IT STARTS

in the Schools

April 2015

UPCOMING EVENTS

April TCDSB Board-wide Hispanic Canadian Heritage Month

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

April 2 Senhor Santo Cristo Catholic School

60 Rowena Drive, Toronto

416.393.5505

Easter Egg Hunt

Kindergarten – Grade 2

In school library 1 p.m.

Stations of the Cross Dramatization by Grade 1/2

10:30 a.m.

April 2 TCDSB – Board-wide

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Autism Awareness Day

Schools and offices will raise the Autism

Awareness flag. Exact times will vary

from location to location.

April 2 TCDSB – Board-wide Pope John Paul II Day declared by the

Government of Ontario

April 2 St. Cyril Catholic School Holy Thursday para-liturgy

10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

April 8 Senator O'Connor College School

60 Rowena Drive, North York

416.393.5505

Interactive Family Literacy Event

Featuring workshops by Young People's

Theatre and interactive activities that will

assist parents to work with their children at

home to improve academic achievement in

school.

6:15 p.m.

April 9 St. Aidan Catholic School

3521 Finch Avenue East, Scarborough

416.393.5350

Autism Information Evening

Joint effort between MPP Soo Wong and

the TCDSB Autism Department.

7 p.m.

April 9 TCDSB – Catholic Teachers Centre

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Concours d’art oratoire 2015

Annual French Public Speaking Contest

Elementary Semi-Finals

Morning session at 9 a.m.

Afternoon session at 1 p.m.

April 9 St. Timothy Catholic School

25 Rochelle Crescent Willowdale

416.393.5298

TCDSB Chess Tournament

Girls Only (Grade 1-8)

City Finals

9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

April 10 TCDSB – Catholic Teachers Centre

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Concours d’art oratoire 2015

Annual French Public Speaking Contest

Elementary Semi-Finals

Morning session at 9 a.m.

Afternoon session at 1 p.m.

April 10 St. Timothy Catholic School

25 Rochelle Crescent Willowdale

416.393.5298

TCDSB Chess Tournament

Open (Grade 1-8)

City Finals

9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

April 12-18 TCDSB – Board-wide

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

National Volunteer Week

April 13 TCDSB – Board-wide

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

TCDSB celebrates Pope John Paul II

Day

April 13 TCDSB – Catholic Education Centre

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

PRO (Parents Reaching Out) Grants

Workshops #1 and #2

Partnerships, connecting to curriculum

Sponsored by: CPIC, OAPCE TORONTO

and TCDSB

7 p.m.

April 14, 15 St. Andrew Catholic School

2533 Kipling Avenue, Rexdale

416.393.5295

The Wizard of Oz

Performance by staff and students

7 p.m.

April 14 St. Cyril Catholic School

18 Kempford Boulevard, Willowdale

416.393.5270

Spring Charity Event Kick-off

in support of Leukemia and Lymphoma

1 p.m.

April 14 TCDSB – Catholic Teachers Centre

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Concours d’art oratoire 2015

Annual French Public Speaking Contest

Elementary Semi-Finals

Morning session at 9 a.m.

Afternoon session at 1 p.m.

April 15 TCDSB – Catholic Teachers Centre

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Concours d’art oratoire 2015

Annual French Public Speaking Contest

Elementary Semi-Finals

Morning session at 9 a.m.

Afternoon session at 1 p.m.

April 16 Father John Redmond Catholic

Secondary School and Regional Arts

Centre

28 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Dr.,

Etobicoke

416.393.5540

Kaleidoscope

Students present Visual Arts, dance, drama

and music performances.

6 p.m.-8 p.m.

April 16 TCDSB – Catholic Teachers Centre

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Concours d’art oratoire 2015

Annual French Public Speaking Contest

Elementary Semi-Finals

Morning session at 9 a.m.

Afternoon session at 1 p.m.

April 16 D'Arcy McGee Catholic School

20 Bansley Avenue, Toronto

416-393-5318

Extended French Information Evening

6:30 p.m.

April 16 St. Alphonsus Catholic School

60 Atlas Avenue, York

416.393.5326

TCDSB Chess Tournament

Team Chess

South Region

9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

April 17 TCDSB – Board-wide

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Earth Month Community Clean Up

School Cleanup Day

April 17 St. Patrick Catholic Secondary School

49 Felstead Avenue, Toronto

416.393.5546

Shakespeare Bites

Annual Dinner Theatre Show celebrating

all things Shakespeare.

Location: Auditorium at 6:30 p.m.

April 17 TCDSB – Catholic Teachers Centre

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Concours d’art oratoire 2015

Annual French Public Speaking Contest

Elementary Finals

Morning session at 9 a.m.

Afternoon session at 1 p.m.

April 18 St. Mary of the Angels Catholic

School

1477 Dufferin Street, Toronto

416.393.5228

100th Anniversary

Mass and Reception

2 p.m.

April 18 St. Timothy Catholic School

25 Rochelle Crescent, Willowdale

416.393.5298

50th Anniversary

Mass and Open House

11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

April 18 Dante Alighieri Academy Catholic

Secondary School

60 Playfair Avenue, Toronto

416.393.5522

40th Anniversary

Dedication Ceremony, Mass,

Refreshments

2 p.m. – 6 p.m.

April 19 Chaminade College School

490 Queen's Drive, Toronto

416.393.5509

50th Anniversary

Open House

April 20 Father Serra Catholic School

111 Sun Row Drive Weston

416.393.5391

Scientist in the School Family Science

Night

Families will participate in hands-on

workshops exploring ideas to incorporate

science and math into baking, backyard

explorations, neighborhood excursions and

play.

6:30 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.

April 21 TCDSB – Catholic Education Centre

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Student Trustee Elections 2015

Two student trustees will be elected to the

Board of Trustees.

4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.

April 21 Mattamy Athletic Centre

Elementary Hockey Finals

12 p.m. – 4 p.m.

April 21 Monsignor John Corrigan Catholic

School

100 Royalcrest Road, Rexdale

416.393.5399

TCDSB Chess Tournament

Team Chess

West Region

9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

April 22 TCDSB – Board-wide

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Administrative Assistants' Day

April 22 TCDSB – Catholic Education Centre

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Launch of New 3-Year Pastoral Plan

"Together With One Voice--Harmonizing

Faith in our Families, Parishes and

Schools"

Paraliturgy and Presentation

Keynote Address by Cardinal Thomas

Collins

10:30 a.m.

April 22 TCDSB – Catholic Education Centre

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Exemplary Practice Awards

Celebrating best practices across the

TCDSB.

7 p.m.

April 24 St. Patrick Catholic Secondary School

49 Felstead Avenue, Toronto

416.393.5546

TCDSB's Student Film Festival

The evening features a guest speaker, the

screening of original short films and the

presentation of awards.

7 p.m.

April 27 TCDSB – Board-wide Intermediate W5H 2015 Tournament

Regional Finals

9 a.m.

North – St. Charles Catholic School,

50 Claver Avenue, Toronto

South – St. Luigi Catholic School,

2 Ruskin Avenue Toronto

West – St. Rita Catholic School,

178 Edwin Avenue, Toronto

East – Prince of Peace Catholic School,

255 Alton Towers Circle, Scarborough

April 28 Bishop Marrocco/Thomas Merton

Catholic Secondary School

Grand Opening – Learning Commons

2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.

1515 Bloor Street West, Toronto

416.393.5545

April 29 St. Columba Catholic School

10 John Tabor Trail, Scarborough

416.393.5380

The ‘Art of Math’ Family Night

Parent Council, staff and students will

explore the Arts through a Math lens.

6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

April 29 Cardinal Leger Catholic School

600 Morrish Road, West Hill

416.393.5419

TCDSB Chess Tournament

Team Chess

East Region

9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

April 30 St. Edward Catholic School

1 Botham Road, North York

416.393.5255

TCDSB Chess Tournament

Team Chess

North Region

9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

April 30 – May 2 Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel and

Conference Centre

801 Dixon Road, Toronto

Ontario Catholic School Trustees’

Association Conference

May 1 Chaminade College School

490 Queen's Drive, Toronto

416.393.5509

50th Anniversary

Dinner Dance Gala

6:30 p.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 3 St. Andre Catholic School

36 Yvonne Avenue, Toronto

416-393-5410

Official Opening and Blessing

May 4 Madonna Catholic Secondary School

20 Dubray Avenue, Downsview

416.393.5506

Intermediate W5H 2015 Tournament

City Championship

7 p.m.

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 4-8 Woodbine Centre Shopping Mall

Centre Court 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.

Monday: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Tuesday – Friday: 10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Thursday: 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

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 7 TCDSB – Catholic Education Centre

80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto

416.222.8282

Catholic Education Week Student Led

Province-Wide Mass

10:00 a.m.

Pilgrimage of Peace

Students and staff will leave the CEC after

mass and begin a Pilgrimage of Peace,

from the CEC and to the downtown core

ending up at St. Michael’s Cathedral, with

prayers and reflections all along the way.

May 7 St. Conrad Catholic School

5 Exbury Road, North York

416.393.5396

Catholic Education Week Mass and

Celebration for Parents

With Celebrant Cardinal Thomas Collins

7 p.m.

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS

TCDSB Skills Ontario Robotics Control Systems

Competition Congratulations to Rienz Ryle Estella and Loren Dela Reyna on

winning the TCDSB Skills Ontario Robotics Control Systems

Competition. Rienz, Loren and Mr. Potts will represent Blessed

Cardinal Newman Catholic High School and the TCDSB at the

Ontario Technological Skills Competition, May 4 - 6, 2015. The

Ontario Technological Skills Competition (OTSC) is Canada's

largest skilled trades competition. With over 65 contests, 1,900

competitors and 20,000 spectators at RIM Park in Waterloo.

Good Luck!

Michael Power/St. Joseph Hosts Delegation from

Scotland The Cabinet Secretary from Scotland visited Canada in late March.

Michael Power/St. Joseph Catholic Secondary School hosted a visit

from the delegation and shared with them an overview of the

programs and services that are offered. In particular, the focus was on

educational leadership to support teachers and practitioners to make a

difference to the outcomes for children and young people through

access to innovative and quality leadership programs and services.

Carolyn Barker Named Morehead-Cain Scholar Congratulations to Carolyne Barker, Marshall McLuhan CSS grade 12 student, who

is an official Morehead-Cain Scholar. This is an important accomplishment for

Carolyn, Marshall McLuhan and the TCDSB, as this is McLuhan's second

major scholarship this year. Aaron Benwick was recently named a 2015 Loran

Scholar. The Loran is a National Scholarship and Morehead-Cain is an

International Scholarship.

9-year-old Amateur Kickboxer to Represent Canada St. Norbert student, Victoria Spencer, will be representing Canada at the

Council of Amateur Sport (CASK) National kickboxing competition in

South Africa this April.

Victoria recently won gold in the CASK Ontario championship and has

been selected with other competitors of various age and skill levels from

across the country to represent Canada in a tournament being held in

South Africa from May 2nd –11th, 2015. She has been training since she

was 6 years old at Hook Up Muay Thai in North York

The life of Jesus told through the story of Three Trees St. Sylvester Catholic School’s dramatization of the life of Jesus as told through the Story of the Three

Trees, was performed three times during Holy Week: at Epiphany of Our Lord Parish, St. Aidan parish

and at The Divine Infant Catholic School.

Sacred Heart’s

Helping Hands With lots of love in their hearts

and a desire to help, the

kindergarten students at Sacred

Heart are journeying through

the season of Lent and focusing

on giving to their community.

Students wanted to give and

share. Collectively they

decided to start a program to

ask families to share their food

with others by collecting non-

perishable food donations. The students wrote letters to their parents and extended it to their friends at

Sacred Heart asking for their participation. The students hope that their desire to share will spread and

help make a difference to mark the Lenten season.

Cerebral Palsy Awareness

Day On Wednesday, March 25th the staff

and students of Blessed Margherita

Catholic School wore green to mark

Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day. The

school raised $150 and donated the

proceeds to Holland Bloorview

Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.

Precious Blood students 3-D Printing Workshop Grade 6 students' eyes were opened to new learning paths when they attended the

3-D Printing and Arduino Robotics at Icewire (Bayview and Eglinton). Two

highlights for the students were the inputting of code for robotic movement, and

creating circuits using Arduino and miniature circuit boards.

Physical/Mental Wellness and Arts Retreat 2015 Grade 10 students across the Board were invited to participate in the second Arts Wellness Retreat at

Teen Ranch. 31 students took part in the process of creating, exploring and mediating. This was a great

opportunity for students who were like-minded and had a great appreciation for the arts to come

together and participate in many outdoor activities such as tubing, horseback riding and skating as well

as participate in drama, dance, visual arts and music. They developed new friendships and a new inner

spiritual strength as leaders.

Our Lady of Wisdom students Skype with

school in France On Friday, March 13th, after a great deal of anticipation

and excitement at Our Lady of Wisdom CES, the

intermediate students of Mme. Guirguis’ grade 7 and 8

class engaged in their first ever the first Skype exchange

with French students from Ms. Delphine Meyer’s

intermediate class at College Twinger in Strasbourg,

France. After a friendly roundabout of curiosity and

introductions, students from both sides posed and

responded to questions on the topic of music, ranging from pop culture, preferred genres, artists and

instruments in both North America and France and whether students had any experience creating

original music including composition and lyrics. It was a veritable triumph in terms of learning about

Francophone culture outside of Canada, transcending physical borders, with much information and

pleasantries exchanged between both schools.

Autism Awareness Dance Day 2015 Check out some of the highlights from the board-wide dance for Autism Awareness held March 11th.

See more online.

St. Francis Xavier Catholic School St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School

All Saints Catholic School Cardinal Carter Academy and CEC staff

Me to We Sock Drive for the

Good Shepherd Centre During the season of Lent, D’Arcy

McGee’s Me to We Club collected

new men’s socks to donate to the

Good Shepherd Centre. The sock

drive began on February 19th with a

‘kick-off’ assembly and ended March

5th with Crazy Sock Day. The

D’Arcy McGee community donated

750 socks!

At the end of the sock drive, the Me to We team brought all 750 pairs of socks to the Good Shepherd

Centre. At the centre the team was given a tour as well as a presentation about the work of The Little

Brothers of the Good Shepherd and its associated ministries.

Thank you to everyone who donated socks!

TCDSB Schools Celebrate All

Star Book Program with

DeMar DeRozen Students from St. Bernard, St.

Charles Garnier, St. Jane Frances

and St. Stephen helped launch the All

Star Book Program at the ACC with

DeMar DeRozen over the March Break.

The program will help distribute more

than 3,000 brand new books to 10

Grade 5 classes in ten schools in low

income areas across the Greater

Toronto Area. The books will be sent

home with the students so they will be able to start and grow their home book collections. The DeMar

DeRozan All-Star Book Program challenges students from Grade 5 classes at ten schools to read a book

and write a book report each week for ten weeks, representing DeRozan’s jersey number 10. The class

with the most comprehensive and timely book reports will win tickets to the final Toronto Raptors home

game this season, a meet and greet with DeMar DeRozan and new books for every student in the

winning school. Students from last year’s winning school, St. Jane Frances Catholic School, were

present and acknowledged at the press conference.

St. Ambrose Chair-ity Campaign - Safe

Schools Challenge St. Ambrose School students enthusiastically put

their artistic talents to work when they entered the

Safe Schools Challenge and created chairs which

symbolize a safe, caring and accepting school.

Each class contributed a chair which was

transformed into a piece of art. Although many

may think a chair is an everyday mundane object,

it can represent a comfortable place to rest. All

should be welcomed at such a place. With this in

mind, the students put their imaginations to work!

The chairs were then judged by local trustee, Ann

Andrachuk, principal Riccardo Agostino, and two

C.S.A.C. representatives. They were scored on

such criteria as: creativity, student input, and

innovation. A winning chair was chosen from

each division. The winning chair, for the Intermediate division, was made by Ms. Berardi’s Grade 8

class. It was a chair they assembled themselves and it looked like puzzle pieces revealing the virtues

which contribute to making a safe school. For the Junior division, Ms. Taddeo’s Grade 5 class recycled

an old chair to make it symbolize all the different components that go into making a school a safe and

welcoming place. It included books, lunch box, pencils, and artwork. Finally, the winning chair for the

Primary division came from Ms. Spitznagel’s Grade 1 class. Those students used their literary talents to

write about what a caring school should be like and they connected it to the practice of charity. These

chairs were then sent to be put on display at the board so that all members of the Toronto Catholic

District School Board can see how we make a place for everyone.

Mary Ward Robotics Team Wins

Judges Award

On Friday, March 13th, 22 students from the

Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School took part

in the FIRST Robotics Competition at the

University of Ontario Institute of Technology.

The team of 7 girls and 15 boys led by their

teacher, Mr. Emer, worked together after school

to create a robot to complete the challenge

dubbed ‘Recycle Rush.’ The students were

effectively able to apply their knowledge and

skills gained through the SHSM Construction

Program to the building of the robot. Participants

were tasked with stacking recycling bins, or totes, on top of each other in order to score the most points.

A total of 47 teams participated in the three day competition, which featured both rookie and veteran

teams squaring off to secure a spot at the FIRST Robotics World Competition in April. Qualifying

teams will travel to Louisville Missouri to compete against the best robotics teams in the world. The

robotics team did very well for the duration of the competition and were the only rookie team to be

picked to join the alliance for the finals! They ended with a very high average, working with the best

teams of the entire competition. During the closing ceremonies, the team was awarded the Judges

Award for their positive attitude towards robotics as well as their ingenuity in using recycled materials

to make to robot for the competition called 'Recycle Rush.'

It's Cool to be Kind! On March 11th, the St. Jane Frances School community

was reminded that, “It’s Cool to be Kind!” with an

interactive and enthusiastic performance by Errol Lee.

Errol Lee spoke about love with reference to the ‘Golden

Rule’ and Nelson Mandela who said, ‘…love comes more

naturally to the human heart than its opposite.’ Mr. Lee

also reminded everyone to care for one another and the

world. An excellent presentation that appealed to the

entire school community.

Mary Ward Student Wins National Citizenship Challenge Historica Canada announced Samantha Quinto of Mary Ward Catholic

Secondary School as one of the Grand Prize Winners in the 2014 Citizenship

Challenge. Out of 60,000 Canadians who participated in the national contest,

17-year-old Samantha won an all-expenses-paid trip to Ottawa. Joined by

fellow winner Rebecca Xie of Brandon, MB, Samantha will travel to Ottawa

from March 18th to 20th. Staying at the Fairmont Château Laurier, she will

explore Canada's history and culture with personal tours of Parliament Hill,

the Canadian Museum of History and the Canadian War Museum.

The Citizenship Challenge asks Canadians to put their national knowledge to

the test, by studying for and writing a mock citizenship exam. The contest is

organized by Historica Canada, the country’s largest organization dedicated

to enhancing awareness of Canada’s history and citizenship.

Brebeuf College Bulls Reach Final 4

at OFSAA Hockey For the first time in the school's history,

Brebeuf College's Sr Hockey team

represented the TCDAA at the OFSAA

Hockey Championships in St Catharines

from March 9th – 12th.

The Brebeuf College Bulls finished in 4th

place out of 16 of the top teams in Ontario; a

feat that was unfathomable at the beginning

of the season, yet alone the beginning of the

week. The school is extremely proud of how

the boys represented Brebeuf College and the TCDSB on and off of the ice at OFSAA, and we know it

was an experience of a lifetime that the boys will never forget.

Carter Girls Win Indoor Soccer

Championship Congratulations to the Cardinal Carter Academy for

the Arts girls’ soccer team for their indoor

championship win!

Bishop Allen Sr. Girls Volleyball - OFSAA

Bronze Medalists Congratulations to the senior girls volleyball team who

were participating in the OFSAA AAAA volleyball

championships this past Sunday to Wednesday for the

4th year in a row and capturing the bronze medal.

Our Lady of Lourdes Girls

Basketball The Intermediate Girls Basketball team had

a great season this year. They placed 1st in

the Divisional tournament, and 2nd place in

the Regional Tournament, and went on to

the Cities Tournament!

Swim Team Record Congratulations to Alexander Milanovich of St. Clement

Catholic School who set a new Club Record 11-12 200 Breast

SC - 2:32.85. With this, he breaks the record set in 1987 by

Olympian Mike Mason.

TDCAA Hockey Playoffs 2015

Junior Boys Champions: Michael Power/St. Joseph Senior Girls Champions: Michael Power/St. Joseph

Senior Girls' Volleyball

Champions Congratulations to the Marshall McLuhan

Senior Girls' Volleyball team who made

history this season, becoming the first

volleyball team at the school to win the

TDCAA “Tier 2” championship. The

team's outstanding commitment,

determination, and teamwork lead to this

success.

Senior Girls' Volleyball Gold Congratulations to the Blessed Cardinal

Newman Junior Girls' Volleyball team and

coaches as they won the TDCAA

Championship.

Safe Schools Student Ambassadors TCDSB hosted a full day Safe Schools Student

Ambassadors session on March 12th at Bishop

Marrocco/Thomas Merton Catholic Secondary

School. Dr. Joanne Cummings (University of

Toronto Professor and PREVNET Associate) and 4

graduate students joined students and staff to

deliver a presentation on Healthy On line and Off

line Relationships. They supported Safe Schools

and 21st Century Learning & AICT staff in

working with our ambassadors and their respective staff mentors to brainstorm ideas for video projects.

Justice Minister Presents New

Legislation to Redmond Students The Honourable Peter MacKay visited

Father John Redmond C.S.S. on March

9th to present new legislation to protect

Canadians from on-line cyberbullying.

Named the “Protecting Canadians from

Online Crime Act”, he addressed the

impact of the sharing of inappropriate

photos and videos and the personal and

legal repercussions with the students.

Ms. Lilliana McDonald, Executive

Director of the Canadian Child

Protection Centre, and MP Bernard Trottier also addressed the students. Students were given an

opportunity to speak with the Minister and his other guests and posed some challenging and informed

questions.

Voices That Challenge 2015 Secondary students from across the TCDSB gathered at St. Michael’s College School for the Voices

that Challenge Student Leadership Conference on March 10th. Students heard from dynamic keynote

speaker Spencer West and participated in liturgy, music, dance, and over 30 workshops about

leadership.

Skills Canada Provincial Cardboard Boat Race Congratulations to St. Raymond Catholic School for winning the speed challenge with a time of 15.75

seconds at the annual Skills Canada provincial cardboard boat races. That is the second fastest time in

elementary competition overall. CBC’s Rick Mercer was at the event and joined the team for some boat

building fun. Special congratulations to team members Daniel Larosa, Autumn Morency, Matthew

Coderniz, and Vanessa Ferriera.

TCDSB Schools Received $80,000 Grants from MusiCounts The following TCDSB schools will be receiving grants from MusiCounts to help purchase musical

instruments for students. Congratulations!

Holy Family Catholic School Marshall McLuhan Catholic Secondary School

St. Augustine Catholic School St. Barnabas Catholic School

St. Francis de Sales Catholic School St. Jane Frances Elementary School

St. Norbert Catholic Elementary School St. Stephen Elementary School

St. Wilfrid Catholic School

Vision of Hope Gala St. Stephen Catholic School CSAC donated $500 to the

Vision of Hope Gala benefitting the CNIB. The gala

was founded by Yolanda Palumbo, former student of St.

Stephen and now mother of a current student. Yolanda

lost her vision in 2003 and turned to the CNIB to learn

how to manage her life without sight. She organized the

Vision of Hope Gala to support the organization. Since

its inception, the Gala has raised over $140,000 for the

CNIB! In 2015, Yolanda received the Governor General’s Award and was recognized with a Caring

Canadian Award.

Archbishop Pocock Award Winner Congratulations to Mark Siolek, Chaplain at Msgr. Percy

Johnson Catholic Secondary School, for being named the winner

of the Archbishop Pocock Award from CARFLEO in recognition

of his work in religious education and faith development. He was

presented the award at this year’s CARFLEO Conference on

March 26th at Queen of the Apostles Retreat Centre in

Mississauga.

St. Clement Kindergarten Kortright Trip On March 10th, Kindergarten students went on a school

trip to the Kortright Conservation Centre. The students

learned about tapping maple trees to get sap and the

process of turning sap into syrup. The students ended

their day with a yummy pancake lunch with fresh maple

syrup.

Pizza Making Workshops This educational and interactive "Pizza Making

Workshop" provided students at St. Ursula Catholic

School, in FDK and Grade 4/5, with a behind the scenes

look at pizza making process. The children were taught

about the importance of nutrition and a well-balanced diet

consisting of the four food groups. They then watched a

brief "pizza-making" video. After the video each child was

given their very own ball of dough and was taught step-by-

step by Dominic the Pizzaiolo (pizza maker) to prepare

and toss the perfect pizza.

Each child was then served a complimentary slice of cheese pizza and provided with a "Pizza Nova

Fun-Pack" that included an educational activity book as well as a certificate that doubles as a coupon for

a free, small 3 topping Pizza Nova pizza.

Co-op Student Orientation On Monday March 9th, co-op students who are placed with

TCDSB staff in schools and other board locations came to the

CEC for a half day orientation. Congratulations to the over

125 students who participated.

International Women’s Day Event Students from Loretto College and St.

Joseph’s College participated in the

International Women's Day at North Toronto

Secondary School. The event was hosted by

MP Carolyn Bennett and TCDSB Trustee Jo-

Ann Davis.

The invited speakers include Anne Anderson,

president of St Michael's College, UofT, and a

Sister of St Joseph; Margot Franssen, founder

and president of The Body Shop Canada, and

leaders from the arts, and the indigenous

communities.

National Bank Presents

Cheque to St. Charles

Garnier St. Charles Garnier’s gym will

get a makeover, courtesy the

National Bank’s One for Youth

Program. Representatives

delivered a cheque to the school

on March 4th. Work will begin

in the Spring and the entire community will celebrate with an unveiling.

Lenten Outreach: Making Sandwiches

for the Homeless The entire school community at St. Brigid Catholic

School worked together to help Toronto’s

homeless. On March 5th, the students and staff

created an assembly line in the school’s gym to

make 500 sandwiches and packed them in bags

decorated by the school’s primary students.

The staff pulled together and bought 300 pairs of

new socks and personally delivered the

sandwiches and socks to Toronto’s shelters for the

homeless, including The Good Shepherd, Fred

Victor, Salvation Army and more.

Students Reach out to Homeless; Reflect

on Poverty A group of students from Msgr Fraser College's

Annex Campus participated in a community service

project to help the homeless and increase awareness

around issues of poverty and hunger.

They began their day on March 5th with a

presentation from Feed the Need at 11 a.m. Around

1:15, the students gathered to prepare sandwiches

and assemble food packages. At 2:30 the students

arrived at Nathan Phillips Square to meet with a

Gateway representative and discuss homelessness.

Between 3 and 5 p.m. they completed a guided walk by Gateway to distribute the food.

The students returned to school to share in an evening meal, team building games and reflection.

Newman Wins TCDSB Skills Ontario Fashion Competition Congratulations to Blessed Cardinal Newman's Ronnise Lee on winning the

TCDSB Skills Ontario Fashion Competition. Ronnise will represent Newman and

the TCDSB at the Ontario Technological Skills Competition, May 4th – 6th, 2015.

Energy Pledge On Friday March 27th, St. Cecilia's celebrated Earth Hour

with a prayer and by turning out all school lights for one

hour. Our grades five to eight students also signed a pledge,

pledging to reduce the amount of energy they use in water

consumption, transportation, and home energy use.

St. Cecilia Grade 3 to 5 Choir

Members Sing at Annual St.

Patrick's Mass On Sunday, March 1st the grade three to

five choir members sang at St. Cecilia

Church's 37th annual St. Patrick's mass.

The mass was celebrated by Cardinal

Collins, and included an Irish harpist and

piper. Many other St. Cecilia's students

were involved in the mass by altar

serving and in attendance.

Congratulations to the choir who

sounded angelic!

Ordinandi Luncheon The annual “Ordinandi Luncheon” was held this year on March 3rd at Pearson Convention Centre. First

organized in 2013, the youth event is a partnership with the 6 Archdiocesan Catholic School Boards, the

Archdiocese of Toronto and the Office of Catholic Youth. Students participated in an activity-filled

morning, and heard vocation stories from both the Ordinandi and a religious sister. His Eminence,

Cardinal Collins, was among the speakers, which also included a recently ordained priest and a sister.

By all accounts, the Youth Event has become a unique vocation awareness experience enjoyed by all.

Junior W5H Tournament The city championships took place on March 4th.

Congratulations to Regina Mundi Catholic School, the

overall winner. St. Michael's Choir School was the city

finalist. Nativity of Our Lord and St. Maria Goretti

finished 3rd and 4th, did a fine job representing the west

and the east schools respectively.

Coldest Night of the Year Michael Power/St. Joseph’s school team “Power Rangers”

united on Saturday, February 21st to support the homeless

in their community and to demonstrate the impact of

Catholic social justice. Over 120 Power students

participated in Coldest Night of the Year, comprising about

half of the walkers. This fundraiser, organized by the

Etobicoke food bank Haven on the Queensway, invited

participants to walk two, five, or ten km in the cold at

night to raise money and awareness for people who lack

shelter, food, and care and suffer especially in the winter.

Michael Power students raised over $4000. All the

students who participated showed their solidarity as a

whole and had a great time volunteering

TCDSB Carpentry Skills

challenge

Toronto Catholic District School Board

celebrated its 9th Annual Skills Canada

Competitions with TCDSB students

competing throughout the GTA. With

well over 30 different competitions in

categories such as Fashion Design,

Carpentry, Photography, Plumbing,

Internet Web page Design, and

Cooking, students looked to represent

our Board at the annual Provincial Skills

Canada Competitions at RIM Park in

Waterloo in early May. Winners of the

Provincial competitions move on to the

National Skills Canada competitions in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in early June.

One of the highlights of the week were the Carpentry competitions being held at Local 27's College of

Carpenters and Allied Workers in Woodbridge, Ontario. With over 60 competitors competing in Team

Carpentry, Individual Carpentry, Home Building, and Cabinet Making, students spent the entire day

creating and building pre-specified scopes designed for their competition. A 'shout out’ goes to all the

competitors and especially to the winners as they now move on to RIM Park in Waterloo and represent

the TCDSB at the Skills Canada Provincial Championships. Congratulations TCDSB!

Volunteer receives recognition Congratulations to Joan Sparrey, retired teacher, who

volunteers her time at St. Anselm Catholic School.

She is being recognized with MPP Kathleen Wynne’s

Annual Service Award – Don Valley West. The St.

Anselm community is truly grateful for all that Joan

does for their students in the ME/DD and Grade 8

class at St. Anselm. Outside of St. Anselm Catholic

School, Joan also finds the time to volunteer

extensively at St. Anselm Parish and other community

organizations.

St. Agatha Wins $25,000

Staples Grant Staples Canada awarded St. Agatha

Catholic School $25,000 worth of new

technology in a surprise school

assembly on March 31st. The School

was selected for their outstanding

sustainability efforts and

environmental initiatives. In

collaboration with Earth Day Canada,

the nationwide contest was held

between Jan. 5th and Jan. 31st, 2015.

Nearly 600 schools across the country

entered by submitting what initiatives

they were doing to save the planet.

With the support of the TCDSB Partnership Development Team, the school struck gold this year with

their submission. St. Agatha was one of ten schools across the country being recognized (and the only

Toronto school), receiving $25,000 worth of new technology from Staples Canada.

““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

April 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