LOOKING AHEAD

Thornhill Secondary School

PAW PRINTS

VOLUME 4 ISSUE 3 April 2013

INSIDE Page(s)

China Trip March Break 1

TSS Website 2&7

Heart & Stroke Foundation 3

TSS Alumni Association 3

Motivational Speaker 4

Eco-Team 5

Music Dept—Thornhill Blooms 5

Earth Week 6

Hot Docs 7

One Match 8

May 3 Full Disclosure May 6 PA Day May 9 School Council May 14 Music Night OSSLT—Modified Day May 20 Victoria Day May 23 Prom June 5-7 Drama Night June 7 School Council June 19-25 Exams June 25 Graduation

Thornhill Secondary School 167 Dudley Avenue

Thornhill, ON L3T 2E5

Telephone: 905.889.5453 Fax: 905.889.0360

Website: http:thornhill.ss.yrdsb.ca

Administration David McAdam, Principal

Shirley Smullen, Vice-Principal Louis Lim, Vice-Principal

Superintendent of Schools Jackie Young

Trustee Susan Geller

School Council Co-Chairs Melissa Potashner and Shirley Porjes

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE It is amazing how time flies! We are in the final term of a fine school year at

Thornhill, and I applaud everyone on your accomplishments thus far. I

continue to be impressed by the pursuit of excellence in various programs in

our school: academics; arts; athletics; and technology. Congratulations to the

many students who have taken advantage of leadership development

opportunities throughout the year. This will stand them in good stead in the

future.

The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) was postponed, due

to inclement weather. Students will be writing the test this spring, on

Tuesday, May 14th, 2013. Thanks to staff, parents/guardians and students for

your involvement in literacy development, in general, and also for your

efforts in preparing for the OSSLT!

This newsletter coincides with the distribution of report cards - which

include attendance information and learning skills assessment. The report

card signals the level of achievement in each course, if your child continues

on his/her current path. Hats off to students on their successes! This is a

crucial time in the academic year. If your son/daughter is not meeting

program expectations, then it is needful to develop an intervention plan. Our

staff will be happy to assist you in exploring supports which are available. If

you have not received a report card, please call your child’s homeroom

teacher. Should your child have a study period first thing each day, please

contact a member of the Main Office staff. Kindly return the signed

Response Form to the school by May 3.

Within the framework of our School Improvement Plan (SIP), we remain

intentional in pursuing specific strategies to better prepare our 21st century

learners. These include: incorporating critical literacy skills in all subjects;

cultivating a welcoming, safe and caring climate, and integrating technology

in daily teaching and learning.

Investing in the present and future success of students is our primary focus. I

invite and encourage all parents/guardians to continue to partner with us in

guiding our young people to pathways - in post-secondary studies, vocational

training and the workforce - that will be engaging and will ensure life-long

fulfillment and security. Our School Council continues to provide very

valuable input in improving our school. Many thanks to parents for your

involvement! The remaining meetings for this year will be on May 9 and

June 6.

Plans are underway for this year’s graduation. Graduating students should

make sure that the required hours of Community Involvement are completed

and reported by May 31. Parents who can lend a hand at Graduation are

invited to notify the school as soon as possible. We anticipate ending the

year with a special celebration of the Class of 2013 on June 25.

On behalf of the Administration Team, I extend congratulations and thanks

to community partners, parents/guardians, peer-leaders, students, support-

staff members and teachers for your ongoing contribution towards the well-

being, learning and achievement of each and every member of our school

community. Sincerely, David A. McAdam

China: A Memoir by Maya Filipp On March 8, 2013, YRDSB students and teacher chaperones from Thornhill Secondary School and G.W. Williams in Aurora

departed for a 10-day adventure (organized by EF Tours) through China that included visits to Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai. Here is

one student’s memoir:

A group of teenagers sit anxiously waiting for the call to board a plane. For many, it was the first time anyone had to brave a tedious

and exhausting thirteen hour non-stop flight. However, as I sat amongst my peers, my anxiety ran beyond that of the flight. It was

the destination I was most worried about. China is not an easy country to describe, let alone have the guts to visit. However, when

the school had announced that they were going to China, somehow I knew I had to go. China is not a westerner’s idea of an ideal

vacation and most parents would blanch at the idea of sending their child to a notoriously communist country with a long, violent

history and an almost famous dislike of foreigners.

So why exactly am I writing this if that was the case? It is because China has changed me.

China is home to more than 1.3 billion people. Pollution runs rampant in Beijing due to the mountains surrounding it. Xi’an has

awful dust storms that blow in from the Gobi desert in Mongolia. Shanghai has dead pigs floating in its river. All three have unsafe

drinking water from the tap and everyone has to avoid washed vegetables because of this. If you are repulsed by any of this, I

suggest you do not go to China. China is not a country that covers up these things well. You will experience disturbing realities and

culture shock like you’ve never experienced before.

So why am I still insisting that you go to China? It is because China is very real.

Beijing is where the adventure began. The feeling of grief you get for a lost child on the street or a burned man begging. The initial

strangeness of locals staring at you and asking to take pictures with you, and then deciding you’re a celebrity and strike a pose. The

realization that Mao Zedong really existed and that his picture is really hanging on the Forbidden City wall. You deal with the

annoyance of bargainers constantly pestering you to buy their things for absurd prices and then realizing that their trinkets are

actually pretty awesome and about twenty times cheaper than it would have cost you in Canada. Interacting and befriending the

adorable yet painfully shy Chinese students by joining them in a game of basketball (and mysteriously leaving a Mars bar in one of

the student’s bags). I remember feeling the wind blowing as I braved the climb up the Great Wall of China, admiring the view and

wearing a cap with a red star on it.

In Xi’an, the adventure heightened. The amazing Terracotta soldiers of Emperor Qin Shi Huang standing at ready while you admire

the cherry blossoms blossoming outside and getting a book signed by a farmer who discovered the soldiers. Feeling the ache in your

hands from bouncing off of cobblestones with beautiful Chinese music wafting through your ears. Enjoying the warm breeze as you

bike along the Emperor’s personal wall and then nearly falling off your bike in horror from the loud crackle of firecrackers that

symbolize a wedding celebration. Feeling close to tears as you wave the local tour guide you bonded with goodbye, wondering if

you’ll ever see him again.

In Shanghai, the adventure drew to a close. Enjoying the very European yet modern feel of Shanghai as you admire the fashionable

young Chinese, the seemingly lost British foreigners, and the fast food joints that remind you of home. The feeling you get watching

Shanghai light up like a million dollars while you freeze your fingers off on a boat cruise, warily watching the murky water for any

serene looking dead pigs. The epic shopping trip that lasted three hours while you furiously pounded pavement, looking for the best

price and best items and somehow ending up holding the most adorable baby you have ever seen.

China is not for the weak hearted or the close minded. It is for the people who are burning with curiosity and those who are willing

to brave flaws that are readily apparent. If you are someone who is not afraid of embracing reality and being willing to accept it, you

will take away an experience so incredible, a feeling of such worthiness, bonds with other people that you would have never

expected to feel so strongly for, that your life will change forever. I know mine will never be the same again.

VOLUME 4 ISSUE 3 TSS PAW PRINTS PAGE 2

TSS Updated Web Site Now Live!

Please visit Thornhill Secondary School’s new web

site, http://www.thornhill.ss.yrdsb.ca/ , which

conforms to the board template for all high

schools. You will find:

School Information: Includes school policies and

guidelines in English as well as translated into

Chinese, Farsi, Korean, and Russian. Thank you

to our School Council for attaining a grant to

fund the translations.

News & Events

Department and Programme pages

Students

Parents

Guidance

Library

School Council

VOLUME 4 ISSUE 3 TSS PAW PRINTS PAGE 3

TSS Raises Money to Support the Heart and Stroke Foundation On February 12, TSS was treated to a 30-minute assembly in support of the Heart and Stroke Foundation. As period 4 teachers needed to state interest in attending the optional assembly, the gym was packed with 500 students, with a couple of classes turned away with last minute requests. The assembly began with Lena Ciccotelli, area manager of the York South Office for the Heart and Stroke Foundation sharing a short Power Point presentation about the foundation and the importance of making healthy lifestyle choices. In particular, the foundation strives to eliminate heart disease through advances in funded research; promotion of health information to heart disease, stroke, and healthy living; and advocacy (e.g., trans fat reduction, blood pressure awareness, obesity awareness). A wealth of information is available on their web site: www.heartandstroke.ca . TSS grade 12 student, Erin Konikoff, then took the spotlight by sharing her story. Erin had a stroke before she was born. Through physiotherapy, she learned how to sit, stand, and walk. Living with stroke is a challenge as she must use her left hand. It has not prevented her in daily activities nor from snowboarding and dancing. She is a determined young person who brings strength and voice to the foundation.

Following the assembly, student volunteers sold paper hearts during lunch to fundraise for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. A cheque has been issued to the foundation and TSS is proud to support this very important cause.

For the third year in a row, the Thornhill Secondary School Alumni Association (TSSAA) has

contributed $500 towards new technology for our classrooms. In addition to donations, the TSSAA

has created a number of awards celebrating student success including the Charlie Seath Award, given

annually to a junior student, and the Next Step

Bursary, given annually to a graduating student.

Any Thornhill alumni are encouraged to join the

TSSAA by visiting their website at

www.thornhillalumni.com, and can also connect

on Facebook (facebook.com/thornhillalumni),

Twitter (twitter.com/thornhillalumni) and YouTube

(youtube.com/thornhillalumni). Please encourage

your son or daughter to get involved as well.

VOLUME 4 ISSUE 3 TSS PAW PRINTS PAGE 4

Motivational Speaker—Shayne Smith On February 27th and 28th, 2013, TSS was visited by a former student: Shayne Smith. Shayne is a 22-year-old motivational speaker with an interesting past. When he was four months old, he contracted meningococcal septocemia, leaving him with less than a 2% chance of surviving. He did, but at a cost: he underwent numerous skin grafts and amputations, losing both of his legs, one hand and half of each finger on the other. Despite that, though, Shayne has thrived throughout his life. At the age of 15, in 2005, he was accepted onto the Canadian Junior National Wheelchair Basketball Team, and he was the youngest player on the team. He is a Paralympic athlete and was chosen to light the cauldron at Nathan Phillips Square for the 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay. Shayne has also had the honour of meeting people such as Nelson Mandela and has received the Queen's Jubilee medal. He was not always this successful, though; in high school, he was into drugs and had to remain at TSS for an extra three years to obtain his diploma. He uses his darker past as well as what he's made of his life to inspire young people around the world to achieve their dreams, regardless of whatever may be holding them back. He says, "The only thing holding you back is you." His message touched me deeply; as a person who currently struggles with a rare mental illness (antibody-mediated anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis) as well as things such as depression, I didn't believe that I could achieve much of anything. I thought that my illness was a disability, and one that I would never overcome. Shayne gave me hope. Seeing a person with disabilities who has achieved so much and has such a positive attitude towards life really inspired me to actively try to make something of myself. I can only hope that his speeches had a similar effect on other students at TSS. If there is one thing that people can take away from

Shayne Smith, it is that there truly is NO LIMIT.

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TSS Eco-Team Busy Preparing for Re-Certification

The TSS Eco-Team consists of a dedicated group of grades 9-12 students and staff. Our three goals are: (1) to promote environmental literacy and practices; (2) to become environmentally responsive and reduce ecological footprint; and (3) to unite our school community through the initiative. We are busy preparing to meet the April 30

th deadline to become a

recertified Ontario Eco School. And yes, we aim for a repeat Gold rating! A major initiative has been recycling. Staff has been encouraged to use double-sided photocopying. The photocopier room has a GOOS (good-on-one-side) box which, when full, is sent to the board to create memo pads at no charge to staff. Each classroom has a GOOS box which can be used for scrap work before heading to the recycling bin. Our custodial staff continues to do a wonderful job collecting the recycling. Ms. Tutins’ community class lends a hand with recycling in the main office. One of our secretaries, Mrs. Stoangi, is in charge of our Toner and Phone Recycling Programme, which brings the school funds for each item recycled. A second major initiative is energy conservation. On March 22, TSS participated in the board’s Earth Hour. Our energy consumption was reduced by an impressive 16% during the hour! We thank all staff and student for turning off lights and electrical devices. We encourage continual support of climate change by turning lights off when there is sufficient sunlight and turning off computers at the end of each day. The Eco Team is also busy planning for Earth Week, April 15 to 19. Included for the week include Power Point presentations pertaining a theme each day, trivia games a hair gel session, movie night, daily morning announcements, as well as lunch time fundraising towards an eco cause. Mr. Knox and his Communications Technology students will once again be collecting old electronic equipment for safe disposal. Parents and guardians are invited to view our Eco Schools Certification plaque the next time they are at the school. It is proudly displayed in the front foyer across from the attendance office. Our gold certification recognizes the commitment all staff and students have towards the environment. It truly is a school-wide effort and has brought us closer together as a community. Particular thank you to Sandra Sinayuk, and Tina Zhong, our student executives on the Eco-Team. Stay tuned for the end-of-school year edition of Paw Prints as we update the school community on the outcome of our

recertification quest!

NON-BOARD GRADUATION ACTIVITIES: SAFETY

ADVISORY Every year, there are individuals/businesses that seek to recruit

students for ticketed Graduation Trips or Parties at local or

international destinations. The York Region District School

Board and Thornhill Secondary School, do not support,

promote or endorse any form of involvement in these activities.

This advisory is being shared in the interest of students’

personal safety.

Dear Friends of CADDAC, We invite you to join us for, and help us spread the word about our upcoming full-day presentation, ADHD

from Pre-school to College and Beyond.

This will be a full day of presentations geared to families dealing with ADHD, including presentations form experts Dr. Joan Floor, Donna Cook, and Heidi Bernhardt. It will take place Saturday, May 4th from 9:00am to 3:30pm at 1686 Ellesnmere Road in Scarborough Ontario. The cost will be just $10 per person.

For more information and to pre-register please follow this link to CADDAC's EVENTS PAGE. Please help us to get this information to as many people as possible. We'd love to have a large turnout to make for an even better Q&A session at the end.

Please forward this link to anyone you know who might

be interested. We've also included links to pre-made flyers for organizations to print out and display, one with tear-off information on the bottom HERE, and one without HERE. We'd greatly appreciate any of our members and member organizations displaying these flyers in

o f f i ces where peop le wi l l see them. Thank you so much for your time, and for helping us bring useful ADHD information to so many people. K i n d e s t r e g a r d s . CADDAC

Thornhill Secondary School’s Music Department is proud to present:

THORNHILL BLOOMS Come out to the beautiful Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, May 14 at 7:00 p.m. to enjoy our spring concert and support our talented musicians. Our bands, choir, guitar ensembles, and soloists promise to be very entertaining. What a wonderful way to usher in spring! Tickets are on sale now for $15.00 at lunch or in the music room. Don’t miss the best concert of the year.

Earth Week at TSS

April 15 to 19 marked Earth Week

at TSS. The week was planned by

the Eco Team, led by student

executives Sandra Sinayuk and

Tina Zhong. A major theme was

global warming and its impact on

the environment (in particular,

the Arctic). The week was a

success! Thank you to TSS staff

and students for your

participation and support.

Each day had an environmental

issue with Power Points

running in the main foyer TV

and cafeteria TV: ecological

footprint; food; water; energy;

and climate change.

We collected 273 signatures

for our “Save the Arctic”

petition to oil drilling in the

Arctic.

We collected $210 in donations to the World Wildlife Fund, which allows us to adopt 5 animals in

the Arctic: polar bear, walrus, caribou, snow owl, arctic wolf.

Tuesday and Friday we had trivia with prizes in the cafeteria.

Wednesday we showed people how to make their own personal hair gel products.

Thursday was movie night, with the free showing of “Imax: To the Arctic”.

Friday was Litter Pick Up day. Ten classes volunteered their classes to pick up litter in the school

grounds. Unfortunately, it rained for part of the day. The rest of the classes picked up litter the

following Monday.

Collage courtesy of Sandra Sinayuk

VOLUME 4 ISSUE 3 TSS PAW PRINTS PAGE 6

Roll out the red carpet...

Hot Docs Film Festival at TSS The Canadian International Documentary Festival (referred

to as the Hot Docs film festival)

is North America's largest documentary film festival. The

festival runs in Toronto from April 25 – May 3.

Each year, Hot Docs presents a selection of more than 150 cutting-edge documentaries

from Canada and around the globe. At Thornhill Secondary School, six documentaries

have been selected for class viewings. The content of the documentaries cover many

disciplines, but also provides students with information about current issues and an

opportunity to engage in discussions and to think critically about these issues & topics

from varied perspectives.

Safety Concerns: Drop Off/Pick Up Parents who drive their children to school are reminded that drop

off at the beginning of the school day and pick up at the end of the

school day is at the front of the school on Dudley Avenue. Parents

are reminded not to drive to the back of the school where the

portables are located. This area has blind corners and cars travel the

wrong way. We need to do our best to prevent the likelihood of a car

accident. Your cooperation is needed and appreciated.

New TSS School Web Site!

The board is on the journey to have all its high schools have a standard

template for school web sites. We are pleased to announce the

unveiling of Thornhill Secondary School’s new web site on April 29!

Please visit http://www.thornhill.ss.yrdsb.ca/ . We appreciate the

excellent work of Richard Wong and Tom Taubkin and their staff

advisor, Mr. Benum, for the web site that has been used this past school

year.

VOLUME 4 ISSUE 3 TSS PAW PRINTS PAGE 7

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