pierre elliott trudeau high school pirouette · pierre elliott trudeau high school pirouette...
TRANSCRIPT
1
A Message from the Administrative Team
October 2011
Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School
PIROUETTE
Administrators’
Message 1,2
Dates at a Glance 1
Club News 2
Department News 3-5
Trudeau’s Birthday 6
Inside this Issue
Dates at a Glance
PA Day October 24
Ontario College Fair
October 28
Take our Kids to Work (Gr.9)
November 2
Mid-term report cards
November 18
Dance November 24
PA Day November 25
Cabaret December 1
Winter Melodies
December 8
Last day of classes before the
Winter Break
December 23
Classes Resume
January 9
Mosaic/ Sears Showcase
January 19
Grade 9 Math Exam
January 20
Grade 9 EQAO Math
January 24, 25
Grade 8 Open House
January 26
Exams January 27 –31
Welcome to the first edition of the 2011-2012 La Pirouette our
school’s newsletter that highlights the academic, community and ath-
letic achievements of our students. As the new principal I have en-
joyed meeting an enthusiastic school community. In the first six
weeks of school the Administrators have witnessed the commitment
and spirit of our students in numerous ways. In September and Octo-
ber, students: have enjoyed Trudeaumania a Grade 9 orientation
event; Room 104 has competed at and enjoyed the Markham Fair;
student leaders have honed their skills at the Trudeau Leadership
Camp; school athletic teams such as girls basketball, boys volleyball,
tennis, cricket and cross country running have practiced and com-
peted; and our music students have had a chance to share their talents
and refine their skills with post-secondary and industry music profes-
sionals. (Continued on page 2)
Students from Team Blue take part in a cooperation exercise during Tru-
deaumania. All of our grade nines and many student leaders took part in this
annual event designed to help new students feel connected to each other and
the school. Visible from left to right: Bernice Ho, Anndee Hoover, Julia
Hembruff, Dolly Guo, Jessica Hon.
Ms. Debbie Linkewich Ms. Virginia Bregg Mr. George Tsigaridis
Principal Vice-Principal Vice-Principal
2
Club News
(from page one)
Congratulations to our Grade 10
students for their achievement
on the Grade 9 assessment of
mathematics last year. 96 % of
students enrolled in Grade 9
A c a d e m i c M a t h e m a t i c s
achieved at or above the provin-
cial standard and 68% of stu-
dents enrolled in Grade 9 Ap-
plied Mathematics achieved at
or above the provincial standard,
which is an increase of 24%
from the previous year. Well
done, bravo et félicitations.
We also encourage students and
their families to work together
and learn about all of the oppor-
tunities and pathways available
beyond high school. This year
students have had opportunities
to explore a variety of post-
secondary pathways: at an eve-
ning college and university pres-
entation; by attending several
after-school college and univer-
sity presentations; or even by
speaking with one of our guid-
ance counsellors who can an-
swer questions and share a vari-
ety of resources with both stu-
dents and their families.
We would like to encourage our
families to be involved in their
child’s school life. Attend ath-
letic events, performances, our
School Council meetings or
contact teachers if you have
questions or concerns. Also,
please do not hesitate to contact
us by phone, e-mail or in person
to ask questions or share your
feedback with us.
The Octagon Club is the junior
branch of Optimists Interna-
tional. Each year, dozens of
students join the service club to
practise and hone their leader-
ship skills, to help the local and
global community, and to com-
plete their volunteer hours. This
year’s information meeting at-
tracted over a hundred new and
old student members.
So far, these enthusiastic young
adults have participated in a va-
riety of school and community
events. Students have painted
numerous banners to promote
school clubs and events. They
took part in a mental health
awareness workshop and created
a mural of words to promote
understanding and compassion
for the mentally ill. Students
also helped out at Markham Fair
over four days, giving direc-
tions, manning the Lost Chil-
dren’s Booth and guiding
“Dora” around the fairgrounds.
The Octagon Club’s current pro-
ject is a homeroom food drive
competition. All Trudeau stu-
dents are challenged to donate
as much non-perishable food as
possible for those in need. The
homeroom with the greatest
number of donated items per
person in the class will win a
delectable treat prepared by Oc-
tagon Club members. Good
luck to all homerooms!
Administrators’
Message
Grade 9 students, Arrchana Pradeepan, Christine Tan, Connie Li, Kimberly Wang
and Jenny Gui show their generous spirit by contributing to the food drive.
The Octagon Club Challenges Trudeau Students:
Participate and Make a Difference
3
Department News E. Marotta-Kulscar
Subject Head Business
The semester has begun and our
Department is off to an amazing
start! At the end of last year, an
Accounting Contest (COIN) was
conducted by the Canadian In-
stitute of Chartered Account-
ants. On October 12, 2011, our
Department was presented with
a plaque for placing within the
top two schools in the entire
province. Congratulations, once
again, to Rebecca Yao for her
Accounting Contest award!
Another Accounting Competi-
tion was held by the Ontario
Business Educators’ Association
(O.B.E.A.) in late May. Con-
gratulations to the following
winners in the Grade 12 Ac-
counting category: Jenny
Shang, who placed 9th; Ryan
Rego, who placed 16th; and Pra-
katheesh Navaneethan, who
placed 21,st out of 400 partici-
pants in the entire province!
In the O.B.E.A. Grade 11 Ac-
counting category, congratula-
tions to the following winners:
Mike Cai, who placed 8th;
Andy Mao, who placed 11th;
and Arthur Jiang, who placed
14th out of 652 participants in
the entire province!
Our Department was also highly
acknowledged at the O.B.E.A.
Desktop Publishing Junior Divi-
sion Competition. Our Grade 9
BTT students entered the com-
petition and successfully placed
1st and 2nd in the
entire province! Congratula-
tions to Beatrice Chen and
Samantha Yeung, who placed
2nd, and congratulations to
Daniel Chung, who placed 1st.
They were presented their
plaques at the O.B.E.A. Annual
Luncheon on October 1st.
Again, you have made the De-
partment and our school proud!
For the rest of this semester, the
Department will continue foster-
ing student success through ad-
ditional competitions and con-
tests. We will also apply to the
Ministry of Education for a Spe-
cialist High Skills Major desig-
nation in Business.
In short, the Business Studies
Department has had an eventful
start. One might say that we are
“open” for Business!
Diana Taylor
Subject Head English
What’s New in the English
Department?
Peer Tutoring
Looking for an English tutor to
help you proofread assignments
or generate ideas for writing?
Need a quiet place to do your
English homework? The English
Department’s Peer Tutoring
club invites Grade 9 and 10 stu-
dents to drop by for extra help
Mondays and Thursdays after-
school in Room 206. Grade 11
and 12 students can earn volun-
teer hours by tutoring on one or
both of these days. Volunteer
application forms are available
outside the English Department
office in Room 209, or from
your English teacher. Please
contact Ms. Misra in the English
Department if you have any
questions.
Kathryn Keystone
Subject Head
Geography
This year in Geography is a
busy one. Between the Royal
Winter Fair, film screening at
the ROM and a green tour of
Toronto’s downtown our Grade
9 classes are exploring how Ge-
ography goes beyond the class-
room. The Travel and Tourism
class is going to get a behind the
scenes look into the kitchen of
the CN tower’s 360 revolving
restaurant. We are excited to be
offering a four day trip to Banff
Alberta for all Grade 9 students.
The Grade 12 Global Outreach
class will be designing and de-
livering events to educate and
raise money in support of edu-
cation, clean water and human
rights in Africa.
4
Department News News from the Math
Department
Jennifer Black
The EQAO results are in for the
2010-2011 academic year. Once
again our students have excelled in
the grade 9 standardized mathemat-
ics assessment. Here are the results:
96% of the students achieved level
3 or above in the academic stream
68% of the students achieved level
3 or above in the applied stream
Last years math contests were a
huge success with over 160 stu-
dents participating in the University
of Waterloo contests. We will be
offering the following contests this
year:
Canadian Senior and Intermediate
Mathematics Contest (Tuesday
November 22, 2011)
Pascal, Cayley, Fermat Contests
(Thursday February 23, 2012)
Euclid Contest (Wednesday April
1, 2012)
Listen to the announcements about
the sign up dates for the contests
this year.
The after school math peer tutoring
program is up and running! This
program provides the opportunity
for students who need extra help in
math to work with their peers who
have strong math skills. This pro-
gram is extremely successful and
students are welcome to attend at
any time throughout the year. Peer
tutoring occurs every Thursday
from 3-4 pm in room 150.
News from the Science
Department
Daria Filip
Congratulations to all participants
of the McMaster Engineering
Olympics. This is an annual event
that challenges students to partici-
pate in hands-on projects exploring
the various types of engineering:
civil, chemical, computer, mechani-
cal and engineering physics. Tru-
deau traditionally performs well at
these Olympics and this year was
no different.
As usual, it was an early 6:30 am
start when we boarded the yellow
bus for Hamilton, but all the stu-
dents were wide awake and looking
forward to the events. Once at the
university, we were greeted and
cheered on by Trudeau grads now
in residence at McMaster. Between
events students had the opportunity
to see Engineering Labs, attend
lectures and
visit the
p l a n e t a r -
ium. Thank-
you to all
who came
out for the
t r y -
outs. We’re
looking for-
ward to an-
other great
year in 2012.
News from the Phys.
Ed. Department
Fiona Cusak and Meera
Rajah
In our busy schedules full of so
many commitments and obliga-
tions, it is very easy to overlook the
most important components of our
lives: Health and Fitness! Having
a healthy lifestyle shouldn't be
a “When I feel like it” or a “Just
before that big event” kind of thing.
Living a healthy life will not only
benefit our physical well being, it
will also give us a positive outlook
on all challenges we face on a daily
basis. That is why Pierre Elliott
Trudeau High School is proud to
present to you G-Fit; a girls’ only
fitness club specifically designed to
provide fun fitness opportunities.
From aerobic classes to free
weights and low-fat brownies to
dance routines, G-FIT will provide
girls with fun and fitness! Keep
listening for more information on
G-Fit! We want to see you girls out
there!
5
Department News Deilyn Berdichevskaya
Subject Head
Moderns
Hello! Bonjour! Hola! Ciao!
The Moderns Department is very
excited about all the opportunities
available to students this school
year. On November 4, Grade 11
and 12 Core French students with
Grade 10 and 9 French Immersion
Students will participate in a Slam
Poetry Workshop hosted by Oni, a
Haitian Artist. Students will learn
how to write poetry accompanied
by music. This is a great and a fun
way to enhance their writing and
oral communication skills. Our
Grade 9 Core French classes will
once again savour delicious crêpes
at Café Crêpe downtown Toronto,
while Grade 10 Core French stu-
dents will learn everything about
Quebecois folk music at Lula Arts
Centre. Grade 12 Immersion stu-
dents will embark on a theatrical
experience through the French play
Dieu du carnage at Théâtre Fran-
çais de Toronto. On November 16,
our Grade 11 Immersion students
will explore French Cinéma at ONF
(National Film Board of Canada);
they will watch the film Moi César
followed by a round table discus-
sion guided by a médiatique repre-
sentative. Last but not least, as part
of the food unit, Grade 10 Spanish
students will savour authentic
Mexican cuisine at La mexicana
restaurant.
There are more exciting opportuni-
ties for students passionate about
learning languages: the annual
International Educational Tour tak-
ing place May 18-27, 2012 and our
tradition carries on with the Ex-
change Program with La Croix
Rouge School, the largest private
school in France situated in Brest,
Brittany. The school has been our
partner for 6 exciting years! On
April 28, 2012, 15 students will be
arriving from France to stay with
their exchange partners. Our stu-
dents will be visiting their French
partners in October 2012. Students
will participate in educational tours
and will develop life long friend-
ships with our international part-
ners. Need more opportunities?
Check our board outside the Mod-
erns department. You can partici-
pate in language competitions, vol-
unteer as a language tutor after
school, engage in our community,
participate in the ISE (International
Student Exchange) program at the
board, work in Quebec while learn-
ing French through the iExplore
program and more.
Au revoir! Hasta la vista! Bye!
Arrivederci!
Margit Muller
Subject Head
ESL
During the last few weeks, students
from ISA (International Student
Association) have been very active
in organizing activities for new-
comers to our country and to our
school. One trip took them to the
IYC (Immigrant Youth Centre) for
an orientation meeting, during
which they were introduced to the
many exciting opportunities the
Centre has to offer - including a full
fledged Canadian Thanksgiving
Dinner!
Students new to the country and our school accompanied by members of the club,
the International Student Association visit the Immigrant Youth Centre in Markham
where they were fed a turkey dinner. From left to right: Janice Law, Nancy Li, Tif-
fany Li, Linki Lai, Louisa Lee, Vinzan Leung, Brian Hau, Harron Yan, Jason Chu
and Jeffrey Li
6
Events Pierre Elliott Trudeau
High School Begins its
Tenth Year
Nicholas Bolden
Subject Head
On October 18th, Pierre Elliott
Trudeau would have celebrated
his 92nd birthday. The school is
beginning its tenth year. To mark
the day the following was read to
all staff and students over the PA,
and cake was served to everyone
by Student Council .
Have you ever wondered why we
plant rosebushes each year in the
flowerbeds at the front of the
school? What about those charac-
ter paddles in the crossroads? Or
the canoe above the trophy cases?
Why do we call our teams
“Trailblazers”? Did you know our
school motto is “Strive Higher,
Soar Further”? Did you know that
our newsletter is called Pirouette?
Trudeau was an optimist. When he
left public life in 1984, he had
these words of encouragement for
the liberal party and the country:
“Our hopes are high. Our faith in
the people is great. Our courage is
strong. And our dreams for this
beautiful country will never die.”
Pierre Elliott Trudeau was Can-
ada’s most outgoing, vibrant, dig-
nified, bold, charismatic, aca-
demic, disciplined and passionate
Prime Minister. While his actions
may have been unconventional,
even rebellious, his achievements
of repatriating the Constitution,
fostering multiculturalism and
bilingualism, and promoting a
peaceful, egalitarian global vision
are acknowledged by both critics
and supporters. In all senses of
the word, Trudeau was a trail-
blazer.
Today Pierre Elliott Trudeau High
School is celebrating the begin-
ning of its ninth year as well as
what would have been our name-
sake’s 91st birthday. The school
was founded on the same ideas
that guided our former Prime Min-
ister: multiculturalism and bilin-
gualism, social consciousness and
global responsibility. The evi-
dence is all around us in our
physical symbols, but more im-
portantly in our social actions.
We continue to invest ourselves in
the spirit of community through
the Octagon Club, STRUT, the
International Student Association,
E- Action and the myriad of
events that celebrate our individu-
ality and our collectiveness.
The school was intended to be
named the “Berczy” school, and
for a long time it was the
“unnamed school in North Mark-
ham”; the founding administra-
tion, staff and community fought
to rename it. From its inception
and blessing from the Trudeau
Foundation to its current record of
academic excellence and determi-
nation to serve the larger commu-
nity, the staff and students of this
school – Pierre Elliott Trudeau
H i g h
School --
are com-
mitted to
fostering a
safe, sus-
t a i n a b l e
and im-
p r o v e d
world.
This is the
T r u d e a u
vision, the
T r u d e a u
c u l t u r e ,
the Tru-
deau ideology. You need to un-
derstand its heritage in order to be
able to live it. The students and
staff of Trudeau continue to blaze
trails academically, athletically,
extra-curricularly on local, provin-
cial, national and international
stages. “Just watch me” has be-
come our clarion call. So, when
you luxuriate in a piece of birth-
day cake today, or look at the new
rosebushes Student Council has
planted or participate in our recy-
cling program or put on your team
uniform or wonder about the por-
trait outside the main office, re-
member that you are part of the
Trudeau legacy. Today isn’t just a
celebration; it’s a reaffirmation of
our passion to live up to the ex-
pectations Pierre Elliott Trudeau
set.
Happy Birthday Trudeau!
Student Council President Vishnu Thillainathan plants the rose bush