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Caribbean women empower & inspire each other to live life their way

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BY: ALYSSA MAHADEO

Smart, beautiful, strong, and powerful are only some of the attributes used to describe the women filled the room on Saturday, May 19th to attend the first ever Caribbean Women’s Power Lunch, an all women’s networking event bringing together Caribbean women from across the GTA to empower, connect and recognize each other for their contributions to the community.

Powered by Kerra Denel of KD Entertainment, the event boasts to be the first of its kind in Toronto inviting the Caribbean women of Toronto to come together and speak to their many experiences.

“When I first thought of the idea months ago, I really wanted to do something for Caribbean women as I have been working for years organizing and promoting so many events around Carnival,” Kerra explains. “Initially I thought I would get maybe 25-30 people interested in an event like this but coming down to the wire I had about 80-85 people who came out.”

Kerra’s passion for the community stems from her Trinidadian roots and her love for Caribbean culture. She is a multifaceted, and dynamic entrepreneur as well as the founder of non-profit organization Kerra Loves Kids. With projects in Toronto, New York, Miami and many islands in the Caribbean she is always looking for new ways to parlay her business management education into a thriving business, all the while leveraging her innate ability to connect individuals.

The purpose of the event was to create a positive platform where the contributions of Caribbean women in Toronto could be recognized and allow them the opportunity to network and strengthen business connections with other Caribbean women in the GTA.

With so many women taking the entrepreneurial route in their careers, the challenges and obstacles it takes to reach success is a journey many women can relate too, and an experience they hope others can learn from.

The theme of the day was an inspiration, and patrons to the Caribbean Women’s Power Lunch were able to hear from empowering women like Stachen Frederick, Hazel Smith, Ayanna Sealey, Nneka Elliott, Kamshuka, Auntie Jillian, and Stephanie Lowe. All of these women walking various career paths, navigating the workforce trying to figure out what impact they would like to make in society while helping others and making strong connections with other powerful women along the way.

Guests said this event was the something missing in the world of entrepreneurial womenand delighted in spending an inspiring afternoon enjoying an exquisite buffet lunch, with Caribbean style sweet treats while strengthening the bonds of sisterhood.

With many messages of positivity shared throughout the afternoon, women left feeling empowered.

“They left feeling like they could go out into the world and do so much more,” Kerra shared. “These women were ready to take on any challenge, looking to pursue new business ventures and get excited about what the future had in store.”

The room was filled with brilliant minds and couldn’t have been possible without the help of all their amazing sponsors including Bermuda Heroes Weekend, 365 carnival, Team Soca, UberSoca Cruise, Julians Promo, Oxygen Mas, My World Entertainment, Carnival Luxe, Vincy Mas, Kafi Gonsalves Makeup, Integrity Mortgages, Regal Plumbing Group, Lw Consults, The Avenue Restaurant, Pops Punch, Boozy Goodies, Xaymaca, Carnival Make Up Kits, Curls and Confidence, Amanda Narain Art, Kujah, Style Prolix, Nikki D Makeup, Up North Naturals, Chic Signs, Sunny Rae, Tampa Bay Carnival, Carnivalista, Island Style Restaurant, Honey Fig, London Ivy, Red Mango Food, The Real Jerk Restaurant, and Hourglass Workouts.

“When you walked into the room all of the women were there, well dressed and all smiles,” Kerra said. “You could feel a positiveenergy as soon as you entered the room.”

As the evening came to a close, the ladies ended on a high note with a guided meditation to really open their minds and retain all of the information they received throughout the day, repeating positive affirmations like “I am powerful, I am beautiful,” to let the words sink in and allow them to carry those positive vibes for the remainder of the day.

“This is the first of a series of events like this,” Kerra shares. “The next one will be hosted in August. The women were so thankful for something like this they wanted to get together once a month.

Moving betweenToronto, New York, Miami and the Islands, Kerra hope to host more events like these taking them to an international stage.

“It’s a positive platform for women to come together and support one another, to build, to empower and to learn, people feel welcomed, people come with an open mind, it’s an event to better individuals to empower Caribbeanwomen to be the best that they can be,” Kerra says.

Kerra would like to give a special shout-outtoJinelle Mitchell, On Elle’s Plate, Events by Whim, Deviant Media Zxandriaas well as a thank you to photographer Captured by Shani and photographer and videographer Teesha Mercedes.

The Caribbean Women’s Lunch event will return in August, date TBA, until then be sure to connect with them online at www.kerradenel.com.

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Record entries for JCDC FiWi Short Film Competition

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Winner of the 2023 staging of the JCDC FiWi Short Film Competition ,Joel Miller, (third from left), shares a moment with representatives of the Jamaica Cultural |Development Commission (JCDC), organizers of the event. From left are Shaun Drysdale – Drama and Theatre Arts Development Specialist, Andrew Brodber – Director, Arts Development and Training and Executive Director, Lenford Salmon.

BY RUSHANE FERRON

The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) has received an unprecedented number of submissions for this year’s FiWi Short Film Competition. Launched earlier this year, the competition drew an impressive 47 entries. Currently, 17 shortlisted films are available for public viewing on the JCDC’s YouTube channel, with winners set to be announced on October 24th.

Executive Director of the JCDC, Mr. Lenford Salmon, expressed pride in the competition’s growing success, stating, “This record number of entries reflects how Jamaicans are embracing the programmes offered by the JCDC. While the Commission is well known for preserving and showcasing our culture, we also recognize the importance of using technology to engage, particularly with our youth. The FiWi Short Film Competition is a perfect example of how we can bring our culture to life in the digital age. The fact that it’s four years old and already experiencing this level of growth is a promising sign for the future.”

Drama and Theatre Arts Development Specialist at the JCDC, Mr. Shaun Drysdale, attributes this year’s spike in entries to the increasing interest in filmmaking, fueled by the proliferation of social media platforms that support storytelling through visuals.

We are living in a digital age. Filmmaking is now in the hands of the average person on the street via his, or her cell phone. Add to that the inherent creativity of Jamaicans and you are left with a potent combination, which when given the correct environment, can reap tangible rewards. That is what we are experiencing at this time,” Mr. Drysdale said.

The JCDC FiWi Short Film Competition seeks to promote Jamaican culture through the production of films ranging from 3-5 minutes in duration. The films must be based on set criteria, and primarily centred around a Jamaican proverb.

This year’s proverbs are: “Sweet mout fly follow coffin go a hole”; “Puss nuh hab han, but him tek him foot wipe him face”; “Keep clear a ole house, les dem fall dung pon you”; “Rockstone a riber bottom nuh feel sun hot”; and “Finger tink, yuh cyan cut eh trow ‘wey”.

In addition to the proverbs, participants were also given two special themes around which to build the treatment of their films, based on concepts provided by two sponsors. These are: “SEAS IN FOCUS: Uniting for marine managed areas”- National Conservation Trust Fund of Jamaica (NCTFJ) and “Need a passport quick, Get it with just a click”- Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA).

Mr. Drysdale further noted that this year’s shortlisted films represent a variety of the possible genres with eleven dramatic works, two animation films, one comedy, one documentary and two science fiction films. Three of the participants are from the youth category, which is for filmmakers between 12-18 years old and the remaining 14 from adult category.

In addition to viewing the short films online, the public will have an opportunity to view at a special screening to be held on National Heroes’ Day, Monday, October 21st, 2024, as a feature of JCDC National Heritage Fest and Family Fun Day being held on the south lawn at Devon House in St Andrew.

The FiWi Short Film Competition was started by the JCDC in 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The competition is the brainchild of the JCDC’s Drama and Theatre Arts Unit and encourages Jamaican amateur filmmakers to examine selected Jamaican proverbs and based on their interpretation create the treatment for a short film.

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York Catholic is leading the province in educational achievement

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BY PAUL JUNOR

The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO), which administers the Grade 3, 6 and 9 assessments across Ontario and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT), recently released the 2024 results. For many schools across the province, EQAO results are a snapshot of how students are doing compared to their peers in other schools at the same grade level.

The York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) has maintained a high level of consistency with respect to the outstanding performance of its students on the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). In a media release on Wednesday, October 9th, 2024, details were revealed about the positive achievements and exemplary accomplishments of its students.

EQAO results were released on September 26th, 2024. The focus was, “Mathematics Achievement Remains an Area of Focus but Sees Gradual Growth Over Time with Some School Boards Showing Significant Increases; Literacy Achievement Remains High but Shows Some Decline.” The data was based on the 2023-2024 school year during which over 570,000 students wrote the EQAO assessments at the elementary and secondary levels on the English and French-language school systems.

For students who wrote the Grade 3 Assessment of Reading, Writing and Mathematics:

  • 71% met the provincial standard in reading compared to 73% in 2022-2023, and 73% in 2021-2022.
  • 64% of Grade 3 students met the provincial standard in writing, compared to 65% in 2022-2023 and 65% in 2021-2022.
  • 61% of Grade 3 students met the provincial standard in mathematics, compared to 60% in 2022-2023 and 59% in 2021-2022.

For students who wrote the Grade 6 Assessment of Reading, Writing and Mathematics:

  • 82% met the provincial standard in reading, compared to 84% in 2022-2023 and 85% in 2021-2022.
  • 80% met the provincial standard in writing, compared to 84% in 2022-2023, and 84% in 2021-2022.
  • 50% met the provincial standard in mathematics, compared to 50% in 2022-2023 and 47 % in 2021-2022.

For students who wrote the Grade 9 Assessment in Mathematics:

  • 54% met the provincial standard, compared to 54% in 2022-2023 and 52% in 2021-2022.

For students who wrote the Grade 10 Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT):

  • 85% of first-time eligible students were successful, compared to 85% in 2022-23 and 82% in 2021-2022.
  • 52% of previously eligible students were successful in 2023-2024, compared to 63% in 2022-2023 and 85% in 2021-2022.

John De Faveri, Interim Director of Education of the YCDSB writes, “We are always looking for ways to provide a better school experience, but today is a time to celebrate our students and staff for their excellent academic achievement. I want to particularly highlight the incredible work that is being done in mathematics, which we see in these results. Mathematical literacy is such an important life skill and we are happy to share a love of numbers with our students.”

Results from the Grade 3, 6 and 9 EQAO Mathematics results show improvement in Mathematics compared to 2023. In addition, with respect to reading and writing results for Grade 6 there has been a consistent steady upward rise in the performance of students as 89% and 90% of students met or exceeded provincial standards when compared to the province’s average of 82% and 89%.

Elizabeth Crowe, Chair of the Board of Trustees for YCDSB states, “EQAO results are just one of the ways we see how York Catholic is leading the province in educational achievement. As a Catholic learning community, we want to see every child succeed and EQAO results help us measure our progress toward that noble goal.”

Overall, the percentage of students who participated from YCDSB in Grade 3 and 6 EQAO were 97% and 98%, respectively. For Grade 9 Math assessment there were 93% of eligible students and 97% in the OSSLT.

Any parents or guardians interested in learning about the 2024 EQAO and OSSLT results and individual school results for their children can check the EQAO’s website: https://www.eqao.com/results/.

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York Catholic District School Board plans open house for future high school students

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Credits: Pch.Vector

BY PAUL JUNOR

There is: planning, preparation, and organization that parents, guardians and caregivers must make in York Region as they prepare their children for high school. For those who chose to send them to a high school at the Catholic board, there are open houses planned to make this process easier to navigate.

In a press release on Thursday, October 10th, 2024, details were revealed about these open houses. It notes, “The open houses will highlight key aspects of each school, including administration, programs, graduation requirements, uniforms, school structure, student opportunities and more. In addition, information about the registration process, including registration dates, deadlines and documents needed to enroll, will be discussed.

The media release mentioned the seven regional programs, and ten Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSM) programs. They include:

Advanced Placement

Programs with an extended and enriched curriculum allow students to earn credits or advanced standing at most universities.

English as a Second Language

(ESL) and English Literacy Development (ELD)

English as a Second Language and English Literacy Development programs assist English language learners from diverse linguistic and education backgrounds in attaining English language proficiency.

French Immersion (FI)

Students who completed the Elementary French Immersion programs, or equivalent can continue with the immersion program to earn a French immersion certificate upon graduation.

High Performer Athlete (HPA)

An academic-based program for student-athletes participating in competitive-level athletics. Students benefit from a flexible timetable to help balance their academic and athletic commitments and earn high school credits for the work they put into their training.

International Baccalaureate (IB)

A rigorous and intellectually challenging pre-university course of study that allows students to earn an IB Diploma upon graduation, recognized in Canada and abroad.

Regional Arts (RAP)/Integrated Regional Arts Program(iRAP)

Students specialize in drama, dance, visual arts, digital media arts, instrumental music, or vocal music- while obtaining their high school diploma. In the iRAP, students experience their learning through an integrated model where the curriculum is explored in relation to the interconnectedness of the individual, the community, and the world.

STREAM Program

Students explore real-world challenges and use the design thinking process to develop critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication skills, guided by the traditional Catholic social teachings. This academic program uses an interdisciplinary approach to inquiry and problem-based learning.

Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM)

Students can obtain a diploma with a specialist in either: Arts and Culture; Aviation and Aerospace; Business; Health and Wellness; Hospitality and Tourism; Information and Communication Technology; Justice, Community Safety and Emergency Services, Manufacturing; or Non-Profit. Every YCDSB school offers a SHSM program.

Parents or guardians who live in York Region and are interested in any programs can check: Website: www.ycdsb.ca

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