JUNE 2014
ISSUE #4
Margaret Manson
Messenger
connecting parents, students and staff
In This Issue…
p. 2 • Celebration of Excellence
p. 3-4 • Grandparents Tea
(Grade 3)
p.5-8 • Quebec City (Grade 4)
p.9-10 • Grade 4 Art Gala
p. 11-12 • Career Week
• Hands on Science
• Village D’Antan
p.13 • Le Théâtre de la Nouvelle
France
• Top 10 Best Things About
Grade 5
p.14-20 • Health and Phys. Ed.
News
p.20 • Welcome To Our World
p.21 • Book Fair
p.22-26 • Music News
• Cheerleading
p.27 • The “Bridge Project
• A Message From Your
Governing Board
p. 28-30 • Peace Pal Graduation
• Rock and Read Week
p.31-34 • Home and School
• BBQ
• Editor’s Note
MARGARET MANSON ELEMENTARY
Principal’s Message
Dear MMES Community,
Wow, hard to believe another school year has come to an
end. And what an amazing year it has been … sports
tournaments, performing arts, peer mediation, charitable
activities, intramurals, H & S events, field trips, carnivals,
special guests, music and, of course, lots and lots of
dancing!
By reading this newsletter, along with the others from this
year, one quickly realizes that Margaret Manson ROCKS!
Your support, as parent volunteers around the school and
“tutors” at home has made a huge difference in helping
your child(ren) be successful this year. This family
support, when combined with the fantastic work of our
teachers, daycare and support staff, has made for a
wonderful year.
I want to take a moment to offer a special thank you to the
members of Governing Board, Home and School and the
Grad Committee for going the “extra mile” for Margaret
Manson. Your many hours of dedication and devotion to
school governance, fundraising and spirit events is most
appreciated and reflects how this community comes
together to support our most cherished resource – the
children.
In closing, I wish to say, on behalf of all our staff here at
Margaret Manson
Elementary, thank you for
your support and I wish all
of you a fun-filled and
memorable summer with
family and friends.
Take good care!
Kindest Regards,
Mr. A. Geller
514 694 7808
http://margaretmanson.lbpsb.qc.ca/
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Celebration of Excellence!
The celebration of excellence was a great
experience for the children at Margaret Manson
to show their talents to their classmates. Jeremy
and I (Marianne) were the MC’s for the last
Celebration of Excellence which was May 29,
2014.
We had a blast announcing the incredible acts
that were there. Jeremy and
I had no clue that there was
so much talent at Margaret
Manson … there were people
singing , dancing and doing
jump rope. At first Jeremy
and I were a little nervous but
after we announced about 2
acts we didn’t want to stop.
The Celebration of Excellence
was also good for some kids at Margaret
Manson to see two amazing acts from this year’s
Variety Show.
We are a little sad that we’re not going to be able
to MC next year but we are sure that it will be
just as good in 2014-2015.
-Jeremy and Marianne
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
PAGE 2
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Grandparents Tea
On April 10th the grade 3s
Manson. We ate some food, told
hosted their annual
jokes, and laughed. I had lots of
Grandparents Tea. Here’s what fun.
the children had to say about
-Massimo Cinelli
the overall experience.
!
It was nice to see everyone's
grandparents.
-John Driver
!
I felt very happy that I spent
my time with my grandpa and
grandma. I showed them my
teachers. My grandparents
were welcomed at Margaret
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
!
The grandparents tea was an
amazing success. Lots of
grandparents came and watched
our show and ate the food. It
was especially fun for them to
be with their grandchildren. I
am sure all the kids had fun
because I did and so did Ms.
Raposo and Mme Desroches.
!
During the grandparent tea we
sang to our grandparents. I had
lots of fun and enjoyed eating
the food. Thank you Ms. Raposo,
Mme Desroches and Mrs.
Quammie. I had a great time.
-Perry Vriniotis
PAGE 3
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Grandparents Tea
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
PAGE 4
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Grade 4 Quebec City Trip
On April 16 and 17 we
embarked on our last
adventure to Quebec City. It
was a huge success. The
children enjoyed the various
activities and all returned with
great knowledge and better
appreciation of their Quebec
culture and history.
A BIG thank you to all
parents who helped
make this trip a great
memory.
Mrs. Dunwoodie, Mrs.
Ferracane, Mme.
Jansens
Nos Coups de Coeurs de Québec…
…seeing all the old building, walking on the
cobble stone streets of Quebec and seeing
a Polar bear up close. WOW!
-Jorja Giannopoulos
…quand on est allé au Musée du Fort, j’ai
aimé regarder le spectacle multimédia et à
la fin, on devait répondre à des questions.
Très amusant!
-Isabella Colicchio
!
…walking the streets of Quebec, especially
the ghost walk. Our guide told us funny and
scary stories.
-Amy Havlena and Bailey
Messina-Katunar
!
!
…la Marche des Fantômes. Notre fantôme
était vraiment drôle, surtout quand elle a
parlé de son mari et ce qui lui est arrivé.
-Isabella Forestell
…acheter des frites avec mon père, visiter
la citadelle de Québec et voir toutes les
armes, visiter l’aquarium et toucher les
raies.
-Michael Longlade et
Christopher Deveau
!
…the aquarium. We really enjoyed the polar
bears. We were so close, we saw their
teeth, and it was so cool!
-Zeyn Van der Wee and
Tyrus Flory
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
PAGE 5
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Nos Coups de Coeurs de Québec…
…notre voyage à Québec, la promenade de
fantômes, l’aquarium, le Musée des BeauxArts, mais surtout le temps passé dans nos
chambres à l’Hôtel des Voyageurs.
-Benjamin Greaves et
Ryan Quesnel
…shopping in Quebec. There were so many
souvenirs. I got a snow globe with a figure
of the Château Frontenac.
-Vanessa Pampena
…manger à la Vieille Maison du Spaghetti.
Le repas était délicieux : spaghetti, lasagne
et salade césar, pain à l’ail, mais surtout le
gâteau au chocolat,
-Olivia Iuliano, Gabriella
Izzo, Melissa Venditti
et Jordan Haddad
…when we went to the Museum of
Civilization and shopping on “la rue StJean”.
-Anthony Tedeschi and
Benicio Velez
!
…the ghost walk because we were able to
hold the “bucket” and playing games on the
long bus ride.
-Michael Mastrodomenico and
Spencer Decary
!
…quand nous avons magasiné pour nos
cartes de hockey, l’aquarium parce qu’il y
avait des animaux intéressants et la
citadelle parce qu’il y avait des fusils.
-Cristian Kefallinos, Michele
La Starza et Matthew Kutash
…going to the restaurant where we got to
eat the best pasta in the world and talk
about fun things. I also liked doing the
ghost walk because we learned what people
did back then to survive. It was very
interesting.
-Emily Bertone
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
PAGE 6
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
More Snapshots From Grade 4 Quebec City Trip
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
PAGE 7
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
…and some more! Grade 4 Quebec City Trip
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
PAGE 8
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Grade 4 Art Gala : Sculptures et
Collages de Monuments Célèbres
The Grade 4s
were given
the task of
creating
monochromatic
abstract
expressionist sculptures made
from recycled solids from their
home. The pieces were
inspired by the artist Louise
Nevelson whom was known
for creating impressive
sculptures from garbage
collected from the streets of
New York. Check out their
works of art and what they had
to say about the overall
experience.
!
The Savannah Water Park
was inspired by Louise
Nevelson. She taught us that
sculptures don’t always have
to be flashy. Our favourite
part about our sculpture was
designing it. We loved our
end results. The whole
experience was exciting and
fun.
-Vanessa P. and Sofia B.
!
The Sister Tower was
inspired by Louise Nevelson.
We had lots of fun during
the whole experience. We
asked a friend for a sticker
and this sticker was the
first guest in our tower.
-Sivan B. and
Jorja G.
!
!
!
The S.E.E. Tower was
inspired by Louise Nevelson.
When we made our structure
it took a lot of patience, but
at the end it looked very
pretty. Since we all like
singing we decided to make a
stage. It was soooo… fun!
-Simona D.L., Eliana L.
and Emily B.
Above: Lousie Nevelson and one
of her sculptural columns (1960).
Below: The students’
masterpieces inspired by
Nevelson.
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
PAGE 9
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Grade 4 Art Gala : Sculptures et Collages de
Monuments Célèbres
In addition to their monochromatic masterpieces, the
grade 4 students showcased
collages of famous
monuments from around the
world, inspired by architects
and artists of the past.
!
Nous avons aimé faire
fabriquer les collages des
monuments célèbres.
-Adrian F., Marco D.
and Christopher D.
!
Mon collage c’était la Cité
Interdite. J’ai utilisé des
couleurs chaudes. J’étais
très fière de mon collage.
-Chloe L.
!
Mon collage est la Tour
Eiffel. J’ai pris des couleurs
froides. J’ai aussi pris des
lettres des magazines.
-Angelina M.
!
professional designers.
-Michael M.,
Daniel P. &
Spencer D,
!
Les monuments célèbres
étaient intéressants
parce qu’on a fait le collage
avec des magazines. Le
collage était aussi amusant
parce qu’on a fait Chichen
Itza avec des couleurs
chaudes.
-Cristian K., Michele
L.S. et Matthew K.
!
J’ai fait le Taj Mahal. J’ai
aimé faire les monuments
célèbres parce que j’aime
l’art et le Taj Mahal est un
monument vraiment
spectaculaire.
-Maggie R.
!
Pour les monuments célèbres,
on devait découper des
morceaux de magazines et
les coller pour faire un
monument. Nous avons fait la
Tour Eiffel avec des couleurs
froides.
-Sofia G., Juliana F.
and Matthew M.
!
On a aimé couper les papiers
pour faire la forme de notre
monument. C’était difficile,
mais le résultat final en
valait la peine!
-Jasmine S., Madison
L. et Le Yan Z.
Pendant que je fabriquais
mon collage de la Tour Eiffel,
je m’imaginais à Paris.
-Jorja G.
!
J’ai bien aimé faire le
Chichen Itza avec des
morceaux découpé de
magazines.
-Markus R.
!
We liked the collage when we
were cutting out the pieces,
because we felt like we were
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
PAGE 10
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Career Week 2014
Students in grade 4/5, 5 and
6 participated in listening to a
series of guest speakers
during the week of June 9.
Miss Dunwoodie invited
people to tell us about their
jobs and how they got to their
current jobs from grade 5. It
was really fun, and we were
even on the CBC news!
Our guest speakers were:
• Ann-Louise Howard, Ethics
Officer at Lockheed Martin
Canada
• Dave Jackson, NHL referee
• Kim Chatterson, Trainer/
Owner, MOVE Fitness
• Garnet Alexander, Engineer
at Bauer Hockey
• Catherine Grace, Sports
Communication Manager at
Concordia University
http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/
Canada/Montreal/ID/2464681505/
• Shari Okeke, Reporter at
CBC television and radio
Thank you to all our guest
speakers for helping us learn
about their jobs, and for
taking time off from those jobs
to come and speak with us.
-From Grade 4/5
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
Note: If you would like to see the
CBC news story about Career
Week, click on following link
below and go to time 13:30.
Enjoy!
Clockwise (top left):
Garnet Alexander; Kim
Chatterson; Ann-Louise
Howard; Shari Okeke;
Catherine Grace; Dave
Jackson.
PAGE 11
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Hands on Science with Mr. Papp
Grade 4/5 were fortunate enough to have a
visit from Oliver's dad, Mr. Papp. Mr. Papp is a
scientist and engineer, and he came to our
classroom to do some experiments with us. We
learned about dry ice (we watched a balloon
inflate, just by placing a piece of dry ice inside
it!). We learned about and did experiments with
acids and bases, and we also learned about
DNA. Mr. Papp showed us how to extract DNA
from a strawberry.
We had a lot of fun and are grateful to Mr. Papp
for spending this time with us.
-Grade 4/5
Village d’Antan
Le lundi le 16 juin, les 5es
années sont allés au Village
d’Antan. Tout le monde a été
séparé en petits groupes pour
faire la visite du village de la
Nouvelle-France. C’était
amusant, on a reçu des suçons
au sirop d’érable, il y avait du
pain fait comme dans le temps
et on pouvait même faire un
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
tour de cheval. Tu pouvais
visiter des maisons et parler
aux personnes déguisées
comme dans les années 1800.
On est aussi allé dans une
forêt, une église, une école et
une ferme d’animaux! Dans la
ferme, il y avait des vaches,
des chevaux et deux chèvres.
Tout le monde a eu un paquet
de feuilles avec des questions
sur le village qu’on devait
répondre. C’était une très
bonne journée pour les 5es
années.
-Dante Luponio et
Vanessa Lozza
PAGE 12
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Le Théâtre de la Nouvelle France
Ce théâtre est
sur un village
en 1775 avant
et après la
guerre de la
conquête des
Britanniques.
Les élèves de
la 5ième année et de la 4/5 ont
travaillé très fort les dernières
semaines afin de préparer cette
pièce de théâtre.
Ce théâtre a beaucoup de
différents personnages comme
Émilie la fromagère, Alexis le
cultivateur, des villageois, des
soldats comme le général Wolf
et le Marquis de Montcalm. Ce
théâtre est vraiment amusant à
faire tous ensembles dans nos
classes avec Madame Mercier.
Toutes les années passées
Madame Mercier a fait un
théâtre comme celui-là, avec
tous les efforts des élèves. Les
élèves ont aussi choisi des
costumes extraordinaires pour
ce théâtre.
Madame Mercier a travaillé très
fort avec les élèves pour que le
théâtre soit le meilleur possible.
Nous espérons que vous allez
voir le théâtre que nous avons
fait avant que l’année soit finie.
Écrit par : Katie Heessels et
Victoria Cinelli
The Top 10 Best Things About Grade 5
1. THE TEACHERS ARE THE
BEST.
2. There are many activities
like Peace Pals, Track and
Field, Cross Country Skiing,
Soccer and Environment Club.
8. We have the best buddies.
every day!
9. We get to do cheerleading
and Glee Club.
Grade 5 was the Best!
10. We learned new things
Kristina, Melissa G., Melissa
S., and Kiara
3. There are many privileges
like group projects.
4. We always have fun.
5. The teachers always take
care of us.
6. We do a lot of Math.
7. We earned a lot of trust
and responsibility.
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
PAGE 13
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Health News
During the last few months,
Miss Macro has been teaching
the Ks have about nutrition, the
food groups and associating
them with the colours in the
rainbow. In addition, a trip to
Provigo was arranged where
the children were greeted by
nutritionists and given a
personal tour of the grocer.
There they learned how to
make healthy food choices
using the Guiding Stars®
system, an impartial rating
system that uses stars to help
identify nutritious foods at a
glance. By the end of the trip,
the children were experts at
identifying good food choices
from bad.
students learned why certain
activities should be avoided
right before bedtime, as well as
different ways to help us fall
asleep. Students had fun
analyzing their own sleep
patterns to find out whether or
not they are getting the
required amount of sleep each
night.
In cycle 1 and 2, we ended the
year talking about having good
sleep habits and how they
affect our overall health. The
reduce the anxiety felt by some
As a school, we will continue to of our students. Have a safe
look at stress and anxiety in
and healthy summer! ☺
the upcoming year, in order to
-Amanda St-Laurent
In cycle 3, students ended the
year discussing stress and
anxiety. They learned how to
tell if they are feeling stressed,
as well as identifying some of
their stressors. Students also
learned many different
relaxation techniques and even
had fun doing some guided
meditation.
Ks visit to Provigo with
some hands on
experience with foods.
Phys. Ed. News
BASKETBALL
tournaments.
This P.E. year has flown by.
We are constantly active, but
that just means so are our
students! This year was filled
with many fun activities &
Our Grade 6 Basketball
tournament was held at the
end of April. The students had
a ball and they even led a
warm up for ALL participates
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
as they led the warm up with
two of our Power Hour dances.
We are always trying to spread
how much fun we have here in
the MM P.E. Department.
PAGE 14
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Phys. Ed. News
JUNIOR CROSS
COUNTRY RUN
The Junior Cross Country Run
was held in May. Students
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
from grades 1 through 3
worked on their cardiovascular
endurance in P.E. class then
headed off to Dorset
Elementary for a 1.5km & a
2km run. Our MM students did
a great job keeping a steady
pace. It was a new and very
enjoyable activity for the grade
3 students this year.
PAGE 15
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Phys. Ed. News
SOCCER
The grade 5 students attended the annual
John Killingbeck Soccer tournament at PCHS.
A great time was had by all given that soccer is
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
!
probably one of their most favourite sports to
play!
PAGE 16
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Phys. Ed. News
TRACK AND FIELD
Our last tournament was
Track & Field. Always a
popular one amongst the
students as the day is filled
with activity and of course, ice
cream at the end of the day!
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
We are proud to say that all of
our relay teams finished in the
top three. Students did a
phenomenal job representing
Margaret Manson. The P.E.
Department is VERY PROUD
of all of our student athletes.
We would like to thank ALL of
our parent volunteers who
joined us throughout the year.
Without you, these
tournaments would not be
possible. Thank you for your
time and effort.
PAGE 17
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Phys. Ed. News
JUNGLE SPORT
We were fortunate enough this
year to have JungleSport
return to our school. Our gym
was set up like a jungle, with
plenty of opportunities to climb,
belay, swing and zip line. The
students had a blast in the
jungle and all of this would not
have been possible without our
wonderful Home & School
Association. Thank you MM
H&S!
JUMP ROPE FOR
HEART
In May, the Jump Rope for
Heart returned to MM. Our
goal was to raise $6000. Well,
believe it or not, our students,
as always, went above and
beyond as they crushed this
goal raising DOUBLE! Thank
you to all who fundraised. We
raised a total of $12,600.
Despite the rainy weather,
students had a blast with our
jump rope stations. Our event
Students participating in some of the many
JungleSport activities.
took place inside the school
even though space was limited
but students had a great time
regardless. Once again, thank
you to the volunteers who
were extremely flexible during
this event. Your dedication was
much appreciated.
HOCKEY AND
RINGETTE
In our busy Phys. Ed life,
Hockey and Ringette
intramurals were the last set of
intramurals to take place.
Students from grades 3
through 6 who signed up
enjoyed hockey or ringette
during lunch time. Always a
popular intramural, especially
this year with the Montreal
Canadiens in the play offs! And
of course, intramurals begin
again next year so be sure to
sign up.
Students
taking part in
Jump Rope
stations
throughout the
school.
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
PAGE 18
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Phys. Ed. News
POWER HOUR AND
SUMMER CARNIVAL
Our Annual Power Hour &
Summer Carnival took place
on June 17th. The stage was
set up in the morning as
students danced their way
through choreographed
dances made up by our very
own grade 6 students and the
P.E. teachers. The hour went
by really fast and everyone
had a great time. Thank you to
the parents who came out and
danced with us. Hopefully you
had as much fun as we did. A
HUGE THANK YOU goes out
to Mr. Falvo and his family for
providing us with the stereo
equipment each year. We are
truly grateful.
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
The weather was just
gorgeous for our afternoon
Summer Water Carnival.
Students had a splash of a
time getting drenched as they
participated in many stations
involving water run by our
grade 6 students once again.
The P.E. Department is
extremely proud of our grade 6
students for running BOTH the
winter and the summer
carnival, as well as assisting in
the preparation for the Power
Hour.
PAGE 19
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Phys. Ed. News
Now, let us get to what was
going on in P.E. class!
Students were very busy this
last term. Whether they were
performing a front roll in their
gymnastics routine in Cycle 1,
learning how to do an
overhead clear in badminton
in Cycle 2 and 3, to throwing a
Frisbee in kindergarten and
cup stacking in grade 3,
students acquired many skills
in Phys. Ed class this year!
Thank you to all students who
were constantly dressed
appropriately for physical
activity. Mrs. Poirier & I
appreciate that you value our
P.E. program.
We wish you a safe and
extremely active summer! See
you next year! And remember,
you come to Physical
Education, gym lives down the
street ☺
-Mrs. Poirier & Ms. Macro
Welcome To Our World
On May 3rd 2014 at the Lester
B. Pearson office in Dorval, the
board had a Central Student’s
Committee meeting. The
committee is filled with leaders
from all the Lester B. Pearson
high schools. That meeting was
different from any of their
traditional meetings because
that weekend, the school board
invited junior leaders from all
the Lester B. Pearson
elementary schools to attend to
a meeting about transitioning to
high school.
I was very privileged in getting
the opportunity to attend their
meeting. At the meeting, I met
many different students from
elementary schools and high
schools throughout the board.
The entire meeting was
webcast.
We learned different things
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
about getting
involved, finding
true friends,
studying, safety
online and different
concerns for high
school. It was very
educational and I
think it will help
with transitioning to
high school. Near
the end of the meeting, five
different people were chosen
from all the elementary schools
to go up to the microphone and
ask a question about high
school. I was one of the few
individuals chosen. My question
was about the help we would be
receiving in high school.
What I learned from all the
questions was that help will
always be given to those who
ask and you shouldn’t be afraid
to ask any question whether it’s
concerning school work or a
school suggestion. The teachers
and staff will always be there
to listen.
I don’t think high school will be
very scary like I presumed. If
you want to learn more or even
watch the webcast, you can go
on the lbpsb website, click on
videos and watch the meeting.
Sincerely,
Anna Li Z.
(Grade 6 student)
PAGE 20
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Book Fair
Thanks to a large group of
keep Home and School
volunteers, Margaret Manson
students were able to take
advantage of yet another
amazing bilingual book fair on
May 29th. The students had
the opportunity to stock up on
books by their favourite
authors to add to their
summer reading lists.
!
The school benefitted from a
huge credit with Scholastic
Canada for teachers to
convert to classroom
resources and books. Our
library, in particular, added
$650 worth if new books to its
permanent collection.
Sincere thanks go out to
Caterina Bernardo for setting
everything up in our library, to
Stephanie Schrader for
playing the role of "Clifford"
and to the following volunteers
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
for helping throughout the
day:
!
Marlene Barbieri
Anita Gualtieri
Mirella Dicaprio
Alex Longlade
Caterina Sorbara
Yadranka Domazet
Renee Aspiotis
Erin Dawe
Sabrina Chartrand
Kim Chatterson
!
-Suzanne
PAGE 21
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Music News
It is the end of another school
year and it feels like it has
arrived quite suddenly. The
year was packed with activitysomething we do very well
here at Margaret Manson-with
many students participating in
the various activities that
Margaret Manson has to offer.
VARIETY SHOW
On May 15, we held our
annual Variety Show at PCHS.
Once again, it was a great
success. This year we had the
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
greatest number of
participants due to the
cheerleading, basketball and
Glee Club acts. We had a
fantastic crew that made sure
the show ran smoothly and
our presenters and performers
were all entertaining. It is not
easy to get up in front of an
audience to speak, let alone
perform. We are so proud of
all our participants. We also
had many staff members
participating as well. We are
fortunate to have such an
enthusiastic and dedicated
staff.
The Variety Show could not be
realized without the help of our
parent and student volunteers.
Thank you so much for
contributing to the success of
the show. We are also grateful
to Rosie Luciano, who
coordinated the volunteers
and took on the responsibility
of hiring the videographer and
ordering the DVDs. Here are a
few photos highlighting the
evening’s events.
PAGE 22
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Music News - Variety Show
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
PAGE 23
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Music News - Variety Show
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
PAGE 24
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Music News
SPRING CONCERT!
We held our Spring Concert on
May 29 outside and the
weather was ideal. Our senior
students performed their
instrumental and vocal
ensembles. Some of the
highlights included “Bittersweet
Symphony” performed on
Djembe drums, xylophones,
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
percussion instruments,
keyboard and drum set. It was
great to see so many friends
and family members supporting
our young musicians.!
We would like to thank Mr. and
Mrs. Falvo for consistently
supporting all of our performing
art activities. They have been
generous with their time and
with allowing us to borrow the
sound system. They will be
greatly missed. A big shout out
goes out to Miss Macro and
Mrs. Poirier for always helping
out at all the musical events,
often working through the lunch
hour to ensure that all runs
smoothly. You’re the best!
PAGE 25
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Music News
THE PUZZLE PROJECT
Finally, some of our students
were involved in the Peace It
Together project that was part
of an anti-bullying symposium
held at the school board. We
created a music video of the
students singing “Brave” with
the help of some very talented
Concordia University students
and Miss Karen. The video
was shown at the symposium
and had quite an impact on the
audience. The video can be
viewed on Youtube.
A huge thank you goes out to
Mme Marie Claire, Miss Maria,
Miss Karen and Mrs.
Dunwoodie for all the
countless hours they
contributed throughout the
year. I would especially like to
thank my co-conspirator , Mrs.
Dunwoodie. Everything is
possible with you and “this is
too much work” is not part of
your vocabulary.
I am extremely spoiled at this
time of the year with wonderful
gifts from appreciative parents
and students. Thank you to all
of you for your generosity and
thoughtfulness. I would like to
wish you a fantastic and safe
summer. Enjoy your families.
To my grade 6 students, I will
miss you very much.
Musically yours,
Mme. Orofino
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phyioc5vD40
Cheerleading with the
North Shore Cheerleaders
On Wednesday, May 28th
2014, our cheerleading team
was lucky to have a visit from
some of the North Shore
cheerleaders. NSX - North
Shore Extreme Cheerleading is
a bilingual non-profit sports
organization, located on the
West Island of Montreal. They
have been providing youth with
the opportunity to participate in
the sport of competitive
cheerleading for over 40 years.
The North Shore cheerleaders
did a small presentation and
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
showed some amazing
stunts to our students. It
was a nice opportunity
for our cheerleaders to
see how they do
cheerleading on a real
competitive team.
Also, the girls did a little
clinic in order to show
our students how to
stunt with proper techniques.
They thought them how they
warm up in a North Shore team
before every practice. Our
M&M team got to learn a lot
and the students enjoyed
practicing some more
challenging stunts.
Mme. Mercier
PAGE 26
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
The “Bridge Project”
On Friday, June 20, 2014 the
grade 5 and 4/5 planned a
special Baby Shower Party for
their teacher, Mme Mercier.
This very well planned
occasion was done by Ms
Dunwoodie, Ms Marchitello
and all the students. We nicknamed the party, the “BRIDGE
PROJECT” as we had to keep
it a secret from Mme Mercier
for weeks!
!
Everyone in both classes had
to bring a baby book so that
we could make a big basket of
books for the baby. This
would make sure Mme Mercier
would never run out of
something to read to her new
baby.
Mme Mercier was so surprised
with her Baby Shower! We had
snacks, a special cake and
many nice gifts for her.
Everyone had a good
time, especially Mme Mercier.
We wish you a good delivery
and a healthy new baby GIRL
in the fall. Enjoy your new
baby.. we love you and we will
miss you..Mme Mercier!!
- Emma Marra, grade 4/5
A Message From Your Governing Board
Dear Parents, Students,
Teachers and Staff
It has been a pleasure to be
part of the Governing Board
for the past 6 years and a
privilege to be given the
opportunity to preside as
Chairperson for the past 4
years but it is now time for me
to pass on the torch. I have
learned many things over the
years and am very grateful to
the teachers, staff,
administrator and other parent
members for their active
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
participation in the GB and my
family for their ongoing
support.
As parents and guardians of
our children, it is our role and
duty to be part of their
educational journey. As the
saying goes, “It takes a village
to raise a child”, and I have
been very honoured and
blessed to be part of such an
amazing village.
Wishing everyone a safe and
restful summer,
Sincerely,
Mirella Di Caprio
!
GB Chairperson
Regional Parent
Representative – Region 2
Co-Secretary Region 2
Parents are welcome to
attend the next Annual
General Meeting of the
Governing Board - to be
held in September. Exact
dates and times to be
communicated in the
coming school year.
PAGE 27
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Peace Pal Graduation
On May 29, the grade 6 Peace
Pals at Margaret Manson were
celebrated for their outstanding
service. After a few readings
and presentations, they were
awarded with a certificate
thanking them for their
unwavering dedication to the
student population.
At this celebration, the grade 6
Peace Pals also passed on the
torch to their grade 5
counterparts, who are, of
course, honoured and excited
to continue their efforts to
promote peace at Margaret
Manson in the 2014-2015
school year. An invitation was
also sent out to our grade 4
students who are thinking of
becoming a peace pal. We
hope to see many of them join
the team come September.
A week later, on June 5, all of
our Peace Pals were treated to
a pizza lunch, where a special
guest graced them with his
presence. Mr. Tom Rhymes,
one of the sector directors at
the Lester B. Pearson School
Board, shared some important
thoughts about what it means
to be a Peace Pal. Our
students were thrilled to share
some of the great things they
did this year to promote peace
in their school.
Sincerely,
M. Larocque and L. Marchitello
Peace Pal Coordinators
Rock and Read Week
May 5-9 was Rock & Read
Week at Margaret Manson! All
week, students and staff
participated in lots of fun, bookcentred activities.
Some of them were:
!
• D.E.A.R. twice a day (Drop
Everything And Read!)
• Guest readers from the
school board, town hall, and
our MMES community
• Comfy Cozy Reading with
blankets, stuffies, pillows and
friends
• Door Decorating- where
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
each class chose their
favourite book or
author and made their
classroom door
representative of their
choice
• On Friday, kids and
teachers could dress
up as their favourite
author or literary
character
• The Rock & Read Hall of
Fame in the front lobby,
where every student's
favourite book was
represented
Front lobby decorated with
guitars of favourite books
from the students
cont’d on page 28
PAGE 28
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Rock and Read Week
• our hallways were
decorated with photos of all
our students caught in the
act...of reading!
Thanks to all for participating,
and especially to our Rock &
Read Guest Readers:
!
• Nathalie Constant from the
FSSTT team at the school
board
• Mr. Tom Rhymes, our
regional director at the
school board
• Mrs. Rita McDonough,
director of the FSSTT team
• Mr. Michel Gibson, mayor of
Kirkland
• Mrs. Suanne Stein Day,
Chairman of the Council of
Commissioners, LBPSB
• Mrs. Karen Grant, longtime
volunteer and 'library lady' at
MMES
• Mrs. Suzanne Halton-Thom,
our librarian
• Mme Heather-Anne Denton,
French Pedagogical
Consultant, LBPSB
!
...and finally, our very own
principal, Mr. Geller.
Left: Classroom
door decorations of
favourite books or
authors
Below: Comfy Cozy
Reading in the gym
(left); guest readers
Rita McDonough
(middle) from LBPSB
and the mayor of
Kirkland, Michel
Gibson (right)
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
PAGE 29
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Rock and Read Week
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
PAGE 30
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Home and School
Another year has come and
gone, and with this I would like
to thank you all for the
wonderful support.
This year's events would not
have been possible without the
support and trust of all our
members, parents, staff and
students. I would also like to
send a personal thank-you to
the following:
• Mr. Geller, our teacher reps
Miss Macro and Mrs. Poirier,
and to the Governing Board
for your hard work and
commitment throughout the
year and truly having our
children’s and teachers’
interests and successes at
heart
• the teachers, daycare staff
and the custodians, Moe and
Guy, for accommodating
many of our events and last
minute needs throughout the
school year
• to the countless parent
volunteers - it takes a village
to run some of our events
and your support throughout
the year helped make it all
possible
numerous books for
teachers and the library
• to Ms Day for your
support and taking time
out of your busy schedule
to come to our events,
always smiling and so
very cheerful.
But most of all, I want to
thank all our Home and
School members for their
unwavering support and
dedication. I am proud and
honoured to have worked
with such a devoted team.
When I signed up for H&S it
was always with the
intention of doing things
and giving back to the
community, the kids and the
school. Along the way I made
new contacts and
accomplishments, but more
importantly, invaluable
friendships, for this I am truly
grateful.
Finally, I would also like to
thank my co-chair Alex Topley.
Even though she was my cochair for only a few months,
there were many memorable
moments together. I couldn’t
have asked for a greater
partner and a truer person by
my side.
• Mme Couto -without you we
would not have been able to
start on the right foot with lists
Here’s to wishing everyone a
and follow-ups
great, happy and safe summer.
• to Suzanne, our librarian, for
To our 2014 grads - remember
allowing us to host two
things don't stop here they only
successful bilingual book fairs grow. Good luck in high school.
in the library - the profits of
To our graduating K's, on to
which were used to purchase Grade 1! Way to go! And to the
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
rest of the students congratulations! You all have
made it through another year!
Sincerely,
Rosie Luciano
Chairperson
Home and School
If you are interested in
volunteering a little bit of your
time and impacting your
children’s lives, we are always
looking for members. The next
Home and School meeting will
be held sometime in
September, the exact dates and
times to be communicated. If
you have any questions, feel
free to contact us at
[email protected]
Hope to see you in September!
PAGE 31
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Margaret Manson’s 10 th Year Anniversary
BACKYARD BBQ
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
PAGE 32
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
Editor’s Note - 2014
When I joined Margaret
Manson’s Home and School in
2013 and took on the role of
publicity chair, I saw it as a
wonderful opportunity to get to
know the inner workings of the
school and showcase its
outstanding initiatives,
numerous accomplishments,
and its strong sense of
community spirit. Not only was
I amazed at all events that took
place over the year, but I also
gained a deeper appreciation
for all the hard work and
dedication exhibited by all.
Hopefully the last four editions
of the Margaret Manson
Messenger has captured this
essence and has further
connected you to the school.
without the support and
collaboration of many,
including:
your efforts and look forward
to working with you in the
future
In actuality, the newsletter
could not have been achieved
• to the budding journalists, the
students, I commend you for
• Cindy Jared-Deschamps for
• to our in-house
her guidance and helping me
photographer, Franca Falvo,
transition into my new role as
for capturing the essence of
publicity chair
Margaret Manson - your
support and generosity will
• Mr. Geller, my “editorial
be cherished always
assistant”, for his prolific
articles and unwavering
On this note, I would like to
collaboration and support
wish you all a fun-filled,
adventurous summer and look
• Madame Couto for countless forward to connecting with you
hours of pre-screening
in the coming school year.
photographs
Sincerely,
• to all the staff for your
Renee Aspiotis
patience and invaluable
contributions - you make the Publicity Chair, Home and
newsletter what it is!
School
If you would like an article or
photograph to appear in a future
newsletter
please contact Renee at
[email protected]
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
PAGE 33
MARGARET MANSON MESSENGER
!
!
Why not label everything your child brings
to school!
Mabel’s Labels offers high quality labels that
are dishwasher/microwave safe and
waterproof including:
•shoe & clothing labels
•durable sticky labels
•bag tags
•“Write Away!”TM labels
•address labels
•household food
& storage labels •and so much more
Visit www.mmes.mabel.ca for all
ordering information.
A portion of each sale will be returned to our
school for school activities. Feel free to send
this link to friends and family all over Canada shipping is free and direct to your home.
Magazine subscriptions,up to 85% off the
cover price!
Shop online for all your favourite magazines!
A portion of each sale will be returned to our
school for school wide events. Feel free to
send this link to friends and family all over
Canada - shipping is free and direct to your
home. You may renew your existing
subscriptions (use the same mailing
address) and purchase new and gift
subscriptions.
It’s easy... go to:
www.QSP.ca and enter school code 30331
Online orders are payable by credit card and
will be activated immediately.
For more information, contact: Alex Topley at
[email protected]
Margaret Manson Elementary School
18750 Elkas Boulevard Kirkland,
Québec H9J4C1
Phone: (514) 694-7808
http://margaretmanson.lbpsb.qc.ca
JUNE 2014, ISSUE #4
PAGE 34