Ending Homelessness – One Youth At a Time

Katie Clay Beyond the Classroom, Community, English and Humanities, Events No Comments

 

Students and staff from the YMCA Academy once again braved the cold to help support Youth Without Shelter.

On Friday, February 1st, 25 students and staff participated in the 9th annual Time4Change (formerly Tokens4Change) fundraising event. The money raised goes to providing youth access to transit and empowering support programs at Youth Without Shelter, an emergency residence and referral agency in Etobicoke. Transit fare allows youth to attend school, seek a safe place to call home, find employment and new beginnings.

In January, the entire school participated in a workshop led by Youth Without Shelter, that educated students on the important programs they provide and why it is such a need in Toronto.This led many students to sign up and through the event gain deeper understanding through learning. Our students had the opportunity to teach commuters about the issue of homelessness and be engaged in powerful discussions. One youth was approached by a woman currently living in shelter who thanked them for their efforts. Another person commended us as they had volunteered at this event before and knew how challenging it is. Some passersby were impressed with our chants and enthusiasm, while others donated so that we would be quiet! Either way we were able to educate the public and bring in lots of donations, big and small, which helped make the event a success.

This year’s Time4Change event saw almost 600 volunteers canvassing at 27 locations. The grand total raised in just one day was $88,000!

Thank you to everyone who participated and donated to this great cause!

Fresh & Fiery Academy Hot Sauce!

Dayna Dann Events, Experiential Learning, Healthy Living No Comments

It came time to harvest produce from our school garden!! Our Grade 7/8 class came up with ideas about what we could make with all of our produce. We had onions, tomatoes, and LOTS of different types of hot and sweet peppers. We decided that we would make HOT SAUCE!

Together we harvested everything from the garden. We looked up a variety of different hot sauce recipes and decided to combine a few to make our very own special Academy hot sauce. Next, we put on safety goggles and gloves to protect ourselves from the super hot peppers. Carefully we cut up all of our produce and simmered them down for several hours. Once it was ready, we allowed it to cool down, and blended it smooth. Then we were left with a large pot of hot sauce…

We knew that we wanted to jar the sauce, but we had no idea how much hot sauce we had! Luckily we figured out that if we figured out the volume of the pot, we could figure out how much hot sauce we had. So that is exactly what we did! First we all estimated how many cups of hot sauce we predicted was in pot. Then we calculated the volume. We then researched what jars we wanted to use and how many milliliters they held.We divided the volume of the sauce by the size of the jar. We calculated how many packages of jars we would need to purchase, how much they would cost and how much tax would be added. Then we used Google Maps to map our route and see how much time it would take us to get to the store to purchase our jars.

Once the jars were purchased and filled, the next step was to choose a name and design a label. Students worked together to come up with ideas, vote and eventually decided on Fresh and Fiery. The class also decided to sell the hot sauce for $7 each or 2 for $12 and all profits will go back to the garden fund.

This was a really nice project to start the year with as this project required a significant amount of collaboration and we were just getting to know each other and the school community.

This was a fun activity that had many curriculum connections. These connections were:

  • Math: Measurement and Volume
  • English: Blogs, read and writing the instructions
  • Science: PH levels
  • Business: Marketing, Brand management and Advertising

A New Era.

YMCA Academy Events, Head of School, In the News, YMCA of Greater Toronto No Comments

Academy Logo

We have taken a momentous step! As of June 30, 2018, YMCA Academy was incorporated as a charity separate from the YMCA of Greater Toronto.

There are many reasons for this!

  • We have been established for more than 15 years, and we believe the time is right to provide YMCA Academy with a higher profile and independent identity.
  • We believe this will help us build awareness about the Academy as an independent school for students with learning challenges and learning differences.
  • It will facilitate the recruitment of students.
  • It will assist with garnering financial support for the school.

While our greater independence is important, it is also important to recognize that the support of the YMCA of Greater Toronto has been, and will continue to be, of fundamental importance to our school. We will continue to have access to these supports moving forward.

Frequently asked Questions:

Why did the YMCA of Greater Toronto incorporate YMCA Academy as a separate charitable corporation?

  • With more than 15 years of success behind the YMCA Academy, the YMCA of Greater Toronto considered it time to foster a higher profile and independent identity for the school.
  • To help facilitate enrolment and teacher recruitment
  • To help garner financial support based on the unique stories of YMCA Academy
  • To more clearly align with independent schools in Ontario
  • To differentiate the school program from youth support programs offered by the YMCA of Greater Toronto

Will YMCA Academy continue to be a charity? Will I be able to make charitable donations directly to YMCA Academy?

  • YMCA Academy will be an independent charity, with a unique Charitable Registration Number. Donations can be made directly to YMCA Academy, or directed donations can be made through the YMCA of Greater Toronto.

Will the school still have a Board of Directors?

  • The school will have a board of directors, who will be members of the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Greater Toronto.

How will the school experience change for my child?

  • There will be no change – your child will continue to experience the same high standard of education at the YMCA Academy, with access to the same range of YMCA of Greater Toronto facilities and programs we presently enjoy.

How will the teachers and staff of YMCA Academy be affected by this change in status?

  • The Head of School, teachers, and staff of YMCA Academy will remain as employees of the YMCA of Greater Toronto, seconded to YMCA Academy.

How will this affect my tuition and other fees?

  • There will be no direct effect on tuition and fees. As in past years, families can expect incremental increases in tuition on a yearly basis.

How will this affect the status of YMCA Academy as a Ministry of Education-inspected independent school?

  • The Academy will continue to be inspected by the Ontario Ministry of Education bi-annually.

Open House: Saturday April 29th

YMCA Academy Community, Events No Comments

YMCA Academy students with a teacher

Our Spring 2017 Open House, happening on Saturday, April 29th from 11am until 2pm, is the perfect opportunity to discover The YMCA Academy. We invite you to tour our school, meet our teachers and staff, and learn about how we support our students’ academic and personal success through special education integration, health and fitness, technology, experiential learning, and mindfulness practices.

We’re proud of the difference The YMCA Academy makes in the lives of our students. Here’s what the parents of our current students are saying about our program:

“My son was anxiety ridden and terrified about attending high school. I have noticed a huge improvement in his confidence since he started at The YMCA Academy. He enjoys attending school for the first time ever in his school career.”

“[The teachers] really understand children with learning disabilities. Compassionate caring teachers who really go the extra mile for their students. Willing to work with parents to get our children on track so they can succeed both academically and socially. Can’t say enough positive things about the school and its teachers! They really care about the kids. It’s not just a job to them, it’s a passion. Every school should share the same philosophy! It’s about the kids and helping them succeed in life!”

The YMCA Academy is located at 15 Breadalbane Street in downtown Toronto. Find out more about our Spring 2017 open house here.

Colombia: Travelling to Rionegro Town

Susan Couprie Community, Events, YMCA of Greater Toronto No Comments

Sunday, April 2 was my day off of work, but by no means was I idly sitting in my room. To my delight, we travelled to a small town called Carmen which is known for ceramics. As many of you know I am a potter and as you can imagine, this town was the perfect place for me to spend some time. Everywhere you looked, pottery is used.

Lampposts
Lamp Posts

Yes, there are plates, tiles and even bowls decorating the buildings
Yes, there are plates, tiles and even bowls decorating the buildings

If you take a close look at the pillar in the middle of the town square, you will see from bottom to top the history of ceramics.
If you take a close look at the pillar in the middle of the town square, you will see from bottom to top the history of ceramics.  The brown at the bottom represents the earth all the way to the blue at the top which represent the sky.  If you look closely, you will also see plates embedded into the structure.

I also travelled to Rionegro Town. We visited the house called Casa de la Convención, where the constitution of 1863 was signed, and we were allowed to touch the table that was used.   We learned about the culture that was emerging at the time and how the people used printing presses to communicate.

Cabinet that held the letters and numbers for the printing press
Cabinet that held the letters and numbers for the printing press

Close up of one of the drawers with letters in them
Close up of one of the drawers with letters in them

The table at the far end of the room was used to sign the constitution
The table at the far end of the room was used to sign the constitution

This is the box that carried the constitution and all the notes that were taken during the writing of it.

This is the box that carried the constitution and all the notes that were taken during the writing of it.  Notice that there are 3 key holes.  Three different people each had one key to ensure that nothing was tampered with.

During these times, communicating with your significant other before marriage was carried out through a special window in the homes where one person sat on inside one side of the wall and the other was outside the house.  Only holding hands was allowed!!!

The seat on the inside of the house if you were communicating with your significant other.
The seat on the inside of the house if you were communicating with your significant other.

And we finished up the day at Tutucan which is on the outskirts of Rionegro.  It “is a replica of a typical paisa town with a church, park, mill, taverns, coffee farm and livestock. The site features ‘locals’ who animate the streets. It also has restaurants serving local Antioquia dishes.”

A day at Tutucan which is on the outskirts of Rionegro