• EQAO TESTING …a grade nine experience
  • Staff Changes…for 2010-2011
  • Reports/Next Year
  • Sports News
  • Dress Code Reminder
  • Bicycle Security Reminders
  • Pride Week
  • Upcoming Events

So Much to Do – So little time!
And so begins the June “frenzy”. Please check the end of May/June Blog posts for information about specific events. We hope you will be able to join us for the many fun activities that will take place before we close our doors for yet another school year.

EQAO TESTING …a grade nine experience

The grade nine students of St. Andrew’s will be hard at work on June 10th and 11th as they tackle the grade nine Math section of the EQAO testing. Under the guidance of Ms. Steshenko, Ms. Jelic, Ms. Ladha and Ms. Stella, our grade nine students will have an opportunity to explore their strengths, interests and areas to improve upon. It will be a focused period of time; however we are confident that all students will do their very best and will be proud of their own individual accomplishment.

Thank you, in advance, to all of the teachers for their hard work and dedication and to all of the parents for their positive encouragement. Most of all, thank you to the amazing St. Andrew’s graduates for their focus and strong abilities.

Staff Changes…for 2010-2011

It is a very exciting time at St. Andrew’s as we look to end an outstanding year and yet, at the same time, prepare for 2010-2011. In response to the latter, it is with mixed feelings that I announce the following changes beginning in the fall of 2010:

Mme Baltayan

Mme Baltayan will be absent for 2010-2011 as she takes a year leave of absence to explore some wonderful opportunities outside of the world of education. Although her smile, outstanding teaching and dedication to the school will be missed next year, we are also excited for her as she has an opportunity to try some new and exciting things. Mme Baltayan will return in the fall of 2011.

Ms. Conrad

It is not uncommon for any school to have teachers that look to expand their own families…and St. Andrew’s is no different. Ms. Conrad will be off next year as she looks to spend countless hours changing diapers and enduring sleepless nights with child number two. Congratulations! We will be hiring a long term occasional teacher in Ms. Conrad’s place for the upcoming school year.

Ms. Kadish

Ms. Kadish has been away from school for some time and will not be returning in 2010-2011. As a result, during the summer months, we will be hiring a long term occasional teacher to take on her teaching assignment. There are a lot of dynamic teachers out there so we are confident that one will join our tremendous staff.

Teachers on the move

Ms. Coughlan

Ms. Coughlan joined the St. Andrew’s family for the 2009-2010 year and was a tremendous fit right from the beginning. As our Head of Student Services/Guidance Counselor, Ms. Coughlan quickly garnered the respect and admiration of staff, students and parents who praised her for her organization, commitment and availability. Ms. Coughlan will be moving to High School next year where she will move back into the classroom having a unique opportunity to start up a brand new program for the school. We wish her all the very best in her newest adventure. Ms. Coughlan’s position will be filled either through Board placement or job advertisement.

Ms. Monteiro

Ms. Monteiro has been a tremendous long term occasional teacher this year providing St. Andrew’s students with an outstanding Math program. She coached many school teams and got involved in school life in a variety of areas. Although her long term assignment will be complete at the end of June, we are hopeful that we may find another spot for her in 2010-2011.

Mr. Sun

Although Mr. Sun left us early in April with the triumphant return of Ms. Hassanalli, we thought it was important to recognize him for his outstanding contribution to the school. Mr. Sun was not only a terrific Science and Math teacher, but he was a coach and participant in a variety of school activities and committees. His dedication was greatly appreciated. Once again, the hope is that we can somehow find a way to have Mr. Sun back with us for 2010-2011.

Still to hire

In earlier newsletters, the community was informed about the expansion of our High Performing Athletes Program (HPA). Beginning in September, 2010, student athletes in grade 4, 5 & 6 will attend St. Andrew’s as part of the HPA program. They will be in a self-contained classroom in the school and will attend each day in the afternoon only, training in the morning. This model currently exists at Holycrest Middle School in the West end of Toronto where there has been tremendous success. We are excited to be expanding our program and now just have to find the perfect teacher to work with our grade 7/8 HPA guru, Mr. Drukarsh. We plan to actively search for our junior level HPA teacher throughout the summer months.
PARENTS, PLEASE NOTE
We will be having our final LOCKDOWN DRILL in the next week or so. Please feel free to discuss this with your child. Teachers will also be discussing this in their classrooms.

Reports/Next Year

On June 25, students in grade nine will receive third term report cards (they are to come to school for 3:00 to retrieve their report cards from their home room teacher). On June 28, students in grade seven and eight will receive their third term report cards. Students will not be finding out their 2010-2011 home room teacher or subject area teachers until the first day of school in September. Class lists will be posted in the foyer outside of the cafeteria the morning of the first day of school prior to grade assemblies. Students will enter the cafeteria where their names will be called out by their home room teacher who will escort them to their classroom.

Grade assemblies will begin at the following times:

  • Grade 7 @ 9:00
  • Grade 8 @ 9:30
  • Grade 9 @ 10:00

Lost and found…it’s on the way out

Over the course of the past couple of months, the amount of clothing and miscellaneous items has continued to grow. However an efficient system has been established for the return of labeled clothing to its owner and/or donation of items to charity. The lost and found area has been regularly maintained and kept tidy. Please encourage your son or daughter to check the lost and found area prior to the end of the year. All unclaimed items will be donated to a worthwhile cause on the last day of school.

Breaking news
St. Andrew’s Cafeteria will be closed as of June 25, 2010. There will be no food available at the school from June 28 until the end of the school year. Please send your child to school with a lunch, or money to go out into the community.

Sports News

Track and Field

On May 26, 36 track and field participants from St. Andrew’s made their way to the South regional meets. Under the guidance and leadership of Mr. Williamson and Mr. Baluyot, students gave it their all. They were extremely successful events for all students as they did their very best. For a specific group of athletes (27 to be exact), it is not over yet, as they will move on to represent St. Andrew’s at the South region championships on June 11th and hopefully the city finals later in the month.

Earlier in May, a group of grade nine students, under the leadership of Mr. Baluyot, practiced early in the morning for their track and field meet resulting in some incredible efforts. All athletes should be commended but only two, Gary R. and Jennifer L. will be heading off to the OFSSA championships in London.

Ultimate Frisbee

frisbee.jpegUnder the leadership of Mr. Seal, St. Andrew’s first ever ultimate Frisbee team competed in numerous games and a championship day. With precision, the co-ed team returned to St. Andrew’s as the City Champions in Ultimate Frisbee. Congratulations!

Soccer

The boys’ soccer team under the guidance of Mr. Johnson and Mr. Howard had an exciting day on the field competing against very competitive teams from across the TDSB. It was a hot day and the boys did a great job competing. Unfortunately, the day came to a screeching halt with a championship loss. A great season nonetheless. Way to go!

The girls’ soccer team under the coaching expertise of Ms. Lau took their ‘A’ game to the field this season. With tremendous effort and determination, the girls’ have qualified for the City Championships early next week. We are so proud of their effort and wish them the best of luck.

Tennis

tennis.jpegThe St. Andrew’s tennis team is a relatively small team but, under the coaching of Ms. Chou, has found terrific success this year. One particular grade 9 student, Louise K. just finished representing St. Andrew’s at the OFSSA championships at the Rexall Centre. Louise competed against students up to 3 years older and made it all the way to the finals losing a tight match. Congratulations!!!

There Is Plenty of Time…

Whatever our dreams are, we practically hear a clock ticking. Our family, our friends, even the media all make us wonder when we are finally going to be “there” and why we aren’t there yet.

But there are no age restrictions on success. It takes as long as it takes, and when you reach it, you won’t reject success because you’re not the right age for it.

Click here for more from “The 100 Simple Secrets of Successful People”

There are people on top, and then there are people who don’t matter. That’s how I felt,” admits Nathan, who works in advertising in New York. “I looked down on myself for not being where I wanted to be, and I suffered through every day like it was my personal humiliation.

“I didn’t take pride in what I did. I practically created a fictional job description for myself whenever anybody asked me what I really did.”

Nathan says that in his business, “there’s nothing but perception. We don’t make better mousetraps, we don’t make anything. We sell perception, and our jobs are perception. It was like I heard this clock ticking, with each day bringing me closer to failure.”

Nathan sought help from a career coach who asked him who he was really competing with and why. “When I said I guess I was competing with everybody in the company because I wanted to be on top, she said, ‘Well, if you were on top of the company, then you’d be competing with every other company to be bigger than them.’ Basically, she made me see that there was no way to win this contest and that I could either sit back and enjoy the ride or keep trying to race to a place I could never get to.”

Nathan’s perspective shifted. “Now I try to keep my focus on doing the best work I can, and I know that I’ll get where I’m going when I get there.”

Age is unrelated to people’s commitment to their job and their level of job performance.

The 100 Simple Secrets of Successful People, David Niven, Ph.D.

Dress Code Reminder

As the warmer weather seems to be sticking around, the lighter, more comfortable clothing is exiting the back of many closets. Please ensure that you are aware of the dress code in the school agenda and are within the boundaries of decency and respect. We ask that parents help their child meet the dress code guidelines as follows:

  • Tops should be long enough so that they meet the waistband of bottoms
  • Shorts and skirts should be mid thigh
  • Tops with thin straps are not acceptable
  • All undergarments should be covered by outside clothing

Bicycle Security Reminders

Students riding their bikes to school are reminded to lock them up. Bikes must be locked at the back of the school. Make sure you register your bike’s serial number with the police and should your bike go missing, report it to the police immediately.

A Return to Love

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?…Your playing small does not serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do…It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love

Pride Week

pride-week.jpgThis year marks the 30th Anniversary of Pride Week in Toronto, which will run from June 25th to July 4th inclusive, and will culminate with the Pride Parade on Sunday,July 4th. The TDSB is committed to enabling all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, transsexual, intersex, queer, questioning, two-spirited and allied students (ed. note: the acronym for this is LGBTTIQQ2SA. Really. I’m not making this up!), as well as staff, and communities who identify themselves on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity to see themselves reflected in the education system.

Pride Week has become symbolic of a stance against discrimination and oppression of individuals in the LGBTTIQQ2SA community. Pride Week also celebrates diversity and the variety of life in Toronto, while respecting subtle differences amongst its citizens and visitors, and creating an inclusive experience for all.

Educational research suggests that students learn more effectively when they see themselves, their families, and their communities reflected in classroom teaching and in the school. Schools must address this by cultivating positive spaces and messages about LGBTTIQQ2SA communities and about sexual diversity more broadly. The TDSB’s participation in the Pride Parade is but one aspect of promoting equity for sexual orientation and gender identity within the TDSB.

For more information on the TDSB’s involvement in Pride Week and the Pride Parade, as well as inclusive curriculum for sexual orientation and gender identity, please visit http://www.tdsb.on.ca/equity.

17 DAYS UNTIL FUN IN THE SUN!

Upcoming Events

  • June 7 – Early Dismissal (1:30 pm)
  • June 8 – Athletic Banquet (4:00 pm)
  • June 9 – City Championships – Girls’ Soccer
  • June 10 & 11 – Grade 9 EQAO (periods 1&2)
  • June 11 – South Region Championships
  • June 16 – 22 – Grade 9 Exams
  • June 24 – Grade 9 Graduation (5:30 pm)
  • June 25 – Grade 9 Reports Home (3:00 pm)
  • June 28
    • Grade 7/8 Recognition Assemblies
    • Grade 7/8 Reports Home
  • June 29 – Last Day of School for Students (regular day)
  • June 30 – PA Day – no school
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