Bond News all designs, photos and words are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without permission.

www.bondgroup.ca

JL: Given more than 10 years of working experience in Hong Kong, Macao, Vietnam and Korea, could you please compare the Western and Eastern educational systems and education philosophy as well as those of the students? HM: The basic differences in the education systems lay in the style of teaching. In Asia, teachers tend to teach a lesson by lecturing the students. There is a

great deal of memorization and studying for final exams. In western countries, teachers guide students in their own learning. Students learn by doing and participating in their learning. There is a lot of group work and the development of cooperative as well as individual independent thinkers. JL: Is there a trend in studying abroad for Asian students? HM: There is a significant trend toward

studying in North America. That is true for both Asian students and students from other countries. Parents are preparing their children to be global citizens who are able to work in and understand both eastern and western cultures. JL: Canada is known for its high quality education. What is your understanding of high quality education? HM: High quality education is one that prepares students with the skills that will be needed well into the future. It is a system that helps develop students with a blend of creative drive, problems solving skills and the ability to the independent thinkers. JL: What role can an independent private school, like Bond, play in terms of helping students achieve their full potential?

(Continued on Page 2)

Canadian Quality eduCation eQuipsbond students with exCellent potential

Bond Gets Recognition from the University of Toronto

Now is the busiest season for all faculty and students at Bond International College (“Bond”). After years of dedicated work, more and more Bond students knock on the door of their dream universities. Bond is proud to announce that we have received a letter from Mr. David Naylor, the President of the University of Toronto. Bond has been recognized on “the University of Toronto’s List of Top 100 Canadian High Schools” based on our large volume and high quality graduates. Based on the letter from Mr. Naylor, many students at Bond met the application requirements of the University of Toronto and applied to the university in 2012. The number is much greater than many other Canadian local high schools (e.g. more than 910 high schools in Ontario). Among all Canadian high schools from which students applied to the University of Toronto, Bond successfully ranks in the top 100! It is well known that the University of Toronto is one of the top universities in Canada. The University of Toronto has many outstanding Canadian and international students who study there. Students who meet the application requirements demonstrate not only their knowledge and skills but also are involved in social activities. The recognition by the University of Toronto reflects Bond’s commitment to quality secondary education.

September, 2012 EditionVolume III, Issue III

FREE

Interview with Mr. Hugh McKeown, Director of International Education Programs, Bond Education Group

News iN summary

Principals from China Visit Bond

Thirty-eight school principals from Guangzhou, China, part of an Elementary & Secondary Education Management Delegation visited Bond Education Group April 25, 2012. The delegation included mainly Elementary and Secondary principals as well as key staff from some municipal school boards in Guangzhou. Bond Secondary School Principal Mr. Jeff Farber and Elementary School Principal Mr. John Healey hosted the delegation and had a pleasant conversation with them focused on student training and school management. The Chinese delegates stated that this visit helped them to know more about the high quality of Canadian education and the private school system. This visit enabled them to improve their practices after heading back to China.

Bond Grade Four investigated the controversial Megaquarry in Melancthon Township as a part of their science unit on Rocks and Minerals. They planned a debate about the quarry proposed in Melancthon Township just northwest of Toronto. The class hosted the Great Quarry Debate on Wednesday, April 11th from 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., in the Bond Library. As a part of their Rocks and Minerals science unit, the students researched the proposed quarry from the perspective of various involved groups. Ms. Chhabra's class worked in collaboration with Bond Teacher Librarian Becky Purvis, to create a unit where the students will debate the quarry representing three groups: the Highland Companies (who are building the quarry), the provincial government, and the concerned citizens groups. Not only were the students totally engaged and fiercely wanting to win their town hall debate, but each group

connected with at least one expert in their field. A representative of The Highland Companies sent a special presentation and had an email interview with their group of students. The concerned c i t i zens g roup interviewed the Director of the Citizens' Alliance and a doctor to understand more about possible health risks. The government group skyped with the

Minister of Natural Resources (Mark Shoreman). T h e M i n i s t e r o f E c o n o m i c Development (Brad Duguid, our local MPP) visited with the students at the school to tell them more about how the Ontario government attempts to balance economic development with environmental concerns. The students were empowered, the involved parties were held accountable, and the passion for the project spread so that parents and staff took the initiative, learning more, and getting involved.

Skyped with the MinisterBond G4 Students Debate Mega Quarry

Dr. Julia Li, President of Bond (2nd from left) and Mr. Hugh McKeown (2nd from right) with Bond Students from Hong Kong and Macau.

In the June Issue, Bond News staff reporter Joy Li (“JL”) brought back an interview recorded with Mr. Hugh McKeown (“HM”), the Director of International Education Programs at Bond Education Group. Mr. Hugh McKeown has been working in Education for over 40 years. He has been in the international field both in public schools and private schools. As the former principal of Bond International College in Toronto, and now holding the position of Director of International Education Programs, he is working with the Bond Schools overseas and helping more international students come to Canada for a high-quality secondary education at Bond.

Bond News all designs, photos and words are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without permission.

www.bondgroup.ca

Quality Graduates

The Talent Show and the Starving Artist Night of Bond Academy was a huge success! Every one did a fantastic job! The Performances were great. All their hard work and extra practices really showed! The show raised $1,280.00 for the

Toronto Breakfast Club! Well Done! Of course, any great event like this could not happen without a team of helpers. The school is thankful to all of the staff and the parents who made this happen for the school and community.

All students in grades 2-8 enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of skating at McGregor arena on Lawrence Ave. E. They enjoyed pleasure skating, games and races with the teachers, parents

and local police. Home made cookies and juices were very welcome at the end of their wonderful excursion!

Skating Party

Talent Show Raised $1,280

(Continued from Page 1) JL: What role can an independent private school like Bond play in terms of helping students achieve their full potential? HM: International students bring different experiences, different ways of learning from their home education systems and being on their own, they have a different set of needs from local students due to living far from home. As a private school Bond is much more understanding of, and totally focused on the academic, social and emotional needs of International students. JL: How do you evaluate Bond in terms of teaching quality, student performance and university admission rate? HM: The difference between Bond and other schools is the fact that Bond does not stop at helping students get an offer from university but prepares students for success at university. Over

90% of Bond graduates reach the best universities in Canada. JL: We heard that you refused four student's applications at both Hong Kong and Macao education fairs this year. It’s not very usual in private schools in Canada. Could you please tell us the reason why you refused them? What type of student is Bond looking for? HM: We sometimes see applications from students who are doing very poorly in their own country. When talking to the student it is very clear they do not have interest in studying abroad. There are schools that accept students if the parents have money. They are focused on f inanc ia l p rof i t s ra ther than education. When Bond accepts a student, it is with the understanding that we believe that the student has the potential to be successful at university and we work very hard to help the student achieve their potential.

JL: Will Bond target high quality students in the future? How will this recruitment strategy affect Bond overall? HM: By targeting quality students, Bond reflects the trust of parents that their children will receive a quality education. It will gain the trust of the universities, attract the best teachers and its student body will grow. JL: As the director of Bond’s International Education programs, what is your strategy to make Bond a better school? HM: I think it should read schools. My attention is not just on our school in Toronto but also those in China. We have two of the finest Canadian principals in Mr. Healey at Bond Academy and Mr. Farber at Bond International College. For our Toronto schools, my influence in Asia is to select the finest students possible and let Mr. Healey and Mr. Farber do the rest.

A p r i l 11 t h m a r k s t h e International Day of Pink. It is a day where communities across the countr y, and across the world, can unite in celebrating diversity and raising awareness to stop all forms of bullying. Each year on the second Wednesday of April, millions of people wear pink to remember that positive actions make a difference, and

that the change starts with each one of us. Bond Academy will be participating in the Day of Pink. Students and staf f members wi l l be prov ided wi th a p ink r ibbon to wear in suppor t of "Day of Pink". Each student and staff member is encouraged to make a $1 donation in support of the International Day of Pink Program.

"DAY of PINK"

The Bond Academy Badminton team had a great tournament. The team demonstrated great sportsmanship and their efforts were very strong as well! Bond finished the day with 16 students advancing to the Small School Athletic Federation (SSAF) finals on May 3rd, 2012. Congratulations to all the players who participated!

Great Badminton Tournament

Chess Competition

Spring Book Fair

September, 2012

We had the pleasure of having two groups of students from Mexico, at Bond Academy between March and April this year. We hosted 28 elementary students for an English Immersion Program. In addition, 6 high school students who wanted to experience a challenging and exciting program joined our Secondary ESL Program from March 27th to April 11, 2012. Bond Academy has been providing the English Immersion experience for Mexican students since 2003.

“The program allows participants to immerse themselves in Canadian culture and share experiences with Canadian students.” -- Group Teacher

The Bond English Immersion Program for students is focused on delivering an educational experience. Our program traditionally provides camp participants opportunities to join Bond students and attend classes with them, participating in all of the subjects. This is an excellent oppor tunity for our par t icipants to experience a Canadian classroom first hand, and to learn English by being fully immersed in an English speaking environment. Best of all, our students and our participants have the opportunity to interact, learn about their respective cultures and develop friendships. However this year, as we experienced

the largest group that we have ever hosted, we modified the program with students rotating into our Grade 4 to Grade 8 classes and then attending an ESL program when not in one of our classes. All the students were provided with Physical Education classes every day and spent their lunch hour with the Bond students playing together outside or in the gym. Our elementary ESL classes focused on teaching the Mexican students language that they could use while in Toronto or while visiting different sites in Ontario and Quebec. For example, before they attended the zoo, much of the English focused on vocabulary that they could use while attending the zoo. This made the classes much more fun, informative and relevant to the students, who developed a strong rapport with their teachers. The Secondary ESL Program offers an innovative immersion program to deliver quality ESL instruction to participants, while providing a fun and truly Canadian adventure. Our program for students focused on the educat ional values delivered to our participants. The 6 high school students were very enthusiastic and attentive. During their study at Bond they covered a wide range of topics, including newspaper reports, world issues of their choice, education systems, job interview skills and the environment. This study trip is a very valuable experience for

Mexican students and our local students at Bond. During the study trip, our young students expanded their views, gained more knowledge and enhanced their social skills. “It has been a pleasure to teach this group of students over the past 3 weeks. I was truly impressed with their manners, problem solving skills and eagerness to learn. These students have a bright future ahead of them!” said Mr. Rob Fields.

“We got knowledge while visiting a lot of places, like the CN tower. I think it was the best trip I have ever had. I will tell my friends and their parents about this program.” -- Alexandro Montalban from Mexico Group

On the last day of their visit, the students at Bond were invited to a presentation by the Mexican group. We saw slides and videos of their school, Mexico and their families. There was dancing, singing and musical performances as well. At the end of the performances, the Mexican students handed out small gifts to the Bond students and staff reflecting their culture and spent time saying goodbye. In the graduation ceremony, all of the students f rom Mexico received certificates of participation, after which staff and students enjoyed refreshments. Everyone agreed that this was one of our most successful English Immersion and Secondary ESL Programs. “Learning English or improving your ability in the language is easier with Bond English Immersion Programs because you spend 3 weeks with Canadian people. I recommend this program because we have fun every day and the activities arranged by our teachers are excellent!” said by one of the Mexican students Dalila. It was sad to say goodbye to our Mexican students so quickly, however, we still feel happy for them because of their bright futures. I wish the best for both these groups in their future academic endeavors!

-- by Soojin Jeong

Become Mandarin Panda at Bond

Mandarin class is now happening in the Af ter School Program, featuring Montessori to Grade 2 students. There are varieties of

themes they have already learned, such as Chinese food, f ru i ts, numbers and animals etc. Learning Mandarin is easy and fun, they all know saying “ni hao”, “lao shi hao”, “lao shi zai jian” to their classmates and teachers now. Want to know what that means, you can ask the students! The Mandarin class will be running after school from 3:45 to 5:00 until the end of the school year.

Ready to LearnChinese in Summer

The 2012 YCT Chinese Summer Camps had an Open House on April 28th. Many parents and students were attracted. The Open House gave the participants a chance to know more about the Chinese Proficiency Test and opportunities

for studying in China. High school volunteers from Bond Academy provided campus tours dur ing the Open House. The event was very successful. Most participants registered in the Chinese Summer Camps and got Chinese textbooks for free.

IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH AT BOND2012 Mexican Study Trip at Bond Academy

September, 2012

www.hsktoronto.ca Tel: 416-266-8668

Chinese Learning ProgramTest Tutoring Courses

A Pass for Studying in China

A Must-have qualification for Applying Scholarships and Camps in China

A Plus for Career Building

A Way for Testing Chinese Language Proficiency Sponsored by Bond International College, Bond Academy

All Types of National Chinese TestPlease call for

Free Courses &Discounts

This year the Bond Academy U20 Boys Basketball team enjoyed its most successful season since joining league play in the Small Schools Athletics Federation. At the pre-season tournament held at the Hoop Dome in Downsview Park, the team had a record of one win and one loss, but had laid the foundation for a great season. At the conclusion of the first round of regular season play, Bond was at the top of the standings, but their best performances were still to come. Round two of the regular season began with a surprising win over the defending league champions from Mississauga Private School. However, that victory was followed by a tough one-point loss to North Toronto Christian School. The teams’ next game against Toronto Waldorf School was the turning point in their season. Down by eighteen points late in the first half the team went on a nineteen points to two points run in the third quarter and never looked back. Following that victory the team claimed first place overall in the regular season with a record of eight wins and three losses. When the playoffs got underway the team enjoyed convincing wins in the quarter final against Toronto Waldorf School and then in the semi-final against Willow Wood School.

The team's semi-final victory sent them into the championship game held at Bond Academy on Thursday March 8th against Mississauga Private School. The atmosphere at Bond was incredible the day of the championship game. However the defending champion’s from Mississauga Private School were too strong an opponent for Bond to overcome. The team played admirably, but ended up losing

the game by a score of fifty-seven to forty four. The 2011/2012 season marks the second time that Bond has played in the championship game for the SSAF title. As disappointing as the loss in the final game was, the boys who participated on this years team have set a new standard of excellence for the basketball program at Bond and should be very proud of their achievement. --by Mr. Rishor

Bond Basketball Had AMost Successful Season

On Thursday, February 23, for the first time ever Bond Academy performed and competed at the Sears Ontario Drama Festival. Mr. Quigley and Ms. Sassine wrote a wonderful play called “There's an App for that…Right?” The play starred Riya Baya Khenti, David Stewart, Chelsea Campbell and Olivia Xiao with original music by Mr. Phil Davies and directed by Ms. Sassine and Ms. Huryn. The stage décor was made by Mr. Quigley, Farhaan Haque and Elijah Abd-Elmessih. Despite missing a few pieces of the beautiful tree the stage crew made, the show was a success. Everyone had a great time working on the play and those who watched enjoyed it very much. We have interviewed two of the teachers involved in the play and who worked with the students to compete at the Sears Drama Festival.

Ms. Sassine:Q: What did you contribute to the school play?A: Mr. Quigley and I wrote the play and I directed it with Ms. Huryn.

Q: What was the play about?A: The play was a comedy about four teenagers lost in the woods with nothing but their intuition and a little bit of luck to save them.

Q: What was the award we got?A: The four students won an outstanding ensemble award.

Mr. Quigley:Q: What part of the school play did you participate in?A: I helped to write the play with Ms. Sassine and I was responsible for building the set, including that sweet-looking tree.

Q: How long did it take to prepare for the play?A: From writing the script to finally presenting the play at the Sears Festival, it probably took between 3 to 4 months.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to comment on?A: The students did a great job and it was amazing to see everything come together the way it did.

-- by Shakana Vigneshwaran

Students of the Bond Grade 12 Management and Business Leadership class delivered the fourth installment of Bond's annual "Passion for Fashion" on April 4, 2012. This year's fashion show earned glowing praise for its beautiful stage and gorgeous light show. The students, who were responsible for putting the show on gained invaluable experience in working together to plan and organize a large event. Many students described the experience as "awesome". This year's fashion show definitely kicked off with a bang. As students poured into the gym, they were greeted with dimmed lights, very electric LCD projections on the stage walls and music booming out of Bose speakers. The gym was packed with a full house turnout of students, staff and even several parents. The fashion itself was taken up a notch this year, for students really outdid themselves as they sashayed onto stage not only with enviable confidence, but dressed in simply exquisite style. They stunned their teachers and audience members as they delivered fashion in the categories of active wear, casual chic wear, semi-formal wear and dared to embrace

alternative wear hand-made of anything but clothes (ABC). Chelsea Campbell memorably donned an ingeniously accessorized, stunning evening gown made of garbage bags. Shakana Vigneshwaran also presented an evening dress of purple and gray duct tape that delightfully complemented her form. Fashionista, GQ, Dynamic Duo, and Hot Stepper awards were distributed to even more participants this year because of the high caliber of contributions. Recipients include Chelsea, Karina, Jerina, Tommy, Solo, Eric, Daphne and Pure. The audience though was not left out as there were random draws for 26 fashion-themed prizes. Apart from the students, several teachers also participated in the fashion show with a very entertainment Dodgeball skit. Mr. Farber, our Principal, also made a dramatic appearance at first as a quirky tennis player, but it was his intensely cool rocker-dude ensemble that took everyone's breath away. All in all, it was a perfect mélange of entertaining and hilarious to the core. We can only wonder what 2013 will bring for "Passion for Fashion". -- by Ms. Rohanna & Violet Wang

Passion for 2012

September, 2012

Waterloo Math Competition

Razzle DazzleFashion School Play In Sears Drama

Festival

School Play In Sears Drama

Festival