1000 NEW WESTMINISTER DR, THORNHILL, ON, L4J 8G3
Westmount CI
Message from Admin 2 - 3
This week & News 4 - 5
Guidance 6
Looking Ahead 7
School Bus Info 8
Events and Misc Info 9 - 23
Inside this issue:
Please check our website regularly for updates.
� NEWS & EVENTS
� PARENTS
� SCHOOL CALENDAR
April 25 - May 6, 2016
Attendance: 905.882.0277 x 238
Principal: Sheri Epstein
Vice-Principal: Lisa Wargo
Vice-Principal: Sheldon Zelsman
Westmount in Italy 2016
April 7 – April 16
Our group of 22 just returned from Italy, and although many of us are still struggling with a bit of jet lag and trying to get caught up at school, the glow of our wonderful travels is still with us. The trip was stupendous! The 19 students and 3 staff members all got along while we enjoyed the beautiful sights, sounds, and tastes of this vibrant country.
Our trip began in Naples. We had a walking tour of the city, visited the ruins of Pompeii, and went to the top of Posillipo Hill for a stunning view of the Bay of Naples. We also visited the Na-tional Archeological Museum, walked in the crater of the Solfatara volcano and climbed to the top of Mt. Vesuvius. After Naples, we spent a day on the island of Capri; the views were breath-taking. We left Capri and went to Sorrento, where we stayed at a hotel that overlooked the port. We woke up each morning, watching the cruise ships come into the city. While in Sorrento, we toured the city, went to a Limoncello factory to see how this liqueur is made, walked amongst the lemon and orange groves and even got to make our pizza from scratch. Leaving Sorrento was difficult, but we got over it quickly once we saw the beauty of Positano and Amalfi Town. Our final stop on this Italian tour was Rome. In Rome, we visited Vatican City, saw the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. We also went to Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps and the newly restored Trevi Fountain.
I know what you are thinking – “How did they fit this all in?” The answer is that we walked a lot!! Each and every day we explored the sites on foot – we needed to do all this walking since we were eating at least two Gelatos a day (and in some cases 3 or 4).
It was an amazing trip and travel is so good for our children. A recent article published in The Huffington Post, entitled “10 Lessons Kids Learn by Travelling” states the many benefits of see-ing new things on going on adventures.
1. They see the world in a new perspective
2. The learn so much about themselves
3. They learn to explore and appreciate how great it can be to get lost
4. It builds confidence
5. They learn that food can consist of more than chicken fingers and pizza – ok in this case we did eat a lot of pizza—really, really, good pizza
6. They see new cultures
7. They learn more about their own culture
8. The meet interesting people – just ask about Ernesto!
9. They get out of their comfort zone and try new things
10. They learn to relax, disconnect, and be in the moment – We truly enjoyed every moment (except maybe the boat ride to Capri)
Message from Admin Team
Each year,Westmount has a trip to somewhere in our great, big beautiful world. I hope that you will consider having your children join us on an adventure in the future.
To really understand our trip here are some pictures and words from those who participated.
“The best part of this trip was being with friends and experiencing new things like standing on the top of Mt. Vesuvius. The food was great, especially the pizza and pasta. I was really glad that I was given this opportunity – you have to appreciate what you have and what is around you.” Matt Sabba, Grade 10
“I loved making new friends, walking in the ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii, and visiting Vati-can City – a country within a country. I would rate this trip 15/12!”
Max Greenspoon, Grade 10
“The Italy trip was an unforgettable experience, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I was so glad that I got to do this with my best friends and amazing teachers. The itinerary was perfect be-cause I felt like I really got experience Italian culture, like make pizza from scratch. I also really loved the island of Capri, the views were beautiful.”
Jordana Bleiwas, Grade 10
“This trip opened my eyes to the different beliefs and religions that exist in our world. I really ap-preciated the opportunity to see something so different from the way we live. I also really en-joyed the social aspect of the trip and being able to make new friends.”
Maddie Rich, Grade 11
Monday, April 25 Cosmo Music - Nixon, Bowmile
Tuesday, April 26 Skyzone - DD - Santos
Wednesday, April 27 Badminton Jr. Championships - PanAm Centre - Swailes
Thursday, April 28 Baseball - Whipper Billy Watson Park - Grossi
Monday, May 2 York University - Mr. Chan, Wodlinger Price Waterhouse Cooper - Wright
Tuesday, May 3 RH Centre for the Performing Arts - DD Class - Santos
Thursday, May 5 Varsity soccer - Tommy Douglas - Hamilton, Gorewicz, Kazakis
Coming Up in The Next 2 Weeks Monday, April 25 Valedictorian Nominalization - Open
Midterm Reports distributed
Thursday, April 28 Arts Gala
Friday, April 29 Eastern Holy Friday
Valedictorian Nominalization - Closed
Track & Field Any students interested in joining the track and field team, practices occur Tuesday and Thursday afterschool. Please meet outside the gym.
Monday, May 2 Full Disclosure
Wednesday, May 4 Gr 12 AP Exam
Friday, May 6 PA Day
Westmount Apparel at Bare Necessities!
Bare Necessities is offering the same clothing designs as we did in the first semester, with some
new additions. These items are available for order from the store. See the attached order form for
the selection of items (sweatpants, hoodies, t-shirts, tank tops and ball caps). At the store, we
have prototypes which are on display only. If interested - please fill out the attached order form
and have your son / daughter return the form with payment (cash preferred). On Friday, May 6th,
one order will be placed with the supplier with shipment being received prior to the end of May. All
profits raised at Bare Necessities are donated to The Canadian Cancer Society. Help join the fight
against this disease, while getting some very cool Westmount apparel. Please note that Bare Ne-
cessities will be closed the week of April 25-April 29 due to DECA Internationals. We will reopen
for business Monday, May 2nd. Thank you for your support. — Coates Securities
DECA INTERNATIONALS
Four Westmount students will be joining the 17,000+ students, from across the world, to compete
at this year's DECA International Competitions in Nashville, Tennessee. The Westmount team,
with Mr. Coates, will depart with DECA Ontario on Thursday, April 21st and return on Thursday,
April 28th. Both Jake Benaim and Brad Perez are competing, individually, in the Hotel & Lodging
case category. Justin Voronoff is competing in the Quick Serve Restaurant Management case
category,while Zachary Bloch is competing in the Human Resource Management case cate-
gory. We wish them all luck in winning!
Guidance Appointments
Need an appointment with your Guidance Counselor?
Here’s how to book an appointment: https://sites.google.com/site/wciguidance/
Follow us on twitter @WCIGuidance or check the website regularly for updates as to when you can begin booking Guidance appointments.
Your Guidance Team Update
ONTARIO UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE MIDTERM MARK TRANSMISSION
https://sites.google.com/site/wciguidance/graduation
#wcigrad #onuniversity #oncollege
WCIGuidance
Stay in the Loop Follow WestmountGuidance on Facebook and @WCIGuidance on Twit-ter. Visit the Guidance website regularly for important news, information and announcements. https://sites.google.com/site/wciguidance/home
FULL DISCLOSURE
Grade 9 to 11 – Monday, May 2nd
Grade 12 – Wednesday, April 27th
Grade 12 and want to apply for part-time? Check out the dates here https://sites.google.com/site/wciguidance/home
#wcigrad
GRADE 12 GRADUATION PREPARATION SEASON
Graduation/Prom Ticket Distribution was last Wednesday, April 20t. Our Grads were given their cap, gown and 2 tickets for the Graduation Ceremony on June 29. Grads were also able to purchase their Prom tickets. The sale of Prom tick-ets is now done and Prom will take place Thursday, May 12. If you have questions about Prom you can send your questions to [email protected]
Please take note that the YRDSB and Westmount have absolutely nothing to do with the planning and staging of ANY pre and post prom event.
Coming up….
Monday, April 25 – Valedictorian Nomination OPENS
Friday, April 29th – Valedictorian Nominations CLOSE
For the complete list of Guidance related events go to https://sites.google.com/site/wciguidance/home
#wcigrad #wcievents #wciprom
Looking Ahead
Monday, May 9 Valedictorian Voting - Open
Wednesday, May 11 Gr 11 AP Exam - 8:00 am
Thursday, May 12 Prom
Friday, May 13 Valedictorian Voting - Close
Wednesday, May 18 Blood Drive
One Match Swab
Best Buddies Prom
Tursday, May 19 Grade 6 & 7 Open House
Friday - Thursday, May 20 - 26 Marketing Week
Su Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sa1 2
* Full Disclosure 3 4
* Gr 12 AP Exam 8:00am 5 6
PA Day
7
8 9 * Valedictorian Voting
opens
10 11 * Gr 11 AP Exam 8:00am
12 * Prom
13 * Valedictorian Voting
cloes
14
15 16 17 18 * Blood Drive * One Match
* Best Buddies Prom
19 * Grade 6 & 7 Open House
20 * Marketing Week
21
22 23 * Victoria Day
24 * Sprinfest Rehearsal
* Marketing Week
25 * Sprinfest
* Marketing Week
26 * Marketing Week
27 28
29 30 * Venture Week
* Student Council Elec-tions
31 * Venture Week
* Student Council Elections
May 20 16
To ensure the safety of students, school bus service may be cancelled due to inclement weather, extreme temperatures and/or poor road conditions. In these cases, parents and students should develop alternate care/transportation arrangements.
Since some busing schedules begin by 7:00 a.m., cancellation decisions must be made by 6:00 a.m. to allow time to communicate this message to bus drivers. Cancellation decisions will only be made after thorough consultation with the Safety Officers of school bus companies servicing York Region and are based on several factors including precipitation, air temperature, road conditions and weather forecast.
Please note the following:
A decision to cancel school bus service will be region-wide — meaning all school buses, vans and taxis will not operate
When bus service is cancelled, all school tests and/or examinations will be cancelled and rescheduled
Student trips involving the use of school buses will also be cancelled
School bus routes may be cancelled when severe weather may not be affecting all municipali-ties in York Region. Both the YRDSB and YCDSB operate many regional educational programs. Stu-dents attending these programs are transported over large attendance areas encompassing several mu-nicipal boundaries. This limits the ability to cancel bus service using a municipality or zone methodology.
Unless otherwise stated, schools will remain open and parents can make arrangements to transport their children to and from school even if school bus service is cancelled. If buses are cancelled in the morn-ing, they will not operate in the afternoon. Therefore, students transported to school by parents will require the same transportation home.
Parents, students and school staff are asked to access the following radio and television stations after 6:00 a.m. to receive bus cancellation information:
RADIO
590 AM 640 AM 680 AM 860 AM 1010 AM 1050 AM
1540 AM 1580 AM 88.5 FM 89.9 FM 92.5 FM 93.1 FM
94.9 FM 95.9 FM 97.3 FM 98.1 FM 99.1 FM 99.9 FM
101.1 FM 102.1 FM 104.5 FM 100.7 FM 107.1 FM
TELEVISION
CITY TV CTV Barrie CTV Toronto CP24 GLOBAL NEWS
A bus cancellation message will also be available at www.schoolbuscity.com and by calling 1-877-330-3001, or by follow-ing the YRDSB and YCDSB on twitter.
School Bus Cancellation Notice
April 21, 2016
Dear Westmount Families / Community Members,
You may have heard from your son / daughter about a graduation trip organized by a company called “S-Trip”. This trip is not organized by or affiliated with Westmount CI or the York Region District School Board. No teachers / staff from Westmount CI or the York Region District School Board supervise or attend these trips. “S-Trip” is a private travel company that runs and organ-izes trips for students over March Break next year. Please keep this in mind if your child inquires about participating on this trip.
If you have any questions, please contact us.
Westmount CI
In celebration of
Asian/South Asian Heritage Month
What? FREE event for Parents/Caregivers and
students in our school communities.
When? Monday May 16, 2016
6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Where? Middlefield Collegiate 525 High Glen Ave, Markham L3S 3L5
This event is made possible through a collaborative partnership with Inclusive School & Community Services,
York Region District School Board, and Social Services Network .
For further information please contact the planning committee at Inclusive School and Community Services, YRDSB
Teacher Liaisons : 905-884-2046 Community Resource Facilitators Ayesha Syed : [email protected] or ext 271 Yasmin Mawani, 905-940-8400 ext 122 Pirasanya Gnanasuntharam: [email protected] or ext 270 [email protected] Erica Shin: [email protected] or ext 269 Oksana Majaski, 905-738-5497 ext 213 Cathy Ng: [email protected] or ext 267 [email protected]
Please Join Us!
6:00-7:00 p.m. Community Partner Information Displays Light Dinner 7:00-7:15 p.m. Welcome and Introductions 7:15 -8:30 p.m. Parent Workshop Supporting your child’s wellness Student Workshops (Grades 7-12) Embracing your social identity and wellness matters Student Workshops (Grades JK-6) Interactive Cultural Activities
SAVE THE DATE! Inclusive School & Community Services
Is hosting a
Wellness Evening for Parents & Students
https://secure.kerrysplace.org/community
https://secure.kerrysplace.org/community
To celebrate Children’s Mental Health Week, The York Centre for Children, Youth & Families is hosting a Coffee & Conversation Series of workshops for interested parents and other community members. The workshops are free of charge, but you do need to register in advance for each workshop you would like to attend. The format of the evenings will be structured, but informal. Each evening will include a presentation, discussion, coffee, and goodies, not necessarily in that order! Place: The York Centre for Children, Youth & Families Phone: 905-737-8927 11225 Leslie Street, Richmond Hill (Elgin Mills & Leslie) Email: [email protected]
***TO REGISTER, please go online to the Eventbrite website using the link listed below for each topic title. Choose ONLY ONE workshop for each evening ***
Monday, May 2, 2016: 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Be Cyber-Smart! Presenter: Bruce Johnson, CYW http://becybersmart.eventbrite.ca The York Centre Parenting Your Anxious Child: Part 1 Presenter: Jennifer Scott, SSW http://pacpart1.eventbrite.ca The York Centre
Tuesday, May 3, 2016: 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Parenting Your Anxious Child: Part 2 Presenter: Jennifer Scott, SSW http://pacpart2.eventbrite.ca The York Centre A Solution Focused Approach to Parenting Presenter: Natasha Wakefield, RP http://solutionfocusedparenting.eventbrite.ca The York Centre
Wednesday, May 4, 2016: 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Mindfulness & Self-Care Presenter: Sheri Van Dijk, M.S.W., R.S.W. http://mindfulnessandselfcare.eventbrite.ca Psychotherapist & Author
Parenting & Understanding The Adolescent Brain Presenter: Abner Lico, M.Ed., RP http://parentingandtheadolescentbrain.eventbrite.ca COMPASS, The York Centre
Thursday, May 5, 2016: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
safeTALK Training Presenter: Michelle Cassidy http://safetalkyc.eventbrite.ca Mental Health Lead, YRDSB
Thursday, May 5, 2016: 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Intro. to Autism & Accessing Funding Resources Presenter: Michael Morris B.A., B.Ed. OCT [A Kerry’s Place Group Learning Session (GLS)] ASD Consultant, Kerry’s Place http://introtoasdandfunding.eventbrite.ca
Workshop Descriptions on reverse side.
