2008/01/31 - English Montreal School Board

The monthly news bulletin of the EMSB
Vol.10. No. 6
EDITOR: MICHAEL J. COHEN
PRINTING SERVICES: L. SHAW, D. D’ORNELLAS
January 31, 2008
PROOFREADING/TRANSLATION: ALINE ZEROUNIAN
∆ Public School Month
∆ Top Principal
∆ Mini-Van Ban
∆ Legendary Guest
∆ Heart Week
∆ Library Week
∆ Di Giovanni Programs
∆ FACE Time
∆ Parent Workshop
∆ Holocaust Remembrance
The John Caboto Choir performs at Rockland.
Shopping Centre Kiosk a Success
For the very first time the EMSB had an information
kiosk at a popular shopping mall. On the weekend of
January 11-13 five elementary schools - Carlyle,
Dunrae Gardens, John Caboto, Sinclair Laird,
Coronation- along with John F. Kennedy High School
and JFK Business Centre showcased their programs.
The John Caboto Choir started proceedings off with a
song. During the weekend some students did a
stacking demonstration. Sinclair Laird displayed the
trophies it has won in math competitions and
presented some games of chess. Mike Boone of The
Montreal Gazette wrote a column on the exercise,
which the EMSB Communications and Marketing
Division will seek to repeat next year – perhaps
elsewhere on the island.
2
Teacher Appreciation Weeks
February 4 -8 (Quebec)
February 11-15 (Canada)
visits see the press release section of the
EMSB website.
Andy Nulman talks to Gardenview students.
Dr. Gerald Fried is thanked by Hampstead
Principal Marcia Kennedy-Gaul and students.
PUBLIC
SCHOOL
EDUCATION
MONTH: The Rockland kiosk helped kick
off Public School Education Month
in
January, which also featured the presence in
some schools of alumni who were invited
back to discuss their interesting careers and
speak to students. Some of the guests
included Dr. Gerald Fried, a prominent
surgeon at the McGill University Hospital
Centre (Hampstead School); Airborne
Entertainment President Andy Nulman
(Gardenview); Montreal Gazette Publisher
Alan Allnutt; (Parkdale) Jed Kahane of
CTV National News (Roslyn); CTV Montreal
News co-anchor Mutsumi Takahashi (Royal
Vale); CTV Montreal News video editor Ely
Bonder (Willingdon); CBC TV’s Marianna
Simeone and CBC Radio One Daybreak host
Mike Finnerty (John F. Kennedy High
School); CTV Montreal News and Public
Affairs Director Mike Piperni, along with
Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team coach
Kevin Figsby and Montreal Children’s
Hospital manager of ambulatory services
Deborah Cross (James Lyng High School).
This project was coordinated by the
Communications and Marketing Division,
Spiritual and Community Animators and the
schools themselves. For more details on their
Gazette Publisher Alan Allnutt looks at his old
school photo with Commissioner James Kromida
and Principal Jacklin Webb.
3
(John F. Kennedy to RTC) and Daniela
Lattanzio (Dalkeith to Galileo Adult Centre).
Mutsumi Takahashi signs autographs at Royal Vale.
FOCUS ON PORTAL: A link to the Fielding
Focus will now be placed each month on the
EMSB portal, specifically so teachers have
better access to it. In addition, limited print
copies will be made available of the Focus at
the Administration building. Like everyone
else, head office staff will receive it only by
email.
Terry Bell
APPOINTMENTS: There have been some
new in-school administrative appointments at
the EMSB. Two principals – Françoise
Barlier (Dunrae Gardens) and Walter Lyng
(St. Brendan) – are retiring. Newly appointed
principals are Darlene Kehyayan (Cedarcrest
to Dunrae Gardens), Sylvie Serchuk (viceprincipal of Galileo Adult Centre to St.
Brendan) and Terry Bell (vice-principal of
Rosemount Technology Centre (RTC) to
Cedarcrest). Two teachers have moved to the
ranks of vice-principal: Danica Lewington
Ivana Colatriano
TOP PRINCIPAL: Thirty-three exceptional
leaders in education from across the country
have been chosen as Canada’s Outstanding
Principals for 2008. Only two Quebecers
made the list: the EMSB’s Ivana Colatriano
of Willingdon Elementary School in N.D.G.
and James Aitken from the Lester B. Pearson
School Board’s MacDonald High School in
Ste. Anne de Bellevue. An initiative of The
Learning Partnership, a national not-for-profit
organization dedicated to championing a
strong public education system in Canada,
Canada’s Outstanding Principals program
honours the extraordinary contributions of
dynamic education leaders in publicly funded
schools. Principals, who have made a
measurable difference in the lives of their
students and their own local communities and
help ensure that Canada’s young people
continue to receive a quality education, have
been selected from across the country for the
prestigious honour. “I must admit that when I
heard the news I was absolutely thrilled,” says
Ms. Colatriano. “I could not stop smiling.”
For more details see the press release section
on the EMSB website at www.emsb.qc.ca and
the media clippings section as well.
FUTURE OF SCHOOL BOARDS: The
EMSB will present a brief Monday on the
Future of School Boards to Minister of
Education, Leisure and Sports Michelle
4
Courchesne. The contents of the brief will be
made available after the presentation.
MINI-VAN BAN: The EMSB has formally
issued a directive to all of its schools and
centres banning, until further notice, the type
of mini-van used in the tragic accident which
claimed the lives of seven students and a
teacher from Bathurst High School in New
Brunwick. Immediately following the
accident, the EMSB conducted a survey of its
schools to see if any of them have ever used
this 15-passenger van model. At least three
schools responded that they have. EMSB
Director General Antonio Lacroce explained
that transportation arranged from the head
office only involves large school buses and, in
some cases, 20 seat mini-buses which are
considered safe.
“In light of what occurred in New Brunswick
and the reports we are getting which put into
question the safety of this 15 seat van model I
do not feel comfortable having any of our
schools using it at the present time,” said Mr.
Lacroce. “This will remain the case until we
get some directive from the Quebec Ministry
of Education, Leisure and Sports.”
Mr. Lacroce and EMSB Chair Angela
Mancini also sent a letter to the principal of
Bathurst High School, expressing condolences
on this tragic loss of life.
ANNUAL REPORT: The EMSB annual
report for 2006-2007 is now available online
at
http://www.emsb.qc.ca/en/pressroom_en/pages/annualr
eport_en.htm.
WRESTLING TO SUCCESS: Royal Vale
School’s first wrestling team, coached by
Steve Spetsieris and Chris Lagakos, entered
their first tournament recently – that being the
2007 Quebec Open Championship at
Riverdale High School in Pierrefonds. Each
team member won medals (two gold, one
Silver and three bronze). Taking home the
gold were Chris Service and Tishauna
Thompson who both brought home the Gold!
Bravo! Congratulations to all!
Royal Vale champs.
BASKETBALL CHAMPS: The Grade 5 and
6 girls team from Royal Vale won the gold
medal at the Lower Canada College
Tournament.
FREE THE CHILDREN: Royal Vale
School and its students have embarked on an
ambitious community development project
and joined the Brick by Brick: Education for
all campaign. As part of the Free the Children
International Organization, the students of
Royal Vale learned how they can make an
impact in the lives of their peers in developing
countries. The students were informed by Free
the Children’s representative Gab Desmond
during an assembly, how their efforts will give
disadvantaged and marginalized children the
opportunity to go to school. This school wide
(Grades 4 to 11) endeavor was spearheaded by
Alina Pase, members of the Student Life team
and supported by all staff. Royal Vale plans to
raise enough funds to build a school in Kenya.
LEGENDARY GUEST: Paul Gérin-Lajoie,
a Canadian lawyer, philanthropist and a
former member of the National Assembly and
a one-time cabinet minister, spoke at
Leonardo Da Vinci Elementary School Jan.
28. In 1977 he established the Paul GérinLajoie Foundation (www.fondationpgl.ca), an
organization that has contributed to the basic
education of children in the poorest countries,
in addition to raising awareness of these
international countries among primary school
children in Canada.
5
Paul Gérin-Lajoie is thanked by students.
“He was so pleased that the Grade 3 and 6
pupils had prepared a short video thanking
him for his great work,” said Principal Phyllis
D’Amato Marinelli. “It was presented at the
evening honouring great Montrealers. As a
result he wanted to come visit our school.”
Mr. Lajoie, 88, spoke proudly about the PGL
Dictée which is designed for students from
kindergarten to Grade 8, in francophone and
French-immersion classes. The project has
two main objectives: enhancing young
people's knowledge of French, and drawing
their attention to international realities. Each
year, about 200,000 students from Canada's 13
provinces and territories take part in the
Dictée. They are joined by 82,000 student
participants from the United States, Haiti and
Senegal. Asked by students how he came up
with the idea for launching his Foundation, he
stated: “One day I went for a visit to St. Louis
in Senegal. I saw children playing on the
street. They were not in school. It touched my
heart and I said to myself that we must do
something to help them.”
He was on hand to launch the PGL dictée.
TRAINING ROOM: St. Raphaël School in
Ahuntsic has transformed a classroom into a
weight training room The teachers wanted to
encourage physical fitness not only by playing
group games but also by helping the students
to set individual goals. Mr. Robert, in
conjunction with the rest of the High School
staff and Physical Education Specialist Sandy
Farr, decided to start slow by buying
dumbbells and Steps to double as weight
benches. Some cardio equipment was also
donated. The reaction by the students has
been great; fifty to seventy percent of them
use the training room two to three times a
week. The students are being encouraged to
develop a healthy lifestyle. They are shown
how to target various muscle groups with
specific exercises. Most of them want abs of
steel and they are willing to put in the time
devoted to their abdominal muscles in
combination with good sessions of cardio.
Some of the kids are even gradually changing
their eating habits from junk to healthier foods
to maximize their results. On December 14 St.
Raphaël also took a field trip to Nautilus Plus
at Les Galeries Normandie to see what a fully
stocked training centre looks like. “We were
shown great respect by members and trainers
alike when it came to learning how to operate
various machines for an optimum work-out
experience,” said Principal Solly Gliksman.
“The trainers were patient and professional in
their explanations and even took time out of
their own work-out sessions to answer the
students’ questions. There was a great feeling
of community engendered by the generosity of
the fantastic staff. We will slowly be
upgrading the training facilities in our own
weight training room. We are hoping to buy
more cardio and weight training machines in
the near future to encourage our students to
use a wide variety of techniques to keep fit.”
CAMPAIGN AGAINST POVERTY: The
Ministry of Education, Leisure and Sports
(MELS) has allocated a budget of $883,416 to
the EMSB for the Campaign Against Poverty.
This program’s aim is to provide nutritional
support and education to needy students while
making healthy meals available. Including
rollovers from 2006-2007 a total of
$1,214.829 is being made available to 28
schools for students at the secondary level.
ICOR: The Comité de gestion de la taxe
scolaire de l’île de Montréal (CGTSIM) and
the MELS has made its final allocations of
$2.1 million to designated EMSB inner-city
6
schools for 2007-08: a total of 21 at the
primary level and four at the secondary level.
Areas that were reinforced through a variety
of projects last year included: literacy,
mathematics,
music/dance/visual
art,
information and communications technology,
culture, physical and health education,
professional development and teacher support,
personal and social competencies and
partnerships with parents.
SUPPORTING MONTREAL SCHOOLS:
For the past 11 years the Supporting Montreal
Schools Program has allocated funds to a
number
of
elementary
schools
in
disadvantaged areas to ensure that schools
make a difference in their students lives. A
total of $1,133,530 has been allocated to 19
EMSB elementary schools. Some projects in
the past have included: guidance and support
for students in times of transition, integrate
activities to help students discover trades and
occupations in their community, various
workshops, outings to cultural presentations
and literacy programs.
READING IN SCHOOL: The EMSB has
adopted an action plan on reading in school.
Unlike the old library materials grant from the
MELS, this is a supplementary allocation
operating grant. The MELS provides $9.22
per student while the school covers $7.44 a
student. For every $100 purchase made by a
school, $55.35 will come back from the MELs
grant and $44.65 will come from the school’s
own sources. The total budget is $216,676 for
elementary schools and $183,184 at the
secondary level for a total of $399,860
S’COOL: Students from John F. Kennedy
High School in St. Michel will be profiled on
the CTV program S’Cool airing Sun. Feb. 3 at
11:30 a.m. S’Cool is a production of
LEARN.CA.
DENIM DAY: The CURE Foundation has
congratulated the EMSB for raising a
remarkable
$22,066.22 for breast cancer
research last May. As usual, head office and
schools and centres participated, as
individuals dressed in denim and gave a few
dollars each to the cause. Since 1998 the
EMSB has raised $202,772.70. Mark your
calendars now for May 13, 2008 for the 12th
National Denim Day.
HOLOCAUST PROGRAM: The Riva and
Thomas Hecht Scholarship Program at Yad
Vashem in Jerusalem is encouraging EMSB
teachers to apply for an exciting scholarship
opportunity. The successful applicant will
take part next summer in a professional
development program under the direction of
the Faculty of the Yad Vashem Seminars for
Educators from Abroad, International School
for Holocaust Studies. The goal of the
program is to provide professional
development activities to teachers for teaching
about the Holocaust and anti-Semitism to
students in the youth Sector. The teacher will
receive both pre-training and follow-up
activities sponsored by the Montreal
Holocaust Memorial Centre and the Bronfman
Jewish Education Centre. An orientation
program is available prior to leaving for
Israel. Each teacher will be asked to create at
least one teaching unit or module developed
within the context learned at the Yad Vashem
experience for implementation in the
classroom. The unit/module has to be
incorporated into the Quebec project-based
curriculum and be considered for integration
into the areas of cultural, language, history,
literacy or art-based activities.
Karine
Lajeunnàesse, a teacher at Rosemount High
School, represented the EMSB last year. Log
on to www.t-h-e-program.org.
APPLICATIONS: The application form can
be found in the section T-H-E Program and
then by clicking on “Submission of
Applications.” The deadline to apply is
Friday, February 15 to the attention of
Michael J. Cohen, Communications and
Marketing Specialist, English Montreal
School
Board,
6000
Fielding
Avenue
Montreal, QC H3X 1T4. Applicants are asked
to submit a current Curriculum Vitae and a
letter indicating: any past work or activity in
7
this area if any; and a proposal of how the Yad
Vashem experience can be used in school in
the future. Please include the names and
contact information of at least two references
who have both personal and professional
knowledge of the applicant.
ALOUETTES TOUR: Players from the
Montreal Alouettes will begin their popular
basketball/lecture tour of schools on Tuesday,
February 5 at Dante (6090 Lachenaie) in St.
Léonard. They will begin visiting individual
classrooms at 10:45 a.m., break for lunch at
noon and then play a game of basketball
against the Dante staff. A similar format will
follow for the next few months. Other EMSB
schools on the schedule are: Pierre-deCoubertin in St. Léonard, Feb. 14; Royal West
Academy in Montreal West, Feb. 18;
Rosemount
High
School,
Feb.
21;
Michelangelo Elementary School, Feb. 22;
Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary School in
Rosemount, March 11; Dalkeith Elementary
School in Anjou, March 14; Royal Vale
School in N.D.G, March 17; Westmount Park
Elementary School, March 20;
and St.
Dorothy Elementary School in St. Michel,
April 11.
IMPACT PROGRAM: The Montreal Impact
and the EMSB will kick off the continuation
of the successful stay-in-school program
called All the way with the Impact (Jusqu’au
bout avec l’Impact), designed to promote the
importance of persevering in school, at
Gardenview Elementary School on Feb. 13.
As part of the partnership, an Impact home
game in June at the brand new Saputo Stadium
will be dedicated to the EMSB.
HEART WEEK LAUNCH: The Heart of
Life Fund is organizing its fifth annual Heart
Week celebrations with the support of The
Montreal
Children’s
Hospital
(MCH)
Foundation and over 30 English and French
schools in and around the greater Montreal
area.
Heart Week’s official launch will take place
on Tuesday, February 6 (1 p.m.) at John Paul I
High School in St. Léonard (8455 Pré-Laurin)
with the presence of Canadian Olympic gold
medal winning skier Jennifer Heil, Mauro
Biello of the Montreal Impact, Paul Lambert
from the Montreal Alouettes, Quebec Major
Junior Hockey League Montreal franchise
owner and president Farrel Miller and
Martin Routhier respectively and, of course,
the Children’s Hospital mascot: Caramel. A
member of the Montreal Canadiens will attend
as well.
During Valentine’s Week each student with a
healthy heart is asked to bring a small
donation to help a child with a “broken heart”
while wearing a red garment to show their
friendship towards children with more fragile
hearts. The Heart of Life Fund is encouraging
a pedagogical approach by tying their efforts
together with the schools to publicize Heart
Week and educate kids on healthy lifestyles
through the Physical Education Department
and Homeroom Teachers.
This Fund was created in 1997 by parents
of children who have undergone complex
open heart surgery. Their goal is to increase
awareness of heart disease amongst children.
One in 100 children is born with a heart
defect. This rate is 10 times higher than for
any other childhood illness. Funds collected
during Heart Week will
enable the
Cardiology Department at the Montreal
Children's Hospital to purchase state-of-the-art
equipment. The 2007 campaign raised over
$40,000 for that purpose.
Both elementary and high schools are being
offered different levels of participation for
Heart Week 2008. Elementary schools who
are taking part for the first time will be
provided with physical activity booklets to be
distributed to every student, which could serve
as a basis for the heart healthy activities being
coordinated by each physical education
teacher. Returning elementary schools will be
offered a dance workshop with Danse 123
during February 2008. High schools are
encouraged to organize fundraising activities
that would be of interest to the students,
8
whether it be basketball, volleyball or
badminton tournaments, dress down days, or
dances. As an incentive to get involved with
the Heart Week campaign, participating
schools will have the chance to win an
assortment of prizes, ranging from sports
equipment to an interactive Smart Board. For
more information, contact Marlene Gallant at
514-981-5544
or
via
e-mail
at
[email protected].
students. At Royal West Academy, librarian
Goldie Adler organized a poll of favourite
books. Royal West Academy students voted
for their favourite English and French books.
The top 10 titles for each grade will be
announced and some of these books may be
added to the Summer Reading Lists and/or be
ordered for the library. Two names will be
drawn from the boxes of votes and the winners
will receive gift certificates for bookstores.
LIBRARY WEEK: EMSB Library Week got
off to a great start with the announcement of a
donation of $500 worth of French books for
each of three schools. The donation comes
from Veronica Schami of Veronica Schami
Editorial Services Inc. Last year three other
schools received this donation and because of
the enthusiasm with which this initiative was
received, Ms, Schami decided to repeat the
donation this year for Honoré Mercier in St.
Léonard, Holy Cross in St. Laurent and St.
John Bosco in Ville Émard. There will be an
assembly in early February at each school
where entertainment will be provided by
singer/songwriter Lp Camozzi and storyteller
Danny
Iny,
founder
of
www.MaestroReading.com.
SCIENCE FAIR: The EMSB will host the
Bell Montreal Regional Science &
Technology Fair (BMRSTF) at Lester B.
Pearson High School in Montreal North
March 16 -18. Event chair Gio Spina, a
retired science teacher from the school who
still works there part-time, is coordinating the
event.
“This donation brings to over $6,600 the total
value of books donated so far through the
Readers for Life project since its inception,”
says Ms. Schami. “Our goal is to cultivate
successful and motivated readers by donating
quality books to school libraries. The
librarians at each of the schools will choose
the books they feel will benefit their students
most.”
Alan Silberberg, a children’s author,
cartoonist, and television writer/producer
visited Mackay Centre School on January 24.
It was a highly entertaining presentation and
the Mackay students greatly appreciated his
visit. Mr. Silberberg is the author of Pond
Scum. Rosemount High School Librarian, Kay
Turner, is organizing a bookmark design
competition with the theme: ‘What does a
library mean to you.” The three winning
designs will be copied and distributed to
“The Bell Montreal Regional Science and
Technology Fair is one of the few academic
events that challenge our students to excel at
various levels, personally as individuals,
cooperatively with partners, locally within the
school community, regionally competing and
sharing with students from other schools, and
provincially coordinating the activity for all
Quebec schools,” said Mr. Spina.This regional
event will involve approximately 35 schools,
over 300 students and should attract over
4,000 visitors.
COMMUNITY SERVICE: Students from
Imagination Pre-Kindergarten, located in St.
Léonard and their teachers, Nancy Salituri
and Nancy Maggiore, were visited by 10
devoted students from John Paul I Jr High
School and Spiritual Community Animator
Rocco Speranza, who braved the winter
weather and high snow drifts to perform
valuable community service to some of their
community’s younger members. Students
gave their time in order to assist the pre-k
students and staff decorate for their delightful
and enchanting Christmas show that was held
on December 21 for family and friends.
Students also delivered storybooks to the
children in order to promote literacy. Students
will make another visit to the the Pre-k in mid-
9
February in order to spend some time reading
and encourage literacy among the students.
CAREER EXPLORATION: Two Grade 10
students from LaurenHill Academy in St.
Laurent recently enjoyed a Career Exploration
day at Cirque du Soleil. Keshia Parris and
Whitney Connors-Isaa spent the morning
with Cirque dancers who are preparing for the
new show scheduled to open in Macao, China,
in the spring. The students, who are both
involved in LaurenHill's Dance Troupe,
watched Cirque dancers as they took in a
morning dance class, and then reviewed a
video of their latest rehearsal with the
choreographer. Throughout the morning there
were opportunities to speak to the dancers and
ask questions. Both students said that the
experience was very interesting and helpful to
them. The Career Exploration program is
coordinated by the Department of Student
Services.
THE CHORALE: The EMSB Chorale was
heard right across Canada on CBC Radio One
and Two, as well as on Sirius Satellite on
December 24 and 25, as part of the broadcast
of the CBC/McGill 5th Annual Youth Choir
Gala recorded at Pollack Hall on December 2.
The Chorale was one of six outstanding youth
choirs to participate. As we write, the entire
gala was still available on the CBC website’s
Concerts
on
Demand
(go
to
www.cbc.ca/radio2 and click on Concerts on
Demand, Youth Choir Gala). The choir’s own
Holiday concert was held December 9 at the
Loyola Chapel to a standing-room only crowd
and once again raised close to $2,000 for the
Salvation Army’s Holiday Baskets. The choir
rounded out its December concert season with
four performances for very appreciative
audiences at the Montreal Botanical Gardens
in the beautifully decorated Grande Serre.
February and March will be spent learning
new repertoires for the spring concerts, and
will include winter camp at the Camp musical
des Laurentides and a workshop with Dr.
Marika Kuzma, the new chorusmaster of the
Montreal Symphony Orchestra. In April, the
Senior Chorale will perform two Bach
cantatas with the Da Capo ensemble at Notre
Dame de Bonsecours in Old Montreal (April
13), while the Junior Chorale sings at the
Junior Choir Festival at St. Stephen’s Church
in Westmount with several other Montreal
choirs. Both the juniors and seniors (75 in all!)
will be on stage at Oscar Peterson Hall at
Concordia on May 3 for its annual Spring
Gala. Tickets go on sale March 1. The concert
theme will be North, South, East, West and
will feature music from all the continents. For
more information, contact conductor Patricia
Abbott at 514-483-7200, ext. 7234 or at
[email protected].
St. Gabe’s students enjoy their exchange.
ST. GABE’S EXCHANGE: Pre-k and
kindergarten students from St. Gabriel
Elementary School in Point St. Charles were
invited to Pierrefonds Comprehensive High
School for a holiday concert. Despite
disappointment because of a snow day, the
event was rescheduled and took place on
January 22. The school band welcomed the
St. Gabe’s students with open arms. With
the help of the Grade 11 Outreach class, the
four, five and six year old students prepared
hot dogs, Kraft Dinner and pudding for lunch.
It was one of the highlights of their day. Grade
8 students made crafts with the youngsters,
while others played with play doh. At the end
of the day, each student was given a gift bag
filled with goodies which included a stuffed
animal, homemade colouring book, crayons
and a scarf. These were also put together by
the Outreach class. It was an amazingly well
10
organized, fun day. Teacher Tracy Bieszez
helped coordinate the program.
DROPOUT PREVENTION: Operation
“Back to School” is the annual organization of
some 350 testimonial-meetings between
business people and groups of Greater
Montréal high school students – in both
French and English as well as both public and
private networks – and in certain community
organizations in the Greater Montréal area
involved in the dropout prevention. These
meetings are organized every spring from late
March to late April. The primary objective is
to encourage young people in Secondary 3, 4,
or 5 to stay in school and earn their high
school diploma. One of the best ways to
influence and motivate young people is to
provide them with models to follow,
experienced people who address them in a
warm, dynamic, interactive environment. To
schedule a speaking engagement at your
school, visit www.btmm.qc.ca/back2school.
For further information, contact Francis
Letendre at 514 871-4000, extension 4038, or
by e-mail at [email protected].
AAESQ SCHOLARSHIP: Recently FACE
School and Westmount Park Elementary
received confirmation from Association of
Administrators of English Schools of Quebec
(AAESQ)
Executive
Director
Ron
Silverstone that their application for the
organization’s Scholarship Support Fund had
been successful. Both schools will receive
$1,000. to support community based projects.
The scholarship will support FACE students
in two projects: Beyond the Walls of FACE
and their 28th Music Conference. Westmount
Park, meanwhile, will also receive $1,000 to
support their inter-school basketball team on
the road.
E-PORTFOLIOS:
EMSB
Parent
Commissioner Anne Wade will be a keynote
speaker at the conference entitled Digital
Portfolios... A Voyage of Knowledge. This two
day seminar will focus on effective uses of
electronic portfolios in schools. Following two
keynotes presentations by the well known
experts, Marje Kankaanranta from Finland.
Ms. Wade and her colleague from Concordia
Philip C. Abrami, teachers from different
European countries will share their experience
and disseminate successful practices on the
subject of digital portfolios. This seminar will
be held in Helsinki, Finland, from May, 22 to
24, 2008. Participants will be on board one of
the Silja Line ships departing from the harbour
of Helsinki and the conference will take place
during the voyage to Stockholm. For more
information
see
http://digifolioseminar.org/seminar/
DI GIOVANNI FOUNDATION: The fifth
year of fundraising for the Franco Di Giovanni
Foundation, supporting the Brain Tumour
Research Center at the Montreal Neurological
Institute and Hospital, is underway. This year
three major events are planned. The first is a
fundraising campaign in all schools and
centres, whereby they are being called upon to
organize dress down days, bake sales, raffles
or anything else they choose. To facilitate this
fundraising, organizers are offering two items:
a grey metal ribbon for a $2 donation and an
EMSB dog tag for a $3 donation. Over the
four years more than $118,000 dollars has
been raised for the Brain Tumour Research
Centre.
GALA EVENING: The second event is the
fourth annual Franco Di Giovanni Foundation
Social Night Fundraiser will take place on
March 15th, 2008 at the Prima Luna
Reception Hall (7301 Henri Bourassa Blvd.
East in R.D.P.). Cocktails are at 5:30 p.m.,
followed by a seven course dinner with open
bar. The music will be provided by Goldstarr
Entertainment. There will also be door prizes
and auctions of gift items and sports
memorabilia, such as a personalized Sydney
Crosby Hockey Stick and personalized hockey
jerseys of Sydney Crosby, Alexander
Ovechkin, Robert Luongo, Wayne Gretzky,
Saku Koivu, Martin Brodeur, Maurice
Richard, Guy Lafleur, and Gump Worsely.
The soccer memorabilia will include An
autographed and framed Buffon picture and
glove, autographed soccer jerseys of Del
11
Piero, Cannavaro, Totti and Beckham. There
will also be a grand prize of an all inclusive
trip for two to Acapulco, Mexico. The special
guest will be Dr. Rolando Del Maestro,
Clinical Director of the Brain Tumour
Research Center at the Montreal Neurological
Center. Tickets are now available at $100
each. All proceeds will go to support the
Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital
Brain Tumour Research Center. Please come
out and support this worthy cause and
remember that together we can make a
difference. For more information call Lina Di
Giovanni at (514) 494-6831 or Mike Talevi
at (514) 352-6730.
BRAIN WAVES: Finally plans are moving
ahead for the fourth Brain Waves Gala at the
Leonardo Da Vinci Center on Wed. May 7.
The gala will highlight talented students from
10 secondary schools. Tickets are $25 each
and will go on sale soon. For more
information and for tickets please contact
Lina Di Giovanni at 514-494-6931 email:
[email protected]; Vince Lacroce at
5365 or email: [email protected] or Mike
Talevi at 2004 or email: [email protected].
CANADIAN IDOL: This is a notice for
musically-inclined EMSB students. CTV has
announced details of its sixth cross-country
audition tour for the Canadian Idol 2008
Audition Tour. All singer/musicians are once
again welcome to audition with instruments.
Montreal is on the schedule for March 15 and
16 at a location to be announced. The 2008
Canadian Idol “Easy-Access” tour continues
to make it easy to audition. As in 2007, there
is no need to line up, as competitors can
choose the day and time they want to try out.
Registration is open between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
on each day of auditions. Auditions are open
to all Canadians between the ages of 16 and
28 (inclusive) as of January 25, 2008. For
more information log on to idol.CTV.ca.
Members of the FACE Chamber.
THE CHAMBER: The FACE Chamber is
preparing for a trip to Bologna, Italy next July
to perform at the International Society of
Music Educators (ISME). This is the group
that was the only Canadian entry at the 2004
Conference in Tenerife, Spain. They also went
to Greece for the Olympic Games that year.
The present group is made up of 18 EMSB
and 10 CSDM. FACE will be one of three
groups from Canada, this time, but the only
one from Quebec. For more information on
the
event
log
on
to
http://www.isme.org/2008/en/bologna/perfor
ming-groups.html?Itemid=28.
Teacher
Theodora Stathopoulos, who oversees the
Chamber, recently took part in a webcast
symposium on Arts and Learning. She was
the only practicing teacher on the roster of
speakers. The video on the presentation
and panel discussion is available online as
well at
http://educ.queensu.ca/unesco/resources/News
letter%201%203%20Final%20English%20pdf
.pdf.
KINDNESS CLUB: In December the
students of the St. Brendan Kindness Club
held a craft sale to benefit the children of
Africa. They had learned about life in Kenya
from a teacher who had spent the summer
there and decided that they wanted to do
something to help. After some research they
decided that the best way for them to help
12
children and families around the world who
are less fortunate than themselves was to give
gifts through World Vision’s Christmas
catalogue. These 20 students (in a school of
about 175) spent weeks making cards and
ornaments, which they then sold to raise over
$260. With that money they were able to
stock a medical clinic, as well as buying
animals, fruit trees, and textbooks for children
and families in need.
HUGGIES: Laurier Macdonald High School
and La Plaza Reception Hall will present their
second annual Huggies Valentine’s Day
Dinner Dance on Sat. Feb. 9. All proceeds
from this event will be benefiting the Montreal
Children’s Hospital Foundation. CTV
reporter/anchor Tarah Schwartz
and a
family from the hospital will be the honoured
guests. Tickets are only $80 and can be made
to La Plaza Reception Hall. The proceeds of
this event will be used to purchase Syringe
Pumps for Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive
Care Units. For all of the details see the flyer
on the EMSB website. You can also call 514-3746000 or email [email protected] or [email protected].
WESTMOUNT HIGH HELPS: The Argyle
Institute of Human Relations celebrated its
25th anniversary recently. The Institute,
founded in 1982, is an offspring of the
Montreal Mental Hygiene Institute (MHI)
established in 1919. The latter’s mandate was
to serve the mental health needs of the
population of Montreal as a voluntary nonprofit social agency. Its aims were to search
out those areas where mental health needs
were not adequately serviced and to work with
local agencies. It set up demonstration projects
in the hope that municipal or provincial
government agencies would provide funds to
keep such initiatives going. Two independent
agencies - the Family Life Education Council
and the Marriage Counseling Center were two
such creations of the Mental Hygiene Institute.
In its newsletter, the Argyle Institute thanked
volunteers from Westmount High School. This
included Grade 10 and 11 prefects Brendan
Lavery Breiner, Christine Park, Yeon Jun
Choi, and Rubah Shahid and guidance
counsellor Karen Allen.
Meanwhile, the Grade 11 economics classes at
Westmount High held their ethical purchasing
holiday sale in December. The students sold
ethically traded goods and products. Each
class became a cooperative and learned about
starting a business by actually doing so. The
students were able to raise over $300 towards
their graduation fund. They were also
interviewed by CBC Radio.
PARENT WORKSHOP: The EMSB will
present an evening for parents in the Laurence
Patterson Room of the Administration
Building (6000 Fielding) on Mon. Feb. 18
(7:30 p.m) Guest speaker Ronald Morrish, an
educator and behaviour consultant, will focus
his talk on building effective discipline with
your child. Mr. Morrish holds a Master’s
Degree in Education from the University of
Toronto. An international speaker and
workshop leader, his first book, Secrets of
Discipline, helped countless teachers and
parents improve their skills for teaching
children to be responsible, cooperative and
respectful. Mr. Morrish will provide
participants with skills and techniques to
effectively approach the problems related to
discipline with children. His 12 Keys for
raising responsible children) will also be part
of the program. Mr. Morrish has presented
workshops on several occasions to schools
and parent groups of the EMSB and has
always been an exceptional speaker with an
excellent message. The presentation will be
followed by a question period. Light
refreshments will be provided. To register go
online at www.emsb.qc.ca. For more details
call 514-483-7200. ext. 7245.
DEROGATION: The EMSB website has
published comprehensive details for parents
regarding the process for the derogation of
students in kindergarten and Grade 1.
REVERSE
INTEGRATION:
Mackay
Centre School in N.D.G. is celebrating the
35th anniversary of the Reverse Integration
13
Program. Over the years hundreds of students
have benefited from this unique experience,
learning alongside students with disabilities.
Parents are encouraged to consider this
opportunity for their child. Children who
participate in the program for one year benefit
from the low student–teacher ratio, become
sensitized to peers with disabilities and get the
chance to take on leadership roles. Recently,
schools have received information to
distribute to parents regarding this program.
They are encouraged to visit the Mackay
Centre School website and complete the
application to enable their child to be
considered for the March 17 and 18 screening
visits. All applicants will be screened and
acceptance into the program is conditional.
Students from pre-kindergarten to Grade 6 are
welcome. For more information call 514-4820500, ext. 218 or log on to
www.emsb.qc.ca/mackay.
CITIZENSHIP: Pierre Elliott Trudeau
Elementary School in Rosemount hosted a
Canadian citizenship ceremony Jan. 22.
Federal Liberal candidate for Papineau Justin
Trudeau was one of the special guests. This
marked his second visit in as many years to
the school named after his late father. In
March, Willingdon Elementary School in
N.D.G. will host a similar ceremony.
can learn, organize their time, material and
information, establish an effective learning
routine, master the four ways of learning and
memorizing, communicate successfully with
teachers,
peers
and
parents,
avoid
procrastination and distractions, anticipate
problems that interfere with learning, use
problem-solving techniques and
resolve
conflicts. The workshop includes an
opportunity to ask questions directly to the
speaker as well as an opportunity to provide
feedback on the session. Workshop leader
Carolyn Melmed is a founding member of
the Lansdowne Centre – a school for children
with learning difficulties. She pioneered
courses in organizational and study skills for
students, parents and teachers and conducted
workshops for McGill’s Faculty of Education
on these subjects. She is a certified mediator
and has 35 years of teaching experience both
in the class room and on a one-to one basis.
Info: 514-374-6000.
AUTISM WORKSHOP: The EMSB
Advisory Committee on Special Education
Services (ACSES) is organizing a workshop
on autism March 20 (7 p.m.) at the
Administration Building (6000 Fielding). This
program is primarily geared to parents of
special needs students.
TIP CORNER
STUDY SKILLS: A video conference
workshop entitled “Helping your Child with
Organizational and Study Skills” will be held
on February 6 (7 p.m.) at the Laurier
Macdonald High School Community Learning
Cente (7355 Viau). Who should attend?
Parents and guardians of children in
elementary or high school who want to help
their children achieve higher grades, motivate
their children to want to learn and teach
children how to become independent learners
and more successful student. Those who
attend will learn how to create a good
learning environment at home, implement an
effective homework routine and prepare for
parent/teacher interview. You will also be able
to provide your children with strategies to
learn how to learn, discipline them so that they
Editor’s
Note:
The
Communications
Department of the EMSB is contacted
regularly by organizers of different
conferences, facilitators of interesting
workshops and developers of innovative
fundraising opportunities. We screen these
requests and make the information available to
schools and centres. From this point on, we
will group these in our Tip Corner and give inschool administrators, teachers, other staff,
parent groups and even students of making
contact directly.
BARONESS AND THE PIG: Imago Theatre
is welcoming schools to purchase tickets for
its upcoming production of The Baroness and
The Pig. As they re dedicated to building
14
young theatre audiences and encouraging their
participation, special group rates for school
matinee performances are being offered. To
further enrich the students’ theatre
experience, an educational package about the
play has been prepared. Guest speakers are
available to come to the school to talk about
the play as are a guided tour of the theatre to
highlight design aspects of the production and,
immediately following the play, a Q&A
session with the artists.The performance will
take place at Théâtre La Chapelle ( 3700 rue
Saint-Dominique). The story takes place in at
the end of the 19th century. An idealistic, and
well-meaning Baroness searches for an enfant
sauvage to ‘tame’ like that of her hero, JeanJacques Rousseau. The Baroness removes a
wild-child raised in a pig-sty to live with her,
following Rousseau’s formula, educates her to
‘fit into society’ as her maid, Emily. The
Baroness is smitten with all the innovations of
her time. Her world is based on social
appearances, higher education and science. On
the other hand, Emily, who has been raised by
pigs, is so unsophisticated that she has never
even seen a mirror! She satisfies her desires in
a spontaneous – at times barbaric – manner.
For more information call 514-274-3222 or
email [email protected].
STORYTELLER-PUPPETEER:
Sheila
Pinsky, a storyteller-puppeteer, animates
imaginative and interactive fun-filled puppet
stories to children from pre-K to Grade 3.
While she has done animations up to Grade 6,
her specialties are with the younger grades.
Her adorable puppets and props are creative as
well as being handmade from recycled
materials! The suspenseful stories and the
animated puppets always fascinate the
children. Her topics cover an extensive range
of all of the prominent holidays and seasons,
and use animal puppets to depict stories
covering themes of friendship, sharing,
adventures, as well as dealing with important
topics of bullying and sibling rivalry.
She charges a fee of $60 an hour.
Info:
(514)
484-2730
or
[email protected].
DINER’S DECK: Montreal has become the
first Canadian city to offer the Diner’s Deck
(www.dinersdeck.com). Linda Gal of
Gourmet Promotions notes that when you buy
a Diner's Deck you get 52, $10 off restaurant
coupons. Given the fact the cost is only
$27.50, that represents a saving of $520. The
program originated in the United States and
represents a great fundraising vehicle for
schools, particularly because it has no expiry
nor black-out dates. Should a restaurant go
out of business, customers need only mail
back the card and it will be replaced by a new
one. For more details, call Linda at 514-6263555, email [email protected].
ADULT AND VOCATIONAL SERVICES
HOLOCAUST TRIBUTE: Special needs
students from the EMSB’s Galileo Adult
Centre in Montreal North were among those
on hand at the Montreal Holocaust Museum
January 27 to mark International Holocaust
Remembrance Day. Teachers
Gail
Bernstein, Allison Truchan
and social
services and family liaison Lu Termini
embarked on a Holocaust education project
last October after learning about materials at
the museum from the noted book and stage
production of Hana’s Suitcase. The latter tells
the dramatic story about Hana Brady,
a
young Czechoslovakian Jew who died at the
Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944,
leaving behind a small suitcase with her name
written on its side. In 2000, her suitcase was
exhibited at a Japanese Holocaust Education
Centre, where curator Fumiko Ishioka began
to investigate Hana's short life with the
assistance of a group of local school children.
Their research lead them to Hana's older
brother, George Brady, who survived the
Holocaust as a labourer and later settled in
Toronto. Hana's Suitcase has become an
international phenomenon, now available in 40
countries. Much like The Diary of Anne
Frank, the book is used in schools to educate
children about the atrocities of the Holocaust,
and its popularity is growing at an exponential
rate.
15
Students and staff from Galileo at the
Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Montreal
Not only did the Galileo students visit the
museum. They also got to see the Hanna’s
Suitcase play which was presented in Montreal
in November by Geordie Theatre Productions.
“We engage in daily discussions with our
students pertaining to current and historical
events using the internet, newspaper,
television and other media,” Bernstein
explained. “This was a natural extension for
many reasons.”
On Sunday, letters the students wrote about
the project were displayed at the Holocaust
Centre. The teachers were part of a panel
discussion about the importance of
commemorating the Holocaust and how this
work influences Montrealers, especially
young people. “Our students have been
grouped and labelled, they have been
separated from others in school, camp and
other activities, they have been victims of
stereotypes and have generally been treated
differently throughout their lives,” says
Bernstein. “As they soon discovered, they
would have been a targeted group during the
Holocaust.
Students in class studying Hanna’s Suitcase.
Besides its wide array of academic and
literacy programs for students aged 16 and
over, the Galileo Adult Centre also has an
excellent special needs component. There are
more than 30 students enrolled this year,
with two teachers and a liaison between the
families and social services. Students range in
age from 22 through to those 40 and over.
The focus is on social integration. Feeder
schools include Summitt, Mackay, Paul VI
and Liberty High in Laval. About half travel
independently by public transportation while
the others arrive via adapted transport. They
all live at home with their families.
The program itself is comprehensive in that it
includes all of the academic subjects that are
functional for everyday living. This includes
money management, budgeting, language arts,
arts and crafts, computers, human relations,
cooking, work study, physical education,
community living outings and travel training.
They also run a daily breakfast program
modelled around a restaurant or café where
the students do everything from setting and
cleaning up, wait tables, collect and count
money, do inventory, shop for groceries and
cook. On Friday, a very special breakfast or
lunch is prepared. The proceeds are used to
buy the groceries, go out for meals or order in
and sometimes to purchase other odds and
ends for the kitchen. Outings such as apple
picking, sugaring off, museums, plays and
movies occur throughout the year.
16
“Character education is infused into all levels
of our program,” says Bernstein. “Respect,
kindness and other qualities are discussed to
help them succeed socially and vocationally.
Treat others as you would want to be treated is
a theme we stress regularly.”
HAIRDRESSING
OLYMPICS: On
Mon. February 4, Laurier Macdonald Career
Centrein St. Léonard will host the 2008
Hairdressing Skills Olympics. Besides the
EMSBm, the Lester B. Pearson School Board
and Commission scolaire Pointe de l’Ile will
also be represented by three candidates each.
DATES OF NOTE
February 2008
Black History Month
February 4-8; 11-15, 2008
Teacher Appreciation Weeks
February 18, 2008
Parent Workshop
Secrets of Discipline
6000 Fielding Ave.
7:30 p.m,
February 27, 2008
Council of Commissioners Meeting
March 3-7, 2008
March Break
March 15, 2008
Franco Di Giovanni Brain Tumour Social
March 16-18, 2007
Bell Regional Science High School Science
Fair
Hosted by the EMSB
Lester B. Pearson High School
March 20, 2007
EMSB Workshop on Autism
Administration Building
6000 Fielding
7 p.m,.
May 25 -31, 2007
Daycare Week
PLEINS FEUX SUR FIELDING
PROJET DE MICHELANGELO:Cette
année, pour la première fois, les élèves de la
cinquième année de l’école Michelangelo ont
joué au Père Noël avec l’aide d’une
enseignante, Nadia Somigli, et de parents
bénévoles. Ils ont illuminé le Noël de 120
enfants provenant d’un milieu défavorisé en
leur offrant le cadeau de leur rêve. Ils se sont
inspirés du roman, L’arbre de joie, de Alain
M. Bergeron. Ce roman fut lu dans le cadre du
cours de religion et certaines valeurs tel que le
partage et la générosité furent alors exploitées.
Les noms des enfants démunis ont été obtenus
avec la collaboration de divers organismes. Le
projet était simple : acheter des cadeaux pour
des enfants démunis. Certains ont été achetés
par les parents des enfants de l’école et les
autres par les élèves, avec l’argent amassé lors
d’une levée de fonds. Les parents étaient
invités à choisir une étoile, puis à illuminer le
Noël de l’enfant choisi en réalisant son vœu.
Chaque étoile portait le nom, l’âge et le
souhait de l’enfant. Ces enfants ont tous reçu
une réponse à la lettre qu’ils avaient écrite au
Père Noël par l’entremise des enfants de la
cinquième année.
Les enfants et l’enseignante ont reçu une lettre
de l’auteur les félicitant de leur implication
dans ce projet. Ils ont l’intention d’illuminer le
Noël d’autres enfants l’année prochaine.
AFFECTATIONS : Il y a eu quelques
nouvelles affectations de cadres d’école à la
CSEM. Deux directeurs d’école – Françoise
Barlier (Dunrae Gardens) et Walter Lyng
(St. Brendan) prennent leur retraite. Les
nouvelles directrices nommées sont Darlene
Kehyayan (de Cedarcrest à Dunrae Gardens),
Sylvie Serchuk (directrice adjointe du Centre
d’adultes Galileo à St. Brendan) et Terry Bell
(directrice adjointe du Centre de technologie
17
de
Rosemont
à
Cedarcrest).
Deux
enseignantes ont été nommées directrices
adjointes ; Danica Lewington (de John F.
Kennedy à CTR) et Daniela Lattanzio (de
Dalkeith au Centre d’adultes Galileo).
INTERDICTION
DE
FOURGONNETTES :
La
CSEM
a
officiellement émis une directive à toutes ses
écoles et centres interdisant, jusqu’à nouvel
ordre, le type de fourgonnette utilisée dans le
tragique accident qui a coûté la vie à sept
élèves et une enseignante de l’école
secondaire Bathurst au Nouveau Brunswick.
Immédiatement après l’accident, la CSEM a
effectué un sondage de ses écoles pour savoir
si n’importe quelle d’entre elles avait jamais
utilisé ce modèle de fourgonnette à 15 places.
Au moins trois écoles ont répondu par
l’affirmative. Le directeur général de la
CSEM, Antonio Lacroce, a expliqué que le
service de transport organisé par le centre
administratif utilisait de grands autobus
scolaires et, dans certains cas, des
fourgonnettes à 20 places qui sont considérées
sécuritaires.
«À la lumière des évènements au Nouveau
Brunswick et des rapports que nous recevons
qui remettent en question la sécurité de ce
modèle de fourgonnette à 15 places, je ne suis
pas à l’aise à l’idée que n’importe quelle de
nos écoles l’utilise en ce moment » déclare M.
Lacroce. « Cette interdiction sera maintenue
jusqu’à ce que nous recevions des directives
du ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du
Sport. »
M. Lacroce et la présidente de la CSEM,
Angela Mancini, ont adressé une lettre de
condoléances au directeur de l’école
secondaire Bathurst.
SALLE D’EXERCICES : L’école St.
Raphaël a transformé une salle de classe en
salle
d’exercices
haltérophiles.
Les
enseignants ont voulu encourager la bonne
forme physique, non seulement en jouant des
jeux de groupes, mais aussi en aidant les
élèves à fixer des objectifs personnels. M.
Robert, ainsi que les autres membres du
personnel de l’école secondaire et la
spécialiste en éducation physique, Sandy Farr,
a décidé de commencer lentement en achetant
des haltères courts et des bancs. Quelque
équipement cardiovasculaire a aussi été reçu
en don. La réaction des élèves a été
encourageante; cinquante à soixante dix pour
cent ont choisi d’utiliser la salle d’exercices
deux à trois fois par semaine. Les élèves sont
encouragés à développer un style de vie sain
et ils apprennent comment viser certains
groupes de muscles par des exercices
spécifiques. La plupart d’entre eux veulent des
abdominaux d’acier et ils sont disposés à
consacrer du temps à développer leurs
muscles abdominaux et le combiner avec de
bonnes sessions d’exercices cardiovasculaires.
Quelques élèves ont même graduellement
changé leurs habitudes alimentaires et ont
consommé des aliments plus sains afin de
maximiser leurs résultats. Le 14 décembre, St.
Raphaël a participé à une sortie au Nautilus
Plus des Galeries Normandie pour constater à
quoi ressemblait un centre d’exercices
entièrement équipé. « Les membres, ainsi que
le personnel, ont fait preuve de beaucoup de
considération envers nous quand il a été temps
de nous apprendre à opérer les diverses
machines pour obtenir le maximum
d’avantages » a déclaré la directrice Solly
Gliksman. « Les entraîneurs ont été patients et
professionnels et ils ont même écouté leurs
propres sessions d’exercices pour répondre
aux questions des élèves. Un grand sentiment
de communauté a été généré par la générosité
de ce fantastique personnel. Nous allons
lentement moderniser les équipements
d’entraînement de notre propre salle
d’exercices. Nous espérions acquérir plus
d’équipement dans un avenir très proche afin
d’encourager nos élèves d’avoir recours à une
vaste variété de techniques pour demeurer en
forme. »
PROGRAMME
DE
SOUTIEN
À
L’ÉCOLE MONTRÉALAISE : Au cours
des onze dernières années, le programme de
soutien à l’école montréalaise a alloué des
fonds à plusieurs écoles primaires des milieux
18
défavorisés pour assurer que ces écoles fassent
une différence dans la vie de leurs élèves. Un
total de 1,133,530$ a été alloué à 19 écoles
primaires de la CSEM. Quelques projets ont
porté sur : l’orientation et le soutien aux
élèves en périodes de transition, l’intégration
d’activités afin d’aider les élèves à trouver des
métiers et emplois dans leurs communautés,
divers ateliers, sorties à des présentations
culturelles et programmes d’alphabétisation.
LA LECTURE À L’ÉCOLE : La CSEM a
adopté un plan d’action pour la lecture à
l’école. Contrairement à l’ancienne subvention
du MELS, ceci est une allocation
supplémentaire de fonctionnement. Le MELS
verse 9.22$ par élève tandis que l’école
couvre 7.44$ par élève. Pour chaque achat de
100$ fait par l’école, un remboursement de
55.35$ viendra du MELS et le reste des
propres ressources de l'école. Le budget total
est de 216,676$ pour les écoles primaires et de
183,184$ pour les écoles secondaires, pour un
total de 399,860$.
JOURNÉE DU DENIM : La Fondation
CURE a félicité la CSEM pour avoir levé un
montant remarquable de 22,066.22$ en mai
dernier pour la recherche sur le cancer du sein.
Comme d’habitude, le centre administratif, les
écoles et les centres ont participé et leurs
membres ont endossé du denim et ont versé
quelques dollars pour la cause. Depuis 1998,
la CSEM a recueilli 202,772,70$. Marquez la
date du 13 mai 2008 sur votre calendrier, qui
sera la 12e Journée Nationale du Denim.
CONFÉRENCIER
À
LÉONARDO
DA VINCI : Paul Gérin-Lajoie, avocat
canadien, philanthrope, ancien membre de
l’Assemblée Nationale et ancien ministre,
s’est adressé aux élèves de l’école primaire
Leonardo Da Vinci le 28 janvier. En 1977, il a
établi la Fondation Paul Gérin-Lajoie, une
organisation qui a contribué à l’éducation de
base des enfants des pays les plus pauvres en
sus de sensibiliser les élèves des écoles
primaires du Canada à cette œuvre. « Il a été si
content que les élèves de 3e et de 6e année
aient préparé une courte vidéo le remerciant
pour son excellent travail » a déclaré la
directrice Phyllis D’Amato Marinelli. « Cette
bande vidéo a été présentée lors d’une soirée
honorant les grands montréalais et il a voulu
venir visiter notre école et lancer la dictée
PLG.
EXPLORATION DE CARRIÈRE : Deux
élèves de 10e année de l’Académie LaurenHill
ont récemment apprécié une journée
d’exploration de carrière au Cirque du Soleil.
Keshia Parris et Whitney Connors-Isaa ont
passé une matinée avec les danseurs du Cirque
du Soleil qui se préparent pour un nouveau
spectacle qui se donnera à Macao, en Chine,
au printemps. Les élèves, qui font partie de la
troupe de danse de LaurenHill, ont observé les
danseurs du Cirque qui prenaient leur leçon de
danse du matin suivie par une vidéo de leur
dernière répétition avec le chorégraphe. Tout
au long de la matinée, elles ont eu l’occasion
de parler aux danseurs et de poser des
questions. Les deux élèves ont déclaré que
leur expérience avait été très intéressante et
utile.
PRÉVENTION DU DÉCROCHAGE :
L’opération « Retour à l’école » est
l’organisation annuelle de
quelques 350
conférences-témoignages dans les écoles
secondaires de la région de Montréal autant
dans les réseaux français et anglais, public que
privé, et dans certaines organisations du Grand
Montréal impliquées à la prévention du
décrochage. Ces réunions sont organisées
chaque printemps, de la fin mars à la fin avril.
L’objectif principal est d’encourager les
jeunes élèves du secondaire 3, 4, ou 5 à ne pas
quitter l’école et à obtenir leur diplôme de fin
d’études secondaires. L’un des meilleurs
moyens de motiver et d’influencer les jeunes
est de leur présenter des modèles à suivre, des
personnes
d’expérience
qui
viennent
témoigner dans une atmosphère chaleureuse,
dynamique et interactive. Pour planifier une
causerie dans votre école, visiter le site
www.btmm.qc.ca/back2school. Pour tous
renseignements
supplémentaires,
communiquer avec Francis Letendre au (514)
19
871-4000, poste 4038 ou par courriel à
[email protected].
FONDATION
DI
GIOVANNI :
La
cinquième année de levée de fonds pour la
fondation Franco Di Giovanni à l’appui du
Centre de recherche sur la tumeur du cerveau
de l’Institut Neurologique de Montréal est en
cours. Cette année, trois évènements majeurs
sont prévus. Le premier est une campagne de
levée de fonds dans toutes les écoles et centres
qui organiseront des ventes de gâteaux, des
tirages ou n’importe quelle activité qu’ils
choisissent. Pour faciliter cette levée de fonds,
les organisateurs offrent deux articles : un
ruban en métal gris pour un don de 2$ et une
médaille d’identité de la CSEM pour un don
de 3$. Au cours des quatre années écoulées,
plus de 118,000$ ont été recueillis pour le
Centre de la recherche sur la tumeur du
cerveau. Le deuxième évènement est la soirée
de la Fondation Franco Di Giovanni à la salle
de réception Prima Luna le samedi 22 mars.
Le coût du billet est de 100$ par personne qui
vous donnera droit à un repas à sept couverts
avec vin, bar ouvert, de nombreux prix, des
ventes aux enchères de souvenirs sportifs et de
la danse, au son de la musique offerte par
Goldstar D.J.’,. Les billets seront disponibles
bientôt. Finalement, les plans pour le
quatrième gala Brain Waves au Centre
Leonardo Da Vinci le mercredi 7 mai sont en
voie d’élaboration. Le coût des billets est de
25$ chacun et ils seront mis en vente bientôt.
Pour des informations supplémentaires et pour
des billets, veuillez communiquer avec Lina
Di Giovanni au (514) 494-6931, courriel
[email protected]; Vince Lacroce au
poste 5365 ou courriel :[email protected]
ou Mike Talevi au poste 2004 ou courriel :
[email protected].
CLUB DE GENTILLESSE : En décembre,
les élèves du Club de gentillesse de St.
Brendan ont organisé une vente d’artisanat au
profit des enfants d’Afrique. Ils avaient appris
ce qu’est la vie au Kenya par un enseignant
qui avait passé l’été dans la région et ils ont
décidé d’apporter leur aide. Après quelques
recherches, ils ont décidé que le meilleur
moyen d’aider les enfants et les familles du
monde qui étaient moins nantis qu’eux était de
donner des cadeaux par l’entremise du
catalogue World Vision’s Christmas. Ces 20
élèves (dans une école de 175 élèves) ont
consacré des semaines à préparer des cartes et
des ornements qu’ils ont ensuite vendu pour
recueillir plus de 260$. Cet argent a servi à
approvisionner une clinique médicale, ainsi
qu’à acheter des animaux, des arbres fruitiers
et des manuels scolaires pour les familles et
les enfants nécessiteux.
L’ÉCOLE SECONDAIRE WESTMOUNT
À L’AIDE : L’Institut Argyle des relations
humaines a récemment célébré son 25e
anniversaire. L’Institut, fondé en 1982, est
relié à l’Institut d’hygiène mentale de
Montréal établi en 1919. Le mandat de ce
dernier est de desservir les besoins en santé
mentale de la population de Montréal en tant
qu’agence à but non lucratif. Ses objectifs
étaient de faire des recherches dans les
secteurs où la santé mentale n’était pas
desservie adéquatement et de collaborer avec
les agences locales. Il a monté des projets de
démonstration dans l’espoir que les agences
municipales ou gouvernementales verseraient
des fonds pour maintenir de telles initiatives.
Deux agences indépendantes – Family Life
Education Council et Marriage Counseling
Center ont été créées par l’Institut de santé
mentale. Dans son bulletin de nouvelles,
l'Institut Argyle a remercié les bénévoles de
l’école secondaire Westmount : les préfets de
10e et 11e année Brendan Lavery Breiner,
Christine Park, Yeon Jun Choi, Rubah
Shahid et la conseillère d’orientation Karen
Allen.
Les classes d’éducation économique de l’école
secondaire Westmount ont organisé leur vente
éthique des fêtes en décembre. Les élèves ont
vendu des biens et produits échangés de façon
éthique. Chaque classe s'est transformée en
coopérative et a appris à démarrer une
entreprise en le faisant. Les élèves ont
recueilli 300$ qui ont été versés à leur fonds
20
de fin d’études secondaires. Ils ont été aussi
interviewés par CBC Radio.
École secondaire Lester B. Pearson
CSEM
DÉROGATION : Le site Web de la CSEM a
publié des informations détaillées à l’intention
des parents au sujet du processus de
dérogation des élèves en maternelle et en 1re
année.
25-31 mai 2008
Semaine des garderies
INTÉGRATION INVERSÉE : Le Centre
Mackay de N.D.G. célèbre le 35ème
anniversaire de son programme d’intégration
inversée. Au cours des années, des centaines
d’élèves ont profité de cette expérience unique
qui leur a permis de faire leur apprentissage en
compagnie d’élèves handicapés. Les parents
sont encouragés de considérer cette option
pour leur enfant. Les enfants qui participent au
programme pour un an profitent du ratio
élève-enseignant peu élevé, se sensibilisent à
leurs pairs handicapés et ont la chance
d’assumer
des
rôles
de
leadership.
Récemment, les écoles ont reçu des
informations à ce sujet à distribuer aux
parents. Ils sont encouragés à visiter le site
Web du Centre Mackay et à compléter le
formulaire de demande pour permettre à leur
enfant d’être considéré pour les visites de
sélection du 17 et 18 mars. Tous les candidats
seront examinés et l’admission au programme
est conditionnelle. Les élèves du préscolaire à
la 6e année sont les bienvenus. Pour plus
d’informations, appeler au (514) 482-0500,
poste
218
ou
visiter
le
site
www.emsb.qc.ca/mackay
DATES À RETENIR
Février 2008
Mois de l’Histoire de la communauté noire
Février 27, 2008
Réunion du conseil des commissaires
15 mars 2008
Soirée de la fondation Franco Di Giovanni
16-18 mars 2008
Foire régionale Bell de sciences
Submissions should be made to Michael J.
Cohen
preferably
by
e-mail
([email protected]) or fax (514-483-7213).
Deadline for next edition is February 22.