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Greetings!
Superintendent: Simone Oliver
Trustee: Kathy Ablett R.N.
Principal: Bill Barrett
Vice Principal: Michelle Gauthier
Vice Principal: Brent Hopkins
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Student Services
Take Our Kids To Work:
Grade 9 students should now be making arrangements with their parents for "Take Our Kids To Work Day" on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013. All grade 9 students in the province of Ontario are expected to accompany an adult to work for the full day. The adult does not have to be a parent. The adult may be a neighbour, relative, older sibling, friend, etc. Parents will have to complete and sign a permission/information form that must be returned to the homeroom teacher by Monday, Nov. 4th, at the very latest. Forms are available from their homeroom teacher.
Dependent Education Class visits:
During the months of October and November, Grade 9 homerooms will be visiting our Developmental Education (DE) class located in room C203. All students are invited to visit and/or to volunteer in the DE class at lunch. Students can spend time visiting with our DE students and/or volunteering and earning community service hours.
Tutors:
At this time in the school year, when Letters of Concern are given to students, and parents come in to the school for parent-teacher interviews, students/parents are often seeking tutors. We have a "Tutor" binder in the Student Services office that contains advertisements from various tutors in various subjects/grades. Some of the tutors are current St. Pius students, some are former students, some are in university/college and some flyers are from other individuals or companies. In all cases, we recommend that a parent be directly involved in meeting with any potential tutor to ensure that all tutoring appointments, arrangements, payments, meeting locations, etc. are safe and professional.
Students and parents are invited to visit the Student Services office to learn more about tutoring, community service opportunities, part-time jobs, colleges, university programs, apprenticeships, scholarships, international student exchanges and more.
Scholarships:
All students are encouraged to prepare for scholarships and bursaries in grade 12 by completing their community service hours as soon as possible. Now is a good time for all students to start thinking of applying for scholarships. Although there is no single source that contains a complete listing of all scholarships available, the following list is a good place to begin:
1) There is a scholarship book in the library that lists a large number of scholarships and bursaries available in Canada. Information, websites, due dates, etc. are all there.
2) Students can register at StudentAwards.com and they will email scholarship information directly to the student.
3) Students can register at ScholarshipsCanada.com and they will email scholarship information directly to the student.
4) We have a list of scholarships available on the St. Pius school website. These are available only for St. Pius students and will be advertised in April.
5)Students should check the website for the faculty at the universities/colleges they think they might apply to in December. Colleges and universities have their own internal lists of scholarships available to students in specific faculties.
6) Many employers offer scholarships to children of their employees. Parents should check with their employer to see if they offer any scholarships.
University/College preparation:
Grade 12 students have had the opportunity to attend several university and college presentations at St. Pius during the past few weeks. Algonquin College, Carleton U. and U. of Ottawa all gave excellent presentations to the grade 12 students.
In November, Mr. Warren will present and explain to students the on-line application process for both university and college. The Ontario university application presentation will be on Nov. 27 at 9:00 am, while the Ontario college application presentation will be at 10:00 am. At this time of year, grade 12 students should be researching their post-secondary options and trying to focus in on a "top 5 list" of programs that are of interest to them. Grade 12 students will have to confirm their college or university choices in December when they complete their on-line applications. The deadline to complete all Ontario university applications is Jan. 15, 2014. The deadline for applications to an Ontario college is Feb. 1, 2014.
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Recreation Leadership Class Activities
With the Recreation & Fitness Leadership class up and running, Pius students now have a number of new ways to add some physical activity to their day. Here are just a few of the things we've been up to:
* Intramurals -- We kicked things off with floor hockey and will be moving on to 3-on-3 basketball shortly. We're hoping to have six different intramural sports this year. Not all of them have been decided so if you have an idea for an intramural, let us know.
* Morning workouts -- Lindsay Walsh and others have been meeting Thursday mornings for a number of weeks, initially going for jogs in the community but now moving on to various workouts in the Old Gym. Getting up in the morning isn't always easy, but this certainly helps to get your day off to a great start.
* Healthy Foods Fair -- Katie Vancoughnett took to the cafeteria to serve up a number of nutritious meals and snacks to help students realize how simple healthy eating can be. Students were also given recipe cards so that they can make these easy meals at home.
* Student Trainers -- Emiliyan Staykov and others have volunteered to teach students the basics of weight training. This is a great way to get in shape and can give you a real edge in any sport you play. The important thing is learning how to do this safely. Emiliyan is still hoping to get a few more clients, so drop by the fitness room any Monday or Thursday if you are interested.
* Basketball Training Camp -- Chris Kato, Ali Al Hussaini & Marco Della Penta are helping students gear up for the upcoming basketball season. Over the next few weeks you'll catch them in the Old Gym Monday and Thursday after school with some of the school's top players, working on fundamentals and hosting some high level scrimmages. Whether you plan on playing for the school team or just want to sharpen your skills, you are sure to benefit from these workouts.
As you can see it's been a busy couple of months, but we are always looking for ways to make
Pius a healthier, more active place. If you have an idea, please see Mr. Lamarche or any of the students in the Recreation & Fitness Leadership class.
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The Pius Potato Patch:
This year, student members of Eco-Pius are taking on a new community initiative - the Pius Potato Patch.
St. Pius is an ideal site for growing spuds. It just takes a little work to whip it into shape. To that end a "sod lifter" was rented and student power was put into action in late October. Out behind the Achievement Centre (otherwise known as the "White House") several students removed the sod and placed it in the school composter. Meanwhile, other students put their backs into action and turned over the soil in preparation for a spring planting. In May, the students will plant potatoes and pray for a good growing season. We plan to harvest our bumper crop next September.
What's in it for the community? The hope is that our crop yield will be sufficient to donate the potatoes to a local food bank or community organization in need of them. What is in it for Pius students? In addition to helping out the community, learning a bit about gardening, getting some fresh air and exercise, students were able to earn some community service hours while having a great deal of fun.
Thanks to Mr. Imbleau and Mr. Boucher for getting and running the sod-lifter and thanks to the students who braved the elements to dig the garden.
St. Pius X High School participated in the Juvenile Diabetes Ride for the Cure on October 10,2013 and were the top school in the city with their fundraising efforts. The two teams consisted of a Grade 9 and 10 team including Paige Pucci, Sara DiPenta, Erica Labelle, Adam Labelle and Kianna Laurin as well as a Grade 11 and 12 team including Jennifer Johnston, Priscilla Orozco, Zeina Hamameh, Quan Doan and Nicholas Bastianelli. As a school, students were able to fundraise over $2000. A special congratulations to Paige Pucci who raised over $1600!!