Sunday, November 20, 2011

Advanced Placement Exam Info

Advanced Placement
IRHS Newsletter/Contract
Advanced Placement:
·         An opportunity to earn a first year University credit or placement by writing an exam in May, 2012 at IRHS.  Each exam is at a specified time.
·         Some material for the English exam is integrated into the Grade 12 U course, and supplemented by a more intensive and exam focused tutorial series planned for lunch hours beginning in February and finishing in May 2012.  The exam is the equivalent of a first year University exam, and thus preparation must be taken seriously.  For all courses that might offer tutorial support:
o   Students are to attend punctually, ready to take notes and participate in order to prepare.
o   Students are expected to attend all tutorials/study group sessions. 
o   After two (2) missed sessions, a call will be made to parents. 
o   After three (3) missed sessions, students will be withdrawn from the tutorial support program, but may still write the exam in May.
·         The French and Spanish Language Exams will be offered some support by the Moderns Dept., Economics by the Business Dept. and other exams by other curriculum areas and/or teacher “coaches”.
·         All students are eligible to write an AP exam, and it can be written more than once over the years without penalty.
·         The tests are created by the College Board; the same people who prepare the SAT exams for application to American Universities.
·         Exams are administered at IRHS and sent for marking by AP evaluators.
·         By achieving the equivalent of an A or A+ on an exam (which translates to a 4 or 5) a student is entitled to a credit at most Universities in Canada, and can then take only 19 credits for an honours degree instead of 20.
·         By achieving a B (which translates to a level 3) students are eligible for scholarships in B.C. and at some Ontario Universities
·         Information available at www.ap.ca & www.apcentral.collegeboard.com
·         Cost: $87.00 US per exam
·         Deadline: Thursday December  8, 2011
(detach and return the bottom of this form with payment)
o   Cash/Money order for $87.00 US with parent permission slip
o   Name and contact info. on list with Ms. Patterson

  • Further questions about AP at IRHS should be directed to Ms. Patterson pattersonka@hdsb.ca    - (905) 845-0012 x240

I ______________________ (student) understand the commitment I need to make in order to be successful on the AP exam in May.


$87.00 US dollars have been paid to IRHS  

Parent or Guardian signature ________________________Date________

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Service Trip to Costa Rica

A Student volunteeer Trip is being planned to
 Costa Rica for March 2012
March 10 - 17 inclusive
Details about Dream Volunteers can be found at the link below.
 
http://www.dreamvolunteers.org/costarica/volunteer-trips/

A parent information night will be held on
 Thursday November 24th
 from 7 - 8:30 pm
 in the Staff Room at IRHS.



For further information, please contact:
Kathryn Patterson - pattersonka@hdsb.ca
Dan Devine - devined@hdsb.ca
Stephanie Briggs - briggsst@hdsb.ca

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Fall Math Circles are over but the program will run again in the spring - Check it out !!

Math Circles
Math Circles are back, starting September 27th!
The UTM Math Circles will be running Tuesdays 6:30-8:30 on Tuesday evenings again this Fall, Starting September 27th. If you took part in Math Circles in Spring 2011, you can still sign up for the Fall. There will be new topics, new problems and new people (both faculty and students) for you to meet!

Otherwise, are you a student in grade 10 to 12, who is interested in Mathematics and are looking to challenge yourself? Then this is the program for you! Please have a look at our poster!

Math Circles
is a FREE weekly enrichment program offered by our Department at the University of Toronto Mississauga.

Participants will work together with professors and members of the department on interesting problems from a wide range of fields within mathematics. The sessions will be very informal and the emphasis is on developing problem solving skills while having fun exploring interesting puzzles and problems.

The sessions are designed to be fun, but at the same time will help participants develop important problem solving skills and an understanding of research techniques. These skills are important not just for mathematicians, but are applicable in many field of work/study and can be applied in many every day situations.

Participants in the program will meet once a week. Most weeks there will be a "theme" of a particular topic or problem, often quite different from what is encountered in the regular high school curriculum. Sometimes there will be one major question that we will work towards answering. Other weeks we will explore many related problems or a specific mathematical topic.

Most sessions will be hosted by Dr. Maria Wesslen, but participants will also have the opportunity to meet and get to know several guest hosts from our Department, including both Faculty and students.

At the end of the semester, those students with regular attendance will receive a certificate of participation.



History of Math CirclesThe Math Circles concept was developed in Moscow in the 1950's as a way to maintain the interest of bright students in mathematics. Challenging material from outside the regular curriculum, as well as preparation for problem solving competitions were seen as the key to maintaining interest. A critical component to the success of this concept was the active involvement of some of the major figures of the Moscow mathematical community. And, indeed, the Math Circles proved to be highly successful with similar groups established throughout the Soviet Union and beyond. The migration of former Soviet scientists to the West at the end of the twentieth century carried the concept to North America. (Source: Fields Institute, University of Toronto)


Session Details
Weekly sessions will run September 2011 to November 2011, on Tuesday evenings 6:30-8:30pm. The Department will also be providing a Pizza dinner (please advise in your registration of any diet restrictions).

The program is limited to 20 students, so early registration is recommended. There will be a wait list.

Students are also required to obtain a recommendation for participation from either their high school math teacher or guidance counselor. You will find a section for this on the registration form.

Weekly Schedule

Sessions run on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8:30pm in Room 1157 William Davis Building (formerly South Building). Pizza dinner will be served.
Week 1: September 27, 2011
Week 2: October 4, 2011
Week 3: October 11, 2011
Week 4: October 18, 2011
Week 5: October 25, 2011
Week 6: November 1, 2011
Week 7: November 8, 2011
Week 8: November 15, 2011
Week 9: November 22, 2011
Week 10: November 29, 2011


Download the registration form (pdf document) and fax it to
Yvette Ye at 905.569.4730.
Registration is limited to 20 students, so register early!



If you have additional questions, please contact our Undergraduate Counselor.

Yvette Ye
Tel: 905.828.3801
Email: ugmcs[dot]utm[at]utoronto.ca

Encounters with Canada Newsletter LINK


Thursday, November 3, 2011

BRAIN BEE!!! Great competition :)




 
Hamilton PDF Print E-mail
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High school students in the Hamilton-Halton and surrounding area from grades 9 through 12 are welcome to compete!  Students will demonstrate their knowledge about the brain and neuroscience, including fascinating topics involving intelligence, memory, emotions, sensations, movement, stress, aging, sleep, addiction, and more.  Participating is a valuable experience that you can add to your resume -- not to mention the possibility of winning prizes and fame!

2012 McMaster Brain Bee:
          Tuesday, February 21, 2012, 1:00 PM

          Click here to register!

Here is the 2012 Brain Bee flyer -- please feel free to share this with teachers, students, friends, and family.
Please note that there are nearby local brain bee competitions held in Waterloo, Guelph, and Toronto.  Students may not compete in more than one local brain bee competition, and should choose the competition that is closest geographically to their high school.
Prizes
The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will get a trophy plaque engraved with their names to hang on their wall.  There will be other 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes -- and every participant will receive a Certificate of Participation from the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour at McMaster University.  In addition the 1st place winner will receive: A beautiful traveling trophy plaque engraved with the winner's name, school, and year will be displayed in the trophy case at their school for a year.
The 1st place winner of the local McMaster Brain Bee will represent Hamilton at the Fourth Annual CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee in May 2012, competing for the right to be called the BEST BRAIN in Canada. Graduate students from our department will help the winner prepare for the national event.  Additional exciting prizes are awarded at the national competition each year.  This 2012 CIHR Canadian Brain Bee champion will win a trip for two to represent Canada at the International Brain Bee competition, to be held in Cape Town, South Africa, the week of July 22nd, 2012.