MW Happenings || Fall/Winter 2013

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HAPPENINGS PARENT NEWSLETTER

issue 1 || fall/winter edition 2013

Principal’s Message Almost two and a half months have passed since I arrived as the new Principal of Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School. I am thrilled to be ‘home’. I began my career in teaching at Mary Ward as a teacher, teacher advisor, department head and vice principal at Mary Ward for twenty-two years. I was appointed Principal at Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts where I have been for the past four years. I consider it my great fortune to have been asked to come back to Mary Ward, a community that I love deeply.

Since my return to Ward, I have enjoyed seeing many familiar faces as well as fourteen new faces amongst the staff. I have met a number of students and, as is the custom at Mary Ward, everyone I have met has been extremely welcoming. I am very pleased to be working with a very strong CSAC Executive and I am impressed with their level of commitment to our school and in supporting our Mary Ward parents. If you haven’t had a chance to come to one of our CSAC monthly meetings yet, let me extend an invitation to you. All are welcome!

I feel truly blessed to be a part of this unique and vibrant school. In such a short period of time, we have welcomed 275 grade nine students as well as 21 new International students. Our staff and students enjoyed the annual grade 9 sleep over and Camp Robin Hood orientation day. We have had a number of overnight trips including two Physical Education camping trips, and a Canadian & World Studies trip to Ottawa, students attended the United Nations in New York City with the Loretto Sisters, as well as a Visual Arts and Business trip to Europe! We had a group of teachers travelled to Edmonton for the Canadian Coalition of Self-Directed Learning conference who brought back very valuable ideas which will be the focus for our Faculty Meetings this year.

We hosted an excellent Meet the Teacher Advisor Night for parents as well as our recent and successful grade 8 Open House. Our SAC Executive have been busy creating energy and excitement for our students through the Halloween Haunted House and are currently publicizing our first school dance of the year on Nov. 22. Mary Ward’s Guidance Department continue to support your children on a daily basis. Recently, they hosted an excellent Mary Ward university and college fair at Ward.

This past Friday, our staff took part in our annual Faith Development day in which we were inspired to be even stronger Catholic leaders with an increased capacity to listen from the heart. This is indeed an active, energetic and incredibly positive community.

Please take the time to read through this newsletter. We have a very exciting and energizing school and this is very much reflected in the pages of Happenings. I look forward to meeting you at our upcoming Parent-Teacher Interview evening on Thursday, December 5th from 3 – 5 p.m. and again at 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

In the meantime, I thank you for welcoming me so warmly to Mary Ward. I wish you and your families a blessed Advent season.

May your Advent be full of love and spiritual renewal in the Lord.

AndreA MageE

Monthly Update from the Board november 2013

Humanitarian Aid for the Philippines: Archdiocese of Toronto Call for Support of Earthquake Relief Efforts Many of you are likely aware of the earthquake that struck the Philippines on October 15th.

Our prayers go out to those who have died, those who have been devastated by the loss of loved ones, and those who have been displaced by this disaster. The Archdiocese of Toronto is asking for our support for fundraising efforts to provide emergency assistance to the affected areas.

Schools and individuals wishing to reach out to our brothers and sisters in the Philippines are invited to make a donation through their local parish.

More information: http://www.tcdsb.org/Board/ NurturingOurCatholicCommunity/News/20132014/Pages/Philippine-Earthquake-Relief-Efforts.aspx

Dates to Note Nov 17-23 Bullying Awareness Week Nov 22 Holodomor Day--dedicated to the

loss of millions of Ukrainian lives at

the hands of the Soviet Regime

during the great famine of 1932 1933. http://www.tcdsb.org/News/ othernews/Pages/Holodomor Memorial-Day.aspx Nov 25 Memorial Mass (in honour of the

staff and students who have passed

away recently)

TCDSB Seeking Community Rep for Adult Committee TCDSB is seeking a community volunteer to sit on the board’s Audit Committee.

Deadline for applications is December 6th.

For details on applying: http://www.tcdsb.org/Board/ TrusteesoftheBoard/Committees/Pages/Volunteer-Community-Member-for-Audit-Committee.aspx.

For information about the Audit Committee see: http://www.tcdsb.org/Board/TrusteesoftheBoard/ Committees/Pages/Audit.aspx

Introducing the Anchor of Hope TCDSB is pleased to introduce a new project specifically designed to celebrate our Year of Hope, the second year of the Board’s Pastoral Plan. Last year we saw the completion of the two-year journey of our Witness to Faith Cross. What an incredible journey it was for all of us—what a beautiful testament to our shared Faith. This year, TCDSB invites all schools to participate in the “Anchor of Hope”, a tangible way for us to share ideas about what hope looks like in our local schools and offices.

The physical anchor will be designed and built by students from our Catholic schools, and will be given a place of honour in the atrium at the Catholic Education Centre. The anchor will showcase the many ideas, messages and visual representations of hope throughout our school system. The Board looks forward to seeing the local interpretations of what hope looks like, and how many of these ideas will come to fruition next year as our Year of Hope transitions into our Year of Charity, which will invite us to put our Faith and Hope into action.

To get all the latest news from the Toronto Catholic District School Board, follow us on Twitter @TCDSB

GreenQuest:

Waste Reduction Week

by Denise Velasco

During a week last October, Green Quest organized Waste Reduction week, an annually-held 5-day campaign to further raise awareness about the environment’s many problems. Led by the dynamic executive team, all the club members gathered together to come up with activities that were centered on waste reduction. They focused on the following themes: water, litter-less lunch, recycling paper, conserving energy and promoting the use of reusable materials. Green Quest organized a “bottled water VS tap water” taste test and, through it, emphasized on using the drinking fountain in refilling reusable water containers to highlight the theme of water. The group also encouraged the students to bring reusable containers for cafeteria food, instead of the usual paper plates and plastic utensils. On the third day of the week, a TA group activity was organized for everyone to reflect on what they wish or hope for the future of the environment and on the same day, Green Quest also collected old batteries, cellphones and goodwill donations. Small, but meaningful prizes and tokens of our appreciation were given out to students who brought reusable water bottles and those who participated in activities held throughout the week. The week was very successful and Green Quest is very proud of the whole student body for their involvement and enthusiasm to help resolve environmental issues, one week at a time.

Last school year, Green Quest, together with the environmental science class, organized a plan to build a butterfly garden, and this year, several members of Green Quest helped out with the environmental science class to plant and bring the butterfly garden to life.

Currently, Green Quest is working on the EcoSchool Certification Application, which is ongoing throughout the year. We look forward to the entire community’s support throughout the rest of the year.

Students for Life

Mary Ward has a Students for Life Club this year! The Club’s purpose is to raise awareness, by way of different activities, of various life matters, such as abortion, euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research. The Club’s first event, a bake sale, is happening very soon. Stay tuned for activities during the Christmas season and in the new year!

DECA Regionals This year, Mary Ward’s DECA Chapter of over 70 members competed at the Toronto Regional competition, which took place on two separate days.

The online testing took place at Mary Ward on October 28, 2013, where all members wrote multiple choice exams in the Business department. The exam tested the chapter on their general business knowledge as well as specific concepts relating to their category.

On November 15, 2013, the chapter competed at Riverdale Collegiate Institute where 1700 DECA members from Toronto Public and Toronto Catholic schools completed as an individual competitor or in teams of two about a certain Business situation.

Students were given case studies on topics related to marketing, entrepreneurship, finance and business leadership. This gave students the opportunity to explain their ideas and expand their knowledge. By putting them on the spot, it helped them gain valuable problem solving and presentation skills. The chapter achieved one first place medal and 14 ribbons. Stephanie John, Glynne Capinpin, Gabrielle Licerio, Diana Soto, Zicilia Lo, Deborah Ooi, Vanessa Hsing, Megann Davidson, Rachel Peiris, Olivia Yeung and Naomi Nguyen each placed in the top 10 in their categories for their role plays.

Deborah Ooi also placed in the top 10 in the Buying and Merchandising category for the written exam. Vetran DECA member, Alexia Olaizola, placed in the top 10 of the Retail Merchandising Services category for both the written exam and her role play, earning her a first place medal for the overall category. Congratulations to all competitors!

DECA at Ward will move on to compete at the Provincial Competition which will take place at the Sheraton Centre in downtown Toronto on February 10 and 11, 2014. DECA Ontario has close to 10,000 members from across Ontario and approximately 5,000 students will be competing at Provincials.

For now, DECA@Ward will continue to train for Provincials, but will take some time to enjoy the upcoming annual DECA Dodge ball charity event and Christmas Social.

For those interested in finding out more about DECA@Ward, simply ask a DECA executive or advisors Ms. Morra and Mrs.

Walk to End Male Violence Against Women

On October 18th, the Gender Justice Committee hosted its annual Walk to End Male Violence Against Women. Before the walk student leaders lead a discussion on the existence of domestic violence in North America, with emphasis placed on the missing and murdered Aboriginal women in and around Canada.

Gender Justice hopes to continue to work to raise money for the Sisters in Spirit Campaign, an organization that brings awareness to the missing and murdered Aboriginal women and the lack of justice that their given.

During our weekly meetings, Gender Justice will continue to discuss and bring awareness to the systemic racism that Aboriginal women face.

Gay-Straight Alliance

On the day of its first year anniversary, GSA held its first ever GSA Day. Student leaders and members decorated the foyer with balloons and streamers and filled the corridors with music in celebration of acceptance and equality. Students designed and sold buttons, and cake was given away for free as part of the celebrations.

Mary Ward’s GSA continues to meet every Wednesday at lunch where LGBTQ issues are raised and discussed to ensure that our students feel safe and included in their school community.

CrossCountry S k y z o n e Trampoline Our cross-country running team wrapped up another successful season with a dominant showing at this season’s city-wide championship. Runners showed grit and team spirit. Special congrats go out to Jerome Jude who captured the gold medal to ensure a coveted spot at OFSAA in Sudbury, where he captured 7th place to a spot on the podium -- a remarkable feat of grit and endurance. All members of our community who like to run are encouraged to try out for the squad next fall.

Gr 9 Girl’s Flag Football

On Wed Nov 13, 32 students from the personal fitness class attended an excursion to Sky Zone trampoline park where they spent the afternoon getting a solid workout bouncing and jumping on trampolines throughout the facility. They did some “skyrobics” in the open jump area with close to 50 connected trampolines. This area was bordered by walls which was made up of more trampolines. They raced through the foam pit and bounced their way to slam dunk competitions. Probably the most fun was the 3D dodgeball area, where they played traditional dodgeball rules while on 12 trampolines, trying to time their throws to hit the moving targets that were their opponents. It was a fantastic day with so much laughter they barely noticed the fact that they were working out so hard!

Mary Ward was able to field a team of twenty-one grade 9 students to participate in the Grade 9 Girl’s Flag Football tournament. Almost all of the girls had not played any football. It was amazing to see how fast the girls came to understand the basics of football. Their enthusiasm during practices and the tournament was always a joy to witness. Several of these junior athletes will be seen again in the spring as members of our Varsity team. A special thank you to Abigail Dispo, Chelsea Singh, Kim Pallarca and Gelian Frac for assisting with the team practices.

YMCA Cedar Glen Trip

On October 25, 2013, the Mary Ward SHSM students went to YMCA Cedar Glen to learn about communication and group dynamics. Communication is crucial when working in groups, regardless of the circumstance. It is an essential skill to have! During our visit, we learned many different aspects of team and group work. An example of how we were working in groups and communicating, even when we weren’t aware of it, was when we were split into groups for lunch, and assigned different roles. Whether it was wiping down the table after we had all finished, or stacking cups, we were all communicating and working together. We practiced many other activities as well - like the “Blind Man Bean Bags.” This activity involved one member of the group to be blindfolded, and another group member to direct the blindfolded member

to pick up the tossed bean bag. This was a great example of how teamwork and communication skills often lead to victories within small activities.

Leadership can often be described as applying certain skills to help you excel, and lead others in the right direction. Assertiveness, organization, adaptability, conscientiousness, and intelligence are all examples of qualities we practiced, and learned at YMCA Cedar Glen.

Throughout the course of the day, we were split up into small groups, and thrown into a variety of activities. The one thing these activities all had in common was the fact that in order to succeed, every team needed a leader to guide and make decisions. Overall, the trip to the outdoor centre at the Cedar Glen facilities proved to be a major success for all SHSM students.

Tennis Tournament

The Mary Ward Tennis Team enjoyed the nice facilities of Markham Tennis Club in October for the preliminary tournament. The sun shone and the wind and rain held up, making for a pleasant day of tennis as six of our entrants won their first round matches. Grade 10 student Christopher Li nearly advanced to the finals in a long and hard fought match for Junior Boys Singles. Grade 9 student Casia Wodz won the Markham tournament for Junior Girls Singles and advanced to the T.D.C.A.A championships at the excellent facilities of Mayfair Tennis Club and brought home the silver medal. The future looks bright for Mary Ward Tennis.

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day was significant this year, as it marked Canada’s last one in Afghanistan, where it has lost 168 soldiers since 2001. The ceremony, poignantly led by the grade 11 drama students, brought home the reality of the heartbreak of war. The reverential silence maintained by the audience indicated the solemnity of this occasion. Images and music, lights and prayers, the playing of the Last Post by graduate Perrin Pallarca, and the heartfelt singing of O Canada by Lia Luz and Joseph Fabie all contributed to this wonderful tribute to Canada’s fallen soldiers.

CWS News

Grade 9 Geography students enjoyed our annual trek to Niagara Falls where they gained a better understanding of Canada’s geological history by hiking into the Niagara gorge!

The grade 10 history students examined the impacts of war during our “Remember November“ visit to Ottawa on November 11-13th. Among the highlights, students visited the National Military Cemetery and met and talked with Veterans at the Canadian War Museum.

Our senior students are gearing up for our spring trip to New York City which will include a tour of the United Nations and the Jewish Heritage museum among others.

Vive les Chutes Niagara!

The French Department is pleased to welcome our two new Grade 9 Extended French classes to Mary Ward.

The Gr 9 Geography classes enjoyed a sunny Fall day hiking the Niagara Gorge en francais. The students also enjoyed the interactive Fall’s experience despite getting soaked as they virtually travelled through the creation of Niagara Falls.

Other excursions in the department have included a visit to the ROM as well as Places of Worship for the senior extended French students studying Les Religions du Monde. The Grade 11 Academic class is looking forward to seeing the musical production of “Les Miserables” in January.

Grade 11 ROM Trips The Grade 11 World Religions classes have made several trips to the ROM to research religions icons of the world. The students absorbed like sponges as the ROM archaeology guides moved through the museum showcasing the more popular icons that were relative to the students’ course of study. At the end of the tour, the guides confessed that they fight over who gets to conduct a tour for a Mary Ward group. Who can blame them?

CCSDL Conference

Nuit Blanche

This year’s CCSDL Conference took place Oct 1719 at St. Joseph Catholic High School in Edmonton, Alberta. Ten staff members were given the opportunity to attend and meet with other selfdirected learning schools from across Canada.

This provided our staff with the chance to discuss best practices and learn from other schools what is working for them as well as share the highlights from Mary Ward about how we are meeting the needs of our students while continually seeking ways to improve. This was an enjoyable and worthwhile experience for all who attended.

This year’s all-night contemporary art event, Nuit Blanche, featured 21 Mary Ward alumni who contributed 13 amazing doors that were part of a 250-door installation called ‘Doors of Hope’. Celebrating 100 years of Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Toronto, our student’s doors were on display for the 12-hour, overnight show, at St.Michael’s College at the University of Toronto.

Movember Hits Mary Ward The Mary Ward Movember Team, consisting of Mr. Adourian, Mr. Candiotto, Mr. Carabine, Mr. Di Millo, Mr. Morra, Mr. Notten, Mr. Stepanian, and Mr. Wong pose for yet another amazing picture featuring their very styling moustaches. This is the third consecutive year that members of the Mary Ward staff have participated in this fund raiser for prostate cancer research, and see to become more and more distinguished as the years progress. Way to go team!

SHSM at Ward R o c k e t L a u n c h On October 28, the TDJ2O1 students braved the bad weather and launched their rockets. Although the strong winds proved to make the launch challenging, those who participated had a good time.

Congratulations to those students for enduring the difficult weather and for a successful launch!

The SHSM (Specialist High School Major) Health and Wellness Program at Mary Ward has become a great experiential opportunity for all students interested in the health care field. Our school is the only school– in the east end–that offers this program. It offers insight to many careers and is also significant for its networking capabilities. The SHSM executive team was able to educate many families about this amazing program.

Award’s Night The annual Awards night, held on October 21st, was a great success. Many families and students attended the celebratory event that recognized over 100 of our highest achieving students in their respective courses.

St. Michael’s TIPSY Experience TIPSY (ThinkFirst Injury Prevention Strategy for Youth) – a trip to St. Michael’s hospital was an eye-opening opportunity for the students in SHSM and those in the Grade 11 Healthcare course.

Offered by the staff at St. Michael’s hospital, this program for students (within the GTA) focuses on providing awareness to youth about drugs, impaired driving, and any other forms of risky life-threatening actions that could potentially lead to traumatic brain and/or spinal cord injuries.

As seen in the picture, a student of Mary Ward volunteered to help exhibit the equipment, such as a neck brace, restraints, and a diaper, used on a patient who suffers from spinal and brain injuries. The TIPSY program also included an interactive session with the Toronto Police Services, Safe and Sober Canada, and Voice of Injury Prevention. The presenters not only validated from their own experiences, they also gave an in-depth personal insight that really moved each and every one of us.

The highlight of the student’s TIPSY experience was not only the delicious free pizza that was provided, but also the tour of the Emergency Room Trauma.

The students were able to experience and observe first-hand how a hospital functions. The trip to St. Michael’s Hospital was truly an experience - it was educational, informational, and interactive. It gave students a deeper understanding of the life traumatizing effects of drinking - or texting - while driving.

Me to We Day 2013 On September 20th, 14 Mary Ward students and Ms. Hayes attended Me to We day at the Air Canada Centre. The students were selected as representatives of Ward’s social justice clubs, both Free the Children and OKOF. It was a high energy day full of exciting and dynamic speakers – some highlights included astronaut Chris Hadfield, Premier Kathleen Wynn, and entertainers the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato. The students were educated on the challenges facing children in under-developed countries, and have been inspired to work toward raising money to build schools in Africa. It was an amazing day all around.

Wolverine Fitness Group This year, Mary Ward has introduced the Wolverine Training Fitness group, an after school program designed to encourage healthy living among our students. For a nominal fee, students have the opportunity to use the school’s fitness facilities under the supervision of one of our trained teachers.

Already, dozens of students of a wide range of fitness levels have come together to work out in a judgement-free environment. The group will continue throughout the year, meeting MondayThursday for an hour after school.

Discovery Day The Grade 11 Chemistry students took St. Henry, Epiphany of Our Lord and Holy Spirit by storm this November. They designed, organized and imp0lemented fun and educational Science acitivities for elementary school students. The students were led by their Chemistry teacher, Mrs. Poole.

The days were reported successful and entertaining. Great job everyone!

Europe 2013

by John Cadavos

With bags packed and passports in hand, thirty-one Grade Eleven and Twelve Art, Tech and Business students departed from Pearson Airport on the adventure of their high school lives. Along with four teachers, Ms. Ventura, Mr. Emer, Ms. Powell and Mr. Notten, we boarded their flight which would begin their journey across Europe to London, Paris and ending in Venice.

After meeting with our tour director, Antonio, the students, though jet-lagged and tired, took the city of London head on and over the next two days, they visited places such as the Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, the Tate Modern (the world’s largest modern art gallery) and they watched a play in London’s West End called the 39 Steps.

After London, we hopped on the Eurostar train to Paris, France. Our jammed-packed itinerary in Paris included amazing views from the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe (once we had climbed all those stairs!), an excursion to Montmartre, Notre Dame Cathedral and not one, not two but three art museums: the Louvre, the Dali Museum and the Pompidou Centre. Paris was awesome, but when it was time to leave for our last stop, Venice, Italy, we ran into a little trouble.

We then took on Venice Biennale, St. Mark’s Square, a gondola ride and a lot of gelato, all into the one day we had. Finally, after a week of being overseas, it was time to return home with our suitcases full of souvenirs, postcards and laundry and tell everyone back home about our unforgettable trip.

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It has been a very busy fall. A Graduate Information Parent Night took place October 23rd. It was extremely well attended by potential graduates and their parents. This year a representative from George Brown College spoke at length about scholarships and bursaries and where and how to find them. This was well received by all.

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In order for students to put their best foot forward for college and university acceptance, they should be on track. The marks that will be submitted to the colleges and universities are the marks that appear on report cards. For the December report card students needed to have completed 4 units for each of their courses except for English, which is 5 units and for the April report card they will need to have completed 11 units.

Some scholarship information is posted on the Student Services bulletin board. Potential graduates should research and apply for scholarships and bursaries for which they qualify. Every post-secondary institution has scholarship information on their website.

Other helpful sites are: www.studentawards.com and www.scholarshipscanada.com.

On October 29th, Mary Ward hosted its annual Grade 8 Open House. It was extremely well attended with over 800 parents and students visiting for an information session and a student-led tour.

Take Our Kids to Work Day was on November 6th. Most of our Grade 9 students participated where they are given the opportunity to see first-hand what the world of work is like. It was a worthwhile experience for all who participated.

Also on November 6th Mary Ward hosted a College and University Fair. Twenty-four college and universities from all over Ontario were present. It was well received by both students and parents.

College and University Application Seminars are taking place the last week of November and the first week of December. All potential post-secondary applicants are encouraged to submit the applications prior to the Christmas break. The final application deadline for university is January 15, 2014 and for college is February 1, 2014.

Once again the course selection process will be completed on-line through My Blueprint in February.

TORONTO CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEES 2013-2014 WARDS 1. Peter Jakovcic 416 512 3401 2. Ann Andrachuck, Chair 416 512 3402 3. Sal Piccininni, Vice-Chair 416 512 3403 4. Patrizia Bottoni 416 512 3404 5. Maria Rizzo 416 512 3405 6. Frank D’Amico 416 512 3406 7. John Del Grande 416 512 3407 8. Garry Tunuan 416 512 3408 9. Jo-Ann Davis 416 512 3409 10. Barabara Poplawski 416 512 3410 11. Angela Kennedy 416 512 3411 12. Nancy Crawford, 416 512 3412 William Lawrence Student Trustee 416 512 3413 Enrique Olivo Student Trustee 416 512 3417

designed by jercy david