Young Author’s Contest
... inside
ST. PAUL SECONDARY SCHOOL’S
HEARTBEAT
Talent Night
Wrapping up the big show!
Shakespearience
An Interactive Workshop
Bad Weather Days
Inclement Weather Instructions
Winter Athletics
Extra Curricular and Varsity Sports
Girls Night In
Instilling Self-esteem In Young Women
Are We All Just Actors?
Chaplain’s Corner
NFP - Heading Back To Jamaica...
St. Paul Secondary School
WINTER ISSUE, 2013
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
Mikela Bradstreet
Principal’sMessage
Happy New Year to the entire St. Paul Community!
This year promises to be one of excitement and change probably unlike any other in our 40 year history. We are pleased to announce that
WiFi will be arriving in our Library during the second semester and
throughout the whole school in the next academic year. Parents will
notice our Patrick Meany Memorial Library makeover immediately
upon entering, as the new Learning Commons takes on a more multimedia, learning center flavour with a new Smart Board, additional
desktop computers and coffee/tea or cold drinks will provide a more
informal, sociable learning place for students and staff. Welcome to
21st century education.
Parents are familiar with our many
concerns that have impacted the
delivery of a meaningful educational
experience for students in the current delivery model of the typical
school day. Authors such as Cote and
Allahar in Canada, Ronald Wolk and
Heidi Jacobs in the United States,
have been over these matters most
recently and arrived at many similar
conclusions.
Your Admin team have started examining different models of delivery in order to address the ongoing
challenges of student disengagement
and mark inflation. As visionary as
we wish to be at St. Paul, it’s our
conclusion that we have reached the
end of meaningful change within the
current linear structure of the school
day.
It’s for this reason that, in September, we will be inviting members of
our community to examine which
models of the school day can best
provide for improved student success
and engagement at St. Paul Secondary School. Some consultation has
already begun with Board and Union
personnel to clarify impacts on all
members of the community because
we believe that this has exceptional
benefits for all students and staff.
We have heard from several parents
in the other publicly funded school
system since they viewed our Grade
8 Open House digital presentation on
the school website. The presentation
highlighted all of our Specialist High
Skills Major programs, as well as
many of the partnerships that those
programs have engendered such
as at the Dupont Primary school in
Kingston, Jamaica. Our students and
staff will be departing again this year
for Jamaica on January 30, to return
on February 4 from their placement
at the Dupont Primary school.
We are still examing the possibility of combining a Moderns/Social
Science/PHE trip to Quebec in the
third week of February or first week
in March, depending upon declared
interest from students.
Our Grade 9 EQAO math tests was
held on Wednesday, January 16 and
from all accounts our preparation opportunities were well subscribed to.
Program department, Math department and Administration have been
participating in Intensive School
Support Workshops throughout the
first semester to diagnose and ad-
dress the various areas of challenges
for our students that have been identified by our staff and the EQAO.
Similar preparation will be offered
for all grade 10 students who will be
writing the OSSLT (Ontario Secondary School Literacy test) in April.
St. Paul continues to excel in our
winter sports, as we prepare for the
myriad of tryouts that will start soon
for our Spring sports. Interest continues to grow in our Lacrosse program
and both Girls’ and Boys’ soccer will
again field provincial caliber qualifying teams.
It’s with a very heavy heart that I
need to announce the retirement of
Kevin Connelly, a true community
builder and problem solver from our
Planning for Independence Program.
Kevin has served with distinction at
St. Paul for the last six years after an
exceptional career as an elementary
teacher at St. Edmund, as well as
other schools in the DPCDSB. Kevin’s departure will only be temporary
as he has expressed a desire to serve
as a community coach in our sports
programs. We will be posting the
details of Kevins retirement event on
the school website shortly.
›››Chaplaincy
Our
Living
Faith
A few weeks ago, over the Christmas holidays, I went to see the movie:
Lincoln. The movie, directed by Steven Spielberg, stars the Academy
Award winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis. The story of the film deals with
the efforts Abraham Lincoln made during the final weeks of the Civil War
to get Congress to pass the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution
to outlaw slavery. If you have seen the movie, I am sure that you would
agree that Daniel Day-Lewis’ performance as Lincoln is spectacular.
When watching the movie, I saw
Day-Lewis become Lincoln. He had
the mannerisms, idiosyncrasies and
even the voice of Lincoln, perfectly
mastered according to the historical
eyewitness accounts of the late US
President that have collected over the
years.
This was no east task. It took Daniel
Day-Lewis over one year of intense
study and preparation just to find Lincoln’s voice. He read dozens of books,
met with Lincoln scholars and even
spent time visiting Lincoln’s home
city, Springfield, Illinois and surviving buildings that Lincoln would have
spent time in during his life.
Intense preparation was the key. Keep
in mind that Day-Lewis has only made
six movies over the past seventeen
years and you can see that he is an
actor who really cares about his work
and that he is not just out there to
make a quick buck.
Since watching the movie, I have
spent some time reflecting about
Daniel Day-Lewis, the movie Lincoln
and what I think it might say to us here
at St. Paul in our lives. While we can
learn from the commitment and hard
work that actors do prior to their performances, we have to remember that
acting isn’t real. Acting is pretending
- it’s make-believe. Actors pretend to
be someone they are not. If their act of
pretending is believable and convincing, they might even win an award.
In acting, reality is
suspended usually
in the name of
entertainment
but mostly
to make
money.
I must
ask myself,
am I guilty
of acting? Am
I being who I
really am, who
God created me to
be or am I acting?
Am I pretending to
be someone other
than who I really
am? I don’t think Jesus
wants us to be actors.
We can spend many
years pursuing academic
diplomas and fabricating
complicated and exhausting lives
for ourselves that do not bring true
joy and happiness. Even if you are an
amazing actor, sooner or later the act will
be discovered.
Think of Lance Armstrong. Lance was acting
even better than any performance that Daniel Day-Lewis
could ever deliver! Armstrong might try turning in his
seven Tour de France titles for one Academy Award. His
life was one big act.
Let’s ask ourselves as we prepare for 2013, Semester II
- wouldn’t it be far easier to just be ourselves and not try
to be someone we are not?
ART is... Dynamic
The Visual Art program is alive and beating strong. It must be
the St. Paul’s air. The students put in their whole hearted energy
and passion into their expressive creations.
Many started with learning what art
expression was all about in grade
9, to the point where they excel
in the field by grade 12. Students
collaborate and use their talents
to create meaningful art pieces
whether it is painting, drawing,
sculpture, or found art.
They are taking inspirations from their other school courses and
extra-curricular activities and incorporating them into their art.
Students come to the art room before school starts, and during
the two lunches, to exchange ideas, help each other, or to try
new techniques. Even though some
students are not in the art
program, it is a pleasure
to see them engage in
experimenting with
some of the art material.
As time moves along,
art allows students to
diversify their thinking
and present opportunities
to express their experiences.
Art students and their work: Agata Kurek, Magda Piskorski, Victoria Pena, Simon Tavares, Gregor Tratnik, Jeff Bae.
›››Not For Profit
Specialist High Skills Major
Jamaican Exchange
Leadership Program
On January 29, 2013,
twenty-eight selected
students from St. Paul
Catholic Secondary
School will be travelling to Kingston, Jamaica for eight days.
They will have the
opportunity to explore and enhance
their leadership skills,
through meaningful
educational and cultural activities with the
students of DuPont
Primary Middle School
in Kingston.
While they are in Jamaica, students will
spend the majority
of their time at the
school working as
teaching assistants,
educational resources
workers, repairing
classrooms and providing general supervision for grades ranging from 1 to 8.
Several students enrolled in the Specialist High Skills Major programs (SHSM) will
fulfill some of their course requirements abroad. Leading up to the trip, students collected many donations from family, friends, the community and our feeder schools.
They packed donations at Dr. Simone’s Canadian Food for Children warehouse
which were subsequently shipped to Jamaica.
Once they arrive, students will unload the school, sports, and food items that were
packed in November. At Queen of Heaven Elementary School, several students
were involved in a program called All-Star Reading. In this program they were
taught strategies to prepare them to provide literacy and enhance literacy skills for
younger students.
The students are looking
forward to the opportunity to further experience the joy of community service and become
more influential leaders.
A special thank you
to the members of our
St.Paul community for
there generous contributions to this program.
›››English
Grammar
The Ontario Secondary
School Literacy Test
St. Paul is in the midst of prepping for
the OSSLT test which will be taking
place on April 11. Parents and students
are strongly urged to visit the EQAO
website (www.eqao.com); it is a well
designed website with Teacher, Parent
and Student sections containing helpful
information.
There is a sample test available on-line;
it is a complete test in the same order
and with the same instructions as an
actual test. The use of the sample test
provides parents and students with a
test similar in length and format to the
one provided during the actual administration of the OSSLT and it illustrates
the types of reading and writing items
(questions and prompts) that students
will encounter.
Shakespearience
Mr. Kay and Ms. Bentivoglio hosted
Shakespearience in December.
With the guest actor Nicola CorreiaDamude and Mr. Marvin Karon leading
this interactive workshop, the senior
English classes learned a lot about the
performance of King Lear in Shakespeare’s time.
Shakespearience was
a great
demonstration
and inspirational for
our students
in the ways
of the Bard.
Check out the
website at http://
www.shakespearience.ca/wordpress/
Literature
index.php.
English, Drama and
ESL Bulletin Board
Students are encouraged to check and
follow-up on announcements from
the many different invitations that we
receive for such contests as writing,
poetry (slams), speech, drama auditions
and many other opportunities open to
students from the St. Paul community.
Check out our board near Room 212 at
the east end of the second floor.
Young Authors
2013 Contest
Each year, the Ontario English Catholic
Teachers Association (OECTA) is proud
to sponsor the annual Young Authors
Awards. The awards celebrate the writing talents and accomplishments of
students, who submit short stories, poems, plays or non-fiction (essay, article
or report) in both English and French.
A collection of the winning entries is
published in book form each year.
Interested students should see Mr. Kay
or visit the website at http://www.oecta.
on.ca.
The due date is fast approaching and
students should submit to Mr. Kay
by February 8.
School Play 2013
At this time, the teachers of
St. Paul are in the process
of securing the rights to
Usher - A Totally Teen
Comedy by Flip Kobler and
Cindy Marcus.
The works of Edgar Allan
Speaking
Poe are bone-chilling, dark, depressing
-- nevermore, quoth the raven! This skilful adaptation takes a grand mix of Poe’s
writing and characters and weaves them
together into a comedy loosely based
on The Fall of the House of Usher but
with more laughs and a much brighter
ending. After the bus breaks down on
a dark and stormy night, a bunch of
high school students on a field trip are
forced to spend the night in the spooky
house of Usher. But they’re not alone!
The spirits of Usher ancestors haunt the
halls, cursed to stay trapped in the house
forever, unless someone helps the last
surviving Usher find the will to truly
live life.
Students are asked to stay tuned for
announcements regarding auditions in
the early weeks of Semester II. Stay
tuned to Studio 30 for announcements
and check any postings on the English
Department office door, the English Bulletin Board near 212 or on Studio 107’s
door.
This year’s production will be directed
and produced by Ms. Kelly and Mrs.
Bentivoglio.
›››Athletics
Happy New
Year...
Discipline, Dedication, Determination
from the Phys Ed department at St. Paul!
The excitement of
Girls Night In is still
resonating throughout the hallways at St.
Paul. Girls Volleyball,
Boys Basketball, Boys
and Girls Hockey are
all up and running to
a revised schedule,
despite the ROPSSAA
disruption with Peel
Sports working to rule.
The weight room continues to be a hub of
activity from Monday
to Thursday of each
week. For those of you
whose children are not
in gym class or actively
involved in our varsity program or out of
school elite sports programs, encourage
them to join the weight room or your local
community center.
Senior Girls’
Volleyball
The Senior Girls Volleyball team has
had a pretty successful season thus far
just coming off the St. Roch tournament.
During the tournament they split sets
with St. Edmund Campion, St. Marguerite D’Youville and Cardinal Leger (the
eventual champions). They have 2 games
left in the regular season vs. St. Francis
Xavier and St. Martin’s. They will finish
off their season at the Joan of Arc Tournament and hopefully qualify for the ‘AA’
OFSAA playdowns. Good luck girls with
the remainder of your season.
Junior Girls’
Volleyball
With only two returning players from last
year’s team, this junior team has exceeded
most expectations. The girls have come
together as a team through some tough
practices and gelling at the Joan of Arc
tournament. They have played incredibly close games vs Pocock and Father
Michael Goetz, both going to the third
set. The girls currently have a 2-2 record
and played their final game vs Xavier on
January 15.
Boys’
Basketball
The Senior Boys Basketball team made
history in early January taking home the
silver medal at the Toronto HoopDome
tournament. The team won its opening
game 57-47 over St. Alexandre from
Quebec. They followed that up with an
impressive 73-53 victory over Holy Trinity Secondary and wrapped up divisional
play with a thrilling 59-56 victory over
St. George from Bellville. This qualified
St. Paul for the gold medal game against
Monseignor Johnson from Toronto where
they unfortunately fell just short. The team
will now participate in Bluewater Invitational in Sarnia in early February.
Weight
Club
The after school weight club was treated
to a guest training session on December
20, with former St. Paul student, Kinesiology Grad
and Personal
Trainer,
Daniel
Milotic from
One Health
clubs. The
students were
taken through
a tough
core stability workout,
where they were taught the latest theory
of personal training. The weightroom will
be reopening mid-February and the cost
is $30 for the entire semester. The fees go
towards upkeep and maintenance of the
equipment. Special thanks to Ms. Tobin,
Ms. Williams, Ms. Czarnecka, Mr. Penkul
and Ms. Primicias for their invaluable
help in supervising the weight room after
school.
Boys’
Hockey
The Boys Hockey team had a very good
season with a record of 3 wins and 4
losses and 1 tie. They scored more goals
than they allowed and were leading in all
of the games that they ended up losing in
the third period. Congratulations go out to
Matthew Micallef, Eric James, Paris Eligius, Charlie Dobbyn and Michael Turk for
their consistent, tenacious efforts. The best
defenceman, Tanner Bloome, deserves
special mention for his never-give-up attitude and sportsmanship. Coaches Tsilfidis,
Connelly, Fernandes and Leskun would
like to thank the boys for their dedication
and hard work.
Congratulations to Miss Shlarp’s Body Alive classes, who gained valuable
leadership experience organizing St. Paul’s first Girls Night In on December 12. Almost 85 grade 9 and 10 girls took part in this empowering and
community building event. Miss Schlarp would like to thank Ms. Karam,
Ms. Lahecka, Ms Williams, Ms. Ponvia and Mrs. Polisano for helping out
with our event.
Three time Olympic Gold Medallist, Jennifer Botterill from Team Canada’s Women’s
Hockey team, brought her Live the Dream message to the girls of St. Paul. Our event
promoted a sense of community, team building, self-esteem and confidence, fun, fitness,
and a celebration of life. Special thanks to our guests: Clarence Ford, choreographer of the 2010 Olympic Games
- who shared his passion for life and hip hop dance with our girls; Paula Galli, who ran her Fall In Love With Yourself workshop;
Mrs. Multari, who ran a yummy cupcake decorating workshop; Tania Hakkim, Bollywood teacher. The evening ended with a yoga
class with Ms. Schlarp. A donation of $250 will be made to the Because I’m a Girl charity on behalf of the girls, which will provide a
classroom with school supplies for a year.
Special thanks to the following sponsors for their generous donations for our event: Ital Paris- Ital Florist- for gorgeous presentation
bouquets; Luci Restaurant-Toronto, $100 Gift Certificate; Mark Gavin- Ecojot Journals; Onare Salon; Lovelycupcakes.ca; Capucci
Hair Salon, Toronto; Jawed Masood- McDonalds; Rachel Pento-Flavio’s Hair Design, Annette’s Aesthetics gift certificates; Scotiabank- knapsacks and hats; Port Credit Academy of Martial Arts ; Chapters; Paul Cuccione; Foods for Life-Toronto; Green Beaver;
Yola’s Esthetics; Maxine Rybka- Catholic Gifts Canada; Jane Robbie; Valerie Williams; Anne Schlarp; Dani Towery- Zumba class;
Mr. Gallagher- Rihanna tickets
Ciara Zogheib describes her experience of Girls Night In, as a grade 9 participant...
How to describe Girls Night In? Where should I start? Awesome, inspiring, affirming... and that was just the beginning.
We all got to experience things we never would
have done otherwise, including many types of
dance; everything from zumba, to hip-hop, to Bollywood! And how could we forget the guest speakers? Almost everyone teared up during Olympian
gold medalist Jennifer Botterill’s inspirational and
heartfelt speech. There’s no question about it: Girls
night in was a tremendous achievement, in every
way possible. Be it cupcake decorating, yoga, or
fun goodie bags, there was something for everyone!
Ms. Shlarp and her grade eleven girls put together
a night that changed the course of everyone’s years.
We all had an amazing time supporting Because
I am a Girl charities; the proceeds from the event
were enough to send two girls to school in developing countries. An amazing cause; and an even more
amazing night. It’s hard to find words to describe
Girls Night In, except for one: Unforgettable.
Photo
Collage
›››Guidance Files
Student Services • ARD • Counseling
Happy New Year and welcome to Semester Two! We completed our 2012 year
with our annual Grade 8 Parent Open-House on December 5. We opened our
doors to students and their parents/guardians. Tours of the school were provided
as was the opportunity to register for the new school year. Thank you to all our
student volunteers who took photos, supported teachers, highlighted our special
programs and academic programs, and happily guided parents and potential students around our school. A special note of thanks is offered to the many teachers who volunteered their time to highlight their respective program areas and
showcase the amazing academic opportunities available to all at St.Paul. We look
forward to meeting our new students in August at the Grade 9 Orientation.
Registration for 2013/14
Registration for the next school year
has begun in earnest. Our guidance
counselors presented course selection
information to all students in their
homeroom classes.
Students were shown how to apply
on-line using the St. Paul website and
personal password system. This application process is standard throughout
all secondary schools in Dufferin-Peel.
Parents are required to sign all course
selection forms before processing.
Students are asked to submit signed
option forms and their $60.00 fee as
soon as possible to ensure availability
of options. Changes to selections may
be made when students receive their
Verification Sheets in early April.
University and College
Applications:
College applications for equal consideration are due February 1. Students
may still apply after this date but may
not get into popular programs.
University applications were due January 16. The first mark submission to
OUAC (Ontario University Application Centre) will occur in the middle
of February.
Applicants are reminded to check their
on-line applications to verify marks
and check the status of their application. Scholarships are available for
many post-secondary programs.
Visit the website: http://www.studentawards.com and http://www.scholarshipscanada.com.
Also, information is available on-line
around the new Ontario government’s
new tuition grant and OSAP applications at www.ontario.ca/30off.
Reminders for Potential
Graduates
Graduation Photo Sessions are coming soon – all potential graduates are
asked to listen to announcements for
details!
All students are reminded to submit
signed forms for all completed Community Service Hours as soon as possible. Only those students who have
submitted and completed their forms
will be considered eligible to graduate.
Students are asked to check the Grad
Eligibility List posted outside Student
Services to ensure their names are on
the Grad List.
Graduation Invitations will be mailed
to all eligible graduates after the
second semester mid-term report cycle
(late April/early May).
Students are required to submit graduation gown order forms and grad ceremony fees by the beginning of May.
The fee for this year’s graduation
breakfast, gown rental, and ceremony
is $70.00.
Dates to Remember
Semester Two Night School courses
run from February 6 – May 22.
Semester Two, Mid-Term ParentTeacher Interview Night is Thursday,
March 21st.
On behalf of the entire Student Services team, we wish all a healthy, happy,
successful, Semester Two!
›››Talent Night
2012
On November 23, the
St. Paul students put
on another great show
of music and media for
a seventh straight year
of student-driven performances.
The audience of 375 enthusiastic students,
family members and friends were treated
to a remarkable show of 22 sharp, stellar
numbers.
After 2 months of planning, taping, editing
and rehearsing, the cast and crew showcased another night of first-rate entertainment. Brought together under the direction
of Mr. Brugmans, Mr. Sayewich, Ms.
Tobin, Ms. Karam and Mr. Penkul, the
show was strung together by our capable
Emcee’s: Michael Turk, Even Bezemer,
Alessia Ferrin and Nicole Adamczyk.
The music on stage was off-set with
pre-recorded video clips that added a
wonderfully hilarious break from the stage
performances. These short movies were
shot and edited by the Studio30 Crew, who
also worked behind the scenes taping the
show. Video, sound, light and stage crews
worked hard to give the audience a professional show.
Door prizes were plentiful again this year
and we’d like to thank everyone who submitted items for their donations of some
great prizes. Capping off our list of great
door prizes this year were a pair of Raptor’s Tickets, an iPod Nano and the brand
new iPad Mini!
After 3 hours of top-flight entertainment,
the night came to an end with cheers from
a very energetic audience.
We would like to thank everyone for their
work in making Talent Night 2012 such a
success.
›››Bits & Bites
Omnia Cum Corde
Grade 9 Constructions visits the IBEW
Winter Weather
In first semester, Grade 9 Construction students visited the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) with Mr. DeLuca, our electrical teacher, and an active
member of the IBEW. The students were informed of the professional electrician trades
and had an opportunity to learn the steps to becoming an electrician.
During the winter months inclement
weather may cause disruption of bus
transportation and regular school operations.
Electrical Safety was also a major topic on this trip, which was topped off with a handson afternoon with 4 different activities for the group to complete. St. Paul now offers an
electrical course in grade 11 and 12 and has established a relationship with the IBEW for
future trips and will continue to explore for our students future.
A decision to cancel school transportation
and/or to close schools is usually made by
6:00 a.m. and will be announced on local
radio al television stations
The School Board will be communicating
one of four standard messages to the stations. The four announcements and their
effect on the transportation system are as
follows:
Looking Ahead
More Pro Workshops
Please take note of the following dates to
help you plan out your fall calendar.
This semester, students in the Broadcasting SHSM took part in a 2 day lighting
and chroma-keying seminar.
Semester 2 Begins..................... February 1
Semester 1 Report Cards........... February 6
Graduation Photos..............February 4 - 15
Ash Wednesday....................... February 13
Family Day (no school).......... February 18
Parent Council Meeting.......... February 27
Grad Rings............. February 28 - March 1
March Break.........................March 11 - 15
Parent/Teacher Night.................. March 21
Good Friday (no school)............. March 29
Easter Monday (no school)............. April 1
OSSLT/EQAO Test....................... April 11
Parent Council Meeting................ April 17
Mid-Term Report Cards................ April 25
Under the helm of professional cinematographer Jean Heguy, the students participated in a hands-on workshop in lighting
for television, with a particular slant on
lighting for green screen production.
This workshop was one of the many
SHSM training and certifications components that students in the
program must complete.
Other sessions
this year will include Workplace
Safety, WHIMIS, St. John
Ambulance,
Fall Protection
and ACE Certified
Training in Adobe
Premier.
1. “Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
School Board buses serving st.
Andrew, st. Benedict and st. Peter
elementary schools and r.F. Hall
secondary school are cancelled for
today.”
2. “The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
School Board buses and the peel
district school board buses in the
town of Caledon and the County of
Dufferin are cancelled”.
3. “The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
School Board and the Peel District
School Board buses are cancelled.”
4. “The schools and offices of both
the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
School Board and the Peel District
School Board are closed.”
For Secondary School students riding
Public Transit, cancellation of service will be communicated by the
respective transit property over
the radio.
Please be advised that Public
Transit rarely cancels and that the
level of service on days with inclement weather is unpredictable.