Westmount Park Students Unleash Their Potential with Dogs
From left: Hyewon Park, Da Yeong Kwon, Chelsea Clipston, Omar Bacchus and
Chong Xiao with PAWSitive Leadership Program Coordinator, Taryn Graham,
and Baloo the St. Bernard at Westmount Park Daycare on February 6, 2013.
The human—animal bond is an effective way for children to learn valuable life lessons. Dogs don’t judge a
person based on ability, age, gender,
income, race or religion. Instead, they
provide humans with unconditional
love and respect.
Before and After School Enriched
(B.A.S.E) Daycare Program students
at Westmount Park Elementary School
are participating in PAWSitive Leadership: a program that brings certified
dogs into the classroom as a fun and
engaging way to teach students empathy, responsibility, respect, and safety
towards animals.
Approximately 30 B.A.S.E students
benefit from the canine-assisted program every Wednesday from 3:45
pm to 5:15 pm for a duration of eight
sessions.
POSITIVE LEADER
Taryn Graham founded PAWSitive Leadership in September 2010.
Through this program, Graham brings
different certified therapy dogs into the
classroom. All dogs have passed an
in-depth temperament assessment to
provide a risk-free learning environment for children.
Graham has a BA (Major in Human Relations and Minor in Business
Studies) from Concordia University
and is currently working towards an
MA in Recreation and Leisure Studies
from the University of Waterloo. Affiliated with the Healthy Communities
Research Network (HCRN), her thesis
explores dogs as social facilitators for
increased human interaction.
Graham is no newbie to working
with dogs or with children. Over the
past five years, Graham has volunteered with local animal shelters, as
well as, worked as a pet dog trainer
for Pup Wellness in Montreal walking,
training, and rehabilitating dogs with
behavioural issues. During the 20092010 academic year, Graham worked
as a recreational therapist for PACCK
Foundation, where she designed
and implemented canine-assisted
See pawsitive, page 11
Les services de garde forment un
partenariat avec City Farm School
Les Services de garde Before and After School
Enriched (B.A.S.E.) ont le grand plaisir d’annoncer
la formation d’un nouveau partenariat communautaire avec City Farm School de l’Université Concordia. City Farm School est un programme de stage
de huit mois qui enseigne l’agriculture urbaine et
l’indépendance alimentaire par le biais d’expériences
pratiques dans des jardins de quartier et des ateliers
éducatifs bi-hebdomadaires. Pour la première fois,
les stagiaires de City Farm School feront leur stage
de jardinage dans trois potagers d’écoles primaires
de la CSEM durant la saison de croissance 2013.
Ce projet-pilote reliera les stagiaires de City Farm
School directement à nos jardins des services de
garde et offrira une initiative verte plus enrichissante
et abondante!
Afin d’aider à coordonner ce nouveau projet, nous
avons le plaisir d’accueillir Marcus Lobb, Coordonnateur de City Farm School. Au cours de l’année écoulée,
Marcus a travaillé à l’école Pierre de Coubertin pour
concevoir et construire un potager de 3 000 pieds
carrés dans la cour de l’école. Mary Simeone, technicienne du service de garde souligne : « Travailler
avec Marcus a été un vrai plaisir. Il est vraiment passionné par son travail et il transmet sa passion aux
élèves. Nous nous ferons un plaisir de travailler à
nouveau avec
lui cette année! »
En tenant
Workshops Page 2
compte
des
Kid Facts
Page 4
diverses foncDaycare Openings Page 5
tions d’un poGreen Initiative
Page 6
tager de cour
Pedagogical Days Page 9
d’école, celui
Activities
Page 10
de Pierre de
B.A.S.E World
Page 12
Coubertin
a
été conçu pour
faciliter le jeu,
Inside
les ateliers pratiques de jardinage et
d’autres classes en plein air. « Les
potagers d’école sont importants
parce qu’ils donnent l’occasion aux
élèves de comprendre comment les
aliments arrivent à leurs tables et
comment le travail et l’amour sont
nécessaires pour faire pousser des
plantes » déclare Marcus.
Tout au long du printemps, de
l’été et de l’automne, des centaines
d’élèves de Pierre de Coubertin ont
été au potager pour aider Marcus à
construire des jardinières, planter
des semences, cueillir des salades
et même créer un potager de champignons comestibles.
Ces expériences ont inspiré Marcus à proposer une collaboration
formelle entre l’initiative verte de
B.A.S.E. et City Farm School pour
l’année suivante. « Les potagers en
tant que classes en plein air sont
un excellent moyen pour les élèves
d’être à l’extérieur et d’utiliser leurs
sens d’une façon que la classe intérieure ne peut pas offrir » déclare
Marcus. « Donner l’occasion à un
élève d’être responsable d’un poLes élèves de Pierre de Coubertin plantent des buissons de cerises.
tager renforce la confiance en soi
et l’autonomie. Il est généralement
reconnu que nous apprenons le mieux par des actes offriront un soutien clé durant les mois d’été lorsque
» poursuit Marcus.
les écoles sont fermées.
En tant qu’écoles avec de grands jardins établis
Les stagiaires animeront des ateliers éducatifs
dans leur cour, les écoles Pierre de Coubertin, St. hebdomadaires qui porteront sur une variété de suMonica et Edward Murphy ont été choisies pour jets reliés au potager et à la durabilité, de la façon de
participer à la première année de notre partenari- s’occuper des semences à l’impact environnemenat. Chaque école disposera de deux stagiaires qui
Voir CITY FARM, page 7
travailleront à leur potager, de mars à octobre, et
2
Touching Base, Winter 2013
professional development
Daycare Technicians and Educators Take a Class of Their Own
Photos Courtesy of Jimmy Chicaiza: www.jimmychicaiza.com
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY
Before and After School Enriched (B.A.S.E) Daycare Program hosted its annual Professional Development Day for all daycare technicians and educators
on Friday, November 23, 2012 at the Renaissance
Centre des Congrès et Banquets in Rivière-des-Prairies. Deputy Director General Ms. Roma Medwid was
on hand to welcome some 185 staff members to their
professional development day, which was comprised
of three informative and resourceful workshops.
The first workshop Strategies for Working with
Autism Spectrum Disorders was presented by Tania
Piperni, the EMSB’s Autism Spectrum Disorder Consultant, and Leslie Brown-Burns, an EMSB Autism
Spectrum Disorder Technician. Daycare technicians
and educators learned about some ASD preventative
strategies with a focus on the importance of using
visual aids in a classroom and or recreational setting.
Everyone received some practical tools.
The second workshop Physical Activities to Support Children’s Gross Motor Skills was moderated
by daycare technicians. Daycare educators were divided by cycle into groups of eight participants. Every group had six to seven educators and one to two
technicians, which represented eight different daycares. Everyone engaged in several activities featured in the technician and educator-produced book
Physical Activities for All Cycles. Three banquet halls
were rid of tables and chairs and filled with cones
to separate the space for the different teams. Hulahoops, brooms, hockey sticks, garbage bins, ribbons
and balls of all sorts of colours and sizes adorned the
entrance to every room. Teams had 40 minutes to
play four games. Teams were then required to create
a game using materials found in a surprise bag.
The third workshop Round Table Discussions
Concerning Daycare provided a venue for communication and collaboration. In the same groups as in
the second workshop, participants had to generate
conversations centered on the three following questions: “What do you do to de-stress after a long day’s
work?” “What do you do when you know a child is
having a bad day or living through an unfortunate
situation?” and “What funny story can you share that
happened in your daycare that involves children?”
CONFERENCE FEEDBACK
“This workshop was loads of fun, it was educational and a pleasure attending,” said Hampstead
Daycare Technician, Cathy Agnello.
“Being with a different group of ladies was rather
refreshing to me, [...] during the games, we worked
together and I offered little tricks regarding safety
and time management, which they greatly appreci-
ated,” said Our Lady of Pompei Daycare Technician,
Agatina Nicita.
“My educators really enjoyed themselves, they
found that the topics were age appropriate and they
liked being divided by cycles,” said Gerald McShane
Daycare Technician Clementina Fraga.
Jennifer De Freitas
Touching B.A.S.E Editor
Clockwise from top left: Tania Piperni and Leslie BrownBurns address 185 daycare staff about working with Autism Spectrum Disorders; Workshop Committee (from
left) John Caboto Daycare Technician, Tina Nardolillo,
East Hill Daycare Technician, Connie Parry, Michelangelo International Daycare Technician Terry Federico,
Mackay and Philip E. Layton Daycare Technician Maria
Revuelta, St. Monica Daycare Technician, Paquita Nanton and B.A.S.E Professional Development Advisor,
Jennifer De Freitas; Dunrae Gardens Daycare Educator Janice Lepin balances a balloon on a clothes peg;
B.A.S.E Manager, Rosa Fuoco, asks Parkdale Daycare
Technician, Filanthi Stavrianeas, to share some of her
team’s stories from the round table discussions; Participants have fun during the physical activities workshop.
Daycare Technicians Invest in Themselves and Their Daycare Teams
CONFERENCE FOR DAYCARE TECHNICIANS
The Association des services de garde en milieu
scolaire du Québec hosted a Professional Conference for Daycare Technicians from all anglophone
school boards on November 29 and 30, 2012 at the
Manoir Saint-Sauveur in Saint-Sauveur, Que.
The informative two-day Professional Conference
included interactive lectures and creative hands-on
workshops offering all technicians the opportunity to
learn and discover in a fun atmosphere.
Six English Montreal School Board Daycare Technicians attended the conference: Westmount Park
Daycare Technician, Colleen Flint, John Caboto Daycare Technician, Tina Nardolillo, Our Lady of Pompei Daycare Technician, Agatina Nicita, St. Dorothy
Daycare Technician, Silvana Mirarchi, Sinclair Laird
Daycare Technician, Pina Portaro, and Pierre Elliott
Trudeau Daycare Technician, Mara Filippone. Daycare Professional Development Advisor, Jennifer De
Freitas, was also in attendance.
BUILD A SUCCESSFUL DAYCARE TEAM
Dynamix Teambuilding Professional Corey Szwarcok facilitated a full-day workshop entitled: Build
a Successful Daycare Team. A winning daycare program demands a cohesive team with a strong leader
at the helm. Daycare Technicians are responsible for
leading their team and bringing out the best in each
one of their educators. The workshop equipped daycare technicians with strategies to manage a successful daycare program. The following areas of
leadership were addressed: Establishing communication and trust between technicians and educators,
defining specific organization objectives and goals,
managing and analyzing progress, teaching, empowering and providing constructive feedback for educators and creating a positive team environment.
MANAGE YOUR ENERGY CAPTIAL
Well known writer and president of Vision 360, Andrée Jetté, addressed the crowd on two topics: How
to Manage your Energy Captial and Be Happy, Get
Rich and Stay Thin! In the first workshop, technicians
learned how certain associations with individuals or
groups can cause them to lose energy, rather than
gain strength. Jetté convinced technicians that it is
definitely possible to balance their day and to maintain a good distance from chronic fatigue or burnout
by making use of a set of energy management tools.
The four types of stress: physical, intellectual, emotional and situational, were also discussed.
BE HAPPY, GET RICH AND STAY THIN
The second workshop addressed the fact that
technicians are “human beings” and not “human do-
Technicians and ASGEMSQ personnel enjoying a dinner
at the Manoir Saint-Sauveur on November 29, 2012.
ings”, despite all the tasks technicians are responsible for completing. Jetté urged all technicians to
regain their personal power and realize that their attitudes are an important part of their hability to get
richer, in all aspects of life. They need to attract what
they want for themselves and for their teams.
Touching B.A.S.E Editoral Staff
bulletin board
900 hours as a daycare educator,
and do not have the recognized educational equivalencies, must undergo
390 hours of the program and 45 hours
of fieldwork to obtain an AEP/STC Diploma, by no later than June 30, 2014.
Regular employees and temporary
employees, who have acquired more
than 900 hours are not required to
complete the program, but are encouraged to participate.
The next AEP Program will be offered in September 2013. More information will follow.
Touching B.A.S.E Editorial Staff
Daycare Week and Festival
CELEBRATION TIME
Every day is a good day to mark the
wonderful things our daycares do. But
when May comes around, it’s time for
all 29 of the English Montreal School
Board Before and After School Enriched (B.A.S.E) Daycares to grab the
spotlight and celebrate.
Daycare technicians and educators play a vital role in the academic
and social development of children.
Their work is crucial for the smooth operation of the education system. Their
contribution enables more than 3,000
school-aged children to continue their
learning and development in a safe
and nurturing environment.
DAYCARE WEEK
The Association des services de
garde en milieu scolaire du Québec
sets aside an entire week each year to
recognize all the province’s school-age
daycares.
This year’s Daycare Week runs
from May 13 to May 17. The theme
is: Thank you for Your High Energy.
We want to thank our daycare technicians and educators for recharging
their batteries every morning, for oiling their motors and for keeping their
foot on the gas pedal, all the while re-
Daycare Week illustration. Turn to page
12 for the Daycare Week Banner.
specting and following safety protocol.
Thank you for energizing the children
and keeping them entertained and
stimulated. DAYCARE FESTIVAL
Daycare Services will also celebrate
five years of its extracurricular activities program, which was rebranded
B.A.S.E in January 2012, with a festival during Daycare Week. More details
concerning this event will be forwarded
to the B.A.S.E daycare community once
specifics have been finalized.
Touching B.A.S.E Editorial Staff
BANCROFT
Principal: Dorothy Ostrowicz
Technician: Pina Santino
MACKAY
Principal: Patrizia Ciccarelli
Technician: Maria Revuelta
CARLYLE
Principal: Anna-Maria Borsellino
Technician: Angela Crescenzi
MICHELANGELO
Principal: Anna Della Rocca
Technician: Teresa Federico
CEDARCREST
Principal: Nadia Sammarco
Technician: Georgia Stamatopoulos
NESBITT
Principal: Eleni Zervas
Technician: Monique Gaudreault
CORONATION
Principal: Christina Chilelli
Technician: Nancy Mancuso
OUR LADY OF POMPEI
Principal: Joan MacMillan
Technician: Agatina Nicita
DALKEITH
Principal: John Wright
Technician: Cynthia Racicot
PARKDALE
Principal: Maryène Perron
Technician: Filanthi Stavrianeas
DANTE
Principal: Ida Pisano
Technician: Angela Crispino
PHILIP E. LAYTON
Principal: Patrizia Ciccarelli
Technician: Maria Revuelta
DUNRAE GARDENS
Principal: Darlene Kehyayan
Technician: Tina Lanni
PIERRE DE COUBERTIN
Principal: Nicholas Katalifos
Technician: Mary Simeone
EAST HILL:
Principal: Myrianne Lusignan
Technician: Connie Parry
PIERRE ELLIOTT TRUDEAU
Principal: Michelle Stein
Technician: Mara Filippone
EDWARD MURPHY
Principal: Franca Cristiano
Technician: Giovanna Giuliana
SINCLAIR LAIRD
Principal: Viola Vathilakis
Technician: Pina Portaro
ELIZABETH BALLANTYNE
Principal: Gail Callender
Technician: Chantal Riendeau
ST. DOROTHY
Principal: Daniella Lattanzio
Technician: Silvana Mirarchi
GENERAL VANIER
Principal: Sylvia Serchuk
Technician: Maria Iacono
ST. GABRIEL
Principal: Jim Daskalakis
Technician: Maria Mattiace
GERALD McSHANE
Principal: Nancy Richer
Technician: Clementina Fraga
ST. MONICA
Principal: Katherine Snow
Technician: Paquita Nanton
HAMPSTEAD
Principal: Steven Erdelyi
Technician: Cathy Agnello
WESTMOUNT PARK
Principal: Daniela Lattanzio
Technician: Colleen Flint
HONORE MERCIER
Principal: Donna Manos
Technician: Daniela Buttino
Deputy Director General:
Paola Miniaci
JOHN CABOTO
Principal: Lucy Buscemi
Technician: Tina Nardolillo
Bill 56
Anti-Bullying law:
IMPLICATIONS for parents
Bill 56, An Act to prevent and stop
bullying and violence in schools, was
passed by the National Assembly in
June 2012. The Act ammends some
anti-bullying laws already in place with
the following changes: Better definitions
of bullying and violence as well as of the
responsibilities of all parties involved; a
requirement that all schools must have
an anti-bullying and anti-violence plan
in place implemented by a special team
coordinated by a staff member.
These changes help with establishing more concrete and open lines of
communication between students, staff
and especially parents. Having procedures in place to deal with any incidents
and steps parents can follow when their
child is involved in a bullying situation
helps give order and regularity to a
tough situation.
With this new bill parents of the victimized child are now allowed to know
what actions are being taken to protect
3
The EMSB BASE Daycares
AEP Program
MINISTRY DEMANDS
The Ministere de l’Education, du
Loisir et du Sports (MELS) wants all inschool daycare educators in Quebec,
including those working for the English Montreal School Board, to have
the necessary educational qualifications when working with school-age
children.
On April 27, 2011, the new collective agreement, which governs all
CSN (APPA) employees, was signed
and revisions to the classification plan
were adopted. All temporary daycare
employees on the Priority of Employment List, who have acquired less than
Touching Base, Winter 2013
their child from future incidents and what
consequences are being implimented
for the bully. The confidentiality of any
report or complaint concerning bullying
or violence is still protected.
Bill 56 encourages better collaboration with parents and follow ups. Also,
all schools will have to show the results
of their implemented anti-bullying, antiviolence plan and amend accordingly.
Do you or your child know the difference between bullying and violence?
Can you recognize the signs that your
child is being bullied? Do you know
what to do if your child is a witness
of bullying or violence, a victim or the
bully? For more helpful information, visit
irightthewrong.com, which has detailed
sections and resources for youth, parents and educators alike.
Johanna Donovan
Touching B.A.S.E Contributing Editor
LEONARDO DA VINCI ACADEMY
Principal: Michael Talevi
Technician: Carmela Buttino
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: www.emsbbase.ca (under construction)
Editor: Jennifer De Freitas
B.A.S.E Daycare Media Advisor
[email protected]
Contributing Editors: Johanna Donovan
Jodi Schwartz
4
kid facts
Touching Base, Winter 2013
Take Steps Towards Healthier Children this Nutrition Month
Photo Credit: Nutrition Month Brochure from www.nutrution2013.ca
the facts about kids’ health
Putting your “Best Food Forward” is what March
should be all about. This year’s Nutrition Month focuses on learning to plan right, shop well and cook
healthy food for you and your family. You may often
feel overwhelmed with the amount of information
about healthy food choices out there, but Dietitians
of Canada try and make things clear and simple with
recipes and nutrition tips at www.nutrition2013.ca.
An active lifestyle that includes the right kind of fuel
is fundamental to being healthy and developing well
from prenatal through early childhood and beyond,
especially when it comes to preventing or minimizing
the risk of many chronic diseases.
With current rising obesity rates, “it is possible that
for the first time in history our children may have a
shorter lifespan than their parents” (childhoodobesityfoundation.ca). Most obese children or youth will
not outgrow their weight problem and will only continue to gain weight as they grow up. According to
the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) from
2009 to 2011, more than 30% of 5 to 17-year-olds
were overweight or obese, and between the ages of
5 and 11, almost 20% of boys were obese versus 6%
of girls.
One of the main culprits is our sedentary lifestyle.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO)
and Canadian recommendations, children should
have at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous
physical activity every day. Unfortunately, the percentage of children who fulfill these guidelines at
least six days a week is approximately 7% says the
2007 to 2009 CHMS. The scariest statistic? Canadian children and youth spend, on average, 62% of
their waking hours engaging in sedentary behaviour.
Despite all these numbers, it is never too late (or
too early!) to make healthy lifestyle changes. With 60
TIPS: Fit More Activity Into the Day
TIPS: SIMPLIFYING HEALTHY Meals
1. Play Intense Tag: Vigorous intensity activities
for children include running, swimming and other
sports that get that heart rate up.
1. Trade Up: Choose foods for the nutrients they
have and not for the bad stuff they don’t have.
For example, pick Romaine lettuce over Iceberg
lettuce for more vitamin A, folic acid and fibre, or
swap pretzels for plain nuts.
2. Climb a Tree: Climbing activities, such as clam-
bering over and swinging on playground bars are
great muscle strengtheners. Have a good tree in
your backyard to explore?
2. Swap Drinks: Replace sugary drinks with water,
milk or 100% fruit juices.
3. Dance When You Can: Hopping, skipping and
jumping are excellent for building strong bones.
Anytime a good song comes on the radio, encourage your children to get up and dance!
3. Stock Your Pantry: Having a pantry and fridge
4. Limit Screen Time: Limit screen time to two hours
4. Adapt Convenience Foods: Add nutritious items
5. Interupt Sedentary Activities: Don’t forget the
other 23 hours of the day! Make interrupting sedentary activities fun: How many jumping jacks can
you do during the commercials?
5. Save Time: Buy pre-cut and pre-washed packages of fruit and vegetables to save time.
a day, max! Reducing the number of TVs in the
house will help.
6. Create Active Routines: Foster an after-dinner
family walk routine, especially if you have a pooch
to take out. Not only will your child get some exercise they will be learning responsibility for a pet,
too.
7. Activate Transportation: Whenever you can, re-
place sedentary transportation (driving, the bus)
with active transportation such as biking or walking
to the grocery store.
8. Swap Video Games: Replace passive video
games with active ones. It’s fun when there is a
sensor picking up your movement!
9. Count Steps: Have your child wear a pedometer
and challenge them to get to 10,000 steps a day at
the very least.
10. Join A Team: Joining a sports team is not only
a great way to exercise but also develops social
skills.
minutes a day as a start, the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines also specify that children should
engage in vigorous intensity activities at least three
times a week and bone and muscle strengthening
activities the other three days a week, at least. To
help you start your children on their journey towards
more active and healthy lives, try a few of the tips
provided.
NUTRITION NEEDS
Every day, according to Canada’s Food Guide,
children need 4 to 6 servings of vegetables and fruit,
3 to 6 servings of grain products, 2 to 4 servings of
milk or alternatives, such as yogourt or cheese, and
full of the right things immediately helps with eating
healthy. Go to www.nutrition2013.ca for a great list
of handy pantry staples.
to convenience foods. For example, add fresh or
frozen veggies to cans of soup or to jars of readymade pasta sauce.
6. Involve Kids: Have kids participate in cooking,
such as making their own pizza with tortillas or flatbreads.
7. Swap Dessert Foods: Foods such as yogourt and
fruit can be great desserts. Help your child’s palate
develop a tendency for healthy instead of sugary
sweets.
8. Add Flavour: Add fresh or dried herbs or spices,
flavoured vinegars or a squeeze of lemon or lime
to amp up the flavour of almost any dish.
9. Switch Grains: Replace as many of your every-
day grains with whole grains. The amount of things
you can do with oatmeal are a great replacement
to sugary cereals.
10. Plan Ahead: Get children involved in meal planning, which will provide a healthy eating teaching
opportunity as well as cut down on your trips to the
grocery store.
1 to 2 servings of meat or alternatives, such as eggs
or nut butters. A balance of healthy eating and activity
prevents against heart disease, type 2 diabetes and
even goes beyond physical benefits.
For more ideas on healthy recipes and fun activities, here are a few good website resources:
www.heartandstroke.com
www.participaction.com
www.childhoodobesityfoundation.ca
www.eatracker.ca.
Johanna Donovan
Touching B.A.S.E Contributing Editor
B.A.S.E Daycare Program Is Doing Its Part to Keep Students Active
B.A.S.E SPORT ACTIVITIES
Getting our kids active is critical for healthy growth
and to fight obesity. The B.A.S.E Daycare Program
prioritizes offering its students a variety of educational and fun activities that allow students to learn new
skills, develop social interaction and exert some energy. Below are descriptions of just a few of the sport
programs being offered this year.
Basketball Clinic: Through instruction, drills and
scrimmaging, students learn the fundamentals of
basketball. The program focuses on building individual skills including shooting, passing, dribbling, and
defense. As well, through gameplay, students learn
strategy, positioning and develop an in depth understanding of the sport.
Koga Fitness: Koga Fitness is a combination of kickboxing and yoga. Students learn discipline and coordination in the kickboxing portion, and stability and
relaxation in the yoga portion. Students are exposed
to some cardiovascular training and strength training.
Yoga: Students learn and practice the ancient art of
yoga, increasing awareness of their bodies while exploring fun and different body movements. Students
exercise, relax, meditate and have fun. We can all
use some Zen in the daycares once in a while!
Dance Class: Students play dance games and learn
about different types of dance from various cultures
around the world, including Bollywood, Highland, Hip
Hop, Samba and Salsa. Students also learn how to
put a choreography together and perform it infront of
other daycare students.
Invent Your Sport: Students have 90 minutes to
come up with a new sport or an alternate way of playing an existing sport using different gym equipment
or no equipment at all. Students have to decide upon
gameplay and rules. Students then teach the new
sport to other students and officiate the game.
Tennis: Tennis is a wonderful sport for kids. Quite
apart from the physical benefits (fitness, flexibility,
hand-eye coordination), tennis requires a certain
amount of tactical thinking and planning, the ability to manage and cope with mistakes and a certain amount of stress - and as their game develops,
children learn to make some quick decisions!
AN ARRAY OF B.A.S.E PROGRAMS
B.A.S.E offers a variety of activities suited to every child’s needs. The B.A.S.E Program curriculum
includes Journalism (print, radio and television),
Storybook Creation, Media Awareness Program,
Grade 6 to High School Transition Program, Environmental Awareness Program, Gardening Clubs,
Filmmaking, Animation, Abstract Art, Songwriting,
Photography, Sculpture, Beading and much more!
Turn to page 10 and 11 for more coverage on our
Extracurricular Activities.
daycare openings
Touching Base, Winter 2013
5
English Montreal School Board Opens Three New Daycares
Mackay student Amanda Emblem decides to eat a
delicious bagel with jam and yogurt for breakfast on
Wednesday, September 12, 2012.
Mackay student Nathaniel Enright enjoys crackers and
cheese during the official launch of the Breakfast Club
on Wednesday, September 12, 2012.
Mackay and Philip E. Layton Daycare Technician, Maria
Revuelta, serves Mackay student Daniel Hould-Lovretin
his breakfast on Wednesday, September 12, 2012.
MACKAY DAYCARE
The English Montreal School Board B.A.S.E Daycare Program is in expansion mode. Three new
B.A.S.E Daycares opened at the start of the 2012–
2013 academic year at Mackay Centre School and
Philip E. Layton School in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and
St. Gabriel School in Pointe St. Charles,
There are a total of 94 students who attend Mackay
Centre School Daycare. Daycare Technician, Maria
Revuelta, and her team of two educators and three
childcare workers offer a Breakfast Program to some
73 students every morning from 8:00 am to 8:40 am.
Students get to nourish their minds and bodies on
yogurt, crackers, cheese, fruit, milk and juice before
heading to class. Students also benefit from lunchtime
activities. A drop-in beading club is offered three times
a week and a drop-in vermicomposting club is offered
once a week.
PHILIP E. LAYTON DAYCARE
Maria Revuelta is also the daycare technician
at Philip E. Layton School. There are 24 students
registered at Philip E. Layton Daycare.
ST. GABRIEL DAYCARE
St. Gabriel B.A.S.E Daycare has approximately 25
students registered in the program. Daycare Technician, Maria Mattiace, ensures that the students are
busy with educational and fun activities. Students are
participating in a Radio Journalism program, a Filmmaking Club, a Dance Club, a Cooking Club and various art activities. Students will soon embark on the
B.A.S.E Green Initiative with growing a garden.
Jennifer de Freitas
Touching B.A.S.E Editor
Mackay
Special Needs High School Students
Thrive in Leaders on Wheels
MacKay Centre School high school level students
have formed a leadership group called Leaders on
Wheels and are getting involved in many great initiatives to create change.
The Mackay Satellite class at Westmount High
School consists of 12 students aging 14-20 with various physical and learning disabilities. These students
formed their Leaders on Wheels group in September
2012.
“The goal is to let people know that no matter what a person’s disability, ability, challenges or
background, everyone can become a leader, make
a change and bring peace to the world,” said Dana
Strohl, the teacher who initiated the project. “Leadership is a universal concept that can be achieved by
anyone,” said Strohl.
“We are a group of people helping and inspiring
others to make a change,” said Neville Blair, one of
12 Mackay Leaders on Wheels students.
“It starts in the class; it will come out of the class
and change the environment around us,” said Sam
Chate, a MacKay leadership student.
The Leaders on Wheels group has been invoking
change since September by participating in various
projects that help themselves, their communities
and the world. They initiated a Peace Day Celebration on September 21, 2012 with the Mackay Center School elementary students. They have also
helped teachers coordinate a Terry Fox Run, they
planned a Halloween Party and they held a Bake
Sale for Love in February. On a weekly basis, they
read with Kindergarten students at the Mackay
Center School.
Leaders on Wheels are also involved in many
other great initiatives. They are collaborating with
the Grade 11 Westmount High Leadership group.
“I think it’s great, leadership is a class that people
really look up to,” said Lauren Asran, a Westmount
leadership student.
Students are helping children around the world
by fundraising for Free the Children. Free the Children is an organization that was founded by Marc
and Craig Kielburger and their mandate is to provide education, health, water and alternative income to all children in this world.
Leaders on Wheels and the Westmount High
School Leadership group are partaking in the “We
Create Change” project, which entails collecting
pennies on the first of every month throughout the
school year to donate towards the building of water
wells for Free the Children.
The two leadership
groups started the initiative: How will you
change the world?
P.I.N., which stands for:
Paint it New. How will
you paint it?
In this project students are selling handmade bracelets. They
are making the bracelets
with a string, a penny, a
blue bead and a safety
pin. The penny symbolizes that one action, one
person, no matter who
you are, can make a difference. The blue bead
symbolizes the water
projects the students will
be fundraising for and
the safety pin symbolizes
The Mackay Centre School high school level students formed their
how the students are all
Leaders on Wheels group in September 2012.
SUPPORT FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
Quebec’s Ministère de la Famille et des Aînés
(MFA) launched an afterschool service program for
handicap students ages 12 to 21 in 2012. The program’s objectives include facilitating work—family
balance for parents by financially supporting organizations and school boards offering an afterschool
service program outside of regular scholastic hours.
The program also aims at offering handicap students
an afterschool program that meets their needs and
interests in a safe and appropriate manner.
The Before and After School Enriched (B.A.S.E)
Daycare Program is applying for funding for the
2013-2014 academic year in order to extend its services into the English Montreal School Board’s alternative special education high schools.
Since September 2012, B.A.S.E has been offering some of its services to the Mackay Centre
School high school level students. B.A.S.E Media
Advisor, Jennifer De Freitas, spent some time with
the Mackay Satellite Class at Westmount High
School teaching them how to write a press release
to gain media attention for their Leaders on Wheels
initiative. B.A.S.E Extracurricular Activities Advisor,
Lorne Svarc, is presently working with the same
group of students on a movie that addresses wheel
chair accessibility. Svarc is also facilitating song writing activities with the students to include songs into
their movie. The filmmaking and songwriting activities take place during class time. However, B.A.S.E
aims at offering afterschool programs once the need
arises.
Touching B.A.S.E Editorial Staff
connected and therefore they have to hold each other together.
As of early January, The students have sold
150 bracelets and raised more than $300.00. All
proceeds will go to Free the Children.
To paint the world new, everyone has to start with
themselves and then work together for change. “The
ideas will spread like butter,” said Jaime Rioux, a
Mackay leadership student.
The students hope that they get a lot of support
in painting the world new! “May peace be with you,”
said Ryan Cave-Beninger, a Mackay leadership
student.
Mackay Satellite Class—Westmount High School
Mackay Centre School
6
Touching Base, Winter 2013
green initiative
Pierre De Coubertin
Garden Project
Grow PDC is an exciting, multifaceted garden
project being conducted at Pierre de Coubertin Elementary School. The project includes the building
of a school garden, educational workshops and activities for students, as well as a web blog documenting the project and sharing resources for parents and
teachers. The Grow PDC project is an initiative of the
English Montreal School Board’s B.A.S.E. Daycare
Program.
MAY: GARDEN PREPARATION
We hit the lawn running on Thursday May 10,
2012 and although we didn’t break any ground–we
sure did move a lot of dirt! After having five cubic
yards of beautiful soil delivered, Mr. Marcus Lobb,
the Garden Coordinator, and I set to transporting it
into the space. We also had some great help from
three students who began cleaning up the stray bits
of garbage to clear the way for future veggie patches!
We’re happy to get the students involved right from
the start, and look forward to bringing them out into
the garden.
JUNE: PLANTING VEGETABLES
A group of Grade 3 and Grade 6 students helped
spread wood chips and levelled the ground for the
implementation of the grape planter boxes. In order
to keep the planter boxes safe and sound in the garden, Nicholas drilled screws into a stake that holds
the planter box into the ground. After setting up the
planter boxes and filling them with soil and compost,
Justin planted one of the grape plants.
A group of Grade 6 girls explored the garden using
the garden map. When the girls arrived, Mr. Marcus
handed out copies of the map, and their job was to
make signs for the newly planted areas of the garden.
The girls quickly got organized in a huddle, observed
the map, made signs for the veggies, and stuck them
into their specific garden beds.
Some of the Pre-Kindergarten students also visited the school garden. During their visit Mr. Marcus
had them plant vegetable seedlings in the sun garden. The healthy veggies they planted include broccoli, eggplant, kale, brussel sprouts, peas, tomatoes,
and cabbage!
During one lunch hour, some of the Grade 6 boys
came out and helped to build a tipi for the peas to
climb on. The sticks they used were left over from
the trees that Mr. Marcus and I pruned earlier in the
spring. Anthony watered the Zucchini plants. Mr.
Marcus and Anthony both count five seconds for every plant they watered.
Thanks to the amazing woodworking skills of Matt,
the garden has four beautiful planter boxes with
bench edges, as well as two boxes that are joined by
a bench and grape trellising.
During the lunch hour of his last three visits, Mr.
Marcus has been offered a helping hand by a group
of Grade 6 boys. The boys have volunteered their
time to spread wood chips and mulch around the new
plants with straw. Mulching helps protect the plants
from drying out during the hot days of summer. The
straw acts as a barrier to hold moisture in the soil,
and also hinders the growth of weeds! As Mr. Marcus
says: “They are the best!”
With only a few days of school left during the
school year, Mr. Marcus and a group of Grade 6 boys
Clockwise from top left: A sun-shaped garden, two heartshaped gardebs and a couple of planter boxes in the garden; Pre-K students busy planting seedlings; Students
create signs to identify vegetables in the garden and
Justin plants a grape tree in a planter box.
grabbed their shovels and rakes and prepared the
Mushroom Garden. The boys helped design the garden out of wood chips to resemble a mushroom. The
reason for using wood chips instead of soil, is because the mushrooms prefer to grow on woody material. The mushrooms they planted are called “King
Stropharia”, also known as the “Garden Giant”. They
are safe to eat and easy to grow. Perhaps in the fall,
Mr. Marcus will allow some of the students to try the
mushrooms.
Robin Kelley
Green Documentation Advisor
Gerald McShane
Les élèves récoltent du thym du potager pour préparer
une soupe italienne aux tomates et choux verts.
Les élèves dégustent les produits de
leur potager
L’école primaire et le service de garde Gerald McShane se sont avérés être une oasis luxuriante. Le
vendredi 14 septembre 2012, les élèves des classes 3A et 3/4B ont récolté du chou vert, des bettes,
des tomates cerises et du thym dans leur potager.
Ils ont ajouté des pommes de terre, des oignons,
des carottes et de l’ail et ont préparé une délicieuse
soupe italienne de chou vert. Quarante (40) enfants
et quelques enseignants ont dégusté la soupe et
les élèves ont même demandé de garder un plat de
soupe pour la directrice de l’école. Tout le monde
était d’avis que la soupe était délicieuse. L’un des
Les élèves cueillent de la citronnelle du potager
pour faire du thé.
Les élèves préparent du pesto avec du basilic frais
du potager et l’ajoutent à un délicieux pot de pâtes.
élèves a même dit que la soupe avait un meilleur
goût que le minestrone de sa grand-mère!
Le vendredi 21 septembre 2012, la classe 4A a
préparé du pesto au basilic. Les élèves ont cueilli le
basilic, l’ont rincé et détaché les feuilles des branches. Ils ont ensuite versé les feuilles dans un malaxeur
Magic Bullet en ajoutant de l’ail, du sel, du poivre,
du fromage parmesan et de l’huile d’olive. L’odeur
était formidable! Nous l’avons ajouté à une casserole
de pâtes et chacun a pu déguster cette délicieuse
préparation.
Le lundi 24 septembre 2012, les élèves de la classe
5/6B sont sortis avec une enseignante pour explorer,
faire des recherches et beaucoup d’apprentissage!
Les élèves ont découvert la citronnelle et ils ont
appris qu’elle attire des polinisateurs, que son odeur
ressemble beaucoup à celle du citron, qu’elle procure un merveilleux effet de détente et qu’elle peut
être dégustée dans un thé! Son goût est doux et velouté. Les élèves ont aussi eu l’occasion d’explorer le
potager et de découvrir toutes les bonnes choses comestibles qui y poussent, dont des cerises de terre,
du basilic, des tomates cerises, des haricots verts et
pourpres et de la ciboulette. Les élèves ont aussi découvert le quinoa et de très beaux tournesols. Quelle
merveilleuse façon de terminer une journée d’école!
Bobbie Variantzas, Coordonnatrice du CLC
École Gerald McShane
initiative vert
Touching Base, Hiver 2013
7
City Farm School
SUITE DE LA PAGE 1
tal sur nos choix d’aliments. Les élèves auront aussi
l’occasion de travailler avec les stagiaires en plantant, arrosant, défrichant, paillant, fertilisant, récoltant
et beaucoup plus.
En tant que conseillère de l’initiative verte de
B.A.S.E., je prends un grand plaisir à introduire ce
projet dans les écoles de la CSEM. Par le biais de
valeurs et d’objectifs communs, nous espérons que
la collaboration « inspire des modes de vie sains
parmi les élèves et les sensibilisent plus à leur environnement et, par conséquent, les rendent plus
conscients d’eux-mêmes. » J’anticipe avec plaisir
d’étendre ce partenariat dans les années à venir afin
que chaque école puisse créer son propre, unique,
abondant et beau potager d’école.
Vous pourrez admirer ces trois potagers en
floraison au blog des services de garde:
www.daycare-matters.com.
Maddie Guerlain
Conseillère initiative verte
Au-dessus: Les élèves construisent des jardinières pour
leur potager; A droite: Marcus Lobb est le Coordonnateur de City Farm School et le coordonnateur du potager
de l’école primaire et du service de garde de l’école
primaire Pierre de Coubertin.
St. Monica
Community Engagement at grass roots
St. Monica School and Daycare in Notre-Damede-Grâce participated in McGill University’s first-ever Community Engagement Day (CED) on Friday,
October 5, 2012 with a Garden Harvest Party. McGill’s CED celebrates and recognizes community
engagement efforts connecting McGill to Montreal
community groups, organizations and schools.
Some 20 CED volunteers were on hand to help
with St. Monica’s Garden Harvest Party. They
helped prepare and carry out the day’s different activities. More than 200 students from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 6 rotated amongst the following
stations: a scavenger hunt inside the 200 square
meter school garden where students had to find—
sometimes even taste—certain vegetables and
herbs, a pumpkin decorating activity, several games
and indulging in apple crisp pie and corn on cob.
GARDEN INAUGURATION
The St. Monica School Garden sprung to life on May
12, 2012 during a Community Garden Day thanks to
the efforts of McGill University Graduate Lauren Pochereva in partnership with Action Communiterre—a
not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising public
awareness about food security and urban agriculture,
while improving the community’s access to healthy
organic produce through collectively-managed vegetable gardens in the Montreal area.
Lauren applied for the 2012 PFF Community
Leadership Program Fellowship, which offers McGill students who have innovative ideas, the opportunity to bring sustainable and positive social
change to the communities in which they work.
Lauren was granted $20,000 to build and integrate
a fruit and vegetable garden at St. Monica School.
GROWING SUCCESSES
The St. Monica School Garden project incorporates gardening activities and hands-on workshops
into afterschool programming to create a comprehensive school garden program. More than 45 B.A.S.E
students participated in weekly garden sessions
during the spring and fall.
During the summer, Lauren worked with the Jeunesse Benny Day Camp teen program, a summer
camp situated on-site at St. Monica School. More
than 60 children from the camp participated in weekly
garden sessions in the summer. Over 120 garden
workshops and activities were facilitated between
April and October 2012.
The garden grew more than 65 varieties of vegetables and herbs, had 20 varieties of perennial fruit
trees and shrubs, as well as a couple dozen varieties
of perennial and annual flowers.
The garden produced 109 kilograms of fresh produce of which St. Monica children and Jeunesse Benny Summer Camp children consumed more than half.
More than 50 kilograms of fresh food was donated to
the NDG Food Depot.
B.A.S.E students celebrated the bounty of nourishing food harvested from their garden. They prepared,
cooked and ate food from the garden after school during the harvesting season. Students made salad, dip,
tomato soup and pumpkin pie. Students also went
home with produce from the garden, such as little
bunches of carrots, beets and onions.
The St. Monica School Garden also gained a lot of
support and involvement from parents, school staff,
school board employees, community members, Action
Communiterre, McGill University and local businesses.
SPRINGING AHEAD
For the 2013 gardening season, St. Monica
School and Daycare will form a garden committee as well as a new partnership with City Farm
School—a Concordia based project that facilitates
education through an experience-based model, responds to a growing interest in issues around food
sovereignty and the practice of urban agriculture
and provides an opportunity for students and communities to collaborate. City Farm School interns will
work with students in the garden for eight months. St.
Monica will continue receiving support from Action
Communiterre.
Jennifer De Freitas
Touching B.A.S.E Editor
Clockwise from top left: St. Monica Elementary School
Prinicipal, Katherine Snow, Sara-Michele Bard of the
PFF Community Leadership Program Fellowship; Lauren Pochereva, Head of the St. Monica Garden Project;
and B.A.S.E Daycare Manager Rosa Fuoco, Students
enjoy one of the Harvest Party stations: decorating
pumpkins, Students on a scavenger hunt in the garden,
St. Monica Garden planter boxes, and Students taking a
closer look at radishes in the garden.
8
green initiative
Touching Base, Winter 2013
Michelangelo
Holiday Ornaments Made Out
of Recycled Materials
Michelangelo International Before and After School
Enriched (B.A.S.E) daycare students made Holiday
ornaments using recycled plastic bottles and vitral
paint for La Maison de la Famille Coeur à Rivière—a
recreational center in Rivière-des-Prairies. La Maison
de la Famille came to Michelangelo to ask if we would
be interested in participating in their holiday ornament recycling project. All ornaments would be used
to decorate Christmas trees at Le Centre Récréatif
Rivière-des-Prairies.
All of the students participated in making holiday
ornaments. We cut the plastic water bottles into circular pieces, painted them blue, brown and white and
attached them together to make garlands. We also
made light-up flower garlands. We transformed the
top part of the water bottles into flowers and inserted
a tiny light bulb through each drinking part. Even the
Christmas lights were recycled! There were enough
flowers to make a garland. Other ornaments that we
made included stars, reindeer and snowmen made
out of recycled Yop bottles.
Some students were asked to volunteer and go to
Le Centre Récréatif Rivière-des-Prairies on Saturday,
Clockwise from top left: Grade 6 student Gabriel
Alfonso, Daycare Technician, Terry Federico,
Daycare Educator Theresa Farinaccio, Principal, Anna
Della Rocca and Daycare Educators Wendy Campbell,
Santa Carnevale and Rita De Petris; Students proudly
show their craftsmanship using recycled materials.
December 8, 2012. I went with my father. Michelangelo Principal, Ms. Anna Della Rocca, Daycare Tech-
nician, Ms. Terry Federico, and Daycare Educators
Santa Carnevale, Rita De Petris, Wendy Campbell
and Theresa Farinaccio were also there. We made so
many ornaments that an entire tree was covered with
only our ornaments! Not only did we get to decorate
trees, we also decorated ginger bread cookies and
drank chocolate milk. This holiday ornament recycling
project really put everyone in the Christmas spirit!
Gabriel Alfonso, Grade 6
Michelangelo Daycare
Leonardo Da Vinci
Green Club Tackles Environmental
Issues
For ten weeks in fall 2012, the Green Club at
Leonardo Da Vinci Daycare had fun learning about
environmental issues through science experiments,
cooking, crafts and games. We explored the magic of
seeds, the delicious fruits and vegetables of Quebec,
the impact of all the garbage we create, the many
ways our water can become polluted, and the things
we can do to prevent pollution from destroying our
water and air.
During these weeks we had the chance to cook
and sample guacamole made from local Quebec
zucchinis, and calculate the distance all the fruit in
a fruit salad travels to get to our plates. We also got
our hearts beating in waste relay races that tested
how well we could sort trash into the correct bins,
and explored the schoolyard for signs of living things.
We got our hands dirty experimenting with buckets of
water and various pollutants such as soap, dirt and
oil. The students were challenged to try and clean
their water after adding the pollutants and saw how
challenging this task is. The worm group cared for a
thriving worm compost, by bringing in eggshells and
coffee filters from home and collecting vegetable and
fruit scraps from their lunches.
These budding environmentalists are coming up
with creative solutions to solve the environmental
challenges we see everyday.
Sophia Kehler
Green Initiative Tutor
Clockwise from top left: Daycare Green Initiative Tutor Sophia Kehler hand blends local Quebec zucchinis to make a
delicious guacamole dip; the Green Club worm group cared for a worm compost by feeding worms eggshells,
coffee filters and vegetable and fruit scraps; the Green Club indulges in their guacamole dip!
pedagogical days
Touching Base, Winter 2013
Elizabeth Ballantyne
9
Sinclair Laird
The people who work at the ostrich farm took it to
watch it hatch and turn into a baby ostrich.
The man also told us a story about the king ostrich.
We learned that some of the ostriches have even
been in movies and television shows.
We split up into two groups. One group walked
to the gates to see the ostriches. The ostriches bit
the gates and the grown-ups told us not to put our
hands near them so we wouldn’t get hurt. We were
not worried because the ostriches do not have teeth.
The second group of us walked to the barn to see the
other animals. There were rabbits, ponies, and goats.
We pet an ostrich on its feathers. We also pet a tiny
goat and a few other small animals.
Elizabeth Ballantyne’s Pumpkin Patch Kids!
Pumpkin Picking and Ostrich Farm Visit
On October 18, 2012, the daycare children at Elizabeth Ballantyne School went on a pedagogical day
field trip to Nid’Otruche in Saint-Eustache. We went
pumpkin picking and we visited an ostrich farm.
In the morning, a school bus came to pick us up
from school at 8:30 am and we arrived at the pumpkin
patch at 10:00 am. We ate apples and played in the
field.
Then we took a tractor ride to another field where
we picked our pumpkins. We each choose a small
pumpkin because those are the ones that we saw
first. After we picked them, we put our pumpkins on
the tractor and went to go eat our lunches next to the
lake.
After lunch we got back on the bus and drove next
door to the ostrich farm. We went into a big room and
a man taught us about ostriches through sounds and
music. We learnt how ostriches move their necks and
copied their movements while we danced around. We
learned about how ostriches have different coloured
feathers: black, blue, red, and green.
We also learned that the mom ostrich takes three
days to lay her egg. Then she dances around like she
is saying “I laid an egg, I laid an egg”. The dad ostrich comes and says, “Let’s go play outside because
you have been sitting for three days laying our egg.”
When they come back from outside their egg is gone.
Sinclair Laird Daycare students spend a day supporting
anti-bullying by wearing purple and sending messages of
love through photography.
Elizabeth Ballantyne Daycare students learn about
Ostriches and get to touch one’s feathers
We went back to school on the school bus at
around 3:00 pm. This was a really fun pedagogical
day and we are really happy that the daycare staff
makes these kind of days happen for us. We picked
our awesome pumpkins for Halloween, and we also
learnt a lot about ostriches. We hope that we can go
back again soon!
Silas Hughes
D’Angeline Sydney and
Chiara Bloomer-Sukhdeo, Grade 1
Elizabeth Ballantyne Daycare
Leonardo Da Vinci
Spirit Day Photography Pedagogical Day
The Before and After School Enriched (B.A.S.E)
Daycare students of Sinclair Laird Elementary School
in Park-Extension marked Spirit Day on Friday, October 19, 2012—a pedagogical day—by wearing purple
T-shirts, headbands and wrist bands to participate in
an anti-bullying photography activity.
B.A.S.E students collaborated on a photography
wall exhibition depicting extreme close-up pictures of
students’ hands. Their hands portrayed messages of
love, teamwork, camaraderie, patience, determination
and more, all important components to putting an end
to bullying.
“Students learned that it is not only their voices that
can spread messages, but their hands and actions as
well,” said Jennifer De Freitas, EMSB B.A.S.E Media
Advisor, who facilitated the photography activity with
the students.
The students also made their own frames using
cardboard, foam board, black paint, styrofoam pieces
and silver metallic paint.
CTV News and Global News were on hand to
report on the activity.
Touching Base Editorial Staff
St. Dorothy
Nonna Maria Puppet Pedagogical Day
Leonardo Da Vinci B.A.S.E students met Nonna
Maria on November 30, 2012 during a pedagogical
day. Nonna Maria is an Italian heritage comedic puppet. Her creators—Anthony Imperioli, David Iarusso,
Eric Carpanzano and Erminio Iadeluca—make videos
that parody growing up in an Italian-immigrant household and being shaped by the traditions that grand
parents brought from their homeland.
The majority of students were able to relate to the
satirical messages present in Nonna Maria’s stand-up
comedy skit. A photographer was on hand to take a
picture of every student with Nonna Maria. The picture
was then autographed.
Meet and Greet with a Funny Puppet!
Leonard Da Vinci Daycare Staff
Pumpkin Picking Pedagogical Day
Leonardo Da Vinci Academy B.A.S.E students went
pumpkin picking at Les Vergers Denis Charbonneau
in Mont-Saint-Gregoire on October 18, 2012 during a
pedagogical day. Students saw animals, went inside
a haunted house and went to play in the playground.
Students also walked in the field that was full of
pumpkins on the ground. There were many different
sizes of pumpkins, but the students were only allowed
to pick the small ones. All the students had to carry
their pumpkin on the bus—it was heavy! Each student went back to school with a pumpkin. They decorated their pumpkins to help decorate the school for
Halloween.
Picking a Peck of Prize Pumpkins.
Alessia Romano, Grade 3
Leonardo Da Vinci Daycare
St. Dorothy students play Thump a musical game.
Active Pedagogical Day
Friday, November 16, 2012, Extracurricular Activities Advisor, Mr. Lorne Svarc, came to St. Dorothy Daycare and introduced us to many new and fun
games in the gymnasium. It was a pedagogical day.
The games the students liked best were Make a
Shape game and Stand on One Foot game. Angelina Derilus, a student in Grade 6, beat the record for
standing on one foot the longest—22 minutes! We
even played Thump—a music creation game using
homemade instruments.
All the students had the best time ever with Mr.
Lorne and we all want to thank him for making this
pedagogical day so much fun.
James Da Costa, Grade 5
Kelly Lapolla, Grade 6
St. Dorothy Daycare
10
Touching Base, Winter 2013
extracurricular activities
Carlyle
Hampstead
Mixed Sports
in the Gym
Do you like to play
sports on Thursday afternoons from 3:30 pm to
5:00 pm? We do because
it is fun, healthy, and it
gives us a chance to find
out what one of our talents are.
B.A.S.E Tutor Miss
Samantha brings the older and the younger students to Carlyle School’s
gym in two separate
groups to play sports.
Carlyle B.A.S.E students participate in the Mixed Sports
The first group is the
afterschool program.
younger kids, which are
the Pre-K, Kindergarten,
and Grade 1 students. Then the older
Before Miss Samantha lets us play,
group, Grades 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 students we make our own teams or she does
get to go. We play hockey, basketball, it for us. We use the materials that we
soccer, Chinese dodgeball, and tag.
have in our gym. She does not bring
When we asked what his favourite her own equipment with her because it
sport was, Zaid Campbell, a Grade 3 would be too heavy to carry. When we
student, said, “Tag is fun because we play soccer we use a soccer ball. We
get to run all around.”
play dodgeball with a soft ball, basketWe enter the gym and we sit down ball with a basketball, and hockey with
on the bench to wait for instructions. a hockey stick and tennis ball.
When Miss Samantha is ready she
If someone gets tired during the
picks a sport for us to play. If we do not game, we all take a small break for walike it, then someone else picks another ter.
sport and we vote on which one to play.
William Morin, a Grade 2/3 split stuIf there is a tie vote, then we play half dent, said that he “[doesn’t] like the
the time of one sport and half the time beginning of gym when we get ready,
of the other sport. If there is only a little or the end of gym when we leave. [He]
bit of time left after playing for a while, likes the middle because we play.”
then we play tag for the last few minWe are encouraged to participate in
utes of the session.
exciting afterschool activities like this
Miss Samantha asks us if we know one—Mixed Sports. You might think
how to play whatever game we are go- that you won’t like it, but after you try it
ing to play that day. If someone doesn’t you will. Try something before you say
know how to play it she explains it to you don’t like it. You might be surprised.
us. Kelly Tieu, a Grade 6 student, said
that she “feel[s] much more comfortable in Miss Samantha’s class than
William Morin, Grade 2/3 split
[she] do[es] in gym class at school.
Zaid Campbell, Grade 3
When [she] make[s] a mistake, nobody
and Kelly Tieu, Grade 6
is mean but they help [her] instead.”
Carlyle Daycare
STORYBOOK
CREATION CLUB
There is no skill more
important for a child to
master more than writing—that is why Hampstead Daycare offered
its Grade 5 and 6 daycare students the Storybook Creation Club—a
new program initiated
by the English Montreal
School Board (EMSB)
Before and After School
Enriched (B.A.S.E) Daycare Program. Students
Hampstead Storybook Creation Club intently
interested in joining the
reading their story “Gossip Kingdom: S.W.A.G High”
Storybook Creation Club
participated in writing a
fiction story in collaboration with all oth- physical appearance, and the imporer club members. Once the storybook tance of friendship within their lives.
was completed, each student received
The students also learnt about crea copy.
ating a creative project together using
The Storybook Creation Club aims teamwork, how to add plot twists into
at helping students become skilled, a storyline, how to keep consistency
confident and enthusiastic writers. within their photographs, how to use
B.A.S.E tutor, Jodi Schwartz, facili- their imaginations to their full potential
tates the Storybook Creation Club and and how to establish the moral of their
teaches students different components story. Students also learned the imporof book writing: grammar, sentence tance of treating others the way they
and paragraph structure, plot, charac- wanted to be treated: with respect.
ter development and climax as well as
The Storybook Creation Club prehow to illustrate a story and or take pic- pares the students for group projects
tures for a story and how to prepare a and other teamwork-oriented tasks
book for print.
they will partake in later on in their fuThe Hampstead Storybook Cre- ture school endevors. They learned
ation Club had the children working as how to function as a team, to rely on
a team in a collaborative environment one another, and how to constructivewhile getting excited about writing and ly criticize eachother’s work without
taking pictures. Students were learn- stompping on one another’s ideas.
ing while not even realizing it. Students
Most importantly, the students
touched on many topics that will aid had a great time participating in an
them in problem solving once in high educational activity.
school. They learned about bullies and
how to handle them, having crushes
and dating, acceptance of others, personal emotions such as jealousy and
Jodi Schwartz
anger, the consequences for their actions, peer pressure to obtain a certain
Storybook Creation Tutor
Radio Journalism
reams of radio fun
For the first time, daycare students at St. Monica,
St. Gabriel and Coronation Schools got the chance
to voice their stories through the medium of radio. Almost every week, daycare students interviewed each
other or created their own fun news stories.
The goals of the Radio Journalism activity were to
learn to tell stories effectively with a clear voice, write
and tell different types of stories and conduct interviews asking interesting questions. One highlight for
many of the students was producing a radio play. To
work on their reading fluency and performance, students performed a Reader’s Theatre script and some
even made their own sound effects for the story.
Another highlight was when students wrote letters
to their future selves and recorded them. Hopefully
they will listen to them in the future! Some of the students really know how they want their lives to unfold!
By the last few weeks, the St. Monica daycare students were working like a well-oiled journalism machine, pumping out loads of stories and interviews
as well as two live recorded newscasts. St. Gabriel
Daycare students were hooked on the whole interview process and enjoyed coming up with questions
for each other on sports, winter activities, food and
more. The young Coronation students especially enjoyed talking about their favourite things on the radio!
You can listen to the budding radio journalists’ work
on the Touching BASE blog at daycare-matters.com.
Johanna Donovan
Radio Journalism Tutor
Clockwise from top left: St. Monica Daycare students research for their expert radio reports; St. Monica B.A.S.E students
record a newscast; Coronation students brainstorm ideas for their radio pieces on love; Two St. Gabriel students thank
Ms. Johanna for teaching them about Radio Journalism.
extracurricular activities
Touching Base, Winter 2013
11
Pawsitive Leadership
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
interventions at Giant Steps to promote the development of speech and language, gross and fine motor
skills, and socialization opportunities for children with
an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
“PAWSitive Leadership equips children with the
necessary knowledge to respect all living things, appreciate differences and see the world from another’s perspective,” said Graham. “Since dogs provide
undivided and nonjudgmental attention, children feel
more at ease when participating in learning activities,” continued Graham.
Graham added that a dog serves as a safe channel to expose children to human challenges in a way
that no particular child feels threatened or targeted.
“Petting a dog provides a calming effect and increases self-esteem and a gaze of admiration from a dog
can chase away self-doubt and lift a child’s spirit,”
said Graham.
LEADERSHIP SKILLS
PAWSitive Leadership follows an age-appropriate curriculum that addresses the subjects of safety
around dogs, responsible ownership, dog training,
dog behaviour, breed discrimination, assistance canines, overpuppylation and community development.
These topics are delivered through the use of books,
art and writing activities, videos, group work and of
course, dogs.
B.A.S.E students have had the chance to interact
with a number of certified dogs. Graham’s first assistant was her very own adopted St. Bernard named
Baloo. Baloo was on hand to teach students how to
properly greet a dog and how to read canine body
language. In the following session, students learned
responsible pet ownership and the importance of
adoption with a rescued Olde English Sheepdog
named Harley.
At every session, students always ask for Graham’s permission before petting the dog. If Graham
replies, “Yes,” two or three students at a time slowly
approach the dog and allow him or her to sniff their
hands. Once properly acquainted and everyone has
had their turn petting the dog, the dog takes his or
her place, either beside Graham as she discusses
the session’s topic, or lays down next to students
who shower him or her with belly rubs and back rubs.
Graham tries to incorporate each dog’s instincts
into classroom activities so that the experience is
beneficial for all those involved.
In one session, students held a tennis ball
to speak, while a Lab-Border Collie mix named
Scrappy Doo patiently sat, listened, and waited
to retrieve. Throwing the ball is telling the dog to
fetch the ball, without using any words. In another
session, when asked to perform tricks, a Boxer
named Nala taught students the importance of
positive feedback.
“Dogs are the same as us,” said Anurag Bhowmick, a Grade 3 student. ”When your mom or dad
says do a chore and your mom or dad doesn’t thank
you, you say no, I don’t want to do chores anymore,”
continued Anurag. “When you don’t give a dog a treat
after a trick, they won’t do it again,” he explained.
PAWSitive Leadership places emphasis on judging a dog on their personality, not their appearance.
“Sometimes when a dog looks grumpy or sad, they
are not, that’s just how they were made,” said Grade
4 student Alain Xu referring to Nala.
Westmount Park B.A.S.E students will graduate as
PAWSitive Leaders upon completion of the program
Clockwise from top left: Scrappy Doo, a Lab-Border
Collie mix, waits to play fetch with the students;
Montreal Oral School for the Deaf Grade 4 student Alain
Xu gives Nala the Boxer a hug; Harley the Olde Sheepdog
gives Grade 5 student Junseo Kim a paw.
on March 13 with a certificate and a photograph of
them with Baloo.
Jennifer De Freitas
Touching B.A.S.E Editor
Hampstead
Beading CLUB
On Wednesday, October 31, 2012, B.A.S.E Beading Tutor Miss Caitlin facilitated a hands-on festive Halloween-themed beading workshop for some
Hampstead students.
A group of approximately 10 Grade 2 and 3 students were each given fishing line with a pipe cleaner
attached to each end so that the beads would not fall
off, along with divided little ziplock bags filled with orange and black beads. They were instructed to fish
the line through the black and orange beads, as well
as fun Halloween beads (with Halloween themed decor printed on them) to form necklaces and decorations. The children were so proud of their handiwork.
This activity lasted one and a half hours and the
children were really into it. They loved the hands on
feel this art project gave them. They also enjoyed
producing something that they would be able to take
home with them to show their parents. Thank you
Miss Caitlin for showing us how to have fun with
festive arts and crafts!
Jodi Schwartz
Touching B.A.S.E Contributing Editor
FILMMAKING CLUB
Hampstead B.A.S.E Grade 5 and 6 daycare students participate in a Filmmaking Club every Monday
from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm. B.A.S.E Educator Mr. Micheal takes the group to the library where they work
on their film with B.A.S.E tutor Miss Emily, who is fun,
spontaneous and teaches us filmmaking.
We make movies, come up with ideas, do skits,
B.A.S.E Beading Tutor Miss Caitlin shows captivated
student how to string beads through a fishing line.
write, and perform. A few weeks later, we rehearse
and wear costumes. We do filmmaking because it is
fun and sometimes we learn cool things. We make
our movies by thinking up ideas and discussing them
together.
After that we discuss scenes and then it is character time! We play games like: Bus Stop, House, and
the Blame Game. To play Bus Stop, you set up two
chairs and sit down in them next to each other. Next
you have to pretend that you are complete strangers. One person has to annoy the other one until they
want to get up and leave. Then the person who was
annoying the other sits in the first chair and someone
else has to sit in the second chair and annoy them.
Hampstead B.A.S.E Grade 6 students Sydney and
Caley play the Bus Stop game in the Filmmaking Club.
While we play these games we act like our characters
that Miss Emily assigns to us. This gets us used to
being and staying in character.
We are now working on a Hampstead reality show
about pranking. We have fun participating in filmmaking. We all hope that next year’s Hampstead star students will be interested in filmmaking just as much as
we were and make a great movie or show. Hopefully
not as great as ours though because we rock!
Caley Ricci and
Sydney Pagliuca, Grade 6
Hampstead Daycare
12
base world
Touching Base, Winter 2013
Dante
Michelangelo
Thanksgiving day crafts
Thanksgiving Day in Canada has been a holiday
on the second Monday of October since 1957. It is a
chance for people to give thanks for a good harvest
and other fortunes in the past year. The native peoples
of the Americas held ceremonies and festivals to celebrate the completion and bounty of the harvest long
before European explorers and settlers arrived in what
is now Canada.
Dante B.A.S.E staff and students marked Thanksgiving Day with a grandiose craft display of native
people and totem poles.
Touching Base Editorial Staff
afterschool camping
On Tuesday, November 27, 2012, Michelangelo
International School B.A.S.E Kindergarten students
enjoyed camping after school. Daycare Educators
Ms. Maria and Ms. Fil prepared the activity in the
school gymnasium. The Kindergarten students did
many different things. They made many crafts—they
made binoculars, lanterns and headbands. The students ate oven-roasted marshmallows that were prepared by the educators. They also ate mud pudding
garnished with gummy worm candies. The students
sat around a bonfire while Ms. Maria read them a
story. The Kindergarteners played the game Button
Button in their tents.
Left: Michelangelo B.A.S.E Kindergarten students were
treated to a camping activity in the school gymnasium in
November 2012. Above: An example of the Michelangelo
daycare students working on a puzzle. Below: The new
and improved trolley covered in fun comic strips.
Andy Blandino, Grade 6
Michelangelo Daycare
puzzles and comics
Michelangelo Daycare Educator Ms. Antonella always embarks on creative projects with her group of
Grade 5 and 6 students. We like the challenge of putting together puzzles that have hundreds of pieces.
Every student participates in putting the puzzles together. When we complete a puzzle, we shellac it and
hang it for everyone to see. Some of the puzzles that
we have completed are a display of fruits, a nice big
white house and a nature scene.
Another creative project that we work on with Ms.
Antonella is redecorating classroom furniture. There
is a small trolley with compartments on wheels in her
daycare room. We were saying that the trolley need-
Aboriginal inspired artwork crafted at Dante
Daycare to celebrate Thanksgiving.
ed some new life because it looked boring. So, Ms.
Antonella encouraged us to cover it with comic strips
we found in newspapers. When that step was completed, we then shellacked the trolley. We now store
our games in it.
Pierre De Coubertin
From a Winter Wonderland scene, to Elves, to Reindeer and Snow Globes,
Pierre De Coubertin Daycare students brought the holiday spirit to their school.
holiday crafts
Pierre De Coubertin B.A.S.E students celebrated the holidays by making wonderful crafts. The students created amazing and festive decorations
and truly brought the holiday spirit into
our school.
B.A.S.E staff and students were extremely busy working on their Holiday
crafts. Educator Ms. Sharon guided the
Kindergarten students to make elves.
Educator Ms. Bessie made reindeers
with her group of Kindergarten students.
Educator Ms. Jenny and the Grade 1
students worked on Christmas trees.
The group of Grade 2 students, led
by Educator Ms. Anna, made angels.
Educator Ms. Vanessa and her Grade
2 and 3 students made snow globes.
Educator Ms. Mimi and her group of
Grade 4 and 5 students created gift box
wreaths while Educator Miss Mary and
her group of Grade 4 and 5 students
made Noel crafts.
Finally, Educators Ms. Julia, Ms. Elizabeth, Ms. Mary and Ms. Teresa with
their Grade 3 to 6 students created the
beautiful Winter Wonderland scenery.
Pierre De Coubertin Daycare Staff
Calista Gissi, Grade 5
Michelangelo Daycare