IT STARTS

in the Schools

May 2015

UPCOMING EVENTS

May TCDSB Board-wide

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Asian Canadian Heritage Month

May TCDSB Board-wide

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Speech, Language and Hearing Month

May 1 Blessed Sacrament Catholic School

24 Bedford Park Avenue, Toronto

416.393.5226

Family of Faith Picnic Lunch

In support of Blessed Sacrament Church.

11:15 a.m. – 12 p.m.

May 1 Chaminade College School

490 Queen's Drive, Toronto

416.393.5509

50th Anniversary

Dinner Dance Gala

6:30 p.m.

May 1 St Fidelis Catholic School

9 Bannerman Street, Toronto

416.393.5358

Rosary Celebration with the Rosary

Apostolate in the school gym.

9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

May 2 St. Richard Catholic School

960 Bellamy Road North, Scarborough

416.393.5301

50th Anniversary

1 p.m. – Mass at St. Rose of Lima Church

3 p.m. – 6 p.m. – Open House

May 2 Madonna Catholic Secondary School

20 Dubray Avenue, Downsview

416.393.5506

FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy

Tour at Madonna CSS On a coast-to-coast trip across Canada, the

Trophy Tour will make a stop at the school.

9 a.m. – 11 a.m.

May 2 St. Jane Frances Catholic School

2745 Jane Street, North York

416.393.5296

Engaging Spanish Speaking Parents

Conference and Celebration

2 p.m. – 7 p.m.

May 3 St. Andre Catholic School

36 Yvonne Avenue, North York

416.393.5410

Blessing and Opening of School

2 p.m.

May 3 Brebeuf College

211 Steeles Avenue East, Willowdale

416-393-5508

Order of St. Jean de Brebeuf Mass and

Awards Luncheon

11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

May 3-8 TCDSB Board-wide

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Catholic Education Week

May 3-9 TCDSB – Board-wide

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Children’s Mental Health Awareness

Week

May 4 TCDSB – Catholic Education Centre

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

TCDSB Awards Night

Celebrating the accomplishments of

leaders in our Catholic community.

7 p.m.

May 4 Madonna Catholic Secondary School

20 Dubray Avenue, Downsview

416.393.5506

Intermediate W5H 2015 Tournament

City Championship

7 p.m.

May 4 St. Ambrose Catholic School

20 Coules Court, Etobicoke

416.393.5259

Hana’s Suitcase, a presentation on

tolerance and acceptance by Holocaust

survivor, George Brady.

12:15 p.m. - 2:15 pm

May 4 Father Serra Catholic School

111 Sun Row Drive, Weston

416.393.5391

Living Rosary

Volunteers present to students on the

meaning of the rosary and then the

students pray the rosary as a large group in

the gym.

9:30 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.

May 4 St. Jude Catholic School

3251 Weston Road, North York

416.393.5279

Marian Celebration of the Rosary

9 a.m.

May 4 TCDSB – Board-wide

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Summer School Registration Starts

May 4-8 Woodbine Centre Shopping Mall

500 Rexdale Blvd, Etobicoke

TCDSB: 416.222.8282 ext. 2688

Woodbine Centre Festival of the Arts

Celebrating Excellence in the Arts during

Catholic Education Week, with musical

performances at the Centre Court,

Woodbine Centre Shopping Mall.

May 4: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

May 5-8: 10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.

May 7: 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

May 4-12 TCDSB – Board-wide

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

TDCAA Girls Soccer

May 4-14 TCDSB – Board-wide

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

TDCAA Boys Soccer

May 4-25 St Fidelis Catholic School

9 Bannerman Street, Toronto

416.393.5358

Grade 6 Ballroom Dancing Lessons

Coordinated with instructors from Join the

Dance Canada

Mondays: 8:35 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Fridays: 10:30 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.,

12:15 p.m. – 1:05 p.m.

May 4-21 TCDSB – Board-wide

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

TDCAA Girls Softball

May 4-21 TCDSB – Board-wide

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

TDCAA Boys Baseball

May 5 St. Cyril Catholic School

18 Kempford Boulevard, Willowdale

416.393.5270

Family Social Media Night

Presented by Teen Social Media Expert

Patrick Mott

7 p.m. – 8 p.m.

May 5 St Fidelis Catholic School

9 Bannerman Street, Toronto

416.393.5358

Money Mentor$ – Workshop for

Parents

Information, strategies, tips and tools to

help support students as they learn about

money, its value and how to manage it

well.

7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

May 5 St. Jude Catholic School

3251 Weston Road, North York

416.393.5279

Intermediate Spoken Arts Festival

Students from each class compete in a

public speaking contest.

12:45 p.m. – 3 p.m.

In the gymnasium

May 5-14 TCDSB – Board-wide

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

TDCAA Rugby

May 6 TCDSB – Catholic Education Centre

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

TCDSB Chess Tournament

TEAM Chess City Finals

9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

May 6 TCDSB – Board-wide

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Spring Walk and Roll to School Day

May 6 St Fidelis Catholic School

9 Bannerman Street, Toronto

416.393.5358

Volunteer Appreciation Tea

For all parent volunteers

2 p.m. in the Library

May 6 St. Jude Catholic School

3251 Weston Road, North York

416.393.5279

Social Networking Safety presentation

for parents

Presented by Paul Davis

7 p.m. – 8 p.m.

May 6-7 St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School 116 Fermanagh Ave., Toronto

416.393.5227

Joy of Spring Concert

May 6: FDK- Gr. 4 students perform

7 p.m. in the school gym. This concert will

include choral performances.

May 7: Gr. 5 -8 students perform

7 p.m. in the school gym. This concert will

include strings, Orff Instruments and

poetry.

May 6-21 TCDSB – Board-wide

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Elementary Track and Field Regionals

9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

May 7 TCDSB – Catholic Education Centre

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Province-wide Student Mass followed by

a Peace Walk

Celebrating Catholic Education Week

10 a.m.

May 7 Madonna Catholic Secondary School

20 Dubray Avenue, Downsview

416.393.5506

Fair Trade for Life Fashion Show

Organized by the Social Justice Club, the

event is to raise awareness around the issue

of Fair Trade and Sweat Shops

7 p.m.

May 7 St. Jude Catholic School

3251 Weston Road, North York

416.393.5279

Spoken Arts Festival

Students from each class compete in a

public speaking contest.

Primary: 8:45 a.m. – 10 a.m.

Junior: 12:45 a.m. – 3 p.m.

In the gymnasium

May 7 Annunciation Catholic School

65 Avonwick Gate, Don Mills

416.393.5299

Mental Health Awareness Evening

A parent engagement evening hosted by

the Catholic School Parent Council

7 p.m. in the school library

May 7 St. Clare Catholic School

124 Northcliffe Blvd., York

416.393.5214

Art Show titled ‘Give’

6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

May 7 St. John Paul II Catholic Secondary

School

685 Military Trail, Scarborough

416.393.5531

Chill Fair and Wheelchair Basketball

Tournament

Students host an awareness-raising fair

with community representatives. Staff and

students also compete in a wheelchair

basketball tournament with proceeds going

to Variety Village.

Chill Fair: 11:10 a.m. to 1:10 p.m.

Wheelchair Basketball Tournament:

1:20 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

May 7 St. Bartholomew Catholic School

51 Heather Road, Agincourt

416.393.5334

Early Learning Team from St.

Bartholomew Recognized by The

Learning Partnership

Award presentation at 7:15 p.m.

May 7 St. Agatha Catholic School

49 Cathedral Bluffs Drive Scarborough

416.393.5302

Art show and Family BBQ

5 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

May 8: Art show, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

May 7 St. Conrad Catholic School

5 Exbury Road, North York

416.393.5396

OAPCE-Toronto Hosts Parent Mass

and Resource Fair Celebrating Catholic Education Week

Celebrant: Cardinal Thomas Collins

7 p.m.

May 8 Epiphany of Our Lord Catholic

Academy

3150 Pharmacy Avenue, Agincourt

416.393.5378

Recycling Technology for Students and

the Environment

Celebration to thank donors reBOOT

Canada and Electronic Recycling Services

11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

May 8 St Marguerite Bourgeoys Catholic

School

75 Alexmuir Boulevard, Agincourt

416.393.5381

Parent and Community Forum

for the Chinese Community

Celebrating Asian Canadian Heritage

Month

11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

May 8 Monsignor Percy Johnson Catholic

High School

2170 Kipling Avenue, Rexdale

416.393.5535

30th Anniversary

Mix and Mingle Pub Night

7 pm to Midnight

May 9 St. Kevin Catholic School

15 Murray Glen Drive, Scarborough

416.393.5300

50th Anniversary

Mass at Precious Blood Church 11 a.m.

BBQ and Open House 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.

May 9 St. Cecilia Catholic School

355 Annette Street, Toronto

416.393.5218

100th Anniversary

Open House 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

May 9 TCDSB – Board-wide

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Megan's Walk

8:30 a.m. – 11:45 p.m.

May 10-16 TCDSB – Board-wide

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Respect for Life Week

May 12 St Francis Xavier Catholic School

53 Gracefield Avenue, Toronto

416.393.5271

Family Math Night

6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.

May 13 Michael Power - St. Joseph High

School

105 Eringate Drive, Etobicoke,

416.393.5529

Navigating The Teenage Years

Presentation for parents, including

information booths and resources

6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

May 14 TCDSB – Board-wide

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

World Catholic Education Day

May 14 St. Francis de Sales Catholic School

333 Firgrove Crescent, Toronto

416.393.5366

Afternoon Tea for Seniors

The Intermediate Choir Club hosts a tea

for Seniors from a retirement home,

singing and serving baked sweets and tea.

1 p.m.

May 15 Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School

2 St Andrew's Boulevard, Weston

416.393.5525

Secondary Students’ Symposium

Celebrating Asian Canadian Heritage

Month

9 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.

May 15 University of Toronto

UTS Science Building

1265 Military Trail, Scarborough

Our World, Our Responsibility: Food

for Thought, Fuel for Action

Environmental conference hosted by St.

John Paul II Catholic Secondary School.

8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

May 20 TCDSB – Catholic Education Centre

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Catholic School Parent Council

Appreciation Mass and Celebration

5:30 p.m.

May 22 York University,

Accolade East Building,

Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Theatre

4700 Keele Street, Toronto

Asian Heritage Month Festival 2015 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

May 23 St. Jane Frances Catholic School

2745 Jane Street, Downsview

416.393.5296

50th Anniversary

Mass at 11 a.m.

School celebration and Open House from

12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

May 23 James Cardinal McGuigan Catholic

High School

1440 Finch Avenue West, Downsview

416.393.5527

Engaging Spanish-Speaking Parents

2015 Conference

2 p.m. – 6 p.m.

May 23 James Cardinal McGuigan Catholic

High School

1440 Finch Avenue West, Downsview

416.393.5527

Parent and Community Forum

for the Filipino community

Celebrating Asian Canadian Heritage

Month

10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

May 25 Father Serra Catholic School

111 Sun Row Drive, Weston

416.393.5391

Maori Dance Troupe Presentation

A New Zealand Dance troupe will be

presenting to Grades 4-8 the customary

dances of the Maori Peoples.

9:30 a.m.

May 26 TCDSB – Board-wide

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Elementary Track and Field Finals

9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

At Varsity Stadium

May 26 Mary Ward Catholic Secondary

3200 Kennedy Road, Scarborough

416.393.5544

Mass and Cultural Expose

Celebrating Asian Canadian Heritage

Month

10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

May 26 The Hangar at Downsview Park

75 Carl Hall Road, Downsview

TCDSB Special Needs Mini Olympics

Celebrating inclusion and friendship

9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

May 26 St. Thomas Aquinas

636 Glenholme Avenue, Toronto

416.393.5236

Welcome to Kindergarten Family

Orientation

6 p.m.

May 27 Columbus Event Centre

Villa Charities

901 Lawrence Ave. West

OYAP Leadership Conference

8:45 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.

May 27 Chaminade College School

490 Queen's Drive, Toronto

416.393.5509

IGNITE Digital Media Showcase

Presented by Chaminade College School

At SilverCity Cinemas, Yorkdale

Print gallery opens at 6 p.m.

Film screening at 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

May 28 St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School 116 Fermanagh Ave., Toronto

416.393.5227

Welcome to Kindergarten Night

6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

May 30 Annunciation Catholic School

65 Avonwick Gate, Don Mills

416.393.5299

50th Anniversary

Mass at 10 a.m. at Annunciation of the

Blessed Virgin Mary Church

School celebration and Open House from

12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

May 30 Epiphany of Our Lord Catholic

Academy

3150 Pharmacy Avenue, Agincourt

416.393.5378

Parent and Community Forum

for the Tamil community

Celebrating Asian Canadian Heritage

Month

9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

June 3 La Victoria Banquet Hall

69 Milvan Drive, North York Bowling Banquet for Students with

Multiple Exceptionalities

11:30 a.m.

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS

TCDSB Celebrates Autism Awareness Day Thousands of students and staff from across the Toronto Catholic District School Board participated in

the annual dance for Autism awareness on March 11th. This provided some insight into Autism, and

served as a great lead up to the celebration of Autism Awareness Day on April 2nd.

The Board was pleased to present its 5th annual Autism Awareness Evening on April 1st. “Nurturing

Gifts: Making Contributions to our Communities” is an evening dedicated to promoting the gifts, and

talents of our students with Autism. Students from across the board shared their talents in a variety of

areas including poetry, dance, instrumental music, construction, origami and magic. The keynote

speaker was Jeannine Dupuy, from Famous People Players, who spoke about fostering and developing

talents.

This was followed on April 2nd, with schools and offices raising a flag for Autism Awareness. At the

Catholic Education Centre, senior officials from the Board, along with members of the Special

Education Advisory Committee, and a student with Autism, raised the flag at 10 a.m.

Madonna Celebrates Autism Day Students from Dante, St. Basil's and St. Mary's visited

Madonna Catholic Secondary School to celebrate with

Madonna students. The day was filled with activities, lead by

the Madonna Student Leaders, Teachers and Educational

Assistants. There was also a special presentation from Reptilia,

with students delighted to handle the reptiles. Together all

celebrated not disabilities but all exceptionalities!

Proaction Cops & Kids

annual fundraiser On Friday, April 24th, the St. Cecilia

"Push Pawns not Each Other" Chess

Club, participated in the Proaction

Cops & Kids annual fundraiser

event. This organization pairs police

officers with students, to establish

positive relationships between cops

and kids at risk in order to

strengthen the community today and

for the future by creating an

environment of mutual respect and

understanding. At the event,

students discussed how this program

has helped them become better

citizens and truly embody Catholic

Graduate Expectations. They spoke with Police Chief Mark Saunders, Former Police Chief Bill Blair,

and former TFCs soccer player Dwayne De Rosario about the positive impact this program has had on

them and discussed how the program at their school has helped them develop leadership skills,

understanding, make responsible decisions, and much more. They played chess with various guests

including Dwayne De Rosario. A special thank you to Officer Eric Berridge for bringing this program to

the school.

Successful Fundraiser for Free The

Children Two years ago Kathy Banfield, Blessed

Sacrament's principal, went on her second trip to

the Masa Mari of Kenya to help build a school

and teach. When she came back, a school

presentation was facilitated for the students. In the

spirit of the school's mission (home of the

champions in all we say and do) the student

leadership team from Blessed Sacrament Catholic

School under the direction of Amy Cerre and

Anna Wantuch, teacher leads, took action! They

committed to raising awareness and dollars to

support the build of a classroom for girls to attend

school. They raised $10,000 in 15 months through

dance-a-thons, candy grams, selling paper bricks,

etc. On Friday, April 17th the entire student body

gathered for the announcement and when the words were spoken they erupted with joy as the Mascot,

Ryan Steven, and Alexandra Troiani, a representative from the student leadership team, stormed into the

gym with the cheque. The school was honored to have Greg Rogers present to receive the cheque and

speak to the importance their work in promoting Catholic Graduate Expectations.

Inside Ride at Brebeuf The Inside Ride event, coordinated by Nick Galatianos,

was a great success, with students and staff at Brebeuf

College raising over $20,000.

Recognition of Continuous Support and Dedication

towards the Teaching of the Italian Language On April 25th, Centro Scuola e Cultura Italiana presented Michael

Caccamo, principal of St. Fidelis Catholic School, with a recognition

award for his dedication to teaching of the Italian Language.

New Learning Commons Opens Bishop Marrocco/Thomas Merton Catholic Secondary

School celebrated the opening of the new Maria Pereira

Learning Commons. Named for a former principal at the

school, the Learning Commons will be a wonderful place

for students to gather, to learn, to research and to study.

Dante Representing Toronto in the

Sears Ontario Drama Festival Congratulations to Dante Alighieri Academy

who, for the third year in a row, will be one of

two schools representing the Toronto region at

the Provincial Showcase of the Sears Ontario

Drama Festival. Dante’s original 2014-15

production of Death of an Era will soon be

scheduled to perform during the Provincial

Festival Showcase, which runs

from Wednesday, May 6th -9th in Hamilton.

The Showcase is being held at Sir John A.

Macdonald Secondary School in Hamilton.

Interaction 2015 On April 22nd and 23rd the University of

Guelph hosted “Interaction 2015”, 2 days

geared towards providing students with the

opportunity to explore academic disciplines

and student services led by faculty, staff and

students. This proved to be an excellent reach

ahead opportunity for our Specialist High

Skills Major programs.

SHSM students from Archbishop Romero

Sports and Madonna’s Health & Wellness

sectors attended. Students were greeted and

began their day with “University 101”, an

intro session that was extremely valuable and

answered many of the participants’ questions about life after high school at a university.

The SHSM students selected from a variety of interactive sessions including: Careers with the Health &

Performance Centre, Psychology, Neuroscience and Drug Addiction, DNA Extraction Laboratory and

Exercise is Medicine.

SHSM Industry Design Workshop at GBC On Friday, April 24th, Arts & Culture SHSM students from Bishop

Marrocco/Thomas Merton, along with ICT SHSM students from

Marshall McLuhan, had the opportunity to participate in a special

Industry Sector Workshop day through the School of Design at George

Brown College. Morning workshops included: Interaction Design

Charrette, Develop Your First Video Game, Surrealist Design, and

Portfolio Design & Your Personal Brand.

Blessed Mother Teresa Students at the

Weber Grill Academy Forty Hospitality & Tourism Specialist High

Skills Major students from Blessed Mother

Teresa had the opportunity to take their grilling

skills to another level at the Weber Grill

Academy in Vaughan. Throughout this hands-

on training, students received specific

instruction from Grill Specialist and celebrity

chef. Michael P. Clive, and were able to enjoy

their delicious creations at the end of the session. After some instruction about the preparation of the

grills, students learned to truss a chicken to prepare it for rotisserie grilling. Students mixed up a rub for

pork shoulders and placed them in the smoker. Students then learned to “commit to the flip!” when

making their own personal grilled pizzas. The meal ended with mini pulled-pork sandwiches, prepared

in advance thanks to the Weber chefs, and hot-off-the-grill banana boats for dessert. This was truly a

one-of-a-kind culinary experience for the SHSM students – many thanks to the Weber Grill Academy

for their hospitality!

Hispanic Canadian Heritage Month Mass and Expose At St. Basil-the-Great College School, April 23rd

Designing our Virtues St. Robert Catholic School and Cardinal Carter Academy formed a partnership in designing and

painting all 10 Virtues in recognition of St. Robert's 50th Anniversary. St. Robert will proudly display

these virtues in their school.

Minister Visits St. Andrew’s Child

Care Centre St. Andrew’s Child Care Centre welcomed

Minister of Education Liz Sandals on April

29th for an announcement regarding

additional capital money for new childcare

spaces. Among those on hand for the

announcement were Superintendent of

Education Della Morra, Principal Debby

Culotta, Superintendent of Early Years

Cristina Fernandes and Marilyn

Rodrigues-Wright, Sr. Manager of

Childcare Services.

Invention Convention Canada's youngest inventors were featured in the 18th annual Invention

Convention hosted by the Learning Partnership. Investigate! Invent!

Innovate!™ program enables students in Grades 7 and 8 to learn

essential applied science, math and technology skills. Students invent

or innovate a product to solve an everyday issue or problem in their

lives. Their invention and invention process is showcased at school

and city-wide "Invention Conventions". Students from St. Jane

Frances, St. Leo, St. Maria Goretti, and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati

Catholic schools were among the participants.

Mary Ward TEJ Students Win Second Prize in

Mechatronic Car Contest On Saturday April 17th, Mary Ward Computer Engineering

Technology students Kevin Pirabaharan and Olivia Yeung took

part in the Mechatronics Car Contest organized by Professional

Engineers Ontario, Scarborough Chapter. They won the second

prize of the performance award in the senior category.

St. Kevin Teacher Wins Math Award Congratulations to Najwa Chalabi, a teacher from St. Kevin Catholic School,

recipient of the OAME Award for Exceptional and Creative Teaching in

Elementary Mathematics for 2015. This award recognizes an exceptional and

creative elementary teacher, who demonstrates excellence in mathematics

education and contributes to the overall development of students.

TCDSB teacher wins Harry Jerome On April 25th, Wendy Jones, CYW at St. Maria Goretti Catholic School, won a

Harry Jerome Award recognizing excellence within the African-Canadian

community.

Launch of New 3-Year Pastoral Plan

"Together With One Voice - Harmonizing Faith in our Families, Parishes and

Schools" Representatives from students, parents, staff, parishes from across the Board, as well as Catholic

partners were in attendance on April 22nd for the launch of the new 3-year TCDSB pastoral plan.

Cardinal Thomas Collins delivered the keynote address.

TCDSB Celebrates Excellence in Education The Toronto Catholic District School Board hosted the annual Innovative Exemplary Practice Awards,

on April 22nd, to celebrate best practices and excellence in Catholic Education. The event focused on the

recognition of new projects and initiatives that support the diverse learning of TCDSB students.

Congratulations to this year’s winners:

St. Andrew Catholic School

Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School

Archbishop Romero Catholic Secondary School

St. Francis de Sales Catholic School

James Cardinal McGuigan Catholic Secondary School

St. Wilfrid Catholic School

Loretto Abbey

St. Raymond Catholic School

Senator O’Connor College School

St. Joseph’s College School

Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School

Francis Libermann CSS

Holy Spirit Catholic School

St. John Paul II Catholic Secondary School

Blessed Cardinal Newman Catholic Secondary School

St. Rose of Lima Catholic School

Click here for project details.

Father Henry Carr Students Wins Future Aces Citizenship Award and Scholarship Congratulations to Damilola Ola-Adigun from Father Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School, one of the

winners of the Future Aces Citizenship Award and Scholarship.

Sixty outstanding students from across the country were honoured this year for exhibiting citizenship

qualities in their communities through extensive community service, volunteerism and humanitarian

causes at a special celebration on April 24th.

Anniversary Celebrations

St. Mary of the Angels 100th Anniversary Dante Alighieri Celebrates 40th Anniversary

St. Timothy's 50th Anniversary

Students Author Book for Pan Am

Athletes Students at St. Michael Catholic School have been

involved in a very exciting project this school year

with Jamii Esplanade and the Pan Am/ParaPan

Am games. The students in grade 7 and 8 are

“authors” of a book. Each student wrote a short

portrait of one person currently living in one of

the 41 countries participating in the Games. The

book is entitled FORTY ONE. Copies of the

book will be given to all of the athletes and

coaches from the 49 different countries that will

be here for the games.

The book launch took place April 14th at the St. Lawrence Hall.

St. Brendan Celebrates

Fundraising Success St. Brendan Catholic School celebrated its

successful fundraising efforts for Free the

Children at a special assembly on April

10th. The students, staff and parent

community surpassed their goal of $4,000.

The assembly introduced students to the

final activity--the Water Walk, giving a

voice to those marginalized and are unable

to speak for themselves, and in particular

African girls who are unable to attend

school because they must walk 20 km a

day to fetch water for their family. After a

brief presentation and preamble the students and staff embarked on their own water walk through the

community to symbolize their understanding and to raise awareness.

Later that morning, they assembled in the gymnasium for a brief presentation highlighting the success

of their fundraising efforts. The administrative team were duct taped to the wall by students – a

commitment that was made by the team if the fundraising goal was met.

City Raises Flag for Pope John Paul II

Day The choir from St. John Paul II Catholic

Secondary School was invited to participate in the

first ever flag raising ceremony at Toronto City

Hall to celebrate Pope John Paul II Day on April

2nd. The day was proclaimed by the City after both

the Canadian and Provincial Governments moved

to recognize the day annually.

Students and Teachers Work Together The Catholic Education Centre welcomed grade

5 students and teachers for a collaborative

session hosted by the board’s 21C department on

making simple circuits. The session was held in

partnership with Maker Kids.

History Meets Humanity Student

Conference TCDSB Secondary students attended the conference

“History Meets Humanity” on March 31st at Marshall

McLuhan C.S.S.

The conference emphasized the importance of

developing global consciousness and intercultural

competencies in our youth. Critically understanding

history, specifically WWII in Asia history, plays a part

in expanding their horizons in understanding

humanity, war, and social justice. Beyond learning

more about the atrocities and human rights violations

from WWII in Asia so that they have a more global perspective on the significance and causes and

effects from WWII, it is hoped that students will be inspired to engage in any issue that speaks to them.

The conference is a joint venture with ALPHA (Association for Learning and Preserving the History of

WWII in Asia) whose mission is to promote the learning and critical understanding of the history of

WWII in Asia and the atrocities of war, to affirm the values of justice, peace and reconciliation from a

humanity perspective.

CHAIR-ity Project The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need. Charity is giving oneself to

help others in many ways. Providing a safe place where one is cared for and, most importantly, accepted

is a very significant act of charity.

The Arts Department, Leda Miles and the Safe Schools Department, Monica Zimmerman collaborated

on presenting this project. All schools were asked to create a chair that ties in with the year of charity

and represented that we are safe, caring and accepting schools. There were about 100 chairs on display

at the Catholic Education Centre, demonstrating a sense of community from all TCDSB schools.

Top Fundraisers Noted The Terry Fox Foundation released its annual list of schools who participate in the annual fundraising

run this year. Congratulations to all our schools for opening up their hearts and helping out with a

worthwhile effort. Click to see the list of our top fundraising schools.

Girls Invitational Hockey Tournament Approximately 140 young women from

elementary schools in the Toronto Catholic

District School Board participated in this year’s

girls’ invitational hockey tournament on April

28th.

The puck dropped at 9:00 a.m., with Wendy

Baker, a bronze medalist at the 1987 PanAm

Games, and a torch bearer for the upcoming

PanAm Para PanAm Games this summer (Wendy

currently teaches at St. Gabriel Catholic School).

Students in grades 5 to 8 competed throughout

the day at Don Montgomery Arena, 2467

Eglinton Ave E. Toronto.

Congratulations to Our Lady of Sorrows (Marie Philip Poulin Team) who won the final game 2 to

1. Finishing second was a blended team (Hayley Wickenheiser Team) made up of players from Fr Serra,

St John XllI, All Saints, St Benedict, St Elizabeth and Our Lady of Victory.

Elementary Hockey Finals Results:

Game 1) Our Lady of Fatima 3 vs St. Conrad 2

Game 2) Canadian Martyrs 5 vs St. Jude 2

Game 3) St. Agatha 6 vs St. Norbert 1

Game 4) St. Robert 3* vs St. Denis 2 (*In Shoot-out)

Game 5) St. Gregory 2* vs Our Lady of Sorrows 1 (*In Shoot-out)

Game 6) Our Lady of Peace 3 vs St. John 0

Goretti Teacher Receives Spirit of

Cricket Award from Mayor John

Tory Mayor John Tory presented St. Maria Goretti

Teacher Dr. Rawle Biran with the Spirit of

Cricket Award. Pictured in photo is Mr.

Biran with the Mayor and TCDSB

Coordinator of Health and Physical

Education Nick Biagini.

Dr. Biran teaches grade 7, and he has

been coaching cricket since 2003. He has

played for most of his life, including during

his Master and Doctorate programs at

Loughborough University in England.

Our Lady of Lourdes at CP24 showcasing the BOKS

program On April 22nd students from Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School

visited the CP24 Breakfast studio to demonstrate the BOKS physical

activity program. Students had a lot of fun meeting the hosts of the

Breakfast show, as well as CFL star Jon Cornish

BOKS Rocks at St. Wilfrid Catholic School Football players from the CFL visited St. Wilfrid Catholic School today to celebrate the BOKS (Build

Our Kids’ Success) program with the students. BOKS is a physical activity program, administered twice

daily, aimed at enhancing academic performance and the overall health of kids through physical

activity. Students were delighted to meet the CFL stars, have their questions answered, and join in some

physical exercise together.

St. Michael Celebrates with the Jays Students and staff at St. Michael Catholic School

were pleased to welcome Ace the Blue Jay, and a

number of members of the Jays organization on April

21st, for a special rally to prepare for the ball game

the next night. With the support of TCDSB's

Partnership Development Department, St. Michael's

won the Ultimate Field Trip Contest sponsored by

the Blue Jays organization. The school received 150

free tickets, bus transportation and dinner on game

night, as well as shirts, hats and other prizes.

Students were taught the official song and dance for

the 7th inning stretch so they would be ready for the big game.

Cheerleading Grand Champions The Blessed Cardinal Newman cheerleading

team participated in the Ontario Cheerleading

Federation National Championships on April

18th -19th at the Powerade Centre in Brampton.

The team exceeded all expectations and won

Grand Champions of the High School

Division. The girls are certainly to be

commended for a job well done.

Father John Redmond's National

Cheer Champions The 2014-2015 Redmond cheer team is made

up of 26 dedicated student athletes from

grades 9-12. This team is highly committed

and practices early mornings twice a week.

Their first competition of the season was the

Ontario Cheerleading Provincial

Championships in February where they were

awarded with a Provincial Championship

Title in the High School Novice division!

This team continued practicing hard in

preparation for the National Championships

this past weekend where the team performed

two solid, crowd pleasing runs of their

routine and ultimately were named as the

2015 OCF National Champions (High School Novice division). This is the first National Title for the

cheer team in the history of the program so we are extremely proud of this accomplishment. GO

REDHAWKS GO!

St. Thomas More students go to basketball

camp with Steve Nash On April 15th, 2015, students from St. Thomas More

Catholic School participated in a basketball skills

camp with NBA superstar Steve Nash. The camp was

hosted by Tangerine Bank and Canada Basketball as

an initiative of the #BrightWayForward program,

offering students the opportunity to engage in hands-

on basketball skills while building confidence and

life skills.

Students were thrilled to meet the Canadian

basketball star and receive pointers on improving

their game and scoring success, both on and off the court.

NBA player Sim Bhullar pays tribute to

Father Henry Carr CSS On April 23rd, newly-signed NBA player Sim

Bhullar returned to his former high school, Father

Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School, to present

them with his autographed NBA jersey.

Toronto-born Bhullar joined the Sacramento Kings,

making him the first player of Indian descent to

play basketball in the NBA. He is grateful for the

coaching and support he received while at Father

Henry Carr CSS and says the lessons learned during

his time there have played a big part in his current

success.

“I know Father Henry Carr is a part of this jersey

and me," Bhullar said. "Hopefully you guys will

hang this up and look at it as a symbol of anything

is really possible. As long as you put your heart and mind to it, you can pretty much conquer anything,"

he said as he presented his autographed jersey to his high school coach Paul Melnik.

Students and staff were excited to welcome Bhullar, along with Raptors superfan Nav Bhatia, who

brought with them 12 autographed basketballs for the school. Both spoke about using persistence and

discipline to achieve their goals. Bhullar answered questions and signed autographs to the delight of the

students.

Table Tennis ... A Golden Season for Blessed Cardinal Newman The 2015 season was yet another successful one for the Newman table tennis team. The juniors fought

hard to retain the Overall TDCAA Junior Table tennis Championship. Our Mixed Doubles team of

Isaac Townsend and Annabelle Rodriguez dominated their draw to win the Gold medal. Justin Moleta

and Vanessa Dickson came fourth. Our Girls Singles player, Olivia Kavanaugh, smashed her way to

win the Silver medal. Finally, Our Boys Doubles team of Josh Piansay and Brian Paul won the Bronze

medal, and Adam Muldoon and Adam Vandanbroek came fourth. Their performances together brought

home Newman’s second consecutive TDCAA Junior Table Tennis Championship.

The senior team also performed well with

our Mixed Doubles teams of Diego Voliere

and Cassie Shi placing 4th and Kaelan

Estabrooks and Louise Roxas claiming the

Bronze medal. Our boys singles players

were stellar as they consistently played at a

high level, with Ivan Seva placing 4th and

Boris Gao overshadowing everyone to

claim his second TDCAA Gold medal. Our

Girls Doubles team of Kat McNeilly and

Daria Mancino made it to the semi-finals

of their draw. The whole team played

extremely well and their performances,

combined with the junior team, help launch

Newman to its 4th Overall Table Tennis

Championship. Congratulations on a great

season!

Vanier Drum Line wins

Prestigious US Bands

Competition On the Weekend of April 11th, 2015, a

convey of trucks, busses and cars made

their way to Lehigh University near

Philadelphia to compete in the prestigious

US Bands Competition. The Jean Vanier

team competed in the

1A Marching (Scholastic) category

and bested five American high schools,

winning the gold by a fraction of a

point. The students presented a tribute to

the beauty of mathematics, manifested in

both dance and sound, and performed their piece against an elaborate tarp displaying

a Fibonacci sequence. Click here to view the video of their award-winning performance.

Bring Your Own Beat On Saturday April 18th, 2015, Francis

Libermann's dance crew, VZA, competed

in "Bring Your Own Beat", the GTA's

largest dance competition for secondary

school students. Ms. Elizabeth Llanera

(teacher at Libermann and VZA's director)

always wanted a crew to do a Missy Elliot

tribute; they made her wish come true and

rose to 1st place out of 16 teams. They

were also awarded Best Mix, Crowd

Favourite and Best Male Performer (Isaac

Asare). The road to victory was an uphill

climb; they created their own

choreography, had morning and afternoon

practices, and participated in two other

competitions (one of which was TCDSB's

Notre Dame Dance Off). Their

achievements are a prime example that

dedication, perseverance and putting your

heart and soul into something you're

passionate about will bring success! VZA stands at 17 members strong: Isaac Asare (crew captain and

choreographer; he is also the recipient of TCDSB's Dance Off Graduate Scholarship), Raphael Ajon,

Sheena Atendido (choreographer), Kimberly Bacnis, Alexa Buenbrazo, Kristen Canizares

(choreographer), Chloe Goy, Syntheya Leslie, Danielle Meuret, Jazmine Natividad, Ferdinand Orlain,

Justine Rosario, Julia Sulit (choreographer), Zandy Sunga, Clarisse Mae Tiu (choreographer), Neil

Quigaman, and Arianne Villamor.

View the championship performance with the following link: http://youtu.be/djJGJBrlLMo

TEAMS Math Olympics Congratulations to all the grade 7 and

grade 8 students who participated in

the TEAMS Math Olympics held on

Saturday, March 28th, 2015 at

Madonna Catholic Secondary

School. Over 120 mathletes from the

TCDSB and the TDSB took part in

the event and they enjoyed the day

immensely! It was exciting to see

students engage in individual and

collaborative mathematics problem

solving activities. Six students from

the TCDSB placed Gold, Silver, and

Bronze at the TEAMS Math Olympics. In addition, three students placed in the runner up

category. Twelve grade 7 and grade 8 students from Toronto schools (TCDSB and TDSB) will advance

to the Ontario Mathematics Olympics – OMO 2015 - which will be held at Carleton University, in

Ottawa, Ontario from Friday, June 5th to Saturday, June 6th.

Annual French Public Speaking Contest Concours d’art oratoire 2015 TCDSB students participated in Le Concours et Festival d’art oratoire, the annual French public

speaking competition in the beginning of March 31, 2015. The contest was held in the Catholic

Teachers Centre at 80 Sheppard Avenue East and featured students in Core French, French Immersion,

Extended French and Francophone categories.

Click here for results.

TCDSB Chess Tournaments 2015 The Girls Chess City Finals were held at St. Timothy Catholic Elementary School on April 9th, 2015.

Congratulations to St. Raphael placing first followed by Holy Spirit, St. Demetrius, St. Roberts and St.

Cyril ranking among the top in the city this year. For a complete list of rankings click here.

Over 30 schools competed in the Open Chess City Finals at St. Timothy Catholic Elementary School

on April 10th, 2015. Congratulations to Our Lady of Guadalupe placing first followed by St. Raphael,

St. Roberts and Josyf Cardinal Slipyj ranking among the top in the city this year. For a complete list of

rankings click here.

The 2015 TCDSB Team Chess City Final is scheduled for May 6th, 2015 in the Atrium at the Catholic

Education Centre, 80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto.

Elementary Vocal/Instrumental Music Festival at the CEC

Spreading the Words Across Canada, 40% of high-school aged youth

have low literacy levels (Statistics Canada). On

March 23rd, 2015, it was this startling statistic that

caused the grade-nine 'Take Action Team' at Father

John Redmond C.S.S. to make a change. The group

decided to launch a book drive which they called

“Spread the Words.” Running for two weeks, the

initiative raised awareness about illiteracy and

collected an incredible total of 2053 books to be

donated globally.

Experimental Learning... Lifelong Learning Co-op teachers had the opportunity to attend the annual

Ontario Cooperative Education Association (OCEA)

Spring Conference, “Experiential Learning …Lifelong

Learning”.

Experiential Learning begins as early as in kindergarten

and extends right through secondary school and into the

rest of our lives.

Some of our TCDSB teachers demonstrated their

leadership skills and expertise by delivering some of the

conference workshops. Others were able to interact with

teachers from across the province to share and learn from

each other.

SWAC Alumni Mixer On Wednesday April 1st, the School Within A

College (SWAC) program at George Brown

College hosted the first ever SWAC Alumni

Mixer. The morning was organized in

partnership with George Brown’s Community

Partnership Office and Santina Bruno-Damiani,

SWAC teacher from Msgr. Fraser Isabella. The

mixer provided a rare opportunity for current and

past SWAC students to come and reconnect. A

student panel of past graduates shared their

experiences in SWAC and how the program had

profound impact on their lives. Over and over the

audience continued to hear how thankful the

students were for the opportunity. Those in attendance were incredibly moved by the students’ words.

Many of the SWAC graduates have gone on to pursue educational opportunities at College as well as

University. The relationships and friendships developed will be long lasting and held close to each

person.

Congratulations to all the past and present SWAC students who were there to celebrate and thank you

for bringing new ideas and excitement to planning for future SWAC opportunities. With each year the

program continues to grow and more students are earning a diploma as a result.

St. Fidelis Grade 3 Dance Workshop To enhance the dance curriculum, the grade 3

students of St. Fidelis Catholic School participated in

a Dance Workshop on Tuesday March 31st. During

the workshop, students explored easy hip hop styling

and choreography. Students created dance pieces

using a variety of forms and elements.

FIRST Robotics Founder Woodie Flowers Commends St. John Paul II’s

Robopanthers at UOIT St. John Paul II’s Robopanthers could barely contain their excitement this past March, when FIRST

Robotics co-founder Woodie Flowers paid a visit to the team at their regional competition at the

University of Ontario - Institute of Technology. Flowers, walking around the pit area of the competition,

stopped abruptly when he saw the team working so intently and effectively. He then ventured into the

pit to get a better look at the robot, and congratulated the team on their level of expertise and their hard

work. For the team members, it was an inspiring moment; it’s not every day you get to rub elbows with

the founder of a program that has expanded to 19 countries and nearly 3000 teams.

This year’s challenge, known as Recycle Rush, required robots to pick up and stack towers of tote boxes

and plastic bins. SJPII students began prototyping different designs in January, eventually settling on a

powerful chain-driven elevator lift shortly before the exam break. This year brought a heightened level

of challenge when a set of grease-less track sliders was found to cause severe jamming problems. The

Robopanthers were forced to address the limitations in their design and make a last minute materials

change.

At the competition, the strong team spirit, years of expertise, and creative problem solving skills

prevailed. The Robopanthers managed to solve their design issues and get their robot cleared by

inspection. Captain Macmar David Marcelino stayed calm on the field during qualification matches,

driving the team to a strong 27th place showing. Team photographers captured all the drama at the event,

from the rapid repairs of the pit crew in between matches to the lively group of SJPII students cheering

from the stands.

21C Innovators: iLEAP Initiative This year in Area 1 and as part of the 21C Innovators work, Superintendent Adrian Della Mora

introduced the iLEAP initiative. Ileap stands for: Innovative Local Exemplary Academic Practices.

14 proposals were received of which four successful proposals were selected and did receive a $500

award to support their work. Through community partner, Ward Funeral Home, TCDSB generously

received the financial support for this initiative.

The recipients are:

Cosimo Di Iorio, - St. Basil the Great Catholic School - Baren’s Den

Loriana Romano - St Roch Catholic School - Genius Hour, Student Led Classroom Inquiry

Process

Diana Bruni – Transfiguration of our Lord Catholic School - Kindergarten Reading

Smileboxes/Ipad use

Jeffrey Gerardi - St. Stephen Catholic School- Junior Division Book Club

Click here to read details for each proposal.

““IT STARTS IN THE SCHOOLS” is published monthly throughout the school year. Events, locations and times are

subject to change. For more information, call 416-222-8282 Ext. 5314. This publication can be found on the Internet at

www.tcdsb.org, see “news”.

The Toronto Catholic District School Board educates more than 92,000 students from diverse

cultures and language backgrounds in 201 Catholic elementary and secondary schools,

serving close to half-a-million Catholic school supporters across the City of Toronto. As the

world’s largest publicly funded Catholic school system, we educate students in an inclusive

learning community rooted in the love of Christ, where they are challenged to grow in grace

and knowledge and to lead lives of faith, hope and charity.

At Toronto Catholic we transform the world through witness, faith, innovation and action.

Toronto Catholic Schools

May 2015

Toronto Catholic District School Board, 80 Sheppard Ave. E., North York, ON M2N 6E8

phone: 416-222-8282 website: www.tcdsb.org email: webmaster@tcdsb.org