We're back in business!

Image credit: tango face smile by warszawianka in the public domain

Moodle is up and running again.  You should be able to do all of the activities you normally do.  If you encounter any problems, please let me know either by leaving a comment here or by contacting me by e-mail or phone (see contact tab).

Moodle Issues

Today we are experiencing problems with Moodle.  Students should be able to access course material, but will be unable to:

• save files
• upload files
• send messages (they appear to send at first, but if you look in message history it will not have gone through.)
• write tests or quizzes

The district technology department is working on resolving this issue.  In the meantime it is suggested that you delay any of the above actions until notified here that things are up and running as they should be.  It is possible still to view content, and print assignments.  Sorry for the inconvenience.

More on Provincial Exams

Provincial exams run this week.  Students who are doing all of their courses at ConnectEd are asked to go to the ConnectEd Learning Centre main building to write their exams (324 Eckhardt Ave East).  Students who take most of their courses at another district high school have the option of writing their exams at their home school.  It is recommended that you arrive about 10 minutes prior to the start of the exam to get set up.

Here are the dates and times of the grade 10 and 11 provincial exams:

• Math 10 (AW Math 10 and FMP Math 10): Can be written during one of the other exam times listed here.  Note: this exam is only offered electronically
• English 10: Wednesday January 25th from 9 - 11 am
• Social Studies 11: Wednesday January 25th from 1 - 2 pm
• Science 10: Thursday January 26th from 1 - 3 pm

LearnNowBC: a treasure trove of resources

Today I'd like to describe an excellent resource that is available to all BC students and their parents; the website LearnNowBC.  LearnNowBC offers resources for parents and educators, but what I'd like to highlight in this post are the resources for students.

Online Tutoring
Online tutoring is available from subject area experts Sunday to Thursday from 6pm to 9pm.  Right now online tutoring is available for the following subjects:

• Math 10 (both AWMath and FMP Math)
• Science 10
• some of the the grade 11 maths and sciences
• some of the grade 12 maths and sciences

Success Checker
With Success Checker you can write tests on various topics.  When you complete a test you are given an outline of the areas that you need to work on and a personalized study guide is produced for you.  Success Checker is currently available for the following subjects:

• Math 9
• Math 10 (both AWMath and FMP Math)
  
• Science 10
• some of the the grade 11 maths and sciences
• some of the grade 12 maths and sciences 

Charged Up for Math and Science
Recordings of streaming video lessons on various topics.  Charged Up for Math and Science is available for the following courses:

• Math 9
• Math 10 (both AWMath and FMP Math)
  
• Science 10
• Pre-Calculus Math 11
• some of the grade 12 maths and sciences

Getting Started
In order to start using the resources on the LearnNowBC website you need to do the following:

• Go to LearnNowBC (http://learnnowbc.ca/)
• Click on the 'Sign up' link at the top right of the page
• Follow the prompts to set up your account
• To access the resources described above go here (http://www.learnnowbc.ca/services/tutoring/default.aspx)

There are other resources on the site, so I encourage you to explore.  If you find something great--let me know and I'll pass along your find here on the blog so that others can benefit.

Science Fair

The School District 67 Kiwanis Science Fair is coming up!  It runs from March 5th to 6th.  Science fair is a wonderful opportunity for students in grades 6 - 12 to do a science project on a scientific topic of interest to them.  The project can be an experiment that a student carries out and reports on, a study, or an innovation or invention.  If you are interested in participating in this year's science fair, please check out the information here, and then contact me so that we can discuss what you are going to do.  I can then complete the entry form so that you can participate.  The deadline for me to enter students is March 1st.  If you have any questions please leave them in the comment section below or contact me. 

No, this is not me!  Science Project 1974 by The Rocketeer CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

January Provincials

This post is for students taking grade 10 courses.

In grade 10 there are mandatory provincial exams for Science, Math and English.  The exams are worth 20% of your mark for the course and you must write the provincial exam to be given credit for the course.  Marks from the provincial exams are also used to determine eligibility for provincial scholarships.  The provincials exams have to be written during one of the many exam times throughout the year.  The next exam period is coming up at the end of January.  

• Math 10 (AW Math 10 and FMP Math 10): time and date to be announced, but sometime in the week of January 23 - 27.  Note: this exam is only offered electronically
• English 10: Wednesday January 25th from 9 - 11 am
• Science 10: Thursday January 26th from 1 - 3 pm

More information about the exams will be posted closer to the date.

Please let me know if you will be ready to write any of the provincial exams in January.  Click on the 'Contact' link near the top of the page for ways that you can contact me.  Because all of my students are working at their own pace, I won't know that you are ready to write during the exam time unless you tell me.  If you are planning to write in January, I can discuss with you how to prepare for the exams, and point you to some helpful resources. 

For the complete exam schedule for this year, please go here.

Did you know students can take the provincial exam for a particular subject more than once?  The Ministry of Education uses your best exam score to calculate your overall grade.

Back to School

Tomorrow, Tuesday January 3rd, school is back in session.  I hope you've had a good break and I look forward to getting back into the swing of things and working with you.  This is a great time of year to take a look at where you are at in your courses and see if you need to make any changes to how you are doing things.  Contact me if you'd like me to meet with you to go over where you are at.  My contact info can be found by clicking on the 'Contact' tab near the top of the page. 

Wishing you all the best in 2012!