Category: B4 Blog

Informal Meet and Greet with Mr. Kertes

• Informal Meet and Greet: Feb. 4 from 4:30-5:30 PM or 6:30-8:30 PM (room 308 at CHSS)
  • Drop-in
  • Optional
  • No need to RSVP

Informal Progress Report Dates

Informal progress reports are provided to each student on the dates below. I provide these as a way to let students know their progress throughout the semester. I email informal reports to parents/guardians only if a student is not passing, unless a parent/guardian requests to have it emailed either way. If you have questions about informal progress reports, please contact Mr. Kertes directly at 778-884-5343 (text is best) or tomkertes@sd52.bc.ca.

• Progress Report #1: March 3
• Progress Report #2: April 15 or 16
• Progress Report #3: June 1

Report Cards and Conferences

The school has midterm learning updates and final semester learning updates (report cards). Please contact the school’s office for more information how to access your child’s learning update (report card). The school also has conferences, which are scheduled through the office. If you have any questions about report cards or conferences, please contact the school’s office.

• End of Term A: April 15 or 16 (make up day is April 17)
• End of Term B: June 19 (make up day is June 22)

English Class Exam Dates

• Midterm Exam: April 10 to April 16
• Final Exam: May 19 to May 25

English Class Major Assignment Due Dates

• The major assignments (essays, creative writing, etc.) are all due on:
  • June 19
• June is mostly “work blocks” for students to finish the major assignments

English 9 Key Dates

• March 12 – Storytelling Day (visit an elementary school class to tell a story)
• March 13 – Creative Writing Assignment due (short story first draft due)
• April 10 to 16 – Midterm Exam Week
  • Learning Story Part 1
• April 15 – Comparative Essay (1st and 2nd drafts) due
• May 4 – Creative Writing Presentations
• May 19 to 25 – Final Exam Week
  • Expository Essay (Theme: Love as an Idea)
• June 15 to 18 – Metacognition Exam (Key Concepts and Learning Story Part 2)
  • Synthesis Essay (Topic: Zone of Proximal Development)
• June 19 – Major Assignments Due
  • Comparative Essay (Topic: The Great Gatsby and Romeo and Juliet)
  • Textual Analysis Essay (Topic: Animal Farm or Measure for Measure)
  • Persuasive Essay (Theme: Reading as Resistance)

English First Peoples 11 Key Dates

• Mar 2
  • Pre-University Skills and Concepts Test
• Mar 2
  • Notes and Summaries Due
• Mar 12
  • Storytelling Day (field trip to elementary school)
• Mar 13
  • Creative writing assignment due
• Mar 13
  • Storytelling reflection assignment due
• Apr 10-16
  • Midterm Exam
• Apr 15
  • Synthesis Essay due
• Apr 15
  • Short Story Reports (1, 2, and 3) due
• May 4
  • Policy Symposium Presentation due
• May 19-25
  • Final Exam
• May 26-29
  • Presentation due
• June 19
  • Expository Essay due
  • Persuasive Essay due
  • Creative Writing (revised) due
  • Synthesis Essay (revised) due
  • Textual Analysis Essay due

English First Peoples 12 Key Dates

• Mar 2
  • Pre-University Skills and Concepts Test
• Mar 2
  • Notes and Summaries Due
• Mar 12
  • Storytelling Day (field trip to elementary school)
• Mar 13
  • Creative writing assignment due
• Mar 13
  • Storytelling reflection assignment due
• Apr 10-16
  • Midterm Exam
• Apr 15
  • Synthesis Essay due
• Apr 15
  • Short Story Reports (1, 2, and 3) due
• May 4
  • Policy Symposium Presentation due
• May 19-25
  • Final Exam
• May 26-29
  • Presentation due
• June 19
  • Expository Essay due
  • Persuasive Essay due
  • Creative Writing (revised) due
  • Synthesis Essay (revised) due
  • Textual Analysis Essay due

Dear Parents/Guardians (Eng 9, EFP 11, EFP 12):

I am Mr. Kertes and I teach English 9, English First Peoples 11, and English First Peoples 12 this term at CHSS.

At the start of each term I invite families to attend an informal (optional) “meet and greet” or open house in my classroom (room 308 at CHSS).

Please feel free to stop by to ask any questions or to learn more about your child’s upcoming course.Many families use this time to let me know about supports your child needs or questions your child has about the course.

• Who: Families/students in any Mr. Kertes class this term
• What: Informal (drop-in) meet and great (open house)
• Where: Room 308 at CHSS
• When: Wednesday February 5th:
  • 4:00-5:00 PM (drop-in, no need to RSVP) OR
  • 6:30-8:30 PM (drop-in, no need to RSVP)

If you cannot attend but would like to speak with me, please text me at 778-884-5343 and we can set up a time to talk by phone or in person on another day. Text is the best way to reach me. Please let me know if you have any questions or ways I can support your child’s learning at school. Text is usually best or you can send an email. Feel free to do this at anytime during the semester.

Mr. Kertes
English Teacher

778-884-5343
tomkertes@sd52.bc.ca

1. We started the short story “Midnights” (Rowell). We will finish this at the end of the term.
2. We discussed the course theme “power of love” and how this theme will connect to these texts:
   • “Romeo and Juliet” (Shakespeare)
   • “The Great Gatsby” (Fitzgerald)
   • “Measure for Measure” (Shakespeare)
   • “I Have a Dream” (King)
   • “Animal Farm” (Orwell)
3. We discussed “Lover” (Swift) and how the concept of love, romance, friendship, power, joy, grief, freedom connected to the song and to this course.
4. We read the short story “My Temporary Santa” (Levithan). We discussed:
   • Whether the 12 year character’s use of foul language was realistic.
   • Whether the mom and dad were divorced or if the dad had died.
   • How Levithan slowly let more and more of the story out. Why did he do this?
   • Why the main character (Connor’s boyfriend) as so naive.
5. We started the novel “The Great Gatsby” (Fitzgerald). We will listen/read this novel for the first month and will watch parts of the 1974 film and 2013 film versions of the novel. We discussed:
   • How the story was written over a 100 years ago and how this fits into the overall timeline of the texts for this course.
   • The theme of love, greed, freedom, power, and control.
   • Whether the narrator (Nick) is in love with Jay or not, how this is put “in between the lines,” and why the author would write it that way.
6. The first essay will compare “The Great Gatsby” (Fitzgerald) to “Romeo and Juliet” (Shakespeare).
7. We went over the rules. The main ones are:
   • Fake it until you make it
   • Ask for help
   • You belong here – attend and you learn and you will get support (attendance is important because almost all of the work is done during class time, there is almost no homework)
   • Respect others
   • Use the hall pass
   • No devices, no AI, all work is done in-class, all work is done using paper/pencil (not computer or phone)