Every year on April 23rd the world celebrates International Children’s Day, a day to reflect on issues impacting our world’s youth. The internationally recognized day actually originated in Turkey, so it was with great pride that Nile Academy celebrated with the families of its students. This past Saturday we held a Children’s Day Festival at our high school location and it was a great success! It featured performances by our school choirs and bands, poetry readings from students, international folk dancers, and even a clown! Performers included first graders Amelia Malik and Erkam Boyacioglu, and the elementary school band conducted by Ms. Lauren Barnett. Even local MP Judy Sgro stopped by to enjoy the festivities and make a special greeting to all of the performers and attendees. All in all it was a wonderful day with a fantastic turn-out.Many thanks to our staff who helped behind the scenes but most especially to our wonderful students who provided such great entertainment!

Elementary Schools Admission Test Results

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Secondary  Admission Test Result

Exceptional students from Nile Academy presented projects at the University of Toronto Sci-Tech Fair.  Students begin with a question, problem, or idea that emerges from their every day experience or through their work at school. With support from teachers, parents, and mentors the students conduct investigations and develop innovative solutions to problems, then prepare a display and presentation of their work.

In our senior division, Grade 12students Gultekin Barhudarova and Zeynep Tosun  received a very prestigious award for their project, “Sticky and Safe Mess: From Banana to Glue”. They were given a silver medal, as well as The GE Green Energy Innovation Award, an award sponsored by General Electric Canada. This senior project was judged to be the most creative and innovative “green” project, receiving a value of600% by GE Canada.

Bronze medals were awarded to Engin Aydin, Fatih Daglar, Semih Yilmaz, Gina Iskendarani;  Cemal Selim,  Ayse Salman; and Grade 6 students Hayrunnisa Polat, Aysegul Canatan. Our grade 8 students Hacer Ugur and Elif Efe also did a fantastic job with their research and presentation, and represented the school proudly. Other winners included Mesud  Ozcan  and Malik Cetin in Kindergarten, who won a bronze medal for their project, “Sink and Flood”.

Congratulations to all of our participants!

Maple Syrup Festival! Yes, March is the month to celebrate the golden syrup of Canada. The Gr.9+10 French class, along with the Gr.10 ESL Civics class, were fortunate enough to gain hands on environmental education outside the classroom.

Our day started off with a fantastic pancake breakfast drenched in locally produced maple syrup directly from the sugar shack. However, before satisfying our appetite, we began to explore the forest through the hiking trails at the Kortright Centre for Conservation, located at Pine Valley Drive.  Later on, we attended the Theatre, where we learned vital information. For example , did you know that Canada produces over 90% of the world’s maple syrup, with Quebec and Ontario as the leading provinces.

After attending the Theatre, our instructor, Mr.Skid, took us on a journey through the forest to show us how maple syrup is made.  The students were surprised to find out that March Break was originally created during the Pioneer times, so children could help their parents collect the sap from the trees.  The month of March is a vital season for maple syrup farmers, as the sap only flow for four weeks .  Mr.Skid thought us that warm, sunny days (about 5C) and frosty nights (-5C) are idea for sap flow.

Furthermore, Farmer Dan from the Sugar Shack explained that the Maple Leaf on the Canadian flag is specifically a Sugar Maple, which means that it still has the sweetness of sugar sap, which provides its beautiful red colour.  In addition, our instructor, Mr.Skid, explained the significant history of maple syrup.  He told us that the Aboriginals were the first to discover ‘sinzibuckwud,’ the Algonquin word for maple syrup, which means literally ‘drawn from wood.’  The Aboriginals showed French settlers how to tap the trunk of a tree at the beginning of spring, harvest the sap and boil it to evaporate some of the water. It takes 40 buckets of sap, to create one large bottle of maple syrup.

By and large, the students had a wonderful time exploring Canada’s great outdoors, whilst learning about Canadian culture and heritage.  They learned about what is very unique to Canada, as the Maple Leaf is on our Canadian currency coins, represents the national hockey league The Toronto Maple Leafs, and is the national pride on the Canadian flag.

By: Aral Belir, French Teacher

]]> http://nileacademy.ca/news/maple-syrup-festival/feed/ 0 http://nileacademy.ca/news/canadian-native-indian-beadworkart-class-at-nile-academy/ http://nileacademy.ca/news/canadian-native-indian-beadworkart-class-at-nile-academy/#comments Wed, 04 Apr 2012 19:42:18 +0000 fergun http://nileacademy.ca/?p=966

Native Indian beadwork is a quintessentially Canadian art form that has been a part of Aboriginal tradition since the early European settlers.  Glass beads were imported to France from Murano, Italy, as early as the 14^th century. Hence, early French settlers introduced glass beads to the Aboriginals in North America.  Moreover, the floral pattern was introduced to Aboriginal tribes around the Great Lakes by Ursuline French community.

In art class, students had the opportunity to bead seamless flower patterns on leather with sinew – a special waxed aboriginal thread.  This was a meticulous, complicated and time consuming task.  In a delicate manner, students sewed down two beads at a time, applying special techniques which can require many years of practice to do well.

It is important to note that this form of artwork was a common way for the Métis, Ojibway and Cree, to merge their spiritual beliefs with their culture and customs. They used lush rich solid colours, such as brilliant blues to represent the sky, yellows for the sun, reds and greens to represent plants and flowers, and browns for the soil. Aboriginals are closely in touch with nature and purity, as they associate their culture and beliefs to Mother Nature.  I would like to conclude by sharing a popular Cree proverb that depicts the importance of understanding and preserving nature:

 

When all the trees have been cut down,
when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted,
when all the air is unsafe to breathe,
only then will you discover you cannot eat money.

~ Cree Prophecy ~

By: Aral Belir – Art Teacher

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On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, March 25^th,2012,  our secondary school hosted Newruz Celebration.     

Participants from different communities, such as Ozbekistan, Azerbeijan, Georgia, East Turkey, Uygur, Tatar took part in various performances such as singing, dancing food competitions, etc. Hundreds of people joined the celebrations. There was something for everyone to enjoy there.  Great program, delicious food, and bouncing castle for the little ones. Nile Academy’s Elementary Choir took part on the stage as they performed few songs.

Family Day, February 20^th, was celebrated by Nile Academy Graduates of 2011 amongst themselves and their previous teachers. The previous students, led by Furkan Tuzun, organized a dinner event at the school premises to reconcile with their high school peers.

Since most of these students were on their Reading Week from University, most of them were able to attend the gathering. Some of them were missing due to being away from Canada, which was unfortunate since it would have definitely been a treat to see them. The Alumni dinner was not made possible if our recent Grade 12 students were not there to help serve food and prepare the venue. It was great seeing them pay tribute to the previous students by helping out make this reunion happen. Some of the highlights of the night include the following: speeches made by each teachers attending, the food, the montage video from their high school experiences, and the t-shirt signing. The simplicity of this reunion was befitting to what these, now, University students’ experiences were like when they were still attending the school. It was not merely to go out, eat food, and see familiar faces. Instead, it was a way to remember where they were from and the people that allowed them to be where they are at this point in their lives. It was a good reminder for each and every single attendee that despite them moving forward to greater and bigger things, they can always go back to Nile Academy and find a sense of belonging and community from their past teachers and classmates.

Mighty Civilizations! Mysterious People! A Mystical Past!  The grade 9 ESL students at Nile Academy had the dazzling opportunity to visit the Royal Ontario Museum, along with its newly constructed 135 million dollar Lee-Chin Crystal addition. 

Students visited various galleries and exhibits, depicting world history and culture. We visited the Natural History gallery which included hundreds of biodiversity specimens, such as birds, bats, amphibians, reptiles and mammals.  Students were very excited to see dinosaur skeletons, such as the ferocious Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Barosaurus, which is the largest skeleton on display in Canada.

Moreover, students had exposure to world culture via the Gallery of Chinese Architecture, Ancient Egyptians, Ancient Greece, the secret world of the Mayans, the Middle East, and Africa.  The highlight of our visit included the gallery devoted to the aboriginals of Canada, known as the First Peoples exhibit. This gave the students the opportunity to understand the roots of Canadian history.  We analyzed handmade artifacts dating back to the 19^th and 20^th century of the indigenous cultures of Plains, Eastern Woodlands, Northwest Coast, Subarctic and Arctic regions.  

Most importantly, the field trip to the ROM was a dynamic and immersive experience that will leave students with a lasting impression on the importance of world history and culture, as well as the interconnectedness of civilizations.

Law, Action and Politics!  The Gr.11 Law and the Gr.12 Politics students at Nile Academy had the first hand experience of visiting the courthouse at Old City Hall, in the heart of downtown Toronto. 

It is one of Toronto’s most prominent structures, located at the corner of Queen and Bay Street, next to the Eaton’s Centre.

It was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1984.  Visiting this civil government building is definitely an enlightening experience, as its magnificent grandeur interior and Romanesque stonework exterior dates back to 11^th and 12^th century European architecture. 

Utmost importantly, students had the opportunity to understand how both politics and law go hand in hand in democratic governments.  Hence, students better understood that it is through the balance of politics and law that ensures good governance. 

By and large, students gained a deeper understanding on the meaning of civic initiation, citizenship and the importance of voting during elections.  As a result, whether politics and law originates at the top of government or the bottom of society, either way, the common goal is to take initiatives to improve the quality of life.