VISIONS Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School 

Notre Dame Secondary School

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2 Notre Dame Avenue, Brampton Ontario L6Z 4L5

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Phone: 905-840-2802 Fax: 905.846.2625 Superintendent: Max Vecchiarino Principal: John Lezon Vice Principal(s): Benson Amun Alexis Galvao Peter Petruccelli Trustee: Anna Podesta-da Silva (Ward 1) Linda Zanella (Ward 2)

Newsletter Date: June 2014.

From the Chaplain "You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger..." (James 1:19) Our theme for 2013-14 reminded us that, first and foremost, we are called by God to be loving, compassionate, understanding, empathetic, self-controlled, forgiving, and kind. It's a daily challenge for all of us. In our Catholic faith-based school community, made up of students of all religions, teachers, support staff, parents, and community partners, we recognize and celebrate our unity in the diverse Body of Christ. When faced with obstacles or problems in our community, we strive to seek reconciliation, forgiveness, peace and respect. Each of us is called to lead by example. The Holy Spirit has been alive and active in our community all year long. From Grade 9 Retreats at St. Anne’s Parish to our full-school Easter Mass with His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins, we have celebrated and grown in faith, hope and love. Our students served with love in solidarity in Nicaragua; they walked to publicly proclaim the Gospel on the Pilgrimage to St. Anne’s Church, and the March for Life in Ottawa; they donated hundreds of pairs of shoes to "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" with local women affected by domestic violence and their families; they volunteered countless hours at PLASP, Woodhall, St. Francis Table, Ronald McDonald House Hamilton, and our very own Breakfast Club. They fasted 28 hours for ThinkFast during Lent, they celebrated cultural diversity at Culture Shock, and they grew more Christ-like on the Salesian Catholic Leadership Retreat. Our community is blessed with students, staff, and parents who are quick to listen -- and then respond wholeheartedly to the needs expressed locally and globally. May God continue to bless you and your family as we journey forward together in faith. We are a school with a difference – and that difference is Jesus Christ.

Ms Genevieve Anderson Chaplaincy Leader

Planning for Independence Students Compete in Skills Two students from Notre Dame’s Planning for Independence Program participated in the table setting competition. Jordan Bahen and Kayla Lubja practiced to achieve perfection in arranging a complicated formal setting in a short amount of time. Out of six schools, Jordan Bahen won the bronze medal for Notre Dame. Congratulations to both girls on a job well done.

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PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE Another exciting year has come to an end at Notre Dame. The final event of the year was the Commencement. This year’s graduation class has special meaning for me, these graduates were the grade 9’s when I started as Principal of Notre Dame. I would like to congratulate the graduates on an excellent job they have done over the last four years. As the graduates move onto the next stage in their lives I would like to wish them all the best and thank you for all of your contributions to Notre Dame over the last four years. This year was filled with many exciting events. Our athletic teams continue to make us proud both on and off the field of competition. Our senior boys’ basketball team carried the Notre Dame name to OFSSA this year and came home with a bronze medal. The boys’ played hard throughout the whole tournament and showed they are great athletes and ambassadors for Notre Dame. I would like to congratulate all of our student athletes who stepped forward to represent Notre Dame. I hope you take with you some great memories of competition and team work. Our school was also very active outside of the sports area. The number of clubs that run during the school year continues to grow. Our band and choir competed in Baltimore this year and came home with an armful of award and trophies. I would like to thank all of the Notre Dame staff who helped to make the various teams and clubs possible. If it was not for you giving of your free time our students would not have these opportunities. The main office will see some change for next year. Mrs. Galvao has been moved to John Cabot. We would like to thank Mrs. Galvao for her contributions to Notre Dame and wish her all the best in her new assignment. We would like to welcome Ms. Renda as our new Vice Principal. This year also saw a number of staff move into retirement. We all wish Mrs. Korkiala, Ms. McCarthy, Ms. Day , Ms. Charlton and Mr. George all of the best in their retirement years. Thank you. Those students who will be returning; have a safe and restful summer and we will see you in September. God Bless John Lezon

Safety First when dropping students off at school The safety of all children and staff must be considered as paramount at all times when dropping students off at school. The number of serious incidents related to traffic circulation at the front of the school in the morning arrival and afternoon dismissal has risen. These incidents include vehicles entering the site in the wrong direction, parking and pulling our of no parking zones, parking in bus lanes, to name a few. It is imperative that all parents and guardians who drive their children to school adhere to the traffic circulation plan and comply with the traffic and parking signage on the site. It is equally imperative that all drivers follow the direction of staff managing the traffic circulation on the school site. Thank you for your consideration and co-operation with this important matter.

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Skills Competition On Wednesday March 19, 2014, a team of Construction/Woodworking students from Notre Dame traveled to Philip Pocock SS to compete against other schools from the Dufferin-Peel CDS. Board in the Skills Canada competition. The contests are in the area of Technological Education. After a full day of intense rivalry against the best students from these other schools within our board, Notre Dame was successful in the competition. Congratulations to Chris Erskine and Jeremy Cook who brought home gold in Team of 2 carpentry. They will be moving on to the next round of the competition competing in Kitchener against different school boards in May. A fine performance was also put in by Chinelo Johnson who put forth an excellent performance in single carpentry. Congratulations to all our team members who put forth an outstanding effort in this Skills Canada competition and helping to keep Notre Dame’s technology programs successful and growing.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Our Grade 12 Sport and Recreation Leadership class was thrilled to be involved with the Bounce Bully Basketball program through Rising Stars this semester. We travelled to our elementary feeder schools, educating young students about bullying through basketball skills and drills. The activities we led developed confidence, teamwork, and respect, etc. We felt proud to empower knowledge and inspire life skills through sport. Written by: Stephanie Sampaio and Vanessa Camara

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ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

It has been an exciting year in the English Department at Notre Dame! The English teachers have worked to further develop curriculum and to make their classes exciting and informative. New resources were added to ensure students in all pathways, particularly, applied and college levels, could continue to build their knowledge bases and skill sets. Courses were offered at many levels, including Pre-IB and IB, thereby ensuring opportunities for rich learning experiences for all students. Although the OSSLT is a literacy test based on school wide curriculum expectations, Notre Dame’s English teachers made a special effort to ensure those expectations were reflected in assignments and exams written by junior students. Our Department was also fortunate to be a part of many school-wide initiatives designed to enrich the learning experience of Notre Dame’s young people. Teachers worked on initiatives focused on Common Language (OSSLT), Literacy (Co-Plan/Co-Teach/OSSLT) and Metacognition, all in an effort to enhance the educational journey of Notre Dame’s students, particularly in their transitions from grade eight to grades nine and ten. This year, the English Department offered interesting trips to enhance the delivery of curriculum. During the first semester, students at the grade ten level, thanks to Ms Costley, Mr. Kearney and Ms Stewart, attended a screening of a new film production of Romeo and Juliet (William Shakespeare), while students in the IB Program attended a production of An Ideal Husband (Oscar Wilde), due to the efforts of Ms Toubassi. In second semester, because of Ms Tersigni’s commitment, students were fortunate to travel to Stratford to see a production of King Lear (William Shakespeare). Indeed, rave reviews were given to all of these viewing experiences! As always, change is inevitable in the Department. The English Department would like to congratulate Ms Mesa on the birth of her second child, a daughter! We offer continued good wishes to Ms Bromley who is on a maternity leave with her twins. In their absence, the students at Notre Dame were fortunate to experience, as teachers, Ms Oliveira and Ms Carney. Both young professionals were a credit to the Department and to their profession! They taught their English courses with passion and dignity and they contributed to the life of the school through their work on extra-curricular activities. We are also excited to announce one of the most positive changes to our Department – we’ve grown due to the addition of ELL! We will now be known as the English/ELL Department. We hope to work closely with the English Language Learners to make their transitions to the Canadian education system seamless, nurturing and joyful. We are grateful to work with Ms Rauterberg and Ms Vella in this endeavour. Both teachers work diligently with ELL students within the classroom; they also encourage the children to participate in extra-curricular activities that take place after school hours, often staying with them as they do so. The English Language Learners have been fortunate to see plays, be part of school events and this month, thanks to extensive planning by Ms Vella, even take part in one of the most Canadian activities of all, camping!! The members of the English Department strive to have at the centre of the Department’s vision, a purpose that will enhance the educational experience of Notre Dame’s students. Many of our teachers devote much of their time before and after school to offer extra academic assistance to students, and to work as club advisors and coaches. We wish all ND students the best of luck on their exams and in all their future endeavours!!

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GREEN TEAM On Friday May 23rd, Ms. Oliveira and the Green Team completed their final eco-schools initiative as they cleaned up Notre Dame’s school yard and gardens. The Team put their best efforts forward with beautifying the gardens, as they turned the soil, ridded the beds of weeds and put fresh, new top soil, with lovely petunias. With the school year coming to an end, the Team hopes that the flowers will continue to inspire the school community to keep Notre Dame clean and classy!

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MODERNS As per our last conversation, I am honored to forward you a few pictures of the winners of the French Concours D'Art Oratoire 2014. The following students placed 2nd overall with Merveille Tshisuaka and Kshemani moving on to Provinicial Competition in May 2014. Mohammed Odusanya Nicole Matusiak Kshemani Costantinescu Merveille Tshisuaka " Congratulations to the above students for their ongoing commitment and dedication to the French language. Mohammed Odusanya, and Nicole Matusiak received 2nd place with up to eleven participants in some categories. Kshemani Costantinescu who also placed 2nd will also have the opportunity to compete in provincials in May 2014. Merveille Tshisuaka placed 1st in the FSL Plus category and will also have the opportunity to represent Notre Dame at provincials. Your efforts are celebrated by the Notre Dame community as well as by the teaching staff in the Moderns Department. May you always treasure and celebrate the moment you received your awards and never forget the learning process that got you there. Félicitations!!!!!

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MODERNS Notre Dame once again participated in the The Italian Language and Culture Contest which was held at UTM. Our two students, Diana Tatangelo and Christina Tatangelo were very successful as they placed third in the Open Artistic Expression in the grade 10 and grade 12 respectively.

DRAMA Ms. Carney and the Notre Dame Secondary School’s grade 12 drama students will be putting on a production at Cyril Clark Theatre on Thursday, May 15th at 7pm and 9pm. This year, the students have come up with the theme of “As Seen on TV.” The production will consist of several scenes from shows and commercials all written and produced by the students themselves. The drama class has been looking forward to this opportunity since they took their first drama course in grade 9. They look forward to putting their best acting skills forward to produce a memorable and successful show. Tickets are being sold for $10 at the school and can be purchased at the theatre the night of the show. Looking forward to seeing you there.

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ACADEMIC RESOURCE PIP-PLANNING FOR INDEPENDENCE PROGRAM

“One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure.” – William Feather

The ND PIP students have had an exciting year participating in many adventures. From art classes at the Peel Heritage Gallery to our fantastic performance at the Arts Olympics. The PIP Knights also excelled in both sportsmanship and performance at the ROPSSAA Bocce, Basketball and Track tournaments. Our cooking and baking program provided us with many tasty lunches and treats that we were able to work off in our rock climbing, yoga and dance classes! It has been a very fun filled year……and it’s not

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SENIOR BOYS BASKETBALL FOUR MONTHS OF KNIGHTS Just a little over twelve seconds remained with the Notre Dame Knights down one point against their in-board rivals and powerhouse, the D’Youville Panthers, who have already beaten the Knights on three separate occasions this season. The ball was inbounded from the opposite baseline and D’Youville chose to put light defensive pressure on star guard Michael Asemota. He made a quick move down towards the centre of the key only to be met by the help defender. As a result he passed it off to Joshua Baker on the wing who might have had a wide open shot if D’Youville didn’t recover so quickly but mistakenly double teaming him. Recognising this, Joshua quickly snapped a pass back to Michael who had crept back behind the three point line for a wide open shot. Two seconds, one second, and Michael takes the shot with time seemingly standing still as the ball floated through the air. The Notre Dame Sr. Boys’ Basketball team during the 2013-14 season carried themselves with a quiet swagger of confidence. They entered the season on nobody’s radar. Just another Notre Dame team with a decent amount of talent but lacking the chemistry to bring them to the next level of success. For the first part of the season this was true. It was in late November and head coach Geoff Edwards was away with the Senior Girls’ basketball team on their OFSAA trip, leaving the reigns to assistant coach Brian Baquial and former Notre Dame player and now community helper, Nathan Thompson. A scuffle had broken out between team members and coach Baquial and Thompson gathered the players to centre court having each one of them air out their dirty laundry. Accusations flew like bullets looking to hurt one another, but at least the laundry was left out to dry – and dry it did. The Knights entered that fateful practice with one loss on their record and from that point on they had lost two more times, each coming to the hands of D’Youville. They entered the ROPSAA playoffs as a number two seed, which set up a matchup against cross town rival and perennial contenders, St. Edmund Campion Bears. The Knights had beaten the Bears on two other occasions during the regular season, including one win in front of Toronto mayor Rob Ford. High school basketball pundits on forums such as HooptownGTA said a third win vs. the Bears would not happen. “ND is good, but they’re not that good.” Said one forum poster. Fast forward to the end of the game and after another hard fought battle the Knights had defeated the Bears and the odds by winning 55-51 in front of a raucous crowd. The scene in the gym was like that of the movie Project X - one giant party. Students dancing, players dancing, and even coaches dancing. On the other side, you could see the agony of defeat from the St. Edmund Campion Bears. This is the life of high level competition. With that dramatic win against the Bears the Knights qualified for an OFSAA birth, but first they had to play against D’Youville in the ROPSSAA finals. D’Youville came out with a flurry of haymakers and ended the first half with a lead that proved to be insurmountable. However, there were a few positives. Despite being down by 25 points in that game the Knights battled back and eventually ended up losing by only 7 points. A week had passed and it was time for the provincial OFSAA championships. Heading into the tournament the theme was respect. The Knights thought that they had earned the respect of the seeding committee by finishing with the silver medals in the ROPSSAA playoffs, however this proved to be incorrect. The seeding committee handed Notre Dame a 10-seed in a tournament of 16 teams. The first round matchup was against last year’s OFSAA bronze medalists from Hamilton, Sir Cardinal Newman. They proved to be a very disciplined, tough and well-coached team, but the Knights were able to squeak by their opponents by a score of 59-54. This set up a second round matchup against the fourth place finishers in 2012, H.B. Beal from London.

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SENIOR BOYS BASKETBALL CONT’D FOUR MONTHS OF KNIGHT Beal was a very hard-nosed and physical team; a style that the Knights weren’t used to playing. At halftime, Notre Dame was trailing 31-25. When the second half started the Knights came out of the gates running and ended the third quarter with a 55-39 lead. They never looked back and finished the game with a 72-51 victory. As a result of the second round win, Notre Dame had set up an evening date with the number one ranked team in the tournament and the province, St. Michael’s College from Toronto - a team full of deadly three point shooters. The two teams proved to be equally matched as they headed into halftime tied at 22, and Notre Dame only up 2 after three quarters. In a tightly played fourth quarter, Jordan Appiah hit two key three pointers and made 4 clutch free throws and the Knights upset St. Michael’s 48-44, surprising all the coaches, recruiters, parents and fans in the stands, but finally earning that respect that they thought they had earned when the tournament started. The Knights were off to the championship rounds for the first time in school history. Day three started and the venue changed to Humber College, North Campus. Notre Dame was in tough against another top-ranked opponent and perennial OFSAA contenders, the Oakwood Barons from Toronto. At one point in the season, North Pole Hoops had ranked Oakwood as the number one high school team in Canada, however that position was relinquished late in the year to St. Michael’s College. Oakwood played a very physical style, pounding the ball into the post on almost every possession. At halftime, however, the Knights held a 30-27 lead. This lead would soon be vanquished and the Barons started the fourth quarter up 40-38. The fourth quarter would see the Knights run out of gas as they were defeated 52-44. This unprecedented run was not yet over because the Knights still had to play for the bronze medal against D’Youville. Day three started and the venue changed to Humber College, North Campus. Notre Dame was in tough against another top-ranked opponent and perennial OFSAA contenders, the Oakwood Barons from Toronto. At one point in the season, North Pole Hoops had ranked Oakwood as the number one high school team in Canada, however that position was relinquished late in the year to St. Michael’s College. Oakwood played a very physical style, pounding the ball into the post on almost every possession. At halftime, however, the Knights held a 30-27 lead. This lead would soon be vanquished and the Barons started the fourth quarter up 40-38. The fourth quarter would see the Knights run out of gas as they were defeated 52-44. This unprecedented run was not yet over because the Knights still had to play for the bronze medal against D’Youville. It was a game of runs. Notre Dame came out on a mission against a D’Youville squad that found it hard to recover from their semi-final loss to Father Henry Carr. The Knights took their 15-9 first quarter lead and ballooned it to a 26-15 lead at halftime. Then D’Youville woke up. It was their turn to make their run in the game and D’Youville turned the tables on the score and took a 38-33 lead after three quarters. It was a fairytale season of Disney-like comparison. The situation was perfect and one that every basketball player dreams about when they were kids. Twelve seconds left on the clock and the Knights were down a single point. Michael Asemota brings up the ball from their baseline, makes his move, kicks it out to Joshua Baker who quickly passes it back to Michael. Two seconds, one second… Michael shoots just before the final buzzer sounded off. Then it happened: The ball found its way through to the bottom of the net. Knights win! Knights win! The first time in ten years that a team from ROPSSAA had medaled at OFSAA – this time a bronze medal. The Knights rushed the floor in excitement and Michael’s reaction was stoic, as if he had expected the shot to go in. It was a fitting end to an unexpected Notre Dame season that captured the hearts of the Notre Dame community and of basketball fans alike. The Notre Dame Knights Sr. Boys’ Basketball team was a true underdog story in 2014. By. Coach B. Baquial

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Nicaragua Social Justice Trip From February 28 through March 10, nine students and four staff visited Nicaragua to be in solidarity with our sisters and brothers of the Global South. With the invitation of the rural community of Jiñocuao, and in partnership with Casa Canadiense (http://thecasa.ca/), we lived, worked, played, prayed and learned alongside visionary Nicaraguans eager to transform their communities and improve the lives of their children.

It was a testament to solidarity (and humility) that we didn’t have to pretend to be experts at masonry, or even see the classroom construction through to completion. When we arrived on site, the brick walls had already been started on the fourth classroom for their rural secondary school. When we said goodbye (after four mornings of hard work, a day of mountain climbing, and a farewell dance party) and departed for two final nights in Managua, the classroom roof was not yet the next step. (A similar delegation from St. Roch Secondary School continued the partnership a few weeks later.) Getting to and from the well and fetching water several times each morning became a metaphor for our solidarity experience. As David, our Casa Canadiense facilitator, put it, “The fires of Hell opened up along the path!” What a heated effort to haul simple pails of water back to the site to mix cement and assist brick-laying!

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Past the shady mango tree and the school “tuck shop” (an outdoor table), through a barbed wire fence, down a dusty dirt road, past the side of someone’s house, through scrub and bush on a narrow path downhill to the well, we trudged in single file, empty buckets in hand. We would slosh water onto our feet or the side of the path as we struggled uphill. On the last morning, a teacher had us form a “chain”, thereby cutting down the walk, and ultimately getting more water to the site. More than once, I resisted the temptation to “accidentally” spill the cool water onto myself to get relief from the blazing sun. Each arrival at the community well presented a different daily life activity: a woman washing laundry on a stone platform; people taking “bucket showers” in the privacy of a metal stall, sometimes helping each other by pouring water; and a group of laughing school boys slowly obtaining one small bucket of drinking water for their class. Ultimately, solidarity means we are a partnership of equals. Canadians and Nicaraguans learn from each other despite language barriers and economic disparity. We are grateful for this annual chance to learn and live out our place in the Body of Christ.

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A Career With “No Limits” On May 1st, over 550 senior high school students from across the GTA descended upon the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto. Among the group were 8 senior Notre Dame Accounting students. They came to meet and network with over 150 Chartered Professional Accountants (CPAs). The annual event called, “No Limits Conference”, is designed to expose high school students to the variety of career opportunities and career options as a CPA both in the profit and non-profit sectors. This is an exciting time for the profession because all three accounting bodies are in the process of merging: Chartered Accountants (CAs); Certified Management Accountants (CMAs); and Certified General Accountants (CGAs). This merger forms a unified accounting designation: Chartered Pro-

Science Department Grade 9 Science News In Gr. 9 Science, the Astronomy Unit is one of the favourite units for the students. Students are extremely interested in the Earth, celestial objects and the advances humans have made to further explore the universe. This semester all Gr. 9 Science classes have the privilege to attend an astronomy presentation by amateur astronomer Brian Cheaney from Cosmic Connections on June 5. Cosmic Connections is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to delivering accurate and informative astronomy presentations, workshops and evening observing sessions. Brian has delivered over 2000 presentations to 400+ schools all over Ontario. This program not only addresses the Astronomy Curriculum expectations but it also delivers the latest news and events in the field of astronomy and space exploration to the classroom.

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Chemistry News It has been an exciting semester for chemistry students! Students were experimenting with various acids and bases, and learned how to calculate concentrations by doing titrations. Chemistry students also had the opportunity to design their own labs to test different variables! Grade 12 chemistry students were also able to construct different molecules and compounds in 3D so they can see what everyday compounds really look like!

Physics News This past year, Grade 11 Physics students had the opportunity to participate in many different engaging activities. Along with these activities, students were involved in two design contests that had them build a DC motor and design a Cartesian Diver. For the DC motor championship, students used copper wire, a battery and magnet to create motors that in some cases, worked for well over 2 hours. Using Newton’s Laws and some MacGyver like ingenuity, students built Cartesian Divers and then raced them in 1.5 L bottles. Most Cartesian Divers were exceptionally fast, moving at an average speed of 1.5 meters per second.

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Hospitality Class Helps out at Ronald McDonald House, Hamilton Notre Dame’s Grade 12 Hospitality class invited the teachers and staff of the school to a Black Tie Luncheon in May of this year. The proceeds from the luncheon gave them an opportunity to travel to the Ronald McDonald House in Hamilton and feed the families on June 04. This “safe home away from home” provides families of seriously ill children who are receiving treatment at McMaster Children’s Hospital, some comfort, a delicious meal and an overnight room if needed. The students were indeed touched from the entire day and had this to say, “To be honest, I’ve never experienced something so heartfelt like I did yesterday. Seeing how comfortable the volunteers/employees made the house was incredible. Just by being able to do a small, kind gesture for them was an honour.” Rachel Ferreira “When Chef Sean said “I want to distract them from thinking they’re in the hospital with delicious, homemade and nutritious food” I made a decision. I will never serve or eat food the same way again.” Lamar Edwards “It was overall an experience of a lifetime, being able to cook for the families of these sick children is a memory I will never forget.” Matthew Vallecorsa

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A Message from Anna Da Silva Trustee Ward 1,3&4 Linda Zanella Trustee Ward 2,5&6 Dear Parents and Guardians, Over the years, the Parents/Guardians who chose Catholic education for their children have told us that they are overwhelmingly satisfied with the education their children receive in our Dufferin-Peel Catholic schools. Indeed, there are many ways to measure success, one of them being standardized testing, such as EQAO assessments that are conducted across the province each year. In these tests, Dufferin-Peel students have invariably met or exceeded the provincial average in virtually all areas year after year. This, combined with our high graduation rates, variety of programming choices, the all-pervasive, spiritual, Christian Catholic faith-imbued nature of our schools, high standard of excellence, committed and dedicated faculty and staff and welcoming, diverse learning environments, make our schools places where extraordinary lives begin to take shape. Hopefully, this has been your experience at your child’s school. As trustees, we continually share good news stories about Catholic education in Dufferin-Peel …. at board meetings, school council and community meetings, through social media, face-to-face conversations; essentially, wherever we go. While we connect, collectively, with thousands of parents/guardians and family members, there are countless others who may be unaware of what we have to offer. Last summer, we embarked on an awareness campaign to enhance our board’s profile in a variety of public spaces in the community. The campaign, which is ongoing, was labeled, Extraordinary lives start with a great Catholic education. We took this simple message to all corners of our jurisdiction using images that reflect our richly diverse community. You may have seen our message in transit shelters, shopping malls, community newspapers and other publications. Soon, you may spot our message displayed in colourful graphic design across many of our board maintenance vehicles as they roll throughout the community. As parents/guardians and stakeholders, we hope that you, too, will feel proud to be a part of our community and to also spread this message, based on your experience, through word of mouth and other means at your disposal. It has been another incredible year. To highlight a few accomplishments: Sixth consecutive balanced budget Aggressive technology plan for our schools Full Day Kindergarten in every elementary school, in September Continuing reinvestments in Special Education Working towards Eco certification for all schools Vigorous schedule of renovations and repairs to schools Launched our dynamic new board and school websites Cont’d next page

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2 Notre Dame Avenue, Brampton Ontario L6Z 4L5 Phone: 905-840-2802

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A Message from Anna Da Silva Trustee Ward 1,3&4 Linda Zanella Trustee Ward 2,5&6 As we close out the 2013-14 school year, we can say that we have much to be pleased with and proud about in our schools. Our students continue to perform at levels that meet or exceed the provincial standards and average in most areas of EQAO assessments. This speaks to the range of academic programs that are designed to meet the needs of the diverse range of learners in our system. The recently concluded Catholic Education Week gave our students and our schools the opportunity to highlight the incredible work that takes place each day and provided a forum for our community to see this work firsthand. If you would like to receive ongoing information from the board on school and board issues, events and activities, consider signing up for eCommunity, a free information service provided through the board website at www.dpcdsb.org or follow us on Twitter @DPCDSBSchools. It has been our honour and pleasure to serve as your trustee this past year. To those whose children are graduating and leaving our system, I hope your experience has been a positive one that you will stay connected to Dufferin-Peel and continue to be a Catholic school supporter. To those parents and guardians whose children remain with us, we look forward to working on your behalf over the coming years. To all, it is our hope that you will have a safe and enjoyable summer and experience God’s richest blessings in all that you do. Sincerely.

Important Dates: September 2 September 12 September 16&17 September 23,24 October 13 October 16 November 5 November 13 November 14 December 22January 2 January 21-27 January 30

First Day of Classes PA Day (No School) Photo Day School Liturgy Thanksgiving (No School) Parent Teacher Interviews Take your Kids To Work ( Grade 9 ) Mid Term Reports go home PD Day ( No School) Christmas Break Semester 1 Final Exams Start of Semester 2