Thornhill Secondary School PAW PRINTS Prin… · Drama 4 ESL 4 School Climate Survey 4 English Department 5 ... Farsi, Gujarati, Hebrew, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Sri Lankan Tamil,

LOOKING AHEAD

Thornhill Secondary School

PAW PRINTS

VOLUME 8 ISSUE 3 April 2017

INSIDE Page(s)

Physical Education 2

Mathematics Corner 3

Computer Science 3

Drama 4

ESL 4

School Climate Survey 4

English Department 5

Character Matters 5

SIPSA Focus: Equity 6

Empowered Student Partnership 7

Alternative Education 8

Geography Department 9

SHSM 9

Science Department News 10

May 4 School Council May 5 PA Day May 16 Music Night May 22 Victoria Day May 25 Prom June 1 School Council June 1 & 2 Drama Night June 6 Relay for Life June 8 Athletic Banquet June 20-23 & 27 Exams June 28 Graduation

Thornhill Secondary School 167 Dudley Avenue

Thornhill, ON L3T 2E5

Telephone: 905.889.5453 Fax: 905.889.0360

Website: http://thornhill.ss.yrdsb.ca

Administration David McAdam, Principal

Georgia Vatousis, Vice-Principal Kandeephan Ganeshalingam, Vice-Principal

Superintendent of Schools Rashmi Swarup

Trustee Susan Geller

School Council Co-Chairs Susan Eaton and Shirley Porjes Gupta

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Greetings! This newsletter coincides with the issuance of mid-

semester report card on April 24, 2017.

Hearty congratulations to all Tigers on your accomplishments.

The accompanying report card indicates the level of achievement

in each course, if students continue on their current path. This is a

crucial time in the academic year, especially if your child is not

meeting program expectations in specific courses. Our school staff

will be happy to assist you in further exploring supports which are

available. Consider collaborating with selected staff to design an

intervention plan to ensure success by the end of the semester. If

you have not received a report card, then please contact your

child’s homeroom teacher. Should your child have a study period

at the start of the school day, kindly contact a member of the

Office Staff. The Response Form enclosed with the Report Card

should be signed and returned to the school by April 28, 2017.

The quest to optimize the well-being, learning and achievement of

our members continues to fuel our daily actions at T.S.S. One of

our primary foci is developing literate students of character. We

continuously strive to ensure that our students are engaged partners

in the teaching-learning process, and that they are strategically

prepared for the future, irrespective of their post-secondary

pathway. As a professional learning community, we are grateful

for the contributions of each of our members and partners to

developing critical thinking skills and sound character in our

various curricular and co-curricular programs.

Kudos to staff and students involved in the Ontario Secondary

School Literacy Test (OSSLT) on March 30! A big ‘thank you’

too, to parent-partners who supported students in preparing for the

OSSLT.

(continued on Page 2)

http://thornhill.ss.yrdsb.ca

VOLUME 4 ISSUE 1 TSS PAW PRINTS PAGE 2

Semester two is well under way and we

are all counting the days until we are

able to get out for some outdoor

activity. Our Fitness classes have been

able to take advantage of the warmer

weather by going out for runs in the

c o mmu n i t y. T h i s ye a r t h e

PAF2O8/3O8 students will be

completing their 5km run at

Downsview Park as part of the FitSpirit

program on May 24th. They will also

enjoy a one hour Zumba lesson and one

hour yoga class as part of the program. In support of the nutrition goals the students set at the

start of the semester, the class will also be attending a cooking class with the focus of healthy

breakfast preparation and post-workout meals. Looking forward to your creations!

At the start of the semester, all students underwent fitness testing for two days. After

measuring their current levels of fitness they set goals which they are working towards daily in

class warm-ups, activities and games. Students will have a chance to meet their goal and

surpass some of the new records set in the May-round of fitness testing. Remember, every

little bit of activity helps.

The Grade 9 girls just finished their in school Self-Defence program which was held at the

school for 5 days. Instructor Adam Jones and Coach Dani demonstrated self-defence

techniques in a safe and controlled environment. The girls got to put all their learning to test

in a period of grappling. There were smiles all around!

The Grade 12 Leadership in Healthy Active Living students have been busy putting into

practice their emerging leadership skills. They have created and led fitness circuits for the

Grade 11 Healthy Active Living students and have just wrapped up hosting lunch time events

that focused on physical activity, nutrition, school spirit and mental health. The Leadership

students are currently in the middle of their mentoring experiences within the school

community. There will be more to come from this fine group.

We look forward to a great second half of the semester and many more successes in our

classes.

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE (continued from Page 1) We will celebrate the Class of 2017 on June 28. In anticipation of this special occasion, Grade 12 students are

reminded to ensure that the required 40 hours of Community Involvement are completed and reported by the

end of May.

On behalf of the Administration Team, I express thanks to each and every one for your continued commitment

to excellence, and your ongoing involvement in the

TSS community. It means a lot. All the best for Term

4!

Sincerely, David A. McAdam

Student Support Services We are hosting a seminar on April 24 at 10:30 -11:30 A.M. in the T.S.S. Library on how to apply for accommodations

in post-secondary institutions. Our guest speaker is from University of Toronto. Please pick up a field trip form

outside of Room 109 and let your SERT know that you plan

to attend.


The Mathematics Department has just completed administering all the

math contests for the scholastic year and the following students received

medals for obtaining the highest scores on the Waterloo contest:

Pascal Contest (Grade 9) : Sean Vaserman

Cayley Contest (Grade10) : Albert Ding

Fermat Contest (Grade 11) : Yuchen Xue

Last semester students wrote the Canadian Intermediate and Senior Math

Contest and the following students obtained the highest scores in the school and ranked within the top

10% in Canada: Rachel Lysenko, Ron Alesker, Albert Ding, Debarsie Dey, Haoran Zhu and Jessica Fan.

We continue to provide the junior and senior Math Club every Tuesday after school in Room 120. As

well, next month the AP exams will commence, we wish the very best to all our students !

Robotics Team Thornhill Secondary students competed in the York Region Skills Challenge for Robotics, held at Seneca college, for the first time. In this contest, teams of 4 students work to build two robots which need to pick up footballs and deliver them to targeted areas after navigating through a maze and over a ramp in order to score points. Our team consisting of Roy Shi, Ben Natra Ihilov, Elliot Tarnovsky, and Tristan Seixas placed 4th in the competition. As a result of entering this competition, the school received a grant from the board

which covered the cost of buying all of the Vex Robotics parts that we needed for the competition. Following the contest, a very generous parent donated money to support the robotics program at TSS and we were able to buy another full Vex Robotics classroom system! All this new equipment will be put to good use supporting curriculum delivery in the Computer Engineering courses.

Computer Science Department The University of Waterloo Canadian Computing Competition was held on February 15. This contest had thousands of participants from across Canada, and two Thornhill Secondary students, Joey Yu and Max Li placed in the top 20. These students have been invited to compete in the Canadian Computing Olympiad held at the University of Waterloo during the week of May 8th. We wish Joey and Max all the best in this high level competition. On March 31st, students from Thornhill Secondary School competed in the York Region Programming Competition. In this competition, teams of 4 students work to solve 4 computer science problems within a 3 hour time limit using one computer only. The team of Joey Yu, Liran Zheku, Alex Kurselli and Alon Djurinski placed 3rd out of 60 teams and now advances to the next round of competition including schools from across the GTA!


What is the story in Drama? As we come to the midway point of the semester we tend to look both ways. We look back at what we have learned and look forward to everything that we still must achieve. It is good to be reflective because that sense of stillness is a healthy pause in the fast paced environment we live in. Ms Swan and Ms Clark are working to bring you the end of year play

- Ash Girl. This, too, is a reflective play considering themes of self-worth and identity. We have a stellar cast from all

age ranges and we are enjoying the experience of working with them. Come and see us at the beginning of June and applaud the substantial efforts of students to bring this “Cinderella story” to life. Break a leg!

Congratulations to all for a successful start to semester 2. The Thornhill ESL Department and the Hand in Hand Club are planning our celebration for Asian Heritage Month. The Asian Heritage Festival will be on Friday, May 19

th

during periods 3 & 4 in the Quad. Join us to celebrate art and culture from the many countries

of Asia! There will be art, food, music, games and many other activities. The TSS Heritage Band will perform as will other cultural groups. Come and get your photo with a traditional Asian character! Come on out and have fun! Good luck to everyone for the remainder of semester 2 – work hard and stay healthy!

SCHOOL CLIMATE SURVEY

YRDSB Survey for Parents/Guardians

The Board will be inviting parents/guardians to participate in a survey May 1-19, 2017. This survey provides an important opportunity for parent/guardian voice. Results will be used to guide planning to support student achievement and well-being.

You may complete the survey online or on paper. The online survey will be available in English. Paper surveys will be available from the school office in English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Farsi, Gujarati, Hebrew, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Sri Lankan Tamil, Urdu and Vietnamese. We value your input and encourage you to complete the survey. The information you provide will be anonymous, considered confidential and kept in strict accordance with all relevant legislation.

A link will be shared with you when it becomes available. Stay tuned to the weekly parent bulletin.

Regards, School Climate Survey Committee


English Department:

As always, the English Department is up to something fun! April was International Poetry Month and

Autism Awareness Month; it is also the birth month of Mr. William Shakespeare himself. To see how you

can celebrate and/or participate in these festivities, check out the English Department display case located

outside of the English Department in Room 213. There will be something new each month!

The English Department would also like to extend congratulations all students who wrote the OSSLT in

March. We encourage all students to continue to use the writing, metacognitive and mental health and

wellness strategies we teach for success on all high stakes assessments and evaluations.

Writing Contests & Field Trips: James Bartleman Indigenous Youth Creative Writing

Award: $2500 per recipient!

Deadline: May 31, 2017

For submission forms and more information visit:

ontario.ca/bartleman

Teacher Contact: Ms. Lengyell,

[email protected]

Classical Theatre Project’s production of Macbeth

Field trip date: Thursday, April 20th, 2017

Teacher Contact: Mr. Monteith,

[email protected]

Character Matters

March: Perseverance

We stick to a goal and work hard even in the face of obstacles and challenges. We complete all

tasks and assignments.

April: Integrity

We are truthful and sincere. We ensure consistency between what we say and what we do as

well as between what we believe and how we behave.

May: Courage

We face challenges directly. We seek help from others when necessary. We do the right thing

even when it may be unpopular. We are able to recognize risks and danger and do not take

unwise risks to gain the approval of those around us.

June: Optimism

We maintain a positive attitude. We look on the brighter side of situations. We are able to see

opportunities even in the face of adversity. We have hope for the future.

Thank you to the many students who demonstrate character on a daily basis at T.S.S.

“Knowledge earns you power, character earns you respect.” – Bruce Lee

PAGE 6 TSS PAW PRINTS VOLUME 4 ISSUE 1


Empowered Student Partnerships

Throughout this school year, Empowered Student Partnerships

(ESP) has been constantly working to promote Unity for a Safer

Community at TSS. We work closely with staff, our student body, and the

York Region Police to advocate for a safe, inclusive, and welcoming

environment for all stakeholders within our community.

In partnership with the Alternative Education program, ESP has

been busy providing morning snacks and juice to TSS students

throughout the week to ensure everyone has a healthy start to their day.

In addition, ESP, in collaboration with the Photography Club, has been inquiring what

community means to our school by asking students and staff directly

through our recent Rise and Shine with ESP table event. Stay tuned for

our bulletin board (in Cafeteria) where we

will be sharing TSS’ many photographed

definitions. As this semester progresses, we

are looking to establish more initiatives

which promote Unity for a Safer Community.

All leaders who share our passion to listen to, engage and empower

members of our community are welcomed to come out to our meetings

every Monday after school in Room 214! Snacks are sometimes provided.


Alternative Education A graduate from the Alternative Education program, Saeid

Eghdami, and students and teachers from ESP have partnered

to provide the Breakfast Program to students at Thornhill.

Funding was provided from York Region Food for Learning which

encourages high quality student nutrition programs. The Grab

and Go breakfast is available to all students before school with

high rates of students participating. There are approximately 100

students who come to the Cafeteria before school starts who

participate in the Grab and Go breakfast!!

Grab and go breakfast:

Meals are offered at the beginning of the school day

Runs 3-5 days per week

Three out of the 4 food groups are provided

Tyler Klein Hard at Work!!!! Recently, since the weather has been starting to warm up, I have been assisting a friend of mine with his

landscaping business. Being the assistant requires me to do most of the physical labour. A lot of my job

includes preparing and cleaning up sites for him. I assist in doing things

such as laying down soil, grass seed and mulch, yard cleaning, cutting

tree branches, digging holes, and other forms of general yard work. I work

as his extra set of hands in order to help my friend finish his jobs faster

and more efficiently. Some days I spend pushing around a wheelbarrow

full of soil and placing it in areas for my boss so he can start the job right

away, and some days might be as simple as just planting seeds or laying

down soil. For example, at a recent job, I spent the first part of my day

collecting and filling bags of yard waste and taking them out to the curb. I

then had to carry about 40 bags of mulch and 10 bags of soil from the

truck down into the backyard for my employer. I then laid them out along

the area we had to spread the mulch in and I assisted in raking and

evening out the mulch. Afterwards, I cleaned up the site and carried any

tools we needed for the job back to the truck. Due to all of the heavy lifting and physical work I go home

sore and feeling accomplished. I feel as if this job is a great experience for me where I can develop more

work and life skills, and am excited to work out in the nice weather and learn more about the trade so I can

even hopefully put what I’ve learned to work around my own house in the future.

We encourage all students to obtain a Vaughan and/or Markham

Public Library card. The Markham and Vaughan Public Librar-

ies give students access to online databases that are important in

providing information for academic research—an extremely

useful resource throughout their high school career and IT’S FREE!


Geography Department “What is where? Why there? Why care? What should we do?” Welcome Geographers to another school year! The questions of “what is

where, why there, and why care” are used throughout our Geography program

to encourage students to investigate the world around them and to critically

think about their role in it! With Earth Day on April 22nd - we are now

shifting our attention towards the question “What should we do?” as global

citizens.

Grade 9 Geographers started their course using digital mapping skills to locate places in Canada and

geotechnologies to examine Canada’s landscape – how it was formed, how it changes, and how we use it.

Students have been busy celebrating Canada’s 150th Birthday by promoting the unique natural and physical

features throughout our country and National Parks. We have now shifted our focus to Canadian industries,

trade issues, management of key resources such as freshwater and energy and the impacts of climate change.

Throughout the units, students have been using the Google Classroom and digital tools such as Google

Drawings and “My Maps” to organize, access, and communicate their learning.

Students in the Grade 11 Travel and Tourism course have been analyzing visitor patterns, exploring tourist

attractions, and examined influential trends in the tourism industry. We have been discussing how travel

issues and events impact various regions in the world and the role of sustainable tourism and responsible

travelers. Some of our “virtual travels” have taken us through the

Caribbean and to an eco-tourism destination - Costa Rica where students

designed their own “eco-trail”. Students will have the unique opportunity

to get “behind the scenes” of

t o u r i s m i n d u s t r y

infrastructure at Billy Bishop

Airport and to lead their own

“Tour of Toronto” on an

upcoming field trip. Our next

destinations? Get ready for

take-off to the African

savanna and to emerging

destinations in Asia.

SHSM is a ministry-approved specialized program

that allows students to focus their learning on a

specific economic sector while meeting the

requirements to graduate from secondary school. It

also assists in their transition after graduation to

apprenticeship training, college, university or the

workplace.

Students who successfully complete an SHSM receive:

• an Ontario Secondary School Diploma with an embossed red seal

• an SHSM Record documenting their achievement

• formal recognition on their Ontario Student

Transcript.

TSS Business currently supports the Sports sHSM.

COMPLETE THE APPLICATION @ bit.ly/YRDSBSHSMapp


TSS Science Department News:

YRDSB Science Olympics: On May 3rd, twenty TSS students will compete in the annual YRDSB Science Olympics.

This event encourages and promotes skills and attitudes which prepare learners for success in the 21st century through

problem-based learning and inquiry. Student-teams work collaboratively to solve challenges in Physics, Biology and

Chemistry. Tasks are designed to build skills in literacy, numeracy and critical thinking as well as to enrich learning

and engage students. This year’s theme is Fun and Games! From a group of student volunteers, two Junior and two

Senior Teams were selected. Many thanks to Ms. E. Taylor and Mr. Salavati for organizing our teams.

University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) Engineering Visit - “Making engineering more inclusive”:

UOIT Engineering students will visit TSS in May to give an Introduction to Engineering presentation. TSS students

will participate in collaborative, hands-on activities and learn about the benefits of science education from UOIT

Engineering students. The program will focus on electric circuits—a key component of the grade nine science

curriculum. Students will design circuits using a breadboard, wires, LEDs and resistors. Once the tutorial is completed,

the class will complete a “Pitch Black” simulation as electrical engineers at Hydro One who are dealing with a

blackout. They will discuss the challenges of power outages and why some buildings in a city will still have power

compared to a residential area.

Reptilia will make another exciting visit to TSS with an assortment of live

creatures. Our grade 9 science students will have an opportunity to learn about

ecosystems, food webs and environmental concerns during this fun in-school field

trip.

Science After School Tutoring Club: Every Wednesday from 3:20 to 4:30 pm, students can drop by Rm. 124 for peer

Science Tutoring. No appointments is required and students can leave at any time.

Science Contests: The Grade 11 Avogadro Chemistry Contest will take place on Thursday May 18th. The University

of Waterloo (Grade 12) Chem13 Contest will be on May 11th. The University of Waterloo Sir Isaac Newton Physics

Contest will occur on Thursday, May 4th. Mr. Moscaritolo has been running after-school sessions to prepare for this

competition. The OAPT Grade 11 Physics Contest, sponsored by the University of Toronto – Electrical and Computer

Engineering Faculty, will happen on Wednesday, May 24th. The U of T National Biology Competition will take place

on Thursday April 27th. Field Trips: Grade 11 Biology students will be visiting Ripley's Aquarium. Way to Glow! Grade 12

Biology students will be visiting the Ontario Science Centre to learn about bacterial transformation. Bacterial

transformation is the process by which a bacterium takes up and expresses foreign genetic material (DNA),

thus acquiring a new trait(s). Students will be

able to insert the a GFP (Green Fluorescent

Protein) gene obtained from the bioluminescent

jellyfish Aequorea victoria, into the bacterium

Escherichia coli.

Future Health Professionals: This year more

than 40 TSS science students competed in the National Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA)

competition held in Toronto. Our students successfully competed in five events: Health Science, Health

Professions, Emergency Preparedness, Leadership, and Teamwork. HOSA aims to enhance the quality of

health education and the delivery of healthcare by

providing future health professionals with knowledge,

technical training and leadership development that

enables them to meet the ever-changing needs of the

health care community. Science Rules!

TSS PAW PRINTS VOLUME 4 ISSUE 1 PAGE 11




Common Responses to Trauma


Common Responses to Trauma

Documents

Thornhill Secondary School PAW PRINTS Prin… · Drama 4 ESL 4 School Climate Survey 4 English Department 5 ... Farsi, Gujarati, Hebrew, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Sri Lankan Tamil,