SM
TIMES
November 2008
Terry Fox Run Back with Success
The Terry Fox Run has been a valued tradition here at St. Martin for many years, with staff
and students raising thousands of dollars for the Terry Fox Foundation. This year was no
exception. The event took place on September 26, 2008 and the St. Martin community managed
to raise $11,519.50 for cancer research. The grade 12 Fitness & Recreation Leadership class was
responsible for the organization and execution of the Terry Fox Run this year, and they enjoyed
great success in their first school-wide event. Special congratulations to Ms. Clark’s class who
raised almost $800 and to Ms. Georgis’ class who won the trivia contest. Also, thanks goes out
to Student Council who organized the barbeque lunch, to the Cosmetology students for the face
painting, and to the Mustang Cheerleaders for their performance at the assemblies. Great job
St. Martin…once again you have given selflessly and demonstrated what a great school we can be!
2470 Rosemary Drive Mississauga, Ontario L5C 1X2 Phone: (905) 279-3171 Fax: (905) 279-3685
September Athletes
of the Month
Kwabeba
Marfo-Agyiri
Kelsey Keane
Boys Junior and
Senior Football
This year marks the first time in over ten years
that the Mustangs have had two teams in
competition. Over the last number of years
the school has been fielding only a varsity
team with players ranging between the ages
of 14 -18 years old. Unfortunately, the big age
discrepancy has not allowed the younger players
the time to play and learn from athletes of the
same age, size, and caliber. As a result, fewer and
fewer students were playing football and our teams
found it challenging to compete at higher levels.
Fielding two teams will enable us to bring back
the great football tradition the Mustangs
enjoyed in the past.
Golf News
St. Martin’s Golf Team consisted of Jesse Franch,
Adrian Ianno, Andre Vlacich, Ryan Granat, and
Kelsey Keane. The team attended the ROPSAA
qualifying tournament at the Glen Eagle Golf and
Country Club. Kelsey Keane played very well
and therefore advanced to the Region of Peel’s
championship, where she placed third overall. With
her third-place ranking, Kelsey went on to represent
St. Martin at the OFSSA championships on October 16,
2008 at Pipers Health Golf and Country Club. Kelsey
battled strong winds, cold temperatures, and a round
close to six hours in length. Way to go Kelsey and thank
you for representing St. Martin. – Coach Halliwell
Hey Mustangs, Let’s Go!!!
In September, St. Martin saw the return of the
cheerleading team, a fan favorite! With style, spirit, and flare, the
cheerleaders support the Mustangs throughout the year in their
quest for victory!!! They can be seen at team games and many
events throughout the year, so come out and join the Mustang spirit!
Team Members: Nicole (Captain), Barbara, Francesca, Andrea,
Jennifer, Natalia, and Andria.
Coaches: Ms. Arnold, Ms.Corredato, and Mrs.Sutton.
Canadian, Family, and World Studies
The Canadian, Family, and World Studies program encompasses
six subjects: economics, geography, history, law, politics, and family
studies. In studying these subjects, students learn how people
interact with and within their social and physical environments
today and how they did so in the past. Students’ learning in the
various courses in this discipline will contribute significantly to
their understanding of Canada’s heritage, structures, and relationships.
It will also help them to see Canada in a global context and
to understand its place and role in the world community. Students will
develop skills related to daily life and their effects on the local and
global community, as well as the knowledge to make the successful
transition to adulthood, and thrive in many occupations and situations
throughout life.
Science Department News
SMSS HOSTS WORKSHOP: On Nov. 6, St.
Martin will be the site for a PASCO workshop,
involving both teachers and students. Three
department members, Mr. DeSantis, Mr. Busby and
Mrs. Carlow, each with four of their students, will
be trained in laboratory use of the new PASCO
sensor/probe-ware and associated computer software.
With new computers arriving soon for three science
labs, we look forward to some high-tech lab work
with our students in the near future.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION: In the near
future, our industrious science students
will be building and demonstrating a wide
variety of projects, including operating
electrical circuits (gr. 9), gravity powered
junkmobiles (gr. 10), rubber band powered
vehicles (gr. 11 physics), egg-lifting Rube
Goldberg machines and “physics toys”
(gr. 12 physics), and molecular models
(gr. 12 chemistry).
ALUMNUS RETURNS: On Oct. 22, former
Mustang Jason Colina, with business colleague Mark
Weiser, returned to his alma mater to do a PowerPoint
presentation for the senior physics classes. Jason has
founded a business called Earthfirst Envirotech
Solutions Inc., which takes waste vegetable oil and
converts it into biofuel to run cars with diesel engines.
If you wish to contact Jason or want further
information, you can e-mail him at
jasoncolina@hotmail.com or visit his website,
www.earthfirsttech.ca.
HAPPY MOLE DAY! Every Oct. 23 (or
thereabouts), St. Martin’s Chemistry
department celebrates the discovery of
Avogadro’s number (6.02 x 1023, the
number of particles in one mole of a chemical
substance). Included in the festivities is a
special Mole Day Breakfast for staff, offered
at the appropriate cost of $6.02. This year,
proceeds will be donated to Breast Cancer
Research.
And Here are a Couple of Important
Items from Guidance
GRADE EIGHT PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT
Parents will be invited to attend a grade 8 parent
information night on December 3rd at St. Martin at 7:00
p.m. At this session, information regarding the grade 9
program will be shared.
O.U.A.C. AND O.C.A.S. PRESENTATIONS
Students intending to apply to college/university were
given the Ontario Colleges Program Guide and the
eINFO guide to Ontario Universities as tools to assist in
their post secondary planning. Counselors offered two
workshops over the lunch hour to familiarize students
with the web based research tools available through
OCAS and OUAC.
COURSE SELECTION FOR 09/10
All students will receive an option/registration form and
a course calendar before Christmas. Students and their
parents/guardians are asked to read the information
carefully before choosing
their courses
for
September 2009. These forms are to be handed in to
the student’s homeroom teacher along with the $60.00
registration fee by January 9, 2009. Students will receive a
verification form in April. At this time, students may make
changes to their course selections. If students have any
questions about their course selections, they should make an
appointment with their counselor to review their situation
and assist them with the preparation of their educational plan.
SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION
Students are encouraged to seek out information about
scholarships and bursaries from the individual post
secondary schools they are applying to. Students can
also investigate other scholarship opportunities at
www.scholarshipscanada.com and at
www.studentawards.com. Information about special
scholarship opportunities are posted in guidance.
GRADE 9 ORIENTATION
All grade nine students have been
invited down to the Guidance Department and
given a tour and explanation of the services
available to them.
Students have been
introduced to the school’s Child and Youth Care
Workers and their Guidance Counsellors.
Other services have been outlined for them
including the work of our school
Psychologist, Social Worker, Speech and
Language
Pathologist
and
Hearing
Specialist. Students have been made aware of
where they can access College and University
information.
An
abundance of career
information along with our computer career
planning programs “Career Cruising” and
“my Blueprint” are also available for reference.
GRADUATION INFORMATION
All potential graduates will be seen by their
counsellor before Christmas. At this
time, graduates will be informed of their
graduation status. Transition plans for postsecondary studies will be discussed and any
questions or concerns that arise will be
addressed.
FEEDER SCHOOL VISITS
Counsellors will be visiting all the feeder
schools in late November/early December.
All grade eight students will participate in an
orientation session at St. Martin during the
afternoon of December 3rd. Counsellors will
be picking up the grade 8 option sheets from
each of our five feeder schools before the
Christmas break.
APPLICATION CYCLE DATES TO REMEMBER
COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY
November & December /08
Wednesday, January 14/09
Monday, February 2/09
Friday, February 6/09
Friday, May 1/09
Monday, May 25/09
Thursday, May 28/09
University Application Fee
College Application Fee
- All University and College applicants should be completing online
applications.
- Deadline for Ontario secondary school students to submit completed
online applications to OUAC (for equal consideration).
-Deadline date for College applications to be received by OCAS (for equal
consideration).
- Recommended last date for students to submit all information to the
OUAC, including university and program changes, as well as additional
active choices.
-College applicants confirm their acceptances on line through OCAS. Some colleges may provide a different confirmation date.
Check your offer for more details.
- The latest date by which all Secondary School applicants shall expect a
response from an Ontario University.
- The earliest date by which Ontario universities may require a response to
an offer of admission from a student.
$105.00
$ 95.00
Ontario University Application Centre
1-800-265-8341
eINFo
Ontario College Application Service
1-519-763-4725
Ontario Student Assistance Program
www.ouac.on.ca
www.electronicinfo.ca
www.ontariocolleges.ca
www.osap.gov.on.ca
EQAO Corner
Congratulations Mustangs! Our current grade 11 students wrote the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test on
March 28, 2008 with great success. Our school achieved an 85% success rate, which was a 6% increase from the
previous year. A special thanks to the teachers who ran the after school Literacy program and all the teachers who
provided intensive support prior to the test.
As well, our current grade 10s wrote the grade 9 Math EQAO Test last year. Our school achieved a 93% success
rate in the grade 9 Academic Math program - the highest score in the board. As well, the students in the grade 9
Applied Math program scored 38%, which was above the Board and Provincial level. Congratulations to all our
students for a job well done. Continue the excellent work. A special thanks goes to all the Math teaches who
worked diligently with our students to prepare them for this provincial test.
OSSLT Parents Workshop
A workshop for parents of students who will be writing the Grade 10 Ontario Secondary
Literacy Test. The workshop will take place January 14th at 7:00 p.m. in the school’s library. Parents will be
informed about the content and structure of the test, and will be given some strategies to help their son or
daughter improve their literacy skills. Invitations will be sent to parents in early December. Hope to see you there.
When Faith Meets Pedagogy XIII
The theme of this year’s conference was “One Call to Serve Each Other.” Our
keynote speaker on Thursday was Edwina Gateley. Friday morning began
with the celebration of the Eucharist with Most Rev. Gerard Bergie and Fr.
Norm Roberts as homilist. The keynote speaker for Friday was Most Rev.
Gerard Bergie. The theme of his talk was “When faith meets pedagogy great
things can happen.” The day was divided into three workshops. We attended
“Pray Like Jesus”, “One Woman’s Journey of Faith” and “The New Teaching
Paradigm after Vatican II.” We were also fortunate to have the opportunity to
visit the Vendor Display. Friday evening, there was a concert featuring Tony
Alonso and Chris De Silva along with local artists. Saturday centred on prayer,
spirituality and liturgy. WFMP XIII was an extremely informative and
successful conference. We look forward to attending again next year.
(Ms. K. Maclean, Mrs. M. Pascucci and Mrs. M. Willson)
Ms. Maclean, Mrs. Pascucci, Mrs. Willson and
Marsha Fiacconi (Board Consultant)
Michael Bator (Former Dufferin-Peel Director
of Education), Ms. Maclean and Mrs. Pascucci
Huddle Up!
St. Martin is pleased to be able to enter into a
new partnership with the Toronto Argonauts,
the “Huddle Up” Against Bullying program.
Over the next few months, students will be
investigating different forms and aspects of bullying and its effects
on our community. On February 11th, members from the Argos will
participate in assemblies with our school’s Argo Committee members
to share how bullying impacted their lives and how they struggled
to overcome its effects. Our committee will present a short skit to
highlight bullying within our community and their understanding of
how to assist with this imbalance of power. We anticipate a visit from
a Toronto Argonaut Cheerleader who will meet with our senior girls
to share female perspectives on bullying and harassment issues in the
workforce. We look forward to a great learning experience and a lot of
fun! We will keep you posted.
-Heather Granger, Child and Youth Worker
Dedication of the School Library
On the evening of Thursday, October 23rd, the St. Martin Library was
renamed the Ed LeMay Library. Mr. LeMay was instrumental in establishing
the Catholic School system in Mississauga. When he and his family moved to
Mississauga in 1953, there were no Catholic schools for him to enroll his
children, so he canvassed door-to-door seeking parental support, and as a
result of his efforts, St. Patrick School on Dixie Road became the first
Catholic School in Mississauga. LeMay served as trustee from 1953-1959 and
as Chair from 1960-1962. In 1969 when eight small Catholic boards in the
region amalgamated to form the Dufferin-Peel County Separate School Board,
he became its first Chair. LeMay’s wife, daughters, son and grandson attended
the dedication, as well as Superintendent Nick Milanetti, Trustees Bruno
Iannicca, Luz del Roasario and Mario Pascucci. Father Philip Nirappel blessed
the plaque which will be placed outside the school library.
Message from the new Ed LeMay Library
The Ed LeMay Library and Resource Centre is proud to announce the
addition of eight new Dell computers making a total of 23 computers
available for student research. As well, school libraries are receiving
additional funding this year to enhance their library resources. Please see Mrs.
Zaleski-Rees or Mrs. Lyons in the library if you have any valuable purchase
recommendations. On October 10th there was a farewell reception in the
library for Ms. Minaudo, our library secretary. Ms. Minaudo has accepted a
full-time administrative secretarial position at Loyola Secondary School. She
is dearly missed by staff and students. The White Pine Reading Club and
the Manga Club will be starting up soon. Students should listen to morning
announcements for meeting dates and times. And a final message from the
library – GET READING!! Come in and check out the new novels’ rack.
Co-operative Education
The fall Co-operative Education program has begun. The students were
eager to start working after their pre-placement assignments in school. Once
again the students are demonstrating their dedication, enthusiasm, and skills
towards their placements. Placements for this semester include: The Brampton
Guardian, St. Catherine of Siena, Hawthorne Public School, Oakville Honda,
Fraser Hunter Carpentry and Joinery, Alairu Computers, Acro Computers,
Sally Lee Hair Unisex, Credit Valley Hospital, All Pro Auto Service, Larry’s
Law Office, Denny’s Car Wash, First Impression Dental Lab, Sears Canada,
Blue Monkey Pictures, Living Arts Centre, Canadian Tire, Ruminall Records,
and Square One Shopping Centre. We would like to thank all the placements for
their contribution towards our students’ future. – Mr. Bracco & Mr. Dziedzina
The Business Department Math Club
The Math Department is proud to hold a Math
Club for all students wishing to pursue more
has a DEAL for you
Students, invest your time by taking Business
Courses and earn a return on investment equal to
current knowledge in the fields of Information and
Communication Technology, Accounting, Marketing,
Entrepreneurship, and International and Management
Issues. Explore the world of business both inside and
outside of the classroom through enterprising activities
such as the Junior Achievement programs like Investment Strategies, A Student Venture, and a Life Lesson
with Tiger Woods; the Ideaopolis Business Conference
for junior business students; the spring Marketing Fair;
“Camp Enterprise”, sponsored by the Rotary Club of
Mississauga; and, the Chartered Accountancy-“No
Limits” Conference. You can negotiate for more
information with Ms. Ganza, Ms. Chiodo, and
Ms. Arnold.
challenging mathematics problems. Students work
through higher-level problems that are above and
beyond the curriculum in order to increase their
problem solving and analytic skills in mathematics.
Math Extra Help
The Mathematics Department holds extra help
sessions in room 206 each day after school for
students wishing to either work on homework or
get additional support in their mathematics course.
Please feel free to come by and get extra help in
your math course. This tutoring is available to St.
Martin’s math students of every grade and level.
Did You Know?
According to Jobs Rated Almanac, careers that
require a very strong background in mathematics
were listed as the five “best” jobs. They were:
software engineer, actuary, computer systems
analyst, computer programmer and mathematician.
Most of the top fifty jobs in this list involved
mathematical reasoning. This list compared 250
jobs classified according to income, future outlook,
physical demands, job security, stress and work
environment.
Now You Know!!!
Theology Department
“Our gifts differ according to the grace given to each of us” Romans 12
St. Martin Secondary School recently celebrated 40 years of Catholic education. Teaching is a sacred task.
A Catholic teaching vocation carries with it an obligation to live out the Gospel by example and to lead those
entrusted to our care to Jesus. This semester we added Mrs. Arnold and Ms. Pezer to our department and
welcomed back Mr. Carter and Mrs. Kuklinska. To assist our new members a “Teachers New to
Religion” workshop was held at our Board Office in September.
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board
40 Matheson Boulevard West, Mississauga, Ontario L5R 1C5 Tel: (905) 890-1221 Fax: (905) 890-7610
September 2, 2008
Dear Parents:
Welcome back to the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board for another exciting school year and for
those of you who are new to our board, I hope you find your school to be a safe, caring, Catholic learning
environment. It is our aim to provide the best possible learning and fa ith environment for your children. Our
schools are ready to open our doors of learning to your children and th is year promises to be a great year for
a ll !
Education is a co-operative endeavour and as parents please understand th a t you play an absolutely essentia l
role in your children’s success. Active parenta l involvement improves student morale, attitudes and academic
ach ievement. By taking an active role, parents reduce the chances of students not graduating. When parents
play a more active role, student academic success increases. We ask you to set h igh expectations for your
children’s academic accomplishments. A parent’s expectation of success becomes a propelling force to
motiva te a child. There are many ways to do th is, such as by supervising homework, fostering reading a t
home, limiting TV, MSN messaging, FaceBook, YouTube, video games, and ta lking with your children about
the importance of education.
You must a lso set h igh expectations for your school. We welcome your involvement, support and even your
criticism, wh ich when constructive, can help us to improve. Specif ica lly, get involved with your children’s
schoolwork and tell us right away about any possible problems for example, whether work is too easy or too
diff icult. Get to know your chi ld’s teacher and form a partnersh ip. Communication with the school is key!
We look forward to an exciting year working with your children, developing their skills and encouraging
Gospel va lues.
S incerely,
Nick Milanetti
Superintendent of Schools
Mississauga South Family
A Few Words from the SST
Greetings! I’m Mrs. Iarossi and I am St. Martin’s Student Success Teacher. As the title implies, I am
responsible for ensuring that students have the opportunity to achieve success and ultimately fulfill the
requirements to graduate. Credit Recovery and Credit Rescue are two important programs that will provide our
students with the tools necessary to experience success. I can be contacted at 905-279-3171 ext. 76328. Here’s
to a successful academic year for our Mustangs!
“Lit Has Ritz”!!!
Is your child nervous about the upcoming Literacy Test on April 2, 2009? Does your child need to improve on
his/her literacy skills? If you answered “yes” to these two questions, then we have just the solution to help!
Due to popular demand, our Literacy Committee is offering after-school sessions on December 1,
2, 4, 8, and 9 from 3:00 – 5:00. These sessions will target grade 10 students who will be writing the
Literacy Test in the spring so that they will have the necessary tools to achieve success. If you are
interested in registering your child for these free sessions, invitations and registration forms will be
sent home over the next couple of weeks. Space is limited so sign-up as soon as your invitation arrives!
Child and Youth Worker
We would like to welcome Ms. Granger and Ms. Soehner to St. Martin.
They will be sharing the Child and Youth Worker role and we will
benefit from the vast experience that they bring to our school in the area
of personal counseling. School-wide programs that are being offered
include a weekly bereavement group that will run for 6 sessions. It is a
support program for students who have experienced a loss. Peer
mediation is an ongoing program in which students will be trained in
mediation techniques to help fellow students to solve minor issues.
-Donna Soehner, Child and Youth Worker
Guidance Department: Ms. Horvat,
Ms. Kovacs, Ms. Soehner, Ms. Briand
and Mr. Burd
Writers, Ink.
This fall, St. Martin has launched its very own writing club for all students interested in any type of
creative writing, including short stories, lyrics, poetry and longer fiction. As a group we will discuss and
share our ideas and feedback on written pieces. We will also offer information and support to students
wishing to enter upcoming local, national and international writing contests. This club is intended as a
fun and casual environment for students to translate their imagination onto paper. We look forward to
showcasing St. Martin’s writing talent later this year. New members are always welcome.
Grade 10 English Classes
Visit Stratford
On Thursday October 30, 2008, the grade 10 academic
English students travelled to the Stratford Festival to see a
performance of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.
In addition to the performance, students were granted a
backstage tour of stage costumes and props. Students
eagerly looked forward to a day at the theatre! This event
was an educational and memorable experience for our
students. The grade 10 English teachers would like thank
all parents and staff for their support.
Visual Arts
The Visual Arts Department is up and running again with
classes of grade nine, eleven, and twelve. The nines are
now involved in watercolour painting; the elevens are
working in acrylics; and the grade twelves are working in
many different media, ranging from clay to woodcarving.
We continue to display student artwork in our second floor
hallway art gallery as well as in the trophy case in the front
entrance way. Feel free to drop by and “have a look!” We
are also working on a number of special projects around
the school. Tara Giggie, a grade twelve student, continues to work on a large mural in the cafeteria while Jerrica
Paule and Brenda Matampale are working on stained glass
windows for our chapel doors.
The Science
Department
Invades the Metro
Toronto Zoo
It was September 23rd, and the
weather was ideal for the bi-annual
Science Department trip to the Metro
Toronto Zoo. Over 200 students and staff
arrived at the gates, ready to enjoy the
great outdoor exhibits. The indoor ones
were not too shabby either, what with the
naked mole rats, the Komodo dragons,
and the new Great Barrier Reef display.
The trip was not just for fun, however.
The grade 10 students did have a lot of
work to complete collecting information
for a unit culminating task. They had to
find answers to questions like the
scientific name of the blue-crested
motmot. At the end of the day (and it was
a long day!), everyone was tired but glad
to have had time to breathe some fresh
air, catch a few rays of sun, use legs that
were meant for walking, and observe
animals and plants in habitats which are
as close to the real thing as one can get
in Canada.
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March Break in Italy,
France, Monaco and
Spain
The Moderns Department at St. Martin is
planning a trip to Rome, Assisi, Florence,
Pisa, Monaco, Eze, Nice, Provence, and
Barcelona. The departing date is Thursday,
March 12, 2009 and returning on Saturday,
March 21, 2009. It is not too late to apply for
those who are interested. Please see Ms. Fedel
in Room 222 at anytime. Parents who have any
questions may contact Ms. Fedel and leave
a voice mail at her extension at the school,
905-279-3171 ext. 76043 and she will get back
to you as soon as possible. This trip will be
an unforgettable and wonderful experience!!!
Welcome!
We would like to take this time to welcome all of the new staff
members to St. Martin. We look forward to the knowledge and
guidance that they will bring to the school community.
Whom To Call
School
(905) 279- 3171
Principal
F. Furgiuele
Vice- Principals
E. Filice
C. Vincent
Chaplain
M. Cairoli
Attendance
S. Passmore
School Council
L. Verlezza
Board Office
(905) 890- 1221
Superintendent
N. Milanetti
Trustees
Ward 6: L. del Rosario
Ward 7: B. Iannicca
http://www.dpcdsb.org/MARTN
From Left to Right:
Ms. Salas, Ms. Vitale, Ms. Soehner, and Ms. Corredato
Missing:
Ms. Gomez, Ms. Granger, Mr. Morra, Ms. Pezer
Special thanks go out to
Ms. Losenno, Ryan Pestana
and Mrs. Zielke for designing
and editing this edition.
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