IT STARTS in the Schools

Summer 2014

UPCOMING EVENTS

August 9 – Various Locations Back to School Safely Campaign September 4 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. For students and families that are new to student transportation please visit of the locations to take in the presentations and go on your `first ride` on a school bus and learn about school bus safety. For locations and details visit: https://www.tcdsb.org/news/othernews/201 4/pages/back-to-school-safely- campaign.aspx

August 25 TCDSB Board-wide Schools re-open

September 2 TCDSB Board-wide Classes resume

September 8 TCDSB Board-wide International Literacy Day

September 27 Archbishop Romero C.S.S. 25th Anniversary Celebration 99 Humber Boulevard, York At Archbishop Romero C.S.S. 416.393.5555 2:00 p.m. Welcome 3:00 p.m. Mass 4:30 p.m. Alumni Games 6:00 p.m. Cocktails/Appetizer Buffet

September 27 St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School 100th Anniversary Celebration 116 Fermanagh Avenue, Mass at 10:00 a.m. at St. Vincent de Paul 416.393.5227 Church, followed by a BBQ and Open House at the school.

September 30 TCDSB Board-wide TCDSB Newcomer Conference 80 Sheppard Ave East, North York At the Catholic Education Centre (CEC) 416.222.8282 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

October 5 St. Philip Neri Catholic School Farewell Celebration for St. Philip Neri 20 Beverly Hills Drive, North York Catholic School 416.393.5254 At St. Philip Neri Church 3:00 p.m. Reception to follow at St. Philip Neri Catholic School

October 5 St. Gerard Majella Catholic School Farewell Celebration for St. Gerard 35 Heavitree Drive, North York Majella Catholic School 416.393.5346 At St. Philip Neri Church 3:00 p.m. Reception to follow at St. Gerard Majella Catholic School

October 18 St. Ursula Catholic School 50th Anniversary Celebration 215 Livingston Road, Scarborough Open House at St. Ursula 416.393.5306 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

October 24 Jean Vanier C.S.S. Jean Vanier CSS 25th Anniversary 959 Midland Avenue, Scarborough Alumni Dinner Dance 416.393.5554 At The Brighton Banquet Hall 5:45 p.m.

November 22 St. Cecilia Catholic School 100th Anniversary Celebration 355 Annette Street, Toronto Mass at St. Michael's Cathedral on the 416.393.5218 Feast of St. Cecilia Celebrant: Cardinal Collins

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS

TCDSB Celebrates Day Students and staff across the Board celebrated Canada Day a little early on Thursday, June 26th, wearing red and white and brandishing posters with the Canadian flag, voices across the board were heard singing our national anthem. Staff at the CEC also joined in the singing.

PANdemonium Soccer Tournament Father Redmond C.S.S. and R.A.C. hosted their "PANdemonium Soccer Tournament" on May 21, 2014 in partnership with the Pan Am Games and Ignite2015. The purpose of this event was to help bring awareness to the Pan Am / Parapan Am Games that the city of Toronto will be hosting in Summer 2015. Our goal was to bring our elementary feeder schools together and celebrate sport, physical activity, healthy living and come together as a community.

Welcome Mural St. Leo is pleased to announce the completion of a new welcome mural painted by parents at the school. All of the paint for the project was generously donated by Harvey's Paint and Wallpaper on Lakeshore. The mural was spearheaded by Mimico resident and St. Leo parent Jackie McGrath. It is the first of three murals to spruce up the front of the school. In addition, St. Leo's has a new Eco-team dedicated to student environmental awareness and stewardship. The eco-team is interested in partnering with community organizations to green the school ground and "return it to nature".

The Heart in Motion Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts presented its annual dance night in late May. (Photos by Dimitrios Kalogerakos)

Catherine Temple Scholarship Meghan Wood is this year’s recipient of the prestigious Catherine Temple Mathematics Scholarship presented by the Toronto Catholic District School Board. Megan is a student of Bishop Allen Academy and will be attending Queen’s University in September to study Commerce. She also attended Our Lady of Peace Catholic (elementary) School since kindergarten.

The annual scholarship is presented to female students who excel in Mathematics and who are planning on pursuing their study of Mathematics at the post-secondary level.

Congratulations, Meghan!

Bob Wilson Arts Camp Another wonderful initiative administered by The Angel Foundation that is funded by the bequest left by former TCDSB employee Bob Wilson is the Bob Wilson Arts Camp. Each school year, up to 40 grade seven students from across the TCDSB leave the city behind and enjoy a fun-filled and artistic experience at the Bob Wilson Arts Camp at Teen Ranch in Orangeville. During this time, the students enjoy creating artwork and communing with nature. This year's camp took place during late May.

Big Band Slam TCDSB Big Band featured grade 11 and 12 students from Marshall McLuhan, Mary Ward, Cardinal Carter and St. Basil. Most of the students met at the Bob Wilson Music Camp, led by Graziano Brescacin and supported by the Angel Foundation for Learning. High schools from across the Greater Toronto Area are invited to participate in The Big Band Slam - an afternoon of trumpet blasting, trombone sliding, sax squealing excitement - during the TD Toronto Jazz Festival. This is not a competition – no marks will be given or awards assigned – but is instead a chance to showcase some of the outstanding music being made by high school music students across the city.

TCDSB Army Reserve Co-op students On Saturday June 7th, the Greater Toronto Area Army Reserve Co-operative Education students had their graduation. It was a proud moment for students, parents, teachers and military personnel. Over the past five months, these successful students have earned up to four senior high school credits, have studied towards and been accredited with their Basic Military Qualification and earned military pay.

The Canadian Forces Army Reserve Co-op is a Cooperative Education Program which allows students to earn up to four secondary school credits by training with a Canadian Forces Army Reserve Unit. This basic military training co-op takes place 2nd semester and helps students build self-confidence and leadership training, develops self- discipline, encourages teamwork, problem solving skills and fitness development. Congratulations TCDSB Army Reserve Co-op students!

St. Cecilia's Perseverance Club students fundraise for St. Elias Church On May 9th St. Cecilia dedicated part of our Virtue of the Month assembly to honour the priest and parishioners of St. Elias Church in Brampton. The church was destroyed by a fire earlier this year. St. Cecilia's Perseverance Club students presented Mrs. Horich, a parish representative and a former music teacher at St. Cecilia, with a donation of $380.00, which was generated by the students through a jewelry fundraising project. The students were very dedicated to their cause. They supplied their own materials and tools and gave up their recesses to make all the jewelry for this heartfelt cause. The teachers who assisted with this project donated their time and purchased materials to help the students succeed with this worthy cause.

TCDSB Celebrates Italian Canadian Heritage Month Dante Alighieri hosted this year’s Mass and celebration of Italian heritage with a variety of student performances, costumes and snacks. Special guests from the community and the TCDSB were on hand to celebrate the annual event.

End of the Year Bowling Party In the spirit of inclusion, TCDSB held an end of the year bowling party for students with multiple exceptionalities on June 12th. Our Board’s belief that students learn in various ways and situations is put into action by not only in-school activities but also by out of school activities. This belief is tried, tested and proved a success by the bowling program. Each student was given an award as well as a certificate for participating in the program. The bowling program supports the Alternative curriculum for students with special needs by addressing the social, fine and gross motor skills, math and daily life skills of our students. Congratulations to the TCDSB staff organizers and supervisors of this wonderful activity.

BPJPII Receives Staples Award for Environmentalism Blessed Pope John Paul II C.S.S. was presented with the Staples Award for Environmentalism at a special celebration on June 19th for the launch of a new line of eco-friendly school supplies by Staples. The school has a great track record for environmentalism and Staples recently honoured them with a $25,000 grant. The school was chosen as a stand-up example of how schools should be demonstrating environmental responsibility in their community. Angela Gauthier, our Director of Education, was in attendance along with Marc Kielburger, Co-Founder of Free the Children and Me to We, Roxanne Kielburger, Hannah Alper and other exciting speakers and performers. It’s truly not an event to be missed!

Assistant Deputy Minister of Education Visits Precious Blood Catholic School Mary Jean Gallagher, Assistant Deputy Minister of Education (Student Achievement Division), visited Precious Blood Catholic School on June 18th. She visited the school’s Student-Led Learning Walk.

2014 Volunteer Service Award Winners Congratulations to Chaminade College School students James Mangaliman, John Daniel Masangkay and Oronde Williams, recipients of the 2014 Volunteer Service Awards. The presentations were made by the Honourable Michael Couteau, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. They were honoured for their dedication and contributions to the Chaminade Community throughout their high school career.

Elementary Track and Field Results Special thanks to all the athletes, coaches, volunteers and supporters who all played a very important role in the success of this year’s meets. TCDSB was pleased to see that over 200 athlete competed in the Special Olympics Ontario races. Congratulations to all our athletes and coaches this year!

Celebrating St. Ursula Catholic School St. Ursula School participated in the Guildwood Day Parade again this year. St. Ursula community members joined our Eco- Heroes as we marched together behind our banner representing our school. The parade was the kick-off to the annual Guildwood Day. Participation involved community groups, businesses, local leaders, politicians and of course, the creative individuals who decorated their bikes, scooters, vehicles and themselves to celebrate our wonderful community here in Guildwood Village!

St Ursula Catholic School is looking forward to celebrating our 50th anniversary on Sat. Oct. 18th...past and present students, parents and staff will reunite!

Loretto Abbey grad receives full athletic scholarship from the University of Pittsburgh Emma Pozzulo, a recent graduate of Loretto Abbey Catholic Secondary School, has accepted a full athletic scholarship from the University of Pittsburgh. Emma is a life-time soccer player, having started at the young age of 4 years. Soccer is a year-round activity for Emma, who has played for the Glen Shields club in Concord for 10 years. She excels academically as well as on the soccer field, saying “I find that in order to balance the heavy training schedule with academics, it’s all about setting priorities.” Her long-term plans are to study law to become a corporate lawyer. What about soccer? Emma would love to become a member of Canada’s International Soccer Team.

Emma attended Blessed Sacrament Catholic elementary school in the Yonge and Lawrence area of Toronto. She and her family are parishioners at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. Her older sister, Jessica, who also attended Loretto Abbey, attends Queen’s University. The university’s Head Coach for Women’s Soccer, Greg Miller, was quoted on their website, saying “Emma is an excellent soccer player who possesses great leadership skills. She too has benefited from the Canadian Provincial program and a great club environment at Glen Shields. She can play make as well as set the rhythm of the game. We will look for her to impose herself in our environment immediately.”

TCDSB and Angel Foundation for Learning Congratulate 2014 Recipients of the Tom Leon Bursary Student leadership, mentorship, community service, school and parish involvement, Catholic values and academic achievement are among the many attributes that will were celebrated as this year’s Tom Leon Charitable Foundation Student Bursary winners were announced at the TCDSB’s year- end Mass on June 24th. Since 2004, the Tom Leon Charitable Foundation has awarded $5,000 annually to each of four deserving students from the Toronto Catholic District School Board who require financial assistance in order to pursue studies at a post-secondary institution. TCDSB and the Angel Foundation are proud to congratulate this year’s outstanding young award recipients: Carlos Fiel, Bishop Allen Academy; Celeste Thordarson, Senator O’Connor; Enrique Olivo, Neil McNeil; Jerusha Rupakumar, Cardinal Carter Academy.

TCDSB Music Students - Europe Trip The 2014 Music & History/Polish Language European Tour is taking place from July 2-July 23, as music students from across the board visit, perform, and study in Poland, France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, and Luxemburg. Now in its 3rd edition, the Music & History tour has proven to be one of the most successful international trips in Canada, with its intensive program and truly unique perspective on Music and History education. The trip is organized by Dr. Andrzej Rozbicki and the Toronto Catholic District School Board in collaboration with the General Consulate of the Republic of Poland and Piast Travel. A group of 30 students from Bishop Marrocco and other schools, gathered June 19 to hear information relating to their European summer credit courses running from July 2-23, which included brief historical backgrounds on each of the cities, photos and videos from the hotels (4-5 star locations), and information about packing, safety, currency, and local languages. This was the last meeting prior to take off on July 2nd from Pearson Airport.

You can follow the entire trip through daily YouTube videos, which will be posted on the official website at: www.rozbicki.com/music-and-history We wish the students an amazing and succesful trip!

Girls Government at James Culnan Catholic School On May 26, to May 27, 2014, Member of Provincial Parliament (Parkdale – High Park) Cheri Di Novo invited the students involved in Girls Government from James Culnan Catholic School and Swansea Public School to visit the city of Ottawa. Over the previous 9 months, the students in Girls Government participated in various discussions about politics and worked on a project to improve bicycle safety in the province of Ontario. While in Ottawa, the students were fortunate enough to meet and speak with Senator Jane Cordy (Nova Scotia), and Members of Parliament Ruth Brosseau and Irene Mathyssen. In addition, the students visited the House of Commons and watched the Prime Minister answer questions from the opposition political parties. This experience has inspired the students to become more active in politics and to promote women in the political process. We would like to thank Member of Parliament Cheri Di Novo and her executive assistant Ms. Bhutila Karpoche for their dedication and commitment. We would also like to thank the students from Swansea Public School and Mrs. Ridley (Swansea Principal) and Ms. Henderson (Swansea Teacher) for their kind hospitality and for being partners with us throughout the school year. A big thank you also goes out to Ms. O’Dowd and Mr. Pedrosa for their support and effort in bringing this worthwhile initiative to James Culnan for the first time. The members of Girls Government are: Cynthia, Karolina, Natalie, Nicole and Renée.

A Place of Wonder - Opening of Learning Garden at St. Anthony St. Anthony Catholic School celebrated the official opening of its new community garden on June 12th. The Full day Kindergarten staff at St. Anthony initiated the project in an effort to encourage students to become more engaged and self-directed in their learning. The plan is to involve them in activities that are outdoors and connected to the environment. The creation of the outdoor learning space, including garden plots, areas with benches, and sitting areas where classes, groups or individuals can play or work, began on May 12th. Officials from the school board and the community were invited to the celebration. Special thanks to the many volunteers who assisted with the project.

City Soccer Champions Congratulations to St. Jerome Catholic School, winner of the TCSAA Boys City Championships in Soccer.

City Soccer Champions Congratulations to St. John Catholic School, winner of the TCSAA Girls City Championships in Soccer.

From 8 to Great Presentation TCDSB’s Elementary Guidance program is using a transition-focused program produced by Bugs Without Borders”. This program “From 8 to Great” explores the idea of change and the feelings of fear associated with moving on from grade 8 and embarking on an exciting journey into high school (and beyond). Through interactive discussions, hands-on activities, and live animals, students will learn that everyone has a fear that affects them at least some of the time, and as they go through any kind of change or transition in their daily lives, they are likely to feel varying degrees of fear and anxiety. Students will discover that although change is inevitable, there are ways to control and transform these fears into creative and positive actions.

Marking a Decade of Health and Wellness The Toronto Catholic District School Board congratulates the Health Action Teams for a successful decade of focusing on student health and well-being, active living and nutrition. The 10th Anniversary Health Action Team Celebration took place on Tuesday, June 17th at the Hangar, Downsview Park.

This event honoured and celebrated the leadership and dedication of local Health Action Teams and their contribution to fostering the health and wellness of TCDSB students. Many of these local teams have served their communities throughout the entire decade and those long-serving HAT members were honoured during the celebration.

Dancing Classrooms Champions 2014 Congratulations to St. Thomas Aquinas School as they regained their Ballroom Dancing Championship title. Six couples demonstrated their expertise on the dance floor; showing us their moves in the Merengue, Tango, Fox Trot, Swing and Rhumba. Thanks to Dancing Coach Tim, from Join the Dance, and classroom teachers, Ms. Nespolo and Ms. Di Pasquale for their support and providing our team members with extra practice to once again win the trophy and our success. Thanks to all our parent and staff community members that joined us at the Palais Royale to support and cheer our team to victory! Hooah!

Celebrating World Cup The gifted students in grades 7 and 8 at St. Angela Catholic School, together with their peers in the junior grades, created a World Cup flag board of the 32 countries participating in the FIFA World Cup. Students learned about the countries participating in the international tournament, and debated the ethics and economics of the tournament itself.

TCDSB Students Take to the Cricket Pitch: “Ten 10 Gala Day” Students in Grade 5 to 8 across the Toronto Catholic District School Board competed in a Ten 10 Gala Day of Cricket Finals on July 26th at Sunnybrook Park.Team Canada player Nitish Kumar and Senior Coordinator of Community Relations Kirk Mark were on hand to present awards. Cricket Canada Kids Ten10 is a format of cricket that promotes maximum participation in a shortened, action-packed version of the game that can be completed in 1 hour. The format targets girls and boys who have grasped some of the basics of the game but are still developing their skills TCDSB teachers have been trained to deliver the program at their schools and participating schools have received free equipment and cricket resources, including lesson plans from Cricket Canada.

Former Carr Student Signs with NBA Congratulations to Father Henry Carr alumnus, Tyler Ennis, who has been signed by the Phoenix Suns. The Suns selected Tyler with the 18th overall pick. There are rumors that the Toronto Raptors are engineering a trade to acquire Tyler so he can play at home.

Santa Maria Catholic School at the Big Bam Boom Festival Grade 1 Students from Santa Maria Catholic School were among the young performers at the Big Bam Boom Festival, June 7th at the Art Gallery of Ontario. They did a wonderful job of dancing and they had a fun time exploring the gallery in between practices throughout the day.

Sim Bhullar Makes Debut Fr. Henry Carr alumnus, 7'5" Sim Bhullar, was signed by the NBA's and is playing for their NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Bhullar captured two post-season tournament MVP awards while leading the New Mexico State Aggies to consecutive WAC Championships & NCAA Tournament appearances in 2013 & 2014.

Coach Melnik expects to see Sim join Phoenux Suns' Tyler Ennis as former Henry Carr Crusaders playing professionally in the NBA this season!

Breaking New Ground a St. Malachy St. Malachy celebrated the last day of school with a sod turning ceremony to mark the start of construction of a new school addition. Among those on hand were the Hon. Mitzi Hunter, MPP, Associzate Director Gary Poole, Fr. Brian Pastor of St. Martin de Porres Parish, Principal Carol Soper, CSAC Chair Janet Ainslie, Superintendent Geoffrey Grant and Trustee Garry Tanuan

Young Women Take the Lead at TCDSB The top scholars at the Toronto Catholic District School Board this year have a lot in common: they all earned an overall average of 100%, they all studied at the Advanced Placement Level and they are all young women. The top scholars for the 2013/2014 year at TCDSB are: Therese Koch, Laksmiina Balasubramaniam and Marta Skreta. All three are recent graduates of Bishop Allen Academy in Etobicoke.

Holy Child Students Win Pizza Lunch And Visit from Michael Pinball Clemons "Just Give" Campaign Several students from Holy Child School took part in the “Just Give” campaign presented by Michael Pinball Clemons. His mission was to inspire everyone of Toronto to give. The campaign asked students to come up with one message, as a group, that they felt would make Toronto a better place.

Jason, Tyrell and Holly, Grade 5 students, came up with “Kindness, pass it on.” Together, they created an attractive meaningful poster that included this message as well as a quote from Mother Teresa: “We can do small things with great love.” The poster also incorporated the symbolic Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The students' poster won the contest which entitled Holy Child Catholic School to a visit from Pinball Clemons and a free pizza lunch for the entire school.

Partnership with School District in France The Board is pleased to announce the establishment of an official partnership between Toronto Catholic District School Board and l’Académie de Strasbourg/Strasbourg Educational District, France. Officials from the two school boards/districts met for some preliminary discussions and to sign an agreement on June 11th at the Catholic Education Centre. Among those on hand were: Dominique Suquet, Education Attaché, French Embassy in Canada, Ottawa, Marie-Christine Miller, Representative of the Strasbourg Educational District for European and International Relations, International Unit, Strasbourg Education Office, Angela Gauthier, Director of Education, Gary Poole, Associate Director of Education, Academic Affairs, Dan Koenig, Superintendent, Curriculum & Accountability, Judith Esser, Program Coordinator, FSL, Stacey Coray, Manager of Partnership Development, Anna Faraone, Resource Teacher, FSL, and Maura Wilson, Special Assignment Teacher, FSL.

The partnership will facilitate a wide range of learning opportunities for students and staff including: Sharing of information, knowledge, best practices related to education, and more specifically, education in the French language Facilitating teacher and administrator interactions including possible technology-mediated interactions, exchanges, study tours, job shadowing for the purpose of exchange materials, approaches, ideas and experiences Facilitating student to student interactions including possible technology mediated interactions/exchanges Encouraging and facilitating twinning or partnerships between schools in Toronto and schools in France to promote language learning and intercultural skill development.

The partnership will be phased in, starting with a small group of TCDSB Elementary and Secondary schools and including Core French, French Immersion and Extended French programs. The Board currently offers French Immersion in seven elementary and two secondary schools, and also operates Extended French Centres in 19 elementary and 11 secondary schools.

Baseball Champs Congratulations to the students and coaches of Neil McNeil Catholic Secondary School's baseball team, TDCAA Tier 2 Champions

Blessed Mother Teresa Students Fast Against Hunger BMT's 1st Annual Fast Against Hunger was a huge success! 20 student participants from Blessed Mother Teresa Catholic Secondary School participated in an overnight fast on Friday, June 6th to Saturday, June 7th.

Students fasted for 17 hours in order to raise money and awareness for local families in need. They participated in a variety of activities including: team building exercises, grocery shopping, preparing baskets for BMT families, organizing canned food for the society of St. Vincent de Paul, and preparing 10 pasta casseroles for the Provide-A-Meal Program by the Good Shepherd Ministries.

This initiative will provide a meal for over 100 less fortunate people in downtown Toronto as well as provide groceries and other necessities to four local families in need! Students had the opportunity to reflect on the meaning of Christian service.

College Experience Day

On Tuesday June 3rd, the intermediate students of St. Dorothy’s, St. Bruno’s and St. Jane Frances had a full day of learning at Humber College North campus. Over 100 lucky students took part in Camp Choice and attended a series of workshops including Advertising, Music, Communication Technology and Health Sciences. These College Experience Days are a great way to help our young students engage in their Individual Pathways Plan. A special thanks to the teachers, Mr. Galle, Mr. Turco and Ms. Frydrych, Ms. Zuzarte, and Mr. Stunt, and the guidance counselors, Ms. Figliano, Ms. Grechi and Ms. Meffe for helping to organize this day.

Dillon Brooks Does It Again! One of our favourite Fr. Henry Carr Crusaders, , continues to tear up the FIBA Americas Under 18 Championships. He scored 29 points to lead Canada past Argentina 91-82, and into the Championship Game against the highly touted USA squad. Brooks shot an extremely efficient 6/7 from the field and 16/17 from the charity stripe after battling early foul trouble.

In the Championship Final of the FIBA Under 18 Americas Cup, Canada fell 113-79 to a powerful US team. Brooks, continued to dominate the opposition, scoring 27 points & 8 rebounds in the losing cause. This international tournament was a "coming out party" for Dillon. He emerged as the best player and leading scorer in the entire field of talented players.

Although he already has multiple scholarship offers, Dillon's recruitment will skyrocket and we expect him to sign a scholarship to one of the top American universities including Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky or Louisville. Hundreds of hours have gone into developing young student-athletes like Dillon Brooks, Tyler Ennis & the Bhullar brothers.

Duke of Edinburgh Awards 2014 On June 11, five Jean Vanier CSS students were presented with their Duke of Edinburgh Awards at a ceremony held on the 54th floor of the TD Building in downtown Toronto. Students receiving their Bronze award are (from left to right): Rohma Choudhury, Ninna Diaz, April Dela Cruz, Sylvia Lorico, and Katie Maitland. Katie was presented with the Silver award. Congratulations to all of our students for their achievement to date. All of the students are working toward the Gold award.

Famous Alumnus Former student from St. Bede and St. Rose of Lima Catholic School, Jonathan de Guzman, played for the Netherlands in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil.

Photo Murals Donated to SickKids Student artists from Msgr Fraser College have used their photographic talents to create murals that will beautify the Family Rooms, Bereavement Rooms or Waiting Rooms at SickKids Hospital. The project was done in partnership with Toronto Police Service 31 Division.

Special Luncheon Celebration Students from St. Edward's Multiple Exceptionality class hosted their 1st annual year-end M.E. luncheon on June 25th. The students in the M.E. Program have spent the past 1-1/2 months planning the menu, creating and delivering the invitations and RSVP cards, decorating, cooking, baking, prepping, and turning the multipurpose room into a banquet hall. The students hosted approximately 25 guests (parents, special guests, staff). This luncheon was a massive undertaking, and fulfilled expectations from both the Ministry and Alternative-Life Skills curriculum. The students were justifiably proud of their accomplishments, and very excited to welcome their guests for the celebration.

Dante Co-op Congratulates Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students Co-op permits students to develop employability skills and explore career options through real work experiences in the community. Dante Co-op congratulates our Grade 12 Deaf and Hearing (DHH) students on successfully completing co- operative education workplace experiences this past semester.

St. John Vianney School Receives $10,000 Grant From GoodLife Kids Foundation St. John Vianney Catholic School community celebrated a windfall of $10,000 from GoodLife Kids Foundation for the school’s “Gymtastic” program. In addition to tumbling mats, a balance beam and other structures, the students will enjoy the use of a horizontal climbing wall, which was unveiled today. Designed by teacher Patrick DeVuono, the Gymtastic program encourages students to engage in physical activity in a fun and entertaining way with an age- appropriate circuit training program based on gymnastics. This unique program will provide an under-serviced community the opportunity to experience gymnastics and stability training first hand. Canadian Olympian and Pan Am games ambassador Rosie Cassar, spoke to the students and demonstrated some of her gymnastic moves. Funds for the grant were generated by the GoodLife Kids Foundation “Spin4Kids” fundraising events. Spin4Kids is an annual eight hour spin-a-thon fundraiser that takes place at more than 80 GoodLife Fitness clubs across Canada. Chrispin Warner – GoodLife Fitness General Manager, Anne Marie Calhoun and Christine MacIntosh, Group Exercise Instructors and Spin4Kids Coordinators presented a giant cheque to the school, representing the $10,000 grant. The Toronto Catholic District School Board’s Partnership Development office assists school staff with the grant applications, which are designated for specific projects to engage students and to improve school facilities and curriculum delivery.

Bishop Allen Baseball Team Congrats to this year’s Bishop Allen Boys Baseball team 2013-14. They went 17-2 this spring, winning the TDCAA Tier 1 title and reaching the OFSAA Gold Medal game. In the Gold medal game, they were leading 1-0 in the bottom of the 5th to St Anne of Windsor, unfortunately they would eventually lose the game 4-1 and win the Silver Medal. It was a great season and one to be remembered.

Kids Now D'Arcy McGee Catholic School grade eight students Kaitlyn (left) and Hillary were honoured to introduce Canadian Olympic medalists Jason Burnett and Rosie MacLennan at their school's assembly. Both athletes, Honourary Kids Now Mentors attended to present the prestigious 2014 Positive Me Video Contest award to the Kids Now program participants.

Msgr Fraser College students' tapestry on display at Textile Museum of Canada An interdisciplinary and collaborative tapestry project emerged as a follow up to our visit to the Textile Museum. During our visit we experienced the art of storytelling beyond the written word. A grade 11 English class and a grade 9 Visual Arts class joined forces to tell a story through visual imagery. We designed a tapestry that celebrates the art of Aboriginal storytelling. It depicts the story of the Aboriginal peoples from pre-colonial times to present. Each quadrant of the tapestry possesses symbols to reflect aspects of a period in Aboriginal people’s history. The position of each period on the tapestry and the colours used mirror a sacred symbol in Aboriginal teachings – the Medicine Wheel. Each quadrant also contains a verse taken from two poems (“I Lost My Talk” and “The Hidden Fences”) written by celebrated Aboriginal poet Rita Joe. Our tapestry is made from felt and quilt. Appliqué and stitching techniques modelled at the Textile Museum workshop were used to construct our tapestry. Four groups worked on the tapestry. Each group was responsible for designing one quadrant of the tapestry. The quadrants were then stitched together by an elder in our community. Our tapestry is a testament to the power of community and the notion of interconnectedness.

““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 Summer 2014

Toronto Catholic District School Board, 80 Sheppard Ave. E., North York, ON M2N 6E8 phone: 416-222-8282 website: www.tcdsb.org email: [email protected]