News and Announcements

Mackenzie is proud to announce that it was selected as one of four winners across Canada  to receive  a $50,000 from the 2021 Sano Biogenius Grant program in support of hands-on STEM learning and instruction. Mackenzie plans on using the proceeds to construct a state of the art Science Lab.  Please visit the following link for more:

STEM Grant Award

Let’s Connect is a new mental health and well-being virtual series that allows us to come together to share ideas and resources. The Let’s Connect series will respond to questions and discuss wellness for parents, caregivers, guardians and students at various times throughout the school year. These conversations will be led by our TDSB Professional Support Services staff and Mental Health and Well-Being Leads.

Join our first session:
Transition to Summer
June 22, 2021
6:30 – 8 pm

Learn more at www.tdsb.on.ca/letsconnect.

Along the lines of Mental Health and Wellbeing, please see the link, Parent/Caregiver Learning Series – Summer Session also facilitated by TDSB Professional Support Services staff.

Finally, on the topic of Mental Health and Wellbeing, brought to you by our TDSB Psychological Services team is the spring edition of Hearts and Minds. Please use this link, Hearts and Minds – Spring Edition to access the latest edition that will provide excellent resources for you and the family.

Great things are happening at MAC! Congratulations to Alexandra, Alexandria and Harriet for winning this year’s North American ExploraVision competition! A special thanks to Ms. Law and Mr. Devine for their ongoing leadership. To learn more, visit the following links:

CTV News Clip and Article:

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/shiitake-diapers-toronto-teens-win-30-000-in-north-american-stem-competition-1.5419065

CP24 News:

https://www.cp24.com/video?clipId=2197972

Congratulations to Dina L for her record high score and for winning this year’s Show Me the Money financial services competition.  A special  thanks to Mr. Hadida, Michelle Osier, Jeremy Paul and Deborah Moir for their ongoing mentorship and recruiting a record number of teams to compete in this year’s competition!

April Break takes place from April 12th to April 16th.  Classes will resume on Monday April 19th.  Further information will soon follow through School Messenger.  We wish the Mackenzie community a wonderful safe April Break!

Toronto District School Board commits to standing up against discrimination and acts of racism in all of its forms. Anti-Black racism, anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Asian racism, antisemitism and xenophobia, whenever and wherever they occur. Now more than ever, we need to work together, to build a more just and inclusive world for all of us.
This year to honor the International Day for the Elimination of Racism, the United
Nations has chosen its theme, “Youth Standing Up Against Racism” using the hashtag,
#FightRacism, which aims to foster a global culture of anti-discrimination and calls on each and every one of us to stand up against racial injustice.

Eliminate Racism Poster

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) is the formal evaluation and credit-granting process whereby students may obtain credits for prior learning. Prior learning includes the knowledge and skills that students have acquired, in both formal and informal ways, outside secondary school.  Students may have their knowledge and skills evaluated against the expectations outlined in provincial curriculum policy documents in order to earn credits towards the secondary school diploma.

The 2020/2021 PLAR Challenge process will kick off with a Virtual PLAR Information Session for Families on March 23, 2021. Please visit the following links for more information:

PLAR Community Letter 2021

PLAR website

World Autism Day, April 2nd, 2021, is on Good Friday this year and will be celebrated on Tuesday, April 6th, 2021.

In previous years, the TDSB joined Autism Ontario and 300 schools and municipalities across the province in recognition of World Autism Awareness Day by holding a Raise the Flag ceremony at 5050 Yonge St. and in many schools.

The first Raise the Flag event was held in April 2010, when Shari Bishop-Hume of London, Ontario, thought about how a community could bring more awareness to Autism.  With support from her family, the community, professionals, and advocates, it was proposed that we raise a flag in support of World Autism Day. 

This year, we invite our staff and students to join a virtual Raise the Flag ceremony. Please see the link below.

https://raisetheflagforautism.com/#:~:text=Raise%20the%20Flag%202021,us%20on%20Tuesday%20April%206th

Let’s help support TDSB students who have ASD and increase awareness and understanding of this disorder.