Principal’s Message
Philip Pocock is gradually moving into the digital age. Until now, all four issues of the Pirate newsletter have been printed and distributed to the students to take home with their report cards.
In a survey conducted by Dufferin-Peel two years ago, during the system review, parents reported
that newsletters were the most effective method of receiving information from the school. Unfortunately, at the secondary level, very few newsletters actually make it home to the parents – about 18%
of the parents surveyed reported receiving the newsletter on a regular basis.
The cost of producing and printing the newsletter is very high and continues to increase. It is
a
shame to print enough for everyone to take one home and then find many copies discarded in
the trash or recycling box. In order to reduce this expenditure, we have decided that only the first and last
newsletter of the year will be printed and the middle two issues will be posted on the school web page. We
will continue to insert a single page containing the Principal’s message and headlines from the newsletter with the
reports cards.
We have just completed the most joyous time of year – the season of the birth of Our Lord. The school community celebrated in its usual fashion – Christmas concerts, carolling in the atrium, atrium stars, Christmas food baskets in conjunction with St. Vincent de Paul Society, a loonie drive for the Scott Mission and Advent liturgies.
This newsletter accompanies your child’s final report card for semester one. We invite you to take the opportunity to
review your son or daughter’s progress and engage in a dialogue intent on continuous improvement. The fundamental
first step to academic success is regular and punctual attendance, followed by consistent completion of homework and
review.
Semester two always moves very quickly. It is punctuated with various breaks and holidays – Family Day in
February, March Break, Easter in April, Victoria Day in May and then, suddenly, it will be June and the end of
the school year.
One of the blessings of the semester system is a fresh start during the school year. The second semester brings
new courses, new teachers for the students, new students for the teachers – an opportunity to refocus and renew all of
our efforts to teach and learn.
The School Council has been very active and we have just received the Pirate Cookbook that the School Council sponsored. I would like to thank Gail and Maria Skrinjar in particular for their complete dedication to producing the Pirate
Cookbook. It has been a labour of love for them – a love of Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary School. With out their
drive and determination, I don’t think this project would have turned out as well as it has or possibly not all.
I would also like to thank the many students, parents and staff who contributed their favourite recipes.
Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary School
4555 Tomken Road, Mississauga, Ontario, L4W 1J9
Telephone……...905-602-6172
http://w3.dpcdsb.org/POCOK
Charles Blanchard, Superintendent
905-890-1221
Mario Pascucci, Trustee Wards 1 & 3
905-302-3096
mario.pascucci@dpcdsb.org
Fax: 905-890-0888
www.pascucci.ca
Quantities are limited so don’t wait too long to purchase a
copy. They are $10 each and are available in the main office.
It will make an excellent Valentine’s, Easter or Mothers’
Day gift.
All parents are automatically part of the school council. They
hold monthly meetings on the fourth Wednesday of almost every
month. Please try to attend one of their meetings.
Lastly, I encourage parents to subscribe to the PhilipPocockInfo
email list. Please call the school and supply an email address
where you can receive information from the school regarding
news and events. Be sure to visit our Web page periodically –
www.dpcdsb.org/POCOK (that’s not a typo–our name had to be
shortened to five characters).
1
Anna Abbruscato, Chair of the Board, Trustee Ward 4
905-890-0708 x24239
anna.abbruscato@dpcdsb.org
416-459-0126
Principal
Henry Tyndorf
Vice Principals
Sharon Bolger A-K
Marija Burazin L-Z
School Council Chair
Margaret Ramlogan
Thank you for your continued support of our school as we
continue our mission to provide quality Catholic education
to your children.
Henry Tyndorf BASc, MBA, BEd, OCT
Principal
Our young people today seem to care only about their own little world of the ‘here and now’. Yet I have found that they also have a deep desire to root themselves in meaningful traditions, surround themselves with loving family, and make connections with those around them… and especially with God. What have we been doing, here at Pocock, to help students make those connections? A Remembrance Day Service On November 11th, the Pocock community took time to remember and honour our veterans. With prayer and song, we lifted our hearts and minds to God, and we prayed for peace and for those brave men and women who have fought for peace over the years. Our guest speaker was Colonel Christian Drouin – a tactical helicopter pilot and commander – and his Chief Warrant Officer, Jean‐Pierre Morin. Retreats on Family and Community Our grade 10 retreats allowed our students to take a full day of reflection and prayer at St. Patrick’s Church. Our facilitators, Heather and Joe, guided our students toward an understanding of the dangers of ‘electronic addiction’ to cell phones, video games, and social networking. Getting to know God, each other, and ourselves requires taking time to really communicate and build relationships. Advent Masses At Pocock, we work to keep the ‘Christ’ in Christmas by keeping the ‘Mass’ in Christmas. Each grade level gathered in our sacred space to celebrate an Advent Mass with our Pastor, Father Facey. I firmly believe that the greatest gift our students received this year was in the Eucharist, not under the Christmas tree. Peace, Scott Smalridge—Chaplain Please note
that child
minding is
not available
at this event.
Do you ever wonder if you’re doing the right thing?
Do you have trouble talking to your teen?
The School Social Workers from
Glenforest and Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary
Schools
When:
TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2011
Time:
7:00—8:30 p.m.
Where:
Glenforest Secondary School
357 Fieldgate Drive
Mississauga ON, L4X 2J6
Please register
by leaving a
message at:
905-890-0708
ext, 20065
If you have any
questions, please
leave a message
and we will call
you back.
Royal Canadian Legion Remembrance Day Contest On Sunday, November 28, 2010, the Royal Canadian Legion Col.
Tom Kennedy Branch, No. 582, had the distinct honour of announcing
this year’s winners of the Remembrance Day Poster and Literary Contests.
This year, Pocock was extremely well represented with many student
entries, both in the poster contests (colour and black & white) and the
literary contest. We are truly very fortunate and blessed to have extremely talented students who honour our school community with
their gifts.
This year, Pocock had 6 winners in the following categories:
3rd Prize in the Senior Essay Contest for her composition entitled
“Nous nous souvenons”, went to Elishea Hayes.
3rd Prize in the Black & White Poster Contest went to Louie Saul.
2nd Prize in the Colour Poster Contest went to Carla Fiallo-Flores
2nd Prize in the Black & White Poster Contest went to Jathniel
Datiles.
1st Prize Black & White Poster
Kevin Compuesto 
We have two 1st Place Winners, Sage Monte for the Colour Poster
and Kevin Compuesto for the Black & White Poster. Both Kevin
and Sage’s Posters will move on to the next level of competition.
We wish them well and congratulate them.
Here at Pocock we would like to thank and congratulate all our participants, as well as the teachers who encouraged them to enter, in particular Miss S. Drudi (in Social Sciences), Mr. H.Kevork (in Math), Ms.
Maureen McKay (in Visual Arts) and Madame E. Polin-De Luca (in
Moderns).
We would also like to thank Mr. Scott Smalridge and Ms. Diana Gotal
for acting as liaison between our school and the Legion Branch.
 Alice Dodds (Royal Canadian Legion), Kevin Compuesto (wins
next level @ District and goes on to Provincials), and Madame E.
Polin-DeLuca
 Alice Dodds (Royal Canadian Legion), Elishea Hayes (3rd Prize
Senior Essay in French) and RCL Rep.
Sage Monte: 1st Place (Zone) Colour Poster
Carla Fiallo‐Flores: 2nd Place Colour Poster Louie Saul: 3rd Place Black & White Poster Jathniel Datiles Royal Canadian Winners, L to R: Mme E. Polin‐De Luca (French Teacher), Alice Dodds (RCL), RCL Officer, Carla Fiallo‐Flores, Elishea Hayes, Ms. M. Burazin (Vice
‐Prinicpal), Ms. M. McKay (Art Teacher). Front L to R:  2nd Prize Black & White Poster Louie Saul, Sage Montes and Kevin Compuesto You may have heard that Pocock students are
heading off to Europe this March Break. Pocock’s
EuroTrips have always been extremely successful
and the trip planned for this March Break is going
to be just as great!
We are approximately 1 month away from departure
and the excitement is growing as we look forward
to visiting three European countries that are rich
in history and culture. Check out our itinerary to
the right—We will start our journey in Switzerland
where we will visit Lucerne and Mt. Pilatus, then
we continue on towards Italy where we will visit
Verona, Venice, Assisi, Rome, Florence and Pisa.
Our last stop will be in the south of France where
students will have the opportunity to visit the land
of the ‘rich and famous’ – Nice, Monaco and Eze.
This trip is always open to Grade 11 and 12 (Senior)
students of French and/or Italian, or if you have an
interest in History or Art—this trip is for you. This
is truly the experience of a lifetime!
If you missed out on this trip...plan for next year’s
trip...listen to announcements as to where and
when the EuroTrip 2012 will
take place. Planning for
next year’s trip will start
shortly after March Break.
At the end of semester
one, once again the ESL
students were busy completing novel studies, essays
and culminating activities
in preparation for final
exams.
On January 20th, 2011
our Police Liaison officer,
Constable Heidi Adams
spoke about Young People
(Youth) and Canadian Law. The students had many questions that were answered by
the officer.
Congratulations to those students graduating from the ESL Program. We wish you
much success in your future academic endeavors!
Good Luck next semester!
This past semester, a group of enthusiastic and
impassioned
students came together to join Pocock’s French Club.
French Club
members participated in numerous hands-on, interactive and engaging
activities, including French improvisation, sharing French music, painting
French comic characters and the student’s favourite – cooking up a
delicious French meal of crêpes, quiches, fondue and croissants. The
club gives students the opportunity to practise their French-speaking skills
with their peers while learning about French culture in a relaxed and fun
environment. Thank you to Mme. T. Bruno and Mlle S. Drudi who help
make the French Club a success.
French club continues semester two.
New members are always welcome!
À la prochaine….
The photography program
continues to flourish with
6 full sections running this
year. In the second
semester we will be running the first grade 11 Photography course for those students
with the grade 10 photography credit – or those with proven photography experience who wish to pursue their interest.
The grade 11 course will delve more into manual shooting and “artistic” expression. It
will also involve developing more expertise in graphic design through the mastery of
digital editing software such as Adobe Photoshop CS5. Careers and future study in
photography and graphic design will be explored as well.
The current photography classes have enjoyed a productive semester, producing
some creative and appealing work. This work can be
seen in the 2 new display cases on the third floor ( one
outside the Photography classroom and another along
the “English” hallway). Student work can also be viewed on the Pocock website.
The growing interest in photography has led to the creation of an extracurricular photography club. The club meets bi-weekly on Thursdays in room 304. Different shooting assignments are undertaken; tips are explored; shots are shared and discussed. Anyone is welcome to drop in. The club has created a Facebook page to share their photos and ideas.
Feel free to check it out ( just search Pocock Photography Club in Facebook).
Let us know what you think of the photos – or, better yet, join the group and post
some of your photos!
It seems we have just finished our 2009-2010 year and we are already half-way through our 2010-2011 year. Here’s an
overview of what’s happened this semester in the music program
Curriculum:
We are very pleased to inform you that enrolment numbers in the music department this year continue to be strong! 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. For further information feel free to contact Mrs. Kohut or Ms. Brozo at the school.
Band:
We would like to welcome all of our band members, old and new. Your dedication is greatly appreciated.
Our band’s first performance was held on Thursday, October the 21, 2010, at our Awards Ceremony Night. A special
thanks goes out to Jennifer Eng, Paulina Cias and Samanta Sebastian for sharing their vocal talents this evening as well!
Moving along to the month of November, the music department
continued to promote music education by offering our feeder school
workshops for the sixth year in a row. This process began visits and
performances to each elementary school and was followed by workshops for each feeder school where students learned the basic
elements of setup, playing and caring for various instruments.
Special thanks go out to the patient and dedicated music students
who volunteered their time and expertise.
“Was that not WICKED?” This semester’s music classes bussed
downtown to watch a phenomenal performance of Wicked. A great
twist to the classic story of The Wizard of Oz.
Ho! Ho! Ho! December was a frantic time in the music department!
Three Christmas Concerts went off without a glitch. Our concerts always put the Pocock community into the Christmas
Spirit! Our Arts students always do an amazing job at sharing their talents with all! Thanks to all of the Pocock staff who
made this event possible.
After a very short break, the music classes from this semester
continued to share their talents. On Thursday January 13th,
students performed for the Grade 8 Open House.
Vocal:
As we continue our vocal program at Pocock, many wonderful singers
are appearing out of nowhere with great enthusiasm! We are very proud
of our singers this semester. We even have a healthy group of wonderful
male voices that have joined us this year!
At the end of November, a bus load of vocalists participated in this
year’s Dufferin-Peel Vocal Festival. Students were engaged in gospel
music together with over 600 other students in our board.
This trip was truly a highlight of the semester!
Pocock Idol:
This year’s Pocock Idol was, yet again, a great success. The following voices sang for us:
Suzan Zreik
-Year without Rain
Rosane Perez
-Listen
Katherine Sajovec
-Falling Slowly
Jo-Yee Mok
-My Heart Will Go On
Paulina Cias
-Pretend
Cameron Adkins
-Dancing With Myself
Cassandra Gruia
-Break it to Me Gently
Veronika Salatovic
-Ave Maria
David Wilson
-My Immortal
Taylor Chmiel & Rebecca Semu -Break Even
Katrina Flahat
-Hero
Sam Park
-So Sick
Congratulations to Katrina Flahat who was this year’s Pocock Idol winner!
New York City:
This year’s band and vocal members are very excited as they prepare to perform in New York City. What makes this trip even more
exciting for the band students is that we are traveling together with
the Dance and Drama Department! 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 should not be missed!
On A Final Note:
This semester, we have been very blessed to have 3 student volunteers working in the Music room who would like
to pursue careers in Musical Education. We would like to
thank Melissa Dingli, Arianna Sukman and Samanta
Sebastian for sharing their talents with our music students
this semester. We wish you well in your future studies!
Get involved Pocock! Come out and join the music
department and begin to create great memories!!!!!!
L. Kohut – Music Teacher
EXCERPT from St. Sofia’s Elementary School December Newsletter:
SOFIA GRADUATES PLAY MUSICAL INTERLUDE
On Wednesday, November 24, 2010, our grade 8 students were fortunate to
have former St. Sofia graduates return and play musical instruments for
them. Under the leadership of one of the Instrumental Music teachers at
Philip Pocock, Mrs. Kohut, they came to introduce our students to various
instruments. This is in preparation for a half day visit to Pocock where our
grade 8 students will have the opportunity to learn how to play an instrument
and hopefully see Music as a possible option for next year.
Congratulations to our graduates! Who have done an amazing job
in learning to play.
Miss McKay's Grade 10 Visual Art Students have designed and sculpted Clay Masks which will now be
fired in the kiln and then painted. They also completed Organic Line Montages with black ink accent lines
and focal points shaded in pencil.
The Grade 11 Visual Art students completed abstract paintings and clay face reliefs which are realistic on
one side and imaginitive on the other side creating a deeper meaning by having two opposing forces or
ideas come together in one design.
The Pocock Alternative Education program continued with our theme of
community leadership this semester. In early November, we visited
McMaster University and participated in the Altitude program. Altitude
(Achieving Leadership Through Integrating Teamwork Unity Dedication
and Empowerment) is an enriching, educational experience that is
dedicated to producing constructive changes in individuals and groups,
helping students to optimize their performance. Our Pocock alternative
education students took some big risks and the highlight was to act in
pairs and climb a 50 foot alpine tower. The students developed team and
leadership-related skills while having a great time.
Also, the Alternative Education program
worked in partnership with St. Thomas More
Catholic Elementary School as the semester
came to a close. Our student mentors organized an Arts and Crafts club for primary students and a Games club for junior students in late November and December.
Over 5 weeks on the lunch hour, many fun activities were planned and the student mentors
were successful in coming together as a team and building community spirit.
Transition News:
Grade Eights Visit
Philip Pocock
Philip Pocock CSS hosted visits by students
from our Elementary Feeder schools in the
Fall. The combined efforts of the Music
Dept (Ms Kohut) and of our Student Success Team (led by Mr. Mezgec) were able
to provide the students with both an entertaining and informative visit.
Students were treated to a music workshop
as well as a walking tour of the school. The
tour of the school focused on showcasing
the array of elective courses we offer here
at Philip Pocock. Students were able to
walk through various shops and labs including our Auto, Woodworking and Hairstyling
and Esthetics classes. Our visitors
observed student-led demonstrations in
Dance and Drama as well as saw various
student Art projects. Students were also
shown our Athletic facilities and learned
more about Pocock sport teams and clubs.
Our tour guides for the day were senior students involved in our Link Crew Initiative.
The highlight for some of our visiting
students was the experience of having their
lunch among a packed cafeteria of grade
9s and 10s. Some adventurous students
even lined up to order and experience
cafeteria cuisine.
Our Fall feeder school visits are one part
of our Transition plan for the Philip Pocock.
It is our hope to bridge the gap between
Elementary and Secondary by engaging,
informing and familiarizing our future grade
nines to ensure a smoother transition process next September.
A follow up to our Transition Plan was our
Grade 8 Parent's Night (January 13) where
parents and students were further informed
about the registration process and what
educational opportunities are available at
our school. In February, Philip Pocock CSS
will host a Cross Panel Meeting. The meeting will bring grade 8 teachers and administrators from our Elementary feeder schools
together with our Student Success Team
representatives and grade 9 teachers.
Discussions will include how to address the
transitional needs of our incoming students
in terms of consistency in curriculum delivery
and evaluation practices.
Course Selection for September 2011: Option sheets were distributed
to grades 9, 10 and 11 the week of January 3rd. Students once again
are choosing their courses on-line. Parent/guardians were strongly
advised to get involved with this process. Portal closed to students on
January 14th. Students can still register with counselors after this date.
Verifications: Students who complete option sheets will receive confirmation of courses during the week of February 14th. Any changes to
choices for September 2011 courses, can be completed on this form.
Students are asked to draw a line through the course not requested,
and add the new course. Parent/guardian signature is required. Students
can change courses ( choices will be limited so making the right choice
first is very important) during June exam week also.
Course Changes for Semester 2: Students have had several opportunities to request a change in streams or course electives prior to the
start of semester 2. Students currently enrolled in courses requiring
material fees, which have not been paid before February 14th, must
see their counselor in order to choose an alternate course. This
same deadline applies for any other course changes.
Grade 8 Parent Information Evening: On Thursday, January 13th, our
staff welcomed the parents and students of our grade 9 class, 2011/12.
Our principal, Mr. Henry Tyndorf, along with our Chaplain, Mr. Scott
Smalridge, greeted our guests, followed by a short presentation that
outlined high school diploma requirements, skill sets for students and
general school information. Following this, parents and students toured
the school!
Night School: Applications and flyers indicating course offerings and
locations for night school arrived in December and are available until the
deadline of February 2nd. They must be handed in to Student Services
by 12 :00 pm as they will be faxed that afternoon. Walk-in registration
will take place on February 10th, 2011 at the school of choice. There is
a $25 non-refundable fee of cash to be collected at night school. Cancellations of courses will be posted at http://www.dpcdsb.org/CEC/CNE/
University Applicants: applications were due to OUAC by midnight
January 12th. February 4th, is the last date to submit all changes for a
university choice and program.
College Applicants: applications are due February 1st, 2011
OUAC/OCAS Applicants Taking Night School: Students are advised
to check your courses posted for your university or college. Any missing
courses should be reported to your counselor for inputting as soon as
possible.
Community Service Hours: are a requirement by the Ministry of
Education for graduation. Please be sure that your 40 hours have been
completed and handed in no later than April 1st .
O.S.A.P. : The Ontario Student Assistance Program information is
expected to be available in early Spring at the following website: http://
osap.gov.on.ca/ . Students cannot apply until they have accepted their
college or university choice.
Scholarships: students are encouraged to apply for scholarships if they
fit the criteria and they can create profiles at studentawards.com and
scholarshipscanada.com. Please see the information board and the
school website for more information.
March Break Tours: many colleges and universities offer campus
tours daily during the March Break vacation. Please take
this opportunity to make sure your college or university
choices are the best ones for you!
Did anyone see a Go‐Kart made by Pocock students buzzing in the parking lot? It has been a very busy semester for the grade 12 auto students working on teachers’ and some of their own vehicles. The theme for the grade 12 course is diagnosis and repair of vehicles; for that the students rely on staff bringing their cars for service. Thanks to all the staff members who brought their cars for repairs; it was a very successful semester. The grade 12 students were not only limited to car re‐
pairs this semester. Spearheaded by the creativity and dedication of Julian Lee Ho, they were able to design and manufacture a Go‐Kart from scratch. The Go‐Kart, built with 1” square tubing frame, sports a tilt steering column that came off a scraped 1989 Ford Aerostar, old inner and outer tie rods off a 2000 VW Golf and a seat from a broken student chair. It drives amazingly fast for a Go‐Kart. It was uplifting to see the excitement of the students as they witnessed the fruit of their hard work when they test drove it for the first time. Way to go Julian and team! New Grade 10 All Girls Vehicle Ownership Course – TTJ2OF A new all girls Vehicle Ownership course is being offered for the school year 2011/12. The rationale to have an all girls class in auto is in order to make the male dominated area less intimidating to girls so that our female pirates can also have an oppor‐
tunity to learn all the important things about cars that will enable them to become informed and responsible car owners in the future. The Vehicle Ownership course is different than the regular Transportation Technology courses TTJ2O1 and TTJ3C1. The regular Transportation Technology courses prepare students to become technicians, while the Vehicle Owner‐
ship course only deals with the important aspects that help one become an informed and responsible car owner. The course of study will include understanding features of a vehicle, what to do in emergency situations, performing and following up routine main‐
tenances, understanding auto insurance policies, vehicle registration and buyer& seller responsibilities and more. Girls, take advantage of this opportunity. When you own a car down the line, you will find that the knowledge and skills you acquired from this course will be priceless. Please donate your old vehicles If your car is dead and hopeless, if it is time to scrap it and get a new one, please donate it to the auto program – it will stay alive since your sons/
daughters will be learning on it. If the car can drive in and out the shop, grade 12s use it for testing, grade 11s practice brake work on it and grade 10s use it to learn vehicle components; if it is not driveable, grade 12s learn to remove engine and transmission off the vehicle and the grade 11s disassemble and reassemble the engine. All these activi‐
ties are doneon donated scrap vehi‐
cles; that is priceless. Thanks to all the staff and community members who donated scrap vehicles in the past. If you would like to donate your old car to the school, please contact Mr. Li‐
jiam in room 101 or 905‐602‐6172 ext. The halls of Philip Pocock
are going to be a little
greener this year, as we
have launched our first
Eco-Green Team! Pocock is
working hard to achieve
Ontario EcoSchools certification by the
end of the 2010-2011 school year.
It’s hard to believe that Semester One is already winding
down, and as this is being written, students are preparing
for their final exams! Since midterms, the Social Sciences
Department has continued to partake in a variety of field
trips to enhance students’ experience in their various fields
of study.
Parenting and Introduction to Anthropology, Psychology
and Sociology students paid a visit to C.A.M.H. (The Centre
of Addiction and Mental Health), where they were given the
opportunity to participate in an interactive presentation with
doctors, educators and patients to learn about and discuss
mental health and its impact on the Canadian population.
Students walked away more informed, educated and better
equipped to combat the stigma that surrounds mental
health.
Meanwhile, Ancient World History students were able to
experience medieval Europe through a royal feast, jousting
tournament and dashing knights during a magical afternoon
at Medieval Times.
Our senior Law students spent the day at the Supreme
Court of Ontario seeing our legal system in action as they
were exposed to a variety of cases and the process of jury
selection.
The University of Toronto Mississauga campus welcomed
some of our grade 12 Social Sciences students as they had
the unique opportunity to experience first year lectures in
psychology and geography. This was definitely an eyeopening experience for our students about what awaits
them next year as they prepare to embark on a new journey
in their lives.
The Social Sciences Department would like to take this
opportunity to thank Ms Radman for all her hard work this
semester, and we hope to see her back in our department soon!
Newsletter Coordinator & Layout Person: E. Polin-De Luca
Ontario EcoSchools is an innovative
environmental education program for
grades K-12 that helps students develop
both ecological literacy and environmental
practices to become environmentally
responsible citizens. Developed and run by
school boards, Ontario EcoSchools also
helps improve school building operations to
reduce environmental impacts.
(www.ontarioecoschools.org)
Students and teachers are working
collaboratively to make our local
environment a little brighter. There are
several initiatives already underway Recycling bins have been placed in the
classrooms, and G.O.O.S. (Good On One
Side) paper is being used in departments
to minimize paper waste. This is a
wonderful start, but there are many more
ideas still to come!
With Earth Week quickly approaching, the
new semester will be filled with exciting
initiatives. Early into second semester,
some water fountains will be retrofitted
with water bottle fill-up stations to allow
students greater ease of filling their
water bottles. This is the kick-start to
Pocock’s goal of ultimately being plastic
water bottle free! As we speak, Pocock’s
own reusable water bottle is being
designed! It will be available for purchase
mid-second semester!
Stay tuned for more exciting eco-news and
events throughout second semester!
BLACK + GOLD = GREEN!
Editors: T. Bruno, E. Selimovic, E. Polin-De Luca, S. Popowich
(with accompanying assignments so students can practice)
are becoming more popular each semester.
From the School Library
Information Centre
By the time you read this, we will have begun the 2011 White
Pine Award Reading Program, a sort of “teens choice” award for
new Canadian Young Adult novels. The nominated titles should
appeal to quite a variety of students and all students are invited to
participate. Program information is available from the School
Library.
Staff
B. Dillon
H. Roane
D. Sandiland
- Teacher-Librarian
- Library Technician
- Library Secretary
Hours
Monday – Friday – 7:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Resources
The School Library is online at http://www.dpcdsb.org/POCOK/
Library/. While no website is ever really completely finished, the
Staffing Change
library website is most definitely a work in progress. I will be addYes, you read it correctly – the staff list has changed! Mrs. Young, ing content (e.g. links to the databases so we can finally get rid of
who worked here for several years, surprised everyone with her
our 12 page Databases handout!) and hope to redesign the site to
summer decision to retire, effective at the beginning of this school
make it more visually appealing. In the meantime, there are two
year. We’ve been through a few changes since, but hope things
pages in particular that students might want to access from home.
have now settled down. Mrs. Sandiland has joined us as the
Both of these pages are in the “Learning and Resources @ your
Library Secretary for the rest of this year. We’re happy to have her library” section.
with us and we’re keeping her quite busy!
Whenever a teacher books library time for a class to work on a
Program
research project, I create a Pathfinder to help the students find the
What happened to first semester? The School Library is so busy
resources they need. These Pathfinders are posted to the
that we actually can’t accommodate all the teachers who want to
“Pathfinders - Research Assignments” page, which is updated
book class time – and remember, we book two classes a period for each semester. These Pathfinders include online resources, which
all four periods of the day (the norm is one class a period for three the students can access from home as long as they have internet
periods a day).
access.
graphic courtesy of OSLA
This semester was extremely busy, so much so that the grade 9
Orientations didn’t happen – a first in my 15 years as a TeacherLibrarian! So, for this year only, grade 9 Orientations will be
offered in second semester. By the time the Orientations are
finished, I will have seen each grade 9 student three times: in
period 2 for an introduction to the School Library; in period 3 for
an introduction to the research and inquiry process; and in period
4 for a session on academic honesty. It’s a jam-packed program
which helps provide a foundation for the research projects students
will do throughout their time in high school.
There are a few teachers with whom I work closely to develop,
teach, and assess and evaluate major research projects. Students
working on these projects can go to the “Research Projects” page,
where they will find all of the project handouts and forms posted,
just in case they’ve forgotten to pick up library copies or have lost
their research folders.
Ask your son or daughter about the databases they can access
from home – there’s a handout available from the School Library.
In Closing…
The School Library has been heavily used by a number of teachers Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions
who want to give their students the opportunity to work on research about the School Library Information Centre. And please do drop
projects during class time, with easy access to teacher assistance by if you’re in the school.
from both a subject specialist and a Teacher-Librarian as well as
Written by Brenda Dillon, Teacher-Librarian
access to the variety of resources the School Library has to offer.
In addition to the “regular” class bookings for research projects,
I’ve had the opportunity to work with some teachers to develop
research projects and work with the students throughout the research and inquiry process. In these cases, I share the assessment and evaluation responsibility with the subject teacher – I
mark the research process and documentation of sources and the
teacher marks the subject content and the final product. This
semester, three grade 11 University level Biology classes completed The Scientific Consumer, a major research project worth
10% of their final course grade (5% semester mark for process, 5%
culminating mark for the research essay). I’ve also worked with
two grade 9 science teachers, at both the Academic and Applied
levels, on a unit research project on energy. The students in these
five classes were introduced to the research and inquiry process
and guided through the project in an effort to help them develop
good research skills.
I’ve also been working with the Academic Resource teachers to
develop specialized library programs, integrated into the Planning
for Independence, Communication, and GLE programs. While
these programs are a work in progress, we are committed to continuing our efforts. I’m passionate about the need to create an
inclusive School Library, one which welcomes and supports
all members of the school community.
The lessons I offer on preparing Works Cited (what used
to be called bibliographies) and parenthetical referencing
Newsletter Coordinator & Layout Person: E. Polin-De Luca
February 21, 2011………….…………….……………...Family Day
February 23, 2011……………………...School Council Meeting @
7:30 pm in the Library
March 4, 2011…………………….... Early Warning Letters Mailed
March 8, 2011……………….…………..………….Shrove Tuesday
March 9, 2011………………………………..……..Ash Wednesday
March 10-20, 2011……………………………..………..Europe Trip
March 14-18, 2011………………………………….….March Break
March 21, 2011…………………………………….…School Begins
March 31, 2011………...……………..OSSLT Gr. 10 Literacy Test
April 14, 2011…………………………….………… Spring Concert
April 15-25, 2011…………………………..…………Good Friday
& Easter Weekend
April 27, 2011 ………………………………..School Council
Meeting @ 7:30 pm in the Library
Editors: T. Bruno, E. Selimovic, E. Polin-De Luca, S. Popowich