TigerTales
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER SECONDARY SCHOOL
WINTER 2007
www.stfxss.org
Principal’s
Message
50 Bristol Road west,
Mississauga, Ontario
L5R 3K3
Tel: (905) 507-6666
Fax: (905) 568-1026
www.stfxss.org
Principal
N. Mant
Vice Principals
L. O’Leary
G. Scanlon
D. Mariani
K. McQuire
Chaplain
A. Minardi
School Council Chair
R. Shields
Superintendent
L. Kazimowicz
Trustees
Anna Abbruscato
Thomas Thomas
As we move past the advent season into the New Year, our chaplaincy
team organized the grade level masses for students and our secretarial staff did
an outstanding job organizing the annual homeroom Christmas hamper drive.
During the last week of school before the Christmas break we had two
assemblies that featured MADD (Mothers against Drinking and Driving). As
for student council, they are in the process of organizing several events for our
school community in the New Year and in November they had their annual
faith formation and leadership retreat directed by our chaplain and the staff
advisors.
On November 23rd, Monsignor D’Souza celebrated his 75th birthday
at the Mississauga Convention Centre. The event celebrated and highlighted
his pastoral achievements in Canada and Overseas.
On November 15th our school was recognized at a dinner hosted by
the Canadian Safe Schools Network for creating a community of compassion
and service (see attached letter). This was a tremendous honour for our
school community, as it validates the efforts we have made in promoting a
Safe, Caring and Inclusive school environment.
We have won another championship in football, this time it is our
Junior team. In only our second year of having a junior football program,
Xavier pulled off a tremendous (14-12) upset against an undefeated team from
Brampton, St. Marguerite D’Youville. For his heroics on the football field,
Kasean Davis was named the “Toronto Star” high school Athlete of the Week.
Our girls Junior and senior basketball teams also made it into the
playoffs; unfortunately our junior girl’s team was defeated by 2 points in the
semifinals. A big thank you to all our coaches and students for an excellent fall
season of sports.
.....cont’d on page 2
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Principal’s
Message
cont’d from page 1
It has been several weeks
since we returned from a cultural
exchange to the Mainland China, also
known as “Mission Shanghai”. We
were in China for 16 days with a
delegation of students from 3 other
schools from Mississauga and
Brampton. As part of the exchange,
we were guest of the Shanghai
Foreign Language School and in May
2008, we will be hosting the students
from Shanghai, as they have the
opportunity to experience our
Canadian culture and heritage.
Finally, we are saying farewell
to Mrs. Tousignant as she was
appointed Vice Principal at St.
Augustine SS in Brampton. As a
school community we wish her the
very best in her career as an administrator in Brampton.
Happy New Year and God Bless!
N. Mant
Principal
“Excellence in Catholic Education”
CCL Student
Survey
www.stfxss.org
in place by the Ministry of
Education that are aimed at fostering
success among all secondary school
students.
Your son/daughter’s views are critical
given that these initiatives affect
students directly. This project will
help us gain a better understanding of
the impact of these initiatives on
student outcomes, and the findings
will be used by the Ministry to inform
future development of these and
other initiatives.
Your
son/daughter
has
the
opportunity to voice opinions about
their experience in secondary school
by answering an online survey that
will take approximately 15-20 minutes
of his or her time to complete. It is
important to note that this survey is
completely voluntary and your
son/daughter’s participation will not
affect his or her school grades.
The survey is anonymous and
confidential.
Students and their parents are
strongly encouraged to consider this
request. Please provide the following
information to your son or daughter
so that they may participate:
The
web
address
for
the
student survey is:
http://studentsuccess.ccl-cca.ca
The user ID for students is: 07209s
The password for students is: WM9F
public library. The online survey will
be accessible until December 31,
2007. Please do not delay!
New Head
Custodian at
Xavier
By: Mr. Mant
George Bogunovic, Head Custodian
at St. Hilary, has accepted the Lead
Hand position at St. Francis Xavier
and he will officially start his duties
on November 26, 2007.
St. FX 2008
Graduation
By: Mr. Alva
The St. FX, 2008 graduation will take
place in June this year.(June 25th,
2008)
In order to graduate students MUST
have 30 credits and 40 hours of community service by this time.
If students have any concerns they
should make an appointment with
their guidance counsellor to ensure
that all of their credits and community service hours are in order.
Guidance
By: Ms. Nassr
Congratualtions to Mark Fernandes!
Mark won 2nd place in the seniorlevel accounting contest in the
By: Ms. O’Leary, Vice-Principal
Institute of Chartered Accountants
of Ontario’s accounting competition.
An exciting and important project is
This address can be accessed from In honour of Mark’s efforts, a plaque
currently underway throughout the
has been placed in the foyer by the
any computer connected to the
province. A team from the Canadian
internet such as a home computer, a front doors. Be sure to check it out.
Council on Learning (CCL) is
school computer or a computer at a Once again, way to go, Mark!
evaluating some of the initiatives put
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER SECONDARY SCHOOL
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Chaplain’s
Corner
On November 7th, employees of the Dufferin-Peel
Catholic School Board, gathered for special Faith Day at
the International Centre in Malton. A mass celebrated by
Archbishop Thomas Collins was attended by over
By: Mr. Minardi
7000 teachers, support staff, administrators and parents.
Student Success
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board
40 Matheson Boulevard West, Mississauga, ON, L5R 1C5, Tel: (905) 890-1221
By: Ms. Lariviere
The following credits have been achieved in our
Student Success Program for the month of Nov.'07:
Important Document – Please have translated
January 22, 2008
5 credits achieved through Credit Recovery
2 credits achieved through Alt.Ed.
Notice to Parents/Guardians & Students
Family Day
To-Date for this school year:
February 18, 2008
Please be aware that all Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board schools, offices, and other
facilities will be closed on Monday, February 18, in observation of the Family Day statutory
holiday.
17 credits achieved through Credit Recovery
6.5 credits achieved through Alt.Ed.
Well done to all of our students who continue to work
hard and move forward!!
As a result, all scheduled school and school board-related programs and services that would
normally operate in Dufferin-Peel schools/facilities, as well as day cares and permits, are
cancelled on February 18.
Please note, however, that municipality-operated programs at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary
School, St. Marcellinus Secondary School and St. Joan of Arc Catholic Secondary School may
be operating and parents/guardians/students should contact the local municipality for information
regarding programs at these sites.
Thank you for your attention to this important notice.
John B. Kostoff,
Director of Education
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER SECONDARY SCHOOL
Bruno Iannicca,
Chair
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Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board
40 Matheson Boulevard West, Mississauga, ON, L5R 1C5, Tel: (905) 890-1221
October 3, 2007
Your Catholic school system… a strong, healthy and integral part
of Ontario’s education system
Dear Parents, Guardians and Friends of Catholic Education:
Your school is part of one of four components of Ontario’s strong and healthy publicly funded school system.
Your school and school board belong to the English Catholic component, while the others include the French
Catholic, and the English and French public boards. From time to time, throughout our 160-year history of
Catholic Education in Ontario, opponents to our system have emerged to challenge our right to provide Catholic
Education and to call for the elimination of public funding for denominational Catholic schools in favour of one
publicly funded secular system.
In recent months, we have again seen the limited emergence of these advocates, calling once again for the
elimination of Catholic schools. This campaign has received media attention in some parts of the province.
Catholic schools are an integral part of the foundation of Ontario, educating over one-third of all students in
kindergarten to grade 12. That is more than 670,000 students. Over a million parents choose Catholic education
for their children. That choice is supported by 2.4 million Catholic ratepayers and voters and is funded through
property income, sales and other taxes paid by the Ontario community.
The history of Catholic Education in our region dates back prior to Confederation. From that perspective,
Dufferin-Peel, and its predecessor Catholic school boards, has provided Catholic Education in one form or
another on a continuous basis for a longer period than this province or country has even existed. In fact,
Catholic Education, and the provision for its existence, was an article and part of the discussions of
Confederation.
Our Catholic schools have a history of academic excellence. We are a very successful part of publicly funded
education in Ontario and not a costly duplicate, as some have suggested. Our schools and school boards
consistently meet and exceed provincial expectations in student achievement, program delivery, class size, and
moral character development.
One of the arguments put forward by those advocating the elimination of Catholic schools and school boards is
that amalgamation into one secular school system will save money. They are wrong. Amalgamation simply
cannot lower costs in all areas. Ontario has already been through a major amalgamation of schools boards in
l998 and most available economies of scale have already been realized. Indeed, some of the boards that have
been forced into amalgamation have actually seen cost levels increase. Experience also indicates that
amalgamation is not necessarily better. As new entities become larger, they often become more remote and less
accessible to the people they are supposed to serve. What we do know is that Catholic school boards and public
school boards already save taxpayers millions of dollars annually through a variety of successful joint
partnerships in such areas as co-operative school financing, purchasing, transportation, energy management and
other services.
Catholic Education is rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ, which promotes discipleship, community and the
dignity of persons in social justice. Gospel values, which are integral to every aspect of the Catholic school,
create a system that is distinctively different from a secular system.
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER SECONDARY SCHOOL
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Letter to parents/guardians and friends of Catholic education
October 2007
Catholic schools enjoy publicly stated, unqualified support of our government and all major opposition parties in
the legislature. We have been assured by the Liberal government and by statements made publicly by Premier
Dalton McGuinty and Minister of Education, Kathleen Wynne, that there is no plan to change the present
system. Both Mr. Tory and Mr. Hampton have also indicated their support of publicly funded Catholic schools.
As the election comes upon us, we encourage you to make your concerns known to the candidates seeking your
vote, that there will be no dilution of the rights of Catholic schools, that Catholic school boards currently
exercise.
Our schools remain a strong integral component of Ontario’s publicly funded school system. They are
supported by a significant and vital infrastructure of Catholic organizations representing educators, clergy and
parents.
Let us all do our part to ensure publicly funded Catholic schools continue to thrive in this community and in this
province.
Sincerely,
Bruno Iannicca
Chair
John B. Kostoff
Director of Education
Trustees
Tony da Silva
Brampton West 1,3,4
Linda Zanella
Brampton West 2,5,6
Joyce Anderson
Brampton East 7-10
Mario Pascucci
Mississauga 1,3
Sharon Hobin
Mississauga 2,8
Anna Abbruscato
Mississauga 4
Thomas Thomas
Mississauga 5
Luz del Rosario
Mississauga 6 & 11
Bruno Iannicca (Chair)
Mississauga 7
Esther O’Toole (Vice Chair)
Mississauga 9 & 10
Frank Di Cosola
Caledon/Dufferin
Student Trustees
Gillian Eguaras
Stacie-Ann Sammott
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER SECONDARY SCHOOL
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Business Studies
By: Erica A. Pereira
A Trip to Remember
In the month of November, Boston,
Massachusetts opened up a whole new
world of experience to 18 lucky DECA
Xavier members! One of them
happened to be me. The NARCon
(Northern Atlantic Regional Conference) is a conference organized by
DECA Ontario and held annually for
the purpose of further educating and
empowering business students enrolled
in the program. As
we listened to teacher
advisors run us
through the events,
excitement began to
fill the room. The
first day of the
conference not only
introduced us to
several workshops
and activities, but also
(more importantly) to
a whole new group
of people. Even
through DECA
Ontario’s sole purpose has been to
educate us, we at DECA Xavier used
this opportunity to forge new friendships and grow together as a team. The
following days included several exciting
activities. Inclusive of a tour of
Harvard, a dance,
business workshops
conducted by industry
leaders, keynote speakers such as Amy Gallimore, and A. J. Watson,
several shopping trips,
and a Boston Celtics
basketball game! From
shopping, to attending
business leadership
seminars; from gorging
on amazing food, to
touring Harvard, it’s not what people
generally think DECA is about, but it is
part of what our club is based on. This
experience was one that
contributed in a
positive way to each
and every student
that attended; I
encourage all of you
to join DECA next
year so that YOU
may have the same
chance to add to
your cherished high
school memories!
Students that
attended (in order
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER SECONDARY SCHOOL
from top to bottom, left to right, how
they appear in the group picture):
Matthew Sowinski, Alister Fernandes,
Micah Remedios, Gwen Mendes,
Olivia Pecquer, Virginia Vedia, Callie
Pak, Trevor Lau, Mark Asfar, Freda
Lau, Janice Jung, Mishelle Chrabalowski, Tommy Glavan, Erica Pereira,
Keene Mendes, Finola D’souza,
Valancia Leitiao.
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Business Studies
By: Ms. Liegghio
Competition in Grade 10 Introduction
to Business is intensifying. Students in
both Mr. Reece’s and Mr. O’Connell’s
grade 10 business classes have been
participating in a stock market
challenge. Eight weeks ago students
started off with $100,000 to invest and
have been buying and selling shares ever
since. One student, Joban Dhillon, is
leading the race. His investment
increased to $175,572.63 in just eight
weeks. Wow! A return of 72.6% is very
impressive! Do you have money to
invest? Joban has got the tips!
DECA Xavier
By: Ms. Liegghio
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER SECONDARY SCHOOL
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ranked third
DECA Peel/Dufferin Peel Regional Winners
place overall
Individual Events
winners.
26 winners out of 60 DECA Xavier participants as listed below:
Michelle
Charaboloski
Top Ten Orals
Top Ten Writtens
Top 3 Overall
AAM
ranked second
Angela Wong
X
X
Adrienne Cheung
X
place overall.
ACT
Junaid Bukhtawer
X
We had 3
Lynette Gomes
X
ASM
Xavier
David Greaves
X
Tanya Paes
X
X
1
students
Keene Mendes
X
X
3
ranked first
BSM
Krishna Murali
X
place overall
Areeba Hassan
X
FMS
in the Peel
Chloe Chan
X
Muhammad Shah
x
Dufferin-Peel
HLM
Haroon Masood
X
region. Tanya
Yazeed Haris
X
Paes was a
MMS
Ahmad Al-Khatib
X
X
1
first place
Bilal Butt
X
Marinie Kanagasooriar
X
winner in
Q SRM
Steven Sookram
X
X
Automotive
Marushka Rodrigues
X
X
RFSM
Services
Tanya Mahbubani
X
X
3
Jonathan Lobo
x
Marketing.
Marie Kim
x
Amika Gupta
RMS
Ambika Gupta
X
x
1
was a first
Mishelle Chrabolowski X
X
2
Callie Pak
X
place winner
Chrizanna D’Silva
X
SEM
in Restaurant
Matt Sowinski
X
26 Xavier Winners:
18 top 10 orals
17 top 10 writtens
6 top 3 overall
Management
winners
Services and
Ahmad
Al-Khatib was our first place winner in
Marketing Management Services.
Congratulations to all DECA Xavier
members! Staff advisors, Ms. CusiThe second competition for team oral
mano, Ms. Liegghio and Mr. O’Connell
competitors was held on Thursday
are very proud of all who participated
November 29th. Of the 70 Xavier
in DECA regional competition. A job
students that attended 20 students were
very well-done!
ranked in the top ten for team oral role
plays and 6 Xavier students were ranked As a result of regional competitions, 98
in the top ten for written competitions.
students advanced and are registered to
There were over 600 competitors from
attend provincial competitions in
the Peel/Dufferin-Peel region.
February 2008. This competition will
determine who has the privilege of
The following 4 Xavier students ranked
competing at Internationals held this
in first or second place overall in their
year in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta, here
respective competitive categories. Wajya we come!
Abhi and Archana Chittella, as a team,
were ranked in second place! Hirko
Now not only have DECA Xavier
Mayuzumi and Steven Tran, as a team,
students been busy studying but some
were ranked in first place!!
have also been busy organizing Café
Night.
st
rd
st
rd
st
nd
Christmas break is almost upon us and
so much activity has occurred with
DECA. This year 152 students eagerly
joined the DECA business club. First,
from Nov 15th to Nov 19th a group of
18 DECA students traveled with 2
teacher advisors to Boston to attend
NARCON a leadership conference.
Second, DECA Xavier students have
attended 2 regional competitions.
The first competition for individual oral
competitors was held on Saturday
November 24th. Of the 60 Xavier
students that attended, 18 students were
ranked in the top ten for oral role plays
and 17 Xavier students were ranked in
the top ten for written competitions.
There were over 500 competitors from
the Peel/Dufferin-Peel region
competing.
The following 6 Xavier students ranked
in second or third place overall in their
respective competitive categories. Tanya
Mahbubani and Keene Mendes were
Page 6 - Winter 2007
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Environmental
Intelligence
competition will see the winning robot
compete in a regional competition in
May.
By: Ms. Sorbara
The students learn how to program
microcontrollers, build motor control
circuits, how to build and measure using
sensors, and how to work as a team.
Music
Department
Environmental Intelligence would like
to wish everyone a safe and happy
holiday. When shopping for gifts bring
your own bags to stores and when
wrapping gifts this year try to re use
Christmas Gift bags.
By: Mr. Dubiel
The Music Dept. would like to thank all
those who participated in the annual
Christmas Concert which took place on
Thursday, Dec. 13.
Xavier students at a sectional practice
during the Gr. 9 Band festival .
Computer
Engineering
By: Mr. Lewis
Golfing – Robot Style
900 student musicians make
marvelous music together
The grade 12 Computer Engineering
students are building an autonomous
robot that will be used for their
culminating task.
The challenge is to build and program a
robot that will be able to follow a black
line, pick up a golf ball off a tee, carry
it to and sink it into a hole. The class
On November 26, over 900 students
gathered at the Mississauga Convention
Centre for the Fourth Annual
Dufferin-Peel Grade 9 Music Festival.
This all-day event brought together
students from 17 Dufferin-Peel Catholic secondary schools to participate in a
series of music clinics taught by
Dufferin-Peel teachers. Students
represented St. Francis Xavier S.S. were
the largest group: 115 young musicians.
Following the clinics, students formed a
massed band of 900 musicians and
performed four musical selections.
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER SECONDARY SCHOOL
In November the Music Dept.
students collected orders for over 6000
lb of fruit during the annual Citrus
fundraiser. The distribution of the fruit
took place on Monday, Dec. 17 just on
time for the Christmas break.
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Junior Football
Tigers Win
Championship
By: Mr. Morrissey
Last year, STFX fielded a junior
football team for the first time in 5
years and managed to advance to the
finals. This year, by beating an undefeated D’Youville team in the final 14
to 12, the Tigers capped an impressive
season by winning the championship.
The Tigers started off the year with
four very impressive victories, scoring
209 points and only giving up 20 during
that time. However, two midseason
losses, one a high scoring shootout loss
to Lorne Park and one a defensive
battle that resulted in a loss to St. Joe’s
slowed the team’s momentum. The
Tigers closed out their regular season
with a 38 to 3 win over Mount Carmel,
but their 5-2 record was only good
enough to get them 3rd place in their
division. In the quarterfinals, the
Tigers went on the road to take on the
St. Marcellinus Spirit. The Tigers
Justin Joo, Mike Nespeca, and others
trailed 3 times during this
frustrated their opponents.
Kasean Davis
game but managed to keep
St. Joe’s never even came
coming back. Touchdowns
close to scoring in this
by Mikey Friday, Kasean
game. The championship
Davis, and Adrian Buchsam
game was played on a very
in regulation resulted in a 20
rainy day vs D’Youville.
to 20 tie. In overtime,
Each offense struggled
Kasean Davis scored
holding on to the ball
another touchdown to
which resulted in numerous
secure a 27 to 20 win. In
fumbles by both teams.
the semifinals, the Tigers
Very early in the game
travelled to St. Joe’s for a rematch and
things looked bleak as our starting QB
we started strongly when Kasean Davis was injured and unable to continue. A
returned the opening kickoff 100 yards
long TD run put D’Youville up 6 to 0
for a touchdown. The key to this game
at halftime. Early in the 3rd quarter
was the play of Mikey Friday. Running
and a great defensive stand, Adrian
‘the option’ to perfection resulted in
Buchsam scored on a ‘fumblerooski’
him picking up many rushing yards.
play to put us up 7 to 6. Early in the
After a long run by Friday got us to the 4th quarter, playoff MVP Kasean Davis
opponent’s one yard line, Matt Grys
busted loose on a 75 yard TD run to
scored a touchdown. Rushing touchput us up 14 to 6. D’Youville scored a
downs were also scored by Adrian
touchdown with under 2 minutes left
Buchsam and Kasean Davis. Buchsam
but their 2 point convert attempt was
also kicked 4 converts, 2 field goals, and unsuccessful. Coaches Chylinski,
a single. The Tigers, up 32 to 0 at
Morrissey, Forgione, and McAnally
halftime, coasted to a 35 to 0 victory.
would like to congratulate and thank all
The defense was awesome. The
the players for the discipline, commitincredible tackling of Adrian Buchsam,
ment, hard work, loyalty, and sacrifice.
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER SECONDARY SCHOOL
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Math Department
News
By: Mr. Virtue
Remedial Math Program
Students helping students. There are
two dimensions to this program. It is
an extra-help opportunity designed for
students in Grade 9 and 10 that are
struggling with math. Also, strong
academic students in Grade 11 and 12
can earn Community Service hours by
tutoring these students in a teacher
supervised activity. Currently we have
over 65 students enrolled. This
program runs every Tuesday and
Wednesday for one hour after school
from early October to June.
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students in grade 9 to 12 writing 6 - 30
minute contests throughout the year in
our library. Students will be writing the
fourth of this series in January.
The largest and most prestigious series
of contests, The Canadian Mathematics
Competition, sponsored by the University of Waterloo (often called the
Waterloo Math Contest) will be written
in February for Gr 9 – 11 students.
This is followed with by the Fryer,
Galois and Hypatia contest in April that
is reserved for the top scorers on the
previous contests. Finally the Euclid
contest, for Gr 12’s , is written in April
as well. Several scholarship opportunities are available for students that do
well on these contests.
Math Contests
Students at Xavier have the opportunity
of participating in 10 math contests
throughout each school year. A few
contests have already been written and
several more will be written in the new
year.
The first contest written is the OPEN
Math contest, sponsored by the University of Waterloo, usually reserved only
for top academic Gr 11 and 12
students. We had 13 students write this
rigorous 2 ½ hour exam last month.
Results have not been determined yet.
The CHAMP Contest is for students in
grade 9 to 11 and was written in
November. Congratulation to the top
scoring students: Gr. 9 Simon
Younan, Gr. 10 Krishna Murali and Gr.
11 Richard Hae.
The National Contest, sponsored by the
University of Windsor, involves
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER SECONDARY SCHOOL
In the last few years, we have started a
tradition by rewarding all the top
scorers to a Math luncheon in June
where their awards and medals are
given.
Gr. 9 Mathematics EQAO
This will be written by all grade 9
students that have math first semester Jan 16 and 17. The classroom
teacher prepares for this throughout
the semester but if you would like
more resources for your son or
daughter, please refer to the web-site
www.eqao.com for copies of previous assessments. The results of the
EQAO count for 10% of the
student’s final grade.
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China Adventure 2007
St. Francis Xavier discovers China
By: Mr. Abbruscato & Mr. Mant
From October 7th to October 20th, a group of St. Francis
Xavier students joined students from St. Aloysius Gonzaga,
St. Thomas Aquinas and Notre Dame and participated in a
student exchange in Shanghai, China with the Foreign
Language Secondary School that is affiliated with the Shanghai International Studies University. The St. Francis Xavier
contingent was lead by Mr. Mant, the school principal, and by
Mr. Abbruscato the head of the Moderns’ department. The
Dufferin Peel students were also joined by our former Director of Education Mr. Michael Bator, who stayed with the
group for three days. Trustee Luz Del Rosario was with the
group for the second week and Superintendent Liz Kazimovicz was with the students for the first week. During the first
week the students visited the school and spend the weekend
with the host families. The students and staff were able to
establish a long term relationship with the students and staff
of the Foreign Language School. This experience greatly
broadened the horizons of each one of us there.
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER SECONDARY SCHOOL
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During the second week the students continued to discover
the rich Chinese culture by visiting the ancient city of Xian
and will always have a lasting impression of the amazing Terra
Cotta Warriors Museum. The students continued their China
adventure by visiting the capital city of Beijing with the
imposing Tiananmen Square.
After two weeks the students prepared for the long 24 hour
trip back. The memories of visiting temples, imperial gardens,
palaces, factories, theatres and many other sites will always be
a part of their high school life. Most of all, the students will
be left with the lasting friendship and the cultural enrichment
that they were able to acquire by meeting with young people
from the other side of the world. Our students are now
eagerly waiting for their new found friends to complete their
part of the exchange. The Chinese students will be hosted by
our students in the month of May.
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER SECONDARY SCHOOL
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Hospitality and
Tourism
Foodies Unite
By: Mr. Zerdin
Greetings and hello for the staff of the
Hospitality department. We are very
exited to have this opportunity to be
working with Tiger Tales in developing
a reoccurring section that will be
specifically devoted to Hospitality. In
every newsletter, you will find information that will not only enlighten but
delight both the students and parents
of the activities and efforts put forth
by the Hospitality students here at FX.
If you are part of the Hospitality program now or are looking forward
in participating in the future, don’t
hesitate to drop by and talk to any on
one of us about your interests and even
concerns. Our kitchen is always open,
so drop by and see what all the fuss is
about. You may even be surprised how
much fun it can be.
In future issues we will be
continuing to include recipes, reports
on special events or activities that the
classes have experienced, a “Did You
Know” section and a section on
cooking techniques and fundamentals.
If you would like to see anything else
related to food please come by and let
us know, we would be very happy to try
and accommodate any requests.
Thanks again and I look
forward to the coming months in
sharing in you the passion we have for
this industry and what it is we do here
in Hospitality.
www.stfxss.org
Get it well its Hot at
theTiger Café
By: Mr. Zerdin
Did you know that ST. FX has a
restaurant? The Tiger Café can be
found in room 121, right across from
the office, and is a fully fuctioning food
establishment. Not only can you sit
down and enjoy your lunch with friends
but we also offer table service as well.
Come down soon and enjoy breakfast
or lunch served from 8:15am – 1pm for
prices that fit your lifestyle. We have
now completed our new menu, we still
have many of our best sellers and a few
new items were sure you’ll love to try.
Also enjoy our wonderful Thursday
lunches, we offer a wide variety of
continental foods and also foods that
are close to home. We offer this lunch
for the simple price of $5.00, the lunch
consists of your main course and a
drink.
answered by the head chef David
Wolfman. Students had a chance to
enjoy a superb lunch at Siegfried's, the
in house dining room at George Brown
College. Our lunch included a supreme
of chicken with a pan jus, mashed
potatoes and mixed vegetables.Students
had the chance to see the students of
George Brown in action doing hands
on work. They were also able to see
World-class cuisine and superior service
at work, both front of house and back
of house (front of house- the public
area; back of house- where it all
happens).
We have borrowed some of the
techniques that we were able to view
while at George Brown. One of our
previous Thursday lunches consisted of
what we delightfully had at Siegfried’s. It
was an experience that we are still
talking about.
So please come enjoy our ever so
exquisite menu items and our daily
specials.
Our Adventure to
George Brown College
By: Mr. Zerdin
On Thursday November 12 , 2007,
The grade 12 Hospitality classes
traveled to George Brown College to
experience and learn about their
hospitality and tourism courses. This
field trip was an opportunity for
students to have a better knowledge and
understanding of what is expected in
the food industry. They were able to
have any questions or concerns
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER SECONDARY SCHOOL
Did You Know?
By: Mr. Zerdin
As the standard of the invading
Turkish army was seen coming over the
hill and making its way into a small
French town. An industrious baker,
finding some scrap pieces of left over
dough, formed this new found pastry
into the shape of the crescent moon
seen on the approaching Turkish
standard. He did this to memorialize
this event in history and little did he
know that from then on this little
world favourite has become a famous
breakfast pastry, better know as
the Croissant.
TigerTales
www.stfxss.org
Hospitality and
Tourism
Cooking Pasta
By: Chef de Partie
How many of you have cooked noodles
in boiling water? Did you know that
there is a term for how the noodles
should be properly cooked? This is
called Al Dente, meaning to the teeth or
to the bite. This refers to the texture
and degree of doneness that the noodle
should be cooked to.
The noodle should be soft, but
not mushy and yet still firm meeting
some resistance with the teeth when
bitten into, but not hard. When ever
cooking noodles, being either fresh or
dried from a package, always add salt to
the cooking liquid. The noodles are not
normally seasoned and adding salt will
give them flavour and add a dimension
of taste to your pasta dish.
Pasta is very starchy so you
must use a fair amount of water to
cook them properly. The rule of
thumbs is usually four times the amount
of water to the amount of pasta that
you are cooking. We are so conscious
today of adding extra fats or oils to
food that if we can cut these fats or oils
out of our foods, this would be a very
good thing. Now, some people add oil
to the cooking water so that the pasta
will not stick together. If you have
enough water and are stirring the
noodles in the cooking water regularly,
you will not need to add oil to the
water, and the pasta will come out
perfect every time.
If you are not going to use the
cooked noodles right away, then make
sure that you cool off the noodles
under cold running water and drain
them off well in a colander. Many
people at this point will add oil to the
cooked noodles so they will not stick
together. This is really not necessary;
yes the noodles will be a mass of stuck
together pasta when you take it out of
the fridge, but if you just add a little
water to the noodles and lightly mix,
they will begin to fall apart, perfect and
ready for how every you are planning to
cook them.
I have just one more thought
which I would like to share with you.
Have you ever considered cooking your
noodles in a liquid other than salted
water? Next time you are feeling
adventurous in the kitchen, try using
chicken stock, beef stock or some other
flavoured cooking liquid such as tomato
juice! You will be surprised with how
different the same plain noodle will
taste. Have you ever considered cooking
your noodles in sugar water, to make
them sweet? If you decide to do that,
how about mixing the sweet pasta
noodle with chocolate sauce and add a
mixture of fresh berries. You will have
to admit that this will definitely make a
very unique and extremely tasty dessert.
Until the next time, I hope that
you have learned something new and
when you find yourself in the kitchen
cooking noodles, don’t be afraid to
experiment a little to turn that everyday
meal into something a little bit special.
Hospitality and Tourism
offers ‘hospitality’ to
Grade 8 Students &
Parents
By: Mr. Zerdin
On Tuesday, December 12th, 2007,
Hospitality and Tourism students
volunteered to assist with catering,
tours of the kitchen and café, and to
give our future students an insight into
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER SECONDARY SCHOOL
the coursework and practical skills that
students are learning in Hospitality and
Tourism classes.
Over 1000 cookies were prepared
and served, with coffee, to the large
crowds that gathered to obtain information about St. Francis Xavier Secondary
School. As well, teachers and students
explained about the new Specialist High
Skills Major (SHSM) program that is
now available in the Hospitality and
Tourism program.
Grade 8 students and their parents
were excited to learn that successful
completion of a SHSM will be
indicated on the Ontario Student
Transcript and on the diploma upon
graduation. SHSM students also receive
sector-related certificates such as First
Aid, CPR, Food Safety, Smart Serve and
WHMIS. Further, a SHSM allows a
student to experience a range of
customized, career-focused learning
opportunities (through co-op and
reach-ahead experiences e.g. programs
at a post-secondary institutions e.g.
colleges/universities) and also gives
them the opportunity to explore career
goals and make informed decisions
related to postsecondary education,
training, and the next steps toward a
career. No doubt, students who
graduate with a SHSM can look forward
to improved prospects after secondary
school because of the recognition of
and support from a variety of representatives from the business sector,
apprenticeship training programs, and
colleges & universities.
DACX
Digital Arts Club
Xavier