Catholics Come Home

It is approximately 8:30 am Sunday Morning and my wife and I are enjoying coffee and breakfast in front of our TV.  I usually watch NHL on the Fly in an attempt to catch up on what transpired in the National Hockey League the night previous.  Of course, at 9 am we focus our attention on the Sunday Morning Show on CBS. I would miss this week's version as I had to take one of my daughters to her basketball tournament.

Back to 8:30 am.  Just as I was about to go upstairs to wake up my daughter, I was stopped dead in my tracks by a commercial that came on the TV.  It was from an organization called Catholics Come Home. 

It was a commercial promoting our faith! It was riveting and, quite frankly, made me proud to be Catholic.  In a world filled with chaos, hardship and pain......the commercial invites us back to the Church. 

In the face of the controversial issues regarding our clergy and the diminishing participants in church every Sunday, this organization is making a concerted effort to herald the inherent beauty and significant positive impact that the Catholic Church has had on the the evolution of our civilization.

I invite you to visit the site below to view the commercial (click on "Epic Commercial" when you get to the home page) and its contents.  Thanks for reading.  Looking forward to your comments.

http://www.catholicscomehome.org/index.php

"New Moon Rising"

On March 19, 2011 the Moon passed by Earth at a distance of 356,577 kilometers (221,567 miles) – the closest pass in 18 years. 

Our family pulled over on Lakeshore Blvd in Burlington on our way back from South Carolina to take a quick look at this magnificent site.

This beautiful act of nature is in direct opposition to the  unmitigated disaster that has taken place in Japan due to a natural disaster.

The environment is to be respected, nurtured and loved.  To that end, please join us at Christ the King to celebrate Earth Hour March 26th for our "Star Gazing" Event hosted by Halton Hills Hydro and the Town of Halton Hills.  Please view the website below for details.

http://www.haltonhills.ca/coe/eventdetail.php?id=1592

Thank you for reading.  Looking forward to your comments.

I am thankful!

Lent is the 40 day period of fasting and prayer from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday before Easter. The 40 days represents the time Jesus spent in the desert overcoming temptation by Satan. The period of Lent is preparation for the annual commemoration of the death and resurrection of Jesus, celebrated during Holy Week. Lent is a Teutonic word , meaning spring season.

Lent is also a time for reflection.  A time to be thankful for the goodness that the Lord has bestowed upon us.  Life is temporal and I think that we tend to take it for granted as we concern ourselves with needs and wants in one of the most economically and politically stable countries in the world.

There has been great tragedy and turmoil in other parts of the world.  You have the recent earthquake/tsunami disaster in Japan; the uprisings for democratic governments in Tunisia and Egypt; and the current revolutions against autocratic governments in Yemen and Bahrain.

While we are sympathetic, torn and compassionate for the losses of life and assets in these countries, we are still sheltered from the true grief that has befallen these people.

This past Friday, I articulated how thankful I am as a husband, father, friend and Principal of Christ the King C.S.S. 

As Lent prepares us for a new beginning, we will pray for those people who have suffered unspeakable calamities and it is my hope that this period of time brings forward a spirit of hope and rejuvenation for them.

Critical Thinking in the Classroom

Critical Thinking has been cited by many pundits in education as one of the key 21st Century Learning Skills that must be instilled in our students in preparation for what will unfold in the years to come.

The quality of our life and that of what we produce, make, or build depends precisely on the quality of our thought.  Poor thinking costs our society financially and in our quality of life.

Are we doing enough to foster Critical Thinking in our students?

The Foundation for Critical Thinking (http://www.criticalthinking.org/) defines critical thinking as "the art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it."

This organization states that a well cultivated thinker:

• raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely;
• comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards;
• thinks openmindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing, as need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences; and
• communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems.

Our Catholic Learning Community is blessed with many excellent teachers that have embraced critical thinking as a piece in their instructional and assessment practices.  We are definitely "out of the harbour" in this process in most of our departments. 

Specifically, our Department Heads were in-serviced in Critical Literacy and subsequently their staff members have discussed or will discuss plans for the consistent application of critical literacy in all of their subject areas as we move forward.  This is a SMART goal in our 2010-2011 School Improvement Plan. 

We have focused on "Critical Reading" questions which are cited not only on the Foundation's website but the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat's website (Capacity Building Series) as well.

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/capacityBuilding.html

1. What is the author's purpose.
2. What key questions or problems does the author raise?
3. What information, data, and evidence does the author present?
4. What key concepts does the author use to organize this information, this evidence?
5. What key conclusions is the author coming to?  Are those conclusions justified?
6. What are the author's primary assumptions?
7. What viewpoints is the author writing from?
8. What are the implications of the author's reasoning?

Thanks for reading.  Looking forward to your comments and thoughts.