ANNUAL REPORT 2016 - 2017
Our Mission TMS delivers a seamless, internationally-acclaimed educational experience designed to inspire and challenge students to discover the best of who they are and to achieve their full potential.
Our Vision To be embraced as an outstanding school with an unparalleled educational experience.
Our Promise TMS enables each student to define and realize success in university, career and in life through our unparalleled educational experience.
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES It is an honour to serve the TMS community as Chair of the Board of Trustees. As a group of volunteers, we have the opportunity to work with the leadership of the School during this exciting time in TMS’ history. It is a time in which we can see that the work happening in our School, aligned with the work we have ahead, continues to have huge impact on our students. It is the responsibility of the Board to ensure the long-term health of our School through the strategic decisions we make. It is our job to ensure we continue to be a leading Independent School offering experiences and learning to our students that will allow them to prosper after they graduate from TMS. This Annual Report shows that TMS has made some exciting strategic decisions that have already had an impact on the experience of our students and, just as importantly, the experience of our community. We have thrilling campus development work ahead that will only add further to the enhanced engagement of our students and we ask for your continued support of our Capital Campaign as you are able. Regardless of the programs, buildings and spaces we add, it remains true that the biggest influences on our children’s learning are our teachers and staff. On behalf of all the parents at the School, I thank the teachers for their amazing work in knowing our children and seeking to ignite in each that love of learning. I finish with heartfelt thanks to our families. The many and various ways in which you support this community is humbling and, on behalf of the Board, I want to pass on our appreciation. Phil Campione Chair, Board of Trustees
MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL I am proud to have the chance to report on the 2016-2017 TMS school year. It was a year that saw the launch of our strategic plan Significance – a plan that was created from student, staff and parent feedback. It is a plan, I believe, that reflects well the shared hopes and aspirations of our community. It is a plan that has helped galvanize our work towards an aspirational vision for TMS. I want to share some of the early impact and successes of our strategic work on the journey of our students at TMS. Building our Significance Our desire to complement the learning journey through TMS with spaces in which students can animate their interests and passions further has been a decision that has captured our collective imaginations. Our movement toward building a new expansive entrance, new double gymnasium and, ultimately, a new performance space at our Lower School and a Dining Hall and Student Commons at our Upper School has been met with overwhelming community support. Last spring, we launched the Building our Significance Capital Campaign to help us in the building of these spaces and, in the eight months since, we have already received pledges totalling $850,000 from our families. I am deeply appreciative for the support that has been invested in the experience of our current students and for new students who will benefit from these additional spaces in years to come. Knowing our Significance Ultimately and fundamentally, our work is with your children, our students. It is important that we continue to build on our strengths and strive towards the provision of programs and opportunities from which our students will benefit. The strength of our journey is ultimately measured in our graduates. It was exciting to see the spectacular success of our recent graduates as they headed off to leading programs throughout Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. TMS had our first student accepted at the University of the Arts London in the UK. We also saw our first two student athletes win full scholarships to NCAA Division 1 schools for baseball and track and field. Alongside these successes, TMS students continue to enter into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and business programs with a longterm view to careers in medicine and law. This year, our Upper School students excelled at external competitions which included: • Upper School students qualified for the International DECA Championships (Business Program) and finished in the top 20 students worldwide • A group of Grade 10 students won the CIS Ontario Future Design Competition held at MaRS Discovery District • Students placed 1st 2nd and 3rd in the 2017 nation wide Design Exchange Competition • Students in Grades 7 to 12 received numerous certificates of distinction in Mathematic contests - Euler, Lagrange, Newton, and Waterloo. In our Lower School we: • Initiated a Robotics Team in which students competitively extend their interests in coding and engineering • Launched a Media Creation Team in which students design, create and edit video and audio that TMS can use in many ways • Grew our music program with a Jazz Band that excelled in competition • All four of our students were selected as winners of their age categories in the Concours d’art Oratoire French competition We also created a new IT curriculum which will allow all Lower School TMS students to learn coding, robotics, web design and media creation. This is unique to TMS and we believe will provide all our students with a necessary grounding in these key areas.
At both campuses, our students, guided by the principles of Montessori and IB, continue to commit to their local communities through service and volunteerism. Growing our Significance We know a great school partners closely with its families - our work is a shared enterprise. This year, we have tried to connect more closely with our families and we have reaped the benefits of the high level of engagement our families have committed towards TMS. A case in point was the TMS Gala which had excellent attendance by our school community. The atmosphere of the evening captured wonderfully our desire to build our connections and strengthen our community. The truly excellent event was planned and envisioned by Lisa Risi and Nicole Cortellucci and involved a large team of parent volunteers. It was a great example of parents partnering with the School. We have introduced Parent Representatives across all levels of TMS which has been especially appreciated by families who are considering joining the TMS Community. Deciding about the schooling of your child is a huge decision and the ability to connect with another parent during that process has been of value to prospective families. Our Parent Representatives commit to building community within each class and in turn that translates into building a connected school community. Our Parent Representatives make a big commitment to the School and this support is one that has significant benefits to TMS. We have grown our Upper School Career Day into an amazing opportunity for our senior students to engage with parents and community partners who share advice and insights about careers from their own areas of expertise and experience. The event brings together parents across all parts of the TMS community. It continues to be an absolute highlight that has led to many extended connections between students and parents as our students move towards their areas of passion. Our engagement with our families is growing and we are excited to continue to entrench that work as we move forward. I believe deeply in a genuine partnership with our parents. It is not always easy work but it is definitely powerful work. Validation through Accreditation It can be easy to lose perspective on our own work, so to have the opportunity to have external accreditors visit TMS and share their learning with us is incredibly valuable. Last year, we hosted all three of our accrediting bodies for rigorous and comprehensive reviews. Our accrediting organizations are the Canadian Council of Montessori Administrators (CCMA), the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), and Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS). Each report on our School was outstanding, hugely complimentary and validated our direction and Vision. This is not every school’s experience so we were really proud of this work. Significance Our strategic plan aspires to Significance. This Annual Report offers a brief glimpse of the work that has begun in striving towards that Vision. We have much work ahead but there are so many indicators that we are successfully moving forward in this enterprise and doing so together as a community. It gives us the impetus to continue the work. Our teachers hold a central, pivotal piece of that work. The focus on I Am Known is beautiful work but requires an emotional investment that is not easy. I am grateful for the depth of their commitment to our school. I’m glad that you are in our community. I appreciate your partnership. It adds up to something that is Significant. David Young Head of School
REPORT FROM THE CHAIR OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE TMS is an independent not-for-profit school dedicated to providing an unparalleled education for its students. Each year, the Board reviews and approves administration’s operating and capital plans for the coming year within a strategy that considers the long-term stability of the School. The Finance Committee is responsible for approving the fiscal budgets and ensuring the appropriate reporting, auditing, and systems are implemented and executed. The Committee also recommends objectives that secure the long-term financial stability of TMS. Operating results in 2016/17 continued to be very positive, due to growing enrolment and careful cost control. The year saw the repayment of the remainder of the School’s bank debt. The School is now in a debt-free position. This financial strength allows TMS to look forward to the future and the opportunity to implement strategic spending initiatives to support the School’s Strategic Plan. In financial terms, by far the largest upcoming project is the Campus Development expansions planned for both the Lower School and Upper School. These expansions are intended to provide more space for our existing students, including a new larger Gymnasium and renovated Performance Space at the Lower School, and a new Dining Hall, Kitchen and Student Commons at the Upper School. As an initial contribution to this expansion, the School has set aside funds in 2016/17. Operating funds will cover only part of our exciting plans so the Building our Significance Capital Campaign which is currently underway is also vital to financing our School’s future. I hope you have an opportunity to support this campaign as generously as you can. Moreover, the School appreciates your continued support through Annual Giving since it is an important supplement to tuition. The School expects Annual Giving to grow in future years as we are hearing more from families about financial contributions to TMS. Please note all donations to TMS receive a charitable tax receipt which makes for an effective way for families to support on-going activities at TMS. On a personal note, this is my first year as Finance Committee Chair. It is a wonderful opportunity to work with the School staff and other volunteers to support our School, which in return, ultimately benefits our students. I encourage you to support TMS in whatever way you can. Deborah McMillan Chair, Finance Committee
2016/2017 Summarised Operating Results Revenues Tuition Fees
17,412,091
Program Fees
1,046,910
TMI Fees
478,758
Initial Registration Fees
712,750
Sundry
163,336
Total Revenues
19,813,845
Expenses Salaries & Benefits
13,339,375
General & Administrative
1,139,785
Building & Facilities
1,099,535
Academic
1,075,504
Interest
29,401
Depreciation
646,225
IT/Computer Expenses
280,073
Total Expenses
17,609,898
Debt Repayment
(2,008,244)
Investment Income
343,345
Donations and Fundraising
140,994
Net Surplus to Building Fund
680,042
B
C
D E D
E
F
G
C
B
A
A
Revenue A - Tuition Fees B - Program Fees C - TMI Fees D - Initial Registration Fees E - Sundry
Expenses A - Salaries & Benefits B - General & Administrative C - Building & Facilities D - Academic E - Interest F - Depreciation G - IT/Computer Expenses
ANNUAL GIVING TMS held strategic planning discussions around the strategic direction of the School, with a focus on Knowing, Growing and Building our Significance. We are delighted with the decision to move forward with a Campus Master Plan that will allow us to genuinely establish TMS as a leading independent school. As we embark on this new journey, we are very excited about the opportunity for our community to join together with us to reach our goals. There are exciting enhancements coming to the School and we appreciate the on-going support of parents, families, staff and alumni as we move forward with our Capital Campaign. In order to engage all members of our community and give more families the opportunity to support the growth of TMS, we have made the decision that all contributions to our successful Annual Giving Program will also directly support the Capital Campaign. We would like to thank the following individuals for their support of the Annual Giving Program: Abdelhamid Family
Tracey Cole
Laura Adams
David Cordner
Steven Alves
Dina De Cotiis
Gabrielle Aronovitch
Nancy Coyle and Doug McCann
Arshad Family Baldassarra Family De Bartolo Family Ann Bianco-Harvey Donna Boreham Bowes Family Kevin Budd Cai Family Lisa Cantor Michaella Caren Kelli Cartwright Char Choo Chen Family Cheng Family Edward Cheung Chu Family Chui Family
De Mello Family Dell’Elce Family Deng Family D’Souza Family Kirsten Eastwood Kim Ellis-Valicek Eng Family Farzaneh Fereidooni Stuart Ferrie Ferrier Family Franklin Family Fu Family Rosanna Gaudio Gorener Family Colleen Graham Robyn Gram
Adriana Groff
Ruscica Family
Haider Family
Russo Family
He Family
Ivana Sconza
Hencher Family
Blaine Seamone
Ho Family
Shao Family
Holmes Family
Shen Family
Hoo Family
Shou Family
Hosseini Family
Nirmala Singh
Huang Family
Song Family
Hui Family
J. Sun Family
Humphrey Family
Q. Sun Family
Theresa Hurley
W. Sun Family
Jin Family
Y. Sun Family
Joshi Family
Farzana Tejani
Kai Family
Evelyn ten Hagen
Kanargelidis Family
Sheila Thomas
Kapadia Family
Thomas Family
Anna Kazura
Tieu Family
Erin Kenzie
Tin Family
Kim Family
Tomasso Family
Kun Family
Torabitekyeh Family
Lai Family
Totera Family
Lam Family
Rakesh Tripathi
Langenhoven Family
Linda Tuason
Lee Family
Lina Turnbull
Lew Family
C. Wang Family
L. Li Family
D. Wang Family
N. Li Family
G. Wang Family
W. Li Family
Jarvin Wang
Liang Family
K. Wang Family
Lin Family
S. Wang Family
Liu Family
W. Wang Family
Brenda London
Wei Family
Luthra Family
Anthony Wheeldon
Ma Family
Jessica Wong
Rachel Marks
Wu Family
Richard Martin
Xia Family
Beverly McLean-Beck
Xie Family
McMillan Family
M. Xiao Family
Muraleetharan Family
Xu Family
Nawab Family
Xu Family
Tanya Neff
Yang Family
Nguyen Family
Sandra Yannakis
Niem Family
Jennie Yeung
Lisa Nurse
Yin Family
Josephine Parody
David and Sue Young
Brian Pastoor
Youssef Pour Family
Maureen Pesner
H. Yu Family
Qiu Family
Zeng Family
Ramesh Family
Zhang Family
Linda Raponi
Y. Zhao Family
Carolyn Reid
Zheng Family
Reisman Family
Zhuang Family
Paola Rovazzi
DONATE-A-BOOK Thank you for supporting the TMS Library through the Donate-A-Book Program at the Lower School. Alomani Family
Livia Lu Family
Allegra and Bianca
Ma Family
Anandasangaree Family
Mahallati Family
Anonymous
Melatti Family
Asadi Family
Nagamuttu Family
Michael and Melissa Baldassarra
Nawab Family
Bozzo Family
Phone Family
Brown Family Cai Family D. Chen Family N. Chan Family Chai Family Chan Family X. Cheng Family Cheng Family Cheung Family Chu Family Cortellucci Family Dang Family Daniel Family Dell’Elce Family De Bartolo Family Dong Family Eng Family Fan Family Foti Family Franklin Family Galati Family Gharghi Family Guo Family He Family Heydari Family J. Ho Family Holmes Family Itwar Family Joshi Family Jude Family Kavundar Family Kun Family Lao Family Law Family Lee Family Li Family Li’s Family Liu Family Lo Family
Pacitto Family Qiu Family Arthur Ren and Katie Cui Risi Family Scherbaty Family Shek Family Singh Family Sonego Family Sodeifi Family Song Family Tai Family K. Tam Family Tan Family Villano Family C. Wang Family L. Wang Family Q. Wang Family S. Wang Family T. Wang Family Z. Wang Family Y. Wei Family Wei Family M. Weng Family Xie Family Xiong Family Xue Family Yong Yang and Wing Suet Tse J. Yang Family Yang Family Yi Family Yin Family Yip Family Z. Yu Family G. Zhang Family Zhu Family G. Zhang Family J. Zhang Family Victor Zhang’sFamily Zheng Family Zhou Famil
THE GIFT OF TIME Each day the experiences of the students at TMS are enriched by the involvement of our countless volunteers. TMS wishes to thank all the parents, guardians, grandparents, alumni, staff, students, and friends who have given so readily of their time and expertise. We would like to recognize and thank all our dedicated volunteers who devote a significant amount of time.
TMS VOLUNTEERS Classroom Representatives TMS recognizes and appreciates the efforts of the volunteers who have worked tirelessly throughout the year to keep TMS families informed of the many classroom and school wide initiatives at both campuses of the School. Jennifer Chen
Bharti Marsonia
Caroline Chong Yen
Saadat Naghshbandi
Nicole Cortellucci
Zahra Nozari
David Dancey
Annette Nunno
Zein Dhanidina
Daniela Pacitto
Nalini Doodnauth
Leila Riahi
Betysa Farahmand
Peter Rick
Julie Fung
Anne Rickwood
Victoria Galati
Simmi Sakhuja
Sigale Goldstein
Monika Samant
Angela Groza
Pearl Shiozaki
Marisa Heydari
Andrea Sit
Joyce Ho
Harini Sivalingam
Victoria Jurincic
Mirella Totera
Joanie Kan
Jarvin Wang
Angela Kapur
Katy Zhang
Joanne Li
CIRQUE Gala The 2017 TMS CIRQUE gala was a huge success due to the leadership of the Gala Co-Chairs, Nicole Cortellucci and Lisa Risi, their supportive Gala committee, and the generosity of our gala supporters: CIRQUE Gala Committee: Gala Co-Chairs Nicole Cortellucci
Lisa Risi
Gala Co-Chairs Iola Bozzo
Jessie Luo
Anita Fung
Daniella Pacitto
Pia Galati
Leila Riahi
Angela Kapur
Anne Rickwood
Nancy Koh
Meera Singh
Gala Supporters Zancor Homes – Presenting Sponsor
M.A.M. Group - Event Sponsor
Ninjaz Canada – Crack the Safe Sponsor
Ozz Electric - Event Sponsor
Greenpark Homes – Champagne and Aerialist Sponsor
Baldassarra Family - Event Donor
Bozzo Family - Event Donor Vivian Risi, Royal LePage Your Community Dell’Elce Family - Event Donor Realty – Performance Sponsor Melatti Family - Event Donor Nimbus – Photo Booth Sponsor Singh Family - Event Donor Muzzo Family – Event Sponsor Ross Family - Event Donor Bayview Wellington Homes – TMS Art Students - Event Donor Event Sponsor
Career Day We are very appreciative of the following volunteers – parents and community partners – who donated their time and expertise as panelists and speakers at the Upper School Career Day. Sunil Bhardwaj
Cliff McDowell
Michael Braithwaite
Deborah McMillan
Kyle Burgis
Marco Mo
Karen Dubeau
Mohamed Mostafa
Tye Farrow
Kiu Rezvanifar
Anthony Hung
Yalda Riahi
Al Itwar
Peter Rick
Patricia Jaggernauth
Ivana Strgacic
Anu Kaushal
Ilia Tulchinsky
Danielle Koren
Rachael Wong
Pizza Lunch Volunteers TMS would like to recognize the efforts of our many enthusiastic volunteers who do such a wonderful job coordinating the School’s monthly Pizza Lunch program. This program would not succeed without the tireless year round efforts of the countless Pizza Lunch Volunteers.
2016-2017 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Phil Campione (Chair) Greg Kanargelidis (Secretary) Thomas Lo Deborah McMillan To Anh Tran
HEAD OF SCHOOL David Young
CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER Stuart Ferrie
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Kirsten Eastwood
ACADEMIC HEADS Donna Boreham - Head, Elementary Nancy Coyle - Director, Toronto Montessori Institute Carolyn Reid - Interim Head, Toddler and Children’s House Blaine Seamone - Head, Curriculum and Specialists (Lower School) Sheila Thomas - Head, Upper School
MANAGEMENT TEAM Ann Bianco-Harvey - Director, Marketing and Communications Silvana Fazzari - Director, Admissions Richard Martin - Property Manager Fayyaz Masood - Controller Linda Raponi - Office Manager Rakesh Tripathi - Director, Advancement Abel Wong - IT Supervisor
LOWER SCHOOL CAMPUS 8569 Bayview Avenue Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3M7 Tel: (905) 889 6882 Fax: (905) 886 6516
www.tmsschool.ca
UPPER SCHOOL CAMPUS 500 Elgin Mills Rd. E. Richmond Hill, ON L4C 5G1 Tel: (905) 780 1002 Fax: (905) 780 8981