Certifications...
SHSM’s in full swing
ST. PAUL SECONDARY SCHOOL’S
HEARTBEAT
On The Farm
PIP Students Fantastic Field Trip
Talent Night 2010
Back & Better than Ever
Co-op Education
Experience Your Credits
OSSLT
Provincial Literacy Test
Course Selection
Registration for 2011
Girls’ Flag Football
Friday Night Under the Lights
Healthy Active Living...
Exploring the Bruce Trail
St. Paul Secondary School
FALL ISSUE, 2010
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 - 905-302-3096, 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. Domenic Parish Pastor
Fr. Philip Jones
Heartbeat Editor
Mr. T. Brugmans
Magazine Layout & Design
Mr. T. Brugmans
Cover Photo
T. Bonez
Principal’sMessage
Navigating High School
We are well into our first semester and our first Newsletter of the year is
full of the many activities that are engaging St. Paul students. Please take
a moment to browse through these articles.
I have been asked to share observations that may be considered new and
important information that come up
with all parents, as you try to navigate
your daughters or sons way through
their teen years in high school. I will
put these in the FAQ (frequently asked
questions) format and would invite
all parents to submit any of your own
questions for future editions.
Doesn’t our daughter need Math to
go to university?
No and yes. Students who are applying
to University are required to have six
4M or 4U (grade 12) credits of their
30 total credits to apply to University
and at many universities those don’t
include Academic level mathematics.
This means that students will have
more options if they do have Calculus
or Functions but in terms of admission, those are not required. When a
student works at a college level math
they can still find six or more other
senior 4M or 4U courses with which to
apply to university. To be clear, there
are some highly specialized programs
at different Universities that require
honour marks in Calculus and Functions but they are in a distinct minority.
Should our son take their 4M/4U
courses at Night school or Summer
school or the Beacon academy to
improve his grade?
This is not a good idea because credits
earned in that way aren’t a real reflection of his prospects at University.
Marks in grade 9 and 10 are barometers of how students will perform in
the senior years of high school and
between grade 10 and 11 mathematics moves to more complicated logic
and reasoning for most students. This
is reflected at all high schools around
the province. That doesn’t mean that
a student may be gifted in English,
Science, Social Science or Religion
and be able to earn their six 4M or 4U
credits in these subject areas.
Can you explain why my daughter
might be suited for those High Skills
majors that you talk about ?
Among the most important insights
that thirty years in education has
taught me, is that we should be educating students with all kinds of minds
for this century and not the last. This
means finding programs that are accessible to students that have a genuine
affinity for a way of learning and the
area that they enjoy. Those are some
of the many advantages of students
who enroll in our High Skills Majors
in Alternative Energy, Broadcasting,
Construction, and Environment. Students take a bundle of 8-10 specialized
credits in grade 11 and 12 in addition
to all of the courses that they require
to get their high school diploma and
apply for either College or University
or both. Among the most significant
developments in post secondary education in Canada over the last twelve
months, is the recognition by the
Colleges and Universities in Ontario
of the unique specialties that SHSM
graduates will bring to thir institutions.
In fact St. Mary’s University in Nova
Scotia are now offering scholarships to
graduates of these high school programs from Ontario.
If my son is short of his 30 credits or
has more, can he return to St. Paul
for a ninth semester?
Yes. Sometimes students wish to
upgrade or have had challenges in a
given year and have asked to return.
Students grow and mature at a different pace; normally girls are one to two
years more socially advanced than
boys, but sometimes both will benefit
from returning for a semester with a
fixed goal. Colleges and universities
have reported a noticeable decline in
the social preparation and maturity of
todays Ontario high school graduates.
Another semester or two often provides students the experience in time
management that is so important to
success in the post secondary world.
How do I get my daughter to understand the importance of learning
and studying?
The best question and one every parent/guardian mulls over. The short
answer is become involved in knowing what our school has to offer in
our programs and how our parent
council plays a role in making it better.
The advent of smart phones, smart
boards, text messaging are changing
everything that will happen in schools
forever. This is not a small change, it’s
a sea of change, and it’s important to
know how you can help your daughter
or son adapt to the future. On Thursday, November 18, I would invite all
parents to hear Doren Lawson speak
to our parent community on “Raising
Children of Character”. There is no
admission fee but I would ask that you
contact Ms. Vella in our main office by
November 16 to indicate whether you
wll be coming.
›››Chaplaincy
Our
Living
Water for all.
Let justice flow!
$1.00 per bottle of water. Think of
what could be done if the Canadian
Government simply drank tap water.
We are blessed in Canada with access
to fresh water. In fact Canada has 9%
of the Earth’s fresh water. Most Canadians, unfortunately not all, merely
have to turn on their water taps and
they instantly have a supply of safe,
fresh, clean drinking water.
The Region of Peel reports that it costs
less than one cent to fill over forty,
355ml, bottles with tap water. Not
only are we throwing money down the
drain when we purchase bottled water,
we also are not being good stewards
of fresh water. It takes three liters of
fresh water to make one plastic drinking bottle! Very few plastic bottles are
recycled. Once discarded, the petroleum that is used to make a plastic
water bottle leaches into land-fill and
causes pollution as it decomposes. Using tap
water makes
A recent report by the Polaris Institute
and the Canadian Union of Public
Employees (CUPE) Nova Scotia has
exposed that the Canadian government spent over $7.2 million of public
money to purchase bottled water
over the past three years. Although
cheaper when purchased in bulk,
consumers regularly pay at least
Faith
sense and save cents in the process.
God created our bodies. Our human
bodies are composed of water. We
need fresh, clean, water to survive.
Everyone has a right to fresh water.
It is not a commodity that should be
bought and sold. Let’s try to do the
right thing when we rehydrate. Let’s
be followers of Christ and let’s turn on
the tap and visit the fountain!
Jesus is the fountain of love! Water for
all, let justice flow.
›››PIP Program
Planning Our Planning for
Independence
Program class visited
Andrew’s Scenic Acres
on September 22nd
for their fall trip.
After learning about
the life-cycle of a
pumpkin, they were
so excited to see the
pumpkin patch at the
farm with pumpkins
in different stages of
growth. They picked
various types of apples
and saw a spectacular
field of wild flowers.
The students walked
through the haunted
corn maze and
enjoyed visiting the
petting zoo.
Thank you to Mr. Finemore for driving us
and keeping us entertained on the hay ride!
For Independence
›››Athletics
Welcome
Back...
Discipline, Dedication, Determination
to a new and exciting
school year of Athletics and PHE classes
at St. Paul. Try-outs
started on the first
day back to school,
with volleyball players, golfers, runners,
basketball players all
vying for their chance
to represent St. Paul
on a school team. It is
exciting for us in PHE,
to see the large number of students trying
out for school teams.
We encourage students to get involved
in extracurricular activities; they will really
enhance their high
school experience.
The St. Paul Athletic
Council (or SPAC) is up
and running; they provide the scorekeepers for all home games and have
been selling treats as well. They are
looking forward to preparing for a
Wellness Day later in the school year.
SPAC will also be running an outdoor
club, with a fall hike coming up in
November. Our department feels very
strongly that our modus operandi is
not only to cater to the elite athletes,
but to promote a healthy lifestyle for
the entire school community!
An outdoor education component is
integrated into each of the Healthy
Active Living classes. The success of
the Bruce Trail hike in grades 9 and
10 has motivated many students into
wanting to pursue hiking as a hobby.
The winter sports will be starting
up soon, with girls volleyball, boys
basketball, girls and boys hockey and
a tournament floorball team.
Golf
Congratulations to the following
members of this year’s golf team:
Kyle McDonald, Rylan Daly, Brandon
Catena and Matthew Weedon.
The students qualified for the team, in
a competitive shootout at Lakeview
Golf Club and then
proceeded to
the qualifying tournament
which
was held
in Bolton
at Glen
Eagle Golf
Course. Although
the boys did not qualify for the
ROPSSAA final, they made a good
showing for themselves and with continued practice and application to the
fundamentals of golf, they are sure to
have years of enjoyment at this sport.
Ms. Schlarp and Mr. Dineen thank the
boys for their effort throughout the
season!
Cross Country
St. Paul’s cross country team, although
small in size, were big in heart! They
displayed dedication and tenacity in
their three cross country meets; St.
Marcellenus Bagpipe classic, Heart
Lake Invitational and ROPSSAA.
The team improved throughout the
season, with Tanner Blomme finishing in the top third in Junior boys and
Lina Evans beating her time by five
›››Athletics
minutes. This was accomplished, even
when Lina stopped to assist an injured
competitor during the race.Tess Kendrick and Mark DeAcetis were solid
competitors throughout the season.
Mrs. Scozzaro and Ms. Bueno would
like to thank the team for a good
season.
Bruce Trail
Steep hills, rocky paths, enlightened
faces, an empowering guide, aching
feet, beautiful scenery, determined students, courage, experiences, fun. That
was the Bruce Trail, as St. Paul’s physed students got to go on an amazing
trip for a day-long hike at the Forks of
the Credit.
While hiking, the students really valued the time that they had to themselves; enjoying the nice get-a-way
from the hectic schedules and the
hustle of daily life, to one of appreciating silence and nature as they travelled
through forests, by rivers, streams and
waterfalls. Hiking on the Bruce Trail
was an experience they will never
forget.
The Bruce Trail is one of God’s
beautiful creations which can elecit
fond memories of of days past. The
trail was definitely a challenge and
something that the group had to work
through together at times, to ensure a
safe experience for all.
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 youth could
be involved with.
Students should be
encouraged to walk
to and from school,
rather than counting
on a drive everyday.
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.
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!
Flag Football
The girls Flag football season got off
to a great start with four straight wins.
At the helm, are two rookie quarterbacks, Jackie Medeiros and Taylor
Beaulieu.
The team was very excited to play in
St. Paul’s first ever Friday Night lights
regular season game against Iona,
which was held on Friday October
29th at Mississauga Valleys. Luba
Sulypka and Katelyn Turk did an excellent job representing St. Paul Flag
Football in their Rogers TV interview. The play off season has already
begun, so stay tuned for our continued
updates. Mr. Minott, Mr. McTiernan
and Mr. Sanabria would like to thank
everyone for helping make our inaugural night game a huge success.
›››Athletics
Friday Night Lights
St. Paul vs Iona
WOlvenrines 24 Dolphins 6
Talent Night
2010
Talent Night returns
to St. Paul for what is
looking like another
dynamite show.
October 13 & 14 were
busy as we auditioned
over 40 acts for this
year’s popular variety
show. Vocalists, rock
bands, dancers and
acoustic strummers
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, Victoria Bettencourt, Stephen Covic,
Tamra Sestanj and Victor Verbitsky 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 26 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).
This show has always
sold out, so get your
tickets early if you want
to witness what has
come to be the school’s
most anticipated event
of the year!
›››English
Grammar
English Department
Welcomes
We would like to welcome Mr. Burtch and
Ms. Kim to the department this semester.
They are enjoying teaching timetables in
place of Ms. Vono and Ms. DiCarlo who
are currently on maternity leave. We also
welcome Mr. Mandorino who is teaching
in the Drama Studio this semester.
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 area, see Mr.
Kay in the English Department. At this
time we are posting most contest invitations in and around the English Department office area.
English and Drama
Department Excursions
This year has seen members of Mrs. Bentivoglio’s and Mr. Kay’s English classes
venture to Stratford to see a rousing production of Kiss Me Kate,
one of many musicals to use
Shakespeare as source material.
As backstage bickering between
the co-stars of a musical version of The Taming of the Shrew
threatens to sabotage opening
night, along come a couple of
gangsters with a gambling debt
to collect. The result is hilarity on
and off the stage - all punctuated
by Cole Porter’s unforgettable
melodies and wickedly witty
lyrics.
Mrs. Bentivoglio’s classes have
also ventured to see Evita at
Stratford, along with Ms. Romao’s classes. This production,
with lyrics by Tim Rice and
music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
was directed by Gary Griffin.
The story is of course of the am-
Literature
bitious and charismatic Eva Duarte rising
from poverty in rural Argentina to become
first the mistress and then the wildly popular wife of President Juan Perón. The show
blends the personal with the political and
paints a dazzling portrait of a woman who
helped shape history.
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 next planned trip is to York University’s Joe Green Studio Theatre to see the
play Ti Jean and His Brothers, directed
by Marvin Ishmael. Deep in the tropical
forest, three brothers contend in turn with
the devil in three different guises in this
magical, musical parable of colonialism
and redemption, by the leading poet and
playwright of the Caribbean, Nobel laureate Derek Walcott.
Speaking
The Ontario Secondary
School Literacy Test and the
St. Paul Literacy Committee
The St. Paul Literacy Committee is headed
by Ms. Baglione and Ms. Sudac and is
comprised of teachers from every department in the school. The Committee will
develop strategies for the OSSLT test
which will be taking place on March 21,
2011.
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 schoolswhich 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 website of Education Quality and
Accountability Office (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 three 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. Noce
is working with Mr. Kay; Mr. Costa is
working with Ms. Tobin; Ms. Mikula is
working with Ms. Romao. We welcome
them to the St. Paul community and wish
them every success.
›››Guidance Files
Student Services • ARD • Counseling
A New Look for Our Department: First of all, I’d like to take an opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Bryan Bonnah and I’m the new Department Head of
Student Services and Academic Resource. It’s my immense pleasure to be a part
of the dynamic team at St. Paul!
Student Success
Also new to Student Services, although
for returning students a familiar face, Mr.
Isabella joins Student Services this year
as our new Student Success Teacher. Mr.
Isabella works with our principal, guidance counselors, and special education
teachers to ensure alignment of supports
and services for at risk students.
Welcome to Our New Students
The new school year is proving to be an
exciting one! Orientation for the Grade
9 students began on September 2. Students were introduced to Mr. Schmidt,
Ms. Iacobucci, Mr. Finamore, Ms Wasiuk
(Guidance Counsellor – A-K), Ms Williams (Child Youth Worker), Mr. Multari
(Guidance Counsellor L-Z), the Student
Council, and myself. Many other staff
members and senior students gave generously of their time to welcome our new
students to life at St. Paul.
Congratulations Award Winners!
Several of our St Paul graduates received
monetary rewards for their hard work.
Congratulations to the St. Paul winners of
the 20010-11 Queen Elizabeth II Aiming
for the Top scholarship. They are: Ariel
Martinez, Mateusz Bienczyk, Natalie
Dalbo, Michelle Marques, Jennifer McDougall, Samantha Scheerle, and Marie
Tacbas.
College/University Applications
The deadline for college application is
February 1, 2011 and the deadline for
university application is January 12, 2011.
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
supported by qualified teachers and is
available in the evening in real time.
News from Our Planning
for Independence Program
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!
Technology in Action
Tools for Learning at St. Paul. Technology
continues to play a bigger and 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 me.
Registration for Next Year &
Course Selection
I know it’s hard to believe as we’ve just
started a new school year, however, we’re
already beginning the initial planning
for 2011-2012! 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.
2) select the course on the site
3) submit their entry on-line.
4) print a copy of their entry/application
5) ensure parents sign the course selection
request
6) return the signed course selection along
with the registration fee to their counselor 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. 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, very important to register
early!
Please note: Semester One Final Exams
will run January 25th through January
31st, 2011.
›››Coop Education
Experience
collage by J. Phillips
Your
Credits
›››Bits & Bites
Omnia Cum Corde
Greetings from the VP
Construction SHSM
“Everyday do your best and God will do
the rest.” St. Paul Catholic Secondary
School, I am proud to say, you are living
this message. As the new vice principal
at the school, I have just completed my
first two months and want to share a few
observations with you:
· We are blessed with talented and gifted
students who constantly demonstrate
leadership and charity.
· Daily I am moved by the professional
and dedicated staff who model compassion and love.
· Weekly we are graced with the gift of
mass in our chapel by Father Noel and
Father Rudy.
· We have a genuine relationship with St.
Domenic’s Parish generously embraced
and welcomed by Father Phil.
· We have a school council who is always
ready and actively contributes to the
success of the school community.
This year we will continue to provide
exceptional programs, teaching and guidance for our all our students so that they
may continue to excel academically and
strengthen their Catholic faith. So for tonight’s ‘homework’, I invite you to spend
some time in silence and prayer. Let us
give thanks for being part of the St. Paul
community. I look forward to an exciting
year and thank you all for allowing me to
serve and journey with you.
The Specialist High Skills Major programs
are off to a great start this year. Students
are receiving great experiences and certifications in a wide range of areas such as
Fall Protection Awareness, Scaffold Safety
Awareness, WHIMIS, First Aid/ CPR….
Students have gone on great field trips to
Humber College, a “Tour of the Trades”:
Local 27 Carpenters, Local 183 Universal
Workers and Interior Finishing Systems
training school on November 19. Students
in the Energy SHSM look forward to a
two day conference in Niagara Falls on
November 24-25 and the Kortright Center
at a later date.
Stand Up for Something
Ms Williams and four students attended
the annual One Life To Live Conference
at the Living Arts Centre on October 19.
All secondary schools in Peel Region were
invited and the conference was sponsored
by the Region of Peel. Spencer West was
this year’s keynote speaker. He did an
amazing job and the entire auditorium
seemed inspired by his message where
he encouraged students to Stand Up for
something and to get involved in helping
others less fortunate than themselves.
The door prize, an iPod, was won by one
of our very own students, Claudinne Rocha. Congratulations Claudinne!
This is the first year students got to work
with Landscape Construction materials
such as pavers and retaining wall blocks
and coping thanks to the Ministry funding for the High Skills Major program
in Construction. Students in grade 12
Construction are learning how to grade for
interlock systems and lay pavers to form
patios and enclosed garden planters. Who
knows, this section of Construction may
flourish to become a full fledge Green
Industries course one day.