Principal’s Message

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

School-wide

news

Pg 1-4

Elementary

news

Pg 5-12

Secondary news Pg 13-20

May 2014

Mackenzie Community School 87 Brockhouse Way

P.O. Box 397

Deep River, Ontario K0J 1P0

Tel: (613) 584-3361 / Fax: (613) 584-1706

Email: mcs@rcdsb.on.ca

Website: http://mcs.rcdsb.on.ca

I M P O R T A N T

D A T E S

June 2 School council

meeting

June 9 PA Day

June 10 JK Parent Info

Night

June 11 JK Bus Orientation

Session

June 18-

24

Secondary Exams

June 24 Grade 8 Grad

June 26 Grade 12 Grad

This time of year brings the always exciting juxta-

position of the acceleration of activity related to

completing curriculum and endish-of-year celebra-

tions with the deceleration due to the same. As

you share our journey in these pages, you will en-

counter the excitement of accomplishment and the

looming sense of closure for the 2013-14 school

year. Is it an oxymoron to gear up for closing out?

As I write this, our Grade 8's are on an overnight

excursion, EQAO is being written by Grades 3 and

6 students (with an imminent test for Grade 9

students) and secondary students are preparing for

the Extra-Curricular Banquet, exams and gradua-

tion. It is a time to thank coaches, tutors, reading

buddies, supervisors and all those that enable our

students to show their best. A special thank you

to Tracy Kasaboski who has done such a marvel-

lous job in capturing our learning and growth in

both character and curriculum this year. These

newsletters are superlative!

In June, we welcome all of our special community

to join us in our celebrations and look forward to

seeing you in the school. MCS will also be present-

ing the new school motto and I would like to thank

the Motto Committee for their representation of

groups and thinking of words that capture the

spirit of MCS. We will embark on a process to

review our logos in the Fall.

Our school office will remain open for the first two

weeks of July and then again in the last week of

August. It is very helpful if all school resources

(texts etc.) are returned; please encourage your

sons/daughters to scour their rooms, backpacks

and lockers. On behalf of all of our staff here at

MCS, I wish you all a safe summer filled with family,

friends and really good books!

Now that spring has arrived, the Renfrew

County Joint Transportation Consortium

would like to remind students that any

equipment they choose to bring with

them during transportation to/from

school must be properly secured. If not,

it becomes a safety hazard for other stu-

dents on the vehicle as well as the driver.

7A.1) Equipment related to regular school

programs may be transported by the pupil

on the vehicle provided that the items can be

held comfortably on the pupil’s lap and are

encased or protected by guards. The driver

may also designate a safe location on the

vehicle for such items. The driver shall refuse

to transport the items deemed to be unsafe.

For example, a basketball should be safely

enclosed in the student‟s bag so that it

doesn‟t roll around on the floor, etc.

Thank you, as always, for your continued

dedication to safe student transportation!

Reminder from Transportation….

M A Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 2

Curriculum Corner The link below is for a free on-line class through Stanford University designed to focus on growth

mindset, in math, for students.

https://class.stanford.edu/courses/Education/EDUC115-S/Spring2014/about?

utm_content=buffer63847&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

How to Learn Math is a class for

learners of all levels of mathematics.

It combines really important infor-

mation on the brain and learning

with new evidence on the best

ways to approach and learn math

effectively.

Many people have had negative ex-

periences with math, and end up

disliking math or failing. This class

will give learners of math the infor-

mation they need to become pow-

erful math learners, it will correct

any misconceptions they have about

what math is, and it will teach them

about their own potential to suc-

ceed and the strategies needed to

approach math effectively. If you

have had past negative experiences

with math this will help change your

relationship to one that is positive

and powerful.

The course will feature Dr. Jo

Boaler and a team of undergradu-

ates, as well as videos of math in

action—in dance, juggling, snow-

flakes, soccer and many other appli-

cations. The course will run from

May/June to the end of December,

2014.

The Renfrew County Joint Transportation

Consortium (RCJTC) is responsible for pro-

viding transportation service to over 11,000

Renfrew County students in 53 different schools for both

the Renfrew County District School Board and the

Renfrew County Catholic District School Board.

Three routers are responsible for creating bus routes, set-

ting up bussing, and making changes to bussing for these

students. They work closely with the various bus Opera-

tors in each area to ensure safe, efficient, effective trans-

portation to and from school.

As safety of students is a priority, it takes time, and occa-

sionally a physical review of a designated stop to process

transportation requests, especially from mid-August to mid

-October when there is a high volume of requests which

results in delays in responding to individual requests.

What can you do to help?

Please visit our website www.rcjtc.on.ca at any time

throughout the year to find the forms you need to

email to us trans@rcjtc.on.ca in order to request new

bussing or make changes to existing bussing.

Over the course of the summer if your address infor-

mation has changed (your home, your sitter, etc.) con-

tact us as soon as possible by filling in the Student

Transportation Request form and email the form to us

(trans@rcjtc.on.ca).

If you know of someone who has just moved to the

area over the summer months, have them contact us

as soon as possible by filling in the Student Transporta-

tion Request form and then email the form to us

(trans@rcjtc.on.ca).

Only those students whose bus information has

changed will get a notice of transportation change let-

ter in late July.

N O T I C E T O P A R E N T S : R C J T C I S O P E N M O N D A Y T O F R I D A Y

A L L Y E A R L O N G I N C L U D I N G T H E S U M M E R M O N T H S .

M A Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 3

~ Cut for the Cure ~ May 7th, 2014 was Cut Day at MCS, the culmination of a

year of fellowship and anticipation that ended in a blaze of

lasers and a flurry of scissors and clippers and locks of love.

Mackenzie Community School and the community at large

raised roughly $22,000 for cancer research over the year

and at the event...an incredibly generous amount of giving

from the smallest to the biggest.

The MCS auditorium was a hub of activity, with lights, mu-

sic, a bevy of hair-cutters and a parade of students filing to

the stage to shave or cut their locks in a show of support.

Students, staff and even some visitors trekked to the stage

and then to the microphone to identify themselves and

“choose hope” while the music blared and the lights

flashed.

Mr. Selle was the emcee, explaining the highlight of the af-

ternoon, cfc‟s Wheel of Hair, and introducing the teachers

who‟d agreed to undergo a “cut for the cure.” Students

could purchase certain types of haircuts - the Samurai, the

Friar, the Skullet, the Harvey Dent, the Bad Haircut - to be

attached to the Wheel. The Wheel

was spun and a cut selected, and each

teacher submitted to the scissors for

a good cause, agreeing to wear their

“do” for two days before restyling.

Cut for the Cure also collected pony

tails, donating 120 feet of hair to Wigs for Kids and Angel

Hair for Kids, two agencies that supply wigs to children

undergoing chemotherapy.

This event took a true community of people to pull off, in

numbers and in spirit. In the words of organizer Mr. Sims

“from K-13 each one of you was part of something spe-

cial...today we are all just a little bit more connected here

at MCS. It‟s because of you that you can carry this day with

you. A wonderful day where Mackenzie came together to

honour their past, embrace our present, and to choose

hope.”

Enjoy the photos on the following page of Cut Day...

JULY 14 TO 25, 2014

Summermusic is a fun-filled day camp that runs every July

in Deep River offering instruction in strings, woodwinds,

brass, recorder and choir.

With mini-courses for ages 5 to 8 and full-day courses for

ages 9 to 18, Summermusic has something for everyone.

Brochures are available at the Public Library, the Deep

River Town Hall, or the Valley Artisans‟ Co-op. Informa-

tion is also available online at www.summermusic.ca.

Check out the Summermusic photo galleries and videos on

Facebook at facebook.com/deepriversummermusic.

If you have questions or for more information, visit our

website or contact Susan Morris at 613-584-1110 or by

email summermusic@magma.ca

M A Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 4

M A Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 5

Elementary Dates to Remember:

May 30, Crayon Day

May 30, Gr. 8 Softball Tourn.

June 2, School Council meeting

June 5, Gr. 7 Softball Tourn.

June 5, 6, Harmony High

June 9, PA Day

June 10, JK parent info night

June 11, JK Bus orientations

June 11, Gr. 6,7,8 Track meet

June 19, Year-end concert

June 20, Kindergartens to

Hugli‟s Ranch

June 24, 5/6 & 6 classes to Des

Joachims dam

June 24, Grade 8 Grad

June 27, last day of classes

ELEMENTARY NEWS EARLYACT YARD SALE FOR BRICK BY BRICK

By Ecaterina Facina and Justine Griese, Grade 8 stu-

dents at MCS.

On Friday, April 4th, the EarlyAct Club from Mr.

Ogilvie‟s class of grade 7 and 8 held an outstanding

yard sale to raise money for Brick by Brick.

The sale took place at MCS and the class raised an

extraordinary total of over $700!

The rest of the school pitched in and donated their

items to the sale, and of course came to buy stuff too.

Mrs. Pelletier‟s grade 4/5 class helped out on the day

of the sale as part of their energy saving/reuse initia-

tive.

Jiya Dadhiala and Avantika Vaidya had huge success

selling their intricate handmade bracelets. Together,

they raised over $300 with the bracelet sales alone.

People are still placing orders for their beautiful work!

The sale was held to raise money for a national char-

ity, Me to We, in order to help build a school in

Kenya, Africa. The charity helps kids all around the

world who can‟t go to school and are struggling to

live. Marc and Craig Kielburger have worked hard to

start Me to We and involve kids from all over the

world in their many campaigns. Mackenzie Community

School has been working with Me to We since the

beginning of the school year, and we have surpassed

our goal of $2,000.

What a huge success, and a big thank you to the Early-

Act Club members for their hard work.

Selling handmade bracelets in support of

Brick by Brick.

M A Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 6

Grade 8 Badminton is #1 Congratulations to all grade 8 badminton players for

their strong performance at the tournament on Friday,

May 2nd in Pembroke. Mackenzie was one of sixteen

schools participating in this year‟s event hosted by

Fellowes High School. All MCS team members played

very well and they should be proud of their efforts and

achievements.

Following the conclusion of the

preliminary rounds, Rockwood,

Highview, and Eganville were

slightly ahead of Mackenzie in

point standings, but the Mustangs

had the most players remaining in

the championship rounds.

Alex Everick and Evan Leclerc had

a perfect record in the tourney,

and easily claimed the Boys‟ Dou-

bles title, while Lynsey Adams and Tom Li went unde-

feated and claimed the Mixed-title.

Mackenzie added ten points to their team total in the

championship round, finishing 5 points ahead of High-

view, and 4 points ahead of Eganville. However, they

couldn‟t shake Rockwood. Both Mackenzie and Rock-

wood ended the tournament with a total of 36 points,

and the teams were told by the convenors that they

would share the West

Division Badminton

Championship this year.

What an exciting finish!

Mr. Belleau would like to

thank Taryn Aranyosi

and Will Miller-Muir for

filling in when needed,

and all team members

for their impressive play

and dedication to attend-

ing all those morning and nutrition/recess break prac-

tices. You represented Mackenzie in a most impressive

manner.

The Grade 7 badminton team travelled to Fellowes

High School on Wednesday, April 30th for their tour-

nament. The team had an incredible day with many

highlights. At the end of the day, the Mackenzie team

won the tournament and bragging rights as Renfrew

County Elementary Interscholastic Athletic

Association‟s West Division champs for 2014!

Mackenzie finished both first and second in Boys‟

Doubles. First place went to Dominic Klukas and

Daniel Fritzsche and second place went to Luke Shi

and Nathan Griffiths. Stephen Chi finished second in

Boys‟ Singles, and Yamin Ben Letaifa and Breena

Chaput finished first in Mixed Doubles.

The team showed amazing spirit and sportsmanship

throughout the day and made their coach, Leo Wu,

and teacher supervisors, Mr. Ogilvie and Ms.

Raymond, very proud.

Team members were: Stephen Chi, Evan Whitlock,

Jiya Dadhiala, Jade Rabishaw, Dominic Klukas, Daniel

Fritzsche, Luke Shi, Nathan Griffiths, Breena Chaput,

Yamin Ben Letaifa, Aylanna Cox. Ava Yates, Avantika

Vaidya, Laura Chin, Brittany Boor, Aidin Chaput,

Alexander Wray and John-Michael Lance.

A special thank you to Alexander for keeping track of

the scores and schedules, and Aidin Chaput for being

the team photographer. The team wishes to thank Leo

Wu for coaching the team and sharing his badminton

expertise.

Grade 7 Badminton wins RCEIAA West Division Championship!

M A Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 7

Elementary Badminton Scenes from the Competition...

M A Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 8

May 30th is Crayon Day.

Dress like a crayon in a

solid colour and show

your MCS spirit.

April Spirit Day: Groovy MCS Hippies!

ELEMENTARY STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS

M A Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 9

Our Program line-up was:

1) Cassidy Walker - singing

2) Araav Pandher - piano “Ode to Joy”

3) Hannah VanMeter - singing “This Day Aria”

4) Fiona Ogilvie - poems

5) Paige Walker, Cameron Holt, Sydney Foster - singing

“Let It Go”

6) Aidan Davies - saxophone “Hedwig‟s Theme”

7) Ilinca Flacau - piano

8) Dana Griese - singing “Young Volcanoes”

9) Dominic Klukas - trombone “Hello My Baby”

10) Alison Baird - piano “16th Century March,

Sparkler”

11) Ella Garrick - acro “The Incredibles

12) Daniel Fritzsche & Dominic Klukas - instru-

ments “Bist du bei mir”

13) Aidan Davies - La Bamba

MACKENZIE’S GOT TALENT! On Tuesday, May 6th MCS elementary students were treated to an afternoon of song, instrumental music, and poetry reading, proving yet again that Mackenzie’s Got Talent!

M A Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 1 0

Mrs. Konyk „s Kindergarten class had an extra special treat watching eight baby

chicks hatch in their classroom. They also had a jar of tadpoles to observe.

M A Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 1 1

On Tuesday, May 13th, Constable Brela of the Deep River Police visited MCS to

hold a bicycle rodeo, helping students in grades 1-5 learn about bicycle safety

and the rules of the road.

M A Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 1 2

Mr. Ogilvie‟s Grade 7/8 class spent a spring day at the Four Seasons

Conservancy exploring the trails, identifying flora and fauna and soak-

ing up the nice weather.

M A Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 1 3

MCS Art Exhibit

SECONDARY NEWS

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same

time.” - Thomas Merton

M A Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 1 4

MCS Art and History classes visited the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec on Tuesday, May 6th.

M A Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 1 5

Mustangs Badminton

UOVHSAA

After a year off, like a Phoenix ris-

ing, Mack badminton is back in

black!

Following an impressive Junior re-

sult, the Varsity and Senior teams

simply dominated at the UOVHSAA championships

in Petawawa on April 16, 2014.

Seniors Shelley Liu and Isabella Ou won gold in

Girls Doubles in their debut as Mackenzie players.

Kelly Han and Jason Chang easily defeated all com-

ers in Mixed Doubles, including team mates Kayla

Taylor and Douglas Hamilton in the finals.

The re-tooled Varsity team brought home several

medals as well as the team trophy for most points.

Titles were claimed in three events: Karthik Kannan

won gold in Boys Singles, Leo Wu and Benny Yue

breezed through Boys Doubles, and the indomita-

ble team of Cindy Liu and Kevin Chi defeated last

year‟s Mixed Doubles champions in a thrilling final.

Honourable mention goes to the rookie team of

Amy Cheng and Max Guerout who very nearly up-

set the silver medallists and will prove a force in

years to come.

Special congratulations and many thanks to stal-

warts Aaron Pyke and Elvin Tse for their many

years of devotion to the badminton program at

Mackenzie.

Karthik, Kevin, Cindy, Leo and Benny went on to

compete at EOSSAA in Cornwall.

EOSSAA

In his first appearance at EOSSAA, Karthik Kannan

proved that he will be a force to be reckoned with

in his coming years as he put his stamp on Boys

Singles at the Eastern Ontario badminton champi-

onships in Cornwall. Cindy Liu and Kevin Chi also

made their presence felt at the tournament, win-

ning three out of five matches in round robin play,

and narrowly missing a chance at the semi-finals.

The dominant combination for Mackenzie was the

Boys Double team of Benny Yue and Leo Wu who

easily advanced into the finals and won gold in con-

vincing fashion, only dropping two sets out of their

seven best-of-three matches all day.

Their first place finish gave the Doubles team the

right to represent EOSSAA at OFSAA in Markham,

where they would take on the best players in the

province.

OFSAA

As always, the OFSAA badminton championships

provided excitement and energy from the prov-

ince‟s best. Leo Wu and Benny Yue represented

Mackenzie as EOSSAA‟s number one men‟s doubles

team, two amongst the over 300 athletes who

came together in Markham over the May 3rd week-

end.

In their first match, Leo and Benny surprised the

gallery by nearly upsetting the tournament favourite

in three sets. Maybe it was the Ichiban noodles, or

perhaps the microwaved Chunky stew that pro-

pelled Benny and Leo to win their second match of

the day, ensuring a place in the B-Flight. Unfortu-

nately, the pair came out a little flat in their third

match on Friday, and had to take an unexpected

early exit from the tournament. They did, however,

see some exceptional play at all levels and in all dis-

ciplines of their chosen sport. OFSAA, if nothing

else, certainly does leave spectators and competi-

tors in awe.

Congratulations are due to Leo and Benny on a

fantastic season. Their achievements this year have

helped to cement Mackenzie‟s badminton prowess

in the county, and our consistent presence in the

province.

M A Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 1 6

Enjoy this montage of photos from Mack‟s 2014 “Back in Black” badminton

season. Thanks to Mr. Kim for your dedication to our MCS teams!

M A Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 1 7

Attention Sports Fans!

May 14th was a great day on

the Arnprior District High

School track as Renfrew

County athletes showed off

their skills.

Mackenzie sent a bus load to

the meet with hopes of sending

some athletes to EOSSAA the

following week, and the team

did just that.

Molly Steer smashed the com-

petition in the 800 and 1500

meter. Toe Greenfield walked

away with the 800 title and

qualified for the 1500.

Aly Pruszkowski stole the 2nd

place title in the 800 and 1500,

and Pam Pyke won 1st in long

jump and 3rd in triple jump.

Kevin Chi, Derek Olstad and

Asa Dillenbeck just missed

qualifying in their events by one

place.

Hats off to our amazing ath-

letes!

Graduation News

There are still some potential grads that do

not have their 40 hours of community ser-

vice completed. The list of these students is

continually updated and posted in Student

Services. If you have service hours com-

pleted but have not handed these into the

office, please do this soon.

A reminder to Grads to continue to check

your OCAS and OUAC accounts for the

last round of admission offers and to make

sure you have accepted an offer before the

offer expires!

OSAP applications for the 2014-2015

school year are now available online at

https://osap.gov.on.ca.

Most local scholarship and bursary applica-

tions are now available in Student Services.

The last Grad Assembly, which deals with

the Grad Ceremony on June 26th, will take

place Wednesday, June 11th. It is very im-

portant that all Grads attend this assembly.

MACK TRACK & FIELD

M A Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 1 8

UOVHSAA SOCCER

The forecast called for thunderstorms and a washout of

the county championships at Riverside Park in Pembroke

on May 22nd, but after a sprinkle of rain in the morning

the day turned sunny, perfect for some great soccer.

Twenty-eight teams competed for the league trophies,

with many games decided in overtime and with shoot-

outs. Mackenzie fared well, and will send three of its four

teams to compete in the Eastern Ontario championships.

JUNIOR GIRLS

The Junior Girls soccer team finished off their season

with two solid games against RCI and Bishop Smith at

UOVHSAA.

In the first game Mackenzie won 4-1 over RCI with some

nice goals and penalty shot goals by Taylor Sims, Anna

Katsaras and Krista Tse.

In the second game, MCS played a fresh Bishop Smith

team. The girls battled hard but lost a nail-biter 1-0 in the

second half of overtime.

SENIOR GIRLS

Congratulations to the Senior Girls soccer team for their

wins against St. Joseph‟s and Bishop Smith at UOVHSAA..

The girls played hard and lost a tough game in the final to

Arnprior. All the girls played well and should be proud of

themselves.

JUNIOR BOYS

On May 22nd the Junior Boys competed at the county

championships in Pembroke.

In the semi-final game the boys fought hard and tri-

umphed with an overtime victory against St. Joseph‟s.

In the final, the team faced Fellowes, and took an early

lead with a goal from Blake Remus. Fellowes tied, sending

the game to overtime, but a shootout was needed for a

win. Alex Sonnenburg was solid against all the Fellowes

shooters, and Will Merrill-Armstrong netted the winner

to give the boys the County title. The team will compete

at OFSSAA for the Eastern Ontario crown.

SENIOR BOYS

The Senior Boys team performed well at the county play-

offs with a 3-1 win over Arnprior, and all goals scored by

Aaron Pyke.

An unfortunate loss to Fellowes ended their chances for

the County championship, but left one more game to

qualify for EOSSAA against Jeanne Lajoie.

After two scoreless periods and one scoreless overtime

period, Aaron Pyke scored again with an incredible cross

from Jerim Ryan. Special mention to P.J. Elliott and their

solid defensive line.

M A Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 1 9

Interact Club hosted their popular annual fundraiser, „Band Night‟ on Saturday,

April 26th in the large gym. A variety of musical acts played to a receptive audi-

ence, and Cogeco hosted and video-taped the event.

M A Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 2 0

May 30, Hoops for Hearts

May 30, Night without Shelter

May 30, SC Movie Night

June 2, School Council meeting

June 3, Softball Tournament in Pembroke

June 9, PA Day

June 11, Extra-curricular Banquet

June 18 to 24, Secondary Exams

June 21, Trekkers trip

June 26, Grade 12 grad

O P T I O N S

S K I L L E D T R A D E S

C A R E E R FA I R

The award-winning OPTIONS Skilled Trades Career

Fair program has been introducing youth in Renfrew

County to skilled trades career opportunities for

more than a decade.

This one-day showcase of apprenticeship training

has grown annually and now features 15 skilled

trades competitions involving more than 300 senior

high school students. Students compete in trades

such as culinary arts, welding, small engines, carpen-

try, automotive, and hairstyling.

This year, MCS entered four students in two catego-

ries.

Transportation: Patrick Lampman and Matthew

Douchant competed in the Small Engines competi-

tion. They not only completed a written exam on

the theory of their tools and how small engines

work, but had to perform under pressure with a

practical exam of trying to put together a com-

pletely disassembled engine and make it run. Well

done, guys!

Pairs Carpentry: Jerim Ryan and Cole Handspiker

competed in the Pairs Carpentry competition where

they were given a set of plans, some wood and

hardware, and were under the clock to build a pot-

ting bench. They were judged on safety, team com-

munication, proper working techniques, and accu-

racy of their structure. Their success and hard work

placed them 3rd in a category of 13 teams. Well

done, boys!

Special thanks to their coaches, Mr. Noel Foisy

(Transportation), and Mr. Steve Gravelle

(Carpentry), for their dedication and planning in

being able to attend this County-wide competition.

Secondary Dates to Remember