Well the snow is gone but I am not sure Spring is here yet. It seems to have been an inordinately long winter but that
has not dampened the spirit of the Philip Pocock Catholic School Community. Semester 2 is in full swing and many
spring sports and activities are getting ready to start up again.
We are just completing the most solemn time of year – the Lenten season and our community was involved in solemn
Masses, liturgies and prayer. The Lenten period began with the Ash Wednesday liturgy. Each week following Ash
Wednesday, every grade celebrated a Lenten Mass. Led by Mr. Smalridge and the Chaplaincy team, and celebrated
by Father John Facey, pastor of St. Patrick’s, the Masses captured the essence of why and how Catholic education
makes a difference in the lives of our youth.
Now we are in the Easter cycle. With this season comes the Spring concert, soon to be followed by the annual Music trip, art exhibits,
spring sports and many other activities.
Catholic Education Week, beginning on May 2, is an opportunity to bring attention to the value of Catholic Education in Ontario.
J. B. Kostoff, the Director of Education of Dufferin-Peel, is a strong advocate for Catholic Education. Please access the Dufferin-Peel
web site at http://www.dpcdsb.org/cec to read Our Catholic School Heritage, an historical understanding of issues related to Catholic
education in Ontario written by Dr. Robert Dixon and edited by J.B. Kostoff, Director of Education.
Please also read 168 Years of Success on the same web page. Catholic Schools have been educating students in mind, body and spirit in
Ontario since before the birth of the province. For nearly 170 years they have provided educational excellence, in a school culture imbued with the Gospel values of Jesus Christ. Catholic education has been the foundation for millions of students to develop their full
spiritual, academic, physical and social potential.
Please take some time to read these documents. The future of Catholic education in Ontario is in your hands and the hands of the students in our classrooms today.
This newsletter summary accompanies your child’s mid-term report card. The full newsletter is available online at http://
www.dpcdsb.org/pocok. 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. With this in mind, please
make plans to attend our parent/teacher interview night on April 28. The
parent school council has been very active. They hold monthly meetings on
the fourth Wednesday of almost every month. Please try to attend one of
their meetings. The school council has completed and published the “Pirate
Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary School
Cookbook” – a collection of favourite recipes donated by staff, students and
4555 Tomken Road, Mississauga, Ontario, L4W 1J9
parents. The cookbook is available in the Main Office for $10.
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
It will make an excellent “anytime gift” but an especially wonderful
Mother’s Day gift. The funds raised will be added to other school council
funds and used to defray the cost of improving the sound system in the
cafetorium.
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 .
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
This Lent… Be a ‘Free Spirit’!
As Catholics, we know that Easter is about much more than just chocolate and Easter bunnies. Easter is about the great
sacrifice of our Lord on the cross, and his glorious resurrection. In order to celebrate Easter in a meaningful way, however, we should do our best to focus on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving during Lent. While these three Lenten disciplines may sound old-fashioned and rather severe, at Pocock, students have experienced the power and relevance of
these practices.
The Power of Prayer
On Ash Wednesday, our school gathered for prayer and the imposition of ashes. As we received
ashes upon our foreheads, we reflected upon our human frailty and sinfulness, and upon the
infinite mercy and forgiveness of God. As we opened our hearts to God’s love, He turned our
ashes into something beautiful, and He turned our mourning into joy.
Fasting is Fun
On April 1st, Pocock had our annual
‘ThinkFast’ – an overnight fundraiser
in which students fast, pray, and join
in fun activities and games throughout
the night. This year 38 students
helped raise approximately $800.00,
which will be donated to Sick Kids
Hospital and Development and Peace.
Almsgiving is Awesome
In addition to the money raised during
‘ThinkFast’, all Pocock homeroom classes participated in a ‘toonie drive’ for The Scott Mission – a Toronto charity that
provides food and shelter for the needy.
Be a Free Spirit!
The Spirit of God can use prayer, fasting, and almsgiving
to set us free from the selfish and empty concerns that so
often trap us. In February and March, our grade 9 religion
classes tasted that freedom and joy during their religion
retreat at ‘Fogolar Country Club’ in Oakville. Led by the
school Chaplain, these retreats taught our students that
God has created them with a spiritual soul that is a most
precious gift.
Have a blessed Lent and a happy Easter!
Pocock Yearbook is looking for Editors for next year starting
in Semester One. If you have a creative flair,
are interested in desk-top publishing, and
want to be part of putting the Yearbook
together, then please contact Mrs. Pogson,
the yearbook advisor.
● Great recipes donated by staff, students & parents
● Great gift for EASTER or MOTHER’S DAY
● Only $10.00 (Available in the Office)
● Proceeds will go towards improving the
sound system
On Thursday, February 24th, 2011, students in Signora
Polin-De Luca’s Grade 11 and 12 Italian classes had the
opportunity of experiencing Italian theatre at the CCIT
Building at UTM and saw an Italian period comedy by
Bernardo Dovizi da Bibbiena. Bibbiena’s work was
greatly influenced by Baldassara Castiglione and the title
of this work recalls one of the main characters, Calandrino, that has appeared in Boccaccio’s The Decameron.
The story deals with the twists and turns of human relationships that became the archetype during the 1400’s.
This play was extremely amusing and highly entertaining. This was truly a wonderful opportunity for both the Grade 11
and Grade 12 Italian students to see a play that they are studying come to life. Thanks go out to Signora E. Polin-De
Luca and Signorina D. Romano (Student Teacher from OISE) for organizing and supervising the day.
The students enjoyed the play presented by the “Maschere Duemondi” and have since applied themselves to the task of
learning their roles for their own production of La Calandria. The assignment that immediately followed this theatrical
experience was executed with great enthusiasm.
It was truly a pleasure for our Pocock students to see that the play this year was produced by a Pocock Alumnus,
Teresa Lobalsamo, who happens to teach at the University. She was an exceptional student and is now a phenomenal
teacher/professor.
Alumnus & Director of the play:
Teresa Lobalsamo
with Signora Polin-De Luca
This year’s Europe trip was a HUGE
success! Look for the write-up and
photos on this amazing trip in the June
issue of the Pocock Pride newsletter.
If you missed out on this year’s trip
check out the itinerary for next year’s
trip. For more information see Madame/
Signora Polin-De Luca in the Moderns
Office. Don’t miss out on what students
are calling “THE EXPERIENCE OF A
LIFETIME”.
Italy, France & Belgium 2012
Departing: Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Returning: Sunday, March 18, 2012
FEE INCLUDES:
 Round-trip airfare
 TGV from the French Riviera to Paris
 Full European breakfast daily
 Dinner daily
 Overnight stays in hotels with private bathrooms
 Full-time services of a professional Tour
Director
 Guided sightseeing tours and city walks as
per itinerary
 Visits to select attractions as per itinerary
 Tour Diary
$75.00 Discount
for sign-up before the end of April
See Mme./Sig.ra Polin-De Luca
in the Moderns Department for more info.
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We, in the Moderns Department, are proud to
announce that three of our top French students will be continuing on to the next phase
of the Toronto French Contest that is being
held at the Glendon Campus of York University on May 17th.
Please join us in congratulating Olivia
D’Alessandro, Caroline Kwiatek and Gloria
Wang.
CONCOURS D’ART ORATOIRE—May 7
CANADIAN WARPLANE HERITAGE
MUSEUM in Hamilton, May 6th
(Grade 10 Extended French Histoire classes)
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FRENCH PLAY, Molière’s L’école des femmes,
@ Théàtre Français—April 12th
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CHIN RADIO STATION & Capitol Restaurant
for Grade 11 & 12 Italian classes-May TBA
Wednesday and Thursday, April 6th and 7th, 6 of our students
represented Philip Pocock at the annual « Concours d’art oratoire »,
the French Public Speaking competition held at the Dufferin-Peel
Catholic District School Board CEC.
We would like to congratulate all of our participants: Anton Grishyn,
Kateryna Brodeskur, Anick Karerangabo, Caroline Nguyen, Christine
Nassif and Nathalie Gondek for their dedication, effort and hard work
in preparing for this competition and representing our community so
well.
Mme Polin-De Luca, Nathalie Gondek, Christine Nassif, Mme Iodice, & Mme Bruno
The « crème de la crème » of Dufferin-Peel’s French language programs were
present and our students did a phenomenal job in competition. We would like to
congratulate 2 of our students for winning 2nd place in their respective categories:
Christine Nassif in the Senior Extended French category for her speech entitled
« Les martyrs égyptiens » and Nathalie Gondek in the Senior Immersion Category
for her speech entitled « La violence domestique ». Join us in wishing our young
ladies well as they move on to the Provincial level of the competition that will be
held at Glendon College on Saturday, May 7th.
We would also like to recognize the support offered to our French Public Speaking
Team by all of the French Teachers and Coaches, in particular Madame Bruno,
Madame Iodice, Madame Donahue and Madame Polin-De Luca.
Mme Bruno, Anick Karerangabo, Mme Polin-De Luca,
Mme Iodice, Kateryna Brodeskur, and Anton Grishyn
Auto Show: As it happens every year in February,
with the start of a new semester, the transportation
technology students kick off their semester with a trip
to the Auto Show. The grade 10 and 11 auto students,
along with other technological studies classes went on
an excursion to the Auto Show at Rogers Centre in
downtown Toronto. The students had an opportunity to
see new options and technologies on new model vehicles and a considerable number of concept cars. It was
quite an amazing and educational show that merged
technology from the past showcasing some classic Camaros, current technology on new
model vehicles, and concept cars with a lot of information on zero emission vehicles.
The students really had a good time. They displayed good manner in the Centre and throughout the trip.
Some were very excited to come back with some souvenirs that added to their enthusiasm and motivation
to learn more about cars.
As we start the second half of the semester, the grade 10 and 11 auto students will start working on disassembly and reassembly of engines. This is a fun filled activity the students enjoy the most. It is uplifting
to see the excitement of the students when they finish reassembling and run an engine that was completely
stripped. As the weather is improving, the grade 10 students will be seen outside running their reassembled small engines.
Please Donate Your Old Vehicles: This semester we had to get rid of 3 vehicles that were donated to
the auto program 2-5 years ago. It is amazing to get that much use of older vehicles when their usage on the road had already expired. Consequently, the auto program is looking for more donated vehicles in order to keep the students motivated and give them a lot of learning opportunities. 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 and replacing spare tires; if it is not drivable, grade 12s learn to remove engine and transmission from the vehicle and the grade 11s disassemble and reassemble the engine. All these activities are done on donated scrap vehicles which 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. Lijiam in room 101 or call 905-602-6172 ext. 69101.
Original Artwork by:
Jordyn Ferreira-Gr. 12
Original Artwork by:
Tharuni Uthayakumar-Gr. 12
Original Artwork by:
Monika Maslanka-Gr. 12
Mrs. Seaman’s Visual Art students have done beautiful artwork this school year in both design and painting. With the
coming of Spring, the theme of the traditional landscape is graced with the cross within the composition, the symbol
of Christianity. These images will be on display in our Atrium showcase this Good Friday and Easter. All grade levels
from grade 9 to grade 12 have participated in this most important theme in our Catholic school.
Original Artwork by:
Fazal Siddiqui-Gr. 10
Original Artwork by:
Marina Tawfik-Gr. 11
Original Artwork by:
Maryan Khop’yak
Original Artwork by: Desilava Katilieva, Yamila
Morales, Jordyn Ferreira, Tharani Vithayakumar-Gr.12;
Brandon Van Meeteren-Gr.11, Kassie Duffus-Gr. 10, Shamita Malhotra-Gr.9, and Kevin SanPedro
Original Artwork by:
Marina Tawfik-Gr. 11
Pocock Students Won Gold, 2 Silver and Bronze Medals!
Regional Skills Competitions were held on March 22, 2011 at St. Augustine secondary school in Brampton. The following students represented our school in various competition areas:
Sara McDonald - from Mrs. Mazzotta’s Hairstyling and
Aesthetics class participated in the Hairstyling competition that entailed a trendy women’s cut and style, an
elegant evening up do as well as a men’s classic cut
with a beard design. Once completed, she was interviewed by judges to see her career awareness and job
preparedness.
Emily Sosa - from Mrs. Mazzotta’s Hairstyling and
Aesthetics class participated in the Make-up competition that entailed a day make-up, casual and a fantasy
look. Once completed, she was interviewed by judges
to see her career awareness and job preparedness.
Julian Lee Ho – from Mr. Lijiam’s Transportation
Technology class participated in the Automotive Service Technician competition. On top of a written test
and job interview, the competitions involved seven different tasks that had to be completed through the day.
The tasks included: replacing brakes, making a brake
line, diagnosing electronic and ignition systems of an
engine, identifying electronic system components,
identifying various vehicle components and precision measurements of internal engine
parts.
Chris Rebelo – from Mr. Lijiam’s Transportation Technology class participated in the Small Engine competition. His
competition included a written test, a job interview, and completely disassembling and reassembling a small engine. He
also had to take precision measurements and identify & explain purposes of some internal engine components before
reassembly.
Kris Baily & Jose Lagman – from Mr. Palmer’s Construction Technology class participated in the Team Carpentry competition. Their task was to construct a garden bench
in a matter of a few hours.
All our students had an exciting
fun filled day. No doubt it was a
learning day for them as they
had to perform at a high degree
of intensity with the pressure of
time limitations.
Congratulations to Julian Lee
Ho for winning gold medal;
Chris Rebelo and Emily Sosa for winning silver medals; and
Kris Baily and Jose Lagman for winning bronze medal in their
respective competitions.
Good luck to Julian Lee Ho on the upcoming Provincial Skills
Competition that will be held in Waterloo on May 3rd, 2011.
University/College Information: University and
Colleges have been delivering offers of admission
and will continue to do so. The next transmission
to OUAC will take place on April 28rd, 2011.
Courses that need to have been dropped, should
have been done so prior to this date. May 30th ,
2011 is the latest date by which secondary school
applicants can expect a response from an Ontario
university. June 2nd, is the last date for a response
to offers. May 2nd, 2011 applicants applying to
Colleges must confirm their acceptance of an offer
of admission to their chosen program.
Please read emails regularly sent from Universities and Colleges.
University/College Open Houses:
take advantage of tours and
open houses offered before
making a decision to accept
a post-secondary offer.
Community Service Hours: to receive an Ontario
Secondary School Diploma, a student must
complete all three components of the OSSD:
 attain 30 credits
 successfully complete the Ontario Secondary
School Literacy Test (OSSLT)
 complete 40 hours community
service
Hours attained were due to Student Services April
1st for any student graduating this June. Students
who have not completed their hours are reminded
to drop by Student Services and see their counselors as soon as possible. Visit the Pocock website
and the community service bulletin board if you
need help finding volunteer placements.
Philip Pocock C.S.S. was one of many schools, from both
the Peel and Dufferin-Peel school boards, that participated in
the annual Mission Employable Job Fair and Conference.
The purpose of the conference was to recognize that all
pathways from secondary school are valued and important.
In particular, the aim was to serve and support those students
who will be transitioning to the world of work. Over forty
employers from diverse employment fields gathered at the
Pearson Convention centre to provide advice, contact information and offer job interviews to interested students.
Students enjoyed the engaging words of a motivational
speaker who encouraged students to start exploring and
planning for their future of work. Another speaker informed
students on the rights of employees and the responsibility of
employers to ensure a safe working environment for all.
Option Sheets 2011/12: On-line registration took
place this year from January 7th – 14th. Verification
forms were distributed February 14th, and changes
should have been made at this point. Students still
requiring changes will have the opportunity to do
so during exam week of June 20th – June 23rd .
Timetables for September will be distributed on the
last day of classes, June 17th.
As well, students gathered information from a number of
company representatives, who elaborated on the various
skills and characteristics employers are seeking for their future workforces. Mr. Mezgec, Mr. McMahon and a dozen
ambitious Philip Pocock students enjoyed an enlightening
day geared towards student school-to-work transitioning
opportunities.
Summer School: Summer school Co–op applications have been available since early March, and
are due to Student Services by April 21th, 2011.
All other summer school course information was
available to students the week of April 4th , 2011.
Summer school will take place from July 4th to
July 29th . Deadline for applications at Pocock is
June 2rd, 2011. Walk-in registration will take
place on July 4th, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm at all
summer school locations.
Courses fill up quickly so students are
reminded to see their counselors early
to avoid disappointment.
Students were able to network with representatives from a
variety of industry sectors that included;

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






Automotive/Transportation
Communications
Construction
Hospitality and Tourism
Landscaping and Horticulture
Logistics
Manufacturing
Personal and Health Services
Retail sales
placed at Pocock and will, we expect, be here until the end of the
school year. Please join me in welcoming Miss Ann to Pocock.
Staff
B. Dillon
- Teacher-Librarian
Miss Ann
- Library Technician
D. Sandiland - Library Secretary
Hours
Monday – Friday – 7:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
graphic courtesy of OSLA
Another Staffing Change!
Yes, you read it correctly – the staff list has changed again! Mrs.
Roane was offered a full-time job in the Mississauga Library System
and is now working at the Courtney Park branch. As this branch also
serves as the school library for St. Marcellinus, Mrs. Roane should feel
right at home! Mrs. Roane joined the Pocock staff in March 2000,
which means I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of working with her
for almost exactly 11 years. While she’ll be missed by staff and
students alike, this is a good career move for Mrs. Roane and we all
wish her well in her new job. As there were no internal applicants for
the position, a Library Technician from a temp agency has been
What’s happening @ your library?
The Civics classes were in the library last week, working on their culminating assignments. This means that, somehow, half the semester
has already gone by! The School Library continues to be a busy place,
with the (very) occasional “free” period (as in, no classes booked) a
welcome opportunity to get all the other work done that we don’t get a
chance to do when the place is abuzz with students. And there’s always work to do! Keeping a library operational takes a great deal of
time and effort.
Resources @ your library
Ask your son or daughter about the databases they can access from
home – there’s a handout available from the School Library.
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 B. Dillon, Teacher-Librarian
Both the Eco-Team and Romero Justice groups have been working hard to make Philip Pocock greener. Since our last newsletter, GOOS (Good On One Side) paper bins were placed in departments and photocopy rooms to ensure no blank paper is being
wasted. Teachers have also become more aware of photocopying on both sides of paper in an effort to become more environmentally conscious and reduce waste.
Furthermore, our attendance secretary, Ms Bowman, has changed daily teacher printouts (of absent students) to a PDF format.
This alone has helped the school save hundreds of daily printouts!
The school may also seem a little brighter these days. This is thanks to the new environmentally friendly lighting system that has been installed throughout Pocock’s halls, classrooms, and departmental workrooms. In
addition to energy saving light bulbs, a zoning and dimming system is in place. The lights automatically shut-off
after a period of time when not in use. The dimming and zoning features allow teachers to regulate the use of
lights in their classrooms. Philip Pocock is one of the few pilot schools in North America to be fitted with this
lighting system. This initiative will substantially help reduce electricity costs.
Mid-April will mark the launch of Earth Week, with emphasis on the importance of water conservation and access to clean water throughout the world. The Romero Justice
group has been working hard to bring awareness to this important cause. There are
several activities planned within the next few weeks.
The new look of some our water fountains initially confused students, but they quickly
figured out that these odd-looking water fountains are actually water bottle filling stations! Pocock now has three water bottle filling stations in the hopes that students will
eliminate the use of plastic water bottles and will begin using reusable water bottles.
Plastic water bottles leave behind a huge negative ecological footprint, as it is estimated that up to 80 per cent of water bottles are not actually recycled! Even more disturbing is that approximately 30 million plastic water bottles are thrown out per day!
These statistics further stress the importance of eliminating plastic water bottles from
our lives.
Students will have the opportunity to free themselves of plastic water bottles during Earth Week, as Pocock will
be launching the sale of its own reusable water bottle! For $8.00, it is the best and coolest deal in town! You will
need to act fast as quantities are limited.
You don’t want to miss this great opportunity to support your school, be environmentally conscious and, in the process, donate
some money to Romero Justice’s Free the Children Water Campaign, which is raising money to build a well in their adopted
town in Sierra Leone.
Philip Pocock is working hard to become more environmental and we are well on our way to becoming an eco-certified school
through Ecoschool Ontario.
REDUCE-REUSE-RECYCLE POCOCK!
April 21, 2011…………….…..Holy Thursday
April 21, 2011………....Report Cards Issued
April 22, 2011………………...…Good Friday
April 24, 2011…………………..……....Easter
April 25, 2011………………...Easter Monday
April 27, 2011……..School Council Meeting
@ 7:30 pm in the Library
April 28, 2011…..Parent/Teacher Interviews
April 29, 2011...Last Day for Level Changes
May 23, 2011…………….….…...Victoria Day
May 25th, 2011……School Council Meeting
@ 7:30 pm in the Library
June 11, 2011………. 2011-2012 Timetables
Distributed
June 17, 2011………….Last Day of Classes
June 20—June 24, 2011….……Final Exams
June 24, 2011…………………………….Prom
June 27, 2011…………….Exam Review Day
June 28, 2011………………………...P.D. Day
June 29, 2011………………….…Graduation,
Graduation Mass @
11:00 am at St. Patrick’s Church
June 29, 2011………………………...P.D. Day
June 30, 2011………………………...P.D. Day
Newsletter Coordinator & Layout Person: E. Polin-De Luca
Editors: T. Bruno, E. Selimovic, E. Polin-De Luca, S. Popowich