Marymount Academy International

Newsletter

Edition #4 - 2015-2016

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Marymount Staff Spotlight After the great reaction to the New Faces at MMA article featured in the last edition of the MMA Newsletter, we have

decided to create the Marymount Staff Spotlight, a collection of interviews highlighting our exceptional staff.

 Catherine Chamai, Step Resource Tutor 1. You’ve been an accomplished Tutor in our Step for a long time; what keeps you going? For the past six years, it has been a pleasure working in Marymount's STEP, the Resource Program. Throughout the years, I have had the chance to tutor many wonderful students in Mathematics, Science, and French. I am truly impressed by how hard working and dedicated the students are. Thankfully, the STEP program has helped many students to succeed. 2. Where did you begin your educational career? I am from Lebanon. I arrived in Canada at the age of 14. I completed my bachelor’s degree in Sciences, specialization in Chemistry, at Concordia University in 2000. Once my schooling was complete, I dedicated my life for raising my four boys. I was also a manager for a clothing corporation and I have experience running a jewelry business. Despite my success in the business world, I have always had a love for educating young people. That's why I decided to become a high school Mathematics and Science Tutor. Raising my children provided me with lots of experience dealing with youth. Moreover, it increased my love for helping the younger generations. 3. What gives you the most satisfaction when helping students? Working at Marymount Academy International has brought me a lot of satisfaction. Both the staff and the students here inspire me to be a great educator. Helping a student that is struggling with a concept gain the knowledge needed to do well on an assignment, a test or an exam, is a very fulfilling feeling. The bond between my colleagues and I and the appreciation received from the students are what keep me motivated. I am looking forward to many years to come.

Ms. Maria Raskin 1. What was your motivation for wanting to become a teacher? I am so happy to begin my teaching career at Marymount Academy. After finishing my BA in English and Creative Writing at Concordia University, I couldn’t wait to find a way to work with youth and share my passion for knowledge. Becoming a teacher and embarking on a Masters in Teaching and Learning at McGill was a bit of a leap of faith but my instinct told me I was on the right path. I love being able to make meaningful connections with students and equip them with the tools to ensure their lifelong success in whatever they choose to do. 2. You’ve been a student teacher here at Marymount and now a teacher; what’s the biggest difference and what new challenges are you noticing? My first teaching stage at Marymount was definitely the best part of my degree! Forming strong relationships with staff and students made me feel like I had found a new home and leaving, at the end of my stage, was extremely difficult. So difficult, in fact, that I took any chance to be able to come back! Teaching juniors math, science, ERC, geography, and art is an exciting challenge for me. I try to always put myself in my students’ shoes and make every lesson relevant and interesting with student-centered activities. My favorite teachers inspired me to learn and to work hard at the things I am passionate about and I hope to be able to do the same for my students. 3. What do you like to do to relax? When I’m not teaching, I enjoy many hobbies. I love baking and cooking especially trying new healthy recipes! I’m also a violinist, downhill skier, writer, and animal lover. In the upcoming year, I will be embarking on a new adventure to teach in England. For now, I’m thrilled to be back at MMA and am looking forward to the rest of the year!

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Sports Have Returned to Marymount!

The start of the school year was a dark time for sports across the province of Quebec, as Extra-Curricular Activities were cancelled as a pressure tactic during the negotiations between the Teacher’s Unions and the Provincial Government. We are able to start-up this January as the ban on ECAs has been lifted! Here are our GMAA (Greater Montreal Athletic Association) teams for 2016: Midget Boys Basketball - Coach: Mr. Bunn Midget Boys Indoor Soccer - Coaches: Mr. Ouwendyk and Mr. Arnold Juvenile Boys Indoor Soccer - Coach: Mr. Harris (defending GMAA Champs) Boys Badminton - Coach: Mr. Cho Girls Badminton - Coaches: Ms. Greto and Ms. Santagata In the Spring: Rugby - Coaches: Ms. Laroche and Mr. Avila Outdoor Track and Field - Coaches: Mr. Arnold and Ms. Handinero Halo Race - Coach: Mr. Nudo

**Students need to be in satisfactory academic standing in order to play on our teams!**

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15th Annual CRC Robotics Competition

The Educational Alliance for Science & Technology (EAST) is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization serving Quebec students for over 34 years in extracurricular science & technology activities. One of the events organized by EAST since 2001, has been the Annual CRC Robotics Competition. This bilingual three-day competition is open to both high school and CEGEP students. Celebrating its 15th year, this year’s competition named Pythagorium 2016, will take place from February 25th to 27th at Cégep Montmorency in Laval. Marymount Academy along with 28 other schools will take part in this year’s competition. The rookie team named M.A.R.C. will represent Marymount Academy in its first entry into competitive robotics. The team meets regularly following school every Wednesday as well as Saturday mornings. This student-centered event is designed by teachers and student alumni. Its core philosophy centers around teamwork, collaboration and making links between the classroom and the future workplace. Teams are judged and ranked according to a number of components including robot design and construction, Kiosk, short 4-minute video about their team and robot, web design and web journalism which captures the entire team experience from day 1 to the competition day. For more information about the event please visit http://www.robo-crc.ca

Nick Roussos has held technology-based positions in private industry, government and most recently in education. Nick holds a B. Sc. In Biology and an M.A. in Educational Technology both from Concordia University. He has worked at various levels of education in both public and private school systems. He has a life-long passion for technology and has enjoyed supporting and promoting academic technologies to teachers and students over the last 8 years.

Aside from judging numerous science fairs, Nick has led teams to a number of robotics competitions including the Canadian Robotics Competition (CRC), FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), Sumo Robotics Challenge as well as the RoboCup Junior competition.

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Marymount at the Canadiens

What an absolutely terrific experience I was privileged to have with some students at the Bell Centre on Jan 6th. Manqi, Monder, and I all had a blast. It was a great first time experience for the students who had never been to a professional hockey game, something they will never forget. It was the best seating arrangement I have ever had the privilege to enjoy. The free food was worthwhile, too! Did you know they even have free ice cream? The game, the atmosphere, the food, meeting local CTV sportscaster, Brian Wilde, it all made for a very memorable and fun time. And oh yes, the Canadiens won! It was appreciated and will long be remembered. - Mr. Bunn

Student Spotlight: Jerron Santhiyapillai I am a Secondary 4 student right here at Marymount Academy. Fun Fact: AV is the abbreviation of Audio Video! Back in Secondary 1, I became a part of the AV team because of former student Robin Ghosh. He was the AV tech. at Marymount before I inherited the job. Thanks to my time doing work with the AV team, I believe that I have learned how to be a better IB student because it has helped me become far more aware of the IB learner qualities: being a risk taker, being balanced, and knowledgeable. The AV team is a great way to become involved with the school, since the team is in charge of the school’s technical assets. Be it during an assembly, an outdoor event, or our annual cultural show, the AV Team is present and accounted for. We are generally a small team, but we are always looking for new members. It is great if you enjoy working with computers and sound equipment. Our Annual Cultural Show is a showcase of the various cultures that walk the hallways of our school. It is one of my favourite events of the year simply because we get to see all the students of all different cultures perform. It is one of the highlights of the MMA school year!

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Volunteering with MMA

Linda Luca - Spiritual Guidance & Community Involvement Animator

I read an article recently that spoke about the benefits of exercising. According to this article, exercising helps improve your health, gives you energy and it also helps to develop your social skills. As I was reading through the article, I began to think about volunteering, and realized that giving of your time to help out in the community provided similar benefits to exercising. And then it clicked…Volunteering is exercise for the soul!

Whether we realize it or not, our everyday has become cluttered with sounds, expectations, deadlines, traffic… This reality also applies to our youth who are constantly being bombarded by the media with images of “beauty”, power, and pressures to fit in and conform. They have deadlines for assignments, exams, as well as family expectations and pressures; none of which feed the soul.

I have found volunteering with students to be the best and most honest expression of the self. When students volunteer they emit a glow. This glow comes from knowing that they are doing something selfless that benefits others. There is no greater feeling in the world than knowing that you are contributing to helping others. I often tell students, “if you’re having a bad day, do something to help someone, and somehow your day will take a turn for the better”. Helping someone can mean signing up and committing to a volunteer program, it can mean helping someone carry books, and it can be as simple as sharing a smile, which is sure to generate a few more along the way.

At Marymount Academy International we are very fortunate to work with various non-profit organization including Share the Warmth, Starlight Foundation of Quebec, ALS Society of Quebec, and the PAMA foundation, to mention a few. Volunteering for these organizations allows students to mingle with other volunteers, exposing them to people from different walks of life, working together toward a common goal. It allows them to learn to work with others cohesively, building comradery and teamwork. This type of authentic and human contact helps build self-esteem, reduce stress and helps to develop feelings of empathy and optimism.

Suddenly, I feel like ending it here… I have an unexpected urge to volunteer!

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Past Events: Binti’s Journey Presented by the Black Theatre Workshop - Feb. 9th Adapted by Marcia Johnson from the novel The Heaven Shop by Deborah Ellis. Directed by Lynda Hill. This is the first of many events that we are hosting at Marymount Academy International to celebrate Black History Month 2016.

Binti’s Journey tells the story of Binti Phiri, the young star of a popular Malawi radio program “Gogo’s Family”. After losing her home and family to AIDS and enduring separation from her siblings, 13 year-old Binti finds her way to her Grandmother’s village and discovers a deeper understanding of the power of family and community. Deborah Ellis’s acclaimed novel for youth addressing the human impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa is brought to life through the power of drama, storytelling, dance and music in an inspiring theatrical production.

Coming Soon: Term 2 Honour Roll Assemblies The students and staff of Marymount Academy International will gather this February to celebrate the achievements of our students with the Term 2 Honour Roll Assemblies. The honors are as follows: 75%-79% overall: Honourable Mention 80%-89% overall: Honour Roll 90%+ overall: Principal’s Distinction

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Coming Soon: Quebec City Welcomes MMA!

Sec. 4 and 5 - February 10th to 12th

Marymount Academy International is pleased to announce that once again senior students will have the opportunity to visit and fully experience Quebec City in the winter. From February 10th to February 12th, Staff and students will have the chance to explore : Le Château Frontenac, la Terrasse Dufferin, la Murale du Québec, la Place Royale, le petit Champlain, la rue St-Jean, le Funiculaire du Vieux Québec, le Parlement, La Citadelle and les Plaines D’Abraham. We are mostly excited to enjoy the Carnival with its entire enriched activity program. We will be participating in winter sports, snow sculpting, and activities based on the traditional Québec lifestyle, such as canoe races and dogsled races. The Québec Winter Carnival is the largest winter carnival in the world today. We are looking forward to this amazing trip.

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Coming Soon: John Dunn Arctic Light - Feb. 16th

John Dunn is a wilderness traveler and photographer with particular affinity for the vast and rugged landscapes of the Canadian Arctic. Born and educated in England, John graduated in geology from London University and worked in mineral exploration in the Australian Outback. After moving to Calgary, John became a Canadian citizen and pursued his dream of exploring and photographing the arctic. John has organized and successfully completed 20 arctic expeditions, totaling over 1100 days in the field. For his efforts in promoting awareness of Canada’s arctic geography John was made a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

“The photos and videos and pacing were perfect. The humor and your own down-to earth treatment and self-deprecation are endearing. You are a gifted speaker and the kids were very privileged to hear you. It was obvious they knew it too - you held their attention completely and that age group is a very tough room.” - Bev Jaremko, Junior High Teacher, Calgary Board Of Education, Calgary

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New for Spring 2016: Bike Club Field Trips

Fort Chambly: a 70km Round-Trip of Cycling Bliss! What better to get rid of the winter blues than to look forward to another Marymount bike trip! On May 3rd, we will leave the confines of the Island of Montreal and head over to the South Shore! Fort Chambly is located on the banks of the Richelieu River, approximately 35 kilometers from MMA. Built in 1711 on the same site of a previous fort that had been burned to the ground around the same time of the Great Peace of Montreal. Ripe with history, Fort Chambly was part of the French defense system set up to protect Montreal and New France, was captured by the British during the conquest, and also captured by American forces during the American Invasion of Canada 1775-1776. Renamed Fort Ticonderoga, it was held by American forces until the end of the American revolutionary war. Today it is a National Historic Site of Canada. Our bike trip will take the entire day, leaving from Marymount in the morning, biking Route Verte 1 to the Fort. After a visit to the Fort, we will bike back to MMA, arriving sometime in the mid-afternoon. Don’t have a bike? No problem! Bikes are supplied by MMA. Students will also be prepared by our Phys Ed. department on the basics of bike mechanics, food preparations, and physical fitness. Join us on March 15th at lunch in the lower gym for our first pre-season meeting!

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 Marymount Bike Club Schedule - Spring 2016

March 15 Tuesday Day 3 Lunch 12:05 – 12:45 Pre-season meeting Lower gym

March 22 Tuesday Day 8 3:45 – 5:30 p.m. Screening and riding test

Lower gym

April 5 Tuesday Day 7 3:45 – 6:00 p.m. Trip #1 (approx 15 kms)

Lachine Canada

April 12 Tuesday Day 2 3:45 – 5:00 p.m. Trip #2 (approx 12 kms),

hilly

Mount Royal Beaver Lake

Mount Royal Cemetery

April 26 Tuesday Day 2 3:45 – 5:45 p.m. Trip #3 (approx. 22 kms)

Parc Jean Drapeau Circuit Jacques Villeneuve

May 3 Tuesday Day 6 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Trip #4 – (approx. 70 kms)

Fort Chambly

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French Support for International Students Coming to MMA can be difficult for some students, especially when being introduced to a new language. Because French is an integral part of our curriculum, we are starting a new Support Service for International Students right here at Marymount Academy International. I am Henrique Santana. I am presently working with Marymount students, namely International Students, who have come to this school for a certain period of time to pursue their high school studies while learning French as a foreign language. I worked as an engineer for over 30 years and have always enjoyed taking on new challenges. This teaching experience is most certainly a new one for me but throughout my career, I have been involved with training tasks, even though it was not a classroom setting as such. I now have this opportunity to do so with promising and challenging students! Quelle chance et aventure! Merci!

Math Study Hall of Success

This exclusive, and free service to Marymount Academy International is offered every Wednesday afternoon from 1:15pm to 2:30pm for students at every grade level. With the help of the STEP team, McGill tutors, staff, and volunteers, we support student learning. Thus far, Study Hall has been going very well. Students are able to benefit from the extra support and there has been noticeable improvement. All of the hard work seems to be paying off. Study Hall is becoming more and more of an important tool for student success.

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Saturday Tutorials

Marymount Academy’s Saturday morning tutorials are back in action and going strong! We have professional, accomplished tutors, and our students have been, and will continue to benefit from their expertise.

We offer Secondary 1, 3, 4 and 5 Math tutorials, and Secondary 4 Science tutorials. They take place every Saturday morning from 9am until noon.

Tutorials will take place on the following dates:

February: 6, 13, 20

March: 12, 19 April: 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

May: 7, 14, 21, 28 June: 4, 11

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Fresh Fusion Bistro

Since our opening in September, the bistro has been thriving. This wonderful hands-on experience is giving our Secondary 5 entrepreneurship students an opportunity to develop real world business skills. It is also fostering a sense of community within our school by giving the seniors a chance to service staff and those younger than them in a very friendly environment. Every Wednesday after school, Fresh Fusion is bustling with activity.

We are very excited to continue cooking up new, healthy recipes that our school will enjoy.

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