February 2020 TCDSB

2019-2020 · ROOTED IN CHRIST: WE BELONG, WE BELIEVE, WE BECOME

Notre Dame High School

12 Malvern Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M4E 3E1 Main: 416-393-5501 Guidance: 416-397-6177 Fax: 416-393-5631

Principal: Jolanta Hickey Superintendent: John Shanahan 416-222-8282 Ext. 5371 Trustee: Angela Kennedy (Ward 11) 416-512-3411 Parish: St. John’s Catholic Church 790 Kingston Rd. Toronto, ON M4E 1R7 (416) 698-1105 CSPC Chair: Rosa Morphy 416-222-8282 Ext. 88501

CPIC (Parent Engagement – TCDSB) www.tcdsb.org/cpic OAPCE Toronto (Provincial Voice for Parents) www.tcdsb.org/oapce-toronto

Enrollment: 682

Principal’s Message Every February as we start our new semester thoughts of spring also begin to surface. Wiarton Willie has assured us an early Spring this year – let’s hope his predication comes true! And with every new term there are changes. We welcome Ms. D’Addario back to the Math Department and Ms. Young returns to our Arts Department. Welcome! On Wednesday February 19

th, the Guidance Department will be

speaking to students in grade assemblies about course option selections for the upcoming school year. Please be sure to discuss course selections with your daughter as she begins to determine best options and the most appropriate level of study to pursue. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact our guidance counsellors. I hope you enjoy the articles in our Newsletter. As always, there are lots of great things happening at Notre Dame. The ongoing work in our Christmas Basket Program continues to be an area of great pride in our community. As well, our school again contributed to the Out of the Cold program in support of Trustee Angela Kennedy’s on-going work with the St. Brigid community. This year we celebrate the 400

th birthday of our Patron St. Marguerite

Bourgeoys. We continue to be grateful for the values this amazing woman and the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame have instilled in us. We take great pride in our history and extended family. You’ll find with this Newsletter an updated calendar for the balance of the school year. In addition, we will continue to send a synervoice message/email on Fridays with the upcoming week’s activities. If you would prefer to receive an email rather than a phone message, please contact Ms. Gonsalves, our Guidance secretary at 416-397-6177 with your email address. May God bless and continue to watch over you,

Mrs. Jolanta Hickey

Principal, Notre Dame High School

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2019-2020 · ROOTED IN CHRIST: WE BELONG, WE BELIEVE, WE BECOME

The ND God Squad had a very busy semester 1. We began with our Opening Liturgy, which introduced our school year theme of "Do Something" (based on the Matthew West song). We then launched a very successful Thanksgiving Food Drive for Rosalie Hall. Thanks for all the donations and a big congratulations to Ms. O'Connor's homeroom for bringing in the highest amount of 16 items per person! Overall, we were able to collect 1,797 items that had to be delivered in 2 separate trips!

The grade 10's participated in wonderful retreats in October and the 11's in November. Semester 1 retreat season was capped off with an amazing Grade 12 Overnight retreat in December. Thank you to all staff and students who participated! God Squad also participated in the first Street Patrol of the year. 18 students organized sandwiches, snacks and winter clothing accessories and on November 28th we went out and

distributed them to the hungry and homeless of our downtown community. In December, God Squad hosted the annual Staff Children's Christmas party, which included over 20 children of our staff members. Santa even joined us for a visit! The school community also came together for our annual Christmas Basket campaign. We were able to help 16 families this year, with the help of staff and student donations, as well as community and alumnae

donations. Thank you to all for the generosity. They were delivered on December 18th and left us with a feeling of the true meaning of Christmas. The semester finished off with our annual St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Feast Day celebration (including Mass and reception) on Friday, January 10, 2020. Members of the Congregation of Notre Dame, as well as our Christmas basket and year-long donors joined us in celebrating this amazing woman. In April 2020, we gear up to celebrate her 400th birthday! Thanks to all for an incredible semester 1! God Squad looks forward to more exciting things for second semester!

God Squad

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2019-2020 · ROOTED IN CHRIST: WE BELONG, WE BELIEVE, WE BECOME

A Few Notre Dame Student Initiatives Hafeez Gomez has created a multi-cultural crew and already completed 4 events with her team: a world flag presentation, Day of the Dead celebration, cultural symbols sold at Artsmas and a Christmas around the World Kahoot. Her goal with this initiative is to celebrate the cultural diversity at Notre Dame. She also held her “Christmas Card Project”, where students at Dame were invited to create a home-made Christmas card which has been sold to raise money for Covenant House.

Sophie Wagner started a string quartet group at Notre Dame. She was very enterprising in researching and finding the resources needed to accomplish this. The quartet has been practicing regularly and look forward to performing in the future.

Leah Karasavidis represented Notre Dame last year at an Indigenous retreat and became moved to help out with some of the injustices they face regarding water and housing. This September at school, she made announcements and a bulletin board to inform Notre Dame on these issues. She also created a petition, where enough of our community signed so that she could bring it to our government. She met with beaches MP, Nathaniel Erskine Smith in December and he was so impressed with her initiative that he wants to personally present the petition to Parliament January 27, 2020.

A big congratulations to these enterprising students. We look forward to a number of initiatives

that will continue throughout the year.

Curriculum Brought to Life!

Earlier this semester, Grade 10 history students had the amazing opportunity to interact with a wide range of authentic World War I artifacts. Thoughtful questions and meaningful discussions

abounded as students had fun trying on, handling and closely investigating items such as uniforms, gas masks, maps, shrapnel and artillery shells. Students were able to make meaningful connections to our collective past, developing a greater appreciation for the sacrifice and struggle of Canadians throughout WWI.

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2019-2020 · ROOTED IN CHRIST: WE BELONG, WE BELIEVE, WE BECOME

Ms Slosel’s grade 10 Visual Arts students were selected to exhibit their work at the Ontario College of Teachers during the month of November. The offices of the OCT, located at Bay Street

and Bloor Street, offered the perfect opportunity to showcase the creativity,

skill and hard work of the students. The studio project on view, entitled No. 2 Pencil

Transformations, greatly impressed not only the staff and at the OCT but garnered positive feedback on the various social media sites the OCT posted the exhibition. At the close of the exhibit, Notre Dame art students were invited to exhibit again in the future and each student was given a small power bank as a gift of appreciation. Congratulations to all of the participating students for all of your outstanding work!

Notre Dame Visual Arts Students Impress the Ontario College of Teachers

Remembrance Day Poster Awarded 3rd Place in Ontario

Every year, Notre Dame grade 9 Visual Arts students are given the challenge of creating an original poster that illustrates how Canadians acknowledge Remembrance Day on November 11

th.

The posters are submitted for judging at the intermediate level by the Royal Canadian Legion as part of their annual national contest. Without exception, Notre Dame students have distinguished themselves by receiving a range of top award.

This past year, Venice Gonzalo earned multiple awards for her poster design which recalls the heroism and sacrifice of Canadian soldiers on the battlefields of World War I. Winning first place in the colour category at the Branch, Zone and District levels, Venice finally placed 3

rd at the

provincial level. A big congratulations to Venice and all of our other student participants as they took home other first, second, third place and honourable mention certificates and award money.

February 2020 Notre Dame High School Pg. 5

2019-2020 · ROOTED IN CHRIST: WE BELONG, WE BELIEVE, WE BECOME

The Arts department hosted their annual visual and performing arts showcase

Artsmas on Friday, December 13th. The audience was greeted by two stunning

visual arts exhibitions demonstrating skill, creativity and outstanding achievement

by grade 9 and 10 students. The performance began with the music department showcasing their junior and

senior bands. The students played a selection of global Christmas carols such as the African Bell Carol, an arrangement showcasing drums such as the djembe and conga. Just before intermission,

grade 12 technology students presented a short film with an interview with a rather unusual Santa Claus. The audience was treated to

delicious goodies from our Culinary Arts team as we prepared for the second half of the night. The drama and dance department

showcased incredible range and talent during Act 2. Grade 9 drama students revealed the silliness of the

holiday shopping experience through their exploration of clown. Grade 10 drama students challenged audiences to commit to a more peaceful new year in their dramatic interpretation

of Wyclef Jean’s Gunpowder. In dance, Grade 12 students started off with a high energy Latin

dance fiesta! Grade 9 students tippy toed their way into a ballet set to the theme of The Nightmare Before

Christmas and Grade 10 students echoed hooves on a rooftop with their tap routine. To close the night, Notre Dame’s two dance teams Avidity and Ovation created a joint routine which blended modern

and hip hop dance styles. It was a fantastic night and the Arts Department looks forward to hosting another stellar show in 2020.

Artsmas

Grade Eleven Students Participate on an Interfaith Excursion

On November 19th, grade 11 World Religions students travelled to two places of worship in an

effort to broaden their understanding of the different faith traditions explored in class. Their first visit was to the Islamic Shia Ithna-Asheri Jamaat and Jaffari Community Centre where they were greeted by an imam who highlighted the fundamental tenants of Islam and answered a variety of questions from the group. Following lunch, the students were then made their way to the Chabad-Lubavitch Markham Synagogue where everyone listened to a rabbi highlight aspects of Judaism. The rabbi concluded the discussion with a unique opportunity for everyone to view the sacred scriptures housed in the ark. By the end of the day everyone agreed that the retreat was both a memorable and a rewarding experience.

Many thanks to Ms Soave who organized the event.

February 2020 Notre Dame High School Pg. 6

2019-2020 · ROOTED IN CHRIST: WE BELONG, WE BELIEVE, WE BECOME

News from the Co-Op DepartmentNotre Dame students successfully participated in the cooperative education program this semester. Students explored career areas of their choice and gained valuable work experience and transferable skills. They were also able to develop skills needed to succeed in the 21

st century such

as interpersonal skills, team work, initiative, responsibility, and organization skills. Students gained hands-on experience in a variety of careers including Nursing, Dental Hygienist, Teaching, Fashion, Skin Care, Daycare, Law, STEAM programs, Retail and Banking. Congratulations to the following students on their outstanding effort and enthusiasm and thanks to our community partners. Alexa Arzaga Keyleigh Malapitan Loren Joy Balisi Mirabelle Manzano Grace Care Angelica Marania Anna Collura Jenneyl Marshall Arwen Dimaculangan Angelica Martinez Nayanthara Dino Luchia-Teferie Mengistu Shannon Dobbin Justine Ranido Florianne Fonacier Shanterin Rowe Shaliyah Grant Debakshi Sarkar Maria Lavelle Isla Selina Tsetsos Senci Livingston-Dey Venise Yalda Natasha Sachs-Pepe, Cooperative Education Teacher

Thoughts from our Coop students: “Coop is an unforgettable experience that I believe everyone should have. Not only did I gain experience in the field that I was interested in, I also learned many life skills that I can use for future reference. Coop has helped me prepare for getting a job, and also becoming a better student.” Venise Yalda, Dashwood and Dashwood “Not only is coop great at helping students understand more about their career choice, but also helps them to build confidence, skills and relationships with other people. These are all factors that can aid students in the future. Fortunately enough, I got to experience all of that during my coop placement at SickKids” Arwen Dimaculangan, SickKids “At my coop placement, I had the honor of discovering some of the many areas of the fashion industry. From picking out garments for stylists to steaming suits for hours, my placement taught me many skills for working in the industry that I can use in the future.” Grace Care, Salvin Raphael “My coop experience at Mount Sinai Hospital allowed me to explore different career possibilities while learning about myself and different aspects of the medical field. At first I didn’t know if I made the right decision but once I started to network and seek out opportunities, I was able to gain knowledge and work experience that helped me realize I would enjoy working in a healthcare facility, especially with mothers and babies. Overall my coop was a great experience. Shanterin Rowe, Mt Sinai Hospital I learned more about myself and how I can apply the skills I learned in the real world and the ND community. I met great people and they shared their personal stories of how they got to where they are now. Coop is something that students should take in grade 11.” Shaliyah Grant, American Eagle

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2019-2020 · ROOTED IN CHRIST: WE BELONG, WE BELIEVE, WE BECOME

Monthly Update from the Board February 2020

Director’s Annual Report 2018-2019 Check out some of the highlights of the past school year in the newly published edition of the Director’s Annual Report. https://www.tcdsb.org/Board/BoardAdministration/DirectorofEducation/Pages/AnnualReport-2018-2019.aspx Never Miss Out on Important Information Visit www.tcdsb.org for regular updates. Follow @TCDSB on Twitter. Subscribe to E-news, and receive news and information sent right to your email. https://web1.tcdsb.org/InterestSubscription/subscription.aspx

February 2020 Notre Dame High School

2019-2020 · ROOTED IN CHRIST: WE BELONG, WE BELIEVE, WE BECOME