News for the Week ending Nov 7
by Sita Dubeau (Vice Principal) November 7th, 2008QSP Magazine Prizes
Magazine Prizes will be distributed early next week. Thank you again to Alice Pelegris and Cathy Poole for their wonderful work on the QSP Magazine fundraiser.
Remembrance Day: November 11th
On Remembrance Day, we acknowledge the courage and gallantry of those who served their country and those who protect it.
It is important that students be reminded of the contribution of Canadian men and women who died in past wars, in the pursuit of peace and who are currently responding to aggression and preserving peace in other parts of our world.
We will be holding powerful and thought-provoking Remembrance Day assemblies on November 11, 2008. Thank you to all the staff who are working to organize the assemblies.
All City Music Groups
On behalf of the TDSB music department, I am pleased to invite TDSB instrumental students in grades 6,7 or 8 to apply and audition for the All City Groups (Strings, Band and Orchestra). The All City groups will perform at the 123rd Annual Spring Festival Concert on Thursday, May 7th at 7:30 pm at Massey Hall. Students who successfully complete the audition process will have eight rehearsals in preparation for this concert.
The conductors for this year’s All City groups are as follows:
- Band – Gino Falconi
- Strings – Catherine West
- Orchestra – Terry Madill
The All City groups are a wonderful tradition within our board. Thank-you so much for sharing this information with all grade 6, 7 and 8 instrumental students and their families in our system.
Bark Lake Leadership/Music Program Field Trip
report from Hugh Corbett
From October 29th to 31st, fifty-one grade 8 band students and four teachers traveled over 2 hours to the Bark Lake Leadership Centre just south of Haliburton to participate in music rehearsals, to improve self confidence, to develop new friendships and deepen old ones. I was a little worried when I had to brush off an inch or more of snow from my car that morning. I was imagining a blanket of snow across the hills and valleys of Northern Ontario; but, instead we were greeted by sunny skies, cool breezes and the warm and inviting Bark Lake staff.
The first day we got some exercise by playing “Stones” and going on a Night Hike. The stars that evening were absolutely breathtaking. As well, the students participated in a hour long rehearsal in which they focussed on listening to their own sound, the instruments next to them, the instruments in their section and finally to all the sections in the band. We were all impressed with how much better the band sounded because of this “Level 4 Listening”! After dinner we all walked past the marsh and enjoyed watching a beaver swim within 50 feet of us.
The weather of the second day was warmer than the first but the marsh had frozen over and some students enjoyed the sounds of stones being thrown into the icy water as we walked to breakfast. No meal was ever a disappointment at Bark Lake!
The second day brought some of our challenge activities. Half of the students made their way to the High Ropes Course. Picture about 8 hydro poles in a open field protected by Maple trees of gold, yellow and orange foliage. Each student was harnessed and helmeted and instructed on what their roles were to be during the activity.
Then the climbing began! Some climbed straight up to the top and leapt off into the air only to be brought down to Earth ever so gently by the Bark Lake staff and students who were “belaying”. Others chose to meet each other 30 feet in the air and have a duel with Nerf swords while others thought it would be more fun to climb up 30 feet and crawl, upside down, across a 25 feet of rope from one pole to another.
Some students managed to climb half way up the hydro pole and were “belayed” back down. They were quite satisfied that they had mastered their fear of heights at least for a few minutes. The other students were climbing the walls in a rock climbing room and playing soccer while moving across the room by bouncing on a ball. Later they tried to hit one of three targets on the archery course! Unfortunately, it was to cold to canoe across the Bark Lake.
That afternoon, the students participated in a music workshop with a professional musician. The pros were there to help the students play even better than they already do. In fact, I received a few compliments from the musicians about how well they played and how good their behaviour and attention was. Then all the students came back together and enjoyed being conducted by three of the professional musicians. They all had their own unique style, but, I think the kids liked Rick the best; he was too funny!
Later that evening, we sat around the campfire and enjoyed singing some familiar tunes and told some interesting stories. Mr. Johnson’s was the best. Late at night when the lights are off, you should ask one of the Bark Lake students, “Has anyone seen my dog?”
The last day was the same as the first except the students switched activities. We said our goodbyes, sadly loaded and boarded the coach and were on our way back to St. Andrew’s JHS. We all had a great time and wished we could have stayed longer.
I would also like to thank the rest of the team, Mme. Baltayan, Mrs. Lau and Mr. Johnson. We all had our roles in making this trip the success and I am very grateful of the time you have dedicated to the trip. As well, thank you to Mr. Wilkinson and Mrs. Dubeau for their guidance. What an outstanding trip! It truly was an 11/10 in every way.
A second trip, for string students, is being planned. Details about this will be announced at a later date.
Hugh Corbett
Chair of Performing Arts, Health & Physical Education
”Reflections” editor
Site Supervisor, SummerSounds Music Program
Safe Schools Forum
Please join Kathleen Wynne MPP Don Valley West & Gerri Gershon TDSB School Trustee Don Valley West for a panel discussion on keeping our students and schools safe. Click here for more information.
Ward Forum
Click here for more information about our trustee Gerri Gershon’s monthly Ward Forum. This month, the forum will be held at Rolph Road.
School Dance: Friday, October 31, 2008
Thank you to all staff and students who participated in the first school dance of the year! Many costumes were worn and the students who attended the dance all enjoyed themselves tremendously. At several points during the dance, we saw when we peered into the cafeteria, a mass of hands in the air and a chorus of sing-alongs was heard. I think that meant A WHOLE LOTTA FUN was going on in there! What a way to end the week!
Character Development Information
During the month of November, staff and students across the Toronto District Board of Education will recognize the character attribute of empathy through discussions, announcements and assemblies. Check out this website for information from the Ontario Ministry of Education about the Character Development initiative.
Parents in Education
Access this Ontario Ministry of Education website to access information about the role of parents in their child’s education (from the Ontario Ministry of Education).
Ontario Curriculum Guides
Access these Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum sites for a thorough description of what your child is learning at school: Kindergarten to Grade 8 and Grade 9 – 12.
School Council Update
Upcoming Parent Council Meeting
The next Parent Council Meeting will be held this Monday, November 10th at 7:00 pm in the school Library. We will be seeing a short presentation on previous years’ St. Andrew’s Chapters Events and will also be discussing other interesting topics. All parents are welcome and encouraged to attend! Click here for the agenda.
St. Andrew’s Chapters Event
The third annual St. Andrew’s Chapters Event is being held on Monday, November 24th from 6:30pm-9pm. 10% of all sales at Chapters will go directly to our school. It’s a great opportunity to buy all your holiday gifts, teacher gifts and gift cards! You can also donate a book to the school library by visiting our Librarian’s Picks Table. Live entertainment will be provided by St. Andrew’s music students.
There will also be a raffle with great prizes such as:
- $200 Family Four-Pack tickets to see broadway sensation show AGA-BOOM (see www.agaboom.com)
- $100 gift certificate for Donato Spa
- $100 gift certificate for any Sircorp Restaurant which includes Jack Astor’s, Alice Fazooli’s etc.
- Starbucks gift baskets
…AND MORE!
Halloween – Thank You
The Halloween Bake Sale held on Tuesday, October 28th was a phenomenal success! If you are missing any tins or containers, please send your child to inquire at the office. Thanks!
Parent Involvement Makes a Difference Conference
The Parent Involvement Makes a Difference Conference will be held Saturday, November 15th, 2008 at the Toronto Congress Centre at 650 Dixon Rd. The keynote speaker is Dr. Anita Parhar, an instructor at the University of British Columbia. There are also many workshops to choose from. The conference is free, but you must pre-register. All details are here.
The Annual Report on Ontario’s Public Schools
Did you know that:
- 44% of elementary schools have a physical education teacher, a steady improvement over the past three years
- only 60% of elementary schools have a teacher-librarian, compared to 80% in 1997/98?
This and more information is available in The Annual Report on Ontario’s Public Schools.
Each year People for Education publishes a report on Ontario’s public schools. To keep track of programs and resources in Ontario schools, People for Education sends surveys to school councils and principals in Ontario’s English, French and Catholic elementary and secondary schools across the province. The highlights of this data from these surveys and from the Ministry of Education, Statistics Canada, the Canadian Council on Learning and the OECD can be found in the attached Annual Report on Ontario’s Public Schools.
The complete report can be found here.
From the Guidance Office
Student Volunteers for Chapters Night, November 24
Attention: Grade 9 students. Here’s a great opportunity for you to get some of your Community Service Hours. The School Council (also known as Parent Council) is looking for student volunteers to help with the Chapters Night on Monday November 24 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Chapters store in Bayview Village Plaza. If interested, please contact Daphne Strathdee of Parent Council directly.
Sports News
Sr. Girls Basketball
Our Senior Girls enjoyed their win this week. Congratulations, girls (and Mr. Johnson) and keep up the excellent effort in training. Upcoming tournament dates: Nov 13 10:00 Nov 18 12:30
Jr. Boys Volleyball
Good luck to our Jr. Boys Volleyball Team and coach Ms. Johnston! They will be participating in a tournament at St. Andrew’s on Tuesday, November 11th.
Important Dates
- November 11: Remembrance Day: Assembly Day Timetable
- November 13: Parent Council Pizza Lunch
- November 16: Louis Riel Day
- November 18: HepB and HPV Immunizations
- November 17 – 21: Bullying Awareness Week
- November 19: Anti-bullying assemblies (gr. 7, 8, and 9)
- November 24: Parent Council Chapters Night: Forest Valley field trip : Spirit Week begins
- November 28: First Term Report Cards go home: St. Andrew’s Day
Everything's great, except that the Frosh Frolic teams' class lables were wrong. Oh well, [...]