Holy Week is upon us and on Holy Thursday we will have TRIDUUM services. This is an opportunity to teach students about the richness and beauty of this most sacred time of our year. Please know that the Mother Teresa community is welcome to join us for this service on April 21 at 9:00 a.m. in the gym.
Lent has been a time of soulful reflection here at MT. Our students and staff are gathering for prayer and we are well on our way to ThinkFast which will take place on Friday, April 29th. Our students have welcomed the opportunities for leadership in justice, prayer and service throughout this holy season. This community is truly blessed with strong people who have committed themselves to promoting solidarity with believers in our community and globally.
I've said it before and I say it again now, I am so proud of our students and staff and I am deeply grateful to be among you.
As always, hold us in prayer as we seek to live out God's joyful mission for our world..
St. Andrew's Parish Holy Week Mass Schedule
April 19 Chrism Mass @7:30 p.m. (Notre Dame Cathedral)
Everyone is welcome!
April 21 Mass of the Lord's Supper @ 7:30 p.m. (Parish)
April 22 Good Friday Stations of the Cross @ 1:30 p.m. (Parish)
Good Friday Service @ 3:00 p.m. (Parish)
April 23 Easter Vigil@ 7:30 p.m. (Parish) - Reception to follow
April 24 Easter Sunday Mass @10:30 a.m. (Parish.)
St. Patrick Fallowfield Holy Week Mass Schedule
April 19 Chrism Mass @ 7:30 p.m. (Notre Dame Cathedral)
Everyone is welcome!
April 21 Mass of the Lord's Supper @ 7:30 p.m.
April 22 Good Friday Service @ 3::00 p.m. (Parish)
Good Friday Stations of the Cross @ 7:30 p.m.
April 23 Easter Vigil @ 8:00 p.m
April 24 Easter Sunday Masses @ 7:00, 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.
MT TEACHER RECEIVES GOLDEN APPLE AWARD
Congratulations to Mr. Todd Stuart who received the Golden Apple award from Majic 100 on Thursday, April, 14, 2011. Mr. Stuart received his award in front of students and colleagues in the High School gym. It took him by surprise and he was extremely humbled by this award.
Mr. Stuart was nominated by a student who wrote a great letter to Majic 100 explaining why Mr. Stuart should win this award. His dedication to student success combined with his gift of teaching made him an excellent candidate. Mr. Stuart's class 8-06 (class of the student who nominated him) will receive a pizza party from Majic 100 and $500.00 towards a school-based initiative.
COSTA RICA
As you may be aware, Mother Teresa students participated in a trip to Costa Rica over the March Break. Students had an opportunity to visit Earth University and see sustainable agriculture in action, plant a garden at a local school, kayak, zip line, go horseback riding, and visit an indigeneous community. Students and supervisors had an action-packed 8 days of environmental educational opportunities and fun!
GRADE 6 PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT
A special thank you to all parents and students who attended our Grade 6 Parent Information Night on April 13th; we hope you enjoyed the evening. We look forward to getting to know our mini Titans and welcoming them into our community. I would also like to recognize our Peer Helpers, Grade 7 students, and staff who helped facilitate this wonderful evening.
MT STUDENT NOMINATED FOR A CAYFO AWARD
One of our Grade 8 students, Ben O'Neil, was nominated for a Child and Youth Friendly Ottawa award for youth advocacy and service to the community. Congratulations Ben!!
OCRI AWARDS
On April 7, 2011 Mother Teresa High School was recognized by OCRI with the presentation of the High School Innovation Award. Len Baldin and his Business Department were presented with this award for their "Entrepreneurship" submission.
Congratulations Len and the Business Department! Your innovation and dedication to student success at Mother Teresa is to be commended.
SPEED TEXTING COMPETITION
On Wednesday, April 20th an example of the "Entrepreneurship" program will be in full force as the business students will be hosting a speed texting competition. Majic 100 and KISS FM will be broadcasting live from the cafeteria at lunch and great prizes will be given away. All money collected will be going to the Japan Relief Fund.
EARTH WEEK (APRIL 17-24)
Mother Teresa staff and students will be participating in some great events during this week. Students will be encouraged by the MTCAN group to Reduce Carbon, Recycle and Reuse.
LOCKDOWN PRACTICE
We had our second lockdown practice on Thursday, April 14th at 1:10pm. The police were present and commended the staff and students on a job well done!
SHAKESPEARE WEEK (APRIL 26-29)
Students will be participating in many activities during this week. The main focus of the week will be "Shakin' it with Shakespeare" on Wednesday, April 27th and Thursday, April 28th.
OTTAWA HUMANE SOCIETY
We are very fortunate to have the Ottawa Humane Society coming in for a presentation on Co-existing with Urban Wildlife on Thursday, April 28th. Students in Mr. Prigent's class and other students will benefit from this presentation.
PASSPORT TO SAFETY AND WORKPLACE SAFETY WEEK (APRIL 26-29)
Ninety-eight percent of our Mother Teresa Grade 10 students have achieved their Passport to Safety certification. Students received their certification through their Careers Course in conjunction with Work Place Safety Awareness Week which will be held the last week of April. Our Mother Teresa Improv Team will be sharing "Work Place Safety" skits during lunch hour on Wednesday, April 27th to stress the importance of workplace safety.
Two of our high school students will be participating in the main event on Thursday, April 28th, 2011.
- Workplace Safety Brunch @ St. Pius X from 9:30 am -11:30am
- Schools will be recognized for their awareness campaigns and their participation in Passport to Safety in Career Studies.
- We will proceed to Vincent Massey Park by bus to participate in the Day of Mourning, a ceremony which pays respect to those who have perished in the workplace due to unsafe conditions. This ceremony is from 12:30- 2:00pm. You are welcome to attend.
Thank you for your support and working together for safety in the workplace for all.
EDUCATION WEEK PREVIEW
Education week is fast approaching and Mother Teresa has many special events scheduled. Please keep your calendars free so you can join us for a BBQ and our Open House Celebrations on Thursday, May 5, 2011 from 4:30 -7:00p.m. We will be celebrating "Culture and Diversity" and will feature a multicultural market with the sale of products cultivated in Greece (community member joining us), items produced by our ELL and ECL students, display/sale of imports from Spain (an on-going project in our Business Department) and 'The Beading Drum' jewelry display/sale by one of our Aboriginal community members.
In addition to this market there will be an interactive fitness testing area organized by our EMS Focus Program students, and a data fair with our Math Department. Other activities and displays will include our "Stand up to Bullying" and " I Matter You Matter", a new initiative. Stage performances and many other activities as well as student displays of work will all be part of this busy evening and week.
TELL THEM FROM ME SURVEY
The Ministry of Education requires schools to conduct anonymous school climate surveys of their students, parents, and teachers every two years. These surveys must include questions on bullying/harassment related to homophobia, gender-based violence, and sexual harassment. In Catholic schools, our Catholic teaching on the dignity of the human person is the starting point for all issues of diversity. We are One Body in Christ. Catholic schools strive to create an environment where all students and staff feel safe, valued and welcomed.
Parents/guardians are an integral part of our MT community and we would also like to solicit your feedback to help guide us and make sure we are always moving forward in a positive direction.
Please take a moment to complete the parent survey. It can be found on our Mother Teresa Website http://www.mths.ca. The Tell Them from Me Survey link is located on the left- hand side of this page in green.
Contact school for login and password.
Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to call me at the school.
VOCAL WORKSHOP
The Jeff Rogers Experience
by Victoria Petrilli, Student
About 10 Mother Teresa students and I received the opportunity to take part in a vocal workshop during the week of March 28th to April 1st. We had the very talented singer/songwriter Jeff Rogers come to our school and be our instructor.
Jeff Rogers has been a professional musician since the ripe age of 18. As a child, he always gravitated toward piano. During high school, he took interest in alto sax and jazz music. He was appointed 1st chair alto in the Musicfest National All-Star Band in Vancouver at only 17. After graduating from high school, he took up guitar and vocals and has since perfected his vocal technique and stage presence.
Jeff taught us all the key pointers for any and every singer. We learned different types of breathing and warm-up exercises, what key our individual voices sound the best in, harmonizing, stage presence, how to use a microphone properly, some theory, and a little bit of yoga.
To show off our new-found skills to the rest of the school, we put on a showcase during both lunches on Friday, April 1st. There were solo performances, small group performances and a whole group performance of "Stayin' Alive". Jeff accompanied most students with groovy piano tunes and perfect harmonies.
The atmosphere of the whole week was so easygoing and relaxing. We are all just aspiring musicians, willing to learn and perform and we did do just that. Thanks to Jeff for being our instructor and Mrs. O'Malley for putting the workshop together.
GRADE 7/8 MATH CONTEST
Sixty of our Grade 7/8 math students wrote the Mathematica Centrum Contest on Wednesday, April 13. This contest is an opportunity for our students to compete against other Canadian math students, testing their problem-solving skills and math knowledge. Students were recommended by their math teachers and prepared on their own time for the test. Results will be forwarded to the school in late May.
ST. BRIGID'S SUMMER CAMP
Every Year St. Brigid's Summer Camp invites children between the ages of 8 and 14 from the Ottawa Carleton School region to attend a five-day camping session regardless of their family's financial situation. They do not charge a fee but ask parents to make a non-obligatory donation to cover what they can of the $270.00 cost.
Registration is on Saturday, April 30th from 8:00am - 10:30am at St. John the Apostle Church, 2340 Baseline Road. You may check out the St. Brigid's Summer Camp website at www.stbcamp.ca for additional information.
Upcoming Events and Dates
April 18-23 Earth Week
April 16-27 European Enrichment Trip
April 18 Parent Council Meeting - 7:00pm - Library
April 21 H.S Interim Report Card Distribution
April 21 Holy Thursday
April 22 Good Friday (No classes)
April 25 Easter Monday (No Classes)
April 26-29 Shakespeare and Workplace Safety Week
As we journey through this Holy week please keep in mind our students and staff who embarked on their journey to Europe Saturday, April 16th. May they be blessed with good health, safe travels, and many wonderful experiences on their trip.
Wishing everyone a blessed Easter season.
Mrs. Mary Ellen Agnel
Principal
Mother Teresa High School