Orange Shirt Day is Friday, September 30. It is a day to honour and uphold survivors and intergenerational survivors of the residential school system and to commemorate those who did not return home. Orange T-Shirts will be sold in the Main Campus lobby at lunch to students in the High School division starting today - Wednesday, September 8 until supplies run out. The cost of a shirt is $20.

The HS Chess Club meets Thursdays during lunch in room 119. Whether you are interested in standard chess or Chinese chess, players of all skill levels are welcome to join! 

Grad sweaters will go on sale starting next Monday in the lobby during lunch! Sweaters are $70. There are three colour options and three style options available. 

Good luck to all of our HS students taking part in the Speech Competition today! Currently the Grades 9/10 class winners are presenting - to be followed by the Grades 11/12s! Thank you to our MPTA judges for volunteering their time today!

HS students, this is your opportunity to audition for the 2023 Fashion Show! Sign up on the forms outside Ms. Vendittelli's room. In addition to the excitement of being part of a major charity event, students have the benefit of earning community service hours for their participation. 

Watch the 2019 Fashion Show promo video!

Members of the high school swim team have been training in the warm water of the Mentor pool! The team has recently raced in Milton, Brampton and Etobicoke with great finishes and team morale throughout. Memorable finishes in Etobicoke at pre-ROPSSAA this Wednesday include:

Wesley Snowden: 1st place, 100m freestyle
Taylor Brown: 2nd place, 50m butterfly
Max Jia: 2nd place, 100 breaststroke
Gloria Wang: 2nd place, 50m butterfly

Both the boys’ and girls’ freestyle relay teams had great finishes as well with the unofficial senior boys’ team finishing in second place. Coaches cannot wait to see what the team has in store for the ROPSSAA Championship in February. Keep Swimming over the break! 

*Photo credit: Gloria Wang 

This Friday, the HS mock trial team heads to the Peel Mock Trial Tournament to compete for the Davis Cup - where they will face off against John Cabot. While the team members continue working on case details and their best Suits faces, join coaches Solovieff and Rendeiro in wishing the students the best of luck!

On Wednesday, Mentor College hosted its first live Memories to Music concert since 2019. The Memories to Music project is run in conjunction with Alzheimer Society Peel and allows our high school musicians the opportunity to work with senior partners who in the early stages of dementia.

Studies show that of all the aspects of memory affected in dementia, music is one of the least affected. Our students learn the life stories of their senior partners through a series of interviews and then they write an original song commemorating that person’s life. It is believed that having a song written about them will help the senior partner remember details they may otherwise forget.

The songs were performed to an enthusiastic and grateful audience of teachers, students and parents, and senior partners and their families. The talent, thoughtfulness, and care that the students put into their song writing made for a wonderful and memorable evening.

Congratulations to all our brilliant composers, lyricists, and performers:

Adam Bertolo, Alice Tokareva, Amanda Guo, Angel Liu, Annie Dhillon, Armaan Laroia, Cam Guillon, Cassandra Argiropoulos, Chloe Che, Emma Carruthers, Ethan Yang, Hardeep Hans, Jayan Ali, Karin Petrosian, Krishan Bahl, Kriti Shrivastava, Malaika Watts, Max Jia, Maxwell Raynor, Nancy Zhang, Natalie Josipovic, Oliver Duffy, Parth Thusoo, Quintina Liu, Radhika Ram, Rayan Kabbara, Ridhi Saxena, Robert Bilodeau, Samuel Young, Seb He, Sophia Leuschner, Sophia Mutlak, Steven Wang, William Lee

Each year the Grade 10 math students have a project where they combine math and art. This year's theme was on vacation. Students design a picture on graph paper and then calculate all equations so they can transpose the design onto a graphing program.  

Mr. Fernandez, Ms. McRae, and Ms. Weiner would like to congratulate all the students for their hard work. Finalists include Tiana Cao, David Ding, Charlie Fairbrother, Heesung Jeon, Andrew Johnston, Julia Muresan, and Albert Wen.

Laptop devices are provided to Mentor College and TSS (TEAM Secondary School) high school students.  These devices are school property, issued with a contract signed by the student and parent(s). 

• In June, devices are returned at the student’s last examination.
• In September, devices are issued to high school students.

Further details will be provided to students prior to the June return and September issuance of devices.

As of September 2023, the 1:1 device program will be made available to all Mentor and TSS grade 9 to 12 students. Students will be provided with their own premium Internet-connected Microsoft Surface laptops for use at school and at home. Teachers will support students to ensure that they are making effective use of this technology. Using modern tools such as OneNote, Edsby, digital textbooks, and other digital academic resources, students will be well-equipped for academic success in their high school years and beyond.

Students on the Hollywood Media trip are off! They will be enjoying the next 4 days taking in sights like Dolby Theater, Universal Studios Special FX, and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures!

The French Club has taken on the task of translating “The World with Jason George: Canada” into French. This year’s group of dedicated students began their work after March Break. Once completed, the students’ work will be published and available for purchase on Amazon.

Last Thursday, the group had the opportunity to meet with the author of the book, Jason George, a former Mentor student, teacher, and now wildlife photographer. Jason George shared his wildlife experiences, animal bones, his many books, and videos with the students. Each student left with more knowledge about animals and an original photo taken by Jason as a keepsake. 

Back row: Zuhayr Auqil, Jinyang Hong, Hardeep Hans, Jason George, Rayan Kabbara, Simeon Karakolev

Front row: Madame Zorec, Anka Dhillon, Mason Leung, Isabella Bian, Roderick Liao, Ethan Yang

Absent: Shriya Rao

Mr. McCallen would like to extend a big thank-you to the Student Athletic Association for what was a huge success last night at the Athletic Banquet! The event provided entertainment, prizes, awards, and special Alumni Guest Speakers: Stephanie Sucharda (Wall of Fame 2015) and Jashan Dhillon (Wall of Fame 2017).

Congratulations to the following award winners!

Annemarie Guzman - Senior Girls Athlete of the Year
Amitpal Khasria - Senior Boys Athlete of the Year
Rian Pullen - Junior Girls Athlete of the Year
Jake Evans - Junior Boys Athlete of the Year

Aidan Haldane - Mentor Marauder Scholar Award

Tara Clarke - Colin Hood Award
Aidan Haldane - Colin Hood Award

Thanks again to everyone who attended last night. Your support of Mentor Marauder Athletics was certainly felt!

Students in Ms. Vieira, Ms. Brennan, and Ms. Sarna's Grade 6 classes spent the day learning about the adaptations and biodiversity of the different types of life that exist in Ontario. While exploring the forests and fields throughout Mounstberg Conservation Park, students learned how to identify different species and classify them based on their features. In addition, a game of "Toxin Tag" helped students understand how foreign substances can infiltrate the food chain. Finally, students were able to meet "Cuddles," an endangered Black Rat Snake to see firsthand the importance of protecting all species in the ecosystem.

Last week, the U12 Ultimate Frisbee team participated in the PSAA tournament. The team's goal was to play their hardest and best, and to do so with true spirit of the game and great sportsmanship!  Every team member accomplished this goal, leaving it all on the field to come home with a fantastic second place finish in the tier 1 division!

Last week, the U14 Ultimate Frisbee team participated in the PSAA tournament. Playing in tier 1, the competition was fierce, but every team member played each game with grit and determination, running circles around their oppenents and never giving up on a disc. The coaches are so proud of how the team played their very best and with true spirit of the game!

The U14 girls' volleyball team played well in the November 24th PSAA tournament. The girls made some excellent serves and passes, setting them up for strong hits and winning 4 sets in the round robin.

After a nailbiting 3 sets in the playoffs, the girls walked away with their heads held high. Coaches Caringi and Brennan are proud of the teamwork and determination you all showed thoughout the tournament.

Great season, ladies!

The members of the orienteering team concluded their fall season with a practice at a local park. The school yard had become too familiar for the students to be of any challenge so Mr. Fransson and Mrs. Bannister took the dozen-strong team to Spruce Park.

Using the updated map (lots of new trees in the park), the students had to navigate themselves around the park looking for a number of checkpoints. And they all did well! The team will meet up again after the March break.

For the past 3 months, the Grades 7 & 8 students had been working hard on their Science Fair projects. On Wednesday and Thursday last week, students presented their projects to a panel of judges. The science fair concluded on Friday with an awards assembly. We are proud of each one of our Grades 7 & grade 8 students for this accomplishment. Thank you to all participants and congratulations to the award winners! 

The students in the photo will represent Mentor College at the Peel Region Science Fair on April 14 & 15: Anika Panda, Maya Chen, Madhav Marthi, Lukas Chang, Jaya Lomaga, Valerie Yin, Preet Bhalla, Sloane Cottrell

Enviro-Sciences

1st: Sydney Khuong, Rajan Deol, Jaya Lomaga; 2nd: Selina Fee, Kate Sproull, Gianluca Bleta; 3rd: Nathan Gonzalez-Atkinson, Brooke Kosar & Scarlett Gidge

Social Sciences

1st: Valerie Yin, Ayesha Jafri, Josefine Mandl; 2nd: Zunaira Wasi, Taylor Sikora & Hayden Doiron; 3rd: Lily Cooke & Uma Patel, Sara Henderson

Life Sciences

1st: Preet Bhalla, Madhav Marthi, Lukas Chang; 2nd: Natalie Bahnam, Salahaddin Poonah, Julia Morris; 3rd: Mia Parmar, Paulina Golias & Sofia Gismondi

Physical Sciences

1st: Anika Panda, Maya Chen, Sloane Cottrell; 2nd: Caleb Isaacson, Michael Gagliardi, Luka Stefanovic; 3rd: Kai Keller & Justin Tsiakas

The orienteering club had a great day at the Hamilton Schools 45th Adventure Challenge. The main goal for the team was to navigate as accurately as possible so that all checkpoints were visited and everyone met that goal. Well done!

This group of students defintely knows how to read a map and use it to find their way through unknown terrain. Not an easy task. The challenge is also a competition and Mentor had some great results. Note that 700 students participated across all categories so needless to say, competition is tough.

Grades 6 & 7:

TJ Lee, Blake Lui, Logan Tingley (5)
Parker Talarico, Kiaan Kurien, Jeremy Genyk (22)
John Merrlles, Abyan Chowdury (59)

Grade 8:

Cooper Guillon, Carter Guillon (12)
Aasim Inamdar (25)

Much like the weather, it did not take long for the U14 boys' softball team to heat up. The boys showed off their excellent fielding skills and superior bats all day.

While doing so, the boys had heaps of fun. Despite a close final playoff game, the team remains undefeated for the second year in a row!

Congratulations to the boys on a fantastic day! They brought home first place and coaches McNeil and Harris couldn’t be more proud!

The Primary Division would like to congratulate its first Rock Paper Scissors School Champion: Talia Bahrani!

Over the course of the past few weeks, students have taken part in a school wide RPS Tournament with class winners, a grade-level winners, and eventually a schoolwide champion!

Special mention to our grade level winners: JK - Evie Smith, SK - Leah Flint, Grade 1 - Quinn Brown, Grade 2 - Talia Bahrani, Grade 3 - Iain Cheung, and Grade 4 - Maeve Cabel.

The Primary Division's annual concert Songs of the Season made its return to the stage last night. The Primary Choir, Grade 4 Recorder Club, and all of the grade-level groups were in top form as they performed holiday numbers like I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas, Bless Us All, and Walking In The Air. 

Thank you to all of the families who attended! Thank you to Ms. Arosemena for all of her work in organizing the event. Great job, students!

During mindfulness class, the children in Ms. Gerlai's class came up with a list of things to keep them calm: taking a nap, getting a squeezy hug, reading a book, taking a bath, walking, smelling something sweet, or drawing a picture.

A calming activity close to Hallowe'en is braiding orange witch hair while listening to music. The students recommend these activities. Give them a try!

Last Wednesday, the Grade 8s ventured to the Art Gallery of Hamilton. They started their day with a fantastic guided tour of specific works relating to our landscape, the relation between the environment and humans, and how art has changed as a response to our changing world and climate. It was fascinating! In the afternoon, they were led through a clay sculpting workshop by a local artist. It was a gold star day!

The Grade 4s completed their unit on Rocks by growing beautiful crystals. Students designed their crystal forms into necklaces, animals, Christmas tree ornaments, and they even crystalized a car!

The staff of TEAM School & TSS are so excited to welcome new and returning students to the school! Your teachers and principals are looking forward to another great year! See you Wednesday morning!

Next week is Spirit Week in all divisions!

Tuesday, November 15 - Fan Day: regular uniform but students can add a uniform item that shows they are a "fan"...sports, music, books, movie franchise

Wednesday, November 16 - Dress Down Day: regular dress down day

Thursday, November 17 - Flannel Day: regular uniform but student can add a uniform item that has a flannel theme

In an announcement on November 14, 2022, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore strongly recommended masking in all public settings, including schools and daycare settings because of the rising number of illness and pediatric hospitalizations due to respiratory illness, influenza, and Covid-19 illness.

The Chief Medical Officer of Health has reminded Ontarians to “get back to using all the layers of protection that we know work to keep ourselves and others healthy,” which include:  screening daily for signs of illness and staying home when you are sick, always practising good hand hygiene, regularly cleaning high touch surfaces, staying up to date with vaccines and getting the Covid-19 bivalent booster dose and flu shot.

Mentor College and TEAM School encourage our students, staff, and families to follow the Chief Medical Officer of Health’s masking recommendation and to also ensure that students screen daily for illness and stay home when sick. At school, we will continue to encourage good hand hygiene and will maintain the cleaning of high touch surfaces as we work together to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for everyone.

Entering its 24th year, the Mentor College/TEAM School Fashion Show has contributed to the over $1,000,000 raised by the school for local hospitals and charities. This student-run event brings together students from all divisions of Mentor/TEAM – with the result being a world-class gala event that makes a difference in the community.

The students are proud to present TIMELESS on Saturday, April 15, 2023.  This charity event involves the entire school and is produced by our high school students with the help and support of parents and faculty for an audience of more than 1000 guests.  

Our last in-person event in 2019 raised $40,000 and this year, our goal is to generate $60,000. Proceeds raised from this event will support the redevelopment of Trillium Health Partners Mississauga Hospital site, specifically supporting the Women’s and Children’s Unit.

🎥 🎥 🎥 Watch the promo video! 🎬 🎬 🎬

Click here to read this memo RE: Preventive actions for families over the winter break from Region of Peel.

As we begin the registration process for the 2023-2024 school year at Mentor College and TEAM School, we want to make you aware that this year our registrations will utilize a new registration portal.

Registrations will be released in grade-level groups based on the following timeline.

January: current Mentor College Primary & Intermediate Division students
February: current Mentor College High School Division & TEAM Secondary School students
March: current TEAM School Elementary Division students

Parents will receive an invitation to set up their profile in the new registration portal. During the convenient registration process, you will be prompted to confirm or update information about your child. Completion of the registration process and payment of the deposit ensures your child’s name is on the list for class placement in September.

This month we also begin entrance assessments and testing of students and families who wish to have their student join our school, so once released, a timely response from you for your child’s registration for the next academic year is encouraged.

Please check your inbox for an email from a school registration address in the coming weeks and months.

Chuck Macdonald
Director, Mentor College & TEAM School

Students in all divisions are welcome to come to school in dress down clothes on this day. Please refer to divisional Edsby pages for guidelines with respect to appropriate dress down clothes.

The Culture Show is back! On Wednesday February 15, students from all divisions of Mentor and TEAM will join together in one of the schools’ largest school-wide events! The double gym at the Main Campus will transformed into a multicultural extravaganza – including music, dance, food, and celebration! Led by the students in the high school division, all students in the school partake in the event, either as performers, pavilion guides, executive members, or visitors.

Watch the promo video!

The event started in 2004 with twelve countries sharing their cultures and traditions with students, teachers, and parents. In the following years, the show quickly gained popularity with students – so much that the event now regularly features over 40 pavilions – with three spectacular concerts taking place throughout the day.

What makes the Celebration of Cultural Diversity so special is that it is entirely student-run. Of course, staff support is ever-present, but when it comes to scheduling, logistics, concerts, and everything else, it is all up to the student organizing committee!

Logo Design: Joshua Stinson, Karin Petrosian, Rebecca Yang

The current academic school year saw the successful introduction of the 1:1 device programme. All Grade 9 students were provided with their own premium Internet-connected Microsoft Surface laptops for use at school and at home. For the 2023-2024 school year, we are pleased to announce the expansion of the 1:1 device programme to include all High School students.

Teachers will support students to ensure that they are making effective use of this technology. Using modern tools such as OneNote, Edsby, digital textbooks, and other digital academic resources, students will be well-equipped for academic success in their high school years and beyond.

We look forward to providing you with further details in the coming months.

What a show it was last night! The return of the annual Festival of the Arts featured performances from our Grade 9 and Grade 10 Concert Bands, HS Jazz Band, along with numbers from the Grade 5/6 Choir and High School Choir. Charlotte Liu performed a solo piano piece and Quintina Liu sang a song backed by the Jazz Band. The HS Senior Concert Band closed out the evening with a powerful set! Great job by MCs Quintina Liu and Alice Tokareva! Tonight, our younger groups and ensembles from the Intermediate and Primary Divisions take to the stage!

Have a walk through a 3D virtual tour of PHOTON: The Senior Art Show. The Festival of the Arts continues for its second and final evening tonight. 

The art show is open all day today! Spend some time taking in the artwork, then head upstairs to the concert at 7:00 PM!

This weekend is the Victoria Day long weekend. The schools are closed on Friday and Monday. We wish you an enjoyable long weekend. 

Watch the video from last Friday's Relay For Life! 

Tuesday, May 23 - Fun In The Sun Day: Students must wear regular uniform top and bottom but can add a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses and/or replace your tie, socks, and shoes with something that says "Summer is Almost Here"

Wednesday, May 24 - Dress Down Day

Thursday, May 25 - My Favourite Colours Day: Students must wear regular uniform top and bottom but can add a coloured shirt and/or replace your tie, socks, and shoes with something that says "These Are My Favourite Colours"

We would like to congratulate the following exceptional students who have been carefully selected to lead the Fashion Show Executive Committee in 2022-2023:

Senior Head Representatives:

Julia Kalaparambath
Mona Lotfi
Akshath Kannan
Caroline Bazydlo

Junior Head Representatives:

Naomi Grey
Seerat Walia
Retaje Barour
Inaaya Merchant

For students in Grades 11 & 12 next year, please consider applying for one of the other vital roles of the committee in September, including:

Production Coordinator
Choreographer
Media Representative
Clothing Representative
Auction Representative
Logistics Representative
Art Representative

On behalf of the Fashion Show staff advisors and student committee this year, we’d like to thank everyone for participating in our two successful events; the December CE Academy Supply Drive and the Epic Easter Egg Hunt in April where we raised $2000 for SickKids Foundation. 

We are so excited to embark on our trip to New Orleans in November 2022 to get inspiration for our Mardi Gras themed Fashion Show that will return to the runway in April 2023.

Screening, Masks, Hand Hygiene & Respiratory Etiquette, Testing for COVID-19

• Thank you in advance for monitoring your child’s health before their attendance at school. The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health recommend that staff, students, and visitors continue to self-screen every day before attending school. The School and Child Care Screening Tool was updated by the Ministry of Health and the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health on August 31st. This tool will assist you should you be trying to determine possible attendance at school. Please be reminded, however, that to prevent the spread of illness, individuals should stay home if they are feeling ill and only return to school when they no longer have a fever and symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours (or 48 hours for nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea).
  
  
• The wearing of masks is not required at this time; however, we welcome mask wearing and respect the individual choice to wear or not wear a mask. Please remember that individuals returning to school after illness should continue to wear a mask for 10 days after symptom onset, and should mask after close contact to a person with COVID-19/symptoms.
  
  
• Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette will continue to be promoted and integrated throughout the school day, and we continue enhanced cleaning protocols of high-touch surfaces at school.
  
  
• The Ministry of Health recommends that you get tested if you are at higher risk of severe illness, get a PCR test (if eligible) OR take two rapid antigen tests 24 to 48 hours apart. At this time, a positive rapid antigen test result is enough to start COVID-19 treatment for those who are eligible.

Parents and guardians who are interested in obtaining optional student accident insurance via a third party are asked to visit this page for more information. 

We are so excited to welcome new and returning students to school tomorrow! We wish all of our families a great start to the school year! Have a great day!

The staff of TEAM School & TSS are so excited to welcome new and returning students to the school! Your teachers and principals are looking forward to another great year! See you Wednesday morning!

Orange Shirt Day is Friday, September 30. It is a day to honour and uphold survivors and intergenerational survivors of the residential school system and to commemorate those who did not return home. Orange T-Shirts will be sold in the Main Campus lobby and TSS Common Room at lunch to students in the High School division starting today - Wednesday, September 8 until supplies run out. The cost of a shirt is $20.

MC Aquatics is now accepting registrations for the fall session. Please note that spots are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. MC Aquatics follows the Lifesaver Society guildelines. To help determine your child's swimming level, please see the Lifesaver Society descriptions for levels 1-6 swimmers and Conversion Chart. 

Please visit this page for more information and pricing.

Register for the fall session here.

Contact information:

James Purdy: 416-567-3403
Kevin Pedersen: 647-409-2470
Email: mcaswim@hotmail.com

Congratulations to the winners of the 2022/2023 Student Council election. Thank you to all of the students who ran for positions this year!

President/Vice President
Aidan Haldane & Annemarie Guzman

Secretary
Japnam Boughan & Mohammad Thalji

Treasurer
Rayan Manji & Kabeer Gill

Social Reps
Sophie Ashby & Elizabeth Harrington

Environmental Reps
Ryan Taylor & Alex Batek

Music & Media Reps
Simeon Karokolev & Norah Daudi

International Ambassadors
Jordan Cho & Juno Zhao

FRONT ROW: Rayan, Kabeer, Aidan, Annemarie, Sophie, Elizabeth
BACK ROW: Mohammad, Alex, Ryan, Simeon, Norah, Jordan, Juno
NOT PRESENT: Japnam

Today was Play Day for students in the Primary, TEAM, and Intermediate Divisions - a day for teamwork, school spirit, camaraderie, and play!

Grade 11 leadership students are off to the OEC this morning! This is the first of three groups to head north AND the first overnight trip to the OEC in quite some time!

Congratulations to the members of to the cross-country running team for a job well done at Trinity College in Port Hope on Wednesday! The novice, junior and senior boys conquered Trinity College’s Mount Trinity in their races and had a great experience on the beautiful running course this year!

Mark Hogan placed 6th in the senior boys’ race, running 6k in 22:01.7; his coaches cannot wait to see his results at Heart Lake. Special mention goes out to Avi Khandor, new to the team this year as a junior boy, who placed 19th place with a time of 21:50.3 in his 5K event. Avi is a most enthusiastic Marauder on the team this year!

Runners face off with Peel Region athletes again on the 27th!

Yesterday, the golf team participated in the ROPSSAA Golf Championships at Lionshead Golf Club - rated one of the most challenging in Ontario!  We are pleased to share the results:

Ainsley Fink: 1st (female golfers)
Mitchell Grey: 1st (male golfers)
Krish Gospisetty (rookie): 3rd (individual male golfers)
Suyog Surana, Sanyog Surana, Mitchell Grey, and Krish Gopisetty: 1st (team category)

Building on the strength of their sweep, the team is headed to the OFSSAA Golf Championships on October 12/13. The boys will be competing in London at the Fire Rock Golf Club while Ainsley competes at Flamborough Hills Golf Club in Hamilton. We wish the athletes success as they represent Mentor College and Peel Region at the Ontario Championships!

The U10 boys' soccer team went undefeated at their tournament last Friday! Through discipline and hard work, the boys persevered and showcased immense talent and teamwork. Goals were scored by team captains Jesse (3) and Hudson (3), Theo (6), and Aariz (1). A special mention to Kassim, as he saved two crucial penalty shots during the tournament. Coaches Mr. Nasser and Mrs. Arango are very proud of the passion you all displayed. Well done!

On Friday October 14, members of the Environment Club and Surf Club participated in a litter pickup in Tall Oaks park along the Port Credit waterfront. Special thanks to the community group PAL (People Against Littering) who provided the garbage pickers for the event, as well as to Surf The Greats who provided prizes for participants. 

Ms. Lotun and Mr. Carruthers would like to thank all students and staff who made our first Outreach Bake Sale for Alzheimer's Society Peel (in the last two years!) a huge success! $570 was raised Thursday morning and both staff and students enjoyed a variety of delicious baked goods. Alzheimer's staff are so appreciative of this and eager to find new initiatives for our volunteers in the upcoming months.

It was picture-perfect day for the Photography Club Fall Rally. Students spent the morning enjoying the fresh air and beautiful colours of the leaves as they toured the grounds of the Bradley Museum in Mississauga. The focus of today's task was to capture images that reflect contrast, line, colour, shape, and texture. Ms. Suri and Ms. Sarna cannot wait to see your submissions on Edsby.

As we near the end of the first quarter in the High School Division, I have been reflecting on how far we have come since March 13 – the last in-person day of the 2019-2020 school year. At that time, it was decided by the school that March Break would be extended by two weeks. Of course, the extended closure ended up lasting until the end of the school year. Since March 13, teachers have been transforming how they teach your children. There are countless examples of this both inside and outside of the classroom.

On Tuesday morning, a teacher shared with me that, by putting her camera up to the microscope, students learning remotely were able to do their analyses using the same observations seen by the students in class! The next day, I walked past a business class where a remote-learning student was co-presenting with an in-class student. Yesterday, I watched a virtual guest speaker talk to a Civics class about her experience as a lawyer.

Outside of the class, we have become comfortable with new entry and exit routines, safety protocols, and outdoor classrooms. Students and teachers have also further developed technical fluency, using Microsoft products to provide immediate feedback to remote-learning and in-class students alike.

Our world is very different today than it was in March, but we have adapted, grown, and continued to learn. Our students have become accustomed to longer classes, new schedules, and other changes to routines. Teachers have had the challenges of rethinking assessments, developing lessons, and finding creative new ways of ensuring that lesson delivery remains of the highest quality.

Fortunately, students and teachers have continued to apply the work ethic that is synonymous with Mentor College and TEAM School. I wanted to take a moment to share how grateful I am for everything that has transpired this school year and also for the opportunities that will arise throughout the rest of the school year.

Aneil Panchal
Assistant Vice Principal
High School Division

Today is “Let’s Talk Day” in Canada. We are in the 4th week of remote learning (and the second lockdown of the pandemic) so its timing could not be more relevant.

Everyone would love to be back-to-school with our pre-pandemic “normal” and while I think it is nice to look forward to this day, it is clear that it will be a long time before COVID-19 will be in our rear-view mirror. In the meantime, we are all doing our best to apply the “new normal” to our lives. For our students, it means being more attached to the same screens that parents scolded them for over-using 12 months ago. For our staff members, it means not only teaching material lessons but also learning a new suite of software (for everything from daily lessons to final evaluations) in order to best deliver to their students in a remote-learning setting.

For an individual student or teacher, the “new normal” would be tough enough on its own. When you add in the dynamics of a family where everyone is needing the time, space, and devices in order to do their daily tasks, however, the physical and mental health of everyone suffers. Any parent who is ensuring the kids are logged in and engaged in school lessons, working from home themselves, and still managing to keep everyone fed, dressed, and clean (particularly with our younger students) has undiagnosed superhero powers! This of course also applies to our teachers who have school-aged children who are learning at the same time Dad or Mom is teaching.

We know everyone is struggling at times and we are also aware that the lockdown has affected some of you greatly. It is OK to feel this way and it is even more OK to talk about it. Mentor’s high school principal, Mr. Whyte, says:

It is very important for our high school students to reach out and talk to someone, especially during these days of isolation. Our guidance counsellors are available every day to listen and help. Guidance is a valuable resource for students, parents and teachers and we are happy this service continues to be of use.

Mr. Whyte loves the outdoors and when I asked him for his best advice for remote learners, teachers, and parents, he suggests:

I cannot overstate the importance of physical and outdoor activity. We should all aim to get outside for some fresh air every day to help refresh us from the screen time we all endure each day.

Our director, Mr. Macdonald, has noticed the sense of community and how teachers and students have been a great source of peer-to-peer strength for each other:

When I visit a class that is remote learning, one of the things I enjoy seeing most is the students interacting with each other. When I start a staff meeting I know that the teachers will log on a few minutes early just to have a moment to see each other and to socialize. It’s amazing to see how students and teachers manage to support each other and lift spirits, even in a virtual setting.

This sense of community goes for our parents as well. We know that you are keeping in touch with each other and fostering some of the friendships that have developed through your association with our school. We have been receiving messages from parents who want to thank a specific teacher or the school in general for the remote learning programme; teachers seem to get these needed bits of praise just when they are needed most. We have also heard from parents who feel that they (or their children) are “failing” because they have trouble juggling all the new responsibilities that the pandemic has been placed upon them. Reach out and let us know. We might be able to help in a tangible way; even if that means just listening, perhaps that can help in some small way.

Most of all we are thankful for the students and there are wonderful little stories shared among staff that keep us going. My favourite so far is the teacher who, seeing that the class was starting to get off-track, used the “stern face” that works so well in the classroom setting…only to have the students all call out that “your screen is frozen”!

We all need to talk to each other, not just today, but every day. Take a look at some of the resources available on the “Let’s Talk” website and share them with your family. If you need help, reach out. If you are in a position of giving help, reach out. We are blessed with a school community that truly cares for each other.

Chris Starkey
Admininstrative Principal
Mentor College/TEAM School