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MAPLE LEAF INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
MARCH 2015
IMPORTANT DATES
Message from our Principal
MARCH
It’s been an exciting term so far as you will see on our pages within.
•Forest of Reading Challenge 2-31
• FIFA Tournament
9-20
• Primary Bake Sale 18
• 4th Literacy Session
19
• “What’s your Write” launch
20
•Ontario Secondary School
Literacy Test (OSSLT)
26
• Sports Day
27
•Easter Break March 30 - April 10
Maple Leaf International School is a
private co-educational, independent
day school offering classes from
Kindergarten to Grade 12. Established
in 1994, and located in Alyce Heights,
Petit Valley, Maple Leaf is registered
with both the Ministry of Education
in Trinidad & Tobago and Ontario
Canada. Graduates earn an Ontario
High School Diploma, in compliance
with the curriculum requirements of the
Ontario Ministry of Education in Toronto.
The school places a balanced emphasis
on academics, service achievements,
leadership opprtunities, as well as
athletics and the arts. Maple Leaf offers
a seamless transition from elementary to
high school with a supportive and closeknit community of students, parents, staff
and alumni.
I would like to welcome our new Marketing Coordinator, Joanne Bell. She brings
with her many years of experience in Advertising and Marketing and we are
happy to have her on our team. You will be hearing a lot more from her as the
year progresses.
We continue to focus on our Technology Priority. Our infrastructure has recently
been upgraded and the Wi-Fi connectivity has been improved throughout the
school. The grade 9’s are already using the laptops donated by Massy Technologies
and both the teachers and students are excited about their technology-enabled
classrooms. Our partnership with Massy Technologies is progressing as we aim
to be the leading school in Trinidad & Tobago incorporating digital learning to
enhance the educational experience of our students. Please look out for the
Massy Technologies/Maple Leaf press release in the local newspapers.
As part of our 20th Anniversary celebrations, on March 27th, we will hold our
annual Sports/Fun Day. The PTA and a special Sports Committee headed by
Paul Pickard and Alicia Welch have organised a special day with a twist. It will
involve both the elementary and seconday school for the first time and it will be
organised as a House competition. Our new Mascot will be introduced on the
day. Parents are invited to come for a day of fun and to cheer the kids on.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a safe and
enjoyable Easter holiday.
Kindest regards
Andrew Melnyk
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COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE
KINDERGARTEN
Celebrating 100 Days of School
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LIBRARY
Maple Leaf’s Writing Contest
This year’s What’s Your Write committee comprises of our
Librarian, Ms. Gena Mohammed; Secondary English and
Cooperative Education Teacher, Mrs. Mary Boyd; Secondary
Geography and Humanities Teacher, Ms. Alison Pechlof
and Secondary Guidance Counselor, Mrs. Marie Schuler;
Head of Elementary Mathematics Department and Grade 8
Teacher, Dr. Candice Maharaj and Elementary Grade Seven
Teacher, Ms. Maxine Harrilal.
What’s Your Write? 2015
By The Maple Leaf What’s Your Write Committee
It’s that time of the school year again. The time when we
come together as a school to celebrate writing, with Maple
Leaf’s annual writing contest, What’s Your Write?
The 2015 edition of the What’s Your Write Contest is set
to begin with a Grand Fiesta in the school’s Gym on Friday
20th March 2015 during Elementary and Secondary Lunch
times. There will be a bake sale with many
tasty treats, displays of previous winners’ work
throughout the years, information on this year’s
contest categories, performances from the
Maple Leaf Choir and Pan Ensemble, student
performances, storytelling and guest artistes.
This contest is now in its 9th year and throughout the years,
it has drawn school-wide participation. Last year
over a hundred and fifty entries were received.
One of the many aims of this contest is to provide
students with a platform to write stories of
various genres, engage in many different types
of writing and to explore the use of technology
in writing. This year we have expanded our reach
in terms of categories and also as regards to our
contest launch.
This writing contest is open to all students of
Maple Leaf and each entry must include a
submission form signed by the student, his/
her teacher and parent. These forms will be
available at the contest launch and also at the
library. The contest closes on the 1st of May
2015. Students are encouraged to enter more
than one story and/or one category.
Additionally, as our school celebrates its 20th
anniversary we have introduced a Maple
Leaf Time Capsule category. In this category,
students are asked to gather materials such as
photographs, newspaper clippings etc relating to Maple
Leaf. The winners’ time capsules would be placed in the
school’s vault to be opened in the year 2025. Further we
have introduced a “My Trini Cookbook” category which
would feature original Trinidadian recipes written and tested
by the students.
Maple Leaf celebrates writing with its story contest, What’s
Your Write?
Everyone at Maple Leaf has risen to the challenge and has
been reading and earning points. So far a total of 291 Forest
books have been circulated. Here are the total number of
books read by House as of March 9th 2015:
2015 CHALLENGE UPDATE
by Ms. Mohammed, Librarian
Hercules Orion Phoenix Perseus 85 books
74 books
72 books
60 books
Come in and take the
challenge today!
If you are interested in earning points for your house, you
can do many things, such as play an intermural match, get
caught taking action or taking part in activities during House
Assemblies. However there is another way in which you can
earn house points and that is by reading.
By taking the library’s Forest of Reading Challenge, you
can earn a house point with every book you read from the
Forest collection of books. The Forest of Reading Challenge
began on the 2nd of February and continues to the 13th of
April 2015.
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ART ROOM
The artroom is alive with the spirit of Michelangelo and his
masterpiece at the Sistine Chapel. In appreciating the work
he did over a period of four years while lying on his back,
the kids created artwork inspired by the Michelangelo’s
Creation of David by lying on the artroom floor and painting
on the underside of the table. The kids enjoyed this new
perspective and have a new found respect for Michelangelo!
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COOPERATIVE EDUCATION
Coop Ed students are out to their
workplaces!
On the job
– Andrew Valdez
Fourteen of Maple Leaf’s senior students are out working!
They are taking the Cooperative Education course, which
offers them the chance to try out a job before they head off
for post-secondary school training.
The students in the course this year are: Graham Carvalho
(medical field), Dominique Coutain (child psychology),
Soraya Duncan (child psychology), Ethan Gafoor (music
industry), Josephine Mendes (spa and esthetics industry),
Jordan Pollonais (marine safety), Marie-Ange Pollonais
(photography and graphics), Johnathan Riley (ROV training),
Randal Simmons (ROV training), Aditi Sooknarine Rajpatty
(medical field), Silvia Spinn (child education), Andrew Valdez
(pilot/shipping industry), Matthew Welch (auto mechanics),
and Asa Yee (computer technology).
Working with ROV technology
– Randal Simmons
Thank you goes out to our workplaces who have welcomed
our students to their locations: Serpentine Road Family
Center, The Montessori School, Princess Elizabeth Children’s
Center, Question Mark Entertainment, Meta Spa, Southern
Towing, StudioWorks, OTSL, Westshore Medical Center,
Dunross Preparatory School, Silverstar Service Center,
Massy Communications InfoCom, Marine Communications
Limited, Trinidad and Tobago Pilot Association, Caribbean
Dry Dock Limited, and Gordon Grant & Co. Ltd.
Silverstar Service Center
– Matthew Welch
The Montessori School
– Dominique Coutain
ROV Simulator
– Johnathan Riley
OF INTEREST...
Any person who has
purchased entry tickets
to the Zoo is eligible to
enter the contest. This will
run until the end of March
after which a winner will be
declared. In addition to the
privilege of giving the two
popular cubs their names,
the winner will get a year’s
free pass to the Zoo.
Savannah Cycling Lane Opens
Cyclists will be allowed to use the inside lane (closest to
the Queen’s Park Savannah) at various times. From Monday
to Friday, riders can use the lane between 4 am and 6 am
and also between 8:30 pm and 10:30 pm. On Saturday,
Sunday and Public Holidays riders will be permitted to use
the inside lane between 5 am and 9 am.
Name Our Tiger Cubs Contest
Forms to enter the contest
are available at the Zoo on
purchase of your entrance
ticket.
The Emperor Valley Zoo has initiated a contest for the
naming of its two white tiger cubs which were born earlier
this year on January 10, 2015. The cubs can be viewed
thrice daily, every day.
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SCUBA CLUB
Tobago Dive Trip by Amy Thomson
The Tobago dive trip with the Maple Leaf Dive Club was
an amazing and educational experience. Not only did
everyone new to the club get certified as PADI Open Water
divers, but we had fun and made memories along the way.
First we had two theory classes at school, and a hands on
pool session where we learned how to use the equipment.
Then after taking the final exam everyone was ready to try
out their new skill for real.
In Tobago, to earn our certification, we all had to participate
in four open water dives. After setting up our equipment we
went on the first dive, during which we practised our safety
skills. Then the second dive was our first real reef dive. What
we saw on the reef was outstanding with all the different
fish and coral. We even saw the second largest brain coral
in the world. The next day we did the remaining two dives
and saw more reef life including eels, lobster, barracuda and
thousands of colourful fish.
We all can’t wait for our next dive!
Congratulations to the members of the Scuba Group
listed here who achieved their Open/Advanced
Certification! Well Done!
Open Water Certification
Karishma Farose
Jodileigh George
Asia Ifill
Kiana Johnson
Joshua Ragoo
Randal Simmons
Amy Thomson
Ms. Safia Dore
Ms. Sara Sell
Advanced Open Water
Certification
Ashley Aleong
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SPORTS/FUN DAY 2015
Friday 27th March 2015
CIC Grounds • 7:30am - 2pm
FUN INFLATABLE RIDES
12 noon - 2 pm
FOOD & DR
INKS
ON SALE
Bouncy Castle • Water Slide • Bungee Run
WALK-A-THON
• Doubles
• Hamburge
rs
• Hotdogs
• Shark and
Bake
• Wings and
fries
• Baked goo
ds
• Snow cone
s
and lots
more goodie
s!
Prizes as well as House points will be
awarded to the students who bring in the
top 3 donation amounts.
Gift Certificates/vouchers from various outlets
i.e. Chuck E. Cheese’s, iJump, Movie Towne,
Circuit Zone or iTune cards.
Every student who fully completes their $600
donation sheet will receive a Cold Stone Gift card.
Every student who returns their donation sheet will
receive 5 house points.
MASCOT CHALLENGE
Winner of the Mascot Challenge
ZACHARY KELSHALL
The PTA is proud to present our
new Mascot - the Maple Leaf
WOLF! Come and meet him on
Sports day! The winner of the
Mascot challenge is our very
talented Zac Kelshall of Grade 11
who created the actual design for
the Mascot. Congrats! In second
place was Zack Mahadeo - Grade 4.
Well Done! Tristan Sabeeney was
also awarded a prize for his design
that will now be printed on the
homework agendas to represent
the MapleLeaf Wolves.
Good Job!
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2nd Place
ZACHARY
MAHADEO
Mascot Logo
TRISTAN
SABEENEY
MUSIC NEWS
MUSIC FESTIVAL
The Maple Leaf Pan Ensemble competed at the Trinidad
Music Festival North on Friday, March 13th at Queen’s
Hall. The group performed “Viva la Vida” with immense
skill and enthusiasm. It was an excellent opportunity to
hear other groups perform and receive positive feedback
from the adjudicators.
SCIENCE LAB
The Grade 10 Science class, while studying Organ Systems,
got their hands on the lungs, heart and oesophagus of a
cow from the local abbatoir. This allowed them a hands on
look at the Respiratory, Circulatory and Digestive systems.
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REMINDERS
YEARBOOKS
LITERACY SESSION
ELEMENTARY
YEARBOOK
Only Eighteen Left!
A Literacy Session will be held on March 19 from
2:30 - 4:00 pm. It is important that students who
are recommended for sessions attend to ensure
their success on the Ontario Secondary School
Literacy Test on Thursday, March 26.
Parents can send their requests
to homeroom teachers or directly
to Arlene Emamali-Ramdeen
(aramdeen@mapleleaf-school.
com). The yearbook cost $200
and there is a deposit of $100 to
retain your order. Yearbooks will
be available in June.
Ontario Secondary School
Literacy Test
Thursday, March 26.
SECONDARY YEARBOOK
Only Twenty-five Left!
Get Your House T-Shirts
For Sports/Fun Day
The Maple Leaf International School Secondary Yearbook
is quickly approaching completion. This is the third year
that this committee has been working together, successfully
creating yearbooks. Like last year, we have decided to
develop our yearbook with Entourage Yearbooks in New
Jersey. Recently, Entourage informed us that our yearbook
from last year received an Honorable Mention for its theme
design.
- March 27
Available from
ESPREE, West Mall
Maple Cafe Monthly Menu
March 16th-April 3rd
The Yearbook Committee believes that this year’s edition,
celebrating Maple Leaf’s twentieth anniversary, will be the
best yet. Celebrate with us by preordering a senior yearbook
for $150 TT.
Week 3 (16th-20th March)
Also, advertising space is still available in full-page, ½-page,
and 1/4-page sizes. Your advertisement is a perfect way to
support the school. Whether it’s a small home business, or
piano or art lessons, or business services such as real estate,
landscaping, tax consulting, or legal counsel — this is a
good way to get your message out.
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thurs
Fri
Beef Pelau
Noodles, Minced beef and Veggies
Lentil Peas Rice and Stewed Chicken
Corn Soup
Chicken Wraps
Week 4 (23rd-27th Feb.)
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thurs
Fri
Another plus with advertising in
our yearbook is added exposure
through our Maple Vision
monitor in the lobby where we
run our yearbook digitally.
Red beans, Rice and Stewed Beef
Chicken Pelau
Macaroni Pie, Stewed Chicken, Veggie Rice and Fresh Salad
Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
Bake and Shark
Week 5 (Mar 30th - April 3rd)
You can contact Jill Mason at:
jmason@mapleleaf-school.com
to preorder a yearbook or place
an ad.
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Mon
Tues
Wed
Thurs
Fri
Beef Pelau
Dhal, Rice and Curried Chicken
Noodles Chow Mein and Minced Beef
Macaroni Pie, Stewed Chicken and Callaloo
Corn Soup
UPCOMING EVENTS
JBF Kiddi K
Graduation Committee Garage Sale
Children’s Walk Against Paediatric Cancer
The Graduation Committee will be holding a Garage
Sale on May 2nd, 2015 to raise funds for the graduation
ceremony. This is a great chance to clear out gently used
clothing, appliances, sports equipment or household items
that are cluttering up your home. We are asking anyone who
has items to donate to drop them off at the school in boxes
or bags marked “Garage Sale”.
For the past few years, Maple Leaf International School
has been supporting the Annual JBF Kiddi K – Children’s
Walk Against Paediatric Cancer. This year the event is
carded for Saturday 2nd May, 2015 at the West Court, Jean
Pierre Sports Complex - National Stadium from 10:30am –
5:30pm. The actual walk starts at 2:30pm followed by the
banner competition, lots of random prize giveaways and
entertainment.
NGO FAIR First at Maple Leaf!
In October 2014 JBF launched their Courageous Kids
“F[I]GHT [CAN]CER” Campaign which sought to raise
awareness by featuring some of children affected by this
disease. They decided to tie that campaign into the theme
for JBF Kiddi K 2015 which is “Together We Fight”. In the
new T-shirt design they are depicting people of different
walks of life in the society. Everyone is included as we Fight
Cancer…. Together!!!
Presented by: the HFA4U class!
Friday, April 30, 2015 9:45 – 12:15
The students will be presenting their non-governmental
organisations in the Great Hall – there will be displays,
PowerPoint presentations, brochures, and they will be
offering a small item for purchase from their booth. The
proceeds are going to go to a local NGO. The aim is to
promote getting involved in making the world a better
place – their focus will be on nutrition for the world.
Our school will be supporting again this year and if you
are interested in having your child participate, or would
like to participate yourself; we are presently organising our
numbers. T-shirts will be ordered through the school and
once your son/daughter is interested in participating, he/
she will be measured for the correct fitting t-shirt. The costs
of the t-shirts are adults $65.00 and Kids $50.00
Even if they are unable to participate, you can still support
the cause by purchasing a t-shirt for them or yourself. JBF
liaison at school is Mrs. Emamali-Ramdeen (grade 5).
Grade 5 class presidents donate $1900
to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph, founders of the
Just Because Foundation. The Grade 5’s
hold a yearly bake sale to raise funds for
a charity and this year they decided on
the Just Because Foundation. Well done
Grade 5!
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