November 2013
Vol. 14 Issue 1
St. Marguerite d’Youville S.S. School Newsletter
The Exodus to the Promised Land
D’Youville Students Walk-a-thon raises $15,000 for ShareLife
St. Marguerite d’Youville S.S. • 10815 Dixie Road, Brampton Ontario Canada L6R 2W5
Tel: (905) 789.5560 • Fax: (905) 789.1143
Twitter: www.twitter.com/dytweets • Website: www.dpcdsb.org/dyouv
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Principal
Kevin Greco
Vice Principals
Anthony Marcellino (A-F)
James Chambers (G-O)
Frances Campese (P-Z)
Chaplain
Tony Whelan
Student Services
Corrine Maury (A-DaSilva)
Claudio DiFederico (Date-Ki)
Peter Gray (Kn-Pr)
Lina D’Onofrio (Pu-Z)
Head Secretary
Mrs. Paralovos
Guidance Secretary
Mrs. Contardi
Budget Secretary
Mrs. Amatruda
St. Marguerite d’Youville S.S. ~ Fall 2013
Principal’s Message
W
elcome to another great year in our St.
Marguerite d’Youville Catholic School
Community.
St. Marguerite d’Youville
continues to be among the top schools in
Brampton. Our caring and dedicated staff remain
committed to providing a welcoming atmosphere
focused on our faith, inclusion, connectedness,
belonging and safety.
We aim to improve our
provincial testing scores, increasing our graduation
rates and credit accumulation rates.
Catholic educators are responsible for the holistic formation of our
students. Our hope is that our students
become good and caring citizens of the
world, loving God and neighbor living
out our Catholic School Graduate
Expectations. The Catholic Graduate is
expected to be:
┼ A discerning believer formed in
the Catholic faith community;
┼ An effective communicator who
Attendance Secretary
Mrs. King
speaks, writes and listens honestly
Assistant Secretary
Mrs. Curtis
┼ A reflective, creative and holistic
Assistant Attendance Secretary
Ms. Erminia Frisoli
Director of Education
John Kostoff
Superintendent of Schools
Les Storey
Trustee
Scott McLauchlan
School Council Chairs
Liane Fernandes
Janice Gordon
Newsletter Editors
Peter Yan
Frances Campese
School Motto:
To Trust, To Risk,
To Love, To Serve
and sensitively;
thinker who solves problems and
makes responsible decisions;
┼ A self-directed, responsible, lifelong learner who develops and
demonstrates
his/her
God-given
potential;
┼ A collaborative contributor who
finds meaning, dignity and vocation
in work which respects the rights of
all;
┼
A caring family member who
attends to family, school, parish, and
the wider community;
┼ A responsible citizen who gives
witness to Catholic social teaching
by promoting peace, justice and the
sacredness of human life.
All of our staff members serve as
authentic Catholic witnesses for our
students providing direction, support and
guidance.
We are committed to
providing all of our students with positive
spiritual, academic and social experiences
in effort to inspire personal
transformation and growth. This year the
Chaplaincy Team led by Mr. Whelan has
introduced “Serving in the light of Christ”
as our theme.
Religious education
courses, liturgies, retreats, daily prayer and
local and international social justice
outreach initiatives will all align with our
Catholic duty to serve others.
Again this year we will work
collaboratively with parents to improve
your child’s high school experience. One
way our parents are directly involved is
through our Catholic School Council. Our
council is co-chaired by Janice Gordon
and Liane Fernandes. The next School
Council meeting date is on Monday
November 18th @ 6:00 pm. All parents
are welcome!
I would like to end off by
welcoming some new faces to our
community. Please welcome our new
Vice Principals Mrs. Campese and Mr.
Chambers, teachers Mr. Leskun and Mr.
Torchia and Custodians Mr. Viveiros, Mr.
Mariampilla and Mrs. Basra.
As you will see in these pages much has
happened already in a busy new school
year and no doubt there is much more to
come. Remember to visit our Website
for more information about our
school athttp://www.dpcdsb.org/
DYOUV/. You are also invited to
follow us on Twitter @dytweets.
-Mr. K. Greco
PAWS & REFLECT
Vol. 14 Issue 1
Page 3
O
n October 16th, the feast
day of St. Marguerite
d’Youville, our school did
an eight kilometer walkathon to St.
Marguerite d’Youville Parish and
back. We celebrated mass at the
parish, which was led by Fr. Romeo
Tolentino. This is the only time in
our school year where we are able
to gather our entire school
community in one place. We had
to use the basement as well, as the
students there watched the live feed
of the mass going on upstairs. On
our return to the school burgers
were prepared by our local Knights
of Columbus and our hospitality
teachers and students.
We also
enjoyed a staff – student touch
football game. We had a great day and I am very
pleased to announce that we were successful in
reaching our goal of $15,000.00 for the various
agencies of Sharelife. There could not be a more
fitting way to celebrate the life of the first
Canadian born saint and the patron saint of
universal charity.
Chaplain
Education courses will begin preparing for their
upcoming CPT’s with more information to follow
This year’s school theme “Serving in the Love of
Christ” is an integral part of our curriculum and
community in the Theology Department. We are
reminded of God’s call to love one another with
the generosity that is described in the Sermon on
the Mount. This year we are pleased to welcome
to the department Ms. Abbatangelo, Ms. Damiani,
Ms. Del Duca, Ms. D’Souza, Ms. Kitunen, Ms.
Raposo, Ms. Soares, and Ms. Solorzano. We wish
Ms. Vicars many blessings as she goes on maternity
leave.
The dedicated teachers in the Theology
Department are working diligently to deliver
curriculum that is rooted in our call to actively
love and serve one another. The retreat program
is well underway for each grade level. Students
have had or will have the opportunity to further Arika Macaalay, Gr. 12 student, won the Catholic Student of
witness God’s love during their retreat experience. the Year Award, presented by the Catholic Trustees Association
In addition, students presently taking Religious of Ontario, on October 19th, at the Mariott Hotel.
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St. Marguerite d’Youville S.S. ~ Fall 2013
Justice League: Fall 2013
Welcome back
d’Youville!!
Justice League is
l o o k i n g
forward
to
another year of
p o s i t i v e
change. Thank
you to all new members who have joined us
this year and to all previous members who
have returned! A congratulations goes out to
Rachel Bair and Mary Ajenifuja who are this
year’s co-presidents! We are excited to have
you as our Justice League leaders. On October
31, Justice League also ran a food drive for
Halloween, called We Scare Hunger. For every
food item brought in, students received
Halloween candy! All the non-perishable food
items were donated to the Knights Table in
Brampton. Looking ahead, Justice League will
be setting up a display of meaningful Gifts that
Give for the Christmas season, running our 2nd
annual Fair Trade Fair in the spring and
organizing our Fill-a-backpack campaign that provides school supplies for students in need. Justice League
meetings are Thursdays, after school, in room 304. Check the bulletin board outside of the English office for
meeting times and club updates! All new members are welcome to join! Thank you for being the change!
-Mrs. J. Simon
d’Youville School Wellness Action Group
Next, we welcome Mrs. Damiani to the team
this year. She brings with her a wealth of
knowledge and years of experience in health
and wellness initiatives. We look forward to
incorporating her expertise into our group.
d’Y SWAG had a successful launch during clubs Finally, we will continue to promoting health
day in October.
and wellness initiatives to improve the lives of
the d’Y school community. Stay tuned to the
We brought back our famous Spinach and Berry morning announcements for interesting and
Smoothie for the second year to a great success. important information on: Motion Mondays
The team, mostly comprised of students from (ways to be more active), Very Berry Tuesdays
Grades 10 – 12 handed out over 1000 (facts about different fruits (specifically
smoothies during all three lunches. The berries)), Workout Wednesdays (short simple
smoothies were made with 2% milk, mixed workout routines), No Carb Thursdays (listing
field berries, and a secret healthy ingredient: ways of avoiding eating carbs) and Fun Fact
spinach! d’Y SWAG encourages everyone to Fridays (one healthy tip or fact). We look
make healthy choices and add some green into forward to seeing you at our next event.
their diet.
PAWS & REFLECT
Vol. 14 Issue 1
Student Services
T
he Guidance Department would like to
welcome everyone — both students and
parents to the 2013-2014 school year at St.
Marguerite d’Youville.
A special welcome goes
out to all Grade 9 students who are beginning their
high school years and anyone else who is new to
our school. If you have any concerns regarding
your son/daughter be it academic, personal or career counselling, we are here to assist you. Counsellors are available to meet with students and parents according to the students last name.
A -DaSilva
Date-Ki
Mrs. Maury
Ext. 79012
Mr. DiFederico Ext. 79011
Kn-Pr
Mr. Gray
Pu-Z
Mrs. D,Onofrio Ext 79010
Ext. 79016
FOR ALL STUDENTS, especially seniors, are encouraged to keep researching and preparing for
their post-secondary education by visiting our
school website and taking advantage of “Internet
Favorites for Students” and “myBlueprint”. Just go
to www.dpcdsb.org/DYOUV/ click on Departments, Student Services, then Guidance. Students
and parents can use these web sites to plan ahead,
or for easy searches of topics such as: postsecondary institutions, apprenticeship opportunities, career exploration, employment resources,
student resources, and scholarships.
This year the students use of my blueprint will be
expanded to include a number of new features as
well as school wide course selection. Details to
follow.
Senior students are reminded that a minimum of
six grade 12 “U” or “M” level courses are required
in order to apply to a university program. All program specific requirements must be included in
these six grade 12 courses. Every university bound
student should be visiting the e-info web site at
www.electronicinfo.ca to research admission requirements.
College programs require a high school diploma
containing grade 12 English (“C” or “U” level), plus
all other program specific requirements. Colleges
Page 5
will look at 6-8 senior courses completed at the
“C” level or higher from grade 11 and 12. Every
college bound student should be visiting the college web site www.ontariocolleges.ca to research
admission requirements.
Applications to College and University will be completed
on-line. We encourage all post-secondary students to
have finished applying by the time they return from
Christmas holidays in January.
To all grade nine students who participated in the
Wednesday, November 6th “Take Our KidsTo
Work Day”! This day is a positive step in providing
our young students with a “first hand” experience
of some essential skills required for success in the
world of work.
To last year’s award recipients! We had over 300!
Our annual Awards Night was held on Tuesday
October22nd. This annual event was a huge success and very well attended. All staff are very
proud of the students, recognizing their hard work
and effort over the past year.
All students are reminded that 40 hrs. of community
service and a passing grade on the grade 10 Ontario Literacy Test are compulsory requirements in order to earn
a secondary school diploma.
When you have completed a minimum of 40 hours service, please make an appointment with your guidance
counselor who will add them to your school record. It
is to your benefit to have these hours completed by the
end of grade eleven. You are able to access community
service tracking sheets. Any hours completed the summer before entering grade nine are now admissible as
community service hours.
Grade twelve students who still require the literacy component for graduation must be registered in the grade
12 literacy course (OLC4O1) either in day school, or at
night school.
College Application Seminars
November 11-15
University Applications Seminars
November 18-22
On behalf of the guidance department we would like to
wish all students a very successful and rewarding
semester!
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St. Marguerite d’Youville S.S. ~ Fall 2013
Greetings from d’Youville Drama! We are proud to
open our doors to all students in the Drama Studio,
from those who are looking to try something different
and achieve their Arts credit to the aspiring thespian
eager to learn more about the craft. We’re halfway
through the semester, so let’s get caught up on what’s
happening!
Period 2 Grade 9 Class
Drama Classes
We would like to welcome the students of the grade 9
and 10 Dramatic Arts classes to our creative
Period 4 Greek Theatre Winners
d’Youville Drama
environment. Classes have just wrapped up their introduction to tableau vivant (french for living
picture) a performance art form that requires the utmost concentration and commitment from performers. Up
next, they will be undertaking a unit of study on movement, where they will truly learn what it means to “step
into the shoes of another”.
Next year d’Youville Drama anticipates the return of the Drama - Film/Video course. This is an exciting
opportunity for students to become a part of television and movies at d’Youville. The course ran for two years
and culminated with our very own Short Film Festival from 2010-2012, complete with a red carpet and popcorn.
If you have taken grade 9 or 10 Drama you already have the pre-requisite to take this course. Be sure to register
next semester to have your chance to grace the silver screen.
This year d’Youville Drama is undergoing a
facelift! Along with some changes to the look of the outside of the
theatre, we announced last spring that the theatre is being
renamed to reflect the spirit of our students today. We are excited
for the upcoming new look and name later in the spring!ß
are coming! Our spring play is currently in the early
pre-production stages. Students who are interested in being a part
of the production as an actor or a stage crew member must listen
to upcoming morning announcements about our next
information meeting. We look forward to meeting with the
many talented students, old and new!
Until then, keep warm and nurture your artistic side…
- Mr. N. Paul
Period 1 Grade 10 Class
PAWS & REFLECT
Vol. 14 Issue 1
Page 7
O n T h u rs d a y , O c t ob e r 2 4 ,
Coffee House Jam Night
made its triumphant return
f o r t h e s e v en t h ti m e a t
d ’ Y o u v i l l e . T h e J am N i g h t
C o m m i t t e e w a s a s to u n d e d
b y t h e g r o w i n g n um b e r o f
talented
students
at
d’Youville.
Th i s ye a r t h e
t h e m e w a s t h e 2 0 0 0 s ! S t u d e n t s a n d s t af f t o o k t o t h e
s t a g e t o e n t e r t a i n th e s ol d - o u t c r o w d a t o u r b i g g e s t
night in Jam Night history.
From the opening number, The Cup Song, the audience knew that they were
i n f o r a t r e a t . D a zz l e d b y t h e s o u n ds o f M a r o o n 5 ,
T h e A r c t i c M on k e ys , L o r d e , A d e l e , C h r i s t i n a P e r r i ,
B r u n o M a r s , an d m an y o t h e r a r t i s t s , th e s t u d e n t s an d
parents enjoyed the annual celebration of music. We
w o u l d l i k e t o t h a n k a n d c on g r a t u l a t e al l o f t h e s t u d e n t s f o r t h e i r ha r d w o r k a nd
commitment to this
w o n d e r f u l e v en t . In a d d i t i o n ,
we would like to express our
gratitude to the staff who volunteered their time to once
a g a i n h e l p m a k e Cof f e e H o us e
Ja m N i g h t a g r e a t s u c c e s s . S ee
y o u n e x t y e a r w i t h a n a l l - n ew
theme!
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St. Marguerite d’Youville S.S. ~ Fall 2013
Link Crew Transition Program
Link Crew is a transition program at d’Youville
designed to help our new grade 9 students adjust to
high school life. Link Crew is made up of a group of
dedicated Grade 11 and 12 students from diverse
backgrounds in our d’Youville
community. Link Leaders are
trained to act as positive role
models and mentors to steer
grade 9’s in the right
direction.
Link Leaders began this year
by hosting the grade 9
orientation on August 28th.
The goal was to welcome
grade 9’s to d’Youville, have
them become familiar with
each other and their
surroundings, as well as
promote several messages
about how to be successful in
high school. Link Leaders
have continued to assist grade
9’s with transition by acting
as guides during grade 9
retreats, as well as through
“Academic Follow Ups”. In
“Academic Follow Ups”, Link
Leaders visit grade 9 classes to
discuss the importance of
academics, offer advice and
strategies in becoming a wellrounded student, and reestablish relationships with
them.
In hopes to increase the commitment to the transition
of our grade 8 students from our feeder schools, we
are hosting our 2nd annual “A Day in the Life” event,
in which the grade 8 students come to DY for the day
on November 6th while the current grade 9s
participate in Take your kid to work day out of the
school. Each grade 8 student will follow the schedule
similar to a grade 9 student with the guidance and
support of our Link Leaders and grade 9 teachers
throughout the day. They will also get a glimpse into
the specialty course offered at our school.
Link Crew is also looking forward
to hosting Cocoa and Cram Study
Session before January Exams in
order to help grade 9’s prepare
for their upcoming exams.
Our Link Crew Leaders pledge to
continue to be positive
reinforcements in the d’Y
community. We look forward to
the many events ahead of us this
year.
Mr. P. McAllister, Mrs. E. McPhee,
Mrs. K. McMullin
PAWS & REFLECT
Vol. 14 Issue 1
Page 9
Guys Night Out - Taking Mentoring to a New Height!
On Friday October 18th 2013,
the Safe Schools Committee
organized a “Guys Night” for
grade 9 boys at d’Y. The night
began with a presentation
b y
P r o f e s s i o n a l
A t h l e t e
O r l a n d o
Bowen. Orlando is dedicated
to making a real tangible
difference in the lives of today’s
youth so they can be all they
can be for their community,
city, and society at large
through positive high energy
and initiative. Students then
participated in a competitive
pasta eating contest, which
built teamwork among each
group. After the challenge was
completed, and the winners
declared, students travelled to
various workshops throughout
the school.
The workshops
enabled teachers and senior
students to reach out to grade
9 students to form important
bonds, build character, and
promote the core values of
Christian discipleship. It also
provided the grade 9 students
with the knowledge of
resources available to them at
d’Youville. The event would
not have been a success
without the help of our Link
Leaders who worked with the
grade 9’s throughout the
evening.
Thanks to the
teachers and support staff who
volunteered their time to lead
the workshops and supervise
the events. A special thanks to
Mr. Torchia for his hospitality
throughout the night and to
Paul Johnson (visiting CYW
from Campion) for his amazing
workshop!
Page 10
St. Marguerite d’Youville S.S. ~ Fall 2013
Students in St. Marguerite d’Youville’s Grade 11 Communications Technology class have been hard
at work honing in on their technical and artistic skills by creating vector based logo designs over
these past few weeks. Below are student samples of their personalized Logo Designs, as well as,
some FRESH DYTV logo designs that have been featured on DYTV closing credits!
Here are some fun logos inspired by the DYTV
broadcast crew, designed just for fun. Hope you
enjoy their creativity.
PAWS & REFLECT
Vol. 14 Issue 1
Page 11
Science News
Applications of Technology and
Hands-On Learning in Science
Students in science this semester
have had an exciting start! Our
grade 9’s have been working
through scientific inquiry and
learning physical and chemical
properties and change as well as
the molecular structure of
molecules.
Grade 10 students studying the
cell were assessed using a smart
board application where cell
division diagrams and animations d’Youville Students with 3D Molecules
are manipulated by each student.
playing the Angry BirdsTM Game as part of a
lesson on projectile motion in Mrs. Balcita's
class! Using their personal PED's, they
downloaded the free Angry Birds TM
application and analyzed the physics
principles used to create the trajectories of the
birds.
Claymation at work
Grade 11 biology students are busy studying
microscopic living organisms and
demonstrating their ability to move and eat.
The students performed Claymation in which
Play-Doh was utilized to create the organism.
After creating the structure, students used
their electronic device to create a Play-Doh
animation of feeding mechanisms and
movement.
The grade 11 physics students were engaged in
Our grade 12 chemistry students applied their
knowledge of molecular architecture to build
3-dimensional scale models of various organic
compounds.
They also researched and
reported on the relationships between
structure, properties, and uses of these
substances in every day life.
Finally, we are proud to be participating in
the Toshiba ExploraVision science and
technology competition for the third year in a
row. Last year we had 2 teams finish with
honourable mentions. Our dedicated teachers
had undertaken the task of mentoring and
supporting our teams in this research and
paper writing competition. We are happy to
offer this as an extracurricular opportunity for
our science students this school year and look
forward to great success!
PAWS & REFLECT
Vol. 14 Issue 1
Page 12
Science Students learning
cell division at the
Smartboard.
Manufacturing
Technology
The Gr. 12 Class busy at
work on fabricating bike
racks for the school.
Page 13
Grade 9 and 10 students can also access free
online tutoring offered by the Ministry every
Sunday to Thursday from 5:30 pm to 9: 30
pm. The student's OEN number is required to
register and is found on the student's
timetable or report card. Website: https://
homeworkhelp.ilc.org/
A reminder that many of
our courses have textbooks available online.
Ask your teacher for more info.
If students forget their textbooks at school
they can still access their work at home or at a
library.
Mathematics Courses and Prerequisites
Students registering for the MCF3M1 course
next year are strongly recommended to have
a minimum of 75 % in the MFM2P1 course .
Students registering for the MCT4C1 course
require the MCF3M1 course as a prerequisite .
The MBF3C1 course is NOT the proper
prerequisite for MCT4C1.
Manufacturing
Technology
Our Gr. 10 Class will be
working with small
engines and retrofitting
our existing go-karts.
St. Marguerite d’Youville S.S. ~ Fall 2013
Our semester one grade 9 Applied and grade
9 Academic Mathematics students are
preparing for the Mathematics EQAO Test
which will be written at SMD during the week
of January 13th - 17th , 2014. The EQAO
assessment counts as part of the final 30 %
evaluation of these courses. In addition the 9
Applied classes will complete a board created
CPT and the 9 Academic classes will write a
final exam.
The grade 9 essential mathematics students do
not write the Mathematics EQAO test. A
portion of the test will count towards the
students' final marks and therefore attendance
on these test dates is critical. Students have
been provided with a preparation booklet
and have been practicing throughout the
semester. Sample Mathematics EQAO
questions may be found at www.EQAO.com.
Grade 9 students will also find preparation
material for the EQAO Literacy test, written in
grade 10 , on the same website.
Mrs. Deslaurier
Page 14
St. Marguerite d’Youville S.S. ~ Fall 2013
and summaries of this year’s nominees can
be found on www.accessola.com.
You only need to read five of the ten nominated books to be eligible to participate in
the April vote for the best book. The results
are then combined with the votes of stuAs usual, the d’Y Resource Centre is busy dents across Ontario and the author is
with the bustle of students learning and awarded the White Pine Award at the Forworking on their courses. We continue to est of Reading ceremony in May.
offer the d’Y community many services such
as: book borrowing, computer access, printing and photocopying, but it is also a place If you are interested in becoming a part of
to unwind. Visit us to browse through our the White Pine reading program, please see
magazine collection or just have some quiet Ms. Andreacola and Ms. Caroleo in the library to sign up. Happy reading!
time with a good book.
Brand new titles are arriving daily. There is
plenty of new non-fiction, with up to the
minute information to help your research
and the hottest bestsellers such as Guinness
Book of World Records 2014, The Mortal
Instruments series , Heroes of Olympus series, plus graphic novels. There are books
to suit everyone’s tastes! Come and see the
library staff for recommendations.
If there is a book you would like to read
that is not a part of our library collection,
we would love to hear from you. Please
see a library staff member and we can put
the title on the book request list for the future and hopefully we will be able to purchase it.
d’Youville staff and students are welcome
to participate in the Ontario Library Association’s White Pine reading program. Titles
Congratulations to all the d’Youville students who participated in the Brampton
Public Library’s 2013 Teen Summer Reading
Challenge. Altogether, d’Y students read an
amazing total of 75, 221 pages! Well done
Alice Caraccioli, Rujavi Ghelani, Harman
Grewal, Angel Ly, Kimmy Nguyen, Janhavi
Patel, Sebastian Pereira, Mitchelle Perera,
Andy Thind. Please see Ms. Andreacola in
the library for your certificate.
We wish all students a successful semester.
Keep working hard work to achieve your
best and remember that the d’Youville library offers many resources and services to
help you accomplish your goals. We are
open every day from 7.30 am (full uniform) to 3.30 pm (relaxed uniform). Visit
us for a quiet place to study and learn.
D. Andreacola
Teacher Librarian
PAWS & REFLECT
Vol. 14 Issue 1
Page 15
Greetings from the History and Social Science
Department, soon to be the Canada and World
Studies and Humanities Department. First we would
like to welcome a number of new and talented
recruits to our department including Nadia Sbrocchi
and David Di Lorenzo. This year is shaping up to be
an exciting one. The annual Grade Nine Mapping
trip to the CN Tower was a great success.
our Culture, Cathedrals and Commemoration March
Break European Adventure. Students will take part in
a number activities and excursions including historical
commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the start
of World War One in Bruges and the 70th
anniversary celebration of D-Day at Juno Beach.
While travelling through England, Holland, Belgium
and France we will get a taste of the cuisine, art,
architecture, history, music and pizazz of 5000 years
Kudos go out to Mr. Ulcar and his Time Team for a
of western civilization.
wonderful and moving Remembrance Day
Celebration.
In the spring we have tentatively planned for a
Freedom Trail tour that follows the Underground
The Canadian history classes will travel to Toronto in
Railway from Detroit through Amherstburg
to
December to explore the full horrors of the
Uncle Tom’s Cabin in Chatham as well as an
Holocaust. They will sit down with a survivor and
excursion to Washington.
explore the heroic efforts of the Righteous who
risked their lives to rescue the victims of the Nazi -Mr. C. Leskun
terror.
Coming in spring d’Youville will be embarking on
yet another excursion for our ARD
students to attend
the Ontario Colleges Fair, held at the
Direct Energy Center in Toronto. All
these events were
wonderful opportunities for our students as the plan
their educational
pathway and transition to the next
stage in their life long journey of learning!
Next month, we are planning
for our Grade 9 and 10 students to be
trained on assistive technology so that
they can be more independent on tests
and successful on the Literacy test in the
spring! All this TEAM work, just reminds
us that
sauga. It was a very social but tiring day
The past two months have been very
but always fun to meet with friends and
busy and exciting in the Academic
family!
Rsource Department.
On October 4th, a group of
rd
On October 3 , our Planning Grade 11 & 12 students went to the Stufor Independence class held their annual dent Life Expo at the Metro Convention
dinner for parents, students, graduates Center in Toronto. It was an opportuniand staff. It was a lovely evening of re- ty for students to explore various aspects
connecting with our friends and sharing of post-secondary life and find out more
information about transitioning to post- information about various social and
secondary programs. Students had also financial organizations that help support TOGETHER EVERYONE ACHIEVES
competed that day at the Annual Bocce students.
On October 22nd, Ms. MORE!!
Tournament at St. Marcellinus, in Missis- Domingues and Ms. Gregori planned
-Mrs. L. Pincente
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St. Marguerite d’Youville S.S. ~ Fall 2013
On October 4, the Alternative Education students from St.
Marguerite d’Youville Secondary School visited the IKEA
Vaughan store as part of their cross-curricular experience
program. Students had the opportunity to not only learn
about the various job opportunities available at IKEA, but
also witnessed firsthand how an international home décor
company reaches out to the local and international community by following their business philosophy of “Doing
Well by Doing Good”. Students were exposed to various
departments including: Public Relations, Human Resources,
Interior Design, and Sustainability. In addition to being exposed to current and future job prospects, students are expected to create a photo essay and PR campaign that accurately depicts IKEA’s main idea: “Create a better everyday
life for the many people”. Teachers of the program, Peter
Yan and Jennifer Costa-Pellico explained, “IKEA opened
the eyes of our kids to a world of enjoyable work”. Students left excited and inspired as they also learned that a
workplace can be a vehicle to change the world
On October 29, 2013 our Alt. Ed. Students also
made a trip to Hockley Valley Resort in Mono,
Ontario. There, our students were exposed not
only to the different careers in the tourism and
hospitality industry but also to inspirational stories from the owner right down to the housekeepers.
Owner, Mrs. Adamo shared her experiences as a
female entrepreneur in the early 1990s and being
turned down by every major bank as she tried to
build her own dream resort from a 28 room
“roach motel” already gone bankrupt 3 times.
“Only you put limitations on yourself,” she said.
“If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will.
It’s easy to give up and make excuses. But I believe everyone of you has the fire to do whatever
you want.”
Student Kevon Radcliffe asks for a sample
massage ...and gets one!!
Special thanks to the Adamo Family and Tracy
Hoddington for inspiring our students and arranging the entire day, including a buffet lunch
for our students.
Thanks to our chauffeurs, Mr. Torresan and Mr.
Debono
PAWS & REFLECT
Vol. 14 Issue 1
Page 17
d’Youville Alternative Education
On November 6, our students ventured on Brampton Transit and the TTC to Ryerson University Image
Centre to take in the Ghost Dance exhibit, an exhibit of indigenous artist struggling for their rights and
self-empowerment through art, part of their Native Art Course credit.
PAWS & REFLECT
Vol. 14 Issue 1
Page 18
English Department News
“All the world’s a stage, and all
the men and women merely
players.”
- William Shakespeare
grade 12 English (4U) students
visited the University of
Toronto to experience
university life in the heart of
improve their reading skills.
This month, we would like to
acknowledge and congratulate
the following students for
achieving the highest A.R.
scores in their grade:
The top two point earners in
grade 9 English are:
Nichaela Gavey - 88.4 points in
Mr. Middlemiss’ class.
Leanne Dsouza - 55.9 points in
Mr. Middlemiss’ class.
The top two point earners in
grade 10 are:
Armando Vazquez – 165.2
Points in Mrs. Tsafkopoulos’
class.
A Trip to the Theatre
On Friday, November 15th,
students in grade 9 Academic
English will have the
opportunity to view a live
production of Romeo and
Juliet by the Classical Theatre
Project, and grade 11 University
English students will see a
performance of Macbeth on
Monday, November 18 th .
Previous performances by the
Classical Theatre Project have
been well received by our
students. Students will have the
opportunity to interact with
the actors and director by
asking questions about each
production. Everyone is
looking forward to a great trip!
downtown Toronto. Students
attended a lecture at
Convocation Hall and explored
various faculties enjoying the
modern and historic buildings
such as Hart House, Robarts
Library and University College.
The day was concluded with a
visit to the university book
store for souvenirs. The group
returned to d’Youville excited
about their post-secondary
futures, ready to pursue their
goals of higher education.
AR is Underway!
As part of the grade 9 and 10
English program at St.
Marguerite d’Youville S.S.,
students participate in a daily
reading program. The
A Day in the Life of a
Accelerated Reader Program
University Student
provides an opportunity for
On Thursday October 10th, all students to practice and
Hajara Abdulkadir – 56 Points
in Ms. Bural’s class.
Congratulations!
Literacy Mondays
All grade 9 and 10 students are
busy enhancing their literacy
skills in their English classes
every Monday. Grade 10
students are using the Literacy
Test Workbook in order to
practice
the
various
requirements for reading and
writing in order to ensure
success on the OSSLT. Students
are encouraged to visit
www.eqao.com to view
samples of the Ontario
Secondary School Literacy Test.
—Ms. M. Bural
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St. Marguerite d’Youville S.S. ~ Fall 2013
GIRL POWER: Girls Night In
On Friday, November 8th, 2013 d’Youville hosted its
annual Girls Night In. 120 Grade 9 girls flooded the
cafeteria (while dressed in their colourful Girls Night
t-shirts) ready to meet their teams and have fun. The
evening began with a “Getting to Know You”
activity and raffle, a prayer by Mrs. Campese as well
as an empowering and inspiring presentation from
the HEAL (Help End Abuse for Life) Network’s
Prabhjot Dhami. Students were then sent on their
way to experience a variety of workshops including:
Dance, Sundae making, Outreach, Cosmetology,
Healthy Relationships, Video Games, Yoga, Social
Media and team-building Physical Education
activities.
The evening did not end there.
Workshops were followed by a dance party in the
cafeteria with a midnight Pizza snack. Finally, the
girls changed and got comfortable in the gym to
watch a movie and eventually get to sleep.
of their weekend. The event was a huge success!
Mrs. McMullin and Mr. McAllister’s LINK CREW
ladies were outstanding in maintaining positive
relationships with their fellow grade 9 girls and
keeping our school clean! A big thank you also goes
out to teacher supervisors: Ms. Abbatangelo, Mrs.
Bajc, Ms. Brum-Porto, Ms. Campese, Mrs. Caroleo,
Ms. Ceci, Mrs. Costa-Pellico, Ms. Damiani, Ms. Del
Duca, Mrs. DiSanto, Ms. D’Souza, Mrs. Faria, Mrs.
Fernandes, Mrs. Gregori, Ms. Kitunen, Mrs. Lavallee,
Mrs. Lowe, Ms. Macedo, Mr. Marcellino, Mrs.
Maury, Ms. Meschino, Mr. McAllister, Mrs. McPhee,
Mrs. McMullin, Mrs. Mondesir, Ms. Monticciolo,
Mrs. Pincente, Ms. Pontes, Ms. Ropret and Ms.
Sbrocchi. Without our staff, this event would not
have been possible. Together, staff and students
were successful in living out our school theme for
In the morning, staff and students enjoyed a this year: “Serving in the Love of Christ” with this
delicious breakfast before leaving to enjoy the rest amazing event!
Page 20
The athletic fall season returned in
September with cross-country
running, girls basketball, boys
volleyball, and boys football teams. All
teams started out with excitement and
success. Both senior and junior girls
basketball teams finished first in their
divisions and made the playoffs. The
boy’s volleyball teams also had great
seasons with the junior team yet to
play their semi-final game against
Rick Hanson. The senior football team
Cross Country Team
St. Marguerite d’Youville S.S. ~ Fall 2013
began with the hope of
repeating as ROPSAA champs,
however they came up short
against Campion in a playoff
play-down. The junior football
team went 4-4 and did not
make the playoffs, but they did
go out on a wining note. The
cross-country running team
participated in several events
and had a good showing at ROPSAA.
PAWS & REFLECT
Vol. 14 Issue 1
Page 21
Sr. Football Team 2013
Jr. Football Team 2013
PAWS & REFLECT
Vol. 14 Issue 1
Sr. Boys Volleyball 2013
Sr. Girls Basketball
Page 22
Page 23
St. Marguerite d’Youville S.S. ~ Fall 2013
Football Tackles the Cure for Cancer
Football Fundraiser Event raises
$7,000 for Princess Margaret
Cancer Foundation.
PAWS & REFLECT
Vol. 14 Issue 1
are 5 returning
players which include
captains
Nicholas Virdo
and Cruz Coronel,
Gurman
Grewel, Stefano
Anastasio,
and
Bobby Chauhan.
Grade 10 newcomer Jose Garcia has quickly
become a hitting
force
and
rounding out the
team are the
hard
working
grade 9’s who
have
adapted
well and have
The Junior Boys Volleyball shown a lot of dedication to
team have had an excellent the team: Ukasha Khan, Joshua
start to the 2013 season. There Scarfile, Terrell Simon, Micheal
Jr. Boys Volleyball
Page 24
Procopio, and Kawon Schobourgh. Also appreciated is the
help of managers Dzifa Afegenu
and Felicia Coretti.
The Panthers have been very
successful in the month of October as they won the St. Roch
and the St. Joan of Arc Junior
Boys volleyball tournaments.
They have shown the league
that St. Marguerite d’Youville is
one of the strongest volleyball
teams around. Coach Moynihan and Del Duca are amazed
at how successful the team has
been and have set high expectations for the Panthers. The
Panthers are on a 14 game winning streak and have secured a
spot in the playoffs where they
Page 25
St. Marguerite d’Youville S.S. ~ Fall 2013
Silvercreek Outdoor Education
Students Visit SilverCreek
Some of our grade 11 physical education students got to go
to Silvercreek Outdoor Center for some team building activities and for some outdoor nature experience. The students
had a blast and came back with some valuable experience.
Artists: Tara Parent, Cristovao DosSantos.
Room 320 Cross
Page 26
St. Marguerite d’Youville S.S. ~ Fall 2013