Nov. 6th, 2013 – A Place to Stand

YMCA Academy Experiential Learning, Science and Math

Archimedes (of Eureka fame) provided explanations of how levers worked and is purposed to have said, “Give me a place to stand and with a lever I will move the whole world.” But what is a lever and how does it provide mechanical advantage? The grade 12 physics class set out to find out by performing a lab to answer the questions (1) What class of lever is a door, and (2) how does the length of the effort arm in a lever system affect the lever’s mechanical advantage? With just a tape measure, post it notes, their index fingers and their minds, they set up their experiments and pushed their way to the answers.

 

Nov. 5th, 2013 – Monster Madness Workshops

YMCA Academy Arts, Experiential Learning

To celebrate the changing leaves and spooky season, the grade 11 Media Arts and grade 10 Visual Arts classes teamed up for a monster-themed unit.  Brampton artist David Irvine visited the Academy and brought with him several of his original pieces, including a decorated light bulb, a table leg creature and stunningly painted jewelry boxes.  He also gave each student a print of one of his signed sketches as gifts!  Students are using his timed-limited daily art practice and creating “monsters” every class for a week using different media.  The next day, students participated in an exciting workshop at the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art where they learned about the history of medieval art and gargoyles.  In the amazing basement studio, students learned techniques for working with clay and created their own unique creatures.  Once these pieces are fired in a kiln, the group will return to apply coloured glazes to finish them off.  A special thanks goes out to our volunteer and Academy alumnus Jessie for helping us with this unit.  Happy fall everyone!

Monster-A-Day workshop with David Irvine:

Gargoyle Workshop at the Gardiner Museum:

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

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

Oct. 29th, 2013 – Upcoming Event Fall Open House

YMCA Academy Events

Discover The YMCA Academy! Tour the school, meet our teachers and staff, and get details about our unique Special Education programming at our next Open House event:

2013 FALL OPEN HOUSE
Saturday November 2nd
11:00am-1:00pm

We’re located at 15 Breadalbane Street, Toronto — in the Central YMCA, near Yonge and College streets and College subway station.

For more information about this event, check out our Open House page.

Oct. 23rd, 2013 – Packing List for Cedar Glen

YMCA Academy Updates

Just a reminder that the Cedar Glen trip is tomorrow (Thursday – October 24th)!!  The bus will be leaving the Academy at 9:30am 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 25th). Students will be dismissed at that time.

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, 2013 – Feast of Thanks Celebration

YMCA Academy Beyond the Classroom, Community, Native Studies

Gratitude is one of the most important and affirming aspects of life.  On the day after the Thanksgiving holiday, staff, students and volunteers gathered in the cafe at lunch to celebrate the Feast of Thanks, our second annual potluck honouring Canada’s Indigenous people for Thanksgiving.  Jim Adams, local storyteller and educator, offered a blessing and a song and students from Todd’s World Religions class and Alexi’s Aboriginal Voices English class created displays on topics related to Thanksgiving, Indigenous harvest traditions and Indigenous cultures across Canada.

Families donated turkey, ham, home made cranberry sauce, potato dishes, soup and desserts for a beautiful buffet.  We are grateful for the harvest, our school community and the opportunity to learn about, connect with and celebrate Indigenous peoples of Canada.

 

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