Volume 24--Issue 23

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Good Day All:  Welcome to Odd Week 23!  We hope you were able to enjoy a marvellous Family Day. 

Last week was incredibly busy.  When is it not busy at Ward?  We had many teams busy last week and both the Swim Team and Ski/Snowboard teams competed at TDCAA events.  Congratulations to both teams and their moderators.  The seasons continue! 

Canadian & World Studies as well as the Business Department’s Co-Op program celebrated their respective “Fairs”.  Thanks to all the people who helped ensure these events took place by way of organizing, advertising, planning, and executing such great activities.

By now you have probably encountered our Versailles French Exchange students.  The French Department has planned many exciting activities and the kids (ours and theirs) seem to be having a great time.  If you haven’t seen any of the Versailles students, simply look for some handsome looking boys in civvies followed by a large group of Mary Ward girls!

We offer our thanks to the Special Education department who were busy last week presenting at the IPRC reviews.  A great deal of work went into preparing for those meetings and it paid off.  Thank you for all your efforts and especially in light of the crazy Admin schedules last week!

The Mary Ward Valentine’s Day Dance (formerly known as Jam for Justice) was a grand success.  Last Thursday from 6 – 9 p.m, 150 Mary Ward students, the Versailles students, and 5 guests danced their evening away.  Congratulations to Cathy Schwan, Wendy Jones and student organizers from USJ and ESP.  Between the assigned duties, to the food that was prepared and to the clean-up, the students and staff supervisors did an excellent job.  We had great staff support from JoAnne Dwyer, Silvia Fortura, Sal Valvo, Maureen McAndrew, Joelle Morgan, Kathy Saran, Judy Fleischacker, Jennifer Wisniowski, Constable Jen King and a fellow police office from Stephen Leacock.  We look forward to future dances.

Finally, we need to take a bit of time to express our tremendous thanks and appreciation for last Friday’s P.A. Day at Ward.  This P.A. day has been in the works since the CCSDL conference last October.  John Notten, Mary Lynn Arturi, Steve Rosseel, Marissa Largo, Dana MacIsaac, Vince Gassi and Santo Visconti put together an exceptional day with plenty to discuss, debate, and ponder.  The level of energy and enthusiasm generated by all staff in the Library on Friday was inspiring.  You have given all of us plenty to think about.  Please know that despite the forthcoming changes at Ward, we will continue to move forward in our discussions and possible implementation of new concepts. 

How lovely to start the work week on a Tuesday!  This Tuesday, the Religion department will be having a Grade 10 Religion assembly during Period 3 in the cafeteria.  This has been coordinated with conflicting departmental block times and we would ask that you ensure all grade 10 students attend this assembly.

The students from Versailles are still with us this week and will be returning to France next weekend.  They will have another adventure-filled week.  The exchange students should be engaged in appropriate behaviour in the school.  They need to be in areas just the same as our own students and exhibiting the same behaviours that we would expect of our own students.  Please move the kids along or correct behaviour as you normally would.  If there are any issues, please contact Admin or the French department. 

More visitors to Mary Ward…  This time there is interest from within our own Board.  A team of teachers from Monsignor Fraser will be arriving and spending the day on Tuesday.  They will meet with Admin in the morning and will be engaged in a panel discussion in the afternoon in the Library. 

FYI, the Business Department’s Marketing Fair will be taking place this Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Look for posters advertising their goods to be sold throughout the week.

Wednesday we will be holding our Black History Month assembly.  The Grade 10 Religion retreat and the Caley and Pascal math contests will go on as usual and those students will not be able to participate in the assembly.  See the day’s schedule below:

Black History Month Presentation:

8:40 - TA begins          (Extended TA/assembly until 10:20 a.m.)

8:45 - 9:30                   Assembly #1 (TA groups 1-34)

9:40 - 10:20                 Assembly #2 (TA groups 35-69)

Period 1:          10:20 - 11:00

Period 2:          11:05 - 11:45

Period 3:          11:50 - 12:30

Lunch               12:30 - 1:10

TA check in      1:10 - 1:15

Period 4:          1:15 - 1:55

Period 5:          2:00 - 2:40

TA check out  2:40 - 2:45

            The Staff Meeting that was scheduled for Wednesday will be cancelled.  Last Friday’s PA day provided us an opportunity to get together and share information.  There is no need for a staff meeting at this time.  If there is any news to share regarding the Administrative change, we will call staff back together in the similar manner as we did last week.

            This Thursday and Friday the Board is hosting a Student Success conference in Toronto.  We will be sending approximately 5 – 6 teachers per day (a different grouping each day).  Teachers whom are attending the conference are reminded to call in a Code 83 absence ahead of time.  We would also ask that if you have not already advised your Department Head of your participation in the conference, you do so on Tuesday.  Carm will be at the conference on Thursday and for part of the morning on Friday.  Andrea will be at the conference on Friday.  Mike will be at Ward on both days (thanks, Mike!).

            This Friday the Special Education department will be engaged again in the IPRC review meetings for their ME/DD students.  The meetings will be held in the office conference room.

We will have student visitors to Ward on Friday.  Vince Gassi will be hosting music students from Emily Carr in Oakville(?)  He was asked to compose a piece of music for the school’s opening.  Carr’s students and Mary Ward music students will take part in a joint rehearsal of Vince’s composition.  This should be a wonderful experience.  Drop by the cafeteria in the morning on Friday if you get a chance.  Congratulations, Vince!

We do have several field trips out this week.  There are too many to individually identify.  Please continue to check Varia on-line.  Also – Tony D’Agostino has booked grade 9 rock climbing into the gym for the week.  This activity will be taking place all day.  Please remind students that they need to coordinate their PHE around the Block schedules.  Students have the choice as to when they will climb.  Please help them ensure they get to all the places they need to visit throughout the day.

And finally, from a calendar perspective, the great thing about Mary Ward is that we, as a staff, are free to make our curriculum come alive though offering co-curricular and extra-curricular trips and events.  May I ask that if you are offering a large group activity that impacts the school, a grade or large portion of a grade or any large group of students that the dates need to go through the school calendar.  From my perspective, I will make a point to be more careful about booking conflicting activities (I’m trying, folks!).  Please be sure to give me your trip or event permission form or event email well in advance of the booking.  If it requires a large group of students, please make this very clear to me (highlighter, etc… the number of students that will be involved).  This way, I can embargo the date and avoid double bookings of activities.

Thanks for your assistance.  We wish you a wonderful week.

Daily Schedules