Senior School Leadership Opportunities

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Becky Anderson

It is time for you to take stock….reflect on what you have done this year so far that has challenged you, scared you, pushed your limits….. I am not talking about “X Games” here, I am talking about the events that meet your edge and help you grow. This is called your “challenge zone.” One way to move from your comfort zone to your challenge zone is to do things you have never done before. There are many opportunities to try new things at SMUS within a supportive environment. That is what leadership development is all about.  That means pushing yourself beyond what you are currently doing to see what lies over the next hill.

Going to conferences provides you with an opportunity to meet others, hear different ideas and perspectives, and to learn valuable skills to become a more effective leader.

Here are some current opportunities: 

GNS is hosting the “CHANGE CONFERENCE”  on Feb. 24. The goal of the conference is to empower and inspire youth to be informed, express ideas, and take action. One of the keynote speakers is Amanda Lindhout who will share her story of her 2009 kidnapping in Somalia.  Check out the Conference website: http://changeconference2012.com/

Open to all students – Grade 8 – 12.

The 2012 “CAIS STUDENT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE” is April 17-21  and will be held at Selwyn House School in Montreal, QC. – There is an Olympic theme focusing on the skills that each individual can bring to the table. There will be Olympic athletes and coaches sharing their experiences and relating those to leadership development. Open to students – Grade 10 & 11.

* Application – Deadline February 17 to Rev. Fletcher’s office

 

April 26 – “REACHING BEYOND CONFERENCE” at SMUS

We will be hosting two exceptional speakers, Alvin Law (http://www.alvinlaw.com/) and Mark Scharenbroich (http://www.nicebike.com/) and inviting schools on Vancouver Island to participate in a one-day inspiring and motivating day to push out of our comfort zones.

More information for interested participants to come.

Applications for the student facilitation committee are due Feb. 17.

 

“LEARNING TO LEAD CONFERENCE”

MINERVA FOUNDATION FOR WOMAN – open to Grade 11 girls only

May 25 – 27, 2012 – we can nominate one person  

Learning to Lead is all expenses paid conference in Vancouver to meet with and interact with graduate students, young professional women and accomplished community leaders.

* Application – Deadline mid February 17, 2012

 

CANADA – EUROPE SUMMIT – May 18 – 20, 2012

SMUS has been selected to participate in this conference to build connections between Canada and European countries. Prime Minister Harper is the keynote.

* Application – Deadline mid February

 

Waterloo Unlimited Program, Theme of “Change” May 13th – 17th, 2012

Opportunity to grade 10 students of exceptional potential:

Application (directly to Waterloo) deadline: Postmarked by March 9th, 2012

Students will consider the perspectives of scientists, engineers, writers, philosophers, and others while they examine the theme of “Change” across the disciplines at the University of Waterloo.

Cost: Program Fee: $450
Supervised Overnight Shared Residence Accommodation: $120 additional

Details here: http://www.unlimited.uwaterloo.ca

Printable handout for students:http://www.unlimited.uwaterloo.ca/documents/unlimitedonline_2011_2012_003.pdf

 

Come by the Leadership office or check out the Leadership Conferences Moodle (password needed) for more information and application forms  https://secure.smus.bc.ca/moodle/course/view.php?id=210 

 

 

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Hot Dog Wednesday

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Laurie Parker

The next Hot Dog Wednesday that is open to volunteers is Wednesday, March 14th, 2012 (right before Spring Break)!

Working with The Extreme Outreach Society, we set up a cart in Blanshard Court to serve hot dogs to young kids and play all sorts of games with them; skipping, sidewalk chalk, soccer, tag, and hide and seek. It is a great chance to connect with some amazing kids, serve some hot dogs, and brush up on your BBQ skills!

If you are interested in coming along, please contact Mrs. Parker.

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Opportunity for Grade 11 Students – SuperKids

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Laurie Parker

The Service Leadership group at SMUS has a volunteer opportunity for Grade 11 students. Extreme Outreach-SuperKids is a Christian based program where kids age 6-12 get together on Saturdays to play games, sing songs and take part in special activities to develop a healthy lifestyle and inspire change.

There is an orientation on Tuesday Feb 21, 2012 at 6:45 pm at Extreme Outreach – 999 McKenzie. The program is running from March 3rd to May 12th, from 12:00 noon to 2:30 pm. If you are interested please contact Hannah McElderry or Eloise Patmore.

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Visual Arts – Helping Repair Old Scrapbooks

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Laurie Parker

There is a wonderful lady in our community who is looking for help repairing and organizing some old scrapbooks and photos of her life. She doesn’t have much mobility in her hands so needs someone who can assist her. She needs someone with an eye for design. She has had an amazing singing and musical career and has lots of great stories!

Please contact Mrs. Parker if you are interested. Could be a good opportunity for 2 or 3 friends.

Posted in Art and Culture, Community, Elderly, Service | Leave a comment

Volunteer Sports Coach – YMCA

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Laurie Parker

The YM/YWCA is looking for volunteers to teach Volleyball and other recreational activities to children. Responsibilities include setting up and taking down the equipment and helping the children. This isa long term opportunity. Training is provided and you need your First Aid Certification.

Contact Eduardo Hermosa at ehermosa@victoriay.com at the YM/YWCA for more details.

Posted in Community, Health and Wellness, Service, Sports and Recreation, Youth and Children | Leave a comment

Compost Education Centre – Camp Counsellor

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Laurie Parker

Join the Greater Victoria Compost Education Center as a camp counsellor in March for a week long GRUBS Camp.

Explore urban farms, build own compost bins, learn about local food, and grow your own! Volunteers are needed to develop plans for activities and schedules (some will be based off of pre-existing plans). They need 3 volunteers to work with 8-15 kids between 6-9 years old.

Please submit your resume, an application form and a Criminal Record Check. Volunteers must be available for the whole week of camp as well as some planning hours before and after. The camp runs March 19-23, 2012 from 8:30am-3:30pm.

Training is  provided.  For more details or for an application form contact Jeanette Sheehy at growingschools@lifecyclesproject.ca or call 250-383-5800.

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Special Olympics Needs Volunteers

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Laurie Parker

Special Olympics Victoria needs volunteers and assistant coaches for their spring program which runs from April to June, 2012

The spring sports are: basketball, soccer, track and field, T-ball, softball, golf and FUNdamentals. The soccer session is taking place right here at SMUS!

Special Olympics is a volunteer, non-profit organization providing sport, recreation, training and competition to athletes with intellectual disabilities in the Capital Region. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE AN EXPERT IN THE SPORT TO VOLUNTEER AS AN ASSISTANT COACH. You just need to have a willingness to share.

Find out more about Special Olympics and how you can help as a volunteer at http://www.victoriaspecialolympics.com/

You can contact Hazel Woodcock, 250 475-1677 or email: specialo.hwoodcock@gmail.com

Mrs. Parker has application forms so you can also come and get one from her.

Program Day Date Time Location
Track & Field Mon

 

 Apr – Jun 6:30-8:00 Oak Bay Track
Softball Tues Apr 5 – Jun 21 6:00-8:00 Cedar Hill Rec Centre
T-Ball Wed Apr – Jun 6:30-8:00 Horner Park
Golf Wed Apr – Jun 4:00-5:00 &
5:00-6:00		 Cedar Hill Golf Club
Basketball Wed Ap 4-Jun 20 6:30-8:00 TBA
Soccer Thur Apr – Jun 6:30-8:00 St. Michaels School
FUNdamentals Tues Apr – Jun 6:00-7:00 Campus View Elem

 

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Thrift Store Staff Needed

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Laurie Parker

Out of the Closet Renew Boutique is looking for new people to join their team of volunteers. Out of the Closet Renew Boutique is a fantastic high quality thrift store in downtown Victoria operated by Out of the Closet Queer Sustainability Society. They are a new provincial non-profit organization formed in 2010 and their Mission is “we are committed to promoting queer visibility, culture and community and building allies with those who are also dedicated to redressing societal inequities”.

They need:
Sales Floor Volunteers: Greeting and helping customers, using a cash register and interac machine, helping to keep the sales floor organized and clean, assisting with putting out stock. Experience is welcome but not required.
Processing Volunteers: sorting donations, hanging, steaming, and tagging clothing, cleaning non clothing items like breakables, pricing donations. Experience is welcome but not required.

They are open seven days a week from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm so they can likely find a time that will work for you.

If you are interested, contact Dawn at outofthecloset@shaw.ca for an application form, or come and talk to Mrs. Parker in the Service office.

 

 

Posted in At-Risk and Marginalized, Community, Service, Youth and Children | Leave a comment

Hot Dog Wednesday Is Back!

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Laurie Parker

We have a crew going to Hot Dog Wednesday on Wednesday February 22nd. Please email Mrs. Parker (or stop by her office) by February 17th if you are interested in coming along.

Working with The Extreme Outreach Society, we set up a cart in Blanshard Court to serve hot dogs to young kids and play all sorts of games with them; skipping, sidewalk chalk, soccer, tag, and hide and seek. It is a great chance to connect with some amazing kids, serve some hot dogs, and brush up on your BBQ skills!

Posted in Community, Poverty, Service, Youth and Children | Leave a comment

The Virtue of Flexibility

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Becky Anderson

The Junior School Counsellor, Tessa Lloyd, shares with us the Virtue of the month for February 2012

Flexibility is a worthwhile virtue that is often overlooked while we pursue the larger building blocks of character. While those are being put in place, flexibility is part of the glue that holds them together. Without it, we cannot respond and adapt to the changes that life delivers each day.

Change is not always easy. We get used to our patterns and ways of being. We like predictability. We seek it and children especially thrive on it. Predictability helps them feel safe and keeps their lives manageable. Nevertheless, life throws curve balls and we must always be prepared to adapt to new, different or changing requirements. Further, our tastes, feelings and responses shift over time, so we should never imagine that we are fixed in one place. What we know to be true one week (“I hate peas!”) may not be true a month later as we grow and change (“they taste great now!”).

When something in our world isn’t working, we need to reflect on what we can do differently. Perhaps we need to improve ourselves in some way. Being flexible requires a willingness for inward scrutiny, as well as a measure of curiosity and openness. It means that instead of seeing difficulties as obstacles, we see them as challenges that are surmountable, and that also provide opportunities for growth and greater insight.

Parenting must surely be the ultimate test of flexibility. Family life is rarely how we envisioned it and our children present us with a fast flow of opportunities to practice flexibility. Parenting educator Barbara Coloroso talks about the value of flexibility in our parenting. She uses the metaphor of the spine to characterise authoritative parenting. Like the backbone, it is strong, solid and central. Nevertheless, it is also capable of bending and being flexible. It knows when to flex and when to stand tall. Does it always get it right? Not necessarily, but it is willing to re-adjust upon parental reflection- (as opposed to children badgering): “I have been thinking about what I said to you yesterday, and I have changed my mind, we are going to make a new plan”.

As in all other things, children take their cues from us as parents. We are under a lot of pressure to always be good role models! When children hear us railing against change, they are quick to absorb the vibe. When we are unable to respond positively to new circumstances, they are busy taking notes. Conversely, when they witness us take new information in our stride and adjust accordingly, we are fostering their capacity to adapt to change in a healthy way.

 Ask your children what flexibility would look like if:

Mum and Dad were supposed to be coming home from a trip and now they are going to be a day late?

Your friend said she would play with you at recess today and now she says she meant next week?

You notice that some of your friends are avoiding you?

Your teacher tells you that you are playing too roughly on the playground?

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