Third Annual Power of Women Conference

The 2020 Power of Women Conference was held on Friday, February 7th, and featured keynote speaker Canadian Senator Patti Laboucane-Benson, a Métis from Treaty 6 territory in Alberta whose 30-year career has been dedicated to serving her community in Alberta, Canada, and internationally. Guests included a number of inspiring speakers, who engaged with almost 200 grades 6 and 7 students from schools in the greater Edmonton area.

https://edmontonsun.com/news/local-news/student-led-conference-empowers-young-women-in-edmonton/wcm/15a252eb-d206-4073-9576-55a5fc645739

The third annual Nellie L. McClung Program Power of Women Conference was a huge hit with the students and their guests! The Power of Women Conference was initiated in 2018 and is primarily run by the Nellie students. The Conference brings together a number of strong female role models who speak to students and guests, encouraging them to set goals and overcome challenges. Previous speakers have included notable figures such as Jelena Mrdjenovich, Women's International Boxing Federation super featherweight title; Stephanie McLean, former Minister of Status of Women and Minister of Service Alberta; Rachel Notley, former Premier of Alberta and current leader of the Alberta NDP.

The Power of Women Conference is fully booked in advance. For more information or to attend a future Power of Women Conference, please contact the Oliver School Principal, Ms. Kelly Davis, by phone (780.488.1221 extension 0) or by email.

From Wizardry to the Festival of Trees!

Fall 2019 has been busy for the junior high girls in the Nellie L. McClung program, with many fun memories created! October 28th kicked off the third annual wizarding “Harry Potter” week at Nellie. During this week teachers and students immerse themselves in the wizarding world by morphing their classes to include subjects such as potions, magical government compared to federal government, Quidditch, Latin word roots to decode spells, and mapping Hogwarts Castle. During this week students are encouraged to represent their houses by adding to their uniform pieces and, to add to the effect, teachers roam the halls wearing cloaks and hats! This is week is highly anticipated by all students. 

Following the initial ceremony the houses gathered and focused on team building skills to create a chant. The first day also included quill making and designing some fantastic beasts! Throughout the week each house collects points with the intent of being awarded the house cup. This award is a great honor and earns bragging rights for the whole year. “My favorite part [of the week] is watching the students work together as teams to get house points,” said Jennifer Severson, Grade 9 teacher.

Later this year the Nellie students spent a day volunteering at the Festival of Trees. This year approximately 30 students from grades 7 and 9 from both campuses attended. (Usually all grades attend, however this year there were scheduling conflicts.) The Nellie students helped out with the tree guardians, backstage hands, cookie decorators, Santa’s den helpers, reading nook, ornament creation, greeters, and gingerbread station. 

Volunteering is one of the foundations of the Nellie program and is emphasized throughout the year. Students are given a minimum number of volunteer hours to be completed by the end of the year. If students go above or beyond these minimums they receive volunteer awards at the end of the year (bronze, silver, and gold). The Festival of Trees is a favorite volunteer event for Nellie students. Other volunteer opportunities including working in the Moose Store, community days, as well as other events throughout the school year.

The New Year will bring the 3rd annual Power of Women (POW) conference, CEEDS week, and the annual trip for grade 8 and 9 students. As well, 2020 is the 25 year anniversary of the Nellie L. McClung girls’ junior high program in Edmonton! So much to look forward to and so many experiences to be grateful for!

Dressed to Learn

Coming

Into

Fashion

A parent of a recent graduate (2019) was interviewed for thoughts & comments on the use of uniforms in a school setting.

A parent of a recent graduate (2019) was interviewed for thoughts & comments on the use of uniforms in a school setting - find out how this age old tradition may still be relevant!

Mark Lyon’s article in t8n magazine indicates that “the larger debate over dress codes and what kids should or shouldn’t be wearing to school is very much alive.”

Read more at the following link:
UNIFORMS & DRESS CODES: A growing number of schools require students to wear uniforms, but do the results justify stricter dress codes?