Pocock Pride
Principal’s Message
The start-up at Philip Pocock, although hectic,
was very smooth. We have many new students and I
appreciate all the extra effort on the part of the staff,
especially the guidance department and the support
staff in welcoming and accommodating the new
members of our community.
We are continuing to increase communications between school and home in
order to find ways to improve parent engagement and involvement in the school.
The School Parent Council is working hard to interest more parents and is looking
at hosting parent meetings with guest speakers addressing such issues as video
game addiction, substance abuse, etc. If you have any suggestions in this regard,
please contact the school.
Throughout this year, we will look forward to improvements in many ways:
an expanded Student Success Initiative supporting continued improvement in
This fall has been an exciting one for me. Although this is my seventh EQAO Grade 9 math and OSSLT results, enhanced individual success evidenced by
year as an administrator at Philip Pocock, I have been appointed as the improved credit accumulation, progress on our Sacred Space initiative utilizing
new Principal. As many of you know, all six of my children are Pocock bulletin boards, display cases and wall murals, as well as the ongoing development
grads and that means that I have been connected to Philip Pocock first as of our pastoral plan and retreat program.
a parent and then as a staff member since 1986! I truly am blessed!
This year will be one of consolidation of previous years’ goals and of embarkMrs. M. Burazin was appointed as Vice-Principal in June. ing on some new ones. I encourage every parent/guardian to get on board with the
Mrs. Burazin joins us from her position as an English teacher at John School Improvement Plan by finding ways that you can participate, whether as a
Cabot Catholic Secondary School. She and her family are long-time member of School Council, a fan at a sporting event, an audience member at a
residents of Mississauga and, in fact, Mrs. Burazin graduated from cultural event or supporting your son or daughter through direct involvement in the
education process. To quote a former Dufferin-Peel principal, the late Ed King – we
St. Martin Catholic School.
challenge you to “Take a risk. Get involved. Be committed.” The Philip Pocock
The year started in the last week of August with the initial staff Catholic School community and your sons or daughters will be the beneficiaries.
meeting followed by the extremely well attended Grade 9 Orientation and
Barbecue. I want to acknowledge the good work of the Student Council Building Improvements
A number of improvements have been made to the building and the grounds
and their staff advisors for making it a fun-filled success.
over the summer and throughout last year.
There have been a number of issues that we addressed right from the
Most visible is the new driveway at the front of the school. It has been
first day of school.
widened, repaved and relined. As a result, the landscaping in the front of the school
Firstly, our 8:00 am start time is a permanent reality. With the traffic also benefited. New shrubs and trees were planted and new sod was laid. This is
conditions outside the school that affects both cars and busses, it is impor- the first phase of a four-phase plan to repave all driveways and parking lots.
tant that students and parents allow for these delays. We focused on
There have also been improvements to the ventilation in the building. Last
getting more of our students in class on-time by meeting with students,
informing parents using our automatic phone call system, personal calls year, the Board plant department installed a new chiller on the roof of the gym to
by teachers and Vice-Principals and messages on our outdoor sign. We improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the air conditioning system. This year,
they installed a second air handling system on the main roof. Until now, only one
have seen an improvement but there is more work to be done.
unit provided all of the fresh air requirements for the entire building. The new unit
We also began the year focusing strongly on the uniform and ensuring has been dedicated to providing fresh air for the third floor only and the pre-existing
that everyone was fully informed of the policy. The proper uniform should unit has been reconfigured to serve the first and second floors. These changes
not be an issue – we are a uniform school and always have been. We thank should result in improved air quality and reduced electricity usage at the same time.
the parents and guardians for their support throughout this process. Again,
the uniform is not perfect but it has much improved.
School Advisory Council
WHO TO CONTACT
Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary School
4555 Tomken Road, Mississauga, Ontario L4W 1J9
Telephone ................. 905-602-6172
http://w3.dpcdsb.org/POCOK
Superintendent
Trustees Ward 3
Ward 4
Elizabeth McGuire 905-890-1221
Mario Pascucci
905-624-3663
Mario.Pascucci@dpcdsb.org
Anna Abbruscato 905-602-5308
Anna.Abbruscato@dpcdsb.org
Principal
Henry Tyndorf
Vice-Principals
Sharon Bolger
Marija Burazin
School Council Chair Vernon Ramlogan
On September 26, the School Advisory Council met for the first time this year
and a new Executive committee was elected. Several enthusiastic parents new to the
Philip Pocock community attended the meeting.
Vernon Ramlogan, newly re-elected chairperson, presented a fund-raising
proposal that was well received. A sub-committee was formed to manage the
fund-raising program. Funds raised will be used to refinish the floor of our wellused stage.
Please consider attending – your school community needs you to be involved.
This year’s executive is:
Chair ..................................... Vernon Ramlogan
Vice Chair ............................. Mike Mercurio
Treasurer .............................. Margaret Ramlogan
Secretary .............................. Marva Edwards
Student Rep ......................... Alexandra Kuznowicz
Non-teaching Staff Rep ....... Rosemarie Bowman
Staff Rep .............................. T B A
Parish Rep ........................... T B A
Community Rep .................. T B A
A-K
L-Z
NOVEMBER 2008
ISSUE 1
Message from Bishop Boissonneau
The role of Parents in Catholic Schools at this time in the history of Catholic Schools is crucial. If there
is ANY challenge to Catholic Schools then it is this part of Ontario that would have to respond. The GTA and
Golden Horseshoe have the majority of Catholics. Our parents are the ones that have to be convinced and sold on
Catholic Education, continuing to see and say the value of Catholic Schools.
If there is no conviction of the value of Catholic Schools and we lose them, do you think that children will
attend the sacraments? Through the CCCSC, we need to continue to promote the value of Catholic Education at
every opportunity.
Ask the question. Discuss the answers. Why do you send your children to Catholic School?
Remind, Maintain and Encourage. Each family should know why!!
We begin our new school year with our
Thanksgiving Food Drive for Foodpath
— our local foodbank in Mississauga.
The response was overwhelming once again. Our Thanksgiving Prayer
Service focused this year on the once-in-a-while moments when being
grateful for something powerful which has happened in your personal
life allows you to grow into what can be a major life-changing moment.
Our Retreat Program is well under way and our students are positively
growing as a result.
We are currently seeing our Chapel going through
a restoration phase of being re-painted and
re-carpeted thanks largely to our fundraising
project from last Spring. We now look forward
to our Advent preparations and encouraging our
students to welcome Jesus into their hearts this
Christmas.
Peace,
Ross Oakes— Chaplaincy Leader
Gently used but clean uniforms
Pocock sweaters are available
from Mrs. Pogson.
This year’s Academic Awards Ceremony was held on October 30th, 2008
And showcased our students and their academic achievements for the
academic year 2007-2008. We would like to recognize Fidelis
Ntamwemezi as the top Grade 9 Student, Pawel Stech as the top Grade 10
Student and recipient of the Joe Hugel Award, and Christina Salituro as the
top Grade 11 Student. Congratulations to all who received Honour Awards!
2
November 2008
Moderns, ESL & Fine Arts
Welcome Sofia!
The Moderns Department
would like to congratulate
Mrs. Lorena Ferrari on the
arrival of her beautiful baby
girl, Sofia Ferrari. Little
Sofia was born on September
2, 2008 and weighed in at 6
lbs 15 oz. She brings joy to
parents, brother Luca, grandparents, extended family
and of course our own
Pocock family.
In Addition...
We would like to welcome Mlle. Sara Drudi
who joins our department this semester and
teaches three of our Grade 9 French classes.
Miss Drudi is not new to Pocock as we also had the
pleasure of hosting her last year. In
semester 2, Miss Drudi will join the Social
Science Department.
We would also like to welcome back
Mlle. Elvira Selimovic, who is in for Madame
Ferrari and is no stranger to Pocock or the Moderns Department, in addition, Mme. Tonia Taylor
who is in for Mlle. Iodice. We would also like to
welcome a new addition to the E.S.L. Department,
Mrs. Ewelina Bragg.
The Moderns Department is planning several excursions that tie together the
curriculum/ language links for our students of both French and Italian. The grade
10 Italian students will participate in the ultimate multicultural experience by going
to CHIN Radio Station, Canada’s first multicultural radio station, followed by a truly
delightful culinary experience at Giovanna’s Trattoria. Both are located in the heart of
Toronto’s first “Little Italy” located on College Street. The Grade 11 Italian class will
attend a play that presents the life of Father Francesco Bressani, a famous religious
figure who came to Canada from Italy.
The senior French classes will have the opportunity of attending Molière, a play presented at the Tarragon
Theatre on December 17th, 2008. This promises to be a culturally enriching experience as the play looks at the
relationship between Molière and his theatrical rival Racine. Students will be studying the lives of the two
playwrights and the difference between their styles, as well as looking at the time period in which they lived.
Prior to attending the play, students will also be having brunch at the Richtree Restaurant (a.k.a. the old
Le Marché), where they will experience French / Swiss cuisine at it’s best.
MORE TO COME….
The ESL classes had the opportunity of
participating in interactive and educational
Workshops offered by the Dixie Bloor
Neighbourhood Centre. All groups attended
one of two days: October 28th or October
31st, 2008.
What an amazing experience!
< Mrs. Y. Poletto’s ESL class
November 2008
3
Moderns, ESL & Fine Arts
Welcome back to all of
our former and current
English as a Second
Language students. We
hope you’ve had a very restful and enjoyable summer.
The E.S.L. Staff looks forward to another exciting year in
working with our newcomer students. Extra help is
available for our current or former ESL students who
need additional support with homework, tests or assignments.
Resource help is available to students during the following
times:
Period 1
—
Period 3 AB —
Period 2
—
Period 3 BC —
Period 4
—
Rm 327 —> Ms. Poletto
Rm 327 —> Ms. Fitzpatrick
Rm 327 —> Ms. Selimovic
Rm 327 —> Ms Poletto
Rm 327 —> Ms. Fitzpatrick
During September and October we have received many
new additions to our community. We welcome the following students as they begin their journey as newcomers to
Canada and to Philip Pocock. A hearty Pirate welcome
goes out to:
1. Al-Ammari, Azeez – Yemen
2. Al-Ammari, Sunduz – Yemen
3. Almonte, Paulo – Philippines
4. Aragon Rodriguez, Juan S. – U.S.
5. Bacalso, Peter, Philippines
6. Bacquian, Krisza – Philippines
7. Bazar, Daryna – Ukraine
8. Carmargo, Jayson – Colombia
9. Corrales, Earl – Philippines
10. Corrales, Fiona – Philippines
11. De Castro, Lawrence – Philippines
12. Del Rosario, Mark – Philippines
13. Del Rosario, Mary – Philippines
14.Duarte, Jonathan – Colombia
15.Elraheb, Marise – Egypt
16.El Zein, Sami H. – Lebanon
17.Gabriel, Marica – Philippines
18.Garces, Maria A. – Colombia
19.Garcia, Ana N. – Colombia
20.Gutsul, Vitaliy – Ukraine
21.Hernandes, Aaron –Philippines
22.Hernandes, Kay- Philippines
23.Junco Betancourt, Alfred –Cuba
24.Khan, Fasih – Pakistan
25.Khan, Hira – Pakistan
26.Khan, Rida – Pakistan
27. Lee, Angela – Korea
28.Lobo, Nikita – United Arab Emirates
29.Medina Maldonado, Kasandra – N.Y.
30.Medina Maldonado, Kristen – N.Y.
31.Pedraza, Paula – U.S.
32.Rabbi, Adil – Kuwait
33.Rabbi, Arsalan – Kuwait
34.Rabbi, Gul Rukh – Kuwait
35.Rodykow, Mateusz – Poland
36.Rubiano Cabal, Diana – Colombia
37.Rubio Gonzales, Ricardo – U.S.
38.Saldarriaga, David – U.S.
39.Saldarriaga, Esteban – U.S.
40.Sanchez, Edgar – Mexico
41.Svitlychnyy, Vladyslav – Ukraine
The ESL program welcomes former student Tanya
Kovacevic as a volunteer in the ESL classrooms on Mondays
And Fridays. She also volunteers in the Moderns and Social
Science Departments. Tanya brings a natural enthusiasm
jnto the class and the students not only appreciate her sense
of humor, but also respect her dedication and commitment to
learning.
The ESL field trip to the community center on October 28th
and 30th was a great opportunity for the students to get to
know programs that are available out of school for them as
newcomers to Canada. The students in Ms. Fitzpatrick’s
period 1 class celebrated Thanksgiving with activities
centered on the school's Food Drive.
4
November 2008
Moderns, ESL & Fine Arts
Thursday Dec. 11th. We look forward to celebrating this
festive time of the year with a great show.
It seems like only yesterday when we were putting our
instruments away after performing at Canada’s
Wonderland and sending off our 2007-2008 graduates
with song and music at their graduation mass and
Commencement Ceremony. Here we are again, ready
and roaring to get playing and singing! Here’s just an
overview of what’s happening and things to look
forward to:
Curriculum:
We are very pleased to inform you that enrolment
numbers in the music department this year continue to
be strong! To date we have close to 200 students who
have been assigned to instruments. We are very pleased
with the continued music explosion and are planning to
continue to promote music education with more
program expansion to come. If your child did not take
music in grade 9 but is showing some interest, we do
offer a beginners course for students of any grade. If
you have any questions about any of the music courses
we offer, please feel free to contact Mrs. Kohut or Ms.
Brozo at the school.
This year’s band members are very
excited as they prepare to perform in
Chicago. What makes this trip even
more exciting for the band students is
that we are traveling together with the
dance department and this year’s vocal
ensemble! If you are interested in
having your child participate in this
year's trip, it's not too late! Have your
child drop by the music or dance room to pick up more
information about the trip that can not be missed!
Vocal:
As we continue our vocal program at Pocock, many
wonderful singers are appearing out of nowhere with
great enthusiasm! Thank you to the fantastic singing
we heard at our Thanksgiving liturgies! We are
currently rehearsing repertoire for our Remembrance
Day services, Advent masses, and Christmas concert.
Special Recognition:
x Congratulations go to Sarah Capone, Pocock’s
fourth “Idol” winner!
x A special thanks to Michael Stasiw for compiling
At the board level, our Music Subject Council is once
an amazing video of music memories!
again planning the Fifth Annual Grade 9 Band Festival x Good luck to Livio Delgado-Granda
where all grade 9 students
who will be this year’s student conductor
participating in music are invited to play with other
of our Jazz Band Ensemble!
students in the board. What a great opportunity for our x Best wishes to Pocock graduate Natalie
students to play with 950 other musicians at the same
Sandul, winner of 2008 music award who is
time! There will be more information to follow later
now studying Music Education at the Faculty
this fall.
of Music, U of T.
Band:
We would like to welcome back members of our 20082009 bands. Your dedication is greatly
appreciated. We also have many new members who
have come to join our “team!” It’s interesting to note
that many of our new members have never taken a
music course before and have taken it upon themselves
to learn to play a band instrument so that they can join
in on the fun.
Get involved Pocock! Come out and join the music
department and begin to create great memories!!!!!!
L. Kohut
Music Teacher
Our band’s first performance will be on
Thursday, October the 30th at our Awards
Ceremony Night. Looking ahead, our
Christmas Concert is around the corner, on
November 2008
5
Get Involved:
Members of the English Department are involved in many aspects
of the school life. The school newspaper Rant and Rave, run by
Mr. R. VanZutphen welcomes all students to newspaper organizational meetings which usually occur on Thursdays after school in
Room 333.
students participate in
many excursions. Trips to Stratford,
Second City, University of Toronto, Benares House and CityTV have all been successful, well attended and helped to make the
everyday curriculum come alive. Please know that with all trips
we try to keep the curriculum our priority, along with fair costs
and a safe and enjoyable experience. Please support your son or
Still with Mr. VanZutphen, the Weight-Training Club meets every daughter’s participation in these trips.
Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the weightroom, Room 221.
Language Power:
Led by Ms. Niewiada and Mrs. Bragg, the Dance Club recently
Parents should be aware that students in Grades 9 and 10 have
completed their auditions and are now preparing for future
been asked to purchase a Language Power workbook that has
competitions. The dance disciplines include hip hop, jazz,
been very successful in promoting Literacy in their first two years
modern, Latin and acro.
of high school. The cost is $10 and this book has been wellreceived in the past five years.
Next semester there will be a new Drama production, which last
year was produced and directed by Ms. Infanti with help from
Ms. Gotal, Miss Ciccone, Mrs. Marcaro-Turco, Ms. Rennie, Ms.
Skinner and Miss Malysa.
Get involved in your school and help make your school
experience a full and enjoyable one.
Welcome to the World:
We congratulate Ms. D. Burgess and her husband on the arrival of
their baby boy Jack on September 15th. We join them in welcoming Jack to the world.
Welcome to the English Department:
The English Department welcomes the following teachers to the
English Department at Philip Pocock:
We welcome Ms. M. Niewiada to the English Department. Ms.
Niewiada has graduated from York University with an Honours
Bachelor of Fine Arts. Teaching has always been the number one
career choice and she is looking forward to creating masterpieces
with her Dance and Drama students while Ms. Burgess is on her
maternity leave. Although she is modest about her accomplishments, for those in the know, she is one of the few successful
female contestants on OLN’s Manhunter program.
We welcome Mrs. E. Bragg to the English Department. Mrs.
Bragg joins us in taking on a teaching timetable that will include
English and ESL. York University’s Concurrent Program and had
the pleasure of working with Mr. VanZutphen as a pre-service
teacher. Now helping coach the Dance Club, Mrs. Bragg was
most recently a top contender for the lead of Maria in The Sound
of Music. She is thrilled to be part of such a dynamic staff and
looks forward to working with our wonderful students.
Writing Contests:
Mrs. C. Fitzpatrick and Ms. Curran will be coordinating all of
the many writing, essay and public speaking contests. Stay tuned
and watch the bulletin boards on the 3rd floor near the English
Department Offices.
EQAO Results Exceed Board and Provincial Averages!
Heartiest congratulations to last year's grade nine students
who collectively exceeded both Provincial and School Board
EQAO averages in every stream. This was achieved in no
small part by both the efforts of the Math department teachers,
who prepared students for the test, and the overwhelming response from students who showed up for EQAO preparation
sessions. This semester, the Math
department will run preparation sessions again, so stay tuned.
HELP!
Are you struggling in math, or maybe just need a few things
clarified? Why not drop by the Math Help room after school
and have a teacher and/or senior math student help you out.
The help room runs Monday through Thursday, from 2:15 to
3:00, in room 317 and the best part is, it's free!
Have You Noticed the Math Honour Roll?
It's new, and it's proudly displayed right outside the math
department workroom. There, you will find a list of names of
those students achieving an 80% or better average in their
math course. This list will be updated monthly, so there is
still plenty of time to see if you have what it takes to get your
name up in lights, or for that matter, keep it there!
Waterloo and University of Toronto Math Contests
Once again, Philip Pocock will be participating in Waterloo
and U of T math contests. We're looking for some students
who enjoy a challenge and want to test their limits
mathematically. Why not come out and give it a try? If you
do well, it may serve as a nice introduction to two prestigious
Canadian universities. Stay tuned for dates and times.
Excursions:
The members of the English Department have in the past had their
6
November 2008
Another resource
worth noting is TV Ontario’s
ndependent Learning
Centre, available online at http://
www.ilc.org/index2.html,
which includes homework help (featuring
real-time online tutoring from teachers) and a career education database. The
ILC also offers students online, real-time help from Teacher-Librarians – a
most useful service when students are working on research assignments at
home!
Staff
B. Dillon - Teacher-Librarian
H. Roane - Library Technician
D. Young - Library Secretary
Hours
Monday – Friday – 7:30 a.m. – 3:00- p.m.
OSLA
graphic courtesy of
Program
Just like last year, I had bookings for this year before the end of last June –
even more of them than last year!
I’ve seen every grade 9 student in period 1 for an Orientation to the School
Library and again in period 4 for an Introduction to Research. Each session
provided the students with the information they need to make good use of the
School Library and to succeed with research assignments and included an
assignment which I marked and returned to the classroom teacher. As part
of their Introduction to Research, each student received a copy of Research
Success @ your library; the research guide we use at Pocock. Students are
required to have – and to use – this research guide and those students who lose
their guides will have to purchase replacement copies. Research Success @
your library is packed with information and is an incredibly useful resource
for research assignments.
Speaking of research assignments…class bookings began the first week of
school and the pace has been increasing ever since. I work with teachers and
students to support teaching and learning, especially the development of information literacy and research skills. I prepare Pathfinders to help students
access information, teach lessons (e.g. Works Cited, Parenthetical
Referencing), and work with teachers to develop assignments and units (e.g.
Introduction to Architecture, Research Matters).
The School Library also promotes reading and provides literacy support. I
work with teachers and students to select appropriate resources for both class
use and independent reading. Students are invited to participate in the School
Library’s reading programs. The Book Group meets every Wednesday, during
the senior lunch. Unfortunately, so far, there’s not enough interest to run a
Book Group during the junior lunch. I have a few volunteers for the Pocock
Book Team - student volunteers who read and review books, help create book
displays, and so on, thus contributing to the development of a “culture of reading” at Pocock, earning volunteer hours for their work - and hope to get them
working soon. Mrs. Roane, the Library Technician, is investigating the possibility of doing booktalks as podcasts.
Thanks to Mrs. Roane, the Student Library Clerk program is once again in
operation. Students can earn volunteer hours by helping with all the behindthe-scenes work necessary to keep the School Library up and running.
Resources
The School Library subscribes to a database called Ebsco, which has a wealth
of resources and is worth taking the time to explore. If you’re interested in
exploring or using these databases, then ask your son/daughter to bring home a
copy of the Databases Information sheet, available from the School Library.
Ministry licensing agreements give students access to Career Cruising,
Grolier Online, Universalis (a French-language
database), and Statistic Canada’s Learning Resources. Students can get user
IDs and passwords from the school library. These databases can be used
both at school and at home.
November 2008
Great news! The board has allocated each School Library $12,000 in special,
one-time funding for resources. While it
certainly won’t meet all our needs, this money is most welcome and will certainly be put to good use. By the next newsletter,
I should be able to tell you about some new resources!
Special Events
October is Canadian Library Month. The 2007 theme is “Your Library, Your
World”. And don’t forget that the fourth Monday in October is National
School Library Day – October 27th this year. To celebrate, the School Library
is holding a contest. Twenty Pocock people, both staff members and students,
are wearing “I Support School Libraries” buttons. Anyone wishing
to enter the contest has to complete an entry form identifying ten of these
people. It’s that simple, and yes, we are offering prizes! By the time you read
this, the contest will be over, but newsletter deadlines mean you’ll have to
wait for the next newsletter to learn the results – or just ask a Pocock student
as the results will be announced on National School Library Day.
School Library Online
Check us out online at http://w3.dpcdsb.org/POCOK/School+Library/. Please
note that this webpage is a work in
progress – comments and suggestions are welcome!
In Closing…
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about the School
Library Information Centre, and please do drop by if you’re in the school.
Written by Brenda Dillon, Teacher-Librarian
Student Wellness is up and running again this
year. We will be continuing our work on AntiBullying, Anti-smoking and creating a healthy
Environment for our students. Student Wellness meets
every Thursday after school in the
attendance area with Mrs. Pogson and
Mrs. McOuat, the staff advisors.
An invitation is extended to any
new member who wishes
to participate.
Come out and make a difference in
your school!
7
Guidance & Career Education
meeting and
a package containing pertinent
Welcome back students and those who are new to Philip Pocock.
high school information to help ease with the
We look forward to working with you in a variety of ways
transition .
including course and program planning, career planning, as well
as assisting those who will be applying to an apprenticeship
University applicants have the opportunity to attend presentaprogram, college and university for September 2009.
tions given by representatives from several different universities during the months of September,
This year, there are two new members with us in student services.
October and November here at the school. In adMs. Mary Ellen Gucciardi returns to Philip Pocock having been
dition, many of the applicants
assigned to Archbishop Romero as a teacher in the alternative
attended the University Fair that was held in late
education department. We welcome her back as a counsellor
September at the Metro Convention Centre in Tosubstituting for Ms. Saddlemyre. Mrs. McOuat joins student
ronto. As with the college applicants, students
services from the Science Department Department Head.
who will be applying to university will be doing so online.
Students will be assigned to the following counsellors (according Personal Identification Numbers for this process will be distributed in November. The deadline for students to submit their apto their surnames):
plication is January 14th, 2009 although students are strongly
encouraged to do so by the middle of December. For further
Ms. D. Ciccone
D, N
information please visit the Ontario Universities Application
Ms. M.E. Gucciardi
0-Z ALT. ED
Centre website at: www.ouac.on.ca.
Mrs. K. McOuat
A-C, PIP, COOP, SSI
Ms. S. Milner:
E–G
Those students who are planning to apply to a university or
Mrs. F. Tasciotti:
H – M and ESL students
college in the USA should see Ms. Milner in the near future
Mrs. D.Lytwyn-Cirillo Guidance Secretary
regarding the materials that are available.
Community Service – This is a strong reminder that Community
The Secondary School Online Application (SSOLA) process
Service hours must be completed by students in order to receive
will continue this year at our school. The benefits of using
an Ontario Secondary School Diploma. Please don’t wait to get
SSOLA are so great that over 90% of all secondary schools
involved in one or more of the vast number of possible activities
in Ontario will be using this process for students registering to
that qualify. The last date to input hours is May 30th, 2009
colleges and universities in Ontario for September 2009.
(It proved to be a tremendous success for the last five years
From the Scholarship Desk...
province-wide.) Students will be able to get assistance and
This fall, there are several exciting scholarship opportunities
resources from a Counsellor through in-services that we will be
for senior students to consider. Be sure to check out our
providing. Further information can be accessed at the following
scholarship folder as well as the bulletin board in the Guidance
website for college applicants:
Office for details!
http://www.ontariocolleges.ca
Looking to study outside of Canada...? Don't miss writing the
The process for applying online to university applicants is
SAT! Registration dates for fall tests are still available. Please
located at the following website:
visit www.collegeboard.com as soon as possible as the test uidates
http://www.ouac.on.ca/
do fill up quickly.
The College Application process has now begun for those
students who will be applying for Sept. 2009! On Monday,
October 27th there was a College Fair at the Direct Energy
Building (CNE) at which time representatives from each of the
Ontario colleges were available to answer questions and distribute
November 11/08 ……. Remembrance Day Assembly
resources. In addition, there will be visits to our schools from
November 13/08 ……. Parent /Teacher Interviews
some of the colleges during the first semester. Specific dates are
available in the Guidance and Career Education Office as well as
November 14/08 ……..P.D. Day
at the Guidance page at the Philip Pocock website. Counsellors
November 24/08 ……..Grad. Photos Begin
will continue to assist potential applicants and respond to any
November 26/08 ……..School Council Mtg.
questions or concerns that the students have regarding their
choices of colleges and programs. Students have been visiting
@ 7:00 p.m.
their counsellors in groups of 10 or 12 to get some important dates
December 11/08 ……..Christmas Concert
and information concerning their post-secondary choices.
The due date for applications to be submitted online is February
December 19/08 ……..Last Day of Classes
2ndt, 2009 but we strongly encourage students to apply by the end
of December.
Grade 9 Survival Packages: counsellors have been
introducing themselves to the new grade 9 students with a brief
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Newsletter Coordinator & Layout Person: E. Polin-De Luca
November 2008
Editors: S. Faroni, E. Polin-De Luca, S. Popowich