TheLittleFlower - St. Theresa of Lisieux Catholic High School

A BIM ONTHL Y FOR P ARENTS OF THE ST THERESA OF L ISIEUX CATHOL IC HIGH SCHOOL COMMUNITY
to all of our STL
LET’Smarch Greetings
families! I pray that this
INTOspring newsletter finds you in good
health and peace.
March break is just a few
days away, and I want to wish
all students and their families a restful week,
filled with relaxation and good times. The time off
should also allow students the opportunity to
launder their uniform and repair any items,
where needed. Parents, please remember that
Halpern’s is our sole provider, and no other
uniform articles will be allowed.
I want to highlight a number of athletic
accomplishments over the past few weeks. As I
write my address, our Senior Boys Hockey team is
playing for the YRAA Championship. The final
game will be played on February 29. Win or lose,
our boys have modeled the true STL spirit and
have been a first-class act. I wish them the best of
luck. Congratulations go to Mr. Spicer and the
entire coaching staff.
I also want to congratulate our Junior Girls
Volleyball team who advanced to the YRAA
Championship game. Unfortunately, they lost the
championship match, 2 games to 1, against St.
Maximilian. Nevertheless, another strong
showing from one of our teams to have made it to
the Championship game. Congratulations, as
well, go to Ms. Chan and the entire coaching
staff. These two wonderful accomplishments
clearly show that athletics is very much alive here
at STL.
BY MR. SERVIDIO
PRINCIPAL
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2 016
Semester one ended on a positive note, with
many student accomplishments. We are fully
immersed in semester 2, and I want to take the
opportunity to welcome our new staff members:
Ms. Diana Berlingieri (French); Mr. Michael
Morrison (Religion); Mr. Lourdusamy Pakkam
(Mathematics); and Mr. Stephen Peticca, Mr.
Paul Palma (Business). We look forward to the
many talents that you bring to our STL
community. We also welcome back Ms. Ilona
Dencshazi, returning from her maternity leave.
Teaching does not only take place inside the
classroom, but also outside. We are very proud to
announce that three international trips are
scheduled for this spring and summer.
During March break, Mr. Saggese and I will
be accompanying a group of boys soccer players
to Italy, where they will be participating in a
number of exhibition games in the central part of
the country. Beautiful sites will be explored, such
as the Amalfi Coast, Rome, and Pompeii.
In May, the Arts Department, spearheaded by
Ms. Doria and Mr. Ng, will be taking 75 music
students to Cuba to showcase their beautiful
talents and immerse themselves in the Cuban
culture.
Finally, the Senior Girls Soccer team will be
travelling to Italy in August to play a series of
exhibition games. This trip will mirror the one in
March. I want to wish all staff and students
travelling, a safe and enjoyable trip.
On behalf of our staff, I wish everyone a
wonderful March break. God bless.
EMAILS FROM THE YORK CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD AND ITS SCHOOLS REGARDING
COMMERCIAL ELECTRONIC MESSAGES
Canada’s new Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) took effect on July 1, 2014. The new law
prohibits the sending of any type of electronic message that is commercial in nature unless
the recipient has provided consent first. As a result, the York Catholic District School Board
and its schools require the permission of its parents/guardians in order to receive any
electronic messages which contain a commercial element. Commercial Electronic Messages include: school
newsletters; all fundraising (hot lunch, pizza day, school fairs/BBQs), field trips, yearbooks, spirit wear,
student photos, etc. From January 11, 2016 to June 30, 2016, parents/guardians can consent to receive
commercial electronic messages / emails from the York Catholic District School Board and their
child’s school by going to http://www.ycdsb.ca/casl. Your consent is required one time only.
►A separate submission must be made for each parent/guardian’s email address. Please go to:
http://www.ycdsb.ca/casl and enter the same email address which was provided on the School Emergency
Form, as soon as possible. Should you choose not to receive emails of a commercial nature, please know that
you will continue to receive general school information, attendance and emergency emails.
►For more information about Canada’s new Anti-Spam Legislation visit: fightspam.gc.ca. If you have any
questions/concerns, please contact the school office.
S T .
T H E R E S A
O F
L I S I E U X
C A T H O L I C
H I G H
S C H O O L
2 3 0
S H A F T S B U R Y
A V E N U E
https://www.playbackmedia.com/still-backgrounds/observing-lent-4-still
TheLittleFlower
R I C H M O N D
LENTEN PRAYER
Almighty and
Everlasting God,
You have given
the human race
Jesus Christ
our Savior
as a model
of humility.
He fulfilled
Your Will
by becoming Man
And giving His life
on the Cross.
Help us to bear witness
to You
By following His
example of suffering
And make us worthy
to share in
His Resurrection.
We ask this through
our Lord Jesus Christ,
Your Son.
Amen.
HOLY FATHER’S PRAYER
INTENTIONS FOR
FEBRUARY
UNIVERSAL: CARE
FOR CREATION
That we may take good
care of creation – a gift
freely given –
cultivating and
protecting it for future
generations.
EVANGELIZATION:
ASIA
That opportunities may
increase for dialogue
and encounter between
the Christian faith and
the peoples of Asia.
H I L L
O N T A R I O
L 4 C 0 E 8
2
“ LISTEN TO WHAT WE DO, . . . ”
►BY MR. MARCUZZI, HEAD, DEPARTMENT OF
MODERN LANGUAGES
WARM WELCOME to the new crop of 315 students
registered in French courses this semester, at the grade
9 to 12 levels, and ‘Bienvenue!’ to Mme Diana Berlingieri,
who is teaching three sections of grade 9 core French.
We offer the same advice to our first-year students
as we do to all those registered in any language course,
stressing the importance of hard work and stick-toitiveness in your learning and in achieving success.
Know that academic support is available to all of
our students through their course teacher and through our after
school practice program, The Language Clinic.
French language students are invited to attend The
practice Language Clinic (TLC): a series of 10 weekly
MAKES
practice sessions, from February 5 to April 22.
better! Each Friday, three members of Team TLC will be
on hand to work with students attending the
sessions, with M. Marcuzzi and M. Puopolo serving as presiders.
Thank you to our 15 TLC tutors, who continue to share their time
with their junior peers, and to our newest additions to the Team:
Celina Assal and Daniel Asadi.
“FUNCTION-DRIVEN, ACTION-ORIENTED
APPROACH” TO FRENCH LANGUAGE LEARNING:
This past September, our Department began
implementing the French as a second language
(FSL) curriculum, as mandated by the Ontario
Ministry of Education. To this end, we opted
for the program, Connexions, published by
Pearson Education Canada, for our first-year
French students. We are receiving very positive
feedback from teachers and students alike regarding the
program’s fresh approach, which engages learners within
contexts linked to real-life and lived experiences. Students
explore the interplay between language and culture, and how
culture is influenced by context – from being a
teen to being a resident of Canada, to getting to
know countries in the rest of the Francophone
world.
►As an ancillary resource to Connexions,
M. Marcuzzi has compiled a 230-page course
kit, Manuel neuvième, in which he has culled
and reformatted the program’s fiches
d’activités and has designed a review section,
supplemental exercises, and notes for student use.
THUMBS UP FOR ‘LES CHORISTES’! On February 19,
special seven classes of grade 9 Academic French viewed
EVENTS
Les choristes (The Chorus) at the York Catholic
District School Board Centre for the Arts.
Moviegoers unanimously applauded director Christophe
Barratier’s 2004 drama. Thanks to Mme Berlingieri, M. Puopolo,
and Mme Sabatini, for their suppor t of the excur sion, and to
organizer, M. Marcuzzi.
‘TINTIN’ WHIMSICAL AND WONDROUS: On February 26, two classes
of grade 9 Applied French attended an early afternoon viewing of
Spielberg’s drama Les aventures de Tintin: Le Secret de la
Licorne at the York Catholic District School Board Centre for the
Arts. The 2011 film, which captured the Golden Globe Award for
Best Animated Feature Film, was thoroughly enjoyed by
attending students. Thanks to M. Puopolo and Mme Sabatini for
their assistance and supervision, and to M. Marcuzzi for
coordinating the afternoon outing.
A
FIRST-SEMESTER ‘SCRABBLEMANIE’ CHAMPIONS: Team Chamarré
(Charlene Mansour and Izabella Marroquin) wer e victor ious
over team Mardi, Mariya Dobrovolska and Nicolette
DiStefano, to captur e the fir st -semester
championship of the Third Annual
Scrabblemanie!, an in-class pairs French
Scrabble tournament for grade 9 students.
Charlene and Izabella will defend their title against this
semester’s champions, who will be named following the second
leg of the tournament during the week of June 1 st. Gold and silver
Scrabblemanie Trophies will be awarded to the year’s winning
and runner-up pairs.
2016 O.E.C.T.A. PRIX JEUNES ÉCRIVAINES ET ÉCRIVAINS: Félicitations!
to our aspiring authors who submitted creative writing pieces for
the French edition of the Y oung Authors Awards. Members of the
Department of Modern Languages will review the junior and
senior entries to determine School Level winners, whose pieces
will then advance to the Board Level of Competition.
BRAVO, DANIEL! Grade 9 student Daniel
Capone cr acked the junior J anuar y rébus,
avoir des lettres (= to be well-read). Daniel
received a TimCard® for his correct solution,
which was drawn from scores of entries submitted.
TWO SPECIAL LENTEN INITIATIVES
“THE SEASON OF LENT IN THIS
JUBILEE YEAR is a favourable time to
overcome our existential alienation by
listening to God’s word and by practising the
works of mercy.” – POPE FRANCIS, 2015
‘OREMUS’: Our French Friday morning and afternoon
prayer offering over the P.A. continues, together with the
playing of the Ô Canada, en français, including a live
rendition each First Friday. Thank you, Natasha Cherubino
and Micaela Onofre (January 8), and Christina Mathews
and Celina Assal (February 5), for your early morning vocal
efforts. Thanks, as well, to the 22 members of Team
Lavoix, who work rotationally to share prayer, according to
the Liturgical Calendar, with our Catholic community.
THE LENTEN CHALLENGE: F ollowing a Timbitfest on
Mardi gras, students in M. Marcuzzi’s classes were invited
to take part in the Second Lenten Challenge: to fast, pray,
and give during the six-week observance.
After viewing Life Vest Inside’s clip, One Day – the nonprofit organization’s promo for the kindness ‘boomerang’ –
students were encouraged to take up the challenge of
Paschal preparation, to which a group of eleven had risen
last year.
Eager to be part of the second annual effort, 25 students
scooped up calendric tracking sheets for their Parcours du
carême, recorded their vow(s) en français, and set their
calendars on the second-floor landing wall display.
Introducing
the display
were fivefoot
cardboard
footprints,
with the
invitation,
Marchons
avec le
Seigneur
pendant le
Carême.
3
MARK YOUR
calendar
MARK YOUR
F. MARCH 4,
9:30 AM:
Period 2
French
classes join
Père Jean
Al Alam for
Mass in the
Chapel.
Students
will do the
readings,
and In
nomine
Patris will be performing. Parents are
welcome to join us for this Lenten liturgy.
S. APRIL 23, 9:30 AM: Third Annual YCDSB
Scrabblons pour les enfants (Scrabble 4
Kids) will bring together students from
YRDSB and YCDSB secondary schools in
a French Scrabble competition. Scrabbler
pairs will vie for the Coupe Scrabblons!,
with take-homes for each member of the
winning junior and senior pairs. The event,
which will be held in our cafeteria, also
serves as a fundraiser for the SickKids
Foundation, for which $2,300 have been
generated in our 2014 and 2015 efforts.
F. MAY 13, 11:45 AM: Period 3 French classes
join Father Ernie DeCiccio for Mass in the
Chapel. Students will do the readings, and
In nomine Patris will be performing.
F. JUNE 17 (TBC), 11:45 AM: Period 4 French
classes join Father Jean Al Alam for Mass
in the Chapel. Students will do the readings
and In nomine Patris will be performing.
calendar
LIONS OF THE
MONTH are selected by
staff for doing the ordinary
things in an extraordinary way: being a
good role model, willing to help others,
performing good deeds within the
community, and for involvement in
activities, good behavior, and academic
effort. ‘Lions of the Month’ receive a
certificate and a school pen for their
special effort.
JANUARY: Vandita Kaila, Mar gar et
MacDonald, Madelaine Noonan, Hazel
Quemi, Luke Santobuono, Matthew
Warrick, Gari Zipenco; FEBRUARY:
Biaggio Alicandro, Daniel Asadi, Aaliyah
Aumeer, Amina Aumeer, Francesca
Centofante, Phillip Colavita, Nicholas
Hubbard, Dan Ivanov, Sam Karami,
Meggie Levanaj, Eva Lood, Erica
Montesano, Shakur Mousavi, Juliana Onesi,
Ali Raeisdanaei, Maryam Rafiei-Nejad
Lyndsay Reid, Alexandra Rombos, Yalda
Tahmasebi, Alexia Tecsa, Jessica
Waslenko, Katarina Zorcic, Vivian Zhang.
DECA Provincials Medal
Winners for STL
►BY MR. SHRUBSOLE, DECA
TEACHER ADVISOR
Nearly 7,000 students from schools
across southern Ontario converged in
Toronto to compete in the DECA
Provincials from F ebruary 7 to 9, the
single largest and most elite high school
business competition in Canada.
A record was set this year for the most
students and schools in the event’s
history, as delegations filled three hotels.
STL’s DECA Chapter worked hard for
months preparing to compete and, in the
end, five Chapter members won
Provincials medals against the best of the
best, with Alexia Tecsa, Alexandra
Rombos, Katarina Zorcic,Vivian
Zhang and Juliana Onesi all being
honoured in their respective events.
Mr. Shrubsole would like to thank all
members for their hard work and
sacrifice since our journey began in
September, with special thanks to
Chapter Presidents, Michelle
Hoang and Vivian Zhang, for their
leadership and dedication. Special thanks
as well extend to coadvisors Ms. Kim and
Mr. Hill for your
assistance, along with
much gratitude to Mr.
Deocampo for your
DECA Presidents
continued support. There
Hoang and Zhang
was a lot of new,
promising talent on this year’s Chapter,
and the future for STL’s DECA team
looks bright. If you are interested in
competing as a part of STL’s 2016-17
Chapter, applications will be available in
September 2016. Up next for DECA is
DECA Week where fun businessthemed events at STL, contests, and a
fundraising drive for Muscular
Dystrophy Canada will be held. Be epic.
We hope to see you there!
Tech Students Honoured by
York Region Chief of Police
►BY MR. SHRUBSOLE,
COMTECH TEACHER
On January 21, STL Communications
Technology students Louisa
Bastone and Alan Kravtchenko were
honoured at a Crime Stoppers press
conference for their winning Crime
POLICE HONOURS:
YR Police Chief
Jolliffe, winning
designers
Kravtchenko and
Bastone, and
Communications
Technology
teacher, Mr.
Shrubsole
Stoppers poster designs.
Held at 5 District Police Headquarters in
Markham, the press conference kicked off
Crime Stoppers month where the public,
and students, are encouraged to
anonymously report crimes. Louisa and
Alan were personally congratulated by Eric
Jolliffe, Yor k Region Chief of Police, and
photographed and interviewed by local
media in attendance. Dave Forster,
President of Ontario Crime Stoppers,
announced that for the first time all
winning poster entries came from the same
school, STL, and both Louisa and Alan
were called to unveil their posters as they
were presented with large novelty cheques
for winning.
“The world is full of obvious
things which nobody by any
chance ever observes.”
–SHERLOCK HOLMES
►BY MS. SANTAGATO-DAVIES,
HEAD, DEPARTMENT OF ARTS
As Spring approaches, the Arts students
hone their skills and share their creativity
with the school community. At the OBA
Music Festival, the Senior Band achieved
a Gold rating and the Wind Ensemble,
Silver Plus. The rest of the bands are
currently preparing for their Music Alive
Festival and for their annual Spring
Concert at the Richmond Hill Centre for
the Performing Arts on April 25.
Rehearsals are currently underway for this
year’s Drama production, Baskerville: A
Sherlock Holmes Mystery. Most of the
small, but versatile cast must play more
than one role in this comical parody of the
classic Holmes murder mystery tale. The
play will run for two evenings on May 17
and 18, and will be run as a dinner theatre.
Stay tuned for more information!
Some of our Arts students are eagerly
anticipating great travel opportunities. The
Art and Drama students will travel to New
York in April to experience live theatre and
enjoy art galleries, while our Music
students will be travelling to Cuba in May
to experience the culture and share their
musical talents.
Many new paintings adorn the walls of
STL, thanks to our talented artists. Be sure
to revisit some of the hallways to
appreciate some new and impressive works
of art compliments of our grade twelve
students.
EASTER GREETINGS FROM OUR
TRUSTEES
A ROAR FOR HELP
►BY SHELLY TEMNIK
As 2015 came to an end, Environmental Council hosted a merry
send-off with Movie Night and BY OM (Bring Y our Mug). We
watched the Christmas
classic Home A lone in
our pyjamas to get into
the Christmas spirit!
Beautiful decorations and
delicious snacks were a
recipe for a great turnout,
and Enviro certainly
delivered. We may not
have had a white
Christmas, but February
surely made up for all the
missed snow. With the
back-to-back warm and cold days, evidence of climate change
becomes more and more clear. We may be enjoying the warmer
weather, but what does it mean for the nation’s and the world’s
wildlife? Melting ice caps, for example, are a huge problem that
endangers many creatures, such as polar bears and seals. To help
save our animal friends, Environmental Council will be hosting
Sweater Day on March 4 to bring awareness of energy
sustainability, and Earth Week, later in April, will focus on wildlife
conservation in different habitats. Stay green, STL!
STL MARCH BREAK TOUR 2016
►BY MR. SAGGESE
Our boys soccer club will be travelling to Italy for the third year this
March Break. New additions to the itinerary include watching a
match between Roma and Inter Milan, at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico,
and a visit to the beautiful island of Capri and Pompeii.
Dear Parents and Guardians:
In September 2015, the Province of Ontario, together with the
Teachers’ Union, OECTA, and our central bargaining agent, the
Ontario Catholic Trustees’ Association, negotiated a new contract
for Ontario’s Catholic Teachers. A key term of the settlement that
was negotiated, was the provision of an additional Professional
Activity (PA) Day for this school year.
To comply with the Ministry of Education’s requirement for an
additional mandatory PA Day, the York Catholic District School
Board (YCDSB) has updated this year’s school calendar to include
an additional PA Day for all YCDSB secondary schools.
The new Secondary School PA Day is scheduled for Friday, June
3, 2016. You may be aware that the YCDSB had previously
dedicated this day as a PA Day solely for its Elementary Schools.
We have now added the Secondary Schools to meet the Ministry’s
recent requirement. This PA Day will be devoted to provincial
education priorities identified by the Minister of Education.
Thank you for your continued support.
Patricia Preston, Director of Education
York Catholic District School Board
Our journey begins in the mountainous
region of San Gregorio Magno, near
Salerno. The group will stay in a FIFAapproved sports complex, run by the FIGC
(Italian Soccer Federation) which is perfect
because the soccer field is literally our
backyard! Our club will play against the
Vigor Per Conti, Salernitana, Lazio and
Napoli youth clubs. We will take in the Amalfi coast and cruise the
Mediterranean to Amalfi and Sorrento. Other stops include Naples
and Salerno, the ancient caves of Pertosa, and the ancient GrecoRoman ruins of Paestum. We will attend mass in Italian at San
Gregorio Magno, and visit a buffalo farm, where mozzarella di
bufala is made. One of the highlights of our trip will be a visit to the
SSC Napoli training grounds, where we will meet stars such as
Insigne, Hamšík, Mertens, and Reina.
After our time in the Campania region, it’s off to Rome to play
two very tough games against Vigor and Lazio’s youth team. We
will also visit the Eternal City, Rome and the Vatican. Some of our
boys created an instagram account which will allow us to document
our experience through the journey.
The boys have been working hard preparing for the trip and have
been collecting some very successful results along the way. On
February 23, our boys tied the OFSAA champions Edmund
Campion and came strong against St. Basil’s for a comfortable 2-0
win. The club also played against York University, losing, but again
displaying quality soccer and the NY Cosmos where, again, our
boys were victorious.
The soccer club would like to thank principal Mr. Servidio and
coach Mr.
Saggese for
their work, love
THE LITTLE FLOWER
is a bimonthly which is
and passion that
published five times a
they have
year for parents of the
St. Theresa of Lisieux
invested in this
Catholic High School community. Current and back issues of
annual project.
‘The Little Flower’ are available on our school website, at
stlh.ycdsb.ca (under ‘PARENTS & STUDENTS’).
We also thank
ADMINISTRATIVE ADVISOR Mr. J. Servidio
sponsors ANIX
EDITOR
Mr. G. Marcuzzi
Developments
PHOTOGRAPHY
Mr. D. Markle
and Rustic
Mr. N. Shrubsole
Bakery.
www.catholiccartoonblog.blogspot.com
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life.
– John 3:16
EASTER IS the annual celebration of the
resurrection of Jesus Christ that lies at the centre
of the Catholic liturgical year. Easter is not only
the most important holy day in the Christian
calendar, but it is also the central tenet of our
Catholic faith. Jesus’ self-sacrifice redeemed humankind so that
we could each live a sacred life, without sin. Through His
Resurrection, he gave us the promise of new life, both in Heaven
and on Earth.
DURING THIS LENTEN SEASON, let us remember to set
aside time to pray and reflect on Christ’s Passion and His greatest
gift to us, His Resurrection. It is my hope that you will also take a
moment to reflect on how blessed we are to celebrate our Catholic
faith together in our schools on a daily basis. It is truly inspiring
to see our school communities come together through masses,
liturgies, charitable endeavours and other Lenten activities, as we
all prepare for the Resurrection of our Saviour. This is our faith
in action, and we are extremely proud to serve our York Catholic
schools.
ON BEHALF OF the York Catholic District School Board,
we wish all of our staff, students and their families all of God’s
blessings during this Easter season and always.
HAPPY EASTER!
Ann Stong and Dominic Mazzotta, Richmond Hill Trustees
P.A. DAY ADDED ON FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2016