The monthly news bulletin of the EMSB

The monthly news bulletin of the EMSB
Vol. 9 No 3
EDITOR: MICHAEL J. COHEN
PRINTING SERVICES: L. SHAW, D. D’ORNELLAS
October 27, 2006
PROOFREADING/TRANSLATION: ALINE ZEROUNIAN
EMSB PROUD OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
∆ Enrolment Report
∆ Career Fair
∆ Ben Mulroney
∆ Banting Video
∆ Bancroft Meets Kosovo
∆ East Hill Express
∆ Heritage Week
∆ Carlyle Grandparents
∆ Gun Control
∆ Human Resources
Ben Mulroney visits Nesbitt School.
Please see page 4.
The English Montreal School Board adopted its financial
statements for the year ended June 30, 2006 at its October
Council meeting. Results for the year included an excess of
revenues over expenditures in the amount of $3,650,944 on
total revenues of $241,759,776.
The cumulative position of the Board amounts to a net surplus
of $5,881,457 - which, by government directive, must include
funds unspent by schools and centres, which stood
cumulatively at $8,573,824 at June 30, 2006.
These results signal a significant improvement in the financial
health of the EMSB, whose corporate deficit has been reduced
from a June 2001 high of $8,465,000 to the June 30, 2006
balance of $2,692,367.
The audit was conducted by Samson Bélair/Deloitte & Touche,
Chartered Accountants.
ENROLMENT REPORT: The EMSB has
24,900 students in its youth sector, a drop of
816 from last year. That includes 13,803
students at the elementary level, 10, 727 in
high school and 370 in social affairs. The
total number of teachers is 1,510.
Gardenview remains the largest elementary
school with 792 students. At the high school
level, Lester B. Pearson with 1,516 students
has moved ahead of LaurenHill which now
has 1,499 pupils. Over the last two years,
student numbers have gone down by 1,331.
PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATION WEEK:
A reminder to EMSB schools and centres that
January 15-19, 2007 has been designated as
Public School Education Week by Montrealarea boards. The theme will be Following In
Their Footsteps. Schools are being
encouraged to invite
prominent and
interesting personalities who attended the
public system .
Career Fair keynote speaker Andy Nulman talks to
students.
CAREER FAIR: Andy Nulman, president
of Airborne Entertainment, was the keynote
speaker at the opening ceremonies of the
seventh annual EMSB Career Fair, October
24 to 26 at St. Pius X Adult Centre in
Ahuntsic. More than 3,000 Secondary IV and
V students were in attendance over the three
days. Mr. Nulman, who attended Gardenview
and LaurenHill (then known as Sir Winston
Churchill High as a youth), kicked things off
and then met with students in the kiosk area.
This year’s theme was “Dare to Dream.”
The event was held in the memory of
Anastasia De Sousa, who was tragically
killed in the Dawson College shooting. She
was a St. Pius X graduate.
CJAD’s Kim Fraser broadcasts live from the
Career Fair.
The Student Services and Adult Education
and Vocational Services Departments of the
EMSB
coordinated this program. Chair
Lizette Gilday, the guidance counsellor at
St. Laurent Adult Centre, noted that the main
objective of the Career Fair is to provide
Secondary V and senior adult education
students with an in-depth exposure to the
various educational opportunities available to
them.
The final day was devoted to
Secondary IV students, providing them with
an opportunity to start charting their
respective futures two years in advance of
graduation. Each participating Secondary V
and adult education student took part in a
general session of 30 minutes in the St. Pius
X
auditorium,
during
which
time
presentations included information with
respect to CEGEP and vocational educational
programs, as well as admission requirements.
There were also testimonials from EMSB
vocational education students who are
presently finishing their programs. Students
then had the chance to visit the various
exhibition/information booths staffed by
representatives from English vocational
centres, CEGEPS, universities and the
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Canadian Armed Forces.
This year
McDonald’s came on board as a sponsor.
Their human resources department set up a
kiosk to talk to students about part-time jobs
and even careers at the organization.
vocational centres. She also spoke to students
and guidance counsellors. Richard Dagenais
of Global TV’s This Morning Live was there
on October 24 for his traditional reports.
Nulman, who addressed the capacity crowd
gathered in the auditorium, assured students
that it’s OK if they haven’t decided on their
future career paths yet. “You don’t have to
make the right decision today; it’s not a life
sentence. The world has so much that’s open
to you. There are so many options out there,
so use them wisely and have a blast.”
He concluded his speech with three tips on
how to succeed in life and career: “Have a bit
of vision, have a bit of luck and have a lot of
guts.”
McDonald’s set up a booth to talk about jobs and
careers for students.
Kevin Gasior, one of Montreal’s brightest
standup comedians, served as the master of
ceremonies. Mike Patterson and Ryan
Wilner, two other comics, backed him up
on stage during the Fair as well. Gasior
(www.kevingasior.com) actually teaches
comedy workshops at the summer
Explorations Camp, based at the EMSB’s
Royal Vale School in N.D.G. He also offers
his services to schools for fundraising events.
The Career Fair is supported almost entirely
by corporate sponsorship, principally Jack
Dym of Pipe and Piling Supplies and RBC
Royal Bank and a host of others. Mr. Dym, a
successful Montreal businessman and
philanthropist, is a product of the public
system.
Report
Collection
(www.reportcollection.com) was once again
the official supplier of t-shirts for the student
ushers. Videos from previous Career Fair
Events can be viewed in the Press Room
section of the EMSB website at
www.emsb.qc.ca.
Kim Fraser did a fabulous live broadcast of
her popular Noon to 2 p.m. show on CJAD
Radio, interviewing a wide array of EMSB
personalities representing the different
SPECIAL NEEDS SESSION: On October
25, a special session was held at the Career
Fair to highlight some career and vocational
options to special needs students of John
Grant High School, Paul VI High School and
St. Raphael Centre. The session was
organized by John Grant guidance
counsellor Susan Freed. It featured the
following representatives who spoke about
their respective programs: Madeleine
Barrette of the Lester B. Pearson Adult
Centre outlined its pastry making, retail
butchery and patient attendant programs; Sgt.
Rob Kingsley spoke about the 106 trades and
many opportunities that the Canadian Armed
Forces has to offer; Rosemary Nolan from
the LaSalle Adult Centre talked about their
program, which helps students with job
choices, training and job searching; Melissa
Leggett from the Access Centre in St.
Lambert described its bricklaying/masonry
program; Francois Dubos from St. Pius X
Culinary Institute talked about its Food and
Beverage Services program; Cathy Martin
from the Marguerite Bourgeoys School
Board spoke about its Contact Program,
which helps intellectually challenged adults
get academic, communication and work
skills; Louisa Proietti detailed the
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Hairdressing Program offered by the Laurier
Macdonald Career Centre; and Bruno
DiRaddo from the Rosemount Technology
Centre explained what its Cabinet Making
and Furniture Finishing programs were all
about.
PINK DAY: The staff and students of John
F. Kennedy High School in St. Michel
deeply felt the loss of Anastasia De Sousa.
As a graduate of St. Pius X High School, she
was certainly remembered with fondness,
especially as a caring human being whose life
was tragically cut short. In order to
commemorate
her
life
in
an
appropriate way, JFK held three “pink days”
and raised $3,500 for the Anastasia De Sousa
Dawson Fund. We are very proud our staff
and students and hope that a tragedy as this
will never occur again.
BUILDING BRIDGES: Royal Vale
Secondary I students
have been busy
constructing bridges (from popsicle sticks) as
part of their Science & Technology studies
and then testing them under stress. The
strongest bridge was able to withstand 45 kg.
of Meanwhile, on October 17, the students at
Royal Vale School presented a cheque for
$1m400 to the Montreal Children’s Hospital
in hour of Anastasia De Sousa, and in turn
were honoured with a plaque from the for
their efforts.
TRADING SPACES: Borrowing from the
tv shows..”While You Were Out” and
“Trading Spaces”, Grade 7 students at Royal
Vale School in NDG will use an upcoming
ped day on Fri. October 27 to switch
homerooms and secretly redecorate each
other’s classes. When students re-enter the
school on Monday, they should all be
pleasantly surprised as all three homerooms
will be refreshed and revived. Plans to do this
throughout the school are underway. The
Home and School Association has issued a
huge thank you
to Betonel and Denis
Martin on Côte Saint-Luc Road in N.D.G.
which has generously donated the paint. “We
really appreciate the store for helping support
this wonderful project!,” says parent Natalie
Kalinowicz.
CBC MONTREAL MATTERS: This has
been an extraordinary month of exposure for
the EMSB’s Westmount High School as part
of CBC’s Montreal Matters series, both on
radio and television. You can log on to the
EMSB website or go directly to
www.cbc.ca/montrealmatters where you can
download all of the television and radio
reports. Regional Director Mario Tirelli
invited Principal Claude Dansereau and
some of his senior staff to the last Council
meeting where a copy of the first report on
the school was shown.
CPC ELECTIONS: Angie Bertone has
been re-elected chair of the Central Parents
Committee. Elizabeth Leaman and Viki
Keller are also returning as parent
commissioners. New regional chairs are:
John Le Piane, Region 1, Dante;
Linda Perez, Region 2, MIND; and
Scott Day, Region 3.Westmount High.
PARENTS WORKSHOP: The Region 3
Parents’ Committee will be hosting
workshops on Saturday, November 25 (9
a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) at the Administration
Building (6000 Fielding Avenue). The
morning’s activities will include two
workshops: Fostering Creativity in Children
and with Tiiu Poldma and Parent Survival
Skills: The Internet and Your Children with
Maureen Baron of the EMSB and Anne
Wade of Concordia University and the
Elizabeth Ballantyne Elementary School
Governing Board. Joseph Afshar, the
president of First Canadian Financial
Services (FCFS), will give opening remarks
on Planning Your Child’s Future. FCFS is
returning once again this year as the sponsors
of the EMSB’s Volunteer Appreciation
Evening. All parents are welcome. They do
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not have to be governing board, PPO or
Home and School members. For more
information please call Janice Lacroix at 514483-7200, extension 7242.
Mara Peixinho sings for the Canadian Idol show
host at Nesbitt.
UNICEF: The EMSB formally launched its
participation in the annual UNICEF
campaign on October 16 quite fittingly at
Nesbitt Elementary School in Rosemount,
which has a longstanding tradition of
supporting this charity. Some students from
Sinclair Laird and St. Raphael Schools were
also invited. Television star Ben Mulroney,
a National Ambassador for UNICEF Canada,
was on hand as a special guest to address the
students.
Joining
him
was
Flavia
Mutamutega, communications officer for
UNICEF Rwanda. Ms. Mutamutega reported
on the progress made in Rwanda thanks in
part to the involvement from EMSB schools
and her first hand account showcased the
wonderful results that can be achieved when
Canadian students work together to help the
world’s most vulnerable children. Ms
Mutamutega visited a number of other
schools that week. Funds raised as part of last
year’s Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign
helped educational programs in Rwanda, as
part of the Schools for Africa program. This
year Canadian children will be helping their
peers at schools in Malawi as part of a
redesigned UNICEF campaign. Mulroney
was presented with a beautiful card made by
the students and a gift package which he will
bring to Malawi. He was introduced by
Grade 6 student Miriam Baroso Ricardi and
her sister Eva, a Nesbitt grad and a Quebec
Youth Ambassador for UNICEF, Another
Grade 6 student, Mara Peixinho, sang the
song A Moment Like This for Mulroney in an
impressive yet unofficial Canadian Idol
audition. Music teacher Lise Beauchemin
lead her students in a lovely French song.
One of Mulroney's first responsibilities as a
UNICEF
Canada
National
Ambassador will be to serve as national
spokesperson
for
this
year's
revitalized Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF
campaign, in which Canadian kids will
engage in fundraising and educational
activities to help give children in Malawi the
chance to go to school. UNICEF is the
world's leader for children, working in 155
countries and territories to save, protect and
enhance the lives of girls and boys. UNICEF
supports child health and nutrition, promotes
quality basic education, protects children
from violence, exploitation and AIDS, and is
the world's largest provider of vaccines for
developing nations. A global leader in
emergencies with six decades of on-theground experience, UNICEF saves and
rebuilds children's lives in natural disasters
and
conflict.
UNICEF
is
funded entirely by voluntary contributions
from individuals, businesses, foundations,
schools, associations and governments. By
setting fundraising goals that correspond to
the purchase price of school materials, such
as desks and sports equipment, children will
be able to view how their efforts are directly
helping children in Malawi. Each classroom
participating in the campaign will receive a
fundraising thermometer shaped like a
school, to which students will affix a paper
brick for every $20 raised. In recognition of
their fundraising efforts throughout October,
children will receive reflective UNICEF
trick-or-treat bags to use on Halloween night.
For more details, call UNICEF Quebec at
(514) 288-5134.
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BEN MULRONEY COMMENTS: Here
are excerpts from Ben Mulroney’s message
to EMSB students:
Thanks for having me here at Nesbitt School
and thanks for encouraging us all here today
to be part of Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF. I
started volunteering for UNICEF this
summer as National Ambassador but I first
volunteered when I was in elementary school.
When I was a kid, I always carried the
orange box on Halloween night, like you
probably did last year. That’s my memory of
Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF. But when you
grow up, you kids will have different
memories of the campaign; memories about
fun learning activities that you did in your
class-rooms and cool fundraising activities
that you and your friends did at school or in
your community to raise money so that kids
in other countries can attend school.
I volunteer with UNICEF because of the
work that it does to make lives better for
children and their families around the world.
I know that some of you don’t like going to
the doctor to get needles but those needles
have vaccines in them and those vaccines
stop you from getting really sick. UNICEF
makes sure that kids around the world get
these vaccines too. In fact, UNICEF is one of
the biggest suppliers of vaccines for children
in the world! And UNICEF helps kids get an
education - by building and fixing schools,
making sure children have school supplies
and books and uniforms and training
teachers so that they’ll be really good
teachers. And UNICEF helps supply clean
drinking water to families and communities
too.
And just like I’m a part of UNICEF, you’re a
part of UNICEF too because you’re helping
to make the work happen. And there are
thousands of children like you across Canada
who are helping. And it’s easy to help by
participating in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF
throughout the month of October:
You’re going to raise money for kids in
Malawi by doing some fundraisers at school
and in your community. Last year, a school
in Quebec had an art show with kids’ art and
people paid to see the art. If you like to draw
or paint, maybe you and your friends could
do something like that! And in Winnipeg,
there was a school that had a big cake sale
for UNICEF. There are so many things you
can do – and I’m sure you’re going to come
up with great ideas.
In your classroom, you have a school poster
just like this one (point to posters on wall)
and when you, or a group of you, raise $20,
you get to place a brick with your name on it
on the school poster. As you and your friends
raise money, you can watch the school being
built. One $20 brick can supply two kids with
everything they need for school, five $20
bricks can buy sports equipment for a whole
school! And then, on Halloween night,
National UNICEF Day, I want you to carry
the special UNICEF bag when you trick-ortreat. When people ask you about your bag,
you can tell them that you worked really hard
to raise money for kids in Malawi so they
could go to school. Who’s going to dress up
as a pirate for Halloween? Who’s going to
dress up as an astronaut? Or maybe as a
cat? What are you going to be? And you?
Those all sound like great costumes! But
make sure that you remember to use your
UNICEF bag to collect treats on Halloween
night. I want you to be proud that you’re a
UNICEF volunteer!
Half the money you raise this year will go to
help children all over the world – but half
will directly support a programme called
Schools for Africa – and this year we’re
supporting children in Malawi.
Can you imagine if school didn’t have any
walls or a roof? Whenever it rained, you
7
wouldn’t be able to learn! All your books
would get wet and your teacher would be
really wet! And could you imagine if your
school didn’t have any toilets? You’d have to
hold it in all day! Well, the money you raise
will help build schools in Malawi and repair
ones that don’t have roofs or walls. And
you’ll help build separate toilets for girls and
boys and make sure that schools have clean
drinking water for all the students. And you’ll
help teachers get the training they need to
teach really well.
FACTS FROM FLAVIA; In her visits to
local schools, Flavia Mutamutega delivered
the following facts to EMSB students related
to the 2005 Rwandan campaign.
UNICEF Canada began by targeting its funds
towards Rwanda where: 400,000 children are
out of school; Only 25 percent of the schools
have access to safe water and sanitation
facilities; teacher student ratio is currently at
one teacher to 67 students; the quality of
teaching is low.
There have been a number of exciting
accomplishments within the first year of the
Schools for Africa project. Some of these
include: the establishment of 18 model “child
friendly” schools is underway, with another
32 on the way; ongoing construction and
rehabilitation of 200 classrooms spanning
five provinces – which will benefit a total of
12,000 school children; the establishment of
teacher resource centres is underway,
providing training and materials to teachers,
focusing on life skills, numeracy and literacy;
a partnership for 35 community centres has
been established to promote health and
development among disadvantaged children,
especially those orphaned by HIV/AIDS.
TRAGIC DEATH: The EMSB is mourning
the tragic murders of 2005-2006 Royal West
Academy graduate Iva Tzokovitch, 17, her
10 year old sister and their mother Mila
Yoynova Saturday at their Beaconsfield
home.
“This is an unspeakable tragedy,”
commented EMSB Chairman Dominic
Spiridigliozzi. “Our hearts and prayers go out
to the family and friends of these innocent
victims who had their entire lives ahead of
them.”
Iva Tzokovitch is being described as a good
student who generally kept to herself. An
avid backgammon player, she would often be
found reading by her locker during recess.
The school has set up a memorial table,
including a backgammon set, candles and
flowers. Some of Iva’s former classmates
came in to pay their respects and help prepare
the table. On October 20, the students held a
solidarity march during the lunch hour. The
EMSB made its Traumatic Events Support
Team available for school personnel and
students at Royal West this morning. Flags at
the Administration Building in N.D.G. and at
Royal West were flown at half staff in the
memory of Iva, her sister and her mother.
Royal West students march against violence.
MARCH AGAINST VIOLENCE: Royal
West students organized a March Against
Violence Oct. 20. Grade 11 student Shelby
Cohen wrote the following commentary:
It is with a heavy heart that I recall the
events of the past couple of months in writing
this article. The staff and students of Royal
8
West have been largely affected by these
events. Two of our former students were shot
at Dawson, and we recently lost Iva
Tzokovitch. The slaying that took place in
N.D.G also hit close to home. All these
violent acts are taking place in Montreal, and
are leaving victims from our neighborhoods
and even in our very own schools.
For the large part, the students found
themselves in a difficult situation. We are but
children, kids who do not possess the
maturity and skills to cope with these
incidents. Who would think such skills could
be expected of people at such a young age?
We found ourselves in a state of unease. We
were scared, nervous and anxious to do
something. We felt helpless, yet we continued
to search for some outlet for our
aggravation. The idea of a march was the
perfect solution. A march is united, it is
confident and it is strong. It’s a great way to
express our feelings, to release our pent-up
anger and frustration. At a time like this, we
need each other more then anything. These
events have taught us the importance of
friends and the sad truth that they may not
always be with us. We were able to come
together, a whole school of eight hundred
students and we were able to agree on one
thing; violence is un-acceptable. The march
projected a very powerful image of peace.
Even more important though, was the fact
that we had done the march together. I
cannot put into words the feeling I got while
marching that Friday afternoon. The week
had been a tough one, and I felt vulnerable.
On Friday afternoon, however, when I turned
around and saw eight hundred students
walking behind me, I felt invincible. We could
all feel the support from our peers and staff
members. I went back to class Friday
afternoon completely rejuvenated. This
march was a way for all of us to communally
grieve and cope with our losses.
-Shelby Cohen, Grade 11 RWA Student
EMSB Chairman Dominic Spiridigliozzi presents a
painting to retiree Helton Pachake.
RETIREES DINNER: Over 200 people
attended the annual retirees' dinner, which
took place on October 19 at the Omni MontRoyal Hotel in downtown Montreal. The
evening honoured 91 retiring employees of
the EMSB who worked as educators,
administrators, professionals and support
staff, and whose combined years of service to
the Board added up to 2,631 years. EMSB
Chairman Dominic Spiridigliozzi, along
with the senior administrators from each
region, Adult Education and Vocational
Services, Information Technology Services,
Community Services and Archives presented
each retiree with a special thank-you gift of a
framed painting by Quebec artist PaulMichel Gagnon. One of the longest serving
employees present at the dinner was Helton
Pachake, a former teacher at Lester B.
Pearson High School, who served with the
Board for 39 years and as a teacher for nearly
50 years. Please see the Photo Album on
EMSB website (www.emsb.qc.ca) for
pictures of the evening.
ANTIBULLYING
VIDEO:
The Montreal Police Service, in collaboration
with Frederick Banting Elementary School in
Montreal North held a special ceremony to
launch a bullying prevention program named
'Bullying More Than Just a Word'. This
audio-video tool is accompanied by several
animation guides with specific activities
geared towards cycle 2 and 3 students. The
9
video can now be accessed via the Press
Room Video section of the EMSB website.
Last year, the Police and the Frederick
Banting community were involved in an antibullying project which included an
accompanying video in French called "Les
mots cachés." Commander Eric Godin and
Social
Community
Officer
Antonio
Cardazzi spearheaded the charge to translate
both the documents and the video to English.
To do so they used the students of Frederick
Banting in the video.
Students who participated in the anti-bullying
program are recognized.
The teacher who helped prepare the students
for the video was Myrianne Lusignan.
Attending the launch were Commissioner
Sylvia Lo Bianco, City Councillor James
Infantino and Gilles Déguire (attaché to
Liberal MNA and cabinet minister Line
Beauchamp), former Principal Sharon
Banks-Rasytinis, Gerald McShane School
Principal Donna Manos, Kids Help Phone
Line (Jeunesse, J'écoute) Regional Director
Bruno Mital and other personnel from
Police Station 40. Principal Evelyn Alfonsi
introduced the 14 students who participated
in the project. Police station 40, Commander
Carole Lalonde presented them with
certificates of merit. They then signed the
Montreal Police Golden Book. "Not only
does it focus on self-esteem and selfaffirmation, but most importantly, it will help
a child develop strategies to fend off bullying
and to report it," said Officer Cardazzi. "The
beauty of this program is that it can be used
not only by the police or officers, but by
teachers, specialists, spiritual animators,
social workers, and all other educators."
Officer Cardazzi expressed his gratitude to
his colleague and partner, Pierre Allard, who
was a great ambassador of the French version
and helped in the promotion of the English
version. "Studies suggest that intimidation
commences as early as kindergarten, and
once a child is bullied, chances are he or she
will become or act as a bully," said Officer
Cardazzi. "This bullying prevention program
intends to teach children that verbal and
physical violence should not be tolerated and
that humiliation and rejection are different
forms of bullying and should never be
accepted as a part of life. Youths and street
gangs are a priority for the Montreal Police
Dept. With this program we hope to make
kids understand the consequences of
bullying. Committing vandalism to graffiti, to
taxing, and drug use, these are some of the
behaviours that may lead to street gang
involvement."
MERTON MINUTE: Merton Elementary
School in Côte Saint-Luc recently held a
corn roast for parents and students. Despite
the rain over 150 participated in the event
organized by the Home and School
Association. Enough corn was available to
have a corn lunch for all the students the next
day. The fabulous Madame Sacoche
entertained the Cycle 1 students with her
thrilling Hallowe’en stories on October 17.
TERRY FOX RUN: EMSB schools once
again raised significant dollars in their
respective Terry Fox Runs.
The Terry Fox Foundation has provided the
EMSB with preliminary results from its
National School Run Day. While not all of
the schools are accounted for, it is estimated
that 12,000 EMSB students participated and
will raise well over $100,000 this year!
Registered EMSB schools were Cedarcrest,
Dalkeith, Dunrae Gardens, Edinburgh
Edward Murph,
Elizabeth Ballantyne,
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Frederick Banting, Gardenview, Hampstead,
Holy Cross, John Grant, Laurier MacDonald,
Leonardo Da Vinci, Lester B. Pearson,
Mackay Centre, Merton,
Michelangelo,
Parkdale, Rosemount, Roslyn, Royal Vale,
Royal West , Sinclair Laird, St. Brendan, St.
Dorothy, St. John Bosco, St. Monica Day
Care, St-Raphael Centre, Westmount Park
School. Roslyn, inspired by caretaker Eddie
Nolan, raised some $20,000. Merton in Côte
Saint-Luc brought in $3,542.62
invited t o co me d o a st ory on the
EMSB Career Fair. The atmosphere at
this year’s Career Fair (Dare to Dream) was
electric and captivating according to the
junior reporters of the East Hill Express.
Within moments of arriving at St. Pius X, the
students’ faces were painted with expressions
of curiosity, excitement and awe. Cycle 3
students Justin Mulfati, Carla Massaro,
Felicia Clemente and Chloé Greco
interviewed
Career Fair Chair Lizette
Gilday and
standupcomic/emcee Kevin
Gasior. The East Hill Express reporters
were truly in the midst of covering a hot
story!
James Lyng students present a cheque to the
hospital.
East Hill students interview Kevin Gasior and
Lizette Gilday at the Career Fair.
JAMES LYNG WALK-A-THON: Students
at James Lyng High School in St. Henri
recently took part in a Walk-a-Thon to raise
money for two causes: the Montreal
Children’s Hospital Foundation and to help
fund student activities for the 2006-2007
academic year. As a result, $1,300 has been
donated
The students’ visit achieved a number of
objectives. They had the opportunity to
interact with actual reporters, providing them
with an understanding of the job and what it
entails. The visit went a long way in
contributing to their personal and academic
growth and developing their communication,
writing and reporting skills. This visit was
the result of an invitation from the
Communications and Marketing Division
during a visit the previous week. It was made
possible by the collaboration teachers Nadia
Barrafato and Mirella Di Stefano (East Hill
Express co-editors) and by Mr. Speranza,
One junior reporter summed it all up when he
said, “I knew about normal jobs like doctor,
lawyer, teacher, and accountant, but I never
dreamed that there could be so many other
types of jobs and so many ways to get to
where you want to go. I am so happy we had
the chance to see this”.
EAST H ILL EXPRESS: Grade 5 and
6 student s at East Hill Elem entary
School in RDP are pr eparing the
launch of th eir own newspaper. It
will be cal led t he East Hill Express.
The EMSB Communi cation s and
Marketi ng Divi sion, working with
Principal Maria Di Perna, the
teachers and spiritual community
animator Rocco Speran zo facilit ated
information
sessions
about
newspaper s and t he m edia in g eneral.
Some of the East Hill reporters were
11
SHARE A STORY: As part of East Hill’s
We are Remembering Them project, initiated
by spiritual animator Rocco Speranza,
honoured guests Mr. and Mr. Erhmann,
Holocaust survivors, visited the school to
share their story with level 6 students. Mr.
and Mrs. Ehrmann spoke to the students
about their personal experiences during
World War II and the Holocaust. Students
were moved and touched by the speakers’
personal stories of hardship and how they lost
their parents and siblings. Despite the war
ending over 60 years ago, the guest speakers
were able to convey to students the
importance of "remembering" and standing
up for injustice. While unspeakably horrific
and sad, their story was nonetheless one of
survival, one of courage and one of
thankfulness. These are history and life
lessons that are not easily found in texts.
MEALS TO GO: On September 29 the 40th
annual Baked Beans Day was held by police
officers across the island. Officers from St.
Leonard's Station 42 were joined by John
Paul I Junior High School students and
Spiritual Community Animator Speranza as
they teamed up to volunteer to prepare and
deliver over 1,800 meals and serve over
300 lunches to members of the St. Leonard
community who were invited to Pavillon
Wilfred Bashen. The community event was
organized in support of the St. Léonard
Carrefour des femmes, Entraide, la Table
ronde du St. Léonard and La Maison de la
Famille. On hand to celebrate the event
were St. Léonard-St. Michel MP Massimo
Pacetti, and station Commander Sylvain
Champagne.
FIRE PREVENTION: October 8 to 14 was
Fire Prevention Week across Canada/.
Students from East Hill, Edward Murphy and
McLearon received 30-minute workshops on
fire
and home alone safety from their
spiritual animator, Mr. Speranza, including
interactive workshops. Meanwhile., the same
three schools held multi-faith Thanksgiving
Harvest celebrations. Local vocalist Stacey
Piccianno joined students and staff for the
celebrations. Her songs, Wanna Be Me and
Love really complemented the spiritual
reflections and poems that were read.
BANCROFT MEETS KOSOVO:
A
delegation of six people from Kosovo,
including the Director of General Education,
other sernior education officials and a
representative of minority communities,
visited Bancroft Elementary School
Oct.
17. Principal Artemis Maravei, together
with teachers Carla Batista and Nacera
Krim Governing Board member Maria
Araujo hosted them for two and a half hours
discussing such topics as parental
involvement, daycare and multicultural
environment to mention only a few. This is a
group working closely with Universalia, a
consulting firm from Canada, helping them in
developing a modern education system.
Their program in Kosovo is winding up in
the spring and they are holding their last
project steering committee meeting in
Montreal. “It is interesting to note that among
their achievements, they have trained over
10,000 teachers and 1, 000 principals,” said
Ms. Maravei. “We had a very interesting
exchange with them, they met our staff over
coffee and had a chance to visit our students
in the classrooms.”
BANCROFT PARTNERSHIP: Bancroft
and the law firm, Borden Ladner and Gervais
have had a partnership for the last three
years. This partnership allows the lawyers to
visit the school every two weeks to read a
book to the students in Kindergarten and
Cycle 1. Not too long ago, Principal Arty
Maravei was invited to make a presentation
to the law firm to motivate the lawyers to
become volunteer readers. Arty took two
young students, Emily in Grade 1 and Erica
in Grade 3 and together they spoke to over 60
lawyers on literacy, how important this
program is and what a difference they have
12
made. Word has it that our presence had a
great impact on those present. Those who
already volunteer are now very motivated,
most who were hesitant confirmed they
would read again and there were several new
volunteers. Apparently, “Erica and Emily
melted the hearts of this tough crowd!”
CBC KIDS AT McLEARON: Joyce
Quansah, one of the on-air hosts of Kids
CBC, along with Wendy Farha, visited the
kindergarten class at McLearon Elementary
School in Pointe Aux Trembles on Oct. 20.
Wendy is a children's entertainer, who
also teaches
sign
language.
The
kindergarten students were introduced to the
concept of sign language, shown a few
simple signs (hello, goodbye, and various
signs for animals) and then taught a simple
song which incorporated some simple signs.
The show will air during the month of
November.
TOY TEA: Once again Ginger Petty and
the Toy Tea Committee has invited EMSB
schools to participate in their annual program
for children of domestic violence living
under various conditions of security and
often extreme poverty. The emotional
damage to these children is immense. A nonviolent toy for comfort and security in their
present living situation is of great service
from EMSB children and youth to other
children and youth. (Kids to kids).
The Toy Tea event will be held on Wed. Dec.
6 at Ogilvy’s. Collection of toys and
monetary donations will be arranged the
week before the event.
ROYAL VALE GIRLS SOCCER: The
Royal Vale Girls Soccer Team, coached by
phys ed teacher Norman Katz, pulled off a
Cinderella-like victory to win the annual
Lower Canada College Elementary Soccer
Tournament, symbolic of the 2006
Elementary Soccer Championship.
HERITAGE WALL: On Sept. 29, Honoré
Mercier Elementary School in St. Léonard
celebrated Grandparents’ Day
by
inaugurating
its
Heritage Wall. All
grandparents and greatgrandparents of the
school community were invited to partake in
this exciting and memorable event. HonoréMercier wanted to seize the opportunity to
bring these two valuable and precious
generations together.
Visitors admire the Heritage Wall.
In addition, since most of the school
community’s grandparents and great
grandparents are immigrants, the school also
inaugurated this “Heritage Wall,” to give
homage to them. This is a wall at the school
adjacent to the main hallway, which has been
handpainted by moms, depicting nostalgic
pictures and images of Canadian immigrants
depicting historical information. The mural
features a handpainted scroll with a heartfelt
dedication to all Canadian immigrants. The
celebration also marked the beginning of the
Honoré Mercier School Cultural and Heritage
Foundation, which has been established to
promote race, culture and ethnicity within our
school community.
GRANDPARENTS
DAY:
Carlyle
Elementary School in TMR also held a
Grandparents Day on Oct. 13.
At Carlyle Elementary School in TMR the
hallways and classrooms continue to be filled
13
with excitement. It is one of two English
schools actively participating in the “Family,
School and Community Succeeding Together
Program”. During the week of October 2, as
part of National Family Week, parents were
invited to a community breakfast to
strengthen the student, parent and community
bond. The guest of honour at the breakfast
was Office André Maratta, a longtime
police officer in TMR who was honoured on
the occasion of his retirement for his
dedicated commitment to the school. He is
now the Town’s director of security and will
remain actively involved in promoting the
safety at Carlyle. To kick off Quebec
Literacy Week, that began on October 9, the
school implemented the “Read a Book a
Week and be Unique” program to promote
literacy in the school. Students are
encouraged to read as a part of their daily
routine. As part of the Literacy Week
program the school invited grandparents to
visit on the morning of October 13.
TRANSCO
graciously
provided
complimentary bus service to help them
attend the event. Grandparents were invited
to tell their personal stories to lessen the
intergenerational gap and to help promote the
importance of reading. Another special
visitor,
Regional
Director
Angeline
Roumeliotis also said a few words about the
joys of being a grandparent that brought a
smile to all faces. As well, students had the
chance to show their work and their pride in
Carlyle. The day was very successful as an
example of the continued integration of both
school and community present at the school.
Grandparents Day at Carlyle.
ROCK GROUP VISITS: On October 6 the
four members of the Victoria, BC rock group
“Vincat” put on their best Sunday shoes and
marched into Carlyle for their first day of
school. But it wasn’t as students. For one day
the energetic members of the band were
substitute teachers for Ms. Clement’s even
more energetic Grade 3s. The members of the
band were there, acting as substitute teachers
for a few hours. Vincat was on its first cross
Canada tour and played at shows including a
spot in the coveted Pop Montreal Festival.
With the guidance of their local director,
Erik Anderson, they decided to film a music
video for the group’s song “Somebody Stole
My Applesauce.” The video found Vincat
posing as substitute teachers for a day only as
part of a scheme to steal the applesauce out
of unsuspecting students’ lunch bags. Carlyle
students had a great day testing out their
acting skills. They had the opportunity to see
what it was like to film a movie segment and
learn a little bit about the music industry. In
return for the day’s videotaping, Vincat
played a set in the school gym for all of the
students to enjoy.
OTHER NEWS: Carlyle held a
Diwali
(Hindu New Year) ceremony Oct. 24.
Finally, the "Carlyle News Network" is in
the formation stages. The Grade 4 class is
working on a blog, the Grade 5 class on a
newspaper and the Grade 6's on podcasting
(only audio). Later on in the year teacher
Andrew Myers plans to integrate some
video editing into the program as well.
GUN CONTROL: Marymount Academy in
N.D.G. has organized a letter-writing
campaign to Prime Minister Stephen Harper
on the subject of gun control. Over 200
letters have been mailed so far. Six teachers
and their classes are involved in this exercise
14
in civic action, reports English and History
Department Head Susan Schachter.
THANKSGIVING:
This
year’s
Thanksgiving
Celebration
at
Dante
Elementary School in St. Léonard, headed by
Spiritual Community Animator
Vince
Lacroce, captured the traditions of the early
Pilgrims and Indians. Cycle One children,
wearing typical headgear, made the
gymnasium come alive especially when they
sang. They gave thanks to God and adorned
the table with their very own, handmade
gifts. Cycles Two and Three also joined in
the festivities and brought gifts to the table.
Just as the pilgrims believed in the
importance of friendship and sharing, Dante
too shared this event with students from its
“sister school”, Laurier Macdonald. When
Stephanie Lomuto, Jessica and Sara
Taddio sang, their voices filled the air with
melody that touched everyone’s hearts.
Emotions were also put to a test when
students, under the direction of Maria
Alongi, delighted everyone with their songs
as well. Meanwhile, teacher Franca Di
Genova and the children created an amazing
site of the early settlers in Canada.
At the end, everyone was given an apple to
symbolize sharing and good fortune, just as
the first settlers experienced.
SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS: School
board elections will take place in just over a
year from now, on Sunday, November 4,
2007. Voters in the territory of the EMSB
will elect commissioners in 23 wards. The
Council of Commissioners held a special
Board meeting on October 11 to formally
approve the makeup of the electoral
divisions. Advertisements of the wards are
being placed in Le Devoir and The Gazette.
In order to vote, you must currently be on
the permanent list of electors in Quebec, be
18 years of age and over, a Canadian citizen,
domiciled in the territory of the EMSB, have
been domiciled in Quebec for at least six
months, not be under curatorship and not
have been convicted of an offence that is a
corrupt electoral practice. Any parent who
has a child registered in an EMSB youth
sector elementary or high school as of
September 1, 2007 are automatically entered
on the EMSB electoral list. In addition, any
elector who made a choice prior since the
June 1998 elections and had their name
entered on the EMSB electoral list is
included. These individuals would have
signed a special form. If you do not recall
doing so, you can verify whether your name
appears on the list during the revision process
in the fall of 2007 or by calling 1-888-3532846.
However, if you no longer have any children
enrolled in the system, by default you will be
placed on the French electoral list. You will
receive a postcard from the Directeur Général
des Élections du Québec notifying you of this
change. When you receive this postcard, call
the EMSB Election Office and a Notice of
Choice form will be sent to you to fill out and
return to the EMSB.
For more information, please call (514) 4837200,
ext.
8800,
or
e-mail
[email protected]. You can also consult
the Directeur général des élections du
Québec
website
at
www.electionsquebec.qc.ca.
St. Raphael students get set to climb.
15
UP THE WALL: St. Raphael Centre High
School students spent the afternoon of
October 4 rock climbing at Allez-Up in
Pointe-St-Charles. Teachers, too, were
literally driven up the wall by all the
excitement. St. Raphael Centre elementary
students spent two days camping with Uncle
Steven at Camp Pioneer in Ste. Justine de
Newton. Amongst the activities partaken in
were bread-making, nail-banging contests,
hayriding, farm animal feedings, campfire
story-telling, and weenie and marshmallow
roasting. A memorable time was had by all.
BUILDING CHARACTER: For the second
year in a row St. Dorothy Elementary School
in St. Michel is encouraging students to build
strong, positive characters so that they can
become wonderful leaders. In order to do so,
they have a “Theme of the Month: in which a
specific quality is targeted. The students learn
about that quality through various lessons,
workshops and discussions in their
classrooms. The theme for October was
“Respect.”
will be offering numerous programs, tools
and essential safety advice for Quebec
families and children with the goal of
preventing disappearances. Their Child ID
Day at participating McDonald’s Restaurants
took place Oct. 15. The Missing Children’s
Network annual campaign consists of several
activities, including workshops on prevention
in schools and summer camps in and around
Montreal, seminars on prevention for
families, educational tools for children and
the Child ID Day. Animators visit more than
two dozen EMSB schools each year. The
key to safety lies in an open, honest and
positive dialogue with children without
unduly frightening them. If we teach them at
an early age how to assert themselves, to trust
their own judgment and to say NO! when
appropriate, they will find within themselves
the resources needed to stay safe. Student
David Tardio, with the assistance of
classmates
Leanza
Tomassini
and
Samantha Scenna, read an impressive list of
A to Z’s on child safety. Their teacher,
Francesca Occhionero helped prepare this
project. For more information, log on to
www.missingchildren.ca
or
call
514.843.4968.
Ronald McDonald lunches Child ID Day at
Edward Murphy School.
MISSING CHILDREN’S NETWORK:
The EMSB’s Edward Murphy Elementary
School in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve hosted
this year’s launch of the Missing Children’s
Network’s annual prevention campaign for
child safety. Again this year, the Network
St. Gabriel students have a spooky time at La
Ronde.
LA RONDE: Thanks to a donation of tickets
from
La
Ronde
to
the
EMSB
16
Communications and Marketing Division,
five students from St. Gabriel Elementary
School in Pointe St. Charles were given an
opportunity to spend a day at La Ronde
during the amusement park’s Halloween
themed month. They were accompanied by
some staff members who had already
purchased their own season passes.
“Although it was a little cold, they said that
they had a blast,” reports Principal Tina
Ottoni!!!
HUMAN RESOURCES UPDATE: This
past month the Human Resources
Department has been busy responding to
staffing needs throughout the EMSB system.
As well as placing teachers, Human
Resources had hired much needed substitute
daycare workers, lunch monitors and
secretaries. Within the next few weeks, every
employee of the EMSB will receive a
questionnaire to collect statistics for
Quebec’s Act respecting equal access to
employment in public bodies - Bill 143. The
Act came into force on April 1, 2001, and is
intended to ensure equal representation of
groups
that
frequently
encounter
discrimination in employment. The Act
requires public bodies to analyze their
workforce and to determine, for each type of
occupation, the number of employees that
belong to each target group, namely women,
Aboriginal people, visible minorities, ethnic
minorities, and since December 17, 2005,
handicapped people. Information gathered
through the questionnaire will remain
confidential. The compiled information will
be used to implement equal access to
employment measures and to report the
global representation of the target groups in
public bodies to the Commission des droits
de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse.
MEDIA EDUCATION WEEK: The
Association for Media Education in Quebec
(AMEQ) is pleased to be a supporter and
sponsor of pedagogical initiatives regarding
National Media Education Week, November
19-24,
2006
(http://www.ctf-
fce.ca/nationalmediaeducationweek/default.h
tm,) The primary goal of this program is
“…to highlight the importance of media and
web literacy as key learning areas in the
information age.” It is co-sponsored,
nationally, by The Canadian Teachers’
Federation, the Media Awareness Network
and the Canadian Association for Media
Education Organizations, among others. As
a preparation for participating in the National
Media Education Week, AMEQ, the EMSB
and Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board are
sponsored a day long professional
development session in Media Education and
human rights for Cycle Three and Secondary
Cycle One teachers October 18. Presenters
included Dr. Lee Rother from SWLSB and
AMEQ, Maureen Baron from AMEQ and
the EMSB, and Linda Henderson, Lori
Rabinovitch and Genny Villa from
Pedagogical Services of the EMSB.
CHLOE
KATIE-ANN
NICOLSON
FUND: Dominic Barbarto, the caretaker at
Edinburgh Elementary School in Montreal
West, along with his two daughters Tina and
Kay, Ted Levine and Matt Bufo are
organizing the first Chloe Katie-Ann
Nicolson Fund Dinner Dance to benefit the
Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation. All
proceeds will be allocated towards
Hematology-Oncology. Joining It will take
place on Sat. Jan. 27 at Buffet II Gabbiano
(1500 Lapierre) in LaSalle. Chloe was
Dominic’s granddaughter who tragically was
diagnosed with leukemia when she was three
months old. She passed away on Jan. 10,
2006 at the age of two. Tickets are
$130eachFor more information contact
Dominic at 514-483-7200, ext. 1508 or
[email protected].
EXCEPTIONAL
FAMILY:
Miriam
Foundation has launched a new website,
www.exceptionalfamily.ca,
featuring
captivating images and thoughtful insights
for Canadian caregivers of exceptional
children. Schools can e-mail details about
17
any upcoming events related to special needs
students.
QPAT CONVENTION: For those planning
to attend the Quebec Provincial Association
of Teachers (QPAT) convention Nov. 23 and
24 at the Palais des Congres, please stop by
the EMSB information table.
TIP CORNER
Editors 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 in-school administrators, teachers, other
staff, parent groups and even students of
making contact directly.
BIRDWATCHING WORKSHOPS: Are
any schools with students aged 12 to 16
interested
in
offering
birdwatching/conservation
workshops?
Sheldon Harvey wishes to make his services
available. The program lasts one hour per
session and the target group are those
students with an interest in the fields of
nature, science, wildlife, the environment,
conservation,
habitat
protection
and
restoration. The workshops are designed to
present participants with a general
introduction to birdwatching, in particular, in
and around the Montreal region. It is
designed to present the recreational benefits
of this activity, but will also expand on the
relationship of birds and birdwatching to the
fields of conservation, habitat protection and
restoration, endangered species, special
projects, specific birding and nature related
groups, clubs and organizations. There will
also be information provided on possibilities
for related career opportunities.Based on the
interest shown by participants birdwatching
groups or clubs could be formed in various
schools and field trips organized. For more
details Sheldon can be reached at
[email protected] or 450-671-3773.
AMAZIN’ RAISINS: Elementary School
Home and School Associations are being sent
information packages about a new
fundraising opportunity. Amazin’ Raisins
are a healthy, nutritious, natural, and kid
friendly snack, which naturally lends itself to
fundraising efforts to the benefit of schools
and are available for cafeteria orders as well.
Their motto is: “Better nutrition for kids +
Better fundraising for schools = Better
education for all.” The Amazin’ Raisins
program allows your school to take charge of
its fundraising endeavors, and to meet your
goals as quickly as you choose. Sell one box
– Earn a dollar. Sell 1,000 boxes and make
$1. 000. They even teach you how to do it.
The Amazin’ Raisins package includes
fundraising ideas, safety tips for students,
sales incentives and prizes, and most
importantly, my personal phone number. For
more information contact Bruce Leibner at
514-683-4165, 514-889-4165 or by e-mail
at [email protected]. You can also log
on to www.amazinraisin.com.
ADULT
EDUCATION
VOCATIONAL SERVICES
AND
QUEBEC LITERACY WEEK: The St.
Pius X Adult Education Centre in Ahuntsic
celebrated Quebec Literacy Week on Oct. 12
with special library guest Dylan SpevackWillcock from the Storyteller’s Guild of
Montreal and the co-author of the book, ‘You
don’t know Jack…’ Spevack-Willcock tells
tales to adults because you’re never too old to
hear stories from around the world. His
storytelling emphasizes multiculturalism and
aids language acquisition development. This
event brought literacy awareness to students
by providing them with a learning yet
18
entertaining experience! The storytelling
session helped to bring literacy awareness to
the students, along with an entertaining value
of listening and reading stories. Students felt
energized and chanted “Ooh-Wun- Ga-lei-A”
for the whole day. Centre Director Marysa
Barassi and library technician Susan Chau
presented a thank you card signed by the
students to Spevack-Willcock.
November 25, 2006
EMSB Central Parents Committee Workshop
6000 Fielding Avenue
Info: 514-483-7200, ext. 7245
January 15 to 19, 2007
Public School Education Week
PLEINS FEUX SUR FIELDING
ÉTATS FINANCIERS : Au cours de sa
réunion d’octobre, la Commission scolaire
English-Montréal a adopté ses états
financiers pour l’année scolaire terminée le
30 juin 2006. Les résultats de l’année ont
indiqué un excédent de revenus sur les
dépenses de 3 650 944 $ sur des revenus
totalisant 241 759 776 $.
Adult Literacy students are recognized.
RECOGNITION AWARDS: At the last
EMSB Council meeting, three students who
received Recognition Awards for Adult
Literacy were introduced: Li Qin Guo and
Fengying
Wang
from
Rosemount
Technology Centre and Sevasti Chasiotis
from the St. Laurent Adult Centre.
IMPORTANT DATES
La position cumulative de la Commission
indique un surplus net de 5 881 457 $ qui,
par directive gouvernementale, doit inclure
les fonds non dépensés par les écoles et les
centres, qui s’élèvent à 8 573.824 $ au 30
juin 2006.
Ces résultats signalent une amélioration
significative de la santé financière de la
Commission scolaire English-Montréal dont
le déficit corporatif a été réduit d’un
maximum de 8 465 000 $ au 30 juin 2001 à
2 692 367 au 30 juin 2006.
November 7, 2006
Elizabeth Ballantyne Governing Board
Parent Workshop on Information Literacy
Cycle 2 Parents
La vérification des états financiers a été
entreprise par la firme de comptables agréés
Samson Bélair/Deloitte & Touche.
November 11, 2006
Remembrance Day
ÉLECTIONS AU CCP : Angie Bertone a
été réélue présidente du Comité central de
parents. Elizabeth Leaman et Viki Keller
ont aussi été réélues aux postes de
commissaires représentantes de parents. Les
nouveaux directeurs/directrices régionaux
sont : John Le Piane, Région 1, Dante;
Linda Perez, Région 2, MIND; Scott Day,
Région 3, École secondaire westmount.
November 19-24, 2006
Media Education Week
November 23 & 24, 2006
QPAT Conference
19
ATELIERS DE PARENTS : Le comité de
parents de la Région 3 présentera des ateliers
le samedi 25 novembre (9 h à 12 h 30) au
centre administratif (6000 avenue Fielding).
Les activités incluront deux ateliers :
Fostering Creativity in Children animé par
Tiiu Poldma et Parent Survival Skills : The
Internet and Your Children animé par
Maureen Baron de la CSEM et Anne Wade
de l'Université Concordia et présenté par le
conseil d’établissement de l’école primaire
Elizabeth Ballantyne. Joseph Afshar,
président des Services financiers First
Canadian,
(SFFC),
prononcera
une
allocution d’ouverture dont le sujet sera
« Planifier l’avenir de votre enfant ». SFFC
sont
à nouveau cette
année
les
commanditaires de la Soirée d’appréciation
des bénévoles de la CSEM.
Tous les parents sont les bienvenus. Il n’est
pas nécessaire d’être membre de conseil
d’établissement, d’organisme de participation
de parents ou d’Association Foyer-école.
Pour plus de renseignements, veuillez appeler
Janice Lacroix au 514-483-7200, poste 7242.
UNICEF : La CSEM a officiellement lancé
sa participation à la campagne annuelle
d’UNICEF le 16 octobre à l’école primaire
Nesbitt de Rosemont qui a une longue
tradition d’appui à cette cause. Quelques
élèves des écoles Sinclair Laird et St.
Raphaël ont aussi été invités au lancement.
Ben Mulroney, vedette de la télévision et
ambassadeur national d’UNICEF Canada, en
compagnie de Flavia Mutamutega, agente
d’information d’UNICEF Rwanda, s’est
adressé aux élèves. Mme Mutamutega a
présenté un rapport sur les progrès accomplis
au Rwanda grâce, en partie, à la participation
des écoles de la CSEM et son rapport a mis
en évidence les merveilleux résultats qui
peuvent être obtenus lorsque les élèves
canadiens collaborent pour aider les enfants
les plus vulnérables du monde. Mme
Mutamutega a visité plusieurs autres écoles
au cours de la semaine. Les fonds recueillis
lors de la campagne Trick-or-Treat de l’an
dernier ont aidé à financer des programmes
éducatifs au Rwanda dans le cadre du
programme Schools for Africa. Cette année,
les enfants canadiens viendront en aide à
leurs condisciples du Malawi dans le cadre
d’une campagne modifiée de l’UNICEF. Une
très belle carte et une trousse cadeau ont été
remises à Ben Mulroney qui les amènera au
Malawi. Ce dernier a été présenté par l’élève
de 6e année Miriam Baroso Ricardi et sa
sœur Eva, ancienne élève de Nesbitt et
ambassadrice de Québec Jeunesse auprès
d’UNICEF. Une autre élève de 6e année,
Mara Peixhino, a chanté la chanson A
Moment Like This pour Ben Mulroney en tant
qu’impressionnante, quoique non officielle,
audition pour le programme Canadian Idol.
L’enseignante de musique Lise Beauchemin
a dirigé ses élèves qui ont exécuté une très
belle chanson française.
L’une des premières responsabilités de Ben
Mulroney en tant qu’ambassadeur national
d’UNICEF Canada sera de tenir le rôle de
porte-parole pour la campagne revitalisée de
Trick-or Treat de cette année au cours de
laquelle les enfants canadiens s’engageront à
des activités éducatives et de levées de fonds
pour aider les enfants du Malawi à aller
à l’école. UNICEF, l’organisme le plus actif
du monde qui œuvre dans 155 pays et
territoires pour sauver, protéger et rehausser
la qualité de vie de garçons et de filles.
UNICEF appuie des programmes de nutrition
et de santé pour les enfants, encourage une
éducation de base de qualité, protège les
enfants de la violence, de l’exploitation et du
SIDA et est le fournisseur le plus important
du monde de vaccins pour les pays en voie de
développement. Un leader global en
situations d’urgence et avec plus de six
décennies d’expérience, UNICEF sauve et
reconstitue les vies des enfants touchées par
les désastres naturels et les conflits. UNICEF
est entièrement financée par des contributions
de personnes, d’entreprises, de fondations,
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d’écoles, d’associations et de gouvernements.
En fixant des objectifs de levées de fonds qui
correspondent aux prix d’achat de matériel
scolaire, tel que bureaux et équipement de
sport, les enfants seront en mesure de
constater comment leurs efforts aident
directement les enfants du Malawi. Chaque
classe participante recevra un thermomètre de
levée de fonds ayant la forme d’une école sur
lequel les enfants apposeront une brique pour
chaque 20 $ recueillis. En reconnaissance de
leurs efforts à travers le Québec, les enfants
recevront d’UNICEF des sacs de friandises
pour la soirée de l'Halloween. Pour plus de
renseignements, appeler UNICEF Québec au
514-288-5134.
DÉCÈS TRAGIQUE : La CSEM déplore
les meurtres tragiques d’Iva Tzokovitch, 17
ans, diplômée 2005-2006 de l’Académie
Royal Vale, de sa sœur et de leur mère Mila
Yoynova survenus à leur domicile de
Beaconsfield.
« Ceci est une horrible tragédie », a
déclaré M. Dominic Spiridigliozzi, président
de la CSEM. « Nos prières et nos pensées
accompagnent la famille et les amis de ces
innocentes victimes qui avaient encore toutes
leurs vies à vivre. »
Iva Tzokovitch était une bonne élève qui
avait une attitude réservée. Joueuse
passionnée de trictrac, on la voyait souvent
lire près de son casier durant les récréations.
L’école a dressé une table commémorative
sur laquelle ont été placés un trictrac, des
chandelles et des fleurs. Quelques anciens
condisciples d’Iva se sont rendus à l’école
pour lui rendre hommage et aider à dresser la
table. La CSEM a mis son équipe de soutien
en cas de crise à la disposition du personnel
et des élèves de Royal West. M. Antonio
Lacroce, directeur général de la CSEM, a
déclaré que les drapeaux seraient mis en
berne au centre administratif et à l’Académie
Royal West en mémoire d’Iva, de sa sœur et
de sa mère.
VIDÉO
ANTI-INTIMIDATION :
Le
Service de police de Montréal, en
collaboration avec l’école primaire Frederick
Banting de Montréal-Nord, a organisé un
lancement
spécial
du
programme
« L’intimidation, plus que des mots ». L’an
dernier le Service de police et la communauté
de Frederick Banting ont pris part à un projet
anti-intimidation qui incluait une vidéo en
français intitulé « Les mots cachés ». Le
commandant du poste de police 40, Eric
Godin, et l’agent communautaire social
Cardazzzi, ont entrepris de faire traduire les
documents et la vidéo en anglais. Pour ce
faire, ils ont fait figurer les élèves de
Frederick
Banting
dans
la
vidéo.
L’enseignante Myrianne Lusignan a préparé
les élèves pour le tournage de la vidéo.
MARCHE D’ENDURANCE DE JAMES
LYNG : Les élèves de l’école secondaire
James Lyng de Saint-Henri ont pris part
récemment à une marche d’endurance dans le
but de lever des fonds pour deux causes : La
Fondation de l’Hôpital de Montréal pour les
enfants et pour aider à financer les activités
d’élèves pour l’année scolaire 2006-2007. Un
montant de 1 300 $ a été recueilli.
EAST HILL EXPRESS : Les élèves de 5e et
de 6e année de l’école primaire East Hill de
RDP se préparent à lancer leur propre journal
qui se nommera East Hill Express. La
Division des communications et du
marketing de la CSEM, en collaboration avec
la directrice Maria Di Perna, le personnel
enseignant et l’animateur de vie spirituelle et
d’engagement
communautaire
Rocco
Speranzo,
a
animé
des
sessions
d’information au sujet des journaux et des
médias en général. Quelques journalistes
d’East Hill ont été invités à faire un reportage
sur la Foire des carrières de la CSEM.
SEMAINE
DE
L’ÉDUCATION
PUBLIQUE : Nous rappelons aux écoles et
centres de la CSEM que la semaine du 15 au
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19 janvier 2007 a été désignée Semaine de
l’éducation publique par les commissions
scolaires de Montréal. Le thème de la
semaine sera Suivre leurs traces. Les écoles
sont encouragées à inviter des personnalités
proéminentes et intéressantes qui ont
fréquenté le réseau d’écoles publiques.
CONTRÔLE DES ARMES À FEU :
L’Académie Marymount de NDG a organisé
une campagne de lettres adressées au Premier
ministre Stephen Harper au sujet du contrôle
des armes à feu et un grand nombre de lettres
ont été envoyées à ce jour. Six enseignant(e)s
et leurs classes prennent part à cet exercice
de civisme, rapporte Susan Schachter,
responsable du département d’anglais et
d’histoire.
ÉLECTIONS SCOLAIRES : Les élections
scolaires auront lieu dans près d’un an, le
dimanche 4 novembre 2007. Les électeurs du
territoire de la CSEM éliront des
commissaires dans 23 circonscriptions
électorales. Le conseil des commissaires a
tenu une réunion extraordinaire le 11 octobre
pour approuver officiellement la carte des
circonscriptions électorales.
Afin de pouvoir voter, vous devez figurer sur
la liste permanente des électeurs du Québec,
être âgé de 18 ans et plus, être citoyen
canadien, domicilié sur le territoire de la
CSEM et avoir résidé au Québec pour au
moins six mois, ne pas être sous curatelle et
ne pas avoir été reconnu coupable de
corruption électorale. Tout parent ayant un
enfant inscrit au secteur des jeunes de la
CSEM, primaire ou secondaire, au 1er
septembre 2007, est automatiquement inscrit
à la liste électorale de la CSEM. En outre,
tout électeur qui a fait un choix avant les
élections de juin 1998 et qui a fait inscrire
son nom sur la liste électorale de la CSEM
est inclus. Ces personnes auront signé un
formulaire spécial. Si vous ne vous souvenez
pas de l’avoir fait, vous pourrez vérifier si
votre nom apparaît sur la liste durant le
processus de révision de l’automne 2007 ou
en appelant au 1-888-353-2846.
Cependant, si vous n’avez plus d’enfant
inscrit au réseau, vous serez placé par défaut
sur la liste électorale francophone. Vous
recevrez une carte du Directeur général des
élections du Québec vous avisant de ce
changement. Lorsque vous recevrez cette
carte, appelez le bureau des élections de la
CSEM qui vous fera parvenir un formulaire
d’avis de choix afin que vous le complétiez et
le retourniez à la CSEM.
Pour plus d’informations, veuillez appeler au
(514) 483-7200, poste 8800 ou adresser un
courriel à [email protected]. Vous
pourrez aussi consulter le site Web du
Directeur général des élections du Québec au
www.electionquebec.ac.ca.
RÉSEAU ENFANTS RETOUR : L’école
primaire Edward Murphy d’HochelagaMaisonneuve a été l’hôtesse du lancement de
la campagne annuelle de prévention du
Réseau Enfants Retour. À nouveau cette
année, le Réseau offrira de nombreux
programmes, des outils et des conseils
essentiels de sécurité aux familles et aux
enfants du Québec dans le but de prévenir les
disparitions et, le 15 octobre, a été la Journée
d’identification de l’enfant dans les
restaurants McDonald participants. La
campagne annuelle du Réseau Enfants Retour
consiste en diverses activités dont des ateliers
sur la prévention offerts dans des écoles et
des camps d’été et aux alentours de Montréal,
des séminaires sur la prévention pour les
familles, des outils éducatifs pour les enfants
et la Journée d’identification de l’enfant. Des
animateurs visitent plus de deux douzaines
d’écoles de la CSEM chaque année. La clé de
la sécurité réside en un dialogue ouvert,
honnête et positif avec les enfants sans les
effrayer inutilement. Si nous leur enseignons
très tôt à s’affirmer, à avoir confiance en leur
propre jugement et à dire NON ! dans les cas
appropriés, ils trouveront en eux les
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ressources nécessaires pour assurer leur
propre sécurité. L’élève David Tardio, en
compagnie de ses camarades Leanza
Tomassini et Samantha Scenna, a lu une liste
impressionnante de l’ABC de la sécurité des
enfants. Leur enseignante, Francesca
Occhionero, les a aidés à préparer ce projet.
Pour plus d’information, consultez le site
www.missingchildren.ca ou appelez au 514843-4968.
SEMAINE
NATIONALE
DE
L’ÉDUCATION
MÉDIATIQUE :
L’Association de l’éducation médiatique du
Québec (AEMQ) est heureuse d’offrir son
appui et de parrainer des initiatives
pédagogiques durant la Semaine Nationale
d’Éducation Médiatique (19-24 novembre
2006).
(http://www.ctffce.ca/nationalmediaeducationweek/default.h
tm.) L’objectif principal de ce programme est
« …de faire valoir l’importance des médias
en tant que moyens d’apprentissage clés en
cette ère de l’information. » Le programme
est co-commandité, entre autres, à l’échelle
nationale par La Fédération canadienne des
enseignants , le Réseau Éducation-Médias et
l’Association canadienne des organisations
des médias éducatifs. En préparation à leur
participation à la Semaine nationale de
l’Éducation médiatique, l’AMEQ, la CSEM
et la Commission scolaire Sir Wilfrid Laurier
ont parrainé, le 18 octobre, une journée
entière de perfectionnement professionnel sur
l’éducation médiatique et les droits de la
personne pour les enseignant(e)s du Cycle III
et du Cycle I du secondaire. Les
présentateurs incluaient le Dr Lee Rother de
la CSSWL et de l’AMEQ, Maureen Baron
de l’AMEQ et de la CSEM. Linda
Henderson, Lori Rabinovitch et Genny
Villa des Services pédagogiques de la
CSEM.
ÉDUCATION DES ADULTES ET
FORMATION PROFESSIONNELLE
SEMAINE
QUÉBÉCOISE
D’ALPHABÉTISATION:
Le
Centre
d’éducation des adultes St. Pius X d’Ahuntsic
a
célébré
la
Semaine
québécoise
d’alphabétisation le 12 octobre en invitant
Dylan Spevack-Willcock du Cercle des
conteurs de Montréal et co-auteur du livre
« You don’t know Jack… » Mme SpevackWillcock conte des histoires aux adultes
parce que l’on est jamais trop vieux pour
entendre des histoires d’à travers le monde
.Ses récits soulignent le multiculturalisme et
le développement d’acquisition d’aides
linguistiques. Cet événement a sensibilisé les
élèves à l’alphabétisation en leur offrant une
expérience divertissante d’apprentissage.
DATES À RETENIR
7 novembre 2006
Atelier d’information sur l’alphabétisation
proposé par le conseil d’établissement de
l’école Elizabeth Ballantyne
Parents du Cycle 2
11 novembre 2006
Jour du Souvenir
19-24 novembre 2006
Semaine de l’éducation médiatique
23 & 24 novembre 2006
Congrès de l’APEQ
25 novembre 2006
Atelier du Comité central de parents de la
CSEM
6000 avenue Fielding
Informations : 514-483-7200, poste 7245
15-19 janvier 2007
Semaine de l’éducation publique
Submissions should be made to Michael J.
Cohen
preferably
by
e-mail
([email protected]) or fax (514-483-7213)
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