Winter Parents’ & Families’ Newsletter
Posted on Monday, February 13th, 2017
Welcome to our Parents’ & Families’ Newsletter
The calendar has turned to a new year and there is lots happening at Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus. Here is a quick update for parents and family members. Enjoy our 2017 parent newsletter.
Winterfest: March 8th at the Waterfront Campus
The winter semester at the Waterfront Campus is nicely underway and we certainly have plenty of snow in Pembroke. The mounds of snow surrounding the campus will help as we plan our Winterfest carnival for students on March 8th.
Winterfest is a fun afternoon and evening for students that will include:
- outdoor activities in the snow
- a free lunch for all students
- free public skating at the Pembroke Memorial Centre followed by a women’s and men’s student-staff hockey game
- free dinner back at the campus where students can enjoy live entertainment.
- Plus, we will be making some draws for free Ottawa Senators hockey tickets.
Yes, we like to give our students free stuff to make their college experience more enjoyable!
Algonquin College
Celebrates 50th Anniversary: Speaker Series
In 2017, the College is celebrating its 50th anniversary, so there will be many special events taking place. Among them is our Speaker Series which is dedicated to Canadian history. One of the sessions that all students are being invited to attend is a presentation by Tricia Logan of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
This session will be held in the evening of Tuesday, April 18th at 7 p.m. at Festival Hall in Pembroke, a short walk from the campus. You can learn more about this presentation on our Speaker Series website >>
Tricia Logan is the Education and Outreach Coordinator at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Tricia is originally from Kakabeka Falls, Ontario. Recently, Tricia completed her PhD entitled ‘Indian Residential Schools, Settler Colonialism and Their Narratives in Canadian History’ in History at Royal Holloway, University of London. She also has a MA and BA both in Native Studies from the University of Manitoba. In 2000, Tricia started working with the Aboriginal Healing Foundation at the Southwest Region Manitoba Métis Federation and has worked with the AHF, Legacy of Hope Foundation and National Aboriginal Health Organization research on various projects from 2000 to 2014.
New Entrepreneurship Course offered at Waterfront Campus
More of our students are interested in becoming entrepreneurs. To help them achieve their goals, the campus hired its first Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR), Chris Doré, last January. Since Chris has come on board, several initiatives have been introduced.For example, the college now has a student entrepreneur club, a group of community entrepreneurs who are available to mentor students, and a new general education course on entrepreneurship has been launched this winter. The course is open to all students and will help them better understand what it takes to be an entrepreneur. You can learn more about our entrepreneurship activities on our EIR website >>
Events, Events and More Events!
We have a number of events on campus, both faculty and staff driven and student organized. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of everything that is happening, which is why we have created the Waterfront Campus Events Calendar >>. Learn more about the fun and academic event opportunities available for our students.
Flu Season
With so many students and staff at the Waterfront Campus daily, it is easy for the flu to spread at this time of year. The College offers free flu shots to students through its Health Services office which is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. An appointment is not necessary.Throughout the campus there are also hand sanitizer stations and our Health Nurse does a great job of promoting the importance of hand washing, particularly at this time of year when the flu and cold season is at their peak.
New Housing Options for Students for Fall 2017
Our out-of-town student population continues to grow. In fact, more than 50 percent of our first year student population last fall had to relocated to Pembroke to study with us at the Waterfront Campus.We wanted to let parents know that a third privately owned and operated student residence is currently under construction and is scheduled to be ready for August 1, 2017. This residence is located within walking distance of the campus on Lake Street near the Pembroke Memorial Centre. You can learn more about housing opportunities on our Housing website >>
It’s important to remember that the college provides housing information to students and families as a courtesy service, but all decisions on whether to enter into a rental agreement is between the family and the landlord. You may want to review the Landlord-tenant Act for Ontario.
New Support Groups: Chill Café & SMART Recovery
- Our new Chill Café is a 6-week anxiety management program open to all students. The program runs weekly on Thursdays between 12:30 and 2 p.m. from February 9 to March 23. Students can register at acwaterfrontchillcafe.eventbrite.ca
- Our SMART Recovery offers students the help needed to recover from any addictive behaviour by working on motivation, urges, negative thinking, and living a balanced life style. Weekly sessions are held on Fridays, 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. starting February 10 and running until April 28, 2017. There is no need for students to sign-up, they simply need to show up to Room 216 at the above mentioned times.
International Experiences for Students
While many college students will be on their winter break the week of February 13 to 17, more than 30 Algonquin students will be in Costa Rica where they will be taking the Rainforest & Tropical Science General Elective Course course. This course is open to students at all three Algonquin College campuses in Pembroke, Perth and Ottawa and is considered a general education credit. Learn more about this international education experience >>
In the spring, some third year Bachelor of Science in Nursing students will be travelling to Guatemala on a humanitarian mission to support health care needs in the third world country.
We hope this newsletter has been helpful. Please keep in touch with us and offer us feedback on topics you would like us to cover in future newsletters.Thank you for being part of your young adult’s post-secondary journey.
Sincerely,Jamie Bramburger
Manager of Community and Student Affairs
Algonquin College Waterfront Campus, Pembroke, ON.
PM-Parents@algonquincollege.com
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