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. 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) FRENCH PLAY, Molière’s L’école des femmes, @ Théàtre Français—April 12th 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; 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