Year: 2020

Youth in STEM- The Scrimini Sisters!

October 5, 2020 Ms. Norris No Comments Uncategorized

 

Maybe you’ve heard of Science Fair and chances are if you’re a seasoned Burnaby North Student you’ve probably even done a Science Fair Project! But how about travelling to Taiwan to compete in an international Science Fair or what about securing over 2 million dollars in prize money to run your own virtual Science Fair during the COVID-19 pandemic!? Not too many people can say they’ve risen to these amazing challenges however, this month’s season premiere of the Youth in STEM podcasts interviews Burnaby North’s own Claire and Vanessa Scrimini to find out more how they’ve taken the scientific world by storm! Curious? Have a listen here to find out more about the challenges and successes these sisters have navigated over the past few months and also to find out more about what they have in store next! https://geeringuponline.apsc.ubc.ca/stem-resources/youth-in-stem-podcast/

For more opportunities and information about science fair connect here:

scienceleadership1@gmail.com  or on Instagram at bns.sci.leadership

Surfing the Unknown

September 7, 2020 Ms. Norris No Comments Uncategorized

 

Sometimes the unknown can make us feel like we are sinking. It can be hard to set goals or to work towards something when we feel pulled in different directions or are constantly treading water to try and stay afloat.

As much as the COVID-19 pandemic has tossed us into the deep end, I do know one thing for certain.

I cannot wait to jump back into teaching. Connecting with students, cultivating new questions and curiosity is like surfing to me!

That moment when you catch a wave after waiting, swimming, treading and occasionally being turned around under water is magical. I feel the same way about teaching. The waters are not always calm, you don’t always know what is under the surface but man, when you catch that wave it is so satisfying!

Although these next few months are bound to involve some treading water & trying to stay afloat as we figure out the currents and mitigate obstacles, I can’t wait to get surfing with students in the classroom again and to creating the magic together!

Looking forward to meeting you all soon 🙂

Ms Norris

Hello & Checking In :-)

April 2, 2020 Ms. Norris No Comments Uncategorized

Update for the week of March 30th- April 3rd

Hello everyone! Hope you are staying healthy and well in these interesting times! 

Teachers will be touching base with you this week. At this time, I have sent an email to all my students using MyEd (the primary email contact listed) simply to say hi and see how you are all doing 🙂  

Period 2 teachers will be phoning students by the end of the week.

There is no Science work to do this week.

The district has put together resources to guide you through this week at https://learning.burnabyschools.ca 

There is information about using your Office 365 Emails and a Digital Citizenship Webquest to complete at https:// learning.burnabyschools.ca/students 

Moving forward please do check Office 365 emails / Teams  for more information next week. 

Take care and looking forward to connecting with you soon!

Ms. Norris<3

AP Biology 12- Revised Exam Information

March 25, 2020 Ms. Norris No Comments Uncategorized
 
  For the 2019-20 exam administration only, students can take a 45-minute online exam at home. It will consist of Free Response Question(s). Educator-led development committees are currently selecting the exam questions that will be administered. The AP Biology Course exam material will cover Units 1-6.  

Unit 1- The Chemistry of Life

Unit 2- Cell Structure and Function

Unit 3-  Cellular Energetics (*includes content not yet covered in our class such as photosynthesis, cellular respiration & fitness) 

Unit 4- Cell Communication and Cell Cycle

Unit 5- Heredity

Unit 6- Gene Expression and Regulation
• Some students may want to take the exam sooner rather than later, while the content is still fresh. Other students may want more time to practice. For each AP subject, there will be two different testing dates.
• AP curricula are locally developed and we defer to local decisions on how best to help students complete coursework. To be fair to all students, some of whom have lost more instructional time than others, the exam will only include topics and skills most AP teachers and students have already covered in class by early March.
• Colleges support this solution and are committed to ensuring that AP students receive the credit they’ve worked this year to earn. For decades, colleges have accepted a shortened AP Exam for college credit when groups of students have experienced emergencies.
• Students will be able to take these streamlined exams on any device they have access to—computer, tablet, or smartphone. Taking a photo of handwritten work will also be an option.
• We recognize that the digital divide could prevent some low-income and rural students from participating. Working with partners, we’ll invest so these students have the tools and connectivity they need to review AP content online and take the exam. If your students need mobile tools or connectivity, you can reach us directly to let us know.
• The exam questions are designed in ways that prevent cheating. We use a range of digital security tools and techniques, including plagiarism detection software, to protect the integrity of the exams. Scoring at-home work for an AP Exam isn’t new to the AP Program. For years the AP Program has received and scored at-home student work as part of the exams for the AP Computer Science Principles and AP Capstone™ courses.
We’ll continue to support students with free resources through exam day. And while we encourage students to wait until closer to the test date to decide, any student already registered for an exam can choose to cancel at no charge.

Information about the reduced scope of content that will be covered on each 2020 AP Exam is currently posted on AP Central®. The specific test dates and the free-response question types will all be posted by April 3. We’ll also unlock any relevant free-response questions in AP Classroom for digital use so students can access all practice questions of the type that will appear on the exam.

Daily Online Review AP Classes
Beginning on Wednesday, March 25, students and schools will have access to free, live AP review lessons, delivered by AP teachers from across the country. The lessons will focus on reviewing the skills and concepts from the first 75% of the course. These mobile-friendly classes are:
• Designed to be used alongside work that may be given by schools.
• Recorded and will be available on-demand so teachers and students can access them any time.
• Not dependent on current AP teachers continuing instruction. We know many AP teachers now face challenges that would make that impossible.