About RHSS
We offer a variety of academic programs, extra-curricular sports & leadership clubs, fine-arts & theatre, applied skills, and technology all in an effort to prepare our students for their future. Furthermore, our school takes pride in fostering an inclusive environment in which all students feel safe and have an opportunity to challenge themselves. We believe in providing ongoing opportunities where students can experience intellectual, social and emotional growth.
I invite parents and students to come visit our school, ask questions and inquire about the educational experience we can provide for your child. We believe in establishing partnerships and communication with parents as we feel parental involvement is key to student success.
This year, Rick Hansen, celebrates the 25th anniversary of his "Man in Motion Tour" which he undertook to increase awareness and funds for spinal chord research and advancement for people with spinal chord injuries. Our school firmly believes and adheres to Rick Hansen's motto of "Being the Best You Can Be". His courageous spirit and determination in achieving goals is an inspiration to us as we strive to provide an enriching and unique educational experience for all our students.
Julie Rousseau
Principal: Rick Hansen Secondary
Click on the following links to learn more about
Mr. Rick Hansen:
Rick Hansen Foundation
Wheels in Motion
Sam lived life big, had no fear and was not afraid of dying. At 15, just 3½ weeks short of his 16th birthday, Sam had what most didn’t: goals, dreams and a bright future ahead of him. Sam had an effect on people that would never leave your mind, and a great smile with a continuous sense of humor.
In memory of Sam, family, friends, teachers and the Rick Hansen School community are establishing the Sam Posthumus Memorial Award.
The Abbotsford Community Foundation, under the direction of Rick Hansen Secondary School and the Posthumus family, will administer the Memorial Award.
Your contributions will help build the necessary funds to support graduating youth who embody Sam’s qualities in life and school. Please make your donation cheque payable to:
Abbotsford
Community Foundation
204
– 2890 Garden Street
Abbotsford,
BC V2T 4W7
An
income tax receipt will be issued for donations of
$20.00 or more.
Our Mission: To empower all learners to succeed.
Our Vision: A positive, caring community of
learners dedicated to individual success and
excellence.
Goal #1: To have all students be successful in all
of their courses.
Learning
Services Objectives
-
Students will take advantage of opportunities to
get extra help/support in all subjects.
Social Studies Objectives
-
Students will attend all of their Social Studies
classes.
- Grade 9-12 students will demonstrate ability to
write paragraphs using a topic sentence, supporting
details, and closing sentence. Students will work
towards writing an arguementative/persuasive essay
in a 5-paragraph essay format.
- Students will enroll in courses based upon their
appropriate academic abilitiy based upon their
success in previous Social Studies courses.
Mathematics Objectives
-
Students will enroll in appropriate mathematics
pathways based upon their past performance and
future goals.
- Students in Math 10P will write department wide
unit tests and a mid term exam that emulate the
provincial exam.
- Students in Math 12 will write a department wide
unit tests and a midterm exam that emulates the
provincial exam.
Language
Arts Objectives
-
Students will enroll in the approprate courses.
- Students will practice and improve exam essay
writing skills
- Students will attend all classes regularly.
Students will complete all assignments (in-class
and homework).
Science
Objectives
-
Students will be present in an environment that
promotes success.
Applied
Skills Objectives
-
Students will enroll in more Applied Skills courses
when making their course selections for 2007-2008.
Fine
Arts Objectives
-
Students will select Fine Arts electives
appropriate to their desire for success. They will
seek the advice, support and action of their
teachers and counsellors to ensure they are
enrolled in these specific courses.
Goal
#2: To increase opportunities for students to be an
asset to our school community.
School
District Goals 2006/07
Goal
#1 Literacy: Improve student achievement in reading
and writing.
Objectives
Improve
the reading achievement and communication skills of
all students.
Improve student achievement in
informative/persuasive writing Grades 6-12.
Goal
#2 Social Responsibility: Improve the social
responsibility of all students.
Objectives
To
improve the capacity of students to solve problems
in peaceful ways.
To increase the percentage of students who believe
they are safe at school.
To improve the capacity of students to value the
diversity in their community.
To improve the capacity of students to positively
contribute to their community.
To equip students to make better healthy choices
about alcohol and drugs.
Goal
#3 School Completion: Improve the school completion
rates.
Objectives
To
increase participation in and completion of, trades
and apprenticeship programs.
To improve home-school connections for at-risk
students.
To improve the successful transition of students
between schools/grades.
To improve the success rate for male
learners.
- working together
- sharing
- active listening
ACCOUNTABILITY
- punctuality
- hard working
- responsible for actions
RESPECT
- yourself
- others
- community
EFFORT
- quality work
- taking pride in what is done
- Be The Best You Can Be
The focus team identifies and addresses the needs of the school community as set by the School Planning Council and by so doing makes our community more efficient, effective and informed.
Objectives:
- Provide Staff Development
- Fall Retreat & Spring Workshops
- send staff, parents and students to workshops - Improve the effectiveness of our school community
- provide a sounding board for concerns of parents, students and staff
- promote action on issues of concern
- Maintain the well being of the school
This collaborative team is composed of representative members of the school community: parents, students, support staff, teachers and administrators, who gather ideas, develop strategies ,and seek school community support for implementation.
The Focus Team meets the 3rd Thursday of every month in room C220 at 7:00 am.
Currently we are addressing the three main initiatives of the school.
• Literacy
• Social Responsibility
• Marketing Hansen
If you are interested in being a part of this team, would like further information, or have some ideas please contact us at the school 604-864-0011 Ext: 107
Survey
Look over a chapter for a few minutes before studying it in depth.
- Read the title and introductory paragraph(s). Fix the name of the chapter in your mind. Often the introduction to the chapter supplies background for recognizing the purpose of the chapter. It may also state specifically the method of development the author intends to follow.
- Read headings, subheadings, and italicized words. Go through the chapter heading by heading; these will form a topical outline.
- Read the summary at the end of the chapter. Reread it to see which ideas the author restates for special emphasis or what general conclusions he or she comes to. If there is no summary, read the last sentence or two before each new heading.
- Use the chapter survey to activate your prior knowledge of the subject. Recall what you already know about the subject by trying to anticipate the chapter's main points.
- Use the chapter survey to predict the predominant thought patterns.
- Use surveying to anticipate which portions or sections of the chapter will be most difficult or challenging.
- Use the survey as a guide to what is important to learn.
- Highlight, mark or underline key information mentioned in the survey.
- Use the survey to monitor the effectiveness of your reading.
- Test your ability to recall the key information.
- Review immediately any material you were unable to recall.
Formulate questions in before you read the material.
- Turn each heading and subtitle into a question. Form questions from all three sections of the "Levels of Comprehension" attached at the end of the packet (Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?). You should be able to answer these questions when you finish reading and studying the paragraph, section, or chapter.
- Restate the questions from headings to help fix them in your mind. These questions give purpose to your reading. Remember that reading is thinking, and good students think while they read.
Read the material.
- Read only the material covered under one heading or subheading at a time, and look for the answers to your questions.
- Read ideas, not just words.
- Take only minimal notes while reading.
- Read aggressively, with the intent of getting answers, of noting supporting details, and of remembering.
- Apply the 50/10 rule for studying; read for 50 minutes and then take a 10 minute break. You will be able to sustain longer study times with better concentration and retention.
Do "question-read-recite" for each subheading.
- Answer the questions that you raised before you began to read. Answer fully, and be sure to include the reasons the author believes the answer is true. Recall the answer and do not refer to the book.
- Tell yourself the major concept(s) of the section. Put the ideas into your own words. If you simply read a textbook chapter, you will probably remember less than one-third of what you read by the following week. In two months, you will remember about 14 % of the material, hardly enough to do well on a test. In order to transfer a greater portion of the material you read from your short-term to long-term memory, you must do something active with the information to help "attach" it to your memory. If you take time after reading each section of the chapter to recite the information, you will ensure that more of it goes into long-term memory. If you recite, you are likely to remember 80 % of what you read after a week and 70 % after two months. Now check your answers by referring to the book.
Take notes from the reading.
- After having read a section and reflected on what you have read and questioned yourself about the material, you are ready to take notes. Taking notes at this point in time will almost ensure that you are noting the important parts of the section. Go back over the paragraphs and highlight or underline only the main ideas and supporting details with no more than 10-15% of the page highlighted. Use marginal notations as a way to separate main ideas from examples and each of those from new terminology.
Review the material.
- Look over your notes and the headings and subheadings in the text. Get an overall view of the main points.
- Recall supporting details under each main point.
- Predict test questions based on these main points, especially questions which would fall into the critical and creative levels of reading comprehension. Try true/false and completion-type questions from details. Essay questions are easy to make from the main headings. Answer your test questions.
*Remember, the more senses you use in storing your
information, the better your retrieval and
retention!
Signals
that Indicate Meaning is Being Constructed
(Chris
Tovani)
The Reader...
- Listens to the conversation voice
- Visualized a picture in his head
- Makes a connection to known information and/or drawn analogies
- Asks questions that lead to clarification or deeper understanding
- Paraphrases what has just been read
- Rephrases what he thinks the text meant
- Adds natural breaks that enhance meaning
- Makes logical word substitutions
The Reader...
- Recites only the words and is not conversing with the author (reciting voice)
- Can't visualize a picture of what's being read
- Is unable to make connections or analogies to known information
- Doesn't have enough meaning to ask questions other than word meanings
- Doesn't remember what he's read and can't paraphrase
- Is unable to rephrase the reading in another fashion
- Rereads the same line or word over and over again
- Is hidered by too many unknown words
- Notices his mind wandering
Characteristics of Good Readers
- Good readers read for different purposes. Having a purpose helps you as a reader remember what you read and helps you determine what is important.
- Good readers constantly question the text. They ask questions before, while and after they read. Answers may come much later, which is okay.
- Good readers access background knowledge. You need to realize that the information you have in your head (background knowlege) from experiences and other readings is a powerful resource when reading difficult text.
- Good readers knows what to do when meaning breaks down. When meaning breaks down good readers consciously create images in their head to help them make sense of what the words are saying.
- Good readers can predict. Anticipate what is coming next in a book/text based on what you have already read.
- Good readers know the value of verbal sharing. Sharing your reading with a partner solidifies ideas and improves comprehension.
When the Reading Gets Tough, What do Good Readers Do?
- Don't Panic. They slow down their reading speed.
- Have a purpose in mind. They are trying to find an answer to a question or learn how to do a procedure.
- Read back and forth. They go to the text and then go to the task and then return to the text.
- Don't read everything in order. Order is determined by need.
- Study the diagrams and graphics.
- Ask Questions.
- Try out what they think they know and then try again when they get more information.
- Paraphrase what they think they have understood from the reading.
- Don't try to learn every unknown vocabulary word at once. They prioritize and learn words that will help them the most at that time.
Thinking Strategies Used By Proficient Readers
Good Readers...
- Activate background knowledge and make connections between new and known information.
- Self-question the text in order to clarify ambiguity and deepen understanding.
- Draw inferences from the text using background knowledge and clues from the text.
- Determine importance in text in order to separate the details from main ideas.
- Monitor comprehension in oder to make sure meaning is being constructed.
- Employ fix-up strategies to repair confusion.
- Use sensory images to enhance comprehension and visualize what they are reading.
- Synthesize and extend thinking.
In order to improve reading comprehension of all students we will ensure that within the next two years 80% of students in Gr. 9 and 10 will be meeting or exceeding expectations for reading comprehension based on STAR testing & Gr. 10 language arts exam.
Objective 1: To impact classroom practice in making instruction better
Strategies:
• Literacy Team to set school plan (to provide framework)
• Pro-D for staff on creative strategies for reading comprehension
• at staff meetings, share with staff some Reading 44 strategies to implement
• invite Leslie Langford to in-service staff on Reading Performance standards & reading comprehension strategies
• invite middle school teachers to share and present reading experiences to staff
• each staff member will write and submit suggested strategies for stimulating reading comprehension in their classroom
• vertical alignment with focus on observing Reading Programs at Reimer Middle
Objective 2: Assessment
Strategies:
• assess Gr. 9 and 10 students in November and June in Study skills class for reading comprehension using STAR testing
• continue to do silent reading and teach some reading comprehension strategies within Study Skills class
• periodic tests in Study Skills in Gr. 9 and 10 with reading comprehension passages with questions
• staff will identify their lowest 15% in reading comprehension and student services will assess these students, and based on this assessment, provide daily intervention
• share information from Reimer about 15% of students who require literacy support by May 2004
• implement attitude survey for reading
Objective 3: General strategies
Strategies:
• share strategies with parents about how to support and encourage their child's reading comprehension
• Parent Forum or conference
• establishment of a Book Club and include it on the school website
• survey students on reading interests, purchase books, and display them for easy access
• pursue Chapters Book Store for sponsor-ship so students can visit and purchase books
• provide a venue for students to have access to a teacher or student TA outside of scheduled class time
• have a link with school web site to Vancouver Sun, Canada.com and any other relevant sites
• have a Book Drive to establish class-room libraries
• implement school wide book exchange
• ask for parents to volunteer in the library for mornings and after school
• explore implementation for a pilot project using Reading 44 with 4 interested teachers in gr. 9 for next year
Goal 2:
85% of all students will meet or exceed expectations on the provincial performance standards for social responsibility, Focus for staff, students and parents on developing initiatives to teach socially responsible expectations through modeling
(Focus on valuing diversity and defending human rights)
Objective 1: Reinstate C.A.R.E.
Strategies:
• Reinstate C.A.R.E. Program
• Select a monthly homeroom focus
• Develop consistency of expectations for all students
• Investigate ways to promote and encourage courteous behaviours
• Implement program for staff, students & parent ambassadors in C.A.R.E. cards with a monthly draw for prizes (C.A.R.E. team)
• C.A.R.E. board with photos
• Student C.A.R.E. Council team connected with Hurricane Council
• Each student share current events and their experiences about human rights or socially responsible issues in homeroom
• Implement a Littering prevention initiative to educate students about PRIDE & cleanliness for our school
• Examine a Conflict Resolution Program for Grade 9
• Educating parents on socially responsible expectations via meetings, newsletters, etc.
• Professional development for student, parent & staff for an Assets Based Education
• Develop an Effort Roll for report cards