Tuesday, November 23, 2010

11/23/2010

Dear Parents/Guardians:
 


This past week was a very busy one here at Mother Teresa High School as we celebrated Bullying Awareness Week with special events and presentations; distributed report cards to all students Grades 7-12 on Thursday, November 18th; and hosted Transport Canada's National Day of Remembrance on Wednesday, November 17th.

This week began with a visit by Max Keeping to our Broadcasting classes on Monday morning and Grades 7&8 parent-teacher Interviews are scheduled for Wednesday, November 24th.


National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims

Wednesday, November 17th, was a huge success as we hosted the Federal Minister of Transport, the Honourable Chuck Strahl, who spoke to our Grades 10, 11 and 12 students about the importance of road safety. Other speakers included Ottawa Catholic School Board Director of Education, Julian Hanlon; President of the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA), Steve Martin; President of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Denise Dubyk; Executive Director of Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving, Anne Leonard; and our own regional representative for OSAID, MT student Emily MacDonald.

It was my privilege to deliver a tribute to Christian Williams, our grade 12 student who was killed in a road crash on June 22nd, 2010, and to have the Williams family present with us for the event. We also remembered the sister of our staff member Norm Duhamel. Lyn Duhamel was killed in a road crash in May of 2010 when she was cycling with triathlete teammates southeast of Montreal.

In addition to the assembly, all students from Grades 7-12 had an opportunity to visit thirteen interactive kiosks displayed by road safety providers, as well as the "Choose your Ride" exhibit in front of our school. MADD also held a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Minister of Transport to launch their Red Ribbon Campaign for this year.

The day was a huge success! Please click on the following link to see some photos from the day:

(https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BxJplyUFPhf-NTQ4ZWYxOTAtYWM0OC00MjM4LWE4ZTctMmMyM2NkYTUxZWM
0&hl=en
)


Grade 7&8 Parent-Teacher Interviews

Our students received their Progress Reports last Thursday, November 18th, and hopefully you have had a chance to review the new style of report card used for our Grade 7&8 students' first reporting period. Interviews with your children's teachers are scheduled for this Wednesday, November 24th, beginning at 2:30pm. An interview request form went home with the Progress Reports.

Please make sure you sign up for an interview time with the teachers you would like to see. All interviews will be held in the cafeteria gym.


The University & College Application Process Has Begun


Our graduating students have received handouts explaining how to apply to college as well as usernames and passwords for applying to university. Please check the Student Services section of our school website for these handouts as well as important related information.

www.mths.ca --> Departments --> Student Services


Teen Truth Live Assembly


This Thursday, November 25th, all MT students will be participating in an assembly on the topic of bullying presented by Teen Truth Live. Grades 9 and 10 will take part during Period 1, Grades 11 and 12 during Period 2, and our Intermediate students following their lunch break during Periods 5 and 6.

Please see the following link for more information on Teen Truth Live. Last year they presented to our school on the topic of body image.
http://teentruthlive.com/programs/bully-school-violence/


MT Live


Friday, December 3rd, from 7pm to 9pm, our Student Council will be hosting a talent show to showcase the many talented students we have attending our school. Students will be auditioning this week in the Multipurpose Room for the opportunity to perform. Signup sheets for auditions are posted outside Room 305.


Yearbooks on Sale


Yearbooks went on sale this Monday, November 22nd priced at $45. The early bird special price in effect from November 22nd to December 3rd is $40.

Yearbooks can also be personalized with the student's name for an additional $5. Order forms were distributed during homeroom on Monday. Cash or cheques, payable to Mother Teresa High School with a note of the student's name, homeroom and yearbook made on the memo line, will be accepted during both the high school and intermediate lunch breaks.

Orders for yearbooks cannot be accepted after the Christmas Break.


Christmas Hampers and Breakfast with Mayor Jim Watson

By Chaplain Martha Dougherty


Every year our school community demonstrates its generosity and compassion through Christmas hampers. This year we are shaking things up and changing the way we support families in financial need. Beginning on Wednesday December 1st, all homeroom classes are challenged to raise a minimum of $64. Yes, just $64! If all our 64 homerooms raised $64, we would easily meet our goal of $4000. This money will be converted into Walmart gift cards. The more money we raise, the more money we can give to our families.

The two homeroom classes that raise the most money will enjoy a special breakfast in the Atrium on Thursday Dec 16th. Our special guest that morning will be Mayor Jim Watson and members of the media.


So remember, Advent collection for Christmas begins school wide on December 1st! We are well into Advent preparations this week.


First Intermediate National Capital Championship Since 2003!


Congratulations go out to Mlle. McMurchy and the members of our Grade 7&8 Girls' Volleyball Team on their National Capital Championship win last Monday, November 15th against St. Patrick's Intermediate School. Members of the Mother Teresa team are: Emily Ferguson, Hilary Freake, Madison Graves, Julia Hallarn, Morgan Hector, Karina Katsepontes, Elizabeth Kelly, Nina Klajic, and Serena Weaver. The girls won five of their six regular season games before going on to win the quarter finals, the semi finals and the final game that was played at home.

Congratulations to our girls' team! We are so very proud of their accomplishments!


Read-A-Thon for our Grade 7&8 Students


On Wednesday, November 24th, students in Grades 7&8 have the opportunity to spend the day in the library with visiting author Max Turner, along with food, prizes and great reading materials.

Students can pick up pledge sheets in the library.

On Wednesday morning, students taking part report to their homerooms for attendance and then proceed to the library following the announcements. Many thanks to our teacher-librarian, Mrs. Harrington-Veryard, for organizing this event.


Sincerely,

Mrs. Norma McDonald
Principal
Mother Teresa High School

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

11/16/2010

Dear Parents/Guardians:
 


This is an important message for parents/guardians of our Grades 7 and 8 students.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, November 17th, Mother Teresa High School is hosting the National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims. Because of the schedule for the day, there will be no access to cafeteria service for Grade 7 and 8 students tomorrow. Students will be eating lunch in their classrooms and there will be no opportunity to purchase food.

Please ensure that all Grade 7 and 8 students bring a lunch to school tomorrow.



Sincerely,

Mrs. Norma McDonald
Principal
Mother Teresa High School

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

11/09/2010

Dear Parents/Guardians:
 


The practice of lockdown and secure school protocol is mandatory as part of the Safe Schools legislation throughout the province of Ontario. Similar to fire drills, we are required to practice these emergency procedures throughout the school year. This Friday, November 12th, at approximately 9:00 am we will be practicing a lockdown drill with our students. We are requesting that any students signing in or out of our building please make arrangements to do so prior to or at the end of our practice drill. Our external doors to the school will be locked at this time preventing access to our building.

Our lockdown practice will take approximately thirty minutes and should be finished by 9:30am. Our School Resource Officer, Constable Sherry Jordan, as well as two additional Ottawa Police Officers will be present for the lockdown drill. Expectations for the drill have been reviewed with our staff and both students and staff will be notified over the PA system that this is a practice drilll. If your child has any special needs that need to be addressed throughout the practice drill, I urge you to bring these to the attention of his/her teachers and/or administration.

We are requesting that you take some time to review this information with your child, as it is important for him/her to remain calm and understand the purpose of the drill. Our staff has been instructed to leave classroom lights on for the practice drill but this would not be the situation if it were an actual emergency. Please also encourage your child to refrain from using his/her cell phone during such emergencies. We understand this is a natural reaction when children find themselves in an emergency situation but often false information is relayed that can cause unnecessary panic.

Thanks very much for your assistance with this matter. We continue to do our best to provide all our students with a safe learning environment. Please do not hesitate to contact the school should you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Norma McDonald
Principal
Mother Teresa High School

Friday, November 5, 2010

11/05/2010

Dear Parents/Guardians:
 


New Progress Report for Grades 7/8
As many of you already know, throughout Ontario this year our Grade 7/8 students will be bringing home Progress Reports in November instead of the traditional report cards. These Progress Reports will not contain assessment marks but will give a description of the student's progress to date. This will lead to the first formal report card which wil
l be issued at the end of January. By using the Progress Report, the Ministry of Education is hoping that students will be able to set goals to achieve between November and the firs
t report card in J
anuary.

Due to some technical issues with the vendor, there was a delay in the availability of the Progress Reports. They will be issued to students on Thursday November 18, 2010. Grade 7&8 Parent-teacher interviews will follow on Wednesday November 24, 2010. Along with the Progress Reports, students will bring home a sheet where parents can request interview times with their child's teachers, if they wish to do so.

The following link wil
l allow you to access the ch
anges to the Grade 7&8 Report Card that are in alignment with the Ministry of Education's Assessment and Evaluation policies. Please click on the link to
view the Ministry's explanation for changes to the first reporting period for our intermediate students.

This link, http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/reportCard.html, has the brochure translated in 22 languages.

Pastoral Perspectives
By Martha
Dougherty, Chaplain

Advent b
egins in 23 days. Yikes! Are you prepared? I'm not. While our community has been stepping up to the challenges of hunger, bullying and inclusion, we haven't begun to think about the real chances of Jesus showing up at the front door. Our Advent celebration will be on Thursday, December 3 and you are all invited to join us in preparing for the celebration of the birth of Christ. This year we are taking to heart Mother Teresa's prayer of the poor. The nativity story will be seen through a more modern lens, one that allows us to imagine what would happen if Joseph and Mary were in exile today.

ACTS is ready to run. A Ch
ance To Serve (ACTS) is the youth justice program at the intermediate level. Remind your sons and daughters that it is not too late to get involved. Our first three projects inclu
de:
  • Life before Profit - Access to safe drinking water for everyone
  • Child Soldiers - What the heck is going on?
  • Human Rights Day - Write for rights!
December will bring Advent Celebrations and our Christmas Collection.

Youth Ministry has been launched and we are changing our name. Stay tuned for that update. This group of students will begin with the Life before Profit project as well and will tackle it at a different level. This grou
p is meeting next week to confirm the programs and action we want to address throughout the year.

This is a special school because of the authentic care and compassion demonstrated every day by staff and stud
ents. I ask that you continue to hold us in your prayers, especially our caretakers who truly are proud of this school and want everyone to feel good about being here. These are good people who care about the quality of life we share in the community.

This past week has been busy and productive. The annual Youth Ministry Institute took place at St. Paul University on Wednesday. Students from across the Board gathered to learn
about being prophets in the 21st century. We explored media, faith and culture and reflected on the voices of influence in our lives. On the bus returning to school at the end of the day, students told me that they felt inspired.

Also this week, some Intermediate students began the ACTS (A Chance To Serve) group. We will be meeting every Tuesday at
lunchtime in the chapel. Our first major campaign is Child Soldiers. Students will learn that prayer and action are powerful forces for change.

The Youth Ministry te
am is launching a justice campaign on Water: Life before Profit. Our Eco Club has been doing a great job in promoting water as a natural resource to be protected and we will look at the issue from a faith perspective.

I am happy to extend an invitation to you for an evening of reflection on Thursday, December 2 at 7 pm. Reverend Cherwick, an Eastern Rite priest and a parent in our community, will lead this reflection. The reflection will last for one hour and will be followed by refreshments. A free-will donation to our Christmas collection would be appreciated. I do hope that you will plan to join us.
Mother Teresa HS Cha
pel
Spirituality of Icons:
An Advent Reflection
Thursday December 2, 2010 from 7 pm to 8 pm

Peace Martha
We will be exploring each
of these topics and then in January this team will assist in the Grade 7/8 retreats.

Bus Passes for Yellow School Buses
Over the past two weeks, bus passes have been issued to all students who have a spot on our yellow school b
uses. It is important that all
students who ride on a s
chool bus carry their pass with them and have it available to show the driver upon request. We have instituted this as a school as it will prevent students from riding our yellow school buses if they are not assigned a seat on the bus fro
m the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority. As many of you know, I have played a role in assigning extra seats on our buses through Seat Availability applications and this helps to ensure fairness in assigning seats that are actually available on our buses.

Tuck Shop News
Titan Wear will once again be on sale and scheduled to arrive before Christmas. Order forms went home with your children and were due back last Friday, October 29. If you have missed this deadline, you can still send in the form or contact Mr. Len Baldin as he has ordered extra items. You can view the clothing in colour and access an order form from the Mother Teresa website under "our school" and "tuck shop". All the ordering instructions are on the order form. Sample clothing is available to try on in Room 216 before school, during lunch, and after school. Call Mr. Baldin if you want it to be a surprise for Christmas for your Titan!!

Walter Baker Sports Centre 30th Anniversary Celebration
City councillor Jan Harder extends an invitation to all Barrhaven families to celebrate Barrhaven's important community space and the legacy of its namesake, on Sunday, November 7th, 2010, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at 100 Malvern Drive, Nepean.

Don't miss the official ceremonies at noon:
  • Speeches from dignitaries, full colour piper, time capsule, cake cutting, free hotdogs and more!
Attractions include...
  • Magic Midway's Inflatable Obstacle Course!
  • Roaming clown performers and mascots!
  • Pottery painting, crafts, storytime and magic show!
  • Free fitness classes: Yin Yoga, Kettle Bells, Drums Alive, Drum Fit for Kids, Zumba and Personal Training Services!
  • FREE swimming and public skating from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Media Literacy Week
By Michele Pierce, Guidance Counselor

Parents - The Internet - e-Parenting Tutorial:

In e-Parenting Tutorial: Keeping Up with Your Kids' Online Activities, Alice, a witty and cyber-savvy mom, takes parents on a tour of the many different Web environments and activities that are popular with children and youth. Along the way she poses questions for parents to answer and gets perspectives from an Internet expert and her children on the pluses and challenges of digital life. The tutorial includes five modules: "Online Research and Homework", "Online Relationships", "Inappropriate Content", "Online Marketing", and "Too Much Time Online". After completing the modules, parents are given an opportunity to work with their kids to develop a list of family rules for Internet use at home.

Summary of the Content:
  1. Online Research & Homework:
    It talks about on line research, Wikipedia and plagiarism.

  2. Online Relationships:
    Cell phone features (sexting, bullying, building empathy), social networking (privacy settings, student control info shared), online games (avatars, chats), instant messaging (keeping history, cyber bullying, registering for IM, choosing passwords, knowing all your contacts), webcams (potential for recording)

  3. Inappropriate Content:
    Pornography, violence, gambling

  4. Online Marketing:
    Privacy policy & protection, immersive advertising, advergames, junk food & the internet

  5. Too Much Time Online:
    Online games (dopamine, confidence, duration), multitasking, Internet obsession
It is about a 30-minute interactive presentation. There are printable tips for parents as well and a parent-child agreement.

Bullying Awareness Week: Nov 15-19 & 25
By Tammy Coyle, Guidance Counselor

Mother Teresa High School is very fortunate to have a very active Stand Up to Bullying Squad led by our senior students who take on the challenge of stopping bullying at our school. We have organized a Bullying Awareness Week that will include the following activities that feature an exciting line-up of guest speakers and presentations.

Monday, Nov 8th: Grades 7-12
Deadline for Short story contest: This contest is a one-page short story about being bullied, bullying someone or witnessing bullying. Students are to submit their entries to Student Services.

Monday, Nov 15th: Grade 7s
A presentation for all our Grade 7 students with our School Resource Officer, Constable Sherry Jordan, in the multi-purpose room during 7&8 Period 1.

Tuesday, Nov 16th: Grades 7-12
All Homerooms will receive a Stop Sign and directions for the activity. Have students write what they want to see stopped. Stop Signs will be posted in homeroom classes.

Thursday, Nov 18th: Grade 9s
A presentation by Ottawa 67s coach, Chris Bryne, focusing on goal-setting and overcoming obstacles.

Mon-Thurs, Nov 15-18th: Grade 8s
All grade 8 classes will be visited by the Stand Up to Bullying Squad. Information about types of bullying, what to do as a victim, bystander, and bully will be presented with discussion and questions.

Thursday, Nov 25th: Grades 7-12
An interactive, multi-media presentation by Teen Truth Live on the topics of School Violence and Bullying, Grades 7-12, Periods One, Two and Four.

School Council QSP Campaign
The Mother Teresa Catholic School Council would like to remind you that the QSP magazine sale campaign is still in full gear! Please check out the hundreds of selections to choose from at www.qsp.ca and don't forget our group ID# is 10887. Remember, Christmas is fast approaching and you can send these magazines as gifts anywhere in Canada - it's fast and easy. Thank you for your support.

National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims - National Event- November 17th
We have been honoured by being chosen as the site for the National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims for 2010. In memory of our Grade 12 student, Christian Williams, lost to a road crash on June 22nd, 2010, we are hosting this 2010 Day of Remembrance in conjunction with the Federal Minister of Transportation, the Honourable Chuck Strahl.

A formal ceremony including, speeches from Minister Strahl; Steve Martin, President of the Canadian Council Motor Transportation Administrators; Denise Dubyk, President of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD); and Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving (OSAID), represented by our own students, Emily MacDonald and Sarah Lalonde (OSAID representatives for the Ottawa region), will take place at 12:30 pm that day.

Exhibitors will be present in our school throughout the day with kiosks set up in our atrium. Students will have an opportunity to see displays from MADD, OSAID, Canadian Automobile Association, Distractions Undermining Motorist Behaviour Car (DUMB Car), Canadian Council Motor Transportation Administrators, SMARTRISK, Ottawa Police, and the Ontario Provincial Police. Outside on our front lawn that day we will have the "Choose Your Ride" campaign that has been arranged by MADD.

You can view this information at:

Our students will be provided with an opportunity to receive information on road safety throughout the day and it will be a major event with media coverage.

Grade 12 Graduation Photos
This past week our graduating students have been having their grad photos taken during school time. This has been featured in our oral and written announcements instructing them to drop by Student Services to pick up the information pamphlet from Edge Imaging on the grad photo sessions. On that pamphlet it has instructions to visit their website at www.bookmygrad.ca. It also highlights our school code and information on the three choices of packages.

Whether or not you want to order a photo package, graduating students need to have their photo taken for the graduation composite for the school. We have added three additional dates as there are still students who need to have their photos taken. If your graduating son or daughter has not taken part in these photo sessions, please visit the website to book an appointment time for the following dates and times:

December 13th, December 14th and December 15th from
2:45 pm to 8 pm

High School Report Cards
High School Semester 1 Interim Report Cards will be going home November 18, 2010. Please note that they will be withheld if students have outstanding books, course fees, and student fees.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Norma McDonald
Principal
Mother Teresa High School

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

11/02/2010

Dear Parents/Guardians:
 


Today, Tuesday, November 2nd, at approximately 11am, at the request of the Ottawa Police, I placed our school into Secure School protocol. Based on a 911 call that originated with a neighbor, the Ottawa Police informed us that there were suspicious individuals reported to be present in Utman Park, across from Mother Teresa High School on Longfields Drive, and we locked our doors as a precaution.

After a thorough investigation by the Ottawa Police, it was determined there was no reason for concern and we removed the Secure School protocol. The duration of the Secure School protocol was forty minutes. Students cooperated fully and we were pleased at how quickly and efficiently we were able to secure our building.

Mother Teresa High School remains safe and secure. Thank you to our School Resource Officer, Constable Sherry Jordan, who joined us immediately upon learning of the 911 call across from our school, and to the Ottawa Police Service for their quick response.



Sincerely,

Mrs. Norma McDonald
Principal
Mother Teresa High School