AUGUST 28, 2019 EDITION / VOLUME 22 NUMBER 1 / THE OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE EMSB

These students are excited to get back to the classroom.

BACK TO SCHOOL: Students of the EMSB's primary and secondary institutions will return to class on Tuesday, September 3, 2019. Kindergarten children must be five years of age on or before September 30, 2019 while Grade 1 (Cycle 1) students must be six years old on or before the same date.  Registration continues for elementary and secondary schools. Parents are asked to call the school in their neighbourhood to make an appointment. Parents are urged to consult the Board’s website at www.emsb.qc.ca, which also contains information about the successful adult education and vocational training programs. E-mail inquiries can be sent to informationdesk@emsb.qc.ca or you can call 514- 483-7200.   The EMSB serves more than 40,000 students at 35 elementary schools, 17 secondary schools, eight alternative outreach high schools, seven social affairs institutions and 10 adult and vocational centres.   All pupils registering for the first time are required to provide a birth certificate and vaccination records to the school the child will be attending. Parents will be asked to fill out forms which will allow the school to apply for the certificate of eligibility for English schooling. Under the Charter of the French Language, a certificate of eligibility is generally granted to children who did the majority of their elementary or secondary studies in English in Canada; whose mother or father did the majority of his/her elementary studies in English in Canada or whose brother or sister did the majority of his/her elementary or secondary studies in English in Canada. Please note that as a result of Quebec law, this criteria excludes studies completed in the Quebec Private School system.

See this video about supporting your child's transition to Kindergarten.

Global TV records our commercial.

GLOBAL TV COMMERCIAL: Kim Sullivan recorded this community service announcement for Global TV to promote the return to classes. She did so in the company of Principal Derrek Cauchi and some of his students at Sinclair Laird Elementary School in Park Extension. 

RETURN TO VILLE ÉMARD: Seven years after St. John Bosco Elementary School closed, students from Westmount Park Elementary School will return to that building at 6255 Hamilton Street in Ville Émard for the first day of classes on Tuesday, September 3 (7:50 am).  The 105-year-old Westmount Park facility at 15 Park Place will be closed for at least the next two upcoming academic years (2019-20 and 2020-21) to complete a $12-million project of renovations and repairs. In the interim, the 700 students will be directed to the former St. John Bosco (Westmount Park South Campus) and Marymount Academy International in NDG (Westmount Park North Campus). Andrew Carter will broadcast his CJAD morning show live from Ville Émard. EMSB Chairman Angela Mancini will be on hand, as well as senior administrators and local elected official including Liberal MNA and Federal Minister of Justice David Lametti.

ENROLMENT FORECAST:  The Ministry of Education is forecasting an enrolment of 19,915 students in the EMSB youth sector for 2019-20. That would be an increase of 150 students from the same time last year.

EMSB EXPRESS: The fall edition of the EMSB Express Newspaper is out. This super-sized full colour 20 page edition features special sections on Volunteer Appreciation Evening and  a snapshot of all high schools. You can read it here. A more detailed high school guide will be published shortly.

Tanya Alvares

ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS:  Newly appointed principals for the next academic year are: Steven Rebelo (Our Lady of Pompei), Lester B. Pearson High School; Angela Vaudry (John Grant/LINKS)  Royal West Academy; Anna Sanalitro (Pierre Elliott Trudeau), Mackay Centre/Philip E. Layton; Tanya Alvares (vp at St. Pius Career Centre), Pierre Elliott Trudeau; Dina Vourdousis (vp a Galileo) Carlyle; Despina Michakis (interim vp at FACE), Dunrae Gardens; Civita Tudino (Cedarcrest), James Lyng Adult Centre; David Lee (Hampstead), Westmount Park; Demetra Droutsas (Gardenview), Westmount High; Jennifer Le Huguet (vp Westmount High), John Grant; Lucy Buscemi (John Caboto), Hampstead; Myrianne Lusignan (East Hill),  Gardenview;  Elena Zervas (Dunrae Gardens), Cedarcrest;  Sabrina Petrocco (Carlyle), East Hill; Lisa Ancona (vp at Vincent Massey Collegiate), Our Lady of Pompei; David Servello (vp at LaurenHill Academy), John Caboto; Nicholas Romano (vp Laurier Macdonald High School), Nesbitt; John Pevec (regional director), Rosemount Technology Centre (as of October);  Joe Anne Desir (interim principal James Lyng Adult Centre), interim at Rosemount Technology Centre;  Harry Michalopoulos (Rosemount Technology Centre), High School of Montreal Adult Centre); Grace Fanelli (vp John Grant/LINKS), LINKS (as of 2020-21); Maria Caldarella (St. Pius X), LINKS (interim).
(present school in brackets) will be:

Maya Doughan

Newly appointed vice-principals will be: Laura Fiumidinisi (interim vp Marymount), Marymount; Maya Doughan (interim vp Willingdon/Westmount Park), Willingdon; Holly Kusiewicz (mat leave Marymount), Westmount Park; Laetitia Kachmar (teacher, Parkdale), Westmount High; Danica Lewington (vp Roslyn), James Lyng Adult Centre; Andrew Mangal (Rosemount High), LaurenHill Academy; Mireille Tehbelian (teacher, Willingdon) LaurenHill Academy; Véronique Carrié (interim John Paul I), John Paul I; Cynthia Canale (interim vp Laurier Macdonald), Laurier Macdonald; Laura Fundaro (teacher, Dunrae Gardens), Roslyn School; Alain Belair (Rosemount Technology Centre),  St. Pius X;  Antoinette Scrocca (principal Nesbitt), St. Pius X; Antonella Russo (interim vp St. Pius X), St. Pius X; Santina Miceli (teacher, Galileo), teacher/vp Galileo; Marco Rosa, teacher Vincent Massey Collegiate (Vincent Massey Collegiate); Ruben Azevedo (interim vp, Rosemount Technology), Rosemount Technology Centre; and Rania Delis (St. Pius X),  Rosemount High

Tony Pita  (Royal West) will be taking a sabbatical. Patrizia Ciccarelli (Mackay/Philip E. Layton) is retiring. Lester B. Pearson High School Principal Joseph Vitantonio has assumed the duties of interim assistant director of human resources.

Lew Lewis is surrounded by many of his staff after the retirement announcement.

LEWIS TO RETIRE: After a remarkable 52 year career in public education, including 47  years working out of 6000 Fielding Avenue for the  EMSB and the Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal, Lew Lewis has announced he will retire as Director of Student Services. His last day of work will be October 18. A psychologist by profession, Mr. Lewis worked tirelessly in his role with Student Services,  which promotes the continuous progress of students by helping them overcome the difficulties they meet, seeing to their psychological and physical well-being and developing their sense of responsibility, their autonomy, initiative and feeling of belonging to their school and community. The department also coordinates the special education programs and contributes to the management of complementary services in social affairs, regular and/or outreach schools by providing psychological, health, social, guidance, drug education and speech and language services. It acts as a liaison between the Board and the hospitals, community and social services centers, coordinates the work of psychologists, speech and language therapists, guidance counsellors, occupational therapists, spiritual community animators, childcare workers. special education consultants, oral interpreters, nurses, social workers and resource people specializing in drug use.  

“I want to leave at the top of my game,” said Mr. Lewis. “Life does not go on forever and I want to spend more time with my family. Retirement means you retire from work, not from life.”

Mr. Lewis has already registered for some new professional development courses. For 40 plus years he has been working out at the local YM-YWHA as of 6 am most weekdays. He intends to continue that regimen.  Joking about his name,  Lew Lewis, he quipped: “My parents liked me so much they named me twice!”

TWO RECESS PERIODS: To promote the overall development, health and academic success of elementary students, the EMSB has adopted the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur’s (MEES) plan to implement two full 20-minute recess periods during the school day.  Beginning on September 3, students will have two recess periods: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. These periods will be independent of entry, lunch or dismissal.  To accommodate for this extra period, each elementary school has extended their school day by 15 minutes.

NEW PRE-KS: The EMSB will welcome 13 new Pre-Kindergarten classes funded by the Ministry of Education. Set to receive new Pre-K classes for the 2019-2020 academic year will be : Sinclair Laird in Park Extension (1), Parkdale in St. Laurent (2), Dante in St. Leonard (2), Dalkeith in Anjou (1), Westmount Park (3), Gerald McShane in Montreal North (1), Coronation in Côte des Neiges (1), Mackay Centre/Philip E. Layton in NDG (1), Pierre Elliott Trudeau  (1) and Nesbitt in Rosemount (1),  Bancroft in the Plateau (1) and Michelangelo in RDP (1).  The   conditions and criteria considered when making theses selections were the  poverty index, schools with existing half-day Pre-K’s and available space and  teachers. At the present time the EMSB has 12 Ministry funded Pre-Ks, including four of the aforementioned schools: Gerald McShane (2), Pierre Elliott Trudeau (2), Bancroft  (2) and  Coronation (1). The list also is composed of Nesbitt in Rosemount (1), John Caboto  (1) and Our Lady of Pompei (1) in Ahuntsic, St. Dorothy (1) in St. Michel and St. Gabriel (1) in Pointe St. Charles.  

NEW WEBSITES: The Communications and Marketing Division of the EMSB is pleased to announce after much hard work, the new Lester B. Pearson High School website has been published. This is the second new site to go online via the Agility platform. With a full component of webmasters now in place work is being finalized for sites for Pierre Elliott Trudeau, St. Monica, Our Lady of Pompei and Inspirations. 

The Chorale in action.

CHORALE IS READY: The EMSB Chorale will begin its 40th anniversary season on September 7 at its new rehearsal venue, Royal Vale School Auditorium in NDG. Upcoming activities include the choir’s annual fall music camps and several exciting concert projects, including a guest appearance with the renowned St. Lawrence Choir, a radio broadcast and the choir’s own annual Holiday Concert on December 7 at Mountainside United Church. Students in Grades 4 to Sec. V may audition at any Saturday rehearsal during September. For more information, contact conductor Patricia Abbott at 514-483-7200, ext. 7234 or pabbott@emsb.qc.ca.

BOOK AND CD LAUNCH: The  book and CD of the Carnival of Marvels and Monsters, in which 300 children from eight  EMSB schools participated,  will be presented in a red carpet- concert event on  Wed. Oct. 23 (7 pm) at The Palace Reception Hall in Laval.   This is a Chroma Musika/Panarmonia Atelier Musical co-production with our school board. Chroma Musika and Panarmonia Atelier Musical were founded by Greek-Canadian opera singers Maria Diamantis and Dimitris Ilias who run vocal workshops in the eight schools. Their work has promoted high quality music activities for Canadian children, their families, their local communities as well as the general public. They have produced a plethora of concerts, seminars and recordings ranging from ancient Greek music to contemporary Canadian and Hellenic composers and video game audio material. The storyline for the Carnival of Marvels and Monsters is as follows: This is not a city like any other! It’s the magical city of the Carnival, the city of the terrifying King of the Night with his demons and the good Queen of the Day with her army of animals and birds.  Eleven-year-old Finn and eight-year-old Chloe leave their village to visit the carnival dressed with the costumes that their mother has sewn. The King of the Night gets jealous of their costumes and abducts them to find their secret. The two smart children fight back with a lot of courage. Will they succeed, in this wondrous and funny tale full of adventure and music?

IMPACT OFFER: As part of the EMSB’s partnership with the Montreal Impact, tickets for the September 18 against FC Toronto at Saputo Stadium are being made available for prices starting at $17.40 plus tax. This  much anticipated game marks the first leg of the Canadian Championship series. Click on this link to take advantage of the offer.

EDUCATION  FAIR: Parents who are concerned about making good academic choices for their children should attend the 14th annual Montreal Families' Education Fair. The EMSB and Inspirations Newspaper will be at the fair again this year, showcasing our respective products. It all takes place on Sunday, Sept. 15 (Noon to 4 pm) at the Holiday Inn Pointe Claire (6700 Trans-Canada Highway). There will be more than 40 booths representing   schools, tutoring centres and other education-based programs from around Montreal. Some of the schools and companies exhibiting cater to kids with special needs.  In addition, there will also be representatives from companies that offer extracurricular courses and activities. This FREE event gives parents a chance to get more information about these schools, organizations and school boards. Parents are encouraged to bring the children - entertainment will be provided. To see an updated list of participants, please go to  www.montrealfamilies.ca.

EMSB PODCAST GETS MEDIA TREATMENT:  Veteran Montreal broadcaster Suzanne Desautels, who now hosts the EMSB Podcast, was the subject of thisnice feature story in The  Montreal Gazette.   On Friday, August 30 she will be the guest of Mutsumi Takahashi on CTV News at Noon. You can listen to past podcasts at https://soundcloud.com/englishmtlpodcasts. Please subscribe on your iPhone or Android.

Sandra Leveille with new Sec V Westmount High student Gabriele from Italy and his relatives enjoying some poutine.

Marymount teacher Michael  Bunn,  Sec. IV LaurenHill student
 Amirhossein Ashtari from Iran and Sandra Leveille.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS GATHER: The school year started a few days earlier for more than 100 students from around the world as the EMSB recently held an orientation day for the youth and their families at Royal Vale School. Students from over 10 countries were given a warm welcome by EMSB Director of School Organization Sandra Léveillé and her staff, helping build excitement and calm some very visible nerves before the start of a new and exciting educational experience.

Throughout the day, students had the opportunity to not only meet their peers, but learn what to expect during the upcoming year as well as some key tips and tricks to living, studying and enjoying Montreal. Following their orientation, everyone came together for a delicious Quebecois meal of poutine and hot dogs, from Kitchen 73.  The latter is owned by EMSB parent Carmine Anoia, an EMSB parent.

Carmine Anoia (right) and members of his team.

CAREER FAIR: More than 2,000  Secondary V students will attend the 19th annual EMSB Career Fair on Wednesday, October 16 and Thursday,  October 17 at St. Pius X Career Centre in Ahuntsic (9955 Papineau).  Jack Dym of Pipe and Piling Supplies Ltd. and RBC Royal Bank are the event’s title sponsors. Several on air personalities from the media will be on hand to talk to students about careers in this field and serve as guest emcees.  

A look at the crowd at last year's Career Fair.

From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on October 16, the Career Fair will be open to the community-at-large. Organizers note that this is a good opportunity for parents to attend with their children as they look towards post-secondary education options in a one-stop shopping experience. There is no charge and free parking.     Mario Argiropoulos and Harriet Cohen from EMSB Adult Education and Vocational Services are the Career Fair co-chairpersons. The Student Services and AEVS Departments of the EMSB coordinate this program.  Mr. Argiropoulos notes that the main objective of the Career Fair is to provide students with an in-depth exposure to the various educational opportunities available to them.  All students will take part in a brief general information session in the St. Pius X auditorium. Students will then have the chance to visit the various exhibition/information booths staffed by representatives from English vocational centres, CEGEPS, universities and some private business colleges.

QESBA AWARDS: This year there were a total of five recipients of the Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) Awards of Excellence in Education, two of which went to the EMSB.
The following EMSB initiatives were celebrated, demonstrating the board’s continuous dedication to
the success of our students and school communities.

The first award for Innovation in Teaching or Program Delivery went to the EMSB for our program “The Two-Table Model”.

Presented to the EMSB in the Community Engagement category was our “EMSB-RI-MUHC Partnership.” The teams responsible for these projects (above) were congratulated at the last Council meeting.

SUPPORTING EARLY TRANSITIONS: Children and families entering St. Monica Elementary School in NDG will be starting the school year with a sense of excitement.  After attending the Early Childhood Transition Forum offered by the EMSB last March, pre-kindergarten teacher Cynthia Di Rienzo was inspired to create booklets distributed to all children and families who attended the school’s annual Welcome to Kindergarten event. 

The booklets highlighted some of the activities that the children could look forward to when starting school, familiarized them with key locations in the school (e.g., locker area, gymnasium, playground) and incorporated images of school staff they would be meeting in the new school year.  In order to facilitate positive anticipation about starting school and to get both parents and children comfortable with their first transition into school, parents were encouraged to enjoy these booklets at home with their children.  Thanks to teachers at Pierre Elliot Trudeau Elementary School, students entering Kindergarten, Grade 1 and 2 are also looking forward to the new school year.   In June, both the kindergarten and Grade 1 team (teachers: Sandra Recine, Alexandra Cervone, Emilie Légaré, Angela Burrascano, Hamid Boumahdi, Joseph Glicakis) met with future students. Teachers read stories to the children and facilitated a question period addressing any concerns that the children had about starting a new grade.  Kindergarten children, who normally eat in their classrooms, also had the chance to eat in the gymnasium for the day in preparation for grade one.  While pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students met with future teachers, grade one students had a chance to meet with the pre-kindergarten team (teachers: Mary Carone, Leesa Santia, Anita Sacco). Both students and teachers discussed what the highlights of their school year had been. 

MAJOR SCHOOL CHANGE:  A Major School Change process has been launched by the EMSB to evaluate how best to organize and consolidate the school populations in the north east end territory. The following schools have been identified in the scenarios: Dante, General Vanier, Honoré Mercier, Pierre de Coubertin, John Paul I and Laurier Macdonald in St. Léonard; Gerald McShane and Lester B. Pearson High School in Montreal North; and Our Lady of Pompei and St. Dorothy in Ahuntsic and  St. Michel. Hearings will be held January 8 and 9. A decision will be made at a meeting by January 30. The documentation is available here.

The EMSB Mud Run team.

MUD GIRL RACE: Congratulations to our dynamic team of 14 EMS (Queen) Bees on completing the challenging 5K Mud Girl race in Ste-Julie! The team consisted of Evelyne Alfonsi, Angela Vaudry, Tanya Alvares, Eugenia Carystios, Cristina Celzi, Laura Fiumidinisi, Sandra Léveillé, Myrianne Lusignan, Irini Margetis, Despina Michakis, Jessica Monti, Lucie Roy, Patrizia Tummillio and Ann Watson. Funds raised from the Mud Girl race are donated to breast cancer research. See this video.

RANGERS  TAKE TO THE ICE: While the Junior AAA Montreal North Arctic have suspended operations, the EMSB is now embarking upon a partnership with the Montreal East Rangers from the same league. Players will visit East End schools throughout the season and tickets will be provided as well. Here is their schedule. Co-owner John Struthers is an EMSB parent.  GM and head coach Gianni Cantini is an  EMSB grad.

EMSB ATTENDS COMICCON! On the weekend of July 5 to 7, the EMSB and Inspirations had the opportunity to meet the public, dressed up as their favourite superheroes, aliens and Disney characters, at Comiccon Montreal 2019 at the Palais des congrès. The popular EMSB table was staffed with representatives from Shadd Health & Business Centre, Rosemount Technology Centre, Inspirations, and the Vincent Massey comic club. A special appearance was made by EMSB Secretary General  Nathalie Lauzière!

RTC's Melissa Urso and Pikachew.

Our table welcomed many EMSB families and staff as they passed by to say hello while taking in the art, celebrities, sci-fi attractions, and reveling in the impressive and often exquisite cosplay. It was a great opportunity to share the many programs the EMSB has to offer with the public-at-large. If you’d like to participate in Comiccon Montreal 2020, email Wendy at wsinger@emsb.qc.ca.

SCHOOL MARKETING NEEDS: For all marketing & promotional guidance, Mediatomic Group has many years of experience in radio, TV, billboards and on-line options.  They do all the research and make sure to deliver the best media options available, based on the location and demographics of the school.  For more info and to set up a meeting, reach out to; Steve.wise@mediatomic.com  or call 514-360-6954

COMPANION FOR SENIORS COURSE: Interested in working with seniors? Ometz is offering an 18-week course, September 8 to January 24, 2020.  Ometz offers occupational training to become a companion for seniors. Senior care services is a growing industry, and their experts will take you through the steps that are required to work in this field.  You can find all of the details here.  Information: Sharon Bishin | 514.342.0000 # 3329 | sharon.bishin@ometz.ca This course is a partnership with the EMSB; the teacher is hired by EMSB and  r candidates all adhere to the EMSB rules of participation.

 ADULT EDUCATION AND VOCATIONAL SERVICES

Chair Angela Mancini, DDGEvelyne Alfonsi, Cosmo Della Rocca, DG  Ann Marie Matheson and DDG Benoit Duheme.

SALUTE TO DELLA ROCCA:  Cosmo Della Rocca was formally thanked by the Council of Commissioners for his many years of service as Director of Adult Education and Vocational Services. He recently retired.

Matthew Moses and Rookie.

AUTISM SPEAKS DOG WALK: With his dog Rookie by his side, 22 year old Wagar Adult Education Centre student Matthew Moses is set to lead the pack at Autism Speaks Canada’s 2nd annual Dog Walk on Sunday, September 8 (9:30 to 11:30) at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Park (6975 Mackle) in Cote Saint Luc.  The public is invited to participate in this annual fundraiser to celebrate the unconditional love of dogs and their therapeutic benefits to families and individuals living with autism.

“Rookie is very special to me and my family as he understands my feelings especially when I’m sad. He also makes me laugh all the time being his goofy self and loves all of us unconditionally,” said Matthew. “I feel dogs are a very good comfort when life throws curve balls, please join us with your dog and sign up to the Dog Walk. Your fundraising supports families, children and adults with autism spectrum disorder.”

Matthew’s school, Wagar Adult Education Centre, is located in the heart of Côte Saint Luc and welcomes students from 49 countries, with all levels of education and life experiences. The centre is home to a special needs program with 250 part-time and full-time special needs adults who follow the MELS Social Integration Services Program. Additionally, the centre offers both full and part time French and English courses at beginner and intermediate levels.

“Everyone in the Wagar community is very proud of Matthew’s work, not only as a student but as an advocate for autistic people,” said Nick Katalifos, Principal of Wagar Adult Education Centre. “This is why we at Wagar are thrilled that Autism Speaks Canada is working with a young man of character, an ambassador, like Matthew. On behalf of our staff and all of Matthew’s classmates, congratulations Matthew and Autism Speaks Canada - we know the walk will be a huge success!”

You can listen here to the Inspirations podcast at with Mark Bergman.

In addition to the one-kilometer dog walk, participants will also be able to meet canine specialists and community organizations, participate in dog-friendly and family-friendly contests and perhaps win some great prizes at the raffle gift table. The first 250 participants will receive a complimentary Nutrience gift bag with dog treats.


ÉDITION DU 29 AOÛT 2019 / BULLETIN DE LA CSEM

RENTRÉE SCOLAIRE: Les élèves du primaire et du secondaire de la CSEM reprendront le chemin de l’école le mardi 3 septembre 2019. Les enfants de la maternelle devront être âgés de 5 ans au plus tard le 30 septembre 2019, tandis que ceux de la 1re année (1er cycle) devront avoir 6 ans au plus tard à cette même date. La période d’inscription se poursuit dans les écoles primaires et secondaires. Nous invitons les parents à communiquer avec l’école de leur quartier pour prendre rendez-vous. Veuillez consulter le site Web de la Commission au www.emsb.qc.ca où vous trouverez également de l’information sur nos excellents programmes d’éducation des adultes et de formation professionnelle. Pour de plus amples renseignements, veuillez composer le 514 483-7200 ou adresser un courriel à informationdesk@emsb.qc.ca. La CSEM compte un effectif de plus de 40 000 élèves répartis dans ses 35 écoles primaires, 17 écoles secondaires, 8 écoles secondaires innovatrices, 7 écoles des affaires sociales et 10 centres d’éducation des adultes et de formation professionnelle. Si vous inscrivez votre enfant pour la première fois, vous devrez fournir son certificat de naissance et son carnet de vaccination à l’école qu’il fréquentera. Les parents devront remplir des formulaires afin de permettre à l’école en question de présenter une demande de certificat d’admissibilité à l’enseignement en anglais. En vertu de la Charte de la langue française, un certificat d’admissibilité est généralement accordé aux enfants qui ont reçu la majeure partie de leur enseignement primaire ou secondaire en anglais au Canada, dont la mère ou le père a reçu la majorité de son enseignement primaire en anglais au Canada ou ceux dont le frère ou la sœur a reçu la majorité de son enseignement primaire ou secondaire en anglais au Canada. Veuillez prendre note qu’en raison de la législation qui régit les langues, ce critère exclut les études complétées dans une école privée au Québec.

ANNONCE PUBLICITAIRE SUR GLOBAL TV: Kim Sullivan a enregistré cette annonce de service communautaire diffusée sur les ondes de Global TV afin de promouvoir la rentrée scolaire. Elle l'a fait en compagnie du directeur Derrek Cauchi et de certains élèves de l'école primaire Sinclair Laird dans Parc-Extension. https://www.emsb.qc.ca/emsb/articles/emsb-back-to-school-commercial-on-global-tv.

RETOUR À VILLE-ÉMARD : Sept ans après la fermeture de l'école primaire St. John Bosco située au 6255, rue Hamilton à Ville-Émard, ce bâtiment s’apprête à revivre avec l’arrivée des élèves de l'école primaire Westmount Park, lors de la rentrée scolaire le mardi 3 septembre à 7 h 50. Vieux de 105 ans, le bâtiment Westmount Park au 15, place Park sera fermé pendant au moins les deux prochaines années scolaires (2019-2020 et 2020-2021) afin de mener à bien un projet de rénovation et de réfection de 12 millions de dollars. Dans l'intervalle, les 700 élèves seront relocalisés dans l’ancienne école St. John Bosco (campus sud de Westmount Park) et à l’Académie internationale Marymount à NDG (campus nord de Westmount Park). Andrew Carter diffusera son émission matinale sur les ondes de CJAD en direct de Ville-Émard.

PRÉVISIONS DU NOMBRE D’INSCRIPTIONS: Le ministère de l’Éducation prévoit que le nombre d’inscriptions atteindra 19,915 élèves au secteur des jeunes de la CSEM pour l’année scolaire 2019-2020, ce qui représenterait une hausse de 150 élèves par rapport à la même période l’an dernier.

EMSB EXPRESS : Le numéro d'automne de la publication EMSB Express est maintenant disponible. Cette édition en couleurs de 20 pages grand format renferme des articles sur la soirée annuelle de reconnaissance des bénévoles et un aperçu de toutes les écoles secondaires.

NOMINATIONS ADMINISTRATIVES : Voici la liste des nouvelles nominations de directions pour l’année scolaire 2019-2020 (ancienne école entre parenthèses) : Steven Rebelo à l’école secondaire Lester B. Pearson (Our Lady of Pompei); Angela Vaudry à l’Académie Royal West (John Grant/LINKS); Anna Sanalitro au Centre Mackay/Philip E. Layton (Pierre Elliott Trudeau); Tanya Alvares à Pierre Elliott Trudeau (directrice adjointe au Centre de carrières St. Pius); Dina Vourdousis à Carlyle (directrice adjointe au Centre Galileo); Despina Michakis à Dunrae Gardens (directrice adjointe par intérim à FACE); Civita Tudino au Centre d’éducation des adultes James Lyng (Cedarcrest); David Lee à Westmount Park (Hampstead); Demetra Droutsas à Westmount High (Gardenview); Jennifer Le Huguet à John Grant (directrice adjointe à Westmount High); Lucy Buscemi à Hampstead (John Caboto); Myrianne Lusignan à Gardenview (East Hill); Elena Zervas à Cedarcrest (Dunrae Gardens);  Sabrina Petrocco à East Hill (Carlyle); Lisa Ancona à Our Lady of Pompei (directrice adjointe au Collège Vincent Massey); David Servello à John Caboto (directeur adjoint à l’Académie LaurenHill); Nicholas Romano à Nesbitt (directeur adjoint à l’école secondaire Laurier Macdonald); John Pevec au Centre de technologie Rosemont à compter d’octobre (directeur régional); Joe Anne Desir, nomination par intérim au Centre de technologie Rosemont (directrice par intérim au Centre d’éducation des adultes James Lyng); Harry Michalopoulos au Centre d’éducation des adultes High School of Montreal (Centre de technologie Rosemont); Grace Fanelli à LINKS dès l’année scolaire 2020-2021 (directrice adjointe à John Grant/LINKS); Maria Caldarella à LINKS par intérim (St. Pius X).

Les nouvelles nominations à titre de directions adjointes sont les suivantes : Laura Fiumidinisi à Marymount (directrice adjointe par intérim à Marymount); Maya Doughan à Willingdon (directrice adjointe par intérim à Willingdon/Westmount Park); Holly Kusiewicz à Westmount Park (congé de maternité à Marymount); Laetitia Kachmar à Westmount High (enseignante à Parkdale); Danica Lewington au Centre d’éducation des adultes James Lyng (directrice adjointe à Roslyn); Andrew Mangal à l’Académie LaurenHill (école secondaire Rosemont); Mireille Tehbelian à l’Académie LaurenHill (enseignante à Willingdon); Véronique Carrié à John Paul I (par intérim à John Paul I); Cynthia Canale à Laurier Macdonald (directrice adjointe par intérim à Laurier Macdonald); Laura Fundaro à Roslyn (enseignante à Dunrae Gardens); Alain Belair à St. Pius X (Centre de technologie Rosemont); Antoinette Scrocca à St. Pius X (directrice à Nesbitt); Antonella Russo à St. Pius X (directrice adjointe par intérim à St. Pius X); Santina Miceli enseignante/directrice adjointe à Galileo (enseignante à Galileo); Marco Rosa au Collège Vincent Massey (enseignant au Collège Vincent Massey); Ruben Azevedo au Centre de technologie Rosemont (directeur adjoint par intérim au Centre de technologie Rosemont); Antonella Rousseau à St. Pius X (Centre d’éducation des adultes James Lyng); Rania Delis à l’école secondaire Rosemont (St. Pius X).

Tony Pita (Royal West) sera en congé sabbatique. Patrizia Ciccarelli (Mackay/Philip E. Layton) prend sa retraite. Le directeur de l’école secondaire Lester B. Pearson Joseph Vitantonio assume les fonctions de directeur adjoint des Ressources humaines.

NOUVEAUX SITES WEB: La Division des communications et du marketing de la CSEM est heureuse d’annoncer qu’au terme de grands efforts, le nouveau site Web de l’école secondaire Lester B. Pearson a vu le jour. Il s’agit du deuxième site Web à être mis en ligne par l’entremise de la plateforme Agility. Toute l’équipe de webmestres s’affaire maintenant à finaliser les sites suivants : Pierre Elliott Trudeau, St. Monica, Our Lady of Pompei et Inspirations.  http://www.lesterbpearson.emsb.qc.ca/lesterbpearson

SALON DE L’ÉDUCATION : Les parents soucieux de faire de bons choix pour l’éducation de leurs enfants sont conviés à la 14e édition annuelle du Salon de l'éducation des familles de Montréal. La CSEM et la publication Inspirations seront à nouveau au salon cette année et nous y présenterons nos services respectifs. Cette activité aura lieu le dimanche 15 septembre (de midi à 16 h) au Holiday Inn à Pointe-Claire (6700 Transcanadienne).
Il y aura plus de 40 kiosques sur place représentant des écoles, des centres de tutorat et d'autres programmes éducatifs de partout à Montréal. Certaines écoles et entreprises représentées desservent les enfants ayant des besoins particuliers. De plus, des représentants d'entreprises offrant des cours et des activités parascolaires seront également présents. Cet événement GRATUIT permet aux parents de se renseigner davantage sur les écoles, organismes et commissions scolaires. Les parents sont invités à y amener leurs enfants – il y aura de l’animation. Pour voir la liste à jour des participants, visitez le www.montrealfamilies.ca.

TRAITEMENT MÉDIATIQUE POUR UN BALADO DE LA CSEM : Suzanne Desautels, animatrice montréalaise chevronnée qui réalise désormais des balados pour le compte de la CSEM, a fait l’objet d’un bel article de fond publié dans le quotidien The Montreal Gazette. https://montrealgazette.com/news/media-veteran-suzanne-desautels-is-the-new-voice-of-the-emsb-podcast. Le vendredi 30 août, elle sera l'invitée de Mutsumi Takahashi sur les ondes de CTV News, à midi. Nous vous invitons à écouter les balados antérieurs à https://soundcloud.com/englishmtlpodcasts. Abonnez-vous.

FOIRE DES CARRIÈRES : Plus de 2 000 élèves de la 5e secondaire prendront part à la 19e édition annuelle de la Foire des carrières de la Commission scolaire English-Montréal (CSEM) le mercredi 16 octobre et le jeudi 17 octobre au Centre de carrières St. Pius X situé au 9955, avenue Papineau à Ahuntsic. Jack Dym de Pipe and Piling Supplies Ltd. et la Banque Royale RBC sont les commanditaires en titre de cet événement. Plusieurs personnalités des médias seront sur place pour renseigner les élèves sur les carrières dans ce domaine et agiront à titre de maîtres de cérémonie.

La Foire des carrières sera ouverte au grand public le 16 octobre, de 18 h à 20 h. Les organisateurs tiennent à souligner qu’il s’agit là d’une excellente occasion pour parents et élèves de se renseigner sur les options postsecondaires qui s’offrent à eux. L’admission et le stationnement sont gratuits. Mario Argiropoulos des Services de l’éducation des adultes et de la formation professionnelle (SEAFP) préside la Foire des carrières. Les Services aux élèves et les SEAFP de la CSEM coordonnent ce programme. M. Argiropoulos souligne que l’objectif principal de la Foire des carrières vise à sensibiliser les élèves aux divers programmes d’enseignement qui s’offrent à eux. Tous les élèves assisteront à une brève séance d’information générale dans l’auditorium du Centre de carrières St. Pius X. Ils auront ensuite l’occasion de visiter les divers kiosques d’information/d’exposition et de s’entretenir avec des représentants d’établissements anglophones, à savoir des centres de formation professionnelle, des cégeps, universités et certains collèges privés.

RÉORGANISATION SCOLAIRE MAJEURE: La CSEM a lancé une vaste consultation sur la réorganisation scolaire afin d’évaluer la meilleure façon d’organiser et de consolider les effectifs scolaires dans la partie nord-est de son territoire. Les écoles suivantes font l’objet de cette consultation : Dante, Général Vanier, Honoré Mercier, Pierre de Coubertin, John Paul I et Laurier Macdonald à Saint-Léonard; Gerald McShane et l’école secondaire Lester B. Pearson à Montréal-Nord; de même que Our Lady of Pompei à Ahuntsic et St. Dorothy à Saint-Michel. Les audiences se tiendront les 8 et 9 janvier prochain. Une décision sera prise lors de la réunion qui se tiendra le 30 janvier. Nous vous invitons à consulter les documents pertinents à
https://az184419.vo.msecnd.net/emsb/emsb-website/en/docs/2019-2020/consultations/3-emsb-major-school-change-consultation-2019-2020-1.pdf.


SERVICES DE L’ÉDUCATION DES ADULTES ET DE LA FORMATION PROFESSIONNELLE


PROMENADE DE CHIENS D’AUTISM SPEAKS : En compagnie de son chien Rookie, Matthew Moses âgé de 22 ans et fréquentant le Centre d’éducation des adultes Wagar mènera la 2e édition annuelle de la Promenade de chiens organisée par Autism Speaks Canada le dimanche 8 septembre, de 9 h 30 à 11 h 30, au parc Pierre Elliott Trudeau (6975, rue Mackle) à Côte Saint-Luc.

Le public est invité à participer à cette levée de fonds annuelle pour célébrer l’amour inconditionnel de la race canine ainsi que les bienfaits thérapeutiques de ces compagnons pour les familles et les individus qui vivent avec l’autisme.

« Rookie est très important pour moi et ma famille; il flaire bien mes émotions surtout lorsque je suis triste. Rigolo, il me fait rire constamment et il nous aime tous sans condition », déclare Matthew. « Les chiens sont d’un grand réconfort lorsqu’on encaisse des coups durs. Je vous invite vous et votre chien à vous inscrire à la Promenade de chiens. Vous appuierez ainsi les familles, les enfants et les adultes atteints d’un trouble du spectre de l’autisme. »

Le Centre d’éducation des adultes Wagar que fréquente Matthew est situé au cœur de Côte Saint-Luc et accueille des élèves provenant de 49 pays et dont le niveau de scolarité et les expériences de vie varient. Ce centre offre un programme destiné aux élèves ayant des besoins particuliers. Ce sont pas moins de 250 élèves adultes à temps partiel et à temps plein qui suivent le programme des services d’intégration sociale du MEES. Le centre offre également des cours de français et d’anglais à temps partiel et à temps plein pour débutants et intermédiaires.

« Toute la communauté Wagar est immensément fière du travail accompli par Matthew, et ce, aussi bien à titre d’élève que de défenseur des intérêts des autistes », a déclaré Nick Katalifos, directeur du Centre d’éducation des adultes Wagar. « C’est pourquoi nous sommes ravis que l’organisme Autism Speaks Canada travaille avec un jeune homme de caractère, un ambassadeur comme Matthew. Au nom du personnel et de tous les élèves de la classe de Matthew, nous félicitons Matthew et Autism Speaks Canada – nous sommes persuadés que l’activité de promenade de chiens remportera un franc succès! »

Nous vous invitons à découvrir le balado d’Inspirations de Mark Bergman à
https://soundcloud.com/inspirationsnews/autism-speaks-canada-dog-walk-montreal-more-than-just-a-dog-walk

Outre la promenade de 1 km, les participants pourront également rencontrer des spécialistes du monde canin et des organismes communautaires, prendre part à des concours qui s’adressent aux chiens et à la famille et peut-être même remporter de superbes prix. Les 250 premiers participants recevront un sac-cadeau contenant des collations pour chiens, gracieuseté de Nutrience.


Le prochain numéro de Fielding Focus sera publié le 26 septembre 2019. La date limite pour soumettre un article est fixée au vendredi 20 septembre.

 The next Focus will be on September 26, 2019.  Deadline for submissions is Friday, September 20.

JUNE 18, 2019 EDITION / VOLUME 21 NUMBER 11 / THE OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE EMSB

Angela Mancini speaks at a press conference, with Commissioner Andrew Ross and Regional Director John Pevec.

SCHOOL TRANSFERS: The EMSB held a press conference to respond to Education Minister Jean-Francois Roberge's announcement on 98.5 FM June 11 that he would begin the process of transferring Gerald McShane, General Vanier and John Paul I HS to the  Commission scolaire de la Pointe de l'Île (CSPI). EMSB Chairman Angela Mancini told the media she was astounded to learn the news from French-language radio and not through direct  communication from the Minister.

Joseph Bondi

PARENT COMMITTEE COMMENTS: The EMSB Parents Committee was very  disappointed with Education Minister  Roberge’s decision to  start the  transfer  process of  three  EMSB schools to the CSPI. “If these transfers do get approved  at the Council of Ministers in Quebec  City in a few days, we  will be losing school communities that have existed for decades,” says EMSBPC Chair Joseph Bondi. “Schools are a pillar of community engagement for anglophones and relinquishing control of our schools only serves to further erode the anglophone  community in the affected territory,” he adds. The Parents Committee is not only  disturbed by these  three school transfers but is worried about more possible school transfers over the coming years as  there are clearly not enough schools to serv e the growing child and teen population on the island of  Montreal."  See the complete statement here.

Kim Sullivan records a commercial.

GLOBAL WEATHER: Kim Sullivan of the Global Morning News did her weather and exercise reports live from Sinclair Laird Elementary School in Park Extension. The kids had a great time. They also recorded commercial which will air in August. Principal Derrek Cauchi and the students all had lines to read.

Watch the exercise segment here.
Watch the kids do the weather forecast

TEACHER WORRIES ABOUT HER FUTURE:  Faiza Hussain is a graduate of the EMSB's Cedarcrest Elementary School and LaurenHill Academy in St. Laurent. All her life she wanted to be a teacher and that is what she studied to become in university. Faiza is presently a substitute/resource teacher at the EMSB and has worked a lot at Sinclair Laird Elementary School in Park Extension. Regrettably she will be directly affected by the Quebec government’s new  secularism bill banning religious symbols for teachers, police officers and other public servants in positions of authority.  See our video   with her.

See her interview live on Global TV News.

Here is the full report

BACK TO SCHOOL: Students  of the EMSB's primary and secondary institutions will return to class on  Tuesday,  September 3, 2019. Kindergarten children must be five years of age on or before September 30, 2019 while  Grade 1 (Cycle 1) students must be six years old on or before the same date.  Registration for those not previously enrolled will begin on Wednesday,  August 14  for elementary and secondary schools. Parents are asked to call the school in their neighbourhood to make an appointment. Parents are urged to consult the Board’s  website at www.emsb.qc.ca, which also contains information about the successful adult education and vocational training programs. E-mail inquiries can be sent to informationdesk@emsb.qc.ca  or you can call 514- 483-7200.   The EMSB serves more than 40,000 students at 35 elementary schools, 17 secondary schools, eight alternative outreach  high schools, seven social affairs institutions and 10 adult and vocational centres.   All pupils registering for the first time are required to provide a birth certificate and  vaccination records to the school the child will be attending. Parents will be asked to fill out forms which will allow the school to apply for the  certificate of eligibility for English schooling. Under the Charter of the French Language, a certificate of eligibility is generally granted to children who did the majority of their elementary or secondary studies in English in Canada; whose mother or father did the majority of his/her  elementary studies in English in  Canada or whose brother or sister did  the majority of his/her elementary or secondary studies in English in Canada. Please note that as a result of Quebec law, this criteria excludes studies completed in the Quebec Private School system.

NEW WEBSITES: The Communications and Marketing Division of the EMSB is pleased to announce after much hard work, the new Lester B. Pearson High School website has been published. This is the second new site to go online via the Agility platform. Work is now being finalized for sites for Pierre Elliott Trudeau, St. Monica, Our Lady of Pompei and Inspirations.  

Natasha Krsteski, Acting Principal Assunta Caruso and some students.

THE CLOSET THRIFT SHOP: The Gender Sexuality Alliance of Lester B. Pearson High School

held an event to mark Pride Month and International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia.  It took place in the format of a Thrift Shop called The Closet, where visitors could purchase new or gently-used items donated by members of the school’s community.  Due to popular demand the sale was extended an extra day.  All proceeds raised from this event will be donated to organizations that are centered at helping homeless youth and women of domestic violence.  “We infused an informative/educational piece by putting special tags on our items,” explained Guidance Counsellor Natasha Krsteski, “Instead of typical prices on the tags, we included important statistics on the LBGTQ community and mental health.” Seventy-eight percent of people in Canada who reported a strong connection to their community also reported positive mental health. Between 25  and 40 percent of homeless youth in Canada identify as LGBT.

Domenic Fazioli filed this excellent report on the event:

ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS:  Newly appointed principals for the next academic year (present school in brackets) will be: Steven Rebelo (Our Lady of Pompei), Lester B. Pearson High School; Angela Vaudry (John Grant/LINKS)  Royal West Academy; Anna Sanalitro (Pierre Elliott Trudeau), Mackay Centre/Philip E. Layton; Tanya Alvares (vp at St. Pius Career Centre), Pierre Elliott Trudeau; Dina Vourdousis (vp a Galileo) Carlyle; Despina Michakis (interim vp at FACE), Dunrae Gardens; Civita Tudino (Cedarcrest), James Lyng Adult Centre; David Lee (Hampstead), Westmount Park; Demetra Droutsas (Gardenview), Westmount High; Jennifer Le Huguet (vp Westmount High), John Grant; Lucy Buscemi (John Caboto), Hampstead; Myrianne Lusignan (East Hill),  Gardenview;  Elana Zervas (Dunrae Gardens), Cedarcrest;  Sabrina Petrocco (Carlyle), East Hill; Lisa Ancona (vp at Vincent Massey Collegiate), Our Lady of Pompei; David Servello (vp at LaurenHill Academy), John Caboto; Nicholas Romano (vp Laurier Macdonald High School), Nesbitt; John Pevec (regional director), Rosemount Technology Centre (as of October);  Joe-Anne Desir (interim principal James Lyng Adult Centre), interim at Rosemount Technology Centre;  Harry Michalopoulos (Rosemount Technology Centre), High School of Montreal Adult Centre); Grace Fanelli (vp John Grant/LINKS), LINKS (as of 2020-21); Maria Caldarella (St. Pius X), LINKS (interim).

Nicholas Romano

Newly appointed vice-principals will be: Laura Fiumidinisi (interim vp Marymount), Marymount; Maya Doughan (interim vp Willingdon/Westmount Park), Willingdon; Holly Kusiewicz (mat leave Marymount), Westmount Park; Laetitia Kachmar (teacher, Parkdale), Westmount High; Danica Lewington (vp Roslyn), James Lyng; Andrew Mangal (Rosemount High), LaurenHill Academy; Mireille Tehbelian (teacher, Willingdon) LaurenHill Academy; Veronique Carré (interim John Paul I), John Paul I; Cynthia Canale (interim vp Laurier Macdonald), Laurier Macdonald; Laura Fundaro (teacher, Dunrae Gardens), Roslyn School; Alain Belair (Rosemount Technology Centre),  St. Pius X;  Antoinette Scrocca (principal Nesbitt), St. Pius X); Antonella Russo (interim vp St. Pius X), St. Pius X; Santini Miceli (teacher, Galileo), teacher/vp Galileo; Marco Rosa, teacher Vincent Massey Collegiate (Vincent Massey Collegiate); Ruben Azevedo (interim vp, Rosemount Technology), Rosemount Technology Centre; Nadine Pomilio (James Lyng), Rosemount High School; Rania Delis (St. Pius X),  Rosemount High

Tony Pita  (Royal West) will be taking a sabbatical. Patrizia Ciccarelli (Mackay/Philip E. Layton) is retiring. Lester B. Pearson High School Principal Joseph Vitantonio has assumed the duties of assistant director of human resources.

Max Domi and Olivia Medeiros.

STUDENT MEETS MAX DOMI:  Olivia Medeiros, a nine year old Grade 4 student at General Vanier Elementary School in St. Léonard, got to meet one of her heroes: Montreal Canadiens star forward Max Domi. They have something in common; both are affected by type 1 diabetes (T1D). Domi is the national spokesperson for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) He   joined thousands of fellow participants at the Sun Life Walk to Cure Diabetes for JDRF at the Centre de la nature de Laval on June 9.   At a press conference Domi took part in a truly unprecedented and open conversation with 13 Canadian children affected by T1D. Olivia was one of them.  She found out that she had T1D two and a half years ago and since that time her mom Cindy Merritt said she has been a real trooper. Meeting Domi was a big thrill. The Habs forward is thrilled to share his story with the community. In fact it will be told in detail in his new book No Days Off, which will be released at the end of October. Here is the video. 

GLIMPSE OF A CHILD:  In the first of its kind at the EMSB, parents from East Hill Elementary School in R.D.P. joined their children in the classroom to experience a typical morning.  Called “A Glimpse of their Child’s Day,” parents with children in Kindergarten, Grade 5 and Grade 6  joined their children in all activities ranging from regular class time to recess and even appointments with student services specialists. “The intent was to offer parents a genuine glimpse of a typical part of their child’s day, particularly from an academic standpoint,” said  Vice Principal Jessica Monti.“Parents came to learn alongside their children. This was a unique experience for everyone involved.”

A proud group of Gardenview students.

BATTERY BATTLE: Once again this year, Gardenview Elementary School in St. Laurent participated in the Provincial Competition “Call to Recycle / Appel à recycler.” The students in the Recycle Squad organized a school-wide Battery Battle where all classrooms from Kindergarten to Grade 6 collected and recycled used batteries. In total, they collected over 75,000 used batteries, which is just over 3,605 pounds. Gardenview finished first in their category of all the schools that participated across the province, winning a $1,000 prize from Environnement Jeunesse. More information about the contest can be found here.   

The Math League winners.

MATH LEAGUE STARS: A well-deserved congratulations to Gardenview’s Violetta D’Andrea, Daniel Wu, Dimitri Adamakakis, Jessie Tran and Alexia Elias who finished in the top 10 in the entire province of Quebec for the Canadian Math League competition. Gardenview scored number one in the province!

Thomas O. Hecht, Spiritual Animator Elizabeth Pellicone and some admiring students.

AN INSPIRING VISIT TO FACE: Thomas Hecht’s memories of his first school days in Montreal weren’t pleasant. He was bullied because he looked different, dressed differently and spoke no English. His story probably resonates with some immigrant students today. Except that in Hecht’s case, these events took place 78 years ago when he was 12. Hecht returned to his old school on University St. on Thursday. In his day, it was called the High School of Montreal; today, it’s the progressive FACE school. “I was a foreigner. Students didn’t know how to handle me. Teachers didn’t know how to handle me,” Hecht said, addressing a group of 60 enraptured students from Grades 4 to 10. You can read the entire story by Bill Brownstein from The Montreal Gazette here.

The St. Gabriel family celebrates the donation.

ST. GABRIEL LAUNCH: New books are set to welcome new students in September. On Wednesday, May 29 St. Gabriel Elementary School in Pointe St. Charles (600 Dublin) was awarded a grant of $30,000 from Indigo’s Love of Reading Foundation and launched their new Pre-K and Kindergarten programs.  As a result of the exponential population growth in Griffintown, St. Gabriel will be officially opening up registration for their French immersion Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten streams for the 2019-20 academic year.  In September, these students will be able to enjoy hundreds of new books as St. Gabriel will become the fourth EMSB school to win the Indigo Love of Reading grant. Coronation Elementary School in Cote des Neiges, St. Dorothy Elementary School in St. Michel and St. Monica Elementary School in N.D.G have all won in the past.  

The amount of the grant will be revealed on Wednesday.  The Love of Reading Foundation was established in 2004 by Heather Reisman, the C.E.O and Founder of Chapters/Indigo and is committed to providing literacy funding for inner-city elementary schools. Since its founding, the foundation has committed over $30 million to over 3,000 high-needs schools in Canada.

Outgoing  Principal Marylene Perron is busy with her team packing boxes.

WESTMOUNT PARK PREPARES FOR MOVE: The programs and the curriculum remains – even the phone number stays the same. This was the message the administration of Westmount Park Elementary School (WPS) wanted parents to know about the move to two separate buildings in September. Repairs, renovations and cleaning are taking place over the summer to ready the facilities at the former St. John Bosco Elementary School in Ville-Émard and Marymount Academy International in NDG. Plans call for the current 105-year-old school building at 15 Park Place to be closed for at least the next two upcoming academic years (2019-20 and 2020-21) to complete a $12-million project of renovations and repairs. WPS expects its enrolment of 700 to be maintained and students will be split into two groups across all the grades, from Kindergarten to Grade 6. Based on a logistical mix of busing routes, postal codes and special needs, less than half the students will go to Westmount Park School South Campus (Ville-Émard), with the remaining numbers directed to Westmount Park School North Campus (NDG), the east wing of the current Marymount Academy International high school. The WPS students will use the eastern doors, while the current Marymount students will continue to use the western doors.  For the past two years Marymount has been sharing its building with Centennial Academy, which moves out this summer. Siblings will remain together at one campus.  You can read the full story here.

Teachers Stephanie Napolitano and Marie Alexiou, and students Alex Desmettre and Gary Croxen prepare for the podcast.

Listen to Suzanne Desautels' special podcast

See this excellent report by Domenic Fazioli


WILLINGDON EXPANSION: Beginning in the 2019-2020 academic year, Willingdon Elementary School in NDG will be housing its Grade 5 and 6 students in what it will be calling its Senior Campus, located at the former St Ignatius of Loyola School building on Coronation and Somerled avenues.  The original Terrebonne building will welcome the five incoming Kindergarten classes and returning students who will be in the Grade 1 to 4 classes.   A celebratory ribbon-cutting event is set to be held in September with the beginning of the new school year.  Students will take part in a walk to the new campus on June 19. Suzanne Desautels is doing a series of special podcasts to mark the occasion. You can listen here.

Kathleen Usher,  Lara Belinsky and Suzanne Desautels do conduct a podcast.

Officials from Global TV and The Terry Fox Foundation receive the cheque.

GLOBAL TV RECOGNIZES DALKEITH: On Global Montreal’s Greater Montreal Day, students from Dalkeith Elementary School in Anjou took the time to visit a local seniors home and spend time with the residents; as a result of their good deed, Global Montreal recently presented a cheque for $1,000, representing $500 each to two of the school’s favourite charities: The Terry Fox Foundation and the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

STEAM  PROJECTS COME TO FRUITION AT RI-MUHC:  Six weeks after linking up with research trainees and project coordinators as part of a partnership between the EMSB and the Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), 30 proud high school students excitedly returned to the RI-MUHC to showcase their final projects. The event closed a successful and promising collaboration involving seven high schools from the EMSB aimed at engaging youth in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) projects. At the heart of this unique partnership was an opportunity to provide tools for dialogue and exploration, pushing students to think critically, artistically and creatively, like future innovators. See this update and listen to a terrific CBC Radio report.

Anna Villalta receives the award from Noel Burke,

EMSB WINS AWARDS: The Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) has announced the recipients of the fifth annual Awards of Excellence in English public education that were presented   May 25 during the AAESQ/QESBA Spring Conference. There were a total of five recipients this year. In the Innovation in Teaching or Program Delivery category, the EMSB   won for their program “The Two-Table Model.”  In Community Engagement the “EMSB-RI-MUHC Partnership” was recognized.

EMSAC CONCLUDES SEASON: The EMSB's Student Advisory Committee held its last meeting of the school year at Rosemount High School on May 21. In addition to two student representatives from every high school, EMSAC is advised by   regional directors Pela Nickoletopoulos and John Pevec, Commissioner Bernard Praw, Vice-Principal David Servello from LaurenHill Academy, Steve Spetsieris from Willingdon Elementary and teacher Paul Karpontinis from Lester B. Pearson High School as the moderator. Mr.   Praw represents the committee at the Council of Commissioners. Meetings are held in different schools alternating between the Eastern and Western schools in the EMSB family and each host school’s senior member will chair that month’s meeting.

Students enjoy an exercise.

At the beginning of each meeting, the host school conducts a leadership activity that breaks the ice and teaches members new skills. Each host school nominates one of their members to sit in as chairperson and our secretary records the minutes of each meeting. In summary this year, EMSAC discussed and was consulted on the Budget Building Process, #MeToo in High School, Marketing & our Open Houses, the Legalization of Cannabis, the New Sexuality Education Program, School Fees and the meaning of Free Education in Quebec, the Importance of Teaching Social Justice, The Very Existence of our School Boards, Extended Recess & Increasing Time Allocated to Physical Fitness, The Transfer of Schools to Ease Overcrowding in the French System, Safety in our Schools, the Student Protest Movement and the Implications of Bill 21 all sparked exciting debate and gave us pause to think. 

Come see the EMSB information kiosk!

HELPING STUDENTS COPE BETTER WITH THE CURRICULUM: The Student Services department at the EMSB has added two assistive technology (AT) consultants to their team of professionals. In collaboration with the Educational and Technology Services (ETS) department, this innovative new service is helping students with special needs learn, communicate and better access the curriculum. Three years ago, representatives from the EMSB’s Student Services and ETS departments joined Apple Canada on a visit to the South Shore Regional Centre for Education in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia to learn how they were implementing technology in the classroom. “We met with AT consultants, and were impressed with what they were accomplishing. We decided there and then to bring this service to the EMSB, with the intention of having specialist in AT fill the positions,” says Julie René de Cotret, assistant director of Student Services at the EMSB.  Andrea Prupas was hired two years ago, and Olivia Colalillo came on board this year. Both highly qualified, they have been working one-on-one with EMSB elementary and high school students who have learning disabilities, dyslexia, developmental delays, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. See the complete article by Wendy Singer.

Coronation student Veronika Jahanian has found her voice with the help of assistive technology. Seen here with her teacher Amanda Dandy in the Senior ASD class.

TRANSITION TO KINDERGARTEN: In collaboration with the Early Childhood Department at Tyndale St-George Community Centre; Candice Madden Kindergarten Transition Agent and Martine Legault-Ciccia, Education Consultant for Preschool and Culture in the Schools (pictured right), hosted a lunch and lecture workshop for parents entitled; “My Child Is Going To Kindergarten…What Should I Expect?” The lunch and lecture provided parents sending their children to kindergarten with tips on the transition period. Parents were guided through a discussion about specific strategies on helping their children cope with the challenges of the transition to school and familiarizing them with the school setting. Participants asked questions such as; how do we talk to our children about starting school? How do we assist, reassure and comfort them? What helpful resources are available for families? Parents were also provided with information regarding both the four and five-year old kindergarten program, as well as what a typical day in kindergarten looks like.

Rosemount High School students prepare to help #EndTheStigma.

MENTAL ILLNESS: On May 23 students from Rosemount High School, alongside Spiritual Care and Guidance and Community Involvement Animator Vince Lacroce, officially unveiled their #ENDTHESIGMA mural in the Spiritual Community Centre. This joint program, which included the financial support of LEARN Quebec, through a Community Health & Social Services Network (CHSSN) Social Emotional Learning grant opportunity, Rosemount High School and Rosemount Technology Centre allowed Rosemount High School students the opportunity to develop a mental health anti-stigma campaign in their school. The #ENDTHESIGMA mural design was created and built by Vince Lacroce and Domenic Lombardo.  The intent of the program was to engage students in an open discussion about mental illness in an attempt to present new ways to eliminate stigma. As well, it was an opportunity to provide hope for those who may be struggling. Students took the opportunity to write down their own personal.

Parents were hard at work at East Hill.

GLIMPSE OF A CHILD: In the first of its kind at the EMSB, parents from East Hill Elementary School in R.D.P joined their children in the classroom to experience a typical morning. Called “A Glimpse of their Child’s Day,” parents with children in Kindergarten, Grade 5 and Grade 6   joined their children in all activities ranging from regular class time to recess and even appointments with student services specialists. “The intent was to offer parents a genuine glimpse of a typical part of their child’s day, particularly from an academic standpoint,” said Jessica Monti, Vice Principal of East Hill School. “Parents came and learned alongside their children. This was a unique experience for everyone involved.”

Students enjoy their culinary experience.

STUDENTS GET COOKING: The International Students Department organized 10 cooking activities in May for those attending Marymount, Westmount High, Laurier Macdonald, John F. Kennedy and LaurenHill. Students cooked traditional Korean food - fried dumplings and Tteok-bokki. The aroma of the rice cakes, noodles, fish cakes and hot peppers were very inviting. Students enjoyed preparing these cultural dishes, not only because it was fun, but also because the activity used food to build ideas, solve issues, touch histories, and to exercise and expand their interpersonal skills. The kitchen was their classroom.

LIBRARY LEARNING COMMONS: The EMSB Board Librarians (Alissa Rosellini, Julian Taylor and Michele Tebeka) have completed an excellent video highlighting the transformations from the traditional library to the library learning commons model in four of our high schools (LaurenHill Academy, Laurier Macdonald, John Paul I, and JFK). They interviewed principals, teachers, library personnel and students. See the video.

A scene from the show.

CENRILLON:  Sinclair Laird Elementary School in Park Extension recently  presented their amazing annual  musical « Cendrillon : 2019 ».  The wonderful production showcased classes from Grades 2 to 6 as the choir and a cast of 27 students  sang, acted and danced Cinderella’s classic story. Mr. Bélizaire, the music teacher, composed the songs and accompaniment tracks. Special thanks go to Jasmine Chouinard, Stephanie Zinicola and Ms. Pina for decorations, Jaspal Singh for lunch time dance rehearsals and Justina Scolieri who helped at the cast retreat rehearsal.

MICHELANGELO CONCERT: Michelangelo International School in RDP hosted its annual music concert at CEGEP Marie-Victorin. Once again the audience was blown away by the fantastic show put together by music teacher Esther Gonzalez, as well as by the wonderful performances by both students and staff members alike. Congrats to all for an entertaining and creative show! A few days eaerlier Michelangelo, in conjunction with Aveda Salon, hosted an event where students and their families could get their hair cut in exchange for a donation to the “Stand Up for Water” organization. A total of  $450 was raised to provide clean water to 18 people for the rest of their lives! 

On May  8, Grade 6 Michelangelo students had the opportunity to visit their fellow IB school, John Paul I Junior High in St. Leonard to experience a day in the life of a high school student.  T 

SCIENCE FAIR WINNER ON TV: Royal West Academy Canada-Wide Science Fair winner  Hajeong Seo was interviewed on Breakfast Television. Here is the video:

Staff and students present their cheque.

BAKE SALE SCORES: Six amazing Grade 4 students at Roslyn Elementary School recently held a bake sale and opened a lemonade stand, all to raise money for Cystic Fybrosis Canada. In all, they raised $581 and presented the organization with a cheque this week.

LUNCH IS SERVED: Grade 2 students from Roslyn Elementary School in Westmount in the classes of Ms. Anabel, Ms. Dimitra and Ms. Marie-Laure welcomed parents to their lunchroom recently. Students spent several weeks working on the various French second language skills through a multitude of activities related to nutrition. They closed this theme by inviting their parents to lunch at their restaurant.   The students wrote the invitations and menus and they also welcomed and served the parents. They were also the ones who managed the fund. And all this in French of course! The many parents present left delighted with their experience at the "Roslyn Resto-Diner"!

RANDOM ACTS OF FRIENDSHIP: Recently, Hampstead Elementary School, through a collaborative community project, was recognized by Intergénérations Québec. Of the 173 applications, Intergénérations Québec chose 15 finalists (three per category). The community project entitled, “Random Acts of Friendship and the Ripple Effect,” finished first place in the Literary category. Led by Extra Miles senior visiting program Coordinator Tracie Swim, along with Spiritual and Community Animators Jagdeep Trehin and Danika Swanson, the project’s aim was to connect Hampstead students with seniors in the community through the sending of cards to isolated seniors, the playing of games, and friendly chats with seniors attending Day programs. Some of the seniors and students are even working on becoming pen pals, sending a chain of letters back and forth. As seniors can often feel isolated, the students’ gestures and visits were very much appreciated. This project was conducted through the New Hope Seniors' Centre Meals on Wheels program and Day program. New Hope facilitated the delivery of the cards and the interactions between the Day program participants and students and even provided the students with transportation for their Day program visits. A big thank you to all who contributed to this project!

Bumble and the Montreal Children's Hospital mascot join in the cheque presentation.

MACKAY SATELLITE: On June 5, the Mackay Satellite Class at Westmount High School, also known as the Leaders on Wheels, were proud to present the Montreal Children’s Hospital (MCH) Foundation with a cheque in the amount of $3,773 which they raised through the sale of their homemade spice rubs, barbeque sauces and decadent brownies. The Leaders have donated a total of $13,536 to the MCH over the past five years. “We raise money so the hospital can continue to do their good work and take care of all of us,” shared Rose Sondola, teacher of the Mackay Satellite class, while addressing students at a presentation at the Mackay Centre and Philip E. Layton schools.

MCH Foundation representatives Alessia Di Giorgio, advisor, Special Events and Community Relations, and Marie-Claude Baribeau, director, Special Events, were on hand to accept the donation. “We’re so proud of these students. We are lucky to have kids raising funds for kids, and making quite a splash in their community as they do it,” shared Di Giorgio.  Leaders Philip Paraskevopoulos, Mikisew Dube and Angelika Phillip spoke about their class’ fundraising efforts, followed by the showing of a video photo collage and two fun videos about the making of their barbeque sauces and spice rub which were created by students Jordan Paquette, Abdullah Farooq and Harris Qureshi with the help of Martin Braunwell, child care worker with the class. Mackay Centre School Principal Patrizia Ciccarelli congratulated and thanked the class for their fundraising efforts. “You are truly leaders, and clearly have fun doing it. We are presenting this with all of our hearts, along with the whole team at Westmount High.”  Visit the Leaders online at www.leadersonwheels.wordpress.com

Paul Byron meets some students.

HOCKEY DU LA RUE: The Royal Vale team once again outclassed other schools at the Foundation des enfants Canadiens Street Hockey fundraiser in Snowdon.. Students were excited to meet Paul Byron of the Habs.

Giovanna Valcelli (Mom of Victoria), Victoria (Michelangelo International Elementary School), Stephanie Fuoco (Teacher, Michelangelo), Naomi (Willingdon School), Maya Doughan and Sharon (Willingdon School)

BASEBALL FRIENDLY: Physical Education and Health teacher Mike Creamer of Hampstead School  organized the first  Cycle 2 Baseball Friendly Game between his students and  and those from Royal Vale. The game took place at Hampstead Park. Royal Vale PEH teacher Norman Katz wishes to thank parent Steve Shanahan for all his dedication and hard work.

Alouettes Director of Sales and Fan Services Brian Weightman (far right) with Laura Fiumidinisi, Emmanuel Monegro Quezada, Beatriz de Souza Neves and James Fequet.

ALOUETTES EXPERIENCE: The annual EMSB Night for the Montreal Alouettes took place on Thursday, June 6. This was a pre-season game vs. the Ottawa Red Blacks and it ended in an exciting 20-20 tie. More than 500 people were on hand from the EMSB family. At half time some Willingdon students were introduced on the field. Marymount Academy International Principal James Fequet and Vice Principal Laura Fiumidinisi brought two international students to attend their first ever professional football game – Beatriz de Souza Neves from Brazil and Emmanuel Monegro Quezada from the Dominican Republic. Log on to   https://www.montrealalouettes.com/promotion, the code will be ‘EMSB19’ with links below. You can get special rates for the regular season opener July 4. See this short video of our students being introduced  on the field.

VALENTINE RETIRES: EMSB fans who had hoped to see former Royal Vale student Christopher Valentine in action were disappointed. He had to retire due to suffering many concussions – five in total. Valentine, 22, joined the Als during the second week of training camp a year ago and become the first junior-aged player to dress for a game in the 2018 pre-season. He previously played for the Châteauguay Raiders of the Quebec Junior Football League, helping the team capture the championship. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Valentine led the league in receptions, with 28, and was third overall in yards, with 381.

IMPACT NIGHT: The traditional “EMSB Night” will take place on Wednesday, June 26 (7:30 p.m.) when the Impact host the Portland Timbers at Saputo Stadium. Tickets are priced for EMSB families at a $20 each. Some of the proceeds from ticket sales will go towards Inspirations, a publication dedicated to the special needs community. Purchases are online only at www.emsb.qc.ca/impact. Two students will be awarded the prestigious Tony Licursi Scholarship that comes with a $500 bursary.

IMPACT LEGENDS:  EMSB grad and former Impact player Rocco Placentino will be playing in the legends game on June 23 at Stade Saputo, organized by Patrice Bernier. Brazilian legend Ronaldinho and his former professional friends will be in Montreal to take on Bernier, Placentino, Marco Di Vaio and other former players, as part of a weekend highlighting the beautiful game. Tickets for the event can be purchased here. Via Placentino you can also order them  via admin@soccerstl.ca. By day Rocco runs   CS St Laurent is more than just a soccer club! See the promotional video here. 

Michael Azira takes part in awards ceremony.

PLAYER VISIT: The Impact's Micheal Azira stopped by John Paul I High School recently to speak to the students about his journey from Uganda to Major League Soccer. Following his presentation, he took the time to hand out leadership and academic awards to a few deserving kids! See our video.

The food looks delicious  at John Grant.

MULTICULTURAL DAY: Staff and students at John Grant High School in Côte Saint-Luc celebrated Multicultural May last month.  The program was spearheaded by teachers Mr. Armour and Ms. Rendell-Green, in collaboration with Spiritual Care and Guidance and Community Involvement Animator Danika Swanson. It was made possible with support from the EMSB Multicultural Funds.  Three special lunches were held during Multicultural May: Cinco de Mayo, Middle Eastern, and Grandma’s Recipes, where students brought in their favorite family recipes. The menus were prepared by Mr. Armour  the students at John Grant.  It was a wonderful way to bring students and staff together and highlight the diversity and talents of the John Grant community!

The entrepreneurs of John Grant.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP: John Grant High School math teacher  Zhen Qin is very proud of her students who took part in an entrepreneurial exercise this yearm Making Tofu  with some students in the WOTP (Work Oriented Pathway Program). The students made tofu from scratch, and during the process, they practiced their math skills such as measurement for cooking, time management, and budgeting.  Ms. Qin  invited Gregory Frank from E2 Advantures to give a presentation to her class. He brought the owner of Unisoya (a tofu company), Mr. Beaulieu, to share his experiences in how he started his business. Mr. Beaulieu prepared tofu samples for students and the staff to try. Meanwhile, students presented him the tofu they made and cooked. Students enjoyed Mr. Beaulieu's inspiring life stories as well as the tasting. They were also invited to visit his factory in December.

It was quite a show at John Grant.

PRING CONCERT:  On Wednesday, June 12, John Grant High School  in Côte Saint-Luc held its annual spring concert. This year’s show “This is Us!” was a departure from the norm, incorporating a fashion show, entrepreneurial projects, and graduation into its set list. Under the creative direction of Steven Atme and Cari Friedman, the students displayed their varied talents proudly, from singing and dancing to musical performances (guitar, cello, violin, keyboard, and harmonica).  The excellence of the performances was even more notable when one considers the challenges and anxiety that these students live with on a daily basis. Master of Ceremonies Jeremy Rubin (from le Rec Room) had the Wagar Auditorium audience participating as cheers and tears of joy filled the room on what proved to be a very emotional evening.  See the EMSB website for more details.

TOUCHING BASE: The one and only issue of the EMSB B.A.S.E. Daycare’s Touching BASE on Daycare Matters newspaper for 2018-2019 is here! Students and staff crammed as much amazing news as possible from the B.A.S.E. Daycares into the ninth edition.  Front page news includes a run-down of the amazing environmental consciousness-themed Daycare Conference that took place in August, an interview providing a little insight into the new and fearless B.A.S.E. Daycare leader Teresa Federico, and a wonderful student-written article on the schoolyard garden at General Vanier and what happens in Green Club. The “Green Club Fun at General Vanier” piece is a little bittersweet as GV is one of the schools potentially being transferred to the CSPI.  Published on June 12, 2019, the issue includes everything from daycare students learning fun science experiments and magic tricks, to how to be an Eco Kid and even send a postcard to the Prime Minister of Canada! You can also read about how the Nutritowers are thriving in all B.A.S.E. Daycare schools and the many ways in which daycare students are staying physically active. Students, staff and the EMSB at large are encouraged to send letters to the editor to potentially see them published in the 10th anniversary issue next year!

Everyone had a fun time on the retreat.

SPIRITUAL RETREAT: On Friday, May 31, the Grade 6 students of Bancroft Elementary School in the Plateau participated in an End- of-Year Spiritual Retreat organized by Spiritual Care and Guidance and Community Involvement Animator Elizabeth Pellicone.  This retreat marked their transition from elementary to high school and childhood to adolescence. Students started at the base of Mount Royal and walked slowly up to the top, stopping at marked trees to journal and reflect on their elementary school experience, their values, life's challenges and their personal strengths. Once at the top, students embarked on a "vision quest" to better understand their identity, personal goals and social relationships. Finally, the graduating class created a "Tree of Wisdom" where students wrote words of wisdom on colored ribbon to help guide the younger Bancroft students on how to be successful socially and academically in elementary school. After completing their pilgrimage of growth, the grade 6 students returned to Bancroft School relaxed, refreshed and with a renewed perspective on their high school years to come. 

EMSB students in Ottawa.

AMBASSADORS OF CHANGE: On   May 7, students from Royal Vale High School in NDG, James Lyng High School in St. Henri, Options, + Outreach and Programme Mile End Alternative High Schools, John F. Kennedy High School in St. Michel, Focus Alternative High School in NDG, LaurenHill Academy in St. Laurent, Marymount Academy International in NDG and Royal West Academy in Montreal West attended the Ambassadors of Change program in Ottawa. Coordinated by the Spiritual and Community Animator service, EMSB students had an opportunity to gather with students from around the country in order to discuss important questions and to commemorate those that lost their lives in the Holocaust. The central question that was posed to students was, “In your opinion, is Holocaust education still important to students today?” Students were also fortunate as each group of students was paired up with a of Holocaust survivors in order to hear their personal testimonial.  The event culminated with a National Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony, which included members of parliament. The experience was a powerful reminder of the importance of learning from past tragedies in order to avoid future mistakes. 

CLIMATE CHANGE: Two Royal West Academy students showed their expertise in the area of climate change when they served as guests on CBC Radio Noon with Shawn Apel.  Here is the link. 

JONAS ROCKS MACKAY: Rock star Jonas Tomalty was on CTV Montreal News recently where he spoke about his experience decades ago as a reverse integration student at the Mackay Centre School. Here is the link.

Staff who have attained 25 years of service stand proud.

LONG SERVICE RECEPTION: About 90 people attended the annual Long Service Reception, which took place on Tuesday, May 28 at the Le Challenger reception hall in  St. Laurent. The EMSB honored 45 employees – ranging from teachers, administrators and support staff -- for their 25 years of service with the Board, which began in 1994. EMSB Chairman Angela Mancini, Director General Ann Marie Matheson, along with several commissioners, school administrators and the directors from the Regional Office, the Secretary General’s Office, Human Resources, and Adult Education and Vocational Services, presented the honoured employees with special 25 years EMSB Monarch watches as a token of appreciation. The honourees who were present this year were: Nadia Audet (Laurier Macdonald High School), Lise Beauchemin (Nesbitt School), Lorraine Belanger (Cedarcrest School), Louis Bilodeau (LaurenHill Academy), Donald Chan (Westmount High School), Patrici Monique Crevier (Mackay Centre), Athanasios Dafniotis (LaurenHill Academmy), Ida Maria De Laurentiis (Michelangelo School), Jean-Guy Desjardins (Westmount High School), Angeliki Eftaxias (Merton School), Carole Gagnon (Secretary General/Communications), Demetrios Giannacopoulos (St. Laurent Adult Centre), Stavroula Haralambakos (LaurenHill Academy), Deborah Johnson (St. Pius X Career Centre), Sonia Mandel (High School of Montreal), Stacey Monk (Cedarcrest School), Mylene Perreault (Lester B. Pearson High School), Anna Picarella (Laurier Macdonald Career Centre), Helen Radford (Mackay Centre), Cindy Renaud (Human Resources), Sandy Roy (Royal West Academy), Giuseppina Santino (Nesbitt School), Nicola Sindici (St. Laurent Adult Centre), Rosa Penn (Shadd Health & Business Centre), Michel Le Duc (Laurier Macdonald High School), Cincettina Cassetta (Nesbitt School), Patricia Ciccarelli (Mackay Centre/Philip E. Layton), Marie-Christine Hanlon (Dunrae Gardens),and Rola Soueidan (Pierre Elliott Trudeau School).

Edward Murphy students sent out a good message.

PROMOTING NON-VIOLENCE: On June 5 Cycle Three students from Edward Murphy Elementary School in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, joined by their teachers, CCWs and Spiritual Care and Guidance and Community Involvement Animator Rocco Speranza, spent a fun-filled day at Parc Thomas-Chapais. Through sports and creative workshops, they interacted with students from other elementary schools from across SPVM PDQ 48 territory. They were joined by SPVM Socio-Community Officers Nathalie Meunier and Jean Scalzo, who organized the day’s events.  SPVM officers from several Mounted Divisions, Motorcycle Squad, Water Patrol, Circulation, CN Police and even SPVM Mascot Flic, spent the day promoting non-violence and acceptance of others and their differences. This celebration marks the end of the yearlong United Against Violence Program in the participating Montreal elementary schools. Mr. Speranza and Officer  Scalzo have collaborated to deliver this program for the past two years. They believe that this program is essential, as it provides conflict resolution tools to the students, while promoting unity, acceptance, and kindness in the school. 

GREEN FOR GREEN:    Westmount High School teacher Robert Green will be the Green Party’s candidate in NDG-Westmount in the upcoming federal election   “I am really looking forward to getting out there and speaking with the citizens of NDG-Westmount about their concerns and sharing with them the Green Party’s vision for real action to address our climate emergency while building a more prosperous and egalitarian society,” he said.

 ADULT EDUCATION AND VOCATIONAL SERVICES

Angela Spagnolo

SPAGNOLO ASSUMES HELM: Angela Spagnolo has been appointed Director of Adult Cosmo Della Rocca, who is retiring after a career of more than 40 years in the public education system. Ms. Spagnolo has been the assistant director since 2016. Prior to that she was the Principal of James Lyng Adult Education Centre, Laurier Macdonald Career Centre and the St. Laurent Adult Education Centre as well as an academic advisor and a teacher. Rick David, presently the Principal of the High School of Montreal Adult Education Centre, has been appointed an Assistant Director of AEVS effective July 1.
Education and Vocational Services, effective July 1. She will succeed

PIUS VISITS DANTE: St Pius X’s Chef Instructor Sistino Occhialini was at Dante Elementary School in St. Leonard cooking with Mme Élaine’s Grade 1 Class! Chef Sistino encouraged students to appreciate shapes, colours, and tastes when eating culinary dishes. Culinary techniques were also discussed when students made a salsa verrine, cucumber canapé and a fruit salad tart. A delicious time was had by all!!

Tanya Alvares with chefs and students.

EDWARD MURPHY COOKS AS WELL: Mr Michael’s Classes 3C and 4C of Edward Murphy School had an opportunity to experience fractions in a real-life setting. Mr Michael, along with Math Consultant, Aliya Somani, created a great lesson plan linking cooking with math! Chef Mike Young of St Pius X and Vice Principal Tanya Alvares helped students make their smoothies using measuring cups and blenders. They had a great time and the smoothies were awesome! 

Students enjoyed their visit to RTC.

BUSY MONTH AT SLA:  It has been a busy month at St. Laurent Adult Education Centre. It began with a career initiative at Rosemount Technology Centre. The Academic and Vocational Counsellors welcomed students with a promotional video detailing all of the programs offered at RTC. Students were given a tour of the facility and were immediately impressed by what they saw. The professionals and teachers organized a hands on activity in the printing department that was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Each student was given the opportunity to print and take home a t-shirt. This activity exposed students to the art of printing and gave them an appreciation for the creativity and detailed work behind it. After a gracious lunch provided by RTC, St. Laurent students returned to school with new found inspiration. With the end of the year quickly approaching, the staff and students at St. Laurent Adult Education Centre came together to organize an elegant graduation ceremony for the Class of 2019. Distinguished guests included Angela Spagnolo, newly appointed Director of the AEVS department, Donna Manos, Principal at LaurenHill Academy, Antonio Lacroce, former Director General of the EMSB, and Alan DeSousa, Mayor of Saint-Laurent. Sena Boateng, former graduate of SLAC, delivered an empowering message to current graduates. Sarin Kabakian, this year’s Valedictorian, inspired graduates with her journey to success. The most anticipated part of the evening was the traditional tassel ceremony led by Demetrios Giannacopoulos, Centre Principal. The evening ended with dinner and dancing for graduates, their families, and friends. Congratulations to the Class of 2019!

ÉDITION DU 13 JUIN 2019 / BULLETIN DE LA CSEM

NOUVEAUX SITES WEB: La Division des communications et du marketing de la CSEM est heureuse d’annoncer qu’au terme de grands efforts, le nouveau site Web de l’école secondaire Lester B. Pearson a vu le jour. Il s’agit du deuxième site Web à être mis en ligne par l’entremise de la plateforme Agility. Toute l’équipe de webmestres s’affaire maintenant à finaliser les sites suivants : Pierre Elliott Trudeau,  St. Monica,  Our Lady of Pompei et Inspirations.   http://www.lesterbpearson.emsb.qc.ca/lesterbpearson.

NOMINATIONS ADMINISTRATIVES : D’autres nominations administratives ont été annoncées pour l’année scolaire 2019-2020. Joseph Vitantonio, directeur de l’école secondaire Lester B. Pearson, a assumé les fonctions de directeur adjoint du Service des ressources humaines. À compter de la prochaine année scolaire, c’est Steven Rebelo qui occupera ce poste. Assunta Caruso assure actuellement l’intérim. Angela Vaudry (présentement à John Grant/LINKS) agira à titre de directrice par intérim à l’Académie Royal West durant le congé sabbatique de Tony Pita. Patrizia Ciccarelli part à la retraite. Anna Sanalitro (présentement à l’école Pierre Elliott Trudeau) lui succédera à titre de directrice du Centre Mackay/Philip E. Layton. Tanya Alvares, directrice adjointe au Centre des carrières St. Pius X, prendra la relève à l’école Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

SURVOL D’UNE JOURNÉE DE CLASSE:  Pour la toute première fois de l’histoire de la CSEM, les parents de l’école East Hill à R.D.P. ont rendu visite à leurs enfants en classe afin de faire l’expérience d’une matinée typique à l’école primaire. Lors de cette journée intitulée « Survol d’une journée de classe », les parents d’enfants de la maternelle, de la 5e et de la 6e année ont accompagné leurs enfants dans toutes les activités, qu’il s’agisse de l’enseignement d’une matière, de la récréation ou encore des séances avec les professionnels des services aux élèves. « Cette initiative avait pour but d’offrir aux parents un véritable aperçu d’une journée de classe typique dans la vie de leur enfant, en particulier du point de vue académique », a déclaré Jessica Monti, directrice adjointe à l’école East Hill. « Les parents se sont déplacés pour apprendre aux côtés de leurs enfants. Ce fut une expérience unique pour tous ceux qui y ont pris part. »

LANCEMENT À ST. GABRIEL: En septembre, les élèves auront droit à de nouveaux livres. En effet, le mercredi 29 mai, l’école primaire St. Gabriel située au 600, rue Dublin à Pointe-Saint-Charles s’est vu accorder une subvention de 30 000 $ de la Fondation Indigo pour l’amour de la lecture et a procédé au lancement de ses nouveaux programmes de prématernelle et de maternelle. Devant la croissance exponentielle de la population dans Griffintown, l’école acceptera officiellement les inscriptions dans ses programmes d’immersion française à la prématernelle et à la maternelle pour l’année scolaire 2019-2020. Dès septembre, les élèves pourront ainsi profiter de centaines de nouveaux livres, St. Gabriel devenant la quatrième école de la CSEM à recevoir la subvention Indigo pour l’amour de la lecture. L'école primaire Coronation dans Côte-des-Neiges, l'école primaire St. Dorothy dans Saint-Michel et l'école primaire St. Monica dans NDG ont elles aussi déjà été les heureuses récipiendaires de cette aide financière.

Fondée en 2004 par Heather Reisman, présidente-directrice générale et fondatrice de Chapters/Indigo, la Fondation pour l’amour de la lecture s'est engagée à financer la littératie dans les écoles primaires en milieu défavorisé. Depuis sa création, la fondation a versé plus de 30 millions de dollars à plus de 3 000 écoles dans le besoin partout au Canada.

PRÉPARATIFS EN VUE DU DÉMÉNAGEMENT DE WESTMOUNT PARK : Les programmes et le curriculum demeureront inchangés, et même le numéro de téléphone. Tel était le message que la direction de l’école primaire Westmount Park voulait transmettre aux parents à propos du déménagement dans deux bâtiments distincts à compter de septembre. Des travaux de réfection, de rénovation et de nettoyage auront lieu au cours de l'été afin de préparer les installations de l'ancienne école primaire St. John Bosco de Ville-Émard et celles de l'Académie internationale Marymount de NDG. Situé au 15 Park Place, le bâtiment actuel vieux de 105 ans sera fermé pendant au moins les deux prochaines années scolaires (2019-2020 et 2020-2021) afin d’y effectuer des travaux de réfection et de rénovation totalisant 12 millions de dollars. L’école Westmount Park s'attend à maintenir son effectif de 700 élèves qui sera réparti en deux groupes, de la maternelle à la 6e année. Compte tenu de la logistique regroupant les parcours d’autobus, les codes postaux et les besoins particuliers, moins de la moitié des élèves fréquenteront le campus sud de l’école Westmount Park (Ville-Émard), tandis que les autres occuperont le campus nord de l’école Westmount Park (NDG), soit l’aile est de l’actuelle Académie internationale Marymount. Les élèves de Westmount Park utiliseront les portes du côté est, tandis que les élèves actuels de Marymount continueront à utiliser les portes situées côté ouest du bâtiment. Depuis les deux dernières années, Marymount partage ses installations avec l’Académie Centennial, qui déménagera cet été. Les frères et sœurs seront réunis sur le même campus.

EXPANSION DE L’ÉCOLE WILLINGDON: À compter de l'année scolaire 2019-2020, l'école primaire Willingdon de NDG accueillera ses élèves de 5e  et 6e  année dans ce qui deviendra son campus senior, situé dans l'ancien bâtiment de l'école St. Ignatius de Loyola, à l’angle des avenues Coronation et Somerled. Le bâtiment original rue Terrebonne accueillera les cinq nouvelles classes de maternelle ainsi que les élèves de la 1re à la 4e année. Une cérémonie officielle d’inauguration devrait avoir lieu au début de la nouvelle année scolaire en septembre. Les élèves se rendront à pied au nouveau campus le 19 juin. Pour souligner l’occasion, Suzanne Desautels réalise actuellement une série de balados.

CONCRÉTISATON DE PROJETS STIAM À L’IR-CUSM: À la suite d’un encadrement de six semaines assuré par des stagiaires de recherche et des coordonnateurs de projets dans le cadre d’un partenariat entre la Commission scolaire English-Montréal (CSEM) et l’Institut de recherche du Centre universitaire de santé McGill (IR-CUSM), 30 élèves du secondaire, fiers et enthousiastes, sont venus présenter leurs projets à l’IR-CUSM. L'événement se voulait le point culminant d’une collaboration fructueuse et prometteuse impliquant sept écoles secondaires de la CSEM dans le but de faire participer les jeunes aux projets STIAM (sciences, technologies, ingénierie, arts et mathématiques). Ce partenariat unique a permis de fournir des outils axés sur le dialogue et l’exploration, de manière à développer chez les élèves la pensée critique, artistique et créative, à la manière des innovateurs de demain.

AIDER LES ÉLÈVES À MIEUX COMPOSER AVEC LE CURRICULUM: L’équipe de professionnels des Services aux élèves de la CSEM a accueilli deux conseillers en technologie d’assistance et de soutien. En collaboration avec les Services éducatifs et de la technologie (SET), ce nouveau service innovant aide les élèves ayant des besoins particuliers à apprendre, à communiquer et à mieux accéder au curriculum. Il y a trois ans, des représentants des Services aux élèves et des SET de la CSEM se sont joints à Apple Canada lors d'une visite au South Shore Regional Centre for Education à Bridgewater, en Nouvelle-Écosse, afin d’observer la mise en œuvre de la technologie en classe. « Nous avons rencontré des conseillers en technologie d’assistance et de soutien et leurs réalisations nous ont impressionnés. Nous avons décidé sur-le-champ d'intégrer ce service à la CSEM et d’embaucher des spécialistes dans ce domaine », explique Julie René de Cotret, directrice adjointe des Services aux élèves à la CSEM. Andrea Prupas a été embauchée il y a deux ans et Olivia Colalillo s'est jointe à l’équipe cette année. Toutes deux fort qualifiées, elles travaillent individuellement avec des élèves des écoles primaires et secondaires de la CSEM qui souffrent de troubles d'apprentissage, de dyslexie, de retards de développement et de troubles du spectre de l’autisme.

IMPACT: La traditionnelle Soirée de la CSEM aura lieu le mercredi 26 juin à 19 h 30 alors que l’Impact accueillera les Tumbers de Portland au Stade Saputo. Les familles de la CSEM peuvent se procurer des billets au coût de 20 $ chacun. Une part du produit de la vente des billets sera versée à Inspirations, une publication dédiée à la communauté ayant des besoins particuliers. Les billets sont en vente en ligne seulement, à www.emsb.qc.ca/impact. Deux élèves recevront la prestigieuse bourse d'études Tony Licursi d’une valeur de 500 $.

RÉCEPTION DE RECONNAISSANCE DES EMPLOYÉS AYANT DE LONGS ÉTATS DE SERVICE : Quelque 90 personnes ont assisté à la réception annuelle en reconnaissance des longs états de service tenue le mardi 28 mai à la salle de réception Le Challenger, à Ville Saint-Laurent. La CSEM a rendu hommage à 45 employés – enseignants, administrateurs et personnel de soutien – pour leurs 25 années de service au sein de la Commission, depuis 1994. Angela Mancini, présidente de la CSEM; Ann Marie Matheson, directrice générale; plusieurs commissaires, directions d’école et les directions régionales; la secrétaire générale;  les Ressources humaines ainsi que le Service de l’éducation des adultes et de la formation professionnelle ont remis à chaque employé honoré, en guise de remerciement, une montre Monarch pour souligner leurs 25 années de service. Figuraient parmi les personnes honorées présentes cette année : Nadia Audet (école secondaire Laurier Macdonald), Lise Beauchemin (école Nesbitt), Lorraine Bélanger (école Cedarcrest), Louis Bilodeau (Académie LaurenHill), Donald Chan (école secondaire Westmount), Patrici Monique Crevier (Centre Mackay), Athanasios Dafniotis (Académie LaurenHill), Ida Maria De Laurentiis (école Michelangelo), Jean-Guy Desjardins (école secondaire Westmount), Angeliki Eftaxias (école Merton), Carole Gagnon (secrétaire, Secrétariat général/Communications), Demetrios Giannacopoulos (Centre d’éducation des adultes Saint-Laurent), Stavroula Haralambakos (Académie LaurenHill), Deborah Johnson (Centre des carrières St. Pius X), Sonia Mandel (High School of Montreal), Stacey Monk (école Cedarcrest), Mylene Perreault (école secondaire Lester B. Pearson), Anna Picarella (centre de carrières Laurier Macdonald), Helen Radford (Centre Mackay), Cindy Renaud (Ressources humaines), Sandy Roy (Académie Royal West), Giuseppina Santino (école Nesbitt), Nicola Sindici (Centre d’éducation des adultes Saint-Laurent), Rosa Penn (Centre de santé et d’études commerciales Shadd), Michel Le Duc (école secondaire Laurier Macdonald), Concettina Cassetta (école Nesbitt), Patricia Ciccarelli (Centre Mackay/Philip E. Layton), Marie-Christine Hanlon (école Dunrae Gardens) et Rola Soueidan (école Pierre Elliott Trudeau).

L’ÉCOLE EDWARD MURPHY CUISINE ELLE AUSSI: Les classes 3C et 4C de M. Michael à l’école Edward Murphy ont eu l’occasion d’utiliser des fractions dans un contexte réel. M. Michael et Aliya Somani, conseillère pédagogique en mathématiques, ont conçu en collaboration un excellent plan de leçons qui allie la cuisine et les mathématiques! Le chef Mike Young de St. Pius X et la directrice adjointe, Tanya Alvares, ont aidé les élèves à préparer des smoothies à l'aide de tasses à mesurer et de mélangeurs. Ils ont eu bien du plaisir à préparer de délicieux smoothies!

RESTO-DÉJEUNER: Le mardi 28 mai, à l’école Roslyn, les élèves de 2e année de Mme Anabel, Mme Dimitra et Mme Marie-Laure recevaient les parents à leur resto-déjeuner! Les élèves ont passé plusieurs semaines à travailler les diverses compétences de français langue seconde en réalisant une multitude d’activités liées à l’alimentation. Ils ont clôturé ce thème en invitant leurs parents à venir déjeuner à leur restaurant. Les élèves ont rédigé eux-mêmes les invitations et les menus. Ils ont aussi accueilli et servi les parents. Ce sont aussi eux qui géraient la caisse. Et tout cela en français, bien sûr! Les nombreux parents présents sont repartis enchantés de leur expérience au « Resto-déjeuner Roslyn »!

SERVICES DE L’ÉDUCATION DES ADULTES

ET DE LA FORMATION PROFESSIONNELLE

MADAME SPAGNOLO PREND LA BARRE: Angela Spagnolo a été nommée directrice du Service de l’éducation des adultes et de la formation professionnelle. Elle occupera ce poste à compter du 1er juillet. Elle succédera à Cosmo Della Rocca, qui tire sa révérence après une carrière de plus de 40 ans dans le système d’éducation public. Madame Spagnolo est directrice adjointe depuis 2016. Auparavant, elle a été directrice du Centre d’éducation des adultes James Lyng, du Centre de formation professionnelle Laurier Macdonald et du Centre d’éducation des adultes Saint-Laurent, de même que conseillère pédagogique et enseignante.

ST. PIUS REND VISITE À DANTE: Sistino Occhialini, chef enseignant de St. Pius X, était de passage à l’école primaire Dante de Saint-Léonard afin de cuisiner avec la classe de première année de madame Élaine! Le chef Sistino a encouragé les élèves à apprécier les formes, les couleurs et les saveurs lorsqu’ils dégustent un repas. Il a également abordé les techniques culinaires lors de la préparation d’une verrine de salsa, de petites bouchées au concombre et d’une tarte à la salade de fruits. Tous ont passé un délicieux moment en sa compagnie!

The next Focus will be on August 29, 2019. A special edition of EMSB Update will follow the final Council meeting of the year on June 26, 2019.