Congratulations to all students and staff for completing another school year. It seems as

if I was just introducing myself to the Notre Dame community and now a whole year

has passed. Whether finishing your first year in high school or your last, everyonel can

feel that something meaningful has been accomplished. I wondered what my most

memorable event has been but realized as I considered this that there have been so

many great events and success through this year that no single event stood out. Well,

perhaps with the exception of the “Neil Boys” and their traditional run through our halls-

now that was memorable!

Along the way we encountered several challenges, some were local while others were

global. As a community of faith, we rallied around those affected by the floods in the

Philippines, and held fundraisers to assist their relief. Closer to home, we experienced

the death of a former student, Natasha Carla Abogado. Through those events, we

demonstrated what it means to nurture our Catholic community through faith, hope and

charity. It is affirming as a Catholic educator to witness young people showing real

concern for others before themselves and our girls regularly do that.

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, effort, interest and

energy to represent our school from athletics through academics and the arts of special

note. .

I must mention the success of Hanna White, and Samantha Tenus who placed 1st in the

GTA Skills Canada video competition and went on to the National Finals. Additionally for

the seventh consecutive year, a number of students took part and successfully place in

the University of Toronto’s Science Competition. The participating students included;

Rhea Deshpande who received a gold medal, and Gellila Eyob, Sara Solomon, Victoria

Lo, Bernadine Crisostomo, and Sheila Dumlao who each received a bronze medal.

Finally, I would like to offer special thanks Mr. Joseph Badali, a retired Vice Principal

with TCDSB, who came to Notre Dame High School in April while Mrs. Bernice Peacock

went on medical leave. Mr. Badali, in the very short time he was here quickly become a

valued member of the ND community. His experience, love of students, and sense of

humour will be missed - though we look forward to the return of Mrs. Peacock. Also in

the Newsletter you will read about the retirements of several long serving members of

our school community- Ms. Marsha Lecour, Mrs. Iole Bada, Mrs. Joan Treacy and Ms.

Palmita Taylor. We wish them well on their new journey, keep them in our prayers and

hope they visit often.

And to everyone that is part of the Notre Dame family, thank you for making my first

year at Notre Dame such a welcoming one. Keep family and friends close throughout

the summer while you rest and relax with the gentle breeze.

God Bless,

Jolanta Hickey, Principal

Principal’s Message

TCDSB June 2014

Principal’s Message 1

Grad 2

Prom 2

Les actualites 3

Top Awards 3

Schulich Leader Winner 4

Green Team 4

Travels 5

March Break 2015 5

Athletic Council 6

Athletic News 7

Tansi/Aba Wathdidd 7

Wings of Hope 8

Project Reach 8

Hospitality 8

Skills Canada 9

Looking for Writers 9

New Registrants 9

Farewell 10

CEC News 12

Inside this Issue

Telephone 416-393-5501

Fax 416-393-5631

Guidance 416-397-6177

Notre Dame High School 12 Malvern Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4E 3E1

Page 2 Not re Dame June 2014

We are honoured to have celebrated Notre Dame’s 70th

graduation on Wednesday, June 25. We are proud of our

graduating class who exemplifies the best of Notre Dame.

These graduates enriched

Notre Dame with their

participation in school

activities: academic,

athletic and extra-

curricular. It is our hope

that these young ladies

continue to exemplify

Marguerite Bourgeoys’

principles of faith,

perseverance, integrity,

creativity and generosity.

Congratulations and good

luck in all future

endeavors.

Mrs. Champion and Mrs. Reiter

Graduation Coordinators

On Wednesday June 18, the grade 12 class celebrated the culmination of their 4 year high school journey at Prom 2014 "A Black and White Tie Affair". This beautiful event was held at the King Edward Hotel in downtown Toronto. The girls sparkled in their white gowns and danced the night away to DJ Triple J. A very special thank you and farewell to the prom committee (Sydney Abate, Monique Bijoux, Lauren Hartley, Abigail Pacheco, Angela Palermo, Sarah Resendes,

Mikaela Viegas) who put in many hours to ensure that the evening was a memorable one!

Graduation 2014

Prom 2014

Page 3 Not re Dame June 2014

Le temps passe vite quand on s’amuse! It seems like it was yesterday that we were

welcoming our grade 9s to Notre Dame, and now the year has gone by and the

French Department has been busy with activities, trips, and community

partnerships!

This year students in grade 9 participated in an interactive cooking workshop in

French with Chef Suzanne that included stories, culture, and music. Grade 9

students also saw the play Le Masque est le Message and got to try on commedia

dell’arte style masks as they took on the role of different characters!

In the grade 11 French classes students took to the stage! For the third year in a

row Notre Dame French students presented short plays, which they wrote and

staged, to students in grades 1, 2, 3 at St. John Catholic Elementary School and St.

Brigid Catholic Elementary School. Students created French children`s books of their

stories (which they donated to the elementary school students) and then dramatized

their stories for the stage. The elementary school students collected canned food

and dried goods as “admission ticket” to our performances and the food items were

donated to our local charities, Rosalie Hall and the Salvation Army.

Grade 11 and 12 French students enjoyed an interactive stage combat workshop

this year with French actor Nicolas Van Burek. Finally, grade 11 classes went to see

the Molière comedy Les Précieuses Ridicules at Théâtre français Toronto.

It has been a very busy, but rewarding and exciting year in the French Department

at Notre Dame. Bonnes vacances!

Mme R. Paniccia

Les actualités du département français

Top Award Recognizes Outstanding Artistic Achievement

On Wednesday, June 11th, grade ten student Christine Devine was presented with a $500 cash award and a plaque honouring her achievement as the intermediate division artist awarded first place at the National level for her black and white poster design in the Royal Canadian Legion's 2013-2014 Remembrance Day Poster Contest. The presentation took place at the Baron Byng Beaches Branch with Christine's family and the legion's executive in attendance. Ms Slosel accepted the plaque presented to Notre Dame High School. Christine's poster is now on view at the National War Museum in Ottawa.

Schulich Leader Scholarship Winner

Notre Dame High School is proud to announce that Betty Seifu was selected as the

Schulich Leader Nominee for Engineering at York University. 1,147 students from across the country were nominated for this prestigious scholarship. Each of the 20 participating universities selected two recipients from the fields of Engineering and Math, Science & Technology. As a recipient of the Engineering scholarship, Betty has been offered $80,000 for her post-secondary studies at York.

Students that were nominated had to display outstanding community, business or

entrepreneurial leadership and academic excellence. Betty has been an active member of the Notre Dame community over the last 4 years and has demonstrated her dedication to the school through her involvement in various co-curricular activities such as Student Council, Grade 9 Getaway and the Sears Drama festival. Through her confidence and welcoming nature, Betty has been a mentor and role model for Notre Dame students.

Please join us in congratulating her for this outstanding accomplishment.

Ms. Sally Tellis Guidance Counsellor

Page 4 Not re Dame June 2014

Betty Seifu

Green Team

Once again the Green Team is proud to announce that Notre Dame has been certified a Gold Level Eco-School. This year Notre Dame’s Green Team organized many events to promote environmental awareness and have students become involved in making Notre Dame a “greener” school. We participated in Sweater Day, Earth Hour, National Water Day and Earth Day. Teachers created lessons that focused on environmental topics and many classes took part in our tree maintenance program for our newly planted trees. Notre Dame’s CSAC generously contributed money towards mulch for our trees. Students and

families participated in our battery, cell-phone, milk bag and pen recycling programs. Truly, we have become an environmentally friendly community!

Special recognition goes to our graduating Green Team members who were instrumental in getting Notre Dame certified as an eco-school for the first time four years ago and who worked extremely hard over the years so that we could move from Bronze to Silver to Gold. They are: Anna Marie and Anna May Baradi, Jolina Cuevas, Angel Price,Kay Dacanay and Stephanie Kotiadis. Other dedicated members are: Niamh Rafter, Abigael Baweni, Naguy Baweni, Monique Bijoux, Veronica Briant, Jonalyn Catungal, Joanne Dominic, Stephanie Ionescu, Jurita Lucian Convoyd, Naddine Mantes, Isabel Penaranda, Rose Anne Revilla and Juleane Tumbaga. Our staff moderators were Ms. Santos-DeSousa, Ms. Pearson, and Ms. Sapajonis and Ms. Storto. Ms. D. Pearson

Page 5 Not re Dame June 2014

Travels in Austria, Germany and Switzerland! This past year students of Notre Dame spent March Break travelling through Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Students explored new cultures, foods, and spoke their first German words! The trip was full of many wonderful memories and stories, but highlights included skating in Vienna, seeing Mozart`s birthplace in Salzburg, visiting the concentration camp in Dachau, and eating chocolate in Switzerland at the top of Mount Pilatus!

March Break 2015 in France and England! For March Break 2015 Notre Dame will be travelling in France and England! Highlights of the trip are many, but will

include climbing the Eiffel Tower, visiting the Louvre, going to Versailles, seeing Windsor Castle, and so much more! We

will eat crêpes and escargots in Paris and hopefully catch a glimpse of Prince Harry in London!

Students interested in going on this trip to France and England should see Mme Paniccia for permission forms and more

information.

Mme R. Paniccia

Page 6 Not re Dame June 2014

Another great year has come to an end. Starting with a walkathon that had one of the largest turnouts in years, continuing right to the Athletic Banquet, the spirit in our school was palpable. Our athletes had great seasons, and we are very proud of our tennis and track teams that had members competing in OFSAA. Our athletes wrapped up the year, carnival style. The gym was transformed into a classy carnival, complete with a cotton candy machine, Dairy Queen ice cream cakes and a photo booth. It was a night filled with friends, food and festivities, celebrating all our athletic achievements at Dame this year. All of the girls looked fabulous in their semi-formal attire. It was hard to recognize some of them without their jerseys and all the mud!

ND alumni Lisa English gave an amazing speech about how hard work and determination can lead to success. This was followed by handing out awards. The Bantam Athlete of the Year was Allyson Skeffington, the Junior Athlete of the Year was Athena Gonzales, the Senior Athlete of the Year and recipient of the Sr Corrigan Athletic Award was Katherine Follis, the most dedicated athlete of the year went to Rachel Reigber, the manager of the year was Brooke Silver and the spirit award went to Jenzest Arrubio. Thank you to all of the members of athletic council that put in countless hours before and after school prepping these

school events, and to Ms.Maiorana for being such an amazing teacher moderator. And thank you to all the coaches that gave up their time and effort helping our various teams. This applies especially to volunteer coaches that came from outside of school such as Coach Reigber, Coach Mama Follis and Coach Miller, who managed to hightail it to school after their work for our practices and games. We would not have been able to develop the skills that we have without your continuous support. We would also like to say goodbye to our Grade 12 AC members who will be leaving us next year. They are: Ronniely

Tacata Anicoche, Bernedine Crisostomo, Jolina Cuevas, Sheila Dumlao, Melissa Eratostene, Katherine Follis, Mary Lin, Chloe Mozo, Marie Louise Osorio, Laisha Sebastiam Pillai, and Wynnona Yumol. Thank you for all the hard work that you have put in and best of luck as you start this next phase in your life. This year ended with a bang, and we hope to carry this spirit right on to next year with our new Athletic Council. So rest up your voices and prep your supplies, walk a thon and spirit week is just around the corner when we get back. Athletic Council is presently working on the next Walk-a-Thon, taking place on October 15, 2014. If you are able to donate any items, event tickets, gift certificates, cash donations please contact Ms Tomlin or Ms Maiorana at 416 393-5501. Come ready, athletes, for another amazing new season and have a great summer everyone! Claire Goldsmith Athletic Council

Athletic Council Final Juggling Act

Page 7 Not re Dame June 2014

Athletic News

After a very successful and exciting fall/winter athletic season here at Notre Dame, the start of the second semester brought with it a number of new opportunities for our students to get involved in sport. Our badminton team, coached by Mr. Miller and Mr. Nicastri played very well at the TDCAA badminton tournament held in April at Humber College, with all our players showing great drive and poise throughout the day Our table tennis team, coached by Mr. Lui, Mr. Mandrozos, and Ms, Santos-DeSousa, had great success this season with strong performances from Ning Lui who finished 2nd place in the senior girls singles tournament, and the dynamic duo of Jenzest Arrubio and Marion Bonoan, who qualified for 4th place in the senior girls doubles tournament. This year’s varsity soccer season was a tough one for our girls, as it was a year of development for a team made up predominantly of younger players. However, coaches Ms. Maiorana, Mr, Dagher, and parent-coach Mr. Reigber are excited for the future of the team as they continue to grow and play together. This semester also saw the return of softball to the Notre Dame Athletics department, which not unlike our soccer team, was primarily made up of junior players. Coaches Mr. Dagher, Ms. Sapijonis, and Ms. Beaudin worked hard with our young girls, and no doubt the experience gained this year will pay off next spring. The Notre Dame track and field team, coached by Mr. Nicastri, saw plenty of success this season. Our team placed top

10 in 17 events at the TDCAA championships, and went on to represent the TCDSB at the Metro championships in 8

events. Ultimately, two of our athletes went on to participate at OFSAA, which was held at St. Marcellinus in

Mississauga. Katherine Follis went on to finish 6th place overall in senior girls high jump, and Tiffany Sabado-Worrell

placed 5th overall in the senior girls 400m sprint, and just narrowly missed qualifying for the finals in the 200m sprint.

On June 19th Notre Dame took to the skies and headed to Paul First Nation, Alberta as part of a cultural immersion op-portunity offered through the Society for Educational Visits and Exchanges in Canada. (SEVEC) Our troupe of fifteen students and four adults, (including our principal!), represented us well as we shared an action-packed seven day ad-venture in the Jasper area. Highlights included: staying with Paul First Nation families at their cultural centre in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, learning a traditional Round Dance song with the award nominated Bearhead Sisters at campfire, and then joining them as back up at the local Pow Wow, heading up the Jasper Sky Tram for breathtaking views of the mountains and azure lakes, looking out over the Athabasca glacier from a glass Skywalk, and finally steam-

ing away exam stress in the Miette Hot Sprints encircled by the ancient peaks of the Fiddle Valley.

What did we find in common with our First Nations hosts? That family, community, song, stories, laughter are the most important gifts given to us. Chi Miigwetch and Niyawe to our principal Ms. Hickey who supported us as so well when we hosted Paul First Nation in May as well as when Notre Dame travelled to Alberta. Hay Hay, Paul First Nation, it was an unforgettable experience; our hearts will hold you in love until we meet again.

Tansi/Aba Wathdidd!

Project Reach

Page 8 Not re Dame June 2014

Visual Arts Students Soar on Wings of Hope

Grade 10 Visual Arts students were honoured this May when their artwork was selected for

publication in Wings of Hope, a book produced by Prep Skills Inc. to raise funds for children with cancer. The book is a collection of inspirational words and images celebrating the beauty of life. For the art competition, students were challenged to design uplifting and encouraging visual images around the theme "wings of hope". The work of 16 Notre Dame students is in-cluded in the book, with two selected for full pages illustrations. This is the highest number of students from one school for any of the participating high schools. Likewise, of the twenty works of art selected for sale in the silent auction at the book launch, four were created by

students from Notre Dame. Congratulations to Vanessa Paningbatan-Cerezo, Aisha Parven, Aida Yishak and Joycelyn Boquila and all of the other students involved in this very worthwhile cause.

Notre Dame Visual Arts students are once again participating in Nuit Blanche. For 2014 the initiative is part of the TCDSB's celebration of the Catholic Pastoral Year of Charity. All schools were invited to create imagery that expresses how charity is alive in their community. Project REACH represents the “good hands” of charity and our call to help others. It is an art installation comprised of creative representations of charity as seen through the eyes of staff and students.

Each individual piece is comprised of a cube which will represent a “box of charity.” Each box consists of student generated work on all four sides of the cube illustrating ideas of charity. This is combined with a mannequin hand reaching out from the centre front face of the cube. The hand itself has the potential to “hold” a something that supports the school’s message of charity. Thank you to Ms Farrell and her religion students for contributing their reflections on charity which are contained inside the box. You can see the Notre Dame project submission, reflecting the work of Ms Slosel and her grade 10 students Christine Devine and Joyce Sandoval, as well as the entire installation of 201 boxes at Nuit Blanche on October 4th.

Message from the Arts and Chaplaincy Departments

We are looking forward to welcoming students and staff, new and current, in September, the month of Hospitality. This poster was created by Salome Martin (grade 11) from Ms. Slosel’s Art Class.

Page 9 Not re Dame June 2014

CATHOLIC REGISTER LOOKING FOR WRITERS

The Catholic Register invites high school, college and university students to join its team as a correspondent for the 2014-2015 school year.

Get published in a national newspaper. Learn from professional journalists. Report on news from your community. Share your thoughts on faith, culture and current issues. Attend an expense-paid

retreat in Toronto.

Application deadline is June 30th, 2014.

For more information:http://intranet.tcdsb.org/Resources/BulletinBoard/Documents/Catholic%20Register%20Recruits%20Students.pdf

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

Skills Canada Samantha Tenus and Hannah White came out on top in the TV/Video Production competition after a intense 2 days of hard work at the Skills Ontario competition. This is the first time that a team from our school board has won the TV/Video Production competition and will be moving on to the national competition. Samantha and Hannah are officially the first team from the TCDSB to achieve this honour. In the 3 rounds of competition they beat hundreds of schools from close to 70 school boards across Ontario, obtaining with the highest mark in each round of competition. The Ontario Technological Skills Competition is the largest and most challenging competition of its kind in all of Canada.

The team worked hard everyday after school for the past 4 months to prepare

for this competition. At National Skills Competition, the team placed 4th overall in

Canada. Congratulations to the girls for their incredible accomplishments and

achievements this year.

Marco Summaria

Communications Technology

Notre Dame High School

Institute of Swag

Mrs. Joan Treacy

Mrs. Joan Treacy, the head of our math department, started her teaching career at Notre Dame in 1974. For the last forty years, she has shared her love for learning with her students and colleagues. Not many of you may know this: Mrs. Treacy actually taught Social Science and Geography in her first years here at Notre Dame!

Mrs. Treacy was always available to help her students be successful. Even at the end of a long day, she would volunteer her time to stay after school to meet with students who needed extra help. Mrs. Treacy was always a source of support and compassion to both students and staff. She was patient and encouraged everyone to do their best.

Mrs. Treacy also led math leagues that competed across the city and trained students for the University of Waterloo Math contests. She posed challenging

questions that were thought-provoking--that made learning fun! Mrs. Treacy saw potential in all of her students. As a colleague, she has been a selfless mentor and an exceptional leader. In 2004, Mrs. Treacy was the recipient of the Toronto Secondary Unit Teacher of the Year Award. I have always admired her great enthusiasm, integrity, and commitment to setting high standards in math education.

Math is not only Mrs. Treacy’s passion. She is an active volunteer at St. Martin de Porres Church, her parish. Mrs. Treacy is also a talented piano player, a strong swimmer, and a great baker! Her dedication to service and community

is evident in her involvement in various clubs and committees, such as prom, graduation, chaplaincy, and more recently the Knitting Club where she taught students to knit scarves for the youth in Covenant House. She also organized March Break school trips to Europe. She always graciously donated her time to help supervise various events in the school.

As Mrs. Treacy leaves the doors of Notre Dame this June, we, the entire school community, thank her for all her gifts, her commitment, her care, and her support in making Notre Dame a very special place to learn and work. May St. Marguerite Bourgeoys continue to watch over her and shower her with exponential blessings as she begins this new

chapter of her life.

Thank you, Mrs. Treacy!

Page 10 Not re Dame June 2014

Thank You and Farewell

Ms. Palmita Taylor

The Notre Dame community acknowledges the fine contribution Palmarita Taylor has made to the lives of our Special

Education students and to school life over the last several years. We wish her only days of rest, relaxation, and

enjoyment as her retirement years begin. Ms. Taylor can rest assured that the students enjoyed and profited from her

presence at Notre Dame. Ms. Taylor has always contributed to the Special Education department to make it a positive

environment for the students. Everyone will remember with a smile when they think about Ms. Taylor, the gentle soul.

All the very best Ms. Taylor

Page 11 Not re Dame June 2014

Mrs. Iola Bada

When Iole Bada’s name comes up at Notre Dame, people consider her to be the epitome of what we, as teachers, consider a Lifelong Learner. Iole came to Canada at the age of 14 from Italy, not understanding English. As a young woman, Iole persevered as a new student in Toronto and graduated from high school. It would take several years, after marrying, having two sons and one daughter, Iole was driven

to pursue her education. Ultimately she attended university and received a Masters of Religious Studies from the University of Toronto as well as achieving her teaching degree. Ms. Bada took her knowledge and applied this to her community by teaching Italian on Saturdays as part of the Heritage Language Program. Iole came to Notre Dame 15 years ago and has extended her knowledge and compassion for others to this community. Here she has taught Resource and English among other subjects. Iole’s commitment to students and her practice as a teacher is all too evident within

our school. She is sensitive to the needs of each of her students, thus making a larger contribution to the school community. Iole’s kindness does not end here, as she will be heading to Kenya this summer to work in areas of need building schools. We wish her all the best and know that her legacy of empathy will continue and live on at Notre Dame.

We Will Miss You Iole Bada!

Ms. Marsha Lecour

Marsha Lecour’s career in education has spanned 36 years. Through her 33 years

at Notre Dame High School, Ms. Lecour has taught English, Religion, Geography,

Guidance, Career Development, Special Education and Cooperative Education. Ms.

Lecour has been an integral part of Notre Dame. Whether it was securing coop

placements, performing on stage as part of teacher acts, or preparing the student

readers for our liturgical celebrations, Ms. Lecour always demonstrated a deep

commitment to teaching and developing the minds and spirit of the young women

of Notre Dame. In the last few years, Ms. Lecour has been a very important part

of the Cooperative Education program. Ms. Lecour always instilled in her students

a sense of responsibility, initiative and strong work ethic. She truly believed that

the coop students would be ready for the “real world of work”. We wish Ms.

Lecour all the best as she embarks on this next stage of her life – retirement! God

bless!

Raffaella Champion

Department Head – Cooperative Education, Technology & Business

The Notre Dame Calendar of Events can now

be viewed on the internet at

http://www.tcdsb.org/schools/notreda

me/SchoolCalendar/

Catholic Parent Involvement Committee

(CPIC): www.tcdsb.org/cpic

St. Ursula Elementary School is celebrating its 50th anniversary on Saturday, October 18th, 2014 with an open house from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the school, 215 Livingston Road, Scarborough. All former staff and students welcome. For our displays, we would appreciate any photos, videos or memorabilia that you have saved. Find us on Facebook @ursula anniversary

TRUSTEES 2014 – 2015

Wards

1. Peter Jakovcic 5. Maria Rizzo 9. Jo-Ann Davis, Chair

2. Ann Andrachuk 6. Frank D‘Amico 10. Barbara Poplawski

3. Sal Piccininni 7. John Del Grande 11. Angela Kennedy

4. Patrizia Bottoni 8. Garry Tanuan 12. Nancy Crawford, Vice-Chair

Hannah McGroarty, Student Trustee Chris MacDonald, Student Trustee

Angela Gauthier, Director of Education 80 Sheppard Ave. E., Toronto, ON ∙ Website: www.tcdsb.org

TCDSB Summer Playground: Helping Students to Continue Learning

Throughout the Summer

The Toronto Catholic District School Board reminds students and their parents that learning does not have to stop during the summer months.

Beginning the week of June 30, 2014, TCDSB will once again provide on-line literacy and numeracy learning activities online through the TCDSB Summer Playground.

TCDSB Summer Playground was developed to support student learning during the summer months. Each week, the site will offer new tips, activities and resources that reflect the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations and language and mathematics curriculum with a focus on inquiry based learning. Summer Playground also offers families information about things that are happening in local Toronto neighbourhoods.

Parents and students of all ages (K-2, Grades 3 to 6, Grades 7 to 10 and Grades 11 to 12) are sure to find language and mathematics learning activities that are interesting, challenging and fun.

Visit the TCDSB Summer Playground each week at http://www.tcdsb.org/FORPARENTS/SummerPlayground/Pages/Default.aspx Remember to check back every Monday for new weekly summer literacy and numeracy learning activities that are sure to grab the interest of students of all ages!