B.A.S.E. Daycare Launches Destination Imagination Program

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1 B.A.S.E. Daycare Launches Destination Imagination Program On Tuesday, May 13, 2014, Before and After School Enriched (B.A.S.E.) Daycare held its first ever Destination Imagination Showcase at General Vanier Elementary School. It was the main event in its sixth annual Daycare Week Festival: EMSB B.A.S.E. Has Talent To Surprise You! Destination Imagination is a challenge program that gets teams of young people from around the world to compete in creative, imaginative and constructive timed challenges. B.A.S.E. Daycare launched the Destination Imagination program this past January under the guidance of Robin Kelley, the B.A.S.E. Daycare Extracurricular Activities Advisor. Robin worked with four teams of students from General Vanier, John Caboto Academy and Michelangelo International challenging them each week with challenges that focused on either building or performing. Team challenge All four teams were involved in the Destination Imagination Showcase. The students first participated in a Team Challenge where they had to perform a movie trailer skit that shows characters from at least two different nations interacting. Their movie trailers were required to be between two and four minutes in length and had to include sound effects and props. Finally, the trailer had to be entirely their own creation, with no help from other students, adults, parents or teachers. The students worked hard on their movie trailer skits for two months. The performances began with Michelangelo International s Team Golden Athletes. Their movie, Friendship Between Two Nations, was a historical science-fiction adventure. The audience watched as a group of children playing soccer were caught in a thunderstorm and end up hiding in a time machine that brings them back to Montreal, The children meet and make friends with the Mohawk children living in the same location that their soccer field would eventually be, See IMAGINATION, page 12 The first Destination Imagination Showcase took place at General Vanier Elementary School on Tuesday, May 13, Pictured above is the General Vanier team accepting their awards for the Team Challenge and Instant Challenge with B.A.S.E. Manager, Rosa Fuoco, and B.A.S.E. Extracurricular Activities Advisor, Robin Kelley. Mental Health Awareness Week: B.A.S.E. Art Daycare students from Bancroft, Dunrae Gardens and John Caboto Academy created a four-panel art installation depicitng the four seasons and representing the activities that make them feel good for Mental Health Awareness Week. In an effort to promote good mental health habits and sharpen students awareness of positive coping strategies for dealing with stress, the Before and After School Enriched (B.A.S.E.) Daycare Program and the Mental Health Resource Center (MHRC) of the English Montreal School Board s Student Services Department held an exciting event for elementary school students: A Mental Health Awareness Week Exhibit from May 5 to 9, Leading up to Mental Health Awareness Week, students from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 6 were encouraged to think about ways in which they can build their self-esteem and coping skills. They discussed how they can help themselves and others to feel better whenever they feel stressed, unhappy or frustrated. Students were asked to express their thoughts and feelings on this topic through creative written texts poems or storybooks or visual texts artwork or short videos. The submissions came flooding in from various daycares including Carlyle International, Cedarcrest, Gerald McShane, Honoré Mercier, John Caboto Academy, Sinclair Laird and St. Dorothy. The students work included poems, quotes, storybooks and drawings. John Caboto Academy s B.A.S.E. Photography Club students produced a video where they did on-camera interviews answering questions about what makes them feel good. John Caboto Academy students also made large sport figurines out of recycled bottle caps. This art project represents how participating in sports makes children feel good. Gerald McShane B.A.S.E. Daycare students collaborated on a very large smiley face. A picture of every child was assembled to make the eyes of the smiley face. The students then researched and wrote words of affirmation on the smiley face. All of the submissions were displayed in the Atrium and infront of the regional offices of the Administration Building. A streaming video of all of the work was playing during lunch hour in the cafeteria and on the MHRC website. THE FOUR SEASONS Artist Sylvia Garland guided students from Bancroft, Dunrae Gardens and John Caboto Academy B.A.S.E. Daycares to create a four-panel art instal- See MENTAL HEALTH, page 12 La semaine des services de garde Le programme des services de garde B.A.S.E. de la Commission scolaire English-Montréal a célébré la Semaine des services de garde du 12 au 16 mai 2014 avec son sixième festival annuel d arts créatifs. Le titre du festival a représenté le thème de la Semaine des services de garde de cette année: On «atout» pour surprendre, qui est déterminé par l Association des services de garde en milieu scolaire du Québec. Le programme des services de garde B.A.S.E. a adopté une approche différente au festival de cette année. Au lieu de réunir les spectateurs en un soir dans un endroit pour admirer le travail des élèves, les parents et le personnel de la Commission ont été invités aux services de garde tout au long de la semaine pour découvrir les différents talents des élèves. Voici quelques points saillants du sixième festival annuel du programme des services de garde B.A.S.E. Voir LA SEMAINE, page 6 Inside Horse Therapy Page 2 Kid Facts Page 4 Green Initiative Page 5 Daycare Week Page 6 Activities Page 8 Ped Days Page 10 Life Learning Page 12

2 2 Touching Base, Summer 2014 horse therapy program A Final Visit With Their Therapeutic Equine Friends The Wonderful world of horse therapy On a chilly February day, the Hampstead Daycare students in the therapeutic horseback riding program piled into the bus for their final trip to the Goldie Equestrian Project in St-Benoît de Mirabel. This time, their family members joined them. After eight weeks of spending most of their Thursdays learning to care for and riding horses, the six students with special needs were proud to show their parents, sisters and guardians all they had learned. First, during snack, the children and project founder Carol Nantel informed their guests about safety rules, such as never walk behind a horse. Then, in twos and threes, the group walked up and down the barn and peered into the stalls as the students introduced family members to their favourite horse or pony. Some horses munched on their breakfast, one threw its head in the air and showed its teeth in a funny horse laugh and some presented only their rumps, not feeling very social that morning. After a quick warm up jog around the arena to get their energy out, two at a time, the children demonstrated their first new-learned skill by grooming one of the calm ponies using various brushes and stroking techniques. Happily covered in horse hair, the first two students, 5th Graders Christina Phan and Aidan Côté, donned their harnesses and helmets and headed to the arena. Normally divided into two groups one riding, the other cleaning stalls or pitching hay that day all the students stuck together for the chance to see everyone ride. Watching the under 12 year olds carefully climb onto enormous but gentle animals and calmly ride with an instructor on the lead and an educator by their side was an impressive sight. The students transformed from fidgety, sometimes difficult children to calm and focused for an entire 30 minutes of equestrian skills. The contact with and movements of the horse calm the nervous system, says Nantel, a specialized equine therapist certified by the Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association (CanTRA) who has been bringing horses and children with special needs together for the past 15 years. Nantel loves to see the improvement in the children and watch them grow up in the presence of the horse. As Christina and Aidan are led around the arena, they perform stretching exercises from atop their horses, reaching towards the various animals and figures on the barn walls or rhythmically punching the air as the animal placidly walks beneath them. Their posture has greatly improved, says Hampstead Educator Adrienne, who walks beside the students, sometimes holding their harnesses to steady them. They learn if they don t sit straight in the saddle, the horse will take over. Practicing stopping their horses with a whoa or starting them by making kissing sounds, Christina and Aidan are then handed the reins to control their own horse, though they remain on the instructor s lead. Performing large, square figure eights, practicing turns, stops and starts, the two students attentions rarely stray from their task. I feel big, says Christina about riding her horse and declares brightly at the end of the day: I m going to work here. At the end of the lesson, Aidan enjoys feeding his horse carrots, even if they often slobber as they inhale their treat. We did it on our own, he says about all the skills he s learned in the eight-week program. It feels good, like completing a challenge. The biggest thing they learn is to work by themselves, to be more independent, says Nantel. There is a light in their eyes when they accomplish something; whether it s cleaning tack, mucking stalls or riding, the confidence and independence they gain opens other doors in the rest of their lives. For the last three weeks, I ve noticed he s less anxious, says Nessia, mother of Grade 2 student Ethan Zbily. One of the last to take his turn that day, Ethan had to exercise a lot of patience before he finally got to ride his favourite pony. Once warmed up and with the reins in his hands, however, a few smiles were caught on camera. I feel stretched out...relaxed says Grade 4 student Netanel Vakin about riding the horses. Some of Clockwise from top: Grade 5 students Christina Phan and Aidan Cote practice their skills with the reins, leading their horses while always keeping their backs straight; Aidan feeds his horse some well deserved carrots; Ethan Zbily, Grade 2, and Anastasia Demacheva, Grade 3, along with program founder Carol Nantel (in pink) and fellow instructor Celine, groom a calm pony; Carol Nantel gives 4th grader Netanel Vakin some tips while educator Adrienne walks beside him; Anastasia enjoys a game while happily sitting atop her pony. them are funny and sometimes I get kisses! They truly have a rapport with the horses, says Daycare Educator Martine who even herself experiences a powerful peacefulness as she walks beside the horses supporting the students. Grade 3 student Anastasia Demacheva says she feels happy when riding and loves to play games while sitting up on her pony. Her sister, Irina, adds that Ana has grown up since she began the program in the way she talks and behaves. All the students love to talk about their horses at school and at home and, no matter what the benefits of the Goldie Project, they will never forget such a unique experience. It was a very exciting day and the obvious joy on their faces when they each received their certificate for completing the program tempered the sadness they felt at saying goodbye to their equine friends. Johanna Donovan Contributing Editor The Therapeutic Horseback Riding Program was offered to two daycares during the school year: Hampstead and Elizabeth Ballantyne. For more information about the Goldie Equestrian Project, visit

3 Elizabeth Ballantyne d équitation thérapeutique Touching Base, Summer The EMSB BASE Daycares En haut: Les élèves brossent un cheval avec plaisir. En bas: L élève de maternelle Eryx Yotis monte son cheval nommé Portos. Les élèves nouent des amitiés avec des chevaux Quelques élèves du service de garde d Elizabeth Ballantyne prétendent être des cow-boys chaque jeudi. Ils se rencontrent tous les matins à l école et sont transportés par autobus à l écurie du Projet équestre Goldie à Saint- Benoît de Mirabel où leurs chevaux les attendent. Tous les cinq élèves, qui sont de la maternelle et de la première année, participent à un programme de huit semaines d équitation thérapeutique, tout au long des mois d avril et de mai. L autobus quitte l école vers 9 h 15 et retourne aux environs de 14 h. Les élèves mangent leurs repas de midi et leurs collations au ranch. «L équitation me rend heureux» déclare Matteo Hains de la maternelle. «Moi aussi, parce que j aime les chevaux et les autres animaux» ajoute Eryx Yotis, un autre élève de maternelle. Les élèves sont appariés à un cheval selon leur hauteur et leur poids. Chaque élève monte son cheval pour près d une demi-heure. Les éducateurs des services de garde tiennent une ceinture de harnais attachée à la taille des enfants pour s assurer qu ils restent sur le cheval. Les chevaux marchent autour de l aréna en grands cercles, tandis que les élèves font des exercices pour améliorer leur équilibre et leur coordination. Le cheval d Eryx se nomme Portos. «Lorsque je descends de sur Portos, je lui donne une grande accolade» déclare Eryx. «Ensuite, je m assieds sur une chaise pour le nourrir. Je brise une carotte en trois morceaux pour qu il puisse la manger plus facilement. Ce que j aime le plus est le nourrir. Une fois, j ai été surpris lorsqu il a laissé tomber son bol de carottes dans la boue» ajoute Eryx. Les élèves aiment interagir avec les chevaux. «Ma jument se nomme Gigi et elle a une crinière brune et blanche qui est vraiment douce à toucher» déclare Matteo. «Je me sens mieux quand je caresse les chevaux» poursuit Matteo. Les élèves apprécient aussi les personnalités des chevaux! «Portos a éternué et ce fut drôle!» déclare Eryx en riant. Les enfants brossent aussi les chevaux avec les conseils des adultes qui les accompagnent. «Nous brossons les chevaux parce qu ils sont sales» expliquent Eryx. «J ai été très content parce que j ai aidé à les nettoyer.» L équitation est une excellente expérience et les enfants apprécient cette merveilleuse occasion. Matteo Hains, Maternelle Eryx Yotis, Maternelle Service de garde Elizabeth Ballantyne BANCROFT Principal: Dorothy Ostrowicz Technician: Monique Gaudreault CARLYLE Principal: Anna-Maria Borsellino Technician: Angela Crescenzi CEDARCREST Principal: Nadia Sammarco Technician: Georgia Stamatopoulos CORONATION Principal: Joanna Genevezos Technician: Nancy Mancuso DALKEITH Principal: John Wright Technician: Cynthia Racicot DANTE Principal: Ida Pisano Technician: Angela Crispino DUNRAE GARDENS Principal: Darlene Kehyayan Technician: Tina Lanni EAST HILL: Principal: Myrianne Lusignan Technician: Connie Parry EDWARD MURPHY Principal: Franca Cristiano Technician: Giovanna Giuliana ELIZABETH BALLANTYNE Principal: Otis Delaney Technician: Chantal Riendeau GENERAL VANIER Principal: Sylvia Serchuk Technician: Maria Iacono GERALD McSHANE Principal: Nancy Richer Technician: Clementina Fraga HAMPSTEAD Principal: Hilda Hacikyaner Technician: Cathy Agnello HONORE MERCIER Principal: Donna Manos Technician: Daniela Buttino JOHN CABOTO Principal: Lucy Buscemi Technician: Tina Nardolillo LEONARDO DA VINCI ACADEMY Principal: Michael Talevi Technician: Francesca Muro MACKAY Principal: Patrizia Ciccarelli Technician: Maria Revuelta MICHELANGELO Principal: Anna Della Rocca Technician: Teresa Federico NESBITT Principal: Eleni Zervas Technician: Pina Santino OUR LADY OF POMPEI Principal: Steven Rebelo Technician: Nancy Salituri PARKDALE Principal: Maryène Perron Technician: Filanthi Stavrianeas PHILIP E. LAYTON Principal: Patrizia Ciccarelli Technician: Maria Revuelta PIERRE DE COUBERTIN Principal: Nicholas Katalifos Technician: Mary Simeone PIERRE ELLIOTT TRUDEAU Principal: Michelle Stein Technician: Mara Filippone SINCLAIR LAIRD Principal: Marco Gagliardi Technician: Pina Portaro ST. DOROTHY Principal: Rosetta Ortona-Perri Technician: Sandra Prioletta ST. GABRIEL Principal: Jim Daskalakis Technician: Pamela Faustini ST. MONICA Principal: Irini Margetis Technician: Paquita Nanton WESTMOUNT PARK Principal: Daniela Lattanzio Technician: Deborah Mete Deputy Director General: Paola Miniaci Assistant Director: Luc Harvey Daycare Manager: Rosa Fuoco Daycare Assistant: Emily Meo Produced by: B.A.S.E. Daycare Services English Montreal School Board 6000 Fielding Avenue, Montreal (Quebec) H3X 1T4 Website: (under construction) Editor: Jennifer De Freitas Project Development Officer jdefreitas@emsb.qc.ca Contributing Editors: Johanna Donovan Jodi Schwartz

4 4 Touching Base, Summer 2014 kid facts Bring Learning to Life in the Great Outdoors Canadian Environment week Did you know that June 1 to 7 is Canadian Environment Week and Strengthening Our Environment Today for Tomorrow is this year s theme? The idea for Environment Week emerged in 1970, when former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker noted the tremendous energy, enthusiasm and initiative of young people concerned about pollution. Diefenbaker approached the House of Commons with the concept of setting aside one week a year to focus on all aspects of a healthy environment. This year, Environment Week also includes Clean Air Day (June 4), World Environment Day (June 5), and World Oceans Day (June 8). ENGAGING THE SENSES In the article Outdoor learning: Education s next revolution? author Laura Smith cites several studies discussing the effects of nature-based education on children. She quotes environmentalist Richard Louv as arguing that adults and children in today s world suffer from nature deficit disorder. In many of the studies, the motivation, attendance and test scores of students all improved after participating in naturebased learning programs. Louv argues that outdoor learning works because it demands better use of the senses. With so much time focused on a screen and stuck indoors in traditional classrooms, students lack the ability to detect nuances in their environment and do not regularly engage all their senses. Learning in a natural environment, rich with sounds, sights and smells, promotes involuntary attention or fascination in one s surroundings, encouraging students to become more alert and interested in what they re learning. BENEFITS OF TIME OUTDOORS According to Evergreen, a non-profit that aims to engage people in solving urban environmental issues, Engaging in nature-based activities increases the metabolism, boosts the immune system, increases resiliency and reduces stress in children. The physical and mental health benefits of spending time outdoors in nature are difficult to refute and are well documented. To boot, more and more studies are pointing to even further benefits of time spent engaging with the outside world. With nature s ability to boost children s attention and alertness, time spent ourdoors in learning and play can relieve symptoms of attention deficit disorder. In another study in Smith s article, teachers in one elementary school sent students to the principal s office more than 500 times in one year; that number dropped to 50 after an environment-based program was implemented. The principal and teachers credited the drop in behavioural problems to the students increased engagement in learning. ENVIRONMENT FACTS 1. Household Products: When household cleaners containing phosphates get into rivers and lakes, they cause algae blooms on the surface, robbing the water of oxygen and ultimately killing aquatic life. 2. Lawn Mowing: Running your gas powered lawnmower for one hour is equal to driving a new car between 320 and 480 kilometres. 3. Mothballs: There are chemicals in mothballs that can harm animals, our environment and us if used incorrectly. Use cedar chips instead. They give off a more pleasing scent, are natural and are better for the environment. 4. Water: Eighty per cent of ocean pollution is caused by human activity on land. One gram of 2,4-D (a common household herbicide) can pollute 10 million litres of water. 5. Clothing: There is an average of 7 kilograms of textile waste (clothes, bedding, curtains, etc.) per person in landfills throughout Canada. Textile waste accounts for more than 4% of materials in Canada s landfills. 6. Greenhouse Gas Effect: Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and keep the Earth warm. Without these gases the Earth would be too cold but too much greenhouse gas upsets the Earth s natural balance and warms the planet too much. 7. Endangered Species: The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada has listed 585 species in Canada to be at some level of risk extinct, extirpated, endangered, threatened or of special concern. 8. Floods: Research shows the global sea level rose about 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) in the last century, and the rate in the last decade is nearly double that leading to flooding and other problems. 9. Trees: Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air. This means the air will be fresher and also help regulate climate by reducing greenhouse gases. 10. Food Waste: It is estimated the average American produces about 4.5 pounds of trash daily and that 40% of food in the U.S.A. goes uneaten. Though stimulating their senses outdoors greatly helps with student behaviour and engagment, handson-nature-based education also teaches students real-world implications, giving them a sense of the relevancy of what they re learning; that it has a relationship to the everyday world they live in. Take advantage of all the activities happening in Montreal during Canadian Environment Week and Environment activities 1. Create a Seed Bomb: Seed Bombs are balls of clay, dry organic compost or worm castings, small native perennial seeds and water used to improve areas you re unable to reach. For more information visit mossymossy.com/the-seed-bomb/. 2. Recycled Art: Items that would normally end up in a landfill are great for art projects, such as making sculptures or a birdhouse out of egg and milk cartons, pizza boxes, tin cans and more! Host a kids arts and crafts contest using only recycled items. 3. Toy Swap: Instead of tossing old toys, help your kids organize a toy swap. Each child brings an unwanted toy that is clean and in good condition to swap with their friends. Children go home with a new toy and nothing ends up in the landfill! 4. Trash-Free BBQ: Disposable dishes and utensils create a lot of garbage. Next time you have a bbq, invite guests to bring utensils, or use a Frisbee as a plate. It s good for the environment and good for your health to run and catch a Frisbee afterwards. 5. Nature Walks: Work with local educational facilities to sponsor nature walks or talks. Do not forget to pick up litter on your walk. 6. Tree Planting Party: Have a tree-planting party in your community! Planting a tree is one of the best things you can do for the environment. 7. Compost: Throw out kitchen scraps into the compost instead, this will reduce your garbage by one third. Learn more at 8. At-Risk Species: Learn about which speciess are in trouble and what s being done to help them. Is there any way you can participate in helping? 9. Candle Light: Encourage kids to schedule their own voluntary power outage during Canadian Environment Week or during the summer to reduce energy usage. Kids can avoid using the computer or video games between certain times, for example, and instead read, cook or go outside. 10. DIY: Make kid-friendly cleaning products. Instead of using chemicals and paper towels to wash your windows, try 1/2 cup vinegar and 4 cups water and a squeegee or reusable cloths and rags. indulge in a little outdoor, hands-on, nature-based learning with your children this summer. For more information, tools and resources about the environment and related activities, visit www. evergreen.ca, and www. greenwave.cbd.int/en, Johanna Donovan Touching B.A.S.E. Contributing Editor Pierre Elliott Trudeau Earth Day CLEAN UP On Earth Day, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Daycare students and some parents cleaned their dirty school yard. The students from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 6 took up this challenge. After the snow melted, the yard was left very dirty. Once our grand clean-up was done, we counted about 50 bags of garbage between both the senior and junior schoolyards. This was a great experience to finally tidy our schoolyard and now we wish to keep it that way. Datio Mancini, Grade 5, Sabriel Langelier, Grade 4 Pierre Eilliott Trudeau Daycare Earth Day donations A special thanks goes to Mr. Danny Pacheco for donating supplies for our clean up on Earth Day, April 22, Daycare Technician, Ms. Mara, would like to thank Mr. Pacheco for donating gloves, garbage bags and cleaning rags. Each child put the supplies to good use. Our Earth Day could not have been more successful. Let s keep up the good work! Angie Angelicchio, Daycare Educator Pierre Elliott Trudeau Daycare students cleaned up their junior and senior schoolyards on April 22, 2014, which was Earth Day. Parents came out to help with the clean up! A total of 50 garbage bags were filled.

5 green initiative Touching Base, Summer New Gardens at Hampstead, General Vanier and Our Lady of Pompei HAMPSTEAD BUILDS FRONT LAWN GARDEN The Hampstead B.A.S.E. Daycare Green Club has been busy this Spring. Green Advisor, Marcus Lobb, along with Concordia City Farm School interns Ev and Charlotta have designed and built a brand new educational garden on the front lawn of the school. The garden is over 1,500 square feet in size, and will be growing herbs, fruit trees, vegetables and more! We recently asked the kids what were some of their favorite memories of this past Spring. My favorite part was making the three sisters garden, Mia noted, while Aidan was excited about using ingredients from the garden to make a non factorymade pizza. Another student yelled, Kale, kale, kale. A special thanks goes out to the Green Plan Committee for the funding they offered this project. GENERAL VANIER GARDEN In late May we sat down with a group of daycare students at General Vanier who have been participating in the Daycare Green Club over the past year. Since they have been so busy building their new garden, we have barely had any time to reflect. We asked them a number of questions about their experiences. Isabella and Elisabeth both enjoyed planting tomatoes, while Tugce commented on the importance of being careful when planting the seedlings. We were also very pleased to learn how much the students were enjoying the labor associated with the garden building. A surprise around every corner! The students chose to name their garden The Garden of Myths, likely culled from the inspiration of Mateo who was heard saying, Since I was small I always believed in myths in nature that s why I like gardening. OUR LADY OF POMPEI OUTDOOR CLASSROOM No grass to have a garden? No problem! Our Lady of Pompei s Green Club, which is led by Green Tutor Julia Gellman are in the midst of celebrating their first ever schoolyard garden and seating area. The new garden area, which will grow herbs, veggies and flowers, has the capacity to seat an entire classroom, and will be growing more than Clockwise from top left: Hampstead students shovel soil to fill their planter boxes, General Vanier students plant vegetables in their garden and Our Lady of Pompei students and Daycare Educator Ms. Rita shovel soil to fill their raised planter boxes. 25 different species of plants this Spring. The project was co-funded by B.A.S.E. Daycare Services and the Green Plan Committee who awarded the school $1,500 to start the project. A special thanks also goes out to Principal, Mr. Steven Rebelo, Daycare Technician, Ms. Nancy Salituri, and all of the daycare educators who have helped out! Touching B.A.S.E. Editorial Staff Green Grants: B.A.S.E. Wins Eight Green Projects Awarded The English Montreal School Board s Green Plan Committee presented Green Awards, Prizes and Grants to its recipients at the Council of Commissioners meeting on Wednesday, May 28, The Before and After School Enriched (B.A.S.E.) Daycare Program plays a very important role in the schools green initiatives and projects. Thanks to the guidance and dedication of the B.A.S.E Green Initiative Advisor, Marcus Lobb, and his team of Green Initiative tutors, they have helped school principals and daycare technicians accomplish their green objectives. Due to this strong partnership, B.A.S.E Daycare Program claimed eight grants. All three grants that Marcus Lobb applied for this year were awarded. Green Awards and Recognition Prizes are given for projects that were tied to the school s Green Action Plan and completed during the school year. The grants program aims to help schools, centers and the Administration Building implement and fund future environmental initiatives ensuing from their action plans and that are linked to the following four pillars of the EMSB Green Policy: Education, Green and Healthy Space, Sustainable Resource Use and Strive to be Toxic Free. The Winners Green Award recipients included Edward Murphy School and John Caboto Academy. Each school received $1,000. Parkdale School was a recipient of a Green Recognition prize of $500. Eight schools with the B.A.S.E Daycare Program were recipients of this year s Green Grants, under three categories: Willow Grants ($1,000 or less), Maple Grants ($1,001 to $2,999) and Oak Grants ($3,000 to $5,000). Three of the schools that won Maple Grants were: Hampstead ($2,000) for their school garden, Our Lady of Pompei ($1,500) for their schoolyard garden and outdoor classroom project, and General Vanier ($2,750) for their schoolyard garden and outdoor learning classroom. Other Maple Grant winners included Bancroft for their Educational Terrarium, Honore Mercier for their Friendship corner, and St. Gabriel for their Senior Park. The Willow Grant recipient was Gerald McShane ($1,000) for their Community Teaching garden. The Oak Grant beneficiary was Parkdale ($3,250) for their Learning in the Sun! Our Space-Our Time project. The EMSB handed out $30,000 worth of Green awards and grants to elementary schools and high schools. Congratulations to all of the Green grants and awards winners! Touching B.A.S.E. Editorial Staff Dalkeith DALKIETH: Students Build Multiple Gardens Dalkeith Before and After School Enriched (B.A.S.E.) Daycare Grade 5 and 6 students have been hard at work preparing three gardens: two flower gardens in the front of the school and one vegetable garden in the backyard. Cynthia Racicot, Daycare Technician

6 6 Touching Base, Summer 2014 daycare week La semaine des services de garde: On <<atout>> pour surprendre SUITE DE LA PAGE 1 Gerald McShane Le club de théâtre de Gerald McShane a présenté une comédie aux parents et élèves du service de garde le lundi 12 mai La pièce Banana Split a été entièrement écrite et réalisée par les élèves. La pièce a été suivie d une représentation spéciale de chansons interprétées par les élèves du service de garde et dédiée aux mères de l auditoire. Elizabeth Ballantyne Les élèves du service de garde Elizabeth Ballantyne ont travaillé d arrache-pied tout au long de l année pour produire des films et des animations qui ont été visionnées le lundi 12 mai Parkdale Les élèves du service de garde Parkdale se sont aussi distingués au festival de cette année, le lundi 12 mai 2014 par deux représentations de danse qui ont complètement enchanté leurs parents. Les enfants avaient pratiqué leurs chorégraphies depuis le mois d octobre. Our Lady of Pompei Le mercredi 14 mai 2014, Les élèves du service de garde Our Lady of Pompei ont présenté un spectacle de danse, de comédie, de théâtre et de chansons, une cérémonie de remise de prix et une projection de diapositives de photos du service de garde, prises au cours des années. Les parents, frères et sœurs et amis se sont retrouvés au gymnase pour le spectacle. Ce fut définitivement une démonstration impressionnante de talents au même endroit. Carlyle International Les élèves du service de garde Carlyle International avaient pris des cours d espagnol depuis septembre et ont démontré à leurs parents et à d autres invités leur maîtrise de la langue en interprétant des chansons le mercredi 14 mai Nesbitt Le service de garde Nesbitt a présenté un concours de jeunes talents le jeudi 15 mai 2014 qui a mis en vedette une liste complète de chanteurs En haut: Les percussionnistes de Sinclair Laird ont clôturé le spectacle par une remarquable exécution de tambours. En bas: Les élèves de Parkdale se sont aussi distingués au festival par deux représentations de danse. et de danseurs en herbe ainsi qu un spectacle de magie. Quelques élèves de 4e et de 5e année ont dédié une merveilleuse représentation de danse à l éducatrice du service de garde, Mme Soula. Sinclair Laird Les élèves du service de garde Sinclair Laird ont diverti les parents et les employés de la Commission dans la soirée du jeudi 15 mai 2014 par leurs voix, leurs mouvements de danse et leurs habiletés de percussion. Les élèves de la prématernelle ont commencé le spectacle en chantant quelques chansons en français. La troupe de danse de la prématernelle et de la maternelle ont enthousiasmé les invités avec l interprétation de deux danses. Les percussionnistes de Sinclair Laird ont clôturé le spectacle par une remarquable exécution de tambours. Les travaux d art des élèves ont aussi été exposés. Jennifer De Freitas Rédacteur en chef Dante Dante students enjoy dancing in the schoolyard, playing with balloons, eating ice cream and cotton candy. Our pictures may reflect what our festivities were during Daycare Appreciation Week, but we really appreciate the children year round. Just some of the things we offered to them on pedagogical days this year varied from indoor activities such as Gumboots, curling, camping with the Paquette s, Dante Olympics with our very own medals and much more. All this was carefully organized by the super daycare staff at Dante so that the children would be exposed to many different cultures and experiences. Daycare Week is the time when we really show the children just how much we appreciate them. We go out of our way to prepare fun activities for them throughout the entire week. The fun filled week began with singing and dancing in the schoolyard as a D.J. busted out the latest tunes. It was really nice to see the children practice their different dance moves. The schoolyard was also transformed into a sea of blue and green balloons, while the students sang and danced to the B.A.S.E. theme song. The daycare staff also hosted a musical talent show, which brought out the students hard work, practice and dedication as each group sang their favorite song. Angels could not have sang better! From adults to children, everyone went home with huge pink smiles on their faces after eating fluffy and delicious cotton candy! The week was a great success! Dante Daycare Staff Hampstead Hampstead students try their luck at a skill test game. Hampstead Daycare students enjoyed themselves outdoors on a beautiful and sunny Tuesday. The daycare staff prepared an afternoon filled with fun! The students bounced in two giant inflatables and played with skill testing games. They were also treated to kosher hotdogs, juice boxes and popcorn. What a great time! Hampstead Daycare Staff

7 daycare week Touching Base, Summer Daycare Week: We Have Talent to Surprise You! Fun Festivities across the daycares It was a time of celebration for all daycare staff and children. The daycare students participated in special activities during Daycare Week. Here are some snapshots of the Daycare Week festivities. St. Dorothy St. Dorothy Daycare students were treated to a variety of activities and treats during Daycare Week. Highlights from the week include an ice cream and candy bar, art activities, Daycare Technician, Ms. Sandra Petrillo s homemade lasagna for lunch, a movie and popcorn, and planting outdoors with the school prinicipal, Ms. Perri. St. Dorothy Daycare Staff Leonard Da Vinci Academy Leonardo Da Vinci Academy Daycare students were very busy having fun during Daycare Week. They were treated to a special activity every day. The festivities included cotton candy, temporary glitter tattoos, mural painting, a sketch photo booth and a variety show that showcased the different talents of the students. Leonardo Da Vinci Academy Daycare Staff Pierre Elliott Trudeau Pierre Elliott Trudeau Daycare students were engaged in many different activities throughout Daycare Week. They participated in a T-shirt making activity where they did a great job at decorating their T-shirts with lots of colour. The students also got to experiment with shaving cream and paint during a Mad Science class and they got to touch a turtle and a snake during a reptile show. The students also participated in some soccer drills in the park before playing a soccer game. Pierre Elliott Trudeau Daycare Staff Clockwise from top left: Leonardo Da Vinci Academy students get their portraits sketched in a photo booth, Pierre Elliott Trudeau students decorate their own T-shirts, Leonardo Da Vinci Academy students paint a mural and St. Dorothy Daycare Technician sets up an ice cream and candy bar for all students to enjoy. Michelangelo International Parkdale PARKDALE STUDENTS AND PARENTS APPRECIATE DAYCARE STAFF Parkdale Daycare students and parents wrote letters of appreciation for the daycare staff during Daycare Week. Here is what some of the parents and students had to say: Dear Daycare Staff, Thank you for your kindness and patience with Rafaël. You are the best. Happy National Daycare Week. Sincerely, Némie Noël, mother of Rafaël Noël-Lefebvre, Kindergarten Dear Daycare Staff, Thank you everyone for everything you do. Love, Bradley Madyson, Kindergarten A Michelangelo International student puts his hand print on a large B.A.S.E. cloth mural. B.A.S.E. CLOTH MURAL Michelangelo International B.A.S.E. Daycare kicked off their Daycare Appreciation Week celebration with making a B.A.S.E. cloth mural. The art activity was held outdoors in the schoolyard on a beautiful and sunny Monday afternoon. The daycare educators helped all of the children paint their hand with either blue, pink, green or orange paint. They then assisted the children to press their hand hard on the cloth. The B.A.S.E. cloth mural is now displayed in the daycare hallway. It represents the unity of all the children in B.A.S.E. Daycare. Michelangelo Daycare Staff Dear Mrs. Filanthi and the beautiful ladies of the daycare staff, Thank you so very much for the free lunches that you provided the children with during Daycare Week. Thank you for the hard work that you do each day for our child. You ladies are so super lovely, nice and patient. Love you lots. Sia Tsaltas, mother of Maria Babalis, Pre-Kindergarten

8 8 Touching Base, Summer 2014 extracurricular activities John Caboto Academy St. Gabriel CREATING ART OUT OF RECYCLED MATERIALS Want to turn something old into something new? Start collecting beer bottle caps instead of throwing them away. The John Caboto Academy Grade 4, 5, and 6 daycare students began a project using recycled beer bottle caps to build large pieces of art. It all began in December 2013 when we started collecting as many bottle caps as we could get our hands on. The father of Brianna Dasilveira Pereira, a Grade 6 student, knows someone named Christine Doyle who works at the Bell Center. She collected a whole bunch of bottle caps for the students after the hockey games. Also, Grade 5 student, Angelina Franco, had a connection too: Her parents own and work at a restaurant bar and so her mother came up with the idea of asking everyone to put bottle caps Clockwise: Students carefully placing the bottle caps onto the football silhouette; Two finished pieces hanging in the hallway; Students delicately gluing down bottle inside a big glass jar. Between all of those efforts, the John Caboto Academy Daycare students ended up with a lot of bottle caps. We were lucky to have these connections; it would have taken much longer to collect all of the needed resources. After collecting the caps, we rinsed them because they smelled like beer. Then we sorted them out by brand and colour. We decided to make sport figures out of the bottle caps. For our canvases, we painted insulation boards with black paint. We split into groups of four or five students, and each group worked on a different sport the Olympics were the inspiration for this project. Daycare Edducator Ms. Louisa drew the different sport figures onto the boards using white chalk and we placed the bottle caps around to experiment with which colours and designs looked best. Once the caps were set up, we glued them down using a wooden tool made by Daycare Educator Ms. Rose s husband. The tool helped us press the caps down into the insulation boards. Then we placed Michelangelo Concordia Arts Education Program At the beginning of the year my daycare class began working on a mural with two wonderful Concordia University Art Education students. Lauren and Jennifer were doing a stage at our school. They collected a lot of different-coloured bottle and container caps for the mural project. Some students brought in bottle caps, too! We all put our ideas into the project. We worked very hard. We wanted the mural to show how wonderful our school can be. We made a rainbow and included words on the mural. The words we chose were recycling, friendship, respect, culture, sharing and community. This piece of art inspires me and maybe even math books as weights on top and allowed them to dry overnight. One by one, the sport figures were completed and we put them on display in the hallway over our lockers. Our school is big on reusing and recycling so it was great to find another use for beer bottle caps preventing them going to landfills. Seeing the final product felt awesome because we all worked so hard on it, said Brianna. Choosing the bottle caps, each with different colors to form the figures was the easy part. The hard part was sorting them, said Angelina. We asked Ms. Louisa how she came up with the idea for the project. It began from seeing pictures of silhouettes of children walking and also from looking at artwork in a magazine. This all snowballed into a larger project to inspire kids not to use conventional art forms and to get them to think outside the box, she told us excitedly. Daycare Technician, Ms.Tina Nardolillo, told us she thought the project was a brilliant idea! It is a long term project to get the children involved with recycling, which is a main goal at our school, she said proudly. When we asked Ms. Rose if the project was different from what she originally thought it was going to be, she told us, It went beyond my expectations and ended up becoming even better than we all imagined. In the future, we hope to get these works of art displayed in the Bell Center during a hockey game. This project took a lot of hard work. It was a true team effort! Angelina Franco, Grade 5 Brianna Dasilveira Pereira, Grade 6 John Caboto Academy Daycare other students. It did take pretty long to make, but at least we did something good. Olivia Vitalei-D Ermes, Grade 3 Michelangelo International Daycare Kindergarten student Zoe Richardson Young mixes while her classmate Yasmeen Miguel Page measures milk. Cooking Club Fifteen St. Gabriel Daycare students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 cook up a storm on Friday afternoons in the lunchroom with Ms. Janet Weddell. The group is split into two. One week the first group cooks and the next week the second group takes over. William Weekes, a Kindergarten student said, I like getting to eat whatever we cooked that day. Emilio Brogno, also a Kindergarten student said, I liked cutting the apples [with Ms. Janet s help] and mixing them with the vanilla yogurt, granola, chocolate chips, brown sugar, and honey. too! Everyone in daycare on Friday gets to help bake and cook delicious things. We all have fun, learn new recipes, and eat the food we made as a team. Ms. Janet takes care of most of the cutting and anything to do with the oven. The older kids read us the recipes and we get to measure out the ingredients and mix them together. We wait while it cooks or bakes and when it is ready we get to eat it! Once everything is eaten, the older kids wash the dishes. We made: meatball soup, yogurt parfaits, cupcakes, pasta salad and toasted grilled cheese with pesto and sliced tomatoes, just to name a few. They all tasted great! Now when we are older we will be able to read the recipes ourselves, use the oven, and cook our families yummy food. We can t wait! William Weekes and Emilio Brogno, Kindergarten St. Gabriel Daycare Gerald McShane Teamwork is shown throughout the soccer game. Soccer Program Are you tired of sitting on the couch eating chips? Get moving and join the Gerald McShane soccer program. The Grades 3, 4, 5, and 6 daycare students participate in this activity on Tuesday afternoons in the gym, mostly with Mr. Alex. First we warm up so that we don t pull a muscle. Then we play a fun soccer game together. The rules are: no hands, and if the ball touches the roof a free kick is given. There are two teams and you have to get the ball into the other team s net to score a point. The team with the most points wins. I find soccer is a good sport for me. I get a lot of exercise and it is a good way to make the time pass, said Giuliano Battiston, a Grade 6 student. My favorite thing about soccer is scoring goals, he added. Giuliano Battiston, Grade 6 Gerald McShane Daycare

9 extracurricular activities Touching Base, Summer Our Lady of Pompei Beading Club Two awesome Our Lady of Pompei Daycare educators, Ms. Rosa Lemme and Ms. Enza De Lisi put together a Beading Club for the Grade 2 and 3 daycare students. All of the kids love it! It ran from mid January 2014 to end of March 2014 on Friday mornings. Magic happened inside of the art room once we began our activity. We made: a beading buddy (a little bead person to put onto a keychain), a magic wand for Valentine s Day, a snake, bracelets, and even a wind chime. We did one project per class, but sometimes we had enough time to do two. Ms. Rosa showed us an example and explained how to create whatever we were doing that day. Then, if needed, she d help us. She brought all the materials we needed to make the art projects. We used beads, pipe cleaners, string, sticks, googley eyes, sparkles, and even flower pots! I liked making the snake the best because I like snakes and building one out of beads was really fun to do, said Yuri Costa, a Grade 3 student. Making things with beads is great because it is art. I love it all so much that it makes my mind pop! said Grade 2 student Maya Santella. Ms. Rosa told us that Google is her best friend! I look up ideas for projects and add to them. Beading is one of my favorite hobbies, she said. I even do it at home, so when Daycare Technician, Ms. Nancy Salituri, asked us to start a club, I thought that it might be fun for the Grade 2 and 3 kids because they are able to do harder, hands-on activities. Ms. Enza told us that she teamed up with Ms. Rosa because we get along so great! We participated in this wonderful club to have fun, make and learn new things, and do something interesting before school on Fridays. You should try Beading in your schools, too! Coronation Historic Black Inventors Project In February, the Grade 3, 4, and 5 daycare students from Ms. Jacintha s class put together a wonderful set of projects in honor of Black History Month. We separated into groups we picked ourselves: six groups of two and one group of three. The inventions we built were: a bicycle, ironing board, prism mailbox, safe box, elevator, super computer and traffic light. After choosing groups, we researched different black inventors and decided which one we wanted to work on. Then came choosing which invention of theirs we wanted to build. First we sketched our chosen inventions onto a piece of paper so we could follow a plan. We used a lot of cardboard boxes and other materials like scissors, paint, a hot glue gun, number stickers, and even plastic jewels to decorate with. Recycled materials were used as much as possible. Our inventions took about two weeks to build with Ms. Jacintha s help. We went on Google and looked up historic black inventors and we found the prism mailbox, said Aaliyah Pursue-Rodney, a Grade 3 student. We saw a picture of how it worked and the gloves that you had to put your hands through seemed really cool. We liked making the invention come to life by using our hands, added Simone White, Aaliyah s project buddy and also a Grade 3 student. Deborshi Kar, a Grade 5 student, described the difficulties with his bicycle project. It was so hard to cut the cardboard into shapes because it was really thick. But, it had to be thick for the bike to be able to stand upright. Gabriel Vieira, a Grade 4 student, told us, Making the computer was difficult because the keyboard had so many pieces to deal with. I sketched the pattern of a keyboard onto the recycled cardboard base. Then I drew the letters onto each little wooden block and glued them on. Ella Vachon, a Grade 4 student, told us about bringing the elevator to life. I originally wanted to make it big enough for people to be able to walk into but I couldn t find a big enough box. The arrows that point to the different floors actually turn. I used a metal paper fastener to hold the arrow onto the elevator. It s the coolest part because you get to interact with it, Top: Grade 2 and 3 daycare students stringing beads; Above: The completed artworks. The Beading Club was so successful that the club continued for another session! Yuri Costa, Grade 3, Maya Santella, Grade 2 Our Lady of Pompei Daycare Jason Ada Tumenta, a Grade 4 student, poses proudly with his project partner and their traffic light. which makes it feel real, she told us excitedly. Jason Ada Tumenta, a Grade 4 student, said, The inventor I chose, Garrett Morgan, came up with two inventions. Since we could only choose one, I picked the traffic light. I liked painting the best because I enjoyed mixing the colors to get different effects. Once the construction was finished, we wrote down the most important information about our inventors to present to the daycare class, our parents, friends, staff, and our principal too! All the guests were impressed and proud of the hard work we d done. When the presentations ended, we celebrated with snacks and dancing. We showed everyone how our projects worked and explained our building process. We did this project to remember the importance of black inventors and their hard work. We learned a lot of new facts. This project was incredible! Simone White and Aaliyah Pursue-Rodney, Grade 3, Jason Ada Tumenta, Gabriel Vieira, and Ella Vachon Grade 4 and Deborshi Kar, Grade 5 Coronation Daycare Edward Murphy Radio Journalism CLUB Edward Murphy Elementary School B.A.S.E. Daycare started a Radio Journalism Club in April. On Thursday afternoons, six students in Grades 3 to 5 meet with B.A.S.E. daycare tutor, Jessica Grosman, to learn radio skills. The students have mastered how to use digital audio recorders and participated in a sound scavenger hunt, collecting different type of sounds. Camille Galaise Mathieu, a Grade 4 student, said it was the first time she had paid that much attention to sound. The students enjoyed the interviewing process. We record interviews with partners and learn about close-ended questions, open-ended questions and follow-up questions, Dalia Salerno, a Grade 5 student, explained. The students interviewed Ms. Joanne Giulianna, the daycare technician at Edward Murphy because We don t know everything about her, and we want to know more, Michael Girgis, a Grade 4 said. The students conduct interviews, write short reports and learn how to edit audio with a computer program. By the end of the session, they will produce a radio play. Also, they will write jingles, provide weather checks and write a little rap song. Stay tuned to see the final products! Jessica Grosman B.A.S.E. Tutor Carlyle International Sportball Coach Matt and Coach Nick teach Grade 1 to 6 Carlyle Daycare students how to play sports every Friday afternoon. Sports are important for healthy living. They help you lose weight and live longer. Elise Canuel-Aubry, a Grade 2/3 split student, said, My favorite sport was golf because I already knew how to play it and it is fun to try and figure out how hard to hit the ball so that it will land in the hole. Jack Baranoff, a Grade 4 student, said he likes sports because they make your heart beat faster and more often. This makes you live longer. Quinn Costa, a Grade 4 student, expressed her enthusiasm saying, You should try Sportball out because not only does it make you healthy, but it keeps you moving too! Hope to see you on our team soon! Jack Baranoff and Quinn Costa, Grade 4, Elise Canuel-Aubry Grade 2/3 split Carlyle International Daycare

10 10 Touching Base, Summer 2014 pedagogical days Mackay Center Elizabeth Ballantyne Adapted Tennis Program The Proset Autism Adapted Tennis Program came to the Mackay Center School for two Pedagogical Days on Monday, February 17, and Friday, February 28. The hour-long activities began at 10:30 am and were played inside the gym. First, the teacher, Philippe Manning, and his assistant Stephanie, explained everything really well. There were around 10 kids from Kindergarten to Grade 4 who took part in these fun games. In all, there were five different activities to play, and each were set up at a different station within the gym. Everyone played one activity together and then we all switched to the second activity, and so on until we had completed all five. My favorite station was where we had to guide the ball through the course using the racquet, said Esther Wang, a Grade 4 student. It was fun to learn how to do something new, she added. I want the teacher to come back and do all of the activities with us again because they were so much fun! said Mitchell Paul, a Kindergarten student. We played a game called Pass the Balloon where you had to hit the balloon back and forth between you and your friend. I liked this game the best because you kept getting more turns when the balloon got passed back to you, said Mitchell. It was interesting for us to play different games, he concluded. Miriam Yazer, a Kindergarten student, said she liked the Princess and the Dragon game best because you got to throw the balls. There was a princess who stood behind the net and the knights stood in front to protect her. The knights held blockers and Carlyle International Above: From left: Mitchell, Trevor, Elias and Alexis ready to catch with Velcro discs. Right: Student smiles after catching a ball. the dragons had to throw the balls underhand to try and touch the princess with the balls. You should ask them to come to your school! You will have so much fun if they do! Esther Wang, Grade 4, Mitchell Paul and Miriam Yazer, Kindergarten Mackay Center School Daycare St. Monica Buggy ride time while sugaring off. Cabane à Sucre Ped Day Adventure Elizabeth Ballantyne School Daycare students and International students went on a pedagogical day group outing to the Cabane à Sucre on Thursday, March 27, We learned a lot about the maple syrup process. All of the students met at Elizabeth Ballantyne school and got on a school bus together. We arrived at Erablière La Goudrelle in Mont St. Grégoire by 11:00 am. Once we arrived, we took a group picture outside to remember our time there. Next, we went inside and a man taught us, in French, how to make syrup. After that, we went to put our things down in a big colourful room and they took us to the dining room to eat lunch. We ate sausages, ham with maple syrup, scrambled eggs, potatoes, maple donoughts, and sugar pie, too. What a meal! Once we were finished, they took us outside to mmake taffy on the snow. We got to turn the taffy onto the popsicle sticks ourselves. Then we got to eat it and it tasted really sticky and nice! After that yummy snack we danced off all of the food on the dance floor with our friends and teachers. Students having fun being chess pieces. Life Size Chess PedAGOGICAL Day On Friday, March 21, 2014 B.A.S.E. Tutor Ms. Jodi Schwartz came to Carlyle International School to facilitate a pedagogical day activity inside the Kindergarten room. The Grade 2 to 6 daycare students got to play a game of Life Size Chess. It ran just like a regular chess game would with two teams: one white and the other black. The only difference was that instead of moving little pieces around on a small board, the pieces were people. We wore sandwich boards with pictures and names of the pieces printed onto them. The team decided together who on their team should move next, and where. The people had to walk around on the really big board made out of a tablecloth, in the same way that the pieces would move in the original game. Nurakin Cobran, a Grade 6 student, said it was one of the most intense games of chess [he s] ever played. Grade 4 student Jack Baranoff said, I play chess a lot because it involves strategy. I get to exercise my brain, which helps me learn even more. Ms. Jodi must have known that kids would enjoy being the pieces! It was nice to play a different kind of chess still using the same rules. Nurakin Cobran, Grade 6 and Jack Baranoff, Grade 4 Carlyle International Daycare Students work together in the Slingshot game. Dynamix PedAGOGICAL Day In the afternoon of Monday, May 12, 2014, a Dynamix Carnival came to St. Monica Elementary School for a couple of hours. Along with eight St. Monica staff members, three Dynamix facilitators taught the 50 daycare students of all grades different games in the schoolyard. The children walked around and chose which games to play. There were: stack the cups, bounce the ball, hockey in a box, catch the chickens, slingshot and marble maze. Catch the chickens was a fun game. A few kids had to hold a sheet and flap it with the chickens on top of it. While the chickens bounced around, we had to try and catch as many as possible. Slingshot was cool, too! A few kids had to hold the slingshot and fling a ball into a tower of stacked blocks in order to knock them down. These activities allowed everyone to have fun outside and get some fresh air. To end the hot day, the daycare staff gave out yummy freezies to eat. What fun! Alexandra Dacres Grade 5, Alyssa Gianforte-Nicholas Grade 3 St. Monica Daycare The large group enjoys their delicious meal. The music was energetic, fun, and happy and we had a great time. When the time for dancing was over, we went back outside to take a buggy ride through the forest of maple trees. We rode in two groups. While one group of students were on the buggy ride, the other group waited at the petting zoo. There were all kinds of animals like sheep, and even a lama who spit. To end our adventure, we played in a park that had a zip line and it was awesome! We participated in this great pedagogical day outing to have fun with the International students as one big group, to learn about the process of making syrup and to eat a lot of sugar. While we waited for our parents to pick us up, we watched the movie Frozen and had raisins as a healthy snack. If you get the chance, you should visit the Cabane à Sucre. We loved it! Mika Rabinovich, Grade 6, Elay Rabinovich, Grade 3, Kimonie Thompson-Fong, Grade 3 Ellizabeth Ballantyne Daycare

11 pedagogical days Touching Base, Summer St. Dorothy Multifaceted PedAGOGICAL Day Are you bored? Come on over to St. Dorothy Elementary School for our next pedagogical day. We had one on Friday, February 28, 2014 and it was a blast! PLAY IT FAIR! GAMES Every daycare student in Grades 1 through 6 who signed up for the pedagogical day joined Mr. Marcus, Ms. Robin and Ms. Jodi inside the gym at 9:00 am. They played the following Play It Fair! games: Inclusion, Exclusion, Crocodile, Robots, Autograph Bingo, Saturn to Jupiter and What Time Is It? One of our favorite games was called Inclusion, Exclusion. We stood in a circle facing outwards and closed our eyes. Mr. Marcus, Ms. Robin and Ms. Jodi walked around and stuck different coloured stickers onto our foreheads. Once we opened our eyes, we had to figure out what color was stuck onto us and get into groups of the same sticker colour. This was difficult because we had to do it all without talking. They had put red stickers on half the group, blue stickers on the other half, and a yellow sticker on only one person who was left all alone. We felt bad when we were excluded from a group and we talked about how we could include people if we realized they are being excluded from something. Another cool game we played was called Saturn to Jupiter. Ms. Robin asked us questions, for example Who speaks Spanish? Whoever does went to one side of the gym Saturn, and whoever didn t went to the other side of the gym Jupiter. We had to go back and forth between the planets depending on our answers to her questions. We learned new The Giant Tic Tac Toe players at St. Dorothy Daycare introduce the game. and interesting things about our friends, and realized we have a lot more in common than we had thought. LIFE SIZE CHESS The Grade 4, 5, and 6 daycare students got to play Life Size Chess after lunch. First Ms. Jodi helped us put on the pieces printed on laminated papers to make us become the chess pieces. Then she helped us by telling us where to stand on the giant board. Briana Rendinella, a Grade 3 student, liked when the king got captured. It was exciting! Vantida To, a Grade 4 student, said, I liked when the piece I was playing got eaten because there were more pieces to choose from for me to get back into the game and do it all again. It was a fun activity. GIANT TIC TAC TOE Ms. Jodi later took the Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten daycare students into the gym to play Giant Tic Tac Toe. There were two teams: the X team and the O team. Each team got to put one piece down on the board at a time while taking turns so everyone got to play. Because it was a life size version, the board was made out of a table cloth, the X pieces out of wooden dowels tied together with pipe cleaners, and the O pieces were originally ring toss pieces. A team won if they got three X pieces or three O pieces in a row. You had to walk around the board to put a piece down. Leonardo Sorgiacomo, a Pre-Kindergarten student, said his favorite move was to put an X or an O in the middle square. Having fun, learning new things about our friends, and discovering what makes each of us unique is what pedagogical days are all about. We are glad that we got to be a part of this one! Vantida To, Grade 4, Briana Rendinella, Grade 3 St. Dorothy Daycare Bancroft A Bancroft Daycare student inspects his catch. Fishing Pedagogical Day Bancroft Elementary School had a pedagogical day on Friday, May 16, The daycare students went on a fishing trip at Les Étangs Garand Mont Saint Grégoire. Here is what some of the students had to say about their fishing experience. I liked when I was in the playground playing with Antonin and the small cars. It was fun. I also liked when we were cleaning the fish, but I didn t like the smell or the mosquitoes. Finn Sussman Grade 2 Bancroft Daycare The best part was getting the fish from the water. I also liked the part where the fish was dancing. I loved the playground because they have swings. I loved when we saw the fish s heart. I cooked the fish on our barbeque. Alice Galzin, Grade 1 Bancroft Daycare Westmount Park Camping PedAGOGICAL Day Everyone likes marshmallows! Lucky Westmount Park Daycare students who signed up for the Camping ped day activity got to eat some. Because it was camping week and still cold outside, on Thursday, March 27, 2014 the students went to the gym at Westmount Park School from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and pretended that they were camping with the help of a company called Animagerie. Two guys guided us in first setting up our tents by hanging sheets with clothespins onto clotheslines hanging around the gym and putting blankets inside on the floor to sit on. Next came an art contest. In teams of around six to eight kids, we competed to see which team could make the most paper lanterns out of paper and lots of tape in a certain amount of time. Evelyne Crevier, a Grade 4 student s team won by constructing seven lanterns. Once the contest was over, we hung up all of the lanterns around our tents as decorations. We came up with team names and built paper mailboxes with the names on them to put on our tents so that we could send and receive mail from our friends. Some people wrote letters and some people were the mailpeople. Then we ate our lunches that we brought from home and the adults set up the volleyball net. After lunch, we played volleyball using a giant blow up beach ball. The adults running the activities then assigned us parts in a play about Christmas. James Baggs, a Grade 4 student, played Santa Claus. Once the play ended, they roasted marshmallows on sticks for us to eat. We each got one. Yum! While they roasted the marshmallows, they told us a story about a beaver, a fox and a hawk that saved a town by bringing back the fire that an evil witch had stolen. The moral of the story is you can do anything, no matter how small you are. Ellington Condon, a Pre-Kindergarten student, said that he liked building the tents the best and going back and forth getting the materials because it Top: The decorated tents with homemade paper mailboxes stand proud. Above: Animagerie staff demonstrating how to make paper lanterns for all to see. was a contest and they played music while we raced. We learned how to: make paper lanterns, set up camp and roast marshmallows. We also realized what teamwork is really about. It is better and faster to work as a team than it is to work alone. It was the best pedagogical day ever! We recommend this activity and give it 8 stars out of 10. James Baggs, Evelyne Crevier, Grade 4, Ellington Condon, Pre-Kindergarten Westmount Park Daycare

12 12 Touching Base, Summer 2014 life learning Imagination: Amazing Skits and Skills CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 sharing their games of soccer and lacrosse with each other. The second performance was by Michelangelo International s Team Elite. In this performance, we saw characters from Italy and England on vacation in Florida. The characters had a difficult time communicating with each other, and a fight ensues because of a mishap involving an ice cream truck and a cone of chocolate gelato! As they keep running into each other, the characters continue to argue, and they eventually fall in a construction hole because they are so distracted by their argument. The voice-over at the end of the trailer left the audience wondering, How will they communicate? How will they survive? The third performance was by General Vanier s Team The GV Puppies. The GV Puppies took a creative interpretation of characters from two nations, deciding to show the interactions between the nation of the living and the nation of the undead. In this comedy-thriller, a group of children are invited to their friend s new house for a sleepover. They find the house very creepy and eventually discover that their friend has been possessed! Although quite a chilling tale, there were moments of comedic relief, including Matteo taking a selfie, while the possessed friend, Massey, chases the children around the house. John Caboto Academy s Team Frozen Skittle Wiggles was the last to perform. A comedic adventure about a shipwreck, this skit featured a British man and an Indian man who become stranded on a desert island and are forced to try to get along with little success! Watching this performance really felt like you were watching a filmed movie trailer, as it was complete with voice-overs and titles, in the form of signs, over top of the scenes that were being performed. It also included sound and special effects, with a helicopter that flew right through the set at the beginning. We were left wondering just how these two characters will manage to get along and survive their situation. instant challenge The teams also got to show their creative minds in action as they competed in an on-site Instant Challenge for a second opportunity to win. The students were given eight minutes to construct three towers out of unconventional materials and stack them as high as they could. B.A.S.E. Daycare Tutor Jodi Schwartz and Green Initiative Advisor, Marcus Lobb, were responsible for timing and measuring the towers. Two teams had the misfortune of their towers collapsing right before the time limit was up! and the winners are... Once the Instant Challenges were measured, it was time to award the winning teams. The judges for the Showcase were B.A.S.E. Daycare s very own Clockwise from above: A Michelangelo International Daycare student works on building a tower during the Instant Challenge; Michelangelo International Daycare s Team Golden Athletes stack their three towers; Team Golden Athletes in costume performing their movie trailer skit that won them the Best Movie Trailer Script; John Caboto Academy s Team Frozen Skittle Wiggles concentrate on their Instant Challenge to construct one of three towers from unconventional materials. Manager, Rosa Fuoco, her assistant, Emily Meo, and Green Club Tutor Melina Trimarchi. They had their work cut out for themselves, as all of the performances were exceptional in their own ways. The GV Puppies stole the show with the Best Movie Trailer, winning a pizza party for their team. They also won Best Representation of Theme, and the award for the Highest Triple Stacked Tower! Prizes included movie passes for each student and B.A.S.E. agendas. Team Elite took home the prize for Most Creative Movie Trailer, while Most Successful Movie Trailer, that gave the impression of a live movie trailer, was won by Frozen Skittle Wiggles. The team who won Best Movie Trailer Script was the Golden Athletes. All three teams were awarded movie passes. Competition and prizes aside, all the performances were outstanding! The first ever Destination Imagination Showcase was a huge success. We look forward to continuing and expanding the Destination Imagination program next year! Robin Kelley Extracurricular Activities Advisor Mental Health: Students Express Themselves Through Creative Arts CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 lation of the four seasons. Students were asked to create drawings that represented the activities that make them feel good during the four seasons. The 3D artwork is a permanent installation in the Atrium. The MHRC organized other activities that included a secondary level suicide prevention contest and Atrium Day, which took place on May 8, During this activity, there were booths that featured physiotherapists, nutritionists, naturopaths, community officers, and the EMSB s MHRC professionals. There was also a raffle with proceeds being donated to the Herzl Clinic of the Jewish General Hospital, which has been providing services to EMSB students for almost 30 years. Guest speakers were also present during Mental Health Awareness Week. Dr. Joe Flanders, Dr. Laurie Betito and Dr. Sydney Miller all clinical psychologists gave special presentations to head office staff on May 7, 8 and 9. Jennifer De Freitas Touching B.A.S.E. Editor From left: Artist Sylvia Garland and students from Dunrae Gardens Elementary School worked on creating the frames for the four season panels; Students from Bancroft Elementary School drew some of the activities and sports that children enjoy participating in during the four seasons. They then used tissue paper to colour in their drawings.