NOTRE DAME CELEBRATES
'WORLD AUTISM DAY'
World Autism Day is celebrated on April 2nd every year; this day is set aside to raise awareness for people with autism spectrum disorders.
Notre Dame's Autism Awareness Puzzle, our contribution to World Autism Day, was unveiled in the Spectrum on Thursday, April 1st. Conceived, designed and hand painted at ND, this puzzle was a cross-disciplinary activity designed to bring our school community together for this important occasion.
Mr. Ponte, Notre Dame's Life Skills Teacher, wanted to find a way to bring autism awareness to the forefront at ND, and given puzzle pieces are often used as a symbol for Autism Awareness, he envisioned a custom puzzle themed piece of art to be displayed in our Spectrum. "I wanted the puzzle to show that every individual here at ND is a part of the fabric of the school, and having different puzzle pieces locked together shows both individuals, and how they fit in as part of the school community" Mr. Ponte explained.
In order to achieve his vision, Mr. Ponte sought help from our Construction Teacher, Mr. Nason to help his vision become reality. The puzzle itself was designed by a grade 12 student at Notre Dame, Theo Simon. With assistance from Mr. Bozzelli, Theo put his design skills to work, drawing up 6 different interlocking puzzle pieces on computer software (Inventor), before the pieces were cut using a CNC Machine (Computer Numerical Control).
Notre Dame's Autism Awareness Puzzle, our contribution to World Autism Day, was unveiled in the Spectrum on Thursday, April 1st. Conceived, designed and hand painted at ND, this puzzle was a cross-disciplinary activity designed to bring our school community together for this important occasion.
Mr. Ponte, Notre Dame's Life Skills Teacher, wanted to find a way to bring autism awareness to the forefront at ND, and given puzzle pieces are often used as a symbol for Autism Awareness, he envisioned a custom puzzle themed piece of art to be displayed in our Spectrum. "I wanted the puzzle to show that every individual here at ND is a part of the fabric of the school, and having different puzzle pieces locked together shows both individuals, and how they fit in as part of the school community" Mr. Ponte explained.
In order to achieve his vision, Mr. Ponte sought help from our Construction Teacher, Mr. Nason to help his vision become reality. The puzzle itself was designed by a grade 12 student at Notre Dame, Theo Simon. With assistance from Mr. Bozzelli, Theo put his design skills to work, drawing up 6 different interlocking puzzle pieces on computer software (Inventor), before the pieces were cut using a CNC Machine (Computer Numerical Control).
Notre Dame students were then brought to the Spectrum (in socially distanced groupings) where they hand painted each of the puzzle pieces with pictures and designs that were meaningful to them. Of the 112 puzzle pieces, 1 was left unpainted… the centre piece of the display. Mr. Nason described the unfinished piece as "a message that the work is unfinished, and theres a space for everybody here at Notre Dame". This piece of work had particularly special meaning for Theo, who himself has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. Theo's talents and gifts for computer design work have contributed to Notre Dame's Electric Car project, and will now hang in the Spectrum as a testament to what students with autism spectrum disorders can accomplish.
Notre Dame's World Autism Day Puzzle can be found hanging in the Spectrum, directly beside the Chaplain's Office.
Notre Dame's World Autism Day Puzzle can be found hanging in the Spectrum, directly beside the Chaplain's Office.
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MARCH FOOD DRIVE
Notre Dame's March Food Drive came to a successful end this week, raising over 550 pounds of food for the Burlington Food Bank.
In an initiative spearheaded by students Trinity Adams and Abby Irwin, students at Notre Dame were asked to donate food at stations set up at each of the school's entrances. Each day, aided by members of the school's Social Justice Club, Adams and Irwin collected the boxes of food, before sorting and storing the items in the school's cafeteria. The donations were then packed up and delivered to the food bank this past week. This initiative, which was entirely student conceived and executed, was able to raise 569 pounds of food for families in need. We are tremendously proud of the organizers, and the student body, for coming through for our community despite the challenges of this pandemic year. |
Coming Soon!
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Grade 11 Media Arts
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The Lit Squad
At ND’s Lit Squad, we meet every other Thursday to discuss a variety of different books we read. Our primary focus is on reading literature that reflects the diversity of our community and the world around us. Books we have read include Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, and Gutter Child by Jael Richardson.
Joining the Lit Squad is a great extracurricular activity that is open to students from every grade. Members have the opportunity to connect with other students in our school community, and share their ideas on a variety of fascinating topics. The Lit Squad is primarily a student-led group with different leaders directing our discussion points at each meeting. Students have the opportunity to lead, voice their opinions, or even just listen to the discussion. The ND Lit Squad allows all students to enjoy reading new books in a relaxed atmosphere and learn in an informal environment. All members have the chance to be open and honest, discuss their feelings, and express themselves. This club is all about enjoying the content we read, encouraging cultural awareness, and getting the opportunity to hear from a variety of different student perspectives.  The first meeting of ND's LIT SQUAD
Even if you have not read a book in a while, the book club gives students the opportunity - no matter how much they read and no matter their interests - to get lost in the calmness of reading and to be part of a community with a variety of different people. Joining the Lit Squad allows us to take a little break from school, and become a part of a welcoming community. The Lit Squad gives students the chance to build friendships and destress, and is open to everyone to join!
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NEW CLUBS#NDCHESS
Chess Club is back at ND, and boldly moving into an online environment!
#NDChess meets weekly on Thursday afternoons at 2:30, on Chess.com. To register, click this link to create a (free) Chess.com account, and then notify Mr. Giardina to be added to the Microsoft TEAM chat. We welcome players of all experience levels, and are currently focused on acclimatizing to our new virtual environment and enjoying friendly matches against other Notre Dame students. The goal of the club is to host a tournament within the Notre Dame Community, and to play matches against rival clubs from other schools. Plans are currently underway for a board-wide Chess tournament to take place this spring! Come out to join us one Thursday, we'd love to see you, and we've got a board ready! Gaming Club
ND's hotly anticipated GAMING CLUB has arrived!
Students from ND will compete with one another in Super Smash Bros Utimate, and Rocket League to determine who will represent ND in inter-school play. Over the past few weeks a group of dedicated students have met with staff advisors Mr. Pugliese and Mr. Giardina to plan and organize this exciting new team. Our game masters have written a code of conduct, chosen the games to offer, and are hard at work organizing the details of Notre Dame's first ever e-sports activity. With e-sports on the rise, a number of HCDSB schools have fielded teams, and an inter-school e-sports tournament is on the horizon! ND Gaming hopes to establish our school as the first ever HCDSB E-Sports Champions. Look for registration details to be made public within a week, and the first matches to kick off April 19th! #NDGaming… to infinity, and beyond! |
InsideND: En Francais
This month, Mme. Tayler's class created a series of Storyboards... En Francais!
Spring Update from
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Wellness WednesdaysFrom our CYC Ms. Pietroiusti and
Social Worker Ms. Peace Media Arts Grade 11:
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Media Arts Grade 10:
Cartoon Computer Creations
