Dear MGCI Parents/Guardians/Caregivers/Students:

This week we have been visiting classrooms around the school to talk about the importance of combating hateful language including use of the n-word. Please speak with your teen about the importance of accepting and respectful language and please understand that there is a zero tolerance policy for racist and hate-based language at school. School-based consequences will be implemented.

Tonight we come together as a school community for our annual Iftar dinner. A special thank you to all the staff who are volunteering their time to help supervise the event. A very special thank you to the MSA and Ms. Alam for their hours of organizing efforts to make tonight happen.

We hope you have a wonderful and relaxing long weekend together. See you on Tuesday Garneau!

Gillian Evans, Principal

 

1. Guidance Gazette for April

Please see the attachment for the monthly Guidance newsletter, the Guidance Gazette. It has also been shared with students on the guidance department google classrooms.

 

Guidance Gazette April 2024.pdf

2. Exciting Summer Volunteer Opportunities for High School Students!

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope this email finds you and your family in good spirits as we approach the summer break. As we gear up for an enriching and engaging summer program at Gateway Public School, I wanted to extend an invitation to your high school-aged children to join us as volunteers.

Our elementary summer school program, scheduled from July 2nd to July 26th, 2024, is designed to offer a dynamic learning environment focusing on Language, Mathematics, and Student Leadership for students completing JK through Grade 8. To ensure the success of our program, we are seeking enthusiastic and dedicated high school volunteers to assist us in various roles.

High school students (grades 9-12) are welcome to contribute as volunteers and earn valuable community service hours. There are numerous roles available, including:

• Camp counsellor-style recess activity leaders
• Office support
• Translation assistance
• Snack delivery
• Summer yearbook cre
• AV crew, and more

Volunteering with us provides an excellent opportunity for high school students to gain valuable experience, develop leadership skills, and contribute positively to our community.

If you know a high school student who may be interested in volunteering with us, please encourage them to reach out to Gateway’s Summer Principal directly at Rox.Hayward@tdsb.on.ca.

Warm regards,

Rox Hayward

Summer Principal, Gateway Public School

3. Hello Thorncliffe and Flemingdon residents from CBC Toronto!

Thorncliffe Park is at a crossroads, and we want to talk about it with you.

The community continues to be a landing place for newcomers and their families. At the same time, it's undergoing massive structural change while dealing with the housing and affordability crisis.

One thing remains constant: the grassroots effort to find solutions that lift up the community.

On Tuesday, April 16, join us for Facing the Future Together, an in-person panel event at the TNO Youth Hub located in the East York Town Centre. (Entrance 6)

Hosted by Metro Morning’s David Common, the panelists will discuss the Thorncliffe Park community's challenges and how best to face the future together. Space is limited, reserve your free ticket HERE.

When: Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Where: TNO Youth Hub, 45 Overlea Blvd

Time: Doors open at 6 p.m. The panel discussion begins at 6:30 p.m.

The event will be recorded, and segments will run on Metro Morning later that week. It's your chance to peek behind the curtain of the GTA's number-one radio show and hear how the Thorncliffe Park community is working together to meet the future head-on.

Food and refreshments will be served, and an opportunity to network and connect will be provided before the panels begin. Resource tables will provide information on the many programs in the Thorncliffe Park community, and you'll get a chance to see and discover some of the programming CBC Toronto has done as a part of our Thorncliffe Park Communities in Focus series.

We hope you can join us for this important conversation.

4. TDSB Need for Aquatic Instructors - Now Hiring!

In order to operate swim programs in TDSB schools with pools, we need two on-site aquatic instructors. Sadly, the TDSB has had a shortage of aquatic instructors since schools reopened from COVID. If you know of any aquatic instructors, please, have them complete the application - the board has been advertising and I have been advertising on Twitter since the end of last year. Here’s the link directly to the posting for applicants to apply. https://tdsb.sabacloud.com/Saba/Web_spf/CA1PRD0033/jobs-Support/career/jobdetail/jobrq000000000002580. Thanks!

5. TDSB Outdoor Education Centre Maple Syrup Open Houses & 40th Anniversary Celebration

We are excited to have the return of the Maple Syrup Open Houses at the Forest Valley Outdoor Education Centre on Saturday, April 6, 2024 and at the Etobicoke Outdoor Education Centre at Albion Hills on Saturday, April 13, 2024 – where we will also be acknowledging the site's 40th Anniversary.

Join us between 10 am and 2 pm to explore the gifts of the maple forest. These free, family-friendly events include options for a guided hike, a visit to the sugar shack, and tasting sap, syrup and candy.

pic 1.jpg pic 2.jpg

6. Parent & Caregiver Community Talk on April 25 from 6:30pm

108949145280. Secondary School will be hosting Ulrica Jobe, Parent Coach and Child & Family Counsellor, who will be delivering a presentation you won't want to miss: CREATE A MEANINGFUL CONNECTION WITH YOUR CHILD IN A HYPER-CONNECTED WORLD.

It is consistently ranked as one of the best presentations of the year by parent communities.

Many parents know what they should be doing, but they struggle with HOW to connect or maintain connection with their child or adolescent. Especially in our current world with so many distractions and new challenges, it is often a parent's #1 concern.

1129123145. upon relevant and evidence based research, Ulrica will walk us through five key areas that have shown to directly impact the relationship between a parent and child and how to apply them in a practical way. The information is useful and practical, and Ulrica is a fantastic and engaging speaker. Ulrica is a knowledge translator - she takes complicated research, distills it in an accessible format, and delivers it in a way that leaves you feeling hopeful and empowered.

If you have any questions, please feel free to register or contact me / the Northern School Council @ nss.school.council@gmail.com.

April 25 Parent and Caregiver talk at NSS.jpeg

7. Worth Repeating - Commencement:

Dear Potential MGCI Graduates and Family,

Commencement 2024 is fast approaching and we are preparing for your milestone.

Commencement will be held on Wednesday June 26 from 6:15 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

All graduates are expected to arrive at Parkview Manor by 5:00 p.m. All guests are expected to arrive by 6:00pm to allow time for seating before the ceremony begins.

Parkview Manor is located at 55 Barber Greene Road (Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue East)

You will be able to attend Commencement only if you will be earning a minimum of 30 credits (2 of which are through e-learning, unless your family opted out of this graduation requirement) by August 30, 2024, completed and submitted your 40 hours of community service, and passed the OSSLT.

All graduates must wear a Commencement gown throughout the ceremony. If you have an older sibling who graduated from MGCI and has a gown, cap and stole, then you do not need to purchase one. You can use your sibling’s.

As a result, there are two packages to choose from:

Commencement Gown and 2 guest tickets for $35.00.

For this package, you will receive a gown, cap, tassel, stole and 2 guest tickets.

Guest Ticket $10 each.

You can only buy a total of 2 guest tickets.

This package is only available for MGCI graduates who already have a gown, cap and stole from an older sibling. We will provide you with a 2024 tassel to add to your older sibling’s cap.

Sign in to your School Cash Online Account. Select your package and make the payment through School Cash Online. Below is the link for your convenience.

https://www.schoolcashonline.com/

The deadline for payment is Tuesday April 2, 2024.

After April 2nd, you will not be able to purchase a gown nor purchase your two guest tickets.

If School Cash Online is not an option for you and your family, please email Ms. Galanis theodora.galanis@tdsb.on.ca or call her at 416-396-2410 or visit her in person entering from the main office side. If you have any questions or concerns about Commencement, please connect with Ms Galanis.

Thank you for your cooperation and we look forward to celebrating with you at MGCI’s Commencement 2024.

8. Worth Repeating - Yearbook Media Release Forms:

To All MGCI Students and Our Families:

Thursday March 28, 2024 is the last day to submit your signed Media Release Form for the Yearbook.

If you want your picture to be in the yearbook and if you want to receive a yearbook, you must submit by 3 p.m. on Thursday March 28, 2024 your signed Media Release Form.

If you do not want to appear in the yearbook, you still must sign the Media Release Form by March 28, 2024.

For those who want to email their signed consent form, please email them to Huma.AbdulRazzaq@tdsb.on.ca

Any printed and signed media consent forms should be handed into Huma Abdul Razzaq in the main office.

Under no circumstances can we accept any changes to the yearbook media consent after March 28th. On this date, our yearbook portrait pages will be sent out for printing. Any changes to consent must be communicated between now and March 28th.

Students can confirm that they have signed yes by checking the Google Sheet list of student numbers that has been posted to their guidance Google classroom. If their student number is on the list, then they have agreed to having their photo in the yearbook and will receive a free yearbook. If their number is not on the list then, they have not given consent for their photo to appear in the yearbook.

Student Media Release Consent Form.pdf

9. Worth Repeating - Corsage Project

We are excited to announce that the Corsage Project will once again be running for 2024!

Created in 1999, we work in partnership with the Children's Aid Foundation of Canada to provide free formal wear and accessories to female-identifying high school students unable to afford the cost of prom wear and accessories. Students referred to the program by their school will be formally invited to attend our ‘Boutique Ball’ on Saturday, May 4th, 2024 at Rosedale School of the Arts where they will be able to pick out a brand new outfit, shoes, and accessories free of charge.

Female-identifying students in need of this support should speak with Ms. Galanis in the main office or Ms. Lajeunesse in room 213 before the April 19th deadline.

CORSAGE PROJECT BOUTIQUE BALL REFERRAL GUIDELINES

The three requirements all referrals must fulfil to be eligible to participate in the event are:

· must be graduating

· cannot have attended Corsage previously

· must be in need of the support

Some reasons that a student may require additional support with graduation expenses are as follows:

· unemployment in the family

· newly arrived family in Canada

· large family

· health issues in the family

· working part-time to assist family income

· loss of a parent

· living independently

· single-parent family

· agency involvement

· living in a group home

· pregnancy/becoming a young mother

For further information on the Corsage Project, please visit www.corsageproject.ca.

10. Worth Repeating - Human Trafficking Parents Workshop

We invite you to a very special presentation presented by Victim Services Toronto on Tuesday May 7, 2024 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Marc Garneau C.I. in our school’s library. The presentation will focus on your role as a parent/guardian/caregiver and how you can prevent human trafficking. You will learn how youth are recruited, how to identify if your child is being trafficked, and how to support your child to prevent from being trafficked. We look forward to seeing you on May 7 at 6:30 p.m. in our school’s library.

VST HT Parents Workshop Flyer - May 7th Workshop.pdf

11. Worth Repeating - School Calendar and Family Trip Planning

The 2023-24 School Calendar is available on the TDSB website. Please click here for Exam and holiday dates. Please note that we will be scheduling final Exams and culminating activities for the 2023-24 school year in both January and June. A reminder that vacations are not considered a legitimate absence from instructional days or Exam days. Every effort should be made to avoid scheduling family vacations during school time. In the event of a missed evaluation due to a family vacation, teachers are not required to provide an

alternative form of evaluation or Exam and a mark of zero may be assigned.

12. School Council Update

Our next meeting date has changed! Our next meeting will be April 25 at 7pm. The meeting will take place both in person in the library and online. Links will be shared closer to the date.

Land Acknowledgement: We, the students and staff of Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute, acknowledge that we are hosted on the lands of the Mississaugas of the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Wendat. We also recognize the enduring presence of all First Nations, Métis, and the Inuit peoples.