Jean Vanier Catholic Secondary School

CSAC Teen Wellness Evening and Pot Luck Supper

CSAC NEWS 

Jean Vanier CSAC in partnership with the administration is pleased to offer an evening for parents,devoted to teen wellness. Please the information flyer below and make every effort to attend. It promises to be a flavour and information - filled evening!

R.I.P. Steve Hnatiuk

The Jean Vanier community is saddened to hear of the passing of Mr. Steve Hnatiuk, a former teacher at the school. Steve was an occasional teacher here during the 2008-9 school year. In his short time at the school Steve made a significant impact with students and staff alike.

On behalf of the Jean Vanier community, we extend our most sincere condolences to his family and friends.

VIEWING AND FUNERAL DETAILS

The viewing will be held at Morley Bedford Funeral Home at 159 Eglinton Avenue west, between Yonge St. and Avenue Rd. The viewing hours are Thursday and Friday from 5 pm to 8 pm each evening.

The funeral mass will be celebrated on Saturday morning at 11:00 AM, at St. Monica's Catholic Church, located at 44 Broadway Avenue, just east of Yonge St, North of Eglinton. 

 

Week of December 12

Congratulations to our ARTS Dept for a wonderful Festival of Sight and Sound last Wednesday evening. The cafeteria was jammed to overflowing as we were treated to a selection of seasonal music and several dramatic presentations. And thank you to Mr Champion for his leadership and all the arts teachers for their time and energy. This was a wonderful show, and was an example of the energy that is surging through the arts department. We look forward to more exciting presentations.

Here are a few highlights. When a music clip is available it will be posted.

 

 The senior drama group will be hosting several groups of grade threes and fours on Tuesday this week. Thanks to Mr Stevenson and his grade 12 class for taking the time to entertain some of our young friends at local schools.

As well,  we look forward to an inspirational presentation from Absolutely Leadership, a travelling group that aims to change individual perspectives about the world and those around them. Check out the video below to get a sense of what they are all about.

 

We also received some sad news this week, when we heard of the passing of Mr. Osegueda's mother, who was 98 years old. Mr. Osegueda flew to El Salvador for the funeral. Our prayers are with him and his family.

Please check the calendar for key events at the school. 

Until next time...

Week of November 28

Mark your calendars! The festival of Sight and Sound will soon be upon us!

GRADE 10 LITERACY TEST

This week the grade ten students wrote a "mock" literacy test to better prepare themselves for the test, and to help teachers identify any students who may need extra support in the months ahead. There are many resources available on the web for parents. To download sample copies of past tests, from the Ministry of Education website, click here.

SEMI-FORMAL

The student council (SAC) planned and implemented a wonderful semi-formal dance at Bluffers Restaurant, located directly by the water in Bluffers Park. The evening was a great success, with the food, music, and ambience creating a magical atmosphere. The students had a great time. Here are a few of the many pictures taken that night.

 

 

COMING UP:

Our first event THIS WEEK is the Vow of Silence on Wednesday.  Students will donate $6 to remain silent the entire school day as a symbolic gesture acknowledging the millions of children worldwide who are denied basic rights. Other students and members of the parent community are invited to sponsor our students as well.

Second, many of our male teachers have taken up the challenge of MOVEMBER to grow a moustache or "MO" to raise money for Prostate Cancer awareness and research. As an additional fund-raiser, students will be be bidding on the right to shave off the moustaches of these men, during lunch this week. It promises to be an interesting lunch! Stay tuned for pictures!

Finally, you will notice on the upper right of the page that the new principal has followed the lead of the former one, and is now "tweeting" to the Jean Vanier Community. If you would like to follow the principal, simply click on the name and follow the directions. This will be used for general information, for emergencies, and to relay information that parents and students may find interesting.

Thats all for now.

Week of November 21

We are proud this week to re-launch the Vanier Vision, our quarterly newsletter, which will provide you with a colourful, information-packed summary of 10 weeks at Vanier. We hope you enjoy reading this edition. Copies were made available on Parent - Teacher Interview night. If you would like an actual copy, please ask your son or daughter to pick one up in the main office. Please click on the link below to see the most recent edition. Special thanks must be extended to Mr. Tom Gilmor for the design elements.

Download Fall 2011Vision

This past week was a busy one as often happens when the teachers have only 4 days to do what they normally do in five. With Friday being a Faith Day for the staff, and the students being out of class, this was the case.

Wednesday marked our second civies day, and it was very well received with most of the proceeds (in excess of $2000) going to the L'Arche Daybreak house in Thornhill, founded by our namesake, Jean Vanier. Congratulations to our students for supporting this very worthy cause.

Also on Wednesday, we conducted a Full Lockdown drill in the school, as mandated by Ministry policy. The students and staff responded very well. You can feel comfortable that in the event of a real emergency the students knew what to do. One point of clarification is necessary however, and that concerns students who arrive at school during the lockdown. We have made arrangements with St. Albert Elementary School, just north of Jean Vanier on Midland, to receive our students in case of a lockdown. While we have reviewed this with the students, perhaps you could also discuss this with your child as well.

Then on Thursday evening we got our house in order to welcome parents and guardians to the first parent-teacher night of 2011/12. We had a very busy evening. It will come as no surprise that the research is clear on one point : enhanced parent engagement = higher levels of student success, so we were delighted to see the large turnout.  Look for more opportunities this year as we explore options to include parents in the daily life of the school.

As I mentioned above, on Friday the staff gathered off-site for a Faith Day, centred on eco-stewardship and its ties to justice and our responsibilities as not only responsible citizens but Catholic citizens as well. It was a thoughtful and thought-provoking day.

For the last few days of the week, our enriched and gifted students travelled to the Catholic Education Centre for the Catholic Students United Nations Assembly (CSUNA). We  had several teams represnting the school, and for those unfamiliar with the process, student teams represent actual countries, put forth actual and realistic resolutions, and then debate the resolutions in an attempt to have them passed by the general assembly. It stokes the skills of debate, public speaking, conciliation, and concensus-building. We are proud of our representatives pictured below. An optional practice is for delegates to dress in the traditional garb of their representative country. Thank you to Mr. Fisico for the organization, implementation and for accompanying the students to the CEC.

And in late-breaking sports action,  congratulations to our Sr. Boys Basketball team, who defeated Eastern Commerce HS 63-54, to win the 'Bob Little Basketball Tournament' championship at Brebeuf College this weekend. Congratulations must also be extended to coaches Marchione and Gonsalves.

 

UPCOMING:

Next Wednesday evening at 7 PM, the CSAC will be meeting and on the agenda will be a discussion about the Principal Profile. This is an important link in the chain of communication between the parent community and the school board. I urge you to attend. And remember, FREE CIVIES for your child if one parent attends the meeting. Hope to see you there.

  

 

Week of November 14

LEST WE FORGET

REMEMBRANCE DAY - 2011

 We remember Corporal Stephen Frederick Bouzane, graduate of Jean Vanier Catholic Secondary School.

Thank you to Mr. Joe Pacione, former teacher, for arranging for the commemorative plaque. We will be discussing a suitable permanent home for this memorial.

Part of our Remembrance Day assembly was the showing of a poignant video which was produced by Jean Vanier graduates from 2011. We are pleased to provide the link to the video here. 

 

Report Cards

Report Cards will be distributed Monday at the end of period 4. Your son/daughter will recieve their term 1 Report Card at that time, as well as a letter from the principal. Please note the dates on the letter, especially the date of the next CSAC.

CSAC and Principal Profile

The November 23rd CSAC meeting is an important one, where the parents will discuss and complete the Principal Profile, which is an opportunity for parents to have a voice when future principals are selected for Jean Vanier Catholic Secondary School. Every school is unique, and requires a specific skill set on the part of the principal; this is your chance to help describe that skill set.  

Parent-Teacher Interviews 

Parent - Teacher Interviews are this Thursday evening from 6 PM to 8 PM. This is an important opportunity for you to meet with your son's/daughter's teachers and discuss their progress to date. The school board has put together a useful page for parents. Please check out Parent-teacher interview notes for more information.

 

Week of October 31

Halloween Pix! Scroll to the end of the blog.

JEAN VANIER OPEN HOUSE!

SEE WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOUR CHILD

OPEN HOUSE

This coming Thursday evening we will be hosting an open house for all interested grade 8 students in the Jean Vanier Community. Please drop by at 7 PM to hear a brief presentation in the cafeteria, followed by an opportunity for parents and students to expore the school, meet the teachers and current students, and to help you decide if Jean Vanier CSS is the right place for your child to spend their high school years. Hope to see you there!

Awards Ceremony

On Monday our guidance department hosted the annual awards ceremony where we honoured all of our award winners and honour roll members. It was a happy occasion, and the cafeteria was full of of our top achievers and some of their parents. At time of writing, pictures were unavailable but will be posted as soon as we have them.

Halloween Food Drive

Ms. Fracassi's leadership class has worked hard for two weeks organizing a food drive to benefit the St Vincent de Paul Food Bank, operating through St. Maria Goretti Parish. They collected over 2100 cans and packages of food, and encouraged classes to engage in a little friendly competition.  Congratulations to Ms Sisca's ESL home room for top junior contributors and to Madame Monteiro's senior French class for being the top seniors. Well done everyone!

 

 

 

Bob Wilson

Bob Wilson, a former teacher of the TCDSB, left provision in his will to allow our students to attend an annual music camp where they recieve expert tuition, the opportunity to play in an orchestra with their peers from across the TCDSB, and to have a lot of fun in the process. This year, Ms El-Semine and Mr Fanning accompanied our students to Teen Ranch for a great week.

 

Co-op Employer Appreciation Breakfast

On Thursday morning, the TCDSB honoured its key partners with a breakfast and appreciation ceremony at Montecassino. The students in attendance heard from a a previous co-op student who expressed her appreciation for the experience and stressed how important the role was to her own personal and professional growth. As well, each school was asked to present an award to a dedicated partner, and after consulting with the students, the coop teachers - Ms. Puopolo and Mr. Clemens - agreed to honour Susan Turner, the Administrator from Beach Arms Retirement Residence. We want to thank ALL of our co-op partners for without your participation, our students would not have these wonderful opportunities.

Principal Mr J Brady, Co-op Teacher Ms. Luisa Puopolo, and students Brandon Ragasa & Patricia Baniqued at the employer breakfast.

Congratulations go out to Daniello Tetangco for his silver medal in the junior boys cross country 6 KM race. By doing so he qualified for OFFSA in Ottawa.Way to go Daniello! (Middle, in picture below).

Halloween was a great success for staff and students!

 

pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer">The next weeks are very busy at the school, and as a result we have looked carefully at the calendar and have amended the dates for report card distribution. Please check the calendar but note the following:

Monday            Halloween Civies Day

Wednesday      Take your Kid to Work Day (grade 9s out of the school)

                       Take a Grade 8 to High School Day (we will be hosting 270 grade 8s)

Thursday         Open House - 7 PM to 8:30 PM  (program starts in the cafeteria)  

REPORT CARDS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED (NOT MAILED), ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 18.

Until next time...

 

 

Week of October 24

Year of the Cross

This year is the Year of Witness for the TCDSB, and to mark the year, students at Neil McNeil High School created a life-size cross to commemorate the event. The cross is making its way across the TCSDB and this week it arrived at Jean Vanier.

Our Chaplaincy team held grade liturgies in an effort to raise awareness of the cross as symbol, and to remind us that we must all bear witness to the faith on a daily basis.

 

For more information about the TCDSB Faith Cross click here.

 

Call to Serve

This week also saw a group of our students participated in the annual Call to Serve challenge. Our students, led by Ms. Tedesco, fanned out across the city to give their time to various projects. We salute their community spirit, and through their actions, they exemplify the corner stone of service on which our school is based.

 

TRUSTEE NEWSLETTER

Our trustee, Mr. J. Del Grande, has his own newsletter which he makes available from time to time. We will provide the link to it, when it is received. The current version can be seen by clicking here. 

EARLY COMMUNICATION LETTERS

Early communication letters were mailed this week. Parents should read the letters carefully, and if they have any concerns or questions, they should call the school to speak to the teacher(s). 

COMING UP

CSAC  -  FREE CIVIES FOR STUDENTS WHOSE PARENTS ATTEND CSAC!

Our next CSAC meeting is this Wednesday, at 7 PM. We hope to see you there. Remember!  Your child will earn a free civies day at school if you attend the meeting. Please attend, and bring a friend.

Academic Awards

The Academic Awards Ceremony will take place Monday, October 24 during period 1. Parents are of course invited.

Bob Wilson Music Camp

A large group of our music students will be attending the Bob Wilson Music camp next week, an experience where they get master instruction, an opportunity to play in ensembles, and exposure to new ideas in music. They come back to school energized and eager to expand their skill set.

NOW Social Event

NOW group first get-together after school on Friday in the cafeteria. All students in grade 9 who are new Canadians are welcome to attend. This is organized by our two settlement workers, Ms. Garcia and Ms. Tapas.

Have we got your EMAIL address?

Frequently the school will send a mass email home, for notifying of web-site updates for example. If we do not have an email address on file, then you will not receive the information. Naturally, anything of an urgent nature will be conveyed through a letter, but for other less-urgent news, we like to be eco-sensitive and send email. Please advise the office if we do NOT have your email, or ask your child to bring a note to the attendance secretary so it can be updated. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week of October 18

Welcome back!

We hope you had a relaxing Thanksgiving weekend and had time to spend with those who mean the most to you.

As a result, we had a short week, but still managed to pack a lot of activity into four days.

Our Guidance team, headed by Ms Foley, has been visiting our local network of elementary schools among them St. Lawrence, St Boniface, St Maria Goretti, St Albert, and St Rose of Lima. We hope that many of our grade 8 friends will come to realize that Jean Vanier is the right place for them.

This year the school board is in the Year of Witness, and to remind us to act as witnesses to the faith,   the students at Neil McNeil constructed an ornate life=size cross which is touring all the schools in the board. On Monday and Tuesday, the cross will be at Jean Vanier, and on Tuesday morning, we will be celebrating with a short liturgy, weather permitting, in the quad. If you would like to see the cross, it will be in the school foyer all day Monday.

The musical auditions are now complete so you may have a very excited person in your house who has "made the cut". We look forward to an entertaining production in the spring.

This week there was more volleyball and basketball action, as well as flag football, cross country, and girls' rugby. Pictures will be posted as they come in.

Please keep in mind that next week is our October CSAC meeting. We had a great turnout in September, and are hoping for the same this month. We will be starting a new tradition at this CSAC meeting. Every student whose parent attends the CSAC meeting, will receive a FREE civies day, the next day!!!

So parents, get yourself better informed about your child's school, AND make them happy with a FREE civies day on Thursday. The meeting starts at 7 PM in the school library.

Students and teachers continue to offer several different fund-raising ventures for trips and tournaments. They are selling milkshakes, and spring rolls and more! Please encourage your child to participate if it is financially feasible.

Thats all for now. Watch this space for more news and pix!

 

 

Week of October 11

Well, it is difficult to believe that we have come 6 weeks into the school year. We topped off the week with a wonderful mass at St. Marie Goretti, and had a very busy day at the school with fund-raising, and the Allen Alfred Memorial Volleyball Tournament. The sr boys, under the disciplined coaching of Mr Ebrio, captured the title! Go Mavs!

 

We also had flag football tournaments here on Tuesday and Thursday, and the Jean Vanier team, under the tight reins of Mr Meehan and Mr Marchione, led our team to the eastern division crown. They will play later in the month for the overall title. Well done men!

This week we will play a little catch-up and show you some pictures of some key events in the life of Jean Vanier Catholic Secondary School.

Jean Vanier's Birthday Celebration

 

Grade 9 Orientation at Bruce's Mill Conservation Area

 

Flag Football

 

Girls Basketball

 

Thanksgiving Mass at St. Maria Goretti Church

 

 

Have a safe, and restful Thanksgiving. See you next time!