Category: Upper School
Join us on May 27 – Spring Parent Book Club and Fireside Chat
Events, Home page, Lower School, Parent Association, Prep School, Preschool, Upper School
Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to connect, learn, and engage with our community at the final Bayview Glen Parent Book Club of the school year, followed by a special Fireside Chat on Wednesday, May 27, 2026.
Join us for one or both sessions – whether you’ve read the book or are simply curious, we welcome your presence and perspective. Light refreshments will be served for those attending in person.
PARENT BOOK CLUB
Time: 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Location: Learning Commons, Bayview Glen Moatfield Campus (or online via Microsoft Teams)
Join us as we explore The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents by Lisa Damour, PhD, offering practical insights into supporting teens through emotional development, building strong relationships, and navigating the challenges of adolescence.
FIRESIDE CHAT
Time: 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location: Learning Commons, Bayview Glen Moatfield Campus
Following the book club, stay for a Fireside Chat with Kausalya Vimal, Registered Social Worker and mental health therapist. Topics will include:
- Parent-Child Relationships: Better Conversation and Stronger Connections
- Talking through tension, Conversations that Build, not Break
- Building the parent-child gap
Please register online if you are interested in attending.
Bayview Glen Robotics on the Provincial and World Stage
Bayview Glen News, Lower School, Newsletters and Publications, Prep School, The Glen, Upper School
ALT-F4: A Blue Banner Season
Written by James K. and Alina D., Grade 10 Students
FIRST LEGO League Innovation and Robotics Programme
Written by Benjamin McCord, FLL Robotics Co-ordinator
ALT-F4: A Blue Banner Season
Written by James K. (Media – Writer) and Alina D. (Mechanical and Media – Editor),
Grade 10 Students
Humber Polytechnic was an encouraging start to the season for many reasons. It allowed us to grow, and more importantly, allowed us to make tremendous improvements which heavily benefitted us at future competitions.
We started off well and continued to tweak aspects of programming and strategy to refine our gameplay. However, it was a hard-fought battle with us having to look to our incredible strategy and drive team – as well as some luck – for the win! Thanks to our consistency, we also managed to secure our first Quality Design award of the season.
More importantly, Humber Polytechnic was the glue that truly allowed our team to come together and bond for the first time. Moving forward, our first competition allowed us to figure out exactly what we needed to do to strengthen our robot’s performance.
Just a few weeks later, and true to the name of this year’s game, we rebuilt the robot! ALT-F4 arrived at Georgian College with one goal: win. Over the past two weeks, we had completely revamped our robot as a dumper with a wide shooter, allowing it to shoot many balls into the HUB at once. Vanguard’s new design proved itself quickly, but not without a few hiccups along the way.
Throughout the qualifiers, our robot malfunctioned several times due to electrical issues caused by static. By the second day, the robot was functioning and we managed to seed first and become alliance captain 1. We made it through the playoffs undefeated and entered the finals confidently and managed to win once again, earning our second blue banner. This result increased our world placing to 35th out of 3800 teams.
Georgian College event allowed us to test our newly rebuilt robot and gave us confidence for the upcoming provincial championship.
We boarded the bus with aspirations to make this DCMP the best in our team’s history. However, our robot had other plans. Despite our best intentions, we ranked third in our division, becoming the captain of the second alliance. We then started the playoff rounds, which is where the tournament got interesting. Our robot was functioning perfectly thanks to the pit team, which allowed our drive team to implement our game strategy to perfection. This was a full team effort. As underdogs, we prevailed over the number one ranked alliance to bring the division championship home for the first time ever, and it was incredible to see the hard work of the team come to fruition. To win this division we had to compete against some of the top teams in the world.
We then advanced to the Provincial finals where we fought valiantly against some of the best robots (in the top five) in the world. While we came very close to beating them, we unfortunately fell short after two well played matches.
Now we are off to Worlds…stay tuned…
FIRST LEGO League Innovation and Robotics Programme
Written by Benjamin McCord,
FLL Robotics Co-ordinator
ConnecTech Goes Global!
Bayview Glen’s FIRST LEGO League Innovation and Robotics Programme is flying high. ConnecTech, our Ontario Provincial Champions, represented Canada at the FIRST World Festival in Houston—competing among 160 elite teams from over 60 countries.
To learn more about ConnecTech, please visit their website at connectech27757.com, and @connectech27757 on Instagram.
More Tournaments!
Smart Ramen
Smart Ramen will compete at the WPI WAFFLE tournament in Worcester, MA, from June 11 to June 14. They won the 2nd Place Champions’ Award at the Ontario Provincials. This is Smart Ramen’s 3rd International Tournament in 3 years.
To learn more about Smart Ramen, please visit their website at https://smart-ramen-21544.com/
Operation CREAT3
Operation CREAT3 will compete at the Canada Cup at Brock University from June 17 to June 20. They won the 1st Place Core Values Award at Provincials, and will showcase their Innovation Project, Artifact Armada.
Eat. Sleep. Archaeology. Repeat.
Our Grade 5 Team, Eat. Sleep. Archaeology. Repeat., will compete at the Canada Cup at Brock University from June 17 to June 20. They won the 1st Place Innovation Project Award at Provincials, and have been mentoring Grade 4 students in the Winter and Spring.
Winter/Spring FLL Intramurals
FLL Intramurals are underway this Winter and Spring—building skills and sparking early interest in robotics and innovation. Our Intramural teams engage in all of the challenges that our Competitive teams do: Innovation Project, Robot Design and Game, and Core Values. Team Smart Ramen (along with ambitious ESAR members Zoe Lieu and Emmy Chung!) shared their time and experience to lead the teams through their journey.
FLL Supports Girls in STEM
Bayview Glen Is dedicated to promoting girls’ engagement and achievement in STEM. Girls make up more than half of our FLL students.
2026/2027 Competitive Season Tryouts
All students who wish to be considered for membership on a Fall Competitive team must conduct a tryout. Tryouts will begin in late May. More information about tryouts will be coming soon. Please contact FLL programme supervisor Ben McCord (bmccord@bayviewglen.ca) with any questions.
Perfectionism: Supporting Wellbeing Alongside Achievement
Bayview Glen News, Lower School, Newsletters and Publications, Prep School, The Glen, Upper School
Written by Antoinette Morgan, MA, MSW, BSW, RSW,
Director of Student Wellbeing
In the independent school environment where performance expectations, academic rigor, and university preparation are emphasized, perfectionism can quietly become ingrained in students. Whether a child is in Grade 1 or Grade 12, perfectionism can sneak into their school life, leading them to believe that only perfect work is good enough. Recognizing perfectionist tendencies is key to helping students flourish and stay resilient over the long term.
There are many causes that lead to perfectionism in students, including a competitive school environment; trauma or fear of rejection; a child’s attempt to manage pressure and to maintain adults’ approval; cultural expectations around success and the image they or their parents want to project; the impact of social media; and social comparison. A child’s early experiences and the messaging they receive around success and self-worth influence perfectionism, as do adults who overpraise high marks or outcomes, or who dismiss a good mark by asking why the child did not score higher. Many students come to equate their self-worth with performance.
Research shows perfectionistic patterns can appear in the early years and interfere with a student’s learning and wellbeing. These students may display all-or-nothing thinking, strongly insisting on doing things “just right”. They often have an intense fear of making mistakes and may react with strong emotions or behaviours when things do not turn out as expected. They may constantly erase and re-do their work, tie their self-worth to minor setbacks, or avoid starting tasks they find challenging for fear of not getting them right. These responses are rooted in anxiety and are not related to defiance or lack of effort.
Perfectionism is not the same as healthy striving, which is built on motivation, flexibility, and a growth-mindset. In older students, perfectionism is often visible in rigid standards paired with harsh self-evaluation. This may include not allowing themselves to make mistakes; excessive checking and editing, difficulty asking for help or delegating tasks; excessive worry about grades and feedback; wanting to retake a test despite already achieving a high score, staying up late every night studying; and ultimately risking burnout.
Although perfectionists are detail-oriented, reliable, and high-achieving —qualities that can be beneficial in the short term — over time, they can bear significant emotional and psychological costs. Chronic perfectionism is associated with increased anxiety and stress, burnout, depression, low self-esteem, and avoidance behaviours such as procrastination or refusal to try. Over time, it can also limit creativity and resilience.
How can parents help:
- Set flexible and realistic goals and expectations
- Praise growth, persistence, and effort over outcomes
- Normalize mistakes as a part of growth and development
- Validate children’s stress before offering solutions
- Reinforce that self-worth is not based on achievement
- Teach children self-acceptance
- Model flexibility and self-compassion
By responding thoughtfully to perfectionism, the school and families can work together to support students in developing their resilience and flexibility, so they are grounded in learning and not fear. Please reach out to me at amorgan@bayviewglen.ca for support or referrals.
Spring Book Club and Fireside Chat
Date
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Book Club Detail
- Time: 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.
- Book: The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents by Lisa Damour, PhD.
Fireside Chat Detail
- Time: 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
- Topics:
Parent-Child Relationships: Better Conversation and stronger Connections
Talking through tension, Conversations that Build, not Break
Building the parent-child gap - Speaker: Kausalya Vimal
Growing With Purpose: Looking Back, Reaching Out, and Moving Forward Together
Alumni, Bayview Glen News, Lower School, Newsletters and Publications, Prep School, The Glen, Upper School
Written by Ryan Rodrigues,
Executive Director, Advancement and External Relations
One of the great privileges of my role is the opportunity to listen closely to our community – students, parents, alumni, past parents, and partners – and to notice the patterns that emerge when people feel connected to something meaningful. Over the past year, and especially in recent months as I have represented Bayview Glen at chapter events across Canada and into the United States, I have been struck by how widely our community now stretches, and how strong those connections remain.
At each gathering, I hear familiar themes echoed back to me: a sense of purpose rooted in learning, gratitude for relationships formed here, and a desire to stay connected across generations. These conversations mirror research often shared in educational leadership spaces, including work from Harvard’s Student Purpose Initiative and innovation-focused institutions such as Future Design School. At their core, these frameworks ask a simple but powerful question: how do we help young people, and the communities that surround them, see themselves as part of something larger, something sustained over time?
At Bayview Glen, we are fortunate to see that answer unfolding every day.
Earlier this year, I had the honour of representing Bayview Glen at the Independent School Summit of the Canadian Council for Advancement of Education, where I shared reflections on how our students, parents, and alumni shape not only our present campus experience, but also the pathways that allow future generations to grow and thrive. Our Strategic Plan, Be Bold, speaks directly to this work. It calls us to act with intention, to recognise our responsibilities to one another, and to honour the original Nations of this land and their enduring presence.
That continuity feels especially meaningful as we begin planning for a significant milestone: Bayview Glen’s sixty-fifth anniversary. Over the next academic year and throughout 2027, we will mark this moment with opportunities for reflection and celebration. Anniversaries invite us to look back with care, not nostalgia, so that our past can inform who we are becoming.
In that spirit, we are strengthening our archival efforts at the School. Preserving Bayview Glen’s history allows us to tell a fuller, more inclusive story about our shared journey. Photographs, programmes, letters, uniforms, and personal recollections all play an important role. If you or someone in your family has materials or memories to share, we would be grateful to hear from you.
At the same time, we are looking ahead. Our New Build is nearing completion, and we look forward to celebrating this exciting addition to campus life with our community this spring and into the fall. Reunion Weekend and renewed engagement with Grade Twelve parents and past parents remain key moments of connection.
As we look ahead to our anniversary celebrations and beyond, I am reminded that institutions grow strongest when people see themselves as active participants in a shared story. Thank you for continuing to shape that story with us, wherever in the world you may be.
Meet Our Archivist
As Bayview Glen prepares for its sixty-fifth anniversary, we are pleased to welcome Andriana Gialiris, our new Archivist. Andriana is leading the School’s efforts to preserve and share Bayview Glen’s rich history, working closely with students, alumni, past parents, staff, faculty, volunteers, and current families. If you have photographs, memorabilia, or stories you would like to contribute to our archives, we encourage you to be in touch. Your memories help bring our shared history to life.
archives@bayviewglen.ca
bayviewglen.ca/about-us/history-and-archives/
Celebrating Student Innovation at the Toronto Science Fair 2026
Bayview Glen News, Lower School, Newsletters and Publications, The Glen, Upper School
Bayview Glen students proudly shared their passion for science and innovation at the 2026 Toronto Science Fair, one of Canada’s largest and most prestigious student science competitions. From gold medal–winning Upper School innovation to thoughtful and creative Grade 5 investigations, our students demonstrated curiosity, perseverance, and the power of scientific thinking.
Upper School Gold Medal Innovations with Real-World Impact
Stefano E.,Grade 11 Student
Cooling the Future: Lattice Cold Plates for High-Performance Computing
Data centers spend up to 40% of their energy on cooling alone, a problem that’s accelerating with the rise of consumer AI. For my research project, I set out to find a more mathematically optimal alternative to the industry-standard CNC-milled cold plate.
The answer was a Triply Periodic Minimal Surface called a gyroid lattice. Unlike conventional straight-channel designs, a gyroid agitates fluid in all three dimensions simultaneously, continuously disrupting thermal boundary layers while maximizing surface area. I taught myself nTopology to design and simulate the plate geometry, then built a closed-loop hydraulic data logging circuit to run controlled experiments. The gyroid plate delivered a 36% higher cooling rate, 2.25°C lower sustained surface temperature, and 52% greater total surface area than the control.
The project earned Gold at the citywide Toronto Science Fair! I’m grateful to Professor Mihaela Vlasea and her Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing Laboratory at the University of Waterloo for their advice, and I look forward to collaborating with them as I push this research further, and potentially toward a published research paper.
Riya V. and Shaan V.,Grade 11 and Grade 9 Student
BrAIllePath
We are Riya and Shaan, and we recently developed BraillePath, a wearable navigation aid designed for the deaf-blind community. Our project addresses a critical gap: while many tools exist for single-sensory loss, few provide real-time environmental awareness for those without both sight and sound.
BraillePath uses smart glasses with a camera to capture the user’s surroundings, which is then processed by AI models we fine-tuned to detect obstacles like cars and people. This data is converted into tactile braille cues on the user’s wrist. For example, if a car approaches from the left, BraillePath displays a braille character on the wrist indicating a vehicle approaching from that direction. Developing this required a multi-disciplinary approach, combining circuitry, mobile app development, and numerous iterations of 3D-printed prototypes.
A highlight of our journey was receiving feedback from Sven Topp, a deaf-blind researcher from Germany. His insights into daily navigation challenges helped us refine our design. Moving forward, we hope to actually develop our project further and test it with deaf-blind individuals! We are honored to share this innovation with the Bayview Glen community!
Grade 5 Scientists Embrace Experimentation and Innovation
Zoe,
Grade 5 Student
Since the start of the year, I have been looking forward to trying out for the Toronto Science Fair, and it has been a pleasure to be able to represent the school while learning about science. This year, Grade 5 students like me were able to have the opportunity to try out for the Toronto Science Fair with no guarantee of getting picked. Only two teams were selected to represent the school. It was truly competitive! Many students tried out with the choice of having a partner or going solo, and only two teams got to make it in. To be chosen among the many creative entries across Grade 5 to represent the school has been such a privilege, and on top of that, I got to learn all about the scientific method and challenge my brain outside the school curriculum.
My project was called “The Battle of The Germs: Mom VS. Zoe”. My idea was about a nasty pillow (according to my mom) and a grueling, disgusting, and just gross in general toilet seat. Now before I started, I needed a hypothesis, which honestly wasn’t that hard. My hypothesis was that by the end of the five-day swabbing period, the toilet seat would be dirtier than my pillowcase.
For my experiment, I swabbed both the toilet seat and my pillowcase and observed the germ growth on a petri dish for over five days. Each day, I checked to see how much and how fast germs (also known as “microbes”) were growing. It was cool (and a little disgusting!) to see how fast these microbes grew and how these germs changed over time in size, color, and appearance. I tried to be very careful in documenting my observations, ensuring everything was recorded daily and in detail, and that everything was accurate to the point in which I could draw an accurate conclusion.
One of the most exciting parts of this experience was seeing whether my hypothesis would be proven right or wrong. As the days went on, I noticed that both the toilet seat and the pillowcase showed signs of microbial growth, but not always in the way I expected. Some days had more noticeable changes than others, which made me realize that germs can grow differently under different conditions and are not always predictable. By the end of the five days, I carefully compared the results and analyzed which surface had more growth overall. This helped me understand the importance of observation, patience, and keeping detailed records in a scientific experiment.
Overall, participating in the Toronto Science Fair was an unforgettable experience that taught me a lot about science and about myself. I learned how to think like a scientist by asking questions, making predictions, and testing ideas through experiments. It also showed me that while science experiments are very serious, they can also be fun, surprising, and even a little gross at times.
Neel R.,
Grade 5 Student
This year, I had the chance to take part in the Toronto Science Fair, representing Bayview Glen at the regional competition. It was a pleasure to participate in the Science Fair while educating myself about the world of science. In late January, I competed at the Bayview Glen Lower School fair with my fellow Grade 5 peers. I was fortunate to have my project selected as one of two submissions to advance to the regional fair.
Unlike traditional science fair projects, I chose to do an innovation project. I decided to create an innovation project because I like building, iterating, and solving problems. Another reason for this decision was that when you work on this type of project, you apply what you learn from your research to the real world. While thinking about project ideas, I came across the problem of food wastage. I realized that worldwide food waste is a serious and growing problem. According to the United Nations Environment Programme Food Waste Index Report 2021, an estimated 931 million tons of food are wasted globally each year. I set out to build a solution that would reduce household food waste.
I built FoodTech, an AI enhanced kitchen technology that helps families turn existing food into new recipes. By using the existing food items and suggesting recipes, FoodTech reduces food wastage, saves money, and makes meal planning easier. I believe FoodTech can meaningfully reduce household food wastage and promote smarter, more sustainable meal habits.
Here is how FoodTech works: The user selects food items from their fridge and/or pantry to use for meal planning. These items are placed under a compact camera. The image captured by the camera is then analyzed. Once the food items have been identified, FoodTech will display recipes using the ingredients.
Some benefits of FoodTech are:
- New Recipe Ideas: Families will have new recipes to add to their collection.
- Family bonding: FoodTech can help families make meals together. This gets kids away from screens and working together as a family.
- Child Development: FoodTech assists children in learning how to cook with easy-to-understand recipes using foods in their kitchen
- Cost Saving: This innovation can save money that is spent when going out for meals.
- Protecting the Environment: Food waste that breaks down in landfill releases methane. This gas is a big player in climate change. FoodTech will reduce household food wastage, which can help control climate change.
In conclusion, I really enjoyed participating in the Toronto Science Fair and representing Bayview Glen. While competing in this competition, I learned about the steps to innovation and about the life of a scientist. I hope to continue to partake in science fairs and to discover how science can shape our world.
Transformative Learning Through Global Experiences
Bayview Glen News, Lower School, Newsletters and Publications, Prep School, The Glen, Upper School
Written by Dr. Angela Mantie,
Director of Global Education and Strategic Partnerships
Global Education at Bayview Glen reimagines how students engage with the world—blending transformative, real-world experiences with a commitment to pluralism, global citizenship, and environmental sustainability. Students participate as thoughtful global travellers, learning with curiosity, compassion, courage, and humility while contributing in meaningful and respectful ways.
Through our programming, students grow as global citizen leaders—building connections across communities and developing the confidence, empathy, and adaptability needed to navigate an ever-changing world.
Upper School: Costa Rica
Our student cohort explored how history, sustainability, and community collaboration shape national identity and lived experience in Costa Rica. Through meaningful engagement with a local farming family and children, support for a women’s collective, and firsthand experiences of the deep connection between people and the environment, students developed lasting memories while strengthening their compassion, empathy, and global awareness.
Student reflections captured the impact of the experience: “nice to help people out,” “fun to interact with locals,” and “amazing and unforgettable.”
Prep School: the Yukon
Our first student cohort since pre-COVID travelled to the Yukon on an immersive journey through Canada’s North, beginning in Whitehorse and continuing through Champagne and Aishihik First Nations traditional territory, Dawson City, and Tombstone Territorial Park. Along the way, students explored the region’s layered history—from pre–Gold Rush Indigenous life to the legacy of the Klondike Gold Rush—while engaging directly with local guides, knowledge keepers, and artisans.
Through experiences such as wildlife conservation at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve, dog mushing, glassblowing, and a traditional Indigenous workshop, students deepened their understanding of northern ecosystems, cultural resilience, and sustainable land stewardship. The program invited students to reflect on critical questions of identity, land rights, and environmental responsibility, while fostering curiosity, respect, and a sense of interconnectedness between people, place, and history.
Student reflections included: “it was an incredible experience,” “great time talking to the locals and hearing about their journeys,” and “one of the most eye-opening, unique, and community-building experiences of my life.”
Lower School: Round Square Virtual Experiences
Our Lower School students launched Bayview Glen’s first-ever Round Square virtual experiences this year by participating in Round Square Show and Tells, connecting in real time with students from around the world and building meaningful global connections. On January 27, Grade 5 students showcased “Genius Inventions from Our Region,” presenting their Artifacto Buddy robotics invention, followed on February 3 by L3B sharing “What We Do on Our Breaktime/Recess,” featuring Marble Runs, loose parts play, and LEGO builds.
Same Story, New Chapter: Alumni Connections Near and Far
Alumni, Bayview Glen News, Newsletters and Publications, The Glen, Upper School
Written by Daniella Brown ’10,
Director of Alumni Relations
London & Ottawa Alumni Visits Recap
Our recent visits to London and Ottawa were a wonderful reminder of what makes the Bayview Glen community so special. Reconnecting with alumni, hearing stories that span generations, and reflecting on the shared experiences that continue to shape our community long after graduation. What stood out most was the sense of connection in every room. While our school may have physical walls, the spirit of Bayview Glen reaches far beyond them, carried by each of you wherever life takes you.
Thank you to everyone who joined us and made these evenings so memorable. We are already looking forward to continuing our visits next year. Keep an eye out for our 2026 visit schedule, and in the meantime, we would love to hear from you. Where should we visit next?
Career Breakfast
Our February 26 Career Breakfast spotlighted the dynamic world of real estate, featuring Sherif Nathoo ’97 and Mackenzie Sharpe ’05. Sherif shared insights from building his own successful team and coaching with a global network, while Mackenzie offered perspective on navigating high-level commercial real estate. Together, they provided students with valuable advice, real-world experiences, and inspiration for future career paths.
Thank you to Sherif and Mackenzie for joining us as guest speakers, and a special thank you to all of our alumni who served as panellists for our 2025/26 Career Breakfast series. We are grateful for your time, insight, and continued connection to the community.
Stay tuned for next year’s lineup, and please contact me at dbrown@bayviewglen.ca if you are interested in presenting in the upcoming year.
Upcoming Alumni Reunion | May 22 & 23
We are so excited to welcome our alumni back to campus for Reunion 2026 on May 22 and 23. This year’s theme, Same Story, New Chapter, speaks to the shared foundation that connects us all, while celebrating the unique paths each of our alumni has taken since their time at Bayview Glen.
The weekend will kick off on Friday, May 22, in the evening (6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.) with an evening social. It is the perfect opportunity to reconnect, share stories, time to revisit familiar spaces, and settle into the spirit of the weekend. On Saturday, May 23 (10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.), we look forward to welcoming you back on campus for a full day of celebration, including student-teacher-alumni soccer and basketball, to connect with fellow alumni and faculty, and honour milestone years.
Reunion is always a special time. It is where stories are revisited, friendships are rekindled, and new memories are made. No matter how much time has passed, there’s just something about coming back to a place that helped shape your journey.
We encourage you to reconnect with your classmates and make plans to attend together. The more familiar faces, the more memorable the experience.
We cannot wait to welcome you back for a truly special weekend.
If you have any questions, please reach out to me at dbrown@bayviewglen.ca.
Learning Through Stories: Inspiring Readers and Thinkers
Alumni, Bayview Glen News, Lower School, Newsletters and Publications, Prep School, The Glen, Upper School
This spring, Bayview Glen welcomed authors who inspired students to read deeply, think creatively, and reflect thoughtfully. Through shared stories and meaningful conversations, students discovered the power of storytelling to entertain, connect, and inspire growth.
Lower School Readers Inspired by Kevin Sylvester and the April Read‑a‑Thon
Exploring Identity and Belonging Through Prep School Author Visits
Lower School Readers Inspired by Kevin Sylvester and the April Read‑a‑Thon
Written by Laura Jessup,
Lower School Teacher-Librarian
April was an unforgettable month at Bayview Glen, filled with reading, creativity, and inspiration!
We were thrilled to welcome acclaimed and award-winning Canadian author and illustrator Kevin Sylvester to Bayview Glen on April 14. Known for his dynamic storytelling, humour, and imaginative worlds, Kevin captivated students with insights into his popular titles, including Apartment 713, MINRS, Time Surfers, and Hockey Super Six. His stories, filled with adventure, mystery, and relatable characters, have long been favourites among our readers.
During his visit, students had the exciting opportunity to hear directly from Kevin about his writing process, creative ideas, and journey as an author and illustrator. His engaging presentation sparked curiosity, inspired budding writers, and deepened students’ appreciation for reading.
April also marked Bayview Glen’s Read-a-Thon, and the entire school community embraced the challenge with enthusiasm. Students explored new books, revisited old favourites, and discovered different genres, all while building strong reading habits and celebrating a shared love of books.
April was truly a celebration of stories, imagination, and inspiration. Well done, Bayview Glen readers!
Exploring Identity and Belonging Through Prep School Author Visits
Written by Michelle Huynh,
Prep and Upper School Librarian
The Learning Commons welcomed two authors who provided Grade 7 and 8 students with opportunities to reflect on identity, belonging, and decision-making through storytelling. Through personal experiences, readings, and discussions, students explored how stories shape the way we understand ourselves and relate to others.
Eddie Kawooya connected with students through his Ace and the Misfits series, exploring themes of identity, belonging, and what it means to feel different. He encouraged students to embrace who they are, challenge labels, and reflect on their own experiences of being misunderstood or underestimated. Drawing on both his writing and lived experiences, he emphasized courage by encouraging students to stay true to themselves, even in moments of uncertainty. His message also reinforced compassion, highlighting the importance of supporting one another, and recognizing that community is something we build together. Through his visit, students reflected on how their voices, choices, and actions can positively impact those around them.
Maria Marianayagam invited students to think more deeply about their choices and how those decisions shape themselves and others during her virtual visit. Drawing on her novel No Purchase Necessary, a Forest of Reading nominee this year, she shared how she develops ideas and crafts engaging stories, along with a reading from the book. She sparked curiosity by encouraging students to explore different perspectives and consider the complexity of characters’ decisions. Her focus on ethical dilemmas also highlighted courage, as students reflected on the importance of making thoughtful choices, even when they are difficult, while approaching situations with empathy.
A key takeaway from both author visits was that stories are not only a form of entertainment but also a powerful tool for personal growth. The visits left students with a greater appreciation for storytelling, a deeper love of reading, and a stronger understanding of themselves and others.
Athletic Updates: Winter 2026 Highlights
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Fueling Students for Learning, Focus, and Wellbeing
Bayview Glen News, Lower School, Newsletters and Publications, Prep School, The Glen, Upper School
At Bayview Glen, alongside academic excellence, we recognize that fueling the future is just as important. Nutrition plays a meaningful role in supporting growth and development, as well as the daily demands of student life, including studying, athletics, stress management, and sustained focus.
Through our food partner, Chartwells, our daily offerings and wellness programming are intentionally designed to highlight foods and habits that help students feel energized, focused, and supported throughout the school day.
Foods to Support Studying and Focus
Students need steady energy to remain attentive and engaged. Across our menus and nutrition programming, we emphasize foods that support concentration and sustained energy, including whole grains for lasting fuel, protein‑rich foods to support focus, fruits and vegetables rich in protective nutrients, healthy fats that support brain health, and hydration to help maintain alertness.
Through pop‑ups, student engagement initiatives, digital and print signage, and nutrition workshops, we help students connect these food choices to everyday learning and academic success.
Fueling Active Students
For students balancing academics with athletics, our programmes also highlight foods that support performance and recovery. This includes balanced snacks, carbohydrates for energy, protein‑rich foods, and hydration strategies.
Our sports nutrition programme, Eat to Compete, reinforces these concepts through educational posters, menu identifiers, and practical guidance that helps students understand how nutrition supports active lifestyles.
Nutrition, Wellness, and Lifelong Skills
Busy schedules and academic demands can affect both energy and resilience. Through initiatives such as Boost Days and Wellbeing Week, students explore how balanced meals, regular eating, hydration, and mindful food choices can support well‑being. Broader wellness themes such as stress management, micro‑breaks, and self‑care are also incorporated.
Through interactive food experiences, teaching kitchen activities, and wellness moments, students build practical skills that support focus, mood, and long‑term wellbeing. This spring, students can also look forward to Brain Bites, a new programme focused on simple foods and snacks that support learning and academic success.