memorandom - Calico School Library
Transcription
memorandom - Calico School Library
YORK MEMORIAL COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE MEMORANDOM June 2013 from the Principal’s Desk We have had an extremely busy year and it’s hard to believe that the school year has come to an end, with many events, memories and academic successes. Best wishes to our graduates as you move on to your next stage in your lives! Please remember to keep Friday, October 25, 2013 marked on your calendars, as it will be your Commencement, beginning at 7 p.m. Best wishes for a safe and enjoyable summer to all, and we look forward to seeing those students returning to Memo in the fall for another great school year. Regardless of where you are, remember to always be your best and do your best. students and staff planned, organized and presented this Anti-Bullying presentation, in partnership with the Toronto Police Service and TDSB. Every television station in Toronto was present for this amazing event! This year the staff and students faced a number of challenges and some rapid changes. Despite the circumstances, I want to express my appreciation to all of the teachers, support staff, coaches, staff advisors, and committee members and parents who showed their unwavering support. Each of you have played an integral role in providing valuable services to our students, and wider community. It is a pleasure to work with such a caring and committed team! There will also be a change in administration for the fall. Our Vice-Principal, Mr. Botnick was promoted, back in mid-February, and Mr. Joy came in as our acting Vice-Principal for the remainder of the school year. Ms. Sunak will be joining our administration team in the fall, as Vice-Principal. Congratulations to our retirees, Ms. Dianne Millar, our head secretary , Ms. Anna Mores, our guidance secretary and computer science teacher Mr. Arambu Kandasamy. Thanks for your continued dedication, hard work and commitment to the students and staff at York memorial C.I. for over 2 decades! We all extend our gratitude and wish you much enjoyment in retirement. York Memorial Collegiate Institute 2690 Eglinton Avenue West Toronto, Ontario M6M 1T9 Tel: (416) 394 – 3000 We extend a warm welcome back to Ms. Ditillio, who Fax: (416) 394 – 3416 had recently returned from maternity leave; Ms. http://www.yorkmemorial.ca Brennan and Ms. Rose did a wonderful job filling in for her during her leave. Ms. Merran is expecting a Principal ........ Mrs. S. Greenaway baby this summer and we wish her the very best York Memorial C.I. continues to thrive, not only in next year. We appreciate the efforts of the following Vice-Principals ............Mr. G. Joy academic achievement, but also with many activities, LTO’s who filled in this year for our teachers on ............................... Mrs. B. Nixon clubs, teams and events. We did experience the leave: Mr. Diakoloukas, Mr. Iafrate, Ms. Liliani and “pause” for approximately 3 months, however, the Superintendent of Education Ms. Katai. extracurricular activities picked up quite nicely. Our grade 10 students wrote the literacy test on April .............................. Mr. G. Duffus 11th. Memo also hosted Kiwanis Music Festival for 2 There are a number of teachers who are leaving weeks in February. We held our annual Black His- Memo, as a result of the staffing process: Ms. Blake, School Trustee ........ Mr. C. Tonks tory assembly for students and staff. Our Memo Mr. Cohen, Mr. Davidson, Ms. Fraser, Mr. Gagne, Senior Dance Class worked with a choreographer for and Ms. Mailvaganam. Ms. Sukhdeo, in guidance, a number of weeks, in preparation for this assembly. is also leaving Memo and heading to Forest Hill for a The students from the senior dance class, as well as full-time office position. We extend our heartfelt several professional performers from “Gimme One thanks to each of them and wish them continued IMPORTANT Riddem” did an amazing job in support of Black success at their new locations. History! Student Council has also been very busy NUMBERS with numerous fun filled spirit days, since the beginI am very proud of the achievements and success of ning of the school year. Numerous fun activities 416-394-3000 our students and staff! Memo is a terrific school with have been held, including a Staff Appreciation Week many notable accomplishments. I continue to look Attendance and several Fun Theme days each month. forward to working at York Memorial Collegiate InstiPress “1” Various assemblies have been held, including an tute during the next school year. Please mark May Anti-Bullying Assembly where RCMP officer Tad 24, 2014 on your calendars, as we will be celebrating Guidance from Surrey BC, shared his amazing story. Impact our 85th Anniversary Reunion. We invite everyone, participated in the Because I am a Girl campaign , alumni staff and students, as well as our current staff Ext. 20040 which raises awareness and money for women and and students to attend this special occasion. girls around the world living in extreme poverty. The money raised goes towards sending girls to school, and, providing food, shelter and clean water to these Best wishes to girls. all! We also held a special celebration for International th Pink Day on April 10 , in which York Memorial C.I. PAGE 2 MEMORANDOM, JUNE 2013 MEMO YOGA CLUB Many people think that yoga is just stretching. But while stretching is certainly involved, yoga is really about creating balance in the body through developing both strength and flexibility. This is done through the performance of poses or postures, each of which has specific physical benefits.” http://yoga.about.com/ od/beginningyoga/a/whatisyoga.htm “ The Memo Yoga Club offers students and teachers a place to understand the fundamentals of yoga history, a great workout by experiencing the many postures, and how to manage stress through meditation and relaxation techniques. Classes are given every Tuesday in the Library from 3:25 – 4:25 pm and are free for students and teachers. Wear comfortable workout clothes and bring a water bottle: we supply the mat. Students also need a signed permission form which can be picked up from Ms. Massinen in the English Office or Mr. Langer in the Co -op Office. Beginners are always welcome and we hope to see you on Tuesday. PAGE 3 MEMORANDOM, JUNE 2013 ATHLETICS The athletics program has gotten underway yet once again after a 3 month hiatus. We've opened up the weight room every lunch and afterschool to our staff and students. Thanks goes out to the following staff Mark Harding, Jeannie McKie, Dan Zivko and Kostas Balasis. Also during lunch, Julie Fortuna offers a dynamic cardio class 2x per week for our staff. Moreover, some staff also get together for a wellness component from pickup sports, working out and even swimming. Also at lunch, we are running pickup basketball with our hall monitor Phil and staff supervisors Jay Griffin and Lisa Iantria. In addition, we will run a 2 and a half month long indoor co-ed soccer intramural for the remainder of the school year with a 16 registered teams. Three 15 min games will be played every Tuesday and Thursday to determine the top competitive squad. Good luck to our registered teams and yes our spectators/student and staff refs and administration will play a huge role in the support of this league. Maybe our staff team will capture the crown. Athletic teams The following spring teams will run leagues and or tournament play. Here are the details: JR. /Sr. Boys Soccer, coach-Kostas. Balasis, Varsity Girls Soccer, coach-Lisa Iantria, Track and Field co-ed, coaches-Kostas Balasis, Michelle Barnes/Dario Imbrogno, Baseball boys tier 2, coaches-Chris Vujacic and Jay Griffin, Girls Softball, coach-Sharon Roberts, Badminton, coaches-Geoff Garlock and Jillian Blake, Outdoor Cricket, coach Mahendra Ram, Girls Rugby, coaches-Mark Harding, Frederick Charles, Dan Zivko. Thanks to those who made this happen as we look forward to a busy, fun, safe and enjoyable spring sport athletic season. Konstantinos Balasis and Lisa Iantria ACLs Health & Physical Education York Memorial C.I PAGE 4 MEMORANDOM, JUNE 2013 What’s up at the Memo library? LIBRARY NEWS Some of the challenges teachers faced this year were ones they faced reluctantly. Keeping the library open before and after school, as well as during lunch is done on a volunteer basis. Ms. Barone and I have always tried to give students equitable access to resources and computers. This year we were required to withdraw this service and the students began to understand the extent to which Teacher Librarians give of their free time. Classroom teachers compensated for this restriction by allowing students to leave classes briefly to work on computers, to find books, to print assignments. We extend our thanks for the patience the teachers and students showed during this time. In March, although we had hoped to resume all extra-curricular activities normally conducted in the library, it was, in practical terms, too late to resume the White Pine Reading Club. The students continued reading the books but missed the opportunity to vote or attend the Harbourfront Awards Festivities. Next year, I hope, will be that much more exciting for returning students. In support of the Toronto Public Libraries’ April Keep Toronto Reading Festival, we encouraged students to enter our contest to match the teacher to the book she/he would save if the library were burning. Students who participated were given a copy of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. The four students with the top scores in the contest were also awarded a gift certificate. Congratulations and thanks for participating! All year students were encouraged to submit the titles of the books they read to the “Just Read It” program run by the TDSB and prizes were welcome surprises. At the end of May, Alison Nembhard was awarded a book prize for having participated in Memo’s own Just Read It contest. This year, for the first time, I acted at teacher advisor to the Yearbook Committee. Ms. Greenaway absorbed this responsibility from December to February, but the exciting work: the proofreading, editing, and the production co-ordination, began in earnest in March and April. I thank the yearbook executive editors: Emmett Charuk, Nasrudin Mahamud, and Stanley Tsai for their enthusiasm, energy, and hard work. If the compliments I have received are any indication, the yearbook is a fabulous success! Thanks are also extended to the administration and caretaking staff for so thoroughly supporting the efforts of the library, but especially to the office staff whose work sometimes goes unheralded because it seems to be accomplished so quickly and quietly. A special shout-out to Ms. Millar and Ms. Mores. Thank you so much! Black History Assembly and Memo’s Senior Dance This year York Memorial’s Black History Assembly featured, Gimme One Riddim. This was a dance theatre production illustrating the history of Jamaica’s Ska music. It was choreographed and produced by Jasmyn Fyffe and Natasha Powell. The show was spectacular and the professional dancers left our school cheering for more. However, the highlight for me was that my senior dance class got the opportunity to open the show. As part of their curriculum this year the students participated in an Afro-Jazz workshop led by Jasmyn Fyffe. As a final project to this workshop the students created a dance piece to the music from the musical The Lion King titled, Grassland Chant. Opening for a professional dance company in front of our school gave the students a true feeling of accomplishment. I was extremely proud of the class and their contribution! The senior dance class is now working on their final performance, The Dance Interpretation of Cinderella. This will be the student’s summative and will be held on June 4th at 6:00pm in the auditorium. Everyone is welcome and the show is a free event! Finally, I just wanted to thank our staff and students for the support they showed my class during and after the assembly. Your enthusiastic applause and recognition of the students work was greatly appreciated. Hope to see you all at Cinderella!!! Sincerely, Ms. Arquilla PAGE 5 MEMORANDOM, JUNE 2013 Student Success Department Update The Student Success department at York Memorial C.I. once again began its After School Remediation Program in January and is proud to announce it has been a great success thus far, with more than 20 students attending each day! Ms. Barone has developed an afterschool program for struggling students in all grades to further support them with their reading and writing skills. The drop-in program focuses on remedial support, explicit teaching of specific skills and literacy practice. The program is open to all students with a special emphasis on Grade 10 students who will be writing the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) in the spring. Snacks are provided to students as they work through their homework and either remediation or extension activities. In March, four Grade 9 students were presented with Student Success Awards for successfully achieving passing grades in all 8 of their courses for Term 2. Their achievements were recognized individually by Ms. Barone and all staff were notified. The four Student Success Award recipients are: Gary Desi Shawn Ellis-Robertson Jabril Farah Shanice White Congratulations on all of your hard work and continue to reach for the stars! PAGE 6 MEMORANDOM, JUNE 2013 Upcoming Events The Student Success department is collaborating with the school library and the Toronto Public Library to bring a new literacy initiative to all Y.M.C.I. students. Students who participate in the One Book Club with staff advisors, Ms. Barone and Ms. Taylor, will have the opportunity to read and discuss dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury. Prizes will be awarded for participants and various literacy-based activities will be promoted around the school to foster students’ love of reading, dispelling the myth that reading is a crime! Upcoming Field Trips Toronto Raptors Game at Air Canada Centre – April 12th vs. Chicago Bulls Toronto Blue Jays Game at Rogers Centre – May 28th vs. Atlanta Braves PAGE 7 MEMORANDOM, JUNE 2013 GIVE CHARITY Upcoming Events On May 24thth from 9–3 PM, Give Charity and staff advisor, Ms. Barone, will be hosting York Memorial’s Fourth Annual Walk 4 Cancer. Participating students will walk in alternating teams around the track for a 6-hour period to raise money for cancer research. In order to participate, students are expected to raise a minimum of $20.00. Net proceeds will be donated to Princess Margaret Hospital, Canada’s #1 cancer research hospital located in downtown Toronto. This year students will be walking in memory of our head caretaker, Frank Massaro, and the donations collected will benefit the Lung Cancer Research Fund at the PMH. Students’ donations get them a ticket to all the festivities: fun activities, a free lunch, entertainment, and great prizes! Students will also receive up to 6 hours of community service for collecting donations. Last year York Memorial raised just over $4,600.00. This year we want to collect over $5,000.00 in pledges so please help us make cancer history by generously donating to York Memorial’s Walk 4 Cancer! JUNE 2013 Give Charity B-I-N-G-O! On May 13th, Give Charity students visited Villa Colombo with Ms. Barone for their very first bilingual Bingo Day with the senior residents. Phoenix Aversa and Tenika Thompson assisted Ms. Barone with calling numbers. Other YMCI participants helped bring the seniors to and from the bingo hall and assisted them with marking the appropriate numbers on their bingo cards. Every bingo player was a winner but the real winners were the YMCI students who had the opportunity to talk with all of the amazing Villa Colombo senior residents. Ms. Barone looks forward to hosting another such event next year and hopes Walking For a Cure On May 24th, Ms. Barone and Give Charity hosted York Memorial’s Fourth Annual Walk 4 Cancer. Participating students walked in alternating teams around the track for a 6 hour period to raise money for cancer research. We would sincerely like to thank Ross’ No Frills at 25 Photography Drive for once again generously donating food and beverages for our participating students. This year, staff and students walked in memory of York Memorial's late Head Caretaker, Frank Massaro. All proceeds are being donated to the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre's Lung Cancer Research Fund in Frank's name. To commemorate Frank's exceptional career with the TDSB, Frank's family was present to help us release 31 helium balloons, one for each year of service. This year, staff and students raised a total of $3500.00. JUNE 2013 Student Success Department Update Between January 21st and May 23rd, Ms. Barone and the Student Success Department offered literacy remediation classes for students in Grades 9-12. Some students brought along homework from their English class, while others worked on learning skills important for the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. Intensive practice for the OSSLT became a large part of this program with 20-30 students participating every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the Library. Students who participated were given healthy snacks as they worked on literacy activities from 3:15 to 5:00 pm. The program was a huge success and Ms. Barone looks forward to working with a new group of students next year! FUN STUFF… On April 12th, the York Memorial Student Success Department subsidized tickets for thirty students to attend a Toronto Raptors game at the Air Canada Centre. Students were able to participate in games around the ACC, winning Raptors apparel. They watched the Toronto Raptors battle the Chicago Bulls and win! Thank you to Mr. Imbrogno for making the trip such a success! On May 28, the York Memorial Student Success Department subsidized tickets for twenty students to attend a Toronto Blue Jays game at the Rogers Centre with Ms. Barone. Students were able to observe batting practice with the Atlanta Braves prior to the game. Some students were able to meet and get autographs and photos with utility player, Emilio Bonifacio. Ammara Dawood, Muna Mohamed, and Karina Duarte all went home with official MLB baseballs! The AP School On 28 May, 25 York Memorial students competed in the 3rd annual University of Guelph-Humber GTA Psychology Conference. This conference consists of a Psychathlon ( a test of general psychology knowledge) and an APA-style essay competition. Winning 1st place and 3rd place in the Psychathlon were, respectively, Christina Nguyen and My Nga Ly. Winning four of the five available scholarship prizes for their essays were Dakota Lee- Cusack, My Nga Ly, Ivey Nee, and Emma Rudahigan. Congratulations to all participants. You represented York Memorial very well. Mark Harding B.A. B.Ed. M.A. ACL-- Advanced Placement/RUSH SAT Supervisor York Memorial Collegiate PAGE 10 MEMORANDOM, JUNE 2013 CONGRATULATIONS MEMO, THE COURSE SELECTION PROCESS IS COMPLETE!!! This is the second year of online course selection, and we are happy to say that it was a big success. Congratulations to our Grade 9s who were, by far, the fastest overall grade to submit their courses on myBlueprint!!! Incidentally, did you know that myBlueprint is not just a tool for selecting your courses. It also offers the following amazing tools for students: Learning Styles Inventory Career Interest Assessment Goal Setting Tools Post-Secondary Planner Occupation Planner Feel free to make an appointment with your Guidance Counsellor to learn more about all that myBlueprint has to offer, change a course for next year, and/or for any other questions/concerns that you may have . THE POST-SECONDARY JOURNEY – info for grade 12s Wow! Can you believe that you are nearing the end of your high school career? It has been quite a journey and we are excited for what your bright future holds in store. Most of you have already applied for university, college, and apprenticeships – and some of you have already been accepted! If so, congratulations, if not, do not despair – many programs wait until they see the spring report card before they make their final decisions. NEXT STEPS??? If you have received any communication from your program (i.e. e-mail, regular mail, etc.) be sure to read it very carefully and come to Guidance if you have any questions or need clarification. Additionally, be sure that you meet all requirements of your conditional offer, especially marks, since most schools calculate scholarships based on your June marks. Do not hesitate to come to Guidance if you are at risk of not meeting your program’s requirements or are at risk of not graduating - we will definitely be able to offer helpful advice about summer school, elearning, or program changes and programs with availability. 5th YEAR??? Are you considering a 5th year at Memo? If so, please make an appointment to meet with a Guidance Counsellor to choose your courses and ultimately ensure that you are on track to meet your academic goals. PAGE 11 MEMORANDOM, JUNE 2013 NEED A SUMMER JOB??? Are you tired of missing out on great job, volunteer and/or scholarship opportunities? Do you want to be updated on course change deadlines, career information, course selection material, etc???? If you add us on FACEBOOK and TWITTER, you will never miss out on important information again!!! OUR FACEBOOK NAME = YORK MEMORIAL GUIDANCE OUR TWITTER NAME = @MemoGuidance E-LEARNING??? e-Summer School Course Offerings Posted! Thinking about taking an online class this summer? Go to www.tdsb.on.ca/elearning for more info and to register. There are thirtyfive different courses to choose from (see list below)! e-Summer School runs in two sessions: July (June 24 to July 26) August (July 24 to August 23) e-Summer School registration for TDSB secondary school students opens on April 15, 2013. COURSES FILL UP FAST, SO DON’T DELAY!!!!!! INTERESTED IN SUMMER SCHOOL? Do you need an extra credit? Planning on taking summer school? Secondary Summer School 2013 runs from Tuesday, July 2, through Friday, July 26, 8:45 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday; however, if you are enrolled in REMEDIAL (35% or above on a failed compulsory course) summer school, then it is only half day. More information will be available in Guidance before the end of April. Be sure to come and register right away since the FULL CREDIT programs have an early application deadline. PAGE 12 MEMORANDOM, JUNE 2013 NEWS RELEASE DD Sports Day at York Memorial Collegiate Institute For the past 30 years, students in our Special Education – Developmental Disabilities (DD) program have hosted an annual Sports Day attended by about a dozen similar DD programs from around the city. This exciting event is made possible by the cooperation and support of our fantastic Grade 11 partners in our leadership classes. The leadership classes are a model of integration which partners senior students in credit-granting courses with our students, a demonstration of collaboration that has been running successfully for many years. The event is the culmination of weeks of planning and preparation. This year’s event is taking place on Thursday May 16th, from 10:00am – 11:30am. A circuit of physical activities is set up on the school’s back field. Students from all the schools are divided into teams, each led by our leadership partners. Each station was also staffed by our partners. The morning is filled with smiles, positive memories, and lasting feelings of accomplishment. This year, students have been invited from the following schools across the city: Westview Centennial S.S., Downsview S.S., Nelson A. Boylen C.I., Monarch Park C.I., Danforth C. & T. I., Emery C.I., West Humber C.I., Rosedale Heights School of the Arts, Oakwood C.I., Burnhamthorpe C.I., Central Etobicoke H.S., York Humber H.S., and Haney Centre. We would like to say a special thank you to our Grade 11 partners for helping to make this year such a resounding success! Further information can be obtained by contacting us at (416) 394-3000. Suzana Greenaway Principal Danielle Vlietstra Teacher – Spec. Ed. Michael Davidson Teacher – Spec. Ed. Attention Class of 2013! Are you coming to Commencement in October? If so, you need to see Ms. Pepper asap to be measured and pay $20 for your cap and gown. You will get to keep your cap after the ceremony. Last year the grads looked fabulous in their graduation attire and you will too! PAGE 13 MEMORANDOM, JUNE 2013 News from the Math Department: In February, 65 YMCI students from grades 9, 10 and 11 wrote the Waterloo Math Contests. The results are in and we had 8 students who scored in the top 25 percent in all of Canada! Congratulations to: Grade 9: Daniel Chung, Caroline Lu, Komahan Paramaanantham, Felicia Rajan, Nhi Trinh Le Grade 10: Abdulaziz Bholat Grade 11: Phi Tran, Christina Nguyen The Euclid Contest for grade 12 students will be written on Wednesday, April 17th. Good luck to all participants! February was course selection month. All students returning in September should have chosen their courses for next year. If you are concerned about the level of course you chose, please consult with your math teacher. Don’t wait until September! Exams are coming… sooner than you think… it’s time to begin preparing. Do you need help with math? Extra help is available after school and at lunch. Also, if you are in grades 9 or 10, you should have registered for FREE online homework help. The website is ontario.ca/homework help. All you need to register your OEN, which can be found at the top of your orange timetable. There are teachers waiting to help you from Sunday to Thursday, 5:30pm to 9:30pm. There are also interactive lessons and activities available anytime. If you have any questions, please see Ms. Pepper. All grade 9 students will be writing both the EQAO (worth 10% of their final mark) and a final math exam (worth 20%). Students have been working on our practice EQAO booklets in class. These booklets have proven to be successful at improving achievement on the test and they are also very useful for course review for the exam. There are only two opportunities left to enter the YMCI Math Challenge! This is a monthly contest where you answer any of 3 questions and if your answers are correct, your name is entered into a draw for a small monthly prize and the year –end grand prizes. Last year the grand prizes were an iPad and a brand new laptop! The February winner was Terence Chieu and the March winner was Alex Chau. The April Math Challenge is available now. See your math teacher or go to the math office to get your copy. PAGE 14 MEMORANDOM, JUNE 2013 MENTORS York memorial’s Mentor Program Our motto for the Mentor Program has been; “Teamwork divides the effort and multiplies the effect – together we’re better.” It has been a privilege working with such wonderful students who care about their community and want to make a difference in supporting their fellow peers. York Memorial’s Mentor Program has an established reputation that has extended over many years founded on strong leadership and commitment. Our friendly, hardworking and knowledgeable Mentors have been ready and willing to help students as well as staff and community members. This year is no exception; we have had a very active team of Mentors who assisted our grade 9 students with their transition to high school through informative classroom visits on a regular basis throughout the year. Mentors have also been avid volunteers, many involved with providing peer tutoring, helping out at school events such as Commencement, Parent and Teacher Interviews and at assemblies and special school events. We wish to extend our best wishes and thanks to our Mentors for their contributions throughout the year and wish them well in all their future endeavours. Have a safe and wonderful summer! D. Imbrogno: Staff Advisor !! I mportan t Dates !! August 27 Grade 9 Moving On Up 27-29 Registration & School Activity Fee November Parent Workshop #1 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. 25 Commencement 4 School Council Meeting First Day 6 Take Our Kids to Work Day 13 Welcome Back Assembly 8 Academic Awards Assemblies 16-17 Safe Schools Awareness Assemblies 11 Remembrance Day 19 Curriculum –Meet the Teacher Night 15 PD Day 20 We Day 19 Parent Workshop #2 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. 26 TTC & Yearbook Photo Day 25 Report Cards Go Home 27 Terry Fox Run & BBQ 30 School Council Meeting & Elections 3 Parent Teacher Interviews 1 Nifty Niner Night –Grade 9 Girls September 3 Oct. 21 December 9-16 Grad Photos 2 Making the Cut –Grade 9 Boys 17 MADD Assembly 3-6 Camp Wahonowin-Arts Camping Trip 18 Winterlude Concert 7:00 p.m. 10 Interim Reports Go Home 19 Holiday Assembly 11 PA Day 20 PA Day 14 Thanksgiving—School Closed December 23-January 3 Winter Holidays