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Administration Team:

Principal Vice-Principal (Last Names A-M)

Vice-Principal (Last Names N-Z)

A. Daniel D. Heron A. Gheewala

May 15, 2020

Hello families!

We know that for lots of us who are working from home or out on the front lines, screen time is a big issue these days. Most of us probably spend a good number of hours looking at screens in general, be it at home or at work, like our computers, smartphones, televisions, tablets or other digital devices. Looking at screens too much can lead to eyestrain…but the 20-20-20 rule may help. Keep reading to learn more about 20-20-20 and how you can help prevent eyestrain!

What is the 20-20-20 rule?

If you find yourself looking at screens all day, your eye doctor may have mentioned this rule to you. Basically, it means that every 20 minutes spent using a screen, you should try to look away at something that is 20 feet away from you for a total of 20 seconds.

How can you tell if something is 20 feet away?

Well, unless you have a tape measure you probably won’t be able to accurately measure 20 feet, but being exact isn’t the key. You should just try to focus on something far away from you. Try looking out a window at an object that seems far away, like a tree or a building across the street. If you are

Middlefield C.I.

constantly working in a small space, try walking outdoors or into a larger area where you can rest your eyes.

Why 20 seconds?

It only takes about 20 seconds for your eyes to completely relax. And while you are resting your eyes, it is also a good idea to get up and grab a drink of water to keep yourself hydrated. If your body is hydrated, your eyes will be as well. Drinking green tea during your break may help even more. That’s because green tea contains antioxidants called “catechins” that may help your eyes produce tears for better lubrication.

What about reminding yourself to do this every 20 minutes?

You probably get absorbed in reading or your work when you are looking at screens. Setting a timed reminder to pop up can help you take a break every 20 minutes. There are also free apps like Eye Care 20 20 20, for example, that can help. Just click start when you begin your screen time, and the app will remind you to take a break.

What does the research say?

Current eye research states that looking at digital devices won’t necessarily damage your eyesight, but it can cause strain and unpleasant symptoms. Humans normally blink around 15 times each minute. When staring at screens, this number decreases to a half or third that often. That can lead to dry, irritated, and tired eyes. Eyestrain caused by screens has its own name. It is called computer vision syndrome (CVS). In a recent study, researchers examined computer use and its effects on the eyes of students. Almost 90 percent of the 795 students surveyed had symptoms of CVS after just two continuous hours of computer usage. Taking frequent breaks to look at far away objects during screen time significantly lessened eyestrain symptoms…in other words, the 20-20-20 rule works, so give it a try. Your eyes will thank you for it!

Sincerely,

A. Daniel, D. Heron & A. Gheewala Character Matters Trait of the Month: Perseverance

“It always seems impossible, until it’s done.”

- Nelson Mandela

MCI HIGHLIGHTS

Online Learning Update

From the History Department: Part of what makes MCI great is the variety of courses we are able to offer in the History department. The Yoga and the Philosophy of Wellness course has been a great way for students to move every day and work on improving connections between physical and mental health. Last week in the Yoga "virtual classroom", students tested their knowledge of the bone structure and muscle groups of the body. The anatomy of the body is important to know as we

focus many of our "asana" (movements) on working different muscle groups to stretch and strengthen the body. Students were asked to complete the timed quiz once with as much accuracy as possible and then review and complete the quiz again, recording their improved scores. The results? Exceptional! Many students recorded both improved timed results and accuracy of naming the muscle and bone groups by up to 30%! If you are interested in focusing on your physical and mental well-being then Yoga is a great option for you. You can always test your knowledge with a little free time and brainpower. https://online.seterra.com/en-an/vgp/3800 https://online.seterra.com/en-an/vgp/3811

From the Business Department:

Ms. Pownall’s Building Financial Security class just completed the University of Nipissing’s Stock Market Simulation. The Stock Market Simulation runs for seven weeks where students have the opportunity to buy a variety of stocks and ETFs. Each student started with a $500,000 portfolio and needed to conduct 150 trades during the simulation. Students learned how to perform a technical analysis and a fundamental analysis to seek out the most profitable stocks. First place went to Jason Jiacheng Zhang, who had an ending balance of $760,063 and a return of 42%. Second place went to Yuan Ye, with an ending balance of $563,553.54 and a return of 22%. Coming in third place was Varmaan Santhiramohan, with an ending balance of $546,000.21 and a return of 10.75%.

Ms. Pownall has been using Pear Deck for Google Slides to make lessons interactive in Building Financial Security and Introduction to Business. The Pear Deck slides enable students to provide feedback while working through the lesson. For example, Introduction to Business students have been learning about the cost of credit and with Pear Deck, students have been able to answer word problems directly on the slides.

From the Visual Arts Department:

Our weekly Visual Art update this week comes from the very talented students in Ms. Chiejina and Ms. Li Kam Cheung’s classes. This week we are fortunate to have a sneak peek at some of the incredible Still-Life Drawings done by some of our most artistically inclined Grade 10s. Magnifique!

From our Special Education Department

Around this time of year, you would usually have received a Confirmation of Continued Placement letter as part of YRDSB review IPRC process, which is conducted annually. As we navigate the changes that the Covid-19 pandemic has created, we recognize that this review process will not look the same as it has in previous years. At this moment, we are recommending to have your child to continue with their current identification and level of placement at MCI. For that reason, we are sending a digital Confirmation of Continued Placement letter to you in the next couple of weeks, which indicate our recommendation, and we wish to have your consent on agreeing for nothing to change for September 2020 in your child’s identification and placement.

MCI’s Special Education Department would like to remind all of our families that we are committed to providing relevant and appropriate educational opportunities and supports during these unprecedented times to our students. Google Classrooms are up and running for all Learning Strategies courses and Community Classes. We hope that you continue to access your classroom daily for your learning. For more information and support, please contact your Special Education Resource Teacher via YRDSB board email (for example

susanna.baldassini@yrdsb.ca.) You can find a list of all of our teachers at the bottom of the E-Bulletin!

EquatIO for Math and Science Students

EquatIO is an easy-to-use Chrome extension that allows students to insert mathematical equations, formulas, and symbols for math and science. This digital tool is great for students to input their equations on their Google form, Google Docs, and Google Slides. The EquatIO extension has been automatically deployed to all student YRDSB GAPPS accounts. Students can install EquatIO extension for free onto their G Suite and they can locate the blue diamond icon in the extension area of the browser to start EquatIO.

Once EquatIO is installed, students can type complicated math expressions into clear and editable formulas. The handwriting recognition feature allows students to turn their handwriting into accurate formulas if they write directly on their touchscreen. It also has the speech recognition that turn dictated equations to written expressions. Students can revisit and edit their digital math equations at any time. It is a great digital tool to foster deeper understanding of math and science concepts.

In need of a food bank?

From the folks at Information Technology Services

The YRDSB has created an E-Mail address for student technology support inquires. This is a starting point for all tech related inquiries that are not curriculum related.

If you have any non-curriculum tech related questions, please send them to the following email address: student.techhelp@yrdsb.ca

Regional YRDSB Family Engagement

CICS Centre for Learning

Support from York Hills

COVID-19 Support from MCI

UPDATES FROM THE GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT

MACCA Scholarship Information and Application Packages

Email Mr. Stephenson at paul.stephenson@yrdsb.ca for more information including an application package!

MIDDLEFIELD C.I. E-MAIL LIST

When emailing teachers, please remember that e-mails are first name.lastname@yrdsb.ca (example: deanna.heron@yrdsb.ca for Vice-Principal Ms. Heron)

MIDDLEFIELD C.I. SCHOOL LINKS

Middlefield C.I. Webpage: http://www.yrdsb.ca/schools/middlefield.ci

York Region District School Board: http://www.yrdsb.ca/

Y.R.D.S.B. Guide to the 2019-2020 School Year: Guide to the School Year

SHSM: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/morestudentsuccess/SHSM.html

Teacher's Name (Last Name, First Name)

Teacher's Name (Last Name, First Name)

Teacher's Name (Last Name, First Name)

Afsharnejad, Fatemah Harvey, Walter Ng'Ong'Ola, Neps

Arsenault, Michelle Heron, Deanna Nguyen, Vincent

Atcha, Saeed Hobbs, Andrew Okongwu, Ngozi

Bakshi, Shirleen Hoult, Sarah O'Neill, Jeremy

Balakumar, Vithyani Hunte, Camille Owen, Melinda

Baldassini, Susanna Huryn, Karolina Patras, Sofia

Bell, Catherine Hytman, Barry Pawlicki, Barb

Blanchard, Daniel Istanbul, Martha Pownall, Alyson

Boy, Martina Kapustina, Elena Prinsloo, Heather

Brijmongal, Ganesh Khandaker, Shopan Puri, Tanu

Brown, Tonya King-Sewell, Rockell Reid, Rebecca

Cha, Jessica Korres, Vasiliki Rosenberg, Eric

Chan, Laura Kumar, Rita Rueckert, Jennifer

Chang, Mary Ladas, Niki Rutherford, Claudette

Chiejina, Pat Lane, Janine Sadacharan, Skanda

Curatola, Kristina Lawrence, Grace Sakaris, Chrysoula

Dabas, Jogender Li Kam Cheung, Priscilla Sanchez, Rodolfo

Dadar, Mehdi Liau, Sandra Stephenson, Paul

Daniel, Aline Lloyd, Jonathan Suganthan, Piraveena

Del Rosario, Melissa MacPherson, Alison Sukhera, Sabrina

Derlick, Rochelle Markandaier, Shiva Tang, Iris

Derry, Joyce Mavridis, Peter Terranova, Tamara

Dornai, Angie Mcloughlin, Dawn Thakrar, Sandeep

Escoffery, Nigel McMullen, Dan Thompson, Reginald

Falzarano, Janet Mein, Andrew Tsui, Ada

Firasat, Heera Mobilos, Cathy Tyler, Pamela

Fridman, Lauren Moore, Lara Van Den Kroonenberg, Anna

Gauthier, Melanie Morin, Mike Wong, Jack

Geronikolos, Lazaros Murray, Stephen Woo, Rajvinder

Gheewala, Amol Nasreen, Tahira Zissopoulos, Dimitra

Glass, Jamie