The Things We Say
... Chaplain’s Corner
ST. PAUL SECONDARY SCHOOL’S
HEARTBEAT
College & University
Application Process Has Begun
Mani-Cure 4 Cancer
Cosmetology for a Cause
OSSLT
What to Expect
Fall Athletics
Extra Curricular and Varsity Sports
Dates To Remember
Fall Calendar of Events
Parlez-Vous Français?
Quebec City Trip
Talent Night 2011... November 25
St. Paul Secondary School
FALL ISSUE, 2011
815 Atwater Avenue, Mississauga, Ontario L5E 1L8
Phone: 905-278-3994
Web: stpaulss.org
Fax: 905-278-1163
Trustees
B. Iannicca, Mississauga Ward 7 - 905-270-0536, bruno.iannicca@dpcdsb.org
M. Pascucci, Mississauga Wards 1 & 3 - (P) 905-302-3096, (F) 905-890-0888, mario.pascucci@dpcdsb.org
Superintendent
Mr. C. Blanchard
Principal
Mr. P. Schmidt
Vice-Principal
Ms. C. Iacobucci
Chaplain
Mr. B. Finamore
Student Services/ARD
Mr. B. Bonnah
Guidance Counsellor A - K, ELL
Ms. E. Wasiuk
Guidance Counsellor L - Z, SHSM
Mr. J. Multari
Youth Care Worker
Ms. V. Williams
St. Dominic Parish Pastor
Fr. Philip Jones
Heartbeat Editor
Mr. T. Brugmans
Magazine Layout & Design
Mr. T. Brugmans
Cover Photo
TEB
Principal’sMessage
Welcome Back
I want to bring parents and community partners up to speed with
the fabulous initiatives and changes at St. Paul this year. Our Technological Studies Department have added two new members: Roberto
Fantacchione, on the Construction side and Darrin Sayewich on the
Communications Technology side. Both of our new colleagues have
arrived with considerable zeal and enthusiasm with several years of
industry experience. On the maternity side, we will be welcoming
back Ms. Vono, Ms. Scozzaro and Ms. Sudac from their respective
leaves and holding our breath for the new arrivals with Ms. Caldarelli
and Ms. Pereira. The St. Paul extended family continues to grow and
this bodes well for our systems future.
Our school website continues to evolve
with a new look and I would invite all
parents to tune in to Studio30 to watch
our morning announcements each day
(youtube.com/spstudio30).
Among the many other important pieces
of data you will find is our OSSLT,
Grade 9 Math scores and our CSLP,
Catholic School Learning Plan.
In 1971-72, St. Paul opened its doors
to the Lakeview community and has
been serving it as an junior high school
and a full service secondary school. In
1992-93 with the support of a Ministry
TERI grant (Technological Educational
Renewal Initiative) the school added
a Technology Pavillion and finally in
2001-02 St. Paul retrofitted the remaining academic areas.
In May we will be celebrating our 40th
Anniversary and I would invite all
parents to spread the word by way of the
Facebook page we will be establishing
to determine our Alumni’s whereabouts.
The Dufferin-Peel CDSB has developed
the CBLP (Catholic Board Learning
Plan 2010-13) and all schools work from
the same pillars. Parents are encouraged to examine our OSSLT file to note
our vast improvements in our Literacy
scores from the year before.
St. Paul’s Jamaican Canadian Exchange
Leadership Program has received approval from the Board for the students
and staff to complete project-based work
on a 10 day trip to Jamaica at the end of
the semester.
Father Burchell, youth Director for the
Archdiocese of Kingston in Jamaica
made a spirited presentation to St. Paul
parents at our Parent Council meeting on
October 19. Students in our High Skills
and leadership programs will be well
represented on this Program.
Samantha Leonardo and Mom accept the Catholic Student of the Year Award during the
Father Fogarty Awards Ceremony.
›››Chaplaincy
Our
Living
Faith
I remember, back in the day, playing house league ice hockey in Guelph.
The sign up for minor hockey in Guelph would occur on the evening of
the first day of school every year. The registration fees were $3.00 per
year! What a bargain considering the cost of hockey today. Let’s just say
that the equipment that we played with wasn’t exactly CSA approved.
One of the most important pieces of
equipment that we used was a piece of
chewing gum, given by the coach prior
to the game.
Chewing gum you might ask? It was
believed or at least the coach told
us to believe, that by chewing gum,
this would prevent us from biting our
tongue if we were hit during play.
I think it was in 1966 or 1967 that
mouth guards became mandatory in
the Guelph league. These guards
were plastic coverings that were
worn over the mouth, strapped to
our helmets.
Over the years, the design of
mouth guards has changed.
Science has proven that mouth
guards not only protect the teeth
but they also prevent concussions by acting as a shock absorber for the jaw during physical
contact. They are also prescribed
by sleep therapists to prevent snoring and teeth grinding.
I am eagerly awaiting the day when
a mouth guard will be designed
to prevent us from saying hurtful or obscene words. A
mouth guard to prevent
F-bombs from escaping our
lips!
Imagine how beautiful that would be!
Perhaps the current Mayor of Toronto
would purchase one!
the other hand, the right word at the
right time can be affirming and life
giving.
We really have to be careful with the
words we use when we communicate.
The words we use reveal who we are
as individuals. The words we use can
have a devastating effect on others.
They can cause tremendous pain. On
Jesus used words to describe the
Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus is the Word
of God. Let us always remember that
sometimes saying nothing - silence
- can also be the perfect response
in some situations. Let us try in the
future to be on guard of the things that
come out of our mouths!
A big thank you to Ms. Marie Tobin
who coordinates our annual Staff
ShareLife Campaign. Every year
she has a marvelous ability convincing staff to open their wallets/purses to support ShareLife!
We would also like to thank the
Pereira family for helping with
the semi annual Haitian Dancers visit to Canada. The Haitian
Dancers visited St. Paul School
on October 15, 2011 and performed for our Grades 9 and 10
students.
On behalf of Dr. Andrew Simone
thank you to the many students
that regularly volunteer at
the CFFC warehouse on
Friday mornings.
›››Guidance Files
Student Services • ARD • Counseling
Welcome to Our New Students: Grade 9 Orientation 2011! The new school year
is proving to be an exciting one! Orientation for the Grade 9 students began on
August 31. Students were introduced to Mr. Schmidt, Ms. Iacobucci, Mr. Finamore,
Ms Wasiuk (Guidance Counselor – A-K), Ms. Williams (Child Youth Worker), Mr.
Multari (Guidance Counselor L-Z), and members of the Student Council. Many
other staff members and senior students gave generously of their time to welcome our new grade nine students to life at St. Paul.
Scholarship Winners!
Several of our St Paul graduates received
monetary rewards for their hard work.
Congratulations to the St. Paul winners of
the 2010-11 Queen Elizabeth II Aiming for
the Top scholarship. They are: Sebastian
Barwinski, Nicole Dalli, Miranda Furtado,
Andrea Julian and Jibar Mahamoud.
Mid-Term Reports
Mid-term report cards will be distributed by
home room on November 17.
College / University
Applications
The deadline for college application is February 2, 2012 and the deadline for university
application is January 11, 2012. Students are
strongly encouraged to apply early because
the on-line websites get very busy in the
final days before the deadline. University
applicants must see Ms Wasiuk for a PIN in
order to apply; College Applicants must see
Mr. Multari for their PIN.
PLEASE NOTE: Students enrolled in Night
School courses during Semester One or Two
or other recognized Ontario Ministry of Education Private Schools, must bring a copy
of their marks to the guidance counselor in
order for the course to be entered into their
college/university application files. Also,
students are encouraged to apply for scholarships, bursaries and OSAP (student loans)
listed on the sheets given during the Grade
12 presentations held in early November.
Homework Help in Math
Grade 7, 8, 9 & 10 students can access free
homework assistance in math at
www.homeworkhelp.ilc.org. This site is sup-
ported by qualified teachers and is available
in the evening in real time. The Provincial
Assessment for Grade 9 Math (EQAO) will
be held on January 12 and 13.
News from PIP
Our students in the Planning for Independence Program continue to develop their
academic and life skills through in-school
and out-of-school work experience programs. Their work around our school is
much appreciated by all!
Parent Resource
The Supporting your Child’s Learning
through Assessment, Evaluation and
Reporting, 2010 document is available in 22
languages and designed to support a better
understanding of assessment and evaluation
practices as outlined in the new Growing
Success document. The document is available on the Ministry of Education website:
www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/reportCard.
html
Technology in Action:
Tools for Learning
Technology continues to play a bigger role in
our daily lives. The potential and possibilities of new technology, new programs and
other tools to help students learn are endless.
Our Academic Resource Room (Room 130)
provides access to some of these tools for all
students. Text-to-Speech Programs such as
Kurzweil and TextHelp provide assistance to
students with their reading and vocabulary
development while other programs like the
essay writing tool called Inspiration provide
students with the opportunity to develop
ideas and format thoughts for their essays
in a fun, interactive format. At St. Paul,
our teachers continue to work to keep our
students on the cutting edge of these amazing new technologies. For more information
about these applications, do not hesitate to
contact Mr. Bonnah in Student Services.
Course Selection for
2012 School Year
It’s hard to believe as it’s so early in the
new school year, however, we’re already
beginning the initial planning for 20122013! In order to facilitate our planning, the
registration process for next year will occur
in December. This year, students in Grades
9,10,11 and 12 will make their course selections using the St. Paul website. The process
is as follows:
1) review the courses they need/want to
take on the website (attention to SHSM
requirements as appropriate).
2) select their courses and options on the
site.
3) submit their entry on-line.
4) print a copy of their chosen courses.
5) ensure parents sign the course selection
request
6) return the signed course selection along
with the school activity fee to the Student
Services office by the due date.
Students will be provided with an on-line
demonstration as well as designated computer time for those students who do not have
internet access at home. Activity Fees may
be paid by debit/credit card. All options/
courses are filled on a first come/first served
basis so to ensure options are available, it is
very important to submit course selections early!
Please note: Semester One Final Exams will
run January 25 through January 31, 2012.
›››EQAO
From The Board Of Trustees
Dufferin-Peel students continue to shine on latest EQAO tests
Recently released EQAO test results for primary (Grades 1-3) and junior (Grades 4-6) assessments of reading,
writing and mathematics, and the Grade 9 mathematics indicate that Dufferin-Peel students continue to meet or
exceed provincial averages.
Some of the improvements this year over last year are as high as 6% and 10%. This is great news for our students and shines a light on the hard work of faculty, staff, administrators and trustees in aligning system resources to support all learners.
While this year’s results are impressive, results over the past several years provide further evidence that Dufferin-Peel students continue to improve over time. This is great news, but it doesn’t mean we cannot do even
better. Board staff will further analyze the EQAO results to provide support to schools, students and parents/
guardians to ensure that more students continue to improve in all assessment areas. Each school has its own
plan, which will be reviewed in the context of its students’ test results, to improve students’ skills in all subject
areas. School plans include strategies to assist all students, including intervention and reinforcement for students
who did not achieve the provincial standard.
Check your school website, or contact the principal for your school’s EQAO results. Additional information can
be obtained through the EQAO website at www.eqao.com.
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board - Board of Trustees
Anna da Silva - Brampton Wards 1,3,4
Frank Di Cosola - Caledon/Dufferin
Anna Abbruscato - Mississauga Ward 4 (Chair)
Bruno Iannicca - Mississauga Ward 7
Linda Zanella - Brampton Wards 2, 5, 6
Mario Pascucci - Mississauga Wards 1&3
Thomas Thomas - Misissauga Ward 5
Esther O’Toole - Mississauga Wards 9&10
John B. Kostoff - Director of Education
Scott McLauchlan - Brampton Wards 7-10
Sharon Hobin - Mississauga Wards 2&8 (ViceChair)
Peter Ferreira - Mississauga Wards 6&11
›››English
Grammar
Department Welcomes
We would like to welcome back Ms. Kim
and to welcome Ms. Ryan to the English
department this semester. Ms. Kim and
Ms. Ryan are currently teaching in place
of Ms. Vono and Ms. Sudak who are currently on maternity leave.
Writing and Speech
Contests
All members of the English department
try to keep students informed of the
many writing, essay and public speaking
contests which are available to students. If
you have an interest in this, see Mr. Kay
in the English Department. We anticipate
having a bulletin board posted near Room
212 very shortly; in the meantime, we are
posting most contest invitations in and
around the English Department office area.
English and Drama
Department Events &
Excursions
This year has seen members of Mrs.
Bentivoglio’s and Ms. Kim’s English
classes venture to Stratford to see a vibrant
production of Camelot. Ms. DiCarlo’s
classes are soon to see Macbeth, performed by the Classical Theatre Project at
the Bathurst Street Theatre.
Shortly Mrs. Bentivoglio and Mr. Kay’s
classes will return to Stratford to see
Twelfth Night. The Stratford website
describes Twelfth Night as Shipwrecked
on the coast of Illyria, Viola adopts male
disguise and enters the service of Duke
Orsino, only to find herself part of a
triangle of unrequited love. Meanwhile,
in the household of the Countess Olivia,
Sir Toby Belch and his unruly companions
Literature
trick Olivia’s strict and disapproving steward, Malvolio, into believing that she loves
him. A festive riot of mischief-making and
misplaced desire - perhaps the greatest
romantic comedy of all time.
As well, we are planning to take students
to York University’s Joe Green Studio
Theatre to John Vanbrugh’s restoration comedy The Provok’d Wife. This
adaptation of this 1697 English Restoration comedy depicts the rich behaving
badly. The sharp wit and farcical situations
notwithstanding, the play asks a serious
question: what to do about an unsuccessful marriage in a society where divorce is
impossible?
In October, the students of Mr.
Kay’s drama classes and selected students from Ms. Bentivoglio’s class participated in
a wonderful workshop
entitled Shakespearience, presented by
Mr. Marvin Karon,
with the actor Jean
Michel Le Gal. It is
a workshop supported by the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
School Board and was well
worth the time.
Members of the English Department attempt to select performances that will help
the experience of literature 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
daughter’s participation in these trips.
The Ontario Secondary
School Literacy Test and
the St. Paul Literacy Committee
The St. Paul Literacy Committee is
chaired by Ms. Ponvia and it is
comprised of teachers from the
school. The Committee will de-
Speaking
velop strategies for the OSSLT test which
will be taking place on March 29, 2012.
All of our Grades 9 and 10 teachers are
committed to making sure that their
courses support the OSSLT initiative and
that the students are prepared for the test.
The OSSLT is a large-scale assessment
written by all Grade 10 students in Ontario
public and separate schools.
The OSSLT has been in place since 2000.
Its purpose is to assess the reading and
writing skills attained by all students who
have completed the Grade 9 curriculum.
The test is set by the Education Quality
and Accountability Office (EQAO),
an arms-length agency of the
Ontario Ministry of Education.
It is important to reduce
the anxiety that many
students feel going in
to the test.
Parents and students
are encouraged to
visit the Education
Quality and Accountability Office
(EQAO) website at
www.eqao.com. It is a useful website and
it provides strategies and samples in order
to help students prepare for the test.
York University
Student Teachers
This year, there are two York University
Student Teachers working with Mentor
Teachers in the English Department. The
student teachers are scheduled to be in the
classroom every Wednesday and will be
observing and teaching as the semester
carries on.
Each student teacher will have a practicum
block of teaching which will be announced
as developed. Ms. Fagudo is working
with Mr. Kay; Ms. Farooq is working with
Mrs. Bentivoglio - we welcome them to
the St. Paul community and wish them
every success.
›››Athletics
Welcome
Back
Discipline, Dedication, Determination
to another busy fall
athletic program at
St. Paul. It’s great seeing so many students
participating in our
fall Varsity programs:
Flag Football, Girls
Basketball, Boys Junior
and Senior Volleyball
are now in full swing.
Junior boys hockey
have had their second
try-out and hope to be
a contender this season. Junior and Senior
girls volleyball try-outs
have also begun and
will be finalized by
mid November. Thanks
to all who came out
to support our Friday
Night Lights girls flag
football game which
was held on a cold and
rainy September 30…
Wolverines beat the St. Martin Mustangs
in convincing fashion!
A special thanks to our York University
student teacher, Mr. Chen, who has started
an intramural lunchtime program for the
students. Although the senior students
have displayed good interest, we are hoping to encourage more junior students to
sign up for a variety of intramural sports
that will be offered. Our goal is encourage
participation in physical activity and help
the students to develop a higher level of
fitness. Although we have good numbers
participating in varsity higher level athletics, we are hoping to encourage more of
the school population to make fitness a
regular part of their lives.
Healthy Body = Healthy Mind cannot be
stressed enough, especially with the high
technological and sedentary lifestyle too
many of our students are adopting. Our
weight room club is bustling with members this semester. We are very grateful
to One Health Club for their donation of
cardio equipment, which the students are
really taking advantage of after school. It’s
not too late to join: for only $30, students
can have an entire semester of working
out.
All of our PHE classes continue to pursue
outdoor education activities either hiking
the Bruce Trail or attending Silvercreek
outdoor center. This ends up being one of
the most enjoyable activities of the year
for most of the students. Many of them
want to continue hiking with their families. What a fun way to connect with your
kids and get fit at the same time.
We’d like to congratulate our Junior Boys
Basketball award winners from last June’s
athletic banquet: MVP’s Zack Zubilewich
and Michael Mularski. Our apologies, for
this omission in the June 2011 Heartbeat.
Flag Football
The second annual Friday Night Lights
game was held on September 30 at the
Valleys. The girl’s faced their closest
rivals from St. Martins in front of a jampacked house. Bad weather and a bad start
couldn’t derail the lady wolverines, who
went on to win the game 20-6.
The team was lead by Luba Sulypka with
two touchdowns and rookie sensation
Nicole Kolenda with one. The team and
coaches would like to thank the St. Paul
community for their continued support and
those who braved the cold, wet weather.
As of this writing, the girls are currently
undefeated at 5-0, leading the south
division. Wins over, Clarkson 14-6, Glen
Forest 37-12, Lorne Park 21-0, John Cabot
13-0 and the above game over St. Martins.
SPAC
The St. Paul Athletic council is looking for
new members and hoping to recruit some
grade 9 enthusiastic students. The
majority of SPAC
members are in
grade 12 and
we really need
to build up our
group with grade
9 and 10 students.
Meetings are held
on Thursday’s
after school.
›››Athletics
Girls Basketball
The senior girls basketball team are having a historic season of excellence. The
team is currently undefeated with a record
of 5 wins and 0 loses. They have already
clinched first place in their division and
are looking forward to a successful playoff
run.
The team travelled to Keswick, Ontario, as
well as our nation’s capitol, Ottawa, for
tournaments earlier this month. Thanks
to Kelsey Forestell, Jacquie Medeiros,
Meghan Forestell, Agatha and Emily
Ulewicz, Nicole and Lauren Peters, Laura
Colacci, Margo Hall, Destiny Giordino,
Jan Mary Brojan and Cara Coutts for their
hard work season.
Grade 11 and 12
Gym Class Outings
We encourage the St. Paul student community to find space in their busy, stress
filled days to find some time for a healthy
active lifestyle. We keep hearing about the
poor mental health of today’s teens and the
increasing suicide rates in Peel.
Encourage your children to participate
insomething physical, which helps release endorphins, the feel good chemical
in the body.
The girl’s grade 11 Body alive class
participate in a variety of outings
and activities, ranging from spinning
classes, pilates and yoga to kickbox and
tai chi. The grade 12 classes participate
in a variety of recreational and fitness
activities, providing
them with opportunities to find an activity
that they like and could
participate in for the rest
of their lives.
youth could be involved with. Students
should be encouraged to walk to and from
school, rather than counting on a drive
everyday.
We all know that Health
and Physical Education
should not be an option
in High School. Since it
is, please do your children a favour and don’t
make it an option in your
family.
Physical activity is important for mental
health as well, by building self-esteem and
decreasing levels of anxiety and depression. Regardless of body weight, physical
activity is essential for youth’s overall
health and well being. Children should be
active for exercise, sport, play and pure
enjoyment.
Active Healthy Kids
Canada- Report Card
on Physical
Activity for
Youth
It has been proven that physically active students perform
better in school than those
who are not.
Many current reports reinforce that parents need to
reduce screen time, such as tv
watching and computer use
and encourage their children
to get involved in
fitness or athletic pursuits. Friends and family have a lot
of influence on the activity levels
of youth. Children with active parents and active peers are far more
likely to be active themselves.
There are many excellent community and school programs that
Start small, encourage your child to walk,
run, bike, swim….get moving in a way
that they love. This will be the most important gift that you give them; the gift of
a healthy mind, body and spirit!
Talent Night 2011
Talent Night returns for
what is looking to be
another fantastic show.
October 18 was very busy
as we auditioned close
to 40 acts for this year’s
popular variety show.
Vocalists, rock bands,
dancers and acoustic performers have been honing
their acts over the last few
weeks as they prepare for
the show.
Behind the scenes, posters
are being put up, tickets
designed, lights are being
set and film crews are
developing short movies
and graphics to support
the show. Backstage and
video crews have been
practicing at their stations
in order to bring you a
well polished, professional show. Our MC’s,
Vanessa Scaringella, Evan
Bezmer, Michael Turk
and Luba Sulypka have
been hard at work preparing their own brand of
entertainment to string all
of the acts together.
Talent Night will be on
stage on Friday, November 25 at 7:00 pm. Parents, families and friends
are all welcome. Tickets
for this one night only
show can be purchased in
the cafeteria in advance
($10.00) or at the door
($12.00).
Talent Night has traditionally played to a sold out
crowd, so get your tickets
early if you want to witness what has come to be
the school’s most anticipated event of the year!
›››Bits & Bites
Omnia Cum Corde
Moderns Department
World Youth Day
This year to complement our program, the
language department is excited to offer our
students the opportunity to truly live and
enjoy the French culture and language in
Quebec City. This opportunity is offered
through the company Perspectives who
offer fabulous excursions.
There was a St. Paul Wolverine
sighting this summer at World
Youth Day 2011 in Madrid,
Spain.
Our adventure will include an array of
co-operative activities from morning until
night, which will allow the students to
discover their abilities in French and the
treasures of the French culture. For most
of our students it is a once-in-a-lifetime
worthwhile experience that they will never
forget.
At present, the trip is scheduled from May
15 to 18, 2012. Students interested in
participating, should inform their French
teacher, Ms. Bontempo or Ms. Bentivoglio.
A package will be sent home and there
will be a parent information meeting on
Wednesday, November 30 at 6:30 p.m.
Please listen to morning announcements
for further details.
Looking Ahead
Please take note of the following dates to
help you plan out your fall calendar.
Mid Term Report Cards........November 17
PA Day..................................November 18
Parent Council Meeting...... Novermber 23
Talent Night..........................November 25
Grade 8 Open House............... December 1
Co-Op Showcase................... December 12
Advent Mass......................... December 13
Christmas Holidays........... Dec. 26 - Jan. 8
Last Day Semester 1................. January 24
First Semester Exams.........January 25 - 31
Several St. Paul Students
were a part of the St. Dominic
Church delegation that travelled to Spain.
Mani-Cure 4 Cancer
ManiCure 4 cancer was
founded by Melanie
Tinianov who survived
her battle with cancer.
Her survival inspired the
school Alexander Mackenzie to volunteer to raise
more money for cancer
awareness. They offered
manicures, hand massages, baked goods and
different colored ribbons
to represent the different
types of cancer.
This year the St. Paul
community will participate in this event also. On
December 4, the Cosmetology Class, as part
of their unit on environmental concerns, will
dedicate themselves to
help this cause by offering
manicures and henna for
$5 and hand massages
for $2 each (which will
also include refreshments
provided by the Food and
Nutrition class).
There will be a donation table set up for which you can donate to the cause and receive
a ribbon of your choice, representing a specific type of cancer. This is the first time this
event is being held at St. Paul and we are very excited. Please come out and support the
cause!
This year the funds from all the schools will be going directly to a research project supporting brain cancer at the Hospital For Sick Children in Toronto.