Happy Holidays? Happy Solstice?

I know it is Christmas time when Advent is upon us.

I know it is Christmas time when my neighbourhood is illuminated at night with a symphony of lights and decorations.

I know it is Christmas time when every other commercial on TV is marketing some product to purchase for a loved one.

I know it is Christmas time when I hear Bing Crosby singing White Christmas in shopping malls.

I know it is Christmas time when the topic of political correctness rears its ugly head:  Most notably, over the issue of what we should proclaim during this very special time as Christians.

We have always been a nation of considerate people letting everyone celebrate their special holidays as their customs and beliefs dictate without interference. That freedom has always been one of this country's greatest attractions. Why, so many are asking, is it now that those of Christian beliefs are not afforded the same freedom of Christmas expression?

So in a very bold statement....

....on behalf of our family at Christ the King Catholic Secondary School....

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

“The food you have stored away belongs to the hungry.

The unworn garment in your wardrobe belongs to the naked.

The gold you have hidden away belongs to the poor.”

(St. Basil)

My next blog will be posted January 2nd, 2011.  

"75 per cent of religious persecution is directed at Christians"

The above tag line caught my eye as I read through the Sunday edition of the Toronto Star this weekend. Here are some of the disturbing allegations in the article:

• "Terrified Christians in Iraq are still mourning the 50-plus deaths in an Oct. 31 attack against worshippers attending mass at Our Lady of Salvation church in Baghdad, in which a militant group called the Islamic State of Iraq sprayed the sanctuary with bullets."
• "In Uzbekistan, a Christian man has been fined the equivalent of seven years' salary for possessing a movie about Jesus."
• "The Vietnamese government has announced the continuation of a massive military operation to "wipe out" Christians in the central highlands who refuse to join the state approved church."
• "In Saudi Arabia, the only faith permitted by law is Islam. Christians are regularly imprisoned and tortured on trumped-up charges of drinking alcohol, blaspheming or owning religious artifacts."

Reading these examples and many more, I agree with the author of this article who states that persecution of Christians just doesn't compute with us in the West.  We are the faith on record in the world's richest and most powerful countries, where Christians have been ensconced for centuries.  The author goes on to cite that given our well-documented history of brutality, we are more conditioned to think that people of our faith have been the persecutors not the victims.

The reality is that two-thirds of the world's Christians live outside the West.  In fact, the average Christian is now defined as a Nigerian woman.  Sources in the article state that upwards of 200 million Christians face daily threats of murder, beating, imprisonment and torture.  Furthermore, "at least" 75 per cent of all religious persecution in the world is directed against Christians.

Why is this happening in these countries?  In short, Christianity is seen as preaching faith and a vehicle for Western imperialism and colonialism. Another reason provided in this article is that "the lack of understanding comes from lack of knowledge."  It is this religious illiteracy that is endangering lives abroad. 

As a matter of fact, I had every intention of doing this week's version of my blog on religious illiteracy but I will save this for my last entry next weekend prior to the Christmas break.

http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/901492--christianity-arguably-the-most-persecuted-religion-in-the-world

Looking forward to your comments.  Just a reminder that the final exam schedule has been posted on our public site at www.ctk.ca.

Praying the Rosary

Adult Faith Formation is represented in our Board Improvement Plan and is one of our SMART Goals this year (our School Improvement Plan is posted on our website http://www.ctk.ca/). 

Our board has made a concerted effort to offer Adult Faith Formation sessions for its employees as part of our faith journey as Catholic educators.  This is a noble endeavour and one that I have promoted to our staff at CtK.

A previous blog alluded to Father James Mulligan's comments regarding the differences between a little "c" and big "C" Catholic.  The institution of the faith sessions will help many of us get closer to the latter.

As part of my faith journey, I have made a commitment to pray the Rosary on a consistent basis. My wife and I went out and each purchased a Rosary this past weekend.

Being reacquainted with how to pray the Rosary has been an educational and spiritual experience.  I had completely forgotten the Fatima and Hail Holy Queen prayers.

I am reminded of some of the promises of Mary to those who pray the Rosary.  Primarily, the recitation of the Rosary is a sublime way to affirm the sacraments of our faith.

Thanks for reading.  Looking forward to your comments.

Facebook.....I have three friends!

Well I did it!  I have entered the vast world of Facebook. 

Why?  In short, to keep tabs on my two oldest daughters.  I had concerns but have reluctantly allowed them access to a world that could cause more harm than benefit if not cautious.  As a prudent parent, I did my best to make sure they were informed as they entered this digital arena.

So....my daughters have been to facebook presentations held at our school over the last few years. Chris Vollum, who has seen his business boom in the area of safeguarding students on facebook and twitter, has presented at our school and many other secondary and elementary schools around the province.

Chris has taught our students and staff how to set their privacy settings to protect themselves from unwanted scrutiny. 

As I have alluded in a previous blog about 21st Century Learning Skills, it is important that our children embrace social networks such as facebook to foster their digital literacy which, whether the Baby Boom and Generation X demographics would like to admit, will be an essential skill in the 21st century economy.

Through education, trust....and parenting....we need to allow them access to such conduits and hope that they make good choices.  Shutting them out will only force them to go online around our backs on school library computers, iPads and other digital technology.

Who is the third friend?  My wife, of course.

Thanks for reading.  We have created a new Parent Engagement link on our public website.  Take a look and let me know what you think.  It is a work in progress.  www.ctk.ca

In Defense of Catholic Schools

As a result of my current course work, I have been asked to develop responses to several arguments against Catholic schools.  Leading up to the Ontario provincial election in October 2007, some of the arguments against Catholic schools were:

Injustice
Historical anomaly
Cost
Discriminatory
The UN ruling
The separation of Church and State

As I ponder these comments, my other readings, my faith, and my role as a Catholic Principal, there is not a doubt in my mind and heart that Catholic schools are still very relevant in Ontario in the 21st century.

As I frame my responses, I am struck by an article by Father James T. Mulligan.  His comments allude to three large but critically important contextual considerations and challenges which affect every Catholic school board in Ontario and consequently every Catholic school principal.

Context # 1 - Paradigm Shift

According to Father Mulligan, a major shift has taken place in the way a significant segment of the non-Catholic Ontario public now perceives the privilege of Catholic education.  We must demonstrate clearly and effectively how our Catholic schools contribute richly to the intellectual, social, cultural and ethical life of the province of Ontario.

Context #2 - Economic and Social Brokenness

In the face of poverty and a so-called jobless recovery, Catholic schools are challenged, in collaboration with their staffs, to make the ideal of a preferential option for the poor a reality in each school. 

Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI have lamented about moral relativism and excessive individualism.  Father Mulligan states that we need to help our students, in age appropriate ways, to recognize these moral vacuums and then present to them the gospel alternative.

Context #3 - A Fragile Church

The clergy abuse that has surfaced over the last 25 years and more recently highlighted in the churches of Antigonish, Ireland and Cornwall has wounded the credibility of the church.  This does not help our work and ministry as Catholic educators.

Father Mulligan alludes to the tension between the small "c" Catholics and large "C" Catholics.  The latter participate in the Sunday Eucharist and the sacramental life of the church and try to live out the Gospel.  The former are baptized but are loosely affiliated with the Eucharist and participation in the life and teaching of the church.  Our challenge is for everyone affiliated with Catholic schools (students, parents, teachers and administrators) to make it our mission to achieve a critical mass of large "C" Catholic educators.

Any comments or views you would like to share would be appreciated.  Please remember that mid-term reports will be distributed this Friday, November 19th to your children.

Holiness in the Man Van

My affinity for our mini-van and the fact that it is the 2010 NHL Edition prompted my wife to call it the "Man Van."  I do love it for many reasons:  Specifically, the smooth ride, the myriad of storage and cup holders, as well as an outlet for my Ipod. 

Well, I can add one more reason as of Saturday, November 6, 2010 from approximately 7:40 am to 7:43 am.  My passenger during this time was none other than Father Frank Morrisey OMI.   He was ordained as an Oblate priest in 1961.  In addition, he was the Dean of the Faculty of Canon Law, University of St. Paul, in Ottawa, Ontario,  the Executive Coordinator Canadian Canon Law Society and the Consultor for the Pontifical Council for the interpretation of legislative texts to cite a few of his accomplishments.  Today he still enjoys worldwide repute in the field of Canon Law and has been known to offer canonical assistance to dioceses rocked by the sexual abuse scandals. 

Why was he in my van you ask?  He was to present at a course of which I am enrolled.  I got to class early and noticed him in front of the building not knowing that he could not get in through that particular entrance.  I passed him by to the other side and was not really sure who he was at first.  I turned the van around to ask who he was and offered to take him to the appropriate entrance.  He accepted my invitation and introduced himself as Frank.  For a brief three minutes I had the most holy person that I have ever met in my van. 

His presentation revolved around the differentiation between "catholic work" and "the work of Catholics."  He broke down the analysis into legality, values and commitment using canon law.  Have you ever been to a presentation where you could literally sit there and listen all day?  This was one of them.  I was in awe of his presence, knowledge, reverence and common sense.  He cited that the canons are essentially a compromise for over 1 billion Roman Catholics and that "law follows life .....life doesn't follow the law."

A classmate asked him what type of students we should be preparing for post-secondary life.  He cited that they should be individuals who promote faith, justice, peace, integrity of life, critical thinking and care for our ecological resources.

He left us with one thought to ponder.  Do we have public schools that are Catholic or Catholic schools for the public in Ontario?

Looking forward to your thoughts and comments. This Friday, November 12th is a P.A. Day. 

205 Words

How would you capture your life in 205 words?

This weekend's CBS Sunday Morning Show had a segment on obituaries and the people that write them for newspapers.  There was an emotional piece on 9/11 and the obits that the NY Times staff wrote for the few thousand people that died in the Twin Towers that horrifying day. 

The writers that chronicle death for the Times only have a precious 205 words to articulate the life of these people in the newspaper.  One would presume due to economic and space limitations.

Could it be Halloween that provoked me to choose this topic for my blog this week?

Could it be the recent 73rd birthday of my father?

Could it be my impending birthday which brings me one year closer to middle age?

Do you think about your mortality?  How often do you think of the faith, hope and love that you have given, shared and received in your life?

Do you struggle at times to discern if your career defines you more than what you have done for and with your family and friends?

My response is yes to all of the above.  How about you?

I will leave you with scripture from 1 Corinthians 13.


If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Thank you for reading.  Looking forward to your comments.  Our "Parenting and Technology" session is this Tuesday at 10 am at CtK.  Please check-in at the main office.  All parents are welcome.

Boys are falling behind!

Boys' grade averages are below their female counteparts in secondary school.

Young men are more likely to drop out of secondary school and less likely to graduate university than young women.

Men are now outnumbered in most professional programs including law and medicine.

The average Canadian university campus is 58 per cent female.

Boys are unmotivated and have been brought up in the most recent generation to support their female counterparts.

These are some of the findings cited in a Maclean's article last week. 

As educators, we have been aware of the physiological and emotional differences between male and females.  Females mature physically and emotionally faster than boys and are better able to focus on assigned tasks.  This article corroborates this by citing a recent brain development study.  In short, the brain of a five-year-old boy is roughly equivalent to that of a 31/2-year-old girl.  Hence, girls start school with a very significant academic advantage.  The rest is history!

Our School Improvement Plan has specific goals and strategies that address understanding and identifying the learning styles of boys prior to instruction, implementing differentiated learning, graphic novels and esteem building activities for example. 

Are boys disinterested due to how they have been raised?  Are girls dominating due to physiology and a nurtured sense from their mothers who had to endure and fight decades of discrimination?  Are elementary and secondary schools to blame for feminizing the curriculum to promote girls and keep boys from being discipline problems?

Here is the Maclean's article.

http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2010/10/18/are-we-raising-our-boys-to-be-underachieving-men/

Thanks for reading!  Looking forward to your comments.  Parent/Teacher Interviews are this Thursday, October 28th from 6:30 pm to 8 pm. 

21st Century Learning

I was at a 21st Century Learning Conference in Chicago last week.  It was very informative, interesting and daunting quite frankly.

I have the utmost confidence that the education we deliver in our Catholic Learning Community is comprehensive and faith based.  Our wonderful and dedicated teachers by in large deliver the curriculum in an engaging manner that is differentiated to meet the varied needs of our students.  Guided by our gospel values, students crictically, creatively and ethically synthesize information in a collaborative learning environment.

Yes....CtK has many smartboards, several computer labs, wireless technology, multi-media projectors, laptops and interactive clickers.  Yes....our staff uses class portals, wikis, blogs and many different websites to augment the delivery of their instruction.  In fact, this blog is the only one of its kind in our board by an administrator!

That said, this conference confirmed what I already knew.....that schools across this province fall short preparing our students for the 21st Century. Given that we are already ten years into this century, we have some catching up to do.

What does a 21st Century Learning school look like?  Feel free to go to the link below and view a number of such secondary schools in the US.

http://www.bobpearlman.org/Learning21/21stcenturyschools.htm

Thanks for reading.  Looking forward to your comments.

Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center

I was at the United Center this past Saturday where I watched the Detroit Red Wings defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2.  The highlight of the evening took place before the game.  Specifically, the raising of the 2010 Stanley Cup banner in recognition of the Blackhawk's Stanley Cup victory during the 2009-2010 NHL season.  The multimedia pomp and circumstance was impressive.  The ritual of passing the banner from the hockey greats of 1961 who last won the Stanley Cup for Chicago to the players that were on last year's squad was mesmerizing.  However, the pinnacle took place when everyone joined the vocalist and organist in singing the American national anthem.

Say what you want about our friends south of the border.  As a Canadian, I was brought to tears from the baritone vocalist who sang with precision in a big, broad and resonating voice while the Blackhawk fans roared.  You could literally feel the sound waves pass through your body.

Americans faithfully believe in their country and in what the Star Spangled Banner represents. It reinforced my place as a Catholic educator.  Despite the trials and tribulations of Catholic education, I must remain resolute in my dedication to it because of our faith and what it represents to our students. 

The emotional reminder provided by the Americans was timely as we approach Thanksgiving. I give thanks for a wonderful family, outstanding teaching and support staff and a Catholic Learning Community that provides faith, guidance, inspiration and motivation to our students.

Thanks for reading.  Progress Reports will be distributed on the 14th.  Looking forward to your comments.

World Teachers' Day!

Tuesday, October 5th is World Teachers' Day!

Below is an excerpt of what I sent to our staff via email Sunday afternoon.

In recognition of this upcoming World Teachers’ Day, I would just like to thank you for your “level 4” work on a daily basis. Our admin. team could not ask for a better teaching staff.  Your dedication, creativity, thirst for professional learning, collegiality, and leadership has been inspiring to me.

Your consistent care and compassion to our disenfranchised students truly speaks to  Matthew 25:40  - And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’

 As the Principal of CtK, I am very proud of you and the Catholic Learning Community that we continue to nourish by “Doing it Right!”


Please take the time to thank our teaching staff when you get the opportunity.....perhaps through this blog.  They are wonderful people who have truly dedicated their efforts to meeting the needs of your children. 

Looking forward to your comments.  Hope to see you this Tuesday from 10 to 11 am for our first Parent Engagement session called "Helping Your Teen Succeed in High School."  Please sign in at the main office.

Lockdown at CtK

Our school went into a lockdown last Tuesday based on information that there was an individual in our building allegedly with a knife. A lockdown is a response to an emergency situation wherein the evacua­tion of a school building is neither safe nor advisable and steps are required to isolate stu­dents and staff members from danger.   

The decision to call a lockdown is not taken lightly.  As educators, we must always act as a judicious parent "in loco parentis" (in the place of parents). 

There is a litmus test that we discuss before sending the school into a lockdown.  Is the source reliable? Has it been validated through a first hand or third party? Was there more than one report or sighting?  Is someone's safety immediately in jeopardy?  What type of weapon?

In retrospect, we are always our own worst critics.  Either way, we received commendations from the Police Department and Senior Administration for our exemplary manner to the immediate threat of the initial situation, our leadership  throughout the situation, and through the media and community relations that followed in the after math.
 
At the end of the day, we will always err on the side of caution when it comes to the safety of staff and students in our Catholic Learning Community.

Looking forward to your comments.  Our first Catholic School Council meeting is this Wednesday, September 29th at 7 pm in the library.  You are welcome to join us.

Cell Phones in the classroom?!

Last week, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty suggested that students should be allowed to use cell phones in the classroom.

Currently, students are prohibited through board and school policies to use any electronic device on school property without the express consent from staff. 

Specifically, there are several reasons for precluding students from using cell phones on school property.  Students have used cell phones to traffic illicit drugs, copy assessments, communicate to other friends what is on a test, bully and harass other students on school property and take improper pictures of staff and students that invariably end up on the Internet.

The 21st century learning environment speaks to the use of technology in every facet of education.  For example, there will come a time where all instructional materials will be distributed to students electronically and textbooks may go the way of the horse and carriage. 

Many students come to a school that has inferior technology to what they use on a daily basis at home.  That said, students have access to wireless networks for their laptops and computer networks for classroom instruction.  In addition, staff frequently use interactive smart boards, youtube, wiki spaces, class portals and electronic clickers that allow students to respond to questions and get immediate feedback on projector screens as part of their instructional and assessment practices.

I am not sure where and why cell phones would offer any educational benefit above and beyond what we already have in place?

Looking forward to you sharing your opinion.  As an aside, you are welcome to join us at our first Catholic School Council meeting in our library September 29th at 7:00 pm.

Academic Dishonesty

Why do students cheat?  Is it out of laziness?  Is it a shortcut to success?  Is there too much pressure to meet standards of excellence that are required to get into College and/or University programs?

This weekend's Sunday Star had an article from the University of Toronto that articulated how University Professors face a new tide of student dishonesty. 

Here are a few of the "cheating horror stories" at U of T:

• A tutorial assistant charged three students $1500 each to slip them the answer sheet when he escorted them to the washroom during the exam. Ruling: Suspended for five years

• A student plagiarized an essay, then forged a doctor's letter saying he was too sick to hand in a second essay on time.  He then plagiarized it and handed it in late, followed by a third plagiarized essay. Ruling:  Recommended for expulsion

• A student submitted an essay written originally by a professor at Purdue University whose name, sadly, she failed to include in her essay bibliography.  Ruling:  Suspended for two years

Plagiarism is dealt with on a situation by situation basis at CtK.  Because our role is to nurture our students, often times they are given the opportunity to redo the offending assessment piece without penalty.  Students are realizing that post secondary educators are far less forgiving.  Handing an assignment in late or a professor prodding a student to hand in missing assignments like we do on a constant basis are all laughable concepts in post secondary.  It simply is not tolerated in the large majority of circumstances.

The 2010 Growing Success document on Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario Schools seems to have mildly shifted the pendulum back to where teachers can consider assigning late marks and zeros.  CtK has had a detailed policy for handling assessments that have not been handed in as per the deadline.  Teachers that follow the policy have been allotting zeros if a student fails to complete the assessment piece through this process.  In light of this new document, our team will be getting together to re-look at our policy to consider assigning late marks for pieces handed in late.  Once the policy has been approved by our administration, we will post it on our public website at http://www.ctk.ca/.

Looking forward to your comments.  See you all at Curriculum Night this Wednesday at 6:30 pm.

Welcome Back!

Welcome back! I hope that your family had a wonderful summer full of rest, relaxation and enjoyment!

Another dynamic year of education is slated to take place at CtK for the 2010-2011 school year. One that is holistic in fashion, with our faith woven into everything that we do in our Catholic Learning Community.

Our Grade 9 Orientation this past August 31st was a great success. Our Prefects and House Leaders did a great job acclimatizing our incoming Grade 9 students into the culture of our school.

Grade Assemblies will follow this upcoming week. Invariably, we will review our eight governing values which are adorned on the beautiful banners in our atrium.

They are as follows:

Sincerity

Integrity

Honesty

Commitment to Excellence

Continuous Improvement

Passion for Learning

Compassion for Life &

Equity/Dignity/Respect.

Our staff selected these values over three years ago as a testament to what they would model and expect from our students.

In addition, pieces of scripture will be cited as a means to spiritually illustrate how we deport ourselves at CtK. One that I will share with you is from Matthew 25:40.

And the King will answer them,"Truly I tell you, just as you did to one of the least of these, who are members of my family, you did it to me."

Our CtK family is inclusive, embraces the poor, helps those with mental, social and/or emotional issues and truly endeavours to treat everyone with equity, dignity and respect.

In the end, the message that students will clearly receive from our administration is that they will be loved and cared for. However, expectations will be high in terms of their commitment to excellence in the classroom and co-curriculars. They will also be expected to work on their resiliency in solving problems with our staff and students in a ethical and faith-oriented fashion.

Please remember to visit our website at http://www.ctk.ca/ for school updates. You will also receive updates through our phone and email systems. If you have not submitted your email address to us and wish to receive notifications from our school through this medium, please come to the main office to express your interest.

New blogs will be posted at the beginning of every week until the end of the 2010-2011 school year. My blogs will range from commentary to school news regarding our academic and co-curricular pursuits. Please feel free to post your own comments/questions about this topic or anything else concerning our Catholic Learning Community at CtK.

Thank you for being a part of our family.

Congratulations 2009-2010 Graduates!

To the graduating class of 2010….

“It isn’t the burdens of today that drive men (and women) mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today." This excerpt from a poem by Robert J. Hastings reminds us of creating a life focused on the journey and not the destination. This coupled with Psalm 118:24 “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” really sends home the message of “relishing in the moment." Life must be lived as we go along.

I firmly believe that your Catholic education at Christ the King in concert with God as the source of all goodness….has provided you with the ability to enliven humanity, spirit discipline and creativity and a value system steeped in our gospel values. You have the ability and the duty to apply your goodness…your brand of excellence to face the many obstacles and challenges whether your pathway leads you to the workplace, apprenticeship programs, college, or university. It is this goodness that will foster a proclivity to life-long learning, critical thinking, and sound faith-based decision-making that will contribute great value to this community and our society for years to come.

In closing, to the class of 2010, I would like to extend a sincere and heartfelt congratulations to you for all of your hard work and accomplishments. The mark that you have left at our school has been inextricably woven into the fabric of our culture and has provided an outstanding foundation from which to grow for future CtK graduates.

Stay committed to your faith…stay committed to excellence..stay committed to living your life to the fullest.

This piece is an excerpt from my graduation speech to our 2009-2010 Graduates. They are a wonderful group of young men and women and I wish them a bright and enlightening future.

This is my last blog for the school year. Please let me know what topics you would like me to cover in this medium in the upcoming school year. See you in September!

Father's Day

This Sunday was a very good day. In fact, the entire weekend was active, fun filled and family oriented.

I went bike riding, enjoyed breakfast and swam in the pool with my kids to cite a few activities. The best part of the weekend was when they presented their hand made cards for a Happy Father's Day.

I find that as the years pass they seem to share how much more of me that they know through the comments and artistic elements of their cards. I get more enjoyment and appreciation from these gifts as they get older.

Our kids are heavily influenced by our attitudes, behaviours, beliefs, morals and ethics. Being a parent is the most difficult and yet most rewarding vocation. However, despite our best efforts, it is inevitable that our children will be somewhat affected by external stimuli such as peer pressure and the electronic and print media.

We can only give them our love, guidance, faith and trust and hope that their good choices far outweigh the bumps and bruises they will incur in their pursuit of independence.

Essentially, this is what we strive to do with your children in our Catholic Learning Community at CtK.

Happy Father's Day!

Summer Blast!

We held our 2nd Annual Summer Blast Carnival last Thursday, June 10 from 11 am to 8 pm at CtK.

The event for all intents and purposes was very successful. This in combination with Ford's "Drive One 4 Ur School" Campaign raised over $10,000 for the CtK Cares Foundation.

What was most impressive was the synergy that developed between key staff members and our student leaders in the planning, organizing and implementation of this initiative. Once again, when given the opportunity, our staff outperformed last year's efforts.

Our student leaders from Student Council and the Prefects in particular proved that they could excel at a level that exceeded our school's high expectations. This came to fruition not just in the evolution of the planning but in the way they deported themselves with the many families that attended Summer Blast between 4 pm and 8 pm. They were respectful, helpful and very interactive with the children which to me was more impactful than any amount of money we raised.

Our students were excellent role models and ambassador's for our Catholic Learning Community. Their efforts undoubtedly left indelible positive memories in the minds of the children of which they engaged.

I can't think of a better way to inspire our future CtK students.

On behalf of CtK, I would like to thank the families that supported Summer Blast! See you again next year.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

Parent Engagement

This post will be the 15th this school year.

It is very interesting to note that the only two posts that have received the most attention ....negative and positive....from purportedly parents (as very few if any cite their name next to their comments) were the previous blog on our prom and our school's position on staged fights in the community.

At any rate, I am very happy to get your attention in any of my posts. I welcome your input, insight, educated and informed opinions.

As I articulated to our Grade 12 students at their Graduation Rehearsal a few days ago, one of the many reasons why I created this blog was to engage the parental community. I felt that this avenue would allow you in the comfort of your home or at work to read what is happening at CtK through my lens.

It is my attempt to attach a sense of humanity to the position of Principal of which many people think is just a figure head. As I cited to our students, my fingerprint and/or DNA is on everything that we do in our Catholic Learning Community. I truly care about providing as many varied learning opportunities and experiences for our students. Also, I am able to do this because we have such an outstanding administrative, teaching and support staff that is sprinkled with leaders.

Our school is very dynamic and quite frankly there are very few rocks that have yet to be overturned. The one big rock left is Parent Engagement.

This has always been a tough issue in secondary schools. How do we get parents involved in our schools? For obvious reasons, parents are very involved in elementary school but the participation rate seems to decline dramatically once their children enter secondary school.

There is a fair body of research that indicates that a child's success rate in elementary school is proportionate to the engagement of their parents in school life. The body of research for secondary school is not as substantial but it is presumable that the more parents are involved in their children's secondary education the more likely they are to succeed.

We have attempted to keep you informed through Catholic School Council (where parents are always welcome), our class portals, email and phone messages, our website at http://www.ctk.ca/, our marquee and of course this blog.

There has been a push by the Ministry of Education and through the School Effectiveness Framework to have schools find ways to improve this dynamic. Our departments at CtK have all submitted SMART Goals that in some shape or form will endeavour to get you more involved or in tune with what we are doing from an academic perspective.

In addition, a sub-committee of parents from our Catholic School Council and Tanya Melykuty (Public Health Nurse), have put together a schedule of events for parents that will take place at CtK in the next school year. These events will cover issues such as technology, teen mental health, stress, anxiety, drugs, alchohol, brain development and success in secondary school. Stay tuned for information regarding when these topics will be presented.

Thanks for reading. I look forward to your comments.

"The Prom"

We had our prom this past Friday, May 28th at the Mississauga Convention Centre.

From about 6:30 pm to approximately 7:30 pm, I was thinking why our staff and school puts itself in a position to deal with a sizable percentage of students that were well on their way to inebriation.

As a parent, you are thinking why do we allow these students into the event in the first place if they "appear" to be under the influence. Yes...we have our female staff volunteers check the purses of the female students and likewise for the male staff volunteers who do a brief but non-intrusive "pat" down of the male students.

As has been the case for the last 3.5 years as the Principal at CtK, we might find the odd "dime bag" or one of those tiny liquor bottles of which we seize and the student is sent home. There is the odd student that attempts to come through the doors obliterated which leaves us no choice but to apprehend the student....call their parents and then send them home.

Back to the sizable percentage of students that may have been under the influence. These students pose an ethical dilemma. For most of them, they have worked hard for at least four years and this evening is a culmination and celebration of their efforts. Do we send them home simply because we think they have had a few drinks? Easier said than done. We have built relationships with these students and a combination of duty, care, trust and compassion get intermingled when we are confronted with the decision to end their evening at the front door.

So....like so many other schools...we let them know that we are concerned about them and to be on their best behaviour or face the possibility of being sent home. This decision falls on me and only me.

So now to the time period between 6:30 pm and 7:30 pm. This was the most contentious time of our evening where it could easily have been a powder keg if cooler heads hadn't prevailed.

Many students arrived late for the dinner. Many of our students ignored the requests of one of our VPs to settle down as he was attempting to provide the ground rules for the evening for their safety. My other VP attempted to appeal to their sense of decency and managed to settle the crowd momentarily. I took the microphone shortly thereafter and mentioned that while the evening started in a disappointing fashion that I was very proud of them, complimented their appearance and wished them a wonderful evening. Fortunately, this was greeted with applause and was followed by Grace and then the meal.

To appease the unbelievable amount of students who needed to smoke throughout the evening, we allowed a few "smoke" breaks in between the transition of each course. Students filed into the smoking area to inhale a cigarette as fast as possible until one of the administrators asked .....frequently....to return to their seats for the next course.

The rest of the evening went very well as the meal and dancing had dissipated any alcohol that was consumed by the aforementioned students.

The Convention Centre was empty by 11 pm as most of the students were on their way to yet another party and in some cases one that would take place all weekend.

So....I ask you why we continue to have staff that put in MANY hours of their FREE time to make this event a special one. Why do I as the Principal put myself in a precarious position with lingering liability throughout the evening?

We do it for the many wonderful students that thanked us on the way out for our time and effort. As educators, we don't do what we do to receive thanks from anyone quite frankly. That said...the emphatic appreciation from these students was affirmation that this evening was worthwhile.

I guess it is all about perspective. Some of the staff that have been at CtK much longer than I said it was the worst behaved prom in our school's existence. When I mentioned this to a new staff member that transferred from Dufferin-Peel Catholic, she was surprised and said that the evening was far better than most of the nights that she supervised in her previous board.

Perspective indeed.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

"Annie"

One word....."Outstanding!"

I brought my family to the Friday night show. As I sat and watched our students put on a spectacular performance, I was emphatically reminded of three things. One....our students are incredibly dedicated and talented. Two.... the teaching staff and volunteers responsible for the planning, organizing and implementation of this musical deserve many accolades for their tireless work and the incredible amount of spare time that it took to produce a musical that was clearly professional in nature. Three....how are Arts and Culture Specialist High Skills Major has benefited our Catholic Learning Community.

As the Principal, I was never more proud of my staff and students. The happiness induced as a result of our students' wonderful acting and music could not be quantified.

This same feeling is what Cathy Parker, the wife of our dear colleague John Merlini, gave to her family and friends with her artistic impressions. Cathy passed away peacefully at their home after a courageous battle with cancer on Thursday, May 20th. Her passion for art touched the lives of many people as she created many pieces in all kinds of mediums.

As I was received by John and Cathy's family and friends at the MacKinnon Family Funeral Home, one could clearly appreciate what a profound impact her art has had on those that she loved.

Our thoughts and prayers are with John and his family.

The Fraser Report

The 2008-2009 Fraser Report for Secondary Schools was released a week ago. It is a “report card” on Ontario schools. The report collects a variety of data of relevant objective indicators of school performance. Specifically, the Fraser Report isolates the results of each school's Grade 10 Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) and Grade 9 Math EQAO Assessment.

We have improved for the third year in a row. Below is a comparision of our scores compared to our neighbouring Secondary Schools. Please click on the graphic to expand the view.



CtK achieved a score of 8/10 while Acton and GDHS scored 6.2 and 6.5 respectively. Overall, in the Province of Ontario, we ranked 65/722 Secondary Schools while Acton and GDHS ranked 366 and 307 respectively.

In the area of Grade 9 Academic Math, CtK's average level was 2.9 on a scale of 1-4 while Acton and GDHS were 2.8 respectively.

In the area of Grade 9 Applied Math, CtK's average level was 2.7 on a scale of 1-4 while Acton and GDHS were 2.1 and 2.3 respectively.

With respect to the OSSLT, CtK had a 95.1% success rate while Acton and GDHS had 84% and 85.9% respectively.

Last but not least is an indicator that speaks volumes in terms of how close the rest of our students achieved on the OSSLT and the Math EQAO. The last chart in the above graphic shows the percentage of students that were not successful on the literacy test and did not achieve the standard of a level 3 on the Math Assessment. Our percentage was 15.8% while Acton and GDHS were 25.6% and 22.5% respectively.

Our percentage has dropped relatively the most over the last three years…from 25.8 to 15.8. This indicates that more and more of our students are meeting the standard in the OSSLT and EQAO Math Assessment.

Quite frankly, our excellent results are due to analysis of data, outstanding Math and English Departments and a concerted cross-curricular literacy and numeracy plan that has been embedded in our instructional and assessment and evaluation practices.

It is my hope that our success continues because one would be hard pressed to find a more dedicated and hard-working Catholic Learning Community. Please visit the site below to examine our full results. Feel free to compare our results to the rest of our sister schools in the Halton Catholic District School Board. You will be pleasantly surprised.

http://ontario.compareschoolrankings.org/secondary/SchoolsByName.aspx

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments

Staged Fights in Georgetown

Last week, we sent home telephone and email messages regarding the consequences that would be meted out to those engaged in a "staged fight", bystanders and the individuals responsible for posting the fight online.

Many parents called in worried that their son or daughter had been suspended. When told that students in our community have been planning fights and then posting them online, they were both surprised and disappointed.

Simply go to YouTube on any given day and key in terms such as Gtown Fights or CtK Fights or CtK against GDHS or any variation thereof. Some if not all of these titles may have been removed. This is due to our investigation and forewarning students with the help of our liaison officer.

Please be diligent in checking YouTube and other internet forums for our students engaging in planned fights. Our investigation revealed that alot of these fights are just for the joy of fighting. A few were over disagreements of which I am unable to divulge here.

We are taking a strong stance against this mode of engagement because we have a moral obligation to do so. As pointed out in a previous blog, we are well within our rights under the Education Act to consequence students for behaviour that is injurious to the moral tone of our school OFF OF SCHOOL PROPERTY.

We sent home warnings as partners in your children's education. We have a duty of care to ensure that our Catholic Learning Community prospers academically, emotionally, spiritually and physically.

Please contact my office if you become aware of fights that may take place or those that have been posted to the internet. Your assistance would help us greatly in our efforts to continue to promote, model and teach verbal conflict resolution skills.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments

Meco Poliziani Annual Crusader Run

This Sunday my wife and I participated in the Meco Poliziani Annual Crusader Run hosted by Assumption Catholic Secondary School. It was a great day to run 5 km with colleagues and students from the school.

Mr.Poliziani was an influential leader and teacher in the Assumption School community. This run commemorated his many contributions during his years with the Halton Catholic District School Board. Meco was instrumental in developing programs that inspired students to volunteer and give to those less fortunate.

In addition, this fundraiser supported the emergency programs of the Good Shepherd Ministries as well as the less fortunate youth from within the Assumption community.

The Good Shepherd is a charity that provides assistance to thousands of people throughout the Hamilton Diocese. Their emergency programs provide food, clothing and shelter to those in immediate need.

My wife will be a member of the Assumption staff next school year and we thought that it would be a very good start to be part of another community which honours excellent educators through supporting initiatives that help the disenfranchised and those that are in need.

Our governing and gospel values lead us to help those that are less fortunate. This is one of the reasons why we created the CtK Cares Foundation.

I would like to extend my congratulations to the staff and many students that volunteered for this event. It was heart warming to see that student volunteerism is alive and well at Assumption.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

Creativity

There was an interesting story about Google on the Sunday CBS Morning show this past weekend. The correspondents interviewed the key graphic artists responsible for the artistic interpretations of their company logo.

If you haven't already noticed, Google's world recognized logo is constantly changed to reflect the importance of a day, person, place or thing. The leading web search engine company also holds world-wide contests in this regard.

A panel of artists changes the appearance of their company's logo to reflect the cultures of countries around the world. For example, the visual appearance of the Google logo would be different in Canada, Russia, China, Israel and so forth on a daily basis.

Changing the appearance of a company's logo is taboo in business circles. Your company logo should precisely represent what image and/or product or service the company is marketing. Manipulating the look of the logo would diminish its effectiveness in brand awareness.

Google has torn down this conventional wisdom and has only added tremendous value to its brand by piquing the interest of its customers around the world who look forward to seeing what image it will represent on a daily basis.

It is this type of ingenuity and thinking outside of the box that goes unheralded in our classrooms and co-curricular activities.

The 2010 Halton Youth Awards for Environmental Excellence were given to students in environmental clubs and programs that have raised awareness of environmental issues in their community on April 20th.

Club Green at CtK received an award recognizing its efforts in biodiversity. Led by Ms. Typer, one of our school's many outstanding educators, Club Green has been implementing creative environmentally friendly initiatives in our Catholic Learning Community for the last three years. These efforts have catapulted our school to two Certified Silver Ecoschool standings and our first Gold certification for 2009. CtK is the only Gold Certified secondary school in the Halton Catholic District School Board.

In addition, the 2010 Halton Environmental Scholarship Awards were given to five students, once of which was Emily Dimytosh, a recent graduate of CtK. She was recognized as the founder of Practically Green Solutions, a company that helps small-businesses make the switch to an environmentally friendly workplace.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments

Cold Souls

My wife and I rented the movie "Cold Souls" over the weekend. We found it in the "Critic's Picks" section of Blockbuster.

It involved actor Paul Giamatti...playing himself....disembodying his soul to a company that specializes in this process...."The Soul Storage Company." While the movie turned out to be very entertaining, it was the first conversation between Mr. Fintstein (CEO) and Mr. Giamatti that caught my attention.

In motivating Giamatti to go through with this procedure, Fintstein cited an anecdote regarding the training of baby elephants. He stated that they are put on a short leash that is tied to a wooden peg in the ground. It trains them to not stray far as the wooden peg would stop them in their tracks. This effect is so profound that when they reach adulthood and could easily yank the peg out of the ground, they have been conditioned to think that it is an impossible task and therefore never test it.

Fintstein offers that humans never question their self-imposed limitations and the soul can end up being the wooden peg.

As educators, we strive to motivate and encourage our students to "move" their own wooden pegs to opportunities and pathways that not only enrich their lives but the lives of others.

What are you doing to "move" your wooden peg?

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

Cycling Club Exploits

I went cycling this Sunday with a Cycling Club for the first time this year. Prior to this, the bulk of my cycling over the years has been solitary or with a friend. Life is busy and as a novice triathlete I thought that in joining this club that it would motivate me to put more kilometres on my legs than in years past.

So off we went on what would have been a 120 km journey with some hard core cyclists. I met another new member to the club as we were rolling along at speeds between 36 and 40 km an hour. This gentleman was putting in a strong effort and I wondered if he would be able to maintain such a pace once we hit the long incline from south Burlington into Dundas and then up Sydenham Hill....not once but twice!!

Well it became apparent 30 km in that he could barely keep up on modest hill inclines and was dropping back rapidly. I was pushing hard keeping up and was near the back of the pack happy to still be with the peloton. I looked back and this gentleman was not even in sight. It was at this point that I made a decision using a simple cost/benefit analysis. I came ill prepared with one bottle of electrolytes while my peers had three or four. Also, I was pushing hard and last but not least I was concerned about the rider who was nowhere to be seen.

I stopped and waited as the peloton sped away.

The gentleman was grateful that I waited as I lead him up to the top of Snake Road while he got his bearings back. We ended up putting in about 76 km together and I was resolute in my decision to stay and help.

As I reflect, this is what we do as educators on a daily basis. We stay and help. We bring students along at their pace and in accordance with their needs.

In the end, we do this as a Catholic Learning Community to build resilient, caring and productive members of our society.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to your comments.

The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test

April 8th, 2010 is a very important day for Grade 10 students across the province of Ontario. They will write the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) on this day.

This standardized test is one of two such assessments that students write during their tenure in secondary school. The other test is the EQAO Grade 9 Math Assessment. The difference between the two is that students must pass the OSSLT in order to graduate or achieve the literacy requirement by passing the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course in Grade 12 if they fail the test twice.

What is your opinion on standardized tests? Can we fairly and equitably compare literacy scores or math scores for that matter of our students across the province? Detractors would cite that there are too many variables at play like demographics and socio-economics that skew results.

The Halton Catholic District School Board has been either first or second overall in the province of Ontario on the OSSLT. That is quite an accomplishment. Detractors would allude to the fact that our board is also geographically situated in one of the most affluent areas in Ontario.

While this is a generalization, one can't deny the correlation. However, I happen to think that our outstanding results are mainly due to our board's commitment to literacy across the curriculum.

I would like to invite you to take a look at our school improvement plan on our website. It will become obvious that CtK has a very intensive literacy strategy that involves literacy checklists, literacy IEPs, graphic novels, assessments with embedded literacy prompts, a Grade 9 and 10 English program that is modelled after the OSSLT, after school literacy preparation, literacy computer modules, mock literacy tests and so on. It is important to note that our data on student achievement drives the creation of our instructional and assessment strategies. As with anything that we do at CtK, it revolves around meeting the needs of our students to the best of our abilities.

We are blessed with an excellent teaching staff that embraces change and leads by example in many instances. Their dedication to our Catholic Learning Community has yielded excellent results in all of our data indicators including the OSSLT especially over the last three years.

I pray and hope that this contingent of students will be successful this Thursday. It is a stressful time for them.

I have had many discussions with my colleagues over the dedication that all of our schools have with respect to literacy and numeracy. Are we dedicated because it is the right thing to do? Is it the pressure that arises from the province comparing schools and boards that drives us?

Looking forward to hearing your opinion. Thanks for reading.

Restorative Justice Practices

Over the next three days, Ms. MacDonald, Mr. Harris, Mrs. Halycz, Mrs. Agro-DeRosa (Vice-Principal at Bishop Reding), Ms. Stevenson (Religion Consultant) and yours truly will become internationally certified in Restorative Justice Practices by the International Institute for Restorative Practices.

Restorative Practices stem from the discontent among the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. It reflects their tradition that the individual’s family and community should be directly involved in any response to wrongdoing and conflict, a practice typical of most aboriginal or indigenous people.

Restorative Practices has the potential to transform our Catholic Learning Community. This progressive discipline and safe schools strategy employs a talk-it-out approach to foster dialogue between aggrieved students rather than meting out punishments. Students are taught basic social skills to problem-solve and lower the tension in school. One premise of the strategy is that kids feel safe when there is cooperation instead of hostility; another is that kids who feel values and connected at school are less likely to act out. Several boards around the province are investing in restorative practices programs to build a healthy school climate in hopes of fending off violence and improving academic performance.

Restorative Practices places responsibility on the students themselves rather than relying on zero tolerance and authoritarian control. It uses a collaborative response to wrongdoing which is intended to be supportive, gospel values based and not demeaning.

How it works

When a discipline problem arises, all the parties assemble in a circle. They present their sides and work to resolve the issue and restore their relationships. The emphasis is on repairing the harm rather than punishing the offender—although accountability is part of the process.

The facilitator brings participants together and creates a safe and supportive environment. The process is focused and records the decisions of the group. The facilitator does not make or influence the decisions but simply guides the process.

The script is at the heart of the circle or a conference if the situation is at the end of the Restorative Practices Continuum. It is a simple, reliable tool which allows a facilitator to run a circle/conference successfully without extensive mediation or counseling training. The script prescribes a series of open ended questions which encourage people to respond “affectively” (re: how they were affected by the issue).

Participants exchange ideas, develop a plan to address the conflict or wrongdoing, and repair the harm that resulted. In the event of a conference, a contract will be drawn up by the facilitator with feedback from all participants. The contract will usually dictate how the parties will interact in the future and the consequences if these parameters are breached.

At the core of restorative practices is the belief that people will make positive changes when those in positions of authority do things with them, rather than to them. Students accept decisions more readily if they have input.

While punishment may spur a temporary change, a more lasting solution is to help kids see how their actions impact others and how they can learn to control negative impulses. When students hear a person was frightened or hurt, they gain some empathy and they are more dramatically affected than by punishment.

Focus on Faith

Restorative Practices will dovetail into our Focus on Faith Theme (Hear the Word of the Lord, Learn to do Good, Seek Justice). Specifically, the collaboration and sharing of emotions and interests speaks to maintaining the dignity of the individual, image and likeness of God, and the sense of community as a support. In addition, Restorative Justice Practices speak to our Catholic Graduate Expectations which are part of our students daily curriculum.

Restorative Practices has students recognize that there is more grace in our world than sin and that hope is essential in facing all challenges. This is fostered by separating the deed from the doer, disapproving of inappropriate behaviour and acknowledges the intrinsic worth of the individual.

Restorative Practices makes students accountable for their own actions but allows them to seek and receive forgiveness.

Next Steps

Our team will prepare a training presentation for the Georgetown Family of Schools as a pilot. The goal is to train the Elementary Administrators and Department Heads who will in turn be authorized to train their staff in Restorative Practices.

Our team will train the entire board based on a strategic plan that will be endorsed by the trustees, and senior administration for the 2010-2011 school year.

Please feel free to comment on this or the preceeding blogs by clicking the word "comments" directly below each blog. Thanks for reading!

Nexus to the School in Bluefield, West Virginia

The umbrella for school behaviour includes matters which fall under the category of "nexus." Nexus means relevant. The student's behaviour off of school property and/or outside the school day may have a relevant and related impact on the safety and well-being of the school community.

The concept of "nexus to the school" is outlined in our school code of conduct, the HCDSB's code of conduct and in the Education Act.

There have been many instances at CtK where we have suspended students for conduct that is injurious to the moral tone of the school that took place off of school property. Possession or use of drugs, alcohol, physical altercations and general misbehaviour are common examples.

We have espoused at CtK that one of the highest expectations of our students is their conduct in the community as it will always be construed as a reflection of the school. Students need to know that our staff is held to the same expectations and do a wonderful job upholding such a standard.

Why am I blogging about nexus? Why am I focusing on our behaviour as a Catholic Learning Community off of school property? Why is it important?

I hope you had an enjoyable time with family and friends over the March Break? Our family went to Hilton Head, South Carolina.

We were on our way back home Saturday, March 20th and made one of our frequent stops with a van full of kids at a Wendy's Restaurant in Bluefield, West Virginia.

We were just settling down to eat a "nutritional" meal when a young man came up to me and said.."Hi Mr. DeSantis." I must have been startled as the young man went on to explain that he is a Grade 9 student at CtK. I could not believe the odds of bumping into one of my students in of all places Bluefield, West Virginia! It turned out that this young man and his family were coming back from Florida! I wished he and his family a safe trip home as they left the restaurant and we began to eat.

Hence....the onus of being a good citizen wherever you are came to mind as I was eating some sort of Grill Chicken wrap. You never know who you are going to meet, what people will perceive or what impression you make when others observe your behaviour whether you are in school or on vacation.

The best way to represent your family and our school is to try your best to simply be polite, respectful and considerate as a standard way of life. You never know who will be watching! Note to self...I do get around....ask the young man in Grade 9!

Please feel free to comment on this or the preceding blogs by clicking the word "comments" directly below each blog. Thanks for reading!

Dreams Versus Drugs

A trusted colleague of mine recently sent me this quote by John Holt:

Fish swim, birds fly; man thinks and learns. Therefore, we do not need to ‘motivate’ children into learning, by wheedling, bribing, or bullying. We do not need to keep picking away at their minds to make sure they are learning. What we need to do, and all we need to do, is bring as much of the world as we can into the school and the classroom; give children as much help and guidance as they need and ask for; listen respectfully when they feel like talking; and then get out of the way. We can trust them to do the rest.

As a parent, as a student, as a educator....do you agree with the above position?

We work hard to create the culture that we put in place at CtK. We strive to embrace student success and excellence. We aim to "…bring as much of the world as we can into the school and the classroom."Yet I do struggle with "we can trust them to do the rest?"

We have suspended an inordinate number of students in the last few months for possession of marijuana and/or drug paraphernalia. This is of great concern to both the administration and our staff.

We try and do the right thing and ensure that the student continues a semblance of his/her studies at home or at the Suspended/Expelled Students Program. In addition, we arrange for drug counselling through ADAPT and ensure that there is contact with a social worker and/or child youth counselor during this process.

This is a major reason that I struggle with the "trust" issue for our students? What is happening to our students at school? What is happening to our students when they go for lunch? What is happening when they go home? Where do they go on the weekends? How are they getting access to these drugs? Most importantly, why are they doing drugs?

We all have logical responses to the above questions with varying degrees of veracity. Where does "trust" play a role in the equation of accountability and responsibility in our youth?

We had Keith Hawkins with us recently. He has been to our school several times now as a motivational speaker. His most recent topic was coined:

Dreams versus Drugs

He stated that every kid knows not to do drugs. “The message has to be something bigger than drugs…something that burns deep inside a young person’s heart…like a dream!” He cited that "When a young person is involved in activities or finds something they really like, it makes them happy, it gives them self-worth. When a student sees and feels that type of value, they’re not going to let drugs or alcohol get in their way.

"His focus on "The Power of the Dream" seemed to resonate with our student population. They were very attentive and participative throughout his presentation. Our students were very engaged.

We continue to allocate as many resources to our Catholic Learning Community to help our students reach their dreams.

I pray and hope that the partnership between home, school and church will support our students as we "trust them to do the rest."