Gr 9 Open Classroom Thursday September 14

To Parents/Guardians of Grade 9 students,

Please Join Us! Thursday, Sept 14 @ 4pm For Open Classrooms.
Follow your son/daughter’s timetable from 4 pm to 5 pm
and then have a BBQ burger, pasta, salad and watermelon from 5 pm to 6 pm. 

Unfortunately the rooftop construction is not quite finished,
so we will be eating in the staff room. It does have a nice balcony.

It has been a great year for gardening at Eastdale as evident the previous post and as well on the rooftop. Thanks to Mr. E. Domander from TDSB media services for taking the photos below:

A New School Year @ Eastdale

Eastdale students and staff were excited to begin a new school year on Tuesday,  September 5th.  We would like to welcome back Ms. K. Andreou our Cosmetology teacher, Mr. K. Nizich our Health & Physical education (occasional) teacher, Ms. J. Fineberg our hospitality (occasional) teacher and welcome to Mr. E. Laufer our English & Geography teacher. Students and staff were greeted by a blooming garden at the front entrance to the school. A big thanks to 'Foodshare' staff and students from the 'Focus On Youth' summer program for tending to the garden during the summer months. We look forward to phase 2 in coordination with the City of Toronto next spring (2018) which will grow the garden on the eastern edge to Degrassi Street.

Welcome Back and Welcome to Students/Parents New to Eastdale CI

August/September, 2017

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Students:

With the summer drawing to a close, it is time again as a school community to look ahead to the academic year that is now upon us. As Principal, it gives me great satisfaction to welcome newcomers and returning students alike to Eastdale Collegiate Institute for the 2017-2018 school year.

We are pleased that you have chosen Eastdale where students ‘Learn For Life’ so they can be successful in transitioning to life after high school.  We believe that all students can learn and we do our best to support all students to be successful. To be successful we expect all students to attend every class, every day, and be on time!

Opening Day for all students is Tuesday, September 5, 2017.  The day will begin at 8:50 a.m.  Please make every effort to be on time.  Latecomers can expect significant delays around the retrieval of 2017-2018 timetables.  Start the year on a positive note.  Don’t be late!

School will begin on Tuesday, September 5, 2017. Please note the following:

• Tuesday, September 5, 2017 will be a half day with classes ending at 11:25 a.m.
• For students who take TDSB buses, there will be no regular TDSB bus transportation to school.  Students are responsible for arranging their own transportation to and from the school. Regular bus schedules will begin on September 6th.
• Students can pick up their timetable from the cafetorium starting at 8:50 a.m.
• There is a $20 Student Activity Fee (cash, no cheques please) which we asked be paid at timetable pick-up.

Students will be sent home with important school documents that must be signed and returned for our school records. However there a hardcopy of the school calendar is for parents to keep so you can be  up to date with the various early dismissal days/ holidays, etc.  This school calendar will also be accessible on the school’s website (right hand side of the website).

Eastdale Student Fee

All students are required to bring $20.00 on September 5th  to cover the cost of the Eastdale Student Fee (cash only).  The Eastdale Student Fee is collected from each student at registration and subsidizes the cost of  athletics, clubs, co-curricular activities, and events. All students are encouraged to take full advantage of the many co-curricular opportunities available to them at Eastdale.                                                                                       

Student Photo Identification Cards

Please note that all Eastdale students are required to have a Student Card and to carry it with them during school hours for identification purposes. The card is also essential for signing out materials from the school library and providing proof on the TTC that they are a registered student. Student Cards are produced using photographs taken on Photo Day. This year School Photo Day is scheduled for Thursday, September 21st . Student Cards will be made available shortly after that date.

Lockers and Locks

Lockers will be assigned to students via their Period 1 Home Form class during the first week of school.  Students must use combination locks to secure their lockers. Students in need of a lock may purchase one from the Main Office.  The cost is $4.00 (cash only).

Student Code of Conduct

It is important that school life be a positive experience for all students.  In order for Eastdale to be a safe, nurturing and productive learning environment, it is essential that all members of the school community conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with the educational needs and priorities of Eastdale:

“Respect Yourself”

“Respect Others”

“Take Responsibility”

Please review with your son/daughter the Student Code of Conduct that can be found in the online 'Student Agenda' located on the school's AW site.  Your son/daughter will need to login using their TDSB email & password. This information will also be reviewed in all classrooms at the beginning of the school year.

Wednesday, September 6th

Classes begin promptly at 8:45 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m. Students with timetable-related questions or concerns are advised to contact Mr. Perry, Guidance Counsellor  or  Ms. Burden, Vice-Principal for support.

Eastdale is a school of opportunities. We hope that you will make the best of those opportunities while you are here.  We look forward to working with you to make 2017- 2018 a great year.

Enjoy the remainder of your summer vacation. Thank you for your cooperation and your support.  Students, we look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, September 5th.

Sincerely,

B. Hill, Principal

Official Garden Planting @Eastdale

Monday June 12 was a special day at Eastdale with the official garden planting in the school's front yard. The beautification of the school includes includes a garden on both sides of the main entrance to the school. It is the first of a three part phase that will eventually see the 'greening' of the entire area from Boulton Avenue to Degrassi Street . The former bicycle rack has been removed and will be replaced at the back of the school by Toronto District School Board.
Thanks to City of Toronto who provided the plants and the garden plan and Foodshare for maintaining the plants over the summer. Photo below is: (L to R) David Servos (Assistant Curriculum Leader teacher), Orlando Gomez (Foodshare), Jennifer Story (School Trustee), Paula Fletcher (City Counsellor) and Brian Hill (Principal).

Eastdale CI Achieved EcoSchools Gold Level Certification!

Congratulations Eastdale CI on achieving GOLD certification on your recent EcoSchools audit!   

EcoSchools performs a bi-annual audit every year. This year our score was 85.5 out of 100 (5% improvement from last year 2016-17).
Here is an excerpt from the EcoSchools audit:

We were impressed by:

1. Your school is using a ‘Super Group’ to tackle the environmental program, as well as other important programs throughout the school. This is a great way to connect caring for the environmental with other community-focused practices. This group of dedicated students, led by strong staff members have completed some great campaigns throughout the year. The auditor noted that your team is able to maintain regular monitoring of energy categories, and has made important connections to the local community. The consistency and creativity of the team members is what is allowing your eco-team to flourish! Amazing work!

2. The auditor noted that your school has done an outstanding job at focusing on waste minimization. One amazing  accomplishment was that your school is no longer using disposable dishware in the meal program. Your school has purchased re-useable dishware and as such, is significantly reducing the amount of waste produced throughout the school. Eastdale has also completed two waste audits this year! Your data has revealed that you achieved a huge
improvement in your diversion rate, coming up to 80% diversion. These initiatives are helping to prolong the life of our landfill, and are working to reduce your school’s ecological footprint. The auditor also noted that your school is providing students with free re-useable water bottles! This exemplifies the ways in which your school is focused on offering students equal opportunities to sustainable practices. Continue to do what you are doing as it relates to waste- your
improvements are truly commendable!

3. Your green space remains to be a highlight at your school! Your rooftop garden offers students and staff an amazing space to participate in hands on environmental education! The connection to TDSB Youth Employment is a great way to maintain this space throughout the summertime whilst offering students practical work experience. The auditor also noted that you’ve introduced a salad bar, using the vegetables harvested from the school garden! This sort of sustainable behaviour is fantastic!

New Roof @ Eastdale CI Update

Late spring the TDSB facilities department started the work on replacing the rooftop at Eastdale.
The new roof has a much needed design to accommodate our rooftop garden with appropriate walkways for students, visitors and foodshare partners. The project was completed in ten days!
To quote Justin Nadeau from TDSB (Green Projects Team Leader):

"In addition to a very fast membrane replacement, the crews managed to crane off over 200 garden boxes and place them back in the exact layout that was provide. ‎Detail was taken down to the half inch and as issues came up with the proposed layout, they were able to adapt and find a good solution. Just 10 days after the boxes were removed, we had student harvesting radishes in their newly restored rooftop garden. 

I could not have asked for a better result. Thank you for the ‎hard work, attention to detail and care for the roof garden which is a vital piece for the program and employment offerings at Eastdale CI."

The planters have been moved to the back field (below)

Eastdale Softball Tournament!

A big congratulations to the softball team who did an incredible job on Wednesday, May 31, at the tournament in Adams Park. They played very well, showed great teamwork, and demonstrated true school spirit. The team placed 3rd and made everyone at Eastdale very proud. Way to go Eagles! Thank you to the coaches Mr. Grant, Ms. Hanoun and Ms. G for their time and support.