Some of you have lost the outline/project  for the New France that was handed out early December. Here it is again....

 New France Project

Your task is to choose a person/figure from the history of New France and present your findings to the class. 

There will be 3 major components/expectations of this assignment: 

1. Visual Piece: Create an identification card of some sort for your historical character. (Examples: Canoe License, Fur Trading License, Sewing License, Marriage Contract, Age of Majority Card, Church Choir Membership Card etc.) 

2. Written Piece: Research information on your person using: the internet, maps, videos, journals, or any other printed material and create a written piece explaining their role in the history of New France (Ideas: diary, journal, poem, song, etiquette guide, letter home, etc.) No more than 2 pages typed (double spaced). 

3. Oral Piece: Dramatization of your character explaining their role in the history of New France (can include: job/duties, challenges, education, interests/hobbies, accomplishments, etc.). Can be taped or done live. You must wear a costume and include props. 

Due Date: January 6, 2014.

List of historical figures for History Project

Louis de Buade de Frontenac

Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil de Cavagnial, Marquis de Vaudreuil 

Major General James Peter Wolfe 

Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst KCB 

William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, KB,PC 

Louis-Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil

Samuel Adams 

George Washington 

William Shirley

Chief Pontiac 

Sir William Johnson

Molly Brant 


Joseph Brant

Louis Joseph Papineau

James Murray

Sir George Murray

John Neilson

I know a lot of us still don't have electricity and your Christmas has been very different this year.  Here's to hoping you are safe, warm and well fed this Christmas. God bless!

Our final Advent Mass : Mass tomorrow morning at St. Joseph's. See you there!

Today was our Christmas party and secret Santa. It was great ! Thanks to everyone who cooked, baked, stirred, bought and brought such delicious treats.

We had cake pops, candy, chips, cupcakes, tea biscuits, donuts, chocolate covered marshmallows and fingers, curly fries, samosas, pizza, pop and more. Thanks for your generosity. It was a great day!

Special thanks for the absolutely beautiful presents I received today. I feel so blessed by your loving thoughts, words and gifts.  You are all fabulous.  See you tomorrow!

THE INTOLERABLE ACTS

Today we discussed the events leading up to the American Revolution.  The following series shows how the anger of the American colonists felt towards England in the 1770s.

Tomorrow is our class party. Please bring in your movie, food and present for secret santa!!

THE BOSTON TEA PARTY

Today we discussed

HOMEWORK

MATH: Complete handout
HISTORY: Read pages 81-87. Make notes. Watch videos above



Reminders
_ Secret Santa gift exchange is this Wednesday. Please remember your gift.


- Remember to bring in food to celebrate our Christmas party.

HOMEWORK

MATH: Complete math handout.
HISTORY and SCIENCE: Makes notes and review the new chapter

REMINDERS

- Great job with the ginger bread houses!!! There were all fabulous. Special shout out to Praveena for decorating in the house above.

- Secret Santa gift exchange on Wednesday. V

HOMEWORK

MATH: Get quizzes signed.  Do #3, 4, 6, 8 and 10 on page 158

HISTORY: Page 77 #1-3

Reminders
- Mass at St. Joseph's Church tomorrow morning at 8:45.
-Bring in your GingerBread House Kits.

HOMEWORK

MATH: Page 154-155 #5,8, 12-14. Math quiz returned. Get turned.

HISTORY: Page 73 #1. Complete handout. History quiz get signed.

SCIENCE: Page 61.  #2-4. Science test has been returned. Get signed.


Reminders

- We are making ginger bread houses this Friday. Buy your kits. See post below.
- Secret Santa gift exchange next week Wednesday at our class party. Please bring your present and treats to share with the class
-Bring gym clothes for Dance tomorrow.

HISTORY

THE CARROT AND THE STICK

 
There were differing views on how to treat the Canadiens in the new British colony of Quebec.

 
ln 1763, after they defeated the French, there were two points of view about how the British should treat the Canadians-the "stick'' .approach and the "carrot" approach. They could treat them harshly, which would show them that British were in control. Or, they could treat them with understanding, hoping to eventually win their 'Support.

Earl of Shelburne, Colonial Secretary believed in the stick approach. He thought that Britain should

•       Restricted the Roman Catholic religion

·         Return all French government and church officials to France

·         Prevent Roman Catholics from being involved in the government or legal system

·         Give British merchants control of the Fur trade

·         Restrict the territory of Quebec to a small area

 

Supporters of this approach believed that it would force the Canadiens to give up their French ways. In time the Canadiens descendants would become just like the British, so they would pose no threat to British control of Quebec.

 

 

 

Governor of Quebec , Sir James Murray favoured the carrot approach. He believed 

He admired the Canadiens and felt that they would support the British if they were treated fairly. He also realized that the French outnumbered the British and could win if they rebelled. So he favored

·         Allowing roman Catholics to practice their religion freely

·         Allowing Roman Catholics as well as Protestants to become involved in the government of Quebec (In Brittan, only Protestants could take part in the government, in France, only Catholics could.)

·         Allowing French merchants to continue their involvement in the fur trade

·         Allowing the Canadiens into the interior while guaranteeing some territory to the First Nations peoples

Murray and his successors, Sir Guy Carleton, sent many letters to London recommending the “carrot” approach.

 

MATH

Today we discussed area and perimeter

Area of a rectangle - is the length x the width
A=L x W

Perimeter of a rectangle is the distance the outside of a shape.
P= (L+W) x 2

A QUADRILATERAL-  a closed four sided shape

A PARALLELOGRAM -  a quadrilateral with two sets of parallel lines

 Parallel lines are lines that run in the same direction but never meet.

AREA OF A PARALLELOGRAM = Base  x Height

Dear Parents,
  We will be celebrating Christmas with a secret santa gift exchange. Students have requested that they exchange presents with one other students. The cost of that present is $20.00. The present should be wrapped and brought to school for our class party on Wednesday, the 18th of December, 2013. The class voted unanimously for this.  Please ensure that your child brings an appropriate present so that everyone is included. If you cannot support this endeavour , please let me know immediately. 

M. Babb

HOMEWORK

MATH: Chapter 4 Test on Monday
SCIENCE: Chapter 2 Test on Monday
HISTORY: Chapter 3 Test on Monday

GINGERBREAD HOUSES

Dear Parents, 
On Friday the 13th, we will be making Gingerbread Houses. Each child will make their house. The kits are available at Walmart, Loblaws Superstore and most major groceries. They are about ten dollars each. Most kits include the pre made royal icing and candy. Some kits (particularly those available at the Bulk Barn) only provide the gingerbread and you must make your own icing and candy. Please read the labels carefully. I recommend you buy the ginger bread kit with the icing and candies provided. If you do not, please ensure that your child brings already made royal icing and candies. Please send the items in by Tuesday, December 11th. Thank you, Ms. Babb Please let me know if you are unable to bring in your child's item as soon as possible.

MATH

HOMEWORK

MATH: Complete handout. Prepare for Monday's Math test on Patterning.

SCIENCE: Finish chapter review pages 52-53. Test on Monday. Quiz tomorrow. Watch videos below

HISTORY: Watch videos below. Study for Monday's Chapter 3 test. Quiz tomorrow.

Reminders
- We will be making ginger bread houses on Friday December 13, 2013. Buy your gingerbread kit. They are about ten dollars at Walmart and major supermarkets

LITERARY DEVICES

HISTORY

THE SEVEN YEARS WAR

Today we learned about the Battle for Quebec.
 Battle of the Plains of Abraham

 The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, fought September 13, 1759, was a battle during the Seven Years War (known in the United States as the French and Indian War) fought outside Quebec City in New France.
In the battle the British forces defeated the French and conquered New France.
 The French side was led by General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm-Gozon, (Marquis of Montcalm), a skilled leader who had defeated the British earlier in the war.
His decision to leave the well-defended town and engage the British on the battlefield is often viewed as a mistake.

The British side was led by General James Wolfe, also a noted commander.
He had moved his forces down the St. Lawrence and, secretly, up the lightly defended cliffs to the Plains of Abraham during the night, surprising the French forces and securing a good strategic position.


In the ensuing fighting both Generals were killed, but the British emerged victorious. This battle gave the British control over all of New France, later Quebec, and ended French power in what is now a part of Canada. The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763 to end the war and the government of France chose to keep Guadaloupe instead of Quebec.

 

http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/ba/Battle_of_the_Plains_of_Abraham

http://www.uppercanadahistory.ca/wm/wm8.html
http://history.howstuffworks.com/canadian-history/battle-of-quebec.htm

SCIENCE

Today we looked at types of solutions

Solutions can be dilute or concentrated

A dilute solution: has a small amount of solute in a given amount of solvent.

A concentrated solution has a large amount of solute in a given amount of solvent.

Adding more solute can change a solution from dilute to concentrated.

For example, copper sulphate added to water makes a dilute solution. Adding more copper sulphate will make a concentrated solution.

HOMEWORK

MATH: Complete classwork #6-9

SCIENCE: Review the day's notes. Reread 2.3 Concentration and Solubility. Answer questions# 2-4

HISTORY: Reread pages 54-57. Answer questions 1&2


Reminders
_ Get Math test, History and Science quizzes signed. Parents please note that these have been sent home.

- No morning mass to St Joseph's tomorrow. We have our Advent Mass on at school tomorrow after lunch!

- We will do the picking of the names for the Secret  Santa gift exchange on Friday.

-Please let me know if you want to do the Ginger Bread houses this year.

HOMEWORK

MATH: Complete handout

HISTORY:  Reread pages 50-53. Answer questions 1&2

SCIENCE:  Reread 2.2. Pages 40-41. Answer #1-4

LANGUAGE: Finish Idioms Page

Reminders
-Basktetball tryouts this week.Meet Mr. Talluto
- Knitting Club this week. Meet with Ms  Sgroi.
-Step team this week. Join Ms F and I!

HOMEWORK

MATH TEST HAS BEEN MOVED TO  TUESDAY. Get quiz signed.

SCIENCE TEST HAS BEEN MOVED TO TUESDAY

LANGUAGE: Idioms Sheet. Get Test signed.



Reminders
- Confession is tomorrow.

HOMEWORK

LANGUAGE: Finish handout for Wednesday Wars
MATH: Data Management Test on Monday.
SCIENCE: Test on Monday.


Reminders
- Confession on Tuesday.
- Learn the act of contrition



My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart.
In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good,
I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things.
I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.
Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In His Name.
My God have mercy.

CONGRATULATIONS

To our excellent volleyball girl team for winning  The CITY CHAMPION FINALS!!!

I'm so proud of you!!

Homework

Math: Complete math booklet. Data Management test on Monday.
Language: Complete handout
Science: Test on Monday

Reminders
Me to We team practice tomorrow morning at 8

For those of us who like to rock out to their science:

HOMEWORK

MATH: Get quiz signed. Chapter 3 Math test on Friday. Math Booklet due on Friday.

SCIENCE: Test on Monday. Duotang check on Monday. Reread pages 36-39 #1-6. Due on Friday. Watch science video

LANGUAGE: Connotation and Denotation handout tomorrow.

RELIGION: Watch videos on confession on blog

Reminders
- Mass at St. Joseph's Church at 9:00am. YOU HAVE TO BE AT CHURCH FOR 8:45 A.M

CONNOTATION

Today we discussed Denotation and Connotation 

A word’s denotation is its dictionary definition.
 A word can also make people feel or think a certain way. These feelings and ideas are the connotations of a word. Words with the same meaning can have different “shades of meaning”—that is, they can be understood differently.

 Positive connotation: Being on the track team has made Alan slender and lean . (attractively thin)
 Neutral connotation: Being on the track team has made Alan thin .
Negative connotation: Being on the track team has made Alan skinny and scrawny . (unattractively thin).

CONFESSION

We are celebrating the holy season Advent. Advent is a time when we prepare ourselves for Christ's coming at Christmas. Father Michael is coming to hear our confessions at school next week.
-----------------------------------------------

A GUIDE TO CONFESSION


How to go to Confession
1. You always have the option to go to confession anonymously, that is, behind a screen or face to face, if you so desire.

2. After the priest greets you in the name of Christ, make the sign of the cross. He may choose to recite a reading from Scripture, after which you say: "Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been (state how long) since my last confession. These are my sins."

3. Tell your sins simply and honestly to the priest. You might even want to discuss the circumstances and the root causes of your sins and ask the priest for advice or direction.

4. Listen to the advice the priest gives you and accept the penance from him. Then make an Act of Contrition for your sins.

5. The priest will then dismiss you with the words of praise: "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. You respond: "For His mercy endures forever." The priest will then conclude with: "The Lord has freed you from your sins. Go in peace." And you respond by saying: "Thanks be to God."

6. Spend some time with Our Lord thanking and praising Him for the gift of His mercy. Try to perform your penance as soon as possible.

HOMEWORK

MATH: 
-Do corrections on Mean, Median and Mode.
-Complete class work page 120-121 #1-7
-Math Test o Friday
-Math booklet dueFriday


SCIENCE
-Pure Substances and Mixtures Page 24-26. Make notes and answer #2-5.
-Complete handout


FRENCH
- project due on Friday the 29th

Reminders
-Leger hoodie still available. Bring in money tomorrow.
-Crazy Hair day tomorrow. Bring in toonie.
- Advent Mass Thursday morning. Meet us at the church for 8:45 a.m

                               

 A lot of kids didn't enjoy Teen Ranch I personally loved the experience.  The chance to be with your friends, pulling all nighters and be a little more independent from your parents the whole experience was amazing for me.  The chance to see your teachers outside the classroom, to see them let lose and have fun was great.

When we first arrived at Teen ranch we were allowed to go to our cabins and put our stuff away.  My friends and I choose the bed we wanted then we proceeded to goof around.  We jumped on the beds a little, we  hit each other with the pillow  it was great fun.  I must say one thing about sharing a cabin with other kids is the bathroom experience, it seemed that every time I needed the bathroom someone was always in there but you get used to it quickly.  The other thing that threw me off was that it sounded like their were rockets about to take off at night, but it was only Adrian snoring.

I think my favourite part of the whole four days was the horse back hiding.  I haven't ever been on a horse before and I really loved it.  My horses name was Clide and he was the best, at first he looked very scary but I quickly got used to him.  It was precious to see the look of intimidation on my friends faces as we rode the horses, everyone looked so scared it was funny.  On my was back from a ride one time I almost stepped in horse dodo, the instructors had a really good laugh, I guess it was pretty funny.

Skating was fun and embarrassing all at the same time, I can't believe what a bad skater I am.  The only thing that made it better was that my friends were not that great either.  We had a lot of fun trying to make Mr.  Stamcoff fall, but he's a great skater so that didn't happen.  When we came off the ice, Mr.  Stamcoff  made me help everyone with their laces on their skates that was quite the experience, I think It would have take 4 body builders to get Jared's skates off.  

So this was my Teen Ranch experience.   Three things to remember always pick the tall horses just because the horse is tall doesn't make it any scarier trust me, the short ones aren't the sharpest tools in the shed.  Always bring your own skates, skating on Teen Ranches skates is like standing barefoot on planks of wood for days.  The last and most important thing is to know who you are rooming with, you don't want to be the kid who's best friend ends up snoring all night, trust me I made that mistake. If you follow these steps I'm sure you'll have the best time at teen ranch

Name: Prestine

Teacher: Ms.Babb

Date: Wednesday, November 13, 2013.

Adventures At Teen Ranch

    Have you ever wondered about all the cool and excited things that happened at Teen Ranch? Well the whole entire grade sevens got to go on a week-long trip to Teen Ranch. Teen Ranch is a trip for grade sevens to learn to be more independent. It is also a place to have a good time with your friends and teachers. At Teen Ranch there are many activities to do. Like horse-back riding, rock climbing, skating, and free time. But since it was winter we weren't able to play with the water activities. Teen Ranch was mostly grass because were in farmland far away from traffic and buildings. They have lots of horses, cats, alpacas, and dogs. I've never heard of a single person that said that they didn't like Teen Ranch. It's such a fun place to be!

    On Thursday afternoon we played a game called predator vs. prey. Some people played herbivores, omnivores, carnivores, diseases, and humans. My character was to play a raccoon which is an omnivore. The game playing area was in the forest. The forest was big so there would be a lot of hiding spots but harder to find food and water points to keep us alive. Herbivores tried to get 30 points, omnivores tried to get 20, and carnivores tried to get 10 points. The diseases got points by tagging the person and getting the card by the disease that caught them. The game was hard and complicated. The game got even harder when it started to hail and when the mud got damper which made it hard to run. But finding food and water points were also hard because they could be hiding on anything. And what made it even worse was when I fell on a metal fence and got bruises and scratches on my legs. The teachers played humans and whenever they say you they could give you another life point or kill you. Yeah, it doesn't sound much fun when your own teacher would want to kill you.

    My cabin and everyone else had to stay in the Coach House. The Coach House was the biggest building at Teen Ranch. It was clean inside too. Well except for the entrance part where everyone just threw their muddy boots on the ground. But besides that the couches and everything was comfy.  Jhazel, Praveena, Makayla, Asia-Marie, Dianne, Dakari, Azia, and I slept in the Dunn Room. It was bigger than the other cabins. Then there was a separate room with one bunk but no one slept in it because the weird door thingy scared us at night. My favourite part was when every time before we would go to sleep we would tell stories about each other. We wouldn't fall asleep until 11:30pm .  Probably the funniest thing that happened is that during the night Asia-Marie would breathe hard in her sleep because she was running her dream and the cops were chasing her because they thought she was mental. I'll miss those days.

    One of my favourite activities that we did was horse-back riding. It's one of my favourites because I've never been on a horse before and we got to choose the horse we wanted to ride. The horse I chose was Sanka. Sanka was dark brown, black, and had some white spots on her body. When I first went on to Sanka's back I got a little nervous. I'm pretty sure all mostly everyone was too. But Sanka was a good horse. She listened to me and didn't argue. I thought it was fascinating that we could be up close to a real horse and get to ride on a trail by myself. My horse didn't like stepping in mud so my face would always hit the branches like a 1000 times. But besides the face hitting on the branches, I had a really great time going on the trail.

    When I came back from Teen Ranch I felt like something was missing. I felt that our bond would go away and we would go back into our little groups. But that wasn't true. Teen Ranch has also taught me to be more responsible and independent. It taught me to do set up and clean up after all three meals. I liked the concept of sitting with new people every meal because that's when you get to know the person a little better and see them from a different point of view. The part that I'll miss the most is when the teacher would give us free time after dinner because that's when everyone would huddle like penguins and tell scary stories and stay warm. I will probably never have the chance to go on such an amazing trip again!

Asia-Marie

 Ms. Babb

Wednesday November 13^th 2013

                                      The Best Week Every

          Deep down in Orangeville there's a place called Teen Ranch is an extraordinary place that everyone loves. Why wouldn't everyone not love Teen Ranch? It has the best cabins, food, and board games.

          At Teen Ranch I as in the Dunn Cabin. The girls in my cabin were Jhazel, Dakari, Prestine, Dianne, Makayla, Praveena, Azia and I. In my cabin we were all talking about who we liked and other personal things. One by one we all fell asleep after we stopped talking. Our shower schedule was Jhazel, Azia, and Praveena showered in the night and Dianne, Prestine, Dakari, Makaya, and I showered in the morning. When you walked in the door you see 4 bunk beds and a closet on your left hand side. Across the closet there is a door that leads to the bathroom. When you go into the bathroom when u look your right you will see two showers and two stalls. If u look to your left there is extra room filled with a bunk bed and a closet. Still looking to your left there is two sinks and that's what you will see in the Dunn Cabin. Before we go to bed we hug and say goodnight to each other. After we said a prayer and Dakari and I said a bedtime prayer that we learned and then Azia will say something and then the Our Father we all say.

          Every day at Teen Ranch we ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the dining room. On the first day we got there and I was on clean up and set up. I loved being on clean up and set up because it's like you're in charge of your table. We ate some very good food. My favourite meal was the chicken pot pie with curly fries. Every meal we sat with different people each time. When we sat at different tables we got to bond so much and that brought us closer to everybody. You could never say that the food wasn't great because it was always very delicious.     

         

          On Tuesday night we went down stairs and played games. There were lots of games to play like twister, ping pong, air hockey, and shuffle. My favourite game was ping pong because I didn't really play good but it was so bad it was hilarious so I was too busy laughing and having so much fun that I forgot how bad I was. When I first played a match it was Jhazel and I against Christian and Cherokee. The second time I played it was Kevin and I against John and Jhazel. After that I played twister with Jhazel, Vanessa, Dakari, Prestine and I. During twister all of us were eating chips while we were playing. Then I moved on to air hockey I played against Jade, Christian, and Kyle. Air hockey was fun but I really liked all the games. Board game night was fun because u got to bond with everyone there and play games all night.

          Teen Ranch was so much fun you wouldn't believe!! If you were there you would want to do board game night, sleep over night with your friends in the best cabin ever, and eat the best food ever. Ya I know you would. Teen Ranch is the best and everyone should go to this awesome place in Orangeville.   

                                                 Teen ranch

 By: Dakari                                                 November, 14, 2013.

Mrs. Babb's class

                 

 Teen ranch was amazing! On November 4^th Cardinal Leger's grade 7 Students went on a class trip to teen ranch for a week. On Monday morning we all arrived at school with our sleepover bags. We got on the two school busses and Drove to Orangeville. When we got there I saw more trees then in my whole neighborhood, more animals then at a vet and more open space than 10 soccer  fields! I was ready to get my week started. 

      

    During teen ranch every child there would have something exiting to do.  The activities we did throughout the week include, horseback riding, skating, rock climbing and free time. One of my favorite activities to do was the horseback riding. To begin all the members of the green group would meet underneath the dining hall. Our helper, Agatha told us how to control the horse and how to hold the reins. After the explaining we walked to the barn to get geared up. We all lined up to get our helmet and then we got to pick our horse to ride. I picked a horse named Cujo. He is the most beautiful horse with his dark brown fur and black main. The green group headed off into the thick green, fall colored forest for a trail ride. Some days we walked 5 minutes to the skating rink with the yellow, green and red group. We would all skate together for an hour. The most challenging activity for me was the rock climbing. This was challenging for me because I kept slipping off of the rocks. After breakfast the green group headed off to the back of the barn. Everybody got all their belts on, and then two people would climb at time. The walls were tall, with big rocks poking out of them. The wall was hard to climb, but when you finally got to the top you felt like you were hanging off of a building and it felt good. My favorite time of day to relax and do whatever you want was free time. During free time you could go see the animals, play volley ball, play basketball, or you could go bounce on the trampoline. Free time was usually 30 minutes to an hour and was before and after breakfast, after lunch and after dinner. The days of teen ranch were fun, long, exiting, and challenging.

                    During the day wasn't the only time we did activities. We also did activities at night. At night during the week we had a movie night, a dance, a campfire, and had free time. The free time after dinner was the most fun of them all because it was full of energy and excitement. I liked having free time after dinner because after dinner it was dark outside and you're on a field in the middle of a forest why wouldn't that be exiting? One of the nights we walked through the forest to get the campfire. The yellow, red and green group all gathered around the warm fire, roasting marshmallows and cooking hot dogs.  The campfire pasted and just after we had a dance. We all met at the coach house living room were the dance was being held. Everyone there was dressed to impress and dance all night. During the dance we had a cabin dance off, just girls, and just boys dance too. One more relaxing night was movie night. We gathered in front of the living room TV and watched "The Hunger Games." the movie is violent, emotional, and funny. After each long day after our night activities we were all ready to hit our bed and fall asleep right away.

            The one thing that was truly amazing was the food. Every day we had something new for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In the mornings for breakfast we would have a choice of oatmeal, yogurt or cereal. After the light starter we would get our main meal like eggs, pancakes, sausage or French toast. At lunch you would get the main meal then the dessert. At dinner you would get the main meal and then dessert. There was a set up and clean up groups. The groups were one girl and one boy cabin. The cabins had to get to the dining hall 15 minutes before and stay until the cleanup is done. The people that had to set up are called a helper. Two helpers had to sit at each table. The two helpers would clean up all the plates, cups, cutlery and other things like butter, sauces, spreads, and condiments. At  every meal everyone had to sit with someone different so you can get closer to the other people your with. I liked that we all had to help out at some point, and this made me more responsible.

           Since this was a sleepover camp we all had cabins with 5, 8 or 10 people in it. We all got to pick the people in our cabin. I had Dianne, Praviena, Prestine, Azia, Asia- Marie , Jahzel and I. we were all in  the Dunn cabin. As soon as we got to teen ranch we ran toward the coach house and into our room.  The rooms  are so nice they had 4 bunks just perfect for 8 people. The room had a bathroom with two sinks, two stalls, two showers and a separate room with one extra bunk. I enjoyed my cabin because I'm with all the people I can trust and is comfortable with. Being in a cabin with all these people is like a sleepover for a week! I enjoyed the cabins because it was very cool to be with all my close friends after 3:30 and for the night. I cannot complain about my cabin at all.

           The week at teen ranch was full of thrills, excitement, new activities and challenges. I would really enjoy going back to teen ranch because being outside all the time makes you feel like there is no technology and that you can only play outdoors. Well I was there I loved the feeling of always being with your friends and getting to know them better each day. Teen ranch gave me a chance to relax, try new things, and to love the outdoors.

               

HOMEWORK

MATH: Get quiz signed.
SCIENCE: Get quiz signed.
LANGUAGE: Post Teen Ranch essay to blog. Comment on 5 different essays.
HISTORY: Project due on December 6th, 2013. Complete Handout page44-49
FRENCH: Project due on Nov 29th, 2013


Reminders
- Super Hero Day on Monday

Name: Victoria

Teacher: Ms. Babb

Date: Wednesday, November 13, 2013.

                                 My Teen Ranch Experience

            Have you ever heard some of the older kids talk about how amazing Teen Ranch is and wondered what's so amazing about it? That's what I use to wonder when I heard my brothers and the intermediates talking about it. But when you finally get there and you finally step off that bus, all it takes is one look around to think "I'm going to like it here." As you lug all your heavy bags back to your cabin, you'll begin to get more and more excited. Just like I did, except I was excited since last summer! Not that I'm saying you can't be excited any sooner. It is pretty exciting. When Agatha came to visit and tell us more about Teen Ranch, I got even more excited. The second Ms. Babb told us our activities, three of them caught my attention and I knew they would be my favourite. Horseback riding, the bonfire and the cabins. I thought all these things would definitely be what made Teen Ranch special and fun. But little did I know how much fun it really was.

My favourite day time activity at Teen Ranch was horseback riding. Before we got on the horses, a lot of people were scared and nervous to get on, but I wasn't. Well that changed completely when I got on. I felt like I was sitting on top of the CN Tower, bound to fall to my death in a heartbeat. Now that may sound like a huge exaggeration, but believe me, you are a lot higher up than you may think. When the horse started to walk and there was no long anyone in control but me, it was a million times scarier. All I was thinking was "I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I am going to die!" But as we started to make our way into forest, I started to relax. I learned that my horse's name was Daisy. She was dark brown with an almost black tail. She was a great horse and she always stayed in line. Except for when another horse bit her that is… But I can't blame her for getting out of line then. I grew up as the only girl of three. I've been bitten enough times to know that it is not pleasant. So after Daisy got back into line, we started trotting. It wasn't the most fun for me. As everyone else was enjoying themselves, perfectly seated, as the horse did all the work, my heart was beating a thousand beats per second. I must have been doing something wrong because I was bouncing up so high, I felt like I was going to fall off and die. I don't think I'll be doing anything faster than a slow walk on a horse ever again.

Then there was the night of the bonfire. It was definitely the most… eventful nights at Teen Ranch to say the least. There was absolutely no dull moments. To start, there was a terrifying walk through to get to the bonfire location. Walking through the pitch black woods, with only the dim  light of a flashlight to keep you from smashing into a tree, while the wind twirls around you like you're trapped in the middle of a tornado was like being in a bad dream. You never know what's going to happen next. It felt like we had been walking for hours, when we finally made it to the clearing of the bonfire. We all sat down on the benches, a few of us sighing in relief, while Mr. Leitmann started the fire. That would be when I totally regretted telling him about Slenderman in the woods. He turned to look at the trees behind us, only to say "Hey, is that Slenderman?" This of course caused all the girls to scream, including me. When we all calmed down and we could breathe again, we started roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. Believe me when I say that you must always turn your face the other way when you see the smoke being blown towards you. The searing pain that fills your eyes and nose as just a small gust of smoke hits you is horrible. Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it hurt!

            Getting the chance to lie down and go to sleep at night was like getting to open a present early on Christmas Eve. The second my head hit the pillow, I was out. Not that it was any different from going to bed at home any other time. I like to sleep! It's normal! But when you want to sleep and you wake up at 6 AM to the ear piercing sound of an out of tune ukulele being played in your face like a shrieking child, it's extremely annoying. I was about to rip the chords out of it. No joke… To add to Cherokee and her shrieking instrument, the cabin above mine kept walking around like a herd of elephants. The constant thumping of their feet made me want to rip my hair out. I need my sleep! Although the walls and ceilings were thin, the cabins were so clean, it felt like I was staying in a college dorm. I really thought it would be like a camp kind of cabin, where you're outside and your cabin is old and dusty, all made of wood. But the cabins were much better. My brother was even jealous (even though he wouldn't admit it) because he got to stay in Porky's Pit, which was like what I thought we'd be staying in.

            After hearing about all these things, anyone would most likely be excited. I mean it's Teen Ranch! Who wouldn't be excited to go there? Almost falling off a horse, having the life scared out of me and barely getting any sleep all week sounds inviting, right? Okay maybe not so much, but I did also talk about the many good things about Teen Ranch. Sure, it has a few cons, but doesn't everything? Anyway, I wonder what next year's grade sevens will think about Slenderma- I mean Teen Ranch!

Azia                                                                                                                               Ms.Babb

Thursday, November 13th 2013

Just A Place in Orangeville

            I've been waiting for a year for this whole opportunity, and this was the day I've been waiting for. As the countdown begins, I dream about gossip moments with my best friends, and wonder what activities and games the teachers and counselors have plan for our stay there.   Four weeks to go...I am excited and anticipating on having a blast at Teen Ranch.  As I start to pack my pajamas, jogging pants, t-shirts and planned outfits of the day into my suitcase, I am excited to know that I have a week off without my parents and siblings...The time has come, this exact moment that I have been waiting!

            If I was to change anything about my cabin it would be absolutely nothing. Nothing, because the seven girls taught me over this week that I can be comfortable with them.  As Dakari slowly opened the door knob into our cabin, the very first thing that I saw was that tremendous room with "first-class" bunks.  We started jumping up and down for joy, screaming and realizing that were finally at Teen Ranch. The girls and I kept hugging each other, thrilled  with all the activities planned for us.  I looked at my cabin friends and saw we all have different personalities; Asia-Marie is the talkative one, shocking isn't it? But she taught me that you don't need to be shy around her. Dakari, Jhazel, Dianne, Praveena, and Prestine can talk for hours! Except I know if you need to talk, any one of them will be around and Makayla is the slightly quiet, but reliable.

            Horseback riding, check!  Cross that one off my bucket list.  It is one of the activities at Teen Ranch.  This is the first time that I have ever been close to the animal and the experience was extraordinary.  Sammy is three years old and is the youngest of them all.  He was also the tiniest horse but yet swift like no other.   He had hair the colour of chestnut and so soft, like a baby's bum.  Riding Sammy made my bum a little sore but the feeling was spectacular.  I was enjoying the trail ride until our little mishap.  By accident, Sammy went out of the trail and into the hills, and here I was sitting on the horse, my heart beating out of control...like Sammy.  As he went up into the hills, the tree branches was scratching my face and I looked down and saw that my group was getting smaller and we were getting farther away from them.  I didn't know what to do, and if help was on the way.  I did the only thing I could think of, I jumped off, held onto Sammy's rein and he stopped.  Thank God!

            Guess what!  That experience with Sammy made me hungry just a little.  Luckily it  was dinner time and I could eat a horse.  Why does delicious food plus entertaining company equal an interesting meal?  Well, coming to think about it, the interesting part is sitting with different people at each meal.  During dinnertime, I had many conversations with the other grade sevens, ones that I don't typically talk to at school.  I have realized that I had made new friends with people that I have known for eight years.   The best part of eating was the desserts.  What do they put in their brownies? It must be cannabis or drugs because I'm addicted to the them.

            My overall experience of Teen Ranch was definitely enjoyable! I'm so happy to be a part of the event.  When we returned from Teen Ranch, I learned that respecting your best friends is the best gift you can give. After falling off the horse it made me more prepared for the unexpected, were not perfect.  In the dining room, sitting with many other grade sevens made me realized building relationships with the other grade sevens is important as keeping friendships.