VISIONS
Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School

Notre Dame
Secondary School

2 Notre Dame Avenue,
Brampton Ontario
L6Z 4L5



Phone:
905-840-2802
Fax: 905.846.2625
Superintendent:
Denise Oude-Reimerink
Principal:
John Lezon

Vice Principal(s):
Benson Amun
Peter Petruccelli
Gina Renda

Trustee:
Anna Podesta-da Silva
(Ward 1)
Darryl D’Souza
(Ward 2)
Newsletter Date: June 2015.
From the Chaplain
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as
yourself.” (Luke 10:27)
Our pastoral theme for 2014-15 was "Called to Wholeness: Mind, Body, Spirit". The real reason we exist as a Catholic Secondary School is our belief in
Jesus Christ, our Saviour, Teacher, and Lord. Christ calls us to reach our full
potential, spiritually, socially, physically, mentally, intellectually, and emotionally. If we cut off one part of our self, we can't expect to flourish and grow
into a balanced human being. Each of us, Catholic or non-Catholic, student,
staff, or parent, must take responsibility for our true identity. Being part of a
Catholic faith community, educational and parish and family, requires our full
cooperation with God's will in seeking the Truth. There are many temptations
to "do our own thing", but we are all part of the Body of Christ and therefore
must seek the good of all, not just the individual good.
This year, we celebrated the common good and built up the Body of Christ in
many ways: retreats, liturgies, Holy Thursday Passion Play, Nicaragua solidarity trip, Culture Shock, ThinkFast, and our first-ever walking pilgrimage to St.
Leonard's Church where we celebrated Catholic Education Week with Easter
Season Masses led by Fr. Eric Mah. Both Fr. Eric and our supportive Pastor Fr.
John Noson have been key faith leaders this year for our school, through 7:45
am Masses in our Chapel, Reconciliation, Advent Masses, all-day Adoration of
the Eucharist, grade 10 retreats hosted in the church basement, and many
more new initiatives in our parish-school relationship.
Remember that you are not just a social or intellectual being; you are destined
for greatness by reaching your full God-given potential in life. Keep reaching
for the heavens and you will be able to have it all!
Ms Genevieve Anderson
Chaplaincy Leader
Page 2
VISIONS
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
As another school year comes to a close, I would like to extend my best wishes to everyone as we
move into summer vacation.
To our class of 2015, all the best in your future. Make the most of the opportunities that are presented
to you. Thank you for everything you have done to make Notre Dame a great school.
The students that are returning to Notre Dame, have a restful summer and we will see you in September re-energized and ready to go.
I would like to thank the staff who have contributed their time and talents to the students of Notre
Dame, both in the classroom and outside of the class. Your willingness to help is greatly appreciated by
students and parents.
I would like to wish Mr. Gill and Mr. Farrugia all of the best in their retirement. Thank you for your
years at Notre Dame. Enjoy your retirement.
Mr.Amun who will be moving to St. Roch in September. Thank you for 8 years at Notre Dame. Your
dedication and support of students and staff will be missed.
I would like to welcome Mrs. L. Deme who will be our new Vice Principal in September.
We have experienced our own baby boom at Notre Dame. This year we have welcomed or will be
welcome nine babies into our extended Notre Dame family. I wish all of our new parents the best .
Have a restful summer break, be safe and we will see you back here in September.
God Bless
John Lezon
Safety First when dropping students off at school
The safety of all children and staff must be considered as paramount at all times when dropping
students off at school.
The number of serious incidents related to traffic circulation at the front of the school in the
morning arrival and afternoon dismissal has risen. These incidents include vehicles entering the
site in the wrong direction, parking and pulling our of no parking zones, parking in bus lanes, to
name a few.
It is imperative that all parents and guardians who drive their children to school adhere to the traffic circulation plan and comply with the traffic and parking signage on the site. It is equally imperative that all drivers follow the direction of staff managing the traffic circulation on the school site.
Thank you for your consideration and co-operation with this important matter.
Page 3
Catholic Education Week
Exploring Paths of Joy
Notre Dame Student walk to
St. Leonard Church
Page 4
Notre Dame Art Students Visit Woodhall Seniors’ Home
Notre Dame Art Students travelled to Brampton's Woodhall Seniors' Home to exhibit their art
on Tuesday, May 26th. We all know how awesome N.D. artists are, but to see the delight in
the eyes of the elderly who came to experience the art - was unforgettable! Not only was
there art to view and music to hear, but the students presented the female seniors with a
student-made, fused glass neckace to keep. Each elderly resident also selected a drawing,
painting or photograph as a gift from the artists. The mood was electric and Notre Dame's
motto of Justice, Love and Peace was definitely felt by all. Art teacher Mrs. Mary Ellen Chapman is so proud of these students and their weekly contributions to making this event so
successful!
Page 5
Modern Department
The highlight of Semester One for the ND Moderns Department, and for the entire school as well, was the Notre Dame Parisian Café. Madame D’Amico-Cipriano and Mademoiselle Dolson dazzled students, staff and parents with their incredible
organizational skills and imagination as they magically transformed the ND Library into the city of Paris. We were all
treated to many of the visual delights of Paris, namely artistic representations of the famous historical and tourist attractions of the City of Lights, along with the sensory delights of a typical “Café Parisien”, the delicious aroma of café
au lait, croissants and other French pastries. These sweets were all created and served by our very professional ND student “ serveurs/serveuses” under the guidance of Ms. Schulde.
Mme Ferlisi’s Grade 9 and 10 French classes had the opportunity to see the musical “Les Misérables” at the Rose Theatre in Brampton. As well, during the Christmas season the Italian class spent a day touring the Columbus Centre in Toronto. The students viewed the many “Presepi” ( Nativity
Scenes ) from all over the world and also had a delicious
four course “Pranzo” ( meal ) at the Bocaccio Ristorante.
The Moderns Dept. also had a most exciting and unique
opportunity as host to two very enthusiastic, professional
and talented student teachers during Semester 2 : Mlle
Josephine Beckford from U of T, Mlle Grace Brnjac from
York University, and we also had Mlle Graziella Mastrangelo from the University of Western Ontario who audited and
observed the French lessons in our classrooms. All the ND
French students thoroughly enjoyed the student-teachers’
engaging and interactive lessons which often included the
latest technology.
For the second year in a row Notre Dame French students
excelled at the annual “Concours secondaire d’art oratoire
(French Speech Contest- High School Level, which took place in March at the CEC. Four of our best and brightest bilingual students were awarded the following prizes: Mohammed Odusanya placed first in the Gr. 11, 12 Core Category for
his speech entitled: “Chacun a sa propre histoire” ( “ Each
One of Us Has a Personal Story to Tell” ). Most recently,
more congratulations were in order for Mohammed as he
was awarded second place in the provincial finals of the
Concours d’art oratoire in May! Julia Alvi placed first in the
Gr. 9, 10 Core category for her speech, “L’alimentation
saine “( Nutritious Foods ) and Erica Foronda was awarded
second place in the Gr. 9,10 Extended French Category for
her speech “ Le secret de la félicité “ ( The Secret of Happiness ). Nicole Matusiak placed fourth in the most challenging category, Gr. 11, 12 Extended French, for her
speech, “ Les gauchers “ ( Left-handed People ).
Page 6
Modern Department cont’d
As well, in Semester two Mme Ferlisi accompanied her students to the Colossus Theatre to view “Italo Barocco”, one of
the most popular Italian films released in 2014. The film
was based on a true story of a life-altering friendship between a stray dog and a young boy. It was a great experience to have the director of the film speak to the students
during a question and answer period at the end of the
screening.
Once again, as is tradition, Notre Dame took part in the
province-wide Concorso of Italian language and Culture
held by the Ontario Association of Teachers of Italian. Students of all backgrounds submitted wonderful works of art
and poetry for the Open Artistic Expression category:
Victoria Buda -painting- Creation of Adam
Diana Tatangelo -poster- Albero Geneologico
Mario Saenz-Mora –poem - A una madre
Zaynah Oslei -glass mosaic- Broken Mona
Julia Alvi- framed painting- Mona Lisa
Aafia Javed - sketches of Italian Architecture using Conte’s
medium
In May Mme Ferlisi and the student-teachers Mlle Brnjac
and Mlle Mastrangelo treated their Grade 9 students to delicious dessert crêpes and, as well, these lucky students travelled to downtown Toronto to watch an ICFF foreign film
screening at the TIFF Bell LightBox Theatre. As a finale and
for Culture Shock, they also hosted the Italian Pavilion featuring a variety of Italian delicacies and sweet treats.
Page 7
News from the Business/ Co-op/Computer and Technology Department
BUSINESS:
van Ryck deGroot, Cynthia
Hey Deb, The DECA Provincial competition had some great competitors: Mah Laqa Chaudhary placed top ten
in her category Mariam Rafo also placed top ten and went to Internationals in Anaheim, California Liam Weld
and Steven Simard placed top ten in orals.
Thu 12:47 PM
Fourteen successful DECA students moved on to the DECA Provincials Competition held in Toronto in February. This proved to be a great business and networking event for students.
The students of both business studies and computers made their trek to Playdium again this past
month of May to learn more about careers in video game design, video game programming and the
business side of games promotion.
On May 12 several aspiring accountants made their way to the Royal York Hotel to participate in
The No Limits Conference sponsored by CPA Ontario. In attendance were Deniesha Cabauatan,
Swati Kumar, Ralph Ocray, Hamza Mohammad, Joey Senaratne, Mahad Shahzad, Thomas Varghese,
Taig Jassar, and Manveer Thandi.
COMPUTER STUDIES:
On Friday April 24, three supremely gifted computer science 12U female students, Camille Mallari,
Maithali Gadhok, and Denise Morales, participated in "DigiGirlz" - an event hosted by Microsoft to
help expose girls to careers in the technology field.
There were a number of high profile female employees from Microsoft and other software developing giants (such as Ubisoft, makers of Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and
Rainbow Six) sharing their stories of humble beginnings and inspiring girls that they don't have to be
intimidated by a field dominated by men, nor do they have to be a computer genius to work at a
tech company.
The event's pinnacle was reached when Mississauga's mayor Bonnie Crombie came in and addressed
the girls and took a picture with the event's participants. The girls also had an opportunity to start networking not only with current Microsoft employees,
but maybe with future Microsoft employees as well.
They also had learned things such as creating simple
apps and games and had hands on experience with Microsoft's Surface tablet and top of the line Windows
computers.
All in all, it was a great day at a great facility and a wonderful experience for all those who attended.
Page 8
CO-OPERATIVE EDUCATION:
Co-operative Education is a program that allows students to combine classroom theory with experience
in the workplace. Our students have successfully
completed their pre-placement component including
Passport to Safety, Ontario Skills Passport and My
Blueprint career planning.
They have been at their placements for the last four
months gaining valuable work experience, improving
their employment prospects and exploring a variety
of career opportunities. These students will be able
to make more informed decisions about their future
goals, careers and education. Some of the careers
that the students are exploring include teaching, hospitality, retail, auto mechanics, physiotherapy, daycare, hair dressing, veterinarian, senior citizens
care, manufacturing, flooring, recording studio vocals and technician and Rogers T.V. production.
On May 12, 2015, the co-operative education students hosted a Career Show case in which they
displayed their backboards and demonstrated the skills they learned at their placements. Many
community organizations, parents and employers participated and personally expressed their appreciation of the program.
DUAL CREDIT PROGRAMMES:
Students in the co-op program, can enroll in a college course and receive real college credits for
next year. These college credits also count as high school credits this year (2 for 1). In addition,
the Ministry of Education pays for and provides courses, books, and transportation to and from the
colleges. We had many successful students complete their dual credits at Sheridan College in Construction, Electrical, Intro to Canadian Justice, as well as at Humber College in Criminology and
George Brown for Culinary Desserts. Some of the other programs offered include, Early Childhood Education, Hospitality, Cook apprentice, Spa Management, Esthetics, Automotive, Intro to
web design, Plumbing, Physical Fitness, and Art Fundaments and more.
TECHNOLOGY:
On Thursday April 9, 2015, a team from Notre Dame traveled to Skills Canada Competition in
Mississauga to compete against other schools from Dufferin-Peel Ontario. The contests are in the
area of Technological Education. After a full day of intense competition against the best students
from our board, Notre Dame had a fine showing. Congratulations to David Alam who won a gold
medal in cabinetmaking and Colum Boyne who won a bronze in the single carpenter in our local
Dufferin-Peel competition. David then advanced to Kitchener where he competed in the Cabinetmaking part of the competition against schools from all over Southern Ontario. David finished in
23rd place among 36 other competitors. Congratulations to our team members who put forth an
outstanding effort in this competition and helped to keep Notre Dame’s technology programs successful and growing.
Page 9
Skills Canada
On Thursday April 9, 2015, Construction/Woodworking students from Notre Dame
traveled to Philip Pocock Secondary School to compete against other schools from the
Dufferin-Peel School Board in the
Skills Canada competition. These
contests are in the area of Technological Education.
After a full day of intense rivalry
against the best students from these
other schools within our board,
Notre Dame was successful in the
competition. Congratulations to David Alam who brought home a gold
medal in the Cabinetmaking competition. And to Colum Boyne who
brought home a bronze medal in the
single Carpenter competition.
Page 10
Notre Dame Social Justice; Nicaragua
After months of preparation, the ND Nicaragua Social
Team traveled to Nicaragua from March 07-17,
2015. During our stay we traveled through the barrios (poor neighborhoods) and the affluent areas in
an attempt to better understand local and global disparity. We participated in global education conferences and various other events as they increased our
understanding of some of the many social injustices
which occur around the world.
The majority of our stay however was spent in the
rural and impoverished community of Santa
Julia. While there the group worked with, lived with,
and learned from the local community. We
worked together to help construct 32 latrines
(outhouses) as up to 60% of the community did not
have a bathroom facility of their own. The project
was paid for through the fundraising efforts of the ND
Nicaragua Social Justice Team and the ND community as a whole. While the project was an honor to
work on, it is the bonds we created with the community that will live long with us in our hearts and in
our minds forever. We are extremely grateful for the
opportunity we were given to work hand-in-hand with
the community as we created bonds of solidarity. After
all, in the words of the great Martin Luther King
Jr. "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice Everywhere".
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Notre Dame
2014 - 2015
As this school year comes to a close, we are excited to celebrate the experiences and successes of
our students in the International Baccalaureate Programme. We have officially completed our 18th year as
an IB school and can proudly state that we are consistently working above the world standard in IB!
Through combined effort, our staff and students contribute to Notre Dame’s success by working with passion and diligence to meet the particular and exacting challenges that such a program presents within a secondary school. With the leadership of our Principal and through exemplary teaching practices in the classroom, our students have a first class experience that is reflected in their academic performance and community contributions. Our students are always willing to offer a helping hand and give back to those in need. In
fact, staff continuously comment on their positive interactions with IB students.
This special IB experience is comprised of some key elements: faith, global perspective, cultural sensitivity
and diversity, and academic rigor. Collectively, the individual components of the IB Diploma Programme
inspire excellence within each student. In addition, as an extension of the Catholic educational experience,
our IB students exemplify the virtues of Humility, Diligence, and Temperance, which will serve all of us well
in the future. Our IB student body is nothing short of EXTRAORDINARY and EXCEPTIONAL! Congratulations
to the IB Diploma Graduates of 2015, and all the best to you in your future endeavors!
Sincerely, Mr. Petruccelli
Page 12
English/ELL Department News
It has been an exciting year in the English/ELL Department at Notre Dame! The English/ELL teachers have worked to further develop curriculum and to make their classes exciting and informative. Courses were offered at many levels, including Pre-IB and IB,
thereby ensuring opportunities for rich learning experiences for all students. Although the OSSLT is a literacy test based on school
wide curriculum expectations, Notre Dame’s English/ELL teachers made a special effort to ensure those expectations were reflected
in assignments and exams written by junior students.
Our Department was also fortunate to be a part of many school-wide initiatives designed to enrich the learning experience of Notre
Dame’s young people. Teachers worked on initiatives that were part of Program Council and Literacy.
This year, the English Department offered interesting trips to enhance the delivery of curriculum during first and second semesters.
The trips provided additional learning opportunities for students, while also enhancing the delivery of the curriculum.
As always, change is inevitable in the Department. The English/ELL Department would like to congratulate Ms Chong on the birth of
her first child, a daughter! In her absence, the students at Notre Dame were fortunate to experience, as a teacher Ms Mikan. We
have also been fortunate to work with Mr. Adusei, who was in for Ms Mesa during first semester, and fortunately stayed with us all
year! Both young professionals are a credit to the Department and to their profession!
The members of the English/ELL Department strive to have at the centre of the Department’s vision, a purpose that will enhance
the educational experience of Notre Dame’s students. Many of our teachers devote much of their time before and after school to
offer extra academic assistance to students, and to work as club advisors and coaches. We wish all ND students the best of luck on
their exams and in all their future endeavours!!
Science Department
On May 12, to compliment the Ecology &
Ecosystems Unit in Gr. 9 Science, students
had the amazing opportunity to attend a
show presented by Hamilton Reptile where
they were able to see and touch reptiles
from all over the world. Students
learned about the different roles reptiles
have in their ecosystem, their habitats and
their threats. They loved interacting with all
the various reptiles such as a blue-tongued
skink, an African bullfrog and Hamilton Reptile's most famous reptile, Marshmallow, a
70 pound albino Burmese python.
Page 13
Good Bye and Thank You Mr. Amun.
Another school year comes to an end as well as my 8 years at Notre Dame Catholic Secondary
School. I would like to thank you all for your dedication and commitment to the Notre Dame
School community. As Mother Teresa said, “We cannot do great things, only small things with
great love”. Truly, you have all done many wonderful things these years with great love and for that
you have my gratitude.
When we have common goals and a shared vision, wonderful things happen in a school community.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for sharing those common goals and vision and
helping to build a wonderful school community. When I look back the past eight years, I am very
proud of the many accomplishments we have achieved by working together as a team.
I will be remiss if I didn’t thank John, Gina, Peter, the office staff and the whole staff for your support, kindness and the most thoughtful and generous gift. I hope you enjoy a well-deserved and relaxing summer holiday. Enjoy this special time with family and friends.
God Bless
Benson
“An Open
Thank-you Letter to Notre Dame”
By: Genevieve Guerra
On September 12th 2014 my life changed; I had a massive stroke while attending our staff meeting at the beginning of the school
year. Thanks to a few staff members who were very well prepared in health and safety, they knew that I was having a stroke, and
called 911. I was rushed to Trillium Hospital where they confirmed what our health and safety experts on staff suspected was happening to me; i was having a massive stroke.
I had to stay at Trillium for a month. The doctors told me that the left side of my body was paralyzed and that is when the
work began trying to sit up straight without help and trying to stand up on my own and take my first step, which was one of the
scariest things I had done in a long time.
Since my entire left side was paralyzed I had no sense of where it was in space therefore making it hard to balance. I basically had to put my full trust in my rehab therapists that they would catch me if I lost my balance and fell. Taking that first step needed a lot of encouragement and motivation and so I visualized walking into my classroom and standing in front of my students. That
has been my number one motivation for the past nine months as I go through my physical therapy which at times is painful, tiring and
scary. Along with picturing my classroom and my students another very important support system have been the prayers and get
well messages/cards I have received from staff and students. These have meant the world to me especially on those days when I just
wanted the nightmare to end and I want to go back to the way life was.
An average healthy 36 year old starting out in her career and being blessed to have found a job that really doesn’t feel like
work at all instead absolute pleasure joking with my students in class and fun banter with the ladies I get to share my “office closet”
with. I miss it all so much. Being away for almost a year has been very difficult; however, I guess the teacher in me keeps on thinking
of how all of this can be transferred into a lesson for the equity class or IB Theory of Knowledge. I have gone from being an able
bodied person to a person with a disability, confined to a wheelchair, but now walking proudly with a cane. My next step over the
summer is to work on getting my left arm to hopefully also recover from the effects of my massive stroke; I will then march into
Notre Dame in 2015-2016 ready to be part of that great community again.
Page 14
Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School
Improved Traffic Flow Patterns
In order to improve traffic flow around Notre Dame please observe the
following traffic rules.
 All traffic around the building is one way. Traffic will enter using the driveway
nearest to Kennedy Road and exit using the driveway nearest Richvale Drive.
Please watch for pedestrians when driving around the building .
 Large busses will drop students off on driveway beside staff parking lot.
 When dropping off students please move along the front drive. There is a second
set of doors halfway down the front drive students can use to enter the building.
Don’t stop at the front doors or in the main driveway.
 Please don’t stop on the driveway waiting for your students, please keep the traffic
moving.
 Please allow busses the right of way when exiting the property.
 If you are dropping students off on Notre Dame Avenue, please stop between the
two driveways not before the first driveway .
Notre Dame Construction Projects
Over the summer there will be a number of construction projects taking place.
There will be work done in the music room , one of our PIP classrooms and the tennis courts will be repaired. All work will be completed for the start of school in September.
Page 15
NOTRE DAME SCHOOL
COUNCIL
2015
ANNUAL USED UNIFORM SALE
SALE DATES AT NOTRE DAME ARE:
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
STARTING AT 11 AM WHILE QUANTITIES LAST
ALL ITEMS ARE SOLD FOR $10 EACH. CASH
ONLY!
SALE WILL OCCUR IN THE SCHOOL
CAFETERIA
NOTRE DAME
CATHOLIC
SECONDARY
SCHOOL

2 Notre Dame Avenue,
Brampton Ontario
L6Z 4L5

Phone:
905-840-2802
WWW.DPCDSB.ORG/
NDAME
FOLLOW US ON
TWITTER:
@Note_Dame_CSS
Message from Trustee
Thank you for Choosing a Dufferin-Peel Catholic Education
Dear Parents and Guardians:
It seems that, all of a sudden, summer weather is upon us and so, incredibly, is the end of the 2014-15
school year. As we reflect back over the year, we can see that it was, in fact, a very successful year for
Dufferin-Peel students in terms of achievement, success and well-being. With steadily rising EQAO
scores, matching or surpassing the provincial standard and averages in most assessment areas, and graduation rates that are among the highest in the province, this board continues to be defined, in part, by
our high levels of success and achievement. Yet, we are much more than that. Our commitment to
helping each student fulfil their potential, through the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations,
means that our students graduate with the tools to become good, solid contributing members of the
communities in which they will live.
As trustees, we see the contribution of dedicated teaching and support staff, administrators and senior
management working together with trustees facilitate conditions that we can to facilitate success. We
also see, firsthand, the important role of our parents/guardians, working in concert with the school and
the parish in fostering conditions for success and well-being.
So, as we complete the final leg of the journey that is the 2014-15 school year, we thank parents/
guardians for choosing a Dufferin-Peel Catholic education for your child(ren) and for entrusting them
into our care. It is a responsibility for which we are grateful and one that we cherish very much. To our
students, thank you for all you have done to contribute to the life of your school. For those who are
graduating and moving on to post-secondary education or the world of work, may God continue to go
with you and bless you on your journey. To our returning students and families, we look forward to
seeing you in September.
Blessings and best wishes for a peaceful and restful summer.
Darryl D’Souza
Important Dates:
September 8
September 15&16
September 18
September 21
October 12
October 22
November 4
December 21January 1
January 4
January 26February 1
February 4
February 12
March 14-18
March 31
March 31
April 22
June 20-24
First Day of Classes
Photo Day
PA Day
School Council Meeting
Thanksgiving (No School)
Parent Teacher Interviews
Take your Kids To Work ( Grade 9 )
Christmas Break
School Starts
Semester 1 Final Exams
Start of Semester 2
Semester 1 Final Reports Home
Spring Break
EQAO Literacy Test
Semester 2 Parent Teacher Interviews
Semester 2 Mid Term Reports Home
Semester 2 Final Exams