10/18/2011

Dear Parents/Guardians:
 


The days are getting shorter and yet we seem so much busier at Mother Teresa. Here are just a few of the happenings past and future that I want to share with you.

CHAPLAIN'S CORNER Opening liturgies were wonderful and many thanks to Fr. Steve Amesse for his presence. Class visits to the chapel are underway and ACTS (A Chance to Serve) as well as the S.A.A.E (Students Against the Axis of Evil!) Team are already tackling the issues of justice and the reign of God. Thanks to those of you who have contributed pop can tabs to our on-going collection. The tabs are donated to Ronald McDonald House (RMH) and are then converted into cash at a local recycling facility. The cash is used to pay for a child and parent to stay at RMH while undergoing treatment at CHEO. We will be collecting Canadian Tire money again this Advent. The funds are converted to gift cards and are given to our families in the Christmas Blessings Program. Stay tuned for details of upcoming programs. Martha Dougherty Chaplain, Mother Teresa High School WORLD HUNGER WEEK AT MT At lunch time everyday, students will be invited to sign a letter to Pierre Poilievre, MP, advocating for continuation of Canada's commitment to helping developing countries adapt to and fight climate change. Climate change has a huge impact on world hunger. The written announcements will include a fact a day. The letter to our MP is a compilation of letters from The Food Grains Bank, Food Banks Canada, and Development and Peace. It is here for your reference. Click here to download letter.  The Students Against the Axis of Evil (S.A.A.E) Team will be promoting this campaign during lunch this week. DISCOVER A WORLD OF CAREER POSSIBILITIES:  WORK 4 U 2 WHAT:                 WRK4U2 is a pathways and career demonstration day designed for all Grade 8 students and their parents to showcase the variety of unique opportunities available in our community and in our schools.  WHY:                 To explore educational and career pathways including various apprenticeships, trades and technologies along with specific focus programs in our schools  WHO:                 Presented by educators, current high school students, business partners, and community employment agencies WHEN:               Tuesday, October 25th, 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. -    one hour visits for each school -    parents may view the exhibits during the times mentioned above WHERE: Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne Park HOW:                  Your child will be bussed from their school to the Aberdeen Pavilion, 1015 Bank Street, Ottawa. LEARNING COMMONS NEWS (Formerly known as the Library) Mother Teresa Learning Commons will be hosting the Grade 7/8 Read-A-Thon on November 3, 2011. This fun day of reading, guest speakers, and prizes is open to any Grade 7 and Grade 8 student.    Pledge sheets are available in the Learning Commons.  All funds raised will go toward purchases in the Learning Commons. RUN FOR M.A.D.D. TITANS participated in the 5km walk/run for M.A.D.D at Earl of March High School.Among the 400 participants, Mother Teresa High School was proudly represented by M.T.S.A.I.D members: Callie Arbuckle, Melissa Demers, Valerie Milian, Jasmine Khan, Michelle Grenon, and Stephannie Abreu. Our Jeans Day contributions for Friday November 4th will go towards supporting M.A.D.D.'s efforts to provide support service to victims of impaired driving and to heighten awareness in our community about the dangers of drinking and driving. I MATTER U MATTER GROUP I Matter U Matter is a group whose mandate is to de-stigmatize mental illness and to promote mental wellness. This year a group of students has been formed to focus specifically on mental health promotion. This group of Grade 12 students will be going into Grade 9 religion classes to encourage mental wellness. The I Matter U Matter team is also organizing a Mental Health Fair at MTHS on Thursday November 3 from 3:30-6:30 pm. This coincides with the afternoon of the 7/8 parent/teacher interviews. Representatives will be on hand to inform our community about mental health services available to us. Here are the confirmed organizations (to date) that will have information displays and staff present at our Mental Health Resource Night on November 3rd: ementalhealth.ca Hopewell Ottawa Bereaved Families Ottawa Public Health Ottawa Police Rideauwood South Nepean Community Health Centre YouthNet Youth Services Bureau TITANS QUILT The Mother Teresa Victoria Quilts Club held its first gathering after school last week and was able to complete one quilt.  Club members met Betty Giffin, the founder of Victoria Quilts Canada.  Betty informed the group that Victoria Quilts Canada was established in 2000 and in its first year, 16 quilts were distributed to adult cancer patients in the Ottawa area.  This non-profit charitable organization is staffed entirely by volunteers.  So far, over 13,000 quilts have been distributed free-of-charge to people with cancer. To request a quilt or to make a donation, please contact the National Office at (613) 843-9212 or e-mail betty@victoriasquiltscanada.com   For further information, please visit their website at http://victoriasquiltscanada.com.  Our club members plan to meet twice a week to work on the quilts. Students can easily obtain their community service hours while helping a great cause.  It's fun, easy and relaxing. MT TITAN WEAR Titan-wear on the school website has been updated! We have a new line of girls' sweatpants and some new look hoodies.   Look under "Our School" and "Tuck Shop" to see the catalogue, clothing descriptions, and the order form.   Order forms will be going home with students in the next little while. You can also print an order form from the web site. They are due by Friday, October 28. All clothing will be in long before Christmas so you can even use it as a Christmas present!! Students can try different sizes on by coming to Room 216 before school, at senior lunch, or after school. Please contact Mr. Len Baldin at ext.3005 should you have any further questions or e-mail len.baldin@ottawacatholicschools.ca  CAMERA EQUIPMENT DONATIONS Not sure what to do with that old film camera that has been gathering dust in storage for the last number of years? The Photography Department at Mother Teresa is expanding and is graciously accepting any donations of film camera equipment. We would be more than happy to pick items up at your location. Please contact Richard Linke at extension 3034 if you have anything you think we could use. MT STUDENTS EXPERIENCE CAMP SONSHINE On October 5th and 6th, six Grade 9 students and one teacher from M.T. spent the 2 days cleaning up and preparing Camp Sonshine for the winter season.Camp Sonshine is part of a Christian-based organization that provides care for developmental and physically challenged people, located 150 km north of Ottawa on Lac Corbeau, Quebec. The M.T. students are participants in an experiential learning program called Destination Employability. The program strives to help students gain essential employability skills and develop self confidence. The students were able to obtain community service hours while in attendance at the camp. With permission, the following is an excerpt from the journal of one of the students. "The trip was fun. We got to know Matt (caretaker for the camp) and he gave us a good introduction to the camp and explained what it was all about. I found that it was a good outdoor experience because some of us don't spend much time outdoors.  It felt good to be in the outdoors. We got to know our classmates better. It was a good bonding experience. I really liked stacking the logs and working as a team. I thought the canoes would be harder to move because they were big, but they were light. I got to make salad and helped in the kitchen." GRADUATING STUDENTS POLICIES AND DEADLINES As you are aware, all graduating students must complete 40 hours of community service prior to graduation. In the past, it has been the practice of some graduating students to leave their Community Service Hours to the last month of school, thereby jeopardizing their graduation in June. As a result, the following policies are now in place at Mother Teresa: PROM: All graduating students must have their 40 hours of community service completed if they intend to attend their Prom. Hours must be submitted to Student Services prior to May 11th, 2012. GRADUATION: In order to attend the Graduation Ceremony, students must have their 40 hours of community service completed by June 11th, 2012. Community Service Hours forms are available in Student Services or on the Mother Teresa website. STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS Homecoming Dance ( October 21st) The Homecoming Hoedown is the first of two High School dances scheduled for this year, and Student Council hopes to get as many students as possible to come out for a great time. Students will get to vote for their Homecoming King/Queen & Prince/Princess with the purchase of their tickets. We are hopeful that the fresh theme idea will encourage students to buy tickets and show their Titan spirit. October/ Halloween Spirit Week ( October 24th-31st)This spirit week will be Halloween themed, with a variety of dress up days to encourage creativity among the student body, as well as Halloween Dress-Up day itself, on Monday the 31st. Student Council will host the usual door decorating contest and would like to have other activities as well, such as Halloween Trivia over the morning anouncements. We hope that all Titans dress up and show their Titan spirit! TITAN SPORTS Congratulations to the members of the 7/8 Girls' and Boys' Flag Rugby teams who competed this past month in the OCSB Intermediate Flag Rugby tournaments. The boys finished with a 3-0 record in round-robin play; however, they lost a heartbreaker (6-5) in the quarter finals. The girls went 5-0 in round-robin play, and then went on to win their quarterfinal, semi-final, and final matches to take the first annual OCSB Intermediate Girls' Flag Rugby Championship. Awesome Job Girls!!! The 7/8 Cross Country Team had an incredible turnout to practices and had almost 40 students compete in the meet on September 29th at Terry Fox Stadium. The team met several times after school to practise, and focused on reaching personal goals which varied from runner to runner. At the end of the meet, Mother Teresa was extremely successful, finishing with combined points that were in the top 5 schools for each division. (Grade 7 girls, Grade 7 boys, Grade 8 girls, and Grade 8 boys). Our top finisher was Grade 7 student, Lindsay Warne, who finished 2nd and only one hair shy of 1st. In the Grade 7 boys division, Nick Caves and Sam Laviolette finished side-by-side, claiming 3rd and 4th spots respectively. MacKenzie Corrigan finished 5th in the Grade 8 girls division and Jeremy Trefry was the top finisher for the Grade 8 boys, finishing in 10th overall. All runners finished the race successfully, and all runners improved from the onset of the practices. The team made Mother Teresa H.S. very proud and represented our school in tremendous fashion by exemplifying positivity, respect, and determination. Thanks to Bridget Hayes for helping to coach these young athletes and showing them the power of positive thoughts!! Congratulations to all of you!!! Upcoming for Grade 7&8 sports is girls' volleyball. The Titans Sr. Boys Volleyball Team remains sharp both on and off the Court as they continue their season. The boys are riding a winning streak having taken 15 straight sets against teams across the west end of Ottawa. Their record sits at 5-0 with home games scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday this week. Games start at 4pm. Come on out and cheer the boys on as they take on Notre Dame and Holy Trinity. Return of the Titans After a one-year hiatus, football has returned to Mother Teresa High School! A total number of 44 students are part of this year's varsity program. There are many students returning who were part of the junior football team 2 years ago; this has given the team some stability since many players are already familiar with some of the offensive and defensive formations implemented by the coaching staff.    The team has a 3-1 record so far this season. After an opening loss, the team has won three consecutive games. The defense has played especially well, not allowing any points against in the last 3 games. This year's group of students have fully bought into a team concept. Each player has demonstrated the dedication, commitment, and hard work required to be successful. The team is focused and has their sights set on making the playoffs. BE HEARD - HAVE YOUR SAY! The Ottawa Police Services and the Ottawa Police Services Board are hosting a Let's Chat Youth Café because they want to hear from you! Come join a real police-youth conversation and explore the questions and issues that matter to you and your friends.   Wednesday, October 26, 2011  6:00 pm Nepean Sportsplex - Hall A OTTAWA PUBLIC HEALTH SURVEY Grade 11 and 12 students received a parental consent form Monday in homeroom to complete an online survey regarding attitudes and behaviours around cancer. If you wish your son or daughter to participate in this survey, please sign and return the consent form. SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS CSPA's free parent symposium, Parenting Now, will be held on the morning of Saturday, November 12th, at St. Patrick's High School.  The keynote speaker will be Dr. Bruce Ferguson, Director of the Community Health Services Resource Group at The Hospital for Sick Children. Join us for free breakfast, great workshops and valuable parent information.     More details can be found at www.ottawacspa.ca UPCOMING DATES Friday, October 21                   High School Dance 7:00pm-10:00pm Tuesday, October 25                Work 4 U 2 Day - Grade 8 Students Thursday, October 27               Progress Reports - 7&8  Friday, October 28                   7/8 Dance 1:30pm-3:00pm Wedneday, November 2            Take Our Kids to Work Day - Grade 9

Mary Ellen Agnel                                              Principal, Mother Teresa High School

10/03/2011

Dear Parents/Guardians:
 


I can't believe the month of September has come and gone. I would like to thank all of the parents and students who attended Meet the Teacher night on September 15th. We enjoyed meeting you and of course seeing familiar faces as we started the new school year.

CHAPLAIN'S CORNER Well, another grand start to the school year!     Last week thirty-eight students boarded a bus for Camp Otterdale and our Leadership Camp was officially underway. The students and staff worked really hard and we played even harder! The purpose of our Leadership Camp is to allow clubs, teams, and committees, already in existence, to set goals for the upcoming year and establish an event/activity calendar so that we can support each other's initiatives. The Leadership Program at camp is truly a collaborative effort and provides solid leadership formation for our students.       On Wednesday October 5 we will celebrate Thanksgiving with two masses. Fr. Steve Amesse from St. Patrick Church, Fallowfield will preside. The schedule for mass is as follows: Grades 11 and 12:       Period 1 Grades 9 and 10:         Period 2  Grades 7 & 8:               To Be Scheduled after Thanksgiving Please remember that you are always welcome to join us for any of our liturgical celebrations. Beginning Monday October 3 we will be collecting pop can tabs for Ronald MacDonald House. Every pound of tabs equals $3.00 and the money raised is used to pay for accommodations for a child and parent to stay at Ronald MacDonald House while undergoing treatment at CHEO. Help us out by collecting tabs and by reminding your children to bring the tabs to school. Martha Dougherty Chaplain, Mother Teresa High School UNITY CROSS AT MOTHER TERESA Students at Mother Teresa High School were in awe of the Unity Cross which visited Mother Teresa and was located in the Chapel. Please open the link to view a Power Point Presentation on the purpose of the cross as it relates to our Board Theme -Though Many we are One Body In Christ.   Power Point Presentation on Unity Cross   EMERGENCY FOCUS PROGRAM Just a reminder that our Emergency Response Services Focus Program is running this semester at the Grade 11/12 level. As part of that program we have professionals from the areas of Fire, Police, and Paramedic services visiting our school on a regular basis for demos and instruction. STUDENT SERVICES The Student Services Website can be found at  ss.mths.ca. The website contains resources including Career Information, a Study Guide, and Counseling Resources. The Grade 12 Section has University and College information including application information.  All Grade 12 classes were visited to discuss Grade 12 and beyond. The Powerpoint presentation used for the class visits is posted on the Student Services website. AWARDS CEREMONY On Tuesday, October 18th we will host our Grade 10-12 Awards Ceremony during period 1. This ceremony will honour the accomplishments of last year's Grade 9-11 students. More information will follow and parents are welcome to attend this ceremony. 7 & 8 ART CLUB (The Art Circle) will run on Mondays for our Grade 7's and Tuesdays for our Grade 8's in Room 331 during lunch. MATH INFORMATION NIGHT Parent Math Workshop Mother Teresa High School Wednesday, October 5, 2011 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. We have a tradition of success in mathematics at Mother Teresa High School, where we use a wide array of rich learning technologies to engage and motivate our students. These technologies are likely not familiar to parents, so this workshop is designed to provide you with an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the learning technologies your children use daily in their math classes. Parent Math Workshop Document ENGLISH WRITING CONTESTS Writing competitions are available through Mrs. J. Simpson, English Department Head. Please contact Mrs. Simpson for information on the Remembrance Day Literary Contest (among others). STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS Many thanks go out to our Titan Student Council and their teacher advisors for the success of our Spirit Week.   Students and teachers dressed the part in various costumes themed throughout the week. Money was raised and we completed the Terry Fox run on Thursday, September 22nd. A very successful day and the rain held off for us. Thank you to everyone who made this a successful week! TITAN - ECO UPDATES   - We are initiating a waste management plan for our school that will reduce waste, promote litterless lunches, and make recycling and composting an easier choice for our school community. - We are distributing compost bins to every classroom and making liners for all of the bins made from recycled paper (we are making extra liners for the bins ongoing throughout the semester for teachers who need them). - We went on a bike trip to the Rideau Conservation Chapman Mills Trail to discuss the environmentally friendly lunches we packed and our progress on promoting our environmental initiatives at school. - The "Worm Lady" came to speak to our class about composting and gave us two bags of worms so we can compost in our class. - A representative from Plasco (an Ottawa based company) came to speak to our class about their company and how they convert city waste to energy with less environmental impact than any of our current waste disposal systems such as landfill and incineration.    - We are planning a major energy project and working with our board's engineer Thomas Burke to build a system to improve the efficiency of our school's water heating system. Promoting our environmental initiatives:  We have a Facebook page, website, Tumbler page, and App (linked with our school App). We have posters made from GOOS (Good on One Side) promoting litterless lunches, our recycling program and re-usable water bottles.   We are so fortunate that all of the students enrolled in the Environmental Science course and SHSM are enthusiastic and ready to take action and make a difference in our community. We are again applying for Eco Gold this year.  I have no doubt that with the enthusiasm and dedication from our wonderful team here at Mother Teresa, we will accomplish our goal.  Our motto this year is"We are the Titans and it's in our Culture to Care". CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS The Catholic School Council held its first meeting on Monday, September 19th. Thank you to all who showed up from our MT community.   Elections were held on this evening and I would like to inform you that we have two new Council Chairs for our school year. Please welcome Darlene McKibbon and Heather Sheahan as our new Co Chairs. Thank you to both Namita Nault and Mary Wong, our outgoing co-chairs, for their dedicated work and support of Mother Teresa High School. Next school council meeting will be on Monday, October 17, 2011 at 7:00pm in the library (TLC Centre). TRANSPORTATION We will begin to assign our empty seats on the Yellow School buses. Please be patient during this process as we will not be able to assign seats to all those who have requested one. DRIVER EDUCATION PROGRAM Driver Education will be offered at Mother Teresa on Wednesday nights. The program starts on October 19th. For more information please see Student Services. This is a Ministry of Transportation approved course. DIRECT ACCESS TO STUDENT SERVICES & COOPERATIVE EDUCATION Our upgraded phone system has enabled us to give you direct access to: Student Services - 613-823-5033  Co operative Education - 613-823-5032 Please feel free to use these numbers. UPCOMING DATES Wednesday, October 5            HS Opening Liturgies (P1 and P2) Wednesday & Thursday, October  5-6                            7/8 Immunization Clinic Friday, October 7                     Professional Development -                                                  Christian Community Day Monday, October 10                Thanksgiving Thursday, October 13               Letters of Early Intervention - HS Tuesday, October 18                Awards Ceremony (Grades 10-12 P1) Tuesday, October 25                Work4 U 2 Day - (More info to follow.) Thursday, October 27               Progress Reports - 7&8 TITANS LEARNING COMMONS UPDATE On September 13th, 2011, author Richard Scarsbrook visited the Titans Learning Commons (TLC), formerly known as the Library. He presented his award winning book, The Monkeyface Chronicles. This book recently won the White Pine Award  from the Ontario Library Association.  Richard shared his love of reading and his journey as an author with approximately 150 Grade 7-12 students.   Following the presentation, Grade 12 student, Francisco Padua wrote the following Top 10 Writing Tips based on Richard Scarsbrook's presentation. Top Ten Writing Tips

Thanksgiving Reflection: As we prepare to celebrate the feast of Thanksgiving this week-end, let us reflect on the real blessings in our lives. As I get ready for the upcoming long week-end with family - gatherings , down -time and good food , I realize how much I really have and all the many blessings in my life. I can't imagine how difficult life can be for others whose families are torn apart by stress, conflict, hunger and distance. Please show me how I can make a difference in the lives of others not as fortunate. Help me to see the moments of opportunity where I can lighten someone else's load if even for a moment. May God keep you and yours in His blessings as you continue to journey as a MT community partner.

Sincerely,Mrs. Mary Ellen Agnel
Principal
Mother Teresa High School