Dear Parent(s) and/or Guardian(s),

My hope is that your sons/daughters have

made a smooth transition to the 2018-2019

school year and that they are partaking in the

many clubs, activities and supports that are

available to them at MPSJ.

Included with this correspondence, you will

find a copy of your child’s mid-term Semester 1

report card. This report will provide you with

an assessment informing you of your child’s

progress to date. Please review the learning

skills, attendance, comments and marks with

your child, and use the report to have a dia-

logue about where they are in their learning.

Encourage them to celebrate their successes,

and to seek help and adapt their work habits if

necessary.

Parent-teacher interviews will take place on

Thursday, November 29, 2018 from 5:00 – 8:30

p.m. They are 10 minutes in length. In order to

request teacher interviews, please use the

form included in this mailing. Have your child

bring the form to his/her teachers, who will

sign off on the interview time.

Please note that parking spaces will be lim-

ited in our lot that evening because of the

large number of parent visitors. Parking may

be available in areas surrounding the school

such as the church lot on the North-East cor-

ner of Eringate and Wellesworth.

I would also like to draw your attention to

the letter attached to this correspondence

outlining information about the SchoolMes-

senger APP that features a new, more effi-

cient student absence reporting system called

SafeArrival. This new absence management

system will come into effect on November 26,

2018. Please read the letter to learn the de-

tails. I look forward to seeing you on Parent –

Teacher Interview night as we continue to

work together to support your child. Please

feel free to contact us in the main office with

any questions or concerns.

Yours truly,

Rose Mary Rossetti

Principal

Principal’s Message

MPSJ Powerlines N o v e m b e r , 2 0 1 8

D a t e s f o r t h e C a l e n d a r :

November 26

Food Drive Launch

November 29

Parent-Teacher Interviews

November 30

Staff Professional Learning

Late Start

December 6

Parent Council Meeting

December 7

Professional Development Day

December 12

IB Christmas Social

December 19

Non-Uniform day (Red&Green)

December 24 - January 4

Christmas Holidays

January 16

Non-Uniform Day

Early Dismissal Staff Meeting

January 17 & 18

Grade 9 Math EQAO

January 28 - February 1

Semester One Exam Week

February 4

Semester Two start

February 8

Exam Review Day

February 15

Professional Development Day

February 18

Family Day

February 20

Staff Meeting - Late Start

February 25– March 1

Option Collection Week

Thank you to all the parents and students

who attended MPSJ’s Post-Secondary Fair

evening on October 10th. The Guidance de-

partment is continuing to support our grade

12 students in their planning and preparation

for their chosen post-secondary pathways. All

grade 12 students attended an informational

assembly on November 5th at which time they

were given important information about how

to apply to postsecondary institutions. PIN

numbers which allow access to the Ontario

University Application Centre have been dis-

tributed and each student will be seen individ-

ually by his or her guidance counsellor to dis-

Michael Power · St. Joseph’s Catholic Secondary School - 105 Eringate Drive, Toronto, Ontario, M9C 3Z7

Guidance News cuss post-secondary plans. Parents and stu-

dents are encouraged to attend fall open

houses at Ontario’s colleges and universities

and to continue to research options using My-

Blueprint and einfo.

Our Post-Secondary Fair included over 30 universities and colleges

P a g e 2

M P S J P o w e r l i n e s

The cadaver lab at Waterloo university was an amazing and memorable experience, like no other. It was an opportunity that gave us a chance to witness the visual diagrams in our

textbooks, in real life. In the lab we got to explore and investigate the human body hands on through learn-ing about the muscles and bones that

build up the body, to exploring the digestive system and the parts of the body that lie be-neath the layers of the skin. While it got us to interact with others that share the same inter-

trip to U of Waterloo University

Parents & Students, Stay up to date with what's happening at MPSJ! Did you know that you can keep track of all the events that are happening at the school? MPSJ school calen-dars are available on the school website. Please visit mpsj.ca and select MPSJ School Calendars.

est, it was so cool to learn and expand our knowledge together as a community. From being able to touch and hold the many organs that put together the major systems in our body, to learn-ing about different diseases and conditions that can play an effect on our body, this experience helped our knowledge on our bodies grow to an extent where we now understand what is hap-pening within us. The cadaver lab was a very in-formative and great learning experience that many can say they have not done. We are so grateful to be a part of the SHSM program, as we would have never gotten this memorable oppor-tunity. SHSM is a great program that provides grade 11s and 12s at Michael Power with amazing experiences that takes what we learn in the class-room and emphasizes it in a way that gives us ultimate clarity through seeing it for ourselves.

by the SHSM Exec

School Calendars

Free the Children Club

This year the MPSJ Free The Children/We Club put on the annual Docudrama which focused on child marriage.

Roughly 100 students were involved showing their writing, directing, singing, dancing, acting and tech-nical talents which allowed the club to raise $3100. Yearly, the group raises about $9000 which goes toward building a school in a developing coun-try.

Here you will find our sports, extra-curricular and major events calendar. You can click on events to get more details or even download these calen-dars to import into your own smart device. These school calendars are also displayed on the TV screen outside the main office along with the day's announcements.

In the Canadian and World Studies Department we believe that it is important for the students to fully experience the curriculum. This fall, through a series of trips and presentations we believe this goal has been accomplished. In October, the grade 9 geography clas-ses went on a tour of Downtown Toronto to study the changing land uses throughout the city. They visited places such as City Hall, Music Gardens, St. Lawrence Market and Riverdale Farm. On the History side, we believe debate, discussion, and critical thinking are essential to the formation of our students as engaged citizens. This includes recog-nizing the debts owed to the generations who have preceded us. In October and November, the depart-

ment welcomed Elly Gotz, survivor of Dachau, industri-alist and author; and Norm Baker, WWII veteran of the Normandy Campaign, Belgium, Holland, and Ger-many. The students had an opportunity to engage with

P a g e 3

CAS has been rolled out to Year 1’s, and Year 2’s are cur-rently engaged in Interim interviews to ensure a timely completion of this very important Diploma require-ment.

Extended Essays are also in full swing. Our “EE Bootcamp” is planned for Nov. 29th and students are expected to spend periods 3 and 4 in the school library working on their essay, under the supervision of various teachers. Lunch will be provided.

On October 25th, the IB commu-nity at MPSJ celebrated IB’s 50th birthday. Staff and students were invited to the library after school to commemorate the occa-sion with cupcakes and coffee. Thank you to Swirl Cupcakes for the beautiful cupcakes!!

Our year started by welcoming our students with Opening liturgies celebrated by Fr. Michael Machacek from Nativity of our Lord Parish. We are so very fortu-nate to have Fr. Michael celebrate mass with us, as he too is a Power Graduate and a gift to our community.

Our retreat programs have also started with our Grade 10’s experiencing the Salesian way with Sister Francine and Sister April who journey with our stu-dents in focusing on their God given gifts and talents. Our grade 12 students travel to St. Patrick’s Church on McCaul Street who are greeted by their pastoral team who teach our students about social justice and the importance of our Catholic Social teachings. Which brings us to our most important school wide event of the year, the MPSJ PowerUp Food drive. We serve over 90 families in our community who are in need of some help. The Food Drive launches on November 26 and delivery of the boxes on December 14th. We thank you in advance for your support and generosity. Wishing your families a blessed Advent and Merry Christmas.

Chaplaincy

both gentlemen to learn about their history and their in-sights into today.

On November 9th, our department collaborated with the Drama and Music Departments in a presentation to all MPSJ students about WWI on the 100th anniversary of its end. The performance included readings from letters, poems and other primary sources of the era along with dramatizations of the experiences of those who served and those sup-porting them from the homefront. The contributions of many groups, including women, indigenous peoples and visible minorities were included and the audiences were so engaged that you could have heard a pin drop in the audito-rium!

IB Programme Updates:

Canadian and World Studies Department

Field Hockey The girls field hockey team had a successful sea-son this year. We remained undefeated for regular league play. At the Sunnybrook tournament, we made it to the finals once again and just fell short losing in penalty flicks. Our playoff run was equally successful and exciting. We, as a team, have made it to the championship game 14 out of 15 years in a row, beating Senator O'Connor in the semi-finals in overtime. Unfortunately, we lost in the finals to Bishop Allen but Coaches Bissada and Poole are proud for the effort and obtaining the silver medal.

Best wishes for the graduates, Julianna Acosta, Juliette Kohani, Melissa Lausic, Camila Colom, Nata-sia Kurysko, Sara Garcia and our co-captain Jenna Lippa.

M P S J

A T H L E T I C S

Cross Country Team The rain, mud and heat did not slow down this year’s Power Cross Country Team as they ran to very impressive results at meets across the city. The team was a mix of some experienced runners as well as some excited new comers to the sport. At each successive meet this fall, the team got strong-er and stronger leading up to the city champion-ships, where three of the students advanced to OFSAA in Hamilton.

At OFSAA, the races were fast and Power's run-ners showed they were some of the best in the province. The coaches hope they all enjoy a restful winter and are looking forward to another great season next fall!

Ultimate Frisbee MPSJ's Ultimate Frisbee Team experienced their most successful season to date! With a strong team full of pas-sion, enthusiasm and spirit, they braved the elements and made their first ever play-off appearance. The young team of rookies played with great energy, enthusiasm, and heart as they went up against teams more experienced competi-tion.

Coaches Prospero and Lofranco are very proud of the

team and wish our graduating players the best of luck.

The Junior Girls Basketball team enjoyed another amazing season! The girls started the season with a tournament win at Cardinal Newman. The regular season presented its chal-lenges, but the team was able to finish it with a perfect 7-0 record. During the playoffs the girls encountered their rival school St. Joe’s in a tightly contested semi final game. The girls were able to pull off this win to secure a spot against Father Henry Carr in the finals. The finals proved to be a great test for the girls as a very physical Carr team pushed them to their limits. They kept their poise during this game and pulled off another impressive victory to secure back to back TDCAA championships. Congratulations girls!

This fall Michael Power St Joseph marked their 500th TDCAA championship as the junior boys doubles tennis team of Sam Bernard and Evan Clatney took home gold. Staff wel-comed back retired teacher Greg Scully to commemorate the occasion. Throughout seven decades, the school has seen many great accomplishments and continues to be an athletic powerhouse. Certainly, the legendary Track and Field teams of the 70s and 80s led by Father Redmond come to mind, as does the dominating performance of the 1975 football team that went unbeaten and did not concede a single point against, not to mention 4 OFSAA boys' hockey titles, and the girls basketball teams of the 90s and 2000s who held a streak of 17 regular season games without a loss. These are just some of the amazing accomplishments that have made the Power Trojans a force to be reckoned with in the TDCAA and at the OFSAA level. Congratulations to all the athletes and coaches who brought victory to the school throughout its history.

Jr Girls’ Basketball

Celebrating TDCAA Championships!!