La semaine de la francophonie à l’école primaire

Posted on November 22, 2011 by admin

Notre Semaine de la francophonie s’est tenue du 8 au 11 novembre dernier et plusieurs activités ont eu lieu entre les murs de l’école primaire.

D’abord, durant cette semaine, les élèves étaient mis au défi de parler le plus possible en français. En classe de français, c’est facile, mais ce fut autre chose de le faire lors des dîners. Une compétition amicale s’est d’ailleurs tenue entre les maisons où chaque enseignant, assigné à une table, devait donner un pointage de 1 à 10 pour le « parler en français » à sa table. C’est la maison Woods qui a gagné la première place, suivie par Harper et par Drummond. De plus, nos dîners commençaient d’une agréable façon, car un groupe d’élèves montait sur la scène chaque jour afin de nous chanter une petite chanson. En classe, les enseignants de français ont animé une activité spéciale. Cela a été Fais-moi un dessin pour certaines classes, de l’impro ou des devinettes pour d’autres.

En milieu de semaine, les élèves de la maternelle à la 3^e année ont eu la chance d’avoir un chanteur, comédien et musicien qui est venu nous présenter son spectacle L’arbre-muse. Vêtu de son costume coloré, de ses accessoires, de son accordéon et de son grand dynamisme, monsieur Jean Laprise nous a livré toute une performance! Nous avons bien ri et nous nous sommes laissés bercer par sa musique et ses histoires très captivantes.

Finalement, durant cette semaine, il a été possible de faire un jeu d’association des drapeaux avec leurs pays; pays où le français est utilisé comme langue. Ce jeu était affiché dans les corridors de l’école. Il se faisait aussi par maison et sur une base volontaire. Les maisons qui ont obtenu le plus de points pour cette compétition sont: Beveridge et Harper. Félicitations!!! Un autre jeu optionnel qui fut offert les mardis et les jeudis dans le local de science fut le Karaoké en français. Nous nous sommes bien amusés à chanter des chansons en suivant les mots qui défilaient sur le grand écran. Quelques talents furent d’ailleurs découverts!

Bravo à tous pour votre grande participation et votre bel enthousiasme durant cette semaine de la francophonie! À l’an prochain !

— Nathalie Simard, Enseignante de français – 3e année du primaire, Coordonnatrice des programmes de français

Unfinished Business??

Posted on November 21, 2011 by admin

In August, Google took special steps to acknowledge the birth of Pierre de Fermat – an outstanding French mathematician from the mid 1600’s. Although he made important contributions to calculus, optics and number theory, he is largely remembered for his last theorem that was jotted in the margins of an ancient Greek mathematical text, which apparently he solved, but never shared with anyone when he lived. In fact, the unsolved elements of the theorem frustrated mathematicians for almost four full centuries before it was finally figured out. For a long time “Fermat’s Conjecture” was in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s most difficult math problem.

It was finally fully solved in 1994 by British mathematician Andrew Wiles, whose proof took seven years to complete and ran over 100 pages in length. For his efforts he was knighted and recognized widely for his achievement.

Because of this extraordinary story, Fermat actually became more famous for what he had left undone rather than what he did achieve in life, and in so doing, he has been identified as the “patron saint of unfinished business.”

Unfinished business—we all suffer from the plight of unfinished business. Whether it’s a school project, a personal hobby, a desire to develop a new skill, or simply organize to meet up with an important friend who you haven’t seen for a long time, I think we live in a world where the trail of unfinished business is now longer than it has ever been before. According to the so-called experts, our attention spans are getting shorter, and because of all the interesting things we can read about or watch on the Internet, completing projects or tasks has seemingly become more challenging these days.

So, work at being organized and disciplined with your major responsibilities in life. However, whether it’s your school work, a personal project in your basement, an unfinished novel, or a technical idea that may be as good as Google or Facebook, think about Pierre de Fermat—the Patron Saint of Unfinished business. Great ideas sometimes take a long time to come to fruition. I hope that your greatest ideas eventually see the light of day… and despite all our modern distractions, many of them likely will.

Persist, mes amis, persist! —Headmaster Chris Shannon

Ottawa Trip: Remembrance Day Ceremonies

Posted on November 17, 2011 by admin

On November 11, 2011, three LCC students and I joined over 250 students that came from coast to coast, in Ottawa for the Remembrance Day ceremony. This trip was organized by Operation Veteran, which was founded by an LCC graduate, Dr. Paul Kavanagh ’70. Operation Veteran ensures that all veterans who visit the Canadian War Museum are able to get a free meal at the cafeteria. This cause is supported by private donors and student fundraising initiatives which run throughout the year, and is an ever-expanding project.

We left for Ottawa at 6:30 am. When we arrived, all the students went to the Canada Room of the Laurier Building, where Dr. Kavanagh gave a short talk about Operation Veteran. We then went outside for the ceremony, which was amazing. Governor General David Johnston and Prime Minister Stephen Harper were there, along with a host of other government and military officials. It seemed like half the people that I saw were in uniform! There was a 21-gun salute, and bagpipes and a bugle were played. There was also a choir that sang during the laying of the wreaths at the National War Memorial. There must have been 30 groups that placed wreaths on the monument. There were also two fighter jets that flew overhead and a formation of helicopters. The speeches were especially moving because, every minute or two, a gun would go off. It was a poignant reminder of the sacrifices that we were remembering.

After the ceremony, we placed our poppies on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is part of the War Memorial. Afterwards, we made our way to the Canadian War Museum, which was a really great experience. I discovered the meaning of a couple of the medals that were won by my great-uncles. There were also some really memorable exhibits. I walked through a replica of a trench and touched a chunk of the Berlin Wall!

On the whole, this day was just such an incredible experience, and I’m so glad that I had the chance to go!—Julia Peterson ’13

Paris Échange: Les Champs Elysées, l’Arc de Triomphe et la Tour Eiffel

Posted on November 11, 2011 by admin

Dans deux jours, je retourne au Canada. Honnêtement, je peux dire que ces six semaines en France étaient vraiment quelque chose que je chérirai toute ma vie. Cette expérience m’a appris à avoir davantage confiance en moi et dans les autres.

Avant le départ pour Montréal, je vais rester à la maison avec Gwen et sa famille pour être ensemble et regarder des films. Durant cet échange, j’ai rencontré plein de personnes avec lesquelles je vais rester en contact grâce à Facebook. Samedi, la mère de Gwen m’a emmené à Paris avec Gwen pour faire une journée entière de shopping. On était au Printemps et aux Galeries Lafayette pendant une journée! C’était vraiment fatigant! On a marché dans ces deux magasins pendant 8 heures. Après, nous sommes allés dans un café très célèbre qui s’appelle Angelina où j’ai mangé le meilleur millefeuille du monde.

Dimanche, nous avons eu la plupart de la journée pour nous détendre et faire des devoirs. Dimanche soir, les parents de Gwen m’ont montré Paris la nuit. J’ai eu la chance de voir les Champs Elysées, l’Arc de Triomphe et la Tour Eiffel illuminés. Durant ce tour, j’ai appris que la « vraie » statue de la Liberté est en France et que celle de New-York était un cadeau donné par les Français.

En fin de compte, mon séjour dans ce lycée a été incroyable et je ne l’oublierai jamais.—Brooke Stein ’13

Green Team: Web Seminar with Dr. David Suzuki

Posted on November 10, 2011 by admin

David Suzuki, the prestigious and award winning environmentalist, held a web seminar this past Wednesday, on November 2. Along with his co-workers, he set up a virtual classroom where elementary and secondary schools from across North America could partake. If questions were submitted in advance, different schools could ask Dr. Suzuki their personal questions themselves via video chat.

LCC did not have the chance to submit any questions, however, several members of the Green Team, along with Ms. Scattolin and myself, had the privilege of watching. Suzuki took the time to answer approximately ten different questions. I was impressed with many of the questions that were asked and with the elaborate answers that were given in return. In particular, one student asked: “How is it possible to become an environmentalist?” Concisely, Suzuki replies that anyone can really become an environmentalist, as it is not a real profession. If you have a passion for helping the environment then it is important to pursue it along side your career, but it should not be one’s principle occupation. He then said “You should follow your heart and do what makes you happy.” This statement is very encouraging and I appreciated Dr. David Suzuki’s responses a great deal. — Jacklyn Greenspoon ’13