Nov 2nd, 2012 – The Academy’s new Guitar Club

YMCA Academy Beyond the Classroom

Bad Moon Rising.  Redemption Song.  I Will Walk 500 miles.  These are a few of the songs that members of the Academy’s new Guitar Club have been working on lately.  We meet a couple of times each week and practice chords, strumming and technique.  We are very grateful to several YMCA of Greater Toronto employees, such as Gerry, Shayna, Brandon and Erin for donating and lending some guitars so that we can all enjoy the music.  Stay “tuned” for news about the holiday talent show!!

Check out the rest of the pictures on our Facebook Page!

Oct 24th, 2012 – Breakdown Reaction Lab

YMCA Academy Experiential Learning, Science and Math

Breaking Down a Breakdown Reaction

In grade 10 science, the chemistry unit is primarily focused on chemical reactions.  Simply discussing the various types of chemical reactions and what they entail can be for many students a bit abstract. Luckily for chemistry, there are a lot of “cool” demonstrations (or demos as we call them in the biz) that can be utilized to visually represent the power, speed and awesomeness that chemical reactions can have.  One of the types of chemical reactions students learn about in grade 10 chemistry is a decomposition reaction in which a single reactant molecule breaks down into simpler constituents (parts).

2 H2O2 (l) à  2 H2O (l) + 02 (g)

On Monday October 15, our science class witnessed a decomposition reaction.  In particular this decomposition reaction was one used on the hit comedy series, The Big Bang Theory, and so aside from its “cool” factor, it also had pop culture factor and something the students could relate to.  The reaction is essentially the breakdown (decomposition) of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into water (H2O) and oxygen (O2). Hydrogen peroxide is a liquid substance that can be found in drug stores and is used on cuts.  The drug store variety of hydrogen peroxides, are only 3%.  The hydrogen peroxide we used for our demonstration was 6 and 30 percent (to make the outcome more dramatic).

To make the reaction go really fast we mixed yeast in warm water and added it to the hydrogen peroxide (the yeast speeding up the reaction significantly).  Added to the hydrogen peroxide before hand was food colouring (for cool effect), and ordinary dish soap.  The oxygen that is released during the decomposition is caught by the dish soap bubbles which causes the liquid to expand as it does.  The outcome is a fun and “cool” demonstration of a decomposition reaction, which is a lot better than simply describing its mechanics.

Check out the rest of the pictures on our Facebook Page!

Oct 22nd, 2012 – Invite to Parent Social

YMCA Academy Updates

You are invited to The YMCA Academy’s Parent Social

 

Wednesday Nov 7th, 2012
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
The YMCA Academy, Fireplace Lounge 2nd Floor

Please join us for a wine and cheese reception honouring our alumni, current and prospective parents.

RSVP by phone 416-928-0124 Ext 0 OR email: bonita.ip@ymcagta.org

Oct 17th, 2012 – Cedar Glen Details (Packing List)

YMCA Academy Updates

Dear Parents / Guardians,

Just a reminder that the Pine Crest trip is tomorrow (Thursday – October 18th)!!  The bus will be leaving the Academy at 9:30am and so we are asking students to be at the school by 9am tomorrow morning.

Attached is another copy of the packing list for your reference.  Depending on traffic, we should be back at the Academy at around 2:30pm on Friday (October 19th).

Should you have any questions about trip tomorrow, please don’t hesitate to contact us at the Academy.

YMCA Cedar Glen Packing List

This list is a general guideline of what a participant would need or use while at Cedar Glen. Each group will take part in different activities and weather conditions. Depending on the length of your visit, the programs you will be taking part in and the weather forecast you may choose to bring more or less of these items.

What to bring to camp:
• Bedding (Sleeping bag, Pillow and additional blankets if a colder time of year)
• Footwear (Running shoes or Hiking Boots (with closed toes) and Sandals with back straps are acceptable. We consider flip-flops to be a safety risk due to our natural setting)
• Clothing (Socks, Underwear, T-shirts, Shorts (amount depending on length of your stay)
• Warm Clothing (Jacket, Long pants (sweats instead of jeans), Long sleeve t-shirts, Sweater)
• Sun Protection (Hat, Sunscreen)
• Rain Wear (Rain Coat, Rain Pants, extra shoes or boots)
• Night Time (Pajamas, Toothbrush, Toothpaste)
• Extras (Insect Repellent, *Flash Light with extra batteries*, *Water Bottle*, Alarm Clock/Watch, Lip Balm, Brush/Comb, Camera)

Please do not bring the following:
• Pocket knives
• Matches
• Cellular telephones
• Pagers
• Electronic toys or devices
• Walkmans, iPods, Discmans or MP3 players
• Radios, stereos, etc
• *Any product with nuts in it*
• Candy, gum, soft drinks, junk food
• Hair dryers
• Non-prescription drugs or alcohol
• Any valuables

Oct 17th, 2012 – Evergreen Stewardship Fall

YMCA Academy Community, Environmental Stewardship, Experiential Learning

On October 12, 2012 the YMCA Academy made its annual fall trek to Evergreen Downsview as part of our yearly environmental stewardship initiative.  It was a cold and at points windy day, but this did not deter our students.  With shovels in hand the Academy planted 165 trees and shrubs, helping reforest Downsview Park for the third year in a row. We look forward to matching or bettering the number of trees planted when we make our second trek in the spring.

Check out the rest of the pictures on our Facebook Page!