Staying Healthy During a Pandemic
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April 1, 2020
Dear Students,
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April 1, 2020
Dear Students,
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I find it interesting that many of our Brooks' students hold part-time jobs, while attending school.
Working at a summer or part-time job, can be a great learning experience for developing valuable skills like time-management, team work, leadership and organizational skills. In the 1970's, I spent seven summers as a university student working at our local mill. I like to describe these years as "glory years" for both MacMillan Bloedel and for high-school and university students in our community, as work was plentiful and well paid. The confidence I gained in myself was foundational in helping me develop my abilities in working with people. Having a part-time job allows students to develop connections and to learn valuable money management skills. Without a job, students must rely on other people's money. Working a part-time job allows students to get out of the house and away from their school work, giving them a break from the stressors of being a student. My advice to students who have a part-time job or to those who are looking for work, is to not work over 16 hours a week. Working a job then going home to study can leave student with little time to sleep. This, in turn, can lead to fatigue, which can impact health and overall well-being. If you are able to balance school with work, then your resume will thank you for it! Madison Penrose currently is a grade 12 Brooks' student who has been working at the Lang Bay Store since the end of June. She worked full time in the summer stocking shelves, working the cash register and checking orders from different suppliers. Now that school has started Madison works about 12 hours per week, and sees a lot of benefits to her job. Working has helped Madison to be more independent and has given her the confidence to talk more easily with people. "Having a job has improved my work ethic and given me more confidence with my social skills." When asked about negative aspects of her job, Madison replied that cranky customers and trying to balance school with work are two of the most difficult issues to deal with. "Overall I love working at the Lang Bay Store." Her advice to fellow students who are thinking about getting a part-time job is to go for it, as there are far more positive aspects to working than there are negative ones, but don't forget the balance between school and work. Although a part-time job for Madison has been a positive experience, working may not be for everyone. Students all have different demands, skills, interests and opportunities. Find out what works best for you and go for it! Mr.B Madison Penrose in the counselling office.
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For those of you who have never visited the counselling area, you might consider making an appointment at the Brooks office, to come and visit Ms. Williams (grades 8-10) or myself, Mr. B (grades 11-12).
Whether it is help in choosing your courses for high school graduation, post-secondary education planning, scholarships/bursaries, or personal problems, we would love to see you! So far this year, I have helped many of the grade 11 and 12 students with their timetable changes during the first week back at school. I appreciate the concern and anxiety that some students feel in choosing their courses for the final two years of high school. Big decisions! It is hard sometimes to balance your high school graduation requirements with post-secondary plans. The new online course change request form was a great way to avoid long student line-ups or having students miss valuable class time. Except for extenuating circumstances, course changes have closed as of Thursday, September 17. All grade 11 and 12 students should have received a new Brooks Secondary School Course Selection Sheet for Terms 2, 3 and 4. The courses students choose will help determine what courses will be offered for the remainder of this school year. Students will be asked if they prefer: in person learning, online classes, or a blend of in person/online options. Some classes may not run, based on enrolment or request numbers. Students are encouraged to return their completed forms to the main office or counselling area on Monday, September 20. Once course selection sheets are returned, learning groups will be developed. My advice is to make sure that you choose courses that will enable you to meet graduation requirements. High-school is a time to explore and develop your interests and goals, to try new things and to embrace challenges. Do not hesitate to ask as many questions as necessary and to obtain all the information you need. Ms. Williams and myself are here to help if you need us. Choose your new courses well, as the choices you make now, will affect your future opportunities! Mr. B To most of you, a typical return to school involves more than just academics. Students also learn social and emotional skills, participate in gym class where they get exercise and have access to face to face counselling support if needed. While some things remain the same, there will be some changes. One of the biggest changes this year is the way courses will be offered at Brooks. Based on a Middle School model, students in grades 8 and 9 will be grouped in grade classes and will remain with the same classmates all year. Instead of students moving to different classrooms, teachers will do the moving. This will be a full time program and there will be no blended or part time options. Students will do many inquiry based projects that will be taught using a cross curriculum model where different subjects are combined.
Students in grades 10-12 will follow a different model and will be offered two courses per term. A term lasts for ten weeks. Unlike our younger students, students in grades 10 -12 have some choice in the course presentation. For instance, our senior students have the option of taking courses through Brooks online, PIE or other Distributed Learning options. Please note different start time for different grades. Grade 8/9's will start at 9:00am and dismiss at 3:10 while grade 10-12 students will start at 10:30 am and dismiss at 3:20. School District buses will be adjusted to these different schedules. All students will be given a reusable mask for use in high traffic areas or anytime outside of their learning groups. There will also be increased custodial support at Brooks. Expect some bumps along the way of your educational journey this year. It is always a good idea at the start of every school year to check on the above six quadrants of health to make sure that everything is in balance. The six quadrants are like tires on a car, you don't want any to be out of balance. Remember that returning to school during the COVID -19 pandemic may not feel like normal, at least for a while. But whatever form school takes, it will require everyone's support to make sure that it is healthy and safe for students, teachers, staff and families. Hope to see you all soon! Mr. B |