Have you seen the Black Excellence display on the Art Studio door? If not, you still have the rest of the month to check it out! In honour of African Heritage Month, Graphic Design students designed posters celebrating the achievements of Black creators and innovators who they admire.

You can also check out the posters in our Student Gallery.

During the month of February, the Toronto District School Board proudly recognizes African Heritage (Black History) Month. The chosen theme for 2024-2025 is Lift Every Voice. This theme is taken from the first line of the Black National Anthem. Lift Every Voice encourages collective strength and unity among the African/Black diaspora. A celebration of vibrant and diverse cultures, experiences, perspectives, contemporary realities, contributions, and achievements.

We hope everyone had a wonderful break!

Semester 1 is almost over! Please be aware of the following upcoming important dates:

• Wed., Jan. 15: Early dismissal, university application deadline through OUAC
• Thurs., Jan. 16: Moratorium (no new work assigned)
• Wed., Jan. 22: Exams begin
• Wed., Jan. 29: Exam return day
• Thurs., Jan. 30: PD day
• Fri., Jan. 31: First day of semester 2
• Sat., Feb. 1: Deadline for equal consideration for college applications

Here’s the exam schedule:

Wed., January 22: MAP4C1
Room 328

Wed., January 22: CGW4U1
Room 326

Thurs., January 23: SPH4C
Room 328

Thurs., January 23: AVI4M1
Room 323

Mon., January 27: ENG4C/4U
Room 326

We hope your break is restful and joyous, and we’ll see you back on Monday, January 6th!

Dear Students, Staff and Parents/Guardians/Caregivers,

I have good news to share this afternoon. Water is on at our school and the boilers are functioning properly again. That means that our school will be open for in-person learning on Monday, December 16 and regular school operations will resume. Thank you for your support and understanding this week as we have dealt with this unexpected challenge. Have a wonderful weekend.

Sincerely,

Amalia Pallas

Dear Students, Staff and Parents/Guardians/Caregivers,

As you know, on Wednesday, a leaking pipe caused flooding in our school’s boiler room. Today, we received an update that contractors have identified and repaired the leak, and water has been turned back on at the school. However, our school remains without heat as the boilers are not functioning properly. Combustion mechanics are on-site and working to resolve the issue, but we do not yet have an estimated timeline for when the repairs will be completed.

As a result, Monarch Park CI will continue to be closed to in-person learning on Friday, December 13.

As previously mentioned, students are expected to log into their online classrooms through Brightspace/Google classrooms for instructions from their teachers regarding attendance, as well as to access work that has been posted by teachers for students to complete at home.

I will provide an additional update to the community over the weekend regarding an update on the repairs. If you have any additional questions, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Amalia Pallas

Bad news (or great news, depending on how much you like going to school). There is still no heat or water in the building, so we’ll be online again on Thursday, Dec. 12. Asynchronous work will be available on your Google Classrooms—please check there to see what you have to do! If you have any questions or need help, your teachers will be available via email all day.

The caretaking staff and TDSB Facility Services are working hard to solve the problem and hope to have the building back up and running soon!

We had an incredible visit to the AGO to see Sonia Boyce’s immersive exhibit, “Feeling Her Way.” Students learned about her work and participated in a drawing activity. Our amazing arts educator, Mahlikah, drew links between Boyce and Zak Ové’s stunning sculpture, Moko Jumbie. We even got a bonus tour of the Pacita Abad show!

We will be joining Monarch Park for Remembrance Day on Monday, Nov. 11. Here’s the schedule for that day:

Period 1: 9-10 am
Period 2: 10:05 am-12:10 pm
Lunch: 12:10-1:10 pm
Period 3: 1:10-2:10 pm
Period 4: 2:15-3:15 pm