Notre Dame High School (Catholic Secondary School)

12 Malvern Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4E 3E1

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History & Tradition

Notre Dame High School was founded by the Congregation of Notre Dame in 1941 to provide excellence in education for young Catholic women. The Sisters of the Congregation have been teaching at the school throughout its 65-year history.

Since 1941, the school has grown. In 1963 O'Connor Hall was built and then in the 70's with enrollment at 1,111, Notre Dame moved into the second and third floors of the neighbouring St. John' Catholic School. At present all three buildings are in use.

These years also saw the canonization of Marguerite Bourgeoys, the founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame and now the school's patron saint. Her feast day is celebrated annually with special events coordinated by the school's chaplaincy team. An educator herself, Marguerite's legacy lives on as she serves as an important role model for staff and students alike.

Most recently, Notre Dame has entered into an arrangement with its brother school, Neil McNeil to share courses at the grade 12 level.

History and tradition are important at Notre Dame and the involvement of the members of the alumni association in the life of the school attest to this.

How We Meet the Diverse Needs of Our Students

We believe in the success and leadership of young women in the family, in the Church and in the global community.  Founded on Gospel values, the school’s annual theme becomes a rallying point for the ongoing discussion of relationship with God, of self-respect to mutual respect and of personal right to social responsibility.

We are committed to guiding students so they not only achieve their academic potential, but that they also discover their talents and gifts, which in turn will help them select  a school program pathway that enables them to make a smooth transition to the post-secondary destination of their choice. 

The Success for All initiative addresses the needs of those students who require additional help in a credit intervention situation or in credit recovery. Thus students who are at risk of falling behind in accumulating their credits toward graduation are given sustained support.  

Technology is integrated into the curriculum, which offers a balance of courses ranging from science and mathematics to physical education and the arts. With the support of the Guidance counselors, chaplaincy team, student and teacher tutoring and student mentors, the girls find encouragement as they pursue their interests and future plans.

The schools comprehensive program offers a full range of programs that prepare students for university, college and the world of work.  Programs and support services are offered to special education students. Programs are also available to students who are designated gifted and enrichment courses are also offered.  Teachers also prepare students to write examinations in various subjects for equivalency standing and advanced placement at major Canadian and U.S. universities a 

Curriculum initiatives

The transition to high school initiative welcomes grade nine students to our school with the assistance of student leaders (M.O.S.T.) who help mentor them through the first few weeks of school. Student mentors also offer after-school tutoring, help new students prepare for formal examinations and provide opportunities for community building. 

Grade nine students are also engaged in a three-day orientation/retreat program at an outdoor facility.  Student leaders under staff supervision conduct activities and workshops that focus on faith development and spiritual reflection, school spirit, leadership skills, self-advocacy and outdoor education, as well as the Safe Schools program.  

The school’s EQAO preparation initiatives in Grade 10 Literacy and Grade 9 Numeracy have resulted in a consistent three-year performance that has exceeded both the provincial scores and TCDSB scores.  The 2005 Mathematics results placed the school with the highest Grade 9 scores in the TCDSB. 

The Women’s Health, Wellness and Nutrition program is an initiative that encompasses the school’s funded breakfast program (a consistent, nutritious menu alternative offered in the school cafeteria) and a student-run fitness program.  The annual Girls’ Night Out event involving the Department of Health and many health and wellness professionals from the school community supports the school’s commitment to encouraging a healthy, active life style for young women.

Co-curricular programs

A number of students have excelled at mathematics and essay-writing contests, science fairs, Canada Skills and robotics competitions.  Students with an interest in the arts have received outstanding performance awards at the Sears Festival Drama competition and visual arts competitions and have celebrated their talents at the annual Arts Night.  Other clubs and activities include: Yea God Club, yearbook, photography, band, Multicultural Club, school newspaper, math league, Debating Club, Knitting Club, Social Justice Club, Black History Club and M.O.S.T.   

The school offers a broad spectrum of team and individual sports such as: cross-country, hockey, basketball, volleyball, softball, soccer, badminton, tennis, track and field, swimming and golf.  Numerous gold medals and participation at OFSSA in various sports attests to the success of the school’s sports program.

School News

November 6, 2008
Grade 8 Open House
7:00 p.m.

PA Days 2008-2009

• October 24
• November 14
• February 13
• April 17
• June 25, 26

Exam Dates 2008-2009

• January 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
• June 18, 19, 22, 23, 24

Skater succeeds
Congratulations to Kristen Loritz for being a member of the Gold Ice Junior Competitive Team. Their season ended with a national championships and a silver medal at the World Challenge Cup for Juniors in Rouen France in March 2008.

Notre Dame Places First in Category at Provincial Destination ImagiNation
Notre Dame High School won a first place ranking in its category of  the Provincial Destination ImagiNation Competition.  Over 180 schools from across Ontario competed in the multi-disciplinary skills competition.  Notre Dame will be representing Ontario at the next level of the competition, the Global Nationals, which will take place in May in Knoxville Tennessee. Last year, over 1000 teams from around the world attended; it is the largest creativity competition of its kind anywhere. The students in the Notre Dame are: Alexandra Lincoln, Euchelle Millena, Melody Muere, Jennifer Smith and Niroja Thirugnanasampanthar. 

Science Fair at Immaculate Heart of Mary
Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School participated in its first ever Science Fair.  Baby chickens were hatched, bulbs were lit and volcanoes erupted. Students from Notre Dame High school, along with their teacher  at Notre Dame, Janette Buckley, judged the projects and demonstrated their love of science through some “hair raising” demonstrations.

Student wins essay contest
Congratulations to Tracie Marryshow, who won the insidetoronto.com back-to-school essay writing contest. Her story was selected from 200 submissions focusing on their goals for the year ahead. Tracie said her goal was to be the best she could be and to not let fear stop her from succeeding. She won a Toshiba laptop computer.

Production receives accolades
This year the student written and directed show, “Hooke’s Law” received many accolades at both the District and Toronto Regional, and Provincial level of The Sears Drama Festival. District awards included: 

ü      Award of Excellence:  Ensemble Performance

ü      Award of Excellence:  Playwrighting

ü      Award of Excellence:  Directing

ü      Nomination:  B.J. Castleman New Playwright Award

ü      Outstanding Production 

Festival closing ceremonies were held at Hart House Theatre on Saturday April 14^th.Toronto Regional awards included: 

ü      Award of Merit:  Performance:  Chevone Griffith

ü      Award of Excellence:  Performance: Kanika Ambrose

ü      Award of Excellence:  Directing:  Trisha Villanueva

ü      Outstanding New Student Written Play

ü      Outstanding Production 

Provincial Festival awards from The David Howe Theatre, Brock University May 16^th to May 18^th were: 

ü      Excellence in Production

ü      Oustanding Achievement:  Directing:  Trisha Villanueva

ü      Ken and Ann Watts Memorial Scholarship (Only four given at Provincials):  ($3000):  Bea Palanca and Kanika Ambrose

ü      Mira Award:  (Only four given at Provincials)  Performance:  Kanika Ambrose

ü      Invitation to perform at Summerworks in August 

Notre Dame Excels Again at Sears Festival
Notre Dame drama students have advanced again for the fourth year in a row to the Provincial level of the Sears Drama Festival, which will take place the week of May 14th to 18th in St. Catherines, Ontario.

District Awards:
Award of Excellence for Playwriting: Kanika Ambrose, Faaizah Ahmed, Adelaida Blaxley, Chelsea Dowling, Chevone Griffith, Michiko Onate, Bea Palanca, and Trisha Villanueva
Award of Excellence for Directing: Trisha Villanueva; Award of Excellence for Ensemble Performance: the cast
Outstanding Production Award

Regional Awards:
Award of Merit for Acting: Chevone Griffith
Award of Excellence for Acting: Kanika Ambrose Award of Excellence for Directing: Trisha Villanueva Outstanding Production (Advances them to the Provincials)

Cast List: Actors: Kanika Ambrose, Chelsea Dowling, Chevone Griffith, Michiko Onate, Bea Palanca, Vanessa Venton Director: Trisha Villanueva Production Manager: Faaizah Ahmed Writers: all of the above and Adelaida Blaxely. Crew:Aila Comilang, Stage Manager; Isabelle Simpas, Lighting and  Mary Karniszewski, Sound.

“My Umm Hmm”
Kanika Ambrose, Grade 12 student at Notre Dame High School, has written and starred in her own one-woman show entitled “My Umm Hmm”.  The show was selected to be part of the Paprika Festival for new playwrights 21 and under.  Kanika invited fellow students Trisha Villanueva and Bea Palanca to join her as Director and Stage Manager respectively. The Paprika Festival Training Program offers young artists the opportunity to collaborate with professionals to learn the crafts of theatre-making, explore the challenges and possibilities of the creative process, and maximize their works’ exciting potential. The Paprika Festival Training Program team includes professional artists like Marjorie Chan, Sue LePage, Weyni Mengesha and Lisa Anne Ross.

School Learning Plan -- 2007-2008

EQAO Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics:

Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT):

The OSSLT shows the extent to which Ontario students are meeting the minimum literacy standard expected by the end of Grade 9. The test assesses the reading and writing skills as they apply to all subjects as out-lined in the Ontario Curriculum. Students must pass the OSSLT as one of the 32 requirements for an Ontario Secondary School Diploma.