L'avenir de Montréal-Nord - English Montreal School Board

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www.emsb.qc.ca
EMSB EXPRESS | vol. 11 | N o 2 | Spring 2009
FROM THE
DIRECTOR
GENERAL
ANTONIO LACROCE
The EMSB has been
fortunate to record budget
surpluses in each of the last three
years and we have made a point
of taking this money and
reinvesting it in our system.
Recently we unveiled plans of
how we intend to spend almost $4
million in funds which became
available as a result of an
operational surplus in 2007-2008.
The Council of Commissioners
has agreed to allocate
$3,858,000 towards a literacy
early intervention program over
three years ($1.2 million),
school/centre projects ($1,050
million), information technology
($870,000), washroom im -
provements for 10 high schools
and centres ($500,000), a
professional development plan for
support and professional staff
($200,000) and the marketing of
the youth sector ($38,000).
The EMSB recorded a
surplus of $1.5 million in 2006-
07, which was earmarked for
physical and washroom im -
provements across the network.
The previous year, a surplus
of $500,000 was used for
renovations in schools and centres.
The principal reasons for
corporate surpluses at the Board
is underspending on salaries,
better than expected results from
the Adult Education and
Vocational Services (AEVS),
unanticipated funding adjustments
by the Ministry and energy
savings. As for school and centre
surpluses, this is mainly due to
special allocations by the Ministry
that were confirmed only halfway
through the 2007-08 year. The
schools did not spend all of that
year's grant by June 30, 2008.
We have recorded these
surpluses during a time when our
enrolment has been dropping.
Simple demographics, a low
birthrate and the Quebec
language laws are the main cause
of this. But here at the EMSB
our objective remains to give our
students the best education
possible. I am so very proud of
our achievements.
The Montreal
Juniors
The EMSB teamed up with
the Quebec Major Junior Hockey
League’s Montreal Juniors
(www.juniordemontreal.com) this
season as the team reached out
specifically to high school students.
Over the last few months,
hundreds of students from
Royal Vale School, Westmount
High School, John Paul I Junior
High, Marymount Academy and
LaurenHill Academy were in
attendance for different games.
Some of the players even visited
the schools and took part in
ball hockey games and shootouts
in the gymnasium. Home games
for the Juniors are played at
the Verdun Auditorium, only a
block away from the De L’Église
Metro Station.
Sports Shorts
All the Way with the Impact
The Montreal Impact and the
EMSB continued the successful
stay-in-school program called
All the Way with the Impact
(Jusqu’au bout avec l’Impact),
designed to promote the
importance of persevering in
school. In addition, the Impact
introduced a new partnership
with the EMSB and UNICEF.
The official English launch took
place at Willingdon Elementary
School in N.D.G. featuring the
presence of star defender Adam
Braz, ambassador and former
star player Lloyd Barker and
team president Joey Saputo. The
All the Way with the Impact tour
is sponsored by the National
Bank and has expanded to
include other Montreal area
school boards. Over the last few
weeks, Barker has visited some
EMSB elementary and second -
ary schools to discuss with kids
the importance of staying in
school and striving for excellence.
He also carried the humanitarian
message of UNICEF. As part
of the partnership, EMSB
student purchased tickets to the
Impact’s historic CONCACAF
Champions League Quarterfinal
game against Club Santos
Laguna of Mexico on February
25 at the Olympic Stadium.
There will also be an EMSB
Night at Saputo Stadium on
Wednesday, June 17 when
PHOTO BY: PÉPE
Montreal Impact ambassador Lloyd Barker is greeted by Willingdon students.
Montreal hosts Toronto FC in a
CONCACAF Canadian title
match. The Impact will once
again hold a special ceremony
before the game highlighting
some of the most outstanding
students, and bursaries will be
awarded to the top students.
These bursaries are named in
honour of the late Tony Licursi,
the longtime Impact statistician
who died two years ago. Mr.
Licursi was a member of the
EMSB’s James Lyng High
School Alumni Association.
Le programme
Sports-Études
L’école secondaire Lester B.
Pearson de Montréal-Nord a
annoncé que son programme
Sports-Études étendra ses activités
de soccer et de hockey dans le
cadre d’une entente entre la
Commission scolaire English-
Montréal (CSEM) et la
Commission scolaire de la Pointede-l’île
(CSPL). Le programme
Sports-Études est un partenariat
formé par la commission scolaire,
l’école et les fédérations et clubs
de sports sous l’égide du ministère
de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du
Sport (MELS). Dès que les
élèves s’inscrivent au programme
Sports-Études, ils suivent le
programme d’études régulier du
ministère, de façon accélérée.
Typiquement, l’élève doit satisfaire
les exigences d’un diplôme de fin
d’études secondaires en près de
70 pour cent du temps alloué et
consacrer le reste du temps à des
activités athlétiques. L’emploi du
temps de l’école est organisé de
façon à ce que les élèves-athlètes
terminent leur journée d’école plus
tôt pour donner suffisamment de
temps à l’entraînement, l’étude et
le tutorat. Les entraîneurs, les
conseillers d’orientation et les
enseignants travaillent de concert
pour assurer le progrès acadé -
mique de l’élève.
Le programme Sports-Études
a été accordé à l’école secondaire
Lester B. Pearson en 2002 et il
compte actuellement près de 100
élèves inscrits. En sus du hockey
et du soccer, le programme offre
aux élèves la possibilité de
participer à divers autres sports,
dont le patinage artistique, le
karaté/kick-boxing, la gymnas -
tique, le plongeon, la natation et
le baseball. La CSPL a lancé
son programme Sports-Études à
l’école secondaire Antoine de
St-Exupéry quelques années
avant la CSEM. L’entente entre
la CSEM et la CSPL est la
première de ce genre. « Nous
espérons qu’en joignant nos
ressources nous serons en mesure
d’offrir un plus grand soutien
à nos élèves-athlètes » déclare
M. Gagné.
Alouettes Tour
The Montreal Alouettes offseason
“school is cool” basketball
jam has been visiting a number
of EMSB schools. Thus far
Dalkeith Elementary School in
Anjou. Dunrae Gardens in
T.M.R., General Vanier in St.
Léonard, Westmount High and
St. Gabriel and Point St. Charles
have been among the stops.
Cedarcrest in St. Laurent is on
the schedule for April 9.
Patineuses de Classe
Les élèves de l’école Dante
doivent être félicités pour leur
engagement à un sport compétitif
exigeant. Julia Bernardo, Rachel
Cecere et Jessica Iacono patinent
pour les Suprêmes, une équipe
de patinage artistique de
Saint-Léonard. Cette année, ces
jeunes patineuses ont remporté :
la médaille d’or au concours sur
invitation de Saint-Hubert et au
concours d’hiver de Patinage
Canada et une médaille d’argent
au concours sur invitation de
Pointe-aux-Trembles. Les patineuses
sont entraînées par l’enseignante
de 1 re année, Linda Sbriss.
EMSB sponsored
special needs
publication
A SUCCESS!
Have you read a copy of
Inspirations – A Snapshot of
Our Special Needs Community
yet? The EMSB sponsored
publication made its debut in
the fall and another edition will
be available shortly. While it
is distributed to Montreal area
school boards and via different
drop-off points across the city,
you can also read it online at
www.emsb.qc.ca/inspirations.
EMSB TO
HONOUR
VOLUNTEERS
The EMSB will hold its
eighth Volunteer Appreciation
Evening on Wednesday, April
22 at Le Crystal in St. Laurent.
This year’s event is being held
during National Volunteer Week
and under the theme of “You’re
a 10.” This recognizes both the
value of each volunteer and the
EMSB’s 10 th anniversary.
Time and space do not allow
the EMSB to honour all of
its nearly 1,500 volunteers in
person. Therefore, only those
individuals who have volunteered
for more than five years will
attend the reception, representing
some 500 people. However,
several thousand copies of a
commemorative program book
will be distributed to each school.
The LaurenHill Academy
School Band will be the musical
guests. Global Television anchor
Jamie Orchard and broadcaster
Luciano Pipia will return as
the emcees.
Merton’s Martlet
Students at Merton Elementary
School in Côte Saint-Luc and
their parents gathered at
McGill’s McConnell Arena one
day this winter to watch their
former physical education student
teacher Charline Labonté.
A gold medal winning goaltender
for Team Canada in the last
winter Olympics, she backstopped
her team to an 8-0 victory over
the University of Ottawa. Also,
members of the McGill team
and former Merton physical
education stageaires are Vanessa
Davidson (who scored several
goals) and equipment manager
Erika Petosa.