EV E Volume 27 , Issue 2 Winter, 2015 CIENT EVE R AN W NE R St. Augustine S.S. Principal M. Lewis Newsletter Vice Principal B. Bieth D. Jakubowska Chaplaincy Leader Kathleen Ware Head Secretary Margaret Gormley School Council Chair Angy Sayegh Superintendent Mississauga Brampton Central Lucy Papaloni Trustees Anna da Silva Brampton Wards 1,3,4 (416) 706-5679 Darryl D’Souza Brampton Wards 2,5,6 (416) 528-8515 Parish Fr. Jan Kolodynski (905) 455-4260 Elementary Feeder Schools Our Lady Of Peace, Pauline Vanier, St.Brigid, St.Joseph, St.Kevin, St. Monica Director of Education John Kostoff The Change in Me St. Jerome’s Church Boys Feb. 25th, 2015 Girls Feb. 27th, 2015 Board Chairperson Mario Pascucci Peel Police School Liaison Const. Jeff Gardner Const. Brittnie Shook D.P.C.D.S.B Website www.dpcdsb.org Photography By Sukhman Kainth, Design By Kunwar Saggoo 27 Drinkwater Road, Brampton, ON, L6Y 4T6 Phone: (905) 450-9993, Fax: (905) 450-0955 www.dpcdsb.org/AUGST @DPCDSBSchools I Girl’s Night In PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE I n the past century women gained the rights to vote, hold leadership positions, and build careers, and yet it continues happen all too often that females are devalued. On Thursday, November 13th, our 8th annual Girls’ Night In, organized entirely by students, placed a high value on its participants - 175 female students and teachers. would like to begin by thanking our staff and students for their hard work and efforts in Semester One. Many great things happened at St. Augustine during Semester One and we are proud of our students and their accomplishments in their academics, in their clubs and on their teams. First we would like to congratulate math teacher, Nancy Smith who has just retired. Ms. Smith has been teaching at St. Augustine for twelve year and will be missed by staff and students. Her many hours of dedicated after school math help will not be forgotten by appreciative students. Our school continues to strive to be more environmentally friendly. Working towards being a greener school we installed a water bottle refilling station outside of our gym in December. The fountain counter displayed that within the first month we have already saved 229 plastic water bottles from land fill sites. February 5th we will be participating in National Sweater Day. National Sweater Day brings an awareness opportunity for students to learn about the importance of saving energy, while at the same time, reminding us to use less heat throughout the winter. In 2015 some of us have set challenges for ourselves, resolved to do better and made New Year’s resolution. One month into the year we may be struggling to keep those resolutions as change is not easy. In an article written on December 31st, ten of the Pope’s most memorable quotes from 2014 were compiled in the form of New Year’s resolutions. I think they are worthwhile reviewing as a Catholic school and a Catholic community we are reminded as a people of faith where our focus should be placed. 2 @DPCDSBSchools The night started with a liturgy which integrated different faiths. The guest speaker of the night, Tina Quiroga, described her experience of building 1. Don’t Gossip –there is no such thing as innocent slander 2. Finish your meals – there are so many hungry in the world 3. Make time for others – be generous with your time 4. Choose the “more humble” purchase – less is often more 5. Meet the poor “in the flesh” help create change for the poor 6. Stop judging others – be gentle with others 7. Befriend those who disagree – communicate with each healthier life habits with the support of her female English teacher. Afterwards, awesome food was served, most of which was prepared by the school’s hospitality program. Impromptu dancing followed, setting the stage for an evening of fun. Andrea Abello, a grade 12 student who was in charge of face painting said, “Wow! I can’t believe how much of a success this night is. I met and talked to so many people I would have been too shy to approach during the regular hours of school.” Activities were held all over the school. Many girls who enjoyed physical activity or just wanted to try something new went to the gym for Zumba. Hair, nails and makeup were done at the cosmetology room for those who wanted to explore different styles. Others who enjoyed making crafts could make picture frames or buttons for a memorable souvenir. A coffee house indulged our artistic types. Mrs. Kabelin, one of the many female teachers who came to Girls’ Night In said, “The evening was truly a positive experience for all involved! I especially enjoyed watching the level of maturity displayed by the girls as they moved about choosing activities to be involved in.” It is clear that all the students felt comfortable with one another and felt included. Each girl received a hand made bracelet before they left as a reminder that we are all part of a bigger picture – a picture that values ourselves and each other. Shanu Xavier other 8. Make commitments, such as marriage – have courage 9. Make it a habit to “ask the Lord” – what do you want me to do? 10.Be Happy! – love your neighbour The list presents us with challenges and lessons from the Pope that we can bring with us in 2015. We can use the list as a guide and I hope it leads us all to number ten. We look forward to a year of growth together. We are excited about the second semester. I hope you and your families are all blessed with health and happiness in 2015. God Bless Dr. M. Lewis, Principal 3 @DPCDSBSchools DEPARTMENT NEWS MODERNS T he students taking French will be attending the annual Cinefranco (French Film Festival) in Toronto on Thursday, February 26, 2015. The film is the North American premiere of “La Belle et La Bête” (Beauty and the Beast). This is a new production of the legendary 17th century fairy tale by Madame Marie Leprince de Beaumont. While students are familiar with the tale, the film will provide them with the opportunity to compare this production with many preceding ones. We look forward to this worthwhile cultural and linguistic trip. T GRADE 10 BUSINESS he grade 10 Introduction to Business students in Ms. Bettencourt’s class introduced their new and upcoming inventions and innovations at the Business Fair held earlier in December of 2014 at St. Augustine. Congratulations to all our new entrepreneurs: HAMS (Simran, Harleen, Manvir, Alexus), PILLOW BEATZZZ (Karanvir, Jaskaran, Lovepreet), 2-IN 1 (Wafa, Jason, Jasmeen, Sydney), A-TECH (Markell, Princess, Mary Shyrril), LA CUPCAKERY (Salwa, Daisy) BLINK (Benz, Isabelle, Kyle, Vanshdeep) GLOW (Aman, Jasmeet, Harpreet) and TATANIUM (Ty and Lamar). GUIDANCE ART DEPARTMENT W e are very proud here at St. Augustine to be able to offer a wide range of art courses to inspire and challenge our students. Art encourages higher order thought processes that are different than many traditional academics. In art, there is no one correct answer. Therefore, the student is forced to analyze the problem given to them and come up with their own unique solution. This type of creative problem solving is a valuable skill. Students that are able to solve problems creatively have an edge in the job market. The art classes offered at St. Augustine give students a greater chance to excel in school. Art appeals to all senses. Art students see demonstrations of the process they are to complete, read or do research about the art, and then complete the process themselves. By incorporating all of these types of learning, students who put in the time will find success. Students have been involved in drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and photography. In addition, in our craft class, students with a wide range of abilities have been learning to embroider, make paper, create jewelry and have even learned how to knit. Students in all classes have been extending concepts learned in class through the creation of independent art projects culminating in an art show hosted by the grade 12 visual art class. All of our students should be very proud of all of their accomplishments this semester. 4 @DPCDSBSchools A s semester one draws to a close, our grade 12 data has begun its yearly demystification. In September our senior kids were inundated with graduation, college, university, work and apprentice information. Colleges and universities had set up what seemed like a permanent camp in room 114, and for the first time in high school, our students were faced with the daunting task of answering the question that plagues all of us from infancy: what are you going to be when you grow up? Well, we can run in life, but we can’t hide, and our grade 12s are to be commended for overcoming the debilitating fear of the unknown and focusing on the future. We currently house 270 grade 12 students, and to date, 140 have applied to colleges across Ontario while 110 have applied to Universities, and all with deadlines still open as this newsletter went to print. And so begins the next round of senior stress as these students await admission offers whilst whittling away at nails on both hands. Simultaneously, our grade 9, 10, and 11 students have been selecting courses on myBlueprint. Many thanks to them and their parents as our selection success has been outstanding. All parents can continue to access this website throughout the year for the purposes of checking up on future course options, college and university programs and general 5 workplace inventories. By February we will also begin our quest for student leaders as our annual Creating Leadership Amongst Youth (CLAY) search begins for grade 10 students to attend McMaster University for a three day forum on becoming tomorrow’s leaders. This occurs alongside the COLS Leadership opportunity that exists in conjunction with the University of Toronto in Mississauga. And alas, we bid farewell to Mrs. Robinson, who heads back to Science classes next semester. Her positivity and effervescent energy levels will be missed by all staff and students in Guidance. @DPCDSBSchools @ your Library F Bird-Kylie Schroeder ive grade 9 and 10 classes participated in Accelerated Reader® this semester. In this program each student reads novels of their choosing, typically at the beginning of class two or three times each week, and whenever they want in their free time at home and elsewhere. “ The reactions really helped to reinforce the pride I take in my work”. When a student finishes reading their book, their comprehension is checked in an online multiple choice test then they choose their next novel. Merit of the AR program is evident when you look at the percentage of students who have earned full marks for their reading. AR readers drafted reviews for their novels, which doubled as literacy practice for the OSSLT task: writing an open response to a narrative reading selection. The polished copy was handwritten on bookmarks, which will sit inside book covers to help future students selecttheir novels. For the purposes of these statistics, the word read should be understood to mean passed the test for the book, with at least 70% correct answers. As of Jan. 14th, full marks for this self-directed reading program were earned by: 58% of Ms. Dimitrio’s period 1; 90% of these students read at least 2 books 45% of Ms. Dimitro’s period 4; 30% read 4 or more books 50% of Ms. Fleming period 2; 77 books were read by this class of 21 students 62% of Ms. Fleming period 3; the top reader in this class read 22 books 44% of Ms. Pavic period 1; 100% of students read at least one book Furthermore, 65% of all students independently read at least 2 books above and beyond their class reading materials. GRADE TWELVE VISUAL ART T he grade twelve visual art students found the art show to be a great way to showcase their talents and receive well constructed criticism from their peers. They thank St. Augustine for giving them the opportunity to express themselves and hope this will be an event for future aspiring artists. Student ownership for research questions and collaborative inquiry are in focus in our library. Early in the semester grade 9 classes during period 4 participated in an inquiry about epidemics in society, drawing out different questions and beginning to find answers. Grade 10 science classes completed exit tickets responding to three indicators of their inquiry process: tracking search terms, use of sources, and note making methods. Teaching and reinforcing an inquiry process continues to drive teaching in the library. Digital supports for learning continue to be a school-wide focus. Our 28 wifi accessible tablets have been hot commodities all semester, the ‘cart’ has been split up by as many as five teachers at one time. The use of online tools has ranged from www.socrative.com, to www.padlet.org. Teachers report that one of their favourite student uses for the tablets is researching on the web, with each group sharing one tablet to support their inquiry. Ebooks of the fiction variety are our next step in collection development. Thanks to School Council support, we are at the forefront of this initiative, working closely with Library Services at the Board, to bring digital fiction to the user. Stay tuned for these exciting developments. In second semester Kalyna Bobyk will enthusiastically fill the Teacher Librarian post while I embark on a leave to spend more time with my own teenagers. Best, Ms. Whittaker 6 @DPCDSBSchools Clown-Diana Spencer “I was nervous at first but it was a really motivating experience”. Blue-Andrea Abello “Describe this experience in one word”, “Inspiring” 7 @DPCDSBSchools THEOLOGY DEPARTMENT NEWS 2015 COMPUTER SCIENCE T he Theology department is (as usual) hard at work to give your child the best possible high school experience. This is what has been happening lately: Game Room – The St. Augustine after school game room has been open for this year and will continue to do so for the second semester. The cost to be a member is $10 for the entire semester. The game room is an after school program for kids who want to hang out, play games, and socialize. We are offering table tennis, chess, dominoes, board games, cards, and video games for all students who want to socialize after hours in a supervised environment. The location is Seminar room A, right beside the Religion Department office. Please see Mr. Brocke for payment to be a semester 2 member. Grade 9 trip –We have begun a new program this past semester in which we take your grade 9 class on a walking trip to St. Eugene De Mazenod Catholic church on Steeles Avenue. This impressive building was consecrated in 2012 and will be a regular part of our grade 9 program. A guided tour of the church (including the upper choir area), the relics of St. John Paul the Second, and an explanation of the sanctity and sacred objects in the church is part of the experience. T wo teams of grade 10 and 11 computer science students worked very hard to create games using the GameMaker program. They presented their games at the Sheridan College Game Making Contest on December 17th, 2014. They also enjoyed an hour playing at PLAYDIUM. Great job and great experience. Team members included: Grade 11’s : Dilraj Tiwana, Vatsal Shreekant, Vatsal Wahi Grade 10’s: Sumeet Dhatt, Arjun Dhatt, Harkawal Toor, Mankirat Kang. Retreats – Our retreat program has been very successful, with students attending Dr. Simone’s warehouse to work at feeding the under privileged, the Knights table in Brampton, a nature walk, and outdoor activities at Camp Brebeuf in Acton also interactive games, community building, and prayer at St. Jerome’s Catholic Church. March For Life – Once again, Mr. Ziemnicki is tirelessly organizing the annual March for Life campaign in which students travel to Ottawa to protest for the rights of the unborn. This is a very moving and powerful event which changes the lives of our students forever. It will take place this year on May 13th15th in Ottawa and Montreal. There is also a Youth Forum Day that takes place on April 21st at St. Francis Xavier Parish. Cost of the trip is approximately $200.00 which includes accommodation, busing, tickets to shows, one lunch, a candlelight vigil, sightseeing in Ottawa and Montreal and the Peace march. COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY T he grade 9, 10, and 11 computer technology classes completed their CPTs that involved interfacing assignments. Interfacing involves applying fundamental programming, constructs to develop programs that interact with external electronic components. The grade 9s used Visual Basic to control light patterns from LEDs in their models. The grade 10s created an “Operation” type game using TURING to sense the state of switches and circuits, and to control output to LEDs and buzzers or piezo speakers. The grade 11s wrote programs to control LEDs, transistors, 7 segment displays, and stepper motors that were incorporated into their models which represented real-world applications. Wake a thon – This past November the Religion department hosted the annual 24 hour Wake a Thon. Students stayed up all night in school playing video games, doing karaoke, watching movies, and playing hockey, soccer and basketball. About 100 students participated in which they were fed dinner, and a fresh home cooked breakfast was served in the morning. All fundraising went towards the Nicaragua Social Justice project in which we send students to Nicaragua to help the disadvantaged and to learn what truly is the preferential option for the poor. Other Board sponsored events that St. Augustine will be participating at include: March 3rd - Ordinandi dinner - All Day youth event at the Pearson Convention Center. March 25th - Poverty Summit - Dr. Simone will be guest speaker. $10 per student. April 17th – Justice Symposium - Up to 10 students to attend. Yours in Christ, St. Augustine Theology Department 8 @DPCDSBSchools 9 @DPCDSBSchools CO-OP DEPARTMENT NEWS W COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY e would like to congratulate this semester’s Co-op students on a job well done and would like to wish them all the best in their future endeavors. Our Career Showcase, held on Jan. 13, 2015 was very successful and highlighted the diversity of career interests by our students. We would like to thank the following guests for taking the time out of their busy schedules to attend and share their thoughts and experiences with our students, parents, and employers: Irene Mota – Pathways and Transitions Consultant; Chris Pearson – Project Manager, SWCI for Sheridan College; Martine Lewis – Principal St. Augustine; Kathleen Ware – Chaplain; and Paul Donovan – Head of Guidance and Co-operative Education. The following sent their regrets; Lucy Papaloni – Superintendent Mississauga Brampton Central Family; Mary Davis – Academic Consultant Experiential Learning, Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAO) and Technological Education; Anna Da Silva – Trustee for Mississauga Brampton Central; Bruno Sacco – Dual Credit/Student Success Teacher and Domenic De Marco – Dual Credit/Student Success Teacher. We would also like to thank the following Co-op students for sharing their experiences with the audience: Eddy Nicks, Dana Da Silva and Brittany Chung. All of our community partners, parents, faculty and students commented positively on this event. We thank them for their contributions. We appreciate the time and effort our employers dedicate to training and mentoring each student placed with them. Without their continued support and expertise our program would not be the success that it is. We would also like to compliment our students on their outstanding achievements, efforts and dedication to the co-op program and to the strides they have made in their own personal growth. Our students are successful in the workplace to a large degree because of the combined efforts of our Administration, Guidance and Faculty, who all play a role in preparing them for their future endeavors. This semester we were very pleased to enroll 3 of our students into the OYAP Program in the skilled trades. We would like to congratulate these students and those who choose to continue onward and pursue an apprenticeship signing. In addition, we registered 8 students this semester into Dual Credit courses held at Sheridan, Humber, and George Brown. Every student participated fully in their college courses and achieved great success. Co-operative Education is experiential learning. The end of each semester brings with it a final reflective moment from our students. Without exception, each student comments on the amount of hard work they had to dedicate to their placements. At the same time, each student recognizes and values how much they have gained both personally and professionally. They all firmly believe that Co-op is a tremendous opportunity and recommend this experience to all high school students. We would like to encourage all students interested in a Co-op experience to see their Guidance counselor and fill out a Co-op application form as soon as possible. Please include a current resume with your application form and return this to your counselor. We are currently interviewing students for Co-op placements for February of 2015. Early deadline placements for February 2015 have already been completed and the Dual Credit opportunities for Co-op students for February 2015 are now listed on the St. Augustine Website. Please contact the Co-op department if you have any questions. Many types of placements have early application deadlines for Semester 1, September 2015. We will be handing out applications for the Military Co-op for Feb. 2016 by May of 2015. Students interested in careers in: Police, Media and Film, Fire Department ( Education only), Hospitals, City of Brampton, Mississauga News and the trades such as Electrician, Plumber, Tool and Die, Construction Craft, HVAC, Millwright, Welding, etc., need to apply by March, 2015. Dual Credit opportunities for September, 2015 will begin to be processed as early as May, 2015. Students interested in Dual Credit opportunities should visit the St. Augustine SS website and read through all the current offerings. Upon receipt of your application form, the Co-op Department will contact you for your Co-op interview. Students are reminded that they must be in either Grade 11, (second semester) or 12, and can choose either a 4, 3, or 2 credit program. We look forward to meeting and interviewing all new Co-op candidates. 10 @DPCDSBSchools by OLIVIA GORYS MAKING ICE CREAM SCIENCE STYLE by KATHRINA IGNACIO The Planning For Independence students had the opportunity to make ice cream in the science lab this semester. Eric shakes the cream with the ice in the hopes it becomes ice cream. Nicholas and Krishan show off the finished product. 11 @DPCDSBSchools HERB CARNEGIE FUTURE ACES NEW YORK CITY 2015 FALCON CLUBS St. Augustine: Supporting Student Voice and Student Leadership through Future Aces- Herb Carnegie Foundation. T he week-end of November 14-16, 2014, eight students from grades nine and ten travelled to Horseshoe Valley resort to attend the Herb Carnegie Future Aces Student Empowerment Conference. Thank you to the Royal Bank of Canada who sponsored the St. Augustine students for the week-end. Feedback from the students indicated that they valued the time spent together and the informative and fun filled sessions were just amazing. According to one of our students, “It was a week- end well spent”. Our students made many friends and returned to school with a different view on how to get involved in their community and make a difference. It was a fantastic student centered week-end, they had the opportunity to voice their opinion in a non-threatening environment, they participated in workshops, provided feedback from group presentations, and they created advertisements, and they even entertained the teachers as they prepared and participated in “ACES Idol” and many other fun activities. The students also had a chance to hear stories from student athletes and how they overcome adversities. The message was one of hope, stand up for peace and what is right. Finally, the students were taught the importance of service and how crucial it is to give back and pay it forward to others in their community. 12 @DPCDSBSchools L ast call - the spring 2015 excursion to NYC is still not definite due to lack of participants. This trip will allow students to experience both economic and cultural awareness in the biggest financial capital of North America! Activities will include the Empire State Building, Central Park, Times Square, 5th Avenue, Wall Street, United Nations, Statue of Liberty, NBC Studios, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and much more. Don’t miss out on the trip of a lifetime. For more details see Mrs. Stecko or Mrs. Hohendorf as soon as possible. BUSINESS CLUB T he members of the St. Augustine Business Club have been hard at work this term planning and preparing for events to highlight and celebrate the achievements of our business students, as well as raise awareness of the wide-reaching benefits a business education can provide for students in pursuit of future endeavors. A major event that accomplished both of these goals was our semi-annual Business Fair held in December. The club was successful in raising $100, which was donated to the St. Augustine Christmas Food Basket Drive. We look forward to engaging your participation in the events being held in second semester. Stay tuned for more information! The club always welcomes new members at all grade levels. Our first meeting of the year will be held on Tuesday, February 3 after school in Room 234. Z-CLUB NEWS FUTURE LEADERS BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE THROUGH SERVICE AND ADVOCACY T he St. Augustine Zonta Club continues to shine in and outside of our school community. We were actively engaged in many activities this semester, but the highlight of our efforts was the partnership that we established with Vita Centre. Under the theme “Girls Supporting Girls” we built awareness and coordinated a collection drive which included, Baby Diapers, Wipes and toiletries for pregnant and parenting youth at risk. Eradicating poverty in young girls through our collection drive theme . “Girls Supporting Girls” Diaper Wipes and Toiletries Drive. Other activities: Parent Night Display and video supporting literacy in our school. Pink Ribbon Campaign- building awareness of Breast Cancer. Involvement in Curriculum Night Sharing information with Grade 8 students and their parents about the importance of being engaged in school activities. Invited guests speaker from Vita Centre to speak to our Zonta members about their mission of caring and support for young women and teen mothers. Violence Against Women Campaign Students and teachers in our school advocated by cutting out hand symbols and writing notes in support of how to show care and love to women. COMING SOON……….. ANNUAL FASHION SHOW!!! • Apply to be a model • Come strut your stuff!! Thanks to all supporters of the Z-Club. Submitted by: Victoria Ezeugo- Secretary ATHLETIC COUNCIL T he St. Augustine Athletic Council organizes and runs a variety of intramural tournaments for all of our students. We finished off the year with our 2nd Annual Dunk the Halls Basketball Tournament. The event ran with 20 teams competing in three different divisions. Jay Roots took the Junior Championship, the L.A. Warriors won in the Co-Ed division and C.N.Y.C.G. defeated Horse Power in a very close Senior Championship Game. Coming up on Thursday, February 12th. Love & Basketball 3 on 3 Bus Driver Appreciation Day- In Partnership With Administration Showing appreciation to our bus drivers with Tim Horton’s Gift Cards 14 @DPCDSBSchools Make sure you pay all your fees and return outstanding materials before you sign up! 15 @DPCDSBSchools Meningococcal Vaccine Catch-up Clinic PARENTS - WHO CAN YOU CONTACT ? St. Augustine Secondary School Tel: (905) 450- 9993 [Attendance Ext. 71318] Fax:(905) 450-0955 www.dpcdsb.org/augst Principal ...........................M. Lewis Vice Principals...................B. Bieth D. Jakubowska INTERNATIONAL STUDENT EXCHANGE INFORMATION NIGHTS The Dufferin-­‐Peel Catholic Institute for International Education in collaboration with the Canadian Education Exchange Foundation, are pleased to offer students attending schools in Dufferin-­‐Peel the incredible opportunity to study overseas. Students in Grades 9 to 12 and their parents/guardians are invited to special information evenings on: A-L M-Z Thursday, February 12, 2015 7:30 – 8:30 pm St. Roch Catholic Secondary School 200 Valleyway Drive, Brampton ON, L6X 0N3 Or Tuesday, February 24, 2015 7:00 – 8:00 pm Head Secretary....................M. Gormley Attendance Secretary...........M. Giannone Budget Secretary..................T. Coraci Assistant Secretary...............A. Johnson St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Learning Centre Guidance Department: Counsellors ........................K. Erwin A - FO M. Cockburn FR - O P. Donovan P - Z Student Success Teacher.....M. Perry Guidance Secretary.............A. McPherson-Ortega 3566 South Common Court, Mississauga, ON, L5L 2B1 Exchanges are available for one month this summer and for 2 or 3 months during the 2015–2016 school year. Full details will be provided about the application process, costs and participating countries. As well, a representative from the Canadian Education Exchange Foundation will be present to answer any questions parents/guardians and students may have. Don’t miss out on learning about this life changing opportunity. If you are unable to attend and would like additional information please see the Canadian Education Exchange Foundation website at www.ceef.ca or contact Rita Borg, Principal of the Dufferin-­‐Peel Catholic Institute for International Education at (905) 412-­‐3341, extension 31460. We look forward to seeing you at the information night! Child & Youth Worker. .......P. Alexander School Psychologist............K. Page Social Worker.....................E. Rukin 16 @DPCDSBSchools