Administration Team:

Principal Vice-Principal Vice-Principal Vice-Principal A. Daniel A. Gheewala D. Heron S. Maharaj

January 10, 2020

To the parents/guardians of «First_Name» «Last_Name»,

A hearty welcome back to staff and students for the final weeks of Semester 1! On behalf of the administration, we hope that everyone enjoyed a restful, safe and happy Winter Break. For our team, the two week break from school allowed us to spend time with our loved ones, enjoy (too much!) delicious food and recharge our batteries for what is shaping up to be a fast and furious finish to classes before we reach culminating tasks in a few short weeks. Our final exam period begins on Thursday, January 23rd and ends on Wednesday, January 29th (barring inclement weather days). The time is NOW to touch base with teachers to ensure that all of the required course work from Semester 1 has been submitted so that all students, parents, guardians & caregivers have an accurate idea of where we stand before sitting for final exams.

January is also Tamil Heritage Month and we would like to acknowledge the start of the Tamil New Year on January 15th, 2020. On this day, Tamils around the world will be celebrating Tamil New Year and Thai Pongal, the Tamil harvest festival. Thai Pongal is the most important and widely celebrated festival amongst Tamils around the world. Thai Pongal is a time to give thanks for the blessings of the previous year and a time to look forward to the New Year. Pongal refers to rice cooked in milk and sweetened with chakkarai (brown cane sugar). On Thai Pongal, members of the family wake up early in the morning, dress in new clothes and gather together to cook the traditional Pongal meal. Additional ingredients used in this special dish include milk-roasted green gram (payaru), raisins, cashew nuts (optional), and cardamom. Pongal is served with fruits (banana and mango) on a banana leaf, and the family gives thanks to the sun and the farmers for a bountiful harvest before sharing the special dish with family members, friends and neighbours. We would like to wish all members of the MCI family a very joyous Thai Pongal!

Sincerely,

A. Daniel, A. Gheewala, D. Heron, S. Maharaj

Middlefield C.I.

Character Matters Trait of the Month: Optimism

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Sir Winston Churchill

** This is a reminder for students who have not yet taken their Graduation pictures to please come to the main office and sign up for an appointment slot. Once we have a large number of students we will be scheduling appointments for the 2nd week in January. ** Looking ahead @ MCI…

January 22 Last Day of Classes for Semester 1

January 23-29 SEMESTER 1 FINAL EXAMS

January 30 Exam Review Day

January 31 PA DAY

February 3 First Day of Semester 2

MCI HIGHLIGHTS

Exam season is upon us!

This is a friendly reminder that January 23-30th are our Semester 1 Final Exam dates. These dates

are reserved on our calendars and families should be aware to not book any travel/medical

appointments/other reasons for missing school during this time. It is an extremely crucial time for our

students, and can be the cause of lots of stress and anxiety. Stay tuned for tips from our Guidance

Department in the coming weeks on dealing with the stresses of exam time!

Students signing out for Friday Prayers

As our days have started to get shorter, prayer times have started to coincide more and more with the

latter part of the school day. We would like to remind parents and guardians that we do have a prayer

space available at MCI. Students who would like to use our prayer space are invited to come to room

207 between 12:30-1:00pm. Please have students inform their teachers if they are going to be

making use of this space so that attendance may be tracked accurately.

If, however, your child is going to be signing out for Friday prayers, please be proactive and send in a

note explaining when your child should be signing out and if they are to be returning to school the

same day, when we should expect them back. This will help our office staff as they keep track of

attendance and it will avoid a phone call home to let you know that your child missed part of the day.

Thank you in advance for your support!

Drive safe reminder!

Attention all drivers in the MCI Community! We have had a number of dangerous situations arise in the past where members of the MCI family have been injured by unsafe drivers in and around the school. We would like to remind you to adhere to the rules of the road and to keep the following in mind:

Please follow the speed limits. Driving a little bit slower, especially in school zones, is a good way to practice safe driving habits!

Please leave home early – often times accidents happen when people are rushing.

Roads are darker so please pay extra close attention to pedestrians in the early hours of the day as well as late at night.

Please follow the rules of the road – the MCI parking lot has one dedicated entrance (west end of the parking lot) and one dedicated exit (east end of the parking lot).

Put your phone away. Distracted driving is never a good idea…your texts can wait!

Reduce all potential distractions and focus on the road at all times.

Be extra cautious and always be prepared to make a sudden stop.

Be aware of school buses and other vehicles in pick up/drop off areas.

Take extra care when approaching stop signs, crosswalks, and traffic lights.

Roads will soon become slick with the cold weather only weeks away…ensure that your vehicle is ready for harsh winter climates!

Bus or School Cancellations

Bus or School Cancellations

With winter weather already here, we want to share some important reminders for families.

When an inclement weather or extreme cold or day is declared, school transportation (including buses and

taxis) are cancelled in the morning and afternoon. Schools will remain open. If you drive your child to school,

or your child takes alternate transportation, you must make arrangements for your child to get home at the end

of the day. Please call the school if your child will not be attending school on those days. Students will not be

penalized for missing school on these days.

There may be rare instances when emergency winter events occur and we need to close all schools and Board

locations. Please take the time to make plans in the event of an emergency school closure.

Information about transportation cancellations and Board closures will be shared through local media, Board

and school website and on twitter @YRDSB.

Our process for extreme cold, inclement weather and emergency weather days are outlined in the Board’s

Severe Weather policy, which has been recently updated and is available for public comment. Seeking feedback

from staff and community members, including parents/guardians, is an important part of the review process. All

policies available for comment are sent to school council chairs and are posted on the Board website, along with

information about how to provide feedback.

Upgrade your skills!

Adult ESL Classes

Youth Engagement Program

2020 March Break Youth Engagement Program

Who is Suitable for this Program?

This program is geared to mature students in Grade 9 – Grade 12 who may be interested in Policing or working within a Police service (not mandatory).

This program is very structured and has a physical fitness component which all participants will be involved in.

This program is designed to assist students in gaining self-confidence, self-discipline, self-awareness and resiliency.

Students Must Be:

Resident of York Region

Between the ages of 15-18 years old

Currently in Grade 9 – Grade 12

Currently attending a York Region Secondary School

Complete an Essay and submit with the application

All students must have their own transportation to this program – public transit is not an option Our Goal:

To have a week of learning and to experience a small portion of what the recruitment process may be like when applying to York Regional Police

To enable you to get to know yourself better, your strengths as well as areas you can enhance

To have you meet other students with similar goals and form lasting friendships

To have you interact and work with Officers who will continue to mentor you during this week How to Apply:

Interested applicants please email csv@yrp.ca requesting a copy of the application

Applications must be completed digitally and emailed back to csv@yrp.ca For more information or further questions contact: Debbie Robinson #5459, Supervisor, Community Safety Village, York Regional Police by email at csv@yrp.ca

Arts Camp 2020

Parent Engagement Network

INFORMATION ITEMS – FAMILY STUDIES DEPARTMENT

The Social Sciences, Humanities & Family Studies Department

Before the Winter Break, The Grade 11 Food and Culture classes attended the

Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and participated in a Cooking & Culinary challenge

on site with a local chef. Our students were thrilled to be a part of such an

exciting experience at one of the city’s most popular winter events.

Our Grade 12 Equity & Social Justice class has been busy developing their own

social justice campaigns and initiatives. They have been collaborating with

extracurricular teams at school and with the broader community to raise

awareness and instigate social change! Working in small groups, some students

created care packages for the homeless and volunteered in shelters, while others

raised money for climate solutions, and hosted guest speakers on domestic

violence and mental health. Others corresponded with local government on

gender based equity and provincial government petitioning for changes to OSAP

legislation. Congratulations to all of our Social Justice Warriors!

We also have several students in our Grade 11 and 12 Fashion classes who are

training and getting prepared for the York Region Skills Challenge taking place this

upcoming February at Seneca College Newnham Campus. We wish them luck!

Finally, the department hosted it’s 6th Annual Winter Food Drive to support

Markham Food Bank. The teacher with the winning class prepared a healthy snack

for the class…a big congratulations to Ms. Suganthan’s Grade 9 Exploring Family

Studies class!

UPDATES FROM THE GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT

There is a positive relationship between regular attendance and success in school. Students at MCI are required to attend regularly, to be punctual, and to participate in all scheduled classes.

VALID ABSENCES include illness, bereavement or family emergency.

AUTHORIZED ABSENCES include dentist/doctor appointments, driver’s test, and court appearances.

EXCUSED ABSENCES refer to field trips and school sanctioned events. Students are still considered to be at school.

EXTENDED ABSENCES of four days or more require the completion of a “Special Leave” form at least one week in advance of the leave. This form may be obtained from the Main Office. A parent/guardian signature is required. It is the student’s responsibility to catch up on all work missed.

DO NOT plan absences or family vacations during culminating and exam periods as the evaluations CANNOT be rescheduled.

Type of Absence Parent/Guardian Responsibility Absent for a Full Day Phone the school with a valid reason the same day or send a note

upon return

Absent for One or More Classes Phone with valid reason indicating the time of absence or send a note with the student

Leaving Before the End of the Day Student signs out in attendance office with a note from the parent/guardian

In the Event of an Emergency Contact the office as soon as possible.

For safety reasons, students who have signed out must leave the building as they will not be directly supervised.

Dear parent/Guardian of «First_Name» «Last_Name»,

Please review the following attendance report. The report includes semester lates and absences from September 3rd, 2019 – January 9th, 2020, as well as Community Service Hours submitted to date.

Course Period Teacher Total Absences

Semester 1 Total Lates Semester 1

«Course_A» «Period_A» «Teacher_Last_A» «Absence_A» «Lates_A»

«Course_B» «Period_B» «Teacher_Last_B» «Absence_B» «Lates_B»

«Course_C» «Period_C» «Teacher_Last_C» «Absence_C» «Lates_C»

«Course_D» «Period_D» «Teacher_Last_D» «Absence_D» «Lates_D»

«Course_E» «Period_E» «Teacher_Last_E» «Absence_E» «Lates_E»

«Course_F» «Period_F» «Teacher_Last_F» «Absence_F» «Lates_F»

«Course_G» «Period_G» «Teacher_Last_G» «Absence_G» «Lates_G»

Totals «Total_Abs» «Total_Lates»

Community Service Hours Submitted to date for «First_Name» «Last_Name» «Community_Servi» This report lists the dates of each absence and the coding (ill, medical, truant).

Want more information about student attendance? Students under 18 and/or their parents can pick up a detailed attendance report from the main office.

ATTENDANCE REPORT

MIDDLEFIELD C.I. PHONE EXTENSION LIST

MIDDLEFIELD C.I. SCHOOL LINKS

Middlefield C.I. Webpage: http://www.yrdsb.ca/schools/middlefield.ci

York Region District School Board: http://www.yrdsb.ca/

Y.R.D.S.B. Guide to the 2019-2020 School Year: Guide to the School Year

SHSM: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/morestudentsuccess/SHSM.html

Teacher's Name (Last Name, First Name)

VM # Teacher's Name (Last Name, First Name)

VM # Teacher's Name (Last Name, First Name)

VM #

Afsharnejad, Fatemah 4600 Heron, Deanna 159 Morin, Mike 4664

Arsenault, Michelle 4613 Ho, Sonia 4624 Murray, Stephen 4657

Atcha, Saeed 4654 Hobbs, Andrew 4627 Nasreen, Tahira 4666

Bakshi, Shirleen 4605 Hoult, Sarah 4675 Ng'Ong'Ola, Neps 4667

Balakumar, Vithyani 4607 Hunte, Camille 4611 Nguyen, Vincent 4641

Baldassini, Susanna 360 Huryn, Karolina 4629 Okongwu, Ngozi 4669

Bell, Catherine 4656 Hytman, Barry 4640 O'Neill, Jeremy 4703

Blanchard, Dan 4608 Istanbul, Martha 4631 Patras, Sofia 4302

Boy, Martina 4609 Kapustina, Elena 4622 Pawlicki, Barb 4628

Boyd, Morgan 4653 Khandaker, Shopan 4661 Pownall, Alyson 4625

Brijmongal, Ganesh 4610 King-Sewell, Rockell 4701 Prinsloo, Heather 4658

Brown, Tonya 4606 Korres, Vasiliki 4612 Reid, Rebecca 4676

Cha, Jessica 4617 Kumar, Rita 4615 Rosenberg, Eric 4634

Chan, Laura 4614 Ladas, Niki 4665 Rueckert, Jennifer 4645

Chang, Mary 4649 Lane, Janine 4699 Rutherford, Claudette 4673

Chiejina, Pat 4619 Lawrence, Grace 4700 Sadacharan, Skanda 4677

Curatola, Kristina 4601 Li Kam Cheung, Priscilla 4651 Sanchez, Rodolfo 4621

Dabas, Jogender 4616 Liau, Sandra 4662 Stephenson, Paul 161

Dadar, Mehdi 4693 Lloyd, Jonathan 4650 Suganthan, Piraveena 4636

Daniel, Aline 158 MacPherson, Alison 4685 Sukhera, Sabrina 4682

Del Rosario, Melissa 4648 Maharaj, Susan 157 Tang, Iris 4626

Derry, Joyce 4637 Mallin, Evan 4695 Terranova, Tamara 4679

Dornai, Angie 4678 Malone, Carol 4697 Thakrar, Sandeep 4688

Escoffery, Nigel 4624 Markandaier, Shiva 4644 Thompson, Reginald 4689

Falzarano, Janet 4633 Mavridis, Peter 4659 Tsui, Ada 4643

Firasat, Heera 4680 Mcloughlin, Dawn 4639 Tyler, Pamela 4668

Gauthier, Melanie 4663 McMullen, Dan 4642 Van Den Kroonenberg, Anna 217

Geronikolos, Lazaros 4603 Mein, Andrew 4660 Wong, Jack 4694

Gheewala, Amol 156 Mobilos, Cathy 4630 Woo, Rajvinder 4684

Glass, Jamie 4632 Mogilevskaya, Vera 4638 Zissopoulos, Dimitra 4686

Harvey, Walter 4683 Moore, Lara 4620