What’s big and blue and red all over? Canadians in the West will find out early Wednesday, when an extremely rare alignment in the lunar calendar produces what astronomers call a super blue blood moon. The super-duper-exciting-plus-sprinkles phenomenon hasn’t happened for over a century, because it consists of three rare moon-related events occurring all at once: a super moon, a blue moon and a lunar eclipse. The moon will be a super moon on Wednesday because it will be at the closest point to Earth in its orbit, meaning it will appear about seven per cent larger and 14 per cent brighter than normal. It’ll be a blue moon, at least in name, because it will be the second full moon within a calendar month. And it’ll be a blood moon because of a rare lunar eclipse, which will cast a blood-red shadow over the moon’s surface. “This makes it a really beautiful cosmic trifecta,” Andrew Fazekas, an astronomy columnist with National Geographic, told CTV News Channel on Sunday. He explained that it’s been two years since the last lunar eclipse, but over 150 years since that coincided with a blue moon. NASA says the super blue blood moon will be visible early Wednesday in Western Canada, so long as it’s not obscured by clouds. The best time to view it will be from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. Pacific Time, although the shadow will start appearing on the moon at approximately 3:48 a.m. “Viewers in Western Canada will be treated to the total eclipse phase from start to finish, though the penumbral shadow will pass after the moon has set,” NASA says on its website. NASA says it will be tougher to catch a glimpse of the super blue blood moon in Central and Eastern Canada, where it will only be visible for less than half an hour, starting at 6:48 EST. NASA blogger Gordon Johnston says the best way to see it from this region will be to “get to a high place” and find a clear line of sight to the horizon in the west-northwest, “opposite from where the sun will rise.” NASA will live stream the event beginning at 5:30 a.m. EST. Josh Elliot, CTV News Published Sunday, January 28, 2018 11:20AM EST Where did January go? It's hard to believe that we're almost into February...
While I'm in the process of writing our February newsletter, here are some highlights for next week: 1) Grade 9 students who are going to Bamfield will begin weekly Wednesday meetings (make sure to pack a lunch) in Room 19 with Mr. Brown. 2) Looming with Lewis has finished for the short-term... Grade 5 and Grade 6s can look forward to a new card making club with Ms. Lewis starting in a couple of weeks. 3) Congrats to our amazing Wrestling Team! A victory blurb will be posted in the February newsletter. 4) RTA Open House is this week - Thursday, February 1st at 6:00-7:30 PM. Any parent wanting to come and see their child's Science Fair Project or classroom work is definitely encouraged to visit! 5) SCIENCE FAIR JUDGES NEEDED! We really, really need Science Fair Judges. So far, 1 parent has volunteered. Please contact Michelle in the office if you are able to volunteer for judging, Friday, February 2nd, AM. 6) Report Card envelopes need to be brought back to the school, signed. Have a wonderful weekend, Brenda Lewis Have a won Grade 7-9 CTF Block Option 3 will end this week. Prior, starting on Monday, students will select their last 2 CTF option blocks (with the exception of Band and French).
Block 3 and 4 CTF Options’ Descriptions Fitness and Nutrition Do you like learning more about your body and how to maximize its potential? If so, Fitness and Nutrition may be for you! This physical activity option will involve several different forms of exercise, weight training, and nutritional knowledge. Science and Beyond Like science? Enjoy knowing more about how things interact? Science and Beyond may be for you… This inquiry option will involve hands-on activities. You will build and construct things, do a wide variety of general experiments, and spend time sharing your discoveries. Photography Like images? What to know how cameras work? What makes that perfect shot? Photography may be right up your alley… This course will look at how cameras work and the important aspects of every picture. There will be a focus on taking beautiful and interesting photographs. There will also be an opportunity to start to experiment with the art of photography or “painting with light.” Film Making Do you like movies? Do you enjoy story telling? If so, Film Making might be for you…. You’ll construct your own characters and scenes; and then, using stop motion technology, green screens, editing software, expert instruction and your imagination, you will bring things to life in your very own Hollywood blockbuster film! Don't forget to add sound effects, voice-overs, special effects, transitions and titles to make your film a shoe-in for an Academy Award! Check us out and see where your imagination will take you! Art Do you like to draw? Do you like 3D work such as clay? If so, Art may be right for you… This course will look at the elements and principles of design, through a focus on drawing and painting. Students may use a variety of materials, including the following: graphite, charcoal, conte, pen/ink, acrylic paint, and/or watercolour paint to make interesting and creative projects that bring your imagination to life! Students will use clay, paper-mache, wire, cardboard, and found objects to create interesting and creative art pieces. Intro to Robotics Have you ever wondered about robotics? Have you ever tried working with a robot before? This class is designed for people with little to no experience with robotics. We will focus on basic tasks such as moving forwards, backwards, turning and completing small tasks. Foods Are you interested in baking? Do you want to learn how to bake? This class will focus on basic recipes including cookies, cupcakes, etc. We will also explore using food as a building material. Drama Are you a dramatic person? Do you like to be in the spotlight? If you like to be silly, crazy and show people, Drama is the place for you! In Drama, you will be working in various groups, looking at topics such as tableau, mime and sound effects. Active Living Need an extra class to help get your body moving? Do you like to be active? This option focuses on activities from the Canada Participation 150 list. Activities may include: dodgeball, jump rope, bean bag, yoga and dance. Bring your energy and a good attitude and get ready to be busy! Throughout the term, students will have the opportunity to go on a few field trips for active living. An extra fee for those going will be required. Leadership Do you like to help plan and execute fun activities for our school? Then, Leadership is the place for you. Students in this option will be in charge of planning and running events in the last term of school, such as the Volunteer Tea, Activity Day, Talent Show and Celebration Assembly. A willingness to work together and be leaders in the school is a must! Learning Strategies Are you feeling disorganized? Are you lagging behind in your work? Learning Strategies might be the place for you. In this option, your core teachers will provide weekly updates re: what you need to work on; you will also use this time to practice and learn organization and study habits. Be prepared to work if you take this option! Wood Working/Construction Do you like working with your hands and building things? Are you interested in 3D design and bringing those designs to life? Construction is the place for you… Students will learn beginner, intermediate and advanced techniques in solid woods construction. They will learn the fundamentals of following tools: band-saws, drill presses, and other power tools. Furthermore, students will efficiently and safely create a small wooden project such as a shelf, wooden toy, jewelry box, camping chair or a personal design. On Friday, February 9th, the Grades 7-9 Musical Theatre class of RT Alderman will performing WE WILL ROCK YOU, with music from Queen.
There will be 2 performances: Show #1: 9:30-10:30 AM RTA Grades 5 and 6 students & Maple Ridge Grade 5 will be attending Show #2: 11:00-12:00PM RTA Grades 7, 8 and 9 students will be attending GUESTS ARE WELCOME AT ANY AND ALL SHOWS! Donations will be accepted at the door in lieu of ticket prices (suggested $5/person). This money will go towards the cost of the show (costumes, makeup, microphones etc.) A quick synopsis of the play - Globalsoft corporation has control of the entire universe and controls everything in society, from the way students dress, to banning any type of music whatsoever. Young student Galileo knows that he does't fit in here. He embarks on an interesting journey to find what the universe is missing and meets some unusual characters along the way (like Mick Jagger and Brittney Spears). Ms. Ballantine Well, if you are like me, you're just trying to keep up with all of the exciting things happening at RTA!
Yesterday, MADD presented to our grade 7-9s. And, our grade 9s went to see the movie Downsizing (as teachers are planning a cross-curricular assignment). Today, our 8s are off to Telus Spark and our Wrestling Team is off to Nickel for a Quad tournament. Moreover, teachers from Lord Beaverbrook will be visiting our 9s this afternoon. Here is the rest of the Athletics' Calendar for the month: Jan. 22 - Wrestling PM; Senior Boys' BBall AM; Junior Girls' BBall PM; Jr. Boys' BBall PM Jan. 23 - Wrestling Divisionals at SLC AM; Junior Boys' BBall PM; Jan. 24: Gr. 5-7 Wrestling Development 3:30-4:30 PM Jan. 25: Senior Boys' BBall AM; Jr. Boys; BBall PM Jan. 29: Senior Boys' BBall AM; Jr. Boys' BBall Lunch; Junior Girls' BBall PM; Junior Boys' BBall game at Wilma Hansen Jan. 30: Junior Boys' BBall PM Jan 31: Senior Boys' BBall at Wilma Hansen; Gr. 5-7 Basketball Development 3:30-4:30PM. Dear Grade 5-7 parents:
Mr. McGhan is starting up a Junior Development Basketball Program at RTA! As our gym is available on Wednesday evenings during the Basketball Season this year, we were hoping to target future basketball players, focusing on developing grade 5-7 skills. This program will run every Wednesday for 3 weeks, starting next week: Wednesday, January 24, 2018. Practice times: Wednesdays, 3:30- 4:30 PM. If you have any further questions, please contact Mr. McGhan or Ms. Clark. Gosh, I hate it when I make mistakes...Shocking, I know!
After some inquiry, I have confirmed that Friday, January 26th is a Non-Instructional Day. There will be no school on Friday, January 26th. Report Cards will go home on Thursday, January 25th. My apologies, Brenda Lewis Please don't fret, we've still got another day of school left!
Tomorrow is a Friday 3 (3b, 4b, 5b, 6b). There was a bit of confusion due to the sheet attached to the Traditional Calendar on our website. Please ignore the second page. We've asked that it be removed from the website immediately. My apologies, Brenda Lewis Okay, I'm losing it! I know that I wrote in my blog yesterday.. alas, posting is the important final step!
A very Happy New Years to all of our RTA families. There's definitely no confusing what season we are in... it's agreeably cold outside. As always, when we hit the -20 C or colder (including wind chill), we remain indoors during lunch and recess. In addition to all of our fun Science Fair endeavors, Basketball tryouts have begun, and wrestling is continuing, strong. Jan. 10 - Senior Boys' BBall AM; Wrestling PM Jan. 11 - Senior Boys' BBall AM; Junior Boys BBall PM; Wrestling PM Jan. 12- Junior Girls' BBall AM Jan. 15: Senior Boys' BBall AM: Wrestling PM: Junior Girls AND Junior Boys' BBall PM Jan 16: Junor Boys' BBall PM: Wrestling Jan. 17: Wrestling Quad at Nickle School Jan. 18: Senior Boys' Ball AM: Junior Boys' BBall PM: Wrestling PM Jan. 19: Junior Girls' BBall AM And, if your are looking to escape the cold, please join our Parent Council Meeting and Parent Association Meeting, tomorrow at 6:30 PM in the Learning Commons. Stay warm, Brenda Lewis |