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Notre Dame High School

12 Malvern Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M4E 3E1 Main: 416-393-5501 Guidance: 416-397-6177 Fax: 416-393-5631

Principal: Jolanta Hickey Superintendent: John Shanahan 416-222-8282 Ext. 5371 Trustee: Angela Kennedy (Ward 11) 416-512-3411 Parish: St. John’s Catholic Church 790 Kingston Rd. Toronto, ON M4E 1R7 (416) 698-1105 CSAC Chair: Maria Rayson

416-222-8282 Ext.88501

CPIC (Parent Engagement – TCDSB) www.tcdsb.org/cpic OAPCE Toronto (Provincial Voice for Parents) www.tcdsb.org/oapce-toronto Enrollment: 701

Congratulations to all students and staff for completing another school year. Whether finishing your first year in high school or your last, all can feel that something meaningful has been accomplished. There have been so many great events and accomplishments throughout the course of this year that no single event stood out. We continue to demonstrate what it means to nurture our Catholic community through family, parish and school. It is affirming to witness our community regu-larly showing concern for others before themselves be that through our Christ-mas Basket Program or our fundraising efforts for the residents of Fort McMur-ray. As we continued to move through the semester, we witnessed great success both in and out of the classroom. Thanks to all students who put in the time, ef-fort, interest and energy to represent our school from athletics, to academics, to technology and the arts. In the pages of this Newsletter you will read about these many successes. In addition, you will read about the retirements of several long serving members of our school community. They include, Ms. Rosemarie Evans, Mrs. Lina Maiora-na, Ms. Dawn Pearson and Ms. Lorraine Treacy-Rozario. We wish them well on their new journey, keep them in our prayers and hope they visit often. We will also be saying goodbye to Mrs. Lisette Santos-DeSousa and Mr. Leo Joseph. Both are moving on with their journey of learning to new positions in our Board. We will miss their expertise, their willingness to help and their wonderful smiles! And lastly, our Vice Principal, Mrs. Bernice Peacock will also be moving to a new position with our Board. She will be greatly missed by everyone in our community and we all wish her the very best at her new school. And as always - to everyone that is part of the Notre Dame family, thank you for continuing to support Notre Dame and for making it such a welcoming communi-ty. Keep family and friends close throughout the summer while you rest and relax in the gentle breeze.

God Bless, Jolanta Hickey

Principal

June 2016 TCDSB

The fundamental expectation of students in our Catholic Schools will follow the ethic of our Catholic faith, where em-pathy, care for others, and respect for life are present. If you are aware that a student or group of students is in a danger-

ous situation, then you should tell a caring adult in the school community immediately.

We are honoured to have celebrated Notre Dame’s 72nd graduation on Wednesday, June 29, 2016. We are proud of our graduating class who exemplifies the best of Notre Dame. These Notre Dame graduates have enriched our school with their participation in academic, athletic and extra-curricular activities. It is our hope that these young ladies continue to exemplify Marguerite Bourgeoys’ principles of faith, perseverance, integrity, creativity and generosity. Congratula-tions and good luck in all future endeavours. Mrs. Champion & Mrs. Reiter Graduation Coordinators

A Night in Olympus" was held at the Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex on Thursday June 23, 2016. It was a lovely evening, organized so beautifully by the Prom Committee. Good food, dancing and excellent company made for a memorable night for all - staff and students alike. Thanks to all grade 12's on the Prom Committee for your hard work all year long!

June 2016 Notre Dame High School Pg. 2

Notre Dame's Student Council Supports Mental Health Aware-ness. On March 2, 2016, members of Notre Dame's Student Council, attended a STOP THE STIGMA conference at the Catholic Ed-ucation Centre. Our girls, along with students from across the Toronto Catholic District School Board, came together to learn about mental health awareness. Their goal: to develop strate-gies that promote mental health. wellbeing within our school community. Let's congratulate their efforts towards building a stronger Notre Dame sisterhood.


On March 11, 2016, Notre Dame’s student body rang in this year’s PI Day with a variety of activities to showcase their enthusiasm for the beloved irrational number. The PI Committee, lead by L. Maiorana, the math department head, and a group of math conscientious students hosted a school wide PI recitation contest. Under the guidance of Mrs. Lawson, Notre Dame’s hospitality classes prepared hundreds of cherry, apple, pumpkin pies for each and eve-ry participant who recited more than 5 digits. In the fierce student competition, JuleaneTumbaga, a grade twelve student collected first prize with an incredible 73 digits recited, while Ms. Tomlin won the teacher competition. Their prizes included a pie of their choice to bring home and a gift certificate. However, more entertainingly, their prize included a chance to pie their choice of an unlucky math teacher at the PI Assembly at the end of Pi Day. Stomachs filled with pie, and hearts overflowing with enthusi-asm for pie, the student body cheered heartily as Juleane pied Mr. Leo Joseph with a lofty throw and Mrs. Ma-iorana’s face was engulfed in whipped cream as Mrs. Tomlin pied her in the face. We look forward to next year's PI day. Start learning those digits! Dana Mae Malapit and Alexa Tumaneng

This semester, Notre Dame’s Concert Band showcased their talent at both the TCDSB Music Festival (in April) and Canada’s Wonderland Festival of Music (in May). The girls’ hard work and dedication paid off with high praises from our adjudicators. Due to the growing success of the band, Notre Dame is

planning on offering two extra-curricular bands next

year. We will be continuing with the success of our con-

cert “Jam” band and will be introducing a new “Select”

band, for which auditions will be held in September.

We hope you will take a second and walk by our wee Community Garden at some point. It is located on the south side of the Main building. The Hospitality and Tourism classes and a grade 9 Religion class have done the heavy digging and planting for us all. They planted spinach, mixed let-tuce, onions, carrots, sunflowers and potatoes. We have already had our first harvest of lovely fresh salad greens and hopefully we will return in September to a fall harvest. If you are around the school this summer, please walk by and enjoy the students’ hard work. L. Lawson


In May 2016, a group of 22 individuals adventured off to Superi-or North, Ontario to build relationships with the Indigenous com-munity. After a 2 hour flight and a 3 hour bus ride, we were wel-comed and shown loving hospitality from the Greenstone Com-munity. This trip has had a beautiful impact on my spirituality and heart. We were able to completely live in tune with nature and our surroundings, and value each other’s presence. We participated in events and Aboriginal rituals that helped us feel grounded to Mother Earth. Smudging ceremonies gave us the opportunity to cleanse our spirits, the drumming of the songs unified our heartbeats, and the teachings and lessons provided by community members gave us profound insight. We made special interactions with students from the Superior North school board that will stay in our hearts forever. From hoop dancing to fishing on Kenogamisis lake to hiking up the Palisades, we learned so much about the Aboriginal community and created unforgettable memories within only four days. I want to express my gratitude to the Greenstone community, Superior North Catholic District School Board, students and moderators that made this trip possible. Thank you!

Thirty-six grade 10 students from across the TCDSB board attended the Physical/Mental Wellness Arts Retreat the week of April 18th to 22nd. The retreat was an opportunity for students to come together and build on their leadership skills through the arts. Students created beautiful mixed-media self-portraits that portrayed their personality and style. They also painted fabulous landscapes that was very calming to them.

They built on working together and collaborating through drama and dance as well as demonstrating their artistic styles. Participating students from Notre Dame were Cely Sy, Victoria Mercorillo, Esther Ukiomogbe and Claire Francom. Along with the many arts, the students did some rock climbing, horseback riding, shelter building, and other outdoor activities. Guest artists who took the time out of their busy schedules to be a part of this wonderful experi-ence for the students. Teachers nominated students and Nick D’Avella from Student Success supported this amazing and very much-needed pro-gram. “The most enjoyable experience was to meet students from different schools, especially the ones that are so far way!” – Cely Sy

This past March Break 2016 Notre Dame travelled to love-ly Italy and Greece! We walked back in time, visiting beau-tiful historic sites, and then fast-forwarded to present where we ate delicious foods and shopped until we dropped! Highlights from the trip included visiting the ancient sanc-tuary in Delphi in Greece, walking through St. Peter’s Ba-silica in Rome, and shopping at the leather market in Flor-ence. In Greece we ate fresh olives, tomatoes and feta cheese every chance we got, and also marveled at the monaster-ies in the mountains that we visited in the Meteora region. Students delighted in ordering pizza in Ancona in Italy, saying, “vorrei una pizza margherita per favore” and en-joyed the fresh taste of gelato italiano in Rome. In Flor-ence we tasted prosciutto italiano and shopped for leather purses and silk scarves in the market. This trip can be summed up in three words: friendship,

fun, and memories.

Mme R. Paniccia


The Notre Dame God Squad was very active throughout the school this year! With over 50 active and dedicated members, we planned and implemented Masses, the Thanksgiving Food Drive, the Christmas Basket Cam-paign (providing for over 24 families in our Community and beyond), the Lenten Fundraiser (raising almost $3000 for the work of our CND Sisters (in Education) in Cameroon, Africa and Honduras, Central America). As a school, we wrote postcards of hope and light to teenagers in Attawapiskat, and we fundraised for the people of Fort McMurray, Alberta. It was a busy year, but worth every moment. We look forward to many exciting things for next year! S. Soave


This was the inaugural year for ND's Big Sisters and Little Sisters Club. This group worked to bridge our International students and students new to Canada, with our more experienced students. Throughout the year, we enjoyed Karaoke Parties, Bowling, Chinese name writing, Halloween Costume exchanges, per-sonally planned trips to the Toronto Zoo, and a gen-eral feeling of belonging for all students involved. We are thankful to our Big Sisters for making our Little Sisters feel so welcomed and loved, and we are thankful to our Little Sisters for participating so ful-ly. We look forward to many new exciting things next year! S. Soave

Athletes Seize the Day! On May 25th, Notre Dame held its annual Athletic Banquet to acknowledge this year's athletic achieve-ments. Congratulations to all athletes and coaches on their successful 2105-2016 season. Special mention goes to the following award win-ners for their accomplishments. Senior Athlete of the Year - Andrea Morris, Junior Athlete of the Year - Emily De Melo, Bantam Athlete of the Year - Jessica Shantz, Spirit Award - Maria Carabas, Dedicated Athlete - Nicole Bass and Man-ager of the Year - Miranda Manolakos. Thanks for a great year!


Second semester has been one of excitement, interaction and awards in the French Department! Karla Sanchez in Grade 12 and Veronica Kowlessor in Grade

10 both won prizes in the National French Essay Competition

with Français pour l'avenir. This competition involved thou-

sands of students across Canada and they both emerged as

winners! Their essays were written in French and focused on

the importance of bilingualism in their lives. For their work they

both won $1000 scholarships to l’université d’Ottawa. Félicita-

tions Veronica and Karla!

Students in French also represented Notre Dame at Le Concours d’art oratoire, the French speech contest. Marie-Joy Cuevas, Janelle Cuevas, and Nicole Bass represented our school at the TCDSB competition. At this competition Janelle Cuevas won a bronze medal in the Senior category for her speech on language, identity and immigration to Canada. Her sister, Marie-Joy Cuevas won a gold medal in the Junior category. Marie-Joy Cuevas won a gold medal for her speech, Dans les om-

bres de mes soeurs, which focused on her relationship with her two

older sisters. As a gold medal winner in the TCDSB she represent-

ed our school and school board at the provincial competition held at

Glendon College at York University. In the competition she spoke

with eloquence and answered the judges’ questions with confi-

dence and conviction.

The French Department also showcased student work in this year’s

Film Festival held at the Fox Theatre. At the festival, the film Le Ki-

mono, by Janelle Cuevas, Emma Keane, Brigitte Toljagic and Liane

Esguerra, was shown on the big screen. The film focused on the

hardships of Japanese-Canadians during WW2. To view the film

please visit the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

feature=youtu.be&v=C4vHvzC4htI&app=desktop

This semester our Grade 9 students participated in an interactive cooking workshop in French with Chef Suzanne that included stories, music, and delicious desserts! As part of this workshop they learned about French Moroccan culture and foods. In May we also once again, welcomed local French-Canadian actor Nicolas Van Burek who led interactive stage combat workshops in French with students in Grades 10, 11 and 12. It has been a very busy, but rewarding semester

for both staff and students in the French Depart-

ment at Notre Dame. À la prochaine!

Mme Paniccia


This was another successful semester for our Notre Dame students participating in the cooperative education program. They were able to explore career areas of their choice and gain invaluable work experi-ence. They were also able to develop skills needed to succeed in the 21st century such as interpersonal skills, team work, initiative, responsi-bility, and organization skills. Students gained hands-on experience in a variety of careers including Nursing, Teaching, Police, Retail, Baking, Office Administration, Banks, Real Estate, Volunteer Activation, Horse Grooming and Care, and Harbourfront Cultural Engagement and Activation.

Congratulations to the following

students on their outstanding

effort and enthusiasm.

Thea Alvarez Lindsay Aquino

Dana Patricia Arqueza

Tekeisha Bovell

Mackenzie Campbell

Angelica Castro

Kayla Cheeseman

Chanelle Christmas-Lafleur

Neriza Cruz

Kimberley Delos Santos

Nazaiah Franco

Molesha Green

Jahleela Grubb-Demattos Katrina Gumina

Nicole Josue

Shannon Klinck

Luxshitha Loganathan

Pauline Lozano

Khojesta Malik

Zuhal Samim

Isabelle Thibault

Maria Christina Torralba

Thoughts from our Coop students: “Like a miracle I found out about coop. It was perfect for my indecisive per-sonality.” (Angelica Castro, Gr 11, Mt. Sinai Hospital) “I learned that it is important to figure out what I am passionate about and work on that … it is important to step out of my comfort zone.” (Pauline Lozano, Gr 11, Bank of Montreal) “Coop has helped me gain the knowledge and experience that will help me achieve my goal of becoming a police officer. My placement has helped me grow into a great person and has prepared me for the work force.” (Tekeisha Bovell, Gr 12, Toronto Police Headquarters) “It has definitely affirmed my future desire to be a nurse, and has opened up new ideas to possibly even becoming a doctor.” (Aya Franco, Gr 11, Mt. Sinai Hospital) “What I have learned about myself that I am most proud of is that I have the ability to really impress my supervisor so much that she encourages other colleagues to request coop students, all due to the excellent work I have been able to achieve this semester.” (Kayla Cheeseman, Gr 12, St. John Elementary School)

Cooperative Education Experience

Taking coop was a life changing experience for me. My coop placement was at Mount Sinai Hospital. I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to be part of the Mount Sinai community. My “job” was to be one of their “mini nurses” to patients with Alzheimer’s. I got to experience the realities of a nurse’s job. Some of the duties I included interacting with patients and getting to know them, talking to them and keeping them company, playing games with patients to keep them entertained, reading books, and many other activi-ties. Having hands on experience in the hospital has really impacted my deci-sion on what to study in university and also a possible career path. Taking Coop and Biology together in the same semester really helped me under-stand the biology of the human body. The Mount Sinai community helped me gain more confidence in myself. I improved my social skills and understood the importance of taking initiative and improving my work ethic. This oppor-tunity was such a wonderful experience for me. The contacts I made at the hospital have helped me and I will be going back to volunteer for the summer of 2016. I would like to thank Ms. Lawson and Ms. Champion on guiding me and encouraging me to do my best.


This year, the Eco Team has accomplished many eco-friendly initiatives! In the fall, they participated in the COP21 march to stop the construction of an oil pipeline and to "light the way to climate action". These students also organized fun events to find ways to reduce our carbon footprint. This included Sweater Day (where heat is turned down in the buildings) and Earth Week. Earth Week taught the school community how to save the envi-ronment in little innovative ways such a reusing shirts by tie-dying them. The year ended at an assembly with a brief skit and rap to review how to organize trash in an entertaining way. The Eco Team members, Crystal Beleno, Marie Joy Cuevas, Gelila Ezra, Brittney Lumanda, Kelly Morrison, Auoie Nartatez, Mungaba Ng'uni and Esther Ukiomogbe showed great stewardship with the encouragement of Ms. Santos-DeSousa, Ms. D. Pearson and Ms. Jeffers.

In December, the teams competed at the Sixth Annual TCDSB Secondary Cardboard Boat Races. Sarah Aloysius, Sehar Iqbal. Miranda Manolakos and Aisha Parven from Team “Dreadnaughts 2.0” placed 1st while Shalom Del Mundo, Jariah Jalloh, Toni Lewis and Kalysta Mejia-Torres from Team “Sleigh Devils” placed 3rd. They truly represented the power and spirit of Dame girls. But the journey didn't stop there. Again in December, the teams competed in the Skills Canada Regional races and faced 31 other schools from southern Ontario. The Dread-naught 2.0 won gold and Sleigh Devils won Team Spirit and both teams advanced to the races in Waterloo in March. The Skills Canada Championship would go on to feature the top 14 teams in the province. After travelling in a snowstorm to get to the competition, the girls spent a fun filled day designing, cre-ating and building 2 boats each, and then racing them. At the end of the day, the points were tallied and The Dreadnaught 2.0 too 5th spot and Sleigh Devils came in 6th. Congratulations to both Notre Dame’s Cardboard Boat Teams for a very successful year!

This year’s Multicultural Festival, held on May 13th was a great success! Close to 500 people came to celebrate both the diversity as well as the similarities of our many cultures at Notre Dame. Guests were able to enjoy a celebration of the South East Asians, Korean, Caribbean, Philippines, African, Middle Earth, Japanese, First Nations, Chinese, Italian and Hawaiian cultures. During the day the students enjoyed a common lunch buffet made by the Hospitality and Tourism classes and a presentation from Aaron Bell, a story teller from the Objiway First Nations. During the evening function, we enjoyed touring the world at the pavilions and a fabulous showcase of dances and skits performed by pavilion members. None of this would have been possible without the support of our staff and the many months of planning by our pavilion leaders, pavilion members, and our awesome student leaders. Thank you to the staff, students and parent community for helping make this such a memorable event!

Notre Dame Science continues to cultivate academic and re-search excellence. Be it in teaching science through hands-on activities or minds-on leadership, teachers and students open new doors in learning with lab research skills and the applica-tion of technology out of school. Photography and video tech-nology is frequently used in conducting field trips enhancing learning experiential science. Our annual science trip to the Ontario Science Centre to explore DNA fingerprinting and our visit to the Toronto Zoo to investigate animal behaviours en-riched and complemented developing scientific skills taught at Notre Dame.

This semester, Ms. Slosel’s AVI 3M Visual Arts students were challenged to transform discarded football and base-ball helmets, sports equipment designed to protect athletes, into something that needed protecting. The chosen theme was endangered species. The project is part of a board-wide initiative that will ultimately bring all the sculp-tures created at different schools together into an on-line art exhibit. The Notre Dame sculptures, featured such exot-ic animals as the Sumatran rhinoceros, the red-eye tree frog, the red panda and the vaquita, a relative of the mana-tee, which has approximately 30 left in existence! Individual sculptures were unveiled in the library each day during the last two weeks of classes with a morning announcement informing the school community of the causes of endan-germent and status for each of the species. Staff and students were amazed with the results and surprised about the issues that were brought to light.


This school year, three grade 9 science classes visited the Metro Toronto Zoo in April 2016 on an ecology-based Safari Photo event. Students observed animal behaviour while also investigating Science Technology Society Envi-ronment (STSE) –based issues on animal related human behaviour. Identifying the value for the existence of Zoos is one way to raise deeper thinking skills that envelopes social cognitive skills. Three science teachers Ms. Reid, Mr. Bojorge and Dr. Ayyavoo conducted the trip to raise social cognitive learning skills. Meanwhile, in physics Ms. San-tos-DeSousa organized a trip to Wonderland where students put their physics skills to the test measuring the veloci-ty and slope of rollercoasters. Two amazing physics teachers Ms. Santos-DeSousa and Mr. Joseph will be leaving Notre Dame to share their tal-

ents elsewhere in the TCDSB. Both teachers have been greater mentors to our students and colleagues. We will all

miss them dearly especially in the Sciences.

Our Dame girls were strong competitors at Skills Ontario this year and we wanted to share the results so you could all congratulate our girls on their achievements, dedication and hard work. We are very pleased to announce that Kristen Spence won a BRONZE MEDAL in the Fashion Design competition. In her event, she had 8 hours to draft a pattern, cut and sew a jacket of her own original design. The judges remarked that this was the greatest level of talent they have ever seen in the competition. Kristen competed against 20 students from school boards across Ontario. Olivia Zambri and Natalie Whitten represented the TCDSB in the TV and Vid-eo competition. They were tasked with creating a 90 second comedy short film. They competed against 22 teams from across Ontario. Although they did not make medal standing, they had to make it through three rounds of competition and beat out 32 teams from the GTA to make it to the provincial competi-tion. Although the girls are a bit disappointed they are not returning with medals, we are so proud of what they have accomplished. Please take the opportunity to congratulate Kristen, Olivia and Natalie for all their hard work, dedication and talent. They represented the TCDSB with pride and did us all proud. Notre Dame continues to be recognized as exemplifying excellence in Technological Education. You can find photos of the events by going to the @TCDSBskills Twitter feed, or by searching #TCDSBskills, #teamtcdsb, #skillsontario on Twitter.


On June 1st 2016 Notre Dame presented its 3rd annual Film Fest at the Fox Theatre (2236 Queen St. E). This year's film festival was a great success. We had record attendance! Short films, commercials and music videos created by Grade 10, 11 and 12 Communications Technology stu-dents were showcased on the big screen. We also had a French-language film from one of our senior French stu-dents. Students were able to vote for their favourite films at the end of the night.

Awards were presented in the following categories: Best Short Film: Misfits Chantelle Cruzat-Whervin, Mary-Kelly Quartarone, Tricia Arqueza, Chloe Cuevas, Alexis Doyle-Wilcox Best Commercial: AMKB Ashling Buckley, Hanna Mersha, Natalie Shone, Astrid and Laetitia Van Ruymbeke, Albany Drabot Best Music Video: Wild Things Masters of Media Industries (TGJ2O1-02), Ms. Storto’s period 4, second semester Communications Technology students. Photos from the red carpet can be found on the Film Fest Insta-gram @ndfilmfest, on the Film Fest Twitter @ndfilmfest, or on the school website: https://www.tcdsb.org/schools/notredame/news/Pages/Notre-Dame-Film-Festival.aspx

https://www.tcdsb.org/schools/notredame/news/Pages/Notre-Dame-Film-Festival.aspx

https://www.tcdsb.org/schools/notredame/news/Pages/Notre-Dame-Film-Festival.aspx

Notre Dame is pleased to offer a Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) in Women In Technology (ICT – Information and Communications Technology) for the upcoming 2016-2017 school year. This program allows students to focus on a career path that matches their technological skills and interests. Women are currently under-represented in the ICT sector, making up less than 25% of ICT professionals and the need for ICT professionals in the next decade will be growing faster than new ICT professionals entering the field. Women in technology will be in high-demand in the workforce. SHSM students receive specialized hands-on training, participate in workshops, attend College and University activi-ties and gain real-world experience through Co-op placements. SHSM graduates receive a red seal designation on their diploma, as well as an impressive resume filled with rele-vant, sector-related experience and training. Students going into Grade 11 or 12 who are interested in the program should contact Ms. Storto or Ms. Champion during the first week of school in September for an application. Applications and more information can also be found on our school website: https://www.tcdsb.org/schools/notredame/Academics/Pages/SHSM.aspx


What a “Wyld” season it has been for soothmysisters produc-tions of Notre Dame High School! Auditions were held early in October 2015 and the resulting twenty-member ensemble, (cast and crew), wrote and produced a resonant, original show for their festival entry. Their work was called: “...memorizing and rich…” by Ken Gass, the adjudicator at the Toronto Re-gional level. In the end, Notre Dame was the only TCDSB school at the Provincial Finals. It was a stunning season with the following awards being credited to this multi-talented en-semble:

District Level, (Oakwood Collegiate: March 2nd)

Award of Excellence: Performance, Writing for the En-semble

Award of Excellence: Cresny Lorenzo, Vocals and Mu-sic [Grade 9!]

Award of Excellence: Technical Team, under Sydni Taffe

Outstanding Production: Advancing us to Toronto Re-gionals

Toronto Regionals (Hart House: April 9th)

Award of Merit for Sound Design: Gwen Mayordomo and Patricia Aguilar

Award of Excellence: Ensemble for Performance

Award of Excellence: Betchie Museau for Performance [Grade 9!]

Outstanding Production: Advancing us to the Provincial Finals

Provincial Finals, (Hart House Theatre: May 14th)

Outstanding Production for Direction, Assisted by Alexa Vermey

Award of Excellence to the Ensemble: Performance and Story Telling

Congratulations to this extraordinary collective! Your two hundred plus hours of rehearsal time paid off so that you became the sixth of eight Notre Dame companies to advance to the provin-cial level of the SODF. As June closes, we bid adieu to our seniors, and wish them every suc-cess and love as they leave ND. To the entire company, Chi Miigwetch; thank you for this blessed and profound journey; it was my honour to walk with you.

https://www.tcdsb.org/schools/notredame/Academics/Pages/SHSM.aspx


Ms. Lorraine Treacy-Rozario began her career at Notre Dame as a student. Her passion for our school continued into her teaching career, where she has spent 31 years as a teacher, mentor and friend to both staff and students alike. Ms. Treacy-Rozario has served as Chaplain, Religion Department Head, and has worked to develop many groups and clubs, including the vivacious Catholic Leadership Group (CLG), which worked to bridge students from both ND and Neil McNeil, and allowed them to take on various leadership roles, including running retreats for ele-mentary school students. She has worked tirelessly for over 3 decades, to make her students feel important, loved and worthy, helping and supporting staff members, bringing a light and a love to Notre Dame, that is admired by all. She will continue to inspire young people as she moves on to work through St. Patrick's Church, and their "Called to be a People of Justice" retreats for grade 10 students. We will miss you, Ms. Treacy-Rozario, and wish you all the best in this next chapter in your life. And as in Matthew 25:23, "Well done, good and faithful serv-ant". Thank you for your dedication, support, passion, spirit, enthusiasm and love.

It is with heartfelt appreciation that the Notre Dame communi-ty says goodbye to Ms. Dawn Pearson a teacher since 1988. She first accepted a position as Head in Special Education, but quickly demonstrated her versatility. Dawn wore many hats as she taught our girls Physical Education, Special Education, and Math. Even though her subject areas were demanding she still managed to devote time as Athletic Director. Her true love of the Notre Dame girls was most demonstrated through the di-verse teams she coached. From volleyball, to hockey, cross country to tennis and badminton, every student will forever re-member her leadership and dedication. Outside of sports, the Eco team, will definitely miss her guidance as the environment was a true passion. Hopefully retirement will give Dawn the op-portunity to enjoy family and continue to advocate

for environmental issues.

L-R: D. Pearson, L. Maiorana, L. Treacy-Rozario & R. Evans

Ms. Rosemarie Evans has been Notre Dame’s Department Head for Guidance, Career Studies and Student Success for the past 11 years. Rosemarie has passionately dedicated herself to our students and their success. She has en-couraged both students and colleagues to reflect on their choices and to focus on practices that will truly meet their needs while in high school and for the years that follow. She has been one of our major driving forces behind the im-plementation of many ministry, board, and local initiatives which lead to significant increases in our graduation rates, credit accumulation rates and involvement in community service projects over the years. In her role as a guidance counsellor, she fostered relationships that brought students who were going to drop out of school back to school and gave some who did not have a voice a chance to be heard. However, her impact certainly doesn’t end there. As a coach, she joked around with the students while teaching them new skills and enthusiastically cheered them on - bringing out their best. She was always eager to see the students shine! Thank you for all your dedication Rosemarie as you move into exciting new endeavors. You will be missed.

Mrs. Lina Maiorana, a graduate of Notre Dame, ’69, arrived back home as a teacher in 1985. She has been a foun-dation of the math department and a pillar of the community for 31 years. She has a passion for teaching and a love of math that is limitless. She makes every effort to instill that same pas-sion in her students. Outside the classroom, Mrs. Maiorana has seen and done it all. She has contributed greatly to the SPIRIT of Notre Dame through extra-curricular endeavours such as coordinating graduation, multicultural events and international trips; moderator of the knitting club and athletic council as well coaching the soccer team. Her enthusiasm for teaching is as strong in her final year as an educator as it was in her first. As you move on into the next amazing chapter of your life, know that you will be missed. Know that our very best

wishes and thoughts go with you. Come and visit us often.


It was a few years ago that a soft spoken teacher entered the halls of Notre Dame to start her career in Phys-ics. Little did staff and students know that Lisette Santos-DeSousa would be her own ball of kinetic energy that would move her classes like the Big Bang Theory! She inspired the girls to question the universe and develop the passion for a subject that was traditionally perceived as difficult. She exemplified the virtues of compassion, dedication and love for her students as she spent count-less hours tutoring those in need. She gave them the confidence to challenge themselves during the cardboard boat races which eventually lead the girls to suc-cess! Despite the long hours with students, Ms. Santos-DeSousa continued to coach and support initiatives for the environment, as a moderator of the Eco team. As she would remind our girls, energy travels and transfers, so like her beloved atom, she too will be on the move to Loretto College. Notre Dame bids Ms. Santos-De Sousa a fond farewell and wishes her much success.

These past four years have been an exceptionally fulfilling journey with staff, parents, community members, the parish and students at our school. I consider myself blessed to have worked with such amazing people. Over the last year some of my fondest memories have come from my involvement with initiatives including the Guardian Angel program, Environmental Club, Google Classroom and the Safe Schools Circles with the Right Action Taken team. Our commitment to these vital programs is a testament to the dedication and hard work embedded in the spirit of our school community. I have accepted a position at Bishop Marrocco Thomas Merton High School. While I will deeply miss the community of Notre Dame, I am looking forward to the new chal-lenges and personal growth opportunities that will present themselves in my new position. I am grateful for the hospitality, warmth, kindness and encouragement I have received from all of you over the years. I appreciate the spirit and enthusiasm of the Notre Dame community, and I will always cherish the fond memories and friendships I encountered during my four years at this school. It has been said that departure is a wound no one can heal, but memories are treas-ures no one can steal. I will forever treasure my memories here at Notre Dame High School. God bless you on your journeys. Mrs. Bernice Peacock

When asked to write up this poetic thanks and farewell for a certain amazing teacher, the first concern that arises is “what can we say about Leo in a mere 179 words?” It’s neigh impossible to encapsulate the sheer magnitude of how good of a teacher and friend Leo has been to the Notre Dame community. It is a great benefit that his teaching abilities do not reflect his game playing abilities. No matter how many losses are under his belt, Leo is always in good spirits and a valued compatriot. You will be missed by your lunchtime crew. Students will greatly miss his pie-in-the-face aptitude, cheesy humour, cheerful greetings and exciting games of Ka-hoot! Notre Dame will miss his devotion to student success and his dedication to athletics. It is understandable why he is betraying our community. Proximity to family is an excusable priority for all Catholic families. Regardless, we wish Mr. Joseph the best of luck, the smallest of traffic delays, and the tastiest of pies… in the face, in his new role at Francis Libermann.

Congratulations to the following students on having perfect attendance this year!

Rachel Cubellis, Irene Dauz, Tricia Lote, Stephanie Persaud, Aluyah Ramos and Emerlyn Zamora!

Notre Dame is pleased to announce that The Angel Foundation for Learning, the charitable organization devoted to assisting students within TCDSB schools, has approved our school’s funding request in support of our excur-sion to the Sears Ontario Drama Festival. Serving TCDSB students and making a positive difference, we congratulate The Angel Foundation for Learning for helping students since its inception in 1987. Donations to the Foundation are welcome and can be sent to: The Angel Foundation for Learning, 80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto, ON M2N 6E8. Tax receipts for donations of $10.00 or more will be issued. For more infor-mation about the Foundation visit www.angelfoundationforlearning.org

NEW REGISTRANTS WELCOME: Call 416-393-5501 or the TCDSB Admissions Department at 416-222-8282, ext. 2383. For general information about the Toronto Catholic District School Board, please visit the website at www.tcdsb.org.

Stay in touch with the latest news throughout the school year: Follow @TCDSB on Twitter

Congratulations to Molesha Lennaia Green for being selected as the recipient of the Mary Jane McKeen Skilled Trades Bursary and to Ferd Marie Ramos for being selected as the recipient of the Murdocca Family Bursary for 2015/2016. In addition, congratulations go out to Rica Cruz, Aisha Dirilo, Tamara Mohanavathanan and Marianne Uptegrove, who are all recipients of the Congregation of Notre Dame (CND) Scholarship for 2016! These ladies have won the honour of the award, and money that will help them in their post secondary endeavours. We are proud of all of you, ladies! Congratulations on all your efforts and commitment in achieving your goals!


http://www.angelfoundationforlearning.org/

http://www.tcdsb.org

Number of school days 194 Number of Professional Activity days 7 Labour Day September 5, 2016 First Instructional Day September 6, 2016 Thanksgiving Day October 10, 2016 Christmas Break December 26, 2016—January 6,2016 Start of second semester for February 6, 2017 secondary schools Family Day February 20, 2017 Mid-Winter Break March 13—17, 2017 Good Friday April 14, 2017 Easter Monday April 17, 2017 Victoria Day May 22, 2017

The Toronto Catholic District School Board is offering access to the following Microsoft products to all of our stu-dents: FREE: Microsoft Office 365 Pro Plus: includes latest versions of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Publisher, Excel, Outlook, OneDrive and OneNote. The license can be used for up to 5 computers and up to 5 mobile devices (any platform); FREE: Microsoft Windows 10 EDU; 10% discount on computers and devices at the online Microsoft Educa-tion Store. In order to access this online offer, the student will need to know his/her TCDSB computer login username and pass-word. If your child does not know his/her login information, please contact your school to ask how to obtain this infor-mation. To take advantage of the software offers you must have internet access for the download. To find out more and how you can take advantage of this offer, visit our TCDSB Digital Store now at: www.tcdsb.org/digitalstore Always protect your password! As we move toward the use of Google Apps for Education, having a secure and private password becomes more important. Helpful information regarding passwords, privacy, and internet safety can be located at www.tcdsb.org/passwords Or intranet.tcdsb.org – resources – privacy Also this video provides good tips.


Wards 1. Joseph Martino 9. Jo-Ann Davis 2. Ann Andrachuk 10. Barbara Poplawski 3. Sal Piccininni 11. Angela Kennedy, Chair 4. Patrizia Bottoni 12. Nancy Crawford 5. Maria Rizzo Karina Dubrovskaya 6. Frank D’Amico, Vice-Chair Rhea Carlisle 7. Michael Del Grande Student Trustees 8. Garry Tanuan

http://www.tcdsb.org/digitalstore

http://www.tcdsb.org/passwords

http://www.tcdsb.org/passwords

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