Once again, this year, CDS will be running a Mitten drive. Students are asked to bring a pair of new or gently used mittens/gloves for The Mitten Tree that will be set up in front of the fireplace in the Burns Family Hall.

 

All donations will be taken to Inn from the Cold on Friday, December 13th. This will ensure that people in our community have the warm clothing they need this winter.  

The Middle/Senior School's Music Night and Art Exhibition is approaching! Please join us to hear the wonderful sounds of our Middle/Senior choirs, bands and ensembles on:

 

Paul C. Duckett Theatre

The Art Exhibition will be located in the Justin and Julien Di Ciano Atrium and will be available to view before and after the musical performances.

 

*Save the Date for the Junior School Holiday Concerts on Wednesday, December 18th at 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm. Tickets will be released on November 28th.

Yesterday’s Middle & Senior School Remembrance Day assembly included moving performances from our Drama and Music departments, as well as firsthand accounts and memories shared by Mr. Liggett and students who travelled to France, Belgium, and the Netherlands last March on the CDS Battlefields Trip to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Students read excerpts from their journals recalling the significance of visiting the beaches of Normandy, touring extensive networks of trenches, and visiting the Abbaye d'Ardenne where 156 Canadian prisoners of war are believed to have been executed.

By tracing the footsteps of Canadian soldiers and visiting the war cemeteries and memorials where they are honoured, students shared how these soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and must never be forgotten.

 

We would like to thank everyone who joined us for the CDS Parent Association tennis mornings.  We had a great turnout of more than 30 parents who enjoyed a clinic from coach Kyle and some fun round-robin play. The weather was perfect and I am sure there were some great connections made with other CDS parents. 

The CDS Senior Girls traveled to Stanstead College in Quebec for the challenging Division 1 tournament.  Despite not achieving the desired results, the team demonstrated resilience and determination. The girls battled hard, managing a tie against The Sacred Heart School of Montreal and a well-deserved victory over local rivals Greenwood College.

Consider recognizing all of your children at the same time and we will hold their cards and book notifications until their birthday. Donations may be made by visiting www.cds.on.ca/birthdaybook.

 

Thank you for your support!

As the writer and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better… to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."

It was wonderful to welcome so many families back to campus yesterday at our annual Welcome Back BBQ. 

 

The sun was shining and the smiles were in abundance! Attended by students, parents and families, as well as staff and faculty, it was a great opportunity to catch up with friends and welcome new families to our community.

 

A special thank you to our CDS Parent Association for assisting to serve on the BBQ and helping to welcome everyone, and our Student Council members for cleaning up following the event!

 

Explore what your local public library has to offer and investigate their summer program options online too. Consider joining the TD, Raptors 905 or Scholastic Summer Reading on Home Base or listen and view some books with Storyline Online or the always fun Storytime with Ryan & Craig!

 

Students had a fantastic time connecting, learning and discovering together through various workshops and programs over the four days.

 

One of the highlights was a visit to the National Museum of Human Rights situated at the juncture of the Red River and the Assiniboine River, two waterways that connect the continent and have been significant trade routes for thousands of years. 

 

Ethan Wahba ’24, Millie Steinmann ’25 and Sarah Croxon ’24 competed in a total of eight finals for CDS, with both Ethan and Millie emerging as World Champions.

According to their coach Kerstin Wyndham-West, who has led the debating program for more than 20 years, “We have never had two students win their individual categories in the same year, and all three made it to eight of the possible 12 finals! That is a record for CDS.”

In the individual events, Ethan is World Champion of Interpretive Reading and finished 3rd in Debating, and Millie is World Champion of Persuasive Speaking. Overall Ethan was the 3rd place speaker, Millie was 9th and Sarah was 18th out of 124 students representing 15 countries. 

All three students chose thought-provoking topics and readings to present on. Here some
highlights:

“For my interpretive reading, I performed the short story Going Grapefruit by Ian Richards. This story follows a man who is hit by a car and incurs a traumatic injury which changes the way his brain processes language, in his new language words take on seemingly random meanings. I chose this piece because it reminds us that understanding others is much more than just the words people use, but rather the tone and emotion that comes with it.” – Ethan Wahba ’24

“I presented a persuasive speech about the hidden dangers of energy drinks, particularly for teenagers. Companies like Red Bull specifically market to young people by hiring college students to handout free drinks on university campuses. I don’t think people realize just how much caffeine is in these drinks. Just one can contains as much as six cans of Coke, way more than the recommended daily allowance of caffeine for kids, which can have a really dangerous effect on your heart and long-term health.” – Millie Steinmann ’25

“My persuasive speech looked at the growing problem of the tipping culture across North America. Ever since the pandemic, it has become a growing issue. I feel people should be able to do what they want when it comes to leaving a gratuity. I really enjoyed writing and performing this speech because it is a topic that everyone can relate to in some way.” – Sarah Croxon ’24

Students from all over the CIS auditioned for the various band and string ensembles, with the choirs having an open invitation to school choirs and individual students to participate.

 

CDS had 36 students participate this year, having representation in the Junior Choir, Intermediate Choir, Senior Choir, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band and the Chamber String Ensemble. 

A hearty congratulations to all the students who participated, and a special thanks to Mrs. Baird, Ms. Ketterick, Mr. Barbanchon, Mr. Moore, Mr. Shields and Ms. Racine for preparing and chaperoning the students for this special event.

In the Junior School, Earth Week has been front and centre. It is an opportunity for students and the community to be reminded of the importance of our connection to the natural environment. Throughout the year the Grade 5 Green Team is the leader when it comes to environmental stewardship in the Junior School. Earth Week is their time to shine.

 

Members of the Green Team have taken on a variety of initiatives that all of the students have been participating in from JK-Grade 6. This week students have been tracking their daily energy use in the classrooms, participating in a food waste competition, spending a little extra time outside to appreciate the amazing natural spaces we have, and participating in a campus clean-up competition for house points. We were all reminded that we don’t need to be perfect, but we all need to make an effort to do our part. Make every day, Earth Day!

 

In all of the Outdoor Education classes, students have been focussing on the monthly character trait of conservation. This week the students have been creating “seed bombs”. Our campus is a great space for honey bees, which do an essential ecosystem service for plant biodiversity and the quality of fruit and vegetable production. The seed bombs we have created are full of a variety of wildflower seeds which will provide the food for our pollinators to thrive. The students got their hands right into it as they created and launched their “seed bombs” throughout our back 40 in their O.E. classes.

 

Happy Earth Week CDS!