Testimonials

Hello Mary I would like to thank you, Ms. Augustynek, Ms. Rocca, Ms. Meschino, the supervisors, the tour guide and all the people involved in making this a truly memorable experience for my daughter. We are still talking about it! She enjoyed the beauty of Italy, the opportunity to make new friendships and the experience of earning her grade 12 English by working hard, exploring diverse reading materials and being able to do it all in the presence of your supportive staff, teachers, amazing scenery and great peers. I loved the blog! Thank you! It allowed me to experience the trip with my daughter! I will definitely be recommending this experience to others. God bless and enjoy the rest of your summer. (N.D. Parent)

"I can't thank you enough for your part in making my daughter's trip memorable and meaningful. She grew as an artist and as a person. She developed an appreciation for history, architecture, Italian culture, food and lifestyle to name a few. She went away as a young girl and came back home a young woman. This trip opened her eyes to how people live in other parts of the world. It even sparked a desire to learn and speak Italian." With gratitude. (M.P. Parent)

"Thank you for arranging a beautiful guided tour filled with planes, buses and tons of walking to understand/appreciate the rich history, art and food. The English teacher and course was incredible. The blog was an amazing tool for parents to follow their child's experience through their eyes. It was also a big step in letting them go for a short while. I knew my daughter was being looked after , especially when she wasn't feeling well and the staff was terrific! The memories that were made will definitely leave a positive footprint on everyone! Thank you all again for the amazing teachers and the entire experience." Ciao, (A.T. Parent)

"This course was so much fun! It was the perfect blend of school and vacation. The course was difficult as all high school courses should be, but I enjoyed the challenge. The school time was pretty awesome and our stay in Siena was definitely my favourite thing...having all that time to really connect with the people I was with. I have to say thank you so much for being so patient and amazing. Thank you for an amazing time in Italy." (E.C. Student)

"I just wanted to say THANK YOU to you Signora Battista and your wonderful staff for all the hard work, the dedication, the discipline and especially for the trust, love and respect you show our children. Everything we try to accomplish as parents is extended by the amazing staff at our school board, and even though you are also enjoying la Bella Italia, you have taken on a great responsibility in watching over our children, and for that, we thank you." God Bless (F.C. Parent)

"The Italy trip this summer to earn my art credit was as experience that I couldn't have gotten from any other place. The teachers were amazing, and the people I met along the way helped me in the creation process and journey of my art. Travelling around and seeing the sights was amazing the first week, but the best part was in Siena, when we were creating art everyday and just experiencing the true culture of Italy. The atmosphere surrounding those twelve days was one that made me never want to leave Italy. The days were spent with classes in the morning, and then free time in the evenings. The trip was planned out perfectly, and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way! Thank you so much to all the teachers for giving me this opportunity! Seriously, thank you!!!! This trip was amazing and I got to experience things that I never would have if I hadn't have met you and the other teachers! It was a great opportunity and the art I created was beautiful and something to remember this trip by! (L. J. Student)

"Thank you to you and all the chaperones for providing our daughter a wonderful experience on the Italy trip. She had an incredible experience touring Italy, learning about Art and meeting new friends. She already misses her independence that she she gained on this trip. In many ways this trip has confirmed that she is prepared to pursue post secondary studies abroad. She continues to share her stories about what she saw, the great food she ate ( gelato in San Gimingnano) and all the beautiful sights and people she met. Thanks again for all your hard work and giving our daughter a life learning experience she will never forget." (M.D. Parent)

" I must say that when I said goodbye to my daughter, I did not know what to expect. She really wanted this experience but I was uncertain if I was doing the right thing sending her. I must say that I am thrilled with the outcome. Not only did she thrive in her English course, but she was able to embrace herself in the Italian culture. She made many wonderful friends and she truly enjoyed her experience and independence. I couldn't be happier. The teachers were professional and very sympathetic to the needs of their students. The daily updates on Twitter eased my fears. I loved seeing the pictures. Thank you for creating such a wonderful experience for my daughter and all her friends. This trip is one she will cherish forever. Congratulations on a job well done." Congratulations (T.P. Parent)

A Most Treasured Experience

As we begin a new school year memories of our summer spent together in Italy reflect brightly in our hearts and minds. A special thank you to superintendent, Ms. Mary Battista for providing a most enriching educational experience. The care and attention to detail in her planning, organization and consideration in all aspects of the trip made this an unforgettable and everlasting journey. Thank you to Director of Education, Ms. Patricia Preston for supporting this educational initiative. Our students were excellent international role models and ambassadors of the Catholic faith community fostered here within our school board. A successful accomplishment was made by each of them. Thank you to the parents for entrusting your children to us. It was not only a pleasure but an honour to travel and share this time with them. God Bless.

The following is a message from Ms. Battista. Our Wonderful Summer Experience-Summer Credit Tuscany 2015 I am very pleased to announce that this summer 20 students completed a University Grade 12 English credit and 16 students obtained a Grade 11 or Grade 12 Visual Arts credit. Students visited Venice, Ravenna, Florence, Assisi, Montecatini, Siena, San Gimignano, and Rome and were inspired by the culture, historical monuments, churches and famed works of art. They visited the Uffizi, saw the David of Michelangelo in L'Accademia, the tomb of St Francis of Assisi and Dante Alligheri, the mosaics of Ravenna, the beautiful Piazza del Campo, the Sistine chapel, as well as many other masterpieces. We also enjoyed time on a beach on the Tyrrhenian Sea. The students were respectful, polite, grateful, friendly, fun loving and serious about their studies. It was a pleasure to get to know all of them. We enjoyed our time together and we truly became a family during our time together. We received numerous compliments about them from hotel staff, bus drivers, tour guides, store owners and everyone who interacted with them. They studied hard and reached their full potential. Their teachers challenged them and gave them every opportunity to succeed. The teachers truly cared about their students snd worked hard to meet their needs. Thank you Ms. Rocca and Ms. Meschino for your dedication and commitment to your students. Our principal, Ms. Augustynek and our supervisors, Gary, Michael and Luca ensured our students were safe and following rules while enjoying their time in italy. I thank them from the bottom of my heart. Our guide Teresa went out of her way to make this a memorable experience for your children. She became our italian nonna! Sei grande Teresa! I feel the courses were a great success and I am looking forward to planning next summer. I know the students will enjoy the rest of the summer and I wish them much succes in the years to come. They ae very special and we love them all! I will miss them and will cherish every moment transpired with them. Thank you for your support and God Bless.

Grazie Roma!

Our day started at the Museo Vaticano where Ceclia, our guide, took us to see the various pieces of art works including the famous "School of Athens" by Raphael and of course Michelangelo's "Sistine Chapel." We visited the Basilica of St. Peter's, saw Michelangelo's, La Pieta and various other works of art including Benini's Baldachin.

Nicolas & Sebastian are Debating as Plato and Aristotle are in the painting!

We had some free time and then prepared for our special dinner out to a restaurant near the Colosseum where we were entertained by some opera singers and had some delicious food. Excellent ambiance with lots of clapping, laughter and Bon divertimento!

We had so much fun that Teresa joined in with the singing and this carried on when we got back on the bus where she led us in singing "Marina! Marina!" we drove around the Colosseum at night and saw it lit up!

We returned back to our hotel in preparation for tomorrow's departure. Please refer to flight tracker once again for the status of our flight.

Message from Mrs. Meschino Now that the course is over and marks are submitted, I am happy to say that the course, ENG4U was a positive experience for me and the students. Studying sections of Machiavelli's The Prince gave students a better understanding of the Machiavellian villain seen so often in English literature. Journeying through Dante's Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso with the students sparked some very interesting discussion. Students were able to visit the tomb of both Machiavelli and Dante. Their impact on Italian culture was made clear by our excellent tour guides. Students also enjoyed Pirandello's, Six Characters in Search of an Author. His view of the permanence of the arts is evident in all of the cities we visited. Lastly, Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms described for the students the love story and war story during World War I. Students studied the assigned works, visited beautiful sites, and enjoyed their time together. By the end of the trip, we were considered a "famiglia." I will miss this famiglia! I want to wish all the students ( English and Art) all the best next year. Keep the beautiful moments from Italy in your hearts. God Bless! Mrs. Meschino (Aunt Lily)

Veni Vidi Vici

We have come to Roma and with these 3 words that summarize perfectly what these 3 days together will be about! To come! To see! To conquer!

We have gone to see the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona (Bernin's Four Rivers Fountain) and the magnificent Pantheon!

Luca says he is not leaving without his Pantheon!

Ms. Rocca's small group! (Uno, due, tre, quattro, cinque e sei! we're all here!)

Our guided tour with Cecilia. Arch of Constantine and the Colosseum.

All together...hands on experience touching history!

Talk to the hand...like Italians do so well. Jasmine with her expressive hand gestures Jason has become completely fluent in fan waving!

The tour of the Forum was so interesting. Although it was extremely hot it was such a learning experience. To end our day we had a most amazing meal at a pizzeria with salad, bruschetta, personal pizzas made for each of us from an authentic wood oven, topped off with tiramisu dessert! We hope you have been able to follow our Twitter feeds located at the sidebar of this blog detailing some of our experiences along the way with some photos of interest! Rico and Emily wore the perfect hats today...Roma! Italia!

Looking forward to our last day where I know we will be able to shout out that we have definitely conquered! Victory!

Time To Say Good-Bye

"quando sei lontana sogno all'orizzonte e mancare le parole...time to say good-bye...paesi che non ho mai veduto e vissuto con te adesso s li vivro...con te partiro..." It Is our time to say good-bye to Hotel Moderno, our home for a significant portion of our stay in Italy. We will always appreciate how you welcomed us and made us feel as though we were not just staying at any hotel, but with an Italian family instead. Each and every day the staff members were hospitable, friendly, accommodating and always went out of their way to ensure we were taken care of. Thank you to Riccardo, PierLuigi and Liliana for working behind the scenes to make our visit smooth running and genuinely comfortable. When we met Moira on our first day we knew we were in good hands because she embraced us with enthusiasm and excellent customer service! Paolo was always diligent, respectful and helpful if there was ever a need. Thank you for taking care of the details. To the chef, we send you our applause for preparing with care a great variety of dishes that were healthy and delicious (giving us a hint of that cucina Toscana). Bravo! The waiters were phenomenal! Grazie to Gabriele who would greet us with his wonderful flair each morning, "Buon giorno! Cafe! Pardon! Signoria Lei!" Thank you to Luigi who meticulously tended to the details and always asked if we wanted seconds. Your efforts never went by unnoticed. Thank you to Marco who made every task seem effortless and was never impossible to do. If ever we asked him for something he would always respond, "ma come no? certo...of course." As mentioned, the staff at this hotel treated us like family. Little did we know that they were family! Marco is related to Ms. Meschino...paesani! Un mondo piccolo!

To the cleaning staff who impeccably tended to our rooms each day and kept everything clean and refreshed. We will definitely miss how our bedsheets were so perfectly crisp and smooth...and those towels...ahhh! We thank you so much for allowing us to learn, paint, sketch, study, read, write exams and socialize in your dining hall, lobby, garden and living room area. Never once making us feel that our group was in the way but instead you appreciated the viva and energy that only a group of "ragazze" could bring! Hotel Moderno, "thank you" from all of and if by chance we missed anyone to thank please send them our appreciation! Our last night in Siena came with a great SURPRISE! Teresa our Italian nonna and exceptional tour guide came to travel with us to Roma! She entered our garden dinner area with a great round of applause!

Ms. Rocca spoke to the group and presented each student with a special momento as a token of appreciation on behalf of herself, Ms. Battista, Ms. Augustynek, Ms. Meschino and supervisors, Gary, Luca and Michael. It was a mini 2016 calendar that displays Italy. We thought it would be a sentimental way to enjoy memories of Italy every day for every month of the upcoming year! Students were invited to sign eachother' calendars as a keepsake!

We enjoyed our last evening in the campo under an unforgettable indigo sky!

We packed our luggages with sadness and excitement! Pronto per Roma! Our luggages by the door this morning ready for our departure to Roma. Right to the very end, Gabriele our waiter, helped us load heavy luggages full of memories onto our bus and stepped inside to say "ciao and buon viaggio!" Now that is the kind of class, care, respect and goodwill we were sent off with! Ciao tutti! Grazie Hotel Moderno!

Roma here we come!