Journey Middle School Parent Newsletter – December 17, 2023

Journey Middle School Parent Newsletter – December 17, 2023

Hello JMS Families!

We had quite the exciting Band concert on Wednesday night! After some rousing tunes from the Grade 6 and Grade 7 bands, the fire bells went off and we all had to evacuate the building. We waited outside until the fire department arrived and took over. I would like to thank each and every person who was there and who acted quickly and calmly to exit the building. It was cold outside while we waited for the all clear, but luckily not raining. When the fire department discovered the small fire in the building, it became evident that we would not be able to continue the concert, and we asked families to go home while the fire department got to work. This is a good reminder to not park in fire lanes.

Mr. Froese has jumped into action and booked a “Take 2” of the concert this week on Wednesday December 20^th at 7:00 p.m. This will be for the Grade 8 and Jazz Bands to perform. I acknowledge that some family members came last week and may not be able to attend this week. We apologize for this.

Here is what is happening in this last week before Winter Break:

5000 Today: thank you to all who donated items for the food bank.

Door Decorating contest until December 20^th.

Ugly Christmas Sweater Day December 21^st.

Winter Dance and Activities on December 22^nd from 12:30-1:58. Last chance for students to sign up to be in the gym for the dance or do another activity in the school. Sign-up sheets are below the TV in the foyer.

Exploratories: Term 1 exploratory has now ended and we are preparing for Term 2. Your child should have completed their choices by now through a link they received in their homeroom class. Term 2 class lists will be posted when we return on January 8^th. We will start Term 2 exploratories on Friday January 26^th.

Lucky 7’s Draw: tickets will be on sale again at lunch (4 for $1) this week until the tickets sell out. Divisions 3 & 4 have raised over $800 so far! Thank you for all your donations!

Hockey Nets and Equipment: We are looking for outdoor hockey nets and equipment to use at recess and lunch. If you have any items you can donate, we would be very grateful. Thank you to the family who donated the goalie equipment!

Outdoor Games: a huge thank you to the PAC who has covered the cost of some games that students will be able to take outside. We will ask students to sign out the game from the foyer and return it at the end of lunch when done. We are currently getting the games ready to go. We do have portable volleyball nets available for use already and it has been amazing to see how many kids are playing together.

ADST: We say goodbye to Ms. Zadan who teaches the Grade 8’s Marketing and Entrepreneurship. She has taken a full-time job. We wish her all the best!

Athletics: here is a message from our Athletics Director, Mr. Vine:

Hello Everyone,

The basketball season has ended, and the volleyball season is starting up. Thank you to all those classes that attended the Fall Pep Rally and celebrated all our Fall teams this year. A special thank you to Mr. van Hooydonk, Bronte, Ms. Kroetch, Mr. Robertson, Mr. Shlomo, and Ms. McClintock for volunteering to coach the Journey Basketball teams this season.

Looking forward to our Journey Volleyball season, we have had an enormous number of students sign up to play. Last week we had 44 students try out for 12 positions on the Varsity Girls Competitive team. We will have 7 Journey Volleyball teams this season, and potentially an 8th team:

• Varsity Girls Team (coached by Bronte)
• 2 Senior Girls Teams (coached by Ms. Federici and Mrs. Walker, and we need 1 more coach)
• 2 Junior Girls Teams (coached by Ms. McClintock and Mr. Vine, with Ms. Gautam as assistant coach)
• 1 Senior Boys Team (coached by Mr. Robertson, with Mr. van Hooydonk as assistant coach)
• 1 Junior Boys Team (coached by Mr. Shlomo, with Mr. van Hooydonk as assistant coach)

Conflict vs Bullying: a conflict is a disagreement or argument where both students, who are at an equal level with each other, can express their views. For example, conflict can be name calling, not following the rules in a game, borrowing something and not returning it, not taking turns, inserting themselves in a game that they haven’t been invited to play in, grabbing something from someone, swearing at each other, etc.

In middle school, students are usually able to work out a conflict with another student but may require some support from an adult. We remind all our students that any adult in the building can help them solve a problem. One way to ask for help is to simply say: “I need some help.”

If one or both students are not able to accept the differing views of the other student and move forward from the conflict, then feelings of resentment start to develop. If students don’t feel heard or that the conflict has not been resolved, the problem grows. We tell our students that they don’t have to be best friends with everyone at school, but they do need to be polite and respectful to all their schoolmates.

In contrast, bullying is targeted, negative behaviour from one student towards another by exerting power and control over them. For example, one student could threaten another by saying something like: “If you tell anyone about this, I’ll get you.” If students don’t tell adults about another student having power over them, we can’t help. We have heard some students say: “I don’t want to be a ‘snitch’ or a ‘rat’.” There is a big difference between being a “snitch” and reporting a problem. If the problem goes unreported, it grows and can become unsafe. Everyone in the school has a duty to keep everyone safe. If a student knows something, they need to say something, so we can do something.

The PAC will be hosting an evening about the difference between conflicts and bullying on Monday January 22, 2024. Please stay tuned for more details.

PAC Snack Day on December 20th during lunch hour. We will be selling popcorn for $1/bag and we also have lollipops from VIP Hard Candy for $2/each (grape, watermelon and blue raspberry).

PAC – Game Night January 11, 2024: Join us for a fun-filled evening of games and laughter at Journey Middle School! Our PAC Game Night is the perfect opportunity to connect with friends, old and new, while enjoying some friendly competition. Whether you’re a board game enthusiast or prefer card games, we have something for everyone. So, grab your favorite game and head on down to Journey Middle School on Throup Road, Sooke, BC, Canada. Get ready to have a blast!

Admission is free! We want all families to come and enjoy themselves. Parents are not required to attend with their students; however, we expect all students to follow the same rules they must follow when they attend school each day. We will ask students to leave the event if they are not being respectful.

All attendees will need a ticket. PAC will have a cash concession available. The Board Game Cafe will also offer a chance to purchase some of the games that you’ll get to play!

Get your tickets here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/journey-middle-school-pac-game-night-tickets-774532988017

PAC Night: Conflict vs bullying. Save the Date: Monday January 22^nd in the gym. More details to follow.

Calendar of Events:

This is the last newsletter of the year…of 2023! On behalf of all the staff at Journey Middle School, we hope you have a restful winter break and have lots of fun with family and friends. Happy Holidays! See you next year – on January 8th at 8:43 a.m.