Tom Baines Learning Community

This Site Will No Longer Be Updated

2011-09-16T14:28:00.001-07:00

We will no longer be updating this site, tombaines.blogspot.com, as we have our new site up and running.

To access it please type "tombaines.org" into your url bar, click on this link, or wait a few more seconds while you are redirected automatically. Please make sure to update this in your bookmarks.

If you are accessing this site from within D2L you should automatically be redirected to the new site.

THE NEW & IMPROVED TOM BAINES BLOG

2011-09-13T19:36:00.001-07:00

Starting on Monday September 19 we will be using our new site http://tombaines.webuda.com . The reason for this is to make it easier for the site to be updated, managed, and for files to be added.

For those of you that access this site by going directly to http://tombaines.blogspot.com please make sure to access the new site. However, if you access the site through D2L you will not have to change anything as everything will be updated for you.

Please be aware that as of Monday September 19 this site will no longer updated.

SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING - Monday, September 19, 2011

2011-09-13T13:07:00.000-07:00

Our School Council executive devote their time proving input to the school about school directions, goals and programs. Council also assists our school in setting budget priorities, strategic planning and school activities. School Council meetings are held the third Monday of each month at 7:00 pm in the Learning Commons. We hope you will join us each month to support the Tom Baines School Council as either a volunteer, council member, or interested parent. Our first meeting this year is Monday, September 19th.

WELCOME BACK DANCE

2011-09-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

The first dance of the year will be held on Friday afternoon, September 9, 2011 from 2:00-4:00 pm and admission is free. This dance is open to Tom Baines students only.

MEET THE TEACHER NIGHT

2011-09-07T09:03:00.000-07:00

Meet the Teacher night is Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 7:00 pm until approximately 8:30 pm. All parents and students are welcome to meet our staff and view our school.

2011-07-04T07:44:00.000-07:00

Have a great summer! First day of school is Thursday, September 1, 2011. Start time 8:45 a.m.

REPORT CARDS & AWARD ASSEMBLIES

2011-06-27T07:25:00.000-07:00

The year end final Awards Assemblies are on Wednesday, June 29, 2011. Bus services will be altered and will depend upon the student's grade. Here are the award times and bus service times for each grade.

Grade 7 Assembly @ 8:45-10:15am. Regular pickup at your designated residential location to ensure arrival at school by 8:45am. School pickup at 10:30am to take you home.

Grade 9 Assembly @ 10:45am-12:15pm. No bus services. You will need to find your own transporation (i.e. public transit, parents to drive, bike, walk, etc.) to get to and from school.

Grade 8 Assembly @ 12:45-2:15pm. No pickup at your designated residential location. You will need to find your own transportation (i.e. public transit, parents to drive, bike, walk, etc.) to get to school. However there will be school pickup at 2:30 pm to take you home.

FINAL EXAMS

2011-06-21T15:06:00.000-07:00

Students must be in attendance at 8:45 am on all exam days June 22, 23, 24, and 27. Dismissal at 12:45 pm. Tuesday, June 28 is an organizational day - no students.

PROPOSED ASSESSMENT CHANGES AT TOM BAINES

2011-06-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

On Monday, June 20, 2011 at 7:00 pm in the school gym, we will be holding a meeting for all parents to come and hear a presentation from the Tom Baines Admin Team regarding proposed assessment changes for our upcoming school year. Please join us - all welcome.

If you are unable to attend or if you would like to view the presentation or handout from the evening please visit the "For Parents" section above.

GRADE 9 - FAREWELL CELEBRATION - Thursday, June 16th

2011-06-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

The Grade 9 Farewell ceremony will be held Thursday, June 16, 2011 at Foothills Alliance Church located at 333 Edgepark Blvd - one block north of Tom Baines School. Students are asked to be at the church by 3:45 pm at the latest, as the ceremony will begin promptly at 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm.

After the ceremony, students will walk to Tom Baines School for a great evening celebration from 6:30-9:30 pm. Please make arrangements for your child to be picked up by 9:30 pm.

PROGRAMMING FOR THE FUTURE - HIGH SCHOOL PRESENTATION & OPEN HOUSE - JUNE 1, 2011

2011-05-26T13:51:00.000-07:00

The Calgary Board of Education is hosting an information evening for parents regarding high school programming in Bowness HS, the new Northwest HS, and Sir Winston Churchill HS for students residing in Area I. http://www.cbe.ab.ca/Schools/areas/default.asp Calgary Board of Education Administration will speak to the learning opportunities for students as they go through their high school career. There will be time during the open house portion of the evening to ask questions and provide feedback. New Date: Wednesday, June 1, 2011 Location: Tom Baines School, 250 Edgepark Blvd. NW, Calgary Presentation: 6:30-6:45 pm. Open House: 6:45-8:00 pm. Everyone is welcome to attend - there is no need to RSVP.

GRADE 9 FAREWELL - date change

2011-05-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

Due to an unforeseen booking conflict, we do not have the church booked for our Grade 9 Farewell on June 9, 2011. After consulting the Grade 9 Farewell Parent Committee, the Farewell has been moved to Thursday, June 16, 2011. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. More information will be sent home in a letter next week.

MAY 2011 NEWSLETTER & UPDATED EXAM DATES

2011-05-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

The May 2011 school newsletter is now available for viewing on our website. Please note the CORRECTED DATES for grade 9 Provincial Exams, as well as the corrected dates for grade 7 and 8 final exams as noted in the newsletter. (The Student Agenda dates are inaccurate.)

TOM BAINES SPRING DANCE

2011-04-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

Spring Dance is Thursday, April 28th from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. A reminder to students that all electronic devices must be locked in their day locker while attending the dance. Also, any students arriving late, or leaving the dance early, must have a written note from their parent/guardian, or must speak by phone with a teacher supervisor. Student attire must relfect the school dress code (page 7 of Student Agenda).

PROGRESS REPORT #3

2011-04-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

The next student progress report will go home on Wednesday, April 20th.

GRADE 6 ORIENTATION & OPEN HOUSE - April 6, 2011

2011-03-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, April 6, 2011 - Tom Baines students will be dismissed at 12:15 pm. Grade 6 students from our feeder schools - Edgemont Elementary and Captain John Palliser Elementary only - will attend an afternoon orientation from 1:00 pm - 2:45 pm.

There will be an Open House in the evening from 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm for the public. All parents and students welcome!

SPRING BREAK - March 26-April 3, 2011

2011-03-18T14:06:00.000-07:00

Classes resume Monday, April 4th at 8:45 am.

SPRING MUSICAL PRODUCTION - March 21-22, 2011

2011-03-18T14:03:00.000-07:00

Beauty and the Beast - evening performances at 7:00 pm Monday, March 21 and Tuesday, March 22. Tickets still available for both evenings and will be sold at the door.

PARENT-TEACHER-STUDENT CONFERENCES

2011-03-01T13:14:00.000-08:00

Thursday, March 3 - No classes in the morning - PD morning for teachers. Also, no classes in the afternoon due to Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences. Conference drop-in times are: 1-3:30 pm and 5-8 pm.

Friday, March 4 - No classes. Conference drop-in time is 10:30 am - Noon.

MATH CONTESTS for Participating Students

2011-02-17T08:51:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, February 22 - Grade 8 - National Math Contest
Thursday, February 24 - Grade 7 - National Math Contest
Thursday, February 24 - Grade 9 - Pascal Math Contest
(please remember to bring pencils, eraser and calculator)

NO SCHOOL ON FEBRUARY 17, 18, and 21, 2011

2011-02-02T09:50:00.000-08:00

Thursday, Feb. 17 & Friday, Feb. 18 - Teachers' Convention
Monday, Feb. 21 - Family Day

PROGRESS REPORT #2

2011-02-02T09:38:00.000-08:00

The second Progress Report will be sent home on Thursday, February 10th.
Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences will be held on March 3 and 4, 2011. Please see our February newsletter for conference times.

GIVE FROM THE HEART FOOD DRIVE

2011-02-02T09:29:00.000-08:00

Our annual GIVE FROM THE HEART FOOD DRIVE will run from February 7-14. Students are encouraged to bring healthy, non-perishable food items for the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank. Students may give their donations to their homeroom teacher.

ORGANIZATIONAL DAY - Monday, January 31, 2011

2011-01-21T14:02:00.000-08:00

No classes on Monday, January 31st.

SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL HIGH SCHOOL - OPEN HOUSE

2011-01-07T08:53:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, January 18, 2011 - Sir Winston Churchill High School Open House for grade 9 parents and students. There will be two sessions, the first starting at 6:30 pm and the second session starting at 7:15 pm.

SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL HIGH SCHOOL - GRADE 9 TOUR

2011-01-07T08:33:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, January 18, 2011 - All grade 9 students will be bused to Sir Winston Churchill High School at 12:15 pm for a school tour. Students are to bring a bag lunch to eat on the bus before their tour begins. After the tour, all students will return by bus to Tom Baines by 3:30 pm.

SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING - January 17, 2011

2011-01-07T08:27:00.000-08:00

7:00 pm in the Learning Commons.

INTEGRATION DAY - January 13, 2011

2011-01-07T08:23:00.000-08:00

Great seminar opportunities for all students.

BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT - January 12-15, 2011

2011-01-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

Senior Teams - Girls and Boys

HAPPY NEW YEAR - WELCOME BACK!!

2011-01-06T08:21:00.000-08:00

WINTER BREAK - December 18-January 2

2010-12-13T08:06:00.000-08:00

Students will be dismissed on Friday, December 17th at 12:15 pm. Winter Break is from December 18 to January 2. Classes resume on Monday, January 3, 2011. The staff at Tom Baines wishes you a safe and joyous holiday.

TOM BAINES SCHOOL DANCE

2010-12-03T13:42:00.000-08:00

The next school dance is Thursday, December 9, 2010 - 6:30-9:30 pm. Students cannot arrive late or leave early without a parent note. Student ID is required. $4.00 admission, or $3.00 admission with food item. Students must be picked up by 9:30 pm.

SPRING MUSICAL PRODUCTION

2010-12-03T13:40:00.000-08:00

Auditions for Beauty and the Beast will run from December 6-17.

FINE ARTS EVENING

2010-12-01T13:06:00.001-08:00

Tom Baines is hosting a Fine Arts Evening on Thursday, December 2nd at 7:00 pm. There will be music, performances and art. Please join us in celebrating the talents and abilities of our fine arts students. Everyone welcome - free admittance.

CHRISTMAS HAMPER DRIVE - December 1-9, 2010

2010-12-01T12:39:00.000-08:00

Tom Baines Student Council will be collecting donations for the Christmas Hamper Drive from December 1-9. Students may give their donations to their homeroom teacher. All proceeds will go towards families in our community.

IMPORTANT INFO FOR GRADE 9 PARENTS & STUDENTS

2010-11-26T12:47:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, November 30, 2010
International Baccalaureate (IB) Program
Information Meeting
5:30 pm @
Sir Winston Churchill High School
5220 Northland Drive NW

PARENT-TEACHER-STUDENT CONFERENCE HOURS

2010-11-23T10:06:00.000-08:00

Thursday, November 25th
1:00 pm - 3:30 pm (drop in) and
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm (drop in)

Friday, November 26th
10:30 am - 12:00 noon (drop in)
*9:00 am - 10:30 am (*by Teacher invitation only)

Reminder: no classes for students on both Thursday and Friday, November 25th and 26th

GRADE 9 TRIP MEETINGS for Parents & Students

2010-11-23T09:54:00.000-08:00

Grade 9 Trips - Parent and Student Meetings* (*out-of-province trips)
Wednesday, November 24th at 7:00 pm
Signs with meeting locations will be posted within the school.

2010-11-17T07:43:00.000-08:00

Please be aware that all of our busses are City Transit busses and the school office is not notified with schedule delays or changes. Please check http://www.calgarytransit.com/ or call 403-262-1000 if you have questions or complaints.

Progress Report #1

2010-11-15T08:15:00.000-08:00

The first Progress Report will be distributed to all students at the end of the day on Thursday, November 18, 2010.

Jacket Racket

2010-11-09T13:58:00.000-08:00

We will be collecting jacket donations for "jacket racket" until 3:30 Friday, November 12th.

November Newsletter

2010-11-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

Our november newsletter was posted November 1st, 2010. Please go to www.cbe.ab.ca/b690
and look under "school information", then "newsletter" to view.

Photo Retakes

2010-10-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

Photo retakes will take place on Monday, November 1st. Our apologies, we had previously published the incorrect date of Nov. 2.

Online Marks

2010-10-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

After trying to work out a solution, over the last few weeks, that would allow all of the teachers at Tom Baines to post their marks online within D2L we realized that we might have to take a different approach. With the upgrades to D2L over the summer different filters have been applied and this is restricting teachers from uploading their marks.

Fortunately we believe we have come up with an alternate way of doing this. We are currently testing this today and if it works we hope to have all of the marks online by the end of the week.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we try to resolve this problem.

Meet the Teachers

2010-09-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

Come meet your children's teachers this Thursday, September 16, at 7 pm. This is a wonderful opportunity to see all of the amazing learning, events, and activities taking place at Tom Baines and to meet some of the great people responsible for it.

We hope to see all of you there.

Welcome Back

2010-09-02T07:23:00.001-07:00

Welcome back to Tom Baines School. We are looking forward to another exciting year with lots of fun, excitement, and learning.

School begins at 8:45 am. Grade 7 students will be dismissed at 3:25 and Grade 8 and 9 students will be dismissed at 12:15.

Please be ware that school zones are now in effect between 7:30 am and 5:00 pm. The City of Calgary has more information regarding this.

Have a wonderful first day back and please do your best to have all of your forms returned as soon as possible.

Tom Baines Ecoleague featured in the Calgary Herald Mayor Expo

2010-05-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

Click Tom Baines to see our student EcoLeague club profiled for composting efforts!

Global TV interviews Grade 7 and 8 science students

2010-05-05T11:00:00.001-07:00

Citizenship Ceremony

2010-04-14T23:06:00.000-07:00

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Mr. Lang's games room

2010-03-19T07:37:00.000-07:00

Our own Mr. Lang has a great website. click here You'll find a lot of good stuff, including a games room, containing a variety of education, interesting and fun computer games. He also has a resource full of links and information for every grade level and subject. Check it out!

Ten hottest reads at Tom Baines!

2010-03-18T09:16:00.000-07:00

Looking for a good fiction series to dig into? Authors like Robert Muchamore, P.C. Cast and Rick Riordan are among the most sought after in the library, writing action thrillers like the Cherub series, vampire tales like the House of Night series, and fantasy adventure like the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. You'll find the link at the right, to the Tom Baines Top Ten, complete with a list of book titles and their order in each series. Borrow one today!

E-Books

2010-02-02T12:12:00.000-08:00

Every year schools around the world spend thousands of dollars on textbooks that are often outdated by the end of their first year in the classroom. Ebooks, many of them free, can represent huge savings for schools over purchasing textbooks. Here are seven places that you can find free ebooks.
1. Planet eBook is a free service where teachers and students can find classic literature titles available as free downloads. Planet eBook adds new titles at regular intervals. Subscribe to the Planet eBook blog or newsletter to keep track of the latest additions to the collection. For browsing purposes, Planet eBook offers previews of titles through the Issuu pdf publishing service. Using the previews students can get an overview of a title without committing to downloading the entire ebook.
2. E-Books Directory contains nearly 1700 titles. The E-Books Directoryprovides freely downloadable textbooks, documents, and lecture notes. You can search the directory by keyword or browse through hundreds of categories.
3. Science Books Online is a directory of free ebooks for all areas of science. The books range from small PDF pamphlets to full-length texts made available in electronic form for free. Most of the materials have to be downloaded in order to be viewed but there are some materials that you can view directly within your browser.
4. Free Book-s is a search engine that scans many collections of ebooks to find free content that matches your search. I gave Free Book-s a test drive using academic terms like "physics" and terms like "fly fishing" to see what kids of results would be generated. In both cases I found Free Book-sreturned very relevant results.
5. BookServer is a search engine for finding, borrowing, downloading, and purchasing books in digital form. A search on BookServer will yield results listing both free ebooks and ebooks for sale.
6. Flat World Knowledge provides free textbooks created by experts in various academic fields. A quick look at the "find my class" section of Flat World Knowledge reveals that these textbooks are being used in few dozen colleges across the United States.
7. Google Books hosts thousands of books that are in the public domain. Many of the public domain books can be viewed and downloaded in their entirety for free. To find public domain books go into the advanced search options and select the "public domain only" and "full text" options to find free full-length books.