Coming up this week
by Sita Dubeau (Vice Principal) Click here to comment »High Performing Athletes Program Information Night
Please note that St. Andrew’s is holding this information session tomorrow, Tuesday, December 9th from 7:00 pm. to 8:30 p.m. (not next week). Any interested parents and/or students are welcome. An Information Flyer is available in earlier issues of e-newsletter.
“Let’s Celebrate”: Holiday Concert
On Wednesday, December 10th at 7:30 p.m., please join us for an evening of music as we celebrate the holiday season together in true St. Andrew’s style. Performers will include Senior Band and Senior Strings, as well as student pianists and readers.
Please consider making a cash donation or donate a grocery bag filled with non-perishable food to our North York Harvest Food Bank food drive as your price of admission.
York Mills C.I. Band Performance
On Thursday, December 11th, York Mills C.I. Band will perform for St. Andrew’s students during the morning. In order to accommodate these performances, the two lunch periods will be altered slightly.
Please note: we will follow the Assembly Day Schedule on this day so lunch period times will be as follows:
- Early Lunch (period 4): 12:13 – 12:58 p.m.
- Late Lunch (period 5): 12:58 – 1:43 p.m.
Please do not stop in front of the school or in the north driveway when dropping off or picking up your child. When vehicles stop in these areas, they can create an unsafe situation for all. There is a well-marked area for drop offs and pick ups in the parking lot at the back of the school with an entrance at the south end of the school. Thank you!
This past Monday we held our third annual St. Andrew’s Chapters Fundraising Event. There were lots of St. Andrew’s families in attendance and our prize draw was a popular feature, as usual! We also had the pleasure of listening to St. Andrew’s students play holiday music while we shopped for books and holiday gifts. Thank you to Daphne Strathdee and Grace Lee for organizing this event, as well to all our parent and student volunteers who helped make the evening a big success with their support and enthusiasm.
Today, November 28th, we recognized St. Andrew’s Day with two assemblies. Mr. and Mrs. Gifford attended and presented an award in their daughter’s name, Jennifer. Shannon Lee won the award this year. The senior band played magnificently, along with bagpiper, Mr. Millar. Several students spoke about St. Andrew’s history and traditions. Our student team, called Impact, with staff advisors Mrs. Fair and Ms. Lam, described our history of giving, caring and empathy. They described Operation Christmas Child and other initiatives we will participate in this school year. A huge thank you goes to our St. Andrew’s community for their wonderful response to our charitable projects.
There will also be a raffle with great prizes such as:
Students attended assemblies on November 19 in recognition of Anti-Bullying Week. The presentations were provided by Garth Riley of 
But extreme cold can be dangerous, and parents want to know that their children will be safe. When the temperature is predicted to drop below -15C, the City of Toronto may declare a cold weather alert. Schools are very sensitive to the needs of our students and pay close attention to the weather, especially when the windchill is below -20 C.
The first pizza lunch of the year was held this Thursday and was a tremendous success. We served over 200 students! Thank you to Giselle Bloch for organizing this popular event. Thanks also to our volunteer parents who helped out.
The All City groups are a wonderful tradition within our board. 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.
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.
Thank you to all the grade 7’s and their families for sponsoring our very successful Halloween Bake Sale. We had a large variety of delicious baked goods to offer the students which they were very eager to buy. Thank you to all of our bakers, to all of you who donated candy for the raffle, and to all of our volunteers who helped out the day of the sale. Thank you also to Gloria Wong and Lucy Chen for doing such a beautiful job of wrapping our raffle prizes.
Last week our Boys and Girls Junior Slo-pitch teams participated in the North Division Championships. As a result, the Boys team competed in the City finals on October 30, 2008 and took the Silver! Congratulations to both boys and girls for an excellent season.
Come and find out more about how you can get involved in your child’s school and learning at the 2nd Annual Parent Involvement Makes a Difference: Impacting Student Success Conference.
As well as being a community school, Wexford Collegiate offers specialized programs in both Performing Arts and Visual Arts. Admission to specialized programs is gained through an application and audition process. There will be two information sessions:
Whether you climb on your own, or with a team, whether it is your first climb or your fifth, when you climb the CN Tower, you feel great knowing you are helping the United Way and doing something that few people ever get to attempt.
