Celebrating Black History Month

YMCA Academy Arts, Beyond the Classroom, Community, Experiential Learning, YMCA of Greater Toronto No Comments

Happy Black History Month from the YMCA Academy! We’ve been busy celebrating, learning and participating in many exciting events the last couple of weeks. The senior art class took a trip to the AGO to see the artworks of the infamous New York artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. “Now’s the Time” is the first retrospective of Basquiat to ever hit a Canadian gallery!

Several Academy students also participated in the YMCA of Greater Toronto’s first ever Black History Month Youth Committee event. Keynote speakers, education workshops and a tasty Caribbean lunch brought together many youth from organizations around the GTA. A huge thanks and congratulations to the following students for their performances and assistance: Tristan A, Alex, Emily, Mahadir, Evan, Quinn and Lindsey.

Lastly, UMOJA, a group of multi-talented dancers, writers and educators, came all the way from Montreal to perform and share the history and meaning of a dance called “stepping.” They had a Black History Month quiz, moving and inspirational spoken word performances, and even invited us all to move our chairs out of the way and try a few moves. To echo Steev from UMOJA, WE ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL.

 

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

Pickle Farm Construction

YMCA Academy Environmental Stewardship, Experiential Learning No Comments

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A group of collaborators from The YMCA Academy, The YMCA of Greater Toronto, Greenwood College, Rebekka Hutton of Alchemy Pickles and artist Micah Donovan were involved in developing a living sculpture capable of growing food. We came together to create a unique form of sculpture that will yield chard, cucumbers, radishes, carrots, herbs and other plants capable of transforming into pickles, chutneys, and preserves.

 

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On February 19, 2015, we came together for one final session to put the final sculpture together.
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We created our own special blend of soil using coir, worm casts from our in-house worm condo, and composted yard waste.
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We planted in the clay pieces that we created last semester and chose what will be our first harvest and took special care labelling what was planted and arranging the pots in the sculpture. 

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A special thank-you to the numerous people who have worked so hard over the years to make this day a reality. We will see you in a couple of months for an update on our harvest.

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

School Closed due to weather

YMCA Academy Updates No Comments

Dear Parents / Guardians,

School is closed today (Monday February 2nd) due to weather conditions.

Classes will resume on Tuesday February 3rd.

Exam Information and Schedules

YMCA Academy Updates No Comments

Dear Parents/Guardians and Students:

Our 1st semester is coming to a close, and there are several important pieces of information that we want to communicate to you.

Semester 1 Final Examinations:

The last day of regular classes for Semester 1 is Tuesday January 20th, 2015.

The examination schedule is enclosed.  Students will also be provided with a copy of this schedule.

As you will see, there are 3 examination days – Wednesday, January 21st; Thursday, January 22nd; and Friday, January 23rd.  Examinations are held in the morning and in the afternoon.  Not all students have an examination on each day, so please check the schedule carefully to ensure that your son/daughter comes to school on the right day for the right exam.

Absences:  If a student is absent on a final exam day, a phone call from a parent/guardian and a medical note will be required and a make-up examination will have to be written as soon as possible. If no medical documentation is received, a grade of zero will be recorded for the examination.

Study Hall:  We are providing a supervised Study Hall on all examination days on Wednesday January 21st and Thursday January 22nd.  If students are in the school on an exam day, they are expected to be in one of two places:  either writing an examination or in the study hall.  If students are not writing an examination and do not want to attend study hall, they will be asked to leave the school, as we need to ensure an atmosphere of quiet and respect for the other students who are writing their examination.

Personal Items and Electronic Devices:  Students need to be aware that during examinations, they will not be allowed to keep any of their personal items with them.  This includes cell phones, iPods (and similar devices), electronic devices, classroom notes, textbooks, and/or personal calculators (unless allowed specifically by the classroom teacher and designated beforehand).  Students need to come prepared with writing utensils.

Outstanding Materials:  All outstanding library books and materials, as well as Academy-owned textbooks, are to be returned on (or by) the exam day.

If you have any questions about the upcoming examinations, please call the Academy at (416) 928-0124 ext “0”.

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White Ribbon Voices Session

YMCA Academy Beyond the Classroom, Community No Comments

The YMCA Academy welcomed Jeff Perera, Community Engagement Manager for the White Ribbon Campaign, for our first VOICES event of the new year.  The White Ribbon Campaign is the world’s largest effort to engage men in ending violence against women, and Jeff had some very interesting food for thought about how men of all ages can help redefine masculinity in a healthier way.  We are very excited at the prospect of continuing our work with Jeff through the “Make the Call” program in connection with the Toronto Argonauts.  Make The Call empowers and inspire students to engage their peers and communities in becoming aware of and ending all forms of violence against women and girls.  Thanks Jeff, and we’ll see you soon!

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