Adonna Atters
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Adonna atters Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. ~ Mother Teresa MADONNA CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL 20 Dubray Avenue Toronto, ON M3K 1V5 416 393-5506 Message from the Administration Dear Parents/Guardians and Students: move on to the next chapter of your life...may it be filled with all that you desire and more! Thank-you Madonna for another outstanding year! September will bring further new opportunities as we The end of a school year welcome several new students and staff members. In affords us the opportunity to addition to welcoming our new Madonna girls in grade look back and reflect upon nine, we also look forward to the launch of our new what we have SHSM program in the Non-Profit sector for students achieved. Indeed we are a in grade eleven. very busy place! We wish you all a very happy and safe summer holiday. Our accomplishments as a We pray that everyone can take some time this summer community, speaks to the to relax, rejuvenate, and reflect on our many amazing and wonderful achievements. staff of Madonna, and how Thank-you for a fantastic 2014-2015 school year! they have collaborated to achieve some astounding God Bless, and remarkable work. This newsletter consists of Ms. Wilson and Ms. Mammone many different examples of the activities and people that make Madonna a great place to be! We hope you enjoy reading about us now and in the years to come. Year End Prayer Thank you also to all our parents and guardians who God of summertime blessing, touch us with your so willingly and consistently support our school, warmth. programs and students in so many ways. Your May we celebrate the successes of our children. generosity of time and commitment reflect a sincere Let them always feel your presence upon them. desire to maintain Madonna as an excellent place to Through the stories of faith, acts of kindness and learn and grow! It continues to be an absolute compassion, privilege to work with you and your daughter! In reflecting on their own acts on behalf of society’s I would like to congratulate the graduating class of outsiders, 2014-2015. May you continue to grow and mature as Through the beauty of creation, In their imagination and life-long learners. We thank you for your student creativity, leadership and wish you all the best in your future In care and embrace of their parents. endeavours. We also say goodbye to several members In this summer, May we all find rest and renewal, of staff who will be moving on to a new phase in their May we resolve to be people of our word, lives. We hope you retire with a smile in your heart, And in so doing cultivate in our children virtues of knowing that you had a positive impact on the honesty and integrity. Madonna community. We wish you all the best as you Amen. JUNE 2015 SUPPORTING YOUNG WOMEN STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE MADONNA CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL 20 Dubray Avenue Toronto, ON M3K 1V5 416 393-5506 Chaplaincy & Leadership IDC Leadership Course Mentors My leadership journey began in grade 9 religion class - I was able to transform myself through leadership from a shy girl to a confident and passionate young lady. Being a mentor in the IDC course blessed me with the oppor- tunity to see this same transformation occur in the lives of some of Madonna's future leaders. Going in, I had no idea what to expect but later on I found out I was in for pleasant surprises. The highest calling of a leader is to help others unlock the potential in themselves and this also became my mission as well. As my Madonna chapter has reached its end, I'm glad I had the opportunity to leave my small imprint in the Madonna communi- ty. Being a mentor has been an unforgettable and life-changing experience. Hilda Matilda Idegwu Be yourself, love yourself, and believe in yourself are only three of the many important lessons I've learned throughout my leadership experience at Madonna. Leadership has taught me about the big world I live in, but also about the big part of myself that I didn’t know existed. It taught me about the leader I have within me. Without the leadership program at Madonna I would not have grown into the same person I am today. I am so grateful to all the staff and to all my fellow peers who have helped me along my leadership journey. You have all left a unique imprint on me, have helped me strive to become the best person I can be, and have taught me les- sons I will never forget. I am so very grateful to all of you for seeing the galaxies within me when I, myself, couldn't seem to find one star. Laura Guadagnolo The IDC course was a course full of hard work, excitement, and surprises. This course challenged the extent of students' intellects, opened the opportunity to share personal knowledge and insights, and allowed these indi- viduals to find their place as Catholic leaders. Through the IDC course, the few chosen Madonna students were able to branch out of the normal class environment, and tackle different aspects of learning - learning through mentoring other students, assigning work that tests the capacity of student leadership and comprehension, and initiating classes and workshops to educate others and publicize positive messages. We (Laura, Hilda, Jessica, Jessa, Cristina and Bettina) had the great opportunity to be the mentors of such amazing and dedicated student leaders, and we are so glad that these leaders were part of our high school jour- ney, before it has come to an end. We grew immensely through this course as it provided us with a sense of community, knowledge, and helped us develop a clearer vision of our aspirations and of who we want to be. It showed us how a classroom can transform from a group of strangers to a family of Catholic leaders who share similar goals - to find who we are and to bring positive change within the school community and beyond. Bettina Carlos SUPPORTING YOUNG WOMEN STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE MADONNA CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL 20 Dubray Avenue Toronto, ON M3K 1V5 416 393-5506 Chaplaincy & Leadership Madonna Ambassadors This year at Madonna, our Ambassadors once again represented our school with pride and dignity in many events throughout the school year. Embrac- ing the role as young women who are both a face and voice of our school, our Ambassadors welcomed our community into our school at many events including Open House, Grade 8 Registration, Christmas Concert, Spring into the Arts, Parent/Teacher Interviews and Graduation. Our girls have done such a tremendous job that they were chosen as representa- tives from TCDSB to be Ambassadors at the annual Job Fair. Thinkfast On Friday, May 26nd, over 40 Madonna students and staff took the challenge of fasting for 25 hours in support of Development and Peace, U of T Global Brigade and the disaster relief for the victims of the earthquakes in Nepal. Highlights included a visit from author and activist Marina Nemat, a prayer service in the chapel, team building activities in the gymnasium, and the Philip- pines Service Trip presentation by Emily Palaganas and Jillian Maniquis. The evening concluded with a communal meal in the cafeteria prior to “fun with friends” overnight. Peer Ministry As you can see, Madonna is a very busy place for our Peer Ministers, Ambassadors and Leadership students. Because of their enthusiasm, dedication and consistent participation, we continue to see a great variety of op- portunities offered to us, all of which are amazing expe- rience for our young leaders. As we finish our 2014-2015 school year, we look for- ward to another exciting, busy year, filled with many more blessing for our school community. I would like to wish all our girls and their families a happy, healthy and peaceful holiday. May the summer months offer you peaceful moments to refresh and relax you in preparation for another school year. May God’s grace always fill your home. God bless. Margarida Caetano-Macdonell, Chaplain SUPPORTING YOUNG WOMEN STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE MADONNA CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL 20 Dubray Avenue Toronto, ON M3K 1V5 416 393-5506 Social Justice at Madonna Fair Trade Fashion Show This year’s Social Justice Team was an amazing team who worked tire- lessly throughout the year to bring awareness to social justice issues as well as to raise funds for causes. We began in the Fall with a memorial for those women killed as a result of violent acts against women in Montreal in 1989 at the hands of Marc Lepine. We continued by collecting foods with our Annual “We Scare Hunger” campaign where homerooms donate food for our local North York Harvest Food Bank. As Christmas approached we began col- lecting gift items for families that we sponsored through St Vincent de Paul Society and St Philip Neri Church. As always, our community generously gives to help those in need. In May, we held our annual fundraiser that supports a cause on the global scale. This year, the Social Justice students wanted to bring awareness to the issue of sweatshops. We held a “Sweat Shop Free Fashion Show” to highlight companies and clothing dedicated to producing clothes ethically. It was a very successful event and we look forward to continuing raising awareness and supporting worthy causes who are doing work consistent with our Catholic values.