*in person meeting - in MMR Learning Commons
1) Welcome and introductions
Attendance: Melissa Jamieson, Rachel Dam, Roisin Pozzobon, Jackie Stone, Nick Varricchio (P), Steph Clapham (teacher), Kallum Manning (student)
2) Approval of Minutes from last meeting
-approved by all
Approval of Agenda for this meeting
-approved by all
3) Student Note
Kallum Manning - attended virtually:
*Relay for Life
-Cancer fundraiser
-$22000 raised so far
-200 participants
-1:30-9pm, (tomorrow - May 20); students can stay as little or as long as they want
*HDSB Sustainability Conference
-generation green
-100% of schools are connected to eco schools
-action grants are showcased Wed. morning
*Grade 12 population
-breakfast is on Thurs. May 21 at 8am
-valedictorian speeches are done, and voted on at this time
*Final Performance Tasks
-will start early in June
-culminating activities for the content learned in courses
4) Teacher Report - Stephanie Clapham
School
*Multicultural Week - early April with food and dance and learning activities from different cultures
*Evac drill last week … practise leaving building to park
*Neurodiversity Month (April 2nd start) … Thurs experiences, and class activities
*Common Ground Committee - recruits needed
*King’s Baton
What a fabulous couple of weeks through the halls and learning spaces of M.M. Robinson! From learning trivia created by senior students, to walking through the legacy and history of M.M. Robinson - the person & the school, to the Baton Relay through the halls, to the Assembly and welcomes from Commonwealth Games Executive &, finishing off with fabulous representation by MMR at the Official King's Baton Relay Event down at Spencer Smith Park where MMR students ran in the ceremonial King's Baton Relay alongside Commonwealth Games athletes, joined by dignitaries from the City & Commonwealth Games, Griffin Dekker and Kallem Manning shared the many ways in which this experience of being part of this historic event has impacted our MMR Community and how we can continue to live Melville Mark's vision and values in our daily lives.
Please enjoy some of the coverage that has been released thus far & I will share once the documentary has been emailed to us.
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Cogeco Story
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BurlingtonToday Story
Sports
Football
Coaches always needed
Spring camp dates - Flyers attached
Boys touch football tournaments
Girls touch football tourneys
Athletics/Athletic Council Updates
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Please follow us at @mmr.rams.athletics on Instagram to keep up with all of the exciting things happening in the Phys Ed World and Athletics! The Leadership class has been specifically working on a lot of promotional videos!
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Jr Girls Soccer has had an incredibly successful season, finishing second in league play and are heading into the Halton Semi Finals vs Nelson on May 25th
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Boys Rugby are heading to the Halton Final on Wed. May 20th @ 11am at Sherwood. We are holding a Buyout for the game and have fan busses going to support the team.
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Track & Field is competing at GHAC today! Results to follow.
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Athletic Banquet is coming up on Thursday, June 4th in the MMR Cafeteria. Athletic Banquet is a fun-filled evening that includes a dinner made by our food school, awards and celebration of the year in Ram Athletics. Tickets are on sale now on School Cash Online for $25. Tickets can be purchased until Thurs. May 28th and then need to be picked up the week of June 1st at lunch in the foyer.
Arts
Music
Congratulations to MMR Music Dept for their performances today in Niagara Falls for Musicfest Nationals. Our students got to be adjudicated by University Professors and Juno Award Winning musicians.
- Jazz Ensemble was awarded Gold for the second year in a row and our Wind Ensemble received a Silver Award performing in one of the top categories and tiers of music for the second year in a row.
- Jazz band was "University calibre" while our Wind ensemble students were awarded an extra certificate in recognition for their excellence in the clinic portion of the competition.
- Congrats to Dinah Lawson and Robert Alexander who were awarded a plaque for their leadership and contributions to the ensemble from Musicfest Canada. Both Dinah and Robert are planning on studying music at University next year.
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Arts Banquet - June 10
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Spring Music Concert is May 29th at 7pm tickets are $5
Drama - NTS
Cast and crew of No Cause For Concern competed at the 2026 West Region National Theatre School Dramafest at the Gravenhurst Opera House.
Congratulations on the following achievements:
- a Regional Award of Excellence the adjudicators called “The Big Bite Award” for their ambitious creative vision of No Cause for Concern
-Jamie Barry for receiving a Regional Award of Excellence for their performance in the role of Todd Miller.
-Kyan McCormick for receiving the Stage Manager Award! (Only one SM receives this award)
- to our Costume, Hair and Makeup team (Kael Christie, Lexi Smith, Camry Oehring, Dee Lawson, Madison Rodrigues, Leah Dear, Samantha Alabbo, Mariam Al-Dulaimi, Alex Meek and Amelia Painter) for receiving a Regional Award of Merit for their creative design.
- to Autumn Dann, for winning the Creative Marquis Award (2nd year in a row).
Other Clubs
From Student Council:
- Donated $1000 to Halton Learning Foundation; a portion of proceeds from school dances this year
- Organizing and running Ram Revue during the morning on Friday, June 12. This is MMR's variety show and awards ceremony.
- Organizing and running the MMR Amazing Race during the afternoon on Friday, June 12. All students are encouraged to participate…. Afternoon will look different this year for kids that don’t want to participate
From the Black Students Association:
- BSA will be having their year end celebration and graduate send-off luncheon this Thursday, May 21.
Eco Club
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At the start of May, the Ecoclub completed the 2025-2026 Ecoschool's application. The club accumulated 210.75 points, which means they have more than twice the amount of points that are needed to reach the 101 points required to reach the platinum level. We will know the official certification results in mid-June after the judges have gone over our application.
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The Ecorams will be having their bi-anual swap event, on Wednesday May 27th. Dozens of students use the swap to find free clothes and household items. All items not picked by students go on to become donations for the Compassion Society and Wellington Square church outreach program.
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On Saturday May 23rd, the Rams EV car team will be racing up at University of Waterloo in the Waterloo High School Electric Vehicle Challenge. The electric car that they rebuilt this year will be on the track, but they also spent this year creating a new vehicle design that they will be building for next year's challenge.
Mental Health Week
This year’s CMHA Mental Health Week theme is Come Together. Throughout the week, students in each class had the opportunity to respond to class discussions and journal prompts on different topics each day. Staff greeted students on Friday morning (May 8th) with a special morning welcome, and a small token of appreciation before school begins and to end the week.
Grad stuff
-breakfast this Thursday
-scholarship applications have been completed, and teacher committee has voted
-valedictorian voting and speeches will happen on Thursday
5) Principal Report - Nick Varricchio
*Enrollment is stable
-other secondary schools have declining enrollment
-only 3 classes without a teacher in September but will get filled: 2 grade 9 tech, 1 English
-redundancy placement mtg on May 26th to fill these vacancies
*Public Health Suspensions
-started with 67 and down to 1 (who is now going to another school)
-records are all up to date
*Plan of Care
-process is started now
-start meetings with admin to review plans for Sept
-diabetes, seizure, asthma, anaphylaxis
*Admin moves
-unknown at this point
-principals often in a school 4-6 years
-vice principals are 2-3 years
*Exams
-Final Evaluation Block Schedule/Exam schedule is by period starting Thursday June 18, 2026
*Transitions for Grade 8s
-MMR Ignite last week of August
-those in grade 8 will do orientation and work
-literacy and numeracy prep
-Aug. 26th and Aug 27th
*PD days
-Sept 2nd and Sept. 3rd, then Friday off
-kids start after labour day - Sept. 8
*Room closures
-will have 9 closed
-had 6 closed this past year
*Yearbook Course
-won’t be a course next year (only 8 students signed up)
-it will default to be an extra-curricular club
-still need a staff advisor… if not staff steps up, we might need a parent to help or no yearbook.
*Bell change times
-10 mins earlier start (8:15am) and end earlier
-cost efficiency measure
-working with traffic timing
*HDSB Open House
-CKSS on Sept. 26th
- approximately 5000 people last year to celebrate our board
-focus is for grades 7-10
-recruitment / retention strategy
*Parent Council next year meetings
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Start with Wed. Sept. 23rd
6) Feedback form (together as team)
-google form completed as a team for Board Aps.
7) Other Business / Questions
*Electrical SHSM
-wants to apply as a year 5 student
-welcomed back if there is a legitimate plan
*Attendance Government Bill
-has not been passed yet
- hope is to encourage more active participation and in-person attendance.
- student attendance in school has seen a decline across North American school districts since covid.
*Mindset of working from home
-culture for adults too… have to adjust at an early age
-mental health issues with school avoidance