Co-Op... preparing for your future!
HEARTBEAT
ST. PAUL SECONDARY SCHOOL’S
Light My Way
Animation SHSM Workshops
ACT Now
Food Drives and Other Events
Registration
Course Selection for 2014/2015
Winter Sports
Varsity Athletics
Chaplain’s Corner
Our Social and Spiritual Outreach
Meet The Crew
Studio30’s New Crop of Broadcasters
Knitting for Charity...
St. Paul Secondary School
WINTER ISSUE, 2014
815 Atwater Avenue, Mississauga, Ontario L5E 1L8
Phone: 905-278-3994
Web: dpcdsb.org/PAULS
Fax: 905-278-1163
Trustees
B. Iannicca, Mississauga Ward 7 - 905-270-0536, bruno.iannicca@dpcdsb.org
M. Pascucci,Mississauga Wards 1 & 3, Chair of the Board - (P) 905-302-3096, (F) 905-890-0888,
mario.pascucci@dpcdsb.org
Superintendent
Mr. C. Blanchard
Principal
Ms. C. Murphy
Vice-Principal
Mr. A. Iarossi
Chaplain
Ms. M. Gillis
Student Services/ARD
Mr. B. Bonnah
Guidance Counsellor A - K, ELL
Ms. E. Wasiuk
Guidance Counsellor L - Z, SHSM
Mr. J. Multari
Youth Care Worker
Ms. V. Williams
St. Dominic Parish Pastor
Fr. Philip Jones
Heartbeat Editor
Mr. T. Brugmans
Magazine Layout & Design
Mr. T. Brugmans
Cover Photo
T. Bonez
Principal’sMessage
The fact that the kids at St. Paul are pretty cool is not a reflection of
the plummeting temperatures we’ve had this winter so far, but a reflection of how hard they work at their studies, how dedicated they
are to their sports, and how generous they are with our community.
We celebrated a beautiful Advent Mass with Father Phil and Father
Noel at our parish St. Dominic’s, and as a school community warmed
up with cookies and hot chocolate in our cafeteria after our brief walk
over to the church. Our Spirit Squad led a number of hot activities to
keep the school in a festive spirit with Candy Grams, karaoke, and a
contest of who had on the cheesiest Christmas sweater.
Our teams continue to heat up the
courts and arenas with their passion
for their sports. I want to congratulate
all of our St. Paul Wolverines for the
way they conduct themselves as they
play - their maturity and dignity in
representing our school is commendable. They are a tribute to their coaches and I am very grateful to the teachers who so generously give of their
own time before and after school and
on weekends to support our athletes.
And finally I am so impressed, humbled quite frankly, by the warmth of
the students at St. Paul. The Act Now
group raised a considerable amount
of money to support those in need at
Christmas, and our staff and students
were involved in delivering much
needed donations of food to our local
charities. This is indeed the school that
does Everything With Heart.
My prayer for our community in this
New Year is that the Lord continues to
watch over our children and give them
the grace to fully recognize and live
the gifts He has blessed each of them
with.
›››Chaplaincy
Our
Living
Faith
As we bring semester one to a successful close, I would like to acknowledge the amazing service that has been so generously given at St. Paul
Catholic Secondary School. St. Paul is a community whose great heart is
open to all! The many examples of social outreach to the poor and vulnerable people in our midst are well documented.
We have come together to raise awareness for Cancer Research, filled baskets for those in need at Thanksgiving
and at Christmas.
We have remembered our friends and
family who have passed away and
have honored their lives and eternal
memory through the planting of tulips
in our memory garden.
You have gathered daily in prayer,
liturgies and in liturgical celebration
to welcome God’s love, goodness and
presence in our midst.
We have gathered as a family to support our
friends in moments
of loss and deep
grief. We have
embraced
each other,
encouraged
those who
stumbled and lost hope and have reassured friends and staff that they are not
alone on their journey.
We have extended our affection and
our hearts to show that we are a community that does everything with
heart.
We have encouraged student success
and have supported our young people
in their quest for knowledge, purpose
and a sense of direction, and have
helped create paths for success. This
is an awesome and sacred task that we
do each day. We are showing our
community that we value their
children and that we have great
hope for our collective future.
This little light of ours, we’re
going to let it shine!
We have witnessed wonderful
character and strength in committing to serving the poor,
through the works of St. Vincent
de Paul and in bringing our hearts
and strength to works of Dr. Andrew Simone at the Canadian Food
for Children warehouse, every Friday
Morning! Thank you to the staff
members who arranged their schedules and have walked and driven
students to and from the warehouse.
As we gathered for a Christmas Mass
in the Warehouse on December 20, we
received the gratitude of more than
200 people who were present!
Young people learn through witnessing the example that adults give each
day. They see you praying and embracing and reaching out to gather
together as one big family. They notice
selfless acts of kindness and when they
are shown reverence and respect. They
are excited and energized when their
creative gifts and skills are noticed and
celebrated. They long to be invited to
belong, to show spirit, to participate
in the building up of our community.
They learn from parents as they witness acts of generosity.
We have been the recipient of a huge
act of generosity at Christmas, when
the Rosa family and Brookfield
Residential Services Ltd., donated
600 pounds of food to the poor. We, in
turn, donated it to the Salvation army
Church community on Cawthra Road,
where they were able to feed many
families at Christmas. This is the work
of Christian living and giving!
As I take my leave from St. Paul CSS
and return to my work as Religious
Education Consultant at the CEC, I
wish to offer my gratitude for your
welcome and for your many acts of
goodness and support that you have
given me.
As you welcome back our dear Mr.
Finamore, another new day and semester begins!
Omnia Cum Corde!
Margie Gillis
›››Arts & Culture
Specialist High Skills Major
Digital Media Days
at the University of
Waterloo
On December 4, eleven students from both
the Non Profit and
Arts and Culture SHSM
joined other students
from around south
eastern Ontario for
Digital Media Days at
the University of Waterloo, Stratford Campus.
This hands on training
session had students
learning the operation, functionality and
feature-set of professional industry level
cameras and post production equipment.
Students were encouraged to break up into
groups and mix with
other from different
schools. They then
were guided through
the production and
post production process to create a short commercial relating to a specific topic about
social justice. This one day event not only gave students a better understanding of the
production process, but also challenged them to make a statement about a social justice
topic with other like minded individuals. It revealed to all students that their voices and
opinions can be heard beyond the confines of the four walls of their school and that as a
group they can make a difference. The productions were shared in a competition format.
Judging for the competition came from a selection of individuals ranging from university representatives, film and television directors and graduate students. Orlagh McMahon
was part of a group that achieved second place in the competition.
Animation Lighting Training
On December 11, students from in the Arts and Culture SHSM were trained on the
fundamentals and techniques of lighting for film and video by accomplished Lighting
Director, Director of Photography and Professional Photographer Jean Héguy (www.
jeanheguy.com).
The primary focus of this session was to show students how to create environments as
well as set tone and mood with the use of lights. These techniques were applied to the
skills that they were taught in class on stop motion animation so that they could combine
the two in the creation of short animations with a Christmas theme.
›››English
Grammar
Literature
Visit the website for more detailed
information: http://www.oecta.on.ca/
wps/portal/awards/items?WCM_
GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/web+content/
OECTA/Awards/Young+Authors
The Ontario
Secondary School
Literacy Test
St. Paul is in the midst of prepping for
the OSSLT test which will be taking
place on March 27, 2014.
Parents and students are strongly
urged to visit the EQAO website
[www.eqao.com]; it is a well-designed
website with Teacher, Parent and
Student sections containing helpful
information. There is a sample test
available on-line; it is a complete test
in the same order and with the same
instructions as an actual test. The use
of the sample test provides parents and
students with a test similar in length
and format to the one provided during
the actual administration of the OSSLT
and it illustrates the types of reading and writing items (questions and
prompts) that students will encounter.
English, Drama and
ESL Bulletin Board
Students are encouraged to check and
follow-up on announcements from the
many different invitations that we receive for such contests as writing, poetry (slams), speech, drama auditions
and many other opportunities open to
students from the St. Paul community.
he little expects. His reason shattered
in the storm of violent emotion that
ensues, with his very life hanging in
the balance, Lear loses everything
that has defined him as a king – and
thereby discovers the essence of his
own humanity.
Colm Feore stars as King Lear – students should not miss this opportunity.
Young Authors
Contest
Stratford Trip
In May, Ms. Bentivoglio and Mr.
Kay will be leading Grade 12 English
students to Stratford to see a fantastic
performance of King Lear.
The synopsis: An aging monarch
resolves to divide his kingdom among
his three daughters, with consequences
Speaking
Each year, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA) is
proud to sponsor the annual Young
Authors Awards. The awards celebrate
the writing talents and accomplishments of students, who submit short
stories, poems, plays or non-fiction
(essay, article or report) in both
English and French. A collection
of the winning entries is published in book form each year.
Check out our board near Room 212 at
the east end of the second floor.
Farewell
The students and staff at St. Paul wish
Mr. Martins well as he finishes his
teaching assignment here at St. Paul.
The English department in particular
would like to acknowledge his hard
work and dedication in the classroom
and within the school community.
We wish Mr. Martins the very best in
his next assignment at Gonzaga.
›››Athletics
Happy
New Year
Discipline, Dedication, Determination
required to plan, organize, and impleWeight Room
ment recreational events. This course will
prepare students for college programs in
Memberships
recreational, leisure, and fitness leader-
from the Phys Ed staff
at St. Paul!
It’s hard to believe
that another semester
is coming to an end.
As usual, the gym is
buzzing with activity. It’s exciting to see
how many students
are now dropping in
on their lunch hour or
before school to spend
half an hour playing
pick up basketball. It
looks like the message is getting out…
Healthy Active Lifestyle is the only way
to go! Thanks to all
of the Varsity athletes
and coaches for their
continued dedication
to living our motto Everything with Heart.
The weight room continues to attract
new students and will be accepting new
members at the beginning of the semester
in February.
The fee of $25 enables us to upgrade the
equipment on a yearly basis.
Enhancing the
Physical Education
Curriculum
The Physical Education Department has
some new and exciting changes for the
upcoming school year regarding course
selections for our Senior students looking
to take physical education courses over the
next couple of years.
Two new courses (PAL3OC and PAL3OF)
will be offered next year for students
entering Grade 11 or 12. PAL3OC will run
in the fall and is a courts focused course
which will be centered around volleyball,
basketball and badminton. PAL3OF will
run in the spring and is a field’s focused
course which will be centered around soccer, flag football and other outdoor field
sports.
The following school year will include a
Grade 12 College bound
course called Recreation
and Fitness Leadership
(PLF4C). This course
focuses on the development of leadership
and coordination skills
related to recreational
activities.
Students will acquire the
knowledge and skills
ship.
Boys Hockey
The Junior Boys Hockey team traveled to
York University in December and January
to play in two separate hockey tournaments where the Wolverines club faced off
against other talented hockey teams from
across the GTA.
The boys played competitive hockey
throughout the tournaments finishing 3rd
and 4th respectively.
The Senior Boys Hockey team has been
participating in the ROPSSAA Tier 2
hockey league over the past two months.
The leagues’ South division is highly
competitive one this season. The teams are
evenly matched this year, which shows on
the ice with very close games between St.
Paul and its opponents. With a record of
four wins and three losses, playoff hopes
are still in the air as the boys have a key
matchup against a close rival in February.
Boys Basketball
We’re well on our way! The team has
been focusing on developing character
›››Athletics
players and promoting a true team atmosphere – and so far so good!
After playing in the 9th annual St Paul
Alumni Classic, which took place before
the Christmas break, the team has improved to a 4-1 record before heading to
their Windsor Tournament and the final
part of the regular season.
Special thanks goes out to our fans and the
many alumni players who have contributed to the success of the program over the
years. Their leadership and willingness to
give back to the program through mentorship year after year is a testament to the
quality of athlete that is cultivated here at
St Paul.
With playoffs well within reach, excitement is in the air as this will prove to be
another successful year for Wolverine
Basketball.
Girls Volleyball
The members of the Junior Girls Volleyball team came together in November and
have dedicated themselves to an extensive
and challenging season.
While the girls have
only played
a few
games, they have worked hard on skill
development and positioning rules.
The girls hope to have a successful end to their season and a few
wins at their upcoming tournament in February.
The coaches, Ms. Baglione, Ms.
Creede and Ms. Hontar along with
Mark Wargala, are very proud of
this team and are looking forward
to seeing them finish the season on a
positive note.
The Senior Girls Volleyball team is off
to a great start so far this year with a 4 – 1
record heading into semester two with two
games to play in the regular season.
As the season comes to a close, the girls
are within striking distance of an OFSAA
birth in the ‘AAA’ category.
The girls need to finish the season strong
in order to gain entry into the
ROPSSAA ‘AAA’
playoffs for that
chance at going
to the Provincial
Championships in
March.
›››Guidance Files
Student Services • ARD • Counseling
Happy New Year and welcome to Semester Two! The St. Paul Guidance and Career Education
Department continue their commitment to fulfilling the Dufferin-Peel Catholic Board Learning Plan goal of continually enhancing our transitional practices. Throughout November,
a group of exceptional Grade 9 Student Ambassadors accompanied St. Paul teachers and
Guidance and Career Education counselors during their visits to Queen of Heaven, St. Dominic, St. Timothy and St. Edmund. The student ambassadors participated in panel discussions
with the grade 7 and grade 8 students at each of the schools.
They shared their thoughts and experiences about life in high school. They
shared insights about courses, electives,
course levels, and the many clubs, teams
and sports at St. Paul.
2013 came to an end with our annual
Grade 8 Parent Open-House and Registration Night. We opened our doors to
students and their parents/guardians from
throughout our community. Thank you to
all the teachers who did such an outstanding job highlighting our SHSM’s, specialty
subject areas and academic programs. We
also thank members of our Student Spirit
Squad who happily guided parents and
future students around our school. Three
of the Student Ambassadors participated
in our Grade 8 Open House and Registration Evening. Thomas Sznitko and Raquel
Rodrigues were outstanding hosts. Special
recognition also goes to Matthew Caluoro
and Benito Naboya who shared the gift
of music with all who attended. We look
forward to meeting our new students in
August at the Grade 9 Orientation.
Grade 9 St. Paul Ambassadors
e-learning Courses
The Dufferin-Peel CDSB offers a wide
range of senior courses (grade 11 and 12)
on-line.
Students who may be interested in taking
a course on-line are encouraged to come
to Student Services to discuss available
options with their counselor.
Registration and Course
Selection for 2014-15
Registration and course selection for
2014-15 will occur in February. Our guidance counselors will present course selection information to all students through
visits to homeroom classes.
Students currently in grades 9, 10 and 11
will be shown how to apply on-line using
the St. Paul website and the personal password system. Students currently in grade
12 who are considering a return to St. Paul
will be asked to make an appointment
with their guidance counselor to review
their proposed academic upgrading plan.
Parents/guardians are required to sign all
course selection forms before processing.
Students are asked to submit signed option
forms and submit their $60.00 activity fee
as soon as possible to ensure availability
of options.
Changes to selections may be made when
students receive their course selection
verification sheets in early April.
Michael Molinaro, Thomas Sznitko, Evan
Crljen, Joshua Chiasson, Victoria Dytskiy
Jonathan Ragozzino, Katrina Sturm, Bianca DiLuzio, Raquel Rodriques, Matthew
Caluoro
15. The first mark submission to OUAC
(Ontario University Application Centre)
will occur in the middle of February.
Applicants are reminded to check their
on-line applications to verify marks and
check the status of their application.
Scholarships are available for many postsecondary programs. Visit the website:
www.studentawards.com and
www.scholarshipscanada.com.
Also, information is available on-line
around the Ontario government’s new
tuition grant and OSAP applications at
www.ontario.ca/30off.
Grad Info
Reminders for Potential Graduates
Graduation Photo Sessions are coming
soon – all potential graduates are asked to
listen to announcements for details. Grad
Photos will be taken at the school in room
107. All photo sessions are by appointment only. The dates for grad photos are
February 19 – 28.
All students are reminded to submit signed
forms for all completed Community
Service Hours as soon as possible. Graduation Invitations will be mailed to those
students who are eligible to graduate after
the second semester mid-term report cycle
(late April/early May). To ensure participation in this year’s Graduation ceremony,
students are required to submit graduation
gown order forms and grad ceremony fees
by the beginning of May.
University and
College Applications
Dates to Remember
University applications were due January
On behalf of the entire Student Services
team, we wish all a healthy, happy, successful, Semester Two!
College applications for equal consideration were due February 1, 2013. Students
may still apply after this date but may not
get into popular programs.
Semester Two Night School courses run
from February 5 – May 21, 2014.
›››PIP Students
Planning For Independence
Planning for
Independence Class
Gives Back
This Advent, the students in the Planning
for Independence Program learned about
Giving of Yourself during Christmas. From
shopping to packing
to wrapping to loading, our students
worked hard and were
able to donate over
20 Shoeboxes of Hope
to Canadian Food for
Children, which were
shipped to Sierra Leon.
Our class made a trip
to the mall and each
student was responsible for purchasing the
10 items on their list.
With the help of Ms.
Tobin’s grade 9 English
class, they packed toiletry items, small toys,
hard candyand school
supplies in each shoebox. Items were sorted according to gifts for a girl or a boy, labelled and then wrapped in Christmas paper and loaded for delivery to the warehouse.
This Christmas season brought our Planning for Independence Class so much joy and
we are so excited to continue the spirit of giving throughout the new year.
›››PIP Students
Planning For Independence
This semester, our Planning for Independence Program was graced with the presence of
three senior students from Ms. Primier’s Interdisciplinary Leadership Class. Orlagh McMahon,
Mathew Caprara and Eric Lee worked with our students every Tuesday and Thursday and
it became a highlight of the day for our students. Orlagh and Mathew assisted in the classroom with art projects and interactive Smartboard activites and prepared students for their
community walk, while Eric shared his musical talents teaching piano and guitar. They all led
group games with our students helping staff teach turn-taking, sportsmanship and social
interaction. All the students and staff in the Planning for Independence Program would like
to thank our three seniors for their desire to learn, patience and hard work during their placement.
›››Bits & Bites
Omnia Cum Corde
Annual Christmas Mass
Now Accepting Applications Winter Weather
Staff and students from St. Paul attended
the Annual Christmas Mass at Dr. Simone’s Canadian Food for Children Warehouse on December 20. Both Fr. Noel and
Fr. Rudy concelebrated the Mass.
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
School Board is now accepting applications from international students who wish
to study in our outstanding elementary and
secondary schools.
During the winter months inclement
weather may cause disruption of bus
transportation and regular school operations.
Education means the world to us. The
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School
Board (DPCDSB) is Ontario’s second
largest Catholic school board operating 149 school facilities (including 123
elementary and 26 secondary schools)
throughout Mississauga, Brampton,
Caledon and Orangeville. Schools are
connected to and supported by Catholic
parishes and our faith.
A decision to cancel school transportation
and/or to close schools is usually made by
6:00 a.m. and will be announced on local
radio and television stations
Dr. Simone’s Warehouse loaded 340 containers of supplies to help feed the poor in
our world and our extremely hard-working St. Paul students helped to load 75 of
these containers!
Internationally recognized for excellence
in education. One of the truly defining
characteristics of a Dufferin-Peel education is the diversity that comes with
having a student body from over 150
countries. We celebrate both our internationalism and the uniqueness of each
member of our community - students,
staff, parents and parish. As a school community we are greatly enriched by this
diversity.
Looking Ahead
Please take note of the following dates to
help you plan out your calendar.
Semester 2 Begins..................... January 31
Semester 1 Report Cards........... February 7
Family Day (no school).......... February 17
Graduation Photos............February 19 - 28
Ash Wednesday............................. March 5
PA Day (no school)....................... March 7
March Break.........................March 10 - 14
Parent/Teacher Night.................. March 20
OSSLT/EQAO Test..................... March 27
Mid-Term Report Cards................ April 17
Good Friday (no school)............... April 18
Easter Monday (no school)........... April 21
Opening minds to a better world. Located
just west of the City of Toronto, on the
north shore of Lake Ontario, and less than
a 90 minute drive to Niagara Falls and
the U.S. border, Dufferin-Peel is home to
the Toronto Pearson International Airport,
Canada’s largest airport with non-stop
service to 180 destinations in 60 countries
around the world. Plus, the region boasts
an extensive network of local and regional
train and bus services with direct connections to 16 universities and colleges within
a 60 kilometre radius.
Students wishing to apply to
our International Education
programs are encouraged to
visit our website at www.
dpcdsb.org/CEC/Programs/
International+Students/ or to
contact:
Rita Borg, Principal of the
International Student Program
rita.borg@dpcdsb.org
(905) 412-3341 Ext. 31460
The School Board will be communicating
one of four standard messages to the stations. The four announcements and their
effect on the transportation system are as
follows:
1. “Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
School Board buses serving St.
Andrew, St. Benedict and St. Peter
elementary schools and R.F. Hall
secondary school are cancelled for
today.”
2. “The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
School Board buses and the Peel
District School Board buses in the
town of Caledon and the County of
Dufferin are cancelled”.
3. “The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
School Board and the Peel District
School Board buses are cancelled.”
4. “The schools and offices of both
the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
School Board and the Peel District
School Board are closed.”
For Secondary School students
riding Public Transit, cancellation of service will be communicated by the respective transit
property over the radio.
Please be advised that Public
Transit rarely cancels and that
the level of service on days with
inclement weather is unpredictable.
Knitting for Charity
Cue Talent
This term, a group of St. Paul students
put down their phones and picked up the
needles in order to learn a new skill, knitting. This enthusiastic group, called the
Knitty Gritty Club, met Wednesday’s after
school to knit scarves for the homeless
at the Good Shepherd Ministries. After
the Polar Vortex of January 2014, these
students picked up the pace to complete
seven scarves. Sounds good for learning
a new skill. Now that these basic knitting
skills have been mastered, we will apply
them to new projects in second semester.
Handmade = made with love.
After a semester’s absence, Studio30 - our
in-house broadcast of the daily reflection
and announcement of events, is back online on our YouTube Channel. Check out
the recent uploads.
Students, parents and others are welcome
to visit Studio30’s channel to stay up-todate with what’s happening at St. Paul.
From athletics to prom to academic and
spirit announcements, you’ll find what you
need to know at:
youtube.com/SPStudio30
Thanks goes out to last semester’s crew:
Sydeny Forma, Sophia Ferkul, Troy
Fonte, Nour Harak, Destiny Lopes,
Cayla Moreno and Christian Moniz
for their efforts.
›››Bits & Bites
Getting Through Grief
On December 12, the Bereaved Families
of Ontario facilitated a one-day workshop
for students who have lost loved ones.
St Dominic’s church was kind enough to
offer up space in the church basement,
which gave students the opportunity to be
offsite for the day.
The students who attended the workshop
were given an opportunity to talk about
their grief as well as benefitted from
strategies on coping especially during
the holidays which are often difficult for
anyone who has experienced the death of
a loved one.
Good luck to the semester 2 crew
of Jacob
Martins, Jenn
Reid, Rebecca
Rukavina, James
Whiteman and
Rosanna Zita
as they embark on their
broadcasting
journey.
Thanks to the students who took the
risk to be vulnerable, especially to everyone at
St. Dominics for
the use of the church
and to our principal,
Ms. Murphy for
supporting this
needed initiative.
Co-operative Education
How can I be expected to get any experience if employers only want workers with experience? This problem is real and facing many
of our young graduates of high schools, colleges and universities, the answer for student at St. Paul is Co-op.
The first semester co-op students have completed their work experiences with up to 500 hours of
hands on experience in their chosen fields. The learning for many of these students went well beyond technical in nature with many learning some simple yet critical skills such as the importance
of being punctual, communication and being accountable. Some of the students are glad that it
is over realizing that their choice is not one they wish to pursue, however many are very excited
about their futures and are now ready to begin their careers.
The second semester students are about to begin their co-op placement experiences and the prospects look great for the group. St. Paul students are well represented in the Dual Credit & OYAP
program with 15 students registered and looking forward to taking advantage of these great opportunities. Congratulations to Amanda LeBlanc, Natalia Barys, Marcus Lee, and Sofia Blahuta,
who beat out over thirty students to fill four of the seven spots allotted to Dufferin Peel CDSB at
the Region of Peel Police. This will be an invaluable experience for these four students as they
pursue a career in law enforcement.
Thank you to the first semester students for their dedication and hard work. Everyone should be
proud of their accomplishments and good luck in your future careers. Good luck to the students
about to begin their ventures into the work world.