Principal - David Myrvold Vice Principal - Penny Hope Vice Principal - Denise Severin
 

At Adam Scott, we believe that education should have these purposes: to help us reach our full potential; to teach us to accept responsibility for our development and behaviour; to increase our awareness of the needs of the world, and through our understanding and positive actions, to make it a better place.
 

It is hard to believe that February is already over and that the end of this academic year is fast approaching. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms. Kelly of the guidance department for her wonderful presentation and informative open house designed to ease the transition for all our grade 8 students into the Secondary credit system. Her superlative work and dynamic approach for dealing with time-tabling issues are greatly appreciated. Grade 8 classes from our feeder schools also benefitted from hearing this important information from our guidance department.
 

We are in the midst of arranging to meet with the parents and students who will be coming to us from our Grade 6 feeder schools of Edmison Heights, R. F. Downey, and Ridpath Public Schools. Moving from smaller elementary schools to an Intermediate School such as ours can be intimidating and we are working to ensure that this transition is a successful one. If anyone has any questions about these arrangements, please call Adam Scott and ask to speak to Ms. Hope for details.
 

Staff and students alike were very pleased to welcome Ken Grainger to our school to talk about the Citizenship Award for grade eight students that is sponsored by the Kiwanis Club. Mr. Grainger spoke about the need for respect for our country, traditions, and each other and his positive message was well received.
 

We are lucky here at Adam Scott to have the opportunity to work with a group of positive role models in the more senior grades and we are very thankful for the peer helpers and co-op students who support the more junior members of our school population. The vast majority of Adam Scott elementary and secondary students serve as excellent examples of how to cope with the stresses and trials of being a teenager faced with making difficult choices. Unfortunately, there exists a small group of students, in both panels at this school, as in most others, who have made poor choices. While these situations have existed for years, we believe that it is important to be pro-active. Given some of the choices that have been made recently, we would like to take this opportunity to invite parents to discuss openly with their children a couple of issues. Firstly, the effects of becoming involved with any sort of drug experimentation and secondly, the easy access that many students have to inappropriate material through the Internet.
 

Experimentation With Drugs: Regardless of the type of school, every Intermediate and Secondary school setting deals with the problem of elicit drug use and experimentation. Students at this age develop a curiosity and interest in what can be described as "high risk" behavior. Research has shown that parents who are able to be open and accepting to discussions surrounding the use of drugs will have more success in guiding their children.
 

Access to Inappropriate Material via the Internet: Although at school our computers have safeguards that limit accessibility to questionable sites, many parents do not have these safeguards at home. Even with security measures some students are very capable on the computer and can still access sites with inappropriate content. It is important for parents to closely monitor their child's access and be involved in what he/she is watching or researching. School staff will also be vigilant in this area.

With what appears to be an early start to spring- like conditions we want to remind students that dressing for mixed weather will be a priority in the morning. It is important, given that the flu and cold season is firmly upon us, that all students be equipped for the outdoors regardless of the temperature change.
 

Once the good weather starts we will be ready to start our spring flower fund raiser and hope that people will be able to help organize the event or purchase flowers when the order forms become available. We look forward to your support while you can look forward to your investment blooming throughout the summer and fall.
 

I would like to close with a thank you to all the staff, Intermediate and Secondary alike, as well as, the parents who came to supervise the ski trip that took place at the end of the month. Even though it was wet, from all reports a good time was still had by all. Thank you especially to Ms. Scott and Mr. Glynn for all their hard work organizing and coordinating this event.
 

1. Always make time to talk to your child about what happened at school. Don't ask general questions such as "How was school today?" because these questions are almost always answered with "fine" or even less. Ask specific questions such as "What are you doing in Science?" or "Who did you sit with at lunch?" Specific questions often elicit more open responses which can lead to further discussion and meaningful conversation.

2. Almost all teenagers have moody times or quiet periods where they do not wish to communicate on any level. Don't be turned off by such an attitude or quick mood changes as such behavior is normal for an adolescent. Teenagers need their parents patience, understanding, love and support in spite of all their declarations of independence.

3. Be consistent in your expectations of your adolescent child when at home. Routine is important for students who are this age. Negotiating changes in rules and expectations can be tricky but remember that if your child wants you to be flexible with a rule you can expect them to give you something in return also. Negotiating does not mean the child gets whatever he/she wants and the parent gets nothing in return.

4. Try to remain calm. As easy as it is to lose ones temper with ones own children many adolescents see this as a sign that they have huge power. Remaining calm while dealing with frustrating behavior emphasizes to the student that you are the one in control. Using a forced choice can be an effective method of giving your child a say in what goes on while remaining in control of the situation. For example; if your son/daughter is expected to clean up after a meal and does not want to, you can give him/her the choice of doing it immediately or doing it after the homework has been completed; as long as it is clear that you expect the job to be done.

5. Take time for yourself. As parents it is very easy to dedicate your entire day to looking after other people. Whether you work in or outside of the home your time is rarely totally your own so you need to plan "special events" for yourself regularly. When was the last time you went out with your partner? Have you booked a massage somewhere or a quiet cup of coffee without any distractions? Whatever works for you, try to prioritize a half hour a day for yourself and remind yourself that you are worth looking after. You'll be a better friend, partner and parent for doing so.
 

March 6 School Council Meeting, 7 p.m.

March 7 Report Card - Distribution

March 8 Non-instructional Day

March 11-15 March break (enjoy ...)

March 29 Good Friday

April 1 Easter Monday
 

Farah Tamachi.......... for winning at the local level while placing 6^th overall in the regional level of poster competition for the remembrance day contest through the legion. Well done. We look forward to seeing your picture in the paper.

All members of the talent show for a wonderful job well done, as well as, the very positive and respectful audience. An excellent job everybody.

Well done public speakers.......and thank you to Ms. Severin for her judging. Ms. Harding worked diligently with the students to produce some wonderful performances. Congratulations everybody.
 

Congratulations to our three Adam Scott Intermediate students who attended the Royal Canadian Legion Public Speaking Contest this past Sunday: Jenny Bojin, Kathryn Jackman and Jessica MacDonald.

A very special congratulations to Jessica MacDonald who placed first in the contest and will now move on to the next division.
 

This month is Learning Disabilities Awareness Month. Services for people with Learning Disabilities and/or Attention Deficit Disorder is available in Peterborough, Northumberland and Clarington. Phone 1-866-503-3303 or 705-748-9455. Services provided are: resource library with books, videos, and articles, support services, tutoring for elementary and secondary students, parent education courses, self advocacy courses, workshops for parents, educators and community members. The Peterborough centre is located at 171 King St. and the Cobourg centre at 700 Darcy St. The Cobourg Library is hosting Dan Haley, " Learning is a Lifelong Process". Mr. Haley will share his stories about overcoming obstacles, including drug and alcohol abuse in order to realize his potential as a person with a Learning Disability. Tuesday, 19 March at 1:00-3:00. Free of charge. Donations accepted. Call Mary Lou Maillet 905-373-7033 to reserve a spot. Thanks for supporting the Learning Disabilities Association.
 

All of us, parents and students, want to say thank you to the teachers who organized the ski day. A special thank you to Mr. Glynn and Ms. Scott whose work "behind the scenes" made the second annual ski day a reality. Despite the soggy conditions, it sounds like it was lots of fun.

Our pizza lunches are going well and there is still an option to buy the series if you would like to order for the remainder of the year. The next lunch date is March 22nd. There are 7 dates between now and June, so the cost would be $14.00 payable to Adam Scott School Council. Please give the cheque to Ms. Soucie at the office and she will make sure that your child's name is added to the list!

We have set a date for the first annual spring BBQ. It will be held at the school on Wednesday, May 15th from 5:30-6:30 pm and everyone in your family is invited. At that time, anyone who has participated in our spring flower fundraiser will be able to pick up the plants, just in time for planting on the long weekend! More information will follow soon. Closer to the date, we will be asking for volunteers to BBQ. If you think you can help out, please let us know.

The next school council meeting will be held on March 6th at 7:00 p.m. in the school library. See you then!

Anne Morawetz

School Council Chair
748-9470
 

The Adam Scott Intermediate School Council needs Parent Volunteers to help with our Pizza Day/Hot Lunch Promotions. This requires 1 hour of your time from 11:15 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. during lunch period. Parents will give pizza to smiling and hungry faces. Help us feed your hungry kids and raise money for school council programs.

The following Fridays are Pizza Days. Please sign up with your name and telephone numbers for the days you can help. Your help is greatly needed. Our hot lunch coordinator is Mavis Chinamora-Stapleton 740-1753. Please return this form to your child's teacher.
 

March 22^nd_____________________________________________________________________

April 5^th _______________________________________________________________________

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June 14^th _______________________________________________________________________
 

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Our newsletter contest continues.

Congratulations to the winner of the January draw, Angela Chaput (8D), for the second time in a row. Please sign and return this portion of the newsletter to the school to indicate you received and read this newsletter. Your child's name will be entered into a draw for a prize. Return by Tuesday, 05 March 2002.
 

Name of Student ____________________________________ HR ______________________
 

Parent/Guardian Signature ____________________________ Date _____________________