Math Lab On-Line Course

Check out this web site for on-line math instruction.

http://www.mymathlab.com/

Well played

There is no shame or sadness in doing the very best that you can do. For anyone who witnessed the Grey Cup game on Sunday you know what I mean. The spirit, courage and drive of the players on both teams was remarkable in this movie style football thriller. According to the Canadian Press, more than 14 million or nearly 43% of the Canadian population watched the game on Sunday. This huge Canadian sports event is singular in the way it appears to engage fans across the country. The game on Sunday was no disappointment. The excitement of seeing the underdogs rise against the favored Montreal team, the turnovers and superb marches down the field and defensive walls were enough to raise the eyebrows of even the most disinterested fans. The ending was everything one might expect in a classic football thriller. Right down to the last second of the last play, the game was undecided. Unfortunately in the world of competition, only one team gets to take home the trophy. In the end, if we are able to live every day of our lives with a small fraction of the energy and raw will displayed on Sunday, we will be able to say to ourselves, "well played"!
-Live well. Sieze the moment!

Watermelon Heads in Calgary

Sunday is the big day for us Rider Fans!!
Go Riders Go!

Apparently there will be no shortage of watermelons in Calgary for the Rider fans thanks to Safeway stores who have had a special shipment of 3000 watermelons sent to their stores.
Picture belongs to CTV News

See the story on the CTV News site - Story titled
Watermelon Shortage Averted Ahead of Grey Cup.

Get all the Rider hooplah at Riderville

Are you feeling low on energy? Watch the video of the assembly.

November Assembly Recording
"Recharge Your Battery"
http://breeze.edcentre.ca/p80529486/
If you missed the November assembly this past Wednesday you can watch it now.
It will help you get more energy and reach your goals!  If you watch it before Dec.4th/09 let Kona know and you will be entered into a draw for a prize!

Tomatosphere Project

Want to be a part of space experiment - the Tomatoshpere might be something you would like to check out.
Students plant tomato seeds in different conditions and then report their results. You can register now to be a part of this cool project for 2010.

Tomatoshpere Project Website

Now this is interesting: Seeds for 2010 project are on board with Julie Payette from KSC in Florida, to the International Space Station. They will be brought back to Earth from the International Space Station later in 2009.

Tomatosphere has teacher and student resources for.

* Grades 3-4: How to Feed a Martian - a unit with a nutrition focus for astronauts' trips to the Red Planet
* Grade 6: Surviving on the Red Planet - Recycling breathable air
* Grades 7-8: The Martian environment - a weather station on Mars
* Grades 9-10: The Energy to Survive - nutritional requirements for long duration missions

Olympic Torch Run

My son and his classmates were part of the entertainment at the Olympic Torch Relay celebration in La Ronge. Special thanks to their teacher Pascal Chabot.
Great job kids!

To get vaccinated? or Not to get vaccinated?....that is the question

If you are still considering whether to get vaccinated or not. Here is some information that may or may not help you decide. I have had this debate with family and friends over the past four weeks and have heard many "Myths" around the debate. I found this information helpful (especially the point made that a can of tuna has four times more mercury than the type of mercury found in the flu shot). I hope this information can help you make the right decision.

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/alert-alerte/h1n1/fs-fi-pregnancy-grossesse-eng.php

Considering the Options – Getting the flu versus getting a vaccine or taking an antiviral

When considering your options about vaccination there are a number of factors that you need to think about. This chart explains the risk of getting the flu versus the benefits and risks of getting an H1N1 flu vaccine and/or taking antiviral medication if you do get the flu.

If you catch the H1N1 Flu

If you are pregnant and become sick with the H1N1 flu there is a chance you could develop severe flu symptoms and be hospitalized.

There is a chance of early delivery or miscarriage.

Knowledge is your best defence. Take steps to protect yourself.

	Getting the H1N1 Flu Vaccine	Taking antivirals after getting the H1N1 flu.
Benefits/Facts	Vaccines have proven benefits. Getting the H1N1 flu vaccine is the single best way to protect yourself and those around you from the H1N1 flu virus.	Antivirals may decrease the severity of sickness.
	You cannot get the flu from the flu vaccine.	Antivirals MUST be taken within the first 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.
	Vaccines are safe. The dangers from vaccine-preventable diseases (like the flu) are many times greater than the risk of a serious reaction to the vaccine.	Very little of the medication is passed through the placenta or through breast milk.
	The H1N1flu vaccine is safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Most people have no side effects from flu vaccines.	Recently Health Canada approved the use of antivirals (oseltamivir) for children less than one year of age.
	After receiving the H1N1 flu vaccine you will have some immunity to the current strain of the H1N1 flu virus within 10 days.	If you have the flu, talk to your health care provider about treatment options. Antivirals may be one of many treatment options that they might recommend.
Risks	Vaccines can have side effects but they are usually mild. You need to weigh the risks of side effects with the risks of serious health problems if you catch the flu.	There is a risk of side effects with any medication including antivirals. The most common side effects of the antiviral oseltamivir include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and headaches.
	The most common side effects of flu vaccines are soreness in the arm where the vaccine was given, sore or red eyes, itchiness and for some a mild fever. Most people experience no serious side effects from flu vaccines.	The flu virus can adapt and develop resistance to antiviral drugs – this means that the drugs would no longer be effective in treating the H1N1 flu.
	About one person for every 100,000 doses of vaccine distributed will have a severe reaction to a flu vaccine, including anaphylaxis or Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS).	Rare cases of anaphylaxis and serious skin reactions, including toxic epidermal necrolysis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome and erythema multiform, have been reported with the antiviral oseltamivir.
Myth Busting	Thimerosal is a form of mercury used in the H1N1 flu vaccine to stabilize it and maintain its quality during storage. Thimerosal is a different form of mercury than the mercury known to cause health problems. The amount in flu vaccines is much less than the daily limit recommended – for example a can of tuna fish has four times the amount of mercury as the thimerosal in the H1N1 flu vaccine.	Antivirals are not appropriate for everyone. Talk to your health care provider about whether taking antivirals to treat the flu is appropriate for you.
	If you receive the H1N1 flu vaccine you are at no greater risk of acquiring Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a neurological condition that occurs in approximately two in 100,000 people per year and is most often associated with foodborne infections. The possible risk of acquiring GBS from the flu or the flu vaccine is very small.	Antivirals are taken in pill form (oseltamivir) or as an inhaled medication (zanamivir). They are not given by injections.
	An adjuvanted vaccine is a vaccine that includes a substance that boosts an individual's immune system and increases their response to a vaccine. An unadjuvanted vaccine has no "booster" element. Adjuvanted vaccines are included in common vaccines such as tetanus and hepatitis B. The adjuvant in Canada's H1N1 flu vaccine is made up of natural ingredients such as water, squalene oil and vitamin E. Unadjuvanted vaccines are preferred for pregnant women when the flu virus is not yet in the community. This is because there are less safety data available on adjuvanted vaccine use during pregnancy.	Antiviral drugs given for treatment of the flu usually need to be taken for five

How Bacterial Talk

Powerful video breaks Youtube!

Check out the video that breaks Youtube.

Remembrance Week

November 5 to 11 is Veterans' Week - a time to think about those who have lost their lives serving our country. For me it is important to take time to remember as my father was a veteran and many family members lost their lives when they served in WWI and II. It is also a time to think about what is going on in the world today and reflect on the tasks that our soldiers are currently engaged in in Afghanistan and other places around the world. It is also time for us to think about our relations with other countries and how important it is to protect Canada. We should be thankful for our great country and the quality of life that we all have here.

There are many resources on the internet that you can go to learn more about Canada's Military and their role in past wars, current missions and the protection of us as citizens of Canada. I have provided a few links to some sites.

Enjoy the musical rendition of in Flanders Fields and make sure you visit the site to see more resources. (Picture of the plane my Dad flew in WWII - Lancaster Bomber)
Websites:
Flanders Fields Music
Veterans' Website
Canadian Military History Gateway

Check out the Olympic Torch's relay route in Canada

Vancouver Olympic Torch Relay Interactive Map

Language Culture and Identity

I was poking through a blog this evening by a grade two teacher from North Battleford visiting Ottawa to attend a conference on federal politics. I was looking at different versions of O'Canada posted for the class when I found the Cree version sung by Akina Shirt at a Calgary Flames game. So much for the blog....I was off into YouTube to find more. There are a few videos up on YouTube of the song, but I found a clip that includes some background to Akina's courageous performance.
The message is clear.....language, culture and identity are inextricably bound together. This was an inspiring re-visit to last year's news.
Aboriginal languages are disappearing. What does this mean for First Nation communities across the country? What is to become of Dene and Cree language in Northern Saskatchewan? What implications does loss of language have for Northern Saskatchewan communities? How are aboriginal people holding onto culture and identity? Students in the Native Studies 10 class have been asked to respond to this video and offer their views of how language is tied to identity. Thank you for the inspiration Akina Shirt. Please comment below. Share your own thoughts and reactions to the video.

Cyberchase

I have posted about Cyberchase before, but I thought it was worth mentioning again. My kids love this show. CYBERCHASE teaches kids that math is everywhere, everyone can be good at it, and it's fun!

The show can be seen weekdays on PBS and Discovery Kids.

The website is full of games and other stuff. It is worth the visit. Best of all, KIDS LOVE IT!