Fielding Focus - English Montreal School Board

VOLUME 13

NO . 9

AP R I L 2 8 , 2 0 1 1

Fielding Focus T H E M O NT H L Y B U L L E T I N O F T H E E M S B EDITOR: MICHAEL J. COHEN PRINTING SERVICES: L. SHAW, D. D’ORNELLAS PROOFREADING/TRANSLATION: ALINE ZEROUNIAN

Inside This Issue  EMSB in The Media  Volunteer Night 

Paul VI Sportscaster

 Scholarship Winners 

Conquering Cancer



French for the Future



Public Speaking



Inspirations Newspaper



Jump Rope at Royal Vale



Chantal Peticlerc



Chapeau Les Filles

Rosemount High School music teacher and Symphonic Winds conductor Andrew Mangal and some of his band members were recognized by the Council of Commissioners for their excellent performance in the Quebec MusicFest.

MUSIC FESTIVAL SET FOR APRIL 29 Rosemount High School will once again be hosting the EMSB Music Festival on Friday, April 29. Along with the Music Department‟s support, Lorraine Arsenault, a retired music teacher from RHS helps organize this event on behalf of the EMSB. Various school concert bands will be participating from F.A.C.E., Royal West Academy and of course Rosemount‟s Symphonic Winds (pictured above). The students will perform and also participate in workshops with the adjudicators of this event. Parents of all participating students are invited to attend the performances that will take place in the Helen Hall Auditorium at Rosemount High School (3737 Beaubien East). The adjudicators of the event will be renowned conductor, Michel Fortin and for the first time, renowned conductor, Alain Cazes. .

-

2

FIELDING FOCUS

PROPOSED MAJOR SCHOOL CHANGE The EMSB Council of Commissioners has decided to send a series of major school change scenarios out for public consultation. This includes 14 recommendations and 22 scenarios. Council will consider a merger between St. Gabriel Elementary School in Point St. Charles and St. John Bosco Elementary School in Ville Émard while looking at moving the Carlyle population in T.M.R. to Coronation in Côte des Neiges and the James Lyng High School students in St. Henri to Marymount Academy in NDG. There are proposals to close three other elementary schools - St. Brendan and Nesbitt in Rosemount and Fraser Academy in St. Laurent. The consultation process will also deal with the proposed relocation of a number of schools and centres: St. Raphael School in Ahuntsic and the hairdressing and aesthetics program from Laurier Macdonald Vocational Centre in St. Léonard to buildings which may become vacant; Perspectives II High School in St. Michel to the St. Brendan facility, if that should close; Programme Mile End High School, currently housed at the High School of Montreal Adult Education Centre in the Plateau, to the nearby Bancroft Elementary School building, which also houses MIND High School; Vezina High School, now at St. Gabriel, to the James Lyng building or to the St. Monica Elementary School facility in NDG; Vincent Massey Collegiate in Rosemount to the St. Pius X facility in Ahuntsic; the St. Pius X Adult Education Centre to an available facility; the high school students from Royal Vale in NDG to the Giovanni Palatucci (former Wagar High School) building in Côte Saint-Luc; and Marymount Adult Education Centre, currently based at Palatucci, to an available facility along with the CARE (satellite class) program, now located at the Shadd Business Centre. Please read the press release for more details and XXX.

EMSB IN THE MEDIA The EMSB would like to point readers to the media clippings section of our website where we provide links to newspaper articles about our Board or relevant to the local education system. It is neatly compiled by webmaster for schools Andrea DiTomaso, Here are some of the highlights (just click on the links). The N.D.G. Free Press: Acts of Kindness at Hampstead School West End Times: EMSB Career Day West End Times: Marketing Survey Winners West End Times: Stars Shine in Little Burgandy West End Times: Lazylegz Visits Westmount High Westmount Independent: Roslyn School Supports Eddy Nolan Montreal Gazette: EMSB Tackles School Closings Again Montreal Gazette: Education Ministry Backs EMSB Montreal Gazette: EMSB Not Just the Council of Commissioners The East End Suburban: Robots Descend Upon Gerald McShane The Suburban: Panel focuses on violence in hockey The Gazette: Mike Boone profile brilliant Marymount student West End Times: Royal Vale Robocup champs West End Times: Parkdale shows diversity West End Times: Nilan headlines violence in hockey panel

3

FIELDING FOCUS

EMSB TV GUIDE Please check out the EMSB Audio Video section, otherwise known as EMSB TV and Radio, by clicking here. Recent highlights include short productions by social media specialist Daniel Smajovits. Click on the links:

EMSB TV: Laurier Macdonald Anti-Smoking Video EMSB TV: Public Speaking Cheese Sandwich Story EMSB TV: Region 1 Storytelling in French EMSB TV: Celebration at Parkdale EMSB TV: Westmount High teachers launches book CTV News: St. Raphael students build bike to "conquer cancer" EMSB TV: St. Raphael teacher steps up for cause Global TV: EMSB Volunteer Night CTV News: Marymount gets a boost from acting coach EMSB TV: Journalist/author Steve Kowch talks to students

VOLUNTEER NIGHT The EMSB held its annual Volunteer Appreciation Night on April 20 at Plaza Volare in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in St. Laurent. The event coincided with National Volunteer Week. This year‟s theme was “Volunteers … Our Shining Stars!,” and honoured only those individuals who have volunteered for more than five years, because time and space does not allow the EMSB to honour all of its nearly 1,700 volunteers in person. However, several thousand copies of a commemorative program book will be distributed to each school. The evening was emceed by Global News anchor Jamie Orchard and EMSB Communications and Marketing Specialist Michael Cohen. Angie Bertone was chosen as this year‟s Volunteer of Distinction. She currently serves as a parent commissioner on the EMSB Council of Commissioners, and for the past five years, has chaired the annual dinner dance fundraiser for Paul VI High School in Ahuntsic, where one of her sons is a student. The Paul VI Choir performed for the audience. The EMSB lined up several local businesses and companies as major sponsors of this year‟s Volunteer Appreciation Night. For the third consecutive year, La Capitale Financial Services Angie Bertone is honoured as Volunteer of (www.lacapitale.com) was the title sponsor for Volunteer Distinction. (Cameleo Photo). Appreciation Night.

JAMES LYNG HOSTS ELEMENTARY STUDENTS Students from three elementary schools – Hampstead, Westmount Park and St. Gabriel - recently spent a morning at James Lyng High School in St. Henri as part of the „Moving on to High School‟ project. While visiting, they had the opportunity to hear from Principal Tony Pita on the topic of “High School Challenges and Opportunities.” Librarian Kam Jain spoke of the importance of the library in secondary school project research and study. The Grade 6 students also participated in an experiment in the science lab; did some baking in the Home Economics room; Google-d their way through a „Who Am I?‟ search; did a little personal care in the hairdressing room and played games in the gym. Meanwhile, graduation ceremonies for the class of 2010 was held at James Lyng on March 27. Staff, family, friends, and community partners, gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of these young men and women. Guest speaker Gabriel Bran Lopez of Youth Fusion challenged the class to work toward EXCELLENCE in all they do in the future whether at CEGEP, Trade school or

4

FIELDING FOCUS

in the workforce. Particularly touching is the traditional presentation of flowers to parents to recognize the contribution they make to the success of their children

READER’S DIGEST DONATION Students across the EMSB will hit the books in a few weeks as the beneficiaries of a generous donation of 25,000 new, hard cover books from Reader‟s Digest. The EMSB will distribute these books to the elementary sector as most of the titles are geared towards a younger population. These books will serve as additional resources to promote literacy among our students. The EMSB is in the second year of a three year initiative to promote literacy and welcomes this donation from Reader‟s Digest. Amongst thousands of others, elementary school students are set to receive classic books for beginning readers such as Beauty and the Beast (6,725 copies), Snow White (1,133 ), Pinocchio (948 ), Robin Hood (993). Educational books from the “I Wonder Why” series such as: The Sea is Salty (894), Penguins Get Cold (557), Greeks Built Temples (567. High school students will enjoy Dorian Gray (775) and Pride and Prejudice (697 from the “World‟s Best Reading” series. The books will be housed at Laurier Macdonald High School in St. Léonard where the International Baccalaureate students will fulfill some of their community service commitment in helping to prepare the orders for the schools. Please read the press release for more details.

SEEKING TO BECOME THE NEXT PIERRE HOUDE If there‟s one piece of advice you need before sitting down with Alex Ferla-Coirazza (pictured with teacher Matthew Goulet) at Paul VI High School in Ahuntsic, it‟s that you better have a good grasp of your hockey. Ferla, a student at the special needs school, is like millions who have grown up idolizing the Montreal Canadiens. While his staunch passion freezes over while talking about Michael Cammalleri‟s stealth moves or Carey Price‟s stellar save percentage, he‟s aiming not to be the second coming of Saku Koivu, but the next Pierre Houde. Having a dream is one thing, but recently, Ferla put his money where his mouth is. With the help of teacher Matthew Goulet, together, the two worked on an audition tape highlighting his skills. “I always do the commentary at home with my microphone!” he says. “My parents and cousins listen to me and always tell me that it‟s super. Since they liked it, I came here and Mr. Goulet and I worked on it and we thought it was good. It took time, adjusting my voice level and speed was hard. It was not an easy process, but I really enjoyed it.” Please read the press release.

DAVID MARINO STARS On March 27, 12 old David Marino of Vincent Massey Collegiate, won Best Performance Award for the CFMB Radio Italiano, Superfantastico Competition (Junior category). Among the panel of judges were Canadian Idol judge Farley Flex and singer/song writer Vincenzo Incenzo from Italy. David dedicated his entire performance to his grandparents, who are Italian immigrants. He sang "Perdere l‟Amore" by Massimo Ranieri. Participating in this competition allowed David to emerge himself in the Italian language again. Superfantastico allows children of Italian descent a chance to preserve, maintain and promote their language and cultlure. “As parents, we believe that it is important to accept and learn about other cultures, and it is just as important for children to sustain their cultural literacy by reinforcing and honoring one's own culture,” said Vince Marino, David‟s father and a teacher at John F. Kennedy Business Centre. “As we adopt new practices, values and approaches from other cultures, it is important to cherish our own language and culture as well. David gave an outstanding performance. He was given a standing ovation,gifts, and was congratulated. Best of all, he had so much fun and has another wonderful experience under his belt. David participated in this wondrful event at Place des Arts not only to share his talent but to demonstrate to his grandparents how proud he is of them and how he will try his best to keep his roots alive!”

5

FIELDING FOCUS

ROYAL VALE JUST FOR MOMS In the first event of its kind, mothers from the Royal Vale School community in NDG were invited to don their gym clothes and put their heart first for 90 minutes on April 6. Organized by physical education teacher Norman Katz, the event was run by Lydia Paulino of Energie-Cardio and will benefit of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Quebec. While there was an entrance fee, all proceeds from the evening will go directly to the foundation. All participants received fabulous participation gifts and were entered to win a wide variety of door prizes.

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART Montreal Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo (pictured right being greeted by students) was the special guest at the annual Jump Rope for Heart event at Royal Vale School in NDG. For the past seven years, children from Grades 1 through 6 have packed the school gym throughout the day to participate in various skipping rope challenges. This year $19,565.62 was raised for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Quebec. Since 2003, the overall total has surpassed $100,000, says organizer and physical education teacher Norman Katz.

WALLACE LAMBERT CELEBRATION EMSB Commissioner Ginette Sauvé-Frankel was one of three representatives from the Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) at the Wallace Lambert Celebration. The two day conference on French Immersion, organized by the Association for Canadian Studies and McGill University. Clara Del Degan, a student at LaurenHill Academy in St. Laurent, was a panelist.

FRENCH FOR THE FUTURE The historic Rialto Theatre was the site of the 2011 French for the Future Montreal Local Forum, beginning at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, April 20. Aimed at promoting bilingualism amongst Canadian youth, the theme is Respect, Culture and Integration Into Québécois Society. Approximately 300 students from six Montreal high schools and two school boards were present, while additional high schools from across Quebec participated via videoconference. Participating schools were John F. Kennedy High School in St. Michel, Westmount High School, Marymount Academy in N.D.G., LaurenHill Academy in St. Laurent, from the EMSB; and Lakeside Academy in Lachine, Beaconsfield High School and Pierrefonds Comprehensive attended from the Lester B. Pearson School Board. On the eve of Earth Day, the opening session focused on the environment. The chairs of the EMSB and LBSB Green Committees, Commissioners Ginette Sauvé-Frankel (with Westmount High School students at left) and Rosemary Murphy were part of the panel, in addition to youth from Oxfam-Québec and Enfant Entraide. The panel was entitled: Actions citoyens envers l'environnement. For more see the press release

JOURNALISM TIPS FROM STEVE KOWCH Steve Kowch, a graduate of Rosemount High School and Nesbitt Elementary School and the author of the student-oriented “99 Things You Wish You Knew Before…Making It Big In Media” returned on April 18 to speak to Secondary IV and V students at both Rosemount High School and at Laurier Macdonald in St. Leonard at 1:15 p.m. As a highly successful media personality, Kowch is set to speak to students about the evolution of his career and how they can realize their own dreams in the media industry, from being on the front lines as an

6

FIELDING FOCUS

anchor or writer to finding a spot behind the scenes in various production related positions. See the press release.

HECHT SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS Two teachers and one spiritual animator have been selected as winners of the 2011 Riva and Thomas O. Hecht Scholarship, Teaching of the Holocaust for Educators Program to take place at Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, Israel this summer. Mr. Hecht attended the EMSB Council of Commissioners meeting on April 27 to formally congratulate Jason Lipstein of General Vanier Elementary School, Stacey Blumer of Lester B. Pearson High School in Montreal North and Spiritual Animator Vince Lacroce, who works at General Vanier, Dalkeith and Laurier Macdonald High School. They can now look forward to taking 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 antiSemitism to students in the youth Sector. The scholarship recipients 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 recipient 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. We have had winners the past three years now.

GENERAL VANIER STUDENTS SHINE General Vanier students continue to shine! Congratulations to all of those who went on to present their projects at the Expo Science Hydro Quebec. Four of the projects won additional prizes:. Gianni Matera and Alexandre David and Cynthia Barbiero in Cycle 3 each won a Creo Prize (scientific game); Joseph Marra and Alexander Glisic won a two year subscription to the Debrouillard Magazine, as well as a silver medal for the best project in Cycle 2; and Noah David won a silver medal for the best prize in Cycle 1.

ST. RAPHAEL CONQUER’S CANCER When St. Raphael Centre teacher Carlos dos Santos (pictured at the left) takes part in this summer‟s Ride to Conquer Cancer, he will leave his Carbon Fibre at home and be riding on the manpower of his students. using a bicycle built for him at St. Raphael, by St. Raphael‟s own. With the race only a few weeks away, Santos was officially presented with his bicycle, built for him at St. Raphael, on April 15 at the Ahuntsic location. In order to help Santos realize his fundraising goal of $3,500, St. Raphael Centre will also be using the event to kickoff their fundraising efforts by raffling off two tickets to the Lion King and a set of Espresso cups. Tickets are $10 each, while three can be

7

FIELDING FOCUS

purchased for $20. “When we started the bicycle project I never thought that one of our teachers would volunteer to participate in the Ride to Conquer Cancer and that the bike would be built by our students in our new bike shop,” said Harold Penn, principal of St. Raphael Centre. “Students with special needs have worked very hard to get the bike ready and the entire school has gotten behind the project. I am very proud of all the students, volunteers and the teachers who have helped to make this project such a success.” Please read the press release.

PEACE BY PEACE All level 4 students at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary School in Rosemount participated in the “Peace by PEACE” Program, which was offered by students from McGill University over a nine week period. This initiative was jointly encouraged by Spiritual Community Animator Frank Lofeodo and by Principal Michelle E. Stein. At the completion of the program on March 25, the students gladly participated in a Peace Festival held at the McGill University Sports Complex, which also involved students from other EMSB elementary schools. It was an occasion to bring the students from various schools together to participate in a celebration of everything that has tried to promote in the classrooms: conflict resolution, respect for others and empowerment. In the previous weeks, students had worked on discovering some of their existing qualities of leadership, and how to best put them into practice. In short, how each and everyone can be a positive influence in the world. The festival consisted of themed games, as well as arts and crafts activities which were run and coordinated by McGill student volunteers. Following the games, there was a complementary cheese pizza lunch served with juice boxes. It was a pleasant and invigorating experience for all involved.

PEACEMAKERS On March 21 Grade 6 students from St. Dorothy Elementary School in St. Michel attended a Peace Youth Symposium at McGill University. The focus of this day was twofold. First students learned the importance of social justice through a series of group/individual activities and experiences offered by Dix Mille Villages, UNICEF, Free the Children and Right to Play among others. Second, students discovered from within themselves some of their existing qualities of leadership and how to put them into practice as they move into high school. In short to be a positive influence in the world. The day was organized and directed by the McGill Students Organization who worked with the children for several weeks at St. Dorothy School in advance of the symposium. The students spent the day at the Shatner Building along with several other schools. It was a positive experience for all involved.

ABI’S CANCER PREVENTION SYMPOSIUM Abi Uthamacumaran, a Grade 11 student at Marymount Academy in NDG who doubles as an internationally recognized scientist, welcomed the public to his school on April 20 for an evening where he discussed his stunning research into cancer prevention. This symposium was intended for individuals to acquire the knowledge to prevent cancer development in their families, with the ultimate goal being the increase in awareness of various types of cancer formations and how to avoid its negative consequences in the future. Uthamacumaran hopes that his efforts could motivate other young minds to enter the science arena and help make a positive impact in their community as well. An award winning scientist, Uthamacumaran has conducted three years of research which has demonstrated new correlations between naturally occurring proteins, food types and lifestyle changes that could reduce the probability of cancer occurring in the human anatomy. “The intake of calcium based products such as milk helps fight colorectal cancer,” he said. “Another example is the fact that radio waves can deconstruct skin cancers. Shocking discoveries and ground-breaking information will be unveiled by attending the conference.” Please read the press release.

SCIENCE FAIR WINNERS In what has become an annual rite of passage for many elementary and high school students, the Montreal Regional and Science Technology Fair was held recently and much like previous years, students from the EMSB had another spectacular showing. Leading the way amongst EMSB high school students were Marymount

8

FIELDING FOCUS

Academy‟s Abicumaran Uthamacumaran, with his project “Seek Cancer‟s End With Ceacam1” and Royal West Academy‟s Demetrios Koziris and Lakovos Vathis with their entry “Ishemic Preconditioning.” By being selected as winners, all three students received an entry in the 2011 Super Expo-sciences Final which will be held from April 14 to 17 at the University of Sherbrooke. Additionally, Uthamacumaran also received the Merck Canada Ltd. “Student Researcher” Award, a prize of $400. The EMSB‟s up and coming scientific minds placed incredibly well as 11 elementary projects received recognition at the recent regional competition which was held on March 25 and 26 at Collège Jean-Eudes. Plese read the press release.

VIOLENCE IN HOCKEY PANEL Former Montreal Canadiens enforcer Chris Nilan (greeted below by Principal Craig Olenik and students), former NHL forward and successful businessman Robin Burns and newly appointed Montreal Juniors president Sebastien Courcelles participated in a special panel discussion dealing with violence in hockey at Marymount Academy in NDG. Mitch Melnick, the drive home show host for all-sports radio THE TEAM 990, wasethe moderator. There has been a lot of media attention this year placed on fighting in hockey, dangerous headshots and whether the league is doing enough about it. The frightening injury suffered by Max Pacioretty of the Canadiens, when Boston Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara brutally checked him into the glass a the Bell Centre even has some parents considering whether hockey is too violent a game for their children. After a short YouTube video about Nilan, produced by EMSB computer technician and noted hockey blogger Kosta Papoulias, was shown the former Canadiens enforcer spoke about his career and why he dropped the gloves so often. “It is like having a bully in a school,” he explained. “I stuck up for my teammates who were being bullied. Respect each other in school. It is important not to pick on other kids.” Burns agreed that fighting is a necessary part of the game, as long as it does not turn into goon tactics. Courcelles noted that fighting has been way down in junior hockey in recent years, but he recognized in the game in general headshots are way up. Added Melnick, whose daughter Phoenix attends Marymount: “I think the most talented players should be able to play without worrying about getting crosschecked.”

MULTICULTURAL TASTINGS Staff from the EMSB Pedagogical Services Department enjoyed some multicultural tastings recently, courtesy of Secondary Science Consultant Ramin Khodaie. “One of the biggest and positive aspects of living in Canada is the fact that we get to know of one another‟s celebrations and customs,” he said. “We participate in each other‟s joys and embrace the differences.” This was the case recently at the EMSB Pedagogical Services when they celebrated St-Patrick‟s Day (March 17) , St-Joseph‟s (March 19 )and the Persian New year Nowrouz (March 21). “On one day we had Irish flavoured coffee, delicious Zeppole and set up a Haft Sin table for Nowrouz,” he explains. “ We even had the Greeks Baklavas. Truly multicultural!”

9

FIELDING FOCUS

Haft Sîn or the seven 'S's is a major traditional table setting of Nowrouz, the traditional Iranian spring celebration. The haft sin table includes seven specific items starting with the letter 'S' or Sīn (‫ )س‬in the Persian alphabet. Other items on the table include: Sonbol - Hyacinth (flower), Sekkeh - Coins - representative of wealth, dry fruits, lit candles (enlightenment and happiness), a mirror (symbolizing cleanness and honesty), decorated eggs (fertility), a bowl of water with goldfish (life within life). “As a Persian immigrant who is away from many of the loved ones, I feel truly blessed to be part of a fantastic group of people who made me feel at home and celebrated Nowrouz with me,” says Ramin. “ It was exciting to hear everyone wish me a happy new year.

DAYCARE MATTERS Daycare Services has created its own media section to include a blog and newspaper called Daycare Matters. April marked the first issue of the newspaper and a copy can be picked up at the school board or any school that offers daycare service. For daily updates on daycare deeds, visit www.daycarematters.wordpress.com. These two media platforms complement each other in giving the daycare community a voice. Concordia University Journalism graduate Jennifer De Freitas (pictured with students presenting a copy of the paper to CTV Montreal‟s Cindy Sherwin) is editor of the newspaper and blog. Since February 2010, Jennifer has been running a Journalism Club in a few of the EMSB daycares. Now, she visits the board‟s 29 daycares to speak to daycare students about journalism and assist them in their reporting on school and daycare events. Anyone affiliated with daycare can contribute to the blog and newspaper. The next Daycare Matters issue will be published in June. Read the newspaper here.

LA PRESSE JOURNALIST VISITS WESTMOUNT La Presse Newspaper journalist Patrick Lagacé was the special guest of Westmount High School student Raphael Creton at his French As a Second Language class. centlydans. This all came about after the class read the script Les Belles-soeurs, written by Michel Tremblay. At that time they asked their teacher, Layal Khanji, if they could reproduce a Quebec television show in order to celebrate Culture Month. In light of all this, Raphael thought a visit from a prominent French language journalist would be worthwhile.

FORUM FOR YOUNG CANADIANS Mohd Tanvir was selected by John F. Kennedy High School in St. Michel to attend a seven day conference entitled “Forum for Young Canadians” in Ottawa. This gathering of future Canadian leaders from all over Canada took place at the Terry Fox Canadian Youth Centre and Parliament Hill in Ottawa at the end of March. Leadership, democracy and the function of government are the three main themes of this conference. These young people meet cabinet ministers, Members of Parliament, senators and accomplished Canadians who help them develop their leadership skills and live an extraordinary bilingual experience. A bilingual newspaper about the conference will be produced by the delegates.

CHORALE On Saturday, April 9, the EMSB Junior Chorale hosted four other junior choirs at Mountainside United Church in Westmount for the annual Junior Choir Festival. After an afternoon workshop, during which the five choirs learned a Japanese blessing and a French-Canadian folksong, each choir performed some of its own

10

FIELDING FOCUS

repertoire in an evening concert which culminated with the massed choir. This annual event is held as a benefit concert. This year, the choirs chose to donate the collection to the Canadian Red Cross for the Japanese Disaster Relief Fund and are thrilled to report that the donation amounts to $2,362.63. The EMSB Chorale is now hard at work in its final rehearsals for its Spring Gala Concert,which will be held at Oscar Peterson Hall on Saturday, May 7 (7:30 p.m.). Tickets are now on sale. Call conductor Pat Abbott at 514483-7200 ext. 7234 to reserve your tickets. On June 23, members of the EMSB Senior Chorale will travel to Denver, Colorado to participate in the Sing a Mile High International Choral Festival.

OUR LADY OF POMPEI NEWSPAPER Teacher Nathalie Benchitrit from Our Lady of Pompei Elementary School in Ahuntsic created a 60 page newspaper with her Grade 5 and 6 class. You can read the entire paper here. Welcome to The Fun 2 Doo Newspaper! “The students from the 5C/6C class really enjoyed the process of writing and publishing what you are about to read,” Benchitrit writes in her introduction. “We hope that you learn a thing or two from it, but most of all just enjoy reading it from cover to cover!”

PUBLIC SPEAKING CONTEST The English Montreal School Board‟s most dynamic orators commanded the podium during this year‟s annual public speaking competition, held recently at Westmount High School. This event, coordinated by EMSB English Language Arts Consultant Anne Beamish, featured 58 speeches by students from 10 different schools. This year‟s incarnation was also the first to include a French-speaking competition for Cycle I students, and the participants did not disappoint, rising to the challenge in both official languages. Read the detailed press release.

PARKDALE CELEBRATES Parkdale School in St. Laurent held a weeklong celebration of diversity and individuality within the school community under the theme “We are special.” Running from April 1 to April 6, the series of events were meant to highlight the fact that every child at Parkdale is unique and that through belief in oneself, they can achieve anything and everything. Individual themes were: What Makes Me Special (PreKindergarten, Kindergarten, Junior and Senior Autistic classes, Junior Language class and Cycle 1), What We Do Well (Cycle 2 and Senior Language class) and Different Challenges/Obstacles That We Have (Cycle 3).This was a wonderful experience for all the children, staff, and parents who participated. Read the press release.

INSPIRATIONS NEWSPAPER The newest edition of Inspirations Newspaper has been published, the EMSB sponsored special needs publication which is distributed across the island of Montreal, Laval and the South Shore. This is the biggest edition yet, 24 pages. Circulation has also been boosted due to a high demand. The cover story contains an exclusive interview conducted by Tania Piperni with So You Think You Can Dance Canada judge Jean-Marc Généreux, his wife and their daughter who suffers from Rett Syndrome. This edition also marks the debut of a

11

FIELDING FOCUS

new French section, anchored by EMSB Assistant Director of Student Services Julie René de Cotret. You can read the entire online edition.

STORYBOOK TIME Grade 7 students at Royal West Academy in Montreal West have been involved in a special project focusing on the creation of storybooks for young children. The project was under the direction of RWA teacher Chantal Clabrough. Upon completion of the project, Joseph Monachino, Spiritual and Community Animator, organized an opportunity for the students to share their stories with a real audience. The RWA students travelled to St. Monica Elementary School in NDG to read their stories to the Cycle 1 students. Teacher Donna Friedman Perlin of St. Monica was thrilled at the sharing opportunity and actively prepared her students for the experience. The St. Monica students truly enjoyed their individual storytellers, and the RWA students were able to delight in the completion of their hard-work, as well as see their work used in a real-life experience! The project was a great success!

EMSB BALANCED LITERACY INITIATIVE The EMSB Balanced Literacy Initiative will be showcased in a video produced by the Pedagogical Services Department (PSD) and filmed by media students from Laurier Macdonald High School, reports portal consultant Maureen Baron. The video will describe the Balanced Literacy Initiative at the EMSB and will provide information for teachers, parents and administrators. The students are directed by their teacher, Charles Northey, and by the Laurier Macdonald Audio-Visual Technician, Alan Taylor. The video will be premiered in the 2011-2012 school year.The PSD Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) team has completed another year of training teachers on the integration of the Smartboard and Notebook software into the curriculum and into classroom teaching and learning strategies. PSD pedagogical consultants, working in pairs, have been meeting with youth sector principals and viceprincipals in what are called Cluster meetings. All elementary schools were given boxes of Math manipulatives for the three cycles. These Cluster meetings are designed to bring information from PSD to the schools and for PSD to receive information from the schools regarding their professional development needs and other issues where PSD personnel can be of assistance. The Ontario College of Teachers has made recommendations concerning educators‟ professional use of social media. PSD has posted the English and French versions of this document in the EMSB Teachers‟ Community and in the principals‟ and vice-principals community on the portal in the folders and files section. The recommendations conform to the advice the PSD ICT team has been giving to the teachers and principals for the past several years.

EMSB – IMPACT GAME AND SCHOLARSHIPS For the sixth year in a row, the EMSB is pleased to announce the continuation of a partnership with the Montreal Impact soccer team through its “All the Way with the Impact” program. Our traditional “EMSB Night” will take place on Wednesday, June 29 (7:30 p.m) at Saputo Stadium against Puerto Rico. Tickets are $7.00 per person. One dollar from each ticket sold will go towards projects of the EMSB Foundation. Coupons have been sent to schools to be returned by Monday, May 16. Because of the expected high demand for tickets that night, the EMSB is guaranteed only a few thousand tickets for this game. So we will accept orders on a first-come, first-

12

FIELDING FOCUS

serve basis. Please hand out the attached ticket order forms to all students and staff. Last year our game was on the same night as a Montreal Canadiens playoff match. We hope not to have such a conflict this year. In fact, our date is one week after the last day of classes. So, with no school the next day this is an attractive opportunity for parents and students. During intermission, two of our students will be presented with Tony Licursi Bursaries. Please submit your entries in the form of an e-mail message to Mario Bentrovato at [email protected], stipulating the name and age of the candidate, the school and grade he / she attends, the main reasons why his / her candidature should be considered, accomplishments, and how the student's performance meets the criteria for the Tony Licursi Bursary (excellence in school, excellence in sports, preferably soccer, and socio-economic background). The winners will receive $500 bursaries.

NEW DIRECTOR GENERAL AT RIVERSIDE Mr. Sylvain Racette will succeed Mr. Stephen Lessard, who retired on April 1, 2011. Since March 2009, Mr. Racette has been the MELS representative on the Management Negotiating Committee for English-language School Boards (CPNCA). His experience at the provincial level allowed him the opportunity of dealing first-hand with matters directly related to education. Prior to joining the MELS, Mr. Racette spent six years with the Commission scolaire de Montréal as a senior consultant and gained valuable experience in providing direct support to school principals and board-level administrators in the management of complex issues related to labour relations and mediation as well as maintaining mutually beneficial relations with unions and associations of employees.

LESTER B. PEARSON SCHOOL BOARD CHAIR Suanne Day, a longtime parent volunteer and commissioner since 2007, has been elected as the new chair of the Lester B. Pearson School Board. Day, a self-employed accountant and computer consultant, said she was compelled to vie for the position because of her commitment to public service. She succeeds Marcus Tabachnick, who retired last month.

PIANO RECITAL AT ST. GABE’S Thanks to the Heart of the City piano program, students at St Gabriel Elementary School in Point St. Charles have had the opportunity to learn basic piano skills. Volunteers from McGill University come to the school weekly and work one-on-one with students, teaching them how to read music as well as how to play. Students had the chance to show off their progress at a recital that was held for family and friends at McGill. This program has existed at St. Gabriel for the past four years. Students in Cycle 2 and 3 have been working with an artist to create sketches based on Leonardo Da Vinci's inventions. Pupils had to come up with an idea of something that they would like to build in order to facilitate things. Their work will be displayed during the month of May at the Leonardo Da Vinci Centre in St. Léonard.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND AT BANCROFT While Bancroft School (4563 St. Urbain) in the Plateau might seem far removed from any rabbit holes on May 5 (6 p.m.), the school will nonetheless play host to Alice, the White Rabbit and the Caterpillar as students will dazzle audiences with their rendition of Lewis Carroll‟s Alice In Wonderland. Yet, since the story of Alice is simply not the same without the Mad Hatter, Bancroft received special permission from the King and Queen of Hearts to take his Tea Party to the next level and offer their guests a royal Dinner Theatre as well. From 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., even the Dormouse will be wide awake to partake in an exquisite, three-course home-cooked dinner, one which will undoubtedly be capped off with unlimited amounts of tea. Organized as a fundraiser to help modernize Bancroft‟s computer lab, tickets to the Dinner Theatre cost $30 each and entitle guests to enjoy both the buffet meal and performance. For more information and to purchase tickets, call: 514-845-8031

13

FIELDING FOCUS

Meanwhile, the students of Bancroft were treated recently to a musical extravaganza by the Queen Elizabeth High School Band visiting from Calgary. The children were immersed in the sounds of tunes such as “The Theme from The Pirates of the Caribbean” and various other classical and modern day pieces. The students also had the opportunity to listen as each instrument was introduced. “Needless to say, this experience was invaluable to our inner city school,” said Principal Dorothy Ostrowicz. A few days later magic and science was the order of the day at Bancroft when the ubiquitous Dr. Joe Schwarcz piqued the students‟ curiosity through the “magic” of chemistry, “real” magic tricks and science-based hypotheses.

ROBOTICS CHAMPIONSHIPS Gerald McShane Elementary School in Montreal North recently played host to the 9th Annual RoboJunior Competition. Once the dust finally settled from two intense days of competition, Merton Elementary School in Cote St. Luc swept the Robotics Dance competition and Royal Vale (pictured) won the overall championship! Royal Vale Elementary School now advances to the provincial round, with the hope of qualifying for RoboCup International in Istanbul, Turkey. In the City University of New York competition, which was held in Orange, New Jersey in early April, Merton sent three teams and they won first and third prize. Merton has consistently excelled in Robotics competitions since 2004. Robotics is a compulsory part of the Science and Technology program for all Grades 3 to 6 students. Principal Raizel Candib wishes to thank teacher Lisa Triestino for all the time and effort that she has put into this program.

.

STUDENT JOURNALISTS JHR (Journalists for Human Rights) and Maclean‟s Magazine are presenting secondary school students with an opportunity to be published at Maclean‟s.ca by answering this question by May 13: What is the single largest problem that we face today and what do youth need to do to fix it? Write the Wrong is an annual national high school essay competition which provides Canadian students the opportunity to express their views and think critically about solutions to either a local or a global issue. The essays will be judged by a panel of celebrity judges including Adrian Harewood (CBC), Severn Cullis-Suzuki (David Suzuki Foundation) and Cathrin Bradbury (Maclean‟s) The winning essayist will also win a Roger‟s Smart Phone valued at approximately $500 Log on to www.jhr.ca for more details or contact. Ken Zolotar at [email protected]