Anti-Bullying Day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1Y7qpiu2RQ

Unrest in the Middle East

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/02/21/mideast.africa.unrest/index.html?iref=allsearch

http://jp.reuters.com/news/video?videoChannel=200&videoId=188630235

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Middle-East-Unrest-Bloody-Clashes-Between-Protesters-And-Police-Claim-Dozens-Of-Lives/Article/201102315936935

Balfour Collegiate Registration Time

Two Options:

1) Focus 9

A more traditional approach to Grade 9, this program offers students a more structured way to approach school.

MUST CHOOSE:
* Mathematics 9
* Science 9
* Phys Ed (either girls or boys)

CHOOSE 2 of:
* Practical and Applied Arts (Welding, Auto, Construction, Cooking, Sewing)
* Fine Arts (Dance, Drama, Visual Art, Music, Fusion)
* French

MAY ALSO CHOOSE:
* Noon Hour Band
* Noon Hour Choir

2) Choice 9

An interdisciplinary, project-based program which will see students spend their morning in a small supportive communtiy of learners where creativity and choice are the focus.


MUST CHOOSE:
* Mathematics 9
* Science 9
* Phys Ed (either girls or boys)

MAY ALSO CHOOSE:
* French
* Noon Hour Band
* Noon Hour Choir

Please complete the following page as well and kindly REMEMBER TO SIGN THE FORM!!

Families are invited to Balfour Collegiate for an Open House and to Meet the Staff on

Thursday, February 17.

Please return registration forms to DPS by Friday, February 25.



Parent's Night

Background Information

In 1981, 1.3 million children (approximately 2 percent of the

population of U.S. children) were living with adoptive parents

who were not blood relatives. Of the adoptions that occur

annually, approximately 40 percent are older or special needs

adoptions, and 40 percent are foreign adoptions.

Adolescence can be a tough time for any teenager. In

moving from childhood to adulthood, all teens must assume

the sometimes arduous task of developing their self-concept,

or self-identity. The question of whether adoptees have more

difficulty developing positive identities during adolescence

is controversial. Some experts believe that self-discovery for

adopted teenagers may be complicated by a lack of information

about their birth families. As a result, these adoptees may

have difficulty integrating their disparate pasts into solid

identities; uncertainty about their origins may lead to confusion

and doubts about self-worth. However, others argue that the

number of adoptees with identity conflicts is small but appears

large because most research is based on adoptees already

in therapy.

At the very least, adoptees clearly have some additional

factors to consider in developing their self-concept. They

have more people to identify with and more people to separate

themselves from. In addition, they may have less information

about these people than other teenagers. Transracial or

transcultural adoptees may have an even harder time during

their adolescent years. Not only do these adoptees have two

sets of parents, but also dual ethnic backgrounds to consider

in developing their sense of self.

When adoptees reach adolescence they may experience

some feelings of rejection and confusion over being adopted.

In the majority of these cases, teens are interested in knowing

why they were placed up for adoption, but are not necessarily

interested in meeting their birth parents. Indeed, many

adoption experts believe that a reunion at this time may not

be advisable. For one thing, a face-to-face meeting with the

adoptee’s birth parents can be a highly emotional experience

and teenagers already have enough emotional ups and downs

to deal with. In addition, it may be confusing for teenagers

to establish a new relationship with a parent figure at a time

when they are in the process of breaking away from their

parents. However, many young people may choose to search

for their birth parents when they are older and more secure

with their own identities.

Check out this great MSN video: Anger swells in Cairo following Mubarak speech

Check out this great MSN video: Anger swells in Cairo following Mubarak speech

High School Open House Dates

Here we are!  Time to decide which school to choose after we bid Farewell to Douglas Park.  The High schools are now offering evening Open Houses to help families make this decisions.

Tonight:  Campbell Collegiate Open House, 7 pm
Feb 17 - Balfour Collegiate Open House, 7 pm
Feb 23 - Cochrane Open House, 7 pm

Registrations for each of these schools will be due at the end of February to DPS and then we will forward them on to each of the schools (including those not listed here).

Each school will then offer a "Spend a Day" session for those students who have registered in their school.  These sessions will be in March and April.

If you have any questions, please contact Ms Little at melanie.little@rbe.sk.ca and I can help you find some answers.

Way to go, Students of the Month!

Congratulations to our January Students of the Month who are:

-Brendon Geis
-Tyne Carter

These students join Hayley Woodman, Stasia Wisniewski, Donovan Sim, and Danielle Pelletier as recipients of the Room 27 Student of the Month award.

Who will be next?!  Watch for the announcement at the end of February!

It's Late...

Background Information

The North American teenage birth rate is among the highest in the world.

An estimated 1 million teens become pregnant each year and

approximately 30,000 of these pregnant teens are under 15

years of age. While 400,000 pregnant teens opt for abortion

each year, another 600,000 decide to give birth. Nine out of

ten of the teens who give birth want to keep their babies.

Although teens represent only 18 percent of fertile women

in this country, they have 46 percent of out-of-wedlock births

and 31 percent of all abortions. Studies show that six out of ten

16 to 18 year-olds and one out of three 13 to 15 year-olds have

had sexual intercourse. Alarmingly, nearly six out of ten sexually

active teenagers do not use any form of birth control.

Misinformation is the primary cause of unintended teenage

pregnancy. Although teens want to get detailed, accurate

information about sex, few parents and few schools actually

provide them with this information. Recent surveys show

that only one-third of U.S. secondary schools offer any form

of sex education and only 39 percent of such courses discuss

contraception.

Most parents shy away from discussing birth

control with their children because they fear that discussing

it is tantamount to condoning sexual intercourse for their kids.

In response to this lack of information from reliable sources,

it is not surprising that teens turn to their peers to fill in the

gaps. Unfortunately, the information provided by peers tends

to reinforce the myths and misperceptions about sex that

lead to unintended teenage pregnancies.

Protests in Egypt

The 2011 Egyptian protests, also known popularly as the Days of Rage and the Lotus Revolution, are an ongoing series of street demonstrations, marches, rallies, acts of civil disobedience, riots, and violent clashes that began in Egypt on January 29, 2011.  The protests began with tens of thousands marching in Cairo and a string of other cities in Egypt. While localized protests had been common in previous years, the 2011 protests have been the largest demonstrations seen in Egypt since 1977, drawing participants from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds and faiths.


Egyptian protesters have focused on legal and political issues including police brutality, state of emergency laws, lack of free elections and free speech, and corruption, as well as economic issues including high unemployment, food price inflation, and low minimum wages. The primary demand from protest organizers is the end of the Hosni Mubarak regime, and a new government that represents the interests of the Egyptian people, and respects rights of freedom and justice. In response to mounting pressure Mubarak announced he would not seek re-election in September.


At least 105 protester deaths had been reported, but some claim the number could be as high as 300.   The capital city of Cairo has been described as "a war zone," and the port city of Suez has been the scene of frequent violent clashes. The government imposed a curfew that protesters defied and that the police and military did not enforce. The presence of Egypt's Central Security police, loyal to Mubarak, has been gradually replaced by largely restrained military troops. In the absence of police, there has been looting, and in response civilians have self-organized watch groups to protect key sites.

Big Douglas Park Girls' Basketball Victory!

The Douglas Park girls basketball team posted its second league play victory Wednesday after school with a 45-25 win over the Connaught Cougars.  Way to go girls!!  LOVED the in-bounds play!!  It was magic.