Even though the second term has just started, we are al-ready well on the way in planning the next academic year.

It will soon be time to let us know whether or not your son(s) will be joining us in 2012 – 2013 our 100th school year. It is time for re-registration.

You may remember from last year that the process is now completely electronic. On Wednesday, Feb. 1 you will receive an e-mail with a link to the online forms which you must complete, and then arrange payment options in order for us to ensure that there will be a space for your son at Crescent in September. There will be one small but very significant change to the pro-cess this year: you will only have a two- week window in which to complete your forms and for-ward payment to the School.

Crescent has been extremely fortu-nate in that we have weathered the recent economic fluctuations with a very healthy admis-sions outlook. More and more families are looking to Cres-cent as the school of choice for their sons. We are also blessed with an extremely low attrition rate. We thank you, our current families, for this success. Your refer-rals and great testimonials are spreading and our admission numbers are very strong—more boys of promise than ever are knocking at our door.

For our Admissions Office, however, this is a mixed bless-ing. We strive to offer an appropriate number of students admission for the 2012 school year. In order to do this (on the independent school’s common admission offer date of Friday, Feb. 24), we need to know exactly how many spots we will have available at each grade level. This is where re-

registration comes in. We currently know how many new spots there are at each grade level. The great unknown is the few spots which become available

when families must relocate, or for other reasons move their sons out of Crescent. We would like to have ac-curate numbers so that we can make offers to all of

our top candidates in the first round. The indepen-dent school admissions arena is so competitive that we may not get a

chance in round two.

We will be asking that the re-registration forms and initial payments be completed by Wednes-day, Feb. 15 so that we are able to optimize the offer process the

following week. We will send you e-mail

reminders through-out the two-week

window, and encour-age you to set aside a half hour to complete the process soon-er rather than later. There will be contacts listed in the e-mail to assist you should you have any questions or concerns.

Please mark Wednesday, Feb. 1 in your calendars!

—Chris White, Director of Admissions

keeping parents informedVolume 15 Issue 8 January 20, 2012

CrESCEnT SChOOl | 2365 Bayview Ave. Toronto, On M2l 1A2 | 416.449.2556 | www.crescentschool.org

Re-RegistRAtion: FebRuARy 1 – 15, 2012

2 Men of Character from Boys of Promise

CPA neWs

CPA Fundraising Programmes

ReAD ALL About it! birthday book and Library Programme

As the Birthday Book Pro-gramme Convenor and

library Volunteer Coordina-tor, I am very happy to report that the Birthday Book Pro-gramme at Crescent is in its 27th year and over this period tens of thousands of books have been donated by the Crescent parent community.

In these days of organized sports and technology, read-ing books—be they printed, electronic or audio—still re-mains more than ever, a high priority at Crescent School. The CPA supports Crescent by coordinating parent volun-teers to assist with the Birth-day Book Programme and in the library.

new this year, Crescent boys will be receiving an annual Birthday Card from head-master, Geoff roberts along with a note from the CPA inviting parents to make a do-nation to the Birthday Book Programme. Making a chari-table gift in honour of your son’s birthday will ensure that both Crescent’s Middle School/Upper School li-brary, as well as the new low-er School resource Centre book collections, will thrive.

From the beginning of this school year to early January 2012, a total of $5,100 was graciously donated which en-abled the library to purchase 244 books.

last school year 2010-2011 alone, 210 donors partici-pated and a total of $10,960 was collected. That bought a lot of books! Birthday Book Bonanza Days are scheduled about every two months and this is when boys get to sign the nameplate(s) of the book(s) purchased on their behalf. They also get a treat and are the first to sign out their book(s).

This whole process not only encourages our boys to read, but it also enables them to see directly how their fam-ily’s personal contribution benefits the School.

This year, lower School also obtained a new, bright and airy space, the lower School resource Centre. This com-bined resource centre/library is found at the end of the lower School hallway and is specifically geared to the lower School boys.

In order to help with the demands of this dynamic place, the CPA has provided our lower School Teacher/librarian, Elizabeth Ford, with parent volunteers. Dur-ing two hour shifts, morning and afternoon, parents help to check books in and out, shelve books and prepare

displays. If you are lucky, your son’s class may even be scheduled at the same time you are volunteering.

There are more volunteer shifts available (open to all parents, not just the lower School family). If you are in-terested, please sign up in the Green Room or contact me at domenicaganguli@gmail.com.

Thank you for all your sup-port.

—Domenica ganguli, CPA birthday book Programme Convenor and Library Volunteer Coordinator

PARent LunCheon• Tuesday, Feb. 7 at noon at the

Granite Club• An excellent opportunity to con-

nect with old friends or to reach out to new ones.

• Parents will be seated with their grade.

• Speaker norm howe, President Butterfield and robinson, will be discussing the top 10 places to travel with kids.

• Purchase your tickets through the Green Room.

We look forward to seeing you

3Men of Character from Boys of Promise

The names below speak volumes about the amazing commitment and generosity of the Crescent Family. The names num-ber in the hundreds, and this is just the parents and past parents who volunteered. There were also friends, neighbours,

siblings, alumni, grandparents, staff and students who enthusiastically assisted in the events which took place during first term. But what is absolutely incredible is the number of volunteer hours represented by the people on this list; it is well into the thousands! That is time taken from work, family life, hobbies and relaxation to help out at your son's school. Think of the man-hour money this represents at even minimum wage!

As an organization, Crescent is blessed with an unparalleled generosity of time and talent by its constituents. We are extremely grateful for everything our volunteers do to help us provide the best possible educational environment for our young men. thank you!

Thanking Crescent's Parent Volunteers

Board of GovernorsBill Fielding—Chairron lloyd—Past ChairPaviter BinningGeorge BucklesMichael DonnellySamuel DubocAndrew FlynnJane FreundBryan KerdmanMay leeAnne Marie MayneDavid SculthorpeGord SteinJoyce SyPaul TompkinsMartha ToryAmanda WaltonAndrew WilliamsWilliam YoungCEnTEnnIAl PlAnnInG COMMITTEEJane FreundAlison MetrickDEVElOPMEnT COMMITTEEPaul Tompkins—ChairBarbara BlackMichael DonnellyAndrew FlynnGavin higgsMay lee

Stuart raftusGregory rudkaJoyce SyAndrew WilliamsWilliam Young

FACIlITIES COMMITTEEGeorge Buckles

FInAnCE COMMITTEEBryan Kerdman—ChairSamuel DubocBill FieldingJanet GriffinChris SextonGord SteinMartha ToryTEChnOlOGY COMMITTEEGord Stein—ChairMArKETInG & COMMUnICATIOnS COMMITTEEAmanda Walton—ChairKatherine lisusMartin McConnellDavid SculthorpeAmanda Walton

FoundationDIrECTOrSMichael Donnelly—ChairBob livingstonnancy MacKellarJason MelbourneW. Ian Palm

Jonathan PollackTim Wiggan

Coyote Kickoff

Susan Toyne—ConvenorFrancoise Brownrita CaporiccioIvy ChanDebora CrullSally DoergeDetlef DoergeStephen hoSusan hogarthKaren hollandEva huirachel JamesElizabeth KennedyIrene KouJohn lynchAnne Marie Maynerita MokDamien Mokrebecca Pardylori robertsValerie SalvatiJoanne SweeneyJulia Thomson

Martha ToryMary WellnerJohn Zechner

CPACOMMITTEEAnn Marie Mayne—President Mary Wellner—Vice President Julia Thomson—Past Presidentnancy BakerSylvia BaumannDeborah BellTara BorgTheresa BurkeSheila CentnerIvy ChanFlorence ChapmanAlexandra ChesneyCarolyn ChristodoulouAnne Conlinhillary CummingMaria DavidsonSharon FieldingDomenica GanguliCindy halperinMichelle haywardMegan hillElizabeth KennedyIrene KouWartha KwongMay Wah lauSally-Ann Mainnita MajorCarolina MelisMary-Martin Morris

4 Men of Character from Boys of Promise

Kelly OslerMeme SetoAnne-Marie TompkinsBarbara Warren

COFFEE In ThE COUrTYArDIrene Kou—Convenor

COAT & BOOT DrIVEElizabeth Kennedy—Convenor Barb Warren—ConvenorChristine CookKelly haskinsrachel Jameshelen KlassenAnne Marie MayneK. Ann Pearcelinda Tinmocith

COYOTE'S DEnAnne-Marie Tompkins—ConvenorDiana AllionCaroline AmsenDeborah BellPam BinnsFrancoise BrownTheresa BurkeDeirdre CardyAlexandra ChesneyJeong Sook (Grace) ChoiAnne ConlinChristine Corolishillary CummingCatherine DemeroutisDaryl ErdmanStephanie EytonIngrid Faber-SteinJennifer FergusonSharon FieldingDomenica GanguliMaryann GaskinMichelle Gillrebecca GoodwinWendy Gordon

Tracie GraffVivian GreenbergMichelle halbertElizabeth-Anne hersenSandra higginsMegan hillKaren hollandSharon hudsonKendall KilburnAllyson landyhelén lerbergCarol lloyd-PinningtonCarolina Melishedieh MousapoorCaroline MurphyAmrita PandeyCarol PortSusan Pratt FrostadTina rileyAlexandra risennatasha rockandelGina roseDonna SauntrySilvia ShibuyaCarrie StinsonSujatha (Sue) SundaramMarci Trachter-ShaneAyca UzumeriAmanda WaltonBarbara WarrenCatherine WhiteTina Wiebe-CarlShannon WigganAndrea WolffJessica Zufferli

GrADE PArEnTSCindy halperin—ConvenorDiana AllionDeborah Bell (Liaison)Sherrie BerduscoKathy BesseSheila Centner (Liaison)Anne ConlinDaryl Erdmannadine GilchristWendy Gordon

Tracie GraffVivian GreenbergDanna heitnerMegan hill (Liaison)Tatyana JivovKendall KilburnKarin KolbSally-Ann Main (Liaison)Kelley McKinnonJoan MurphyCaroline MurphyAudrey newmannatasha rockandelDonna SauntryMatilda Sos-MavroudisKara SpenceAndrea Stephennicole SwalesJoanne SweeneyAnn WilliamsMary Jane Yule

hAllOWEEn PArTYTara Borg—ConvenorJoelle Corona—ConvenorJeff BorgFrancoise BrownAlison ChristodoulisAnne ConlinDaryl ErdmanJulie ForkanMichelle GillVivian GreenbergKelly haskinsDanna heitnerKaren hollandKatherine lampardJulie law

John lynchnita MajorWendy MandelbaumStephanie PaikinBarbara PressacoKimbrough reucasselCee Cee robertsonShannon SchneiderJody ScotchmerMeme Setohollie ShapiroSusan SilmaMatilda Sos-MavroudisSujatha (Sue) Sundaramhelen-Claire TinglingAyca UzumeriDaphne WebsterSharon Westmanlindsay WhyteTina Wiebe-CarlShannon Wigganlouise WoollcombeJing Zhu

MAGAZInE, GIFT WrAP & PlAnT SAlEhilary Cumming—Convenor

hOlIDAY SAlETheresa Burke—Convenor Kelly Osler—ConvenorDiana Allionnancy BakerSylvia BaumannKatya BelilovskyDawne Bensonlisa Boydrita CaporiccioDeirdre CardySheila Centner Bordeaux ChanFlorence ChapmanDiana CliffordGlenmorris CohenDavid CookJoelle Coronahillary Cumming

5Men of Character from Boys of Promise

Clare DavenportMaria Davidson Marianne Eaveslori FisherKevin Foleylaurie FooteDomenica GanguliMaryann GaskinFiona GeorgeTracey Goldfinch-BrownVivian GreenbergToba hamersfeldKaren hannafordKelly haskinsMichelle haywardSusan hogarthlynne hudsonEva huiKaren hunterEvan KellyElizabeth Kennedyhelen KlassenCarmen KondratKar hing Kunglori lalondeAmanda lampardMay leeCherry leeJill MacCurdySheila MacnicolAnita MasonAnne Marie MayneClaire McConnellJeff McKayMary MehtaCathy MeyerDiana MoffatChristine MontgomeryMary-Martin Morrislaura nadalini BayerAudrey newmanTracey raftusCee Cee robertsonlaurie robinsonDonna SauntryMeme Setohollie Shapiro

linda Shier Alison SmithMatilda Sos-MavroudisWendy SouthallAnn SpevackWinnie TamJulia ThomsonGrace Tsanglinda TseAmanda WaltonBarbara WarrenMary WellnerTina Wiebe-CarlShannon WigganAnn Williamsnatalie WilliamsAndrea Wolffnancy WrightMary Jane Yule Jing ZhuAnn SpevackKaren Tangnancy WrightCoCktails

Theresa Burke—Convenor Kelly Osler—ConvenorDiana AllionKatya BelilovskyFrancoise BrownGlenmorris CohenShaenie ColterjohnDavid CookKevin Foleynancy FullertonWilla Gerlingsritu GuptaToba hamersfeldSusan hogarthMargaret Isberg nina KachuraElizabeth KennedyIrene KouMay leeCarole leungSharon MillerMatilda Sos-MavroudisAnn Spevack

Karen Tangnancy Wright

Den table

Diana AllionDebbie Bell Pam BinnsDede CardyTina Carl Christine CorolisJennifer FergusonSharon Fielding Domenica GanguliMichelle Gillrebecca GoodwinVivian Greenberg Sandra higginsMegan hillCarolina MelisCaroline MurphyCarol lloyd Pinnington Stephanie PaikinSusan Pratt Frostad Donna Sauntry Carrie Stinson Anne-Marie Tompkins Ayca Uzumeri Amanda WaltonCathy White Andrea WolffJessica Zufferli

EDIBlES:Wrapping/baking

Diana AllionMarianne EavesSherry EvershedKaren FancySharon Fielding

nancy FullertonVivian Greenberglynne hudsonTom KasperaviciusElizabeth KennedyKaty livingstoneJocelyn Macdonaldheather MargachSharon Millerlaura nadalini BayerShannon rancourtSusan riedlingerValerie SalvatiMeme SetoMarilyn ShortJulia ThomsonJuanita Tsonancy WrightAnd anyone else who donated baked goods!

CanDy Cane bark Workshop

Sharon Fieldingnancy Fullerton Jocelyn MacdonaldSharon MillerShannon rancourtSue riedlingernancy Wright

hOUSE DAY Elizabeth Kennedy —ConvenorBarb Warren—ConvenorDiana AllionFrancoise BrownJoelle Coronaritu Guptahelen KlassenJo-Ann lefko-Johnston

6 Men of Character from Boys of Promise

From the upper school sChooL MessAges

Carole leungSue PitfieldCee Cee robertsonValerie SalvatiAmanda WaltonAndrea Wolff

PArEnT AMBASSADOr PrOGrAMMEFlorence Chapman—Convenor nancy BakerAnne ConlinMichelle hayward

Wartha KwongMay Wah lauMary-Martin MorrisMeme Seto

PAST PArEnT PrOGrAMMESharon Fielding—Convenor

Lower SchoolChoirIvy ChanAnne Conlin

Fred ConlinElizabeth-Anne hersenGregory hersenKaren hollandAndrea Wolff

Lower SchoolLibraryDomenica Ganguli—ConvenorBordeaux Chanrebecca GoodwinVivian GreenbergValerie Kirkconnell

Belinda leeWendy MandelbaumMary MehtaMeme SetoTania Tan

Athleticslori FisherKaren hollandMaggie houston-WhiteKarin Kolbhelén lerbergSusan SilmaMatilda Sos-MavroudisSujatha (Sue) Sundaram

One of the things that I’m most proud of at Crescent is the student culture. Most of our students are positively con-

nected with their fellow students and with teachers, and seem happy to come to school every day. This shouldn’t surprise us—there’s lots to enjoy. At lunch today I ran a very energeti-cally contested play-off round between Cartier and hudson for Brains of Crescent (ask your son). At the same time, in the Field house, other teachers were supervising play-offs for house Dodgeball. last Friday afternoon we took the whole Upper School to leaside arena to cheer on the varsity hockey team, which is currently in first place. A couple of days ago, one of our robotics guys gave me a demonstration of an early prototype of the ball thrower for this year’s FIrST robotics competition. he was clearly into it. This kind of positive en-ergy suffuses the School daily, and it’s what makes my job a joy most of the time.

Students at Crescent take responsibility for the culture to an unusual degree when I compare us to other schools. Students run our assemblies; they are in charge of house meetings and activities; and they are starting to take greater responsibility for Mentor groups. It’s important for students to understand that they have direct control over the quality of their day-to-day lives at the School. What you own, you value, you take pride in, you want to preserve and ultimately pass on, better than you found it.

having said all this, I’m not naïve. I know that there are days occasionally when every student must wake up, feel over-whelmed, and wish he could just go back to sleep. And I know that there are a few boys who may feel unconnected and who

don’t share the pride and joy experienced by the rest of us. We need to be alert and attuned to these boys. We need to make sure that they are recognized and genuinely heard.

We’ve all read the news reports through this fall of students who have suffered at their schools because they have been per-ceived to be different. They may have been made fun of, tar-geted for insults, persecuted and bullied, or just ignored. We all understand the pain inflicted. These reminders are particularly powerful for educators. They cause us to examine our daily work and the environment we help to shape.

At Crescent, despite our pride, we have been talking about how we cannot afford to take the school culture for granted. We have been performing our due diligence as we look to bring in a service provider who will be able to conduct an audit of our culture, and to give us the kind of feedback we need to gauge our success, and/or tools to make changes if necessary.

We would like to have some objective, external affirmation that the culture is perceived as healthy by our boys, and that we have effective programmes in place, first of all to maintain its health, and second, to be sensitive and responsive to those who, for whatever reason, may be struggling.

I will report on our progress on this important project from time to time throughout the term, and keep parents posted on how we plan to acquire this important information and gauge the perception of Crescent’s school culture from those who shape it: our students.

—Colin Lowndes, head of upper school

7Men of Character from Boys of Promise

From the Middle school

During Mentor Group meetings, we often discuss the life stories of peo-

ple who embody the qualities of a Man of Character. I recently told the story of John Paul Dejoria during grade 8 Mentor Group.

When I started off explaining that Mr. De-joria makes a living selling shampoo, I knew more was needed to gain the attention of the class. So I began with his childhood.

John Paul Dejoria was raised by a single mother; his father had left when he was two. he and his mother lived well below the poverty line, and he had a difficult upbringing. When he was 10, he and his brother would wake up at 4 a.m. to fold and deliver newspapers in order to help make ends meet.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Dejoria couldn’t manage and was forced to give her sons up to foster care. John Paul struggled through his youth looking for answers: he joined the navy, pumped gas, and held minimum wage jobs. he then married, and had a son. When his son was two, his wife left, taking half of the savings. This left him with his son, and homeless, living out of the car.

his break came when he started at a hair product company in sales. From there he and his friend, Paul Mitchell, combined their savings of $350 each to start their own business. Throw-ing everything that he had into this new business, Dejoria was again forced to live out of his car.

Today, he is the co-founder and CEO of John Paul Mitchell Systems, and Patron Tequila, and is worth $4 billion.

I didn’t tell this story to my Mentor Group to demonstrate how rich or successful he was, but to recount his journey, how he overcame the odds, and how he now lives a dream. This story reminds me of the power of “learning from our mistakes” and the importance of resiliency, and to persevere when we feel the world is against us.

Currently, some Middle School boys are feeling the pres-sure and that the world (or part of it) is against them. Perhaps they have experienced some type of failure since September, yet they have been working hard! This is because the boys are being exposed to new experiences and new responsibili-ties... pushing the boundaries of their comfort zone. The pro-grammes in the Middle School are designed to challenge your son and to give him the skills and learning experiences that will

allow him to grow and develop, allowing him to succeed in the Upper School and beyond.

According to Daniel Coyle’s The Talent Code, he suggests that placing someone at the edge of their ability—at the point where they are at their limit—is where they need to be in order to learn and im-prove their skills. This is how the brain is hard-wired.

Take hockey for example. If you place your son in a league where he is clearly the best, he won’t be challenged and he won’t develop into a better player. If you place him in a league that is too advanced, he won’t be able to keep up with the other players and he will be frustrated and won’t

be able to work on the skills needed to get to that level. Plac-ing him in a league where he is challenged, and occasionally exposed to failure, will allow him to develop into a better play-er. In the Middle School we create challenging programmes where optimal learning and growth happens at the edge of the students’ abilities.

Middle School is a complex time: It is not only a transition be-tween lower School and Upper School, but also a time where young adolescents discover who they are, and how they learn. It is a place where they are pushed to their limits and to the edge of their abilities in order to grow and develop. It is a place where they can fail without major consequence and learn from their mistakes. They are able to do this because of the security, safety and nurturing provided by the faculty. Your son will fail in some respect, and we will be there to pick him up and dust him off so that he can learn and move on.

John Paul Dejoria’s life story cannot compare to the experienc-es faced by our young adolescent boys in Middle School; his were catastrophic events, and events we don’t want our boys to experience. however, according to a recent Crescent visi-tor, child psychologist Dr. Alex russell—and to author Daniel Coyle—we need to allow our boys to experience failure in or-der for them to learn, to grow as students, and as men.

hopefully, Mr. Dejoria’s story will inspire our boys to be resil-ient, to persevere through difficult times, and to see that ev-eryone makes mistakes, and can learn from them.

—Aaron Dion, Assistant head of Middle school

sChooL MessAges

1. Tudor Datcu, grade 12 22 1. Joshua lee, grade 12 22 3. Kevin Chien, grade 11 193. Warfa Jibril, grade 11 193. Andrew leung, grade 12 19

6. Patrick White, grade 12 187. Adam Murai, grade 9 177. S. Whittaker-lee, grade 11 179. Jethro Kwong, grade 12 1610. Adam Scott, grade 11 15

MAth LeAgue ResuLts

We had another two great showing at Math league on December 13 and January 10, with many returning writers as well as some new faces. The current individual standings are as follows:

MASSEY 77 Joshua lee Kevin Chien Taylor Keating Philip Winterton Scott So

SIMCOE 76 Tudor Datcu Andrew leung Adam Murai Jonathan Pearce Jamie rose

CArTIEr 72 Warfa Jibril Patrick White Adam noble-Marks Jack hayward Max liu

The Math league is a great way not only to improve in math, but also find enjoyment in solving problems. I encourage everyone to come out (again) and participate in the next Math league taking place Tuesday, Feb. 14.

—Andrew Leung, grade 12

Congratulations to Tudor Datcu, who achieved a perfect score of SIX on both the December 13 and January 10 Math league, and Joshua lee and Stefan Whittaker lee who both had a perfect score on the December 13 contest.

Massey remains in first place this month, with Simcoe only one point behind in a close second. Cartier maintains third place.

In november, the lower School art teacher Ms. Fleetwood-Morrow, was contacted by the Sunnybrook hospital Foun-

dation, inviting the School to take part “in a project unlike anything we’ve done before.” The event is called hope Takes Flight.

The students were asked to cre-ate paper cranes, which will be part of a breathtaking art instal-lation in the main atrium, where thousands of cranes will take flight. With this display, Sunny-brook will pay tribute to the Japa-nese legend that says anyone who folds a thousand paper cranes will be granted a wish, such as long life or recovery from illness or injury. Before folding the paper crane a message of hope is to be written on the back.

The lower School has been busy in Art class creating as many origami cranes as possible. All the boys practiced learning the steps, and then moved on to using origami paper. It has been a wonderful activity that was fun and important. It has been a way for all the boys to feel they could contribute to our local community in a meaningful way.

last Friday, the studio was a beehive of activity as the grade 6 boys joined the grade 3 classes to offer mentorship and guid-ance with the various folding techniques. Even some Prefects (seen pictured) stopped by to learn from the younger boys.

As well, on Tuesday afternoon, Ms. Fleetwood-Morrow guided those staff and faculty (who could drop by) through the crane-making pro-cess.

Creating origami paper cranes for Sunnybrook hospital has been a rewarding experience for the boys.

A wonderful spin-off from our class activity is some grade 4 boys on the Outreach Committee, have orga-nized a group to make various ori-gami creations (at lunch in the stu-dio) and will sell them here to raise

money for Sunnybrook hospital.

In addition, as a result of the popularity of the paper crane making activity, Ms. Fleetwood-Morrow will be offering a new “Origami Drop In” on Day 5s at lunch recess. hope is cer-tainly taking flight in the lower School!

—Dr. sandra boyes, head of Lower school

From the Lower school sChooL MessAges