week at the Kiwanis band festival.  We have a school wide Track and Field Day scheduled for Friday, May 14th. Our grade 6 boys and girls basketball programs will complete their playday schedules early in the month, our Grade 7/8 girls rugby team will complete the District playoffs in the middle of May and our Track and Field team will represent the school at the District Track and Field event slated for Wednesday, May 26th.  Lifetouch Photography will be here to take class pictures on the morning of May 12th. On that same day we will be hosting a team of teachers and administrators from Shuswap Middle School, which is slated to become a triple track school in September.  Further, we will be hosting all of our incoming Grade 6 students on the morning of May 10th and on May 27th will host those same students and their parents at an evening Open House. We are planning a special event on the afternoon of Friday, May 28th to rededicate the school's namesake and to profile our Aboriginal students and program. Chief Justin George, grandson of Chief Dan George, will be present to assist us in that historic event.  Also, our annual Saturday Open Chess Tournament will take place on May 29th. Teacher Mr. Sakai and other members of the staff will once again hold an allcomers chess tournament for students from kindergarten to Grade 12.

P.A.C. Annual General Meeting May 20th
On the evening of Thursday, May 20th the P.A.C. will hold its May meeting at 7:00 pm in the school's library.  As mentioned in previous newsletters there are some outgoing Executive members and there will be a need for fill the leadership void left by those parents.  May 20th is the P.A.C.'s annual general meeting whereby Executive positions will be needed to be filled for the upcoming school year. Every school needs a strong and supportive P.A.C. We have been blessed over the years at Chief Dan George Middle to have had many capable and hardworking parents in that organization.  We hope that you will consider attending the meeting and taking an active role in the P.A.C. next year.

Chief Dan George Wins Olympic Gold
Chief Dan George has won a Gold Commemorative Olympic Plaque for winning the District “Share The Olympic Spirit” school contest.  During the Vancouver 2010 Olympics our school participated in its very own School Wide Olympic Theme.  The School's Olympic Organizing Committee submitted a scrapbook to the District judging panel which highlighted the many events and activities that took place during the CDG Olympic Games.  CDG began its Olympic journey by holding its own mascot, emblem and torch contest.  The winning submissions were then highlighted in our very own Opening Ceremony in which classes Adopted a Country to represent throughout the CDG Olympics.  During the subsequent two weeks a number of Olympic events were held during lunch hour in which students competed for medals.  At the end of the two weeks the school hosted its own World Fair.  Classes prepared displays for all the adopted countries so that students, parents, and teachers could "travel the world" and collect stamps for their Olympic Passports.  The Closing Ceremony brought an end to what was an exciting Olympic experience.   Congratulations Chief Dan George for winning the District Share the Olympic Spirit school contest and being awarded the Commemorative GOLD Olympic Plaque.

Basketball
Our grade 6 girls basketball team wrapped up their season this week.  The team was comprised of over 30 enthusiastic, energetic, and dedicated players who completed a series of exhibition games against other schools.  Mrs. Baruta and Mr. Schmor were very pleased with the girls efforts this year.   Thanks to all the parents who drove to our away games.

Chief Dan George Golf Team
Any students wishing to join the Golf Team are asked to fill in a permission form available from Mr. Marshall. We will be golfing on the following dates at the Valley Golf course down the road from the school on Gladwin. Golfers will pack up their golf clubs in Mr. McTaggart's truck in the morning and walk down to the golf course right after school. The golf package($10.00/session) includes driving range and balls from 3:00 - 4:00 pm followed by 9 holes of golf starting at 4:00 pm. Students are to arrange pick up after the session from the golf course. Here are the dates: Tuesday, May 4th, Wednesday, May 12th, Wednesday, May 26th,  Tuesday, June 8th and the final session is a tournament format with awards on Tuesday, June 15th.

Chief Dan George Student Wins Provincial Gymnastics Title
Grade 8 student Steven C. recently won the provincial championship for the national youth division in gymnastics. Steven is a member of the Abbotsford Twisters and came first in the floor exercise, pommel horse and vault. He was second in parallel bars and horizontal bars and easily won the overall title this year.  Steven will be competing in the Western Canadian championships in Regina, Saskatchewan this weekend and is hoping for a top three finish in the national youth division.  On the May Long Weekend Steven will compete the in the Canadian championships, this year being held in Kamloops.  We wish him well in the upcoming competitions and will let you know about his performances at these elite competitions in a June newsletter.

Student of the Month - April
Congratulations to Ben K. on being named our Kiwanis Grade 8 Student of the Month for April.  Ben has been nominated due to his outstanding performances in a number of areas and his contributions to the culture of the school.   Ben is an “A” student in classes and one of 12 students registered in an online Math 9 Honours course.  He is a member of our Gifted program.  As a talented athlete he has represented CDG in basketball and is an outstanding musician and one of the most accomplished members of the Jazz Band and Gr. 8 Band.  Ben was also a finalist in the French Immersion public speaking competition held in March.  Well done Ben!

Healthy Habits for Kids
Healthy habits, including healthy eating, regular physical activity and being smoke free begin at home and continue throughout life. At a young age, children learn to make decisions and begin to make more choices of their own. They are developing habits and attitudes they may carry with them for the rest of their lives. Peer pressure influences children and youth of all ages and is particularly strong in the early teen years.
In the meantime, you, as a parent, play an important role in helping your children stay healthy. You may want to:
1)  Encourage your children to eat three well-balanced meals by selecting food outlined in Canada's Food Guide, ample vegetables and fruit is particularly important
2)  Offer them water and lower-fat milk (1% or 2%) instead of pop and other sugary drinks
3)  Serve healthier options like fresh fruit, veggie sticks and low-fat yogurt for after school snacks
4)  Encourage free outdoor play and limiting their screen time
5)  Make both your indoor and outdoor family activities free from secondhand smoke
6) Encouraging your kids to choose activities they love - any activity - dancing, basketball, hockey, soccer, swimming or rollerblading
7)  Schedule active family outings like hiking, swimming or biking
8)  Set a good example yourself by eating healthfully and being physically active on a regular basis and by being smoke free
For more healthy living tips visit: http://www.actnowbc.ca
Eat Well…Be Active…Live Tobacco Free.

"Lost" Raffle Winners
Congratulations to the following lucky winners in our "Lost" draw to help support BC Children's Hospital:
1st Prize      Karmjeet G. - "Lost" Swag basket
2nd Prize     Kathleen H. - "Dharma Initiative" jacket
3rd Prize     Casey O. - Autographed "Lost" t-shirt
We appreciate everyone's support for this very worthwhile project.  Thousands of dollars were raised for this worthy cause.

Important BAND dates
Abbotsford Middle School Band Night - featuring our grade 7 concert band at Abby Arts, Monday May 3rd at 7:00 pm
Hanging Basket fundraiser - pick up is Thursday May 6th in the MPR afterschool
Kiwanis Music Festival - featuring our grade 8 jazz band on Monday May 10th  at Kwantlen University in Langley.  Good luck band students!

Supply Lists, School Fees and Deposits for 2010-2011
1. Personal Supplies
Under the School Act, Section 82(3), a Board may charge fees for goods and services provided by the Board. Schools
may charge for, or request that parents provide, the following personal supplies for students as per District Policy
9.230, ‘School Fees’.  The following list is not prescriptive; schools may adapt this list to their needs, but not add to it without permission of the Superintendent.
1. Art Supplies: felts, glue, paint shirt, pencil crayons, scissors, scrapbooks, sketch books, stencil for numbers and letters, wax crayons.
2. Math Supplies: calculator (not graphing), graphing paper, protractor and compass set.
3. Music Supplies: band instrument, recorder, reeds.
4. P.E. Supplies: gym bag (cloth with drawstring), runners (indoor, non-marking),shorts, socks, t-shirt.
5. Writing Supplies: backboards, binders, correction tape/whiteout, divider tabs, duo-tangs, erasers, exercise books, highlighters, index cards, Key Tab notebooks, loose-leaf paper, markers, pencils, pencil box/case, pencil sharpener, pens,portfolio/report covers, Post-it notes, reinforcements, rulers.
6. Reference Resources: computer data storage device, English dictionary, French/English dictionary, planner, thesaurus.
7. Miscellaneous: headphones for computers, Kleenex box, Ziploc bags.
2. Deposits/Rentals and Allowable Fees:
Deposits:  The School Act, Section 87(4) permits a Board to charge a deposit for educational resources. Schools may charge deposits for materials given to students and provide refunds upon return subject to District Policy 9.230, ‘School Fees’. Refunds will be adjusted for damages or for servicing the item upon return.
Textbooks:  Deposits may be requested for textbooks. Deposits are refunded upon return of the textbook. Lost or damaged textbooks are to be paid for by students up to 100% of replacement value.
Workbooks:  There are two types of workbooks: teacher-made and commercially printed (i.e. Provincial Examination Preparation workbooks). Teacher-made workbooks cannot be charged to students. Schools may charge a deposit (face value) subject to the return of the commercially printed workbook in useable condition.
Fees:  The Trustees have approved  the Student Activity Fee for Middle and Secondary schools: $30 will be charged at the middle school level to cover costs of student agendas, guest speakers, student cards, school events, student recognition, student leadership, lock and locker rental. Schools may charge fees for non-curricular services as per District Policy 9.230. The following establishes a standard of service for each fee across the district.


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May 13, 2010

Upcoming Dates to Note
May 14 - School Wide Track Meet
May  15-22 - Quebec Trip
May 18 -  CPF Annual General Meeting @ 7:00 pm
May 17, 18, 19 - Camp Zajac for Div. 11 and 13
May 19, 20, 21 - Camp Zajac for Div. 12, 14 and 18
May 20 - PAC Meeting - 7:00 pm in the Library
May 24 - Victoria Day (NO SCHOOL)
May 26 - District Track Meet
May 27 - Gr. 5 Open House - 6:30-7:30 pm
May 31-June 2 - Gr. 8 English Camp
June 21 & 22 - Early Dismissal at 1:22
June 29 - Last day of School/Report Cards Issued

P.A.C. Annual General Meeting May 20th
A reminder that our P.A.C. will be holding its A.G.M. next Thursday, May 20th at 7:00 pm in our school library. If your child will be attending our school next year please consider attending and offering your assistance to this important organization.  Elections of PAC officers for next year will be held at this meeting. All executive positions will be open for nomination. If you are looking to support your child's middle school this is an excellent opportunity to become involved as a volunteer on the PAC.                    

School Planning Council and School Goal for 2010- 2011
All schools in Abbotsford are required to submit a School Plan for Student Success with the District Office by May 14th. With support from our School Planning Council and our teaching staff we will be adopting a plan for the upcoming school year that will focus on student engagement and sense of belonging.  Various strategies have been put in place to work toward meeting the performance indicators and targets around related to this area of focus. More information will follow in future newsletters.

Quebec Trip - French Immersion 8
Saturday is the departure date for our French Immersion 8 teachers and students, as they're off to Quebec City and Montreal for a week of culture, language, and fun. This year's group is comprised of 60 students and 7 chaperones, including our four French 8 teachers and Mlle Coulter who taught with us this year at CDG. Students will be meeting at the school bright and early on Saturday morning to load the buses headed for Vancouver International Airport. From there, it's a flight to Montreal followed by a bus ride to old Quebec City. We spend 4 amazing days in the provincial capital, followed by a day at camp, and then 2 days in city of Montreal. Our students have had the fortune to be immersed in the language and the culture and enrich their French Immersion experience. Many thanks to the parents and staff for their continued support of this important trip, and to Mme Bonneau for the countless hours spent planning and organizing. Bon voyage à nos élèves et bon retour!

Canadian Parents for French (CPF)
Canadian Parents for French (CPF) will be holding their Annual General Meeting at Chief Dan George Middle School in the Library, Tuesday, May 18th  at 7:00 pm.   Elections of CPF officers for next year will be held at this meeting. Any adult residing in the Abbotsford area may become a member of CPF and hold a position with this volunteer organization supporting the French language in our district's schools.

Wolves Racing News
We had another great day of racing this past Friday. This time with no threat of rain. When we got to the track, there were a lot of high school cars registered, teched, and ready to go. In the junior division, we had a couple of newcomers.  One from Mt. Slesse Middle School and another from Rosedale Middle School.  By the end of the day, the final race came down to "Molly", our flagship dragster, against Mouat's red junior. Mouat won the race to win the trophy. Mouat's Red Junior driven by our former driver, Raeanne McCarthy, took first place. CDGMS "Molly", driven by Nick Huebert came in second place.  CDGMS "Chilli", driven by Alec Postlethwaithe and CDGMS "Jessie", driven by Darien Provost, made it into the second round to get third and fourth place.  Mouat's Black Junior, along with the juniors from Mt. Slesse and Rosedale got eliminated in the first round.
Our next drag racing date will be the 4th of June. We are hoping to have yet another junior dragster ready to race by that time. This dragster was purchased a few weeks ago from the generous donation from our new sponsors. It is not built to be a fast vehicle, but rather a training vehicle. If it is consistent, it will do well on race day as well.  For more info on what we do and who we are, please visit:

http://cdgms.com/wolf_racing .htm.

Congratulations Jazz Band
The Gr. 8 Jazz Band (with four Gr. 7 students too!) participated in the Kiwanis International Music Festival on Monday, May 10th.  They performed three songs and blew the adjudicators away with their sound and quality of music and they won Gold!!!  Great job students.  On Tuesday, May 25th, our Gr. 7 Concert Band will be performing at the festival.  Good luck!!!!

Aboriginal News
We are very excited to  welcome Chief Justin George to our school on May 28th for an honoring ceremony in honour of his grandfather Chief Dan George.  In  conjunction with his visit several classes have been busy making and learning  aboriginal art and crafts which will be on display  during this visit and throughout Multicultural Week.  We are also very excited about our year end field trip (May 28th)to Grouse Mountain this year where  the aboriginal students will experience  Vancouver's first wind turbine up close and enjoy a cultural presentation in the feast house.  Newsletters will be sent home Friday with more details.    For more information about  the program contact Jennifer Schlese or visit our website at www.cdgms.com under classes.

School Wide Track Meet
Tomorrow, Friday, May 14th, is our annual track meet at Rotary Stadium.  We would ask parents to assist us by sending their child to school with a lunch, proper clothing and footwear, suncreen and hat.  Students will walk to the Rotary Stadium after morning attendance.  Attendance will only be taken at the Rotary for those students who are scheduled to compete in the 1500m before the 8:30 am start time.

Yearbooks
Yearbooks now on sale!  They are selling fast so get yours before they are gone.  For sale in the office for only  $25.00.



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May 28, 2010


Upcoming Dates to Note
May 31-June 2 - Gr. 8 English Camp
June 15 - Year End Band Concert - 7:00 pm
June 17-PAC Meeting
June 21 & 22 - Early Dismissal at 1:22
June 29 - Last day of School/Report Cards Issued

District Track Meet
Congratulations to all who represented Chief Dan George Middle School at the annual District track and field meet on May 26th.  For the seventh time in nine years (seven in a row) CDGMS was victorious with a large gap separating us from second place finisher Fraser Middle.  One hundred and seventeen athletes descended up on Rotary Stadium at 7:45 am with the first event, the 1500m, starting at 8:00 am.  The students put in a full days effort as the track meet did not wrap up until 2:20 pm.  Many personal bests  were set as well as meet and school records.  At this point we still do not have the complete results for all our athletes, however, we do know that our grade 7 and 8 girls and boys won their division titles.  A few notable performances were established by Callum P. (grade 7 girls) first overall in pentathlon, Rachel K. (grade 7 girls) 3rd overall in pentathlon, Hunter S. (grade 8 boys) first in pentathlon, Manveer D. (grade 8 boys) second in pentathlon and first in 100m and 200m, Sarya R. (grade 8 girls) first in the 1500m with a decisive win and Hailey G. (grade 8 girls) first in the 100m and 200m.  We hope to provide you with a list of all of our top three finishers in our next next newsletter.  Many thanks to coaches Mr. McTaggart, Mr. Richards, Mr. Baruta, M Constant, M Bowley and Mrs. Bunbury.

Library News
The library is closing on June 4th.  No books can go out after May 28th.  All books are due back by June 4th for inventory.  Please return or pay for your book(s) if you received a “lost letter”.  Please include this letter with payment.

Multi cultural Assembly
At CDGMS we are blessed to have students with a rich blend of cultures attend this school.  Each year we hold an afternoon assembly to provide students from the school and community an opportunity to perform music, song and dance from their native culture.  On Friday afternoon, June 4th our students and staff will be treated to ten presentations from some of the many cultures that make up our school mosaic.

Aboriginal News
On Thursday, May 27th, a historic event happened at our school by honouring Chief Dan George .  His grandson, Chief Justin George was our Honouree and we were very thankful he could attend.  The ceremony consisted of music, singing and give-aways in a beautiful setting of decorations made by several classes at the school.  We also honoured some special guests who consisted of presenters and mentors that have contributed so much to the learning and creativity of our students and the program at our school. Chief Justin George spoke to the staff and students and made time to visit some classrooms and meet and greet students and staff.   We would like to thank all of those who attended and contributed to the ceremony and to many special guests that witnessed this event.  Thank you's go out to special guest drummers Philip Lockerby and Victor Harry who did  amazing display of drumming and singing; to student Terrell Manweiler who was our receiver; to Perry Smith and Peggy Janicki from the Aboriginal Centre for speaking and directing the event; to Barry Dudzik and Mirjana Jurcic for their support and help; to all the presenters and mentors who have been a great part of our school and Aboriginal Program and a special thanks to Chief Justin George for being honoured at this special event.   Special thanks to Mlle Longpre and M. Hazelwood’s classes who dedicated their time and energy both outside and inside the ceremony; to teacher Sarah McDougall who helped bring the 'Quilt of Belonging’ together.  We extend our appreciation to all the classes who made several artwork and crafts to display. There are so many people who came together as a family to create such a magical and unforgettable moment in our school and thank you from all of us for your contributions. The ceremony was a beautiful and amazing experience for students, staff and guests to witness. A memory in time that will always be remembered.  This event can be seen in the Saturday edition of the Abbotsford News.  For more information, questions or comments you can visit our website at [ http://www.cdgms.com or contact Jennifer Schlese at the school.

Band News
Congratulations to the Grade 8 Jazz Band for winning a Gold at the Kiwanis Music Festival and to the Grade 7 Concert Band for winning a Silver.  Great job students!

The Year End Band Concert/Awards Ceremony will be held at Seven Oaks Alliance Church on Tuesday, June 15th at 7:00 pm.  This will involve all concert band, jazz band and choir students.  Please plan to attend this great night of music!  Everyone is welcome.

May Kiwanis Student of the Month
Congratulations to Vishalini C. for being named our Kiwanis Grade 8 Student of the Month for May. Vishalini has been nominated due to being an extremely positive  and supportive student often assisting teachers and classmates.  She has demonstrated outstanding citizenship by volunteering regularly in the Pit Stop, scorekeeping after school volleyball and basketball games and being the chairperson for Student Leadership.  She has also represented the school in extracurricular sports such as volleyball, basketball and track and field.  As a student she has demonstrated a strong work ethic and performed at a high level in her 3 years at CDG.  She is a credit to her family, school and our community.

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June 10, 2010

Upcoming Dates to Note
June 15 - Year End Band Concert - 7:00 pm
June 17 - PAC Meeting, 7:00 pm
June 21 & 22 - Early Dismissal - 1:22 pm
June 21 - Gr. 8 Dinner/Dance
June 28 - Carnival
June 29 - Last day of School/Report Cards Issued

One Hour Early Dismissal Days
Monday, June 21st and Tuesday, June 22nd are designated Early Dismissal Days.  We will run a modified daily scheduled on these days that will reduce each class by ten minutes, allow five classes to be held before lunch and only one class after lunch.  Dismissal will take place at 1:22.  School bus schedules will be adjusted to allow for pick up to take place soon after dismissal.   However, in order to allow students to catch the City bus in a timely manner we will need to dismiss students who take the City bus at 1:15 pm.   If you normally pick up your child after school we would ask that you make the necessary arrangements to do so in a timely manner. We only have formal supervision after school for fifteen minutes.  The purpose of Early Dismissal Days is to allow parents easy access to teachers.  Teachers will be available to meet from 1:30 pm on both of those days.  Please contact your child's teacher if you wish to make an appointment or drop in once classes have been dismissed.

June P.A.C.  A.G.M. June 17th
The school's P.A.C. once again is encouraging parents to attend the scheduled A.G.M. which is being held at 7:00 pm on Thursday evening, June 17th in our school library.

Mrs.  Mitchell retires this June
Mrs. Sharon Mitchell has been a long time employee of the Abbotsford School District. Over the last twenty one years she has provided service to the Chief Dan George School community in two major areas.  Mrs. Mitchell ran a Resource Room program from 1989 to 2001. When the school transformed into a grade 6 to 8 middle school in 2001, Mrs. Mitchell moved into the Learning Service Department and has been a Learning Assistance and E.S.L. teacher over the last nine years.  She has been the Team Leader for that program over the last two years. Mrs. Mitchell's contributions to this school have been many and varied. She is an outstanding educator and a model of professionalism. We have been extremely fortunate to have had her working with our students and staff for all these many years. It will be very difficult to replace her experience and wonderful manner.  We wish her all the best in her retirement.

Track and Field
Congratulations to the 117 athletes who represented CDGMS at the Track and Field Districts on May 26th. Your efforts contributed to the fifth consecutive win for our school. Listed below are the students from Chief who finished top three in their events.
Grade 6:    Danielle T. - 2nd in the 400m; Anna W. -1st in Shot Put; Nadia R. - 3rd in Discus; Joel K. - 1st in 400m; Dion P. - 2nd in Long Jump
Grade 7:  Callum P. -1st in 1500m, 800m, 400m, Long Jump and Pentathlon; Rachel K. - 1st in 200m, 2nd in Triple Jump, 3rd in Pentathlon; Katie C. - 3rd in 200m, 3rd in Long Jump; Mikaila K. - 3rd in 100m, 3rd in Shot Put;; Terry K. - 1st in 1500m, 800m, 3rd in 400m and Pentathlon; Anthony B. - 2nd in 400m, Long Jump and Pentathlon, 3rd in 200m and 100m; Providence I. - 3rd in Long Jump; Jereymi L. - 1st in Shot Put
Grade 8:  Sarya R. - 1st in 1500m and 800m, Hailey G. - 1st in 200m, 100m and Pentathlon, 2nd in Shot Put and Long Jump; Alexa R. - 3rd in Triple Jump
Herman G. - 2nd in 800m; Manveer D. - 1st in 400m, 200m, 100m, and 2nd in Pentathlon; Hunter S. - 1st in Pentathlon, 2nd in 400m and 200m, 3rd in 100m
Tristan E. - 1st in Shot Put, 3rd in Triple Jump; Maleek I. - 2nd in Discus and Long Jump;  Ben K. - 1st in Triple Jump

School Yearbooks
Yearbooks are now on sale in the office for a cost of $25 and can be purchased from Mrs. Hollanti before or after school. Don't miss out on your chance at a souvenir of this year's activities at CDGMS. There are less than 100 books still available for purchase and they are going fast!

School Carnival
Chief Dan George will be holding     its 2nd school Carnival on  Monday, June 28th and the school's gymnasium and parking lot will be full of games, inflatables and activities for our     students to participate in. Admission to the Carnival this year will be a toonie ($2) and students will be asked to bring that in to their homeroom teachers in the next 2 weeks. We will be providing a hot dog lunch for all students and staff, as well as any parent helpers in attendance. If there are any parents that are willing or available to help supervise a station for a 45 min shift between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm, please contact Mr. Cervo at the school. More information will be given to students as the event approaches, but we are looking forward to another successful event and a bright sunny day as we end off the year.

Grade 8 Dinner/Dance
Monday, June 21, 2010 - Chief Dan George Gym
5:00 pm Mocktails & Pictures
6:00 pm Dinner
7:00 pm Dance
9:00 pm Pick-Up
Parent volunteers are needed to help with food prep, set up and clean up.  If you are available to help, please contact M. Cervo, Mlle Klassen or Mrs. Spindlove.

June Kiwanis Student of the Month
Our final Grade 8 Kiwanis Student of the Month for this school year is Will J. Will has been an outstanding academic student in our French Immersion program through his entire middle school career. He is an excellent mathematics student and was selected as only one of twelve Grade 8 students to challenge the Math 9 Honors program at W.J. Mouat Secondary this semester.  Will has represented the school in athletic competition and is one of the most outstanding musicians in our band program.  Will is a kind and helpful student who is well liked by peers and staff.  Congratulations Will for your great performances and contributions to our school.

Grade 8 French Immersion Trip to Québec
Our French Immersion grade 8 team enjoyed another successful trip to Québec this year, probably the best trip to date. The students were enthusiastic and well-behaved the entire time, and lasting memories were created. We were fortunate to have beautiful sunny weather the entire trip as we were immersed in French Canadian language, music and culture. A big thank you goes out to all of our students and parents for making this trip a success, as well as our 4 French 8 teachers. Lastly, merci beaucoup to Mme Bonneau for organizing another fabulous experience for our students.

Grade 8 boys and girls each have their own transition day experiences at the end of June
This year Mouat Secondary has arranged for each gender in Grade 8 to have a series of transition presentations at their school at the end of June. The Grade 8 boys will walk over to Mouat on the morning of Thursday, June 24th and will return to our school in the early afternoon. The following day (i.e. Friday, June 25th) the girls will follow suit. An information/permission letter will be sent home with all Grade 8 students next week.

Band Concert and Awards Night
The Year End Band Concert & Awards Night is this coming Tuesday, June 15th.  It will feature all of our concert bands, jazz bands and choir.  The concert will be held at Sevenoaks Alliance Church at 7:00 pm.  Everyone is welcome to attend this great night of music.  The Grade 8 Concert Band will also be doing a recording session at Sevenoaks on Wednesday, June 16th as well as performing for the Discovery Trail Dedication on Friday, June 18th. 

Aboriginal News
The Aboriginal program headed out on their last field trip adventure this year to Grouse Mountain.  It was an amazing experience for all.  Students got to see and go up in Vancouver's first wind turbine, visit the bears and wolves and have an aboriginal experience in the longhouse.  The program at the longhouse was tailored to CDG personally because the elder there is the nephew of Chief Dan George. He had a poem and song prepared from the Dan George Family and the students not only got to see the performance but had an opportunity to taste some homemade food, participate in the dancing and make a craft.  This was an honoured surprise considering the honouring ceremony we just had at the school the day before. 
We are winding up with our presentations and outings.  Thank you to Perry Smith and Brian Point from the Aboriginal  Educational Centre who participated in the Multicultural assembly and put on a great dance for the students. A Big thank you to Philip Gladue for presenting Canoes this month.  The Aboriginal achievement awards ceremony is Thursday, June 10th at Colleen and Gordie Howe Middle School.  Registration is at 5:00 pm and the ceremony runs from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm.  Congratulations to all students who have won an award, I hope to see you there.  Our wind up year end party will be a BBQ at the Aboriginal Centre on the first day of summer! (June 21, 2010 from 10:20 am to 1:00 pm) Please return forms by Thursday June 17, 2010. There is information at the school regarding the Natural Changes/Warrior Camp and Family Camp for the summer for any further information please contact Jennifer Schlese at the school or visit our website at www.cdgms.com under classes.

Presentation from the Abbotsford Police Department
This Friday afternoon, June 11th all of our students will receive a presentation from members of the Abbotsford Police Department.  The APD has developed materials for middle school aged student and others for high school students focusing on issues in our community related to gang activity, drug issues and making positive choices.  Abbotsford's Police Chief, Bob Rich will be one of the members of the APD who will participate in the presentation.

Dedication of the Entrance to Discovery Trail
After a series of delays the official opening of the Discovery Trail entrance on Gladwin Road, west of our school, will take place in the morning of Friday, June 18th.  Twenty two of our students will receive letters of congratulations from Abbotsford Mayor George Peary for their contribution to the entrance in the form of a unique mosaic bricks that will be cemented into the front of the entrance. Our school's concert band will also attend the event to add further majesty to the official opening.  Also present will be MP Ed Fast, MLA's John van Dongen and Randy Hawes, members of City Council, School District #34 trustees, Community representatives and City Staff. The dedication will begin at 10:00 am.

Lost
Grade 7 student, Keera G., has lost her flute.  The case has her name on it along with a bunch of colorful stickers.  If you have information on it or find it, please contact the school office.

Father’s Day, June 20th
Best wishes from the staff at CDGMS to all the fathers in our school community for a Happy Fathers Day!




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June 24, 2010


Important Dates to Note
June 28 - Carnival
June 29 - Last day of School/Report Cards Issued (full day, dismissal at regular time)

Best Wishes For a Wonderful Summer!
The staff and Chief Dan George Middle School extends its best wishes to all the families that make up our school community for a safe and happy summer.  For those families that will no longer be part of our community we wish you well in your future endeavors.  For those families that will be returning for the 2010 - 2011 school year we look forward to serving you again. Many thanks for your support!

Monday, June 28th - P.A.C. Sponsored School Carnival
For the the second time in three years the P.A.C. is providing most of the financial support for  a year end carnival at the school for all students.  There will be numerous stations set up in and outside of the school and students will move through the various areas throughout the day. There will also be a hot dog lunch provided mid day.  Our staff and Student Leadership team will provide the supervision at the various stations under the leadership of teacher M Cervo.  Students are asked to  make a $2.00 donation toward covering the cost of this event.

Year End Assembly Tuesday, June 29th
The last day in session for students will be Tuesday, June 29th. Our annual year end awards recognition assembly will take place between 10:15 am and noon on that day.  Students will be recognized for their academic and work habit achievements during that time.  We will also acknowledge staff and members of the P.A.C. Executive who will not be returning to the school next year.

Report Card Issue Tuesday afternoon, June 29th
Third term and final reports will be issued to students in the afternoon of Tuesday, June 29th. We would ask that all students ensure that they have either returned or paid for last textbooks and/or library books before that time.  Each year the school incurs losses of thousands of dollars of lost printed resources and requires those losses to be recovered by the families of students who have been issued or have signed out those
materials. 

Thank you Mrs. Mitchell!
Learning Services Team Leader Mrs. Sharon Mitchell is retiring at the end of June.  Mrs. Mitchell has provided twenty eight years of service to the Abbotsford School District.  She has been a staff member at Chief Dan George since 1989.  For the first twelve years at CDGMS Mrs. Mitchell was a Resource Room teacher.  When the school transitioned into a middle school in 2001 she moved into our Learning Services program has provided great support for many children over the years.  We thank her for her many years of great support of children in the Chief Dan George School community and wish her health and happiness in her retirement.

P.A.C. Executive for 2010 - 2011
At the P.A.C. Annual General Meeting on June 17th most Executive positions were filled for the upcoming school year. Our school's new P.A.C. president is Mr. Craig Van Herk.  Mr. Van Herk will be supported by vice president Mrs. Ingrid Klammer.  Mr. Denis Paquin is the new P.A.C.  Treasurer and Mrs. Sue Van Herk is the new fundraising coordinator.  We want to extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to outgoing Executive members Mr. Greg Nutchey (president), Mrs. Kim Stamler (fundraising coordinator) and Mr. Alex Shepherd (School Planning Council rep) for their hard work and fabulous support of our school over the last three years. 

School Summer Hours
The school office will be open most of the summer.  When the office is open office hours will be from 8:00 am. to 1:00 pm. If you are intending to come to the school office during the summer months you are welcome to call  604-852-9616 to ensure that the office is open at that time.

Pit Stop Canteen
Reminder that the Pit Stop Canteen's last day of service will be Friday, June 24th.   Monday, June 28th is Carnival Day where students will be given a hot dog, chips and a bottle of water for lunch.   During the carnival students will also be able to purchase popcorn, cotton candy and another hot dog lunch if they wish.  Tuesday, June 29th students are asked to bring a lunch as there will be nothing available for them to purchase at the school.

Returning of Band Uniforms
All rented band shirts are due to Mrs. Mills asap!  Please bring them in labeled with the student's name. 

Aboriginal News
Wow what a year! The aboriginal program at CDGMS this year was full of learning opportunities, excitement, friendship and adventure.  From presentations like dreamcatchers, warrior sticks, canoes and tipis to amazing field trips that took us to the Capilano suspension bridge, Xa:ytem Longhouse and to the peak of Grouse Mountain.  We had many gatherings at the school and several cultural enhancement days at the aboriginal centre learning to take risks and try new adventures. The height of our school year was  welcoming Chief Justin George and honouring his grandfather in a most wonderful ceremony that will be remembered for years to come. Big thank you's go out to all the presenters who visited the school this year, our mentors Cyndi Orth and David Schroeder, Perry Smith and Peggy Janiki District Principal and teachers from the Aboriginal Education Centre and especially to all the students and families who have supported the program. When asked what the students will remember most, their response was the sense of belonging in the Diversity House (the aboriginal room).   We spend countless hours having fun, playing guitar hero, doing crafts, and just relaxing. It has been an amazing 2009/2010 school year. From all of us to all of you we wish you and your families a  very wonderful safe summer.

YCW News
A big thank you to the  many community presenters who came to our school this year offering presentations and programs for our students.  Thank you to Impact for their presentation on drug and alcohol awareness, to ICBC who offered their services and we were able to have Kevin Brooks come in and speak to our grade 8's.  A very powerful and unforgettable presentation.  Thanks to AYC who ran 4 groups this year for girls and guys. Their Just 4 girls and Guys Alive program was very valuable and fun for students who joined.  The AYC relationship with the school is amazing and keeps students and families connected with a variety of supports in and around our community. The diversity house at CDG was a great place for students to receive support, gather together and have fun or just hang out. Thank you to all for your support.  Wishing all of you a safe and wonderful summer.

Walk-a-thon Fundraiser
On Friday, June 4th, students in Grade 6 English (Div. 2 and 3) participated in a WALK-A-THON to raise funds for the organization “Free the Children International”.  Through their pledges and hard work, they managed to raise $667.50!  Free the Children’s primary goals are to free children from poverty and exploitation.  Donations help children and families in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.  The money we raised will provide funding for many projects such as purchasing textbooks, clean water, and nutritious lunch programs for the children.  Way to go, Div. 2 and 3!

CDG Golf Team
The Chief Dan George Golf team completed their golf season with a culminating tournament last Tuesday at Valley Golf Center. Scoring the low score of 39 for nine holes was Patricia F. Coming in second place with a score of 41 was James C.  Also scoring a 41 was Isaac H, but his score included less pars than James, therefore he received third place. Coaches McTaggart and Marshall would like to thank all golfers who participated and congratulate them on their sense of etiquette and fair play on the course. We look forward to picking up where we left off in September.

Worm Compost Homes Wanted
Seven worm compost bins need homes for the summer. They can be kept inside or outside of your house. They will turn your kitchen scraps into wonderful earth. At the end of summer you can either feed your garden with the compost or bring it back to school.  First come, first serve.


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