Grade 10 art students are about to uncover the Secrets of Animation at a special workshop at the National Film Board of Canada this Thursday December 16th! Students will create claymation characters in the animation studio at the NFB and use contemporary equipment to capture motion one frame at a time. Students have been learning about all kinds of animation, from how to draw on celluloid film strips like the famous Canadian animator Norman McLaren to the wacky world of Tim Burton’s characters and storylines. One of our students gave a lesson on the history and development of early cartoon characters like Felix the Cat and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Stay tuned for postings of the NFB claymation workshop!
Dec. 14th, 2010 – Fashion Club a great success
With the help of our volunteers Peggy and Valerie, Academy students have been active in our first every fashion club every Wednesday this semester! The students are just about finished their hand-made tote bags and will unveil their creations at our upcoming talent show. Students chose their own fabric and followed a simple pattern to create a practical yet stylish bag.
Dec. 14th, 2010 – Never Too Old to Use Blocks!
Building blocks and other manipulatives are used in a math class to help the students understand abstract concepts at a tangible level.
The grade 10 math class started a new unit today on quadratic equations. They were given a real life situation: Luisa is designing an apartment building in a pyramid design. Each apartment is a square. She wants to know how many apartments can be built in this design as the number of apartments on the ground floor increases.
The students created the apartment building, collected the data using connecting cubes and graphed the relationship.
Dec. 13th, 2010 – Upcoming Events Schedule
Dear Parents/Guardians:
Just a few reminders about upcoming events/important dates:
- Wednesday, December 15th is the 2nd annual YMCA Academy Talent show. It will take place at 1:30 p.m. on the 9th floor auditorium (here at 42 Charles Street E – same building as the Academy) and will feature talented acts from Academy students and YMCA staff members alike. Some of our performances this year include a barbershop quartet, a rap twist on a classic tune, exotic musical instrument solos, a daycare holiday video and many more. All are welcome to attend. Please RSVP to bonita.ip@ymcagta.org or call the Academy at 416-928-0124 ext. “0.” We will be collecting donations for the Strong Kids Campaign at the door.
- Friday, December 17th is the last day of classes before we break for the holidays – students are expected to be in school on Friday and attendance calls/e-mails will be made if students are not here.
- The first day of classes in the new year is Tuesday, January 4th, 2011.
Dec. 10th, 2010 – YSAP Peer Mentor Presentation
The Grade 11 Health Care Class (TPJ3M) completed their peer-mentor training yesterday. The training culminated in a school-wide drug and alcohol awareness presentation. The peer-mentors shared their knowledge on:
1. Drug classification
2. The continuum of use
3. Harm Reduction Strategies
Students at The Academy watched skits, participated in discussion and dispelled myths through activities.
If you are a student with drug or alcohol questions and want to speak to a peer ~ feel free to approach any of the Academy’s peer-mentors:
- Sarah
- Ben
- Jamie
- Jaden
- Andrew
- Carson
- Matt
- and Alex C
For more information or to book an appointment with a YSAP counsellors, call:
YSAP (Youth Substance Abuse Program)
Phone: (416) 504-9701
485 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON M5V 2A9
Neighbourhood: Queen Street West
